#He is willing to make that sacrifice

[blue-mood-blue]

I have been thinking about the blackening (as one does)…

…and it’s so interesting to me, the penalty Shen Qingqiu is faced with should he not decide to yeet his disciple into hell.

Account termination. Instant death. Sent directly home to his already-long-dead body, and that’s it for the villain of the piece who outright refuses his villainy. The protagonist needs a blackening for the story to continue, and Shen Qingqiu is going to provide it or get written out of the narrative. Either way, Luo Binghe is going to lose him. Either way, this is a turning point.

I wouldn’t claim that this is the intent of the penalty, but it fascinates me that the System has, potentially, backed the plotline into a corner - because Binghe still stands to be blackened even if Shen Qingqiu took the other choice.

Think about what that would look like, to him. He’s at the Immortal Alliance Conference, and everything is going wrong. He’s been outed as a demon, and not just a demon - the top tier of demon, as bad as it gets from the perspective of a righteous cultivator. His beloved teacher, the person who has been kindest to him and opened his home and heart to him, is standing there with his sword in hand, deciding what he’s going to do about what must look, to him, like a horrific betrayal. Binghe is apologizing. Binghe is begging for his life.

Shen Qingqiu hears him. Maybe it shows on his face, or in his voice, that he already knew; maybe there’s no hint at all, but Shen Qingqiu is suddenly talking quickly with an abrupt sense of urgency that Luo Binghe is having a hard time keeping up with. Telling him he’ll be wonderful - telling him he’s the best. Telling him the world will be his, with emotions cracking through that aloof mask that Binghe has never seen on Shizun’s face before, and it’s terrifying for reasons that Binghe cannot identify.

(He will, later. When he has time to think, he’ll realize it sounded like a goodbye.)

And then Shen Qingqiu is bleeding. And then Shen Qingqiu is on the ground. And then Shen Qingqiu is dead. There’s no countdown for Binghe - there’s no System, there’s no warning, there’s no answers.

Luo Binghe is a heavenly demon in the middle of a conference sabotaged by demons. Luo Binghe is alone. His fellow competing disciples are scattered, some dead or injured. The Peak Lord of Qing Jing Peak, the second in command of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, maybe the only person he loved and who loved him back, is dead at his feet. No one will believe him if he says it isn’t his fault.

(He can’t believe it isn’t his fault.)

What choice does he have but to run? The last heavenly demon the cultivation world went up against has been sealed under a mountain for years, and one of the people responsible for that is probably looking for Shen Qingqiu already. They’ll be looking for him, too. There isn’t anywhere to hide; there isn’t any time to mourn.

There isn’t even enough time to ask why. Why again.

There is no closure waiting for him, because there is nothing to explain what happened. It just is.

It would be a different kind of blackening, certainly - less intense, probably, less of a warping, desperate thing. But how many times can one person have all the love and safety in their world torn out from under them before it starts to show? Before they just don’t allow things like love and safety to touch them, because that’s the better option?

Interesting to consider that, simply by offering the choices it did, the System rigged the story to guarantee that Luo Binghe would end up in hell (deliberate or not).

Interesting to consider that, even if Shen Qingqiu made what might have seemed like a kinder choice, there was every chance it wouldn’t have been.

#scum villian self saving system #svsss #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #I have been thinking about Alternative Blackening Methods #(for reasons) #(don’t worry about it) #and while I don’t think it would be on the same level as the endless abyss #I think suddenly losing his Shizun would fuck Binghe up #especially like that with no explanation right in front of him?? #like #he is not gonna be okay #and then he’s stuck in a realm filled to the BRIM with cultivators after his blood #maybe it’s not THE blackening but it is A blackening #and it gives me feelings #because even if sqq was willing to make that sacrifice I’m not convinced that would have… helped Binghe #(also au where sqq somehow has the mushroom body ready to go before the conference) #(and Binghe unexpectedly encounters his Shizun in the wild) #(and they run away together in the most ill-conceived escape plan known to man)

[darkfluffydragon]

Shadow Milk's Corruption

In the AU (NAME STILL PENDING-), Shadow Milk Cookie doesn't get a physical form until later on. Until then, he occasionally possesses Pure Vanilla Cookie to have access to more of his original power and his abilities. However, due to them sharing the same souljam, there were some unintended side effects that neither were aware of.

The longer Shadow Milk Cookie remains in the same body as Pure Vanilla Cookie, the more their souls and minds blur together. It's a slow and subtle process since Shadow Milk Cookie wouldn't possess Pure Vanilla that often anyway. He can't torment someone if they're stuck in his mind. Pure Vanilla would find himself slowly gaining some of Shadow Milk Cookie's mannerisms, but he would see it as the effects of his controlled state. Shadow Milk Cookie would calm down a bit, in a way. Less erratic and manic, but still as eccentric as ever. He wouldn't notice these changes either, too busy with his new freedom from his suffocating prison. It would be why he decided to take over the faerie kingdom instead of burning it all to the ground. Occasionally, he'd act more like his past self.

The other four beasts would notice this change later when they're freed, pointing out that he's "gone soft". Some would blame it on Pure Vanilla, and wonder why Shadow Milk hasn't just taken the souljam yet.

#fyp #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #cr kingdom #crk #pure vanilla cookie #shadow milk cookie #pure vanilla cookie would already have a hard time dealing with his guilt after the whole ordeal #having parts of shadow milk cookie’s personality would make it worse #it would probably unsettle his friends as well whenever he slipped #possible shadow milk redemption arc? :0 #at the expense of pure vanilla? >:) #the real question is how willing pure vanilla cookie would be to sacrifice himself for the ‘greater good’ #phantasmagoria crk

[hamartia-grander]

I'm a real tragedy enjoyer but Luis's death is no longer narratively enjoyable for me, now it just feels like an insult. I'm tired of characters having to die to be "redeemed". It's not their death that is the redemption, it's the fact that they were willing to die in the first place; it's the intent of sacrifice. I much prefer a narrative where Luis survives and is forced to every day atone for his past mistakes. I much prefer when characters don't get the respite of death, when they have to live with their demons, when they have to face their past and maintain their growth. And it's especially maddening when the only reason Luis dies is because he did in the original. They'll change his character so much to give him substance but they won't change his fate? I don't want that.

#Rant I guess. Idk the more I think about Luis's death the more I realise why it's never really satisfied me narratively #resident evil #Luis Serra #Luis Serra Navarro #Resident evil 4 remake #Resident evil 4 #Re4 #Re4 remake #Re4r #Luis Babygirl Serra #Like. One of the things I love so much about star wars the last jedi. Besides it being the best SW movie. Is that Finn doesn't die. #He is so ready to sacrifice himself and that's a big significance to his character development. But he doesn't. Die. #Because it's not death that redeems you it's the intent of sacrifice in the first place #If someone wasn't willing to die for a cause and they did that doesn't make them a martyr that doesn't mean they're redeemed #Look at kylo ren! Fuck that guy! He wasn't redeemed at all! Yet he died #Idk I'm just. I'm just tired of Luis's death not being given more thought like the rest of his character was #At first I was like ah yes I love the tragedy of it but now I'm just tired

[hacash]

listen listen I want Ted to stay in Richmond as much as the next girl, I just think that everyone posting about how he shouldn’t go home for ‘just’ his son and how awful a plot line that would be really doesn’t know much about…you know…having kids…

#ted lasso #and this is coming from an archetypal childless millennial #the show hasn’t even presented it as ‘ted wants to stay but feels he has to go’ #he clearly misses his son! #he *wants* to be with Henry! #and good parents are willing to make sacrifices #to be with their kids and do the best for them #anyway be sad about the possibility of ted leaving #but it’s not an intrinsically wierd or harmful storyline #for him to go

[mitskiluvr]

after these leaks i just genuinely think megumi has depression like not even in a “wow haha he always pulls out mahoraga!” way but in an Oh my god his WHOLE LIFE has been in shambles since he was like 8 and i think he is like forever messed up

#this might be a severe misunderstanding of his character but also #we do not have nearly enough detail about his backstory and that worries me #we don’t have enough detail about him PERIOD #or at least from how i understand jjk #like maybe he pulls out mahoraga all the time because he’s willing to sacrifice himself all the time in like the craziest way possible #what do you mean i have to see a panel of him kneeling and crying and saying ‘that’s enough i don’t care anymore’ #LET ME OUT AAAA TELL ME ITS NOT TRUE TELL ME ITS NOT TRUE #i just think that having a really messed up family dynamic and being raised by a teenager for most of your life would really fuck you up #but also like yeah i think that having to watch u kill ur own sister in your body is pretty bad #i just think he’s sad he makes me sad every time i see him #jjk 251 #jjk spoilers #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #megumi fushiguro #jjk megumi

[cosmicwhoreo]

It’s times like these where I remember how fun Meta is to draw-

#Meta Knight #Kirby #He would totally wear stilettos and high heels to feel tall #He wouldn't be able to walk but it's a sacrifice he's willing to make #He likes feeling tall don't bully him #Had to redraw this damn thing after my power was cut and MSPaint don't autosave #Died a little on the inside but that's par for the course in my life

[fabuloustrash05]

Reblog if you’re a 2012 Raphael stan and are sick and tired of toxic fans lying/badmouthing him, saying he’s “abusive”, a “bully”, and “doesn’t care about his brothers”.

#we love and Stan 2012 Raph on this blog #yeah let’s just ignore the fact that Raph spent three months by Leo side when he was in a coma #refusing to eat or sleep just taking care of Leo until he wakes up #having literal panic attacks when seeing Mikey hurt #and ready to kill someone if anyone harms Mikey #and helping Donnie with his feelings for April #whether that was supporting him or helping him get over her #Raph has literally stated in season 1 that he is willing to sacrifice his life to keep his brothers safe #and he admitted in season two that no matter what his brothers always come first #how can you say that he doesn’t care about his brothers or is abusive when he’s done/said stuff like this #2012 Raphael is a saint #you guys are just trying to make rise look better #and this is coming from someone who absolutely loves the Rise series #tmnt 2012 #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt raphael #tmnt raph #raphael hamato

[il-predestinato]

At this point we might just well go to Christian’s office begging in our knees for him to hire Charles

I actually agree with Max that two number one drivers should not be on the same team... so I've always been anti Charles and Max as teammates.

But honestly at this point, I'm desperate and Ferrari is NOT the answer to anything but the punchline of every joke. I just can't bear the thought of Charles losing more of his prime years to that colossal joke of a team. My biggest fear is that he is going to let his loyalty to that team get in the way of getting the WDC that he deserves. He's talented enough to rival anyone, so yeah, fuck it:

#charles leclerc #scuderia ferrari (derogatory) #lestappen #i will accept lestappen becoming brocedes if it gets charles his wdc (it won't but that's a sacrifice i'm willing to make) #anon i cannot accurately express to you just how much i DESPISE that clown team #i want to laugh and dance as that team burns to the ground when he leaves them and wins a wdc somewhere else #my number one f1 wish is for charles to get a wdc #my number two f1 wish is to see the utter downfall and destruction of ferrari once our boy is free of them #elle.ask #anon

[toknowthatimatter]

My personal headcanon is that since Viren obviously didn't grew up very privileged, if not straight up poor, he might actually know what real hunger feels like. Which is why Viren (unlike Harrow for some reason??) knows/keeps track of how much food Katolis has, why - according to the novel - he's disgusted that Harrow refuses to not let the people of Katolis suffer from hunger instead of protecting them from it and why, after consulting Harrow about it and being shut down, he's apparently the only person who's actually dead set on ensuring no one has to starve at all, while everyone else is just like "welp, we tried nothing and we're all out of ideas". Because, let's be real, a) he was never tasked with finding a solution to all of this, it's not his job and b) neither he nor his children would have to starve, just like Harrow and his family wouldn't have to. Viren doesn't have to do any of this. Don't get me wrong, I think he would have at least tried to find a solution regardless of his past, but the entire thing seems more personal to me. Like, look at him :C

#the way Harrow just gives away other people's food without thinking of the consequences for anyone including himself just gets me every time #he essentially was like 'some of you may die but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make' not because he's evil but because he's incompetent #wonderful person but terrible king tbh #the dragon prince #tdp #tdp viren #viren #mine

[rickybaby]

STOP ASKING WHERE HE IS. HE IS BUSY GETTING HIS NECK FATTER AND HIS CAR SEAT LARGER FOR HIS SEXY HIPS

#willing to make so many sacrifices (not seeing his face) when I know he is COOKING somewhere in LA or MK or London or Faenza or Perth or whe

[mishy-mashy]

Julius is just a Hard Knock Life orphan on a path called Julius's Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

#hes so optimistic that i know i cant be that forward-looking #i say that as an optimist #dude's parents died and he thinks he just has to keep moving doing his best and such #he had his name eaten and just keeps a journal so he can grow from the experience #his parents are dead his life was upheaved and considering the flash flood a lot of his friends probably died too #and he consistently makes terrible first impressions because of misunderstandings #with joshua ferris subaru and even reinhard calls him out on it #but hes still. forward looking? with his life id ask WHY #an optimist full of insecurities that nonetheless wants to become a better version of himself than yesterday #that wants others to grow #that wants to be someone who can respect his parents' sacrifice #and is willing to play the villain without ever explaining himself to save his own image #id think his mental fortitude is off the charts #rezero #re zero #re:zero #julius juukulius #little orphan boy living a goodly hard life #i can understand it but at the same time its incomprehensible and i dont know how to put it into words #life keeps kicking him #like footeball #and ottos the kicker right now #ITS A HARD KNOCK LIFE FOR US-

[jesncin]

Ma'al: I have a plan.

J'onn: I'll do it as long as it doesn't involve breaking the law.

Ma'al: I no longer have a plan.

haha, this is funny! But like, J'onn would absolutely break laws if it meant doing the right thing! He set a whole planet on fire to free his brother. Maybe it's from how I portray them in these joke comics but J'onn and Ma'al are more than the "good and troublemaker" twins. In Sons of Mars, J'onn is radicalized by Ma'al and becomes disillusioned by how the system he believed in punishes the marginalized. Meanwhile Ma'al learns to care about people other than himself through J'onn's sincere care for him.

I hope that makes sense and I'm not being a party pooper hahaaa still! Good joke

#askjesncin #sometimes I get joke asks that are trying to make a “twins who hate each other” dynamic out of j'onn and ma'al #and i get confused like #they care about each other guys! j'onn uprooted his life and was willing to sacrifice himself for his twin #j'onn wouldn't even joke about hating ma'al he's too sincere for that. and while ma'al is tsundere about it he does care for his twin

[dramarants]

Wanting more homoeroticism in the tension between the show’s leads as the narrative introduces greater intimacy and higher stakes between them, especially in a landscape that lacks queer representation who isn’t a villain or dies within one or two episodes, but also recognizing that core values/motivation for these characters lie in their relationships with one of two major female characters in an on screen sausage fest where the only other woman is a morally reprehensible femme fatale and erasing and/or vilifying female leads in favor of conventionally attractive males is a common practice observed in fandoms that’s rooted in misogyny and justified under the guise of rejecting heteronormativity, thinly veiled double standards, or claiming the woman is simply not interesting enough and not wanting to bolster that mindset

#the worst of evil #you know who’s not interesting enough? haeryeon!! bibi’s acting the hell out of her and slaying while doing it #but idk anything besides she’s willing to subvert her dad for dick and values money over everything else #and also she’s hot which is great for me!! but also the male gaze #and I also get it - we don’t know much about euijeong in her limited screen time besides her relationships to junmo/kicheol #but she is given so many traits that are silently conveyed like compassion and bravery and sacrifice #she brought a fucking gun to her date with kicheol like the conflicts and motivations here are SO JUICY #her exasperation guilt and despair with the investigation; esp after listening to the voicemails #what’s the self respecting thing to do; do I still love my husband if he loses himself; can I continue a game I never wanted to play #at the cost of my life or my family’s life? #even though a lot of her choices are for her marriage she’s using whatever agency she has in her own terms #kicheol works to be an honest man and make a difference partly bc of her #not trying to place the burden of fixing men on her but ignoring her impact in the boys’ lives is wild #ship whoever you want hate whoever you want but don’t deride a woman just cuz ‘she’s in the way’ ya know #all this being said; kicheol bringing junmo home after he RAMPAGED seemingly on his behalf - literally who else is doing it like them #the yearning all around - I get it now; we need gangster mob!throuple to get any shit done around here (and for all 3 to stay alive 🫣🙏) #but the reality next week is gonna be so so bitter

[macinthecaac]

I will genuinely never understand how people on twitter think Ryland Grace DIDN'T undergo a character arc. Did we even read the same book???

#project hail mary #andy weir #ryland grace #Compare who he is back on earth to who he is on the Hail Mary and you will see a VERY clear difference #The book literally spells it out #Grace wasn't willing to sacrifice himself for humanity #But by the end of the book he's more than willing to sacrifice his life for his best friend and their entire species #And then some people say Mark Watney and Grace are basically the same person??? #Bro did we even read the same two books #I'm going to make an essay at some point explicitly explaining the differences between the two #Also fun fact I started writing a rap battle between them but scrapped it #1000 notes and i release it /j #the martian #mark watney

[calamitydaze]

remember when ckarl threatened a FULLY EGG-POSSESSED cbad with a diamond called ‘stay away from q’ like oh god he really really loved him didnt he

#reminds me of how he was willing to sacrifice himself to legitimize el rapids #love makes him brave

[cameoamalthea]

The Litch is all: “Great embodiment of chaos, hear me. For ages untold I studied your ways, devoting my existence to you. I strove to be your vassal on the physical plane, to build mountains of bodies in your honor, to extinguish all life, and in my universe, this I achieved. But it gave me no satisfaction. In succeeding, I lost all purpose. I know what you mean. Why? Why must this be? ( Grunts ) Hear me, Golb. GOLB?”

And I’m like, excuse me? Studied your ways? You can’t study the ways of chaos, it’s not knowable or predictable that’s what makes it chaos. And who asked you to devote your existence to Golb or be Golb’s vassal on the physical plane? No one.

You’re assuming that Golb wanted any of this and that you could even know what Golb wants? Does Golb even know what Golb wants? Does Golb want anything. Chaos is beyond comprehension and even if Golb knows, Golb never asked you.

Golb didn’t ask for a mountain of corpses. You did that on your own. Life doesn’t need to be extinguished, it does that on its own, that’s just part of how things work. Golb never needed you to extinguish all life, you wanted that and now because you got what you want and you’re still not happy you’re here asking Golb to fix it?

What do you want Golb to do? Golb can’t make you happy with your own choices. Why is that Golb’s job?

#Fiona and cake spoilers #the litch #golb #Men say you’re they’re everything and it’s all for you but is it even about you or what they think will make them happy. #And Simon is willing to be the Ice King again like it’s a sacrifice but Fiona’s world is fine and did Simon even think #About the sacrifice it took to break his curse and keep him safe #But he doesn’t want safe or care what it cost to get that wish because it’s about what he wants #What he thinks will make him happy #always him and his choices