#also this is like xl so it looks so big on me haha

[mrcformoso]

Parallels and Details (part 2) for Paper Flowers for the God of Gods

This focuses mostly on Chapters 4-7. For Chapters 1-3, you can find it in Part 1

If you haven’t read the fic yet, this is in reference to my HuaLian fic Paper Flowers for the God of Gods! It’s a FlowerGod!XL AU in canonverse with Rapunzel vibes and Persephone & Hades vibes and an ungodly amount of flower language.

Again, OMG the response to this fic is UNREAL. Like I had to refresh it over and over because I couldn’t believe how much love it was receiving. This fic was both an emotional and mental ride hahaha because I really wanted to channel MXTX as much as possible.

If I was going to revamp the universe, I wanted to make sure that it was as detailed as possible, and so here’s another roundup of the details in this fic because The Brain Hurts But We Are Doing Our Best.

THIS IS ASSUMING YOU HAVE READ UNTIL CHAPTER 7. Please don’t accidentally spoil yourselves. It will be worth it, I promise hahaha this is mostly for me to show off point out details because these chapters got a bit emotional and just to show how much work I put in this hahaha

SMALL DETAILS - I’m a big fan of inputting tiny little details in this fic, whether it be a repeating phrase or calling out certain things that are for foreshadowing or for mood purposes

“He looked up, and up, and – oh”

The first instance of this line was in Chapter 3, during HC’s flashback: 

Hong-er, raising his arms in defense against the intruder as he looked up – and up – and – oh.

This was then repeated in Chapter 4, when Xie Lian rolled the dice and was waiting for San Lang.

Before he could even see the result, he heard the soft landing of footsteps beside him.

He looked up, and up, and – oh.

And finally, repeated one more time in Chapter 7, after HC’s confession, right before seeing the flowers on Xie Lian’s hair

1.He looked up, and up, and – oh.

Basically, it’s all instances when they were feeling extremely anxious and they look up and it’s like saying oh, there you are.

Foreshadowing phrases from flashbacks

So the first instance for example is Chapter 4 during XL’s flashback where it talks a bit about his eventual punishment and HC’s death. Those are direct quotes lifted from the actual flashback on Chapter 7. There’s also repeating ones in Chapter 6.

Capitalization and how important Xie Lian is to Hua Cheng using the power of Capital Letters.

Another thing people don’t really notice, but in Hua Cheng’s POV, he always refers to Xie Lian as his God with a capital G, but all other gods are with a small letter g, indicating the difference in how he regards them.

CALLBACKS AND REFERENCES - I love cyclical poetry and calling back events within the fic. Also, when I write canonverse AUs I love calling back to the canon, or referencing the canon in a way that makes sense in the new universe I made. I also try sometimes to add little references to other things I love.

The two deputy gods - and how important this scene actually was

In the Prologue, there was a super, super short scene where two deputy gods were walking around and one explained Xie Lian’s Gardens to the other, before they’re interrupted by HC. More than just a “haha, HC is gonna kill them” kind of thing, in this chapter it was used as a mode of world building, to establish what Heaven thinks of XL and of minor gods in general, as well as establish that HC made his way to heaven.

However, this is referenced again in Chapter 4. Because HC takes out those two gods, and it causes trouble for Qi Rong, SQX was given the opening to talk to XL about HC. This reveals to XL that San Lang’s real identity was HC (he knew there was a ghost king, and he knew the ghost king was San lang, but he didn’t know his real name)

This leads to Chapter 5 where, because he knows HC is SL, XL brings him to his territory to hide him when he couldn’t teleport out of the festival, which led to the morning reveal of Puqi temple.

Basically, the two deputies were the reason for The Confession in Chapter 7. Thank you, random characters.

Butterfly Weeds - I also think I may have traumatized all my readers from this flower.

Xie Lian’s hair has two indicators of his mood. The first is what flowers grow on his hair, and the second is the state of the flowers (the droop when he’s sad for instance).

So the Butterfly Weed Reveal™ was foreshadowed as early as the prologue. I deliberately didn’t explain what Butterfly Weeds meant because it was a setup for Chapter 6. But if you recall the prologue, XL was waiting on the bridge while looking at his reflection and this was the description I used:

He tucked his hair back behind his ear. It was Butterfly Weeds today, their small, orange buds littered the top of his head, down the length of his hair. He plucked a dead leaf from his hair, letting it fall on the river water, distorting his own reflection.

You learn in Chapter 3 from HC’s POV that Xie Lian’s hair flowers die when he’s really sad, so if you go back, it’s the first indication that XL in the prologue was Not Okay. The river distorting his own reflection was also a metaphor for his mental state and how he was not showing his Real Self.

The Blue Hydrangea

Sooo it was super quickly mentioned but the bookmark in Chapter 6:

He lifted up an old book, one with a bookmark made of a pressed blue hydrangea. 

This is the blue hydrangea that XL grew in his hair and gifted to Hua Cheng in Chapter 2:

…and in an act that surprised Xie Lian, [San Lang] tucked the Hydrangea behind his ear with a cute little “now we match, Gege!”

Which means the book came from Hua Cheng’s collection and not heaven. He literally gave the book to He Xuan to deliver to XL, and also kept the flower that XL gave him hahaha

The Page™ 

Chapter 6, the section of XL’s thoughts as he descends into the Bad Place in his mind was deliberately written in those short lines to sort of emulate the It Hurts page of the novel. I couldn’t really do that in fanfiction because this is not a physical book but I hoped it gave the same vibes.

Chapter 190™ 

There was really no reason for the human face disease and the stabby stabby but I kept the spirit of the torture XL experienced but through the shackles attached to him.

I also kept the spirit of Ghost Flame Hua Cheng unable to do anything until he burned everyone in teenager Hong-er unable to help until he started starving himself in XL’s temple while praying.

The formation of XL’s Habits

After the reveal of how Hong-er dies to save XL in Chapter 7, we see that XL starts showing the habits that we see him have in Chapter 2. That includes pacing around the perimeter, around and around until the sun sets, him looking at his own reflection in the river to see the flowers in his hair, and of course, the next point:

“It was a nice day. All days are nice.”

THE MOST PAINFUL ONE. IT HURT ME TO DO THIS.

This was actually first implied in the Prologue, but it was a more obvious repetition in Chapter 2 where each section started with “It was a nice day. All days are nice.” Initially, the implication is that it’s what he’s trying to convince himself is true (that all days are nice in heaven, therefore he is okay) But in Chapter 7 it is revealed that he started saying this after Hong-er dies. This shows that he started waiting since back then, and continued waiting the same way until he meets HC.

IT IS ALSO A REFERENCE TO THE NOVEL. It is supposed to emulate the year where XL was waiting for Hua Cheng to return. Because in this fic, XL is waiting for his devotee from his final request, and that’s why it’s the same vibe.

Princess Bride reference!

A cheeky little one. “Your wish is my command” which was first uttered by Hua Cheng in Chapter 5, brought back with more significance in Chapter 7 after XL asks him to be saved. In reference of course to the famous “As you wish” quote from the movie.

HUALIAN’S BACKSTORY - symbolisms, parallels, and running towards one another. I AM SO PROUD OF THIS. This was literally the first thing I had to flesh out of when I made this AU because the rest of the story had to be written around this and WHEN I TELL YOU the amount of time I spent making this omg –

Hua Cheng’s red string

In Chapter 3, we see that Xie Lian wrapped a vine with a lotus flower around Hong-er’s finger and he declared Hong-er as one of his flowers. Hua Cheng wears a red string now on the same spot.

Hua Cheng’s umbrella

The umbrella will make an appearance again soon! But yes, the red umbrella that Hua Cheng closes at the Prologue was the same umbrella Xie Lian hovers over Hua Cheng in chapter 3.

Hua Cheng’s name + Crimson Rain Sought Flower

THE INSPO FOR THIS FIC! Hua Cheng, literally meaning ‘Flower City’. After he dies, he changes his name to this to honor his Flower God, and tbh it holds a lot more significance in this fic.

Also, it changed the meaning of Hua Cheng’s title. Instead of Hua Cheng protecting the flower from the bloody rain, I made it so that HC deliberately protects any flower since they are considered his ‘siblings’.

“I want to be one of your flowers”

In Chapter 3, in HC’s flashback we see that Hong-er wanted to be XL’s flower when reincarnated because he wants to always be with XL. XL acknowledges this.

And although XL doesn’t put it together that Hong-er and “the teenage boy” were the same person, XL subconsciously considers him as his flower because of how loyal he was, and so XL took care of him like how he takes care of all his flowers.

And remember in Chapter 5, how XL reacted to seeing his flowers die?

Yeah. He felt that way, and mayhaps even worse, when HC died. The flowers in his hair rotted in just the same way.

“Wu Ming”

Not really done by name. But. If you notice, Hong-er never introduces himself, and Xie Lian never knew the name of his favorite devotee. I couldn’t do the “Wu Ming” thing because that was XL being deliberately cruel in the canon, and in this they have a much softer relationship.

But technically HC still becomes Wu Ming in a sense that he is endlessly devoted to XL and he sacrifices himself to save XL, so the spirit of Wu Ming is still in this fic.

San Lang (or, the three lives)

So the whole “San Lang” name in canon was a) a cheeky affectionate name (Lang is usually a term of endearment), and b) the “San” or 3 or third references the 3 lives San Lang lived (Hong-er, Wu Ming, Hua Cheng)

Now, in this fic, it means the same thing but in different contexts:

Hong-er is “reborn” as one of XL’s flowers in Chapter 3 - remember right before this, Hong-er mentions he wants to die and be reincarnated, to which XL asks “what would you like to reincarnate as” and gives him a lotus petal which means Renew, or Rebirth. This was the “end” of his first life.

Hong-er (or “the boy”) physically dies praying to XL for seven days straight without eating or sleeping. This is the end of his second life.

Hua Cheng is his third life, thus, San Lang.

Roses, Tulips, Gardenias, Daisies, Chrysanthemums

These were first mentioned actually in Chapter 3, but not by name because Hong-er didn’t recognize these flowers, but these were the flowers Xie Lian grew for him that ‘look like his red eye’. 

In Chapter 4, they were revealed to be the red flowers in Hua Cheng’s garden. Xie Lian comments that, if red, they all mean Love. And Hua Cheng says he grew it for a wonderful memory (his first meeting with XL)

Also in Chapter 3, He Xuan mentions that Hua Cheng’s communication array password is “five flowers, but he can’t remember the order”. In Chapter 4, it is revealed that these five flowers are his communication array password (BECAUSE HC IS A SAP AND WE LOVE HIM)

Chapter 6, He Xuan mentions these five flowers to basically tell Xie Lian that he’s working for Hua Cheng and to trust him when he gave The Book.

And of course, Chapter 7, where Xie Lian grew these flowers in his hair as his declaration of love to Hua Cheng. These are Their Flowers.

Paper Flowers

Of course, ½ of the title of this fic. Paper Flowers.

So this one doesn’t need much explanation. They are XL’s favorite offering because it’s not picked flowers, but it is mentioned explicitly in Chapter 3 that XL tells Hong-er not to pick flowers because they will die. So Hong-er dedicated himself to learn how to fold paper flowers.

This is also mentioned again in the end of chapter 3 that Hua Cheng STILL folds paper flowers every day and offers it to XL’s temple in Ghost City (at the end of the chapter). 

And during The Confession in chapter 7, Hua Cheng makes XL hold onto E-ming to free his hand as he sits and folds a paper flower to 1) show XL that he was the devotee, 2) fold a paper rose to confess his love and show his feelings and 3) you can say this is him praying to XL. The setting was with XL sitting on the bed and HC sitting in front of him. It’s kind of like he’s praying at an altar while making his offering.

E-ming - and the healthier relationship with Hua Cheng

So because Xie Lian saw HC’s red eye and declared it as beautiful, I made it so that HC and E-ming had a healthier relationship, and it’s shown in how HC takes better care of E-ming and treats him like a puppy.

In Chapter 5 he summarized his relationship that it started off as a curse (before XL), then it became his source of strength (After XL), and then his weapon. Chapter 7 shows that E-ming became his weapon because he wanted to forge something to protect XL in line with what he promised. His “wait for me, and I’ll come back to protect you” promise.

Role reversal

A theme I absolutely love with this universe! It’s very subtle, but it makes me soft.

In the flashbacks, it’s shown that XL is the one who took care of HC, from giving him a reason to live until he took care of him in his teens and made sure he was fed and sheltered and loved.

In the present time, HC becomes that person for XL, where XL is so sad and tired, HC became that person who brought him food, and validated him, and took care of him through their interactions.

“Tell me what you want”

Another theme I really wanted to incorporate in this universe. Related to the role reversal is the theme of asking for something that you want, and being able to give it to that person.

In Chapter 2, we have many instances of San Lang telling Xie Lian to just ask for what he wants, and we also have many instances of San Lang acknowledging any sort of request XL asks of him, even going away if XL says so (“You should go”)

Chapter 3, in HC’s flashback, we see that this came from XL doing the same for HC. Asking him what he wants. If you notice, XL didn’t tell HC to not kill himself when HC says he wants to die and reincarnate, but rather asked what he wanted to reincarnate as and then provide it.

Chapter 4, we see how XL’s wants are mostly ignored by other people (except SQX), until San Lang comes along, where he reassures XL that his wants are valid. Also, we see how XL 

Chapter 7, the big reveal that the entire time XL was doing what HC wanted before he died (“what do you want, I’ll do anything” “Wait for me”), and so HC goes back and asks XL again what he wants.

References to their canon themes

“Just one person is enough” - except here, it was one devotee praying for Xie Lian to overcome the shackles

“They’ve been running towards each other for 800 years” - in the sense that they’ve been doing things for each other and waiting and looking for each other for 800 years.

HuaLian back and forth - living for one another and meeting in the middle

MY DREAM with this fic was that I wanted to do in this fic was the constant back and forth between HuaLian. I revealed little by little their backstory over the course of several chapters in their POVs to showcase how important they were to each other, even when they didn’t really get to know each other that well.

Xie Lian gave Hong-er a reason to live by being ‘reborn’ as one of his flowers.

Hong-er becomes Xie Lian’s most dedicated believer, praying everyday and . Note, for a minor god this is a Big Deal because he has so few believers and temples to begin with.

Xie Lian takes care of Hong-er by feeding him, giving him company through flowers, and leading him to shelter, which was a Big Deal to homeless, abandoned Hong-er.

Xie Lian chose isolation over exile so that he could still take care of Hong-er.

Hong-er sacrificed himself by starving and not sleeping to pray non-stop to save Xie Lian from the shackles.

Hong-er asked Xie Lian to wait for him, because he was already dead set on becoming a ghost/not resting in peace in order to protect Xie Lian due to his own disappointment in himself.

Xie Lian, despite his grief, continued to live and wait in acknowledgement of Hong-er’s wish. He endured 800 years of imprisonment and mental torture in honor of Hong-er’s last wish.

Hong-er becomes HC and spends 800 years becoming a Ghost King and looking for XL so that he could fulfill his end of the wish.

And finally, they meet in the middle.

WAAAAAAA it’s so much but I super enjoyed writing this fic! Did you guys catch all of this in your read through? Are there other things you noticed? I have more, but they’ll be more fleshed out in the last 3 chapters!

[slyfire]

finally watching tgcf S2 !!!

Note: i'm writing this as I watch. It's only been 30secs but the animations is, once again, beautiful.

THE INTRO IS ALSO BEAUTIFUL. oh we are so fucking back.

I didn't know how I felt about about Lang Qianqiu's donghua design at first, but I think it suits him haha.

The scene of everyone talking bad about Xie Lian...for some reason hyped me for seeing book 2 animated, even though we won't get there this season.

After seeing manhua Pei Ming so much, it's kinda strange to see him without the face tattoo (?). Especially since this isn't the first time he's appeared in the donghua.

ENHANCE SQX SPOTTED !!

!!!11!!!!

oh how I've missed you donghua Xie Lian...

Is it just me or are Jun Wu's hands kinda...too big?

man oh man...

ugh it's so nice to see Xie Lian's & Shi Qingxuan's friendship.

I wasn't planning on this post being just SQX oops. I think it's interesting how different his male and female forms are. But she's always pretty so good for her!

Ghost city vibes are on point. The blur effect is an interesting choice, but I like it.

Donghua Jian Lan looks great!

DID XIE LIAN REMOVE HER HAND OFF HIS CHEST WHERE THE RING IS?

Hmmm the translation I saw was Xie Lian's just said he has a...medical condition? was that a translation issue or a censorship issue?

Hua Cheng with the 'bored af' pose.

There's been a lot of 'hair falls over shoulder' shots...not that I mind. I'm loving them all.

Do you think HC straightened up so he looked extra poised for XL

EP over...I'm so ready for the rest of the season!

[apoptoses]

3, 4, 10, go!

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

ADHD medication. XL Big Gulp of Coke from the gas station. No plan, we're flying by the seat of our pants. It's awful, it's probably doing a number on my nervous system, but it has worked every single time I've liked an idea so we're sticking with it.

Lately though I've also been doing Lizard Time, where I go lay in my back yard for an hour in the sun, put on a spotify playlist called Buffalo Bill Bops (yeah, that buffalo bill) and then thinking about whatever scenario I want to force Daniel through. Then I go in, write down some vague notes of how things went and any dialogue I thought was good. And....we'll see, I'm gonna sit down and try to write one of those out this week and figure out if knowing exactly what I want to happen makes things go more or less smoothly.

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

In a good way: obscene. I want Daniel to feel like everything Armand does is obscene, it's the life he deserves.

In a bad way: baby. I hate that as a pet name, it gives me the ick, you'll never see me have anyone call Armand baby ever.

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Sometimes things haunt me in a bad way when I feel stuck or overwhelmed. Anyone who I talk to regularly knows this fucking big fic about made me insane because it's big and overwhelming and editing and chopping things into chapters made me wanna barf on a regular basis. The scrivener trial helped with that but sometimes I still look at the whole thing and side-eye it, I hate feeling like I don't know what I'm doing.

Fic-wise, @monstersinthecosmos fic where Daniel and Armand watch Videodrome lingers in the back of my mind a lot! I read it when I was struggling with severe depression (hence being a loser who hasn't commented on it yet) but I just enjoyed it so much I ended up actually renting Videodrome. And then I loved that movie so much I bought a videodrome t-shirt when this indie t-shirt brand released one haha

It's short and they're cuddling and watching this weirdo body horror movie, and Armand is having these delightful body horror adjacent thoughts about the sounds of Daniel's organs and Daniel is getting all turned on by this sex scene just. It feels like an essential snapshot of them. Their ideal date night. It has all the Armand/Daniel elements I ever want packed into one scene and really formed my image of who they are.

[purplesurveys]

1653

This survey is blatantly designed to be a year-end one, but because there are no rules when it comes to surveys and I want to take this, I’m gonna go ahead and base this starting from April 2022 to today hahaha.

First things first, did you have a good year? It was pretty average. 2022 was a major transition year work-wise, moving up the ladder; I also had to cope with Kimi’s passing and handling his cremation. There were highlights here and there, but overall I wouldn’t be as enthusiastic looking back on 2022 as I would be with, like, 2021 which was just a lovely year.

How old did you turn this year? I turned 24 last year; will be turning 25 in a couple of weeks.

Do you feel your age? Not fully. It’s weird; I feel like a grownup in some aspects, but still like a clueless kid in others. In any case, I just think it’s good that I at least don’t feel ‘lost’ navigating my 20s. I kinda just go with the flow and make sure I learn as I go.

Did your appearance change in anyway? Yeah, I dyed my hair purple back in October although at this point it’s already faded back to a light brown and my roots are growing out like crazy. I’m planning to dye it purple again before my trip to Bangkok.

Post your favorite selfie. Eh, not really a selfie girl. I like how I look more when the photo’s taken by someone else.

If you traveled, where did you go? Just out of town trips. I went to Batangas (I THINK??? I already forgot haha) sometime in like November, then Zambales in December.

Which fashion trends did you love? Which fashion trends did you hate? I’m not a big fan of the whole space-y Y2K look; too bold for my liking. As for trends I liked and participated in, I’m really big on the oversized look! It’s definitely K-pop’s effect on me lol but anyway because of how idols dress and all, I’ve been stocking up on L/XL shirts and sweatshirts.

What was your favorite article of clothing this year? Post a pic if possible? The green trousers I got.

What song sums up this year for you? Hm, probably For Youth by BTS. The song was too painful to listen to for a time since I would associate it with Kimi (it came out the day he died), but over time I’ve warmed up to it and have gotten brave enough to listen to it more frequently. Now it’s a nice little nod to both my dog and the boys.

What album came out and has been on heavy rotation since then? For 2022, Proof, Jack in the Box, Indigo, Renaissance, This is Why; for 2023, Face. OMG this just made me realize all my faves released albums last year – ok, maybe 2022 wasn’t all horrible hahaha.

What was your favorite movie of the year? Didn’t really watch any in 2022 and haven’t watched a new movie this year so far either.

Did an actor/actress catch your attention for the first time this year? Wooshik, maybe? I’ve known him for ages but largely as part of the Wooga Squad, but I watched him in Parasite last year and I was obsessed with his performance.

Favorite new TV show? I watched Our Beloved Summer but never got to finish it; it’s got nothing to do with how I feel about the show though as I loved every episode I saw – my attention span for K-dramas is really just terrible to begin with haha.

Which new ship/fandom has taken over a lot of your time, attention, and tears? I stayed in Boraland throughout 2022 lol.

What food did you try for the first time? Hmmmm I got to try Sundays, which opened last year; I’m not really sure how to classify their restaurant since they kinda serve everything hahaha from pasta to wings to pizza to Filipino food to burgers...anyway I’ve always loved their food so it’s since been a fave hangout for me and my friends whenever we’re at the area.

Did you make any big permanent changes this year? Not really. 2022 wasn’t one for major changes.

Did you develop a new obsession? Apart from BTS, no not really lol.

Did you vote? Of course. I’d never take that right for granted. My vote ultimately lost but I’ll always be proud of my choice.

Did you move? Nope.

Did you get a job? Nah. I attempted to in the latter half of the year, even going so far as reaching a second interview with a potential employer, but I ended up sticking it out to the very end and ended up getting promoted in January.

Did you get a pet? We got Agi in April, but we also lost Kimi in June.

Do you regret not doing anything? Yeah, I’m sure we’re always thinking of stuff we could’ve or should’ve done.

Do you regret doing something? Sure.

Have you done anything that scared you? Sure, I remember feeling quite scared and antsy during that weird almost-resigned phase.

Did anyone/thing make you so mad it stayed with you for days? Yes, when I was stuck working on a major event with a 1-week leadtime for a client I absolutely HATED which happened to be the same week Kimi’s health rapidly deteroriated and ultimately died. I never viewed or respected that client the same way after that.

Did you lose anyone close to you? Yeah Kimi, my soulmate in every sense of the word.

Did you fall in love? Nope.

Did you fall out of love? Nope.

Did you start a new relationship? I didn’t.

Did you go through a break up? No, never going through that again.

Did you have to cut ties to someone? Eh kind of, just people from high school who had opinions I hated and wanted to stop seeing on my feed. I didn’t have to cut ties with anyone I had a highly emotional/close relationship with, at least.

Who was important to you this year but wasn’t important last year? Maybe my associates? I wasn’t working with them yet last year, but now I try to form a close bond with them so they can feel comfortable with me while also growing and learning in their careers.

Who wasn’t as important to you this year as they were last year? Not sure; apart from the two ^ I’ve kept more or less the same circle.

What was the best moment of the year for you? What was the worst? Best was without a doubt the Busan con. Worst was Kimi’s death.

What are you most proud of accomplishing? Apart from the usual ‘surviving the year,’ maybe planning an out-of-town trip for and with my friends for the first time.

What have you learned about yourself this year that you didn’t know in the years prior? I have to work on my patience and have to accept the fact that people have different learning curves and working paces.

What do you wish for yourself for the coming year? Not to get my ass fired.

[biffhofosho]

Chapter 4

The end of chapter 3 almost became the end of me, sadly I had to rush to tend to my family BUT their conversation stayed with me for the rest of the time. Hyungwon was so vulnerable and honest and she responded in kind and his smile at the end. JKNG;KJSD\NVO;I

NOW LET’S SEE WHAT THIS CHAPTER HAS FOR US

The description of the palace, wow, if used to that, no wonder the emperor and empress feel anything less than that was inferior. I understand but still boooooo for them. In any case I am happy Naran found a favorite place in the palace

“I’m very relieved, my lady. My room is on the left. Yours is on the right.”

“They’re closer than I thought.”

“Do not worry on that account, Princess. I shall never intrude unless you ask me to visit you.”

I AM DYING!!!!

And her room? Bed big enough for two? The ANTICIPATION???

It wasn’t long now. She would be in this bed, and it wouldn’t be for sleeping.

I should like it very much if you looked at me…

“Is everything all right in there?” called Hyungwon from the lobby.

OF COURSE NOTHING IS OK!!!!!!!!! Oaeo;bfonbfdzoojmlkerf

I just LOVE how affected Naran is by Hyungwon

Change her name? NO WAY. it must have been so difficult for Hyungwon to oppose to his father’s wishes

“Prince Hyungwon risked his father’s favor to side with you, my sun. Did you not see?”

“I saw a son challenging a father, same as I do with my mother. It’s nothing novel.”

“Stubborn and willful thing,” said the queen, though this time it was colored with warmth. “You truly are a reed, Narangerel. He did that for you, not in spite of his father. My read on that boy was exactly right. You two will be something magnificent.”

kjNGV;O\NV;OI\SNVKLDMZ;XL  HE IS DOING IT FOR HIMSELF BUT ALSO FOR HER, I AM SURE!!

WEDDING DAY JITTERS!!!!! I totally understand her, I would be running for the hills!!

“I couldn't survive this without you, Magda.”

“Of course you could. New title or not, you’re Moghul. We can survive anything.”

SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

Ahh the ceremony, you’re describing everything so well, I can see it vividly in my head

LOL THE GOOSE HONKING

“When the curtains covering the doorway were pulled back, her husband waited with his hand outstretched. “Welcome home, Princess Supreme Narangerel.”

His cheeks were plump and his eyes were crescents as his wife slipped her hand into his. The palanquin shifted with her weight, and Naran pitched forward into Hyungwon’s grip. He lowered her to the ground, and together, they headed into the throne room.”

THIS IS SENDING ME

And the last line, GODS I CAN’T wait to read that following chapter!!!! But it will have to wait for now.

Yes, I really wanted the palace to feel overwhelming and impressive, and it is (since it's a real place and wow wow wow, you know?). Maybe the emperor and empress will be a bit more than we've initially seen, but the question is in what ways?

Ahhhhhhhhhh the bedroom scenes. The building tension in those scenes is my favorite thing in that chapter, tbh. The implications and the possibilities!

Affected? Yes. Acknowledging it to herself? Haha, thope.

Hyungwon's motivations for a lot of things will become clearer and clearer in the very near future. What a stupid, beautiful hunk... *sob*

Babygirl Magda is always there just when she's needed the most.

The wedding scene was actually kind of insane to write tbh. Part of me wanted to make it its own chapter, but I ultimately made the decision to leave it at the end of four because in reality, the day was so out of Naran's control and, ultimately, despite the fact that she's the star of the day, she has very little to do with it! Isn't that insane? As I researched royal weddings, my first impression was that the woman is a fixture more than anything. As I said in that section, everything happens around her and to her, but she is not required to do much of anything! She's a piece on a board game being shuffled around to strengthen other pieces. I wanted that to shine through the exposition. Honestly, it's meant to be pretty sad, despite how lovely a few key players are in their little interactions with Naran.

Hahaha, the funny thing is the goose was actually a part of the royal ceremony for real, but I also wanted it to infuse a bit of how preposterous everything was happening around her. ;)

In the end, the wedding day was hardly about the couple, isn't that crazy? Those bits and bobs at the end when the bride and groom could finally connect need to really felt like they mattered because the reality is he's all she'll have in short order, huh.

So if the day wasn't about them, let's see how if they can make the night heh heh heh.

Love you, girlie! <3

[httpkittenn]

lovers over haters

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

Lovestruck - fic

Characters: Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, kinda Dick Pairings: future!jondami, implied-kinda?timkon, also timbernard Summary: Damian starts acting weird after Tim and Bernard begin dating. Turns out even this kid can be naive, and a total idiot, when he wants to be. A/N: idk a headcanon I couldn’t stop thinking about haha. Damian is absolutely one of those genius kids who don’t know the most basic things. Also if it’s not clear, Damian is comparing Tim’s answers to what he likes in people to if they match Conner. all ages are current canon so Tim is immortal and Damian is 14 mkay bye.

~~

When Tim started dating Bernard, he expected a lot of different things. He expected Bruce’s protectiveness, Dick’s softness, Jason’s gift of XL condoms, Cassandra’s date suggestions and even Stephanie’s own prepared shovel talks for his new paramour.

But he did not expect…well, this.

He did not expect to see Damian sitting on the front porch when Bernard brought him home from their third date. He did not expect Damian to start furiously writing in the notebook on his lap at the sight of them.

He did not expect to come down to breakfast and see the kitchen table scattered with notes and lists and images of way too pretty people, pictures of Bernard and Steph among them.

“…What are you doing?” Tim found himself asking sleepily.

“Research.” Damian replied simply, sipping thoughtfully from a mug on the island. “None of your concern.”

“Oh yeah?” Tim asked as he approached. Instantly he tapped the photos of Steph and Bernard. “So why are there pictures of my ex-girlfriend and current…boyfriend here?”

His stomach still did giddy jumps at the thought.

Damian’s lips twitched, like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Then he reached out and slid the photos underneath some papers. “Just…persons of interests.”

“For?”

“None of your concern.” Damian reiterated. Quickly, he began to shuffle all of his papers and pictures together. “Jeez, what does that Dowd boy even see in you…”

And then he was gone before Tim’s pre-caffeine mind could catch up.

After that, Damian was less obvious, but Tim could still catch on. In fact, everyone was catching on. But, like the emotionally constipated Bats they were, no one said anything, or tipped their youngest off.

They all just watched, as he suddenly began to distantly follow Tim around. Around the house, around the city, both as a civilian and in uniform. It was Cassandra who declared that Damian was watching who Tim was interacting with, not necessarily him.

He never followed him on his dates, though.

Then came the questions. Every time they were together. They’d go to lunch downtown near the office, and Damian would ask:

“Do you like that girl’s hair?”

“Would you ever wear those shoes?”

“How much do you respect a person if their suit jacket doesn’t fit them properly?”

When they’d be staking out a suspect on a building overlooking a street corner, he’d say:

“That belt is too gaudy.”

“You can tell he spent way too many hours in the mirror getting ready to go to that disgusting dive.”

“I can’t believe she’s walking on this street in those heels. Would you go for comfort or fashion?”

And it continued, the following, the seemingly random questions. After a while, Tim chalked it up to…maybe Damian was just getting to know him. Just trying to actually get along for once in their lives. They were both getting older, more mature. Maybe it was just time they started acting like what they were.

Brothers.

But then he came home one afternoon to find Dick standing in the manor’s foyer, back leaning against the wall that led into the central sitting room they all used. It was almost evening, which meant Damian was most likely in there sketching, or reading with his pets.

Dick noticed him open the door, and quickly put a finger to his smiling lips. Tim nodded and silently closed the door behind him, carefully took off his shoes and jacket, then tiptoed over to Dick.

He peeked around Dick’s shoulder. Sure enough, Damian was in there, but he was standing at the fireplace, staring down into the flames.

Jason sat in the loveseat behind him.

“Jay just got in there. He hasn’t said anything yet.” Dick breathed. Tim frowned skeptically. Surely Damian knew who was in the house. Knew there was something going on if Jason had just sought him out.

“What are we interrogating him for?” Tim whispered back. “Did he lose one of Alfred’s recipe books again?”

Dick just shook his head and pointed into the room. Tim looked back in.

Jason was relaxed in the chair, but staring intensely at his youngest brother. Damian must have known that, felt his eyes, because he wasn’t looking up. Kept his gaze glued to the fire at his feet.

Suddenly, Jason huffed, crossing his arms. “Spill.”

“Spill what.” Damian rolled his eyes.

“Spill why you’re stalking Tim.” Jason said bluntly. “Why you’re asking him all those dumbass questions.” A pause. “…Why you’re keeping tabs on his boyfriend.”

Tim inhaled sharply, glaring up at Dick. Dick waved both his arms quickly, implying that Jason’s words weren’t true, that it was just to catch Damian off guard.

“I’m not keeping tabs on him, Todd. That’s ridiculous.” Damian countered. “I’m merely making sure they’re still together.”

A moment to let the fire crackle.

“Well, I’m also making sure that boy isn’t hurting or manipulating Drake in some way.” Damian murmured softly. “But mostly, I’m just making sure they’re still together.”

Jason crossed his ankle over his knee. “Why?”

“What, I can’t be concerned for my brother’s safety and happiness?”

Jason snorted. “Not that brother’s.”

Damian glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. Then back to the fire.

Jason waited a minute, let his eyes dart across Damian’s back, study his posture. “…Why are you so concerned if Tim and his new boy-toy are still together?”

Damian shrugged silently.

“Don’t do that.” Jason scolded. “Use your words, Damian. Like a big boy.”

Damian let out a frustrated exhale. “I’m just…confirming Drake isn’t looking elsewhere.”

“What, to cheat on his boyfriend?” Jason drawled. “Timmy’s not the cheating type, I can tell.”

“No. No.” Damian said sternly. “That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying!” Damian threw his arms out. Let them fall back to his thighs with a slight smack. “…I’m saying I’ve seen him look at others the way he looks at Bernard Dowd and that is…concerning. …To me.”

“Others?” Jason questioned. “What others?”

“Like Conner Kent!” Damian finally spun around now. Jason’s eyebrows rose in surprise and Damian rolled his eyes again. “Oh don’t tell me you don’t see it. Those two have been flirting with each other since the damn day they met. Drake dating this boy now only confirms the possibility of their eventual coupling.”

Jason let his face settle back into neutral, let the words bounce around in his brain. “Okay…I guess I can agree with that.”

Tim glanced up at Dick, who gave him a wink. Tim’s face instantly went beet red.

“But that still tells me nothing.” Jason continued. “So Tim and Conner maybe had or have crushes on each other. Maybe they’re attracted to each other. Maybe they’re forever star-crossed and nothing will ever happen. So what? Why does that bother you?”

Damian kept his lips pressed firmly together. After a moment, he spun back towards the fire.

“…Damian?”

“…Because it would be weird.” Damian said at last. “It would be weird if he and Conner…”

Damian’s voice fell to an unintelligible mumble.

“What?” Jason asked gently. “I didn’t catch that.”

Damian mumbled again, still impossible to understand.

“Kid, you’re gonna have to speak up, okay. I can’t hear you-”

“I said it would be weird if he was dating Conner while I was dating Jon!” Damian yelled, whirling around once more. “And if he breaks up with Dowd and starts dating Conner before I can gain the courage to talk to Jon then I’ll lose my chance!”

His last words echoed in the space around them. Floated into the hallway and echoed up the stairs, too.

Not that anyone noticed. Tim had grabbed Dick’s bicep, while Dick had thrown a hand over his own mouth in surprise.

“Oh my god.” Tim whispered. “Oh my god, oh my god.”

“That…” Dick murmured. “That’s the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Jason, luckily, had more composure than the two of them, and suddenly Tim realized why it was Jason doing the prodding, not Dick.

Jason’s eyes had just widened, no other movement than that. He remained still, remained calm, even as Damian’s face darkened, and embarrassed tears appeared in the corners of his eyes.

“Oh.” He said simply. “Oh, Damian.”

“Shut up.” Damian crossed his arms again, but they all knew this time it was to hold himself. “Don’t…don’t make fun of me.”

“Never.” Jason promised. “But also, not a thing you need to worry about.”

“Why, because Jon will turn me down anyway?” Damian whispered bitterly, turning away. Not towards the fire this time, just the window.

“He’d be an idiot to, and I’ll beat the shit out of him if he does.” Jason said as he uncrossed his legs and leaned his elbows on his knees. “No, I mean, you don’t need to worry about it because it wouldn’t be weird if y’all just so happened to be double-dating.”

Damian waited, then glanced back at Jason. “It wouldn’t?” Jason smiled and shook his head. “There isn’t like…I mean…a law…?” He inhaled slowly. “If Drake and Conner started dating, wouldn’t that make Jonathan and I…related?”

“That’s only if they got married, and even then, wouldn’t be weird.” Jason shrugged. “What, you’ve never heard those stories of like…twins marrying another set of twins? That shit happens all the time. You wouldn’t be the first.”

Damian blinked owlishly, let his hands fall back to his sides. “…Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” Jason laughed, standing. “Besides, Tim seems to really like Blondie whats-his-name so…I really don’t think you have anything to worry about.” A second, to cheekily add: “At least…not right now.”

Damian twisted his lips. “I told you their chemistry was obvious.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, so is Bruce and Clark’s if you ask the tabloids and half the Justice League.” Jason droned, reaching out for Damian’s shoulder and tugging him into his side. “But like I said, don’t worry about it. Who cares about your idiot brother and who he’s dating, let’s focus more on you and how you’re gonna woo one Jonathan Kent, mmkay?”

He quickly ushered Damian out of the room using a door on the far side, only glancing back once to mouth oh my god! dramatically to the ones watching from the hall.

“That…” Tim exhaled as Jason closed the door behind them. “…was the most precious thing I think I’ve ever seen.”

Dick hummed in agreement, then: “…But is he right?”

Tim glanced up at him.

“You and Conner?”

Tim felt his face warm a little. “…I’m dating Bernard, Dick.”

“Okay.”

“And…I think I should go call him. We haven’t talked all day.”

Dick smirked. “Okay.”

“…Don’t look at me like that.”

Dick let out a chuckle. “Okay.”

“…Stop saying okay.”

“…Okay.”

“Dick!”

He laughed again. “Sorry, sorry.” He ran his fingers through Tim’s hair. “Tell Bernard I said hello, and also warn him that your younger brother is absolutely ready to gut him, should he hurt you.”

Oh yeah. Tim forgot that little tidbit. He felt his face warm even faster.

“Yeah…” He sighed, turning towards the stairs. He ignored the little flutter in his heart, at the idea of his lovesick, protective, ridiculous little brother. God, that kid. “Yeah, I think that’s probably something he oughta know.”

[leonicscorpio]

Batboy Headcanons because I made this for me but you all can enjoy this too if want. (May contain mild NSFW)

Dick:

Has a weird relationship with unwanted gaze and the attention he receives because of his physique. He genuinely likes the attention but he draws the line when people start getting touchy. Just because he's shirtless working out doesn't mean he gave you consent to touch him.

Has good dieting skills but he's in his mid-late 20's and his metabolism has 0 signs of slowing down. He once ate a whole xl bag of M&M's in front of Steph and Babs and both said they wanted to murder him because he won't gain a pound.

Dick has ADHD and I'm sorry if you don't think otherwise. He has hyperactive type ADHD and while he's gotten better at controlling his symptoms he still stims stretching and flexing his arms and shaking his arms.

While not so much in Gotham, Dick is very politically active and volunteers at voter registration and working with organizations with the mission of police demilitarization in Blüdhaven.

Dick is a very sexually driven individual. However, I don't think it's entirely healthy. His ADHD also comes into play with this but Dick just needs to have a release at least twice a day or he'll feel physically sick.

I don't know if you all have seen male gymnasts. But Dick, like the rest of them, has FREAKSISHLY large biceps. Everyone talks about Dick has the best ass in the bat family and while Jason may be larger and stronger, Dick has the best physique.

Dick's apartment is littered with sticky notes in places such as the fridge/in front of his computer. If it's not written down and in a place where he can't ignore it, it's not going to get done.

I'm sorry I know everyone says his birthday is in March but I have to go to the older Nightwing comics and say his Birthday is December 1st. I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me this man doesn't give off Sagittarius energy. You can't. I respect you but you can't look at that and tell me that man isn't a Sagittarius or has super heavy Sag in his birth chart.

Dick's at home doing nothing but chilling? You best believe he's gonna be shirts off, tits out, and rocking some blue flannel PJ's.

Dick is currently the only member of the family asides from Barbara who is regularly attending therapy. And he actively encourages each of his brothers and sisters to go every time.

After his Agent 37 days. He sits down with Jason and talks about having to use a gun and how hard it was. And how having to kill people has affected him. When he had to kill the KGBeast (Agent 37 days he snapped his neck) I headcanon Dick just trauma v*mit*d. Jason hugged him and just consoled him.

It's canon that Dick has anger issues but to me, it's not explored or talked about enough and not a lot of people like to talk about it. Dick is very much the 'if I ignore it it'll go away' type when it comes to his anger and he can brush most insults or harassment off fine enough. But when he breaks, he makes Jason look like a saint. I'm talking slamming you into a wall and screaming in your face angry. He'll be profusely apologetic afterward but still.

Despite popular belief, I don't think he's that bad of a cook. He's just not very experimentative. He can follow a recipe and does look at some guides. But to me, Dick Grayson just is that guy who is like Chicken veggies and rice are a meal that I can cook 4-6 times a week.

Dick has a slight fear of dentists. He doesn't have bad teeth and has good dental health. He just doesn't like the idea of a drill going in his mouth and the few times Bruce has to take him to a dentist he had a panic attack every time.

Everyone lives for the fics where Jason beats the shit out of Tim and everyone is just like lol well Bruce and Dick just forgives him. No. When Dick found out it was Jason who beat Tim to the ground, Dick was literally seething and told Jason "Pick on someone your own size or else I'll make you wish you back in that f'ing coffin."

Dick's favorite foods (some based in Canon*): Milk Chocolate*, Cereal*, Asparagus, Bananas, Banana flavored candy, Hawaiian Pizza* (suffer its canon) Rum, thanksgiving Turkey.

Jason:

He may be the self-diagnosed black sheep (rightfully so) of the family, but Jason does genuinely love spending time with his siblings. Whether it be sharing memes with them on social media or just randomly showing up where they are and abducting them to go get ice cream/coffee/snacks.

He'd probably attempt to harm you if you told him this to his face. But he is the closest acting to Bruce out of all of the family. In terms of mannerisms and inherent warmth and kindness behind a dark façade.

Has two moods: either exceptionally, almost neat-freak levels of clean, or his life is completely falling apart and Jason can't tell you for sure what color his floors are because there's so much stuff scattered about.

Despite their initial hatred of each other, Jason truly feels closest to Tim and Tim is the only person asides from maybe Barbra who he can just talk to without feeling any judgment.

Jason only smokes when he's extremely nervous about an operation or a hit. For those who don't know criminal justice cigarettes are the fastest way to get genetic material on someone. That being said he does still like to smoke occasionally.

Me, plus a lot of people give him this sort of 'Lazarus Rage' as I like to call it. When he's in the heat of a mission or if he's getting upset/angry his vision will get blurred with green, and it feeds on his anger and just gets perpetually harder to contain until he releases it. Jason has gotten much better at controlling it. But as he will tell Tim or Babs, he's "seeing green" which means they need to be careful because Jason could kill.

Everyone says Dick is the mother hen. I see you, I accept you, but let me raise you. Jason came to realize that he died because of his rash decision to go after The Joker alone. If Jason finds any of his siblings out acting alone, or even at the very least without Oracle. Jason WILL forcefully interject himself and ask them what the fuck they think their doing.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Trying to get close to Jason is hard. He will degrade you can attempt to try to get you to hate him before he lets you in (that cheeky Tsun of him)

He genuinely cares for and supports all of his siblings but has been rough on them needlessly. But if Bruce is being the distant or absent parent he is, you better believe if any of the siblings drops him a text or a call, Jason will be there in a heartbeat.

He's the most physically powerful of the whole Bat Family. You don't understand because of his time in the League, his time with the All-Caste, and having abused Venom for a time, he can snap an arm bone like it's a carrot with little effort.

Everyone in the family likes dogs and goes out of their way to gush over a dog, but Jason takes it to a whole new level. And even when he's masked up dogs just gravitate to Jason.

Can and has grown a beard in a matter of a few days. He usually likes to be clean shaven but some days he likes to wear a beard just to throw everyone off.

One time him, Steph, Tim, and Duke all went to a restaurant (Red Robin lol) and the waitress got his order wrong and his burger had raw tomatoes on it, Jason took the tomatoes off and ate it while looking absolutely miserable. Tim: Jay why did you eat that you didn't have to you know you could have asked the server to fix your burger. Jason, almost in tears: "She works really hard and she tried and I'm a scary dude I don't want to make her upset.." Duke: "... Jason you literally shot at a cop for looking at you funny the other day. But you're afraid of upsetting a waitress?!? I mean ACAB but dude.. "

Jason's happiest big brother moment™ was taking Tim and Damian to the shooting range and watching them both get their first bullseye.

You can't tell me Jason Todd was into the Emo/Screamo/Warped-Tour Scene. His favorite bands/Albums in no particular order, That's the Spirit (Literally the whole album is Jason Themed and I'm gonna die on this hill) & Sempiternal by Bring me the Horizon, Digital Renegade & Everyone's Safe in the Treehouse by I See Stars, The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways by Crown the Empire,

Jason Todd's favorite foods: (Also some based in Canon*) Burgers, Chili Dogs*, Lager-style beers, Freshly baked bread*, Neopolitan ice cream, grilled corn, and Chinese Chicken noodle soup with Duck.

Tim:

This boy *slaps car roof* gives off so much asexual energy. I know New 52 exists but I just feel like Tim is the person who really, REALLY has to trust you and like you before he's sexually active with you.

HYPERFIXATES. You also can't tell me Tim isn't on the spectrum/or has ADHD.

Is the only member of the family who regularly checks up on Jason and talks to him every day via text message. The two are memelords together and love to play pranks on the other members.

While Dick may give the most frequent hugs and Jason gives the tightest, most secure hugs, Tim's hugs are always the warmest and make you just feel good.

Tim's birthday is July 19th. Meaning he's a Cancer. Let that sink in.. no, really let that information just soak. (Note I have nothing against Cancer women, cancer men however....)

All of the bat boys really struggle with talking about their feelings. Dick will manipulate you into changing the subject via twisting it to be about you, Jason will just cut you off or will ignore you, Damian will deflect everything and harass you until you stop, Tim however, Tim is very emotional and while he's very calculated about who he's emotional with, he's not afraid to break down and cry if he trusts you.

Everyone who says he's the level headed Robin haha how's it feel to be WRONG. Tim is at best the least functional college student and at worst a lemming. 'No Tim, coffee isn't a meal I'm going to make you some food or I'm going to stick you in a room with Damian for an hour.' Richard (Dick) John Grayson.

People overblow how addicted to caffeine Tim is. But it's true. Just overblown. You can talk to him before he's had his caffeine just don't expect him to be anything but curt and blunt.

Everyone says Jason would be the worst at texting but it's Tim. He's the master of leaving you on read. While Jason may do it on purpose, Tim is just really bad at texting people and while he always will read your messages he forgets to respond unless it's really funny or really pressing.

Everyone sees Tim as this bean pole super skinny boy Robin. Tim may not be stacked like Dick or a freaking tank like Jason, but Tim is NOT super skinny. He's just as muscular and likes to work out as anyone, but he just is super lean, so he looks a lot bigger and his muscles are more defined because of how thin his skin is. He has those almost disgusting spider veins on his arm. Kind of gross to look at, but he's the dream of any nurse. This means Tim is also the king of accidentally sending/posting thirst traps.

He really is the glue of the Bat Family. Everyone kidnaps Tim for 'Tim Time'.

Dick likes to spar with and in general just hang out with Tim. Tim tried to teach Dick how to skateboard and you'd think the boy who mastered the trapeze would know how to skateboard but you'd be wrong.

Babs and Tim always hang out and talk about computer stuff and Babs knows she can vent to Tim about anything and he won't say a word.

Tim and Steph were a thing for a while and even though they're just friends now, they still are very close and the two have a very deep bond, liking to shop with each other and watch movies,

Cass just loves to be around Tim because of how calming he is but also she knows she can spar with him AND Cass can also skateboard with Tim too.

Even though him and Damian are always fighting, the two still end up being together and have this unspoken bond. They work great together on a team but other than that they still hate each other.

And while everyone still is hesitant around Jason, and despite the fact that Jason literally beat Tim to within an inch of his life, AND would still trigger Tim and taunt him about it. The two have this odd closeness that rivals even him and Steph. Tim will always be the first to bat for Jason. Jason was Tim's Robin. And despite the fact Jason literally beat it into Tim's head to "never meet your heroes." Tim will always be there for Jason should he ask. The two are just close. And it's hard to describe. Bruce has caught Tim and Jason just platonically sleeping next to each other or just doing their own things shoulder to shoulder silently, just enjoying each other's company.

Tim and Duke also have a really positive relationship with one another and the two can stay up all night just talking about anything. Their minds just mesh well together. The two also love to team up and prank the other members of the Batman Family.

Tim's favorite ASMR/Stim? Watching those Tik Toks of people cleaning computers or cleaning phones. The sound of an air duster is like music to his ears and if any of the Bats need their technology cleaned it secretly makes Tim so happy to help them.

Wear his hair up or wear his hair down? It depends! While Tim likes his long hair he also has gotten plenty of compliments for his short hair and likes to style it to suit any occasion.

My one pet-peeve with Tim is that he probably is that person who lets his privilege show from time to time. While he was essentially raised to just sit down, shut up, and be a perfect trophy son to the Drake's. The Drake's were in the same tax bracket as Bruce and Tim definitely was a rich kid. He never means to come across as spoiled, but sometimes Jason will give him harsh looks if Tim just throws away food he doesn't like or says things like Chipotle is 'poor people food'

Tim Drake's favorite foods (you know by now*) Donuts*, Shallot and Artichoke Pizza with Canadian Bacon* (odd choice but it could work) Artichokes in general are his favorite vegetable, Strawberries, and Beef Pho.

Damian:

I headcanon that he has the worst teeth of all of the Bat Boys and he actually has to use lingual braces. (Hence why you can't see his braces)

Canonically is a very good artist and while him and Tim don't get along, Tim introduced Damian to digital art and gave him a photoshop pack and a nice tablet for his birthday one year and Damian loved it so much.

Damian is a capricorn and I will die on this hill. A January capricorn too.

Now you want a good chef? You've got Damian. Having converted to veganism Damian has had to get creative whenever he goes out to eat so he tends to like to eat more home cooked foods. Damian loves all matters of mushrooms, eggplant, and bell peppers.

Damian really struggles the most with his wanting to just be a normal kid. Despite the fact he will dismiss you for it, anytime he gets to spend at Gotham Academy with Jon and the rest of the kids he's naturally the happiest.

Damian LOVES to give gifts. He loves the look on people's faces when they are shocked when they actually get something from Damian.

Despite the fact that he's been traumatized from both his times with Ra's and Talia as well as with Bruce. He just wants Bruce and Talia to be together because he loves them both equally.

While he's the least flexible and least gymnastic of the Robins do let your guard down around him. He is the fastest runner and the guy is rivaled only by Jason in terms of lethality.

So someone (Jason Todd & Duke Thomas) introduced Damian to trap music and ever since anytime his phone gets stolen people will be shocked to find he's listening to some combination of Lil' Yachty, X, Kendrick Lamar, Wiz, and Kodak.

If any random person tries to hug Damian he'll immediately push them away, he'll bitch and moan about just about anyone hugging him other than Bruce & Dick.

Damian loves to go to the beach/the ocean. He just thinks it's so vast and he loves the brineness of the air. Also being half white, quarter middle-eastern and quarter Chinese (Yes everyone forgets Talia is half Chinese) Damian gets DARK. And although he's just okay as a swimmer he still likes bogeyboarding and eventually wants to learn how to surf.

I'm genuinely afraid once Puberty is done with this kid and everyone in the family is. He has Bruce Wayne AND Talia Al-Ghouls genes and those are two SEXY human beings. Damian's gonna grow a beard one day and people aren't going to know how to act.

Damian secretly plays Fortnight and not even Jon knows. He doesn't want to get shamed. He'd rather lose a match and ruin his streaks than deal with the shame of anyone in that family finding out he plays Fortnight.

Damian Wayne's favorite foods (canon*) Cereal*, Avocados, Grilled Tempeh, his mom's Tabbouleh, Mushroom Tacos, and Vegan Sushi rolls, and grape juice.

Duke Thomas

Duke is like, freakishly good with a piano, and he picked it up naturally!

Also everyone says Tim brews the best pot of coffee in the Bat Family, cue to everyone's surprise when Tim was sick one day and couldn't make a pot. Only to find the coffee was freaking amazing. Duke didn't take any credit at first until Alfred let it slip that Duke was the one who brewed the pot.

Duke being the only Meta of the family originally thought he was the double-token because he was a Meta and a black boy. Needless to say his fears were seriously unfounded the moment he got to know everyone.

Although he somewhat fears Jason and his temper initially, he and Jason have one of the closest relationships in the family. If Tim isn't around to bat for Jason, Duke will happily take his spot. The two work on each other's bikes and grew to share the same taste in music.

Duke uses his Photokenetic powers as a force for good and for shenanigans. Jason wants to play a prank on Dick and Damian while Dick is reading Damian a story? Duke will hide Jason in the shadows and will cover up his shadow. Alfred dropped something in the dark? You better believe Duke will find it in 3 seconds or less.

Duke makes it a point to visit his parents every weekend to talk to them. Although they are making some progress in their recoveries, it's still slow going. Eventually, he starts bringing members of the family to see his parents. It started with Cass, then Jason, and the rest followed suit.

Duke loves playing video games with Damian and even helps Damian beat some tougher levels when Damian is about to rage and destroy the console.

Duke is into Magic the Gathering and you cannot tell me otherwise. Duke also is the DM for the Bat Kids annual D&D games. I can and will make a D&D Batfam Headcanons if asked.

Loves Pho just as much as Cass and Tim and they all call it a date night every now and then where they can go to a hole in the wall pho place. It's really a secret between the three of them.

DUKE THOMAS IS THE BEST SWIMMER OF THE BAT BOYS AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL. HE JUST THRIVES IN THE WATER.

Finding out his birth father is a supervillain was really tough for him. He went into a shell for a little bit afterwards. Cass and Steph were there to help talk him out of his funk.

Duke Thomas's favorite foods (lol what canon DC hasn't acknowleged our boy in a while..) Chicken Pho, Thai Iced Tea, Papaya, Crab Cakes, Italian Hoagies, his mom's Lemon Poundcake, mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I hope y'all enjoyed! Up next (eventually) will be the Bat Girls!

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 51 - Amazing technology - 'Human with modified skull'

K: Hi this is Dir en grey's Kaoru with this week's  episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe, Tasai, welcome.

T: And thank you too.

J: Ta-da! We are wearing it.

K: Hahaha

J: We are wearing it. This is naturally cool, isn't it?

T: Yes.

K: Um, if we don't say anything the viewers won't understand.

J: Uh, Tasai, could you explain?

T: Um, so this is another Tokyo Sports T-shirt collaboration. We are putting one out.

K: It was a hoodie before, right? 

T: Yes, that was a collaboration with Don Quijote. This time we've collaborated with the store Hardcore Chocolate in Higashinakano, to create this really cool tshirt.

K: I'm wearing it too.

T: Oh, thank you. Its a Core-choco × Tokyo Sports collaboration.

*clapping/cheering*

K: The back is nice too.

J: Yeah, I mean, I can't see it myself though. What is written on it?

T: Its past Tokyo Sports headlines. The black is pro-wrestling headlines, like 'Inoki's grand KO defeat'.....'Hansen...near murder' etc.

J: Wow.

T: These shocking headlines are...

J: All over?

T: Yes, all over it. And as for the front, Joe, could you turn around?

J: Yes.

T: Those are copies of Tokyo Sports tied up with string, just on the verge of being thrown away, giving a kind if melancholic feel.

J: Ahh, this is cool too.

T: Its very Tokyo Sportsy.

K: Are the white and back versions different?

T:  Yes, they are different.

J: Ah! They are different?

K: The white one has 'Matsui' written on it.

T: Matsui's wedding.

J: Oh yeah.

K: This black one says, 'Brody'.

J: Pro-wrestling?

T: Yes, its mainly pro-wrestling. And the white is showbiz...

J: Sports and showbiz? Oh, so it is.

T: 'Elvis lives' and so on.

J: This is great...ah..'The Monster with 21 faces'!

K: Its nostalgic, isn't it?

T: Yeah, this type of thing.

J: Ahh..of course...Ah, shocking photos.

K: 'Discovery of Kappa'....'Madonna had hemorrhoids' haha.

K, J, T: Hahaha.

J: Does it really matter? haha.

T: Haha, that was about one time a long time ago when Madonna came to do a show in Japan. She requested a bidet toilet, so we reckoned maybe its because she had hemorrhoids.

J: Just from that? You put this headline with it?

K: Your info is thin!

T: Haha.

J: Right?! Zero fact checking! Guess after guess!

K: Incredible. So, there are two of these.

J: What should we do with them?

T: Well, I thought we could make them presents for the people who always watch The Freedom of Expression.

J: Ohhh! *claps*

K: There is black and white.

J: One of each?

T: Yes.

K: The size is S.

J: S?

K: Joe is wearing M, I'm wearing XL. Anyone who wants a big one..

J: Please but it.

K: Yes. For people who want S...um, what should we do...you could leave a comment on my Twitter..

T: With your thoughts on this show.

J: Of course.

T: Yes.

K: Yeah.

T: And we could choose one from those.

J: Leave a decent comment..

T: Like which was your favourite episode or something?

J: Ahh, you know how to do this!

K: Joe, its just that you're always drunk.

J: I'm always drunk, haha. When I see Tasai, Im learning how to conduct myself.

T: Excuse me brother, thank you very much.

J: Your stocks will rise with this tshirt. Yours and Tokyo Sports' stocks.

T: I hope so.

K: Everyone will be cool wearing this.

J: They really will be cool.

K: Please buy it, really.

J: If someone wanted to buy this, where do they get it from?

T: Probably online. You can buy it on Corechoco's site.

J: I see.

K: Ok, so today's story is a Tokyo Sports selection.

J: Its a Tokyo Sports day today.

T: A Tokyo Sports produced story...

The headline is 'Will we rise up in 2021? - Amazing technology, human with modified skull'. As for the content of the story, it asks what new technology will appear in the year 2021, and its by our science writer Hisano, who wrote about some of the things he'd heard.

J: Oh, so he's done it properly?

T: Yes. So firstly, well, we hear a lot about this A.I. deepfake problem at the moment, don't we? Like changing faces without permission, and making these made-up sexy images which cause harm, for example. *1

J: Yeah, its the basis of fake news, right?

T: We are hearing about that more and more, thats the first thing. Secondly, there is apparently this idea called, 'Trans-human' where people power up their own body with technology, and Hisano wondered whether Trans-human technology with develop a lot during this year. Specifically, well, there is actually someone doing this in Spain, Manel de Aguas. He peeled back the skin on his head and attatched self-mafe fin shaped devices to his skull. The fins contain a bone conducting oscillator and temperature sensor, so he can tell if the weather is hot or cold through vibrations in his head. So, this is a way to catch very small atmospheric changes that regular people wouldn't normally be able to sense.

J: I see.

T: And there are pictures of him, so please take a look.

J: If you go to the Tokyo Sports website?

T: Yes, you can see it there. Furthermore, well, there are quite a lot of other examples, like a 'trans-human' using prosthetics, or having an IC chip implanted into your hand to use for the train etc. On top of that, France has plans to make a conscription army like this. The name  of the project is 'The Bionic Soldier Project', which is a really cool name. They would be like super strong soldiers who never got tired and didn't need sleep, and who could heighten their sight and hearing with medication, and would have communication equipment embedded in their brains to connect directly to wireless  netwoks. Bionic soldiers..scary, right?

J: Yeah. Its like the end to the era of traditional fighting.

T: Research has been going on even longer America, in their Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where paralyzed patients have had chips embedded in their brain, and have successfully been able to control drones with their thoughts. They've already done that. Even bedridden people can control drones. Technology his also being developed to go without sleep for 48 hours by running electric currents through the brain. This is not the talk of dreams, we are closing in on these things. There is also a plan by Nasa, a mission to redirect asteroids, where a robot spaceship would grab an asteroid, carry it over to the moon's orbit, and dig up minerals from it. Its like the world of Gundam. What do you think of this for 2021?

J: So, like these might become a reality within this year?

T: Yeah, some of them, as far as the technology goes.

K: It'll be like Robocop.

T: Yeah.

K: Its incredible, its like the world of 'Terminator'.

J: Yeah, it is.

T: In reality, controling a drone with the brain is aleady being used in China with toys.

J: With the brain..?

T: Like, controlling it with your thoughts by just imagining it rising. And in Japan..

J: You have to operate it.

T: In Japan they can be controlled with radio waves *2, but in China they can already move drones around using brain waves. Like, its technologically possible to attatch a bomb to a drone and make it fly somewhere and explode...its scary.

J: If technology advances this far, people won't need to study for exams and stuff, will they?

T: Thats right.

J: With a chip embedded...we talk about preventing cheating these days, but you would have all that data within you, or you could just go outside and remotely update.

K: Or you could send questions with just your eyes and get answers back.

J: Yeah, its like already at the point where you don't have to bother with tests or exams.

K: And it would mean no more back entrance admissions.

T, J: Yeah.

J: Yeah, like whoever has the money.

T: They might starts scanning people with metal detectors when they do exams to see if they have chips or something in them. Like, have you got a chip in your brain?? If it beeps, you'll know they have a chip.

K: They could put the people who have chips inside like anti-vibration shields..

J: Yeah, like to stop the transmissions.

T: Oh, yeah.

J: We're already getting to this point in time.

T: Do we even need to study anymore?

J: Yeah, like the era of people using their brains is ending.

K: We don't even really need universities and stuff anymore

J: We don't! Cause you have have access to all the information in the world in your head, whenever you like.

K:Yeah, if you have it ???*3

J: Well, there's also the issue of whether this kind of thing will be permitted by law. Like how far..

K: Yeah, it wouldn't be allowed immediately.

J: Yeah, like how far can human ability be harnessed in this way. I mean, there is the problem of genetic engineering too, but..thats where we are at now.

K: Well, there might already be people like this out there.

J: Well, yeah, the technology is there already.

K: You don't know whats going on in other peoples' heads.

J: Well, yeah. Eh, what if Kami is one of them?

K: No, I don't think he is. Absolutely not.

J: Haha

Kami: No, gods are different. But the bionic soldiers who don't need sleep, never get tired, and use medication to improve their sight and hearing...they've been around in Nishinari for a long time.

K: In Nishinari?

J: Haha

Kami: People who look like zombies, there have always been tonnes of them. There is also an article about a 'robot girlfriend to go for a walk with you', which Gifu University made, I'm interested  in that. I'd like to support Gifu University with that.

T: I see. Yeah, its a robot girlfriend who holds your hand and goes for walks with you, made by Gifu University.

K: What did Kami say earlier about women, doesn't he have woman trouble?

J: Oh yeah. Kami, don't women like you, being a god?

Kani: Thats a whole different story. Um, this is just a hand holding robot, but I'd like them to try harder with more in-depth research on this.

K: In-depth research? Haha

J: I don't know what he means by that. Kami!!

K: I mean, if they've been able to make the robot to this level, Im pretty sure they can also manage 'in-depth' research. haha.

J: They just won't announce it as university research, they stopped at holding hands.

Kami: Ah, I see. I wanna support deepfake technology too.

K: Ha, you wanna support it.

T: Well, this type of technology was originally invented for mens' pleasure. New technology can even start from such places. Like videos...

K: Ah, yeh, popular people from videos turned up a lot in this erotic stuff (*Sorry if I got this wrong*)

J: Ahh, yes, necessity is the mother of invention. Technology increases due human desires.

T: Yeah, thats it.

J: Well, this could be used for evil ways, or for more interesting ways. There are various ways to use it. Kaoru is there any kind of technology that you ever wanted to invent?

K: That I wanted to invent?

J: Like a specific type of robot or anything like that?

T: If you had a chip in your brain though, and you didn't have to study, what would you do?

K: But if all this stuff becomes normal, I think on the contrary, will might start to want to do things in more detail again. When you can get anything effortlessly, you will start to want to do those things that don't come effortlessly.

J: Ahh, hand made things will become nostalgic.

K: Our sense of value would change. People will want to go out and do things...if you can get everything you need without ever going out. And with food, it will be all there, ready as soon as you open the cupboard, right?

J: Yeah

K: Like, wouldn't you feel like going out instead?

T: Yeah, you'd want to go out and see live performances and stuff too.

K: People were told not to go out on New Years eve, but so many people still went out. haha

T: Oh, yeah.

J: Yep, human mentality just goes like that.

K: People will still go out. So, I think thats the direction it will head.

T: A.I. is pretty popular in human competions at the moment, for example with Shōgi, but in the end, what people really want to see is a human competing with another human.

J: Yes, I think thats true.

K: Yeah, its those natural variations

J: Thats it, we need those. Its that type of thing  that is impossible to calculate.

K: A computer couldn't come up with this type of thing. (*holds up Tokyo Sports tshirt*)

T: Haha

K: Its a product of wild fantasies.

T: Hahaha

J: Yeah, that would be impossible.

T: If we let A.I. do this kind of thing we would have lost. Tokyo Sports would be finished.

K: A.I. couldn't make this.

J: Its incredible.

K: 'Human gives birth to frog'.

J: Haha, A.I. could never write this.

K: It probably couldn't, right?

J: Only some bombed out person could do it otherwise.

K: It was worth making, naturally Tokyo Sports.

T: Oh, thank you.

K: So, everyone, please buy one of these tshirts. We have a black and white in size S here, so please send a tweet. Ok, we'll finish here this week. Please subscribe, thank you very much.

*1, 2 Not sure its exactly right.

*3 Couldn't figure out

Back to top page

[prismarine-blocks]

modpacks we've played

doubles as a handy list for ourselves and for our followers that want to check out modpacks

(not intended to be listed from most to least favorite but it accidentally ended up that way so uhh oops)

stoneblock / sb2

general thoughts: second one is much more polished and better. definitely good for multiple people to work on at once as a team. random rewards are actually useful and can give you good stuff early on!

thoughts on mods: thaumcraft is useless but is actually pretty cool if you choose to get into it. draconic is *chef's kiss* so fucking sexy, along with tinkers construct. resource chickens are GREAT. fluid cows need some polishing and take a stupid amount of wheat and time to get places with. anything past draconic (project E and so on) terrifies me so we haven't done much with it

thermal expansion is GREAT, the little machines make the best noises (esp. the pulverizer. ahhhh). flux networks is also great and i love the interface! ae2 is a pain but arguably fun to work with. i don't use immersive engineering for much tbh but it's good for making cloches :3

other mods are also useful but these are the ones i know off the top of my head by name

tips:

start chickens early on! they are great for getting loads of resources in the beginning of the game- most resources can be obtained through chickens. also, you can stack up to 16 chickens and breed them up to 10/10/10 in stats- if you do that, they'll give you 3 of their item about every second ago

yes, chicken boxes (nesting & breeding) are affected by the acceleration wand. NO they are NOT affected by imaginary time blocks. sorry lads

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT CURSED EARTH UNLESS YOU ARE READY. enclose that shit in obsidian and have water buckets ready to turn it off in case something goes wrong. also, a little goes a very, very long way

have at least one cloche for wheat. you'll need both the seeds and the wheat itself (if you have too much wheat and not enough seeds, you can get one seed from 2 wheat in your crafting panel)

don't worry about the inventory crafting extension. it's cool and all but if you're anything like me you'll either forget you have it or hate it because it doesn't use the same interface as crafting tables/stations

the ME system (computer) is super time consuming to build but also extremely fucking useful. do yourself a favor and build that before any mob farms. your storage space will thank you

don't forget to add in optifine if you like to use it, and also be sure to slap this mod (not the rewritten version! that one may not work) in there so you can grow top tier inferium + nether star seeds in the cloches. note that you CAN'T grow neutronium in there, sorry :(

challenge ideas:

actually use thaumcraft lol

don't use the mining dimension. for this you'll need to do a LOT of hammering and sieving- luckily there are autohammers/sieves just for this! :)

---

skyfactory 4

general thoughts: hehe skyblock

really though, fun pack! great for working on as a team. in fact i'd honestly recommend it

thoughts on mods: sky orchards is time consuming but it's a nice way to gather resources! haven't used resource hogs at all, honestly not sure if they're necessary. tinkers is here and i LOVE the porcelain smeltery. very compact, very cute. can't remember a lot of other mods right now but the pack is generally pretty nice™

tips:

you can't smelt cobble in the porcelain smeltery to get seared stone, so try to use petrified resin blocks instead

get hopping bonsais asap! also remember that they need to be on a chest to deposit their contents

slab chests aren't really worth it. slab furnaces and tables though..... Slightly more worth it. i still wouldn't really recommend them except for the achievement tbh

if you don't want a super horizontal base, build up! you have a LOT of room to build upwards, and you have the ability to climb walls (jump, shift + w, then tap shift while holding w to get to the top)

if you're in a snowy biome, put something above your smeltery. snow will break it if it starts building up layers on the inside

slime boots are your best friend! great for if you accidentally fall off. easiest way to get them is building a smeltery and then standing in it for the congealed blood

nether portals don't work, don't spend time on making one! check out the cakes instead (just make sure you aren't making xl food mod ones)

---

compact claustrophobia

general thoughts: literal actual hell in a cube. fun! not the best for multiple people to work on as a team; there are certain places where the quest trees kinda bottleneck and it's difficult for people to work on the same thing. don't recommend if playing in tight spaces actually affects your claustrophobia

and yes. the fart sounds stop being funny after a while. like the second time tbh

thoughts on mods: i don't know most of the mods in here by name- or at least, ones that aren't also in sb2- so i can't give much in specifics. that said, whatever gives you the thermoelectric generators is great and really useful for power. also the autoclickers are 👌

tips:

do yourself a favor and grind for more tiny compact machines. you'll need some later and you'll also want to use them for extra space

autoclickers + vacuumulator + hopper and chest setup works Great, def recommend. also as a note, try to avoid standing in front of autoclickers that are left clicking- they DO hurt you

save your poop and work on getting a farm asap. you can use it as fuel that smelts up to 32 items if you just mix it with wheat

(i haven't played this as much as sb2 so unfortunately i don't have much to say)

challenge idea: only use one room of each size at a time. this is going to be nearly impossible given the size of a lot of machines, but trust me, it's (probably) possible

---

sevtech ages

general thoughts: bullshit. not in a fun way. it's really just complex for the sake of being complex tbfh. you want a challenge that's actually just hours upon hours of suffering? congrats here you go

the only thing that makes this better than rlcraft is the fact that it has an actual quest/achievement line and doesn't absolutely hate its players

thoughts on mods: the only cool one is whatever you build the totem pole and do dances for, that's it. maybe the dark forest place too bc it looks cool even if it IS a pain in the ass as well. tombstones are kinda useful too tbh

tips:

don't play this

if you still want to play this, don't

really though: the saw is useful

the watermill is arguably better than the windmill

try to set your base somewhere close to an ocean or river biome; those are the only places with unlimited water until you get aqueducts

get an autoclicker for grinding stuff with the lever. trust me your fingers will thank you

backpacks will be your new best friends. embrace this

getting through each age takes a LOT of time. don't feel bad for taking breaks

challenge ideas: honestly the game is hard enough on its own, i can't really think of anything that would make stuff harder... outside of maybe smth like "only do things manually, don't use horsepower" or whatever, which is just plain mean at this point

---

rlcraft

general thoughts: don't

thoughts on mods: just don't

tips:

love yourself

do not play this

don't even think about it

i know it's all haha fun youtube right now

but please don't do this to yourself

challenge idea: don't touch this ever

actually serious thoughts: super overrated. incredibly frustrating. another pack that isn't challenging so much as just fucking horrible. it's mean! it hates you! you'll eventually hate it too! i've sunk so much time into this and honestly? it's just not worth it. it really just isn't. nothing you do will ever please the gods of rlcraft and if you're lucky you'll build a nice sexy base that will be gone the next time you die because the game decided your bed wasn't valid :)

if you want an actual challenge, play compact claustrophobia. play packs that limit you in terms of space or resource gathering. don't play packs like this that are only hard because they spawn big fuckoff dragons that burn everything all the time constantly, or that respawn you fuck knows where bc somehow your bed unloaded or """got obstructed""", or that have mobs that will literally go through walls just to commit murder. oh and half the time you can't even sleep because it just randomly spawns a mob that can kill you!! just don't do it, man. your time and energy are worth more than that

[eternal---light]

Sorry sorry tw self image idk

Rambling again please ignore thank you

Do not read.

I feel huge. I feel like I am a thousand pounds.

And then I look at my selfies from earlier?? And I know I'm like posing with the angles and stuff but even with all that I don't look how I feel.

I feel sick. I ate soooo much for dinner. Maybe I looked like this in the morning but could I really be that much bigger now from eating three bowls of macaroni? I feel like I'm twice the size now.. oh well.

Like. My legs aren't that big are they, not in this photo??? But in real life I'm overwhelmingly huge. Photos are a lie, they're all that bull shit Instagram reality nonsense. The camera doesn't show the truth. I can't wrap my head around this.

I am tired of being trapped in a physical form.

I want to go swimming again and be weightless. This world is so heavy and I feel heavy as a result.

Like I know its all in my head, I know the truth is somewhere in between what I see in the mirror, what I feel in my body, and what the camera shows.

I'm trying not to be obsessive. I want to go shopping sometime (I'll wait till our cases go down though fuccckk), I want to buy a bunch of xl crop tops for summer, nothing tight, to wear with the 20 pairs of leggings I have. Shorts for summer though toooo... maybe some sweat pants style baggy shorts.. clothes that are summery but large to hide how I really look like I can't stand tight shirts.

On a similar but different topic.. I am actually really looking forward to seeing him on Wednesday... like besides all the fun and companionship and all that other wholesome relationship stuff, it's really grounding to be sitting next to someone who I am smaller than. I know that sounds vapid and weird but he is sooooo much bigger than me, and I've always been a big girl. But he's like over 6ft and over 200lbs, (I asked haha, idk was so curious because he's like all muscle 🙃) what the fuck. My self image is so distorted.

The last two guys I dated(?) long term were smaller than me and that always fucks me up haha. And yo.. I would have made more of an effort with J but he's so much shorter than me, like I don't know, we have something but it's not enough chemistry to pursue.

Also. I have a scale and I weigh myself but that number always stays the same so I don't understand that either. I don't expect it to go down, because I work hard to eat consistently these days, but! I am shocked it hasn't gone up. Maybe my scale is broken.

[maryse127]

Heya so I noticed you are a fellow XC fan and I wanted to ask your opinion of the games! Like do you have a favorite game, story moment, ship, etc? My favorite would probably be XC2 followed by XC and X. As for the story I loved a lot of the important character moments in XC2, I loved all the characters so I enjoyed the story a lot. As for ships I would say Pyrex and Jinlora though I am a multishipper and have no issue with others. Sorry for how long this is, just excited to see another fan haha

Heyo! Thanks for your ask so now I have an excuse to make a long post about Xenoblade :)

I should probably start with X because it's the only one I haven't played. I have watched some playthroughs and the main story cutscenes and I listen to the ost sometimes. It seems like a game I would really like but also would be overwhelmingly big. There's a few reasons I never played it. 1. Those scirpio's that just drop down don't mix well with my fear of spiders. Tho that issue is getting smaller to the point I think I could manage playing the game. Which takes me to point 2. The game is on wiiu. I have a wiiu but it is currently not connected to the tv or power because we had to make space for the switch. Also there is still parental guidance which blocks me from online stuff inclusing eshop for the datapacks. Getting all of that out of the way seems like too much effort and I think the gamepad is really uncomfortable. 3. I don't have time for such a huge game. Especially if I have to play on wiiu which means being home and claiming the tv in the livingroom. So yeah I just want a switch port that will never happen

As for characters I hardly know them so it's hard but I like Elma and Lin. Also Lao but I am still not sure how much of that is because he has the same voice as Chrom Fire Emblem.

Now let's go back to how I got into this series anyway

My brother got Xenoblade 3d and I checked it out on youtube and ended up watching the whole 10 hours of cutscenes. About maybe 9 months later or so I got my own new 3ds xl so I borrowed his game and started playing myself. This happened in 2016 and I have never returned the cartridge... I really liked the game but didn't really understand the mechanics that well but it wasn't a problem because my standard team of Shulk, Sharla and Dunban were good enough. Untill I had to pay for my insolence. I started looking for help on Lorithia and the internet told me use Melia and Riki both of which I had never used and had no affinity with anyone so bad chain attacks. I quit the game.

I don't know how much time passed but at some point I picked up the game again and started a new file. I did the trick where you clip through a door in Tephra Cave and the get damage boosted up a ledge to enter endgame cave while you are like level 8 and just walking around levels you to like level 50. Being very overlevelled I played the game and doing as many quests as possible (xenoblade wiki is your best friend doing that) and actually using many different partymembers. And then at some point i just dropped the game but I finished it after the definitive edition trailer. I got Lorithia killed with a very lucky chainattack so I am still not confident about fighting her again.

So yeah this could have been my favourite game of all time if not for Lorithia. Also I don't like spiders so that can be hard especially in Tephra cave. At least in this game the number of spiders that surprise you is relatively small.

Story is my fave story in a video game ever and the music is amazing. I also really like most characters (apart from obvious ones like lorithia and juju) as for shipping: Reyn and Sharla but also kinda Dunban and Sharla sometimes because of the after battle quotes. The whole love triangle I am just indifferent about. Because I really shipped Shulk and Fiora but then she died and I started shipping Shulk and Melia but then Fiora comes back and I hate love triangles so I just stopped caring about shipping Shulk.

Also xenoblade ytp is great but also ruined some moments in the game because i cannot take them serious anymore.

Xenoblade 2 is also great. I remember getting up at 5am to watch the nintendo switch presentation in 2017 and they showed the trailer and while watching I was like: is this xenoblade?? ?? And then it was and yay excitement which then got overshadowed by breath of the wild hype.

I wasn't really a fan of the artstyle at first but it has grown on me. Also Rex has a horriblr voice but I just accept it because the rest is great. I has to wait almost a month after release before I got the game so I managed to spoil myself pretty bad. Good thing about it is that I knew places that had spiders so they could be avoided

My xenoblade 2 main file is probably has the most playtime i ever invested in a single save file. I don't like the gacha element for blade pulling and some blade design is horrible (Dahlia) and unecessarily horny. I am just so fucking done with videogame girls being ultra skinny but with huge boobs like no that is not how women work and ugh stop being horny and give me a girl with realistic proportions. Sorry to bitch about that but really everytime I really start to like Pyra/Mythra the game gives me a close up of their huge chest and I get annoyed. I like Pyra and Mythra but ugh it could be so much better if there was less focus on boobs in this game

The story is fun but not as good as xenoblade 1 but that is hardly possible. The world is also amazing but it's a shame it feels so disconnected. I really like in the first game that you can walk from area to area and I really miss that in 2. Also fieldskills suck.

Aah I am saying a lot of negative things but I reallly love this game despite the issues I have with it. I have a hard time choosing a favourite game but this is certainly a contender.

As for characters I really love Jin. Also shipping Lora and Jin. Other characters are also great except Amalthus. I just really hate him. I also don't like Patroka, but that's because her entire character is just be angry. I also don't really like Tora because he is just horny and has a maid fetish and it's honestly kinda disgusting and Poppi deserves better. I am only talking main story characters, i know too little about all the gacha blades.

Other ships I ship Morag and Zeke. And kinda crackship Malos and Jin.

Music also great in this game. Dlc is fun too (except for big spiders in the desert) What makes the dlc great is that even tho you know it's gonna end in tragedy it isn't that dark of a game untill the end where you fight Malos and Torna falls and the game just rips out your heart even tho you knew exactly what was gonna happen.

Very looong post but in short games are beautiful with amazing music and are really fun to play with mostly really fun characters. Slight personal issues with spiders in the games. Am very excited about definitve edition coming hopefully soon.

One final note: am still sad about the removal of DON'T FORGET ME and THINK YOU CAN TAKE ME

[therestlesswitch]

6, 29 & 34, please :)

6. Describe your dream home.

Okay so I have lots of very specific ideas about things I would love in a home. You can follow me on Pinterest (EDIT: I forgot to even link the Pinterest haha here it is!) if you want to see all the things haha but in general, (and keep in mind this isn’t realistic /at all/) it would be a big oldhome, secret/servants passages and all, maybe Victorian style. Definitely a huge conservatory on the south-east side. Lots of windows, nooks and crannies and rooms. Not open concept at all 😂 Oh it’s definitely on a huge piece of land. A little hilly in the forested parts, with a spring fed pond and a stream. There’s a big medicinal herb garden and a food forest with tons of perennial species and a big no-till veggie garden. I have worn walking paths through the forest and have my favourite spots to observe te seasons. Oh and a chicken coop 😂

Oo there’s definitely an outbuilding for herbal work, seeing clients with a room to use as a potting shed near the garden and food forest.

it’s gots a colorful jewel-tone them inside. Mis- matched everything, but with the potential to look elegant given the right seasonal decorations. Enough rooms to have a couple spare bedrooms for whoever needs a temporary home. Big kitchen of course. Oh and for sure a fireplace with a functional cauldron 😍

When I was little, like <10 ish, I designed my ‘dream home’ floor plan, blueprint style, and it had tons of rooms, and each room had a different by function and decor style. And honestly, my dreams still aren’t far off from that 😂 I want a room just for crafting, there’s a tower/turret room that faces south for my altar room, chris will have a gaming room and we’ll probably want a library, big kitchen of course, a claw footed tub for sure, but also one of those showers that’s basically the whole bathroom 🤩

Well.. that was a novel! I /love/ taking about stuff like this. I think speaking as specifically as you can about your ideal future can only help you achieve or manifest it! 🥰

29. What’s the move overrated movie?

This year it’d be Joker... 😬

34. What’s your coffee order?

Lately it’s been two XL double doubles bc it’s dollar coffee days at mcd’s 😂 but any size double double will do :) Do they call 2 creams, 2 sugars a double double lots of other places? Or is it just Canada? Haha

I’m very not picky about what kind of coffee, except I’ll always choose sustainable and fair trade given the choice.

[myhockeyworld87]

Hi 👋 I remember a long time ago you said you do makeup on the side. I have a wedding coming up that I’m in and was wondering if you had any tips or recommendations, anything would great. Love your blog 💖

Aww thanks for remembering! I love doing makeup on the side, which hasn’t really happened with the whole Covid thing. Here are a few tips and products that I love.

Try to avoid getting a facial the week of the wedding. I know a lot of bride’s think that it will be a fun thing for all their bridesmaids to do, but unless you do them regularly, it could cause breakouts and that’s the last thing that you want. Same goes for masks. Stick to products that you already know work best for skin.

I always stick to a basic natural look, unless there is some sort of theme to the wedding. So any neutral palette will work. I know some people aren’t big Kardashian fans, but KKW Beauty’s Mrs. West palette is literally amazing and goes so well with anyone’s skin. I’ve used this on tons of bridesmaids and a few brides. I can totally help you out on application if you’d like as well. One tip for longer lasting eye shadow is to prime the lid first, I use MAC Pro Paint Pot in Painterly, in fact I use this almost everyday. If you don’t want to spend the money on that you can always prep your lids with foundation or concealer. Stick to eyeshadows that are highly pigmented. Some great brands are MAC, Lorac, Huda Beauty, and Jouer. Also, you can add a little shimmer to your lids, but stay away from glitter shadows.

Foundation is a bit trickier. I always use an airbrush foundation system when I do bridal. It stays on long and doesn’t cake, but I realize most people don’t have that option. My go to everyday foundation is MAC Studio Fix Fluid. Every time (no lie)  I wear this foundation, someone compliments my complexion. I also love Tarte’s Face Tape. This is a great all-day full coverage foundation.

If you have and blemishes, roscia or dark spots you’re looking to cover, use a color corrector. Sephora has some great easily blendable ones. Green for red spots and peach to cover the dark. I recommend only doing these if you’re not using an airbrush foundation. Apply them before your foundation and just blend them out lightly, they help neutralize the skin.

For bridal I tend to finish off with a translucent powder. MAC has a great one, but you don’t have to go expensive as ELF cosmetics is just as good. Translucent powder doesn’t cake like regular ones will. 

My favorite all time blush is NARS Orgasm. It goes with every skin tone and I feel like everyone should have this in their makeup drawer. Remember to apply just a hair bit more for pictures.

Contouring can be tricky if you’re not used to doing, but I always do the hollow of the cheeks for great pictures. Remember to blend blend blend, so you don’t have this unnatural cut in look. I usually use MAC Studio Fix Sculpt and Shape Contour Palette. Dab a little of the lightest color along the jawline for highlight.

Eyeliner is key, and I don’t recommend doing a wing unless there’s a theme to the wedding. I like to use Marc Jacob Highliner Gel Eye Crayon. It smudges easy but also stays put until the day is over. I usually wear it on the top smudged and at least halfway on the bottom (smudged as well) depending upon your eye shape. If you want to make small eyes look bigger only go part way, otherwise you can line the entire bottom. If you’re not big on eyeliner, you can always smudge a little eyeshadow on the top and bottom for a subtler look.

Mascara, I recommend waterproof if you’re a crier like me...lol. I’m a fan of Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Splashes. I usually prep with Lancome’s CIL Booster XL Enhancing Lash Primer, it helps keep my lashes separated, but if you don’t want to spend the money on that, take a little of that translucent powder I talked about earlier, coat an old mascara wand, or a disposable one with the powder and brush it onto your lashes before adding mascara. I’ve done this little trick numerous time and it works like a charm. You can also wear fake lashes, if you don’t have a pair that you like, Adrell has great ones that look natural and so does Eylure. I always use Duo lash glue when I wear them as well.

Ugh I feel like this is so long, but don’t forget lipstick. Nothing bright or crazy, unless, again it’s a theme. I always use a quick lip scrub to get any debris and dead skin off your lips. Then line your lips with some lip liner. I’m literally a MAC Lipstick whore, so I love Whirl, Soar and Devrish. I then pair it with a lip stick, MAC again, the shade will depend on what looks good on you and the time of year. I top it off with some Buxom Plumping Lip gloss in a complimentary shade.

I finish the look off with a setting spray. MAC Prep and Prime Fix + is a staple. You can spray it on before you start your look and then spray it again once you’re finished. But there are a ton of great ones out there Morphe, Tarte and Make Up Forever. You can always add a little highlighter to your cheekbones if you like, just don’t go overboard.

Things I carry in my makeup case that always come in handy, Q-tips, Wisps (because inevitably someone always forgets to brush their teeth or you are snacking while getting ready) a small sewing kit, perfume, bobby pins, and mints. These are just things I’ve found helpful, so as a bridesmaid you might want to have them on hand. Hope this is helpful. Hit me up with any other questions! Most of all have fun sweetie and remember to drink water along with all the alcohol…haha!

[heavenofficialsbl]

M, N and P for the asks!

I’m so sorry this has taken me so long to respond to D: I’ve been so occupied with work and I finally have a moment off to actually put some thought into my response

Okay

M- Name a character you’d like to have for a friend

Mmmm Probably either Xie Lian or Ling Wen. Xie Lian because I feel he is someone who is very easy going and very easy to get along with. I’m quite and introvert and I find it more appealing and beneficial to spend time with people that I can have meaningful conversations with, or even just have quiet bonding time, like XL and HC often do: just enjoy each others company without having to constantly talk talk talk. I choose Ling Wen as well because I love learning new things and shes so dang smart. When we are first getting to know her, back when XL was dealing with the whole bridesmaid fiasco, Ling Wen seemed to be very helpful even when she didn’t need to be, such as assigning Nan Feng and Fu Yao to help XL or giving him any information that he needed. 

So basically XL because I feel it would be an easy, happy friendship, and Ling Wen because she is smart and kind

N- Name three things you wish you saw more of in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

This one… I think is difficult for me to answer haha. I don’t think I can come up with three. I’ll give you the two I can think of right now. All fandoms are different and its both easy and hard to compare them and judge them. Lets see.. One thing I’d like to see more in the TGCF/MXTX fandom is probably just more people. There are a good number of us here online, but I have had a hard time finding people locally that are into the novels (i.e. in my Chinese class or at cons). I’m going to Emerald City Comic Con this coming weekend and I’m really hoping to see if there will be any more MXTX/Xianxia representation. The second thing I would like to see is the continuation of our good-natured fandom. Since there aren’t a ton of people in the MXTX fandom, like there are in the Voltron fandom or the Naruto fandom, we don’t see as much bockering or fighting. Actually.. The only negative thing I’ve heard as a result of the fandom was back in the fall when rumors were being spread in China and a woman attempted suicide after being bullied. Aside from that, which I think was proved to be a lie(?), I haven’t heard of any other hate in the community.

So while I would like to see more people in the fandom, I would also like to see it stay a happy, accepting family

P- Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

Well I’m absolutely shit when it comes to inventing AUs so you’ll just have to deal with it

So I’m thinking of an 1800′s AU in which Xie Lian works as a curator at a National Art Museum

• The museum is owned by, of course, Jun Wu. The museum was built by his great grandfather and has been passed down through the family. While hes a kind man, he doesn’t tolerate any funny business when it comes to the artwork 

• The other Officials also work as either curators of exhibit guides at the museum.

• Xie Lian was born to an aristocratic family, brought up to be a handsome adn well educated young man. He visited the museum as a child and fell in love with the artwork. He met Jun Wu who recognized the potential the boy had. Jun Wu began to tutor Xie Lian and when Xie Lian turned 15, he began to volunteer at the museum 

• He begged his parents to let him attend art school, and when he was 17 they shipped him off overseas to some ritzy art academy and became an oil painter, soon gaining national recognition

• While overseas, he would often go to a meadow near the town so he could paint the scenery there. One day he noticed a carved fox skull near the rock he always set up his station on

• From then on he would occasionally find odd baubles and oddities made of dried wood, animal bone, animal pelts, or butterfly wings. At first he was quite appalled by the macabre offerings, but he soon realized the effort that had clearly gone into making them

• He would then start leaving some of his sketches and thumbnails, sometimes a watercolor study or sometimes a collage made of dried flower petals for the strange little artist to find

• He would one day leave a note to the little stranger telling him that he was nearly done at school and would be returning home soon. He told the stranger that they had great potential to be a wonderful artist and that they should not let their creativity go unused

• The last thing he received from the stranger was a bright, reddish orange crystal that, as it seemed, looked to have been carved in the shape of a butterfly…

• 10 years later, now working as a curator for That One Art Museum I Mentioned Earlier, Xie Lian was on the hunt for fresh ideas for a new exhibit. Jun Wu, being very confident in Xie Lians skills and judgement, gave him free reign to choose the topic. 

• As Xie Lian was walking through the city, he remembered that One Boy from so long ago, and how his oddly revolting, oddly beautiful work had enraptured him so. He went and bought a ticket to sail back to That Foreign Country right away

• He was very happy to be back in That Foreign Country and very lucky to have his old school help him with lodgings (being an honor student with a great social standing doesn’t hurt) He went back to the meadow and was disappointed but not surprised that he didn’t find a gift waiting for him. 

• “It’s been 10 years. I don’t know anything about that person. It may have been an old man woman that has already passed away” was a very logical thing to think. He started to stroll though the town, not really paying attention, just letting his feet lead him

• When he smelled rotting flesh, he looked up to see fantastic old manor that looked to have a shop in front. The smell not getting to him, he IS an oil painter after all, he of course walked up the stepped and into the strangest room he had ever been in

• It was a curio shop, filled with taxidermy animals big and small, an entire wall of shelves filled with crystals and rocks, masks of all origins covered the walls, overgrown plants that created a small forest, humidity at least three times that of the outside, and the smell, OH the smell!

• The one thing that most captured his interest, though, were the vast assortments of pinned insects. Reds, greens, gold, and silvers dazzled him, and he found himself rather entranced with the little beasties

• So entranced, that he didn’t notice the figure approaching from behind. A soft breath, a hand on his shoulder, a sudden gasp and a shuffle of feet, and he was face to face with the tallest (okay, aside from Jun Wu) man he had ever met, and most definitely the most handsome. 

• Looking back at the butterflies, around at the shop, and then to the silver filigree butterfly pendant around the mans neck, he wasn’t sure what to say. So, he decided to be blunt. The man seemed to anticipate his words, and leaned in a bit… Almost to be smacked but Xie Lians hand as it whipped up from out of his pocket, brandishing the carved crystal from years ago…. “Uhm hi, Sir, yes, judging by you being the only one in here and by your odd attire and the faint smell of seared flesh wafting off you I can assume this place is yours and you seem to own a lot of rocks and a lot of butterflies so can you tell me please does this crystal naturally grow in this shape?”

• The man freezes for a moment and begins to laugh, a deep, hearty laugh, and Xie Lian is absolutely just realizing he’s gay left clueless

Okay I’m stopping this here because it turned from an AU idea into pretty much a rough draft of a fanfic xD

So sorry lol 

I’ll stop now

Thanks for the ask!

[nie-ming-daddy]

Wolfi !!! K, L, M uwu 💕🌷

Haha, thank you skies!

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

Ming Yi

Does Xie Lian count? Since he’s the MC and the whole book is more or less his development arc? 

But I really liked the Book 2 arc! To see how he went from his idealistic “I will save them all” to a more realistic thinking and realize the mistakes he made. (I’m yet to finish Book 3 but I’m looking forward to Book 4 to see more of XL’s background. I want to know what happened to him making him the man he’s today)

If he doesn’t count I also like Jin Ling’s development (even if I’m not a big fan of this character) but it’s nice to see how he made friends with the other Juniors (including Ouyang! Fight me!) and began to like WWX when JL first was so unapproachable and dismissing.

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves.

Now I have to out me as someone who doesn’t like Jiang Cheng lol

But even if I don’t really like him I have to admire his strength and his determination. After what happen to him to rebuild his sect from ruins back to its old glory takes so much inner and outer strength! That he didn’t just fell into depression or such, I really admire him.

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

Shi QingXuan! Pleeease! Wind Master be my friend!

He’s one of the best person to have as a friend! 

But I also want to be XL’s friend ;-; And Wen Ning’s. So much people I want to be friends with, I can’t decide!

Send me a letter and I will answer it!