#the answer is most of them are about 75% my own opinion. as in i took my own opinion and tweaked it a bit.

[catboygirljoker]

What are Lamia's onpinioms about commonly "controversial" foods eg cilantro onions mushrooms etc ??

honestly thinking about it i think a lot of lamias aversion to eating food in general comes from being a picky eater and not knowing it. i wonder if post-canon when he has space to say no to foods (and someone who likes cooking for him, smile) he finds that there are a lot of foods he hates!

pineapple on pizza: they like it ok. cant really eat fresh pineapple but when its cooked its not nearly as sour

cilantro: they do not have the "cilantro tastes like soap" gene. they think its ok.

mushrooms: thought they hated them until they had mushrooms that were actually cooked properly

onions: WILL not eat raw onions, and has it so firmly in his brain that cooked onions are slimy and stringy that he refuses to eat those, either

sushi: doesnt mind that it's raw, but cant get over the texture.

eggs: i think ive said they wont eat most preparations of eggs. well its true.

bleu cheese: absolutely cannot get over the fact that theyre eating mold.

coconut: not partial, in any form, in any preparation.

licorice: LOVES it. by extension they also like fennel and tarragon.

pickles: loved them until they had 1 really bad Pickle Experience and now they hate them forever and ever.

[nervousbreadpuppy]

too scared to put this on any of my public accounts but i dislike israel because i am a jewish person.

barely held together stream of consciousness below.

first and foremost, genocide is wrong, no matter who commits it. there is no such thing as a justifiable genocide. this should be reason enough to not support israel.

but also, israel erases jewish culture. israel pretends it is jewish culture. which is not true.

i think most people are familiar with the fact that colonization destroys both the colonized culture and the colonizing culture, a la "white people have no culture". you claim parts of culture that are not your own, because everything is part of you. the point of colonization is to crush and absorb everything. and you distance yourself from your original culture to claim whats left.

i saw a video taken in israel, where people were asked what their favorite israeli foods were. answers ranged from israeli breakfast, to falafel, to, confusingly, empanadas. none of these answers, besides the breakfast, are israeli im origin, however the elements found in israeli breakfast are mostly typical in western culture.

the reason there is no such thing as an "israeli food" is because israel hasnt been around as a country long enough to create its own cuisine. israel had only been around for 75 years. so israeli food is mostly just food from the countries around israel. and western food.

but there is jewish food! i know this. ive grown up around this! latkes, challah, hamantaschen. even foods not exclusively jewish were made and popularized by Jewish immigrants, like brisket and fish and chips.

the insistence on "israeli" rather than jewish is based on the need to legitimize israel. which makes it even more heartbreaking that israel is seen as the end all be all of judaism.

modern hebrew was invented only at the end of the 19th century and yet it is one of the national languages of israel. yiddish is being spoken by less and less people.

jewish culture is erased by israel.

another reason is the idea of separatism that is used to justify israel.

honestly, separatism just does the oppressors work for them. "oh lets just move all the Jews to their own country so we dont have to deal with them" very progressive isnt it? especially when theres already other people living there.

simply moving somewhere else does absolutely nothing to combat antisemitism. i dont want to live in a world that isn't safe for me. i dont want to stay in one place. i want others to accept me. i want to exist wherever i want without being targeted just for existing.

the end goal should never be separation. it should be integration.

and lastly i hate the fact that jews are expected to support israel unconditionally. not even just by antisemites, but by other jews.

almost every jewish space i have access to in my real life supports israel. if i want to have any community i have to condone that. if i even say anything i am excluded from the only communities i have in real life. and that sucks.

judaism is about asking questions. its about critical thinking. so why is this the one topic we're not allowed to ask questions about? why is this the one topic we have to accept unconditionally?

i get it. we're exposed to antisemitism a lot. I've been relatively priviliged in my life. i live an area with a large jewish population and i am not very visibly jewish. i have not had to deal with a lot of antisemitism. i admit that.

but israel does not represent all jews. criticizing israel is not criticizing judaism.

anyways if you made it this far im sure you have the time to donate to one of the many palestinian fundraisers going around on this app.

also friendly reminder that i am not an expert and my opinion is not everything. i am just a person on the internet. block me about it if you need to.

[alto-tenure]

Do the ends justify the means?: A Zero Escape analysis

I'm not here to answer a nuanced philosophical question, sorry. At least not in any way beyond "it depends on the ends, and it depends on the means". If you'd like to leave your own opinion, as of the time this post was made, I have a poll open for that. A while ago, somewhere on Tumblr, I read a post criticizing the moral framework of Virtue's Last Reward, saying that the game (and especially the formatting of the AB Game), right down to its title, says "morals are for suckers" in comparison to 999 being driven by compassion. I don't agree with this premise (and if you're OP of that post, I apologize for making an example of you), but nonetheless I wish to take a closer look at the moral framework driving all three Zero Escape games, and ask: what exactly does Zero Escape as a franchise believe about the ends and the means?

DELTA: Don't be mistaken. If we do nothing now and let time pass, an even worse future awaits. A religious fanatic will trigger a nuclear war with a terrorist attack. Eight billion... All of mankind will perish. Unfortunately, the fanatic's identity is unknown. Therefore I decided to kill six billion people.

AKANE: Why...

DELTA: By doing so, I will have a 75% chance that they are among the virus's casualties. To tell the truth, history has proven me right.

JUNPEI: So...to kill one person, you'll sacrifice six billion...?!

DELTA: It is to save two billion people.

AKANE: And that's how you used Radical-6...

DELTA: You don't believe that's the ethical choice?

AKANE: What?! Of course I don't!

JUNPEI: Is that all you think human lives are worth?! Do you feel nothing as you kill off a whole bunch of innocent people?!

I'm opening with this because Zero II, aka Delta, is the most extreme of the Zeroes in terms of how far their means go to justify their desired end. Delta's desired end, as textually expressed (or at least one of them), is to assemble a group of SHIFTers capable of creating a timeline where Radical-6 is unnecessary and the world doesn't end.

Zero is, generally, painted as this somewhat mysterious shadowy villain, an intimidating presence that looms over the game Zero runs, even as the characters figure out that someone among them must be Zero themself. At first the player's not sure why Zero set up the Game -- for entertainment? For some kind of fucked up experiment?

But with the reveal of Zero's identity also comes the reveal of Zero's motives.

I get everything now... At last, I finally understand what all of this means. I know why the Nonary Game was held today. I know why we were kidnapped and brought here. It was all for this moment. All of this was planned out to lead to this one moment. Oh my God... This is...this is insane! I...I can't believe it, but there's only one possible answer... June is--Zero is--Akane Kurashiki. She recreated the history of the future that she had a glimpse of, 9 years ago. She tried to save herself that way 9 years ago-- No! She's trying to save herself right now! That means that there's only one thing for me to do. Even if this is all some sort of insane plan... I will save her... I will save...Akane Kurashiki. I must save her, no matter what!

(minor edits made to game's script here for readability)

Nothing about Zero's motivations is ever simple, regardless of the game -- Delta is not alone with his complex motives. In 999, it's left uncertain what exactly Zero's motivations are for a while. It's only once you start to learn about the first Nonary Game and the experiments conducted there that you start to get a picture of what's really going on, and even then, it's not truly an accurate picture. You start to see the outlines of a possible revenge plot, of the men at its center, of the targets placed on the backs of Cradle Pharmaceutical's executives. But ultimately, it's not really about revenge, though that's kind of a component. It's about saving a girl trapped in a paradox. The Cradle Pharmaceutical executives could have gotten out alive -- and for that matter, the game was designed so that the door was left open. Revenge wasn't the true goal, though perhaps it was optimistic to believe in a timeline where Ace wouldn't kill the others, all things considered. Is Akane's life worth the lives of the Cradle Pharmaceutical executives? Is Akane's life worth the trauma she inflicted on the others and re-inflicted on Clover and Light? The game hardly leaves any time for an answer from anyone besides Junpei. And Junpei won't let Akane die.

We never see Akane, so we don't get too much more rumination on this. Do the ends justify the means? Someone needed to save Akane's life, and danger is required for the morphogenetic field to work. And I don't think there's anyone who would want to let 12-year-old Akane burn in the incinerator (besides the person who put her there), regardless of what she has to do in order to avoid being burned.

Virtue's Last Reward and Zero Time Dilemma both massively up the stakes from 999. What hangs in the balance isn't the fate of a single girl, but the fate of the whole world.

Virtue's Last Reward places an emphasis on predestination -- not that 999 didn't have those aspects, but that the future was much less certain in 999 in comparison. Akane is both dead and alive, but in Virtue's Last Reward, the apocalypse has already happened, and the world has already died. What matters, then, is not the timeline that we are present in, but the timelines that could be. In End or Beginning, you're left with that hope for a better timeline -- hope that the Sigma that jumped to December 2028 can create a better timeline. But in the meantime, this Sigma is stuck in this timeline, and that won't change for another forty-five years.

Would I...would we really be able to change the course of history? No...that was the wrong way to look at it. It couldn't be a question. I had to change history. We could save the world. I'm going to change history. I stared at the darkening skies above us, and steeled myself. I would succeed.

Sigma comes to the same conclusion as Junpei in 999: someone needs saving, and so the past must be changed. Becoming Zero is necessary because he already has before. "What you are, I was; what I am, you will become." Sigma is the one caught in the paradox this time, because if he runs from the fate in front of him, then there isn't even a semblance of hope that things could change.

But that's not where the game ends, thanks to natural disasters in Japan.

TENMYOUJI: But what would rewriting their history mean? The nine [bikers] who survived lived full lives. How can it be right to just erase all that? The survivors overcame their own misery and loss, and made the best they could of the hand they'd been dealt. Isn't that worth something? Isn't that the best thing that humans can aspire to? Is there really any point to a world where everything is happy? Are people who struggle for a better world just idiots? Being human is about fighting even when it seems hopeless, and finding happiness even in a world that hates it. Are you saying that's worthless?

Another Time may not have ultimately been taken into account for Zero Time Dilemma, but it is one of the few times when Zero's mindset -- and the player's mindset, due to experience with 999 and other multi-route visual novels -- is directly addressed and challenged. Life goes on in those abandoned timelines, despite it all.

Zero is always going to be dubiously moral. Putting people in a death game is never going to be something good, no matter how just a cause it is. But Another Time is one of the few times the first two games question directly whether it really is right -- whether all those cross-timeline casualties are really worth it for the ideal nice happy ending.

...of course, Zero Time Dilemma, as with the title, only adds to the moral balance.

Going back to the lines of dialogue we started with here: Akane and Junpei are a group of people who, generally, believe that the ends justify the means. Akane couldn't have been Zero in 999 without that belief, and she undoubtedly has come to fully accept it by the ending of Virtue's Last Reward:

SIGMA: Do you really think I can keep the virus from getting out?

AKANE: You have to. If you don't, billions of people will die. Only you and Phi can save them.

The AB Project, for Akane, is a necessity. She'll do whatever is necessary for a world without Radical-6.

...and this brings us back once more to Delta. How far do the ends have to go to justify the means? ZTD bends over backwards to explain how Delta can still have a somewhat sympathetic motivation by stating that he's fighting fire with fire -- asking the player if they'd rather kill six billion or eight billion people. And the answer, according to the writers, is "fuck that, we're finding a third option"...which is also what Delta wanted, in the end. Delta also gets his motivations challenged a fair bit -- not just wanting to secure his own existence in the form he is currently in, but also everything apocalypse-related.

Zero Time Dilemma never quite settles the question of whether the ends justify Delta's means of getting there. In my opinion, what you make of Carlos's final decision and resolving the ambiguity says a lot about your thoughts on how Delta's means work towards the ends he sought.

But in the end...the characters still accept Delta's premise. The characters are still working to find the person who Delta claims doomed the human race to either nukes or Radical-6 and the annihilation reactors. Zero Escape as a series has firmly lodged itself into believing the ends justify the means, even if that means it has to justify brutal deaths and an apocalypse-causing virus. That isn't to say that it's incapable of questioning the premise altogether, but Zero as a figure is one that cannot exist without the philosophy of a good outcome mattering more than any bad outcomes along the way.

[gentil-minou]

So, I have this one friend who's Jewish, and pro-Israel. They're not thrilled about the civilian deaths in Gaza, but not overly bothered by them either, since according to them most of them support Hamas, and to blame Hamas for all the civilian deaths in Gaza for using Palestinian civilians as human meat shields, and that almost all humanitarian aid to Gaza is just going to go to funding Hamas. That doesn't really sound right to me, and I've tried pushing back a little, especially on the "blame Hamas for anyone the Israeli government kills in Gaza while trying to destroying Hamas" front, though honestly most of it sounds pretty off, especially with how dismissive it is of Palestinians' plight and just seems to write them off as acceptable collateral damage to get at Hamas. So I'm trying to push back on those talking points without pissing them off too much, though I don't know enough about the humanitarian aid part to counter it.

It's just really weird right now, because I know several people who are Jewish and even some with Israeli relatives, and then several who are Muslim like yourself, and I'm getting VERY different narratives from both. Though uh. The pro-Israel stuff tends to be really dismissive of Gazans caught in the crossfire to the point that I'm pretty suspicious of it. I feel bad for the Israelis impacted by Hamas's initial attack last month, they didn't deserve to have their loved ones kidnapped or killed, or to have their homes and community attacked so they don't feel safe returning. But that doesn't mean doing that to Palestinians is justified either, and that's the narrative I tend to be hearing from the pro-Israel side of things.

My advice to you is do your research. Look into what's going on, and not just what's going on now but what has been happening for the last 75 years. That's your best tool right now to figure out what you believe because this is the nature of narratives, they are in essence a story and a story is told through different perspectives.

By researching yourself and gathering information by yourself, you can form your own opinion.

Israel is banking on people sticking to the narrative that "it's too complicated" and that people will fall back on that instead of researching and learning more.

And the more you research this, the less complicated it becomes and in actuality the answer becomes really really obvious. A lot of it revolves around ugly truths about humans, but we need to see the ugly to challenge ourselves to do what's right.

I made this post a while back with some of the videos I watched at first just to get an idea of what was happening.. I want to STRESS that these are not the only things you can research for more info. There are documentaries and books and all sorts of information from people who are living through this. This is just where I started a month ago when I was like "Is it actually that complicated?" I learned within half an hour that no it really isn't.

But the one fact I keep going back to through out all of this that no narrative can deny is that this has been happening since 1948, not the October 7th Israel wants you to focus on. For me, that seals it.

Re the humanitarian aid: Israel controls the borders and crossings where humanitarian aid can go through. Israel is bombing the aid that does go through (including trucks of water this very day). If Israel were really concerned about humanitarian aid, could they not follow the trucks and deliver it themselves in their big fancy tanks? Or are they only going to use those big fancy tanks to bomb civilian vehicles that are trying to retreat?

Also important: this has never been a Muslims vs. Jews issue. There are Palestinian Jews and have been for centuries living with Muslims and Christians alike in peace. Some of the biggest protests have been organized by Jewish groups. Western Media wants you to think this is about antisemitism and they want Jews vs Muslims, but that's simply not the case. This is colonizer versus indigenous people issue. This is a US-funded and approved Israel committing genocide because of vested interests in the resources that Palestine provides issue.

I will say you questioning it at all is a good thing. Because your gut is telling you something isn't right. Listen to that gut. Let it guide you in learning for yourself rather than what they want you to believe.

And keep pushing back.

[photozoi]

Hi there, I have always loved scrolling your blog, but I just noticed that Mr Mung is growing VERY large!! He’s got such a broad chest, and he’s just SO so handsome, but he looks like a tank for a silken, compared to your other ones and even the photos of him with his mother, especially at his age! You don’t have to answer, of course, but I’m wondering if he was maybe part of an outcrossing project, back to borzoi? Or is he just an outlier/a really big silken? I ask mostly because I prefer bigger silkens 😄 The little ones are cute and sweet, and size isn’t a dealbreaker for me, but my girl just turned 6 and so I’m starting my (likely very lengthy) search for Next Puppy. My girl is 33lbs and I think was the biggest girl in her litter, and ideally I’d get another her size or even a bit larger. Her breeder is amazing but really favors silkens on the smaller end of the scale.

I always wanted a borzoi (which is how I found your awesome blog), I’m just not equipped for a dog quite that large, so silkens have become my breed. I’m so enamored with your bean boy (and his sisters are also super gorgeous)!! If you’d be willing to share any info about his pedigree or his breeder I would be super grateful, but I know that this sort of ask from a total stranger on the internet can be a bit fraught, so I won’t be offended or anything if you decline to answer. I appreciate all the adorable photos you’ve shared of all your crew over the years! Thanks for your time 😊

First of all, Thank You! You are very kind.

Also, some of the Bean Boy's broad chest is floof... he has a LOT of it! (He does have a very nice front though). He is bigger but not necessarily an outlier... Larger Silkens are becoming more and more common, which is not necessarily a good thing but which should make your quest easier. If you like Borzoi then you probably know that a mature male stands at least 28 inches at the shoulder and weighs 75 to 105 pounds (and that females will be smaller.)

At least 28 inches. Most are 31 or 32. But think about that. The accepted measurements for Silken Windhounds (according to ISWS) are 18.5 -23.5 inches (47-60 cm) at the withers. If you follow the written standards for the breeds that means that (using males as an example) there are only 4.5 inches separating a small Borzoi from a large Silken. The larger a Silken gets, the closer it gets to infringing on Borzoi height. And there are a LOT of Silkens out there that are taller than the standard. (We are only discussing size here, not other conformation considerations.) Americans seem to like things large, so we end up with Borzoi like our Jeep (36 inches at the shoulder) and Silkens that do not fit the written standard. My Silken, the Imp, is within the standard for males and yet I hear a lot about how small he is. (Small only in others eyes, NOT in his own.) The Brother is on the large side of the standard, but no one ever said anything about the possibility of his being too big! I have never made a secret of my dogs sizes or breeding (the Brother is a whopping 50 lbs, the Imp is 30, and the Bean Boy is 43 as of this writing) so here you go:

The Bean Boy and his sisters are from a breeding done by Bijou Silkens (dam) and Satsuma Kennels (sire). Bijou is in Oregon and Satsuma is in Washington State. USA. The Bean Boy is on the large side (like his dad!), his sisters are smaller and weigh about 15 pounds less. They all have nice confirmation and great personalities. The breeders are wonderful and easy to talk to, you can contact them on line. Bijou is a smaller breeder as in does not produce many litters, so depending on your time frame you might try Satsuma first. Remember that if a breeder does not have what you are looking for they probably know someone who does. (And don't get me started on good breeders vs producers!) :D

Did that help at all, or did I totally miss the mark? :D

This ask edited by His IMPerial Majesty, Ruler of ALL the Things and Opinionated Silken.

[max--phillips]

Based on this poll that I found frankly horrifying, I am going to tell you the ins and outs of cruise control. Despite my tags on that poll (which I mainly made out of surprise), this is a judgement free zone. There is no such thing as a stupid question! I will answer them!

First: what is cruise control?

Cruise control is a function in many vehicles that, once set, will automatically maintain a constant speed. It is mostly intended to be used on long drives on the interstate, however you can pretty much use it any time you have a stretch of road where you… want to maintain a constant speed. For example, say you’re on the interstate, there’s not a lot of traffic, and you’re going to be driving for quite a while before you need to exit or otherwise start navigating. You want to go 75 mph on this stretch of interstate. So, you set your cruise control to 75 mph, allowing you to not worry about maintaining your own speed & letting you put more of your focus on the road ahead. Your car will automatically adjust your accelerator depending on if you’re going uphill or downhill.

Important note: while most modern cars and other vehicles are equipped with cruise control, not all are. Especially base models and older vehicles may not have it. Please look in your owner’s manual to see how to activate and use your cruise control in your specific vehicle.

Second: how do you use it?

Like I mentioned, it’s mostly intended for longer stretches of road where you want to maintain a constant speed. Once set, you can tap the brakes, hit the cancel button, or turn off the cruise control function entirely to take over maintaining your speed. The specifics of how you activate and adjust it will vary make to make and sometimes even model to model. However, cruise controls all have some options in common. Res, accel/+, -, cancel, set, and of course, on and off. (The one exception I can think of to this rule is (and I bet you’ll never guess 😒) Tesla, but their cruise control is wrapped up in their “autopilot” and it’s a whole different beast)

Res: short for resume. When you tap the brakes or hit cancel, most cruise controls will save the speed you had it set at. Once you’re able to get up to that speed again, you can hit the res button and it will begin maintaining your speed again. A lot of times, this shares a button with the accel/+ option, but not always.

Accel/+ : short for accelerate, the plus sign is self-explanatory. This will adjust your cruise control to be one MPH faster (ie if your cruise control is set at 65 and you hit the accel/+ button, your cruise control is now set at 66.)

Cancel: this in essence does the same thing as tapping your breaks, and will stop automatically maintaining your speed. You will need to take over at this point, and your vehicle will begin coasting.

Set: this is the button you press to set your cruise control’s speed once you’re at that speed. A lot of times, this shares a button with the - option, but not always.

- : this is the opposite of accel/+. This will rock down your cruise control by one MPH (ie if your cruise control is set at 65 and you hit the - button, your cruise control is now set at 64.)

On/off: pretty self explanatory. If your cruise control is off, you won’t be able to set your speed or anything.

Most cruise controls do not work under 25 MPH. Also, if you have a newer/higher end vehicle, it might come with adaptive cruise control, which automatically senses vehicles in front of you and adjusts your speed and follow distance without you needing to hit +/-. This is extremely handy in my opinion, but it does NOT mean you can just stop paying attention. Cruise control is a tool, not an autopilot.

Third: what might it look like in my car?

Great question! Here are some common cruise control switches. (Some of these may or may not be in all of the same make—I know that based on age and model, cruise control can vary. Consult your manual! And/or Google! And/or ask me and I’ll help you out!)

This is an example of cruise control… controls. in Ford vehicles. The two symbol buttons on the right are lane keep assist and the adaptive cruise control follow distance control.

Here’s Toyota, usually behind the steering wheel on the right.

Here’s most GM vehicles, mainly Chevrolet. The symbol on the left is the cancel button, the symbol on the right side of the circle o buttons is on/off. The symbol in the upper right is forward collision alert, and the lower right is just a heated steering wheel button lmao

Here’s Honda. “Main” is your on/off switch in this case. LIM is a limiter—it’s like cruise control’s cousin in that you continue to manually maintain the speed of the vehicle, but the limiter won’t let you go over a certain speed. The symbol on the right side of the circle is again following distance, and the button on the bottom right next to the main button is lane keep assist.

Nissan. Pretty straightforward—“coast” in this case is your - button, which adjusts your cruise control down one MPH.

Volkswagen! Again, pretty self explanatory. The buttons on the very bottom are actually volume controls. The button to the top right is your on/off. The button center right with the circle around the car to be honest I’m not entirely sure lmao EDIT: that’s part of the adaptive cruise control system.

And finally, Jeep. Again, self explanatory, though your bottom three buttons there are going to be your on/off switch, adjusting following distance closer, and adjusting following distance further buttons respectively. I believe the center symbol isn’t actually a button, it’s just there so you know those are cruise control options.

Anyway as always hit me up with questions if you have any!

[dandylovesturtles]

fanfic ask game for you

❤✨🚀🦈

ok the first part of this ask is showing as a black heart for me but I couldn't find a black heart in the list (I may just be dumb), and I already did the red heart so I'll answer the yellow heart.

💛 What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing?

Honestly, that there's no one right way to do it.

When you're starting out, a lot of writing advice you get is heavy on "don't do this, don't do that" and everyone has their own opinions on how much you should do of X Y Z. But then if you go back even a few decades of writing, everything is different, and just like fashion, writing trends come in and out of style.

There is a bit of "know the rules to break them" here, of course. Like, one common piece of writing advice is not to use adverbs. Usually this advice is given because new writers have a tendency to overuse adverbs, and there are a lot of places where adverbs are unnecessary and weaken your writing. A phrase like "ran quickly" is a great example. Running is already intended to be quick, at least relative to walking and jogging, so saying that the running is quick is redundant and doesn't give any additional information to the reader. If you're trying to indicate that a character is moving even faster than their normal running speed, there are stronger verbs for that, like "sprinted" or "dashed".

But on the flip side, a phrase like "walked quickly" is fine. Walking is slower compared to jogging and running, but it's also a very distinct action from jogging and running, and we don't have a lot of words in English to convey "walking but faster than normal" ("quickstepped" is the only one I can think of off the top of my head and that's literally just saying stepping quickly and also I usually think of a quickstep as like, covering just a few feet, not going down a hallway). So I would say this is a good time to use an adverb.

There's lots of writing advice out there. I don't necessarily want to say "ignore it and do what you want" (I mean, you can though, no one is stopping you), but it's good when thinking about writing advice to understand what it really means, how it applies, and whether it fits into your style, and then regard or discard it appropriately.

✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

impossible to pick specific comments I think, so I'll just hit on some of the general types of comments I get that I really like:

comments that call out specific lines or sections of the fic they enjoyed

comments where people are theorizing what will happen next

all of the comments on chapter 8 of IMBI that were just some variation of "he said the thing"

all the comments on chapter 8 of IMBI worried about Donnie (I just thought it was really funny that Raph got sound back and 75% of the comments I was getting were "oh no Donnie :c" lol)

people who comment some variation of "the title of this fic made me think it was going to be a comedy" lol

people who say I made them laugh <3

and a big shout out to all the people who have commented on Sidelined fics or who have sent me asks about it who are themselves disabled and are happy to see the AU and who have given me lots of tips and things to think about as I go along writing it ^^

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

Occasionally I do a little outlining but for the most part I just create as I go. It's partly because once I outline the fic then I usually feel too constrained by it and also it makes me kinda bored lol. Like I got some version of the story out of my system so now I don't want to do it.

aaaand I already answered the fish question

Thanks for the ask!

[princessg3rard]

Uh, so... what's ur position on the ongoing genocide in Palestine? /genq

obvious disclaimer: tw war !! don’t try to debate this shit in the notes, this isn’t a discourse post. they asked for my opinion, and that’s what u get. if i see a “resistance with every means” or “genocider” type shit in the notes it will result in an instant block.

I was debating answering this ask for a while, for 2 major reasons:

a) this feels disingenuous, what with the use of “genocide” which factually doesn’t fit the situation at hand in i/p, and calling the entire area palestine which, again, is factually incorrect. the use of inflammatory language is obviously skewing the narrative immediately, and I don’t fuck with that. stick with facts.

b) im kind of sick of this game of good jew bad jew, where every jewish (or g-d forbid, israeli) person inexplicably owes the internet their stance on a 75 year long conflict. kinda fucking sick of it :3

my stance is, and has always been, that the deaths of innocents is fucking horrible. none of us deserves to go thru this shit, and it fucking sucks. as an israeli, I was raised under rocket fire and stab waves, worrying for friends and family every time a new war broke out - and im sure Palestinians experience that too. and while the israeli gov is absolutely to blame as well, most of the blame is on hamas.

hamas broke the ceasefire and massacred us on oct 7th. they are an internationally recognised terror organisation, and under their rule they only made civilians on both sides suffer. they use their own people as human shields and give about 0 fucks about the way gazans live, while hamas leadership are billionaires and live in qatar without worry. fuck them and everything they stand for.

we all deserve to live and have self determination in this land. neither group has anywhere else to go, and neither group is going anywhere. these are just the facts. all we can really do is strive for peace and equality atp.

most of us that live here literally just want to live in peace. that’s fucking all. we all just want to live. both leaderships should be overthrown, fucking obviously, and westerners should shut the fuck up about us if they don’t know anything about i/p. if ur just some just guy on the internet that read a tweet about this, kindly shut up. it’s already hard enough.

[owlyflufff]

What was your first impression of bokuto and akaashi? How did you originally perceive their relationship? Who was your favorite character from the training camp arc? Sorry if it's a lot of questions, I'm just curious!

No worries anon! In fact these are really interesting asks and I'm more than happy to answer them <33

What was your first impression of Bokuto and Akaashi?

Bokuto:

An absolute force of nature and unbridled ball of chaotic energy, I love him.

Personally, it was really refreshing to learn that Bokuto was the team captain of Fukurodani because in a sense, he was the first captain that was, "energetic"? , constantly chasing after the thrill compared to the other captains who are more seemingly level headed like Daichi and Kuroo (Oikawa seemingly falls under the energetic ish part as well but not as vibrant as Bokuto if that makes sense ^^;). With it, I was really interested with how Furudate-sensei would write him, as no one in Haikyu has ever really been written with the intention of being defined by merely one character trait.

Additionally, I wasn't fazed or "annoyed' about Bokuto's personality since he was the sunshine or energetic type character which are my favorite character tropes <33!

Akaashi:

Admittedly, I couldn't form an opinion on him because he was genuinely paired or seen with Bokuto the most in at least 75% of the training camp arc ^^:. It's the thing, cause as much as I love Bokuaka, I want to ramble about Akaashi individually but I can't really do that either when a good number of his scenes included or involved Bokuto so TvT.

In the very least, I will say that I thought that he was a sort of serious and strategic type of character. It was also fun to just seem him constantly counter and jab at almost everything Bokuto says, ying and yang of sorts. Additionally, he sort of gave me tired parental figure vibes cause he had to deal with both Bokuto and Hinata the entire time. Give him some credit and cut him some slack he already has a chaotic partner, why must he inherit a chaotic son xD.

Overall, my first impression of Akaashi was he was fairly stoic and reminiscent or something close to Tsukishima's personality. Of course, my perspective of his character changed and I'm glad he got a lot more moments to shine on his own outside of his partnership with Bokuto <33.

How did you originally perceive Bokuaka's relationship?

Similar to what I mentioned above and going back to a previous ask, I saw their dynamic as ying and yang, night and day, light and dark to which has always been my favorite type of dynamic. However, I didn't wholeheartedly perceive their dynamic to be outright romantic nor was I a dieheart shipper of Bokuaka originally.

It was a very casual attachment to their dynamic and I liked it a lot, had a lot of fun seeing Bokuto act confident and silly only for Akaashi to retort with a deadpan comment of sorts. Their exchanges were nice and I overall appreciated them both in a platonic and romantic manner.

However, we all know that changed after the manga because at this rate nothing Bokuaka has ever done starting from the training camp was platonic they are romantic to the moon and back-

Who was your favorite character from the training camp arc?

Oh m not quite sure what you're implying here as in who was my new favorite character that was introduced during the training camp? Or who was my favorite character/ character development in the training camp? I'll answer both if ever

(I'm also mainly stating the latter question too cause I loved all of the Haikyuu characters during this time so it's not as if I grew favorites in the training camp arc since I love them all equally!

Additionally, since it's a fairly good giveaway, I'll be taking Tsukishima away as an answer cause it's given that I definitely liked his growth the most and I also loved his character even before his change in the training camp arc)

Favorite character in the training camp arc:

Given that he was technically introduced via an OVA thus making the training camp arc his proper first introduction to the main anime series, I will say that I loved Lev's character the most during the training camp arc!

Personally, the one thing I loved most about Lev was his pursuit to do better and determination to reach the level of his seniors like Kuroo despite his already provided advantage which is his height. Even though he had something that put him above (literally and figuratively) above others, it did not stop him from wanting to improve his skills which was generally seen during the Third gym squad training moments (which is also a show and continuation of his general goal back in the OVA where he wanted to connect with Nekoma better) . Aside from that, it was horrendously funny to just see Hinata trying to pick a fight/ challenge him since Lev was just standing there and existing, he's trying his best he really is xD.

Not to mention his interactions too with Yaku, all very funny and Lev is just a silly and precious character to me I love him a lot and he deserves more appreciation too <33.

Favorite growth in the training camp arc:

Throughout the arc, I would say I really loved Kageyama's growth the most during this arc!

The audience had always been shown in season 1 that Kageyama was this generally flawless, strategic, and quick witted individual in the field of volleyball, a prodigy at an early age. However, it is in this training arc that it sort of just gave the audience an opportunity and proof to realize that Kageyama's skills as a player never came into existence when he was born nor was it something he was immediately good at, much like everyone in the series, Kageyama's talent grew because of the continuous time, effort and dedication he spent to practicing.

Kageyama didn't master the minus tempo toss at the very beginning, it was something he needed to learn and practice, he went back to phase one.

Simply, the training arc just came to show the effort Kageyama puts into playing volleyball and prodigy or not, he is but a human still wishing to improve despite his already seemingly fleshed out skills during the time of Season 1.

[hecateisalesbian]

Gonna be honest: a lot of these questions feel a little too personal to me; as in I know I'd be fine with getting asked most of these, but I feel like asking someone else that I don't really know these questions isn't a good idea. so yeah feel free to abstain from answering any of these lol

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

13: what’s something that made you smile today?

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

20: what’s your favorite eye color?

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

59: what’s your favorite myth?

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

75: tell us about your pets!

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

Uh yeah. I love music so naturally I’ll do that. Also just jammin out to an air guitar/drums sometimes

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

🤷🏼‍♀️ I used to have one with my ex best friend but yknow

13: what’s something that made you smile today?

My dogggggggggg 💜

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

I actually have my own space fact/theory. Idk if it’s weird but yknow screw you. I heard about this theory that since black holes exist and suck everything in, that white holes also exist and just spew random crap out. My theory is that somehow these holes can get connected and spawn very very far away from eachother and every so often a white hole will form outside the universe and the spewed stuff creates a new universe and that’s how multiverses are created :)

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? Purple, though Gwen and Nimona got me feelin a little 🩷

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

Uhhhh. I made an edit of my friend performing mama Mia

20: what’s your favorite eye color?

green 💚

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

scroll tumblr and hope moots are on. Also do some art

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

this is a weird question but I’m all down. I like socks. But if they are too tight on the elastic band then they are BANISHED to the farthest PITS of HELL where most American Presidents are located. Weird Socks must be protected and should take over the world. I wanna see silly goose socks and dragon socks. More of that. Yes I sleep with socks. My room is already cold I don’t want me feet to be either when I put one leg out on top of the covers cuz somehow I’m still hot? No I never confine myself to just white socks, tho I do have a bunch.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

Me and My Best friend were having a sleepover when I was visiting in state and it started snowing and (since I haven’t seen snow in like two years) we went outside and just started playing in the snow

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

you say stuffed animal like I only have one 😼my favorites though is this stuffed bee/bear I got at this place called The Brown Palace for one of my birthdays, and the second one was a stuffed animal that my Nana got from the Zoo. I named it cheetah. It is uh. Not. A cheetah.

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?

Daniel Pemberton. This person has created the best music ever. Which is why I’m listening to the ATSV album rn lol

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

uh. I hate when sand gets like. Anywhere above my feet. I don’t like sandy floors. Terfs. When people don’t reblog art

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

Uh. Hey are from tennesee, cuz your the only ten-I-see 😼😽😳😤😩😏

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

I would say tomato’s (hi Tommy) but then we wouldn’t have marinara n stuff. So probs brussel sprouts. Those guys are NASTY

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? Spiders. Yes

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?

Tabs, pins, stuffed animals, really random stuff from friends or whatever. I got cool rocks, a small miniature duck, like 3 babies, a scrunchie, a braided little uhhh. The thing that you pull to tighten a hood or waistband? Idk. I just collect things

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

Idk.

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?

RAN AWAY FROM HOME TO LIVE IN A CAVE. Jk lol. Probably shove a whole piece of pizza in my mouth in one bite bc someone said I couldn’t. (Btw if anyone gets that reference please date me)

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

🤷🏼‍♀️ their little habits or quirks. Their laughs. Basic cheesy romance things

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

*inhale* OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I DONT WANNA DIE

SOMETIMES I WISH ID NEVER BEEN BORN AT ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

59: what’s your favorite myth?

Greek mythology. Also witches

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?

it’s like you think I have a good enough memory to remember this stuff.

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

love ‘em. More clouds please. The sun is overrated

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

Yeah

75: tell us about your pets!

Oh boy if I started I would never stop. But my main pet is my ADORABKS LITTLE DOG EKWJQKQJWJSHAJAJNA (I say little but she’s like medium size)

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?

Sleeping

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

the way this is worded makes me uncomfortable but idrc

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

there’s clubs-?

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

Lemon Demon Spirit Phone, Lovejoy Wake Up and it’s Over

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

I don’t own a Computer

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

Wiiwwoekdjswkwksoaowj idk. Ordinary by Joriah Kwamé.

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

5 years into the past, assuming I keep all knowledge. I would wanna change a few things

[raininyourblackeyes]

hiii, for the questions thing: 15, 19, 24 and 75☺️

i picked four but don't feel any pressure to answer all of them!

15. I wouldn't say there is anything specific that has ever altered my life to such a degree it's worth pointing out specofially. Maybe because I'm really really not an emotional person. Rather I tend to take a bit from everything I read/watch/listen as a puzzlepiece that will fit into my life influencing my mindset bit by bit. Obviously there were books that had me pacing around my room (Wuthering Heights every time I reread it for example, The Secret History at 13 but also a couple months ago when I reread for the first time after 10 years, Dazai Osamu's No Longer Human and Setting Sun back in 2020, Three Body Problem trilogy in 2022, Kafka's Letters to Milena had me kicking my pillow in 2023, Brothers Karamazov a few months ago... first that came to mind). I do have to say that everything I read in high-school was a life-changing experience because of our professor who was doing so much to teach us how to read and interpret and form our own opinions. I think Meša Selimović's Death and the Dervish is probably the one that changed me the most from that time and I highly recommend reading it, other books to mention from then are Camus' Stranger and Kafka's Trial, also Crime and Punishment. I have never been to an art gallery outside of school trips which prevented me from having a moment where I stand transfixed in front of an art piece because all my friends were always just complaining about wanting to leave, but it will happen to me in the future 100%. If that counts because it is an art piece in my book, the only figure skating program that ever made me cry was Notte Stellata at 2019 GPF when I was watching it live.

19. Not a single event specifically, but I would love to witness during my lifetime the leadership of this country drastically changing to people who are willing to sit down and actually work together for this country and not for the separate entities. Last night I watched a debate between two politicians who went in saying let's talk about Bosnia and not FBiH and RS and then proceeded to argue about FBiH vs RS for nearly an hour. So please, please, let us have the leaders who will sit down and work for one country and who will be willing to move on from the Dayton to build a better structured, better working country because olwe have wonderful people and wonderful land and we deserve better.

24. I had to ask my friends about this for help. They all said that yes, definitely my name suits me. They can't imagine me with any other name and I am the standard for imagining how a person with my name behaves and looks like 🙂

75. A bit unconventional but when I was little I constantly demanded to be told stories and the ones I enjoyed the most weren't classic fairtytales but the folk stories from my dad's village and they're still my favourites today. However I do remember how scared I was whenever we were traveling to visit relatives of being attacked by "drekavac" or local version of vampires, and especially of the water mill there because of the fairies who are fickle and often malevolent creatures in the folk tales gathered there at night

[plan-d-to-i]

I've been loving a lot of your posts recently! And I was wondering if you could dive into the parallels between Wen Ning, Wen Qing and Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli. I just think it's really interesting how the Jiang siblings were in a less precarious position politically in comparison to the Wens and did a lot less to protect Wei Wuxian (I mean Jiang Cheng declared him an enemy to the cultivation world, for crying out loud). The Wens were in the line of succession but I doubt Wen Ruohan paid them much mind (didn't he even threaten Wen Qing at one point) so I doubt they had much to their name or leeway to oppose their insane, dictator uncle. Yet they still decided to help Wei Wuxian, someone, who at the time, must have been almost a stranger to them.

On the other hand, Jiang Cheng and Yanli did very little besides visiting him and trying to convince him to come back home (for all the wrong reasons might I add). Even though, Jiang Cheng was a sect leader (sure, of a pretty weak sect at the time but the point still remains) and Yanli was the daughter-in-law of Jin Guangshan (literally the person giving her little brother the most trouble?

So, my question is, why did the Wens not hesitate for someone they'd probably only met once or twice, while the Jiangs all but abandoned someone they've known and "cared" about most of their lives?

Thank you so much (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡. I'm terribly sorry for the incredibly late answer, but I kept trying to think how to phrase it more formally than: because the Jiang sibs suck and the Wen sibs rock... and then I realized it's really answered in these very scenes:

She went out the door as soon as she finished. Wei WuXian spoke, “She… means that we can’t stay for long, but we can still stay for a few days… right?”

Wen Ning nodded, “Thank you, Sister!” A pack of medicinal herbs was tossed in from outside the door. Wen Qing spoke from afar, “If you really are grateful then put in some effort! What a hell kind of medicine did you just make? Brew it again!” Although the pack of herbs smacked right onto Wen Ning, he spoke happily, “The medicine that my sister prepared will definitely turn out good. Hundreds of times better than mine. It’ll be good for sure.”

Wei WuXian finally felt relief, “Thank you.” He understood the fact that one of these siblings deciding to turn a blind eye to them and the other deciding to outright help them meant that they were placing themselves in extreme danger. Just as Wen Qing said, if Wen Chao truly wanted to kill anyone, it was unlikely for Wen Qing to be able to stop him. Perhaps she’d be affected as well. After all, children of others could never compare to children of one’s own. (Chapter 60)

vs.

Before they parted, Jiang Cheng spoke, “We won’t see you off. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us.”

Wei WuXian nodded. He understood that it wasn’t easy for the Jiang siblings to have come out here. If someone else saw them, all those things they did for the public to believe would be wasted. He spoke, “We’ll go first.” (Chapter 75)

What they did for the public: "Jiang Cheng told the outside that Wei WuXian defected from the sect and was an enemy to the entire cultivation world. The YunmengJiang Sect had already cast him out. From then on, no ties remained between them—a clear line was drawn. Henceforth, no matter what he did, they’d have nothing to do with the YunmengJiang Sect!" (Chapter 73)

The Wen siblings risked grisly torture and death to do the right thing and help save, treat and shelter strangers who were essentially their enemies, meanwhile the Jiang siblings didn't want to risk public opinion to show support for someone they were raised with, someone that YanLi said was like a brother to her- but she did come to show off a dress. I think that speaks volumes about their respective characters and nature and really says all that needs to be said.

[no--envies]

In my opinion, one of the reasons JC went crazy after WWX’s death and started venting his own anger and hatred on every demonic cultivator he met, regardless if they were guilty or innocent, is that he couldn’t stand the fact that he hadn’t managed to deal the killing blow to WWX. After all his effort in leading the siege and using the information he had on the Burial Mounds to plan the action and convince everyone else to follow him, he wasn’t even the one who actually killed WWX. WWX died because one of his cultivation techniques backfired and he was torn to pieces by his own ghost army.

I think JC couldn’t accept this. After everything he had done - and thinking he was justified in hating WWX for all the perceived wrongdoings he believed he was a victim of - WWX had managed to surpass him once again. Nobody was able to kill him, not even him.

We know JC’s reaction in the aftermath of the siege because JGY and XY directly comment on it in the extra focused on them:

Xue Yang, “What about his flute? Can you get me Chenqing?”

Jin GuangYao shrugged, “Not Chenqing. Jiang WanYin took it.”

Xue Yang, “Doesn’t he hate Wei WuXian the most? Why would he need Chenqing? Didn’t you also get that sword of Wei WuXian’s? Give him the sword in exchange for the flute. It’s long since Wei WuXian stopped using his sword, while Suibian sealed itself and nobody can pull it out. What’s the use of keeping a fucking piece of decoration?”

Jin GuangYao, “You really ask me to do the impossible, Young Master Xue. Do you think I haven’t tried? How could anything be that simple. That Jiang WanYin has already gone mad. He still thinks Wei WuXian hasn’t died. If Wei WuXian returned, he might not search for his sword, but he’d definitely come for Chenqing. And so, he would definitely not give up Chenqing. A few more words of mine, and he might blow up.”

Xue Yang sniggered, “A mad dog.”

(Chapter 118, ExR translation)

Whatever JC had tried to achieve by leading the siege, he wasn’t able to achieve it. If the only thing he had wanted was to punish WWX for his deeds, he would have been satisfied with his own role in WWX’s death. I don’t think killing WWX was the only thing he wanted, though. He was probably trying to prove something, to himself and everyone else. He wanted to prove that he could surpass WWX for once, and that WWX had been wrong all along in choosing to put himself at risk to help others instead of listening to him. He wanted WWX to admit it was all his fault.

After a while of silence, Jiang Cheng asked, “You’ll stay like this from now on? Got any plans?”

Wei WuXian, “Not at the moment. None of the group dares go down the mountain. People don’t dare do anything anything to me when I go down the mountain either. It’ll be fine as long as I don’t stir up trouble on my own.”

“On your own?” Jiang Cheng sneered, “Wei WuXian, do you believe that even if you don’t stir up trouble on your own, trouble won’t come and find you? It’s often impossible to save someone, but there are more than thousands of ways to harm someone.”

Wei WuXian replied as he ate, “A man with strength can defeat ten with skill. I don’t care if they have thousands of ways. I’ll kill whoever comes.”

Jiang Cheng spoke in a cool voice, “You never listen to any of my opinions. One day, you’ll come to understand that I’m the one who’s right.”

(Chapter 75, ExR translation)

JC had always tried to convince WWX to abandon his path. Since he couldn’t outshine WWX in any way, he wanted to at least prove he was right in the path he had chosen, that choosing to help others at the expense of oneself ultimately wasn’t worth it. But WWX wasn’t swayed in the least. He kept walking resolutely on his single-plank bridge in the dark, regardless of what anyone else thought.

WWX was aware of JC’s mentality: he knew JC wouldn’t willingly put his own reputation at risk to help him protect Wens if he could avoid it. This was one of the main things that divided them since they were teenagers: their values and outlooks were simply too different, it was only a matter of time before their choices made them take completely diverging paths. WWX was fine anyway, he could take care of himself - this mindset could be seen as too overconfident, but he wasn’t completely wrong. He knew he could protect the Wen remnants even without relying on anyone else, since he managed to do it for two years before everything crumbled at Qiongqi Path.

In the end, Jin Zixun ambushed WWX accusing him of something he hadn’t done, and everything spiraled down so quickly he couldn’t do anything to prevent it, until he lost control of his demonic cultivation and killed Jin Zixuan. The sects’ suspicion towards him turned into open hostility and everyone was immediately ready to consider him an actual threat to them all. After the bloodbath of Nightless City, WWX was labeled as the scourge of the cultivation world, an enemy that should be eliminated to guarantee everyone’s peace and safety.

At first glance, one could think JC was right and WWX was wrong. But if this was really what the novel is trying to tell us, why was JC unable to move on for thirteen years, while WWX was immediately ready to start a new life and leave everything in the past after he was brought back? Even when JC managed to capture WWX and confronted him, WWX didn’t have anything to say to him.

The cup was steaming. Before he had taken a single sip, Jiang Cheng suddenly hurled it at the floor. He lifted the corner of his lip slightly and spoke. “You—you don’t have anything to say to me?”

[...]

“I don’t know what to say to you,” Wei Wuxian replied sincerely.

“So you refuse to repent,” Jiang Cheng said in a low voice.

In their past conversations, they had frequently tried to sarcastically undermine each other. Wei Wuxian thus replied without thinking, “Similarly, you haven’t improved a single ounce either.”

Jiang Cheng’s answering smile was brimming with fury. “Fine. Then let’s see which of us truly hasn’t shown an ounce of improvement.”

(Chapter 24, Fanyiyi translation)

I think this exchange is very interesting: WWX and JC are no longer bickering or teasing each other as they so frequently did in the past. What had once been a complicated relationship with genuine affection beneath it all, now retained only the semblance of it. There’s no more warmth, no more anything worth trying to repair. While JC is still adamant about using WWX as a scapegoat to avoid reflecting on his own mistakes, WWX has long since moved on. He doesn’t even feel resentment towards JC, he just wants to live his new life freely.

JC is an interesting foil for WWX, their interactions show how fundamentally incompatible they are and both of their character arcs highlight one of the main themes of the novel: the importance of letting go of all the grudges and negative feelings and remembering the good things, since only then one can truly be free. This is something WWX knows perfectly well:

Wei WuXian propped his arm on Lil’ Apple’s head, spinning Chenqing in his hand, “My mom said you have to remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don’t hold so much in their hearts would they finally feel free.”

This was one of the only things he remembered about his parents.

(Chapter 113, ExR translation)

[faelicy]

Miss Faelicy I would love to get your opinion on Bingqiu.

I see people posting things like how they are "problematic" and how they don't really love each other and SQQ only feels sympathy etc. Obviously there were struggles between them as there should be (considering all that happened) and just because sqq wasn't very open and super obvious about his feelings doesn't mean they are not there..this is how I interpreted it. I would love to know your opinion

Hello! This also covers part 2 of the previous ask.

First, massive spoilers for the end of the novel. Second, a disclaimer: I despise shipwars, which I think are behind most of those comments. I hate them because it's usually all in bad faith: everyone's already committed to their interpretation of the ships, and any discussion is just a guise for justifying their preferences.

So to any readers: I don't want anything here to be used as shipwar fuel. This post is about Bingqiu's canon arc and themes. Basically, I don't know or care if Bingqiu is a good ship, but I do think it's a well-written one.

I'll start by saying directly: for most of the novel, Bingqiu is neither healthy nor romantic. And that this is not bad writing, but on purpose.

A relationship that drives one party to mental breakdown isn't healthy. A relationship where that party says it's okay to hurt or kill them can't possibly be healthy. That happened because there was something deeply wrong with their relationship, something that can't be reduced to Xin Mo, miscommunication, or LBH throwing a tropey yandere fit.

And out of all three MXTX novels, only SV lacks a love confession from the MC to the ML. Again, I don't think it's an oversight, or just because SQQ's face is too thin. There are plenty of ways MXTX could have worked a subtle one in if she really wanted to.

In my opinion, Bingqiu's narrative can be split up into four arcs: Qing Jing Peak (ch 1-27), Jin Lan City (28-43), Post-revival (29-55), and Reconciliation (56-81). Other than the first arc, where their relationship is pretty straightforward, Bingqiu spend most of the rest in direct conflict.

I'll give an overview of the arcs here, but what I truly want to say about Bingqiu starts in arc 4, so if you're impatient you can scroll down. But the overview might help add context.

Jin Lan City arc is about LBH's anger at being brutally betrayed by the one person he thought he could trust. Here he tries to force answers out of SQQ, who he believes both hates him and is a hypocrite. He's driven by a desire to return to the past, but his rage and love makes his actions contradictory: on one hand he tries to win SQQ's approval constructively, by climbing to the top of Huan Hua Palace and performing good deeds, on the other hand his belief that SQQ doesn't care about him so it's all futile anyway (reinforced by SQQ's own actions) causes him to lash out destructively, going as far as to hurt and imprison SQQ.

LBH's bitterness is portrayed very negatively, because all it does is instill despair into SQQ, until SQQ ends up believing that he's only been a blight on LBH's life, and that he must make up for it by killing himself. Whereupon LBH breaks down, regressing into a childlike state. Some might ask, why does LBH never bring up the Abyss again afterwards? It's because he gives up here. This entire arc is about getting LBH to let go of past wrongs and to stop seeking answers, whether the reader believes it's fair to him or not. Because SQQ's life is more important.

Post-revival arc then is about SQQ trying to come to terms with a blackened LBH who also loves him. Interestingly, despite SQQ's horror at realizing LBH was romantically interested in him all along, SQQ actually has a very subtle but telling secondary reaction. To explain, let's back up to the first arc.

Starting around ch 9, probably as a sign of his growing affection, SQQ begins addressing LBH as 这孩子, or "this child," in his internal monologue, instead of LBH's name. He does it once each in ch 9, 12, 17, 21, 25. However, once Jin Lan City arc starts, SQQ drops the address entirely. LBH and "child" are never brought up together except for one snarky comment on LBH's tantrum being disgracefully childish in ch 38.

At first glance this doesn't look noteworthy because LBH by this point is no longer a kid. But when LBH kisses him in ch 49, SQQ changes again: right away he returns to using "child" on LBH, and the "this child" address starts popping up at a much higher frequency. By the end of SV SQQ has referred to LBH as a child in some manner at least 35 times (yes I went and counted), with the vast majority after ch 49, and he continues to do so right into the last extra.

Why was SQQ unwilling to use this address of affection for over 20 chapters? Perhaps because he too thought LBH hated him, and couldn't bear to think about him so intimately knowing that. So SQQ immediately falling back into it the moment he learns LBH loves him is a sign of his relief. He's still dismayed at the romantic part, but though SQQ likes to deflect from his real emotions (this is the guy who focused on bad naming sense after being fatally poisoned, who cavalierly commented only after it was all over that he'd expected to die), the fact that LBH loves and doesn't hate him, means a lot.

Here SQQ's feelings towards LBH are at their most complicated. He still assumes the worst of him like in Jin Lan City, but now because of the above, also sees a lonely child whenever LBH is unhappy and lost. It's like he has two filters actively interfering with each other, "crazed criminal" and "pitiful child," and so he flip-flops between pushing LBH away and comforting him. But when LBH drags CQMS into it, and even seemingly takes advantage of SQQ's love for him, SQQ's negative image and frustration with him only grows, until he finally snaps and tells LBH to never come near him again.

At this point SQQ still believes that LBH is the same black-hearted, invincible, devil incarnate that og!LBH was portrayed to be. The Reconciliation arc starts by chipping away at this filter that's been plaguing SQQ for so long. First the revelation that TLJ/ZZL was behind the sowers, thus clearing LBH's name at Jin Lan City. Then we see how unloved he is by his own father; we see him injured and helpless and unconscious. Meng Mo yells at SQQ, reinforcing that image of a vulnerable, terrified child. So by ch 62 SQQ has thrown away the "crazed criminal" filter completely, and in that same chapter they cling to each other and finally make up. Because while it's true that the current LBH is misanthropic, antisocial, and mercurial, SQQ has also finally accepted that he's still the same LBH he'd raised and doted on, back on Qing Jing Peak.

Now I'm going to talk about what I see as the most important part of Bingqiu. Yes, despite the wall of text already.

A common sentiment of Bingqiu shippers about their issues seems to be, "SQQ is dumb and oblivious; he can't figure out what LBH needs even though he loves him because he sees LBH as a novel character," but I think the problem is far more complicated and insidious than that. If that was everything, why give SQQ the epiphany that he misunderstood LBH so early? Why have him think in ch 66 that "truthfully, he'd never really trusted Luo Binghe, and that's why he kept accidentally hurting him?" If he's already realized that he shouldn't treat LBH like og!LBH (he even meets og!LBH in ch 71 to rub it in further), why do we go another 13 chapters believing their relationship is good and well, even giving us a sweet, happy moment in ch 75, only to show LBH having the worst breakdown of the novel just 4 chapters later? Was it all just padding to demonstrate the danger of Xin Mo?

Or is there something else beneath the surface?

In ch 66, the same chapter where SQQ implies he doesn't want to accidentally hurt LBH anymore, he says something telling. When LQG is skeptical that LBH can be trusted, SQQ thinks, 家里孩子不懂事，大人不容易做, or "when your child doesn't know any better, as the adult you don't have it easy." The child here of course refers to LBH, and the adult is SQQ, who's complaining about smoothing over LBH's messes. But what is SQQ implying here?

Doesn't know any better? That's what you say about a toddler who can't think for themselves, not a grown man. LBH is 25 and SQQ thinks he doesn't know better. Doesn't know better about what? LBH's wants, his needs? His feelings? Or even what's good for him?

And then you realize that's exactly how SQQ's always treated him, like a helpless child who can't make his own choices.

It's SQQ who chooses to throw LBH down into the Abyss without trying to talk to him. It's SQQ who decides that keeping silent is the best choice. It's SQQ who believes self-destructing in front of LBH will help, who thinks that breaking off their relationship is for the better. And it's SQQ who scolds LBH into tolerating CQMS, even though they hate each other and CQMS is hostile towards him. Who forces him to leave first at Zhao Hua Temple despite LBH's pleas otherwise, who shoos him out the window when CQMS walks in on them.

Every single one of these decisions, SQQ made believing it was for the best (repair LBH's relationship with his family, help him avoid arrest, not wanting to make excuses, wanting LBH to be free of his hatred), and every single one of them only damaged LBH further. Because SQQ's never listened to him, even once. Never consulted him or considered his feelings.

(And LBH did try to bring up his feelings on one of the matters in ch 75. He insinuates to SQQ that he doesn't like LQG calling him "little beast" or "ingrate." And SQQ's response is to dismiss them entirely, saying that LQG's "not wrong.")

SQQ has always loved LBH, but he's never once respected LBH's agency or personhood. Because LBH doesn't know better and SQQ does, so SQQ must make all his decisions for him.

And this, amplified by Xin Mo, is what finally drives LBH mad in ch 79.

To LBH, the important part isn't whether SQQ loves him, which I think he knew after ch 43 (it's why he can be so daring and pushy with SQQ's boundaries). What's important is that the moment SQQ believes abandoning LBH is justified for whatever reason again, SQQ absolutely will.

Ch 80's two-way noncon (since LBH was basically unconscious and couldn't consent) tends to draw most of the attention, but I actually think that what happens afterwards is one of the most important scenes for Bingqiu. There SQQ tries to sacrifice himself a second time for LBH, drawing Xin Mo's demonic qi into his body. Yet the novel claims that SQQ's actions here are completely different than in ch 43. SQQ himself says that this time he's doing it for LBH, while last time he was doing it for himself. But can the reader see a functional difference?

There is one, in fact: it's SQQ's response to LBH's choice afterwards. LBH decides to follow SQQ in death, even though this would void the point of SQQ's sacrifice. But instead of insisting otherwise, SQQ just accepts it. Because he finally understands that whether LBH's life is worth living, whether LBH will be better off, is for LBH and only LBH to decide.

It's the first time he respects LBH's agency. And this is the only reason why he and LBH can finally begin building a healthy relationship on the mess they've had up to now.

So that's what I see as the true beauty behind Bingqiu. It's about communication and mistaken assumptions, yes, but it's also about the nature of love between parent and child. The romantic developments were left to the extras, I believe, because this was the main story MXTX wanted to tell with them. Their relationship as lovers only starts afterwards, hence why SV ends with, "the story between you and I, has only just begun." It was never meant to be a whirlwind romance where they fall in love cleanly. It might not to be to everyone's tastes, but an incredible amount of thought was put into the narrative, and that's what amazed me when I first finished this novel.

(This post went on way too long and I ended up cutting off a huge chunk of tangential stuff and how SQQ came to his realization in ch 79: he didn't do it alone. It took him seeing the LBH in TLJ and the himself in YQY for him to understand. In fact, YQY and og!SQQ's relationship has a similar parent-and-child dynamic. I've touched on it before on twitter; if there's interest I might try writing that up here too.)

[saetoru]

hey tee, can i ask something? so ik how frustrating it can be when anons send hate, but what’s it like when other blogs do it?? how do you handle it?? & i dont mean when they’re like directly talking to you, but subtweeting in a way…am i explaining this well????? idk but something that i hate is when people will just ask & ask & ask you to write as if you’re a machine & not a human being.

there’s a particular account that never writes (which is completely fine), and they always ask everyone to be patient & etc. but they constantly talk abt how “no one writes like they used to” or just complain abt other people’s writing in general & it’s just so sad to see bc as a creator on this app, they should immediately understand tht people are not fucking machines & struggle with writer’s block & stuff like that. she just gives off big hypocritical vibes. idk if you’re mutuals w/ them or not (hopefully not).

her writing is fine, but as a person… idk. im not gonna say who it is, but they’re pretty known on tumblr. it really bugs me when she says stuff like that and then her followers just back her up like nothing’s wrong. generally speaking, i believe u can say whatever tf u want on your own blog, but some of the stuff she says just really upsets me, especially since im starting to write on tumblr. i have blocked her, but after seeing some the things she’s said, plus the amount of people that agree with her is making me real self conscious abt my work.

so yea, how do u feel when stuff like that happens to you?? im so sry for the long ask, but hopefully you can take the time to respond. it would mean a lot! ❤️

hi bestie !! i will answer under the cut:

i just block lmao. like deadass half of a lot writers on here ??? chances are i’ve blocked them and tbh that might sound bad but if i see a discourse or a “hot take” that i fully disagree with, or rubs me wrong, i block. and that’s bc i think all of us as writers, even if it’s the smallest part of our brains, compare ourselves to other writers. so i block writers that give me bad vibes bc i don’t wanna subconsciously start comparing myself to them in a manner that makes me question myself like you said. if a writer thinks majority of fanfic mostly sucks now, well i guess they’re not reading my sucky content bc they are b l o c k e d !!!

i actually have like two or three very strongly voiced ppl blocked that always say “fanfic isn’t what it used to be” or “all fanfic is the same now” and i think personally it’s a really entitled and annoying thing to say. if someone came into a writer’s inbox and said those exact things on anon, everyone would jump to attack that anon and say “it’s free content be grateful.” i don’t think someone being a writer gives them the right to dictate such strong opinions openly about other peoples fanfic writing styles/methods/choices. even if you provide content, you’re still consuming free content just as everyone else. it’s one thing to politely offer advice as one writer to another with good intentions, but that’s very clearly seen in your tone and how you word the message. if you think fanfic isnt what it used to be, then write what you want to see ??? it’s simple.

so yeah either way i would block that individual—maybe i already have them blocked too who knows LMAO i hope i do. but i wouldn’t let it get to you because tbh in my experience ppl who have the most to say about other writers have the emptiest masterlists 💀 the rest of us are too busy focusing on our writing to care about what other people are posting and whatnot. block them, block their friends that agree, block anyone else that agrees with them. LMAO i’m not saying this to act like “ur always right and everyone else is always wrong” but tbh if u just block all the ppl ur disagree with, then at one point ur dash will just be peaceful

take it from me !! the girlie that is blocked by like 75% of this app !! just remove people you don’t wanna see. filter their urls, unfollow ppl they heavily interact with, curate ur own experience without being a bitch. rant to ur friends, get it off ur chest privately but like don’t subpost them in a rly obvious manner and start more drama bc it’s just always gonna be a mess that way.

and tbh there’s a lot of things that ppl in a fandom community can and should come and discuss in a civil manner without peoples feelings getting hurt like meta and popularly flawed characterization patterns, but i think bitching about the “quality” of fanfic is a rly nasty thing to openly complain about bc it’s just unwarranted and discouraging. a lot of people are on here for fun, not to write new york times best selling novels, so just let them have their fun :/

[alectology-archive]

Would u recommend the wheel of time?

I'd recommend it, yes! But the answer is also a little complicated.

I personally very much enjoy it for varied reasons - the worldbuilding is expansive, immersive and gorgeous. It draws inspiration from several cultures around the world and manages to represent them very respectfully (in my opinion). It takes place in a world recovering from an apocalypse in a post-sci fi setting which makes it all the more fun to read about although it becomes more apparent and is really explored in book 4. There's a bunch of space-time fuckery, a certain person trying to hijack rand's body sometime after book 4, etc which are some of my favourite things to read about so it's especially really appealed to me.

RJ was fascinated by gender and sexuality and you can tell that he tried to explore its nuances even if he unfortunately didn't go all the way to include trans people (there IS one genderfluid character later though) and I particularly love how he explores various gender dynamics and their intersection with culture. The books are partly really fun to read about precisely because so many cultures are matriarchal (although he unfortunately plays off the abuse that men face as a joke a lot of the time). There's at least one canon lesbian and several wlw characters, one of whom is moiraine, who basically forms the backbone of the series.

I also generally tend to judge a lot of books based on how they treat people of colour and older women and it's been very refreshing to see them portrayed very respectfully and given lots of important roles in the books. The series has a lot more prominent female characters than male characters and often gives them a lot more nuance than the male characters themselves lol.

It does take the series a while to come into its own though - I think book 4 is the most accurate indicator for what to expect of the series although book 3 comes close.

That said I think the series also won't work for everyone because of the length and number of books. Plus he sort of changes styles a bit after book 3 and there are a little too many mentions of ~bosoms~ and ~breasts~ but I was able to easily ignore it tbh. He sucks at writing romances although I thought he got better at it during book 5 and has always written very good love confessions.

I think a lot of people worry about reading the books because they don't like rand lol and it's entirely fair because it's difficult for new readers to like him and he was kind of annoying in the beginning. The first two books are the only ones where he gets 50-75% of the wordcount dedicated to his POV and after that it mostly tends to fall around the 10-20% range. Even if you do never end up warming up to him the POV shares get split up to include a vast cast of characters to the point where rand occassionally has less than a 5% POV share in some books so you should be fine. The books are fully centered on rand for the first three books after which there are multiple distinct plotlines that don't always concern or centre on rand immediately.

I look back on the eye of the world fondly but I don't think it's very reader-friendly for a person just getting into the series so I'd recommend just pushing through and skimming stuff when necessary because book 2 becomes very interesting very quickly although it slogs a bit in the middle.

There's also a character who struggles a bunch with suicidal ideation which starts as early as book 3, so if that's triggering I'd recommend you to proceed with caution.