#Lei's Story

[my-final-braincells]

Epilogue - Lei's Story

Notes - I might tidy up the quick sketch I did, but for now it will do. This is going to be a short Kickstarter to Lei's story, so feel free to read through! As always likes are always appreciated

Epilogue - Lei

Lei had always been curious, always wondering what the journey ahead of her would bring, constantly asking questions and seeking answers. But as soon as her mentor, Leigong had told her a week ago that her training would come to a end, she had felt almost sad to know her life would suddenly change, it had been many years of her training by his side, ever since she was about seven in human years to when she was around four-teen. Leigong had led her into the forest, no clues to what she would be doing or where she would be going, except that this is going to be a very important task. She walked quietly beside her mentor, who was draped in more casual attire, one of his heavily adorned belts, along with a jade green robe that dragged along the floor and covered his hands completely. She noticed Leigong craning his head down towards her, and she immediately tightened her posture and looked forewords. He cleared his throat, parting his razor sharp beak and looking forewords as well, "Do you know why we are here, my little lotus." His voice boomed as he looked down at Lei, his vibrant gold eyes piercing through the surrounding fog. "We are here for my final assignment?" She looked up, her three tails swayed peacefully behind her. "Good, we are here for your final test." He craned his neck back to look at the path ahead of him. Lei stood there in confusion, waiting to see if he would answer, before she quickly raced forwards to keep up with the thunder god.

"Master, would you mind... elaborating on what exactly the task is?" He cleared his throat, before reaching his arm behind Lei, and resting his talons on her shoulder softly. "Shi Senshan mountain is inhabited by vicious beast, those who have venom capable of killing even gods. I have sent you there to slay all of the beasts, and restore balance to the lands of the mortal and immortal plane." Lei's eyes widened, did he just ask me to try and kill a whole race of god-killing beasts that live under a mountain... She paused to see if he would say anything else, but she knew Leigong was never one to joke around, and was always straight to the point. Leigong spoke once more, "After you have completed this task, than you will receive a piece of armour, and your own weapon. You will no longer be known as Lei, but as the White Hornet." He looked down, continuing on, "You will be part of the pantheon of gods, and will gain a high status in heaven. I know this task is not easy, but I have seen something inside of you Lei, something that you have not yet learned, and something you will need to unlock to complete this quest." Lei would normally be extremely exited by the idea of joining the Jade Emperors council, but when Leigong told her of the other parts connected to this, she couldn't help but get caught thinking about the powers she hadn't unlocked yet. It only took a few more minutes until they reached Shi Senshan mountain, the mighty thunder god reached into his robe to pull out two large jade bracelets. The jade cuffs were carved with intricate cloud markings, and closer to the edges of them were raised bands. He slowly slid the bracelets onto Lei's wrists, at first she thought that they wouldn't fit, but they seemed to slide on neatly. "These bracelets will help guide you through this journey. Whatever you do, you must not leave the cave before completing the task." She nodded, before turning to the mountain, a large deep cave laid in front of her, sounds echoed through the mouth of the cave. She looked back at Leigong, he normally didn't show any emotion, as if his face was drained of any signs of emotions, but she felt as if she could see a hint of sadness and regret flash through his eyes. She sighed, turning back to the cave, one trembling step afront of another she made her way into the darkness.

[lawlietscaramels]

he's a platypus to me

[jessy53]

Success Stories

1 - passa nas provas de 2 cursos que eu queria muito, um de programação e outro de inglês

2 - passa na prova da obmep 2 vezes com a maior nota da sala sem saber de nada, (não fiz a segunda prova porque eu não quis)

3 - Glow up e mudança de algumas características do meu rosto como lábios, nariz, mandíbula, cor e formatos de olho, mudança de cor de pele.

4 - conseguir fazer minha mãe para de vomitar instantaneamente, pamigo ter alta do hospital em menos de um dia (ele tava internado)

5 - cura qualquer ferida/queimaduras em mim instantaneamente

6 - corpo dos sonhos

7 - mudança de voz grossa e depois para fina (nunca me senti satisfeita com minha voz)

8 - revisão de momentos constrangedores, acidentes e corte de cabelo

9 - mensagens de pessoas específicas sem contato a muito tempo

10 - meu namorado do 0, ex Sp, ex crush

11 - mudanças de clima

12 - comidas específicas de graça

13 - um celular novo em menos de 10 horas

14 - Cura meu pai do alcoólismo

15 - 2 ex grupos de amigos específicos

Ainda tem mais, só que tenho a memória ruim então ser eu lembrar faço outra lista.

[cuteiemonster]

my SECOND piece for the @mcytblraufest !!

this time, for @theminecraftbee 's fic, [ SOLVING COUNTING SHEEP ] !! i had so much fun trying to settle on what scene to draw that i ended up with uh. Major Spoilers. dont worry about it! youll know it when you see it.

was genuinely an honor to work on this with Second, @seawaveleo, and @strifetxt !! o7

[theheartlessspirit]

Chapter 2 (In the dark) - page 1

previous || next

[caramelarchive]

You're Pretty. ╾ L

Not my best work by far, but I think it's cute! Just a quick little drabble (I think- I've never figured out quite what the classification system is for writing on here lmao) so I can start this blog up. Enjoy!

I have moved to my main @lawlietscaramels please follow there for new content!

　★━━─・‥…━━━☆

It was rather dark, the room only lit by the many screens scattered around you and more so around L.

As you clicked away at the keyboard, the sound of rustling wrappers indicated the detective was trailing his slender fingers through a bowl of sweets, judging each one so he could determine the ideal order in which to eat them. You glanced at L as he picked one up, fiddling with the wrapper. He glanced back, pressed a finger to his lips and slowly pushed the bottom one to the side.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

L's tone is of course as cold and monotonic as usual as his unblinking, oddly wide eyes hold yours. You just smile, watch as he places the candy on his tongue and swallows it.

"You're pretty."

A beat.

"I see."

And a much longer silence. It fills the room up, unspoken whispers piling on top of thoughts to create a cold blue weight in the atmosphere.

"...There is an 86% chance you just lied, Y/N." L's hands grip his knees a little tighter as the detective stares ahead at his computer. "I told you to stop lying. It frustrates me to no end."

"I said nothing false, L."

"Ryuzaki," he absentmindedly corrects, pointing one of those long, pale fingers at you as he reaches for another candy.

"I think you're pretty."

He turns back to you after a minute, his brow slowly creasing. He prods his thumb against his lips again. "I am well aware I do not conform to the superficial beauty standards society holds."

"So?"

"I don't think that you ought to view me as 'pretty'."

You sighed and leaned back in your chair, eyes closing as you raised a hand in a half-shrug. "I don't understand why you think I'm lying about something so simple, Ryuzaki. I don't need you to conform to society's standards. And honestly, I quite like that you don't. Please just take my word that I find you visually appealing."

"Must I?"

"Yes. You're pretty."

"I require you to at least provide a basis for your argument."

You pause and look at L for a second, then lean over to give him a little peck on the cheek. You steal one of his sweets as you retreat and grin as you throw it into your mouth.

"Bias."

　★━━─・‥…━━━☆

𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖙 ˏˋ⋆˖⁺˖⁀➷ 𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖌 + 𝖋𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜

[theminecraftbee]

can i request three somehow forced into a fake dating situation

Three stares directly into Martyn’s eyes. They are blue and of an average size. It feels as though maybe this should be against the rules, but according to the book it had read, this was… normal. A normal thing to do on a date. Look deeply into someone’s eyes. It would not be suspicious at all, even though Three isn’t really sure how to look more or less deeply into anyone’s eyes at all. Eyes are not flat, but even when Three Looks, it isn’t as though there is anything interesting in there.

Martyn is sweating somewhat. He looks away first.

Three’s pretty sure this counts as a victory, especially given Martyn can’t see Three’s face behind the mask anyway. It is good Three has now won the game of ‘staring lovingly into its date’s eyes’, because that had been a strange, threatening mortal ritual. It would rather not do that again.

“Haha, thanks again for agreeing to this date,” Martyn says, very suspiciously looking around the small cafe in a bustling semi-private Origins server. “It’s been so long since we’ve gotten to hang out like this. Gods, do I sound stupid.”

“You do,” Three says.

“You don’t have to answer those,” Martyn says.

“Will comply,” Three says.

“Oh, for the love of—we’re on a date. A date!” Here, Martyn winks obnoxiously. “It’s not a mission.” He winks obnoxiously again. “Besides, you should lighten up!”

“Will comply,” Three says.

“You know, I had forgotten how obnoxious that was,” Martyn says cheerfully. “Anyway, I should order us some drinks! Have some conversation! Keep an eye out around us, yeah, for our waiter?”

“You are not very subtle,” Three says.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Martyn says. “Besides, honestly? I am really glad to just hang out with you. Because we’re dating! On this server for fancy couples. Yep.”

The problem is, of course, that a fancy origins server is a great place for the strangest of people to hide.

When Martyn had asked a favor, Three had been… uncertain. This was not because Three doesn’t care for Martyn—it does, greatly—or because Three didn’t want to see Martyn—they’d met up a few times before now, tentative and quiet and frustrated and all the things that were hard to explain, and then in all the ways they were okay again—but because Martyn, for all Three cares for him, is still an idiot.

Three is its own handler, now. It does not have to follow handlers that are morons. It had told Martyn this. When Martyn had stopped wheezing, he’d explained that it’d be fun. Not Listener business, he promised; he still hadn’t quite gotten out, but he wouldn’t drag Three in, Scout’s honor.

(Three believes him. It’s never been that Three doesn’t trust him.)

It was a friend of Martyn’s that had gone missing. Apparently, on some fancy modded server? And now, Martyn wanted Three to come help him do some recon because, quote, “Jimmy laughed at me until he cried and that hurt me a little bit, not going to lie, and I’ve used up the favors Ren owes me, and Oli was busy. Have you met Oli? You’d like Oli.”

(Three did not like Oli.)

Three agreed, despite its better judgement. The reason it thought this may be a poor plan was because—

“Ah, the lovely Valentines,” the waiter says. He gives them a plate of lovely heart-shaped calamari. Three wonders if they had belonged to heart-shaped squid. “It’s a lovely evening, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s wonderful here with my beloved!” Martyn says.

The waiter and Martyn both look at Three. Three doesn’t say anything and sits perfectly still.

“Um,” the waiter says.

“It’s for a health condition,” Martyn says, which technically isn’t a lie.

“Very well, sirs, although it may get in the way of the kissing competition!”

Martyn, who had just started sipping some wine, chokes on it.

“I will win the kissing competition,” Three says.

Martyn chokes harder.

“I will see you to it!” the waiter says. “And of course, our patented species comparability exam is the highlight of the evening.”

“Oh. I am not sure I can produce viable offspring,” Three says.

The waiter stares at Three. Three stares back, although not into the waiter’s eyes, as to not cause any confusion. The mask somewhat prevents that from working, though.

“Very well then,” the waiter says. “I suppose just—do you need help?”

“It knows what it’s doing,” Martyn hisses.

“I did do research before coming here,” Three says.

“I’ll just head on,” the waiter says, in a tone that suggests to Three that maybe it did not do enough research before agreeing to help Martyn.

Oh well.

At least the mask means it doesn’t have to keep a straight face as it picks Martyn off the ground and, completely flat in tone, says: “Do not die. I would be sad if you died of something as stupid as choking on wine.”

“I asked for this,” Martyn says.

“Yes,” Three says. “You did. That is why I am here.”

(Beneath the table, it grabs Martyn’s hand. Martyn squeezes Three’s hand back. It had missed him, though. For all they do not see each other often—)

(Well. It had missed him, though.)

[sleeplesssmoll]

Reverse 1999: Ley lines Summary

Purpose

The main purpose of ley line studies is to reveal hidden clues in nature that can lead to answers.

“We can briefly transform one thing into another by changing the attributes of their ley lines, but the object's nature remains unchanged. The study of ley lines is the discipline of observation, and the ley hunters' job is to observe, not to create, intervene, or impose our will on nature.” -Windsong in Silver Knot.

The founder of ley line institution is Tristan Lisov. However, he was also the downfall of the entire field due to his greed.

"In an abuse of his authority, Lisov manipulated open bidding, misappropriated funds from research projects, and gained millions of rubles in personal profit. His reputation was built on intimidation and coercion rather than academic merit, Through manipulating experiments and tampering with the results, he secured various awards for himself. " -Silver Knot

Ley Energy

“To begin with, I should introduce the most crucial concept in the study of ley lines-that of ley energy. It is a special energy which we can easily detect throughout the town. See how it comes out from underneath the ground and goes into the local biosphere, circulating around like a system. If we think of the town's ley lines as a food web, then ley energy lies at its foundation.” ---Windsong’s lesson in Farewell Rayashki. 

Concentrations of ley energy are noted and then the hunter can trace it back to its source. Bright spots are energy-rich locations, indicating energy flow. Finding these locations can be very costly in terms of time and manpower. They can "tell" us many things. The ley hunters will follow their courses, analyze the components in them, and match those components to each resource. Some of the components don't match with any of the known resources, which means there might be a new resource waiting to be discovered. Ley Energy also gives insight on local critters.

Side Effects

Ley line tracing side-effects seem to include vomiting, and loss of consciousness. In Silver Knot, students were lying on the floor, leaning on things, and throwing up. Some were carried out on medical stretchers. 

Ley Line Appearance

Windsong describes seeing “lines, each in different shapes and colors. Some were straight-in rigid patterns-while others looked like a jumble of fibers”. The kids of Rayashki recognize their homes as “little balls” on the ley-line map.

[romchat]

Visual Analysis of the Slow Burn: My Journey to You, Story of Kunning Palace

How do you film a slow-burn romance?

One of the challenges of filming slow-burn romances is that creators have to figure out how to slowly build tension and intimacy between two characters without testing the audience's patience. We have to feel a couple’s chemistry and growing feelings for one another even if it takes a long time for them to get together. 

And here's where cinematography and visual parallelism can be a helpful tool. Visual parallelism is when we link two or more characters, events, storylines, etc. through a shared image. When we see repeated imagery, our brains connect those moments and give them more meaning than if we had looked at them in isolation. Because of this, visual parallelism can help complicate our understanding of characters and the world around them without having to spell out those nuances in the script.

In slow-burn romances, visual parallelism can be used to:

Connect characters who, on the surface, appear incompatible or unattracted to one another;

Signal major moments of change in a show's romantic storyline;

Compare and contrast a new relationship with a character’s past relationships;

And much more!

I think two dramas that use this technique in interesting ways are My Journey to You and Story of Kunning Palace.

My Journey to You

Before we jump into that scene, let’s talk about some of the visual techniques My Journey to You (MJTY) uses to establish the enemies-to-lovers relationship of its secondary couple, Gong Shangjue and Shangguan Qian. 

Something I immediately noticed about MJTY is that the show loves using certain camera angles and blocking patterns (or how actors are positioned in relation to one another) to define characters’ personalities and their relationships. This repeated imagery is an example of visual parallelism, and in the case of Shangjue and Qian, the show then uses breaks in that parallelism to communicate the subtle changes in their relationship over time. Through this technique, we see their growing feelings for each other even if we don’t hear the characters express those feelings with words. 

For example, at the beginning of the show, Shangjue is usually shot from a low angle while Qian is usually shot from a high angle, and the repetition of that camera language reflects the characters' constant game of cat and mouse.

In cinematography, low-angle and high-angle shots are often paired to visually enhance the power imbalance between characters. Low-angle shots make the subject look more powerful and threatening while high-angle shots make the subject look weaker and more vulnerable.

Qian, who is an assassin, has infiltrated Shangjue’s clan, and he is immediately suspicious of her identity and allegiances. He is cold and intimidating towards her, and she does everything in her power not to get caught. But because she is particularly good at reading and manipulating him, Shangjue soon finds himself intrigued by her. He might be filmed looming over her like he has more power in the situation, but her weakness is an act. We know this because we can see how Qian isn’t filmed with such high angles when interacting with characters who know her true identity and nature like Yun Weishan or Gong Yuanzhi. She is pretending to be subservient and delicate to seduce Shangjue specifically.

Side Note: One of my FAVORITE moments in MJTY is Shangjue and Qian’s “do you still think I’m gentle?” scene in Episode 12. Not only is the writing and acting electric, but the camera’s subtle shift in angles pinpoints the moment Shangjue begins to feel sexually attracted to Qian. When she gently blows on his fingers, the camera quickly pans to an eye-level shot and we see Shangjue clench his jaw. After that, the camera uses less extreme angles to film his conversation with her—his moment of desire and her strategic thinking equalized their power imbalance.

Which brings us to the famous bath scene in Episode 17. 

Whenever they share a scene, Shangjue is usually positioned at a higher level and facing forward in a thronal position while Qian is at his side, looking up at him obsequiously. The lack of visual alignment in their actor blocking represents how the characters can’t be completely vulnerable or honest with each other while the dominant/submissive pose plays up the sexual tension of their interactions.

So we know that the bath scene represents a critical turning point in their relationship because of the break in parallelism: 

Not only are they sitting at the same level while facing each other, the camera is set at a much more neutral over-the-shoulder and eye-level angle. Over-the-shoulder and eye-level shots are often used to bring intimacy to a scene and that camera language reinforces the actors’ relaxed physical acting and flirtatious dialogue. The two characters are sharing a moment of honest pleasure and have temporarily let their guards down, which is why Qian decides to take the opportunity to share her true intentions for wanting to marry into his family. It’s probably the most truthful and revealing conversation she has had with Shangjue up until this point and creates complications for each others' plans.

One of the lingering questions many MJTY viewers have about Shangjue and Qian’s relationship is whether or not Qian developed real feelings for him in the end. While the script could have done a better job of developing her character’s arc at the textual level, I think the show’s thoughtful use of visual parallelism gives us the answer. 

Not only does their final scene together subvert the camera language and actor blocking we talked about, but it also parallels an earlier scene where we can be reasonably sure of Qian’s honesty: the torture scene. And it’s the juxtaposition of what is shown versus what is said that gives us what I’d consider a satisfyingly bittersweet conclusion to their love story.

Story of Kunning Palace

Unlike MJTY, which uses visual parallelism to show changes in the secondary couple’s relationship, Story of Kunning Palace (SOKP) uses this technique to represent the undeniable compatibility of its main couple, Jiang Xuening and Xie Wei. 

Given the popularity of the show's second and third male leads, many viewers have expressed confusion as to if and when Xie Wei truly emerges as the rightful male lead. Even as a slow-burn romance, SOKP is slow slow. 

And yet when we take a step back and look at the show’s visual storytelling, particularly its use of symbolism and parallelism, we not only see why these two characters complement each other but how they find healing in their (admittedly messy and toxic) love. At its core, SOKP is a story about two traumatized and self-loathing people finding "the one" who still sees them as worthy despite all their flaws. Ning-er and Xie Wei are like two jagged pieces of a broken mirror reflecting one another’s sins and virtues, and the show constantly reminds us of that deep connection with how it juxtaposes the two characters on screen. (Just look at that split screen above--they literally complete each other.) 

We see this connection from the moment Ning-er and Xie Wei are introduced in Episode 1:

The composition and camera movement directly mirror each other. 

When we see parallelism in the portrayal of two characters, we should stop and think about the similarities and differences between them. Both Ning-er and Xie Wei share the trauma of having grown up alienated from their birth families, and the pain of what they experienced drives their ruthless desire for revenge and power. During the show’s first timeline, Ning-er violates her innate sense of goodness while Xie Wei hides his true self.

Side Note: SOKP also reminds us of this connection with its consistent use of a fire motif. Throughout the show, we often see Ning-er and Xie Wei surrounded by candles, furnaces, fires, etc., and this symbolism comes to a head in Episode 34 when Xie Wei desperately argues that they belong together because they've both been forged by the fire of their upbringing.

And yet at the same time, as noted by several characters, they are both incredibly loyal people, sacrificing themselves to change the fate of the people they care for.

Both Ning-er and Xie Wei overlook these redeeming qualities about themselves, but they “see” them in the other, which the show demonstrates through the visual parallelism of their gazes.

In Episode 14, Ning-er asks Xie Wei: 

Jiang Xuening: Between my past self and present self, who do you think is better? Xie Wei: Be it the past or the present, it is all you. You're the one and only Miss Ning'er. Besides, the present exists because of the past. Just face it as is. But if we have to make it clear, I think if the present Ning'er knows what she wants, she will be well. And she'll be even better in the future.

In a previous analysis of Episode 14, I've noted how "Ning-er's character arc isn't just about becoming a better person but also about recognizing that she has always had goodness in her and that goodness makes her life worth just as much as someone like Zhang Zhe....Despite being brash and cunning, Ning-er is also tenacious, brave, and even kind (all of which Xie Wei recognized when they first met years ago). She is an 'unrefined jade', someone who can choose a more righteous path than the one she started on. And he sees her. He truly sees her."

So across the show's multiple timelines, the camera will linger on Xie Wei's tender gaze toward Ning-er. In this case, the parallelism of such a distinctive shot communicates something that Ning-er doesn't realize: Xie Wei sees and loves sides of her that she is unable to accept about herself.

She eventually starts seeing him too. 

During the first timeline, Ning-er sees Xie Wei as a threat and warily engages him only out of desperation. But despite her fear, Ning-er also recognizes his true qualities enough that by the second timeline, she implicitly trusts him to help her carry out her own goals. She unlearns her assumptions about him and pushes him to find meaning in life beyond his self-destructive need for revenge.

So it's fitting then that during their private wedding, Ning-er and Xie Wei are shown gazing at each other, fully aware of and accepting of their true natures:

Jiang Xuening: “I’ve seen your light and your darkness, your vulnerability, and your madness. I know everything about you that is known or unknown to others. I might even say that I know you better than you do.”

They've fully entrusted themselves with one another.

[princefleabitten]

I used to dislike Rock but now that I know capitalism I agree with him

[papiermachete]

Since i watched the double a little over a month ago i got sucked into the world of chinese dramas … and realized a lot of the ones i was watching had many repeat actors/actresses. So i made a web showing the overlap i found between 10 different cdramas that i’ve watched. See if you can spot each show.

(Disclaimer: i made it in 1 hour sorry if there are any mistakes)

[ashirisu]

All my love to fans of the coffee theory, but I will never be able to get behind it. It will always be better and more interesting to me to assume that Aziraphale is actually just a complex character who makes mistakes as a result of his trauma.

He’s a sweetheart and of course we don’t want to think less of him, but it’s a disservice to the story to act like warm, soft, and loving characters are incapable of making poor (if well-intentioned) decisions through the lens of their negative biases. A sneaky miracle brainwashing in the final fifteen robs him of the agency he’s spent the last six thousand years painstakingly developing—not only does it take away his ability to make his own decision in the moment, it also completely ignores the impact that millennia of indoctrination has had on his psyche.

The indoctrination (and Aziraphale’s learning to question it) is the core theme of the minisodes. In each scenario, he’s forced to question the moral code of heaven and accept that life on earth is complex, and even then, he still struggles to see the point completely. Crowley is still the only demon he doesn’t distrust on sight, and he only openly admits to there being “very light” shades of grey. He’s working on it, but he’s still got at least six more episodes of self-reflection to go.

In every conceivable way, this decision is actually a step in the right direction in terms of his personal character arc. Aziraphale doesn’t have all the information we’re working with as an audience, so we can’t expect him to see the extent to which he’s being manipulated and the full scope of Crowley’s feelings for him. From his perspective, he’s only recently come to terms with how fundamentally flawed the system is and is being given the opportunity to implement real change from the top—to let the entirety of heaven see the shades of grey he’s discovered and end the practice of eternally punishing anyone who asks questions.

Why would someone who’s finally allowed to openly love his best friend, who has just watched another angel and demon successfully find love by following his example, see that as anything but an absolute win?

Of course it hurts and of course it’s devastating, because we as the audience see the truth of what’s happening, but I promise it’ll ultimately be more rewarding to let this be part of his character development instead of a divinely-contrived backslide that leaves no more room for personal growth. Aziraphale realizing he was wrong and working to amend it (which he will, given his characterization up to this point) will make for a better story than him realizing he was magically forced to act contrary to his beliefs.

Our angel can be flawed and messily three-dimensional and we can still love him, it’s okay. I don’t think we should diminish him for the sake of an almond syrup MacGuffin.

[lawlietscaramels]

Married ╾ L

I made the mistake of Thinking.

There are some parts that don't seem very L-ish to me, perhaps because of the perspective I wrote from.

Angst.

　★━━─・‥…━━━☆

It was only a little thing.

Lost between the aisle and vows, the rows of empty seats that weren't really rows or seats because does a tree really fall if nobody needs it for timber?, it was only a little thing.

L cut the cake and he gave the first slice to you. It tasted like frosting and unevenly cooked chocolate batter. It was delicious.

L took you home. You failed to consummate. Can you fail, if you don't try? It was only a little thing, of no matter. You were tired. You cuddled instead. Both start with C. Interchangeable. You had a husband. You only had to hold him close.

One year later – just under – and it was winter on the other side of the globe. Summer where you sat, winter where L crouched. It was cold in a big bed alone, but what's to be expected married to a workaholic and you only needed a little thing, that voice call every other week.

Very soon, he returned.

Everything was perfect. It WAS perfect, what a little thing, that capitalisation, but how it changes the meaning. L returned, and because he did, everything was naturally perfect. Meant to be perfect, because you were meant to be. L held you close for a minute. Your husband. You only had to hold him.

Yellow. That was the colour of the cushions you bought together. Yellow. L's favourite colour wasn't yellow. Considering the shade and pattern, it wasn't yours either. But they brightened up the place. Brightened up the mood.

Only at night did the colour sap out with the warmth, dark blue through the house. Dark blue between the two bodies on the bed. Space.

Until death do us part. It's only a little thing. A promise, we will part.

Four more months and four more days. Kisses on the cheek when cooking dinner. Trying to be closer. He scooped you up in his arms one day and took you dancing around the kitchen, held your hand.

Only for a night.

Random, wasn't it? How we met? you asked. Random, wasn't it? How we fell in love?

Everything that seems random, seems chaotic, has pattern and reason when viewed in a big enough frame, he answered, and went back to his ramen. No magic. Only a little thing, that bit of wonder in life. L, do you see the magic? is what you ask, hand left hovering above the paper towels. But L, do you understand me? Do you sympathise? is what you mean.

Verfremdungseffekt, he tells you with a grin, and just laughs when you don't understand.

Even the prosperous inevitably decay said your grandma, sic transit gloria mundi if you had asked L, all that's fair must fade said the writer. Same phrase different words. Same words different phrase?

Regardless, the autumn leaves always begin colourful, dancing in the dusty wedding photos on the mantle, but they fade by the end of the season. Outside the brown leaves crunch, die, are ready for white snow to hide away the misery. A little thing, a leaf. How little in the breeze. It falls off the tree to die. It's only a little thing.

Awake all night. Usually that was L's job but tonight it was yours. Look at his face. His body, curled up in defence. His face, the tightness in his expression even in sleep. Look. How closed off he was. You reached out and brushed his hair. He turned his head away.

No matter. You turned your head away and stared out the window. No magic. No yellow cushions to brighten it up. A cold chill, L's skin, the thin blankets and the air. Winter. Winter where you sat. L was as far away as the summertime. Spring was fair. Autumn was bitter. Winter was dead. Summer had hope. Perhaps you ought have been married in summer. But it was still autumn, the last day, so very close.

Dull. But you had a husband, and you held him close for a night. He gave you the cake. A little thing. Danced with you. But there was dark blue space. A little thing again. Verfremdungseffekt. L, you say and he doesn't stir, L, do you hear me?

Air void of an answer. It was cold. L's skin was cold. There were warm clothes in the cupboard. There were warm cafés in the nighttime. What music was out there tonight?

December. Winter.

A little thing.

You left.

　★━━─・‥…━━━☆

𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖙 ˏˋ⋆˖⁺˖⁀➷ 𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖌 + 𝖋𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜

tags → @maevearcher @rinneroraito

[jessy53]

Success Story #2

1 - meu ex terminando o namoro dele 2 vezes com pessoas diferentes e as contas das redes sociais dele sendo banidas

2 - Uma boa nota no Enem, uma coisa engraçada nessa nota é que eu tinha assumindo 1000 mais quando tava saindo o resultado eu tinha terminado o meu namoro então isso me afetou tanto que nem faculdade queria mais fazer então assumir 460 (sem estudar nada)

3 - Meu fone de ouvido Bluetooth

4 - cura minha fobia social

5 - cura minha dependência emocional nos meus amigos

6 - um emprego para o meu namorado

7 - unhas grandes instantaneamente

8 - mudar de cidade e depois voltar para minha antiga cidade (meu arrependimento)

9 - Sempre a melhor da turma + está na lista dos melhores da escola (isso foi da época que eu estava na escola)

10 - ficar duas semanas sem aula no curso + professor que eu não gostava da escola se demitir (era praticamente impossível ele se demitir 💆‍♀️)

11 - cílios grande

Ser eu lembrar de mais faço outra lista :)

[deokmis]

@userdramas event 08 heat 🔥 hot warriors - gu tingye [the story of minglan] - zisheng [love like the galaxy] - lee bang won [my country: the new age]

[theheartlessspirit]

Chapter 2 (In the dark) - page 12

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