#young lumiere

[bops-fandom-wowie]

so a while back i came up with this idea for a disney batb spinoff

i call it "Young Lumiere"

i drew some ref sheets for the characters

basically, it's a prequel focusing on Lumiere, years before working for the royals, back when he was younger

basically, he's around 18-20 years old here.

he lives in Paris and gets into shinanigans with his friends.

this introduces a new character, her name is Darcel and she is a witch

this series would probably be aimed at a slightly older demographic, as it gets a bit darker and more serious.

i'll post more later probably

[leonide-poet]

[lumiereandcogsworth]

throughout the movie, lumiere, maestro cadenza, and mr. potts ALL call their wives “darling” at some point. like!!! no wonder adam calls belle that so much!!!! that’s what all the good men in his life call their beloveds!!!!!!!!!

[rose-tinted-kalopsia]

"floral blessings" ; a braindump from yours truly because this card is absofuckinglutely my most favorite xavier card on the face of the planet and i am. going. to talk about it <3

like with all my 5* card "analyses" (but also more like a wordvomit really 😭) this will contain spoilers for: (a) this card itself, (b) the lightseeker myth, (c) the lumiere myth, (d) anecdotes, main story, and world underneath !

[ this is also very long............ you have been warned 🤲 ]

first of all...... MY GOD...... FHSNNFBSJFJSJFK YELLING SCREAMING THROWING UP IM NEVER GETTING OVER THE KINDLED CARD FOR THIS BECAUSE. BECAUSE HELLOOOO??? HELLOOOO???

anyway..................

timeline-wise, the card pretty much implies a very solid relationship between the two, so while i don't know where i'd place it between 21 days and no restraint, it's definitely still after 21 days! but with that said, rather than more focus on their individual development like in no restraint, this one seems to focus more on their relationship as a whole, i think?

overall this braindump won't be as organized as what i wrote for no restraint (i think...) because my brain is still so completely absolutely mush over this card, but i needed to write SOMETHING or i'd explode to smithereens 😭 so nevertheless...!!!! i'll section off a couple scenes so if you want an outline, it'd be something like:

[1] general setup (an overview of parallels); [2] "reunion" (parallels and relationship development); [3] xavier's forwardness (the courtyard meetings, lessons, giving of the mask); [4] day of the festival; [5] the wish

but bear with me;;; there is SO MUCH that goes on here, and i really wish i had the patience and coherency to point out every little thing because holy shit 😭

firstly though, and i just found this really cool, but apparently the flower goddess festival is (was) an actual thing!

from what i've found (and correct me in i'm wrong) it's apparently a very ancient festival that's not widely celebrated these days, so it's not super popular or well-known, but it has many names such as: "Flower Goddess Festival (花神节 huāshén jié)" "Hundred Flowers’ Birthday (百花生日 bǎihuā shēngrì)" and "Flower Goddess’ Birthday (花神生日 huāshén shēngrì)" !!! i couldn't find much information about it though, but it seems that what was in the card such as the flower cakes and the dance really were actually part of the festival~ and i've also seen people say that xavier and mc's outfits feel to be from the tang dynasty, which a lot of people speculate is the time period that this festival originated!

BUT, MOVING ON...

i. general setup — an overview of parallels

i think honestly what's most interesting to me here is how much the overall card mirrors xavier's lightseeker myth so incredibly well. with all of xavier's cards, and how he's grown as a person and how their relationship has developed overall... so much of all of that ties to who he was as a lightseeker, to who he was as the prince of philos. in fact, it goes without saying that lumiere's myth story itself is so bound to the lightseeker myth. because, and i've said this so often and repeat myself a lot with it, lumiere is a direct reflection of the princely persona xavier has grown up with. that the reason he's always been so averse to who he becomes as lumiere is because he essentially channels prince xavier, someone who he's never thought to be truly him, someone who he's been wanting to push aside and no longer be. (i talk about it in my lumiere myth braindumps and touch on it in my no restraint braindump!)

and there's something about that reflection that transfers here, too, because there are two things that all three situations have in common: (1) a position of importance, and (2) a duty to do or fulfil something.

of the prince of philos and heir to the throne, of lumiere as the strongest hunter expected to protect the citizens, of the young master—usually the son of a wealthy family, however, in this case xavier claims he was "adopted" due to his calligraphy skills—with the task of seeing the festival through and teaching the flower goddesses calligraphy.

yet, at the same time, there's something different about the way xavier assumes this role of the "young master":

he's able to say no.

the role is lighter, likely because it's not a true role and, like mc as a flower goddess, he knows that it's temporary—but the way that their first meeting in the courtyard can remind you so much of prince xavier is almost jarring.

it's reminiscent of the very first time mc sees him with his bodyguards, in our most favorite anecdote "when shooting stars fall":

"They aren't clad in all black as one would expect, and they keep a respectable distance away from Xavier. Still, these people exude an air of oppression. Xavier, with his bag, is at the center of their group. It seems he's used to being stared at. The only difference is that rather than being his usual expressionless self, he appears slightly upset."

lt's reminiscent of that time they staged a spar, only for the royal messenger and his guards to interrupt it:

"The royal decree he brought today was related to the future of Philos ... Xavier was taken away by the Royal Messenger. Our duel ended with no clear winner, and the crowd quickly left."

and you can see how his progression grows, from prince xavier, to lumiere, to this role he plays as the young master—if as the prince of philos he had no choice but to follow the path laid out for him until he had enough of it, as lumiere he was more free to choose who he saved and when he saved them. now, as the young master, he's able to say no, sir, something urgent came up. he's able to say right now, i have something that i want to do first.

which, also interestingly, but in the more 'passive' role he played as part of the special task force, he wasn't quite one to say "no" either—though he kept a low and nonchalant profile, he's never outright refuted anyone, even if he might disagree, such as the party gathering or whatnot.

(also, slight segue, but it's notable that he's likely grown into a habit of a little selfishness due to what appears to be some kind of aversion to "serving the people". i do talk a little bit about that here—but it's the fact that (a) all he really cares about is mc, and (b) he likely still doesn't want to fall back into his patterns as prince xavier where he felt chained to think of the people more than the woman he loves. it does bring a little bit of question to his morality, but we know that mc has very much been something like his moral compass throughout.)

but, more than just the ability to say what he thinks and say no to certain things he doesn't put as a priority... he also feels light enough to goof around a little. dozing off/doodling during class, cheekily vying for mc's attention without concern about showing "favor"... something about xavier in this little persona he's taken on is an air of confidence. this was a kind of confidence you didn't see from him as the prince, as lumiere, even as the task force member. and it's not the confidence in his abilities, which has always been there—

it's the confidence in himself.

it takes a certain level of sureness to be able to do things on your own terms, or to be able to voice the fact that you want to.

i believe that throughout the parallels strewn throughout this card with how the setup is, it's this confidence that shines through and really makes things different.

because this time, xavier is different.

he's growing as a person.

ii. the "reunion"

this part of the card had me gasping out loud, i kid you not 😭😭😭 because the parallels really the fuck parallel in here 😭

"The Chen residence is far away. And I can't exactly leave as I'm one of the Flower Goddesses. So, I had to let Xavier investigate himself."

"He said he'd be back after four days. Why isn't he here ... Worried, I sit on the grass and gaze at the night sky. I'm barely in the mood to appreciate the fragrant blooms above."

first of all, the setting very much feels like the meteor shower scenario in "when shooting stars fall", but also...

"Xavier would always leave me like this. At times he joined the expedition team. Other times he was returning to the palace with the Royal Messenger. I'd always ask when he could return. He always returned within the timeframe given to me.Before the Prince entered the Forest, everyone was praying for his safety. At that time, Xavier whispered into my ear... 'Seven days.'"

"He's always lied, again and again and again and again. He said hope would follow when spring arrived. He said he'd take me to the new planet he discovered.He said he didn't want to be King but also refused to let me stand by another's side. He said he'd return when I miss him. He said when I become the Queen of Philos, he'd be my knight. The song he made up is now a reality. Yet as thousands cheer my name, he abandons me... At that moment, a spaceship soars across the sky like a shooting star, disappearing into the night. My footsteps echo in this empty room. No one will be by my side. My star has left me. And this time... he will not return home."

everyone's favorite scene from the lightseeker myth.

while at the same time...

"For some reason, seeing Xavier quietly admiring the nebula, I suddenly feel a wave of panic and instinctively reach out to grab his hand."

^ that's from "shining traces", but only one out of the many examples wherein mc feels as it xavier is someone she could lose at any second—not particularly because she doesn't trust him, but because there's a nagging feeling in her chest that they could be separated for longer than either of them would have hoped to be. after all, it's happened before already, she just doesn't know it. but whatever it was that happened in her previous lives, i've no doubt that the anxiety from back then had likely transferred over anyway.

and this is what this reunion feels like.

a sense of discomfort around his absence, that nagging "what if" he doesn't come back.

but it doesn't stop there—

because xavier does return, albeit very tired-looking (again i'd call this reminiscent of That Moment in "when shooting stars fall" where he brings her the protocore in hopes to keep her from dying).

and more than that, he explains. again, like what happened in the no restraint card, he explains. he doesn't keep things vague on purpose, or makes it seem like he's hiding something from her. he explains, and he takes the initiative to, if only to soothe her worries.

to soothe her worries.

that's an important point.

(and also on a side note:)

HDJJAJDJSJ I HAD TO AND THIS IS A DIRECT PARALLEL TO "No matter how many times it takes, no matter where you are... I will find you." BY THE WAY

anyway......!!!!!!!!! again, it doesn't stop there.

because this scene and this conversation also directly talk about home.

and this conversation means a lot more to xavier than, i think, generally one would realize. mostly because—and i remember kay making a really good point about it here—xavier has gone through a lot to get to where we see him now, and so much of change that he's had to get used to... time traveling so far only to get stuck? the different lifetimes he and the backtrackers would have had to witness this whole entire time?

like i mentioned, our brain's natural instinct is to strive for stability—you can even see it in what we know from our high school biology lessons a la homeostasis. yet, what xavier went through, what the backtrackers went through, is one hell of a shock of a change. it's the kind of change that needs processing, but isn't easy to process, and especially not quickly. and xavier had little to no one to lean on for support, to lean on to guide him through it. the result of which being that, as established even in his earlier cards... change isn't something he likes.

and as also established in world underneath, we know he just simply wants a neat little mundane life with mc.

keyword: with mc.

he doesn't really know what home is, because he has a distorted perception of it—the xavier now, in this moment, still recalls his home planet, the life he has ties to, back in philos. but as he is now, his home is in linkon. and then it comes to the conclusion that the answer is, really truly, neither.

his home is with her.

he says it, this time, explicitly.

it's his declaration that it's okay if things change, as long as he has her—as long as she remains the constant. then change is something he can deal with.

yet, even as he reveals all this to her, the conversation starts with him asking her. the conversation starts about her. and it's she who's able to give the opening back to him, by touching on things like change and belongingness.

"Even in a place this strange, you'll feel like you don't belong. No matter how long you stay ... Am I wrong? l'm sure many people feel safer in a place they're familiar with."

mc isn't a stranger to change, either—she's had a lot of it in her life, specifically the life she lives now as a hunter. the chronorift catastrophe, her family... it's not as if she doesn't know how jarring change can be, and she expresses that here—having to "start again" in a place she's unfamiliar with... it's not easy, and it's easy to feel out of place.

humans are social creatures. we were made to be social, we were made to interact with others. but from that need and that inherent desire (because no matter how small, it's always going to be there) stems the need to belong. a human emotional need to affiliate with and be accepted by members of a group.

this is something that is so prominent in mc that it is a place of solace for her to feel like she belongs somewhere. but this sense of belongingness is something that xavier has NOT experienced for a long, long time. it's only something he's been learning to experience again with her, and the people that surround them in this life that want nothing but the best for them both.

it goes back:

his home is wherever she is.

and i think that it's beautiful that, after hearing xavier's side, mc then chooses to agree with it:

"Maybe... the sense of belonging I have is like yours."

if his home is wherever she is, then her home is with him.

ALSO— while we're talking about this scene... the little banter they have with the flower cake?????? AND THE FACT THAT HE KISSES HER?!!?!?!?! JUST LIKE THAT!!!???!?!?!?!?!! (if you can't tell, i yelled about it)

AND THIS SCENE;?!

—"His eyes are a little red, maybe because of how exhausted he's been lately. Even his blinking has slowed down ... 'I'm a little tired. Can I lie down for a bit?'"

—"Before I can answer, Xavier rests his head on my lap."

DIRECTLY plays out the mutual reliance they have on one another for comfort and rest, because it parallels that line in lightseeking ovsession that we're all familiar with:

"You rest, I’ll be by your side. Always. If you have nowhere to go, nowhere to rest your weary self… you can stay with me."

i think that as much as they have been growing in to their own persons, they're both so closely intertwined, and so much of their love for each other really just pours out all the time.

iii. xavier's forwardness

granted, one thing that's interesting in this is that they do start out pretty tame. there's a little bit of a vague area concerning their relationship at the start of the card, especially since mc seems back into her old habits of starting something and not following through—or otherwise, unintentionally starting something, and then shying away afterwards. she does get noticeably flustered, but she pushes the fluster away... almost as if old habits die hard.

...but xavier, on the other hand, is more consistently bold with whatever he's doing.

there's no hesitation on his part at all, even.

in fact, xavier is the one who initiates most of these things, and doesn't shy away from it. his cheekiness really shines through—he's the one who kisses her suddenly (and for all the other kisses he initiates in the card); he's the one who fixes her clothes, her hair; he's the one playing around while teaching her calligraphy; he's the one who's so eager and unbothered about showing off their relationship:

—"Did we need to hide? Or can the Young Master not chat with a Flower Goddess?"

—"It was going to be awkward... And I heard one of the hosts of this ceremony is the mansion's owner. Since you're an organizer and the Young Master, it wouldn't look good if I was biased, right?"

—He touches the small of my back, which makes me stand up straight. "But you always have special place in my heart."

and:

"Well, I guess everyone knows now. Does this mean I can officially play favorites?"

like he's actually being SUCH a menace i had to pause and take a deep breath

but he's very consistently bold, and it, again, goes back to the confidence that he's gained in himself. he seems a little less of the uncertain, almost shy ish xavier who didn't quite know how to make proper advances... this time, he knows mc is comfortable with his advances, and he gets to play around with that. they're comfortable around each other, to this point that he can be a little more free with his words and his actions.

and eventually, we see mc beginning to reciprocate that again—especially during the festival itself, and in the kindled moments.

which brings me to...

iv. the festival day

i'd specifically talk about, here, the moment before the dance and during the dance.

because it's alao the exact moment that we see mc begin to actually reciprocate and throw back her own advancements—it's the exact moment we have a confirmation that she loves him, that she adores him, that he means so so so so much to her.

and on the day of the festival, we go back to what i highlighted earlier:

he soothes her worries.

the first instance we see this is their little "reunion" that we talked about—it's his very presence, and his added explanation, that calms her down in that moment.

and now is not so different:

—"The most important part of the ceremony, the Flower Goddess Dance, is about to begin. I glance again at the crowd. 'Where will you be during the dance?'"

—"Xavier gently takes my hand that's holding the petal. 'That flower from the roadside will wilt if you keep touching it.'"

—"'I'm just a little nervous.'"

—"'Scared of dancing, hunter? Actually, I got you a gift ... It was meant to be a surprise. But since you're feeling nervous, I figured I should tell you."

—"'That works. Now, my focus has shifted to the excitement about your gift.'"

(which, another side note, but "Scared of dancing, hunter?" had me GASPING because???? the way he teases her in this?! it's so unabashedly him without holding anything back, no coyness about it but he's being a cheeky little shit 😭 i adore him...)

a few things to note here is that out of context, it does feel like a little bit of an awkward way to be comforting someone—yet, it works extremely well. what xavier does here is not provide reassuring sugarcoated words like "it's going to be okay", he distracts her from the problem instead by giving her something to look forward to. which, in this case, is the gift.

interestingly, in a way the 'distracting' is also reminiscent of something he does when he tries to hide something from her—cutting the conversation short when she asks about lumiere, in the lumiere myth asking her to go check on the 'wanderer' so as not to let her see what he had to inject from the ship...

in his lightseeker myth, they talk briefly about his fight with the king, and the possibility of him no longer taking the throne. this conversation proves vague and a little bit one-sided, and in the end he pushes forward the idea of eloping to uluru almost as if to avoid further discussion about the fight itself.

but this time, that's not particularly where he stops: he addresses her question as well, just to find a fallback, an extra little bit of reassurance.

—"'See that tree over there? I'll be standing under it.'"

—"I follow Xavier's gaze. Nearby is a tree covered in red silk ribbons and wooden plaques by the bridge. 'So if I mess up the dance, you'll see everything, huh?'"

—"'I promise I'll forget about them after a good sleep.' His gaze remains on my face, appearing indifferent. Yet I sense a passion about to overflow. 'The only thing l'll remember today is your beauty.'"

FIRST OF ALL. "The only thing I'll remember today is your beauty." A BEAUTIFUL FUCKING LINE, BY THE WAY. IT GAVE ME LITERAL BUTTERFLIES I HAD TO PAUSE FOR A MOMENT. (1) more proof that in the end she's really all he cares about, (2) he's being unabashedly bold with his words again—no filter moment, but zero hesitation, (3) "i sense a passion about to overflow"? he's not being coy about this either, he's saying what he truly feels. he's opening up and expressing himself more, expressing his love for her more, and being genuine about it!

but also, in terms of additional comfort, it's a widely known tactic in states of panic to ground yourself by using your senses to register something familiar: you see something familiar to you, hear something familiar to you, touch something familiar to you, smell something familiar to you. such as, the ground beneath your feet. the air around you, the vague sound of chattering around you, maybe even the touch of your bag, or the fabric of your clothing, the window you know has always been there, etc. panic brings about a sense of derealization, and grounding yourself is usually the first step to calming down.

what xavier is doing now is offering the knowledge to her that he will be there. that she knows exactly where to look for him if she needs to during the dance. she has the opportunity to ground herself with his presence whenever she needs to.

(and again, it's a direct reflection of that line: "You rest, I’ll be by your side. Always. If you have nowhere to go, nowhere to rest your weary self… you can stay with me.")

and it's exactly what she does.

though she ends up enjoying the dance and the crowd does block her direct view of the tree during the dance itself, she takes comfort in the fact that she knows he's there.

she trusts him; she doesn't need to see him to know that he'd there.

and then she thinks something beautiful:

"Engrossed in the dance's rhythm, my mind is strangely at peace. After all, I know there's someone in the crowd whose eyes are only on me."

once again, it goes back—his presence offers her comfort.

the first thing she does once she's received all the flowers is run to him, and he waits for her gladly. like he's always waited for her, like he always will wait for her.

"A lot of people wanted to give you flowers. I couldn't get past them, so I decided to wait for you here. Seems they're quite fond of you, just like me."

a note: the peach blossom

i figured this deserved a section on its own actually, particularly because the whole theme is this whole "flower goddess" thing... and in the beginning, we see mentions of the "goddess of daffodils" and the "goddess of peonies".

yet, we never really truly find out what mc's potentially assigned flower was—

the only mention of a flower that we do see, directly related to her, is when the little kid compliments her hair and places a peach blossom into her basket.

and while i wouldn't know if this means it's her flower or not, but the specific mention of the peach blossom is adorable, because in chinese floriography, the peach blossom represents love.

it's used in a lot of chinese literature and often associated with the arrival of spring—which, "according to the rites of zhou, the middle of spring is a period when men and women fall in love freely." therefore, a lot of chinese literature and poems also allude peach blossoms to romance, being that spring does as well. but, it's also associated with beauty: "after the wei and jin dynasties, beauties were portrayed in a more detailed way with words like taohua mian (peach-blossom-like face) or tao sai (peach-blossom-like cheek)." and there are other things it represents too, like prosperity, growth, and longevity.

when xavier gives mc the hairpin at the end, mc describes it as "pretty and adorned with pink flowers as if they are on a branch", and while not explicitly stated, i do believe that they are also peach blossoms.

whether or not that's the case, and whether or not the peach blossom was mc's flower (or maybe that it's just generally part of the festival), i think it's a really cute detail! i think it perfectly represents their growing relationship, and essentially the beauty with which xavier always sees her~

BUT, MOVING ON.....

v. the wish

the final stretch boils down to this.

"A gentle breeze stirs the wooden plaques hanging from the branches. A faint, melodic sound dances in the air. 'They say a Flower Goddess can bless people's wishes. And if the person making the wish is someone she favors, it's more likely to come true.'"

it's where the kindled moment falls, as xavier proposes for them to make a wish together.

and, mind you, this whole entire scene is ADORABLE AND LIVES RENT FREE IN MY HEAD ... the playfulness between their words, the "if i tell you my wish, it won't come true", the way xavier CARRIES HER??? AND THE WAY HE CATCHES HER WHEN SHE FALLS AND PINS HER AGAINST THE TREE AND AND AND AND.

everytime i think of it i end up keysmashing in my head IT'S JUST SO CUTE i could burn it into my head 😭😭😭😭

but, AHEM, he also says...

"Throughout history, humanity has always made the same wishes. Perhaps it's because those feelings we have... are timeless."

i think it's a really pretty line, but more than how pretty it is, i think it represents xavier perfectly.

xavier has lived long enough, and he's likely also made similar wishes along the way. for mc to be safe, for mc to be happy... things along those lines. and for him to describe that as "timeless" also represents his love for her—because it is timeless. he loves her more than anything else in the world. it transcends space, and time, and anything else; to him, she is love. she is timeless.

it's worth noting that everytime xavier and mc get scenes where they wish together, xavier never really says what his wishes are.

in "when shooting stars fall", mc wishes for many things. for xavier's freedom and happiness, for her to be healthy, for time to stop in their moment together... for xavier's freedom, xavier's happiness, and, in her final moments—"i wish to meet you in my next life." but he's never said explicitly what he wished for at all.

in "warm wishes", mc also mentions a lot of wishes:

"I wished I could pass all my tests with flying colors and go to a good university. I wished for Grandma to be healthy. I wished for my neighbor's cat to come home..."

and her actual wish that night was:

"l wish.... everyone can have snowflakes fall on their shoulders when they're lonely, and see the stars when they're lost."

yet that night, xavier didn't make a wish. he explicitly stated:

"l didn't make a wish. I want to save my wish for when I need it the most. Plus, everything I want right now has come true."

...but this time is different.

he did make a wish.

and, this time around, he specified what it is.

"I wish I can be your sanctuary until the end of time, in your eyes."

this is a wish that's important to him. he chooses to make this wish, and he chooses to tell her about it.

there's a lot to dissect in just one statement alone, because it's so imbued into the xavier that's loved her for thousands of years.... the xavier that has grown and developed into who he is in this moment.

a sanctuary is a place of refuge and protection; a place of safety. a place of comfort. a place of rest.

and multiple times throughout this card, it highlights how xavier has been able to offer mc a certain sense of comfort. even right when the results are announced, one look at him calms her down—this part really got me.

"I glance nervously at Xavier. He makes eye contact with me, and his gaze conveys a steadfast reassurance."

it's a recurring theme in the card—comfort. peace. the peace that you can find in someone. the safety that you can find in someone. in this case, mc with xavier, and vice versa.

...and i've always associated xavier with comfort, but peace and safety have been attributes i've been hesitant to associate with him, because it's different. for you to feel safe with someone, for you to feel at peace with someone, they need to communicate, as well, a certain sense of steadfast reassurance. xavier has always been soft and comfortable, but he hasn't always exuded that steadfast type of aura.

i think that this is something that he himself realizes.

i've mentioned it before, but his wish is also a direct parallel to That Line from lightseeking obsession.

"You rest, I’ll be by your side. Always. If you have nowhere to go, nowhere to rest your weary self… you can stay with me."

yet there's also a striking difference.

what is different?

the person that he's developed into.

prince xavier, lightseeker xavier—as i mentioned earlier, there's a certain kind of confidence in himself that isn't present, and it shows. i would argue that he was at his most vulnerable that time, likely more vulnerable than when they first landed on earth, because he didn't know how to treat his relationships at all. he was too bound by the confines of what everyone, and i mean everyone, including mc at the time, wanted him to be. there was never clear communication with anyone, and it mostly seems as if he's been going through the motions—as opposed to more freedom that he's been granted on earth.

and it shows, because, that line in lightseeking obsession—does not exude confidence.

it's a comforting statement, sure...

but it's not even something that mc herself believes.

"you always lie."

it's as if xavier, as much as he's trying to comfort mc, is trying to reassure himself, too—he tries too hard to make himself appear reassuring to her that it falls short, all this on top of the times that she feels she's been let down by him.

it's ironic, almost. he says such a bold declaration despite knowing that there's a chance he wouldn't be able to keep it.

but this is different.

this time, xavier has grown to he sure of who he is and who he wants.

he said it in 21 days—"every version of me belongs to you, and only you."

yet despite the confidence that he now has in himself, notice how different this is to lightseeker's line—

he's wishing.

and he specifies that he wants it to be true in her eyes.

it's as if he's saying, i'm not sure if this is what you think about me, but i do know that i want it to be what you think about me.

he's not reassuring her; he's not making a bold declaration. he's not saying, you will think of me as a sanctuary. neither is he saying, i will be your sanctuary.

he's saying, i want to be your sanctuary.

the final decision falls to her.

the confidence lies in stating what he wants, and there's no fear in it—there's no hesitation, nothing that implies that he's scared to say it. he's confident in what he says, and either confident that she'll accept it, or confident that no matter what her choice is in the matter it's okay.

that's why this wish is so strong.

and it's mc who then says, at the end;

"I wanted to tell you that your wishes will always come true."

because she reciprocates.

and this whole moment, everything that happens from hereon—the results, the hairpin...

—"'If you meet a Flower Goddess you like, give her fresh flowers. It's a local custom here. But there are many people who admire you, and all of them have given you flowers. My flower wouldn't be special enough. So, I made a flower hairpin. This is the first time I made one, though. Don't judge it too harshly.'"

—"Xavier's hand is warm. Like petals being carried on the wind, his smile descends and touches my heart. 'What makes you say that? It's amazing. Besides, even if you just gave me flowers, they'd be the most special ones l've ever received.'"

it's worth noting that the scene where xavier gives the hairpin is also very much the same way he makes the wish. he does admit that he doesn't know if she'd appreciate flowers—but he takes it a step forward. he knows he wants to be extra special, he knows he wants her to have something she'll remember, so he does something different. he makes, and gives her, a flower hairpin. of his own accord.

it doesn't stop at his insecurities, which he still has—he takes those insecurities and spins them into something he can be sure of himself.

and there it is again.

the steadfast reassurance.

and it's what makes the moment so much more memorable to mc, so much more meaningful.

and it's why, then, he can say things like this:

"No matter what happens, I'm always blessed to have someone by my side, who makes my gaze never feel alone."

"Forever is but a collection of moments strung together. With every minute comes another, second after second. When I open my eyes again, I want you to still be by my side."

it's in a way wherein xavier is able to take some lead in their relationship, because he's more sure of himself this time. and it progresses their relationship in a way that it wouldn't have if he never learned—he's learning. he's growing. and he's really truly turning out to be someone that can love with his whole heart, without holding back.

i think this card showcases that the most, and maybe that's why i love it so much <3

ALSO, P.S., ONE MORE PARALLEL—

xavier says that the flowers are blooming beautifully this season—"it smells like spring". in his lightseeker myth, he says something similar! "With spring's arrival, hope is soon to follow."

just a neat lil thing, i think <3 spring is always so closely associated with xavier, and the card really does end on such a light and hopeful note.

[pascalcampion]

La Nuit du chat is a graphic novel in the series “ Broussaille” by Franke Pe and Michel Bom.

I still remember reading this one for the first time, back in high school.

It changed my entire perception of what stories could be. To this day, it is still my all time favorite graphic novel because of the impact it’s had on me personally and my career( It doesn’t help that I’ve met Frank Pe a few years ago and he was just as lovely, charming and intelligent as his characters are).

There are a few things about this series and this character that impacted me.

First, it’s just beautiful. The simplistic characters in these gorgeous environments, the feeling of light and shadows is masterful. Every album is dripping with heat, mood, rainy weather. In the first book of the series, Les Balinese Publiques, the sky Is overcast and I could feel the wet pavement and the smell of petrichor. In the second one, Les Sculpteurs de Lumiere, the main character BROUSSAILLE goes to visit his uncle for the summer and the feeling of summer sun is incredible.

But, the one that astounds me every time I re read it is La suit du chat with it’s voyeur like camera work.

The second thing that broke and opened my mind was the story.

There are NO bad guys in this book. No big plot to save the world. It’s not a love story, not in the romantic comedy style at least. It’s just a simple story of a young man looking for his cat at night, in his neighborhood. There is a LOT happening in that one night and we meet interesting characters throughout.

One in particular stood out to me. A retired miner worker. One of the most extraordinary characters I’ve read in graphic novels.

There is a portion of the book where Broussaille is seeing inside people’s apartment. He’s outside on a wall looking at the facade of the building and sees through the windows. I realize how much of my work has been inspired by this and I didn’t even realize it till years later.

I bought this book when I was 15. I still have the original copy of that book and I take it with me every time I move. I re read it at least a few times a year.

I don’t know how easy it is to find in the US but if you could find it, I HIGHLY recommend it.

[slipperylittleturtle]

after processing the livestream most of the day, the thing i might be most excited about is the storytelling potential of branching storylines.

when we hit the branch point, the stories can take such incredible directions from each other. imagine, each love interest becomes the one you choose in their branch, but the others aren't gone.

if you go with sylus, who becomes the bad guy? is it lumiere, who's been wanted in the n109 zone for disrupting things, and who needs your heart to go home? he would never hurt you now, but what if you hurt him again?

if you choose any one of them over the others, your relationships will change. in some timelines, maybe they are still in your life. maybe xavier is still your neighbor, but you don't work together anymore. or zayne is just your doctor and childhood friend.

in what branches do we lose one of them?

i am almost certainly extrapolating beyond the possibilities, as my imagination gets carried away. but i want to see big differences if we're going to get multiple storyline branches.

until now, i didn't realize that i had already treated each event with all three love interests as branches of the same story. fighting heartbreaker had a pivot point, a moment where i had to choose. after experiencing the story with my first choice, the other branches became what-ifs.

most of the memories have been compartmentalized for me this way as well. separate choices outside the main storyline.

because as it stands, by chapter 8, we've only recently reconnected with zayne, started working with xavier, and met rafayel. all within the last year, all including a time of tremendous mourning.

so, as we move forward from this upcoming pivot point, how do our choices change the story? how do these still young and fragile relationships change? we don't yet know all their motives, are only starting to build trust, and our choices can still change everything this early in the game. (pun totally intended)

personally, i really want to see rafayel try to fight our bond. i want to see xavier go from gentle to ruthless. zayne deserves to find happiness but has so much potential to fall apart completely. and sylus, he's the pivot point, right? how we respond to his arrival changes everything.

[diazsdimples]

Keeping with the fairytale theme from the sleeping beauty ask ..

buddie + beauty & the beast 🌹

Fun fact: I played Chip in my school's production of this! Anyways.

Buck is Belle and Eddie is the beast. Buck was adopted by Bobby, and lives in a tiny village, and he loves it there. Mostly. It's a little small and everyone knows him but he's got loads of books to read and some good friends too. Only problem is, he's being incessantly chased by Natalia, some lady who's decided she's going to marry him, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't shake her.

Eddie, meanwhile, is the beast, cursed because of [insert tragic backstory here]. He lives in this big castle, mostly because it's a convenient place to hide himself and Christopher from the rest of the world. When he was cursed, his household staff (including Hen & Chim as Cogsworth and Lumiere) were turned into furniture. Very annoying, meddlesome furniture. And then, imagine his shock when a very handsome, very sweet young man seeks shelter in his castle because he's looking for his father (who Eddie might have accidentally imprisoned 😬). He's moved by this young man's pleas for his father's release, and honestly he'd like a bit more company around the place that isn't his son or his staff, so he negotiates. Buck stays. Bobby leaves.

Naturally, Eddie doesn't tell Buck about the curse, or about how he has to learn to love someone (and himself) for it to be lifted. He tries to make Buck's time there as pleasant as possible, whilst also reminding the man that he is a prisoner. He tries to keep Christopher away from Buck, but the kid has this irritating way of getting into places he doesn't belong and Buck finds him in the library one day. The two immediately strike up a friendship, and that's ultimately his way to Eddie's heart (and Eddie's way to Buck's)

Not easily deterred, Natalia and a bunch of thugs from the village storm the castle. Buck get caught up in the fight and, terrified that he's going to get hurt, Eddie flings himself in front of him and takes a pitchfork to the side. Buck pulls him away from the battlefield (its okay cause their magic furniture is badass af) and patches Eddie's wounds in his room. And that's when Eddie realises he's falling in love (and so is Buck). They fall asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, Eddie sees that his enchanted rose is back in full bloom, and he's shocked to find himself in human form. And so is Buck cause he fell asleep in this massive creature's furry arms and has woken up in the arms of someone that's frankly as hot as sin. Eddie realises what's happened and tells Buck about the curse, revealing that it could only have been broken by him falling in love. Buck, thankfully, puts two and two together and they sleep together. Chris is delighted to see his dad back as his dad and they live happily ever after (and Bobby moves in to the castle where he meets Athena and they live happily ever after too)

[princess-ibri]

It's great to write for the established characters as well as create new OCs, but have you ever done the relatively rare thing of picking out a nameless background character and giving them a name and backstory?

I have actually yes! There's been quite a few background characters I've had little head canons for, mostly from Beauty and the Beast,like the guy driving the cart at the beginning is Lefou's older brother, and the girl he waves to is the older sister of the littlr blonde girl Belle pats on the head.

Or the Little Mermaid 2, with the kids, human and mer. I had names for all of them at one point but can't remember them now xD The blonde merboy was Urchin from The Little Mermaid Animated Series' son though.

The one reall obscure ones I got into were some people in the very last scene of Beauty and the Beast.

There's a girl in green I was going to have her be an apprentice to the Enchantress. But I ended up scrapping the story idea, before I ever did any art, it just no longer fit in with what I was making with my DisneyVerse. But perhaps I'll go back and rework who I think she is one day.

There was also this handsome looking bloke who I had the idea of being a half-brother/illegitimate brother of Prince Adam due to the similarities but decided to nix that idea.

Atm he's the human form of the Music Box, deleted character who was expanded in comics to be the only enchanted object in the castle that started out as an object, not a human. In my version he gained a human form when everyone else turned back, and he looks like young Prince Adam because the music box was a cherised toy of the prince when he was young.

(But tbh I'm not entirely sold on that idea either but its there for now)

Also I'm fairly sure this tall lady in green is the Enchantress

More info about the Music Box under the cut

Taken from the article on the Disney Wiki which I can verify is true because I actually happen to have this comic. But its in one of my many boxes now as I'm moving :p

Oh but they have a picture of the cover/production art so that works too!

In a short-lived comic book series set before the events of Beauty and the Beast (not to be confused with the Marvel comic book series set during Belle's stay at the castle), the Music Box was given a very important part in one issue (specifically Issue 1).

In that issue, it is explained to Chip by Mrs. Potts that unlike the other enchanted objects, the Music Box was never human, and he has been in fact the Beast/Prince's favorite toy. Although Chip along with the Beast likes his music, Cogsworth tends to look down on the Music Box as a "primitive creature".

In an amusing scene where Lumiere tries to coach the Beast in the art of courting by using Fifi (here called Marie) as an example, the Music Box is called on to supply the dance music. The Beast has grown to depend on the Music Box to lull him to sleep with his music, so that when he accidentally smashes him during one of his tantrums, he is devastated.

Lumiere and even Cogsworth are grieved as well, commenting that although he was different than the rest of them, he had a "heart" just the same, and are left wondering if they can put him back together again. The fact that he is seen in the movie at the Battle scene as well as during the Marvel Comic would seem to indicate the positive.

Thanks for the ask!

[sunjinjo]

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✨Lumier✨ graces us with the presence of one very curious, very shiny and photogenic lad, rifling through a certain someone's notes while he's absent in the Imaginarium Theater~ I never expected to be blessed by Sethos art, but I totally understand the impulse to draw him - who better to test out those new markers on? :D Sumeru is so gorgeous and vibrant in the golden hour, and she perfected it all even further...

Fanart for At the mercy of the mages :P

A hand supporting the young man’s chin as his curious gaze studied him. “Hey there. Welcome back.” Kintsugi briefly stared at Sethos, seething with disbelief and rapidly building fury – especially as he spotted his essay-in-progress and his research materials before the young man, clearly being read and rifled through. He quickly snatched it all back to his own side of the table. “You dare –” Sethos raised his hands in defense. “Just some preliminary research to see if Vahumana’s a good fit for me! I figured, as you weren’t here…” Kintsugi eyed the sky. “I’ve been gone for hours. You were waiting for me to get back.” “Mmh.” Sethos leaned his chin back into his hand, smiling faintly. “Didn’t expect you to pop back in out of thin air, though…” His eyes flitted to the books. “The origami you’ve got in there is pretty good. A nice touch. The last haiku scribbled in the margins of your essay could use some refining, though, but you’re pretty talented.”

[fantasyandromancelover]

So I’ve been thinking of doing Beauty and The Beast Hazbin/Helluva Style videos.

Belle - Charlie

Beast/Prince - Alastor

Gaston - Adam

Lumiere - Angel

Cogsworth - Husk

Mrs. Potts - Rosie

Chip - Young Octavia or Young Moxxie

Babette - Vaggie

Madame de la Grande Bouche - Niffty

Maurice - Lucifer or Stolas

Le Fou - Cletus

D’Arque - Crimson

Beggar Woman/Enchantress - Susan/Seras

[eruden-writes]

"The Beast is abusive."

Alright, so I'm going to get super nerdy for a hot sec, because I thought too hard on this.

All of this is going to refer to Disney's 1991 Beauty and the Beast, since that was who was pictured on the poll these posts mention. Broadway musicals, sequels, and the live adaptation are basically AUs.

This is long so it's under a cut.

First, Beast was trying to survive and un-enchant not only himself, but his servants. This isn't an excuse by any means, but allows us to understand his mindset. He had a whole castle-full of people relying on him - and even goading him - to seduce a woman he barely knew. (And who knows how many times they tried that before? How many women wandered into the castle? Or how many servants tried to seduce the Beast?)

Further, in Be Our Guest, Lumiere says the servants have been "rusting for 10 years." Which leads to the second point...

Second, whether Beast was cursed when he was 11 (since the curse ended when the last petal fell on his 21st birthday) or he was 18-20 and the spell slowed down his aging, he was still in survival mode for 10 years.

This isn't even touching on what his initial attempts to break the curse was like or how he learned to do everything in his new form. (Side note: When people get plastic surgery, they can get a nauseous due to the "unreality" of it. Not recognizing one's body or face hits hard it turns out. Now imagine being a kid or a young adult, looking in the mirror and seeing something completely not human. Oof.)

And who put him in that survival mode?

The Enchantress.

I know, I know, it was to teach him a lesson because he was already a shit. But who gave her the right to teach him that lesson? Absolutely no one.

She only bestowed the lesson because she was more powerful than the Beast/Prince Adam. Her curse kept him and the servants isolated for ten years.

(Also, can we talk about how the stained glass opening makes it seem like the Prince is answering his own fucking door in a castle? He has servants for that! What are the chances a servant lied and didn't let her in and she just assumed it was the prince denying her entry? Did we even get a scene where the Beast talked about the Enchantress? Or does he think this fae-like beauty just popped out of nowhere to curse him???

Is the stained glass opening just a "winners write history" reiteration full of flaws and lies?!)

Could there have been other, more healthy, ways for a freakin' magical woman to make her point to this allegedly looks-obsessed royal prince? Absolutely.

All of this is to say:

The Beast is a victim of the Enchantress.

While it doesn't absolve him of his own abusive/toxic acts, it gives us more reason beyond "he was already rotten to begin with" for his actions.

Being abusive or continuing the circle of abuse is honestly something that happens with abuse survivors before they acknowledge and process their abuse.

Through the story of Beauty and the Beast, we see Beast becoming a better - arguably healthier - person and healing with Belle's support/friendship/companionship and in spite of the Enchantress's abusive use of her powers.

Fin.

[themurphyzone]

Random Beauty and the Beast Post Curse Headcanons I Have that I Really Need to Put Out There

Adam still retains some beastly traits from his cursed days. He isn't a morning person at all and functions best in the evening and nighttime. He tends to sleep in positions that accommodated his horns and tail before, but can look rather odd for a human to be in.

With Belle and Adam spending nearly every moment together after the curse breaks, the three main servants, while happy for them, reacted in different ways. Cogsworth gives long-winded lectures about proper etiquette and decorum around the opposite sex, while Lumiere is a little too enthusiastic and gives mortifying advice on deepening their romance for each other. Mrs. Potts is the most levelheaded out of the trio and just distracts Cogsworth and Lumiere with a few words so Belle and Adam can escape.

Adam is really fond of songbirds and learned to replicate their calls. In turn, the songbirds sing back and recognize Adam as a safe person to be around. At first, he only imitated them when he thought nobody was watching and became really good at it. Then one day, Belle went outside to look for him and discovered him chirping to a young fledgling in his hands. Adam was embarrassed to be caught, but Belle finds it all rather endearing, even more so once Adam asks her to join him in encouraging the scared fledgling to fly.

Belle once had a nightmare about the Beast dying and being ripped away from his body by Gaston and the villagers without getting the chance to mourn him. She tried to cope by going to the castle library in the middle of the night and reading by firelight but she found that she couldn't focus on the book at all. Adam, who'd sensed something was amiss and come to check on her, sat with her that night and comforted her.

[princesssarisa]

I've been thinking of the different theories among fans of Disney's Beauty and the Beast about how long ago the spell was cast, and how old the Prince/Beast was at the time. Namely, how to explain the discrepancy between Lumiere's line "Ten years we've been rusting," which would mean that the Prince was only eleven years old when they were all transformed (the Prologue states that the magic rose would start to wilt in "his twenty-first year"), and the fact that in the painting in his room and in in the Prologue's stained-glass windows, the Prince looks like a a young man.

Of course the Doylist explanation is that different people in the creative team had different ideas for the backstory. Howard Ashman, who wrote the "Ten years..." lyric, wanted the Prince to have just been a child when he was cursed, but the directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale insisted that he be portrayed as a young man instead (allegedly much to Ashman's anger), because the idea of an eleven-year-old Beast reminded them too much of Eddie Munster.

But what's the Watsonian explanation? These are the different theories I've read:

*The spell was cast ten years ago, and the Prince was only eleven years old at the time. He was just tall and mature-looking for his age, as some preteens are, and/or the painting and stained-glass windows make him look older than he was, as art of royalty sometimes did.

*The spell was cast less than ten years ago. Lumiere, with his penchant for melodrama, is exaggerating when he sings "Ten years we've been rusting."

*The spell was cast less than ten years ago. It's been ten years since the Prince's father died and the Prince became master of the castle. The sour, cold-hearted young man never had any guests even when he was human.

*The spell was cast twenty-one years ago. "...his twenty-first year" means his twenty-first year as a Beast, not his age. For the first ten or eleven years, the servants stayed busy, keeping the castle clean and orderly because they had faith that someone would find them and break the spell. But eventually they all lost hope, gave up their efforts, and let the castle become a Gothic ruin – this state of depression is what's lasted for ten years, not the spell itself.

Personally, I think I prefer the first theory. It's what Howard Ashman wanted, and in the finished film, I think it shows. At the beginning the Beast acts very much like a man-child, who throws tantrums, has never learned empathy, and doesn't know anything about women or adult social skills, as if he was cursed as a boy and hasn't been able to mature in his isolation. Of course all of this can also be explained by (a) how spoiled he was, (b) his depression, and (c) the idea that the spell is slowly turning his mind bestial – maybe his "childlike" behavior is really just animalistic.

I'd like to know which theory other people prefer.

There's also another question that begs to be answered: if the castle has been under the spell for ten years or more, then how was Chip born, since he's only about six years old? To that question, I think there are two possible answers. If the spell was cast less than ten years ago, then he could easily have been born already. But if it really was cast ten years ago, or more, then I think no one in the castle ages except the Beast, because only biological bodies can age. In this theory, Chip was six years old when he became a teacup, and has stayed six years old ever since. Either theory works for me.

[rose-tinted-kalopsia]

xavier x mc hualiand coded u say......can you explain why im so curious

omg. omg anonie. are you familiar with tian guan ci fu (heaven official's blessing)..... hualian refers to the main couple of the book (hua cheng x xie lian) !!! in case anyone out there is trying to avoid spoilers for it i'll answer this under the cut 🥰 but they have a very very very beautiful love story, one that's been Ingrained in my head since the first time i read it. it's so whole and deeply rooted, and sincerely xavier and mc give off similar vibes. like SO. MUCH. probably more than any of the other LI's!

so this's going to talk about things like: the "fallen from grace" trope, the mirroring between xavier and mc, how xavier's love for mc transcends time, how all he thinks about is... her.

(i'm also going to talk a lot about xavier's myths (both lightseeker and lumiere) and maybe a lil bit of the no restraint card! so this'll be long...)

but so on the tgcf side: ESSENTIALLY the very basic explanation of hualian's love story is that hua cheng has loved and admired xie lian for more than 800 years. and it's a love that's very very deeply rooted. a love where xie lian becomes his everything.

THE OFFICIAL SUMMARY OF TGCF READS—"Eight hundred years ago, Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of the Xianle. He was loved by his citizens and was considered the darling of the world. He ascended to the Heavens at a young age; however, due to unfortunate circumstances, was quickly banished back to the mortal realm. Years later, he ascends again – only to be banished again a few minutes after his ascension. Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends to the Heavens for the third time as the laughing stock among all three realms. On his first task as a god thrice ascended, he meets a mysterious demon who rules the ghosts and terrifies the Heavens, yet, unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this demon king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time."

now, two things to understand are—(1) hua cheng was born an unwanted child, and (2) xie lian, the crown prince, has always had a kind heart. these are important to the story. because eventually it goes that hua cheng, who was unwanted and discarded and overall regarded as a disgrace, disgusting to look at, bad luck, etcetc., found solace in xie lian's kindness—his warmth. his light.

chronologically, as the story goes, xie lian, as a very esteemed crown prince of his nation, ascends to the heavens and becomes a 'martial god' (this gives him things like immortality and the ability to use magic). but his nation falls into chaos, and the long story short is that he absolutely fails to save it. instead, he ends up turning his own people against him. he falls from the heavens as quite literally a fallen god. ridiculed, no longer worshipped, despite how much love and praise he always used to get. and for several, several years, he has to deal with coming to terms with his past. there's a lot of quite graphic trauma here.

and now, hua cheng... he's been there through all of that. he's stayed by xie lian for as much as he could stay with him. he fought as a soldier for xie lian, died in battle for xie lian—and the thing about his death was that,, he didn't want to rest in peace afterwards. and when that happens—if you have a strong enough reason to remain, you take on the form of a ghost, starting out as a little ball of light (a "ghostfire") to eventually getting a ghost form.

so he stayed.

even as a baby ghostfire, until he got his own ghost form... he stayed. he's seen him get beat up, and hurt, he's seen him make the wrong decisions, he's seen him manipulated, and trampled on—he's seen him at his worst. but he stayed, because he wanted to. that might have been all he did sometimes, and xie lian might not have particularly noticed him then, but he stayed.

of course; it wasn't enough for him to just stay, not when it was all he could do, so naturally—he'd get stronger, right? they separate at some point, and hua cheng loses contact with xie lian for several, several several years.... but he keeps looking. he literally becomes the most feared ghost (a "demon king"), while xie lian essentially has been banished from the heavens to redeem himself.

and, what's interesting to note is that xie lian—always kindhearted, always meaning to do the good thing—is a lot morally different in comparison to hua cheng. it's not that hua cheng is a bad person, but just that he's willing to do more extreme things for xie lian's sake, especially now that he's plenty powerful. he only thinks of xie lian, while xie lian, as a crown prince, tended to be selfless and think more of the betterment of the general people. it's like a balance, or sorts? xie lian is able to act as his moral compass, in a way, because simultaneously hua cheng's ultimate goal is to make xie lian happy, and he wouldn't do things that won't make him happy.

regardless, they only meet again after 800 years, in the first arc of the book. during this time, like the summary says, xie lian had ascended once more, but still not very well-liked in the heavenly realm, and hua cheng meets him as he's sent to investigate a case. it's at this point that they grow naturally closer through various book events (because right now, xie lian doesn't yet know that this is the same little ghost, that one soldier, from the past).

the point is, though—xie lian had really become hua cheng's everything. he's been looking for him for that long. he's remained a ghost still on this earth for that long. because xie lian showed him a kindness that no one else would when he was ridiculed... and now, hua cheng is returning the favor.

from the start, being by xie lian's side, hua cheng has always been promising "forever". and he's been keeping that promise. xie lian believes it.

at its core, tgcf has always been a story about a fallen god and his last believer.

and the following quotes really bring out how deeply rooted their relationship is! the book is very beautifully written, and hualian's relationship flourishes under this kind of writing. they're quotes that will stick with you a lot.

“If you don’t know the meaning of your life, then make me that meaning, and use me as your reason to live.” (xie lian, in the past, to the hua cheng who wanted to give up)

“To die in this battle for you is my greatest honor.” (in the past, soldier hua cheng to xie lian)

"i pray to never rest in peace.” (hua cheng to xie lian, when xie lian finds out he is a ghost)

“I have a beloved who is still in this world, I want to protect them.” (in the past, ghostfire hua cheng to xie lian)

”To watch with your own eyes your beloved be trampled on and ridiculed, yet be unable to do anything. That’s the worst suffering in the world.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you, and not the state of you.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“If I could, I would have you use me as your stepping stone, the bridge you take apart after crossing, the corpse bones you need to trample to climb up, the sinner who deserved the butchering of a million knives. But, I know you wouldn’t allow it.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“If your dream is to save the common people, then, my dream, is only you.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“Only after having met you did I rediscover that it’s such a simple thing to be happy.” (xie lian to hua cheng)

“There’s no banquet in this world that doesn’t come to an end, but I will never leave you.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“I will be back. Your Highness, believe me.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

“‘Forever’ exists. There’s one person who can truly achieve it. I believe.” (xie lian about hua cheng)

“He believed that this man would die for him again and again, and would be reborn for him over and over. Even if he fell into the depth of hell, he would break through the abyss for his ‘belief’.” (xie lian about hua cheng)

“Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other. This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.” (about hualian)

“I am forever your most devoted believer.” (hua cheng to xie lian)

so how does this relate to xavier/mc?

WELL I'M GLAD YOU ASKED! 🥰

(1) in relation to xavier's lightseeker myth.

i talk a lot about this in more detail here! but a lot about xavier is very deeply rooted into his past, as the prince of philos.

in this sense we can compare him to xie lian—princely duties, tasked to care for a nation, a lot of responsibility on his shoulders... but unlike xie lian, these are duties that he doesn't want. he doesn't accept them. he'd rather not, thank you very much.

however—what exactly did his experiences as the crown prince give him? xavier, like i've talked about many times before, was forced into a role he didn't want to be in, essentially having his identity chosen for him. it's identity foreclosure. and this leads to: (a) difficulties with commitment, (b) weaker sense of self, (c) lack of confidence, (d) weaker mental fortitude, (e) self doubt and low self esteem issues. this is where he's comparable to hua cheng; both of them had identities forced onto them that lead to an onset of insecurities. it's where you have no choice but to ask yourself questions such as: who am i, really? who do i want to be? am i doing enough? am i enough?

because you never feel enough.

and combining both factors with xavier—the pressure to do his best and be the best, all that burden of responsibility that he never wanted... with all the insecurities that manifest as a result of that?

just like hua cheng found solace in xie lian's kindness towards him, xavier finds solace in the freedom that mc grants him.

(2) ”To watch with your own eyes your beloved be trampled on and ridiculed, yet be unable to do anything. That’s the worst suffering in the world.”

this is hua cheng's quote!

but doesn't it remind you of how upset he was over philos mc being labeled as the sacrifice? so much that it tore his relationship with his father more than it had already been torn? so much that it would be the breaking point for him to step back from the throne entirely?

xavier, in that moment, had to make a choice. he felt the need to do something; he couldn't just sit back and watch his beloved be treated that way. he was aware they weren't seeing mc as a person anymore, and he didn't like that—that's his beloved.

(3) "No matter how many times it takes, and no matter where you are, I'll find you."

pretty self-explanatory, right?

we're all familiar with this. that anecdote broke our hearts. we know that xavier is willing to wait for mc, to look for mc, to love her in ever universe and in every timeline—

he'd wait for mc for 800 years, too, if he had to. just like hua cheng.

it's a promise for forever—that his love for mc transcends the bounds of time and space, that... his forever belongs with her. he wants it to belong with her. and he hopes that she wants that, too.

(4) Fallen from grace.

similarly to xie lian's situation, in a way!

I feel that this is not necessarily a topic talked about a lot regarding xavier, and i may or may not make a separate post about it in the future... but his storyline is definitely some variation of this trope.

maybe it's not outright obvious; xavier isn't a god, after all. but... he is a prince.

he was a prince.

he was the crown prince of philos, set to inherit the throne, set to lead his people.

he's not anymore.

and maybe that was a title that meant little to him, and one that he definitely intended, wholeheartedly, to relinquish, but—at this point, he doesn't have the favor of his people, whether it be the general philosians, or even the (majority, it seems?) team of backtrackers that he's lead to earth. and with losing that title, like i have talked about before, again—means losing his identity. an identity so strongly associated with being a prince, with being a leader... it's gone, now, because that isn't who he is. it might not have been who he wanted to be, he might have been so averse to it, but it's always been part of him. losing the title means losing a piece of himself he can't really go back to, only that it sits there with him now at an awkward angle.

unfortunately for him, this was always the xavier that he's known mc to love—all of him, all of his identity that he's shaped around being the prince of philos, that's the xavier he knows mc loves. he's not quite sure if this mc will love the xavier he's changed into. so "fallen from grace" to him refers more to the fact that—will mc love me like this?

(5) MC is his everything.

and this point goes across virtually all possible cards of xavier's, and all possible events, and all possible moments—any interaction that he's had with mc.

mc is his everything. just like to hua cheng, xie lian is his everything.

he doesn't think about anything else. he doesn't care about anything else.

even our previous point—about the fallen from grace trope—is centered more on mc herself, than the rest of the people he's dealt with.

we can legitimately go through all of his cards and pinpoint how this is.

precious bonfire. he joined the camping trip for mc. he notices mc prioritizing the rest of the team more than herself. he plays the game because she's playing it. he'd drag mc away to rest with him instead of joining the bonfire event. he's only thinking of her. fluffy trap. we know how this unfolds—he legitimately let her do whatever she wanted. he saw what kind of booth she intended to drag him into; the setup, the costumes she wanted... and he let her. for her. to make her happy. fragment of time. less obvious, maybe, but it's still there—he had her on his mind when he wanted to complete those 100 steps, too.

heartstring symphony, unique aftertaste... prime examples of how he'd virtually let mc do whatever she wants, whether it be to reprimand him for getting injured again, or drag him around fo a little holiday. he's basically freely indulging her in her whimsies? and heartstring symphony quite touches a lot on his promises to her to take care, and how he misses her when he's away... etc. it's still... all about her.

romantic afternoon. he generally helps her with her sleeping problems—again, centered around her. faint sensation. he's trying to get her heartbeat to rise because of him—again, still centered around her. even tender nights. he's attentive to her needs, notices her heels aren't comfortable. that conversation they have by the bay proves meaningful; he wants to share that special moment with her, and he wants to reassure her somehow that he does—that he's thinking about her. that he always does.

then some more obvious ones, like 21 days (which i also kind of talk (yell) about here), and no restraint (which i talk about here).

and we get to the myths—the lightseeker myth. how he's willing to go to the ends of the earth just to find a way to ensure she won't be sacrificed. how he's willing to completely abandon his post... for her. not for the people, but for her. the lumiere myth, and the whole essence of lumiere being lumiere. how it's lumiere who saves mc not once, but twice. how in this myth, xavier pushes his limits to the point of exhaustion multiple times, all for mc.

and that's just the five-star cards. but in every single one of them... he's always thinking about her. centered around her. that if he's the stars, the moon, the planet—she's his sun. and he would gladly orbit around her. she's all he needs.

“If your dream is to save the common people, then, my dream, is only you.”

xavier might as well have been saying that to mc herself.

he doesn't care about anything else.

(the event is proof of that too!)

(6) Mirroring.

I mention this first here!!

and there is so, so, SO much of it throughout all of his cards and interactions with mc too, because it's founded on his love for her... and the love she returns back to him.

xavier who is willing to do anything for her. xavier who would prioritize her, think of her, love her—at the cost of himself. he would love her in every universe. he would love her no matter who or what she becomes.

he doesn't know how to receive the same in return.

yet, we know that mc does exactly that.

she does return it.

in regards to the lumiere myth, i talk about it a lot, too: "i think what's most beautiful about the lumiere event is like? she's not even trying to belittle his feelings of jealousy? she'd tease, yeah, but i think the gist of this event, and the myth, was mc still trying to convey that—she'll love him no matter what, even if it's lumiere, even if it's the him that he isn't fond of, himself."

and you realize that the entire theme of their storyline is "i will love you no matter who or what you become"—they say it to each other. they convince themselves of it.... that they love each other just that much. that they're willing to do whatever it takes.... for each other.

that they mirror it.

“To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you, and not the state of you.”

doesn't it sound like a line they would repeat to each other?

(7) Moral compass

this goes back to, again, how MC is his everything—and, conversely, how “If your dream is to save the common people, then, my dream, is only you.”

for a prince, xavier isn't one who necessarily prioritizes others—he's not a hero, he's not the chosen one, he's not.... someone who would sacrifice the world for his people. he's not like that.

i think that there's a lot of selfishness that's embedded into him because he precisely does not want to be a prince, and he's always been extremely averse to this role—that kind of aversion sticks with you. it's hard to take things seriously when the hatred is all you can think about.

but like hua cheng, it doesn't make him a bad person.

it just means he has other priorities, which—happen to be mc. because everything he's ever done, again, is for mc. everything. always. and sometimes they're selfish, sometimes they're a little extreme or hard to understand... but the fact is that, well—everything is about her.

it goes without saying, then, that xavier isn't the most morally-aligned person out there.

because mc, as we know, is founded on justice. on protecting the people she loges, protecting thevpeoole around them—she became a hunter for that purpose. she took on the throne for that purpose. she helped the backtrackers for that purpose.

“If your dream is to save the common people, then, my dream, is only you.”

it's starkly different for them.

mc would act on the behalf of others, xavier would act on her behalf. all he's ever looked at was her.

yet at the same time, it means that—like hua cheng and xie lian—xavier's ultimate goal is to make mc happy. he won't do anything not to make her happy. he doesn't want to upset her.

so he'll go along with her wishes, enough so to genuinely think positively of his actions too—because it's what mc wants.

and i think that's it—it is all i can think of—but xavier and mc's relationship perfectly capture the essence of hualian that i've always associated them with each other, and perhaps that's why mc and xavier also mean so incredibly much to me ... because hualian does, too.

and granted all of the LI's have aspects that reference hualian as well—not to mention, sylus being incredibly hua cheng coded—but imo xavier/mc truly comes closest

and maybe it has to do with the sheer devotion that comes with xavier and mc

that it feels really... close

BUT ANYWAY THIS WAS LONG 🥰 AND UH 🥰 YEAH 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[theamityelf]

(Snippet from my Audrevie fic, purely because I just remembered some people read fics on Tumblr and not AO3.)

The wedding was Evie's baby, and it was perfect.

She designed Mal's wedding dress, and Ben's suit, obviously, as well as the clothing of all of the groomsmen and bridesmaids and nearly all of the big-name guests. The way she responded when Fairy Godmother innocently suggested a professional designer handle such things inspired jokes about a "Bridesmaidzilla" that didn't die down in all of the months leading up to the ceremony itself.

The decorations and flashy bits were technically handled by Jane and Lumiere, but Evie was the person they consulted in Mal's stead when they had a question about color or material, and shortly enough she graduated to micromanaging flower arrangements and podiums and songbird choirs, predictably causing a ramp-up in the Bridesmaidzilla jokes.

But that was all fine, because on the day of the wedding, she got to stand there in the audience and observe that the ceremony was perfect.

And oh how restless that made her.

Hadie was the ring bearer, to honor Mal's Isle heritage and as an unspoken backhand to the numerous news outlets that had recently started raising questions about whether Mal was really Hades's daughter (and producing uncomfortably compelling evidence for their claims, which had caused Mal to throw her hairbrush at the TV one irate evening). The flower girl was a young daughter of Rapunzel, to honor Ben's Auradon heritage and because King Beast would make a political outreach gesture out of anything. (He had offered the prestigious role to one of Queen Tiana's little girls first, as Maldonia was a good deal more standoffish towards them than Corona was, and had received back a very polite letter saying that Little Eudora had a dentist appointment that she just couldn't miss on the day of the wedding, and also seemingly on the days before and after. The letter did go on to add that Queen Tiana's alligator friend was willing to play at the reception, likely to soften the impact of the refusal.)

From her balcony spot (which she had opted for by choice, because it gave her a good perspective over the festivities and kept her invisible enough that she could run out and fine-tune if she had to), Evie saw the two little heads approach the altar where Fairy Godmother waited with her wand and her sappy, benevolent expression. Hadie's blue hair was pomaded and smoldering rather than upright and aflame, and Sunny's natural dark spikes were curled to frame her cherubic face. The two moved at a stilted pace, because Sunny was young enough to have a sort of doddering gait and Hadie was old enough to be embarrassed by all the attention. But they looked cute, and that was what mattered; cameras flashed, and Evie felt winded, sure that she should be somewhere doing something but unsure of where or what.

The music crescendoed as the children neared the altar. Evie spotted Harry near the front of the crowd below, waving his arms grandly to mock the conductor, and Uma next to him, a vision in turquoise, lightly whacking him with a church fan. She saw Harry duck down to kiss Uma's cheek, and she saw Uma's hand rise to card through his hair, and she looked away, feeling voyeuristic and somehow worried that someone would know she was looking.

She was supposed to be doing something, wasn't she? What was it? What had she missed?

And then the swell of the music peaked, the curtains at the back of the room parted, and Mal emerged on Jay's arm while Ben took to the altar, watching her approach him with open adoration.

Evie watched her approach him, too, because she couldn't look away. Her eyes raked over her dress and his suit and the flower petaled aisle and the ring on Hadie's cushion, trying to spot the flaw.

It wasn't until the distance closed, until Jay was placing Mal's hand in Ben's and whispering something that made them both chuckle, that Evie realized.

Nothing was wrong.

She had planned the perfect wedding.

And now her role in it was over.

It should have been a relief, should have allowed her to sink back in her seat and enjoy the fading strains of music, but instead it felt like acid in her throat.

She had planned the perfect wedding, and it was happening now, and nothing she did would make it any better.

She left the balcony, as invisibly as intended. (She wondered whether a part of her had known that she would need to slip out for this reason instead of any of her made-up reasons. In hindsight, she had never really provided a solid reason for not staying near Carlos or Jay or even the other bridesmaids, had she?) Out in the reception area, Jane was supervising as the last smattering of guests found their way inside; Evie ducked behind a plant to avoid Jane's sweeping gaze and instantly felt quite stupid. She was allowed to be outside; no one had to know why. She spied the nearest bathroom and slipped gracefully into it.

That was where she found Audrey.

The daughter of Aurora was perched prettily on the edge of the bathroom counter, fidgeting with her hair (She had gone back to the fluffy brown curls that so complemented her, and her makeup was dark and sultry and reminiscent of her stint as the Queen of Mean. A striking contrast to the cupcake-sweet swirling mass of pink silk that was her gown. She was more than beautiful; she was absolutely radiant.) and gazing at her own reflection.

"You look lovely," Evie said, and Audrey nearly fell into the sink basin.

[ruvviks]

current lineup of guys for my original vampire setting below the cut if anyone is interested! including a little section on bloodlines that i came up with so far :^)

CHARACTERS

HEAVENLY ROWIŃSKI — a (in)famous vampire hunter who recently made his way to the city of jericho to drown himself in a life of riches and vices; but instead he meets many familiar faces from his past and gets sucked (haha) into a vortex of mysteries that reveal the threat of a worrying vampire pandemic if not dealt with in the near future

THADDEUS KHAN — a contractor based in jericho who provides vampire hunters with jobs and has been heavenly's main source for private gigs for years now; not too happy about the hunter showing his face in the city considering the possible consequences concerning business and vampire activity, but changes his mind soon enough once shit hits the fan

SUN YEONG — a vampire of the sombra bloodline and young immunologist from chicago, who has recently moved to jericho; they were turned on an old gig involving heavenly and upon reunion they agree to assist him in his future endeavors, all while continuing their own research on vampires, bloodlines, and whether or not becoming a withered vampire is the fate of all

ISAAC SHARPE — a vampire of the letifer bloodline and a priest who runs a church / community center / food/blood bank in jericho; he was hunted down by heavenly many years ago as the latter's first solo gig but left alive, and upon reunion he opens his church's doors for heavenly for him to use as safe haven whenever he needs it

VALESKA MADRITSCH — a vampire of the faelin bloodline and the estranged child of a centuries old rich austrian family, who has found her way to jericho to indulge in its wild nightlife-focused lifestyle; her reputation comes with many benefits, but getting her on the team proves an issue as she is heavenly's ex and takes grudges with her to her grave

ALOYSIUS "DOC" GOODMAN — a vampire with a rare mutation of the noxis bloodline who goes by the name doc and owns a small shop in jericho; he treats vampires, humans and vampire hunters alike in exchange of a small blood donation for him to feed on, and as the eyes and ears of jericho's streets he holds more knowledge than an encyclopedia

MIRAGE & ANDROMACHE BELLEVERE — vampire twins of the oraculum bloodline who sell their clairvoyant powers as services to rich families and individuals seeking to learn more about their future; as some of the oldest vampires to walk the earth one could assume their interest in mortals is nonexistent, yet here they are in jericho seeking to unravel the mysteries behind this new threat, which is quickly proving to be an issue for humans and vampires alike

BLOODLINES

NOXIS BLOODLINE — the most common bloodline, with heightened senses and sunlight sensitivity; vampires of this bloodline can go out in the sun but prefer not to due to the long-term effects on their overall health

NOXIS BLOODLINE (MUTATION) — doc's mutation reduces his sunlight sensitivity allowing him to walk freely in daylight with eye protection, but it causes his puncture fangs (the ones to draw blood for feeding, not the venomous fangs which are used to turn people) to be permanently extended and he is extra sensitive to the smell or sight of blood, forcing him to feed similar to vampires' feral sense

DARKSPAWN BLOODLINE — a bloodline that thrives in darkness; exposure to sunlight for too long can kill them, but in return they are much stronger in complete darkness and they can even camouflage themselves in the shadows

LUMIERE BLOODLINE — lumiere vampires have very mild sunlight sensitivity and can mix with the human crowds without any trouble, as they do not possess puncture fangs (most of them draw blood with their fingernails when they feed), their venomous fangs are a lot thinner and by definition less painful to extend, and their bloodlust is severely reduced; often disliked by other bloodlines because of these traits

FAELIN BLOODLINE — an ancient bloodline with close ties to the fae, making vampires of this bloodline a little uncanny valley in appearance; these vampires possess what is known as the "vampire's kiss", a powerful venom that can enchant their victims to turn them into personal blood bags

SOMBRA BLOODLINE — sombra vampires are a lot more agile than other bloodlines and can climb on walls and ceilings in spider-like fashion; darkness calms them and allows them to enter a regenerative hibernation state which other bloodlines can only achieve in a nest with risk of their feral sense activating, something sombra vampires do not have to worry about

LETIFER BLOODLINE — a rather small and close-knit bloodline with high lethality rate among turned victims, which is why turning a human within the letifer bloodline is done through a ritual due to the venom dosage being highly specific; letifer vampires can never miss a meal as their feral sense can sneak up on them out of nowhere and can be all-destroying, but in return they are a lot stronger and more powerful than other bloodlines

ORACULUM BLOODLINE — another ancient bloodline similar to the faelin bloodline with close connections to the fae; vampires of this bloodline possess clairvoyant abilities (often in one sense only, sight or hearing, but in rare cases more than one and even rarer cases all senses) which allows them to see others' futures, or experience events in certain locations or through specific objects

FROSTBITE BLOODLINE — a bloodline that thrives in the cold; vampires of this bloodline are ice cold to the touch and they can use their frost-like abilities to manipulate water, including water within human bodies