#and so on... hrm. still hashing it out

[dataframe]

just some notes i'm copying over

YUE QINGYUAN:

-- fire (qi) both as a general symbol for humanity and solace mixed with the fact my freak believes all he is capable of is hurting others (through the more destructive properties of fire) + him blaming his own recklessness/'passion' as it'd be here. screams quietly. he's very driven! but primarily when it comes to sqq as wind... the enablers. and the fact he prefers candles over night pearls due to the ling xi caves + the volcano symbolism when combining this with the 'mountain' in his name smiles -- (rotting) fruits since his birthday's in autumn + to represent lost innocence + since fruits are usually sweet, but yue qi just feels like all he does is fester and destroy... if you acknowledge the idea of it being found among the orchard as well, there's the implicit idea that he could fit in with the rest (unlike sj, who remains alone/sparse connections with others), but there is still something intrinsically 'wrong' with him. -- tigers... but specifically a young one :[ okay, admittedly this is a little more vague in my mind, but. gestures. he refers to himself as a beast in his internal monologue. this one as a leader, recognized as brave and loyal to his own despite being pushed into that position because of his strength/potential. and of course, only being loyal to his own really; otherwise isolating. calls back to his usual attitude of 'amiable but not kind' to most yk yk yk -- dragon as his immortal creature :3 you know the deal... in his case, it'd be a dragon that calls to the volcano symbolism again + general protectiveness over cang qiong. it could also be argued he inherently doesn't deserve his position when put against the general accepted nature of dragons leaning more toward water... -- glass (fractured sense of self...), darkness (ling xi caves :( ), arrows (also gave ryj this. grins), purple, black & greys, number 3 (and false no. 9), and so on <3

SHEN QINGQIU:

-- wind (qi) the idea of freedom, a strong will that heeds nothing but its self + that he could be the wind that fuels the fire, for example, always exacerbating the situations he's in to be something worse + what with his being born in winter (on the cusp of spring), the very cold winds there imply his spiritual imbalance as well… ouk. for winter winds to be more associated w yin while fire's generally regarded as yang too like wow <3 they're matching <3 can they die -- dry, inhospitable dirt/wastelands since he finds it difficult to fully bury his past + those sparse signs of life compared to yqy (who sits amidst life but doesn't fit there) + typically desert climate, so extreme temperatures… could also be recognized as perhaps the immediate aftermath of that volcanic eruption and has not had a chance to heal/for life to return to it… -- snake (shen jiu) cunning, perhaps even greedy… and with the association of dragons (as yqy can be called, i'm sure), there can imply this feeling of being 'less than' or more. the mortal version of something much grander. and then of course real life snakes' habits of isolation + striking out primarily as a defensive measure first :[ -- crane (shen qingqiu) since he allows no creature near enough to hurt him beside himself 🔥 (and yue qi)… it is very fitting in this sense, you know. that whole idea of growing up into something that'd just be a predator at the end of the day. cycle of abuse let's go <3 and the usual symbolism of grace/wisdom and longevity ofc -- blades, butterflies (transformation), gold & green, with hints of purple (to call to yqy), number 4, etc etc!

[twistedsinews]

for the meme: Faris

High Seas Piracy!

OTP for them: Faris/Butz.  They both have this kind of devil-may-care attitude towards the world when it comes to their personal freedom, but a fierce devotion to their friends.  Moreover, Butz has all the traditional marks of a wandering hero, whereas Faris has a heroic side when she feels like indulging it.  They just kinda have this potential to mesh in an interesting way to me.  ...plus, he thought she was hot even when he thought she was a guy, which I find endearing.  Double plus, pirate booty jokes.

BROTP for them: ... hrm!  Reina.  Might it be cheating?  I suppose, but that they don't know one another at the start of the game and grew up so differently also makes for an interesting schism that could easily cause strife in the long run, particularly with Faris, but I like to think once they bonded they'd be supportive of one another regardless.  Faris might not be fit to govern a kingdom, but Reina's got that covered and Faris can always swing back into her life as the daring privateer if the need arises.  Syldra also is also worth mentioning, both because I find their dynamic fascinating and suspect Faris might've been closer to Syldra than to Reina.

Other ships: I think that Faris/Galuf would be an entertaining blast from start to finish, even if it still ended... well... yeah.  But I can see them both being loud and boisterous together and trying to outdo one another and no one else can sleep, because they’re up all night trying to outdrink one another.  Gilgamesh/Faris came to mind once upon a time, which could be interesting for all that I never took the time to hash it out properly.  Faris/Gilgamesh/Butz came up on my radar not terribly long ago, and it entertains me.

What kind of fic I’d write about them: All of it, all of the fic.  My favorite Faris to write is Faris on an adventure.  Which is, I think, why I ship her with Butz to the degree that I do.  They both strike me as the type who would enjoy trekking halfway across the continent to find some cave from beyond antiquity that might contain treasure or it might be a total dead end, but really they just have fun camping out and living life free to be themselves and if there is something shiny at the end of the adventure, Faris wants it for her collection.  Also, anything with utterly unrepentant pirate!Faris pirating and generally getting to be a pirate.

A favorite canon moment: Phew.  Quite a few, but getting thrown off a mountain isn't going to stop me from saving the woman who may or may not be my sister damn you comes to mind as one of Faris' more badass moments, and I live for Faris having badass moments.

Color that reminds me of them: That darker shade of purple.  For all that I generally swear by Amano's artwork.

Song that reminds me of them: Any time I write Faris, you can know I'm listening to Pirates, Ahoy off Dear Friends.  But if you want an actual song song... not one I think of her, but thinking of her The Soul Cages comes to mind as one that could be kinda fitting. (Challenging a Horror to a drinking contest + wanting to save your dad’s soul feelings?  Right here.)

A headcanon about them: I don't remember where Faris' affinity for pipeweed even came from in my head.  I think I just liked the visual of it.

A random AU I think up on the spot for them: . . . Faris and her crew investigate the Wind Temple (because treasure), and she gets corrupted by Exodus instead of King Tycoon?  'cause... uh... that... would go somewhere, I'm sure.  And for bonus The World is Now Fucked reasons, let her still receive the power of the Crystals right before it happens.

Anything else: So yeah, back when I was a kid and we had to extrapolate character from little pantomime sprites and about idek a thousand lines of dialogue?  I got this hard-drinking, pipe-smoking, self-driven androgynous King of the Pirates lodged in the back of my mind and my life has been absolutely better for it ever since.  10/10, would recommend.