#sj returns 3

[buckyandgeraltsupremacy]

remus x shy!reader (part 4)

author: sj

warnings: fluff; angst for remus lol; reader is in hufflepuff; uses she/her pronouns; not edited

done with finals!! now battling the want to only read fics and not write, let me know if you want a confession from rem!!

masterlist

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 5

---

it was the day of the date and remus had been up since 4 am. he couldn't stop thinking about your date. however bad he hoped it would go, he didn't want your first date experience to be horrible. he wanted you to be treated how you deserve and to have a lovely time while also never ever wanting to see the fool again. and that is why he had woken up at 4 in the morning and couldn't stop the fight in his mind.

it was 11:30am and he was laying on the couch in the common room, one foot on the ground tapping constantly. the boys had decided to stay in this morning because james was worried they'd run into you and that sirius would end up embarrassing you and ruin your date.

"moony, if you don't stop tapping your foot, i'm going to lose my mind." sirius grunted, head in his hands covering his ears from the tapping noise.

"she should be done with her date now, right? its been 2 hours. why isn't she back yet?" remus asked.

"relax you love sick dog. your precious wife will be returned soon." sirius replied dramatically, rolling his eyes at how abserd this whole situation was. "if you had only confessed your love for her when you had the chance, she wouldn't be snogging another fella while you fumed the whole time." he added. remus shot upright on the couch with a wide eyed expression and a look of dread covering his features.

"here she comes!" peter shouted, holding the marauder's map in his hands, walking into the common room where the other boys were. all of their heads turned towards the portrait hole where it swung open and you stepped through.

you were excited to tell the boys all about it, but you weren't quite expecting them to all be staring at you when you got back.

"well, hi." you said, cheeks flushing more than they already were, glancing towards the floor to not meet their eyes. you sat down on the couch next to remus like normal, not sensing the tension in his body, only feeling their eyes on you.

"WELL??? i need all the details. spill your guts flea!" sirius cried across from you.

"it was okay! it wasn't bad! but it also wasn't great. like it was pleasant but it wasn't anything to write home about. is that good? like are you supposed to know if you want to marry him already?" you rambled, entire face flushing and not meeting their eyes.

"aw, hoppers. i'm sorry it didn't go well." james consoled you.

"what do you mean?" you asked, confused why he sounded sad for you.

"well, it didn't sound like there was any chemistry, that's important if you're gonna date someone." james explained.

"flea, i know it's your first date ever, but even i thought you'd know that." sirius shrugged. at the mention of it being your first date, you tensed and shot a look a remus, hurt that he spilled a secret to the boys. remus met your gaze with a look of panic.

"that wasn't me! i swear it! i didn't tell them!" he yelled.

"oh he didn't tell us, but the way you were acting before was kind of obvious and the fact that remus would've known that you were dating someone before you were part of our group and you certainly haven't since we've been friends because of remus' behavior." sirius explained, you relaxed and reached to touch remus' leg.

"sorry for thinking that you told them when you didn't ." you apologized and remus nodded back.

"its fine bun, i'm not hurt." he said, covering your hand with his.

"so hoppers, did you snog him?" sirius asked crudely. your cheeks flushed bright red.

"that is none of your business sirius! and a lady never kisses and tells!" you exclaim, avoiding all their eyes. "i told him that it would be best if we were friends, and he agreed. i don't think dating is for me, i just got so anxious before! and the thought of having to go on another date, just makes me nauseous." you say, leaning onto remus' shoulder and resting your head.

"thats okay, bun. you don't have to date if you don't want to." remus patted your thigh, his heart soaring that he won't have to go through this again. he knew he'd have to tell you that he liked you soon, the thought of you with someone else almost killed him.

"thanks rem." you mumbled back, sinking deeper into his side.

sirius observes this going on, looking to james and mouthing, 'are they fucking idiots??'

james simply rolled his eyes in response.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Day 15

Race: Oh god

Alignment: Oh fuck

April 9th, 2024

After a few hours of rigorous training, I think I’m ready. Day 15 is a special day, after all. Welcome to the all-for-one Jack Frost special! 

1. Lucifrost 

Race: Herald

Alignment: Light-Law 

Lucifrost is a very strange Frost with a surprisingly intricate design, a demon that only appears in the Demikids and Devil Survivor games, typically as a mid-late game boss. Unlike what one might expect, he isn’t a frostified version of Lucifer- no, his backstory is far more fun. 

Lucifrost once was a Jack Frost, but he was exiled from the Frost family due to betraying them, much like Lucifer did to the Angels. Jealous, he wandered down to hell, eventually finding himself in the final layer, wherein he saw the frozen Lucifer in a lake of tears. Rather than feel pity, though, Lucifrost saw an opportunity… for profit. Frozen Lucifer was a perfect idol for the ice-obsessed fiend, who began to try and impersonate the fallen angel, eventually returning to hell after achieving a perfectly angelic form… only to see that Lucifer had long since departed. Likely despondent, he wandered aimlessly to find the king of demons for all of eternity, ending up crossing paths with the DemiKids and Devil Survivors protagonists along the way. 

While his backstory is silly, his design is fantastic, an interpretation of an angelic Jack Frost that makes him far more adorable than the Morning Star could ever be.

2. Frost Ace

Race: Genma

Alignment: Light-Neutral

The legendary hero of the Frost Lineage, Frost Ace makes himself known as a mid-game demon who exists as a parody of superhero media and, more specifically, tokusatsu sentai shows like Super Sentai.

Frost Ace mostly works as a 'good side' equivalent to Black Frost, being a heroic transformation that any Jack Frost is implied to be able to take to grow in power. I personally like to see Frost Ace, on top of that, also serving as a general in King Frost's army, as it adds on a bit to the whole 'Frost Kingdom' theme.

You getting tired yet? I'm nowhere near done!

3. The Frost Five!

Race: Frost

Alignment: Five

These bozos are each based on separate frozen deserts, save one, which is a cocktail. In order, Blue Hawaii Frost is based on the Blue Hawaii cocktail, Lemon Frost is based on lemon-flavored shaved ice, Melon Frost is based on melon-flavored shaved ice, Strawberry Frost is based on strawberry-flavored shaved ice, and lastly, Milky Frost is just ice cream.

Ahem.

4. Hee-ho-Kun

Race: Student

Alignment: Broke due to Student Loans

Less of a specific demon and more of a recurring character, Hee-ho-Kun is a demon who originates from SMT if... serving a minor role as a friendly Jack Frost who can become an optional party member, apparently enjoying going to school.

Unfortunately, in order to pay his college bills, he had to open a shop! In SMT 3: Nocturne, Hee-ho-Kun makes his grand return as a shop owner in Shibuya, though later finds his calling as a Black Frost, becoming an optional boss of the Kabukicho Prison area after being cleared, then becoming a recruitable party member once defeated, appearing in the Labyrinth of Amala.

Lastly, Hee-ho-Kun manages to get a girlfriend! In Megami Ibunroku: Persona, aka Revelations Persona, he appears at St. Hermelin HS as a student after it is frozen over as a result of the Snow Queen quest. Let's hope he got the education he hoped for, especially given his acquisition of a girlfriend!

Finally. The Jack Protags.

Ah, they truly are great. Let us bask in their brilliance lest we forget the greatest frosts of them all. Raiho is a personal favorite of mine.

Also, Jack Frost somehow got a Demonica? Enter Demon-hee-ho, a recurring boss in the Strange Journey games. Admittedly, I don't know much about SJ, but I find his inclusion to be really silly, so he gets a special shoutout among his protag contemporaries.

...And that's that! I hope you enjoyed the Jack Frost miniseries. I'm missing a few Jack's, such as the Petite Frosts, but I'm honestly just tired of doing Jack Bros. stuff. Let me have this break. Either way, though, the Frost blockade has been cleared. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming once our snowplows come by.

[fbfh]

curiosity is a wonderful thing - chapter 1

wc: 2k

genre: slice of life, slow burn, best friends to lovers

pairing: slowburn best friend ben! x fem daughter of alice!reader, current audrey x ben

warnings: audrey being a bitch, unnecessary amounts of tea, ben being ben, mildly implied nd reader

summary: after a junior royal council meeting, you hype up your best friend Ben to tell his parents about his plans for his first proclaimation as king.

song recs: main titles 1 2 & 3 - descendants score/david lawrence, cheshire kitten (we're all mad here) - sj tucker

a/n: THE NEW SERIES IS HERE!!!! I am so excited for this, it's been one of my comfort indulgence daydreams for the longest time so I'm really elated to share it with y'all. BIG FAT FANGZ TO CICI FOR BETA READING!!!!!! and fangz to you guys for reading!!!!! I hope you enjoy lol <333 have an optional outfit. as a treat.

tags @dustyinkpages @demirunner @strawberry-cake1 @kiara7777 @yesv01 @magcon7280

Audrey was shocked when Ben had first told her that you and he weren't dating. She knew that you were friends, best friends at that. Everyone in Auradon did. Everyone also knew that what you had between you couldn't possibly be just platonic, not with the way you look at each other, how much time you spend together, or how intimately you speak to each other. It’s like you have your own language.

Everyone in Auradon knows this, with the exception of you and Ben, apparently. Even now, in the middle of a junior royal council meeting, Aziz shares a pitying look with Herkie at the way Audrey holds onto Ben’s arm while he goes over the agenda. Neither of them miss the way her gaze flicks between you two, trying to see if you’re stealing glances. You’re seated at his right hand side, like you usually are, as he goes over the last few items on the agenda for the meeting today and try to pay as much attention as you can. You scribble in your notebook as he does, nibbling at a tea biscuit and trying not to miss any of the important bits. 

“...Facing a longstanding struggle to keep up with the increased demand of the textile industry,” Ben says, skimming through his papers. He glances up, and he knows no one is really paying attention except for you. “Looking to open up a- a more collaborative process of dialog with key workers in the textile industry, and unified front between all the major groups who paved the way to textiles as we know them today, while also compensating for the rise in automation.” 

Across the table, Chad yawns. Lonnie and Melody pass notes between them, at least attempting to be subtle about it. You listen to Ben continue to update everyone on the ongoing current events in Auradon, and your pen drifts away from taking notes as you do, and begins to scribble little shapes in the margins of your well loved notebook. Your other hand moves down under the table, adjusting your pale blue skirt and tugging at the elastic of your black and white striped stockings. Ben’s gaze flicks over to you as you adjust in your seat, tugging at the puffy sleeves of your white blouse a moment later. He can tell you’re starting to get fidgety, which means it’s about time to wrap all this up. Plus, he has a suit fitting in ten minutes that he can’t be late for, or else Lumier will probably char something by accident. 

“Negotiations are still in progress, and of course, we’re looking for any way possible to avoid an embargo. I think that’s the last thing anyone needs…” Ben trails off with a chuckle, only to be met with silence. He looks back at his paper, trying to find his place before the silence gets anymore awkward. Before he can, he hears you let out a puff of air in agreement. 

“That’s quite an understatement.” You smile up at him, catching his eye before you each return to your respective papers. Your Wonderlandian accent is comforting, like a familiar friend in a tough crowd. People have described your accent many ways, most concluding it’s somewhere between british and transatlantic, but you don’t think you have much of an accent at all. Ben says you do, and you trust his judgment on the topic. Audrey maintains a tight smile on her face as Ben gently frees his arm from her to look through his papers in more detail. Once he’s sure he’s not missing anything, he goes through the usual motions of wrapping up a junior council meeting. 

“All party planning committee members are welcome to hang back, the floor is yours,” He says to Audrey, gathering up all his papers with a smile. “Everyone else, thank you for your time as always, and have a good evening.” 

Ben heads to the door as people start to funnel out and make conversation. Audrey waits as the other people on the party planning committee move up the table to sit closer to her, glancing at you as you put your notebook, pens, notes, and teacup back into that teapot shaped bag you always carry. It’s enchanted with Wonderland magic, and it makes her uneasy. She thinks you should just get a tote bag, or backpack, like a normal person. 

“Bunny,” Ben calls from the doorway, getting your attention with the nickname he’s had for you for years. Her train of thought quickly turns away from bags as  you look over, noticing it’s time to go and scurrying over to him. She watches you both talk quietly and head to wherever you’re going next, trying to ignore the quiet, burning jealousy seeping up into her. It’s nothing new, she reminds herself. She knew you two were best friends when she got together with her Bennyboo, so she knew what she was signing herself up for.

“Are we ready?” She asks curtly, turning towards Jane. She refuses to spend another second worrying about you, and instead, she channels all her energy into sifting through streamer sample colors. Whatever you two are doing can’t be as important as this. She’s sure whatever you’re discussing right now during Ben’s suit fitting is just meaningless small talk. Nothing of any importance. 

“I… truly don’t think you could have picked a better, more impactful first proclamation, Ben.” You conclude with a sip of raspberry tea. A wave of relief washes through him as he pulls on the blue suit jacket for Lumier to tailor. 

“You think so? Because, I-I’m only going to get to do this once, and-” 

He’s cut off by you nodding solemnly. 

“What better way to pave the way to the future than mending rifts of the past?” You ask rhetorically. 

“Yes!” Ben exclaims, letting his hands fall to his sides with a smile, a gesture you mirror. “You get it…” 

“Of course.” You smile at him, and it’s quiet for a moment as you take another sip of your tea. “You know your parents will…” You begin, but Ben is already nodding. 

“Oh yeah.” He agrees. “I wrote down everything from the pros column, and ideas for everything in the cons.” 

“Good,” you say, encouragingly. 

“And I have a great mission statement.” He adds, and you can see him getting fired up. You know how much this means to him, how much of his heart he’s putting into helping as many people as possible and being a good king to everyone, even the citizens on the Isle. If you know Ben - and you’re sure you do by now - you know how he can start to overthink things right before a presentation, even an informal one. He’s as prepared as he’ll ever be, and you have his back. He knows this.

“Oh, I meant to ask,” you say breezily as Lumier enters, “how are things going with Audrey?”  

You wiggle your eyebrows at him, sending him a comically scandalous look. He laughs as you wave hello to Lumier, and you think it’s the first time he’s relaxed in the last 30 hours or so. You flip through your journal, selecting a few pictures you took recently of flora in Wonderland, doodling their leaves and stalks on a mostly blank page. He laughs, hanging his head at the unexpected nature of the question, and Lumier pulls out a tape measure to begin the alterations of Ben’s suit. 

“You’re really- we’re really going to go there?” He asks through a smile. You look up at him, nodding. 

“Mhm.” You confirm. He can’t say no to you, he never can. 

“Okay. Uh, yeah things are good. With me and Audrey.” 

“Good,” you smile, looking up from your paper. He wonders what you’re working on, and always looks forward to seeing your little drawings. Even the ones you dislike, he finds beautiful. He tries to think of what else is going on with Audrey. 

“We, uh… we have a date later this week.” 

“Sleeve.” Lumier interjects, moving Ben’s arm.

“Oh, how fun!” You smile. 

“Head.” Lumier turns Ben to look out the large windows. He thinks for another moment, struggling to find anything else Audrey related to talk about as you distract yourself with the expression of a pouting mushroom you’d gotten a good picture of last time you were in Wonderland. Before he can think of anything else his eyes land on the Isle. His mind wanders toward how forgotten everyone out there must feel. You look up at him, following his gaze. 

“I know.” You say softly. You’ve discussed the Isle and its’ residents at great lengths, both finding a greater deal of compassion for them than most people seem to have. 

“How is it possible that you’re going to be crowned king next month?” Comes King Adam’s booming voice as he and Belle enter from the patio doors. 

“Hello, dear,” Belle smiles at you, resting a hand on your shoulder as they pass, approaching Ben, and you smile a greeting back up at her, and begin putting away your notebook. As close as you two are, you can’t expect anyone but the royal family to be in the room during discussions of Ben’s first proclamation. Both you and Ben knew this had to be a conversation between him and his parents, and as much as you both might like it to be, it’s not really something he can do with you by his side. You scurry past him, sending him an encouraging look. 

“You’ll do great.” You say, your voice just low enough for him to hear it. You touch his arm encouragingly until Lumier shoos you away, not wanting anything to jeopardize the way he finally got Ben’s shoulder to lay on that side. Ben locks eyes with you as you leave. It’s only a moment, but those three words, that one little gesture from you have him more ready than ever. He prepares himself with a breath. 

You’ll probably sneak off to Wonderland for a while, like you usually do with any pockets of spare time you find, so you’ll get to update him on the feud going on between the bluebirds and inchworms by the time he’s done. He takes comfort in that, knowing that even in the worst case scenario, even if everything goes horribly wrong, you’ll still have some fascinating Wonderland stories for him, just like you always do. He finds great comfort in the thought as his parents approach, and knows two things; it’s time for him to begin stepping up, and that you have his back all the way. 

You close the heavy wooden door behind you, walking a few feet down the hall so you don’t accidentally eavesdrop. You sit down against the wall to wait for Ben, and your mind drifts to Wonderland, as it so often does. There’s a peace there, something you’ve never been able to find overland. It calls to you, like a sailor’s heart calls to the sea. You wonder if you have time for a quick trip, just a few minutes in paradise, but you know it’s never really just a few minutes. Time works differently in Wonderland than it does in overland, and it’s unpredictable. The last thing you want is not to be here when Ben is done talking to his parents. 

“I’d better not…” you sigh. Being here for Ben is more important right now. He’s your best friend. So you settle into your little spot in the hallway, smoothing out your blue skirt around you. You reach into your teapot shaped bag, pulling out a small white porcelain teacup with little violets on it, and a matching saucer. You think for a moment about what kind of tea you want right now. Hibiscus, you decide, with a touch of honey. You tilt the spout of your bag, letting the perfectly brewed cup of tea fall from the spout. You take a sip, leafing through your homework to see what you can bore yourself with to pass the time. You don’t know how long Ben will be in there, and you don’t care too much. You’re sure he’ll do wonderfully, and that’s really all you care about right now. 

[saintone]

So, recently, I received the last book of SVSSS saga, and I instantly jumped to read, once again, Shen Jiu’s story chapter. And, oh boy. I’ve got things to say.

Spoiler’s ahead!!!!

Something I notice about MXTX’s writing is that, in a very subtle manner, their narrator's way of telling the story changes based on whose character's pov it is, so we can guess that the book’s narrator isn’t omniscient, but it’s actually a character’s inner voice. which isn’t anything new, as many users have pointed out that Shen Yuan isn’t a very reliable narrator, and some things of the books that are told from his pov don’t match with reality (the easiest example I can say is when sy and lgh reencounter after the eternal abyss. sy interpret’s lbg’s ‘dark gaze’ as his vengeful desire when actually half of the time he’s just being horny lol).

Something else I’ve noticed repeatedly, and kinda made me uncomfortable is sy’s portrayal of female disciples. Based on his belief that og!sqq preyed on his disciples, sy takes the liberty to make very perverted assertions that stay on the fictional side due to his fear of facing a similar ending as the one of the original goods. quoting some real phrases from the book:

“This was because he had designs on Ning Yingying—ah, no, more like the original Shen Qingqiu had designs on Ning Yingying!” (p. 34, first book).

“One can, however, imagine the result of daring to try to get a taste of the male lead’s woman!” (p. 35).

Or his description of the fight between Liu Mignyan and Sha Hualing:

“Every man dreamed of being caught between an angel and a devil. To watch them jealously vile for each other over him one moment, then risk life and limb for his sake in the next — that was the highest, most sacred, perverted fantasy of every male organism” (p. 112).

These aren’t the words of a neutral, omniscient narrator: these are Shen Yuan’s own thoughts. And he is a very perverted guy: it makes sense, as he was an avid reader of PIDW.

Following the conclusion that the narrator varies on the character’s pov, Shen Jiu’s story takes on a new meaning. Because all of the words in Chapter 24 are Shen Jiu’s own.

The Part 1 of the story starts with Shen Jiu on the streets, until Shiwu goes missing, and Yue Qi goes searching for him, with Sj following. The change to Part 2, which starts directly in the Qi mansions, is kinda abrupt. There are many reasons for something like this.

On one side, we can interpret that the story starts with Sj in the Qi mansions, and he was reflecting on his life to gauge how he ended up there. The sudden jump of events, which leaves us with a gap in information, can be due to trauma, or confusion: Sj isn’t entirely sure of what happened. That’s why this chapter is wholly written as a recount of events, from a man who, perhaps, needed to learn how to write and read to be able to put words to his life and story.

Shen Jiu’s reflections are born from his pain. At the end of Part 2, we get an explanation of how he ended in the Qi mansion:

“Shiwu should have been trampled to death, trampled into minced meat for thousands to spit upon. Qi-ge should have never gone back to save him [...]

As Shen Jiu suffered through day after day of torment, he turned those sweet yet futile thoughts over and over again in his mind, drawing strength and comfort from them” (p. 90, fourth book).

This phrase is very powerful. I think that, as Shen Jiu suffers, he reflects more on his life until now, on the reasons that guided him there, on the actions of those around him, and on the path they should’ve followed. 

He wasn’t like that in Part 1. Even as a slave, he doesn't reflect on his pain or suffering because he was pretty much the top game among slave boys, and as Yue Qi says, “the other party would be the one to end up suffering and bawling in terror” (p. 82).

It’s also very meaningful how Part 3 starts:

“Shen Jiu thought a lot about why Yue Qi never returned to look for him” (p. 90).

Yess, right after Sj thinks that Yq should never’ve returned to look for Shiwu. Coincidence? I don’t think so!

Sj says “go back to save him”, but the one who actually saves them both, Shiwu and Yq, is Sj. 

The question here is, does Shen jiu regret saving yue qi? Or is he afraid, as we see at the beginning of Part 3, that yue qi learned his lesson, and won’t come back to save a kid that could betray him at the end? Do you think that, after being imprisoned at the water prison, Shen Jiu considers himself a Shiwu too, betraying Yue Qingyuan and guiding the fall of the Cang Qiong Sect?

How do you think it felt for Sj to never get those answers either?

Before going foward, something very meaningful from Part 2 is Qi Jianluo’s reflections around Shen Jiu.

“As long as the boy remained obedient and honest, there would be no issues” (p. 88).

And “Humans must understand and repay kindness. Our family gave you the chance to play human, so even if it means repaying us with your life, that’s just how it should be.” (p. 89).

Who could you remember was obedient and honest? And wasn’t human?

Isn’t it awfully coincidental that the despicable way in which Qi Jianluo viewed Shen Jiu, is exactly what he tries to destroy in Luo Binghe? His honesty and obedience, his human side?

I’m not saying Sj did it intentionally, he clearly hated the boy, as stated in this chapter. But he made him the opposite of the weak, scorned version of himself.

And this is exactly what he says at the end of the chapter:

“Luo Binghe, everything you have today you owe to taking me as your master, so shouldn’t you thank me? Instead, you’re wholly unable to tell what’s good for yourself. As expected, you’re an ungrateful bastard” (p. 116).

Going forward, Part 3! Right off the bat, we have this beautiful phrase that just makes me go aghh:

“Shen Jiu even imagined walking to the ends of the earth looking for Yue Qi’s remains, and how, after finding them, he would dig him a grave with his own two hands. Perhaps he would even do his best to shed a tear” (p 90).

Let me remind you, that this is the only, single mention of crying in the whole chapter. From everything that Shen QingQiu has gone through, he has only thought of crying in the face of Yue Qi’s potential death.

He doesn’t cry when he receives the remains of Xuan Su, though. Because “This was not Yue Qi but Yue Qingyuan (p. 94).

Then, Shen Jiu puts it into words:

“Some people were rotten from birth. Shen Jiu thought of himself in exactly this way — someone vile and poisonous [ejem, like Shiwu, whose presence brought misfortune to his literal savior] from the start. Because, at that instant, he came to a crystal-clear realization:

That he’d rather have met a Yue Qi who’d died in some unknown corner, his remains unsightly and forgotten, than a Yue Qingyuan who was elegant and powerful, his prospects and future boundless” (p. 95).

This is exactly what I said before when I mention that Sj reflection’s starts from his pain, and his pain is born in the Qi household. Before, as a slave boy, Shen Jiu was actually the happiest. And that’s why he’d rather have a dead Yue Qi than an alive Yue Qingyuan: because he was still Shen Jiu, and he would be Shen Jiu until his death.

It’s right then and there, that Shen Jiu decides there’s something inevitably wrong in him, that he’s poisonous, scornful, and hateful.

And that word marks his future in Cang Qiong:

Part 4: “Shen Jiu hated far too many and far too many things” (p. 95).

But then, we get this phrase:

“I may be a hateful thing for most people, but luckily the Qing Jing Peak Lord doesn't despise me” (p. 99)

Is Shen QingQiu hateful, or is he hated?

Also, “thing”. He’s a hateful thing. So he’s still not human.

Changing topics, on page 100, we get to see a new side of Shen Jiu: his reflection on the women of the Red Pavilion. I think it’s very interesting to compare it with Sy’s considerations of women. 

“Liking women wasn’t the least shameful, but treating women like saviors, cowering within their embrace and seeking courage from them... even without anyone saying it, Shen Qingqiu knew that was horrendously shameful”

From his wording, I don’t think Sj thinks badly of women: he thinks badly of himself. He considers that a man should be able to protect others, not be protected. The “horrendously shameful” thing is himself, and his pain.

And what’s really meaningful is when he says: “even without anyone saying it”. Because it shows us that many things Shen Jiu knows were taught by others' words. Because he was a slave boy, with no education of the noble, or even human ways (as slaves aren’t considered people), and everything he gathers of life he is constantly learning from others.

So of course he is hateful, and of course, he doesn’t get along with others: he hasn’t learned how to (and how big of a coincidence is it that Shen Yuan, who’s from a wealthy family, is able to get along with his Martial siblings just fine?).

Shen Qingqiu also knows that the only reason he was able to become a Peak Lord, is thanks to Qiu Jianluo’s teachings:

“In the past, Qiu Jianluo had forced Shen Jiu to learn how to read and write. Shen Jiu had been unwilling to learn, had detested it to the point of madness, yet now it was only through his abilities in reading and studying—through being smarter than his peers—that he’d been able to earn the Qing Jing Peak’s lord's favor. To make it even more laughable, of the thousands of possible names in this world, the peak lord had just happened to name him Qingqiu” (p. 101).

Doesn’t this remind you of something? I’m going to write this quote once again: 

“Luo Binghe, everything you have today you owe to taking me as your master, so shouldn’t you thank me? Instead, you’re wholly unable to tell what’s good for yourself. As expected, you’re an ungrateful bastard” (p. 116).

Just like Luo Binghe, Sj is where he is thanks to his abusive master. But never once does Sj regret his past:

“But no matter how laughable, no matter how it made him gnash his teeth, Shen Qingqiu still wanted that name, for this name represented that from now onward, a shining new life was his” (p. 116).

Notice the change of preposition, from “that” to “this”? That name is the Qiu name, and this name is the QingQiu name.

He is no Shen QingQiu, and no longer Shen Jiu.

“‘That name irritates me whenever I hear it. I’ve long forgotten it. So please, Zhangmen-shixiong, you should also discard it.’

[...] ‘ Then, the day you responder to it would be the day it no longer irritates you?’

[...] ‘ That would never happen’” (p. 101-102).

Shen Wingqiu wholeheartedly accepts his new name.

No matter what happened, we never see Shen QingQiu regretting his actions, neither cursing his fate. He accepts what life gives him, and he accepts his punishments. 

“What’s happened has happened! I’ve already ‘considered’ it hundreds and thousands of times! There is no ‘if’, no ‘in the beginning’—, there was never any chance of redemption!” (p. 111).

And you know why that is? Because he already considered it a lot after Shiwu’s betrayal.

Shiwu should have been trampled, Yue Qi shouldn’t have gone to save him (should’ve come to save Shen Jiu). But after that experience, Shen Jiu learns that should’ve and could’ve, and would’s aren’t worth anything, because, at the end of the day, his life never goes the way it should.

And he just accepts it: “Only when I see other people unhappy can I be happy myself” (p. 112).

This quote was very strange to me because it didn’t really match Shen Jiu’s actions. We don’t see him going out of his way to make others unhappy. (Except Luo Binghe lol. He openly admits to trying to murder him).

I think the situation was quite the opposite: It was when Shen Qingqiu was happy, that others were unhappy: when he was in the Warm Red Pavillion, others were unhappy. When he was with his female disciples, others were unhappy. When he succeeded as a disciple and became Peak Lord, others were unhappy. And when he was a slave, living alongside Yue Qi in the streets, he now believes Yue Qingyuan was unhappy too.

Shen QingQiu’s happiness came with the price of others’ happiness, and that’s why he comes to accept that he prefers others’ suffering, he accepts other’s hate.

The first time Shen Qingqiu is in the Linxhi Caves alongside Yue Qingyuan, he notices the crude markings on the walls, and asks him about it. What’s relevant of this scene is that it’s the first time Shen QingQiu is the one starting a conversation.

Before that, we always see Yue Qingyuan looking for Shen Qingqiu, talking to him, interrogating him, and a Shen Qingqiu reluctant to talk. In this scene, the opposite happens: Shen Qingqiu asks, and Yue Qingqiu ignores him.

Here we see, that in those fundamental moments that Shen Qingqiu is the one interested in something, others (Yue Qingyuan) are distant.

Last but not least, I’d like to bring some of the last lines of the chapter to light:

“He had singlehandedly created the Luo Binghe of today, but who had singlehandedly wrought this ending of Shen Qingqiu’s?

Yue Qingyuan shouldn't have met this kind of fate” (p. 117).

THIS

THIS PHRASE

Made me go ughrr oh my god.

First of all, the acceptance: like yeah, I made the devil. It came to bite me in the ass. Okey.

But does he regret that? NO! He regrets being who he is. What he is. He regrets what he became: he regrets being hated, being unhappy, he regrets being mean, not because of what it caused him, but because of the person he became.

Shen Qingqiu never, not even once feels pity for his ending, for being tortured and mutilated. He only regrets being unhappy.

And also, he blames Yue Qingyuan for it. 

Because it isn’t a coincidence that after that question, he mentions Yue Qingyuan’s name. First of all is a literary resource. Second, it’s the clear association of the narrator’s mind as he builds a sequence.

He blames Yue Qingyuan for the person he became, and also blames Yue Qingyuan for not being able to avoid the person he became: he denies his cruel destiny.

Yue Qingyuan shouldn't have met this kind of fate.

Because Shen Qingqiu only ever wished for the death of Yue Qi.

This chapter’s narrator is a very sharp, and concise one. He goes from scene to scene, from thought to thought, abandoning fluency and just concentrating on a list of events. This is a reflection of Shen Jiu’s mind: a recollection of traumatic events that brutally shaped him into the man he became.

We see very little emotion, very short pieces of a sentimental being that laze themselves as puzzle pieces trying to make the shape of a deeply traumatized man.

I said it before, and I say it again: SVSSS is a masterpiece, is a book that will become a classic and be analyzed by literary critics in universities (or it should become. we can only hope).

And MXTX is one of the best current fiction writers in the world.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk lol

[al3zthecat-blog]

I've seen takes about Shang Quinghua pressing the Return Home button (either on purpose or by accident) and I've also read takes where the System for some reason (a glitch or a new mission) sends both SY and SQH to the modern world. And they are great BUT.....

What if SQH pressed the Return Home option (I'm thinking on purpose, but you do you) and the System sent both back home.

Let's say that the System didn't give SY that option because he isn't user number 1 and it was up to user number 1 to make this choice. Only, because the System is such an asshole it conveniently disregarded to tell either SY or SQH this.

So SQH not knowing his choice would also affect SY (otherwise he would definitely use this to get SQQ to do as he says, like getting LBH to give him the best food 😂) decides that he will take his chances on the real world. I'm thinking that he does this in part because the System actually answered when he would wake up and told him that in the real world no time has happened or that he would go back before he spilled his ramen and electrocuted himself. The other part could be that he just panicked upon seeing LGY. Or maybe he never saw LGY and was able to explore and sightsee some of the wonders of the world he wrote about and decided that this was as good as it would get here, whereas now that he lived in a cultivation setting he had so much fucking material. He could even write the danmei version of PIDW thanks to Cucumber bro!

So he activates the return home function and proceeds to write SVSSS, only he changes the name of Peerless Cucumber to another dick joke to avoid getting sued, you know, just in case.

For his part SQQ/SY hears the System saying "Activating Return Home sequence in 3, 2, 1" and he proceeds to freak out, except of course he doesn't have time to properly freak out and/or say anything before everything goes black.

SY wakes up in the hospital, his sister found him passed out and proceed to call 110/120*. Because this is SY and he no longer can hear the System he proceeds to go in denial/repression. "Ah... It was all a dream of course" (and to be fair, this would be more of a normal reaction than how he immediately accepted he had transmigrated 😂).

Until some weeks/months/days!? (Knowing Airplane it was probably days) later, Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky starts publishing an spin off/AU of PIDW named SVSSS.

Meanwhile back on SVSSS world either (and because I love SJ and he deserves a happy ending and because YQY also deserves a happy ending and I want these two to reconcile 😭 and what are fanfics for if not to write happy endings for everyone!?!):

SQQ'S body goes into a Qi deviation and SJ wakes up (resuscitates? I'm thinking the System grabbed his soul while he was deviating and put it into storage so SY's soul could occupy the body). Obviously SJ proceeds to FREAK OUT and runs away to CQM sect.

SQQ'S body just stops working. One moment he is breathing and the next he is dead. Somewhere out there SJ wakes up in a plant body (at some point SQH tried to bring back his favorite scum villain and gifted YQY a mushroom plant body with some precise instructions to care for it without telling YQY exactly what the plant was, because he believed if someone could bring back SJ it would be his soulmate YQY, but in case he was wrong better not tell YQY why or what the plant he gifted him was for)

SQQ'S body basically becomes brain dead. Technically alive, but since there is no soul inside the body it is as good as dead (SJ comes back with a healthy plant body and reconciles with YQY in CQM)

In any of these scenarios LBH will freak out, obviously, but in the case of scenario 1 he would have no reason but to think that this like the first time SQQ lost his memories, only now he recuperated many of them and lost the ones that involve LBH. So I guess the best option for a BingYuan reunion would be to go for 2 or 3 because LBH would be looking for SQQ|SY soul not SQQ|SJ (who is alive and safe in CQM sect) but I don't really care for this pairing soooo 🤷🏻‍♀️

Upon crawling out of the earth, SJ encounters YQY who immediately knows that this is Xiao Jiu, he would have the confirmation of what he already knew, that the other SQQ was not SJ. He still has no explanation to what happened or how SQH was able to return SJ to him, but he is glad and thankful to SQH.

SQH who has disappeared. Literally, his body did a Thanos snap and became dust or simply glitched out. Because SQH was never from this world. He was born in this world and given the role of SQH but his body is technically not the one of the original but supplanted it. Similar to a changeling only it was the System and he did this from the womb.

I don't know how it would go from here, kind of a dealers choice, if you want Moshang and BingYuan(?) HEA or if CumPlane HEA in the modern world. Or happy ending for Airplane who now can dedicate time to write whatever he wants because he already has SVSSS written thanks to the System and while that sells he can concentrate in writing other things.

[joys-of-everyday]

Parallel and non-parallels: the skewed lines of SJ and og!LBH

Hey, hey! Don’t we love comparing Shen Jiu (resident meow meow/bristling stray) to Bingge (poor wet dog who deserved better from life)? But for fun, I wanted to explore their differences. 

The free and the unfree

SJ was a slave. LBH was not.

Okay, shittiness of life is not strictly dependent on class (e.g. by Confucian values, farmers were meant to be more valuable members of society than merchants, but there were plenty of rich merchants and poor farmers) but the distinction here is important because it changes how society perceives them, and how they perceive themselves. LBH was poor, yes. His childhood was tragic, yes. But he was regarded as a person, whereas SJ was property.

So some thoughts on how this fine but important distinction goes on to drastically change their worldviews down the line.

Warning: #PsychoAnalysingFictionalCharactersWeBarelyKnowAnythingAbout

This post is heavily injected with my biases and headcanons. Feel free to complain.

Moments of unnecessary kindness vs moments of unnecessary cruelty

QJL – as a master to a slave – was under no societal obligation to give SJ anything. Remember what he says?

If it weren’t for our family, you’d still be on the streets even now, playing a beggar and swindling for a living. That you don’t lack for clothes, that you can even read and write when you’re only pretender trash – who gave all that to you?

This is the lie that QJL constructs: that SJ is worthless, that he has no right to complain about mistreatment, and that anything above a beating is a debt to be repaid. And in-world, there is some truth to this statement. He could easily have kept SJ around as a ball to kick around and a playmate for QHT with no consequence. But he didn’t. He elevated his status and gave him skills that would later become fundamental to his power and privilege, setting him on the path to the kind of decent life which would have been completely unavailable to him as a slave. There’s kindness here, but it’s false kindness – a tool QJL uses to justify his behaviour and put SJ down.

Meanwhile SJ – as a peak lord – has an obligation to teach his disciples. And LBH has always held some rights (if severely limited by the fact he was poor) – his tragic past is more likely to illicit sympathy rather than an arrest warrant (1).  YQY shows (small amounts of) discomfort at SJ’s mistreatment of disciples and asks him to be more lenient. By default, SJ is expected to give LBH an access to a better future. Instead, he actively tries to squash his potential and ruin his cultivation.

So to summarise, QJL’s treatment of SJ is characterised by unnecessary kindness within default cruelty, while SJ’s treatment of LBH is characterised by unnecessary cruelty within default kindness. This screws them both over, but in different ways.

The urge to reject, the urge to protect

SJ firmly rejects kindness. To him, kindness is nothing but a knife in a disguise, a weapon to humiliate and degrade him. Even to those he cares about, SJ refuses to demonstrate a single shred of good intention. I don’t give a damn about all that loyalty crap, he says to YQY, despite demonstrating over and over that he does in fact give a damn. He gives many damns indeed. He also refuses to reveal that he helped LQG, berating SQH for even trying. (2)

SJ is even worse at accepting help – it is shameful he thinks, to regard women as saviours (3). It is interesting that in SJ’s most vulnerable moment, the closest he ever comes to demonstrating his feelings for YQY, he says:

I have vicious inclinations, I’m filled with resentment. Now Luo Binghe wants me to die a painful death, and I have only myself to blame.

This doesn’t feel like an evil villain speech. This feels like someone desperately trying to push the other person away so that they wouldn’t be dragged down with them. In his moments of care, he is unkind. Because kindness, for SJ, is never care.

Meanwhile, LBH returns kindness with kindness, cruelty with cruelty. And of course, that makes sense, right? The kindness that LBH has received in his childhood, either from his adopted mother or NYY, is scant against the backdrop of cruelty but it is genuine (if not effective at alleviating his suffering). And while he has a bucket load of issues, he doesn’t have the unique SJ brand of hating those he loves, or rejecting offers of help (even if it is from people who are obviously manipulating him for merit – looking at you, QWY.)

But this is og!LBH’s downfall. All of his self-worth is built on collecting and dishing out kindness (=women in Bingge’s dictionary) like pokemons, leading to this rather pitiful worldview:

Bing-ge clicked his tongue, saying disdainfully: “Who let him be so useless, that he actually doesn’t have a single woman.”

He is unable to bond with people beyond something superficial, ending up with a bloated harem on which his places his worth but clearly doesn’t make him happy.

The rejection of self vs the rejection of fate

SJ is (as SQQ eloquently puts it) a poser. He is characterised by a rejection of his past and a rejection of his self.

This is in part a necessity – he is a criminal, from the lowest levels of society. But SJ goes beyond just hiding his past. He puts on airs of an aloof immortal, an act which SJ picked up in the Qiu manor, perhaps even instilled in him by QJL himself. And it’s not just mannerisms:

Shen Qingqiu finally understood how the original flavor’s personality, where he flattered you in the face then stabbed you in the back, had developed. Most probably he’d picked it up from Young Master Qiu through osmosis…

And why shouldn’t he copy Young Master Qiu? Three years of his life has taught him that nobody will treat a slave with decency, but they will a young master, no matter how unpalatable (4).

A piece of shit can’t be polished, QJL tells him, and while SJ rejects this narrative (I’m human, he says) he always come back to it. YQY is a dragon leaping into the sky; SJ is a failure unable to attain his potential. YQY is a righteous sect leader; he is an evil piece of scum. He believes himself broken and worthless. He rejects what he believes is his ‘true self’ and covers it over with a mask… but he is always plagued by his past. He tries to cover up – to play the respected scholar, the aloof immortal – inevitably falls short, becomes bitter and jealous, hates himself for his ‘naturally evil tendencies’, tries to cover up… and so continues to trod along this downwards spiral to a bitter and bloody end.

Meanwhile, LBH rejects fate. Very dramatically in fact:

None of that is important. It’s enough to just do what I want. Fate either never existed at all – or it’s something I should trample beneath my feet.

(This is bingmei, not bingge, but it’s not hard to imagine bingge has a similar outlook on life.)

More concretely, LBH rejects being under other people’s influence. His entire life is a sandwich of great fortune and great misfortune, and importantly his misfortune comes from others oppressing him, his fortune comes from his inherent abilities and talents. Despite all his setbacks, he finds himself powerful and capable, with people (women) literally throwing themselves at him.

SJ never really tried to change LBH in the way QJL changed SJ. Instead he tried to destroy him (within the bounds of his role as peak lord). SJ found power in part by accepting what QJL had taught him. LBH found it by turning his back on SJ, firstly by learning demonic cultivation behind his back, then leaving him altogether (not by his choice, but still).

Whereas SJ desperately sought to maintain an air of civility (ironically upholding the systems he suffered under), the height of LBH’s blackening is a rejection of pretences… and thus a rejection of boundaries. (He literally brings down the system.) In an embodiment of this (interestingly at a point where his behaviour is arguably as close to Bingge as it gets), Bingemei says:

If Shizun sees me as no better than a beast either way, I might as well live up to expectations.

His misbelief is that obtaining power and crushing obstacles will make him happy, because relying on his own capabilities made him less miserable in the past. Of course that misbelief ultimately causes him to be extremely miserable.

The longing for connection

Both stories are a tragedy, but they are different tragedies intricately tied to their origins. SJ is the slave who stabbed his master in the stomach. LBH is the disciple whose master pushed him down a cliff.

But coming back full circle, SJ and og!LBH are united by a lack of substantial human connection. SJ because he rejects himself and thus pushes everyone else away. LBH because he rejects others and thus never opens himself up to anyone, despite there being ample people willing to do an awful amount for him (#UnderappreciatedOfficeLadySHL).

And on the theme of parallels, Bingmei is a Bingge who was able to believe that someone chose him, from the bottom of his heart. Meanwhile, a major part of SY’s arc was breaking free of roles such as ‘villain’ and 'protagonist'. When we accept others and accept ourselves, when we build healthy relationships with the people around us, life can be better.  

Extra

Yah know, I agree that any kind of SJ redemption (and I root for a SJ redemption) must have SJ learning to love himself (there’s plenty of wonderful fics in this vein)... but I also feel like a big part of his redemption has to be first understanding and then truly rejecting the narratives drilled into him by QJL/WYZ. I dunno, I think people should critique QJL more.

Footnotes

Okay, LBH past does resolve a lot around how he is bullied unfairly, by people more privileged than him, similarly to SJ. I will admit the parallels are probably bigger than the differences here, including their interactions with QHT/NYY.

Caveat, he also does this before his experiences at the Qiu manor, so if QJL did play a part in this, it was to exacerbate an existing personality trait.

Although this overlaps with his toxic ideas of masculinity as well. I will make a post of this… soon.

Rather tragically, this is misbelief. In SVSSS, QHT announces to the world that SQQ is (maybe) a freed slave and everyone conveniently forgets about it the next day. Even LPM doesn’t use that against him.

[mixu]

Naruto and H1n0t0's wedding chapter confirms SNS

Today in why Shippuden’s ending actually supports sns case, we’ll analyze the last sequence of the last chapter. (If you haven’t read the previous parts, you can find them here pt. 1&2, pt. 3, pt.4, although it’s not necessary to read them in order.) So, without further ado:

Pt 5. Naruto would rather be anywhere but here

As usual I leave my crappy clip from the scene then we’ll examine the expressions, body language of the characters and some of the editing. There’s very little dialogue but a lot to unpack.

The scene starts with Naruto and Hinata staring up at the Hokage Monument.

Who knows how long they’ve been at it, but Hinata is making the same face I make when I go to the museum and fail to understand why someone takes more than 5 minutes to appreciate a painting (excuse my uncultured ass). She then tells Neji’s ghost she is getting married (as if poor Neji cared) and turns to look at Naruto who is uncannily serious for someone who is about to marry the love of his life.

We get a close off of Minato’s face and Naruto’s profile, still serious. What is he thinking about? I very highly doubt he’s thinking about the honeymoon.

Then we get Hinata true to her stalker self, blushing, looking lovingly, dreamingly at Naruto, when Naruto doesn’t even know she’s there. She’s getting married to the man she loves (if you count that as love) so, acceptable, understandable expressions. And I want to emphasize how many expressions of Hinata they show us in contrast to Naruto’s during the whole sequence (3 is being generous).

One could argue that Naruto is looking back at her, but is he? Then why don’t they show us a broader shot of them staring at each other lovingly? Because that’s not the case. That’s their relationship in a nutshell: Hinata staring at Naruto incessantly while Naruto is barely aware of her presence. Furthermore, when Hanabi and Hiashi enter, making Naruto and Hinata turn around, Naruto first looks at Hinata as if asking “you were here the whole time?” then goes back to serious mode.

The following shots of the Hyuuga give us so much information. Hanabi is excited, smiling because she has no clue of the farce, while Hiashi is stern as he has always been, but he had changed after the Chuunin exams, didn’t he? Why does Hinata suddenly looks so worried? She was smiling a second ago? The transition of Hiashi’s expression reminds me of that meme where the father says “He looks gay to me, but whatever makes my princess happy.” So, with Hiashi’s blessing, Hinata smiles again. Once more, notice how many different expressions she has, when Naruto doesn’t even appear in the shot.

What follows is pure gold.

Is it just me or Naruto takes ages to return Hinata’s handhold?

Next, the first image of this batch is so hilarious to me. Hinata is looking down at their hands as if to confirm it is actually happening. Hanabi is more excited than anyone in the room even when it is Hinata and Naruto who are getting married. Naruto’s expression in images 1, 2 and 6 might have been as well copy pasted. Why? He is your main character, why are you hiding his face on every opportunity. Plus, number 4 is so bad. It looks like he is bracing for battle.

Naruto asks Hinata if she's ready, and off they go into a mediocre, loveless marriage for the sake of Konoha and Kishimoto’s, SJ and SP wallets. Look at Naruto’s half-assed smile.

This clip is 74 sec long and we only get to see Naruto’s face/head during 19 sec. That’s roughly a quarter of the whole sequence, and even when Naruto appears, we rarely get a close off of his face. Furthermore, when we do get a close off, there’s no range of emotion (watch Dragon Ball or FMA Brotherhood’s last chapter and compare Edward and Goku’s portrayal to that of Naruto). Why would the studio hide the main character like this? Why focus so much only in the love interest and not the couple? Because there is no happy ending for Naruto. He got trapped between duty, his promises and the expectations cast upon him, and the worst part is those who were supposed to look after him looked the other way.

You can read this post in which the author analyzes similar inconsistences across Gaiden and Boruto. The conjecture is pretty much the same: Naruto gave up Sasuke and married Hinata because that was what everyone told him, directly or indirectly, he was supposed to do.

None of these choices are accidental. We saw what the studio wanted to show us like we read what Kishimoto wanted us to read. Perhaps those last chapters weren’t as clumsy as we thought, but we were too hurt by the Last, Boruto and chapter 700 to notice the characters were responding accurately given the circumstances they were facing and the values of their world. And, people can say whatever about us sns being delusional, but Naruto didn’t get a happy ending (I won’t even talk about Sasuke because there’s no doubt that he got the short end of the stick). We know how happy Naruto is supposed to look like.

So, this is it. Even this wedding fiasco reinforces SNS and now it hurts a thousand times more. Thanks for reading my ramblings and sorry for the quality of the images and the video. I don’t have time to make better edits but I really wanted to share this. I’ll go back to the fanfic world where everything is right.

[elf-bot]

with vlive closing here some links for SJ Returns (eng sub)!

SJ Returns 1-4 Google Drive (with some other shows)

SJ Returns 1-3 (and some more shows, interviews, etc.)

credits and sources x

not mine, i found it somewhere. :)

[the-river-runs]

My best friend Fandom has once again returned and asked me to post to Tumblr for her! Once again, I have permission to post this video and all edits were done by Fandom (http.redshoes on Instagram)

These memes are all based on Cryptid Sightings by @naffeclipse

She has a lot to say this time around!

A message from Fandom:

"Hello Naff!! And hello everyone :D

It’s me, your girl, your local meme and edit maker, Fandom (aka http.redshoes on Insta 😎)

I’ve come back to make another meme comp for you guys! I wanted to make this earlier, but:

1. I was busy saving/collecting ATSV content on Instagram like Pokémon to getting noticed twice by Jack in the Box ☺️

2. I had to create an Ao3 account (understandably ofc AI theft sucks) and was um. You know… being silly in the comment section 👀 (please don’t mind me if you ever stumble upon them - I react and appreciate the stuff I enjoy in weird ways 💔)

3. Was waiting for my friend here to finish reading so I didn’t spoil anything in the memes! We both loved the series so much and man. The Naff do be eclipsing fr in releasing chapters left and right biggest round of applause for one of my favorite authors here 👏👏👏

Naff, you did such a great job writing this fanfic. I’m going to repeat myself from the comment section BUT you need to give yourself a pat on the back, relax, take a break - just reward yourself. You deserve it all and I hope that you take care of yourself for all the hard work you’ve done 💞💞💞

I’ve also included the lovely artist themselves, @themeeplord , again in one of my meme comps.

It’s only one meme but dang they always draw Eclipse to be getting that gain 💪💪💪 (bc of how muscular he is haha.) Mad respect to all of the drawings they create - they’re always a banger to see.

(Most of the memes surround the last episode + epilogue so if you haven’t read those chapters LOOK ‼️ AWAY ‼️ Don’t get spoiled 🤯)

(P.S. for the imagine scenario that’s not a meme, this is what they’re saying in the audio:

“[Amused] You can hear their heartbeats? Come on, that’s a little far fetched.”

“[Soft chuckling] I can hear yours too… Your heart’s beating pretty fast.”

I’d like to think this would take place around the beginning of “The Episode Bedeviling Bodies,” where the Hunter is still trying to understand their dear friend and what they’re capable of. I thought it was fitting ngl and included it in the comp.

There were uh, more memes I wanted to include, but I’m running low on storage space atm. I’ll get back to making more after I’m done clearing that out ^^’)

(P.P.S. Okay I don’t have Tumblr obviously but 🕴️ apparently you guys really liked the SJ memes I made??? Because my friend’s been receiving notifs of it still??? Thank you so much you guys!! I didn’t really expect people to enjoy them that much 😭💘💘💘)

Now without further ado, enjoy the meme comp! >:D " -Fandom

[sirladysketch]

Posting an SVSSS outline for a fic that I will sadly never have the time to write in the hopes that maybe it'll inspire someone out there. <3 Summary: Due to a system error, SY transmigrates into SQQ five years after Binghe fell into the Abyss. With no system, no support from his martial brothers, and no telling when the blackened protagonist will come to get his revenge, SY must find a way to survive.

Original LBH/SQQ|SY, background LBM/SQQ|SY

SY wakes up to hear the system going into a blue screen (power source missing, external power source corrupted), and finds himself in the world of PIDW as SQQ. After speaking with his martial brothers, he discovers it’s been 5 years since the immortal conference where Binghe fell into the abyss. 

SY knows that this means that his return is imminent, but can’t help feeling like he’s gotten the short end of the stick- why send him to a role where he could have made a difference if he’d had more time? On top of that, the peak leaders don’t believe him when he tries to warn them that everyone is in danger, and he is subsequently put under house arrest for rest after his severe qi deviation.

A young disciple from Mu-shidi’s peak is tasked with helping his recovery, tending to his needs while he has to meditate and re-ground himself. SY quickly learns that the boy is not going to let him leave, but is willing to listen and help him talk out his fears/what he might be able to do to save the sect and cultivation world at large.

After a few months of seclusion in the bamboo house, SY has figured out how to act enough like SJ to be permitted to go on short trips to the foot of the mountain as part of his recovery./to help settle his nerves. While in town, SY thinks he sees LBH, which throws him into a panic. The disciple takes him back to the peak with the assurance that there is nothing to fear, but suggests that maybe he would feel better if they traveled somewhere remote for an actual vacation.

After listing off a few places like small towns and hot springs where SQQ knows LBH found wives, he settles on a small town SY has never heard of and should probably be safe, but then he feels guilty about essentially abandoning the peak inhabitants to their fate and fleeing. The disciple says that he can make sure that the peak remains safe, but in turn SY has to agree to do what he’s told. SY reluctantly agrees, knowing the disciple is just humoring him.

By the time SY finally agrees to leave, it’s too late; LBH arrives at the bamboo house and is ready to fight, but then the disciple steps in and soundly forces LBH to make a withdrawal. The disciple then reveals himself to be Luo Bingge, and demands that SY return with him. SY freaks out to the point of qi deviation and blacks out.

When he wakes up, he’s in the bamboo house and everything is quiet. For a moment he thinks it’s all a bad dream, and then the door to the bedroom opens up and it’s another SQQ. This SQQ turns out to be another version of SY from another reality, and somehow he ended up married to a softer version of the protagonist. SQQ says that Bingge brought him here to ‘learn how to love him.’

SY and SQQ talk for a bit about transmigration, coming to terms with being gay, and talking about the trauma of being unable to grieve for their last life. SQQ offers sanctuary, saying that LBM had beaten LBG before and they can keep him safe. SY ultimately decides to go with LBG since they’d been together for months and the disciple never hurt him and definitely saved him from a fate worse than death. And besides, he always thought LBH deserved better, so why not him? 

SQQ wishes him luck and gives him a talisman from his system to get in touch if he ever changes his mind, and LBG takes him back to his world to learn how to love him. 

SY and LBG have a beauty and the beast montage and the harem starts getting dispersed, but SY is still having panic attacks that send him into qi deviations, dreaming about what almost happened back in the first PIDW world. He thinks that Binghe is hunting him down, even more angry than before since he’s been denied his revenge AND he got beaten by an imposter.

LBG swears he will protect him; <more stuff happens and SY is slowly coming to terms with the fact that he might actually be gay for Binghe, lol>

Showdown of Other LBH vs LBG, shit starts to go down and SY tries to use the token from the other SQQ to get LBM to help; ends up doing a system reset and he wakes up in the bamboo house with YQG sitting by his side, anxious about the qi deviation. The dream is already beginning to fade as he asks after LBH, who is apparently still in the woodshed where he left him….

[runabout-river]

I'm from Brazil and I love your tumblr. Do you think gege is doing this because he is under a lot of pressure from the producer because satura gojo gives them a lot of money. 2. Do you think that gojo's soul can possess yuta's brain because the body belongs to gojo but the brain belongs to yuta? 3.if gojo returns, what would be your purpose in the work now? 4. I don't see Yuta in Gojo's body and I don't see Gojo coming back to me. I think Gege will do something unpredictable again. I would appreciate it if you could answer me.

Hi!

I honestly think that there is some pressure on him though not necessarily from his editors and SJ alone. Look at JJK, it got into the Guiness World Records (for sth) and Gojo is beloved all over the world. Everyone would feel pressure under that but he also seems like the guy who sticks to his story with an iron will. Otherwise he would've been forced to reintroduce Nobara back into the story at this point IMO. If he plans on doing that.

We don't know the exact mechanics of Kenjaku's CT. From Geto rebelling against him and the short conversation he had with Mahito after sealing Gojo, we can infer though that his CT treats body and soul as the same. This could mean that after Yuta's 5 minutes are up and he can't use copy on the CT anymore, that he dies but Gojo's body and soul stay alive. I made a post about that here.

I have no idea how Gege would integrate Gojo back into the Sukuna fight. Intergrating him in a future arc after the merger happens is a better possibility IMO. Gojo's purpose for the Shinjuku Showdown is fulfilled but I'm not satisfied with his happy ever after ending. That airport scene in my opinion needs to revisited because it takes the high-stakes tension away from the narrative. You can't have all the dead characters happy right before a major battle that threatens to kill even more.

Yes, I also don't think Yuta will survive as Gojo Satoru. It's simply not something I see in the story, so either Kenjaku's CT will have to be reactivated again which he won't be able to do after which he dies or Sukuna kills him. Maybe he'll manage to get back into his own body though.

And I can see a temporary revival of Gojo as of now. He would be able to help his students up again eg when the Sukuna fights takes a serious toll and the merger happens anyway. He would die again though before they can get a final victory.

[stardust-falling]

Hello.... Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from SVSSS? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Thanks if you want to answer....

Top 5 favorite characters:

1 - Shen Jiu 2/3 - Yue Qingyuan, Shen Yuan 4/5 - Luo Binghe, Gongyi Xiao

Honestly, it's super hard to decide my favorites, hence the 2/3, 4/5 here lmao. Depending on the meaning of "like" I really don't dislike any SV characters (obviously OPM, QJL, WYZ can go get fucked if we're talking about emotional affection/blorbofication, but I do still enjoy them in a meta sense for their roles in the story). But because SJ is both my favorite in terms of "I feel affection for this character and he is my little scrungly blorbo" as well as "I want to study him under a microscope like a bug" he gets the top spot easily.

Top five favorite moments is pretty hard too, since things are my favorite for different reasons... So I'll pick my favorite scenes for analysis, not necessarily for emotional reaction or attachment, in no particular order. Going under a cut because I rambled, as usual:

I really, really like the entire Holy Mausoleum arc, but I specifically like the part where SQQ and LBH are confronted by OPM and QHT. I feel like it's here that we can really see beneath the unreliable narrator and actually see that SQQ truly does love LBH back. Holy Mausoleum in general just says a lot about Bingqiu without saying it directly, and I do encourage everyone who thinks that SQQ doesn't actually love LBH back please reread that part while looking for it because damn, SQQ's narration tries to hide how much he actually cares for this boy.

Qijiu extras, the scene in the Lingxi caves. Between SJ's paranoid and irrational internal monologue that shows that despite everything, he really doesn't actually see himself as he is or as a legitimate peak lord, Yue Qingyuan's appearance at a critical moment to keep SJ from spiralling past the point of no return (contrasting this to his inability to return to Qiu Manor in time), the fact that even though they are not on good terms, YQY is still able to calm SJ down from qi deviation, and that SJ tolerates both his presence and his touch, it shows a lot that despite his paranoia and his hurt, a part of Shen Jiu still trusts Yue Qingyuan. The fact that it's revealed that they're in the very cave that YQY was trapped in with Xuan Su is just the icing on the cake... the truth is laid out before them, just a step from being revealed, but still isn't... I just think this scene really is so important to show how 79's relationship stands on a deep level, both the trust that is still there as well as the barriers.

Skinner demon confrontation, after they're captured. The irony of the first mission being to take down a demon that's literally wearing someone else's identity as their own is great. There's also Luo Binghe's sexual awakening upon seeing SQQ shirtless, which is honestly quite funny to me as an ace person. But my favorite thing, I think, is the way that SQQ sets up Die'er's defeat by using LBH as bait which, while it is successful due to the genre's conventions, also makes Luo Binghe's trust waver... it sort of sets the tone for the entire emotional conflict of the novel. Despite SQQ knowing that LBH will be fine, since it has all been decreed by plot, he underestimates how much it will hurt him-- and he's thinking about hurting LBH in terms of how it will affect SQQ himself later on, rather than LBH's own pain. Then, afterwards, SQQ leaves LBH behind to go into seclusion, he gives LBH the new manual but doesn't move him out of the woodshed, and there's no indication that Ming Fan's bullying stopped during that time either. When SQQ returns, he ends up sacrificing himself and taking the poisoned hit for LBH... in a way this all just parallels the actual plot of the novel in short-form and I think that's very, very neat.

The water prison arc-- everything from LBH's visit where he stops LPM from attacking SQQ, where SQQ refuses to answer LBH's question because of his inaccurate perception of the situation, LBH's volatile emotions in this sequence, Gongyi Xiao's assumptions that LBH had assaulted SQQ and SQQ's complete obliviousness to that possibility, plus just GYX being the best boy ever tbh, he doesn't deserve to live in this messed up book and certainly doesn't deserve to die. This sequence has so much about how inaccurate perceptions of situations can lead to wildly off-base interpretations and how a lack of proper communication can escalate a conflict where it really didn't need to escalate. The "perceptions and interpretations vs. reality" idea is another major theme in SV, and this sequence really showcases a lot of that in a clear way.

Maigu Ridge. This one's controversial. A lot of people have a lot of opinions about it and let me just make a disclaimer that I'm not including this one because I enjoyed reading it on an emotional level. Maigu Ridge is FUCKED UP!! It's a massively fucked up situation for all parties! It's uncomfortable, and definitely something that warrants a trigger warning before reading the book-- and yet, it's so interesting to analyze from a hypothetical standpoint because the situation is just so, so messy in terms of who gives consent and who doesn't-- and does anyone really have the option to consent here, since both parties are under the complete control of the narrative-- in terms of who hurts who, etc. There are a lot of little details to debate, and of course there's the instant, knee-jerk surface reaction that people get, which I can totally understand especially if you didn't go in expecting this sort of scene and ended up getting triggered by it, but once you start to peel back the layers you can actually find that this scene is way more complicated than 'one party as the aggressor/one party as the victim.' It's a deconstruction and subversion of tropes, but also a really interesting place to analyze themes of consent as a whole, and the effects on the individuals involved. For this, honestly, people just need to remember that these are fictional characters. It's not saying anything about IRL survivors, and I'm a major proponent of considering massively fucked up situations through a fictional lens in order to understand the shades of gray that may exist in similar but less-extreme situations in real life, without the possibility of your deliberations causing harm to any party since in the fictional scenario, since none of the characters are real (I can't even begin to tell you how much of my own trauma I've processed based on extreme fictional scenarios). But on the flip side, if the scene upsets you or triggers you, it's perfectly valid to dislike it! It's also perfectly valid for you to dislike the Bingqiu relationship because of it! It's not for everyone and I completely get that, but also, keep in mind that people analyzing the scene in different ways doesn't have anything to do with how they'd react to real-life situations. It's all about what works best for each person.

Anyway that last one got really long, just because I've seen so much knee-jerk reaction in fandom with it and tbh, I feel like I have to cover my bases these days.

A lot of people say that SVSSS is less well-written than MXTX's other books, and while it does have issues, I wouldn't say that the book isn't well-written. I have no idea how much of what I talked about in those scenes above is deliberately intentional storytelling and how much just sort of happened, but those are just some of the reasons that I really do think it's actually a very good book, genuinely, and not the only scenes at that, I just limited to five here.

I hope you enjoyed reading all my ramblings-- SVSSS brainrot is real and the hyperfixation is going strong haha.

[patricia-taxxon]

Strawberry Jam (celeste mod) is picking up, higher difficulties are where this community really gets to stretch its legs I think. Like for beginner thru advanced I struggle to come up with more than 3 or 4 maps each that I think are really essential, but expert has quite a few.

Of course, the pack suddenly becoming consistently interesting at this point doesn't do anything to help me recommend it over spring collab to someone new to modding, except to play through the vastly improved gyms. 3 full lobbies of the mappers obstinately playing things as safe as possible was a real drag, like spring collab intermediate was basically in shambles compared to this but I'd still rather return to that then play SJ intermediate again.

[retrogradepermaculture]

Autumn Equinox Observations | Dark Academia 🌾 MBTI | Earth Signs

When the days and nights are the same length the symbolism in the collective unconscious is especially significant. Here are some observations for 🍂 Earth Signs 🍁 In some ways naturalled attuned to this time of year.

🐌 As always, take what resonates and leave the rest! 🌬

🍊 this time of year can have a sense of 'all will be revealed' and 'how the tables have turned. For Taurus, ruled by venus, themes of fertility and harvest are yours, whatever energy is coming your way, is coming in abundance. Think of a writers block freeing up, or waiting ages for a job offer and 3 come along at once

🍎 the traditional tendencies of capricorn can be felt early even though we are three signs away in libra. Yet this time is all to do with the earth and you may feel like you cannot wait for your sign to come around. might want winter or the rest of autumn to come faster. remedy the blues by curling up with a good book

🍐 this is a time of exchange, thus this can even manifest emotionally. you may be exchanging one bad mindset for a better one. this can also be a time of travels, literal exchanges of goods or services, or switching one group of people for another.

🍓 for virgo - this exchange is MOST likely to be practical for you of all the signs. for you it is MOST likely to involve physical goods or services. this year you may find your brain freeing up as Mercury finally leaves all vestiges of retrograde energy aside on the 22nd when it reaches it's furthest elongation at the end of the Mercury Max cycle

🍍 of all the earth signs it's Capricorn who may have the most difficult time as this is a time of change which confronts your need for tradition. you can mark the occasion by investing in a new aesthetic, whether that means a desk tidy, new pair of glasses or so on. You are one of the signs who suits the dark academia aesthetic best and doing something like this can make any life changes easier

🍏 all signs - you may have a tendency to intellectualise and overanalyse any changes or life events that happen at this time, but you can combat this by going with your gut and feelings as opposed to what is practical. this can be harder for you than for water signs but shadow work on the upcoming Harvest Full Moon can make things easier 🌚

🍄 most likely to embrace the change are perceiving types ESXP ISXP INFP and ENFP 🦝

🌽 SJ types have a tendency to enjoy this time of year as there is a lot to keep busy with in terms of new school terms, foraging and preserving wild food, or whatever floats your boat

🌰 INFJ and ENFJ have a tendency to be in their element around this time of year as life tends to throw them the perfect combination of variety and routine. Taurus XNFJ may have the urge to buy new clothes. Virgo INFJ may enjoy a new venture and Capricorn ENFJ tends to indulge themselves around this time 🪶

Archetypes you may attract:

At times like this our ability to tap into the collective unconscious is particularly strong. Thus there may be a mythological element to the people we attract. This can look like:

🍁 People showing up that mimic patterns found in myth and legend (e.g. A relationship dynamic mimics, say, Orpheus and Eurydice)

🍁 Notable archetypes from the tarot around this time are The Empress (harvest), Justice (balance), Judgement, The Moon Reversed, The Emperor, and any of the Kings and Queens

🍁Several comets will be nearing earth in the period after the equinox and into october. These can signify temporal archetypes such as change, destruction/creation, karma, lessons learned etc. I will do another post on these in more detail.

🍁Virgo and Taurus, if your luck has been looking down you may attract the mentor archetype (from Joseph Campbell's hero's journey) around this time as your energy is in the right place and those well suited to you can tell when you need an extra hand.

🍁Capricorn, you may be in the return home stage of the hero's journey. As the year reaches it's final quarter your sign approaches (although it is not there yet!) however, Saturn, your ruling planet, governs some of the themes of reaping and sowing associated with the Equinox. Thus, you may be returning to stage one, the drawing board, or the start of a cycle.

If you found this interesting (especially the archetypes bit) I am offering free readings on my Etsy Store for the Tarot of Archetypes which looks at this kinda stuff in more detail. Use the code GIVEAWAY1234 for 100% off (Tarot of Archetypes only)

Alternatively DM me to suggest future topics if you want to see more of this kinda Jungian Archetypal spin on them - we have some pretty neat comets coming up, stuff on Ophiuchus, plus the Harvest Moon and Draconids meteor shower in October HOWEVER I am always open to suggestions and challenges

[spiderversegf]

thank you for making small joys saturdays a thing!! i love it so much. my SJS is small joys saturdays! i love hearing about things that make other people happy - it makes me happy in return :) much much love to you <3

eeeee this is so sweet!! i’m so glad it brings u so much delight, it makes me so happy!! love to you!!

[npdclaraoswald]

Asexual books! 💜🤍🩶🖤

Books I've already read and loved:

• Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger: In a magical world, a young girl who has the ability to raise the ghosts of animals receives a dream from her recently deceased cousin telling her he was murdered and he needs her to investigate

• A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger: A snake person from the parallel world of animal spirits journeys to Earth and works with a young girl to try and find out what real world circumstances are wiping out the species of his frog friend

• Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire: a series focusing on a school for kids who return from portal fantasies and can't readjust to life back on Earth. *We follow a different character every book, but the first book focuses on a young ace girl

• Dread Nation duology by Justina Ireland: when zombies rise during the Civil War, the war ends and black and Indigenous people are instead forcibly conscripted to fight the zombies while also waiting on wealthy white people. Jane, one such fighter begins investigating missing people and unearths a conspiracy. *Jane herself is bi, but the second book has a split POV with her friend Katherine who doesn't use the word aroace because it's the 1800s, but does clearly state that she is not and has never been interested in sex or romance

• Sidekick Squad series by CB Lee: in a world of superheroes and villians, a group of teens discover that the superheroics are just bread and circuses to distract from the corrupt government and begin to mount a rebellion. *Each book follows a different member of the group and book 3 follows Emma, who is questioning and thinks she might be aroace

• Connor Hawke's Green Arrow comics by various authors. Unfortunately, Connor doesn't really have any easy collections I can recommend, but he's a great character and has two stories focusing specifically on his asexuality in DC's 2022 and 2023 pride issues

On my TBR:

• Cute Mutants series by SJ Whitby

• A Queerplatonic New Year by Katie Foulks

• Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie

• Learning Curves by Ceillie Simkiss

• Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

• The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

• The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

• You Don't Have a Shot by Raquel Marie

• Love Letters for Joy by Melissa See

• The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee