#i know he does great as an emperor!!! but it makes me sad!!! he's just a baby and he's forced to become a big man so fast!!!

[dickytwister]

deep fried ben affleck smoking meme. please and thak you

TEEHEE wip that means sm to me,,,,, it's abt my boy carter post-dnd game when he becomes emperor from the pov of his bodyguard,,,, but carter is just. an littol guy,, and being an emperor away from all his friends is soooo hard for him,,,,, snippet under the cut be upon ye,,,

Daerhen is plucked from his position as General of the King’s armies a day before the new emperor’s coronation. It comes as a surprise; he’s been nothing but loyal to the empire, from the very moment he left his mother and sisters on Eter to become a soldier, when his hand first held a pistol, when he first took a life in the name of his lord. To be taken from his position in the army, one he’s worked tirelessly for many years to deserve, and be demoted to bodyguard, would have had any lesser man protesting vehemently.  But Daerhen is no lesser man, and he keeps his discontent well hidden under the thick cotton of his new uniform.  The coronation is grandiose, as one would expect. The King has been ruling for decades and has been desperately trying to reach his heir for half as long. This, the great hall crowded with nobility and what few people of lower standing managed to pay their way into the citadel, decorated from the marble floors to the painted ceilings, tables lined with appetizers and delicacies more delectable than the next, has been a very long time coming, and everyone is celebrating to their hearts’ content. King J'son stands next to the throne, one hand draped over the back, and looks at the crowd with a satisfied glint in his tired eyes. From where he’s leaning against a pillar, fingers loosely wrapped around the stem of a flute, Daerhen observes the new emperor. The young man is sitting on the throne with his back straight, his arms carefully placed on either side of his body, chin held high in a way that makes the ceremonial crown shine under the colourful lights of the plankton and the flickering ones of the candles that have been lit merely for aesthetic purposes. He is dressed in the finest silk, with hues of purple cascading along the seams of his outfit. Yet, for all that he wears the crown and the hues of purple and sits upon the same throne his grandfather sat upon before him, Carter Quill looks nothing like the ruler he’s meant to be.  If he didn’t abhor him for being the reason behind his demotion, Daerhen would pity him; while the band starts on another song and people gather round to dance, the emperor sits still under the weight that’s now resting heavy on his shoulders. 

[calisources]

THE   ROYAL   TREATMENT.   all   sentences   are   either   taken   from   fantasy   or   fictional   and   historical   novels   about   kings,   queens,   royal   blood   and   some   sparked   romance   and   magic.   change   all   pronouns   and   names,   locations   as   you   see   fit.

“You are enough to drive a saint to madness or a king to his knees.”

“She was a ray of sunshine, a warm summer rain, a bright fire on a cold winter’s day, and now she could be dead because she had tried to save the man she loved.”

“He was a man known for the violence of his temper as well as the deliciousness of his touch.”

“Am I making you nervous, Natalie?”

“Sad it is, the fate of kings.”

“Go to this masquerade ball with your new friends, put on a pretty gown, and dance the night away.”

“Repentance is like a royal cheer.”

“Even the small joys are worth cherishing, and they will lead to greater ones.”

“when you become king shall find many difficult tasks and you shall have to hurt others and yourself.”

“The throne brings trouble and grief along with the glory.”

“Anger is a feeling afforded only by royal blood. Ordinary people ask for mercy in such situations.”

“True leadership is serving others; follow Queen Elizabeth's noble example.”

“Success isn't wealth or status; impact matters.”

“The power of empowerment can change the world, one person at a time.”

“Leadership is service, not a throne to seize.”

“I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine.”

“Proper training is key, it allows one to accomplish a great deal."

“Oh honey, someday a real man is going to make you see stars and you won't even be looking at the sky."

“Royalty comes with a cost. My great-great-grandfather was one, and he left me no royalty but loyalty to empower people.”

“At all times an empire is more important than emperor and empress, prince and princess.”

“You might have to ask yourself, however right your claim is, if you are the leader the realm needs and wants.”

“You’re Royal. Get used to it and that involves a lot of burdens and things you don’t want to do.”

“I’m in awe of you, Rowan Palotay.”

“Slow down there, princess. How do you know what kind of first impression you gave me?”

“Prayer is a royal power.”

“You forget yourself and who you are speaking of.”

“Anyone young, famous and beautiful who dies young is forever frozen in time and fascinating to all of us.”

“Youths are the life blood of any nation.”

“I am not yet come of age, my lord. How can I be queen?”

“To crown her is to kill her.”

“He didn't marry you to become king. He became king because he wanted to marry you.”

“Little by little, the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him.”

“I believe we are what we make ourselves, and as such, you, Crown Princess, are nothing.”

“Rule with the heart of a servant. Serve with the heart of a king.”

“There’s a fine line between gossip and history, when one is talking about kings.”

“We kings do develop a certain ability to recognize objects under our noses.”

“...alone is such a nebulous state when one is queen.”

“I respect you as my king, and I respect you as my father, but I do not respect you as a man!”

“She was made to be a queen, just like her mother.”

Protect Myrcella with your life. Defend her... and her rights. Set a crown upon her head.“”

“You’re my princess, right? You were always going to be my princess, no matter what you were born.”

“For dogs we kings should have lions, and for cats, tigers. The great benefits a crown.”

“This marriage had resulted from impulse.”

“The king is a saint and cannot rule, and his son is a devil and should not.”

“One does not ask if one likes the Blood Royal. They simply are. It is like asking if one likes the Gods.”

“You are a king worthy of their allegiance . . . with a queen full of fire and promise.”

“The idea that how you are born or the name you are given dictate the sort of person you really are.”

“You seem to think that you can still turn back, but it’s too late. You’ll have to face it, Princess. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but soon enough. And you can’t be this scared when the time comes.”

“Was it worse, she wondered, to be wanted dead or wanted Queen?”

“My royal status is both a shield that protects me and a sword that impales my heart.”

“Respect shouldn't be hereditary; it must be earned.”

“You know, for a pampered princess, you have a certain gift for violence.”

“There is nothing sharper than a well mannered princess’ words.Their true meaning are a mystery.”

“People are born great but yet need to grow into greatness”

“Kings needn’t raise their voices to be heard.”

“She was their witch queen, and they adored her.”

“To be fair, I don't quite see any difference between an assassin and a knight. They both kill people, only one "in the name of Honour '' and the other is just a "monster"

“Crowns belong to those that serve.”

“I have the softness and meekness of a daughter but I also have the boldness and Braveheart of a Son.”

“Will you visit my chambers tonight?”

“A throne won in blood will soon be drenched in it.”

“Even when she's dethroned by hardship, she still wears the sun as a crown.”

“The Princess knew in her heart she is strong, smart, and capable because it is in her blood.”

“There is the matter of succession that has to be settled. You don’t start a reign without settling how it continues.”

“My reign has been anything but traditional. Let’s not start now, shall we?”

“Every girl thinks about growing up in a palace. Few ever ponder living in a cage.”

“Often blessings and burdens comes hand in hand. The bigger the Crown the heavier the burden”

“If stubborness were all that was needed to be a good queen, I'd rule the world.”

“Some girls have a frightening killer instinct. Don't let the ball gowns fool you.”

“You don't turn your back on your destiny.”

[remembrancer-of-heresy]

Resistance (Roboute Guilliman, Lorgar)

Summary: Roboute doesn't want to let you go, but he does it… not suspecting that you will end up in the hands of a monster.

Roboute Guilliman/fem!Reader, Lorgar/fem!Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession

Word count: 1192

Song: Muse - Resistance

Roboute turned out cute. It is a pleasure to prescribe him, but very sad. However, Lorgar… oh my ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

Roboute immediately singled you out from all the remembrancers. Not for your talent or ability to hold yourself. Not for your courage and especially your beauty. Everything was much simpler. Guilliman remembered how he got bored at one of the official events and began to look around the room. Everyone was engrossed in conversation and art, except for you.

You looked directly at the primarch. Stared openly. The primarch was already ready to prepare for you to approach him. You would try to start a diplomatic conversation or ask to serve him. Or you'll talk endlessly about how great he is. But instead you...

Show your tongue. You made a face.

Roboute couldn't help himself but choke on laughter, barely holding back so as not to attract attention to himself. You just smiled with satisfaction, looking at this picture. And turned away. You continued the conversation with the chronicler.

Guilliman himself sought a meeting with you.

“Your face brightened up my evening. And yet I have to ask why you-” - Roboute hesitated, not knowing how to describe your outburst. The event had already ended and it was deep night. But still he managed to find you in the corridor and be alone with you.

“You looked so sad. I wanted to somehow cheer you up.” - you shrug your shoulders easily as if nothing special had happened. As if you were not standing now with the primarch of the Ultramarines, the son of the Emperor, but with... an ordinary person.

You talked for a long time that evening. And in the following days. Guilliman didn't think he would admit it to himself, but he was fascinated by you. Tarasha would probably be delighted. He immediately remembered how his mother selected brides for him on Macragge even before he met the Emperor. But not a single meeting went well. But you were the exception.

After some time, Roboute invited you aboard his spaceship in hopes of spending more time with you. He had finally found you, no wonder he didn’t want to let you go. But you did not smile at his invitation like other remebrancers. You didn't joke in your style that you would find time for Guilliman in your schedule.

You frowned apologetically.

“Lorgar Aurelian has already invited me. He liked my knowledge of history. So I agreed. This was before I met you. I'm embarrassed to refuse your brother, it would be wrong. And then-"

"I see." - Roboute interrupted you gently. He nodded and you felt relieved from this conversation. - "Everything is fine."

No. Nothing was fine. He wanted to be with you, he wanted you. You so unexpectedly and rapidly burst into his life, colored his existence and reminded him of his humanity. And now you're slipping away. And of all the brothers, of all the primarchs, it was to Lorgar.

Roboute did not like Aurelian. He was weak. All his campaigns were ineffective and he was astonishingly slow to annex worlds to the Imperium. Not to mention the fact that he created conditions for them that suited him, and not the Emperor. His ideal cities were imbued with religiosity. Fanaticism. Old traditions that had to go.

Guilliman did not want to bring down his father's wrath on the inhabitants of the Monarchy. But an order is an order. He was not pleased to see his brother on his knees. But it was his duty. A modicum of pity for Lorgar filled Guilliman's hearts, but it was not enough to make him love his brother. Who now sought to indulge all his father’s words than before.

And still he was not happy. He wanted you to be with him. But the only thing worse than envy was a feeling vaguely reminiscent of fear. Warning. Roboute felt that if you set foot on Lorgar's ship, he would never see you again... but he did not believe in premonitions. And with pain in his hearts, he lets you go.

And his hatred hostility towards Lorgar will only grow stronger.

***

You were almost a goddess to him. He valued remembrances and yet he immediately noticed you. How you spoke with interest about the religion of the ancient peoples of Terra. With what zeal you explained old traditions to yourinterlocutors. They all listened to you with bated breath. You could be a great diplomat with such oratory skills.

But as you later told him, you were more interested in history than real politics. Power over other people's lives was not close to you. Lorgar felt his hearts flutter and his breathing quicken. They saw a different role in you, but you chose a different fate. He was not a warrior either, he was a priest... only he could not refuse the Emperor.

For now.

You were strong in spirit. In your opinion, you were strange. But Aurelian knew you were special. You didn't cry or faint next to the primarch. Didn't feel inspired or awed by his presence. No, you looked straight into his eyes and talked about human existence. About how human destiny is woven. The primarch himself did not notice how fascinated he was by your voice. Sweet and inviting. This is exactly how mortals feel when they open their souls to a preacher. And he wanted to open his soul and body.

“I’m not a believer, don’t think about it” - you make excuses and babble like a servant of the Imperial Truth. False Truth. “But while studying all these stories, I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like... to believe. In part, I even envy the ancient inhabitants of Terra... b-but I certainly don’t strive to believe in gods.”

No, you are striving. You desperately want to let them into your heart, Lorgar knew this. You were simply studying ancient false gods. But he could show you the truth. The primarch could kill for you for the glory of Khorne. Conduct conversations about the existence of the world for the glory of Tzeentch. Grant you eternal life for the glory of Nurgle.... and wallow with you in lust for the glory of Slaanesh.

Squeeze your fragile perfect body in his bulky hands. Hear your voice sing into the Warp. How you open up and lay bare before his eyes like a book. How you record his story, his torment and agony on your skin. The way you kiss his forehead in a motherly gesture. Until you move on your lips like a temptress.

...You are an amazing woman. You cannot be a Chaos Goddess. No. But your thoughts, your vision of the world, your unusual behavior with the primarchs pointed to your originality. You are a saint. And you must bear his word. And you will.

Lorgar feels a shiver run through his body as he sees your eyes blink in surprise when he asked you to become his personal remembrancer. The way your lips part and your chest heaves... Before the primarch opened the soul of Slaanesh, he could not even imagine such a thing as lust. Love? Yes. He felt it for you. But lust... it was a new feeling for him.

And he liked it.

[chocochipjewel]

Yapping about Belos and his ending excessively while also analysing him to the best of my ability under the cut

So given how much art of him I've reblogged by now, it really shouldn't come as a surprise that Belos is my favourite character from the Owl House.

I could talk about him for HOURSS but I just want to talk about 2 of my favourite moments of him to highlight the parts of him I love the most.

This moment in Hollow Mind, when he gets the key in his hand and you can see the light in his eyes. It's the only time his eyes have the distinct shine in them like every other character has all the time, and it's cause of the key he's holding. The key to the human realm is the only thing that gives him that shine cause it's the only thing he genuinely cares about. Everything he's doing is to go back home and revel in glory, which, while selfish, adds so much to his character. He's not doing this JUST for power, he became an Emperor just to tear his own creations down. I just find something extremely poetic about that.

And the second moment -

THIS MOMENT. THIS MOMENT IN KING'S TIDE AJDHSJSHSJS

I'm still mad these flashbacks were never brought up in any big way cause THEY REALLY SHOULD HAVE BUT AHSKSJS I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF.

Belos reliving his worst memories was always a concept that was going to be interesting because it's an insight into what really gets into the head of our main antagonist. What does the guy who is everyone else's worst fear have to fear. And the answer is himself.

The 3 memories he sees are him approaching Caleb with the knife, the actual murder as pictured above, and the creation of the grimwalkers.

What really gets me is that his eyes are wide when he recalls the first memory, but they look smaller in the second memory (in the screenshot). Maybe it's just the angle but I always interpreted it as his expression shifting to be one of genuine sadness for this particular memory. Because the mere fact that his most personal crime is also his worst memory is such an interesting concept. How does he live with that sort of guilt and worse, keep doing those same crimes but WORSE?

All of Hollow Mind could just be here really and I wouldn't complain. It's THE episode for Belos fans that really allowed us to dig into him, and the mere fact that he's consciously scratched off Caleb from all the happy memories as if to justify his own fratricide is a level of desperate coping that I just find so very interesting ajdjhsjjs

Not to mention that his inner self is a child, which, while a pretence by him, could still say something about how in his head, he still has not grown up and is still playing pretend, still playing witch hunter with every version of Caleb he creates, still playing god to finally achieve a fantasy so very childish and so frankly basic that it makes anyone watching from the outside think "wait, that's it? That's all this is for?" AND THAT'S THE POINT

Cause none of this needed to happen. None of this has a greater value than Philip trying to chase after lost dreams. All the plans he made, all his great power and his great empire amounts to nothing because he himself plans to destroy all of it to chase that childhood dream. Just like Luz, he entered the Boiling Isles to find a home, only his home was Caleb and he was never willing to love new things in the Isles, while Luz loved so much she literally changed the lives of everyone she met by loving them. And unlike Luz, Philip never grew out of that mindset, only burying it in layers and layers of lies and half truths.

In general, his relationship with Caleb is for sure the most interesting part of his character to me. The fact that he both repeatedly murders and repeatedly creates new grimwalkers in an endless cycle and then hallucinates Caleb looking at him with disdain implies so much about his dependancy on Caleb and the deepest parts of himself that know what he's doing is wrong. The parts that have broken free from the layers and layers of cognitive dissonance and have accepted that he was wrong, without any more justifications.

And now, to 'briefly' rant about him in season 3

Thanks to Them was juicy for character exploration, but I wish we actually got to see him react to the human realm properly. It's everything he's wanted, it's the one thing that still brings light into his life but the world he returned to would absolutely hate him. He's done all this for nothing. I wanted so badly to see how he copes with his guilt then, but they were short on time so I get it.

For the Future's hallucination scene makes this even more interesting cause of the depiction of him actually seriously suffering from something like hallucinations. It was dark as hell, and it was really interesting.

And then... WaD. All in all, a great finale. The only real big problem I had with it was Belos' ending.

After so much buildup to his depth and his motivations and his guilt and all his lies slowly collapsing around him, after everything he did to so many people, he deserved a better death. I don't think he didn't deserve death, I just think it happened too quick. Where was the final cathartsis from all his victims shunning him (Luz staring was perfect don't get me wrong, but the whole Hexsquad deserved to be there). Where was the moment he would finally no longer be able to lie to himself and he would be forced to accept that he did EVERYTHING he did, made all those great sacrifices, tortured so many people, just to fail and be at his victims' mercy after accomplishing nothing?

I understand the finale was juggling many MANY characters and plotpoints, but that's not stopping me from wishing for a better ending.

I wish I had had the motivation to draw something for this like I'd hoped, but a brief description about what kind of ending I'd have wanted will have to do.

I wish Luz saw his memories in the place in between with Papa Titan. It would reinforce her arc of feeling like they come from the same place too, if she saw Caleb leaving Philip and Philip's original goal of just wanting to get his brother back. I wish Luz saw all his "sad" memories and really started to question herself.

And then I would have wanted Papa Titan to shoot that down regardless, and then explain that while Belos may have started out a victim of his circumstances as an orphaned child in a cult, the Isles gave him chances to change. Memories of Philip in the Isles seeing Caleb happy, being given chances by witches, being given so many chances to change, and rejecting them accompanying this scene would be ideal. Really hammer in that he aas responsible for his own suffering and that he has absolutely no excuse for what he did to all his victims.

And then, in the final death scene, as he claims that as humans they are better than witches one last time, I wish the ghosts of all his victims showed up to prove him wrong. Every witch and grimwalker who choose to be better than him before they fell. Every member of the Hexsquad who believed in him and his regime at one point. Every single one of them a reminder of how his lies can't even convince himself anymore.

And finally, his own brother, a fellow human, who appears before him. I imagine Caleb looking at him with pity, almost sympathy, before a quiet acceptance comes onto his face and he turns away from him. He walks towards the crowd and chooses their side, next to Evelyn. Neither Caleb nor Luz say a single word. There is nothing left to be said to him anymore. Every single person on the Isles, human or witch, has turned against him now.

If anything could break his will, I think this would be it. I imagine him phasing through his different forms, trying to find a way to justify himself in each one, gradually desolving into desparate screams, before the boiling rain melts him away like in canon (except without the stomping please).

Aaaand that's it, no more notes. Thanks so much to all the Wittebane fans in the community who have kept his fanbase fed when the show didn't meet our standards and who prompted the line of thought that led to this post.

There are so many of you all who inspired and made my fandom experience fun and created so much out of just Philip, Caleb, and Evelyn (and all your OCs of course!!) so I'm just going to shoutout the ones I remember off the top of my head -

@talisman975

@jess-the-vampire

@calebsrottingcorpse

@owlyhouse

@anona1-mous

@captainmera

@moonmeg

@azure-blaze92

@a-magpie-in-the-bi

@a-magpie-in-gravesfield

This is no particular order and I'm surely missing more so this is by no means exhaustive, but this is just a shoutout for those who kept this fandom going. Y'all are the real troopers for sure.

That's all I got, but I'm posting some old Belos art soon! Cheers all, and may the terrible awful no good goo babygirl keep inspiring us for all the great art <3

[crimeronan]

I like the idea that Hunter catches wind of all the adults plotting to send him and Luz on vacation and his maladaptive paranoid ass jumps to the conclusion of “This is a Coup. They’re going to kick us to the human world and blow up the portal.”

So Hunter tracks down the Dastardly Scheming Adults while they’re getting all their “Hunter and Luz Vacation Planning” done fully decked out in his Golden Guard gear and persona (which is really hard when Darius is one of the scheming adults) and tries to gently intimidate them into dropping it so he doesn’t have to start blasting. And Raine gets to be like “Hey hey hey no. We love Luz. She’s doing Great. But we know running the Empire is A Lot and she’s been doing So Much for Us, even with the Emperor passing away and her human mother showing up, we just want her to know that if she needs a break then we’ll be able to handle it :)” and other nice politically endearing but completely genuine things like that that all amounts to “We aren’t going to MAKE her do anything. But if she needs a vacationnn… or maybe even a retirement…. She shouldn’t have to worry about messing anything up if she does :)”

Hunter joins the dastardly scheming adults as their “Hey can you convince Luz to take a break” Guy. I think he could very easily do this by putting on his most pathetic voice and making sad wet cat eyes at Luz and go “Hey. I think we both need a break 🥺 Will you come vacation with me 🥺🥺🥺”

CUTE. DKSKDJJD

raine is trying to go "no, no, we don't have ill intentions!!" while darius, certified Least Helpful Adult In The Entire World, is just like "hunter. are you fucking serious. are you stupid. why would i EVER want to run this fucking government."

[nucleo-bang-tan]

The Uisa's Daughter | Chapter 1v : Her Grief

Pairing/s: Kim Taehyung X Reader, Jeon Jungkook X Reader

Genre: Medieval Korea AU, Mystery, Strangers to Lovers, Angst, Smut

Rating/s: 18+ Mature Themes

Warning/s: Grief and lots of it, King tries to sleep with her, the real Jungkook... And ofcourse, wouldn't be a nucleobangtan fic without shitty ass writing and really bad pacing.

Summary: In the 1700s, the Jeon Dynasty spread all across the Korean peninsula.  Happiness quadrupled with the founder Emperor's presence, or so it seemed. Secrets scattered over the palace in the capital city, Hanseong were known to none except a few.

Chapter Summary: Curiousity did not kill the cat. Atleast not yet.

A/N: Not proofread!!! Please leave comments, I would love to hear from you guys. Critique my writing and tell me if I'm doing anything wrong, really appreciate it.

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Teaser Prologue Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The morning sun rose, casting a gentle light on a world that felt colder without your lover. You sat quietly on the window sill, surrounded by memories, each one a bitter reminder of his absence.

The ache in your heart was painful, a silent testament to the love you shared and the deep void his death had left in your life. It had been exactly three weeks since your wedding day, but it felt like an eternity without him. Every day dragged on, the minutes stretching into hours.

You couldn't help but tear up. The syllables 'Taehyung' gave you flashbacks of your bloodied lover. The nights were sleepless and even if you did manage to close your eyes, the flashbacks didn't spare you.

Amidst everything, Yoongi's life was taken because he wanted to protect you. How you unapologetically wished it was your father who was slain.

The emptiness in your heart grew bigger and bigger with each passing moment. Every night, the King would visit your chambers. He hoped that you would give in to his demands, let him use you the way he had hungered for years.

But you never let him. You were always closed off and barely talked to him. He didn't wish to force you but you were surely making it difficult for him. King Jeon knew you never wanted him, but he never stopped pursuing.

"Why are you sad?" An endearing voice pulled you out of your thoughts. You smiled, wiping the tears on your cheeks.

"I just... I lost someone I loved." The little child climbed onto the window sill as well, sitting on your lap.

"I lost someone too, once. But I don't remember anything." He said, slightly frowning.

"Was it the Queen? Your mother?" You patted his fluffy, brown hair.

"How did you know, Y/n? Oh, I'm sorry! Father said I should call you my mother."

"We are barely 12 years apart. I'm more like your sister. You don't have to call me your mother if you don't wish to, Jungkook."

He giggled, "I love it when you call me that!"

You furrowed your eyebrows, "Call you what?"

"'Jungkook' of course!" He said, slightly jumping out of happiness in your lap.

You figured not everyone called him by his name, either addressing him as Prince or majesty.

"I'm more than happy to call you by your name, Jungkook."

"Yes! It's my name! I am the great warrior, Jeon Jungkook." You laughed slightly at his excitement. His innocent soul found delight in the littlest of things.

Over the past couple of weeks, little Jungkook had been your source of joy. He had a lot of energy, whenever you didn't feel like getting up, Jungkook forced you to play with him. Unknowingly, it helped you to handle the grief a lot better.

Ofcourse, he was a bit spoiled, being the Prince of an entire country does come with a lot of luxuries. But the kindness and bright nature overtook his spoiled attitude. The kid was the type to throw a tantrum when the chef didn't make his favorite food but then apologize for his behavior in the cutest way possible.

"Oh! I have a letter for you." He said, pulling out an envelope from his hanbok.

You furrowed your eyebrows, "A letter? Did you write it?"

"No, that person told me to give it to you. They got it from your friend." He said.

According to Jungkook, there was a person in the palace worried for your well-being. It was probably a maid who used to work for your father, you thought. You weren't allowed to leave your chambers, so letters were the only mode of communication.

You took the envelope in your hand and carefully opened it. You hoped it was who you thought it was: your childhood friend.

Dear Y/n,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this two days after your wedding with the King. But I would imagine it will take a few days to reach you considering all the security. But I was promised by my friend that it'll reach you, no matter what happens, and I trust that.

I cannot fathom the pain that you are enduring. Losing two people in a single day, seeing them lose their light in front of you. I am sorry I couldn't be there. I understand why you hate the King. I am sorry for the times I shushed you when you were speaking ill about him. He isn't kind at all.

Yoongi was a great person and my friend as well. And about Taehyung... I am writing this letter to tell you what he wished you knew. He had kept this in the past but I am sure he meant to tell you this in the time to come.

He was no ordinary farmer. Taehyung used to be an assassin in the royal army. He climbed up ranks as soon as he joined the army. Ofcourse his identity was and is a secret to the mass. He was a brutal man, assassinating whoever wronged the King. He was loyal to the Jeon family.

There were also rumors that wives and women of aristocratic families paid him to sleep with them, and that is how he knew a lot of the secrets of the royals and high class families. The rumors were proved to be true and that made King Jeon furious. He was eventually removed from his position and was sent back.

This is all I know about the matter.

Y/n, how I wish I could be there for you. Your parents have no maids and servants now after what your father did. Although I am trying my best to get work back at the palace to be closer to you, the King is stubborn. He is not taking any chances and his trust in me has dwindled due to your father.

I believe in you. There are talks of a revolution inspired by Taehyung and Yoongi, talks to save you. Until then, I believe you will hold on. My friend at the palace will treat you well.

For now, all I can say is keep safe and do not let the King get to your head. You have seen worse now, have you not?

Do not lose hope.

Love,

Jung Hoseok

You read the letter slowly, each word sinking in. Hoseok’s message was a lifeline, a reminder that you were not alone. He was out there, fighting for you, and there was a glimmer of hope in the talk of revolution. You clutched the letter to your chest, drawing strength from his words.

Jungkook watched you with wide eyes, sensing the importance of the letter. "Is it good news?"

You smiled through your tears, nodding. "Yes, Jungkook. It's good news. Thank you for bringing it to me."

He beamed, his innocent joy a balm to your wounded heart. "I'm glad!"

As you tucked the letter away safely, you felt a renewed sense of determination. You would endure this, for Taehyung, for Yoongi, and for the future Hoseok envisioned. You would not let the King break you.

You remembered Taehyung fighting the palace guards masterfully, his moments were fluid and graceful. He was formidable until that soldier 'defeated' him on King's command.

You remembered Taehyung often telling you a thing or two about the aristocrats and high ranking officials. How the husbands were unfaithful and all the wives could do was sit there with a smile, because if they held any other expression, they would be beaten and bruised. He also mentioned the wives paying men for some satisfaction as their husbands found solace in anyone but them.

You remembered the way he held you whenever he made love to you. His movements reflected clear experience. You never asked him why it was.

He hated the nobility and the privileged yet he slept with wives. You couldn't help but wonder what made him go through with that. King Jeon, who had several affairs, would not remove Taehyung from his post simply because of what he did. There had to be more to that.

"Who is the letter from?" The patiently awaiting Jungkook asked.

"A friend of mine, Hobi. He is the sweetest person there is." You smiled, patting his head, "Thank you for delivering this to me."

"Will you play with me now?" He asked eagerly.

"Do you have a game in mind, little Prince?" You were more than delighted to have Jungkook. He kept you busy and didn't let you think much about the happenings.

"Hide and seek? But your chamber does not have places to hide." He pouted.

"That's alright. We can play something else."

"Can we go play in the courtyard? Father is visiting the kingdom. He won't know of it."

Knowing what the King can do, you didn't want to put Jungkook in trouble. Even if a single soul caught you outside of your chamber, you could face the King's wrath. But you could handle it, the 7 year old could not.

"Jungkook, you know I cannot. Let us play something else, yes?"

"I am the Prince, I promise you father would never know." He said haughtily.

"But you would get into big trouble." You sighed, trying to convince the little boy.

"I have people to protect me, do not worry."

"Against your father? I don't think so, Prince."

He shook his head, "I have people to protect me against anyone in this world."

"Jung-"

"No! You are playing hide and seek with me and I won't hear anymore from you."

You held the Prince's shoulders, trying to stop him from throwing a tantrum, "What if the King hurts you? What will I do then?"

He laughed, "He will be killed before he touches me."

You furrow your eyebrows, who would be foolish enough to kill a man like that? But then again, Jungkook was the future of the Jeon Empire. He must definitely have loyal guards.

"Are you sure about this? If we get caught, you say nothing. I would take the blame on me, alright?"

He nodded, "Yes! I am more than sure."

"Then let us play in the courtyard for an hour or so."

He jumped off of your lap in excitement, almost stumbling and falling. But he caught himself just in time.

"Try and catch me." You said, getting up from the window sill and running outside your chamber.

You knew the palace well enough to navigate through the confusing corridors. Somehow, it was exactly like the recurring dream you have about the non-existent prince and his dog, Bam.

The two of you laughed as you ran through the hallways of the palace. Mindfulness was long forgotten as your voices echoed. Everyone who crossed your paths didn't bother you when they saw the Prince running with you.

"Alright, do you want to hide?" You asked as you both reached the courtyard.

"Yes, but promise you won't peek." He said, clearly having experienced dishonesty while playing this game before.

"I won't, do not worry. I will count to 50, that is enough time for you to hide." He nodded as you closed your eyes and faced a large tree.

Time passed and you played with the child for more than an hour, after which you retired back to your chamber.

You were tired to say the least. Following a bath, you cuddled up to a large cushion, your hair still slightly wet. And as per usual, thoughts flooded your mind. Thoughts which made you cry out in pain.

Every single one of them consisted of your lover. The image of his smile as King Jeon pushed the sword deeper was etched into your brain.

You regretted meeting Taehyung. It was his fault you learned how to dream. It was his fault you dreamt of a better life, a life with just him and you. But it was your fault you held him with you. You were curious what love was, so you held onto him with everything you had.

Love always leads to misfortune. You never believed it existed until you met him. But seeing how the two of you ended, proved to be a constant reminder that it shouldn't exist. Love seemed much better when you thought it was a myth.

Your thoughts were cut off by the sound of the door opening. You looked out the window, it was dark outside. You knew who it was and you were ready to do anything to stop him from doing as he wished.

"Today was really tiring." He said, closing the door. You didn't move at all and stayed facing away from him.

You felt the bed dip behind you but you still didn't move. But you did visibly flinch at his touch on your shoulder. His large hand rubbed against your upper arm.

"All of my subjects adore me, tell me, why is it that you tremble at my touch? Perhaps the excitement?" He laughed.

"Stop being delusional." You whispered.

"What was that?" His aged ears did not pick up your words.

"I said, stop being delusional." You said in a firm tone, getting up from the bed and stepping away from it.

The King looked up at you and his laughter grew in volume. He was clearly entertained by your withdrawal.

His laughter seized and his gaze turned dark, "Delusional? My Queen, you are the one deluding yourself. You thought you could live a perfect life with that lad? He used you for money and pleasure."

"Get lost, I plead with you. Do not speak a single word about him. He never wanted me for my money. He was a real man, unlike you." You were agitated by his words. Your voice trembled with anger, yet you tried to keep a strong expression.

He got up from your bed and walked towards you, "You have not given me a chance to prove myself yet, have you now?"

"Leave." You gritted, hands clenched into fists.

His tall and wide frame towered above yours, "Oh, what if I don't, what if I..." He raised his hand to touch your cheek but you swatted it away.

"You are fucking disgusting."

The King turned his head to the side and let out a bitter chuckle. Without a word, he turned around and walked out of your chamber leaving you trembling with fear and anger all over.

Your labored breaths slowed down. You were supposed to hold on till someone rescued you, but he made it increasingly difficult to do so.

You laid on the cold bed. Hatred was boiling inside of you. How you wished Taehyung was there to comfort you, guide you through it all. You were tired but it seemed sleep evaded you.

On nights like these, you always imagined Taehyung was holding you tight and secure. You had never gotten a chance to sleep with him overnight, but your imagination proved to be a good companion.

You sighed, letting your tears fall once again, "I hate you so much for leaving." You whispered to your imaginary Taehyung.

You felt so broken, so cursed. Your own skin felt foreign.

"I suppose I have to hold on... for you."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"I am the undefeated Jeon Jungkook." The little child jumped around waving his wooden sword. His energy truly surprised you. Maybe you were just lazy but the boy played from sunrise to sunset and he still wished to play more.

You were sitting on a bench in the courtyard. The cherry blossom trees overhead provided enough shade for you to relax. Jungkook was fighting with the falling pink leaves.

It had been exactly 2 months since your wedding day. Spring had almost come to an end. The Korean Peninsula experienced a monsoon which seemed to be arriving soon considering the wind. You remembered when your father taught you about various seasons across the world. You didn't find the information interesting, always leaning more towards human anatomy and science.

You could see Jungkook's caretaker arriving in a hurry. You weren't afraid of being spotted by her outside of your room, she was the type to scold you for it but would never tell the King. The frail lady was Yoongi’s mother and you could see the resemblance in her cat-like eyes.

It wasn’t long ago when you had first met her. She had approached you with a stoic face, similar to that of Yoongi, but she was the sweetest woman you had met. She introduced herself as Mrs. Min, caretaker of the youngest child of the Jeon family.

Immediately you asked if she knew Yoongi, to which she hesitated to answer. After a bit of coercion, she admitted she was the mother of a traitor. She was ashamed of her son but knew he had his own reasons to rebel. You could tell she loved him dearly. She was taken aback when you embraced her and said that Yoongi was a brave person and fought for what he believed.

"My Prince, my Queen..." The old woman bowed.

You pressed your lips together and gave her a small nod in return, "What is it, Mrs. Min?"

"If I may, Eunuch Kang has requested the little Prince's presence." She said. Her small and wrinkly smile seemed the most trustworthy in the entire palace.

Eunuch Kang, though, always seemed a little too suspicious. Always keeping an eye on everything and everyone, supporting the Emperor's evil deeds and always advising him to do the cruelest thing possible.

"I shall be back Y/n, wait for me." Jungkook said, handing you his sword.

"You must not call her by her name, she is your mother." His caretaker gasped.

"Alright then, I shall be back, mother." Jungkook's tone made you silently laugh a little. He didn't want to call you his mother, but he had to in front of everyone.

You waved with a smile until Jungkook and Mrs.Min were out of sight.

It had been so long since you had been alone with nature. You decided to take a walk barefoot to feel the grass between your toes.

There were all kinds of flowers, trees and herbs in the garden. There was a tiny path amongst the herbs through which you decided to stroll.

You enjoyed the walk until you found yourself in an unfamiliar part of the garden. The palace grounds were vast and intricate, making it easy to lose your way. They were connected to various training areas, lakes and even a forest.

You had no intent to escape, though. Where would you escape to? All you knew was the capital city of Hanseong. Hypothetically, you would have to travel a distance of 150 km to escape the Jeon Empire. Even then, there was no guarantee that the border guards would let you pass.

Your eyes sparkled when you spotted a rare imported herb, saffron. These weren't naturally grown in your country, and this was the first time you saw a saffron plant. You squatted down to get a better look at the delicate flowers.

“You should get a better grip on the sword.” You heard a faint voice from a distance. The person was with someone else, you could tell. Your hands subconsciously touched the flowers as you heard their conversation. Maybe you could find some crucial information, you thought.

“How are you so good with the bow and not the sword, Jimin?” The same voice groaned.

The second person, supposedly Jimin seemed extremely annoyed, “I do not fucking care, I am leaving.”

You were so focused on the conversation, you failed to notice the increasingly clouded sky overhead. The clouds were already full and ready to pour.

You slowly walked to the direction of the voices, mindful not to step on dried leaves. As you drew closer, the figures came into view—a young man, possibly Jimin, and another whose face you couldn't quite see.

Quickly, you ducked behind a nearby tree, peering out cautiously. The branches provided a decent cover, allowing you to observe without being noticed.

Jimin was visibly frustrated, pacing back and forth, while the other person, a taller, stern-looking man, tried to reason with him. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves, but you remained perfectly still, straining to catch every word.

Your breath caught as the man turned around, revealing his face and his topless torso. His toned muscles glistened with sweat under the clouded sky. He held a sword with effortless grace, the weapon gleaming in the dim light.

You couldn't help but admire his chiseled features and strong arms, a testament to years of rigorous training. His strong jawline moved as he spoke to Jimin. His dark, obsidian hair fell in damp strands over his forehead, and his doe eyes, which reminded you of the little Prince, were focused on his comrade, a mix of frustration and concern evident in his gaze.

You tore your eyes away, feeling your cheeks warm. But curiosity killed the cat, and you were much like one. Your curiousity always led to trouble, you knew it. It was best to leave, you thought.

The downpour was relentless, you tried your best to see ahead. The smell of fresh rain filled your senses. The entire garden turned into a muddy mess not long after. You needed to find shelter, the trees weren't much help.

However, in your hurry, you slipped, and fell knee first on the ground, letting out a squeal. Not your best moments, you could say. Great, your hanbok was dirty, you were drenched and lost, and now you were probably bleeding.

“Fuck, what are you doing here?” A voice called out, concerned yet surprised. And now you were caught.

You looked up to see the topless soldier from earlier, his eyes wide with alarm. Before you could say anything, he swiftly picked you up, one hand under your knees and one around your back. You gasped, instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck for support.

“We need to get you out of this rain.” He yelled over the loud thrumming of rain. He carried you as if you weighed nothing. He moved quickly through the muddy garden, his steps confident and sure despite the slippery ground. Within moments, he reached a nearby stable.

He was barely panting as he let you down on your feet. You could sense him staring at you with his round eyes as you shivered due to the awfully cool climate. His presence, though casual, brought a strange sense of comfort amid the chaos.

"Who are you?" You looked at his drenched form, mirroring yours. The only thing that differed was his bare torso. A sudden realization made fear shoot through every nerve of your body. He seemed to be a commander of higher rank and you just made him save your clumsy self from the rain. What if he tells the emperor? You could be put to death for just being here.

"I am sorry but you need to be more aware of your surroundings." He said trying to sound nonchalant. He could see the fear in your eyes but chose to ignore it. Did he scare you?

"I-I'll keep that in mind." You bowed fervently.

"Jungkook..."

"What?" You tilted your head in confusion.

"I am Jungkook, Jeon Jungkook." Prince Jungkook?

You chuckled, “Ofcourse you are.” You rubbed your arms briskly to generate some warmth.

He furrowed his eyebrows, “What do you mean?”

“You are not Prince Jungkook. But you do look like him, I must admit.” You removed the outer coat of your hanbok, the wet clothing being a bit too uncomfortable.

“Why do you think that, my Queen?” He was amused.

“Because, you are not Jungkook. He is the 7 year old Prince of the Jeon Empire.” You pressed.

His amusement reached new levels, “That little kid? You think he is Jeon Jungkook?”

“Yes! Are you jesting me?” You looked at his very, very familiar face. It was as if you had seen him a million times, but you hadn't. Keeping your eyes on him was dangerous territory, yet you couldn't help but continually glance at him.

“I need to have a talk with him.” He laughed.

You raised your eyebrows, “You sure do have some arrogance.” How could a soldier like him stand on equal grounds with the Prince?

“Why is it arrogant to have a talk with my baby brother?” He folded his arms over his chest, biceps flexing as he did so.

“B-Brother? He is surely not-” You had second thoughts, though. His eyes? “Oh, his cousin?” you asked.

He shook his head, “I hope not. We are siblings.”

Surely the man was lying. How did you not know about the existence of another Prince, who could be the heir to the Jeon Empire? But then again, you didn't know the younger Prince existed until a few weeks ago.

You cleared your throat, you were still the Queen, you had superiority, you needn't be afraid, “And your name is?”

“I was not lying when I said I was Jeon Jungkook.” The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“You are not Jungkook.” Your mind was processing a million things at the moment. If the man in front of you was Jungkook, who was the child you had befriended?

As if he could hear your thoughts, he answered, “I am the heir to the throne, Prince Jungkook. And the kid, he's my brother, Jeon Junghyun.”

[the-monkey-ruler]

how hardworking is bajie in the novel? fanart gives off the impression that he’d rather do anything but work

And he WOULD! HE DOES NOT LIKE TO WORK! Rather nap and kick back.

But honestly, next to Wukong, he does do the second most amount of work when it comes to fighting demons and getting food.

Don’t get me wrong man will complain the whole time while doing it but he is a competent fighter in many regards. Man was the Marshall in Heaven that only answered to the Jade Emperor himself, a navel officer so he knows a thing or two about fighting and tactics he just doesn't apply himself often. Not since being pig shaped.

There are many times he was the one to fight demons alongside Wukong, sometimes they even coordinate attacks with one another to get the drop on their enemy.

He was able to kill Princess Jade Face, Great King Fox Number Seven, the Wansheng Princess, all six of the tree spirits, White-Faced Vixen Spirit, King of the Southern Hill, King of Heat Protection, and King of Dust Protection. That isn't even included in the assistant kills that helped with Wukong and in enemies such as the Pythron Demon.

Funny enough he gets pretty protective of Sanzang when it comes to him being sexually harassed as well. I like to think that is his own personal turning point when it comes to respecting other people's boundaries.

But also he 'sacrifices' himself for Sanzang's place XD

I've always read it as it's more of a threat than a promise. Because he also knows that women won't go for him being a pig. Which is a little sad but also him using his appearance to his advantage to scare women in the Women's Kingdom. Says he won't be turned into a fragrant bag cause no one would even want him.

The main reason he is so antagonistic is that he IS THE CLOWN. There is a scene Bajie is being cooked by a GAINT streamer and he complaining he is going to come out wrong if the fire tenders (that Wukong is stopping) don't cook him RIGHT. Also that Bajie knows Wukong in diguse by seeing his cheeks and thinking "I KNOW THOSE CHEEKS ANYWHERE!"

Literally, his role in the book is to make laughs and to be the verbal and literal punching bag. Wukong himself is funny, absolutely, but he needs someone to play off him as well. It is very like that one group of Abbott and Costello vibes in some scenes where they just verbally poke on one other, and often there are cases were they pull pranks. Mostly Wukong at Bajie but still.

Like Wukong letting Bajie get captured by an enemy just so he can save him later. HE DOES THIS TWICE. He was mad Bajie thought he died (legit thought he died) in the first one and he took money from Bajie the second time he saved him XD told him it was the 'groups' money and they should share.

And I know people give Bajie hell for being a shit to Wukong but also… Wukong is ALSO a shit back to him. Wukong isn't one to be walked over and he definitely has his fair share of making Bajie feel that revenge for being a shit in the first place. They are shits to each other. Which makes them ever more enjoyable. Wukong is even the one to put a paper saying "I can heal the king" in Bajie’s back pocket when he falls asleep FACING THE WALL NOT TO SCARE ANYONE WITH HIS FACE. Man was legit trying NOT to get into trouble and Wukong knew this was going to be hilarious.

HE WAS PRANKED.

Also Bajie carrying Wukong thinking he could 'trip' and send Wukong flying. But Wukong anticipated this and made a clone of himself to be on Bajie so when he trip the clone drifted away as Bajie and Wujing just looked on in horror as their brother MELTED before their eyes. And Wukong turning into a woodpecker to peck at Bajie to wake him up.

That one was elaborate.

He does have some good ideas even from time to time despite his laziness. He knew how to get Bailong to walk across ice safely and for once USED THE RAKE AS A RAKE to clear a forest. Also that he knows a bit about farming because he was a farmer for a least three years with the Gao family.

So again he is capable and knows a bit despite his ignorance in other matters he just hates to admit he is wrong and hates to admit even more when he can’t do something. Which is hard to do when you are working with someone with MUCH more knowledge and power like Wukong.

I really think that Bajie looks up to Wukong while also being incredibly jealous of Wukong as well. That he relies on him as a companion but lets his own insecurities and jealousy get in the way of working with him, rather purposefully trying to make things harder for Wukong as if to get back at him. But I really think Bajie knows they need Wukong. Even when Wukong is knocked out and unconscious from the Red Boy fight Bajie doesn't believe for a second he is really dead, rather just going straight into reviving him. He also tells others they should treat him with high respect, make it sound like Wukong is danger but also that he is just so powerful in general and that he deserves to be regarded as such.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Bajie is the one after Wukong's first banishment that he has to go get him to save the rest of the group. Because he is the one that messed up by convincing Saznag Wukong was lying. But he also knows they can't do this journey without Wukong. He might be big talk but I think he's going to get Wukong was a humbling moment for him too cause he knows they are going to lose. Another way he shows that is when he thinks Wukong really dies he gets MAD. Because he knows now there is no chance, they are really going to DIE and he is upset.

I still think that Bajie just wanted to get back at Wukong for making fun of him in when GuanYin strung him up to a tree after the Ginseng Fruit arc. But he really didn't know what the fillet implies as he has never seen it used until then. It doesn't make it right but I do think it explains himself a bit more.

And even when Bajie went back to get Wukong, Wukong gave him a tour of his mountain AND STILL pulled a fast on him by having him think he wasn't coming when he was right behind Bajie the whole time. He just wanted Bajie to sweat a little longer. But there was something about Wukong having Bajie see how whole home and what he is leaving but also that Bajie really enjoyed seeing where he lived… even if the Little Suns threw Bajie around like a sake of flour weighing nothing… BUT HE STILL HAD A NICE TIME.

Bajie seems to have a lot of faith in his brothers, even if he rather run away and avoid a fight altogether because he is a bit of a coward he is more often overconfident on taking on demons with his group.

But when he thinks Wukong might actually die after they think they lost Sanzang to a demon he tells him he can't else they will have too much to grieve. And how he only feels confident in battle when he knows Wukong is behind him. I do love it when Bajie and Wujing look on in awe at Wukong and his power he thinks they might be gossiping about him and gets suspicious, leading to another prank.

And I feel like he gets that kind of confidence only later throughout the series, where he actually stops trying to divide the luggage when things go bad and tries to see to the end of the journey to get the scriptures. He is still a lazy guy that rather sleep and eat all day but he gets a bit better along the way, participating with his party in the journey and starting to see the goal to attain the scriptures as something he also wants to and actually trying harder to prove that to himself. It takes him a lot longer than Wukong and even Wujing but I think he really comes around to being a team player.

This kinda turned into a Bajie apologist post but I just really love this pig. He is a lazy asshole that starts shit he needs a good slice of humble pie because he cares a lot

[feyres-divorce-lawyer]

hear me out, hear me out, feylin mulan au. IT WORKS!

note: mama archeron is still alive and the family isn't dirt poor.

papa archeron is called to war again but he became disabled fighting in the last war, and he'll most definitely die on the battlefield this time. feyre doesn't want him to go cuz like that's her dad (and for a more selfish reason, he's the only one that's been stopping her mother from marrying her off to lord rhysand because he's rich af) something something, feyre takes her dad's conscription papers and armor, the family horse, oh no nesta, elain what are you doing here. nesta helps cuz she knows she can't stop feyre, elains helps feyre cut her hair. they send her off, don't die ok. feyre gets to the military base, where we meet general tamlin, (with long hair and now feyre's wishing she didn't cut hers off but it would've probably made her look more feminine anyway) who has been put in charge of the new trainees to test his loyalties cuz his father ended up betraying their side. so he's training them really hard to prove himself, and feyre's singled out because she's significantly physically weaker than everyone else. something something, we get to the iconic climbing scene and she's the first to reach the top and take the arrow. something something, things are going great but oh no, the enemy has caught up with them, boom avalanche, oh no tamlin, he's fallen off the cliff, yay fyere saved him, but oh no feyre's injured and gasp she's a GIRL? tamlin's like hella mad cuz this reflects badly on him (also secretly sad cuz my boy was feeling feelings, there's homosexuality implied in the og movie cuz shang had feelings for mulan when he thought she was a boy sooooo) feyre's kicked out and she's trudging along the way back home when wait a minute, is that... tamlin's dad? oh no they all didn't die in the avalanche and now they're gonna kill the emperor. let's go horsie. something something, feyre makes it to the capital city (give name later), and damn it tamlin would you just listen, your dad is back. look up! oh no it's tamlin's dad and he's gonna to kill the emperor. ha! bet you wished you listened to feyre now, don't you. fight, fight! something something, face off between tam's dad and feyre

tam's dad: IT'S YOU! YOU'RE A GIRL! i'm more mad that you're a girl in the army than i am that you almost killed me because i'm a total misogynist. i'm gonna kill you now

feyre: you're such a shitty dad, i can't believe you would betray such an amazing, beautiful, gorgeous man, who i totally don't have any feelings for, like that

um feyre aren't you supposed to be fighting this dude cuz he's gonna kill the emperor, priorities girlie!

something something, cool fan move, kick, FIREWORKS! (it seems now would be the time to say that mushu still exists in this au) ahhh tam's dad is on fire. yay the emperor has been saved! all hail feyre archeron, savior of prythian, whoooo!

cut scene

*back at the archeron family house*

mama archeron's like totally mad, cuz feyre how could you mess up her plans to become richer by pawning off her daughter to that total stranger. tamlin arrives with a friend (hi lulu!), mama archeron is very intrigued, ooh maybe her plan can still work. oh he's asking after feyre, the ancestors must be looking down on her today. nesta's totally suspicious, what does this tall (derogatory) man want with her sister. elain's intrigued cuz tamlin's friend looks very nice, hehe. anyways, tamlin finds feyre in the garden and omg what is he doing here. they're getting closer, and closer, and closer, and oohh they're kissing.

the end.

[utterlyhooked]

I had to sleep on it and I have calmed down a bit. Till The End Of The Moon hooked me from the very first episode which is very rare. Even my favourites took a while, The Untamed took 21 episodes for me to get really into it. Love Between Fairy and Devil took around 18-20 episode mark for me to care. I really loved them afterwards!

You are probably wondering, what does the GIF above have to do with what I have to say. Well, it’s simply there to remind me why I love this drama because I still do but I am heartbroken about how the ending was handled. My thoughts are everywhere, so, I’m sorry if it’s incoherent.

The takeaway from this drama is tribulation, one after the other. Just suffering, suffering, more suffering, and martyring yourself to an ungratelful populace in every realm and only acknowledged by a handful. Yes, a handful, or maybe the Yiyue Tribe would add to that number but, we don’t know because Nian Baiyu was just flung into the Barren Abyss never to be heard from again. *sigh* Apologies, I’m being bitter. Li Susu probably told everyone and got the sects in line.

If they were going for a sad ending, then what was that?! If an open ending, again, what was that?! And then a happy ending audio was thrown in to the mix! The indecisiveness was breathtaking, it simply makes you seethe! Pick one, commit to it and do it well! They were trying to please everyone and utterly missing the target.

Those who love this kind of Xianxia with very dark themes (for cdramas, I think this is dark) mostly are not averse to sad endings. Sometimes it’s even expected. Great sad endings leaves you sobbing, heartbroken, and melancholic. That’s the beauty of it, it makes it memorable! If it’s a happy ending, fantastic! Everyone loves a happy ending. Great open endings make you think, not angry!!! however, I find that open endings are generally just ok (with exceptions), but thats ok too! The tragic thing about all this is the source material already had a sad ending, if a sad ending was what they were aiming for, and the epilogue of the novel provided a happy ending, if a happy ending was what they intended to do! They did not even have to think of an alternative because it was already there! And yet... *sighs*

Some mutuals decided to end watching at episode 35. They are happy that they did it and I am happy for them. But if I was to recommend this cdrama, I can’t really say that they should end at that episode because subsequent episodes brought us

Shifu and Cang Jiumin scenes which was beautiful, I was sobbing.

Li Susu thinking that TTJ was dead and was trying her hardest to fight and kill her awful bio dad and failing miserably

TTJ saving her and killing Di Mian, extremely satisfying!!!

The relief in her face seeing him alive only to realize that he had the intention of becoming the Devil God. The scream alone is worth watching!

When he took out the soul extinguishing spikes from his heart to convince her that he indeed has become the Devil God. The sorrow in her eyes.

I’m sure theres a bit more

and of course, the later part of episode 39... the Ye mansion scene. The sadness and longing. Somehow missing each other so much while they are in each others arms. So bittersweet.

Having read the novel, I knew from the few chapters in that they have deviated from it so much. I thought, ok, at least we are getting 2 stories out of it. Its just that precious screentime was used on characters that I thought was irrelevant to the overall story. Mo Nv could have been taken out completely and it would not have mattered to the story at all. They could still made Gonye Jiwu a jealous, vindictive, and bitter (ex) without her. Li Susu and Tantai Jin meeting with Ye Qingyu in JIng Kingdom was cut out instead. I saw some stills, so they did film it. It would have been better story showing on how the emperor can be the same emperor for the last 500 years.

I still have a lot in my mind but this is getting too long. Anyway, I now have 2 new favourite actors, so there is that.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Do you know any thai/korean/all BL dramas with sad ending?

Thai/Korean/All BL Dramas With Sad Endings

Okay, let me get started. BL in general is not really created for sad endings. It is a phantasy land where all kinds of dreams come true. And originally it adressed a specific audience. So, some of the dramas I am listing here are more queer media in general and not specifically BL. And some of those dramas have an open ending, that does not mean it is not a sad ending, and some might have a beautiful ending, which was kind of sad. There are so many ways of reading those endings.

Two of the shows I haven’t watched yet, but I know that those have sad endings… And please be aware, there will be spoilers after the read-more-dash.

Let’s get started!

Egoist – based on a true story, this Japanese movie is heartbreaking. It is a beautiful story about the love between two people and how they manage their life together until, yeah well, until fate f*ed everything up.

Eien No Kinou (Eternal Yesterday) – another Japanese title. From the start of this series, you just know that this won’t end well. It just can’t. And at the same time, it is so beautiful, you can’t stop watching it. So good!

History 3: Make Our Days Count – I guess people would come after me, if I don’t mention this Taiwanese bl. Yeah…I wasn’t that impacted by the ending, but most of the people who watched it were devastated. I understand why, so have fun 😊

Kissable lips – the first Korean one. This series wasn’t my cup of tea, but that wasn’t the question. For a sad ending, this is your series!

The Miracle of Teddy Bear – this is such a complex thai series as is the ending. Many didn’t watch it because of some weird elements of the series and the episodes are long, but BUT it is so worth a watch! The ending? I kind of liked it? But it was very bittersweet and considering the use of the Little Prince source it is really good...but sad... I am confused... still...

Dark Blue And Moonlight – a Taiwanese series…I wouldn’t recommend it. I can’t really remember the ending… I know it was bad sad.

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us – a thai masterpiece. I love this one so much and I analysed the sh*t out of it! It is so good and I was devastated in the end! Such a great storytelling and cinematography and story and the characters...perfection.

Dear Doctor, I’m Coming For Soul – this is a thai series, which got very little attention when it aired (I don’t know why, I really liked it) and the ending was just a sobbing fest for me. I mean I liked it and it was just logical, but I was very sad!

Don’t Say No – also a thai series and I don’t focus on the main couple… I couldn’t care less about them… but the side couple! Oh the heartbreak I felt and the betrayel!

He She It – To this day I still ask myself what I have watched here. All I know is, it is confusing and kind of sad…the whole story, not just the ending.

The Best Story – it is Thai and it is YinWar… so it is good. Nevertheless, it has a very bittersweet ending, and I didn’t feel good after finishing this miniseries. I was very sad!

Once Again – one of my favorite series of 2022. This Korean series deals with a lot of trauma. It has some supernatural element and is really really good! And I was sobbing for the whole f*cking last episode!

When The Waves Rise – in this Korean short film, it is all about the feeling you get from it. It left me devastated. I was really not doing well after finishing it. It touched a part of my soul and it left a sore spot there.

Your Name Engraved Herein – I haven’t seen this one, because I know it will break my heart and I am still not ready for that. It is a Taiwanese movie and I know that I will love it, but I also know that I will cry my little eyes out.

Grey Rainbow – haven‘t seen this one either. This is a Thai miniseries and it is said to have a very sad ending.

The Untamed – the king, the queen, the emperor of sadness. I love this 50 episodes long Chinese masterpiece of a series to death! It doesn’t have a bad ending imo and it is quite open, but the amount of tears I shed during watching this fantasy epos was not funny anymore. I was ugly crying for like 15 minutes straight at one point. And I felt empty after I finished it. I miss it so much! I wish I could watch it again with all the emotions I had during my first watch!

But yeah…this is my little list 😊

If anyone wants to add more dramas, please feel free to do so 💜

Anon, I hope I could help a little bit and this list is useful 🌼

[nicolloyd]

Hey uh, random question

What the fuck happened in Crystallized and why is it so bad?

Thanks to following icy-watch, I'm pretty much thru the ice emperor arc and stuff, but I cannot go another minute without knowing what the hell happened in Crystallized

ok so uh they kinda like screwed up harumis whole like "i dont love lloyd i was just using him" to like i actually like lloyd a little like MAAM you tried to kill him 😭 and also they brought her back to life after her poetic death which like i dont really mind but its whatever

and also the whole "shes with us" thing.. if you didnt know its lloyd basically going like yeah harumis on our side now because she helped fight against the overlord?? not even for any like moral reason it was ONLY because she found out he corrupted the great devourer and then it killed her parents like 💀💀

AND it brought nya back to life too in like the first few episodes like r u serious let her be dead for a minute like i assumed she would come back but that was TOO fast it was like her sacrifice meant nothing.. the whole thing was like oh once you become the ocean u cant turn back but apparently now she can???????

also lloyd.. his whole thing now is he hates oni which is um, did u forget mystake??? shes not even brought up once in this season. and they were hyping up lloyds oni form the whoke time like THIS will be the key to stopping the overlord!!! and then he finally does it, it stays for 3 seconds and then he looks at his reflection and gets scared and then never uses his oni form WHICH IS HYPED UP THE WHOLE SEASON to defeat the overlord 😭

and its also the fact that its the overlord again like omgg r we not done with him

and wu is suddenly like a super law abiding citizen cuz the ninja wanna break the law to save nya and wu is like NO i will not partake in this!!! i love police and the law!! SIR SINCE WHEN HACE YOU CARED!!!!

i will give crystallized points for making me cry tho, it was during pixal and zane ans he was like dying for the 10th time and pixal was like i dont know if theres an afterlife for being such as u and i but i will find you there and it was really sad and like yeah,, also the whole nya thing also made me cry even tho it was kinda sucky IT WAS STILL SAD OK WHEN SHE WAS READING ALL THE LANTERN NOTES 😭

i dont hate crystallized btw, it was really fun to watch and it was one of my fav seasons when i first watched until everyone pointed out all the bad parts and i was like yeah.. this isnt that good but theres a difference between enjoyable and good ok its fun to watch but its sucks

anyway anyone wanna jump in and add more feel free to

[mermaidsirennikita]

any recs for historical/fantasy romance with arranged marriage between kings and queens.

So all of these are fantasy romances, simply because I don't like to read romance novels about real people most of the time, but I think they all fit the bill!

The biggest example would be The Winter King by C.L. Wilson, in which Wynter, a king with Elsa-like powers, marries Khamsin, a princess, to cement a truce between their kingdoms. I looove this one. A great enemies to lovers "fuck for our nations" book wherein they slowly but surely fall in love with each other. Especially after she finds out that he channels his angst into making sad hyper-realistic ice sculptures. As you do.

Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha is a great fantasy romance in which the heroine, Sachi, is a princess who must marry Ash, an ancient dragon god (he's a dude but he can turn into a dragon... to be clear she does not fuck a dragon). All of Ash's previous consorts have died, but what he doesn't know is that Sachi has been sent to assassinate him. Another thing he doesn't know: Sachi's handmaiden Zanya is a) an assassin and Sachi's bodyguard and b) Sachi's longtime lover. Sachi and Ash have an instant attraction, though, and as they fall in love he realizes she's also in love with Zanya and HE is very intrigued by Zanya too. Zanya is super resistant to her attraction to him but.... well. He's quite persuasive. FFM, not a true love triangle because they're all going to end up together (HEA has been guaranteed by the authors, it's the first in a series).

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon has an arranged marriage between two parties from warring kingdoms--it's also the first in an ongoing series, and quite good. He's the son of the emperor, her past is a little murkier (and spoilery).

The King's Spinster Bride by Ruby Dixon has the heroine, the princess of a conquered kingdom, marry the prince of the conquering nation. What's interesting here is that a) he's 6ish younger than her and has long wanted to be with her as she was kind to him when her father was holding him hostage b ) he's a virgin but he's DONE SOME BOOK LEARNING ON IT and they have to have sex in front of witnesses. It's hot but also weirdly sweet?

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane. In this one, the hero is the prince of this warrior nation and the heroine's father (a king) killed his parents, but she's a sly one and is like "I also hate my father, marry me and let's depose him together". Notable in that he kills her brother in front of her (she hates her brother, and all of this with good reason) and she jacks him off USING HER BROTHER'S BLOOD AS LUBE. It is incredible. I admire Milla's bravery lol. Just generally a very hot book tho.

[bagerfluff]

Episode Four - ???

A series dissection of Digimon Adventure 02, a nerd talk for nerds.

SPOLER ALERT FOR DIGIMON ADVENTURE 02 EPISODE FOUR

Part Two

Part Three

This is part four of the episode title dissection of Digimon Adventure 02. if you want to see part one click here. Part one has the rules and tells you about what this series is and what its doing. So read part one if you want to know but lets get right into this.

English Dub - Iron Vegiemon

Sub - Digimon Kaiser, King of Darkness

Now, one, I will never get over the names of episodes in Japanese that are so extra. Like, Digimon Kaiser, King of Darkness is a little over the top. Plus Kaiser is just Germen for Emperor.

I don't think the dub is any better though. Neither of the titles are good so but neither are better then the other so I hate both.

In the episode the 02 gang and Yamato go to the Digital World to save a village from the grasp of the emperor. In the processes Daisuke and Yamato get into a argument.

Daisuke if a little to self-centered and is angered by Yamato's words and Hikari's words. Though he's more sad at Hikari's words then angry.

This causes Veemon to fight an Campion level Digimon, Redvegimon and get hurt in the process. Once Daisuke figures out he's the problem he yells to Veemon and that allows Veemon to Armor Digivovle to Fladramon and win.

I don't think either titles really have anything to do with this. They don't even make any sense. I can kinda get the Iron Vegiemon since the Redvegimon is the strongest Vegimon and he does have some pretty hard hitting punches.

But I just don't like it that much, it kinda makes sense but still feels a little weird. The sub title, Digimon Kaiser, King of Darkness doesn't really make sense either.

In previous episodes we see the Digimon Kaiser being evil, or the "King of Darkness". Yes, in this one we see him capture an entire town and Gabumon but in episode three we see him make Digimon fight for his enjoyment.

That's pretty evil, and so if capturing a entire town and keeping them in jail. But by the point of the fourth episode we've already seen lots of acts of evil by the Digimon Kasier.

This episode isn't a big revel of evilness or King of Darkness stuff or the worse thing he's done, in my opinion. So I don't think these episode titles are great.

What's your opinion?

Tell me in the comments!

[theloverscardtarot]

Evan's Anxiety and How He Deals With It

I want to start off by saying Evan's anxieties outweigh how he copes with them. So, I hope he's doing ok right now.

What gives Evan Anxiety

Ace of Swords: Evan fears change and so anything that may cause change makes him anxious. This card is a card of breakthrough and clarity, but sometimes that clarity brings on truths that he doesn't want to face. I feel like this is mostly involving past relationships.

Sun: Evan may fear his success will run out eventually. That happiness involving his work or his love life is just fleeting and temporary. Happiness comes from within and I feel like he is always expecting the worst case scenario and when he feels happy, he's questioning why or how long it will last. "Welp, I'm happy now but it won't be long before my luck runs out"

World: "Fear of reaching the end of a journey without the expected sense of fulfillment". Also, not knowing what comes next gives him anxiety. He may also feel like he has reached his peak and he won't be able to outdo himself with his next project. I wonder if he feels this way after Dahmer and maybe even after receiving his awards.

Death: This is another card representing change and transformation. Fear of the unknown. Fear that with change comes difficulties and problems. While AoS is fear of change in general, death could be fear of him as a person changing.

Emperor: Evan may be afraid of being controlled or possibly being creatively blocked. He may also be afraid he will do this to himself by being too disciplined or too authoritative about a project. I feel like this is saying his outlook on the way he prepares for and executes his work gives him anxiety. He's too hard on himself. He overanalyzes everything and he tells himself he's doing it wrong. He's putting too much pressure on himself and it makes him anxious.

7 of Wands Rev: This card is about defending yourself and standing up for your beliefs. Reversed it is hinting at the non-confrontational Evan that we know. His anxiety here is that standing up for himself or defending himself will have dire consequences. Unfortunately, this may stem from a certain someone he was involved with. I also feel he has a hard time asking for help. So I'm not sure that he really has ever seen a professional for his anxieties. It may also be why he's so allegedly emotionally detached from lovers. Because he doesn't want to seem vulnerable.

Magician Side: (U) He may feel he does not have what it takes to reach his goals or that he will only reach them because of his fame and not actually achieving it himself. Ev, baby. You have already achieved greatness yourself!! He may also fear he will become too overconfident and fuck it up for himself. (R) Reversed this means he sometimes doesn't trust people and fears they may have an ulterior motive. He's afraid of being tricked or deceived by others, especially in his career.

9 of Swords Side: (U)Dread that the absolute worst-case scenario will happen and it tends to immobilize him at times. He can't seem to confront this fear and will let it fester. This card suggests actually finding someone to talk to about these fears. (R) Reversed suggests that he feels like talking about his problems will cause him more pain than it already has. He fears he will go through tremendous pain before it starts to get better. That dredging it up would make it hurt 1,000 worse than just keeping it to himself. Honestly, this makes me so sad. It also makes me think there might be things from his past that we just don't know and probably don't want to know. I truly wish I could hold his hand and help him through it.

Queen of Wands Side: (U)He fears if he tries to show leadership, it will be perceived as aggression and taken the wrong way. That his confidence and strength will be received in a negative way. But also that just being charming will not be enough to navigate an obstacle. (R) There is something blocking him from showing confidence and trying to motivate people around him. A fear of charisma diminishing. There is a fear of how others will perceive him if he has to take the lead or inspire. This is absolutely how an introvert may think. It also could go along with his non-confrontational personality.

Wheel of Fortune Side: (U)he fears that change of any kind will cause misfortune or downturn in luck. Change is inevitable and it scares him. (R)This suggests that he fears that no matter what he does, change will bring some sort of destruction to his life and he won't be able to control it. Basically he fears things happening that he has no control over.

To say this worries me is an understatement because I feel like he had some trauma where he felt complete lack of control. Like his power was taken away.

How Does Evan Cope With Anxiety?

To be completely honest? He just doesn't. These next two cards represent not dealing with it at all.

2 of Swords: This card means wearing blinders just to avoid having to deal with an issue or make a decision. The Moon in the background tells me if he's forced to make a decision, he lets fear control it.

Knight of Cups Rev: Becoming emotionally withdrawn or closed off. The knight is holding his cup filled with water. Just think of him pouring that water right out and then super gluing the rim of the cup to a table. Emotions drained, nobody is getting in. It's not that he's a cold person. But this could explain why it comes up so often in romantic readings that the other half feels shut out emotionally.

I realized that I didn't ask how he SHOULD be dealing with these fears and anxieties. Like tailored to his personality and fears. So I went back and drew more cards. I got the magician again along with a few others.

What Evan Can Do To Help Himself

Magician: one of his fears (QoW) is acting on things with confidence and assertiveness. He needs to realize he has the inner strength and confidence to manifest his hopes and dreams. He needs to trust himself and his abilities.

Temperance: Be PATIENT with himself. He needs to give himself time to sort his feelings out and realize what he needs. He doesn't seem to be doing that for himself. We especially see this in his romantic life.

Page of Pents: This encourages keeping an open mind about new projects and adventures. I honestly feel like along with the WOF, he is afraid of changing his genres even though he knows he needs to. He needs to take on lighter roles but at the same time he fears that change will be dire to his career because he knows he has been successful in the darker roles. And it's a vicious cycle. He needs to trust that a new project will be good for him.

4 of Cups: This card suggests taking a moment to reevaluate your emotions before making a decision. A need to address the discontent or dissatisfaction before you can move forward with the decisions you need to make.

All of this is all fine and well, but if Evan is unwilling to do these things for himself, nobody can force him. Obviously, he may not have the ability to see he has all he needs to heal himself. However, I am a big believer in seeking out professional help when anxiety and fear immobilizes your life. And I completely understand why he may not want to. Hopefully, he can come to that realization so he can heal because he definitely deserves better.

[thelediz]

Sonic Underground Episode 20: When in Rome

I’m watching Sonic Underground in search of inspiration to finish a fic I’ve been writing forever. It’s a sad state of affairs. See the recap of the first three episodes here, if you're interested!

The plot (for want of a better word): The Oracle of Delphius sends the triplets to another world under the control of an evil Roman emperor. But this time, the Sonic Underground has to save the day without their powers! Can they find their inner strength to save this other world, and learn something about themselves while they’re at it?

Not gonna lie, I mostly picked the image above because it embodies my general feeling about this episode, unfortunately. Manic speaks to my soul.

So this episode does not open with Aleena’s voice over, and does remind us that as much as they complain, Sonia and Manic do kind of expect Sonic to handle everything in an emergency because they’re not only insisting he get them through a ‘forty-foot' thick door, but also run them away from the bad guys when they’re surrounded. This is all fine in the moment, but it does make me raise my eyebrow when they complain about him in other episodes.

Apparently this is the third mission that’s failed recently. It leads to Sonic having a well-deserved vent session about how they’re not getting anywhere. Sonia, who is apparently the optimistic one this episode, suggests they go see the Oracle.

The omniscient oracle doesn’t know why they’re here though. I don’t actually mind the Oracle, mostly because I think he’s screwing around with everyone for funsies and/or fate, but you do have to roll your eyes at him.

The triplets rightfully ask him to, you know, help out. He offers to share some of his knowledge if they go help some people in another world. He does not tell them they have to do this without their medallions.

NOW. Here’s the thing about this episode. They leave their medallions behind, sure, but they also lose all their powers, including Sonic’s speed, which has never before and will never again be implied to have anything to do with his medallion. I make too much of this in my head. In universe, we just accept and move on.

Manic is in the new world for less than a minute before he runs afoul of this world’s Dingo and gets himself arrested. He does it for heroic reasons, but still.

Sonia also manages about the same amount of time (in her defence, she got dropped in the middle of the highly restricted palace), but this is also where we discover the triplets have lost their powers because Sonia can’t defend herself (Manic never can, remember, so his capture is less shocking).

Meanwhile, Sonic is on the outskirts of the city, and trips over himself when he tries to run. Because apparently his actual power is coordination, not speed. But the point is that he can’t get away when he’s approached and is asked for papers. So they’re all immediately captured.

The Song: Where there’s a will (there’s a way), which is just so ridiculously 90s, with the rap, and the funky ‘whoa’ and the bass, and the appropriate music video cuts and camera angles and yep. Yep, it’s… circa ’93, if I had to place it.

 And we meet this episode’s version of Sleet, who is some kind of Caligula or Roman Prince John or something, who knows what they’re actually going for. The point is he’s all for raising taxes and anti-music and who knows what else. The world building is not great this episode.

As punishment for playing music, Sonic is sent to serve as a gladiator who were the first celebrities, Manic is made a jester which was actually quite a high station and Sonia is made the emperor’s hand maiden which was a role only filled by minor nobles in medieval society and has always been a high serving role. This allows them to use all their personal skills to escape. Which are, in order, Sonic’s silver tongue (by teaching the guy threatening him how to pick up girls), Manic’s sleight of hand, and Sonia’s (irrational) political savvy.

Side note, Sonic, you have not shown any romantic or sexual interest in this entire series and you never will, do not pretend like you are good at picking up. You aren’t. Girls like you because you are sweet and comforting, guys become obsessed with you because you’re heroic and have a nice smile. It is NOTHING to do with you being slick.

Manic, on the other hand, really likes this world’s princess Lydia. This will not be a thing, it’s just a blink-and-you-miss it Manic-has-feelings reminder while we introduce this world’s real imperial family.

So while Sonic’s trying to teach the gladiator centaur-minotaur-thing swag, Sonia and Manic have been thrown to the lions. With spears. One could make too much of this. Sonia is not concerned, however, because she’s convinced that if the crowd that have come to watch her die a gory death via lions will see their rightful ruler, they will rebel. Because divine right or something. The world building is not great in this episode.

After some implication that his ability to pick any kind of lock is part of his medallion’s power (yes I make too much of this), Manic gets them out of the lion pit, they meet up with Sonic and the centaur-minotaur-thing, and they run to save Lydia’s father.

For some reason, Sonia’s divine right theory is proven correct. And the centaur-minotaur-thing is actually the Oracle of Delphius in disguise, and declares them announcing the emperor’s return as the right outcome. He returns their magic, and Sonia immediately uses it to get rid of emperor Sleet.

We end on a new prophecy: “You will rejoin Queen Aleena and become the Council of Four: destined to defeat Robotnik, if you are true to yourselves and your powers. And if your hearts never lose faith.” And an image of a multi-tiered… building... thing… that will supposedly be a sign of where they need to go.

I give the whole episode some serious side-eye, because this was clearly supposed to be An Important Episode, narratively (and it’s even the half-way point!), but it… mostly was a mess.

So appropriate to the Trashfire then!

Okay, so… I don’t like the idea of rewriting things to improve them, but I’ll give you a quick rundown of how I think the same story could have been told more effectively. The point was that the triplets aren’t the rightful rulers because they have magic medallions, it’s because they have inner abilities that make them good leaders. And granted, when you have three main characters, that is very difficult to SHOW in 20 minutes, let alone with 90 seconds spent on a musical number. But still. Let’s outline the things that actually make them good royalty:

Sonic (underneath his impatience and attitude) is heroic and kind

Sonia is politically and business savvy

Manic… has not actually shown any good leadership traits in the series so far, but he’s implied to be the most emotional, honest, and caring of the three.

So in theory, these should have been the things highlighted in this episode through an act of self-sacrifice by Sonic, some emotional connection with people by Manic, and some manipulation of Sleet by Sonia. Lydia could have been trapped in the dungeon with them, Manic could have sung her a song about not giving up hope. The centaur-thing could have been in the dungeon and Sonic could have told everyone to run while he fends off certain death alone. Sonia could have demanded to speak to Sleet and found some legal loophole that meant he never should have become emperor, or that Sleet had used underhanded means to dethrone the old one, or some actual and legitimate reason for the people to stop backing him.

As it was, it was just a weird sort of… ‘yeah, you’re going to get the throne back because you’re supposed to be the ruling class’ thing and it’s… it’s weird. Awkward and weird and…

Anyway. Anyway… we move on.

[well-dressedwords]

Lingering questions: LBFaD

Siming:

While she has some very important lines and roles in the show, the thing I’m left thinking about is how Chengheng thought it would go if he ever did get together with Xiao Lanhua. I mean, was he just going to continue letting her think her master was more interested in roaming the mortal realm than visiting Xiao Lanhua? Was he going to reveal that she’d been locked up with her (awesome) dragon husband? 

How was he thinking that would go? There’s no way Xiao Lanhua would be content with her master being exiled. Though I’m sure she’d forgive him as her character has forgiven worse. 

And what were the shitty emperor’s thoughts here? I’m curious if he just exiled her as quickly and thoughtlessly as he does everyone else, but Siming has an important role?!? And even if Xiao Lanhua is doing a great job as her disciple, if you lose her (which he certainly didn’t spare a thought for  when he was about to spear her), who is going to do the job? 

Is this lack of forethought or lack of care? I almost wish there was a more nefarious reason behind leaving Xiao Lanhua to do the job by herself - she can be intimidated by the higher immortals to do what they want (at least in their minds). 

Consequences of defying fate:

If we go with the straightforward, defying fate = death, which I’ve seen posited somewhere, then Xiao Lan Hua’s death was both the ultimate love sacrifice and also the result of changing Changheng’s fate book (which was only possible also because of love.). That would also account for Chidi Nuzi’s death sacrifice (for bringing Rong Hao back to life), Dongfang’s death for meddling with Xiao Lanhua/Xiyun’s fate book, Rong Hao’s death for screwing with Chidi’s, and potentially even Danyin’s death in the mortal realm for trying to prevent Changheng destiny from happening. I am curious if Siming allowing all these fates to be changed (specifically Rong Hao’s and Xiao Lanhua’s) resulted in her facing any consequences as well? Or does it take direct action for the punishment to kick in? She reminds me a bit of Yuuko in xxxHOLiC, not allowed to truly intervene but giving just enough help to people so they can change fate. 

There’s the flip side - that of the prophecy. “That those who are able to see it are the ones who can make it happen” - Danyin is the major player for making it possible for Changheng to go to the mortal realm and get married to Xiao Lanhua, and even for exposing Xiao Lanhua’s true identity to the Fairy court so that Changheng’s life is spared so they can later have the wedding procession. 

Obviously, Dongfang has his contribution in that, too. 

Unresolved or unused plot lines:

What happened to Danyin and Jieli’s father? Did he manage to turn himself in? Was he later released? 

How many other cross couples have there been, if even a high immortal fairy managed to secretly have kids with a Moon tribe woman? How did he explain where Danyin came from in the first place?? At least his wife could make up a story (if she’d needed to) of being abandoned by her lover. I don’t think the reverse would hold water?

Are Siming and Changyuan released from exile/ finally exit themselves after all this goes down? I know in the novel at least they get to reunite with Xiao Lanhua when Dongfang Qingcang is reviving her, but that’s not how the drama plotline went. I just want her foster mom to dote on her again and let Xiao Lanhua have one other person she can be herself with! 

Also, Siming and Changyuan’s two kids. Personal headcannon is they already have the kids, but Siming was putting them safely behind a ward when Dongfang Qingcang and Changheng visited. If they had 1,000 years of exile together, at some point they probably decided kids might be a fun way to relieve the boredom. 

The fact that we don’t get any Danyin and Xunfeng interaction (in terms of romance) is so sad. Xunfeng needs to be flipped on his head by love just like his brother was, and Danyin deserves to finally have a requited love. 

Shangque and Jieli’s resolution - would’ve liked to see more about that. 

When does Lord Dong come out of seclusion and punish/strip his oldest son of his powers and position? And if that doesn’t happen, can the rest of the rational high immortals take him down? 

If Xiao Lanhua spends her 500 years of waiting in Cangyan Hai, surely she and Xunfeng get to talk and reconcile/forgive. It would be hilarious to see Xunfeng bumbling through trying to befriend his sister-in-law while handling the chaos of 100,000 men returning to their domain. 

Also, with 100,000 men back home, can you imagine the population boom in the following years? Those are real political problems of supply and demand to figure out! Would love to see someone explore that in fic, honestly. Xunfeng is probably longing for the day his brother returns!