#this will be the only post I make to not make that problem worse

[chronicdelusionistsart]

The Conflict of Timbern: More Thoughts

As usual, SPOILERS for Tim Drake: Robin under the cut

So you might have read my post on The Conflict of Timbern. I'll link to it but the TL;DR is that the overarching conflict of their relationship, and thus the comic, is that Bernard doesn't know that Tim doesn't know that Bernard knows. and like

I saw this set of panels again and it fucking clicked that this is yet another hint that Tim isn't paying enough attention to realize that Bernard Knows. That they are YET AGAIN having two different conversations. this is basically shaking the reader by the shoulders and telling them what's going on again

Like, Bernard, who has been pushing the entire comic so far to be included in Tim's vigilante work, gives him a symbol of him to take with him IN BOTH IDENTITIES.

He wants to be fully in on Tim's life in whatever capacity he can. They just got out of a restaurant fire where Tim had to leave and Bernard desperately didn't want him to even though he understood it was Robin Business. He visibly like. You can see him making peace with it even as it hurts him to be left out -

- because it means that Tim isn't fully engaged with his life or his problems, either. Bernard immediately has to face down his homophobic parents alone because he's covering for Tim, who only did this dumb bathroom charade because he thinks Bernard isn't wise to his identity.

They're textually and subtextually separated in the problems they face because of this misunderstanding, to the point where it's highlighted beautifully in this page where Bernard is having the worst moment of his month as Tim is doing Robin Shit in the background.

Yeah. Life is worse when Tim's not around. Which he's not, right now, not really. Is he?

I think the real masterstroke of this issue is actually this - two pages later, when they're back together and actually talking.

Basically the instant they actually speak, Tim has the flashbulb moment to solve what's going on because of something Bernard noticed. The writing is telling us clearly: When they're communicating, they make a fantastic team.

Yes, this issue highlights and drives home a major problem in their relationship that had previously been foreshadowed. But look at how well they work together when they're on the same page? We're obviously foreshadowing the payoff of this whole (sadly ultimately cancelled) arc: a relationship where they work together seamlessly and bring out the best in each other.

This excellent beat is only possible because Bernard is far more perceptive than Tim gives him credit for, even as he's actively being helped by Bernard's skills. In fact, this mirrors a similar situation in the previous arc when Tim overlooks a critical fact about the Moriarty case (That HIS OWN COPIES of the books were missing, if I'm not reading this wrong, pointing to the fact that it had to be someone that had access to his boat) because he's too in his own head and isn't really listening to what Bernard is saying in favour of being Sherlock-brained and following Moriarty's very interesting and ultimately misleading literary-themed trail.

So like coming back to this. The Panels that sent me on this journey.

Tim fundamentally underestimates Bernard, misunderstands their relationship as a result! They're telling us again!!! They're mirroring it at us multiple times throughout the whole of TD:R!!!!!!

What a tightly written book man. TD:R fucking rules

[lunabug2004]

I love s2 so much but I will always get a little upset at all the adults in the lab practically ignoring Mike the whole time. Like if they are freaked out and scared about the situation, imagine how the only other kid in the room feels?

I know that it could be possible that he received some comfort and we just didn't see it, especially because of the way Mike starts being hidden from us in season 2, but if that was the case I have a feeling his breakdown with Hopper wouldn't have been nearly as loaded as it was.

Maybe it's just the way I operate but if there are kids around me during a stressful situation (even when I was a kid myself), I always make sure they are as far away and as calm as possible. I make sure to explain to them in the best way I can what is going on so that they at least have an idea of how to handle their emotions.

I know Mike wasn't freaking out or anything, but of what we know about his character ("even Mike, who likes to act tough" - LOTL), he wouldn't say anything no matter what awful emotions he was feeling. But I don't care. The adults in the situation should know better.

He's literally watching his best friend be taken over by a monster (which he basically swore to protect him from), be tortured by scientists, and then be forced to kill people, which Mike also tries to stop because he catches onto the trap (just a bit too late). He then has to run through a lab of dead people while being chased by the monsters who killed said people until he gets trapped in a room with no way to help and just has to hope that they all get out alive, which they don't, he learns as he holds Will's limp body then has to comfort Joyce as he coerces her to keep going. Oh yeah, I didn't mention that he also had to convince the adults to put his best friend to sleep or else he could also kill them and has to listen to his screams as they put him under.

I will never stop believing that season 2 is absolutely devastating for Mike and that the trauma he gained from it is almost impossible to fathom.

Now, I'm not saying that he wouldn't have been traumatized if he received comfort, but I at least don't think it would be as bad as it is. I mentioned in a post before that he might've lost even more trust in the adults (I specifically named Hopper) around him because of this. We know he's had a problem with authority since the beginning, but it gets worse in season 3, and I think this might be part of the reason why.

Anyways, I'll stop rambling now. Season 2 is my favorite season, but man (I've said it a million times and I'll keep saying it) Mike in season 2 literally breaks my heart into a trillion pieces.

[bluescreenvirus]

chaos' apology for + addressment of everything.

i am posting this for him as he is not logged in anymore and does not wish to, but this is directly copy and pasted from him. i will be posting other VERY important statements and information to help clear a few things up, especially regarding the misinfo involving sugarydeceit. i've already cleared some of that up privately, but i want it to be public info so ppl can feel secure. it may take longer than others to post due to being busy, but please keep an eye out if you could:

...

"first and foremost: i am sorry. i'm going to get into specifics but i want to preface with a blanket "i'm sorry" first.

to start, i'm sorry to ridley and friends and the ventblogs for not handling things better. i've been doing... bad, to put it lightly, ever since the document dropped. i've been unpacking nearly 8 years of constant abuse every day, and i've started taking it out on others. i have noticeably gotten worse than i used to be. which is an unfortunate part of healing. and i regret forcing the resulting harshness of my pain onto others, especially some minors. it wasn't your guys' fault for the things that happened to me, you shouldn't have been subjected to my ire. it was wrong. so again i am sincerely sorry for that.

and no, forgiveness is not my goal, i don't want anyone to demand i be forgiven or for anyone to feel obligated to forgive me. i don't have any problem getting mad at people who think it's okay to harass other people in my honor- it's not okay. it's never okay. and i'm really sorry that people did that. i'm not sure exactly what was sent to people originally, it's really hard for me to see/find things with how many people have me blocked, so i'm sorry if that apology feels too vague. but i am specifically sorry that people tried to blame ridley for me wanting to kms. it... was because of that situation, yes, but i don't want to put that on a kid, and no one else should either. especially if you're not me. why are you accusing anyone if you're not me. it's not your place. stop it.

i'm also sorry for the situation that sparked all of this. i really did believe that the ventblogs had a major problem with acting impulsively and making situations worse than they needed to be, however, i did not express that opinion in a nice way. and in the process i made people feel like i didn't care about the hate/harassment they had recieved. so i'm sincerely sorry for that, too.

i'm also sorry for bringing up kitty genovese. it was NEVER my intention to trivialize a rape+murder, i had hoped that would be obvious, but i saw that it wasn't and became angrier instead of calmly explaining what i meant. i only referenced kitty genovese in regards to the bystander effect- i know many in this fandom are young, so it's possible people googled her and saw a rape+murder case and took what i said very wrong. which i understand. if you don't know, kitty genovese is the main example used in every study of something called "the bystander effect", that's why i brought up the case. i felt the bystander effect applied to what i was experiencing. but it would've been better to just say the bystander effect, rather than assume everyone knew who kitty genovese was and the studies that stemmed from her case. i'm sorry again for all of that.

now i just. want to try and explain some things, if i may? i know people don't particularly want to listen to me anymore, so if you want to just stop reading at the apology, feel free. that's why i've separated the two. if you do choose to stop reading what i have to say here, i wish you well.

it was never ever my intention to make ridley feel attacked/endangered by me. i was just really, really scared, when i saw that ridley was sharing sugarydeceits/sweetfuls/lopsys lies about me, and people were believing them.

sugarydeceit has been harassing my partner and i for months- over half a year, actually, and has a history of doxxing people and sharing their names publicly. it even took one of the people to court, lio convoy, who i don't like as a person obviously, but sugarydeceit did take him to court. you can even find the recording of it on youtube. sugarydeceit has threatened to do the same thing with me many times. i've been careful to hide my personal information but even then it's not a guarantee of my safety. so i freaked out, and tunnel-visioned, because i need to keep myself and my partner safe from sugarydeceit. and any support it gets emboldens it to send us threats of death, harm, and other horrible things. i already woke up to some anons from it today because of all of this. [pictured below] having support has made it brave again when i had just finally gotten it to back off again a few days ago because it was stupid enough to insult sugar's grief about his dying great grandfather.—

[anon hate as a result of the mention of sugary deceit pictured above, one even targeting chaos abuse from KC by saying "go cuddle your little sis." not blaming anyone of course, this is only the fault of those who sent these anons.]

—that's why i wanted the posts taken down, on top of the fact that the information was untrue/exaggerated, which i'm sure sugar addressed in this post already. the posts put me and sugar in danger, the posts got us harassed- like i knew they would. i felt powerless and miserable and i didn't know what to do anymore. i really was making plans on how to kill myself because i thought it was over for me. i wasn't going to survive if the whole fandom began supporting my stalker, so i was in... survival mode, i guess. in that moment i wished i was back in the zcp. and i still kind of feel like that. it was abuse, but at least i didn't know that it was. it was a comfortable kind of misery. maybe that's just some weird kind of stockholm syndrome, i don't know.

i never want to come back to this fandom. it's absolutely mortifying to have my 'friends' all outcast and hate me for nearly 8 years, only to find a place i thought was safe, and then have the same exact thing happen. i haven't felt safe here ever since i was harassed for saying i didn't have enough information to pick sides in the maxim vs ridley situation, and then maxim himself was horrible to me in a way i can't address publicly right now, and then all of this. just being here scares me. all of anticare scares me. that's why i told people to not interact or use my ocs anymore. i was scared and just wanted to be left alone. it wasn't a personal attack against anyone, or me trying to invalidate previous support, i just had too many bad experiences that traumatized me and triggered me. i'm never even going to be able to release my own statement about my abuse because i'm terrified of the fandom picking it apart to try and invalidate me, or using the personal nature of the content to send me crueler targetted harassment, or just not caring.

i do have some involvement in the doc. i provided them with a fair amount of information considering my past proximity to kc, and i was able to confirm/deny things they were unsure about. i was going to have a section about my abuse, but i pulled out of adding it. so please don't discredit the entire doc just because you hate me. there are real predators, and real extremely damning pieces of evidence, addressed within it. and some other victims still made the choice to include their stories. so if you care about the other victims you'll spread it and support it. please.

the only further 'involvement' i'm probably ever going to have is boosting the doc when it comes out and answering any questions about it though i doubt i'll get any and i don't think i want to put them in the tag if i do answer any. if anything questions should be directed toward the doc blog and if they need an answer from me they'll ask me and parrot what i say.

the support was nice while it lasted and i appreciate it. but i can't be here anymore. and i would appreciate it if people just stopped talking about me so i don't have to be terrified of being put in danger when i can't defend myself. but i can't demand anything. i just hope someone will listen.

and i have changed my mind to agree with aobasgirlfriend, another victim, who iirc felt as though this comic shouldn't have a fandom anymore. i understand that point of view now. i don't think it should have a fandom anymore either. too many people were hurt using it, me included. i think everyone left should move on and let it die. there's nothing good that will come from staying. nothing at all.

if there's anything i've forgotten to address or apologize for, you can send it to bluescreenvirus because i'm logging out for an undetermined amount of time.

goodbye." — chaosblasts

[equestria-cross-mod]

Very long vent/rant below the break (yes, another one). Also, go read Twin Runes, it's really good. Also also, bully me into reading the entire thing, because for some reason I can't seem to sit down and do that on my own.

And to clarify, this whole thing is directed at the anon who asked the question, not the person who answered the ask.

I was just scrolling through this blog since I enjoy the comic (though I really need to read the whole thing) and came across this post. If you know me, you know that I really don't like letting injustice stand without me saying or doing something, so here we go. Prepare for heavily restrained anger.

Akanemnon have stated that how people see them doesn't matter as much as how they make others feel. And they want them to feel positively. I can tell they're incredibly kind because of that.

I also empathize with them about this in particular, considering that, while I'm not popular, I do still struggle immensely with being social just in general. Especially publicly.

Now, here's the thing. I have a different approach to this sort of harassment they're experiencing here, which I've stated above. While I'm not as aware of the unspoken social rules that neurotypicals have, primarily because I'm autistic (among other things), some of the rules I do know are ones I don't agree with.

Now, to my point.

Anon? I didn't see the post being referenced here, but I don't think I need to. You're being ten times worse, anyhow. What you're doing is known as "guilt-tripping", and it's something I take huge issue with. You're also assuming the worst here, which tends to make you look like (excuse my language but I can't think of a better word) an asshole.

I know you'll never see this, and you know what? Fine. That's not why I'm writing this.

I'm writing this because I'm sick of people trying to make genuinely innocent people look bad. One mistake doesn't make you a bad person. Not even many. That probably just means you're stubborn or something, but not necessarily bad. Intentional and repetitive bad decisions make you a bad person.

That's what you're doing here, Anon. They made a mistake, and you decided to make them feel bad about it because you felt offended over something they said because they were stressed out.

If you were stressed out and said something dumb, I'll admit, I'd probably be a little offended too. That's not the problem. The fact that you acted on it in this way is the problem.

Everyone gets angry sometimes. Everyone can occasionally be unprofessional. But what you did was worse, because not only were you also unprofessional, but you did it intentionally. And that is unacceptable.

So many people on the internet just like you need to watch what you say, for various reasons, and to be considerate of other people. It doesn't matter if you can't be traced, those words still affect not only the people you direct them to, but also everyone else that sees them. I know that because I was affected.

And if people figured out it was you, which I don't think is entirely unheard of, they will treat you the same way. 95% guarantee.

Treat people how you want to be treated.

In this case, I'm trying to be as nice as my rage allows me to be while calling you out for being rude. As such, I also want people to tell me when I say something wrong or bad so I can correct myself, preferably in a manner that doesn't trigger bad memories to return to my mind and make me feel awful.

If your purpose was simply to ask for an apology, or to let them know that you were uncomfortable, then you need to learn to not insult them or make unreasonable assumptions in the process. You were lucky this time, but many people would've just ignored you. Telling you this from experience.

And if you do see this, just know that I do genuinely hope you learn how to address problems in your life better than this. Both minor and major. Despite how much I hate bad people (which I only think you're slightly bad since this is only one bad decision), I do want everyone to improve and become better people, no matter who they are. I often don't expect it though, considering... well, a lot of things. But I'm hoping this is a one-time thing for you.

Be better. Always strive to be better. Improve continuously, little by little. And if you don't know where or how to start or continue improving, ask someone you trust how you could do so.

Please add a trigger warning next time you threaten in your posts. I already feel you don't like neurodivergent individuals with the way you react to asks but that really unprofessional.

As a neurodivergent person myself, I apologize if that is how I came across. That was FAR from how I want to make anyone feel. Because it is simply not the case.

The threat was something I thought to be a throwaway line that I unfortunately did not think too deeply about in the moment of writing it. It was too far, and I recognize and do apologize for that. It came from a place of legit frustration as it feels like whatever I am trying to state is not paid attention to.

It is overwhelming, and I can not claim in any way that I am actually good at being a public person. I have stated before that having so many eyes on me is terrifying, as it causes me severe anxiety at times.

This position was handed to me by a weird twist of fate. And more often than not I question if I really even want it.

What I do want is to tell a story. One that gives people hope and makes them feel better. No matter who they are and what they might struggle with. I do want to be a good and supportive person. To ANYONE.

Again. I sincerely apologize for my harsh words. I do not wish to make anyone feel like I hate them or hold a grudge against them.

My frustrations got the better of me, and I should have acted accordingly.

[lyngracetalksnwritesnstuff]

Jiang Family Analysis

Ok, so, I've wanted to make this post for a while because I've always had some distinct opinions about the Jiang Family, though not all of them are bad, per se.

Just a few disclaimers before I get started:

THE FOLLOWING IS MY PERSONAL OPINION AND MY OPINION ONLY. I HAVE (WHAT I THINK IS) SOUND REASONING FOR IT, BUT IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT OR AGREE WITH IT, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THIS. I AM NOT TRYING TO PRESSURE MY VIEWS OF THESE CHARACTERS ON OTHERS. THIS IS SIMPLY HOW I SEE THEM. THIS IS ALSO NOT VERY JIANG PARENT FRIENDLY, SO BE WARNED. IF I AM FACTUALLY INCORRECT, YOU ARE WELCOME TO CORRECT ME IN THE COMMENTS.

Ok, here we go!

Jiang Fengmian:

I honestly have no respect for this man. Like, zero. I am glad he took in Wei Ying and gave him a home, but in doing so, he also destroyed his own home. Obviously, Madam Yu's abuse is not his fault; he didn't force her to abuse Wei Ying, but on that subject, he completely lacks backbone here, as well as pretty much everywhere we see him. The first and main reason I don't like him is the fact that Jiang Cheng's hurt and confusion on why Jiang Fengmian chooses Wei Ying over him is obvious. It's so incredibly clear. Madam Yu straight up tells him he's favoring Wei Ying over Jiang Cheng, and he does nothing to fix it. Over and over again, he's faced with problems he could so easily solve if he were to speak clearly and truthfully for one—because we know that he does love Jiang Cheng—and he chooses not to. Another example of this is the rumours that Wei Ying is Jiang Fengmian's son. I can't quite remember if it is stated directly in the novel, but we do know it was a prevalent rumour that would've certainly made it to Jiang Fengmian's ears. I am certain he knew Madam Yu may have thought Wei Ying was his son, or at least knew many people did, and yet again, he does nothing to address this issue. Another issue we see him use the "if I don't say anything, it can't get worse" approach, is with Wei Ying's abuse. He knew Madan Yu regularly abused Wei Ying, which, yes, while sort of period-appropriate, the level of abuse he received was not the norm, and the time it occurred at never excuses child abuse. Yes, Madam Yu usually did it when Jiang Fengmian wasn't home, but he was well aware of it. He could've put his foot down at any point—he was the godamn sect leader—but he chose not to. While I don't know if this was a sick way to attempt to appease Madam Yu, or just pure cowardice, I do know that no man with enough conviction to bring in an orphan, but without the backbone needed to protect them from abuse, should ever raise a child. We also see this failure to address issues with the general deterioration of his family and how he never seems fully present with them.

My take on this is that it's a sort of defense mechanism he developed from when he was first married to Yu Ziyuan, which was arranged, and I assume neither of them was happy with. Her verbal abuse (educated guess, we don't actually know anything about the state of their marriage pre-Wei Ying, but with Madam Yu's anger issues during the timeline, I kinda doubt they would've been a recent development, especially since anger seems to be how she expresses unhappiness) would've made it hard for him to stand up for himself, and he chose the route of "well, if I don't say anything, it can't possibly get worse" as a way of defending himself and helping himself cope with the unhappy situation. I feel like most of his issues are rooted in a fear of being wrong. Think about it, if he doesn't take a side, he can't get yelled at for choosing the wrong one, and if he never addresses a problem, it can't get worse—at least, so he thinks. Inaction is still abuse and neglect, intentional or not.

Madam Yu:

Again, I have very little respect for her. I enjoy her character base—a strong warrior woman forced into an arranged marriage with a complete pushover, and going mad falling for rumours and whispers about him being unfaithful, but as a person, she disgusts me. First and foremost, her behavior towards Wei Ying. This is the main issue I have with her, though I have bones to pick with her about her treatment of her bio children. Being angry at your husband because people are saying he cheated and then had a child, which he proceeded to bring back to your home to raise, is one thing; that's mostly valid. But taking that anger out on said child and systematically abusing them is completely and totally inexcusable and an abhorrent thing to do. Wei Ying did nothing wrong, a fact that he never seems to grasp, even near the end of the story, where he starts to heal and grow as a person. Madam Yu did such irreparable damage to him that he automatically assumed everything was his fault, even and especially when it was not. And all of that was for no reason other than petty bitterness, anger at his skills, and disdain for his mother. I also believe her behavior towards Jiang Cheng is mostly to blame for his later issues in life. She was the only parental figure who showed him even a shred of attention and investment in his progress, so as any child would do, he tried to model himself after her. This also does kinda loop back around to Jiang Fengmian, as if he'd showed even a little bit more affecttion towards Jiang Cheng, he might've turned out with healthier ways of expressing emotion. Madam Yu showed him that the only way he'd ever be important or worthy to anyone was if he was better than Wei Ying, better than someone—anyone else. This obviously left him with deep-seated self-worth issues and unhealthy ways of coping with grief, guilt, and uselessness. Lastly, her treatment of Jiang Yanli. This isn't something I've seen talked about a lot, but it's definitely there. I feel like Jiang Yanli is Madam Yu's Child She Doen't Pay Attention To like Jiang Cheng is Jiang Fengmian's. But instead of being bitter about it, Jiang Yanli focuses on being a positive parental figure to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian and keeping their broken family together.

I really think Madam Yu's incessant anger is a product of feeling trapped in her environment, with a husband and children she never wanted, in a place she never learned to call home. This obviously doesn't excuse her abuse towards literally everyone in that household. It also doesn't excuse how she constantly would drive a wedge between Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng, isolating Jiang Cheng from his peers and driving home the thinking that if he was better than them, he shouldn't associate with them, and if they were better than him, they were rivals.

In summary, for both Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian, I truly believe that had they been in a happy relationship, or not been in a relationship at all, their children's lives would've been so much better. You can blame Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli, all you want, but at the end of the day, it was their parents who taught them how to act, and they were terrible role models. This obviously doesn't excuse any bad decisions they made, but it does explain them.

Wei Ying:

Wei Wuxian is a tragedy. Abandoned as a young child (though not willingly) and taken into an abusive home where he was taught that he could never leave because of the debt he owed them and that everything bad that happened was his fault. Then, as an adult, he was shamed for doing whatever he could to survive and protect his loved ones, even by his own family. He tried everything he could to save everyone and be the good guy because that was his job, in his mind. He had to save everyone and be righteous, but he also wants to, which is what makes him such a fundamentally good person. Then, when he does an objectively good thing and saves innocent people—which is what he's been taught to do his whole life, by the whole cultivation world—he's condemned for it, society telling him, "No, not those innocent people. You can only save the innocents we tell you to; otherwise, you're a villain." He tries everything to be good, to take care of those he cares about, does everything he's told, and fails.

Because he was doing the very thing cultivators prided themselves on, he was pushed off the edge. Even after he comes back and his name is cleared, it's never quite the same, because everyone still associates him with the "Evil" Yilling Laozu who haunted their cautionary tales. Because the cultivation world deemed him unclean and evil, Wei Ying—barely an adult at the time—was pushed to death because he tried to save innocents who deserved to live.

The saddest thing of all is that he never defends himself. He'd defend the Wen Remnants and keep the Yin Tiger Tally out of the hands that would abuse it, but he never once tried to defend his own actions regarding demonic cultivation and why he uses it. He lets people assume the worst of him because he thinks he deserves it.

Jiang Cheng:

Okay, here's a complicated one! I'd like to start this with a message to all the Jiang Cheng haters and stans who claim that Jiang Cheng is purely good/bad and that the other is selectively reading the text: Congratulations, you're both reading the text selectively. Jiang Cheng is a complex characters who makes bad decisions and good decisions and has reasons for most of his actions, just like any well-developed character.

Jiang Cheng is perhaps the most tragic of all the characters. He was happy until Wei Ying came into the picture, and he had to adjust to another sibling in the house. Then his mother started to push him to be better than Wei Ying when he really doesn't want to, but he has to want it, because he can't afford to lose the love his mother gives him when his father ignores his existence exept for an occasional dissapointed glance. He has to show him as well, then he'll love both of them the same. His mother starts to double down on both Wei Ying and him, alienating them further, leaving Jiang Cheng isolated from most of his peers. He only had Wei Ying and Jiang Yanli, and maybe Nie Huaisang. That, along with the poor emotional processing he copied from his mother, causes him to drift further away from others his age and become more attached to Wei Ying, as he's his only friend at this point. He never learned how to properly socialize as a child, and doesn't see the point now, because Wei Ying promised to never leave. Another tragic part of Jiang Cheng is that I don't think he realized how he was trying to chain Wei Ying to him and Lotus Pier. I truly think that he was just desperate and lonely and didn't think about how their promise would affect Wei Ying's life.

When Wei Ying leaves with the Wen Remnants, Jiang Cheng was angry, confused, and terrified of losing Wei Ying, so much so that he was ready to take him back by force. I think that if circumstances had allowed it, he would've taken the Wen Remnants to Yunmeng just to get Wei Ying back because he's his only friend, the only one he has left after Yanli marries out.

I think a lot of Jiang Cheng's character is created from his crippling fear of being alone because he's never had to be before and it terrifies him. Madam Yu, as I explained earlier, was not a good emotional role model and only taught him to mask all of his other emotions and express everything through anger, which makes him come across as rude and asshole-y to others. Often, I see "Jiang Cheng character development" portrayed as Wei Ying learning to read into his anger, but that is NOT character development. Character development is having that man learn to express emotions other than rage and hate. Let him learn to show sadness, happiness, love, fear, all the things! Wei Ying shouldn't have to learn how to read his shouting, and Jiang Cheng should learn how to Emotion properly. This obviously wouldn't be an easy process, but it is something he could do if he pushed himself to, with the help of his family and friends.

Jiang Yanli:

Okay, so first of all, Jiang Yanli is our queen here, okay? I've seen people portray her as more on Wei Ying's side, or more on Jiang Cheng's side, or absent like Jiang Fengmian, and (in my opinion) that is Incorrect. Jiang Yanli is the glue that holds her family together. There is a reason they stayed together for so long, and it was Yanli. I see her as the eldest daughter who sees all the cracks in her family and tries desperately to fix them and put the pieces back together. Siblings suffering from a lack of a positive parental figure? Okay, she'll be the parental figure. An arranged marriage that will help her sect and make her mother happy with her (for once)? Alright, sure. A nephew or niece will surely bring her brothers together. She is also such a tragedy because she never once complains about having to do so much work to keep her family together. She just smiles and makes more soup and tries her best to mediate her brothers' latest argument. She's constantly fixing, mending, mediating, giving advice, and making her brothers smile, and it never shows. She had to give up her childhood to parent her brothers, and she never even mentions it. She gives her brothers both unconditional love and support and hopes it's enough. She may not understand everything they do, but she loves them and will never let them forget it. She tried so hard to keep her family together, and it wasn't enough. It might've been, if she had survived, but even then, Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying were already pretty at odds. Honestly, the most impressive thing about her is how she managed to be the perfect, loving, caring shijie to Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying without much parental guidance herself. Madam Yu was never happy with her and ignored her most of the time, and I assume Jiang Fengmian was her main parent until Wei Ying came into their lives and he diverted all his attention to him, which she never held against Wei Ying. She is one of the kindest, gentlest characters in mdzs, yet also one of the strongest.

So, that's my take on the Jiang Family! Remember this is just my opinion and take on these characters, and some of this is pure inference and educated guess, as we don't have a lot of canon evidence for what Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan's marriage pre-Wei Ying, and we also don't have a lot of info on the Jiang Family from pre Wei Ying and from when they were children, so I tried my best to fill in the gaps.

Hope you liked this! It's like 2 am where I am rn and I'm exhausted, so sorry if this doesn't make sense lol! I promise I'm still working on Chapter Four of my Yilling Wei Sect AU, I just took a break to write this cause I needed to get it out of my brain. I may do the other main sect families later this week too!

[miss0atae]

Here is the newest post I make about not understanding what Thada his doing with his brother. Sometimes, I feel like Thada is making a mistake in handling his little brother. He may have spare him some time and thought instead of being only obsessed with Armin. They could have had a great relationship in a different world. I think it's even worse if he also made a reset (as some people think it could be a possible theory).

However, having a good relationship isn't what Thada is doing with his brother. Instead, he is alienating him even more. Of course, it's because he wants to help Armin as much as possible. I imagine his problem with Thiwthit lies in the past. Since they haven't shown us anything that could explain the animosity between them, it's hard to understand why he isn't close to Thiwthit. Or is he just a pawn to be used?

I feel sorry for Thiwthit because you can see how he has such an inferiority complex when it comes to his older brother. Thada is the one who is the true heir, he is the one making money and he is the successful one. It's easy to see why Thiwthit would believe he is in some way deficient, or inferior, to him. And yet, he wants to show everyone he can be as good as Thada. He is so eager to show he is good that he chooses the easy way, which is, in his case, the worst one.

The problem is that Thada isn't stupid. He should know how Thiwthit feels and yet he doesn't do anything. He lets the situation deteriorate and for what? To see what moves his little brother is going to make? It feels like a pointless lesson to teach if you don't explain properly why you're doing this to the person involved. As much as he is sweet and caring with Armin, I feel he sucks at being the big brother. Again, maybe he doesn't consider his brother someone worth his time. That's something that makes me even more curious about why.

I'm glad his secretary told him that what he was doing with Thiwthit wasn't good. Either he underestimate him or he just doesn't care at all. I feel like Thada is making a mistake with him and he is instead creating his own rival without really thinking about the negative consequences it could have. It is quite obvious Thiwthit wasn't really raised to be a well-rounded individual raised by his mother and the only person who could have helped make him a better person, doesn't care about him at all.

I get that Thada wants Armin to be super famous, but I guess I wanted him to do this without making Thiwthit the villain of their story. His brother already doesn't know how to handle business in the right way. Proof in this episode was how he got angry when he couldn't buy what he wanted and now that he knows Lilly's secret shady business with young actors, I bet he is going to make more mistakes… There are little chances that Thiwthit will learn and he may lose more than he bargain for.

It makes me sad for him. I like him despite his flaws, that's probably why.

[ganondoodle]

not sure if i said this in a seperate post before BUT

in the off chance that age of imprisonment (it cant only be me who thinks this name is as stupid as 'secret stone' at LEAST, right??) DOES "fill in the gaps" of whatever totk (or its story for that matter) is missing i am of the currently unchangable opinion that

it wont be any good/make anythign better, just make this unsavable mess even messier, though i was doubtful that was even possible, but i guess they CAN just double triple down on the hole they dug under the bar on the ground

............. that is fukcing EMBARASSING, what you need ANOTHER 70+ money (spin off) game to make your shitty story comprehensible????? macrotransactions alla nintendo? cut your lackluster game into pieces to sell for full price (which 70 is ALREADY overcharging imo) ??? embarassing, shameful, despicable

[halfbaked00q]

OH YEAH. okay one thing I DO want to talk about from Skyfall. That I think we should be talking about more. is the "he went into the priest hole for TWO (2) DAYS" thing.

I had like. known that was A Thing, but ig didn't see or forgot what it looked like. but the first look at it I was like. whoa. this is.... how do I say. like there's something visceral and primal and primitive about it just being bare rock. and I made a comment about how insane that is, and esp seeing the mine/cave-like rock and the thought of TWO DAYS down there.. that it's sth "like returning to some sort of primordial earthly womb (tomb)"

but then later they showed that the priest hole is NOT just like a bolthole. but a whole-ass tunnel system!!! EXTRA wild! what was Bond doing down there? WHERE exactly was he in the priest hold then? Was he hunkered down in some corner? Was he wandering around the caves like some sort of primordial spectre.

also there's something interesting/cool about it being like. seemed like it was just going to be a bolthole, and then they revealed it was this whole-ass tunnel system. Skyfall has a lot of maze/hidden/hiding symbolism, and there's something interesting about there being this, like. hidden earthly labyrinth at the heart/hearth/underneath Skyfall.

also the idea of baby Bond wandering a stone labyrinth under the very bones of his ancestral home after the death of his parents... and the whole when he came out he wasn't a boy anymore or whatever it was exactly Kincade said.... hmmm......... Minotaur? Minotaur vibes perhaps? I think there is something here- I think there's something to be said about hidden monstrosity/adversity bringing out monstrosity in us, plus the whole nature/nurture question of like, Bond and HIS "nature," was he born brutal or was he made brutal

(by his career, by his forging as a 00 agent, by M's machinations-- speaking of machinations. but okay god the way she. Manages him... I DO think there's a lot of interesting parts throughout the movies but there was a particular moment in Skyfall when she was like. hunt them down. for Ronson. like ggngng that was like. the emotional equivalent of those loop/stick leashes they use to capture stray dogs.... lowering the loop around his neck and tightening... and then once it's tightened she can move him around cuz it's a stick and not just a rope leash, she can literally physically lead him...) (and also the nature/nurture question of Silva's rats thing)

[shakooo]

*_*

[autisticlee]

it's so shitty and sad when people use you as a temporary way to get attention or affection and drop you as soon as they get a partner. like yeah i'm glad I was there for you when you needed someone but how are you doing to take away my friend when I also need someone and you were supposed to be that someone? why can't you have more than one "someone?" why cant we still be friends and keep what we had going while you have a partner? why was our friendship not important to you? why do you think it's ok to use me temporarily until you cam replace me with someone you deem more important? why am I supposed to be ok with that and not allowed to be upset by it? how can you become a daily or weekly part of my life that I enjoy having and then just disappear and give all that to someone else? why is the label "partner" so much more important than "friend" and you don't know how to keep both equally? why do I have to make sure you're not feeling lonely and sad because you don't have a partner, but you cant do the same for me? especially when I don't want a romantic partner? why do you not care how I feel? why don't you care that being used and thrown away hurts and crushes me just as much or more than you breaking up with a partner? why don't I deserve consistent and caring people permanently in my life, but you expect your partner to be there til death do you part? why does society in general value romance over friendship? why does everyone view people like me (who value friendship more) as clingy and annoying and a burden? why can't we normalize actually caring about your friends as much as people claim they do? why can't you show it instead of giving all your love and attention to a partner only? why cant we normalize talking to and hanging out with frien a regularly? why is talking to and hanging out with partners daily normalized, while NOT talking to and hanging out with friends for months is normalized? why is me wanting friends to be close and consistent and caring the way romantic partners are, minus the romance part, seen as weird, annoying, clingy, and asking for too much? why am i told to get used to being alone/doing everything alone? why is it wrong that i DONT want to be alone? especially in a world where everyone around me pairs off and ignores/avoids/forgets/abandons me? why does no one care how I feel and instead tell me to deal with it, when i'm trying so hard to force myself to choose to be alone, but it's not working? 😭

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

at this point i have made sooooo many posts about Lucanis between meta and jokes and ramblings that even my own specific tag for them is no longer easily navigable and i'm considering just making a masterpost for my own reference lmao

[mvost]

people actually following this blog is lowkey suprising but also half of my art is here cuz I'm a prick that thinks everyone hates them and will doxx them and their family if they post sketches on main. should've expected that

[perihel1on]

really really funny to post a whole long well-thought-out thing about how i no longer identify as plural then immediately get into a week long argument with myself(s) about whether that's true

[danidoesathing]

(What's your take on the Hexcore's manipulation? Personally, I'm a fan of the "Not Quite Mind Control" approach-it manipulated Viktor heavily, but it never controlled him. The Hexcore toyed with his inhibitions and emotions, brought out his worst thoughts and impulses, and acted as an echo chamber, but it never controlled him. (Theoretically, he could have stopped what he was doing at any point-but out of a combination of guilt and feeling in control of his life, he didn't want to stop.) It never forced him to do anything.

No, Viktor probably wouldn't have made those choices if he wasn't being manipulated by the Hexcore, but he was still himself. Manipulated or not, he still chose to do all those things-and he has to live with that.)

(I just really like the "Not Quite Mind Control" trope.)

hmmm its. complicated. like ok give a second to go on this little side tangent, i do need to explain my thoughts on this because i have no idea what the FUCK is going on with the hexcore and the wild rune and the arcane.

like ok Viktor accidentally bleeds on the wild rune at the gates and it gives him a vision of the Hexcore. he makes the hexcore, accidentally gets his blood on that (neither is his fault but this has gotta stop happening man). and it merges with his dna and forms some kinda mental connection with him and becomes sentient. but like. what does it want exactly? at first it's just to fuse with viktor. and then when it gets to do that it wants him to "heal" people and basically spread it's magic to others. alright but uh. why? because i genuinely cannot figure out what the hexcore was trying to accomplish. i remember their being an interview that when "sky" disappears the hexcore's purpose is complete and thus is not needed anymore. ok but WHAT PURPOSE!!! if prolonging it's existence isn't the main goal, then what is? it has a goal that viktor isn't aware of, so what does it serve exactly? what is it trying to do? spread the arcane? does the arcane have enough of a will to want that? can it have a will? a consciousness? is the hexcore trying to give the arcane a consciousness through viktor and/or the hivemind? has viktor inadvertently become the arcane's consciousness and the hexcore is trying to help him become more powerful?? is the arcane/hexcore trying to get rid of the barrier between it and the rest of normal realm? why? and why could it not use other mages for that purpose? does it need the wild rune? but like why? what does the concept of the wild rune and the anomaly have to do with each other? i thought wild runes were naturally apart of the arcane so how can it also be the anomaly?? i dont. i dont get it. maybe i missed something but i just dont know. whatever explanation i can come up with is something i can never say is canon because they just straight dont say or even imply what it could be. so know that everything im saying from here on out is my own fucked up interpretation/theory of whats going on

i see the hexcore as like. a Kyubey type entity. its not actively evil or malicious, it just doesnt feel. it has goal (even though i dont know WHAT THAT GOAL IS!!!) and it will accomplish that goal by any means necessary. it cannot force Viktor to do anything, but it can do everything in it's power to get him to do what it wants. dampening his emotions in his physical form so it's an easier cut from Jayce and piltover, causing these halluncations that actively lead him to where it wants him to go, using Sky's form as a way to exploit his guilt and his loneliness, taking advantage of every insecurity and every dream to help other people to spread the "healing" magic, etc etc. technically it never forced him to do anything, but between Viktor no longer being in his right mind and the hexcore orchestrating everything within his power to control him and the reality around him, it's hardly a real choice.

speaking viktor's mental state, he's uh. he's not doing well. between dying and coming back to life, jayce's betrayal (both the weapons and being fused to the hexcore) and then his disappearance, the war decimating his city, the guilt around Sky and seeing her constantly, and having the thing you feared the most happen to you at the hand of someone you love...yeah not good. like thats gotta fuck someone up in general.

and even ignoring all the inherent trauma that comes from being viktor arcane, there's the fact that like. you cant force a human mind and soul into divinity and NOT expect there to be consequences. the entirety of the arcane is pouring into his mind, and even with the filter from the hexcore, it's gotta have an effect on him. stretched a human's soul into the form of a god, trying to understand concepts and truths he wasn't meant to comprehend, and you cant be surprised when he goes a little insane.

to put it lightly he is NOT in his right mind nor does he actually know the potential consequences of what he's doing. He's certainly at fault for a lot but i have a hard to saying he's entirely at fault for everything because he was so mentally fucked up and a lot of what happened forced upon him or happened through manipulation. he certainly fucks up but good lord he should not have been in charge of a tamagotchi let alone the fate of the world

but (assuming he survives post canon. which i AM) i don't think he'd really even care. He's already got a fuck ton of self hatred and self worth issues and the guilt is suffocating. there are thousands of people dead because he let himself believe the hexcore's lies and that he could help people like this. People came to him for help and he stole their humanity and killed them. even if he hadn't mean to, even if he didn't know it doesn't bring them back. it doesnt undo the damage. he almost ended the world and killed jayce and that was entirely his choice. it was still all by his hand and he has to live with that fact

[loderlied]

sometimes i'm really like what if people are right what if wanting to write about dark topics really does make you a horrible person and i am one of them. and by sometimes i mean right now

[lauronk]

wip ask game!

regular rules: list the wips and let people invade your inbox about them!

thank you @two-birds-alone-together and @dancingonmoonbeams for the tags!

i kind of divided mine out so you know what you’re getting when i answer (which will probably be tomorrow night)

wips that have been worked on recently:

a - joel owns a bar

a - bank robbery

bthb - chained to a wall

classes

corn harvest - answered

ellie has insomnia

ellie runs away (ellie)

ellie runs away (joel)

ellie’s burn

gthb - naps - answered & answered

happy ending fic

if you can wait till i get home ch. 4

joel the fixer

silent feral ellie - answered

tattoos - answered

turn the page

wips that have words but haven’t been worked on in a minute:

a - ghost

a - plane crash

a - train fic choo choo motherfuckers

bthb - appendicitis

bthb - bleeding out

bthb - comatose

bthb - gunshot wound

bthb - hiding an illness

ellie gets in a fight

foster

jelly fic 2 camping boogaloo - answered

joel gets sick

leave ellie at state house

maría pov

near miss - tommy & ellie

piece by piece

rip joel 2k25

sarah’s mom in jackson

separated

stabby

take me to the lakes

wips that are but a mere dream in a doc:

a - sigh - regency au

bthb - caught in a storm

bthb - cauterizing a wound

bthb - choking

bthb - cramping

bthb - drugged

bthb - food poisoning

bthb - mistaken identity

bthb - near death & damaged vocal chords

bthb - pneumonia

joel w/amnesia

post-making of cure