danny-edward

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I've never thought of this, but now I am.

I'm struck by just how much Shen Jiu's abuse of Luo Binghe is an elaborate self-harm ritual.

In ch 74 Shen Jiu seethes about how Luo Binghe has so much and how jealous he is of him. But I really don't think it's straightforward jealousy that drives his actions

For one, the peaks are filled with entitled young masters from noble families with much more to envy than homeless orphan Binghe, and he never treated them like that. But even moreso, the things he's jealous of are things that Shen Jiu also has. Or rather... had.

He's mad about Binghe calling his adoptive mother his dearest person? Well. Young Shen Jiu, at age ten, also had a dearest person. Someone who might not have been rich and powerful enough to ease his suffering, but who loved him and would do anything for him. Young Shen Jiu had Qi-ge.

He's mad about Binghe's amazing cultivation potential? Well. Shen Jiu, despite arriving much later than the optimal time to cultivate and having his foundation warped by demonic cultivation, somehow still managed to become an immortal peak lord of the world's most powerful cultivation sect. He's that powerful with everything stacked against him, imagine what his full potential must have looked like.

He doesn't hate Luo Binghe for these things because it sets him apart from Shen Jiu. He hates him because he's exactly like Shen Jiu... except for one crucial difference. That he got to the sect on time.

He's who Shen Jiu would have been if Qi-ge had come back for him.

He's Shen Jiu without the betrayal, without the corrupted cultivation, without the years of horrific abuse spent falsely hoping for help that would never come.

And that can't stand. Shen Jiu cannot witness what he could have had if only Qi-ge had kept his promise. He needs himself and everyone too similar to him to be doomed from the beginning, because otherwise he might start thinking about what ifs and he can't afford that. And so he does to Luo Binghe everything that was done to him. He becomes Binghe's Wu Yanzi, Qiu Jianluo, and Yue Qi* all wrapped into one. Singlehandedly, he turns Binghe into Shen Jiu.

And just like Shen Jiu, Binghe eventually snaps and razes the whole place to the ground.

(*well, the version of Yue Qi that exists in Shen Jiu's head, anyway. The promise of salvation that never comes. The person you'd thought would save you but who left you in hell instead.)

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Postcard done for AFK arena zine ✨

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The art, I did for HSR zine last summer ✨

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I feel the urge to post this hilarious moment. The Diva and his dance band performance

*co-op with @dannyckoo, she's Astarions' stylist here

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Kinda crazy "switch around", done by me, @dannyckoo , @katev , @engie-art and another friend of ours. Turned out like an epic collaboration 💪

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My and @dannyckoo Tavs: tiefling warlock Namae and elf bard Candy :з

They came through a little oneshot together too.

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Guess I need to post smthn. So here goes Gale as the meme he totally vibes.

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Luka tries to establish contact. Was it worth it? Probably not

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The most enjoyable team ever.

And now they need 3 new relic sets 🙂

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Did this one a few years ago as a present in the Secret Santa event. Still love it, so why not post?

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Dan Heng was a real savior at the start of the game. Until I got Blady, haha

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DoT team and quite unfortunate Luka. Pretty sure though, Sampo's the one who gets all the kicks

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My Destruction team having fun in the Snowfields.

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A little sketch of my Sardenia waifu

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You're under surveillance

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Best girl <з