#HOLY HECK I JUST HAD AN EPIPHANY

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

THEY BOTH BELIEVE NO ONE WILL COME FOR THEM

[mickeys-malarkey]

So, ignoring all the juicy lore, nasty monsters, and glorious cameos my bro and I have seen until a later date (still haven't finished the game yet), how many of y'all actually read that “The Mug and the Maiden” story on Audrey's bed roflolol?

Oh my gosh, that was the most hilarious fairytale I think I've ever read. 😂🤣💀 And I think that all the characters were supposed to be characters in the Bendy games and books? I think Riktor the Cracked was supposed to be Wilson, the mouse that got crushed by the wall was supposed to be Brant, the cheese store man was supposed to be Norman, the ugly lizard man was supposed to be Joey, I'm not quite sure about everyone else yet.

Next Day Update: Holy cannolis, I just had a massive epiphany about this story, guys. I'm 100% including it in my BATDR analysis, it makes sense of so many things that were making me go “what the heck.”

[tundrainafrica]

Why I love LeviHan (a rant)

So I'm pretty new to the LeviHan community and I just wanted to rant about how much of a work of art this fucking ship is even though I have no idea whether Isayama did it on purpose or not. But damn, this ship literally introduced me to the drama of shipping fluff and AUs --- two genres I used to avoid like the plague because never have I felt such adamance for a ship to set sail in YEARS since Percabeth back in high school.

To give some background about myself, the past five years, I was no fan of ships. Like literally, I tried to avoid shipping fics like the plague (for any fandom) because I was like "come on war racial war, zombie like monsters? Who has time to fall in love?" A lot of non romance shows don’t leave time for a relationship to develop and we literally just get a time skip where suddenly they pair people up together and I’m like woop good story but yo how the heck did they end up together.

In real life, I also did get into a healthy relationship with a guy, a slow burn after five years type and I thought yeah I've seen how I want a relationship to develop and now imma be picky as fuck with ships.

I did end up picky as fuck with ships but Isayama with the minimal screen time he actually gave this ship to set sail with probably minimal intention to actually confirm their ship got me climbing into this ship while it sunk canonically after chapter 132 because holy fuck ISAYAMA YOU MAD MAN.

Let's talk about how they were introduced. Trost is destroyed. Titans are impossible to kill then whoop. We get a group of weirdos and outcasts who can somehow kill titans like crazy.

Strong titan slayer dude.

Strong titan slayer girl. (Hange is female to me.)

Cool commander dude.

Cool interesting characters. Eren's dream team since episode 1. Two captains. Constantly together. Erwin is their glue. Nothing suspicious about that. They work together. They're too busy fighting Titans to actually be considering a relationship right??

Besides, Hange and Levi are just way too different like

Levi is like *slash slash slash I hate titans u ugly* *slash slash slash eww titan blood* *slash slash slash kill Titans they're all monsters* 

Hange is like *slash slash slash oooh titan blood* *slash slash slash dont kill them i wanna dissect them* *doesn't slash* titans make me horny.

Like sure we could argue opposites attract but there are more cases where opposite personality dating would probably backfire and with the idiosyncrasies of both parties at polar ends of the spectrum it just didn't seem possible for there to be a spark? Like logistically they would tear each other's hair out if they were stuck together in a relationship.

At that point, Erwin being the middle ground between both captain weirdos, I couldn't help but think shipping Erwin with either of them would have been the more realistic option.

Season 2 had its fair share the first two scenes with Levi picking her up and the carriage. Didn't see anything too sparky yet and yes the last scene where he could tell who she is by her knock. (but yes sparks flew in hindsight).

Season 3: Erwin the glue gets trapped in capital due to political reasons and only one arm. Two captains forced to combine forces to manage the survey corps in peril. They get their bonding moments like torturing some dude together and reflecting over the untimely deaths of Hange’s squad. (and maybe Levi’s squad too)

They separate while coup d'etat happens because their skills were needed elsewhere. They got to save Eren and like hours later in the cavern Levi was especially concerned about Hange when she got shot by the hook back in the cavern like you don't see that concern with any other character except maybe Erwin. (But it can be argued that maybe all the other people he ever loved died too fast he never got the time to be concerned.)

All the way until the battle of Shiganshina Levi is usually with Hange.

When he’s not with her, there’s a reason (usually Erwin’s orders.)

When he's not with her he's thinking about her.

Then Erwin their magical glue of a commander does die and the captains gotta stick together even without the glue because they're the last two surviving people in the old survey corps.

It's apparent Levi hates the changes made to the survey corps because he still keeps the green cloak which everyone kinda abandoned. So it can be argued that Hänge was also that last bit of fresh air Levi had of the olden days.

So

they're

together

in

almost

Every

Friking

Scene

Like you can't blame them. Levi is anti social and traditional survey corps type.

Hange is still reeling from the loss of Erwin and her quick rise to power as commander.

They may have differing personalities but they had the same history. They both know loss, bloodshed and battle the survey corps brings that no one else probably understands to the extent they do.

And we get the bombshell of this scene.

Hange literally proposes to him that they just run away to the forest and just build a life for themselves and the cold harsh brazen Levi doesn't outright reject it.

He instead acknowledges what he knows about her that she'll never do that. This only confirms that they know each other too well, that they have a bond that exists between them which cannot so easily be replaced by anyone else.

And then a few chapters later

Dead.

And sure yeah Levi didn't cry but like yo, the way Levi handled her death is worse than crying. We have never seen Levi react to a death like this.

Levi is holding on to the hand which touched Hange’s.

Levi just sits down in the middle of a pivotal scene and where he might end up fighting any minute coz like what's life he literally lost everything he could have lived for.

Like sure people who don't think LeviHan is canon would say “He’s injured. He’s tired.” 

Just a few chapters ago though we got him ready to fight

 "That’s the last person left of course it would break him more than anything"

That's the point. They're complete opposites they've been together for years and even if the chemistry wasn't there before, even if they would never have gotten along at all, personality and logistics-wise, they were placed in a situation where their glue Erwin died, everything of the life they knew before, all their loved ones in the survey corps died and now they were left with the responsibility of managing what's left and being the only two people with a shared history.

That literally set up one of the best places for a fucking romance to bloom. Yet the war and the circumstances just made it so hard for them to act upon it yet somehow the manga and anime were peppered with this cool understanding of

Yo I want you.

like maybe when we retire let's keep in touch and I dunno have babies or something

But yeah yo we gotta fight.

Then Levi be like “Yeah babies be a good idea?” (Titans don’t love you. I love you.)

Death foreshadowing

Then Levi

Is

Fucking

Broken

Like we've never seen him before.

Wow isayama the madman didn't need to build this masterpiece of a relationship from love at first sight, to confessions, to placing them in unnatural situations for sexual tension.

He built a subtle relationship out of necessity, out of the need for some humanity in this dark world. Two people placed at the lead at the forefront of this war, willing to adjust, willing to change and work despite their differences because they needed that warmth, they needed the reminder that there exists happiness and hope in this world which transcends all that bullshit they have experienced to that point until her death.

I really wish I could experience that epiphany again with another couple.

I applaud the subtlety of this relationship and the natural development of one of the best ships I have experienced in a long while.

[jjk-biased]

park jimin x reader

genre: angst, lil' fluff if you squint hard enough lmfao

word count: 2k words of big sad bros

synopsis: befriending the ever-shy boy park jimin had its ups and downs but you were there for him through everything.

masterlist

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

It was supposed to end on a somewhat lighter note. Laughter should’ve rang through the room by now from your remark, or at least a chuckle should’ve been heard from his lips as he denies your claim. He should’ve continued eating his pastries or at least change the topic to the song currently playing in Belle Vie.

There shouldn’t be silence. You shouldn’t hear the pitter patter of the rain outside from the cafe you’re in.

Anything but this.

You could still remember meeting his eyes. There he was, meekly hiding himself from the corner of the room to shield himself from the noise of your classmates. He was alone and it was as if he wanted it to stay that way.

You weren’t sure what was captivating about him. Was it the way his eyes told a different story? Was it how adorable he was as he avoided your stare when you approached him? Was it the small, unsure smile he returned when you looked at him?

You’d never know. But you were happy to be the first one to approach him.

“Hi! I’m Y/N.”

“O-oh… uhm… h-hello,” He trailed off, once again looking at anything but you.

You unintentionally chuckled, somehow frightening this shy boy more, and continued, “Can I ask for your name?”

“I-I’m sorry… I’m Park Jimin.”

“Say Park Jimin… interested in going to the small cafe down the street?”

That was the start of an unlikely friendship between the ever-friendly Y/N and the resident cutie Jimin.

From a few meetings to being stuck by the hip, you two sure became a great duo. But Jimin still had reservations about himself, a nobody, and you, the ever-cheerful person who’d befriend anyone. You would remember Jimin always asking you why you hung out with him. He would list reasons why you were better off without him trailing behind you like a puppy.

“Because I like being friends with you silly!”

And you could see the storm in his eyes fade away just from that remark.

“Wanna go to the Hope Dance Studio oday?”

“I’ll just watch you dance, Jimin, and you owe me tea from Belle Vie.”

You two spent most of your days together and would often bond on your love for music. You discovered a new Jimin through dancing—a Jimin who forgot his stage fright and shyness everytime a beat plays. You loved this side of Jimin. It’s who he is. A dancer, born to perform on stage, yet held back by the timid persona he always went by.

Admittedly, you were secretly glad he was confident enough to show it to you. Only you.

Aside from the dance studio, you two were more than often seen in the small cafe by the school named Belle Vie. It was a cozy cafe that hosted a few stressed students or passerbys who wanted to stop for pastries. It was where you two always hung out after every school day.

As your highschool years went by, you began to lie low from the “popular” people. The famous Y/N who befriended anyone was still friendly, but you decided it was time to stick to those who will be there for you.

That was Jimin. You stuck by him as you went through countless breakdowns, stresses, and heartbreaks.

“You should forget that dork, Y/N! He was a player from the start. If you want, we’ll go egg his house soon because he deserves that shit,” Jimin’s eye twitched as he gripped the macaron in his hand rather harshly.

The two of you were once again in Belle Vie, though this time you were down in the dumps because your asshole of a boyfriend cheated on you with one of your friends.

You snorted as you stole one of the sweet delights from his plate, “The slytherin in you jumped out.”

He preened, mockingly laughing the way rich people do, “I try my best.”

“Thank you, Jimin.”

“Anything for you."

None of your relationships seemed to work. Maybe it was because you never seemed to find any sort of connection with them. Maybe it was because they never had any sort of genuinity to commitment.

Maybe it was because they weren’t Jimin.

It dawned on you on one of those quiet days where you ponder quietly as you gaze at the ceiling. Looking back, it really was Jimin who stuck with you through it all. He made you laugh every time he did his pranks (he was never caught), he made you smile every time he danced like a dork, he made you feel at home.

Squealing lightly, you fell off the bed at your epiphany.

“Holy shit… I like my best friend.”

As soon as those words left your mouth, your eyes widened. There are a lot more negative disadvantages to liking your only best friend. What if he didn’t like you? What if he thinks you’re creepy? What if you don’t become friends anymore?

That last question haunted you more than you liked to admit.

Jimin was your anchor, the one you found solace in when times are rough. Not being with him anymore just because your feelings got in the way.

You’d rather keep it in.

So you did. You kept that little crush to yourself and told not a soul. It kind of hurts to act that way, but it was for the best.

Jimin on the other hand began to grow out of his shell. Because you encouraged him, even in his bad days, you were able to help him be more out in the open. Soon, Jimin became one of the popular kids and you were more than happy to see him in his true element.

You once introduced him to your acquaintance and captain of the dance team, Jung Hoseok. He happened to be the son of the owner of the dance studio you two often went to as well. Jimin was soon recruited.

It was as if everything felt right when he accepted Hoseok’s offer. He was more than ecstatic. You were very much just as happy as he is.

“Congrats, shorty! Treat me to Belle Vie today?”

“You can’t call me that if you’re shorter… And shouldn’t I be the one treated today?”

That was the start of his way up to the big leagues.

You were left at the bottom. Probably forgotten, left alone at square one.

You didn’t notice it immediately. Your daily trip to Belle vie turned into every other day, then it became twice a week, once a week, until there was none at all. You couldn’t blame your sweet Jimin though. He became much busier after he joined the dance team.

At the back of your mind, it was hard to admit that he became too busy for you.

It was hard, really, to ask Jimin to hang out for at least just a day and be turned down time and time again.

“Hey! Can we go to Belle Vie today?”

You already knew the answer when his face contorted into an uneasy grin, the way he averted his eyes and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

“I… uhm… have practi—”

“Oh! ‘S alright, we can just go out on a later date,” you cut him off to save yourself an ounce of dignity and scurried away before he could make it more painful than it is.

The unlikely duo weren’t seen together anymore anywhere.

You still went on with your day though. You wanted to support your sweet best friend through every competition he had, every breakdown he cried for, every problem he harbored.

It was different this time, you two couldn’t deny it. From strangers to best friends, then back to strangers.

The feelings you long since had have grown into something you couldn’t ignore. Despite every embarrassing moment you experienced from being turned down, the way his smile grew bigger every time their team won had your heart swooning. This Jimin, admittedly now one of the most popular heartthrobs of your school, brought your tummy butterflies that won’t die down.

On your fifth friendship anniversary, you decided it was time you get Jimin for just a day. Heck, just an hour with him would suffice. It’s been long since you two were together and why not hang out on the day that started it all?

“Chim, let’s eat at Belle Vie today. I’m not taking no for an answer,” You huffed in faux confidence, momentarily ignoring that little voice in your head who taunted at you.

“Ah… what’s the occasion?”

Are you kidding me?!

“June 13th! It’s our friendship anniversary dummy,” You grinned hesitantly as your voice wavered.

You never thought you’d have to remind him of this date. It was the other way around! He would surprise you and treat you to Belle Vie because you two were friends!

“Alright… I’ll meet you there.”

There wasn’t as much enthusiasm in his voice as he had last year. It was now blatantly obvious he wanted nothing to do with you.

You figured it was time for your last resort, confessing to everything you’ve felt. Maybe this time… Maybe this time he’ll have a change of heart.

Rain poured down when afternoon came. The clouds were weeping at the loss of friendship. Or maybe it was long gone and you just realized it now and the clouds were sad for another reason…

The two of you were sitting in the same booth you first did, the one nearest to the window. You both ended up getting the same food you always bought. You found yourselves in the same predicament you first met— awkward, silent, and nervousness.

Everything was the same yet everything was different.

The Jimin in front of you now, for example, was strikingly different from the Jimin you met. But you were still the same ol’ Y/N he first met.

You were finally fed up with everything he had thrown your way. Every rejection he made you face, every embarrassing moment you had to endure, every ounce of pain you had to feel.

“What happened to us?” You whispered, looking at anything but this stranger in front of you.

He raised an eyebrow, “Us? What do you mean? Don’t get carried away, Y/N.”

“You were never like this to me, Jimin… You always went to me for everything… Now we don’t even t-talk,” You cried out weakly, too hurt to prevent anything from not being said.

“I’m not gonna be there at your every beck and call, Y/N! I’m not gonna be with you forever! You’re not even my girlfriend! God, how clingy can you get!?” Jimin harshly let out.

Your eyes widened as his remarks flowed into your head and repeatedly taunted you. Tears welled up in your eyes, unable to believe that this is the person you called your best friend.

“I… I can’t believe I like you,” Your face visibly cringed when you said that word. That specific word that wasn’t even enough to describe the immense love you had for this boy who had chosen to hurt you with his words.

It was out. The secret you had for so long is finally out.

Instead of anything welcoming, however, Jimin only mumbled a “what?” out of disbelief. Maybe he wasn’t hearing himself correctly.

This expression of his told you more than you needed to know. Despite the tears now flowing freely, you asked him softly.

“H-hey… Do you know what Belle Vie means?”

You were met with silence. He stared at you as you tried to salvage this piss-poor conversation.

“It means Beautiful Life… and I’m glad to have experienced that with you, Jimin…”

He didn’t say anything back, just a weak, “Goodbye.”

And there was nothing.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

It was supposed to end on a somewhat lighter note. Laughter should’ve rang through the room by now from your remark, or at least a chuckle should’ve been heard from his lips as he denies your claim. He should’ve continued eating his pastries or at least change the topic to the song currently playing in Belle Vie.

There shouldn’t be silence. You shouldn’t hear the pitter patter of the rain outside from the cafe you’re in.

But it did.

Your longtime crush and now ex-friend walked out of the door, and with him left the five-year friendship you two built.

What a beautiful life, indeed.

permanent taglist: @luvinseokjinnie @97faerie @amoreguk

[trensu]

Episode 12: The One where Everyone Goes to Evil Summer School and Has a Bad Time

And we’re off to a bad start bc we’re at Evil Summer School and WC is monologuing like the world’s shittiest villain

His flunkies take everyone’s swords and wwx whispers “lan zhan” after watching lwj hand over his sword (LIKE, THE ONE THING HE HAS LEFT OF HIS HOME *SOBS*)

Lwj ignores him tho

And then keeps ignoring him

Be easy on him, folks, he’s overcoming some trauma

We get more useless wc monologuing

But we’ll ignore him and focus instead on how wwx keeps throwing worried little glances at lwj

(hey remember how last episode i told you all about lwj’s capture and subsequent injury even tho it wasn’t wangxian moment?? IT PAYS OFF IN THIS EPISODE WITH MULTIPLE WANGXIAN MOMENTS)

(also, just fyi at this point wwx still doesn’t know what all went down at the cloud recesses or that lwj is injured; i mean yeah, wc bragged to him about it but what, we’re gonna take him at his word? Heck no)

Wc assigns the class homework - Memorizing Wen Clan Rules

So we see wwx being all studious

He and jc are dragging the wen clan for their hypocrisy and then wwx has an Epiphany

Wwx: hey, the Wen clan is so petty, they wouldn’t have just settled for LWJ attending Evil Summer School; they would’ve taken way more hostages I mean disciples!! SOMETHING BAD MUST’VE HAPPENED

And he leaps up with every intention of tracking down LWJ but some wen flunkies are guarding the door so that ends up being a no-go

But wwx is not deterred! No sir, he is coming up with a plan to finally get LWJ’s attention 

We’re back in class at Evil Summer School and wc is all i’m gonna pick ppl to recite the rules bc i’m a douchebag

And ofc he picks lwj, wwx, and jzx

Lwj: Can’t do it. Not today.

Jzx: Yeah, no, that’s Beneath me

Wwx: oh oh pick me!! I can do it!! *raises hand excitedly*

Omg wwx he already picked you, you don’t have to do that

Wc: okay, but if you get it wrong I will Punish you bc i’m an asshole that way

Cue wwx’s Classic Look of Disgust (guys, guys, i just love this expression on his face SO MUCH, i couldn’t even tell you why)

But that look quickly morphs into his Signature Mischievous Grin 

Which he aims at lwj, so ofc it looks SUPER FLIRTY ahhhhh

Lwj continues to ignore him

AGAIN I ASK, how the HELL does he keep doing that??! If i had wwx smile like that at me, he’d have my FULL UNDIVIDED ATTENTION FOREVER

Okay, here’s where a good moment becomes a GREAT moment

Wwx goes up all cocky and starts THEATRICALLY doing STRETCHES even tho all he’s doing is RECITING LINES, OMG, WWX

Wc: GET ON WITH IT

Wwx: right, right, i got this. Okay, listen carefully~!

Wwx: *STARTS RECITING LAN CLAN RULES*

THAT’S MY BOY!!! LOOK AT MY BOY GO! HOLY SHIT, THE AUDACITY. WHAT A BI-CON, I LOVE IT!!

Now lwj FINALLY looks at him!!

And it only took 14min and wwx reciting his clan’s rules to FINALLY GET A REACTION

Wc: HOW DARE YOU RECITE LAN CLAN RULES IN QISHAN

Wwx: oh dear, oh gosh, how foolish of me! I am SO sorry i got them all mixed up!!

And then he literally pats himself on the back with a pleased little smirk

And that’s how jzx, lwj, and wwx end up in Evil Detention carrying manure to the vegetable fields

Lwj is just pouring the manure out of the buckets

Wwx: lan zhan, you want me to find you a scooper?

Lwj: *ignores him*

Jzx: *unwillingly bears witness to this and rolls his eyes*

(don’t even, jzx, you het disaster)

Wwx: hey lan zhan, how come your clan has a silencing spell but not a spell that blocks out gross smells?

Lwj: *picks up empty buckets and leaves, CONTINUING TO IGNORE WWX FOR SOME INEXPLICABLE REASON*

Here wwx just sloppily dumps out his buckets and chases after him

As they walk over to wherever they need to go to refill their buckets, wwx starts asking lwj Plot Questions and generally worrying about him

Which could’ve become a sweet moment

Except that wc shows up to ruin the moment with his, you know, general existence

So obviously wwx has to go and insult wc to his face, right? HE WAS TRYING TO HAVE QUALITY TIME WITH HIS SOULMATE, GODDAMNIT

Wc tries to whip wwx but wwx catches it like a BADASS and is all “don’t try me”

But then wc gets his flunkies to tie up wwx!! (i’m telling you guys, this clan really seems to have a thing for tying/chaining people up)

Lwj sees that his soulmate is defenseless and is like, can’t have that happening and goes to defend him!!

Ugghhh but that ASSHOLE WEN CHAO GOES AND HITS LWJ ON HIS INJURED LEG WHICH SENDS LWJ TUMBLING INTO THE GROUND

Wwx: HEY, leave him alone! I was the one insulting you!!

DO YOU SEE THAT GUYS?? THEY ALWAYS DEFEND EACH OTHER!!

And actually this starts up a general pattern for them: lwj always defends wwx physically and wwx always defends lwj verbally

IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL. THEY COVER EACH OTHER’S WEAK SPOTS WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT!! 

(lwj isn’t all that good with words as you know, and wwx has this talent of making everyone around him want to punch him in the face, his beautiful beautiful face)

Wc goes to whip wwx again, but LWJ gets up on his feet in an instant (even with the leg wound!!) and catches the whip ONE-HANDED AND YANKS IT OUT OF WC’S GRASP

LIKE, DON’T FUCKING TOUCH MY SOULMATE YOU SLIMY BASTARD

Obvs he didn’t say that, but you can see it in his eyes that that’s exactly what he was thinking, word-for-word. Trust me on this.

The wen flunkies release wwx who drops to the ground and lwj immediately grabs him by the arm

He doesn’t try to lift him up and he’s not actually holding him up

So why the arm-grabbing?

I’LL TELL YOU WHY

BC HE WANTS TO BE NEAR WWX, THAT’S WHY

And let me remind you that this is the same lwj who’s all “i don’t touch people” back in episode 5: the One with Angry bb!LWJ

Yeah, that rule doesn’t apply to wwx anymore BC SOULMATES

Although in all fairness, who wouldn’t grab onto wwx given half a chance?

Okay now wc monologues some more 

Wwx: wc, stop babbling 

(omg wwx, stop baiting him)

Wc: TAKE HIM TO THE DUNGEON

Lwj: *BOLTS UPRIGHT ON HIS INJURED LEG AND BLOCKS THEIR WAY*

Srsly, injured leg!! And it doesn’t even slow him down when it comes to protecting wwx!! And he stretches out his arm so his pretty white sleeves mostly cover wwx from view

Wc: don’t worry, the dungeon’s big enough for two (wc you slimy bastard, you’re ruining everyone’s sex dungeon fantasies)

Wwx: *pushes away lwj’s arm* nah, just take me. The dungeon’s bound to be cooler than being out on these sunny fields anyway lol

And now we have this terrible moment where we see wwx be well and truly terrified for the first time in the show

He’s thrown into the dungeon WHILE CHAINED UP and there’s this HUGE MUTANT DOG MONSTER

Poor wwx visibly pales and breaks out into a cold sweat while wen chao mocks him (I HATE HIM SO MUCH)

Okay, i’d like to take a moment here to fully acknowledge that this dog monster thing is, like, really horrible effects-wise. We all know this. But we’re gonna pretend for sake of the Emotional Trauma it causes our darling wwx that it’s actually a big scary thing, okay?

Anyway

WEN NING TO THE RESCUE - knocks out the dog with strategically placed needles and provides wwx Medicine Pouch and Medicine Bottle 

he’s like, i stole medicine for you bc we’re bffs and i’d die for you (which he does eventually lololol I’M SORRY THAT WAS AWFUL)

I’m sure you’re all hey trensu, this isn’t a wangxian moment you said this was a wangxian guide, what the heck

BUT IT IS A WANGXIAN MOMENT and also it sets us up for ANOTHER wangxian moment later on in the show!

It’s a wangxian moment now bc wen ning provides the info wwx has been trying to get this whole time, aka what the heck is up with lwj and the cloud recesses?

Wwx looks utterly DEVASTATED when wn tells him lwj’s home was burned

And when he tells wwx about the wens breaking lwj’s leg?

FUCKING FURIOUS

HE’S SO ANGRY THAT THEY HURT HIS LAN ZHAN

HE PUNCHES THE STONE FLOOR OF HIS CELL WITH AN ALREADY BLOODIED UP HAND

THAT’S HOW ANGRY HE IS

See? Totally a wangxian moment

Oh, and then we see him take like, only one (1) medicine piece from Medicine Bottle and then slips the it and the Medicine Pouch into his robes

Wwx: i’ll save this for lan zhan

I’LL SAVE THIS FOR LAN ZHAN, HE SAYS

HE’S INJURED AND CHAINED UP AND HE’S SAVING THE MAJORITY OF THE MEDICINE FOR LAN ZHAN

BC HE LOVES HIM

AHHHHHH

Okay now we’re back in class (and wtf, wwx has to attend class even after all that??)

Wwx is still looking all wrung-out and bloodied

We see lwj look at wwx all concerned!

Plot stuff happens

More plot stuff

Now we get set up for our last wangxian moment of the episode!!

Wen Flunkie: hey boss, there’s this monster in this mountain that probably someone should get rid off

Wc: oh cool, good thing i’ve got all these hostages i mean cannon fodder I MEAN visiting disciples with me. Let’s do it!

TIME FOR A FIELD TRIP (OF EVIL)!!!

Wen chao is on a horse with his girlfriend while everyone else is walking bc wc is the WORST PERSON

Then oh no, lwj is visibly limping as they go on!!

And wwx looks over and sees lwj limping

~THEIR SONG~ STARTS GENTLY PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND AHH AHHHHH

IDK IF YOU GUYS NOTICED YET BUT THAT’S OUR CUE THAT SOME GOOD WANGXIANTICS IS COMING UP

Wwx does not hesitate even a minute to go help him!! BC THAT’S WHAT SOULMATES DO

But JC ofc holds him back (what the heck jc), and he’s all leave him alone, you’ve helped him enough already

And wwx is like, HE JUST LOST HIS HOME, JC!! AND HIS LEG IS BROKEN. WHAT IF HE LOSES HIS LEG??

JC: it’s not like he’ll let you close enough to carry him anyway!!

Wwx: well that’s his choice BUT I STILL GOTTA OFFER BC I LOVE HIM, HE NEEDS TO KNOW IT’S AN OPTION!!

JC: we can’t stick our noses in his business!

Wwx: well SOMEBODY has to help him!!

And he flounces off to go to lwj

Wwx: lan zhan, how’s your leg?

Lwj: it’s fine

He says, y’know, like a liar.

Wwx: hey, we’re friends, you can be honest with me!! Are you sure your leg is okay??

Lwj: it’s fine

GOD DAMN IT LWJ, HE’S TRYING TO HELP YOU

Wwx: don’t pretend it’s fine all the time!! I can carry you~! 

OMG HE SAYS THIS WITH THE SWEETEST, MOST SINCERE SMILE, GUYS

HE WANTS TO HELP LWJ SO BAD

HE WANTS LWJ TO LET HIM CLOSE!! 

BECAUSE HE LOVES HIM, AHHHHH

And with that sweet, sincere smile, the episode ends

On a high note!!

Lovely, lovely, it was lovely, i want to stare at that smile forever

Return to Masterpost

[bas-writes]

🏰 👾 😭 😳 🍎 🍏 💓

🏰 - Fave marine?

Answered in previous edition, I’ll copy~

Oh damn, this is much harder question than I thought. My first take was Smoker, but then I realised a lot of characters I adore are in fact Marines, I just don’t think about them as Marines, because they’re not plot-wise put in a role usually taken in the story by Marines.

In the end I will go with Coby, mostly because of the character development he went through and the possibilities the plot already revealed for him. From the point of view of OP universe he - not Luffy - has the biggest chance to be the one who will change the old order for something better. Well, Coby is in fact Luffy, in the meaning of the role he has in the plot - but on the other hand he’s his complete opposite and yet individual character with his own progress and history. I simply love him - as a character and as a representation of Oda’s genius character writing.

👾 - Fave villain?

Answered in previous edition as well~

Doflamingo.

Oh, how I love and hate this wicked monster. He’s one of the best written villains ever and for me a peak of Oda’s master character writing. The perfect backstory which explains but not justifies, which makes you understand and pity him, but doesn’t draw your attention away from all the bad things he had done. The way he matches the one of the main messages the plot of One Piece has - that injustice creates monsters. His design - from his chaotic bisexual style, to his Devil Fruit. His relations with his Family. All those parallels he shares with Law, giving them both amazing plot-wise depth. Oda, in my opinion, is very good in writing villains - but for me Doflamingo is perfect example how every villain ever should be written. And can’t wait to see why Oda spared him - because I’m sure there’s a reason for that. I just hope Law won’t have to be involved in said reason, he had enough.

😭 - Saddest scene?

Oh boy.

Okay, first of all - I’m a person who is capable of crying over a toilet paper commercial. I’ve cried over One Piece so many times I can’t possibly count. Heck, now when I know what scene is coming next, I cry even more, so re-reading takes me so slow I’m sure Oda will end the manga before I’ll get through it for a second time xD

This being sad, I still think Sanji’s backstory in general caught me the most. Even now when I think about my hands shake a bit as I’m writing. A lot of personal agenda, so I won’t get into details.

But Jesus.

To harm a kid to this point just because he didn’t match expectations...

... Holy shit, now I want to hug Sanji T^T

😳 - Any crushes?

Okay, but listen. The only reason I started reading One Piece is a friend of mine showing me fanarts with Law. Damn hot, need to check it out. 50 volumes till I see him...? Okay, I can do that.

And then I saw Zoro.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Law, he’s like still the part of my shameless selfpoly but - Zoro is something different.

I can’t even explain why. There are a lot of characters I’d like never ever let out of my bed. Robin, Drake, Smoker, Okiku, Denjiro, Barto, Hina, Rocinante... I can count till tomorrow.

Law already is a different level, since he’s like an epiphany of a fictional character for such a lost soul like me.

Zoro is even more. I just look at this dude and that’s it. It’s over. Bas is dead, Readers, Bas is dead.

Also tiddies. Those are the best tiddies.

🍎 - Fave Devil Fruit power?

I love Robin’s Hana Hana no Mi. It’s so aesthetically pleasing, yet absolutely horrifying and powerful. Robin is a goddess AND eldritch abomination in the same time thanks to her DF and I absolutely ADORE it.

🍏 - Would you eat a Devil Fruit if you had the chance to?

As a kid I fucking took a solid bite of a soap and ate it just to prove my cousin he’s a coward. What is a Devil Fruit comaring to eating soap? xD Also: I can’t swim anyway  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

💓 - Which character do you relate to the most?

Again, a lot of personal agenda, so I won’t get into details but... I’ll just tell I’m so glad I had a chance of meeting my own Corazon, my beloved aunt, who dragged me out of shit and thanks to whom I’m still alive.

And I hella miss her, I haven’t seen her since the self isolation started and phone calls and facebook are just not the same  .･ﾟﾟ･(／ω＼)･ﾟﾟ･.

Thanks for asking ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

[ramheavenandhell]

Rickceiving Love and Forgiveness

AN: I wanted to write something involving the One True Morty and something about Rick finding salvation or something, so this little piece was born. Didn't exactly turn out as I had expected, but I hope you'll like ^_^ Warnings: mentions of character death, angst, platonic love Summary: Rick's time has finally run out and his imminent death is unavoidable. In a last attempt to make peace with himself, he visits the Mortyism Cult to meet the One True Morty.

Rickceiving Love and Forgiveness Rick chugged the last contents of the bottle down before he grumbled and threw it carelessly in the backseat of his space cruiser. He was internally scoffing at his own wretchedness. Mocking himself mentally for even being dumb enough to travel to where he was currently going. It was common knowledge that Ricks didn't believe in the existence of god or something like the afterlife. Religion was only something that had been made up by people to extort money from dumb and gullible sheep. So, it was ridiculous that he was on his way to see someone that was supposed to be some kind of prophet. 'What does it even matter now?' Rick wondered. 'This is already the end. And nothing matters anyways… never had…' He fumbled for another glass bottle on the bottom of his ship, hoping to find one that wasn't empty yet. Despite not wanting to believe in any religious bullshit, the point was that Rick was going to die – very soon. It was just his luck that he had contracted a deadly illness that couldn't be cured – not even by Rick Sanchez himself. So, this only left him with one last option. To just accept and embrace his upcoming demise. The reason why he was on his way to such a remote planet now was because he had overheard some rumors. Apparently, some Ricks had been visiting this one person that everyone called only the One True Morty. Rumor had it, that Ricks who were close to death would visit him to…"lighten their conscience" was probably the right phrasing for it. Of course, Ricks weren't innocent people. From stealing, drug and weapon dealing, seducing mafia bosses' daughters, ranging up to blowing up entire solar systems, their crime records folders were thicker than the book "War and Peace". And sometimes people just found it easier to accept their own death when they were able to accept the sins that they had committed. It was one particular rumor though about one certain Rick that had picked his interest the most. This Rick was said to have been suicidal, but before offing himself, he went to see the One True Morty. It was said that after meeting that Morty, the Rick had come back as a completely changed human. He didn't try to kill himself and was supposed to live even now as the happiest Rick in the entire multiverse. Of course, that rumor sounded too sketchy to be really true, but it made him wonder if meeting this special Morty would give you some kind of epiphany or something. Well, Rick told himself that he had nothing to lose anymore. At best he could only gain something from this and if not… well, it's not like it really mattered. Emptying another bottle, he neared a little dwarf planet on which the cult had been relocated. At one point, the Mortys who followed the cult had lived on the Citadel of Ricks – as a minority, of course, that hadn't been paid much attention to at the time – however, after they found the one that had been dubbed the One True Morty, they had moved off to this tiny planet. He began to land on a decent sized platform, which resembled a parking lot. It was mostly empty, but there were two or three other vehicles there, which looked exactly like his own. It was a little reassuring to know that he wasn't the only Rick who had come to pay the One True Morty a visit. After he got out of his space car, he walked over a little platform that led towards what must be the reception building. Inside of it, he found a few Mortys clad in brown robes bustling about. One of them, who wore pure white garbs instead, immediately approached him. "Hello, lost one. How can I help you?" he asked in a calm and quiet voice. Rick wondered if the other was currently drugged because his eyes were half lidded and the way he talked sounded pretty odd. And what was up with "lost one"? Deciding to ignore that – just like the stupid red face paint – he finally answered. "I'm here to see the One True Morty. Do I need an appointment first or is he free right now?" "Of course, you can meet him now. Please follow me." The Cult Morty murmured. Rick walked after him as he was led out of the building through another entrance and they approached what must be the main building. He studied the palace-like structure with disdain. It was made of white marble and adorned with lots of gold. The scientist sneered. This cult seemed to be just like other religions that were only after other people's money in order to gain wealth. Even if this cult was founded by Mortys. "You either charge your followers a lot or you keep running a pretty busy business." Rick commented. "Oh, our cult doesn't charge. The services of the One True Morty are all free. We keep living from the donations that we receive from the followers of the One True Morty." The Cult Morty explained, not looking offended by the other's accusations. "Donations? Really?" Rick lifted on side of his eyebrow. Looking at this grand temple made it hard to believe that that was really the case. The Morty seemed to notice Rick's disbelieve and explained further. "Yes. Some of our donors are wealthy and powerful Mortys, but we also have some Ricks who are blessing us with gifts every once in a while. This building for example had been donated by a Rick who thought that our previous housing wasn't worth for the One True Morty." Of course, Rick wouldn't be able to know, but when the Mortys had started the cult, they lived literally in a garbage dump. They had built a little makeshift hut with what they could find for the One True Morty and that had been it. This cultist had been there on the day when the generous Rick had left the humble hut and looked around the dumping grounds with new and clear eyes and then proclaimed loudly that this wasn't living conditions for anyone, especially not for the One True Morty. The donor thought that the blessed one only deserved to live in a palace that would represent the same beauty that the One True Morty represented even though no building would ever be able to come close enough to it. Rick wasn't exactly sure what to think anymore. So, a Rick had let this entire palace be built for the Morty that he was going to see now… Must have been one heck of a revelation that this guy had gotten if this was his way of saying thanks. He didn't comment further on the topic and just silently followed the boy inside the building. They walked through some hallways before the cultist stopped. "Please wait here while I inform the holy one of your arrival." With those words, Rick was momentarily left on his own. The place was eerily empty and silent. Occasionally he would see a Cult Morty scurrying through one of the corridors, but that was it. With all the white, polished marble, the place seemed also very sterile. Normally he would welcome such surroundings, but somehow he felt very uncomfortable even if the hallway that he was waiting in was lavished with carpets and a comfy-looking sofa as well as some chairs. However, he remained standing even if he had no idea how long he would be left to wait. Instinctively Rick reached into the inside of his lab coat and fished out his flask, taking one big gulp and noting sadly that this was rest. He re-pocketed his now empty flask and could only continue to wait. After what felt like hours, but could have been no more than ten minutes, the Cult Morty finally returned. "The wise one is now ready to see you." Again, the boy led the way and Rick just wordlessly followed. As they walked through the hallway, another Rick came from the opposite direction. He looked relieved and had a bright smile on his face, walking as if all the weights that life had ever put on him had been lifted. Rick only raised one side of his unibrow and wondered if he would look like that when he was going to leave, too. It was hard to believe, then again, he didn't really care that much about it. The Morty stopped in front of a doorway that was only covered by a piece of cloth, lifting it to the side and urging him inside. A funny remark was on Rick's tongue, but he kept his mouth shut and entered. He had actually halfway expected to be led into a small, darkened room that would only be lit by candles or something like that, so the bright spacious room, which had huge open windows that reached from the floor all the way to the ceiling were a little surprising. Even more surprising was the sight of the one who must be the One True Morty though. Rick really didn't have any idea what the other was supposed to look like, but since he was a Morty, he figured that he would look like—well, just another Morty, of course. The boy on the other end of the room was certainly a Morty – he had the round face and round eyes – but instead of the pubescent boys that he was so used to see, this one looked more like a grownup or at least like an adolescent that was far older than just fourteen. He was clad in white robes that were open in the front, revealing a defined chest and a six-pack as well as a strong, long neck. Instead of the short brown curls that awkwardly adorned his grandson's head, the OTM had a Mohawk. Shockingly his left arm was replaced with a mechanical one. It looked like an intricate piece of art and was made out of gold. Rick was immediately reminded of the "Golden Touch" that he had heard about in rumors. The oddest thing about this boy was the golden light that was surrounding him. The scientist would have been convinced that it was just a set up for ambience and the light came actually from somewhere else and just shone on him if his eyes weren't radiating a bright light of the same color. "Please come closer, Rick." The One True Morty spoke. His voice was calm, but thankfully sounded more normal than that of the cultist from before and his friendly gaze was also not weirding Rick out as much. Finally getting out of his rigidity – he hadn't even noticed that he had just frozen up on the spot and staring – Rick approached the other. As the Morty motioned to a floor pillow in front of him, the older man took a seat. "I-I heard about other Ricks who came here." Rick started the conversation a bit awkwardly. "So, I decided to give it a shot, too, I uh guess…" "I know why you are here, Rick." The other replied, still with the same calm voice and friendly expression on his face. "Oh, you do?" the scientist's brow lifted in equal surprise and disbelieve. "Then we can just cut the chitchat and go over to you doing your magic number or whatever it is you do." The Morty closed his eyes and regret was edged into his features now. "There is no "magic trick". And I cannot cure what you have. I know that it is not what you want to hear, but your quickly nearing death is unavoidable." Rick's face fell and he was surprised that his opposite knew about that. "Yeah, I figured that much already." "But that was not the reason for why you came here anyway." The other continued. "No, it isn't." The scientist agreed. "I'm here to clear up my conscience or-or something like that. I guess." "Why do you think that you need to do that?" Rick's mouth formed a thin line. He didn't like that this started to sound like some kind of therapy session. But then again, this was what it was and he knew that before he came. "Well, I guess I don't really have to tell you that. Especially not to a Morty. It's pretty obvious, isn't it? I mean, I'm a Rick!" "You Ricks do not want to believe in the afterlife, yet you fear that you might end up in hell for the things that you have done in your lifetime." The One True Morty summed up. "And while it is true that you may have committed many sins, your self-flagellation is pointless. For all the things that you Ricks do, you are not monsters." "Not monsters?!" Rick sat up straighter. "You've got to be kidding me! I-I-I knew this one Rick for example. He—he and his Morty once got stuck in a collapsed cave and do you know what he did? He survived by eating his Morty. He ate his own grandson! So you can't tell me that Ricks aren't monsters!!" "That was merely out of self-preservation. I do believe that his Morty would have done the same if they would have chosen for the Rick to become the sacrifice." The One True Morty looked unfazed by what he had been just told. Then he asked as if Rick's outburst had never happened, "Just why are you afraid of something that you do not believe in?" The scientist's mouth fell open and he stared for a moment with wide eyes at the out-of-this-world boy. "I… urgh. You're right. This is stupid. I shouldn't have come here." Rick got up and was about to leave. "And now you want to run away like a coward? Have you not done this your whole life already? I had the impression that you came here because you decided to stop running." The old man halted as One True Morty continued. "Obviously, you did not really come here just to confess. And this also is not about you being worried about going to hell." "No." Rick turned back around again. "Your nihilism is the only problem here. The fact that nothing matters, not even your impending death." For a moment, they just looked at each other before the elder sighed and took a seat on the pillow again. The talk wasn't over yet. "I must inform you that I cannot help you with that issue." Rick opened his mouth to reply, but the Morty lifted his mechanical arm and continued before he could say a word. "I simply am the wrong person for you to talk to. However, I can help you smooth the way so you can receive what you are searching for." As if the words weren't confusing enough for the scientist already, the actions that came from the One True Morty afterwards were even more so. The boy leaned forward and his mechanical arm reached out to touch Rick's shoulder. It didn't just stop there because the scientist was suddenly pulled forward as the Morty's other arm reached around him. Rick found himself suddenly in a hug and on top of that, the One True Morty moved his head forward to give him a kiss on the forehead. A weird, warm feeling spread through Rick and he wasn't sure if it came from the touch of the mechanical arm, or the other's golden aura or was it just from being hugged by a Morty – he had no idea why or what it was! Soon, he was released from the embrace again and the One True Morty grabbed a paper and a pen that laid by his side and began to write something on it. Rick was still frozen on the spot, stuck in some kind of trance-like state almost and only was ripped out of it after the boy had finished writing and handed the note to him. Dumbfounded he looked at the folded piece of paper. "Fly home now, Rick, and give this to your Morty." Rick finally took the paper, curious as to what was written on it, but not daring to look at it. He had a feeling that he was not supposed to see it since it was written from one Morty to another and while he usually wouldn't care about something like that and also didn't believe in superstitions, he was sure that something bad would happen if he did. So, he just pocketed the small slip of paper and stood up. The One True Morty smiled at him and wished him a save travel. Rick didn't reply, still feeling confused and whatever it was what the other had done to him when he touched him. As he passed through the hallways back towards where he had parked his space cruiser, he slowly came out of his daze and finally took notice of his surroundings. The white marble walls looked beautiful and bright and he hadn't noticed before that there were some patterns on them. On the outside, it was even more beautiful. The air was warm and crisp, the sun shone gently and the sounds of singing birds and an occasional breeze could be heard. For some reason he felt lighter as he walked with a much straighter posture and while he may not have noticed it himself, he wore a small smile on his face. The mood that he was in didn't falter on his way home and the thought of dying soon wasn't as dreading as it was before. Rick had always hated having to face his own mortality. Even if he always acted as if nothing mattered because if someone precious to him died, he could just move to another dimension where they were still alive, he always hated thinking about his own end – no matter how unavoidable that was. After all, he lived a dangerous life-style. Not only the adventures and battles against all sorts of alien mercenaries and intergalactic governments, but also his habit of abusing alcohol and other drugs. Yet, while it may seem to onlookers that he was suicidal, he clung to life like a beast. Even knowing that it was all in vain and would eventually amount up to nothing, he kept on fighting against death for as long and as hard as was possible for an almost god-like human. Of course, he knew that it would make no difference how long he stayed around or even if he had been born at all. Ricks died all the time out there in other dimensions and he'd once visited one in which he never even came to exist. The universe doesn't care about such things. It will continued to exist and expand whether Rick was around or not. It had done so for millions of years and will continue to do it for millions of years more. That thought had made him miserable for such a long time and he actually loathed the universe for it, trying to plunder it and show it his middle finger as often as he could. He took it for a ride and tried to hold on as long as he could, but the universe would always throw him off again in the end. And yet, as he looked at all the stars, solar systems and asteroids that he zipped past on his way home, he couldn't hate it. He admired its beauty, looking at it with the same eyes that his grandson had looked at it the first time that he had taken him out to space. Morty. He needed to see his grandson. The little dork that he constantly treated like a pet or accessory. Rick knew that he was a bad grandfather for always dragging the brunet on dangerous adventures, abusing him for his own selfish whims and on top of that treating him like shit. He had never said how much he loved his grandson, how much he enjoyed his company, how flattered he was by his cute little hero worship or how proud of him he was when the boy showed that he had learned a thing or two from him whether it was something about his inventions or about aliens. While Rick wasn't one for bonding – at least not openly, at the risk of others mocking him for it – maybe now that his end was near was a good time to make up for it and tell him. However, first he should give him the note. Rick still wanted to know what the One True Morty had written, but he resisted the temptation. For some odd reason he was sure that all of his happiness – as little and as fleeting as it may be – would be ripped away from him if he even so much as peeked at it. He landed the ship in the driveway and entered the house through the open garage door. On the workbench laid a half-finished device that he had tried to tinker with before he gave up in frustration and sallied to the dwarf planet on which the One True Morty was located. He sunk into his swivel chair and looked at the wires, screws and other pieces that were strewn around. Out of habit, he reached into his lab coat and retrieved his flask, unscrewing the cap and guiding the bottleneck to his lips before remembering that it was empty. Now that he was back, he could actually refill it. Rick did have a small fridge installed in one of the shelves where he stored some emergency spirits. Instead of swiveling over to get it, he just placed the empty flask on a free space of the workbench and ignored it. "Hey, Rick. You're back." A round head with brown curly locks peeked inside the garage. Warmth flooded Rick's chest at hearing and seeing the boy and he couldn't help the sad smile that sprouted on his face. "Hey, Morty." He softly replied instead of making a comment how the boy had just stated the obvious. "Is something wrong, Rick?" Morty worried a little at seeing the unusual facial expression on his grandfather's face. "Kind of. But it's not really important." Rick replied, but his features didn't change. "I have something for you." He reached into his lab coat and pulled out the piece of paper. The brunet looked at the note in confusion before he accepted, unfolded and then began to read it. Whatever was written on it couldn't have been very long because he was finished in a matter of seconds. Morty looked stunned before he turned his gaze back to Rick and looked at him oddly for a moment. Then he suddenly hugged him, the piece of paper falling onto the ground. Only the words 'Please forgive him.' were written on it in golden ink. Yet it seemed as if there was written so much more than just that small, simple sentence. "I love you, Grandpa Rick." Morty said and hugged him as if it was the last time that they'd see each other. And maybe it was. Not that his grandson would know since Rick hadn't told anyone about his illness. Even if he wasn't entirely sure how much time he still had, he was sure that it wasn't much. The scientist was stunned by his grandson's actions at first and tears began to well up in his eyes. He returned the hug, but despite the fact that he had started to cry, he was smiling. Rick felt that it was much easier to accept his death now. He knew now that he had been truly loved in his life. And even more, he knew now that he mattered. Even if it was only to his Morty, Rick had mattered.

AN: Although I had this laying around for a while because it felt off and I wanted to fix it, I still wasn't quite able to figure out what exactly is wrong with it. So, since I'm running out of stuff to post, you get it in this form even though I'm not quite happy with how it turned out…

[tyto11]

slowly handling shit: part 37

preface: guess who’s on tIME BITCHES it’s me :D i’ve been getting my shit together and i made a christmas list and a checklist for presents for people and i’m coming up with ideas and shit and i’m excited because someone was like “so ik u do art but i don’t want to make u work” and i was like “hit me with it” and so now i’m drawing someone’s dnd oc and i’m excited 

breakfast and sleep: sleep was mostly good but i had one night i stayed up too late and i only slept six and a half hours  

exercise: again, no weights.... they are but a meter away........ do i even lift, bro? 

flora and fauna: the birdfeeder is empty because 1) it’s been wet out and 2) it’s been the weekend and i. don’t wear anything but pajamas. me squish needs a new carrot nubbin and is still fat and probably preggos, persephone put up three new fronds and my basil is looking bushy and fiiine. sadly i had to toss out another round of mint propagations, they just haven’t been rooting at all and they keep getting blight. my lemon balm propagations have been doing fantastically though! as well as my basil. i should swap out the water though. no blight! 

face care: not baaad but not the best either. missed a lot of tooth brushing. and some face washing. 

socializing: a bit low because i had a three day school week (again!!) but i’ve been resting well and getting some shit done. 

room cleaning: 60/150 minutes, according to my spreadsheet- which, not bad. i’ve been really tired the past three days and i keep falling asleep around 3:30-4:00 pm for around an hour and a half. which is why all my clean laundry is in a mound on the floor.  

how i’ve been: not bad, could be better, thursday was good though and i spent most of art goofing around with my end table pals. we swapped phone games and i won a stool race and i lost stella stella ola, oh shit is it stella stella hola and has it- WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF STELLA STELLA OLA? HOLY FUCK WHY ARE THERE SO MANY VERSIONS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Ella_Ola WHAAAAAT also apparently this is more of a. canadian thing oop, also there’s a french version and it’s not spanish at all and the version i know is one of many but it is from my region heckity heckity heck 

bonus things i’d like to mention: good gravy too much epiphany for me ooo lah lah. i suppose i’ll let the stella stella ola rant be my bonus thing 

spanish: back on the train baby :) instead of calculating spanish as in each day to fulfill my spanish requirement i’ve instead decided to quantify it as seven lessons to achieve my weekly goal, instead of at least once a day. works out better for me. and i exceeded this week’s requirement :) 

music: haaaaaaalf an hour of jammin by myself. i’m going to add singing to this, which by itself fills up all the minutes so i’m adding a catch! the minutes only count if i’m actively learning how to sing a song or do a riff or something. breath control. pitch. music terms. yeeee. 

i’m a little stressed right now from the stella stella ola so i’m gonna eat some chocolate and calm the fuck down. hope y’all are doing well and have a soft week :) bibi :3

[x22wg]

Shore Leave (part 7)

The dull rhythm of running shoes hitting synthetic rubber barely registered in Burnham's mind. As she kept running on the treadmill, the unfamiliar way her body shook and quivered drove her to distraction. With each firm step she felt the inadequacy of her sports bra. The languid surge of burgeoning lovehandles. The cascade of ripples sent through her midsection, a quake sustained by constant motion.

Even in simple exercise, Michael stuck to an optimized technique, perfected until it was second nature. But what should have been familiar to the point of obliviousness was now intensely noticeable: Every step was a little heavier; every motion that more ponderous.

Michael clenched her jaw and willed herself to not touch her jiggling abdomen. She had let herself go soft while on involuntary leave, but she would not allow herself to slow down. Eyes fixed on the opposite end of the small gym, she continued as if nothing had changed. As if plump lovehandles did not bulge over the waistband of her tights. As if those tights were not several sizes larger than those she had worn before leaving the Discovery. But all that unfamiliar chub would not stop weighing on her mind.

To some extent it was actually a welcome distraction. With all that was happening – the unfolding mystery of the signals, Discovery's defection, Section 31's perfidy, the fate of her brother – being so utterly preoccupied with such a mundane matter was soothing. Grounding. Meditative, even as physical reality intruded upon her perfect routine, her breath growing quickly more laboured as her thighs heaved and shook.

Before Michael's posture could slip, her own breathing was eclipsed by desperate gasps beside her. She slowed down and glanced over at her exercise companion.

"Sorry... I just... need a... break..." Sylvia Tilly panted, nearly doubling over as she stumbled off the treadmill. Burnham followed suit, albeit in a rather more dignified fashion.

"Hey, are you okay?" Genuinely worried, Michael's previous consternation was immediately forgotten. She put a gentle hand on the poor redhead's shoulder: "We've been through this, you don't have to push yourself too far."

Tilly straightened up and offered her a sheepish smile: "It's okay. You know how much you helped motivate me when I was trying to get into the CTP... I wanted to return the favour."

Michael's own smile was more ambivalent. Her friend's heartfelt words brought elation, but also served as a reminder of just how long it had taken her to get on that treadmill. At first she lacked any clothes that fit, then she could not bring herself to jog out in the corridors, uncertain of her own fitness level.

Even when she capitulated and decided to use the small gym room instead something always seemed to come up... She'd end up eating too much and feel too full to jog. Or Tilly would show up just as she was about to get out of the room, offering an irresistible chance for normalcy and companionship in these crazy times. Michael didn't want to think about how much more out of shape she had gotten before she finally managed to jog her first step.

"Much appreciated, Tilly. Thanks for helping me get my lazy rear to the gym." Burnham squeezed Tilly's shoulder, taking pity on the exhausted redhead: "That's enough for today. Come on, I'll treat you to a milkshake." Tilly had already done so much for her, she just couldn't bring herself to force the girl to run herself ragged for her sake.

The redhead beamed, so perky it seemed she had not even been out of breath a moment ago... "Is that how it works? Holy heck, I'd have gone here ages ago!"

Burnham sat staring at the cafeteria table and wondered when that one milkshake had turned into a full-blown meal. It was between regular meal times and Tilly had taken advantage of the lack of patrons to really give the replicators a workout.

Michael's own workout, brief though it had been, had given her an appetite and she had lost track of how much food and dessert she had consumed. All she knew was that she was feeling stuffed to the gills – and rather guilty. And that, despite all this, she really wanted to eat that slice of chocolate fudge cake on Tilly's tray.

Tearing her eyes away from the tempting treat, Michael focussed on her companion: Ignoring her meal, there was a distant look in Tilly's eyes. It was not exactly unusual for the ensign to space out, but Michael nevertheless asked: "Something on your mind?"

Yanked back to reality, the flustered redhead simply blurted out: "Shower." Pausing as if to process her own reply, she babbled further explanation: "Shower thoughts. I had one of those. You know, the kind of epiphany you get in the shower. Not thinking about showers." She scoffed dramatically. "That'd be ridiculous!"

"I'm familiar with the term." Michael raised a pointed eyebrow.

Tilly smoothed down her fresh uniform and composed herself: "There you go. Those." Changing the subject she looked down at the barely touched second helping in front of her: "Oh my gosh, I got kind of carried away at the replicator, didn't I? Hey, you want some extra caramel pudding?"

"I really shouldn't..." Michael ventured half-heartedly, but Tilly did not wait for an answer. In fact she had already pushed the whole tray across the table.

"Come on, I'm fit to burst over here." For emphasis, Tilly slipped down in her seat, rubbing the exaggerated curve of her belly. "You don't want to be responsible for me exploding, right?"

Michael chuckled, then winced as the chuckle jostled her stuffed stomach: "I'm reasonable certain your uniform would explode long before you did." Even so she found herself snatching up the seductive treats she was offered.

[be-the-piano]

bigger kpop tag

Tagged by @x-i-l-verify ages ago sorry ^^’

1.) 5 favourite groups

B.A.P

VIXX

MONSTA X

BTS

AKMU (shoutout to @x-i-l-verify wow)

2.) Top 5 on your bias list?

B.A.P - JONGUP

MONSTA X - I.M

VIXX - N

BTS - J-HOPE

EXO - SUHO

3.) Ult Bias group and why you love them?

B.A.P

They were the second kpop group I ever heard and Skydive had me shook. So then I checked all their other songs and it took me about three to realize that they’re The Ones. They don’t ever shy away from the difficult, they’ll sing about what’s wrong in the world but at the same time their message is not of despair but of strength. It’s a continuous encouragement to never ever give up on myself and my aspirations, and to change the world by reaching for the stars. I carry it with me now and I cherish it, and remind myself of it when life gets tough.

And then they turn around and show themselves to be the sweetest dorks to walk this earth. Their shenanigans never fail to make me smile, even on the worst days.

4.) Ult Bias and why you love them?

JONGUP

I spent a lot of time thinking of how to call what drew me to him (after I got over the shock of his Skydive snake act and got to know the boys) and I finally got it. To quote my own fanfic, it’s his unapologetic individuality. People call him 4D but it’s all because he just doesn’t give a single heck. He does his thing and he does it well (holy heavens does he do it well, look at all his solos, look at them) and that’s what counts. I’m a shy, quiet person and I saw myself in his variety appearances but then I realized that he’s not just shy, he’s unflappable. Gotta let my members smear my face with makeup? Guess that’s what’s happening, chill. His poker face is legendary, his dancing and voice are out of this world and he never stops, always reaches higher and further while at the same time remembering to chill and take care of himself and his members. He’s got this balance that I hope I can keep as well.

And look, he just released Annoying in which he basically tells people to mind their own business and make it fun instead of judging others and to let others (him) live, how powerful is that.

He’s comfortably himself and it’s beautiful and inspiring.

5.) Favorite Kpop Meme

What can I say he’s just so relatable.

6.) Favorite pic of your ult? (I dare you to only pick one)

That was mean. You hear me? Mean.

7.) 5 Favorite Kpop MVs

SKYDIVE (B.A.P)

WAKE ME UP (B.A.P)

The message and the representation are honestly monumental.

VOODOO DOLL (VIXX)

TROPICAL NIGHT (MONSTA X)

JUST RIGHT (GOT7)

 You can’t stop me

WHITE NIGHT & CATCH ME (UP10TION)

8.) 10 Favorite Kpop songs?

B.A.P - Kingdom

VIXX - Fantasia

MONSTA X - Fighter

AKMU - ReBye

BTS JIN - Epiphany

SEVENTEEN HIP HOP TEAM - Trauma

DAY6 - Shoot Me

VAV - You

TRCNG - Utopia

UP10TION - White Night

9.) Favorite Kpop crack video?

please save changkyun

10.) Favorite content creator within the fandom?

How do i choose 1??

@wingssomnia is an absolute treasure

@randomsplashes i adore

@courage-love-wisdom look check out especially the samurai b.a.p arts, my mind was blown and my soul stolen

im in it for the memes AKA the b.a.p crack videos provider please never stop they’re hilarious

The Kpop Trash Queen whose vixx crack videos are absolutely legendary and iconic i love

SuperBlondie the queen of BTS&EXO fanfiction

11.) What fandoms would you say you’re an active member of?

TRCNG and B.A.P (shoutout to the TRCNG discord server I love you guys)

12.) Take your top 3 biases- fmk

Fuck joke’s on you I’m ace but I can sure smooch his cheeks: I.M

( @sierahrt thank you for enabling and enduring today’s changkyun-induced mental breakdown)

Marry: N

Kill: Jongup is left but make no mistake I would not stand a chance

13.) If you could be best friends with any idol, who would you choose?

Chen. He’s evil and soft all in one. Chennie, never change.

14.) If you could date any idol, who?

I’m actually 99% sure I’m aromantic as well as asexual so this is kind of a nah thing.

15.) What’s one Kpop album you think everyone should have listened to?

Oho, big declaration. I can’t choose for everyone but personally I’m exceptionally fond of B.A.P’s Noir. 

16.) Are you a soft or a hard stan?

Ssssso ssssofffffffft.

17.) An idol that makes you go into soft mode?

My children the entire ensemble of TRCNG.

18.) An idol that makes you want to smash the empire state building with one single punch?

oh wow no

19.) Favorite vocalist?

Soohyun (AKMU)

Can’t make me choose between Chen (EXO), Jaehwan (VIXX) and Daehyun (B.A.P).

20.) Favorite Rapper?

Yongguk (B.A.P) - just, Confession.

21.) Favorite dancer? 

N (VIXX) 

Yugyeom (GOT7)

This is what he got me with. Dethroned JB. Powerful stuff.

Zelo&Jongup (B.A.P)

22.) Things you have in common with your ult?

I’m hard to rattle and a little people shy but I open up in private. 

23.) The most beautiful trait any idol can have?

All good people are beautiful people.

24.) Songs that will always make you jam along?

B.A.P ZELO - Howler

VAV - Senorita

Actually, make that most of VAV’s songs.

25.) Your worst wrecker?

JIN (BTS) - every day he comes for my soul

26.) Any kpop concerts you’ve been to?

6.05.2017 PARTY BABY WARSAW BOOM aka my most precious memory. General admission because I was late and poor but it was still one of the best days of my life.

27.) Favorite choreo?

VIXX - Voodoo Doll

This whole production steals my breath every time, kings of concepts indeed.

28.) Favorite live performance?

B.A.P JONGUP - Try My Luck

29.) Favorite debut mv?

Nothing beats EXO’s MAMA, nothing.

30.) Recommend a rookie group!

How old until they’re not rookies anymore? TRCNG debuted last year but they’re under TS, you know how that goes. Please check them out, they’re quite talented.

31.) A kpop song you could listen to every day for the rest of your life?

B.A.P - Hands Up (Japanese version because I can somewhat understand that and the 光に hands up always gets me right in the heart).

32.) Tag some cute mutuals you’d like to get to know better (and to do this challenge)!

@yonggukist, @englishbunnyrocks, @adsuro, @bapwoo, @saaltvinegar, @everythingsgoingawry <3

[johnhardinsawyer]

If. . . Then

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

5 / 2 / 21 – Fifth Sunday of Easter

1 John 4:7-21

“If. . . Then”

(We Love, Therefore God Is. . .)

About a month ago, I was driving home on a Monday afternoon and I saw a strange and wonderful sight:  a young couple was walking down the street, hand-in-hand, smiling from ear to ear, wearing matching blue sweatshirts. . .  well, almostmatching blue sweatshirts.  You see, the young man was wearing a blue sweatshirt that said, “If lost, return to Babe.”  And the young woman’s blue sweatshirt said, “I’m Babe.”

There was no mistaking, by this public display of affection, that these two lovebirds were an item. . .  together.  Based on the way they were smiling and holding hands in their almost-matching blue sweatshirts, I can only imagine how joyful their reunion would be if they were ever parted from one another and Babe’s babe was returned to Babe.  This is the kind of thing that happens when you’re in love.

Have you ever wondered where love comes from?  I must admit that I had never thought about this big question until I came across today’s scripture reading, years ago.  

When I began to try to read the Bible for myself,  it took me a while to start piecing things together – all of the common threads and themes – in a way that made sense to me.  The Bible can be rather complicated, to say the least.  But I am so glad that somewhere, in my early reading of the Bible – sometime in middle or high school – I was introduced to today’s passage from First John.  Now, I know that my name happens to be John, and, in the New Testament, there was a guy named John the Baptist, as well as a disciple of Jesus named John, as well as John of Patmos who wrote the Book of Revelation.[1]  There is a Gospel of John and there are three short letters – First John, Second John, and Third John.  With all of these “Johns,” it can be rather confusing, because they are not all the same person.  It is thought by many scholars, though, that the Gospel of John and the letters of John were written by either the same person or members of the same early Christian community.[2]  Careful readers of John’s Gospel and John’s Letters can see that they are, at the very least, coming from a very similar point of view.  

One of the common threads that we find woven throughout the Bible is one that we see in today’s reading from the First Letter of John – the thread or theme of God’s love for us and the imperative of loving one another.  

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God,” (1 John 4:7) we read in today’s passage.  As I mentioned a few moments ago, I’m not sure if you’ve ever wondered where love comes from, but I remember reading this verse, years ago, about how love comes from God,  and having an epiphany of sorts:  “Oh, that makes sense,” I thought.  “We are taught that ‘God is love’ – heck, you can even read that ‘God is love’ (4:8) right here in today’s reading.  So, of course love comes from God!  I mean, who knows better what love is and how to love than God?”  

Some of you are probably aware that in Greek, there are four different words for love – romantic love (eros), brotherly love (philia), the love that parents have for their children (storge), and God’s love (agape).[3]  The love that is made known to us in Jesus Christ is agape love – the kind of love that gives without wanting, or expecting a return.[4]

Agape love is different from normal, human, love because we human beings are always wanting or expecting some kind of return.  God’s agape love does not work in this way, though.  God’s love for us is so great that God loves us even when we fall short, or fall flat on our faces, or lose our way.  It’s kind of like we’re all walking around with sweatshirts that say, “I’m lost, please return to God if God will have me.”  And God is walking around with a sweatshirt that says, “I am God.  I knit you together in your mother’s womb.  I have named you and claimed you in the waters of baptism, and I’ve already found you and forgiven you.  You’re not lost anymore.”  Yes, God wears a big sweatshirt.  You can fit a lot on that thing.  Anyway, the word that we use in the church to describe this phenomenon of God’s unmerited love and favor for us – even when we fall short – is “grace.”

All of us have experienced grace, in one way or another, whether we have called it that or not.  If you’ve ever had a friend or a spouse forgive you when you messed up – like when you planned a work event on the day your child’s birthday party was supposed to be. . .  or if you’ve ever had a child who messed up but you loved them anyway (maybe loved them more). . .  or if you’ve ever been on the receiving or giving end of a truly generous act that could never be repaid, then you’ve probably caught a glimpse of grace.  That’s right, God may be the source of all grace – the “fountain of love”[5] – but the way that most of us experience grace is through our interactions with other people.  This is why we are reminded at the start of today’s passage to “love one another” (4:7).  As the author of First John writes, “No one has ever seen God [in all of God’s power and might]; [but] if we love one another [then] God lives in us and God’s love is perfected in us.” (4:12)  Because, if we love one another – with the kind of love that God has and is and loves – then there is something Holy that takes place.  If we love one another, then we are participating in the abundant and eternal life of God.  

This is what I found to be so revolutionary so long ago:  the idea that anytime we seek to do the loving thing –  seeking to love as God loves – God is not just part of it all, but the very source of it all.  God is active and alive and at work through you and me.  “. . . [E]veryone who loves is born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)  In other words, when you love – with the kind of agape grace that God loves – then you know God. . .  or, at the very least, you get a sense of what God is like in God’s heart of hearts.  And, if God is actively loving the world through our heart of hearts, then we do not need to be afraid to share this love with all in what we do and say. . . in how we live and love.    

Unfortunately, you and I are just as – if not more – likely to encounter (or to offer) no love than we are to encounter or offer God’s grace.  The world can be so hard and so unloving, and so can we.  Today’s passage does not come without a whole set of warnings:  If we do not love, then we do not know God. (4:8)  Or, as John Calvin puts it, “there is no knowledge of God where there is no love.”[6]  And, if we say we love God but hate our fellow human beings, then we are liars, because those who do not love someone that they have seen cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (4:20)  This does beg the question:  when we love our neighbors, who are we truly loving and who are we leaving out?  If there is no love for one’s neighbors – for all of them – then there is no true knowledge of God.  

The hard, yet wonderful, thing about God’s grace, though, is that it is offered, even to the most unloving among us.  And God calls us to share it, even with the most unloving and unlovable people we know, while acknowledging and confessing our most unloving and unlovable tendencies.  I mean, there might come a day when the young man with the blue “If lost, return to Babe” sweatshirt is angry with Babe, or vice versa.  Maybe Babe is being selfish or maybe Babe’s babe is upset about something else and lashing out at anyone – even the one he says he loves the most – and it is hard for Babe to understand.  We have all been in situations like this with those we love as well as those we do not love.  This is where grace enters the picture, though.  Without grace, human relationships are bound to fail.  

Thanks be to God, that even when our grace for one another runs out, God’s grace never runs out.  This is a love so deep, so broad, and so high, that it cannot be measured in the flowers and chocolate and blue sweatshirts of romance, or the physical desires of erotic love, or even the comradery that a team displays when they work together and support one another.  No, the love of Jesus is made of stronger stuff – a love that says, “I love you even when you are angry with me.”  “I love you even when you don’t want anything to do with me.”   “I love you even when you don’t love me back.”  “I love you even when you betray me, and arrest me, and put me to death.”

The love that we see at work in Jesus Christ is the love to which he calls us in each and every moment.  “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another,” Jesus says. (John 13:34b)  This is the love of humble service and hospitality – washing feet and feeding people.  This is the love that has the courage to say “No” to that which is unloving in our world and to work until the most unloving ideas and actions are torn down like the false idols they usually are.  This is the love that does not hurt, but only heals, the love that does not seek to break the world, but only seeks the wholeness of the world.  This is the love of sacrifice – of giving ourselves away for the sake of those we love, even those we might never meet, even those who say they are our enemies.  This is the love that Jesus shows us, time and time again, in a constant and gracious public display of affection.  This is the love to which Jesus calls us, the love that is so hard for most of us.[7]

If we love one another, though, then God is revealed.  If we love one another, though, then God can be seen and known.  If we love one another, then God’s kingdom comes.  If we love one another, then God makes it on earth as it is in heaven.  If we love one another, then God abides in us and we abide in God.  If we love one another, then we are part of – vessels of – something Holy.  

If we love. . . then there is God.

Hmmm. . .  Someone should put that on a sweatshirt.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  

------------- 

[1] And I don’t want to forget “Jonathan,” who was best friends with David in the Old Testament.

[2] Watson E. Mills, ed. The Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (Macon:  Mercer University Press, 1990) 461-462.  “John, Gospel and Letters,” R. Alan Culpepper.

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_words_for_love.

[4] David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, Feasting on the Word – Year B, Volume 2 (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2008) 469 – Homiletical Perspective, William L. Self.

[5] John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries – Vol. XXII (Grand Rapids:  Baker Books, 2009) 238.

[6] John Calvin, 238.

[7] This section is from my sermon from Maundy Thursday (4/1/21) on the Great Commandment to love in John 13.

[myrskytuuli]

Holy hell, okay, this is not a drill. Goldie O’Gilt is making an appearance in a comic, and it’s not a cameo.

So, my drug dealer got me hooked with some 2017 Topolino, and I need to scream about it, because Goldie!

That’s right, she is back, and looks absolutely stunning.

So, this is an Italian comic, and therefore it can be expected that the tragic romance™, that is more popular in the post-Rosa duck comic tradition, has been toned down a lot. Now full disclosure, I’m shipper trash and am fully committed to the tragic romance™. I wrote a 50 000+ words fanfic about it. I am also known sufferer of Brigitta MacBridge nonsense, so while this rant might be biased, I try to be biased in a gentle way. It’s not your fault Brigitta, that you have been written that way. Or that Scrooge and Goldie are soulmates. Ahem.

But to the comic itself. There are lots of things I love about it, and then there are some things that make me side-eye it in vaguely disapproving manner. I swear, not all of those reasons are shipping reasons. Okay yeah they pretty much are.

(Quick, follow me to the kitchen, you can throw a coffeepot on my face, and we can roleplay our night together in White Agony Creek anew!)

The premise of the story is pretty much, what if Goldie and Brigitta properly met? It’s…not a lot. There is no plot beyond: what if Goldie and Brigitta had a girls’ day out. Which I guess is fine, because that is all it is supposed to be. It is a slice of life character study. Usually I’m all about those, but…well Goldie doesn’t really shine when you don’t give her anything to do. In Rosa/Barks stories (which are the only stories where we see Goldie as a character) the focus has never been solely on anyone’s feelings. They have been very action-packed stories with any hinted romance taking a firm backseat.  

What I’m trying to say is, that I’m disappointed that Goldie didn’t get to join in any of those silly Italian adventures. Not even little bit of shenanigans. Aww, and it could have been so fun too.  

(You mean you didn’t come all this way just to ravish me against this discount-yard-sale table?)

Goldie is in Duckburg to collect a debt that Scrooge owes him. Solid beginning. Unfortunately, we never see her collecting this debt! The money issue is dropped from the story way too quickly for my tastes. Because while I 100% believe that Scrooge would avoid having to pay up any dubious debts, I do not believe that Goldie would give up that quickly.

And even more importantly, it would have been hilarious to see some actual petty shenanigans going on between these two. Note that it is mentioned that the original debt was 20$, which Goldie is trying to claim back with stupidly high compound interest. There is a story right there, nothing else needed. Just show me the ridiculous lengths these two are willing to go for 20$, while the rest of Duckburg watches in horror and bafflement. Also, hint that the real reason why these two keep the conflict going is that this way they can spend time together without actually talking about their feelings. Boom, story done. God, they should hire me to make scripts for these comics.

No?

Okay fine, let’s see what the actual story is all about.  

Oh yes. Brigitta. This story was all about Brigitta.

For no good reason whatsoever, Brigitta loses all of her cools over the situation.

1.Don’t call him your Scrooge. You don’t own him.

2.Don’t call Goldie a dusty memory, that’s rude.

3.Goldie had the receipts, she has a genuine claim for that 20$, she’s not doing anything wrong for you to start insulting her!

Yes, yes, she is jealous and all that jazz, but honestly. It’s pretty hypocritical of her to “protect” Scrooge and his 20$ when Brigitta herself so frequently is an antagonist against Scrooge.

The following temper tantrum from Goldie delights me to no end, not because it is aimed towards Brigitta, but because it lines up so perfectly with all of my headcanons for Goldie. Sure, she might act cool and dignified these days, but deep down she is still the hair-trigger tempered diva, that would stay inside a burning building just for the aesthetic.

This has nothing to do with Scrooge, and everything to do with the fact that you called her old. This primadonna will now destroy you mentally, because that’s how she rolls. You will not disrespect the original material girl without consequences.  

(I am the only person who has ever conquered Scrooge. Wow okay there Goldie, maybe tone it down a bit. I mean, yeah girl you are…but maybe don’t overshare too much.)

Was that kind of a bitchy move? Yes. She is kind of a bitchy person.

My next grumble about this story, is the weird way it deals with Scrooge. I cannot say anything specific…but there is just a really weird vibe to how he is written in here. The weird inner monologue on how he might be able to use the two women against each other to get rid of both of them…was…um.  

While my first impression on Goldie’s, I am Scrooge’s number one love interest, speech seemed to be a bit beneath her, I then realised that she isn’t actually saying anything about her own regard for Scrooge. She is bragging about how Scrooge used to be bewitched by her, because that is the kind of thing that a dancehall girl would brag about. Pffft, yes it was Scrooge who was losing his mind over me back in Klondike, I was cool as a cucumber the whole time. Scrooge was nothing more than another notch on my bedpost. I have a heart made of ice, haven’t you heard.

Anyways, Scrooge decides to get rid of Brigitta by confirming everything Goldie just said. And I know that the story wants us to take Scrooge’s words with a grain of salt, because they are just a plan to get Brigitta to leave him alone….which does nothing to make me sympathise with Brigitta.

Putting my shipper heart on the side, pretending to be in love with someone else, to get rid of an admirer, does not create tension for ambiguous love triangle. It is what girls do in crowded bars when some drunk guy doesn’t leave them alone.

(Sorry Brigitta, but can you please leave. I was hoping to get conquered tonight, if you know what I mean.) 

(They look like mom and dad getting yelled at by their daughter.)

Once again! What exactly are you mad about!? Which part of, I’m in love with someone else, gives you reason to get angry at them???? Remember that Brigitta at least is supposed to believe Scrooge to be fully sincere in his statement.  

Back to Scrooge being a little shit. In a way, I want to be mad about this, but I’m not going to. Because lets not mystify Goldie too much, and pretty much all the rest of Scrooge’s family and loved ones have at least once been sent through that trap door.

No, let me grumble a little bit after all. I would heartily endorse this, if this was actually about the 20$. But it’s not. The whole thing is framed so that Goldie can have the great epiphany, this is how Brigitta must always feel!

Oh please.

Also, I think that we are supposed to be angry at Scrooge for being so callous towards both of the ladies, so that we can root for them becoming friends later. Which, yeah fine, but do we really have to. One of the things I most despise in Brigitta centred stories is that they by default make Scrooge into a dick. They have to. The whole story has to be built on the idea that Scrooge is just afraid of girl cooties, and therefore has to be pushed a little, so that he will eventually play nice, even with a girl. It is the only way to make Brigitta’s advances feel somehow justified. And in this case the characterisation bleeds to include Goldie under the umbrella of women that I don’t want anywhere near me, because women cost money or whatever.

So, it mostly feels like Goldie has to be booted out of the office, so she doesn’t trick Scrooge into marriage or some other sneaky thing that women are always doing. Sighs eternally. 

(Oh my god, she is a serial killer. No one else has this many pictures of one person on their walls.)

But this story isn’t even about Scrooge. It is about female friendship. Which is a beautiful thing, and really this story does manage to do lot of things right.

(Hey, can I crash on your couch? Turns out that Scrooge didn’t like it how I called him my conquest in front of you and the staff. He’s always been a bit of a prude like that.)

I’m not really fan of the whole, we have lots in common thing, because they…don’t. And the whole, I now understand your perspective, because now I have been rejected too… doesn’t really work, because Goldie wasn’t proposing anything in the first place. Remember how she was here for that 20$! I do! Can we get back to that! Goldie wasn’t asking Scrooge out, wasn’t asking him to marry her, she was asking for money, and getting the cold shoulder for that should not come as some kind of an epiphany!

Nevermind. That’s cute as heck, I don’t even care how we got there.

Goldie would make a good mentor for Brigitta. As would Scrooge. The world would be a better place if Brigitta was treated like an over-enthusiastic businesswoman who wants to learn all of Scrooge’s tricks, and Scrooge was treated like grumpy, slightly unwilling teacher.

(So, what was Scrooge like when he was young? Oh, you know, very conquerable.)

Why is her hair silver, what is this travesty, colouring person you had one job!

Goldie tells Brigitta the story of sleeping pills, thievery, forced labour, kidnappings, and other general criminal activities that make up their tragic romance™.

(Oh, so when you slip him a pill on a first date, it makes you morally complex, but if I did that it would be just creepy and weird!)

(Context Brigitta, it’s all about the context!)

If I was Brigitta, I would feel a bit wary drinking anything with her, after the story she just told.

And then I almost got my hopes up, that something amazing was going to happen! Brigitta started to self-reflect upon herself, and doubting the way her life is now constructed. She admitted that she doesn’t have a positive relationship with Scrooge, and that maybe she is wasting her life. For a moment there, I thought that Brigitta was going to develop as a character.

There was a moment. A glorious moment, when I really thought that this was where the official policy concerning Brigitta was going to be changed, and she would stop trying to marry Scrooge. I did get my hopes up.

Aaaaaand, then this happened. 

I guess it was inevitable, that Brigitta would get a cheerleading speech from Goldie, to bring back the status quo, but damn does it still feel weird. While I completely, 100% support Goldie’s you are a good and smart woman, if Scrooge doesn’t want that it’s his loss, that is where it should have ended.

Because the part about: because your feelings are painful it means that your love is real, and you shouldn’t give up on them, is complete nonsense. If a relationship is hurting you, it is not worth pursuing!!! Goldie implying that Brigitta’s hurt feelings are the reason she shouldn’t give up on Scrooge, I asdfghjkl, what the fuck!!!!

Secondly, that’s all well and dandy that Goldie now thinks that Brigitta’s love is real, but how exactly does that change anything?! You don’t think that maybe it should be Scrooge who gets to decide who is allowed to make romantic advances towards him!

Scrooge is not an object whose ownership you get to negotiate amongst yourselves!!

more, or less direct translation: you have continued to beat on to conquer who you love.

That is not a good thing!!

Yeah whatever. Goldie is his past, maybe Brigitta can be his future. Great. And I guess these two making a friendship with each other and admitting that both have the equal right to present themselves as options of romance for Scrooge is kind of mature and respectful towards everyone, if Brigitta wasn’t…you know Brigitta. She has not been known to respect Scrooge’s boundaries.

Goldie makes some great faces in here, and I will fully enjoy them. Even if I at the same time roll my eyes at the mandatory, lets punish Scrooge part of any Brigitta comic. You do know that while maybe him booting you, Goldie, out of the office could be seen as mean, he did absolutely nothing disrespectful towards Brigitta. Scrooge owes her zero apologies, because he never even said a mean word towards her! Brigitta had her whole sulk, because she thought that you two were hooking up. That’s not a crime.

In this continuity, I can understand that Scrooge would prefer to be married to his money. Because these women are written kind of unreasonable.

The inevitable self-reflection. Scrooge admits that both women are important parts of his life, and that he does care for both of their well-being. Cute, believable, satisfying. Well done everyone. I still firmly believe that Scrooge sees Brigitta more as a younger sibling than potential lover. But that’s just a headcanon, so feel free to come to your own conclusions. 

(That is a duck who feels uncomfortable.)

The ladies return to the money bin just in time to eavesdrop on Scrooge’s monologue, and find out that he cared for them both after all. And honestly, I think these pictures tell everything that needs to be said about how much Scrooge cares about Brigitta’s advances.  

God, she looks cute, I forgive this story for everything, Goldie is too adorable.

Well, I guess that this was the first time that Goldie has made a proper appearance in the Italian duck universe, and all in all, not bad. Maybe I will get an entirely new look on the story, if it gets properly translated, and I don’t have to play the I’m pretty sure I know what this means, game.

Congrats if you made it all the way here, these ramblings were long.

Ankkaneito returns back to the hole, where she came from.

[violetganache42]

I just had a massive epiphany regarding this week's episode of VRAINS.

Spoilers under the cut. (If you haven’t watched the new episode yet, I highly suggest you do that now.)

We are given more insight about Akira and Aoi’s past as he tells Playmaker about it during their Duel. As we already know, their respective biological parents got divorced and married each other before dying in a car accident on the night of their anniversary.

With it taking place ten years ago, I wonder if it does have any connections with Yusaku’s past and the Knights of Hanoi or if it’s pure coincidence, but I digress. What is coincidental, however, is this parallel I discovered that literally stopped me in my tracks.

First off, let’s look at what they looked like:

Notice how Mrs. Zaizen has a bobcut hairstyle that mirrors Aoi’s during her teenage years, meaning she must be her biological mother. Based on that, it’s safe to say that Mr. Zaizen is Akira’s biological father. Why am I telling you that? Well, with both of them having a birth parent killed in a car accident, guess who also had to deal with having to deal with an incident like that?

If you guessed Kaiba and Mokuba, you are correct. Mind you, their mother died shortly after giving birth to Mokuba.

Now let’s see what happened next to the Zaizen step-siblings.

They lost their home at the hands of thieving strangers who stole their parents’ inheritance. First thing that comes to mind when parental inheritance is involved?

Kaiba and Mokuba also lost their home, but it was because of their greedy relatives who took advantage of the situation by obtaining the inheritance and sending the brothers off to the orphanage.

As for Akira and Aoi…

With him being 16 years old at that time, he was able to do jobs—even hacking into computers—in order to make money; the legal working age in Japan is 15 years or older, after all.

Regardless, both experiences were very troubling for both pairs of siblings, especially for Mokuba and Aoi. They even had similar expressions about their respective struggles they were facing. The children playing at the orphanage reminded Mokuba of his parents, which was why he sat alone on the swing set until evening arrived. Aoi, on the other hand, looked more worried about Akira. She knows he has to break the law sometimes as a way to obtain cash, but she’s afraid that he might get arrested for it. Heck, throughout the flashback, she was usually seen with an upset look on her face, mostly due to her being stuck in this situation and her shy demeanor.

Despite everything the Zaizen and Kaiba siblings were going through, there was one thing they have in common: they have each other. Akira desires to protect Aoi and have her be happy, much like Seto with Mokuba.

Years later, with Akira and Seto both working at their respective successful businesses, their goals to protect their younger siblings still remain and they are both willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Aoi and Mokuba are safe.

Holy shit! That was quite the analysis I did. First, the Millennium Symbol/Eye of Anubis briefly materializes in the first VRAINS opening. Then, the Duel setup in Duel Links debuts in Ep. 2. Now this? How many DM/VRAINS parallels and references is this anime going to include?

[avelera]

irisbleufic

replied to your

post

:

The most blindingly obvious, yet somehow elusive...

You’re not stupid. I’ve been operating under a system like this for a very long time, but I’ve never once put it in the same terms as you’ve (as your workshop instructor has?) put it here. I know what you mean about epiphanies seeming much larger and more obvious once you find the right words for them, though!

Ok, first of all, you’re one of the greatest writers I’ve ever had the privilege of reading, so just seeing your name got me really excited, and the support seriously warmed my heart!

I think fanfic can be especially bad for teaching this bit of writing advice about goals though because we can so easily and unconsciously piggy-back off the goals the characters have in canon, so we never have to dissect what’s going on or why. We like a character’s all-consuming drive to achieve the thing they want, but oftentimes we just see that as a characteristic of the character instead of as one of the story itself. For example, Sherlock wanting to solve crimes isn’t just a weird characteristic of his personality though, it’s also the rocket fuel that sets us up for motivation through the story and creates the chain of events that becomes a story and his desire to actively do things instead of being passive is why we like him. Same goes for Thorin’s desire to win back his home, or Bilbo’s to go on an adventure, or Frodo’s to destroy the Ring.

But yes, this workshop has been crazy useful for taking all that instinctive stuff I’ve learned from reading and writing and made me see it as craft and mechanics, which has another side benefit of making it much easier to accept critiques, holy heck. 

Apparently my greatest weakness coming here was giving characters goals, which become arcs, and creating a causal chain of events to serve as the spine of the story. And I’m 100% convinced that’s a product of writing a lot of romance-based fanfic where most of that was built in for me by canon.

Anyway, I’m rambling, but seriously seeing your name and solidarity made my day! <3 <3 <3

[digimonascending]

For Inferno: 1 5, 13, 15

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

Kind of a combination of things. I first started putting together a fic as it were soon after watching Digimon Frontier (I was about 13-14 at the time? Maybe?); I liked the idea of the humans-as-Digimon gimmick but I wanted to keep the tamer-partner dynamic. A lot of the basic tamer and partner designs came about back here; Trilomon and Perimon (then known as Linsamon for whatever reason) had their first designs here, while Grace, Eloise, Kent and Kai  had their initial concepts as Rachel, Lizzie, George and Ciaran (a few of which I have carried on into Playing with Matches). Rinkhalmon and Martyaxmon were also involved as Cursedmon and Manticoramon respectively. I even ‘planned out’ a full 100 episodes worth of shenanigans with 58 different evolved forms for the main cast, though obviously that never reached the light of day. Good thing too.

I first took the fic thing seriously after reading Digimon Reboot, and soon after Digimon re:Genesis and Digimon Advent. Inspired to actually take my stupid little story and actually put it up on the big scary internet, I revisited the plan and reworked it into a more manageable episode count, as well as revamping all the characters. By this point I was going with the idea of ‘well every canon Digimon series so far has had fire-based main partners…SO WHAT IF THE FIRE DIGIMON WERE ACTUALLY EEEEEVIL?’ . I’ve tried my best to add a little more complexity, although certain things have changed. Nithhogg was originally going to be called Cordicept (before The Last of Us came out and I figured it would be silly), Surtremon was originally going to be a bit-part, and the whole idea of tamers before this group only came about during the beginning of the third arc. But most of this has been ongoing development during the writing process;the basic story hasn’t changed that much from that original draft,

5: What part was hardest to write?

Definitely the first part of the last arc (episodes 44 to 49), with the tamers going through all their individual epiphany moments. It’s easy enough to plan a bunch of ’I understand everything now, time to reach the Mega forms’  but decent character payoff is far, far harder to write than decent character buildup. Especially if you don’t necessarily believe in what you’re writing. It also didn’t help with how formulaic it was; again, due to planning several episodes without being fully aware of what they would entail. Take note, young ones. 

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn't listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?                

Oh lord...I feel somewhat ill-equipped for this. While I’m a big music fan, I never actually picked out individual tracks for the characters (aside for certain characters who I haven’t revealed yet because of course). As for the kind of music for inspiration, I would listen to either orchestral soundtrack music (Two Steps from Hell or Immediate Music, among others) or, perhaps more fittingly, old rock and power ballads. Bon Jovi, Meat Loaf and Dire Straits were the ones I’d listen to most, with the bonus track Save a Prayer by Bon Jovi being the song that probably most fits the story, at least in my head.

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

that writing a Digimon fanseries was a very bad idea and I have wasted my uni years

In all seriousness, writing a fic in an established universe has been a great example of the challenges of long-form storytelling and planning (as well as artistic basics and composition from all the work I was doing on the other side of it). It’s also fantastic motivation to have a long project because you have a heck of a lot of time to build up to the big holy-crap scenes that you’ve been playing up in your head for goodness knows how long.

As for specific things I’ve learnt:

- Any character can be made interesting, no matter how throwaway the concept

- Always write out the lore, even if you don’t put it in the story

- Just because something is easy to plan doesn’t mean it’s easy to write

- If you’re doing contest entries, be careful not to overload your current story

- PLAN EVERYTHING. E V E R Y T H I N G. YOU WILL END UP HATING YOURSELF IF YOU DON’T.

- And finally, it doesn’t matter if what you’ve written is sub-par. You can always use it to write something even better in the future. That is the current plan.