I'm supposed to be working but instead I'm thinking about Li Lianhua growing vegetables and how, once upon a time, he was so happy that he almost cried when he finally managed to grow some turnips.
Thinking about how he must've been at rock bottom then - sick, injured, heartbroken, having just lost in one fell swoop everyone and everything he's ever cared about. His shixiong, dead. He believes it's his fault. His shifu, dead. He believes it's his fault. His sect, in ruins. He believes it's his fault. His people no longer believe in him. A-Mian doesn't love him anymore. It's all his fault, it's all his fault.
He doesn't have Hulijing yet. He's alone. He's heartsick. He'll be dead in ten years, or much sooner than that if he can't find some food and shelter. His Sigu Sect leader token is only worth 50 taels of silver. It turns out everything he has built his life around is worth only 50 taels of silver. I can hear his self-deprecating laugh. How foolish he must've felt, having his life's ambition put so violently and abruptly into perspective.
Have you ever been so despondent that you cling desperately to just one thing, anything, that you can focus on in order to not think about everything else? So: turnips.
Tending, weeding, watering, counting, day by day by slowly passing day. The vegetables grow and he survives. And finally, one day, he discovers that against all odds, he has turnips. These hands which he believes have caused the destruction of all that he once held dear, somehow managed to nurture creation and support life. Everything and everyone is gone, but here in his hands is this one small glimmer of hope that perhaps he is not only capable of ruin. How happy he must've been. Was it the first time he felt joy since before the East Sea battle? How he must've wanted to tell someone, but there was no one there.
You know who he must've most wanted to tell? His shifu. His shifu, who once told him that he didn't care about Xiangyi becoming any great martial artist. Just eat well, drink well, and live well. Maybe kneeling there in the dirt, gently cradling his small misshapen turnips in his hands — maybe that's when Li Lianhua finally understands what Shifu meant.
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uhhh Dialtown doodle dump 2 I think
Yeah
Close ups
Uhhh a Dietown Norm design teehee
Also say hi to my oc's Wren (the rotary phone) and Charlie (the Nokia 1511, she only exists because I wanted to give one of my oc's a sister)
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To Amy - Is Shadow uncomfortable to cuddle with? He looks pretty spiky.
Amy: I mean, we're all kinda spiky
(⁀ᗢ⁀) But you are right, Shadow is a bit... extra-spiky.
Shadow:(ᓀ ᓀ)
Amy: You just have to be careful about how you do it! Watch!
Shadow: (•_•)?
[Amy holds her side of the blanket in her teeth, then shuffles around Shadow. She makes a point to smooth down their back quills with one hand while lifting the others out of the way so she can place her chin on their shoulder. Then, she takes the blanket from her mouth, grabs the other corner, and wraps both ends in front of them, keeping them low so Rosie can still see the television.]
Amy: See?
Shadow:(⁄⁄౦⁄‸⁄౦⁄⁄)
Amy: Ah-?(//▽//)! I- I'm so sorry! Chaos, Blaze is right. I really have no sense of boundaries. I'm really sorry. I didn't even think about it- I-
[Amy goes to shuffle back. Shadow grabs her wrist.]
Amy: You... don't mind?
[There's a pause. Then, Shadow shakes their head.]
Amy: O-oh! Okay!
[Amy settles in, slowly snuggling close.]
Amy: You're always so warm...
[She wraps her arms tighter around Shadow, who she cannot see looks like they are about to combust.]
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It's not even cold tonight but I have spent HOURS trapped under TWO cats insisting It is Lap Time. I kicked them off to go do human activities for a bit and the MINUTE I sat down again it was once again Lap Time. They don't even like each other. They're making a concentrated effort to not so much as graze one another. But it is Lap Time, so they'll consider a temporary truce until the next time I desperately shift around so as not to completely lose feeling in my legs.
I am. So warm.
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would love to hear more about what aftercare looks like for you
see the thing I love about aftercare is that really at the end of the day I just want to take care of someone. I want them to be able to feel like a good useful thing and in exchange they get to be my kept thing and I have to take care of my things. I want them to be my obedient pet that doesn't have to think for themself so of course I will care for them the way you care for a pet. I think the most beautiful thing about aftercare is knowing what someone needs and being able to provide them.
So that's a long way of saying it depends because at it's core it's just about taking care of them and that's what I love about it. I love getting them something to eat if they are hungry and water to drink if they need it. I love tending to their sore spots and gently reminding them how well they took me as I teasingly press on their developing bruises when putting neospirin or cbd lotion on them. I loveee cuddling and reassurance and telling them how good they are.
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