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Halsey performing at 'For My Last Trick' Tour Toronto on June 10, 2025.

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Maomao's beauty stuns Jinshi / The Apothecary Diaries S1E13

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uhh liu-shidi, a binghe behind you!! 🏃‍♂️🗡️

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I love that the animation team chose to give us this. It’s a slight change from the light novel and manga, but it does a far better job of showing us—visually showing us—the depth of Maomao's affection for Shisui.

The only difference between the anime and the light novel/manga is, simply, how much the two physically touch each other. How they cling so fiercely and desperately to reassure themselves that the other is safe and undamaged.

The light novel tells us, over and over, how much Maomao loves Shisui, how deeply she misses her after the events of this arc. But LN readers know that Maomao’s affections for others aren’t always clear to her. They often manifest in the way she thinks about them, and how often. Shisui is one of the people she treasures most, but she doesn’t come to terms with this until it’s too late.

And, in true Maomao fashion, in the LN/manga, she does not understand the true extent of her feelings for Shisui while she’s held captive at the stronghold. All of her thoughts and emotions are focused on survival, escape, mystery-solving—understandably so.

And physical affection is not something Maomao initiates often, if ever. She shies away from most forms of touch, and is, most certainly, not comfortable with expressing her feelings in any verbal or physical way.

Therefore, it was a conscious choice on the anime’s part to give us visual evidence of Maomao’s true feelings. Maomao doesn’t say much, but we can still see it: that relief in holding her, that reluctance to release her hand. They let us see it in the way she touches her freely, without hesitation. The viewer can see, can feel how difficult it is for Maomao to let her go, even when she, herself, hasn’t fully realized it yet.

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In light of the anime's full Suirei heritage reveal I whipped up an Imperial Line Family Tree, since these complicated relationships can get super confusing. Click or open in new tab for better quality!

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I'd like to point out this interesting thing that Shisui and Jinshi have in common. Neither of them likes to be referred to by their birth name/title. They both feel a much deeper connection with the "fake persona". It's what Maomao calls them, after all, that person they both love and cherish. And it's a name THEY chose, a symbol of freewill. Mild spoilers for the story ahead,

henceforth Jinshi will identify as the Prince of the Moon BUT his closest companions will continue to call him "Jinshi". (In fact, when Maomao does call him Moon Prince, he gets a bit upset.)

The name Shisui sparks happy memories, genuine love and friendship. That in the darkest of times, there's still a little bit of sunshine for her to reach for.

It's just so beautiful to me.

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I don’t get why so many people don’t seem to understand that Maomao doesn’t dislike Jinshi himself, but rather his eunuch persona. Everytime she catches a glimpse of his real self, she likes what she sees.

Why do you think Jinshi wants to tell her who he really is? It’s because he wants to let her in. He wants to be himself around her because he loves her and wants Maomao to love HIM back.

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I can finally post this lmao

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Thinking again about how Xie Lian didn’t fail Xianle because it wasn’t a test but a trap. Every decision in that arc was manipulated to make the war as cruel and soul-destroying as possible. BWX failed his kingdom, and he saw a similarity in XL. So he orchestrated every single moment of that downfall, pulling multiple puppet strings from 5 different angles and adding consequences to XL that only he had the power to hand out. Like he didn’t lose because he was arrogant or naive or wrong he lost because it there was genuinely no way he coulda won. It wasn’t a test it was a trap.

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friendly reminder that gaoshun was laughing off screen when this exchange was happening.

luomen was so funny though. look at at the little "sob" sfx beside fox lakan 😭

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honestly i never thought the phrase “i want that twink obliterated” was like a sexual thing. like when i read the phrase i imagine “a meteor like the one that killed the dinosaurs is summoned from the heavens and hits the twink in question” type situation

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FUCKED that we didn't get more than half a throwaway line on Levi helping Historia with saving the orphans from the Underground. can we get an ova on that maybe. hello

TELL ME WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT !!

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🩷🩵 Halsey - Mansfield, MA 🩵🩷

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in here lies the great impersonator.

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⋆.˚ 𓂃 Despite it all, you'd still choose him? 𓂃⋆.˚