#AGHGH LETHE I AM GRABBING U THIS MEANS SO MUCH TO MEEEE

[archaictold]

[everyday my plans to kidnap zhilan comes closer to fruiti—i mean yeah, yeah i like him fine, he's a good kid and a great friend whose fluffy levels are sugar-inducing levels of high and i think taking him as part of your daily diet is good for overall health!

from a roleplay perspective though my personal take is that it's hard to play "nice" characters without making them predictable (at least for me), because the world is full of nice, ordinary people (again, personal experience). after a while you know what to expect and there's no surprises! but zhilan has his shining points and quirks to balance the expectations of "nice" with the richness of personality, so you DO have fun RPing with him and discovering bits of his inner world and backstory.

on that note it does feel rather hard to uncover his inner world, partly because he's too dense to recognize double meanings/probing comments, partly because he (so far) seems content and happy enough that what you see is really what you get. i am looking forward to whoever does dig deep enough to uncover more characterization secrets, whether they be long-buried desires or fears or anything else! i'm guessing it'd take either a strong external force (*inserts trauma/death here*) or a powerful internal force (like he falls in love or something) to make that happen though, so i may have to wait for Season 2 of this marshmallow head's adventures a bit longer.

in terms of relating him specifically with this muse, i like how zhilan (whether he realizes it or not) unlocks the softest part of wang yi, the side of his he's only really shown little kids if anyone. i think it's because he sees the same kind of innocence in zhilan (not that he sees him as an actual child ofc) and wants to share in that himself, because it's probably the closest he's gotten to normal so far in this island of eccentrics (himself included). though the "average boring author haha" act is more or less an idealized lie, wang yi's gentleness is 100% honest, and at present zhilan's the only one soothing and kind/gentle/good enough to get it consistently so...congrats on winning the weirdo lottery.

anyways, to me zhilan is bright, not only in terms of intelligence but in just existing...a literal light (but not blinding) that warms (without burning) and changes enough (to not be boring). those are my thoughts on him, hope they make sense and that i answered ur meme right.

also i enjoy putting him in all the fluffy drabbles, but that's just my writing preferences for soft scenes coming through hahahah.]

⧼ 🌱 ⧽ ┊        ❛ HOW'S MY PORTRAYAL?

AAAAAAAA GOSH!! GOSH GOSH GOSH!!! lethe i am gently shaking u, this is so!!!! KIND agh..!!!! i definitely understand this sentiment, absolutely! mun-wise, i'm a person who typically plays "nice" characters. most of my roster is made up of hearts casted in gold, noble spirits, and kind souls. i write a large spectrum of these (mainly canon) characters, and some just... are "nice." when writing them, i feel limited in what i can do with them because they're always going to choose the "right" option, the morally good and just option. and with zhilan, the way i want to present him is very nuanced. he's a gentle soul, but yes! he'll help you study torture methods because it's interesting, wang yi, sure. he's a noble spirit, but yes! he'll befriend a trouble-causing pirate wanted by the qixing because he thinks they're fun and exciting and he can see them for their heart. he's "good" but his outlook on life, on people, is anything but black and white, nor is it strictly within the rules of good or evil. humans are complex, living is complex, and zhilan gives each person and experience its due complexity. i'd like to think he's not so simple either, full of quirks and strengths and weaknesses that i can expand on with every interaction he gets. his inner world is hard to pry into, but it's a subconscious though purposeful effort on zhilan's part, and something i actively incorporate into his portrayal. zhilan is a talker, but he doesn't really... talk about himself any deeper beyond a surface level. zhilan does not let his inner mechanisms be known, because sometimes they're painful, sometimes they aren't smiling, sometimes they aren't comfortable in their own choices, and that's not the person he wants to be in the eyes of other people. not to save face, but to avoid bearing the load on others shoulders. i've mentioned this to you in our DMs, but zhilan was a very sensitive child and he's still a sensitive person. but at some point, in order to accomplish a lifestyle felt was pre-destined for him, he picked himself up by the bootstraps, barreled ahead with all the zest and vigor he could muster, and never looked back. he's a naturally bright soul, but any hurt or frustrations that could dim it are effectively buried lest he shine dimmer for others. what i think he doesn't realize, and what i hope to challenge him on as he develops further in isola, is the idea that it's okay to not always shine with such brightness or intensity, because you will eventually burn out. the stars flicker for a reason. and i think his actual challenge (the rank up kind!) would hopefully bring into question zhilan's personal goals and their 'justness.' is the pursuit of knowledge always the answer? or sometimes, is ignorance bliss? i LOVE, love, love, love and adore how zhilan brings out wang yi's softness. they're a little like... you know how the moon only glows because of the sun's light? they feel like That to me. zhilan's earnestness is normalcy to wang yi, a chance to just be a person. and false author personas aside, zhilan would always accept him as a friend no matter what. wang yi is always going to be wang yi to him. that's his friend! he trusts him! you are stuck with him, wang yi! thank you SOOOO much for this wonderful feedback on zhilan. it was such a touching thing to see in my inbox, truly. 😭😭😭 feel free to keep stuffin' him into feel good drabbles.. i'll take the sweetness induced cavities ANY day. (and if u kidnap him, remember to water him.. ur zhilans need their sustenance!)

#slamdunks this MASSIVE thing onto the dash at 4am and scurries away #AGHGH LETHE I AM GRABBING U THIS MEANS SO MUCH TO MEEEE #nobully #answer tbt.