#so super unimportant detail

[nightfurynova1217]

@deathnotetober 2024 #30 - Alone

Gosh, Near is such tragic character when you think about it too much...

Time Taken: 2:10 hours

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[zevranunderstander]

hate how scared modern liberal movies are of making characters of color into antagonists of any sort? like i know it depends on what kind of story you want to tell, but if it's a "colorblind" story that's just like, "regency era, but diverse" or whatever and all of the people of color are the kind supporting cast, just go fuck yourself I'm sorry

[chaoticvictorianspirit]

not now kitten daddy needs to look at memes about some blorbo from his mutual's shows coming out as bisexual

[ckret2]

I've seen some folks saying that the reference to The Great Gatsby in TBOB was just a joke Alex didn't put deeper meaning into—which might be true, IDK the man's motives for choosing Gatsby specifically—and that there's no way the book has any deeper relevance to Bill's character beyond the eye doctor thing—which is totally wrong. Whether or not Alex intended parallels, there ARE parallels. So, for those of you who didn't read or didn't pay attention to The Great Gatsby:

the book's about a guy who started out as an unimportant loser with starry-eyed dreams, who very quickly gained a lot of power/gold and now presents himself as this dapper fancy well-dressed super important guy.

He constantly throws huge parties, he's got a reputation for being THE party host. But it's a sham, he's pouring all these resources into this party to make himself look so cool but he's living at the very edge of his means.

He lies about his history, lies about how he got his money (spoilers: he's a criminal), lies even in how he presents his personality—he's a con artist, he's always wearing a mask.

The reason he's doing all this—putting on the mask, making himself look so great—is because he's trying to reach across this very thin boundary to a better life he can see, JUST out of reach, so close but something he's never quite clever enough and rich enough and persuasive enough to reach. Every night at his parties he stares at his goal, he can LITERALLY SEE it, he just can't reach it himself.

The best he can do is briefly charm and dazzle someone on the other side of this social boundary, but he can never quite persuade that person to help him cross over; in fact no one on the other side of the boundary thinks he has a right to cross it.

He finds somebody—the guy narrating the book about him—who's very lonely, socially awkward, and disillusioned, whom he can easily awe with his stories and persuade to help him reach his goal, come on please, it'll be harmless! (It is not harmless.)

He loses control over the act he's putting on and over the people who only follow him around as long as he's still got the resources to keep them entertained and loyal.

It ends with him getting murdered by a guy he has LITERALLY never met before—by which point everyone has realized that he's a nobody making it all up as he goes along who was just desperately chasing the illusion of a good life and the admiration of everyone around him.

The narrator ends up disillusioned with him and the whole culture around him of grasping and clawing for a glitzy glamorous life at the expense of the regular people who are manipulated, trampled, and discarded in the process.

Now tell me that Gatsby doesn't have any parallels to Bill's character. And this is just based off reading the book a decade ago—there's probably tons of little details I don't even remember. The book may well have been chosen as a coincidence, it did recently hit the public domain. But if so, it's a VERY GOOD coincidence.

[angeliicheartt]

Hii can I request Adam with a hopeless romantic reader?

ofc ofc!!

adam x hopeless romantic reader headcanons

enjoyyy!

—

ᡣ𐭩 ok first of all he def makes fun of u at first

ᡣ𐭩 he’s js not a super lovey person!!

ᡣ𐭩 u tend to avoid him at first bc he’ll always say sum making fun of u but he actually js doesn’t know how to talk to u

ᡣ𐭩 he’s curious about how u see love the way u do, since he’s the first man i doubt god made him with a desire for romance in his head, just sex u get me?

ᡣ𐭩 you’ll be hanging out in heaven js reading some romance book and he’ll come up to u. u expect some kind of smug comment but he js asks what it’s about (very begrudgingly)

ᡣ𐭩 (he asked lute for advice)

ᡣ𐭩 you’ll smile at him and give him a (detailed) summary of the book, going into the unimportant details before realizing you’ve trailed off and get back onto the main plot.

ᡣ𐭩 and he actually listens believe it or not!

ᡣ𐭩 you guys eventually just meet up every few days and you talk about a new book or some couple you saw in heaven and he listens to you rant about it, and listens to how u complain how u wish u could have what they all have.

ᡣ𐭩 and immediately he goes, “we could.” before blushing profusely and excusing himself (flying away swiftly)

ᡣ𐭩 leaving u shocked and flustered as he rants to lute (she’s so done with his shit)

end! (for now)

—

lmk if u’d like a part twooo

[phantomrose96]

I feel like it takes A Lot to collectively traumatize a fandom as fond of vivisection as the Danny Phantom fandom, but damn that'd do it. Fantastic fic!!!

Also I *love* the detail of the news report in the background of the breakfast scene. At first I was like "oh cool they're talking about PTSD, which he definitely seems to be developing" then I read it again and I was like "oh *fuck* they're talking *about Danny*" which is *chef's kiss* superb

(Prometheus)

Achievement unlocked! Danny gets to be an easter egg in his own story!!

I'm a fan of the trope (I guess it's a trope) of the secret-identity character who just has to listen powerlessly while the talking heads on the tv muse about what's happened to them. Doesn't matter if the broadcast is sympathetic or damning. Either way it hits for me.

When I was first piecing that scene together, I was intending to have Danny, Jack, and Jazz pay attention to the broadcast when it became obvious the reporters were talking about Phantom. It would be the vehicle to communicate to the audience that Phantom is slipping and Danny's definitely grappling with PTSD at this point.

But when I thought about it more, I wasn't actually in love with it as the delivery vehicle. Yeah I like the trope but it felt a little too much of just "I'm saying story details at the reader and using the newscaster as a mouth for that." It felt contrived in a way I don't like.

And what would everyone's reaction be? There wasn't a meaningful place to bring it. Like sure maybe Jack could scoff and say something like "Ghosts don't have complex feelings" or something else dismissive, but that wasn't constructive to the narrative I was building. What Jack thinks about Phantom isn't important to this kind of story. I could have Jazz maybe try to talk to Danny, but there's no way to do that with Jack in the room, and Jazz wouldn't need the newscasters for this anyway. It's her own baby brother, she'd have seen this before any tv host. And there's nothing important for Danny to gain from this. Other than maybe knowing his slipping is visible, but he knows.

So I came to a much better conclusion: ignore the news cast.

It does not need to be a contrived narrative device. It does not need to steer the scene. It does not need to misdirect me into unimportant conversations.

They ignore it. And THAT is so much more thematically potent to what is happening. Danny fighting through his denial. Danny shutting his friends out. The elephant in the room is ON THE TV and no one is even allowed to address it.

Tv host saying "Phantom has PTSD" isn't the vehicle I need for this "communicate to the reader Danny has PTSD" scene. THAT is much better done with Jack, and with his invention, and with the chekov's gun he's been dismantling and remantling the whole fic. It's done with Jack pointing a weapon at Danny - a thing which has occurred a THOUSAND times before - but it's different NOW, because of the trauma Danny is not coping with.

To be cliche, it's the show-don't-tell answer here. (And to be fair, there are PLENTY of places where "tell" is an entirely acceptable route and is often a necessary part of maintaining narrative velocity.) But in this case, the chill Fenton family breakfast atmosphere (tv ignored) snapping cold in the instant Jack draws the weapon on Danny is what the scene needed. The snap-change to Jack and Jazz's attitudes as they notice Danny's reaction. The "this isn't normal anymore" to a morning that was perfectly normal until this moment. And, only after that moment, revealing to the reader that Danny is crying.

The news cast gets to serve its best purpose as environmental storytelling. Confirming to the reader that this is bad enough to be impacting Phantom's ability to fight, to supplement the narrative which (coming from Danny's POV) is trying to not admit how bad it is. ("Super healing is cool!")

It gets to serve its purpose by being completely ignored. Until it's too late.

[leeknowlover99]

Thank you so much. This was interesting but sad at the time. May I also request what would married life be like with Enhypen?

sorry it took a while but it was a bit difficult for me to imagine them in marriage as they are still so young, i hope you still enjoy it nevertheless

Married life with enhypen

warnings: none - lots of fluff and tiny bit of angst

Heesung

I think you and Heesung would be the same little lovebirds during marriage as during dating, forever in that honeymoon stage. being all other each other all the time and flirting constantly. you would be that couple that makes others believe in love when they look at you.

Hee would love to brag how amazing his wife is to everyone and post you every chance he gets. you doing the same.

you would go out often for fun dates or hang out with your friends. the nights you spent together at home you would play video games or watch movies and cuddle.

from time to time you would try to cook or bake something but since neither of you is good at it you would order takeout most of the time.

you would argue sometimes, but it would be mostly arguments about small unimportant things, quickly being forgotten after you make up ;)

Jay

Jay would be literally the best husband ever. always taking care and protecting you. true husband goals.

he would be very domestic. he would cook fancy dinners for you so you can enjoy cozy dates at home, drinking wine and talking about your day.

then you would sit on the coach watching netflix and he would rub your feet. you would massage his shoulders in return. he would love taking baths with you and cuddling after.

you would still go out for dates but not as often as in the dating stage. he would be big on summer trips and weekend getaways though. always making sure to capture great pictures of you wherever you go.

in public he wouldn’t be very affectionate but he would always make sure that people know you’re his wife, he’s so proud to be with you. he would make an effort to have a good relationship with your family and friends, and expect you to do that for him too.

Jake

Jake would be a very loving and supportive husband. always by your side, very protective, similar to Jay I would say.

he would definitely become more domestic during marriage, but i believe he would still love to go out and party a lot, finding new fun ways you can spend time together.

your family would absolutely love him, your mom calling him her son and dad always inviting you over. he would be an absolutely sweetheart.

i also believe he would love to raise a pet with you, most likely a dog. i see you as super enthusiastic dog parents, treating him almost like your own child.

Sunghoon

Sunghoon and you would definitely look like a perfect marriage. still going on cute dates and having that lovey eyes when you look at each other. Sunghoon would always urge to wear matching outfits and you would love to take pictures together.

i see you as a couple who would often have deep conversation late at night, opening up only to each other and relying on their spouse a lot. but also both of you needing your own space and being comfortable with giving it to each other.

you would argue sometimes as Sunghoon could be annoying at times, but finally you would always find a way to make up.

Jungwon

Jungwon and you would have a very private marriage. not many people around knowing the details and dynamic between you. but you would complete each other very well.

i think similar as with Sunghoon you and Jungwon would rely on each other a lot, opening up only to their partner.

i think Jungwon would be the sweetest husband, always feeling bad for not having enough time for his wife he tries to compensate it with cute little gifts and taking you to surprise dates.

he would also love spending time together at home or just being close to each other when you do your own things. he would love to bake with you. in public he wouldn’t be very affectionate but in private setting he would be constantly looking for kisses and hugs.

he would always talk about you, not even realizing it. everyone would knew he’s so in love with his wife.

Sunoo

you and Sunoo would be like two best friends who are in love and got married. you would be inseparable, always together, talking, texting, laughing together. you could never get enough of being together even after a long time.

i think you would go out more than spend your time at home, always having tone of fun ideas to do lists to check out. you would enjoy teasing or play fighting sometimes.

you would always take tons of pictures together and have the diy photo wall at home. always visiting photo booths when you go out.

you would be that couple that judges and gossips about everyone - but not in a mean way. you would have a positive energy to it.

Niki

you and Niki would be the cool marriage. especially around others, they would always admire you, both of you laid back and funny in a group setting but still having heart eyes for each other. you would always bring the best vibes.

in general you would be more private about your relationship but you would not spend that much time at home. you would both enjoy spending time actively and seeking new passions you could pursue together.

you would rely on each other a lot, but i think deep conversation wouldn’t happen often as it wouldn’t been easy for him to open up. however he would be your number one supporter and you would always feel safe with him.

you would argue sometimes, but after giving each other time to cool off you would always be able to talk it out and learn how to be better for each other.

masterlist

[poutriste]

the fact that alastor's backstory is going to be told before charlie's it's super weird like what

SHE'S THE MAIN CHARCACTER

and before you say: "but we know about charlie's past!!!" no we dont. we only got a two-seconds thingy which was more focused on her father than her.

plus, I saw a list of the things vivzie wanted to show in season two and the only thing we got abt her is a song w/ vaggie.

no details. and no more info.

HECK EVEN THE HH TEAM SAID THAT THEY WERE GONNA REVEAL PENTIOUS PAST

oh my god female characters are so unimportant here what the hell 😭😭

I still dislike her tho

[aba-daba-dooo]

I'm super interested ( in the middle of a psych rewatch) by what you mean when you say Shawn is actually psychic- could you expand?

I just think he is. Obviously this is not canon, but I’d like it to be (hence I’m writing a whole fic about it). And yes, I know it’s all debatable— just let me have this!!!!

So my reasoning is this:

1. Eidetic memory does not work that way. (I know this is fiction and the rules don’t apply but bear with me.) Usually someone can remember things for a few days max, but Shawn is out here with vivid, interactive memories of childhood. It’s whack. He should not be able to do that.

2. While hyper observant, his skills go far beyond “good at noticing stuff”. Like he can clearly read papers that are several feet away or notice stuff that is exceedingly far away or even hidden.

3. His gut instincts are WILD. I point this out in my fic, but Shawn can be in a crime scene for only a few minutes and find the most important clue. Like he’s so easily drawn to certain things even if they are seemingly unimportant at the beginning of a case. And the way he can just readily put details together and weave narratives with little evidence? My man is not out here making educated guesses, it’s the spirits I swear.

4. He at least has a telepathic mind link with Gus. Their souls are connected and can totally read each other’s minds.

5. Ok ok, hear me out. In the first movie he has a dream about Mary Lightly and they sing Allison Road. THAT RIGHT THERE is so weird. It doesn’t happen at other time in the show where Shawn randomly dreams the answer to a problem like that (I’ll give The Polarizing Express a partial exception, though he is just hearing the TV) and he doesn’t even put it together until the last possible minute. I 100% think that he can talk to the dead. Like maybe he doesn’t know it? But he can and there really are spirits telling him what to do.

6. He is the world’s smartest dumb person and would simply not be aware he is a psychic.

Anyway, I go over all of this in my fic. It’s just one big rationalization.

[ratzhatz14]

thank you for both your T sprout redesigns btw. I like the design of the normal T sprout, but I always felt he was sorta lacking on a interesting gimmick, So these are really cool to see!

Also on a similar note here, what would be your take on T Cosmo? semi hot take but I always felt like T cosmo was in the same boat as T sprout.

I mean the only other toons who don't have any sort of special gimmick are the starter toons you get at the beginning, Poppy and Boxten.

As much as I adore the starter toons, and as much as I understand it was probably either a balance reason or a "we ran out of ideas" reason, it always felt kinda odd to me personally to group him and only him in with the starters.

Even if it's like a super simple one like Shrimpo where he's super slow with a long attention span, I would have liked SOMETHING ;-;

*Descends from the heavens with a redesigned T.Cosmo while some angelic ahh music echoes in the background*

Oh goodness, the way I actually focused on this?? It surprised me

ANYGAY- I MEAN ANYWAY <3

DESIGN;

I didn't like how Cosmo looked like he got some ichor sprinkled on him and called it a day

So I decided to give him the T.Glaze treatment (aka mONCH)

I wanted to keep him close to the og design, but also not too far off.... So I let some twisteds nibble him

I also tried to add a small amount of rot to him, since... Food rots, yadda yadda yadda

[[MANDATORY "READ MORE" BUTTON AAAAAAUGH]]

Idk why I keep adding it... But eh, signature post style!1!1!1!1

[[THIS IDEA WAS NOT MINE!]]

[[The ability was originally from someone's "Main swap AU" but I forgot the name of the creator, so credits/hats off to them!!]]

His ability would be to give a toon a "Rot heart", basically, gives you food poisoning. Your distractor, IS NOW SLOW. Your extractor, NOW IS DUMB. AND YOUR HEALING NOW HARMS OTHERS.

The way to get rid of this heart, is by either losing 2 hearts, or waiting for 10 floors to have it go away on its own (Mains, y'all are fucked if you get hit by Cosmo)

When a toon has the "Rot heart", their animation would be different (like more tired/weak/limping??). So the others would know that you're on rot time, AND give the toons more soul

(unimportant detail) If there was a sprout which died, and Cosmo spawns, then he'll have Sprout's (vintage/normal) scarf, and look even more in pain :3

Idk why I like making my fav ships/characters be miserable... Is it some coping mechanism or am I just a sadist???

WHO CARES, AT LEAST I HAD FUN REDESIGN THIS LIL FELLA :D

[kitkatopinions]

I love when anti-rwde posters unintentionally say things that seem rwde lol. Here are my favorites so far:

The always good "Ironwood was always clearly an evil dictator" If this were true it would make the show worse than I already think it is, because not only did Team RWBY willingly work with him without any sort of recognition that it might be bad of them, but the writers have also talked about Ironwood's good intentions and the fall to villainy and how they wanted V7 to have no clear bad guy.

Whenever someone dismisses any early season as unimportant or something that no longer matters. Like, my guy, they're all supposed to matter and make up a good story together.

The people that say that the Blake and Yang ship is the exact same as Blake x Sun as a reason for why people who ship Blake with Sun but not Yang are wrong. Idk if they realize characters and dynamics are meant to be different and interesting.

The people who find redesigns of Yang where she's wearing clothing that's either the exact same level of 'modest' as the show or actually less sexualized and yell about how re-writers always overly sexualize Yang.

The people that defend every Jaune scene by saying he's just as much of a main character as Ruby. Like yes thank you for proving our point lol.

The people that constantly say important things just happen off screen. Things like main characters being friends, communicating important plot details to each other, showing grief at terrible deaths, unlearning racism... The more stuff people say happened off screen the more unintentionally insulting I think they're being because instead of saying "It was a mistake, they didn't have time, or they forgot" it's "they willfully didn't include it because they couldn't be bothered."

The people that say it's a good thing the entirety of Atlas was destroyed. Like personally I think the show could've done better at making Atlas and Mantle more varied but actually DID make it clear there were working class people and Faunus and good people just trying to make it that lived in Atlas and didn't deserve to lose everything. But apparently these people believe everyone in Atlas was some rich selfish asshole who deserved it and that would be very flimsy and bad writing.

The people who say that "drinking the tea" and "going to the tree" in V9 is actually just a metaphor for therapy. Like I know that Ruby essentially tried to commit suicide in V9. But I guess what they think what happened is that Neo was beating up Ruby while trying to make her get therapy, and everyone being a moment too late was them not arriving in time to stop Ruby from going to therapy, and when she fell down into the darkness that was symbolic of driving to her therapist's office, and when Yang was worried that Ruby wouldn't be herself anymore she actively was unhappy that Ruby was at therapy. Like how much worse written would V9 be if I actually believed what they did? XD

The people that insist that everything in RWBY was part of some super well thought out 'planned from the beginning' thing. Not only is that actually not a flex with a show that feels more disjointed, rushed, and ill-thought through with every season, but it's actively not what the writers say half the time when they do things like talk about how they 'wrote themselves into corners' and admit that at the beginning they were 'throwing things out and having to stick with it,' and having Blake's VA describe Blake as straight in official stuff and how they entirely reinvented Robin. Like either you think everything was not planned from the beginning or you think the writers are liars lol.

The people that actively just pretend or actually believe that the show is different than what it is, like the person who said RWBY was 'written by and for queer people' or the person who said Blake and Yang had been openly dating since V2 or the person who said Ruby was shown grieving Pyrrha way more than Jaune or the person who said that the RWBY villains were straight white men who weren't part of oppressed groups. What better way to prove that you actually don't like the show you're watching than to insist that it's a completely different show?

I'm sure there's more but those are the ones on my mind right now. XD Once again, I am certain that I have more love for RWBY than a lot of anti-rwde posters do.

[bthump]

I see a lot of people acting like Guts was so good to Casca when he admitted he just wanted a side chick. Reading the manga it felt that she was unimportant to him, someone to fuck and throw to the side. Even when he was trying to be there for her it felt so...forced. Like he didn't want to be there at all, why do you think that is?

I think it's a combination of Miura deliberately writing it as a flawed attempt at a relationship in terrible circumstances between two fucked up people that was always kind of a mistake, and like, probably some bad writing as well lol.

Like I think it's supposed to at least come across as sweet and earnest and hopeful at the time. A genuine connection between Guts and Casca. Miura has said in an interview that he wrote their relationship to add more drama to the Eclipse, so presumably the audience is meant to root for them to an extent, so that the Eclipse rape can make the reader even more angry lol.

But I don't think it was ever intended to be true love or even necessarily a good idea on the parts of the characters. When Guts invites Casca along he directly says she might get in the way of what he wants to do (fight strong opponents) so his invitation is conditional. This actually foreshadows Guts abandoning her in a cave to go and fight monsters, because she does get in his way.

Casca also cries when Guts fights Wyald and afterwards tells him to die on his own if he's so insistant about it, so even if she hadn't gone insane she probably would've gotten in the way of his dream to throw himself into danger over and over anyway lol.

On the rescue mission they start getting jealous as they get closer to Griffith. They essentially break up right before the Eclipse starts, Casca telling Guts to leave to pursue his dream while she stays with Griffith.

Judeau puts a lot of energy into trying to get them to hook up and leave together, and it's strongly implied that it's because he doesn't feel like he deserves Casca himself and he wants what he thinks is best for her. But when he dies he regrets never telling Casca about his feelings, and Casca even has a little romantic moment with him after he saves her life, which echoes the way she falls for Griffith and then Guts when they save her life.

And it's kind of jarring when she's already hooked up with the protagonist of the story, and certainly suggests that her relationship with Guts is not exactly all-consuming for them. It's realistically unromantic.

Post-Eclipse, Casca is framed as Guts' responsibility that pulls him away from the more visceral temptation to go after Griffith. And this causes him to nearly kill Casca, and then nearly rape her.

When Casca gets her mind back but can't look at him, Guts swings his sword in frustration and restlessness and thinks about Griffith's intense gaze from across a field. After she gets kidnapped, Guts only seems to care that his sword couldn't hit Griffith.

I could go on lol, but basically there are so many deliberate details that point to Guts and Casca's relationship being intended not as super romantic, but rather a more realistic hookup that isn't necessarily a net positive for either of them. And I do think that's what Miura intended, to a greater or lesser degree. I'm sure it was meant to be somewhat genuine and sweet, but I think they're ultimately shown to be incompatible and like, a trainwreck overall.

And yeah, a lot of Guts' shitty treatment of Casca is definitely deliberate, since after the Eclipse he does abandon her, and later attacks and assaults her, and she's currently traumatized by not just Femto and monsters, but also him.

I've actually written a ton of posts about their relationship and its flaws, so I'll link some in case you're interested in more detailed takes:

This is probably one of the best posts I've written about them imo, about how Judeau and Guts' relationships to Casca are compared and contrasted to highlight some of Guts' flaws.

Guts and Casca's hook up being paralleled to Griffith and Charlotte's hook up in terms of both men trying to repress their feelings about the other.

How Judeau's manipulations reflect on Guts and Casca's relationship.

Visual parallels during the Guts + Casca sex scene that suggest they're both rebounding from Griffith.

My take on Guts wanting to earn Casca's affection in ch 33.

Guts and Casca's relationship as a mistake that contributes to the Eclipse happening.

Guts and Casca's hook up failing to have an impact.

A long list of moments that contradict Guts and Casca's relationship as particularly romantic.

Thanks for the ask!

[bedoballoons]

Omggggggg

ok but I have another one! And yes I am obsessed with demon slayer. so Tokito muichiro inspired x (angry bois also albedo and the dadd- like zhongli and Al-haithim.

so muichiro has Memory loss due to young tramaaaa, anemo vision fits best, has very baggy cloths to help with is battle technique, in his 7 form can literally turn into air, to quite but he is super fast. And ya. Ohh Also when we remember our past(tokitos brother was murdered plus his parents) I just want confurttt.

I only have one he because when I was around 1-3 l don’t remember I was diagnosed with eye cancer I things. We caught it early and we could either do chemo(which could’ve killed me) or remove the eye intirely so we did that. There’s more to the story but I’m so tired right now .

Oh my gosh! I'm so glad you're okay! It sounds like it was a scary situation but you pulled through and now you have a pretty unique quirk about you! I hope you know that's really awesome <3

YAY okay I'm so excited for this request! Sorry it's been awhile since I've answered! I do have a question though! Do you think because he turns into air and Venti is the anemo archon, he could control him in that form?!?!?

─⊰⁠⊹ฺ✿𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤⊰⁠⊹ฺ✿─

{༻~Tokito Muichiro like reader~༺}

CW: Reader has past trauma and memory loss, slight angst but mostly comfort and fluff! Some of these are extremely long and I apologize, I just got really into writing them...

(Includes: Zhongli, Albedo, Alhaitham, and Wanderer!)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

𑁍༄Zhongli:

You sighed quietly, your head aching as memories swirled around your mind like a messy swamp...nothing making sense and yet...you were still trying to put the puzzle together. You just wanted to know...even if it would hurt, you had to know what happened in your past...

"You know, there are better ways to go about recovering your memories, as someone with a long history who remembers many things from very different time periods, I might be able to shed some light on the subject." You looked up to see Zhongli walking towards you, his voice as calm and collected as always...comforting in some ways.

You bit your lip, it seemed embarrassing to ask for help from someone else, but you'd run out of options...so it only seemed reasonable, "Please... help me." The tall man smiled at you, his eyes filled with kindness as he sat down beside you, looking up at the sky. "First of all you should take time to clear your thoughts, take a deep breath and then exhale...relieve yourself of all the unimportant thoughts clouding the memories you want to recover."

You did as he said, taking in a deep breath...and then slowly letting it out, even if it seemed a bit strange to you...it actually did help you feel slightly better. "Very good, now I want you to think about the snippets you do remember, concentrate on the little things, tiny details one wouldn't usually focus on..but don't frustrate yourself, getting overwhelmed won't do you any favours."

You nodded, closing your eyes and recalling your few memories as best as you could...the scent of the air...the sounds...even down to the smallest shred of movement...and just like that, it came back to you. The images of your brother...your parents, all of it playing over and over while you tried to stop it, but it was like you were trapped in your own memories, screaming for help.

And then, nothing...you were back in Liyue...Zhongli holding you in his arms while you stared blankly at him..."Are you alright?" He asked, but you didn't even have it in you to answer...the suddenness of what just happened leaving you silent with shock. He seemed to notice this, kissing your head softly and rubbing your back, perhaps it would be better to not remember all at once...

𑁍༄Albedo:

Albedo gently touched your vision, the soft teal glow of it very familiar to him...beautiful and inviting, but earned from such sorrow and loss. A loss he wished could have been reversed...while you on the other hand, weren't focused on the vision or its meaning, you were far more concerned with perfecting your fighting style. "Albedo?" You looked at him curiously...he seemed so interested in your vision, but he'd seen many of the course of his lifetime...why was yours so captivating?

"Oh apologies love, I was just thinking about something. Back to the topic at hand, I've given your clothes a bit more of a baggy design, making sure to leave lots of room for movement and airflow. Please let me know if anything is uncomfortable, I'll make adjustments to improve their quality." He handed you a stack of clothing, the material soft and comfy looking, but also durable...perfect.

You rushed into the empty room nearby and changed clothes, leaving your old ones behind before hurrying to the dummy you'd set up by the entrance. You practiced your fighting techniques, already impressed by Albedos work and also very aware that he was watching you closely...maybe...he was worried about you?

𑁍༄Alhaitham:

Alhaitham closed his book, looking up from his desk to check on you...and noticing the bags under your eyes, you'd been tossing and turning in your sleep all night...mumbling things about death. You had him very worried, and that was saying something because he truthfully didn't concern himself with other people's issues unless they were incredibly serious, but your sleepless nights and difficult past...were starting to really impede your life, he just wanted to help.

He stood up from his chair, breaking your attention away from the plate of food you'd been poking at for a hour now and leaving you slightly confused, by now you'd gotten used to Alhaithams schedule and the one thing he never left out or cut short was his reading time...so why was he doing so? "Alhaitham, are you alright?" You asked, looking up at him slightly worried and running through different scenarios in your head, each one not really making enough sense to be considered a explanation.

"I'm perfectly fine, I'm more concerned with you. Would you like to take a nap together? You look exhausted and I can only assume you won't want to sleep alone because of your recent nightmare increase." Alhaitham held out his hand to you, gesturing towards the door as you tried to comprehend what he'd just said...he wanted to take a nap with you? "Oh...alright." You didn't really know a better way to answer as you accepted his hand and the two of you made your way to the large couch in the livingroom.

You crawled onto it first, watching as he left for a moment, only to return with your favourite blanket. Then he joined you on the sofa, sighing in content as you cuddled up to him and he covered you both up, in truth he was hoping this would help with not only your lack of sleep...but the nightmares themselves. He just wanted you to be okay.

𑁍༄Wanderer:

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Turning into air...was unlike anything else, exhilarating...calming...terrifying and apparently one of your most alluring qualities, well in Wanderers opinion anyway. Other than him most of the people in Sumeru considered this some type of witch craft, even though you carried a vision...they saw you as an outsider and whenever you attempted to take a trip to the city you get many stares.

Wanderer was the only one who found it beautiful, although to be honest he found everything about you beautiful and for some reason you were incredibly easy to talk to...to relate to. You'd share moments together where one of you would be caught up thinking about the things you couldn't change...forced to remember times you'd wish you could forget and then you'd comfort eachother, make the other feel better just by knowing what it was like.

"Heyyy get your head outta the clouds. The sooner we help her royal majesty the cabbage head, the sooner we can go home." Wanderer gently bonked your head, pulling you back into reality and making you smile, a very light blush colouring your cheeks.

ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚Have a nice day*⁠.⁠✧

[danoberry]

★ object of your affection (hank devereaux x reader) SMUT 18+

description: after many “private” sessions with your professor, you finally get what you’ve been wanting.

content: SMUT 18+!!!, age gap (reader is in her 20s), use of the word “kiddo” a lot, kinda cum play, teasing, more stuff but it’s unimportant and it’s 12:30am

pronouns: you/yours (female reader)

wc: 2.7k

afab genitalia

AN:

hi guys! i’m really back! new content, woo! when i fade out of my interests, there’s a gap of time where i really have no interests. after i stopped being OBSESSED with paul dano, i finished breaking bad and watched better call saul, which, of course, sparked a huge interest and an infatuation with bob odenkirk. with that being said, here is the new fic. i hope everyone, even my religiously devoted dano fans, enjoy!

The sound of your foot against the floor tip-tapped with the cadence of a song running through your mind. You stood at Professor Devereaux’s door, waiting for the one-on-one session that you had asked him for, for the fourth week in a row. After his outburst in class, you had noticed he had been more stressed than ever before. You wouldn’t have cared as much if you didn’t have such a good bond with him, but with your similar humor (and consistent effort) you both got along very well. It was never your intention to become so close to your much older professor, but lack of friends and need for validation led you to this friendship.

Professor Devereaux was an ethical man. So you thought, at least until the outburst. For what it was worth, you agreed with what he was preaching. The college he taught at, the one you went to, was mediocrity’s capital. There was nothing special about it. What he said was right. The idiotic kid who kept dragging on the situation knew nothing about the man you knew. Someone practical. Someone witty. Someone caring. So as you stood there tapping your feet, you thought about how off-topic this one-on-one session with your professor could get. Or on the contrary, how off-topic you could make it. 

“Hey, Y/N,” you heard a voice say as you looked up from your feet. 

“Hey, Professor,” you replied, getting out of the doorway and watching as Prof. Devereaux grabbed the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. 

“Listen, kid, I’m super sleep deprived. I’ll look at your paper to the best of my ability, but I can’t promise world class advice.” 

“That’s okay. I kinda just wanted to eat somewhere besides the cafeteria.” 

He replied sarcastically, “Go right ahead, I’ll sit and watch you.” 

He sat in his chair across from you as you grabbed the salad from your bag. You pulled up your paper on your laptop, beginning to eat. 

“Jeez, you're making me hungry now,” he said, laughing and looking at his computer. 

“Yeah, well, I’d offer you some but I don’t want any cross-contamination going on.” 

“I’ll live. I think I have a vanilla Coke in the fridge out there. Be right back,” he opened the door, “before I die of hunger!” 

You ate your salad as you waited for him to get back, aimlessly scrolling on Pinterest. When he did come back, he carried two cans of Coke in his hands, one for him, and one for you. 

“See, I’m not as selfish as everyone is saying,” he said. 

“Definitely not. Thanks, Professor.” 

He sat down and leaned against the desk. “You gonna show me your paper?”  

“Oh yeah, here.” You flipped the screen and showed him what you were working on, and he invited you to sit on the other side of the desk with him, pointing out details that you didn’t need or needed to add. You took a sip of your Coke and grabbed a mint from across the desk after you were done with the salad. Slowly, you unconsciously started to scoot closer to him, closing the gap between your bodies substantially. You looked up at his gaze upon your screen, studying his facial features. You studied his hair and his beard and its color. You watched his eyes flick from each side of the screen as he read. Right then and there, you reached a breaking point. God, you couldn’t bear looking at such a handsome face and not being able to mess with it. He was so successful and attractive and intelligent. You wanted him to ruin you. 

You leaned closer to him, pretending to read your paper again. Slowly, you began to rub his shoulder as he read. He didn’t tense up or ask for you to stop, responses you could have received. Instead, he kept as he was. 

“What’re you doing?” He asked absentmindedly.

“I don’t know. I’ll stop-“ 

“No, it’s fine. I was just wondering if you could get the other shoulder.” 

You paused for a moment. 

“Uh, yes sir.”

“Don’t feel obligated. You just do it very well.” 

You blushed hard. “Thank you,” you nearly whispered. 

“Thank you. Could you get the blinds too?” 

You nodded your head while you got up, letting your hand linger on his shoulder until you couldn’t touch him anymore. As you shut the blinds, your professor looked over at you, tracking your body with his eyes. When you walked back over to him, you massaged his shoulders as he finished his reading and revising. You leaned closer to his head and watched your screen that he had control over. 

“There you are,” he said, taking his hands off of your keyboard, lifting one to rub your fingers that were resting on his shoulder. “Sit down, let me talk to you for a moment.” 

You let go of his shoulders and sat down next to him. “You’re one of my most promising students,” he started. “You’re not like these… ignoramuses I deal with every day…”

“Thank you, professor,” you said, nervous from the intimacy of the conversation. He leaned back and smiled. 

“I think we can get rid of the formalities now, don’t you think…? You can call me Hank when we’re alone.” 

You nodded your head, still blushing and timid from the conversation. 

“You don’t have to act so shy,” he teased. “I know what you’re trying to do. To be frank, it’s working… if that gives you any validation. You want one-on-one ‘lessons’ with me after class almost every week, and all we do is sit and talk. I’ve caught on. Scooting close to me while I read your essays, which I know you write just so we can have these ‘lessons.’ I know you want to mess with me. You’ve got me right where you want me.” 

You sat there in awe, the numbness in your thighs dialing down as you got more comfortable with the fact that he knew you were attracted to him. Hank leaned closer to you, and instead of letting him take initiative, you leaned into him and met his lips between his beard. He tasted the mint flavor on your tongue. 

“What was that about ‘cross contamination?’ Wintergreen, huh? How’d you know that was my favorite?” 

“Lucky guess.”

You kissed him again and felt the softness of his beard against your skin. It was a new feeling, something you had never experienced. You had only been with men your age. You melted in the thought; you were able to kiss such an experienced man, one who even knew how to speak to you so sweetly. You swooned over Hank’s quiet groans, ones he made when he was out of breath. Inching closer to the man, touring your hand up his knee and onto his thigh, he whispered to you, “Right here,” having you straddle his lap over the seat. He told you ‘atta girl’ when you adjusted your hips on top of him. 

“Jesus Christ, kiddo. I don’t know how you expect me to last long if I’m getting this undone from just touching you.”

“Who knows, maybe I could teach an old dog new tricks today,” you laughed. Hank kissed your neck, tickling you and making you giggle even more. 

“Who are you calling old?” 

“More like… mature,” you said, still giggling from the ticklish neck kisses. 

“Mature, huh? I guess you wanna know how someone so mature can make you feel then?” 

“I think I’d like that very much.” 

Hank took hold of your pants’ button and unclasped it, afterwards unzipping your zipper. You stood up quickly to kick them off, displaying a perfect pair of lace panties you had worn every single time you had a “session” with him. Hank unbuckled his belt, dropping it to the floor, and he undid his button and zipper. 

“I bet you wore those underwear just for me, didn’t you? How dirty.” 

“But you like them, right?” You asked jokingly, turning around squeezing your ass in your hands. You straddled Hank again and kissed him. “Talk about dirty, you’re about to have sex with one of your students in your office.” 

“Trust me,” he said, “if I could take you home with me right now, I would.” 

“And what would you do with me if you did?” You asked him, grinding a bit harder against his crotch than you were before.

“A lot more than what we can do right now.” 

“Why don’t you give it your all, then?”

“Pshh, ‘give it my all.’ You’re really asking for it, huh?” 

“Hank, I’m on my knees.”

You kissed him again and rubbed against his crotch, making sure he could feel the wetness seeping through your panties. Hank hummed when he felt you graze his cock. You stood up and watched as he pulled down his underwear and unbuttoned his shirt. Seeing his cock lay so perfectly against his stomach made your legs weak, and you swore you could feel yourself salivating. You bent down over his cock and watched as pre-cum leaked in little beads from his tip. You kissed the tip of his length, giving it kitten licks. You could see the twitch of his cock just from teasing him.

“God- ah- fuck, kid. Get on top of me.” 

With zero hesitation, you climbed back onto his lap and moved your panties to the side, giving Hank kisses on his lips and grinding against his cock, waiting for a moment before taking him all. You stood up and positioned yourself over his cock, sitting back down with an exasperated shudder, moaning into his neck. Hank expelled a large breath against your skin, feeling your pussy wrap around him so perfectly. 

“Ah- wow, you feel good.” 

“Who, me?” You sarcastically remarked, panting. 

Hank squeezed your ass and moved it up and down on his cock. “Don’t get all smart-elicy on me now. We both know where you get it from.” 

He breathed between his teeth, almost audibly whining, when you deliberately clenched around his cock.

“If you mean myself, then you’d be correct.” 

Hank pounded into you harder than before, shocking you from the abrupt change in pace. You worried to whine as quietly as you could into his shoulder. “Smart brats make good dumb bunnies, kiddo.” 

“I- ah- oh, fuck!” You moaned as quietly as you could in his ear. 

“Hmph, yeah, see what I mean?” 

He groaned with hot breaths against your skin, making you clench harder around his cock again. You drooled against his shoulder and whined, nearly incomprehensible.

“Ah- hng- I- feels so- good!” 

“You- fuck- like that?”

“Mhm..!”

Through his groans, Hank teased you again, “Hmm, I think you could have it a little more rough.” 

You moaned into his neck, drooling as he pounded his cock into you, stretching your hole. Whatever response you could have given, you couldn’t. He stopped pounding into you for a moment and tucked your hair out of your pretty face to look at you, holding your hand and rubbing his calloused fingers over yours. 

“You wanna bend over for me, kiddo?” 

You mewled and kissed his lips, nodding, despite how tired and sore you were. You got off of his lap, feeling cold and empty from the lack of friction. Wetness seeped around your pussy and around your thighs as you spread your legs and bent down over his desk. 

“I’m teasing you, but you really are doing so well for me,” he said, bending over and kissing your cheek. “Don’t lay your head like that. Here, sweetheart.” He put his hand on the left side of your cheek, creating a barrier between your head and the hard desk. Hank massaged your ass with his other hand, before shoving his wet cock back into you, making you moan at the feeling. 

Hank tried keeping the noises at a minimum, yet still trying to pound into you and hit the spots that made you arch farther up his stomach. You could tell he was close to cumming, but God, you didn’t want it to end. With every thrust, you could feel him becoming more tense, groaning, letting out hot breaths. His thrusts were becoming sloppier and quicker. 

“Where- oh fuck- where do you want- ah- it?” 

“Cum in me, please! Please, please please!” 

 Hank grunted as quietly as he could, almost moaning, when you felt his cock twitch inside you. Cum spurted over your walls, making your pussy clench around him. You felt bad about not being able to cum as he pulled out of you, kissing your shoulder. 

“Hank,” you said quietly as you turned around and played with your clit.

“What’s up, kiddo?” He replied in his chair, out of breath.

“I couldn’t cum,” you practically mumbled. 

“Poor thing,” he said, sitting up and kissing your face. “I’ll fix it, don’t worry.”

You played with your clit softly when he sat back down in his chair, scooting towards your pussy and spreading your legs. You watched Hank as his head moved down to your crotch, and he collected the cum that was seeping out of your hole on his fingers and raised them to your mouth. You sucked them gently, before he brought his hand back down to your hole and began fucking you with his fingers and flicking his tongue over your clit. You whined out and tried squeezing your thighs, but to no avail, because he was already using his free hand to hold your legs down. You heard the wet noises that he made as he sucked on your puffy clit, making the knot in your stomach tighten. 

“Ah- oh, fuck! Ah, hngg, Hank!” You moaned as you tried to bite your lip. You could feel his smile curl against your pussy, and you held your orgasm for as long as you could, trying to relax your muscles. Only a few seconds after, however, did you let go, pulsating and cumming all around his calloused fingers. Hank licked the mixture of his cum and yours from your hole, kissing you. 

You, sweaty and nearly incoherent from being fucked dumb, mustered up a, “You’re kissing me with cum in your mouth, but I’m the dirty one.” 

Hank laughed at your ability to joke, even though you were so tired and cum-drunk. “You got me there,” he said, kissing you again. You sat there, batting your eyes as you looked up and his foggy glasses. 

“Thank you,” you said, quietly. 

“Of course, kiddo. Thank you. You’re the best I’ve had in years.” 

You smiled. “Really?” 

“Well maybe not the best behaved, but…”

You laughed and rolled your eyes. Hank grabbed a few tissues from his closet, along with a blanket that he gave you once you hopped down from his desk. He wiped your legs off and around the base of his cock, getting himself ready for his class. 

“Don’t come to class today. Take a nap, I know you need it,” he said, putting his chair back. He kissed you when you sat down, and put his pants on after buttoning his shirt.

“I gotta get to my lecture and get this mess off in the restroom. Lock the door behind me, I’ll tell you when I’m back.” 

“Okay,” you said.

“You’re a good girl, you know that?” 

“I guess I do now,” you said, with a smirk on your face. Hank shook his head with a smile and kissed you again, before straightening himself out and walking out the door, shutting it behind him. He opened it back up and peeked in for just a second. 

“Same time next week?” He whispered. 

“Sooner.”

“You got it.” 

[themanlykittenkayden]

I have an absolutely wild theory about the cursed team based on the egg messages and the team icons

So we’ve all seen the red letter words in the egg messages: Protect for Philza, Run for- well all of Richa’s parents but let’s actually go with Bagi because I believe she was the one to receive the black chest and image for him- Bagi, and Win for Bad

Now, I think you can reasonably represent those three messages with the team icons

A Shield for Protect, a Medallion for Win, and The Eye of Purgatory for Run

Except the colors are wrong. If that were the case Phil should be Green, Bad should be Red and Bagi should be Blue. It’s like they’ve all been shifted one to the left.

So here’s the crazy theory, what if between the eggs trying to warn their parents and the beginning of the game, the game master changed something? Or more likely he lied to the eggs in some way? What if now, Blue is meant to run (and possibly discover the truth of the island given the tone of Richas message, done with the power of some of the prickliest thorns in the Fed’s side), Green to Protect (overcome their bloodlust and use their strength to empower the cursed team) and Red to win (to use the power of friendship and main character energy (/j) to warn the other teams about the curse and work together to come out on top)? It would fit with Fit’s warning that things may not be what they seem, it would fit the (possibly) weird team distribution choice. Hell, if we go several crack theories deep and say the Resistance has relation to Cucurevil and Cucurevil is possibly involved with this whole Purgatory event, then that would line up with the codes warning Etoiles to protect all those weeks ago.

Can the icons be unimportant coincidences or just cool aesthetic choices? Yes, absolutely. But there’s also a pretty heavy theme of misdirection and finding the answers in the fine print in this event and I think it would be super cool for them hide a detail like this right under our noses from the start

[chibimui]

The Apothecary Diaries LN2 Thoughts - Part 1 (Prologue-ch5)

Alright, I've started Light Novel 2 and boy, I have so much to say. As I said in my thoughts for LN1, that felt very much like an introductory book, but LN2 we finally start getting a bit more details about different characters, and we start seeing mysteries in the story that start linking together to form larger plots.

So, let's just jump in to it.

(Warning: These thoughts may contain spoilers from later light novels all the way up until LN15.)

I think a lot of the things I'm going to be highlighting are all the hints, clues and bits of foreshadowing we get to future events, and information about characters. LN2 is centered more around Maomao's backstory, but it does also set the foundation for the major plot/mystery that occurs throughout the next few novels.

Right away in the prologue we start off with conversation between Jinshi and the Emperor. I found the descriptions of Jinshi and his inner thoughts as he talks to the Emperor really interesting because there is a certain level of comfort, but also a guarded aspect in how Jinshi acts around him. I guess that makes sense because regardless of whether this man is Jinshi's "older brother", he is still talking to the Emperorof China of Li.

We also get our first mention of a "wager" Jinshi has with the Emperor. This conversation definitely adds to the bag of evidence that Jinshi has some suspiciously deep connections to royalty. Not anyone can just make a bet with the Emperor and get away with it.

We also get more evidence of how Jinshi sees himself, and it's always just so sad to me. He describes himself as "average" and he reiterates his belief that it's only his looks that give him any advantage in life. The unfortunate thing is, it makes perfect sense he sees himself this way based on other things we learn about him. Jinshi was raised in a super sheltered environment, he rarely ever got to go out and rarely got to interact with others. Once he was allowed to interact with others, it's also easy to assume that most people probably focused more on his looks than anything else because he's just that attractive AND because of his status as a member of the royal family.

Given all of this, it still really stands out to me how truly childish Jinshi really is. And I don't even mean in a bratty way, I mean... he genuinely kind of seems like a lost little kid sometimes who is still learning how to build connections to people in a normal way and not in a political way.

Anyway, moving on - the prologue jumps to Maomao leaving the Verdigris House because she's been bought by Jinshi (he paid off her debt that she owed for the nights Lihaku spent with Pairin). Here, we get another hint of foreshadowing!!

I am going to assume, with later knowledge, that his face darkening was due to Luomen thinking about who he had worked for the inner palace and realizing Maomao is working a bit too closely with those same people.

Can I also just stress again, I love Maomao's relationship with Luomen. Even though he's not present in this novel, Maomao thinks about him a lot and his presence is felt by the way she frequently refers customers to him, and uses his reminders/lessons to her as a guiding compass for how she should act and approach things.

Now with Maomao working for Jinshi we also get way more interactions between them and so much more room for the absolute hilarity that occurs because they are still learning how to read and understand each other (of course they both suck at it, but Jinshi is trying so hard. Maomao is trying much less, but she puzzles about him way more often than when she first met him, so... progress!!).

Seriously these two are a whole freakin' circus act. We have Maomao who just straight up just doesn't listen to 90% of what Jinshi says because it's unimportant to her, and Jinshi just barging along thinking he's done the best thing ever and patting himself on the back. Meanwhile, Gaoshun continues to suffer.

Back to some more foreshadowing!

I was really surprised to see that right away, before we even meet Lakan through Jinshi, that we already get hints that there is something about going near the military barracks that Maomao does not want to do.

Chapter 2 is when we finally get our first mystery for the book--the storehouse blowing up. We are also re-introduced to Lihaku. We get an observation from Maomao that Jinshi has asked her to keep her freckles, which Maomao doesn't understand, but I think comes from Jinshi wanting to protect her. Maomao is truly missing all the signs that Jinshi is actually personally interested in her well-being, but honestly? Fair, it's not in her best interest to begin assuming that someone of Jinshi's status would be personally interested in her, especially since he's currently her direct employer.

Also in the novel it makes it more clear that all the rumors about a courtesan being bought out from the Verdigris House are about Maomao.

I like this early team up of Maomao and Lihaku. I think it shows that Lihaku is a pretty practical guy who isn't really caught on social standing too much because he just lets Maomao do her thing which is actually pretty abnormal. Regardless of the *ahem*, "gift" she gave him last book, Maomao is not an officer, she isn't even a court lady. She's just an attendant, a servant--and a female servant at that. She is basically bottom of the food pile. Lihaku would have had every right to tell her to screw off, and another person might have, but he doesn't. Truly, what a stand up guy. He has another great moment in this book later that also shows what a truly decent guy he is.

As we continue along with the novel, I continue to enjoy all the juicy little bits of detail we get from both Jinshi and Maomao as she works under him, like this:

First of all, the highlighted line just made me laugh.

The rest of the passage also caught my interest too though because this very much shows a Jinshi who is still trying to understand how he can get close to Maomao, but still hasn't realized how to do so in a way that isn't just "buying her out". He geninely wants Maomao to like him back and knows this can only work if he respects Maomao's boundaries, but this boy is stumped. To be fair, his method of connecting with people through favours and transations is probably all he knows growing up in the palace. Unfortunately, Maomao is absolutely the last person who would respond positively to such a method.

Even just their banter is so much more funny in this book though. I'm not even sure if Maomao herself realizes that she's become way too comfortable getting sassy with him.

Maomao's lesson, chapter 3, is one of my most favourite moments in the anime, again, just for pure humor. It was so funny. The anime captured the novel's description of curious puppy Jinshi so well. He wants to know what she's doing so badly. I'm sure Jinshi is aware of what sex is and how it works, but I imagine currently he very much sees it as a means to an end to have a baby and nothing more. The more pleasurable side of sex is probably something he doesn't think too much about, likely due to suppressing his testosterone. I feel like his curiosity is very much coming from an innocent place - I think he genuinely cannot fathom what on earth Maomao could be teaching that isn't basically a medical lecture.

Hilarity aside though, this is the first time we get introduced to the new concubine, Loulan! Her description is so telling and drops so many hints about her real character, but I love how we don't get the pay off for any of this until LN4.

Right away, from the very first description of her, we get the detail that it's impossible to tell what her eyes really looked like due to all the make up she wears. The hints were there the whole time! Such great pacing. Such great placement of details that make it rewarding for a reader to go back to and read again.

I'm going to be jumping ahead again as we go through another mystery in chapter 4, this time the man who has been knocked out from some severe food poisoning. This is also our first introduction to Basen (without knowing it's him)!

Ya'll, I love Basen. He's my precious boy in this series okay. I will protect him with my life. He's just... he's just a little guy trying to do his best. I love how serious he is, but also how that makes him so awkward. I love how he's learning to become more comfortable around women. I love how he's a duck dad. I loooove his romance with Lishu and I desperately hope we get a happy end to that soon. I will talk more about all of these things when we get there - but for now, we actually don't even know who Basen is. We just know he's the help Gaoshun found for Maomao.

Currently Basen just seems like a dude with a major stick up his ass. Knowing what we know about Basen later, I do wonder why he's so grumpy around her. Part of it can be chalked up to his natural awkwardness around woman, but I feel like his coldness is beyond that. It makes me wonder how much he knows about Maomao when he first meets her--if he's only heard about her through Gaoshun and so only sees her as someone who adds stress to her dad's life by way of Jinshi, or if he knows about her through Jinshi and is just kinda wary because honestly - Jinshi probably describes Maomao in the weirdest way.

Jinshi: Basen, Maomao glared at me like a bug, it was amazing! Basen: HOW COULD SOMEONE TREAT YOU THAT WAY >:(

Anyway - we will have many more opportunities to talk about my baby. Random passages I highlighted from ch4.

Maomao thinking about Luomen and using him as her guiding compass to remaining ethical and moral.

LONGAN REPRESENT. I am going to take this time to make a PSA and say that lychee's are mid. They're fine as a flavour for drinks, desserts etc. but on their own, longans are 10000% better, and so are rambutans. I said it. I am someone who is very grumpy that everyone loves lychee's.

Jinshi forcing Maomao to vomit was hilarous in the anime. I love the way his VA was just like "HA-KE!!!!" Top notch voice acting.

Another A+++ scene from the anime. Sorry I know this isn't an anime review but like, THIS SCENE WAS SO FUNNY YA'LL.

(I just want to add I never once said my thoughts reading the light novels were ever going to be intelligent or deep).

Okay, but chapter 4 actually has some pretty serious stuff regarding Lakan as this is the first time Jinshi mentions him to Maomao and once again, Maomao has a very suspicious thought that implies she knows much more than she's letting on:

I feel like the anime was also pretty good about drip-feeding the fact Lakan and Maomao are connected, but I feel like actually reading the words on paper and not just hearing it as an after-thought from Maomao makes it so much more obvious that Maomao knows Lakan. I know this specific thought from Maomao was also in the anime, but I still feel like in the anime the viewer picks up much more quickly that Lakan knows Maomao and is probably her dad, but not necessarily that Maomao knows who he is unless you were a very astute watcher (which I was not, I'll admit). The novel makes it pretty hard to ignore the fact that Maomao has some serious beef with someone in the military.

The novel I think also makes it much more clear that part of why Lakan is antagonizing Jinshi so much is because he thinks Jinshi bought Maomao for to be in a relationship with her. The anime genuinely makes Lakan out to seem pretty creepy, vile and gross before they spill his backstory, but in the novel -- while he certainly comes off as antagonistic, it doesn't seem as extreme. He just comes off as someone who has a bone to pick with Jinshi specifically.

The hilarious bit about this portion when Lakan is describing Fengxian, Maomao's mother and a former-courtesan at the Verdigris House, is that at first you think you're only supposed to think of Maomao and how Jinshi also reacts the same to her.

But... given what we later learn about Gaoshun and his wife, this kind of also applies to him too. Gaoshun's reaction isn't just in relation to Jinshi, but I think he's also realizing that this applies to himself. LOL.

Chapter 5 is another mystery - the Lead mystery with the family of three brothers who were left with a mysterious will. I really liked this mystery, it was clever and I like how it felt more like a puzzle. Passages I want to highlight from this chapter:

Noooo Maomao, Jinshi is trying - really, he is! But again, highlighting how much Maomao is actively just not noticing what Jinshi is trying to do despite his best efforts. He's trying guys, HE'S TRYING.

And this passage that finally directly introduces Basen. I am wondering if Basen's disdain here is legitimate of if it's just what Maomao is assuming. At the same time though, Jinshi aside, Maomao is typically really good at reading people so, once again, I do wonder why Basen seemed so grumpy around her.

Anyway, the chapter ends with Maomao solving the mystery and once again, trying to give her dad some more business by referring people to him if they're feeling unwell.

This isn't an original thought, but I was watching some YT reactors who pointed out that Maomao constantly thinking of Luomen juxtaposes how much disdain she has for Lakan and it was an observation I really liked. I did find it interesting how often this novel specifically had Maomao referring people to Luomen, and there were more than few times where she refers back to Luomen when thinking of what to do (or what not to do). I didn't know why these details stood out to me, but I like the direction the YT reactors went given that this entire book is basically about Maomao's parentage and family - but throughout it all, we get to see who she really thinks of as her family, which is Luomen and her sisters + granny at the Verdigris House.

Anyway, I am ending my thoughts here because the next few chapters pack a lot of punch and would make this post way too long. I think given where I'm stopping now, we can assume this novel will be broken up into 4 parts, if not 5. We'll see how many thoughts I have!

Hope you enjoyed the first part and part 2 will be coming soon!

[ch6-7]

Previous LN: Vol 1