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kimabutch · 5 months

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You could write a really fun comparative essay about The Locked Tomb and Red Valley and specifically their portrayal of a very near-future impending climate catastrophe to which the hyper-rich attempt to abscond instead of dealing with the problem, impeded by scientist eco-terrorists trying to hold the rich accountable

#there are other similarities too and some pretty notable differences #obviously in genre but pertinently in how those topics are handled #for one the fact that TLT tells the climate collapse story from the eco terrorist PoV #and RV from the hyper-rich adjacent PoV #I also think this is an essay that would get better after Alecto the Ninth and the rest of Red Valley s3 #so if I wanna write it I can at least procrastinate #locked tomb #red valley #book adventures

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mxtxfanatic · 1 year

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Jin Ling and the Curse of Escalating Abuse

Seeing the complex nature of the relationship between Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng, I wanted to cover the topic of escalating abuse of the uncle towards his nephew, as Jiang Cheng is abusive towards Jin Ling throughout the entire story but that abuse shifts as the story goes on. Note: this is not an essay about how abusive people can love their victims still. I know Jiang Cheng loves his nephew, but that love means nothing in the face of him continuously being the force that drives the young boy to danger. Love does not absolve abuse. Moving on: though many of the scenes I mention are gone over in multiple translations, I will only be using one source per scene for my argument, as none of them are worded radically different. I will, however, include the other translations under the cut for anyone who wants to see them for comparison.

In the early section of the novels, we learn two important bits of information about how Jin Ling views his maternal uncle, Jiang Cheng:

From as early as Jin Ling could remember, he had never seen Jiang Cheng’s face make the expression it was currently making. His uncle, who had led the distinguished Yunmeng Jiang Clan alone since the man had been young, had been cold, severe, and gloomy for years and years on end. Not a single lenient or merciful word left Jiang Cheng’s mouth if he could help it, nor was he ever willing to offer charity and kindness.

–Chapt. 23: Malice I, fanyiyi

Angrily, [Jin Ling] leapt onto his feet and pulled out his sword on the spot. “How dare you hit me! Even my uncle’s never hit me!”

Surprised, Wei Wuxian said, “Really? But doesn’t he say he’s going to break your legs all the time?”

“He’s just saying that!” Jin Ling raged.

–Chapt. 24: Malice II, fanyiyi

From Jin Ling’s perspective, his maternal uncle is always acerbic and never kind, but he has never been physically abusive to Jin Ling. Plus though he often threatens Jin Ling with physical abuse–threatening to break his legs or use Zidian on him–Jin Ling considers this all talk. In fact, Jiang Cheng’s abuse of Jin Ling stays firmly in the realm of verbal and emotional for most of the story. His most common insults to throw at his nephew are about Jin Ling appearing unworthy of his position as Jin (and Jiang) heir, in almost a mimicry of how Madam Yu would tell him that he was unworthy of being the Jiang heir in comparison to Wei Wuxian:

Frowning, he said, “Jin Ling, how much time are you going to waste? Do you need me to go over there and invite you back? Look at your sorry state—why the hell haven’t you gotten back up!?”

–Chapt. 7: Pride II, fanyiyi

“‘Fine’?” Jiang Cheng said. “You look like you took a tumble in a muddy ditch—you call that ‘fine?’ Aren’t you embarrassed to be wearing your clan’s uniform? Go back and change immediately! Out with it—what did you run into today?”

–Chapt. 23: Malice I, fanyiyi

He is also shown to have a bad habit of lashing out instead of expressing any emotion that could be considered nice, just like Jin Ling says:

Upon seeing that Jin Ling was fine, Jiang Cheng’s heart crashed back to earth like a boulder. Immediately furious, he said, “Didn’t you bring a signal? Don’t you know to fire it if you encounter something like this? Don’t try to show off! Come here!”

–Chapt. 10: Pride V, fanyiyi

And because of Jiang Cheng’s outward lack of concern for Jin Ling’s health and safety–prefering barbs over comfort–Jin Ling refuses to be vulnerable with him, keeping his fears, concerns, disappointments, and even positive emotions like relief to himself. Outwardly, he lashes out, just like he has learned to do from his maternal uncle:

Since Jin Ling hadn’t caught the soul eating maiden, he was also angry. “Wasn’t it you who told me I had to take the thing down no matter what?! You told me if I didn’t get it, I should never come see you again!”

–Chapt. 10: Pride V, fanyiyi

Annoyed, Jin Ling said, “I already told you, I didn’t run into anything! It was just a fall. The whole journey was a waste of time.”

–Chapt. 23: Malice I, fanyiyi

The one who called was Jiang Cheng, who stood near the edge. Still teary-eyed, as soon as Jin Ling saw his uncle, he immediately wiped his face, sniffing. He looked here and there and finally made up his mind to fly over, landing at Jiang Cheng’s side.

Jiang Cheng grabbed him, “What happened to you? Who did this to you?!”

Jin Ling rubbed his eyes roughly, refusing to speak up.

–Chapt. 84: Loyalty, exr

Who can blame him, though? Almost every life-threatening situation Jin Ling finds himself in is a direct result of Jiang Cheng’s cruelty towards him: from attempting to fight to goddess statue without calling for help, to ending up almost suffocated in the walls of the Nie Clan Saber Hall, and even to him winding up in Yi City:

Jiang Cheng’s next words were wrapped in thorns. “Why are you still standing there? Are you waiting for prey to rush toward you and stick themselves on your sword? If you can’t capture whatever’s living in Dafan Mountain, don’t ever come see me again!”

–Chapt. 8: Pride III, fanyiyi

It seemed that the boy hadn’t come to Qinghe alone. No surprise—at Dafan Mountain, Jiang Cheng had come to support his nephew, so why wouldn’t he come this time too? Only it seemed that the uncle and nephew had gotten into an argument in Qinghe Town, which caused Jin Ling to set off for Xinglu Ridge on his own.

–Chapt. 23: Malice I, fanyiyi

It turned out that, having tricked his uncle and released Wei Wuxian several days ago, Jin Ling had been worried that Jiang Cheng would actually break his legs, so he had decided to sneak off and disappear, intending to reappear in front his uncle only after Jiang Cheng’s temper had cooled.

–Chapt. 35: Flora III, fanyiyi

As much as Jin Ling wants to assure everyone that “that’s just how his uncle is” and show us how unbothered he is by Jiang Cheng’s behavior, he does actually fear the man. And with good reason to! Now let’s address the elephant in the room: Jiang Cheng very much so does want to be physically harm Jin Ling, and this almost always correlates to Jin Ling talking back/not listening to him. Take this scene from right after the juniors survive the goddess statue and Jin Ling reminding Jiang Cheng that he was the one who told the boy to either catch the beast on Dafan Mountain or never return to him:

Jiang Cheng wanted to slap the stinking brat so hard he’d fly back up his mother’s birth canal—but he did actually say those words. Since he couldn’t very well embarrass himself, the Clan Chief could only turn to sarcastically mocking the cultivators scattered randomly over the ground. “So what exactly thrashed all of you into looking so dignified?”

–Chapt. 10: Pride V, fanyiyi

The thing stopping him from slapping Jin Ling is the fact that Jiang Cheng publicly told the boy not to come back if he was not successful, and he has been publicly called out when trying to take Jin Ling to task. Being unable to swipe at the boy as he wishes, he then turns his attention to his disciples to punish, as they are lower than him in rank and therefore no one can chastise him on his unbecoming behavior. But once we get to the scenes where all social hierarchy and propriety break down–the second siege and Guanyin Temple–all hands are loosed:

Jiang Cheng forced himself to walk over to Jin Ling, grabbing him at once, “Did you get hurt?!”

Jin Ling’s breaths even smelled like rust, “I didn’t. I...”

Jiang Cheng immediately slapped him onto the ground, scolding, “You didn’t?! Then I’ll make you get hurt and teach you the lesson! You damn brat turning a deaf ear to my words?!”

–Chapt. 81: Loyalty, exr

Jiang Cheng shoved Jin Ling, who’d been holding him up helplessly, out of the way...

...With panic, Jin Ling stood in front of Jiang Cheng, “HanGuang-Jun! My uncle’s hurt...”

Jiang Cheng slapped him onto the ground, “Let him come! Am I scared of him?!”

–Chapt. 102: Hatred, exr

Social etiquette no longer exists in a life-or-death battle or hostage situation, so Jiang Cheng has no face to maintain in front of anyone else. But by this point in the story, Jin Ling has spent a considerable amount of time with two role models who do show him kindness, care, and support. He begins to crave that parental love he has been deprived of, starting from the second siege:

A few sect leaders clutched onto their sons, cautioning them, “When the corpses rush inside all at once, protect yourself and try to get out. Stay alive no matter what! You understand?!”

As Jin Ling heard this, he felt himself cringe, but somewhere deep down he hoped that his uncle would say something similar as well. He waited for a while, but nothing came from Jiang Cheng...

–Chapt. 81: Loyalty, exr

And when Jiang Cheng finally hits him for the first time, Jin Ling’s only reaction is to look towards wangxian:

He sat down, catching his breath as his eyes turned to the two sitting at the side of the Demon-Slaughtering Cave closest to the outside.

Both Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi were a mess.

–Chapt. 81: Loyalty, exr

Finally, all of the dysfunction in Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng’s relationship comes to a head in Guanyin Temple, the climax of the story. Jiang Cheng’s behavior escalates into physical violence towards his last living relative, while Jin Ling is no longer lashing out at his uncle in place of being vulnerable but is also no longer able to brush off Jiang Cheng’s cruelty as acceptable. He has had his entire worldview turned on its head, and out of that, realizes that he does not want to continue the cycle of abuse and hatred that Jiang Cheng tries to force him to inherit, but would rather follow the path of love and kindness that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have shown him is possible.

Jin Ling on Jiang Cheng’s personality:

For as long as he could remember, Jin Ling had never seen Jiang Cheng with such an expression. His uncle, who had single-handedly led the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng at a tender young age, was always cold and gloomy. He was merciless and never kind with his words.

–Chapt. 23: Malevolent Part 1: Running into Gunpoint, taming wangxian

From the beginning of his memory until now, Jin Ling had never seen such a look on Jiang Cheng’s face before. This uncle of his who led the prominent YunmengJiang Sect ever since a young age had always been cold and dark. When he spoke, he was willing to neither show mercy nor do good.

–Chapt. 23: Malice, exr

Jin Ling saying Jiang Cheng has never hit him before and is all talk:

Jin Ling stirred awake after a while. He rubbed his neck, which was still hurting, then angrily drew his sword and sprung up. “How dare you hit me! Even my uncle has never hit me before!”

Wei Wuxian was shocked. “Is that so? Doesn’t he frequently say that he will break your legs?”

Jin Ling raged, “He had never meant what he said!! You fucking cutsleeve, what do you want? I ...”

–Chapt. 24: Malevolent Part 2: Escape, taming wangxian

He was so angry that he jumped up and unsheathed his sword at once, “How dare you hit me! My uncle hadn’t even hit me before!”

Wei WuXian exclaimed, “Really? Doesn’t he say that he’ll break your legs all the time?”

Jin Ling fumed, “He’s only saying that! You damn cut- sleeve, what on Earth do you want? I...”

–Chapt. 24: Malice, exr

Jiang Cheng’s insults to Jin Ling:

He scowled, “Jin Ling, why are you wasting so much time? Do I have to come over to invite you back? You look like a mess now; why aren’t you getting up?”

–Chapt. 7: The Prideful Part 2: Wangji Finally Makes his Appearance! taming wangxian

He frowned, “Jin Ling, why did you linger for so long? Do you really need me to come and pick you up? Look at what a terrible situation you’re in right now, and get up!”

–Chapt. 7: Arrogance, exr

Jiang Cheng said, “Safe and sound? You look like you’ve been rolling around in the gutters, how is that ‘safe and sound’? Aren’t you ashamed to be wearing your family’s uniform? Hurry back now and get changed! Spit it out, what did you encounter today?”

–Chapt. 23: Malevolent Part 1: Running into Gunpoint, taming wangxian

Jiang Cheng, “Nothing wrong? You look like you just rolled around in a muddy ditch, and you say there’s nothing wrong with you! Don’t you think that it’s an embarrassment to be wearing your sect’s uniform? Hurry back and change into something else! Speak. What did you run into today?”

–Chapt. 23: Malice, exr

Jiang Cheng lashing out at Jin Ling in place of concern:

Jiang Cheng was greatly relieved when he saw that Jin Ling was not harmed. He immediately began to reprimand him. “Didn’t you bring the signals with you? Why didn’t you release it even though you were up against something like this? Were you trying to show off? Come over here now!”

–Chapt. 10: The Prideful Part 5: I’m Bringing This Man Back to the Lan Estate, taming wangxian

Seeing that Jin Ling was safe, Jiang Cheng finally calmed down. Quickly afterward, he scolded angrily, “Didn’t you bring signal firelights with you? Don’t you know to use them when you meet something like this? What are you pretending to be strong for? Scram over here!”

–Chapt. 10: Arrogance, exr

Jiang Cheng’s behavior pushing Jin Ling into danger:

Jiang Cheng then said in a scathing tone, “Why are you still standing there? The prey’s not going to stab themselves with your swords! If you can’t capture whatever’s on Dafan Mountain, don’t look for me again!”

–Chapt. 8: The Prideful Part 3: Discovering His Good Looks After Cleaning Up, taming wangxian

Jiang Cheng turned again, his words covered with thorns, “Why are you still standing there? Waiting for the prey to come and throw itself onto your sword? If, today, you don’t catch the creature hunting Dafan Mountain, don’t come to me ever again!”

–Chapt. 8: Arrogance, exr

It turned out that Jin Ling didn’t come to Qinghe alone. That wasn’t surprising; previously, Jiang Cheng had also provided him with back-up on Dafan Mountain, so why wouldn’t he be here this time? However, from the looks of it, the uncle and nephew probably had an argument in Qinghe, hence Jin Ling had trekked up Xinglu Ridge alone.

–Chapt. 23: Malevolent Part 1: Running into Gunpoint, taming wangxian

It appeared that Jin Ling didn’t come to Qinghe alone. Well, no wonder. Last time, at Dafan Mountain, Jiang Cheng had been there to assist him, so why wouldn’t he have come this time? However, looking at this now, it seemed that the two had a quarrel in the town of Qinghe, which was why Jin Ling went up the Xinglu Ridge alone

–Chapt. 23: Malice, exr

It turned out that a few days ago, after Jin Ling had sent Jiang Cheng away on a lie and released Wei Wuxian, he was worried that his uncle might really break his legs this time around. Hence, he decided to sneak out and disappear for a couple of weeks, then reappear when Jiang Cheng’s anger had subsided.

–Chapt. 35: Foliage Part 3: The Paper Effigies Shop and Glutinous Rice Porridge, taming wangxian

Ever since a few days ago, after Jin Ling lied to his uncle and let Wei WuXian go, he had been worried that this time Jiang Cheng would really break his legs, so he decided to sneak out and disappear for a few days, not appearing in front of Jiang Cheng until his anger subsided.

–Chapt. 35: Grasses, exr

Jin Ling refusing to be vulnerable with Jiang Cheng/lashing out:

Jin Ling was furious that he failed to capture the soul-eating fairy, and retorted, “Didn’t you say I had to capture it at all costs? And that I shouldn’t return to you empty handed!”

–Chapt. 10: The Prideful Part 5: I’m Bringing This Man Back to the Lan Estate, taming wangxian

Jin Ling was also angered from not capturing the soul- consuming goddess, “Weren’t you the one who told me that I have to catch it? And, if I don’t catch it, I shouldn’t go see you?”

–Chapt. 10: Arrogance, exr

Jin Ling said impatiently, “I’ve already told you that I didn’t encounter anything. I slipped and fell. It was a wasted trip. Ouch!” He yelled, “Don’t you drag me around like this! I’m not three years old!”

–Chapt. 23: Malevolent Part 1: Running into Gunpoint, taming wangxian

Jin Ling replied impatiently, “I already said that I didn’t run into anything. I tripped, and it was a waste of time. Ow!” He shouted, “Don’t tug on me like that! I’m not three-years- old!”

–Chapt. 23: Malice, exr

The voice that had called out earlier had belonged to the man standing at the head of the ship, none other than Jiang Cheng. Between tears, Jin Ling peered out and upon seeing his uncle, he abruptly stopped crying and quickly rubbed away his tears. Sniffing slightly, he looked around, clenching his teeth as he quickly flew over to Jiang Cheng’s side. Jiang Cheng grasped Jin Ling’s shoulders in alarm, asking, “What happened to you? Who bullied you!”

Rubbing his eyes forcefully, Jin Ling remained silent.

–Chapt. 84 Loyalty: Little Friends, chiaki_himura

The voice earlier had come from Jiang Cheng. Jin Ling’s eyes were misty with tears. Hearing his uncle’s voice, he immediately wiped his face clean, sniffed his nose, looked back and forth between the two ships, and then finally decided to fly over. The second Jin Ling landed besides him, Jiang Cheng had his hands on him, “What’s wrong? Who bullied you?!”

Jin Ling wiped at his eyes hard, but refused to speak.

–Chapt. 84: “Core” Part 6, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Jiang Cheng wishing violence on Jin Ling:

Jiang Cheng wanted to slap this kid so hard that he would be forced back into his mother’s womb. However, these were his very own words; how could he take them back?

–Chapt. 10: The Prideful Part 5: I’m Bringing This Man Back to the Lan Estate, taming wangxian

Jiang Cheng seriously wanted to slap the rotten brat so hard that he went back inside his mother’s stomach. However, he really did say so himself, and he shouldn’t prove himself wrong.

–Chapt. 10: Arrogance, exr

Jiang Cheng physically harming Jin Ling:

Jiangcheng limped quickly towards Jin Ling, grabbing him his shoulders with both hands as he said angrily, “Are you hurt!”

Breathing heavily, Jin Ling murmured, “No, I......”

Jiang Cheng had landed a slap on Jin Ling’s face as he berated, “No?! If you’re not hurt then let me give you something to hurt about! You rascal, turning a deaf ear to my words now, aren’t you?!”

–Chapt. 81 Loyalty: Corpses of the Burial Mound, chiaki_himura

Jiang Cheng limped towards Jin Ling, grabbed him and yelled, “Are you injured!”

Even Jin Ling’s laboured breaths were tainted with the smell of blood, “No, I…….”

Jiang Cheng immediately slapped him onto the group, “No?! Then take this as a reminder for what you just did! Do my words mean nothing to you, you little shit!”

–Chapt. 81: “Core” Part 3, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Jiang Cheng pushed away Jin Ling who had been supporting him, and despite having lost so much blood, his face remained flushed with anger as he roared, “How could you?! Wei Wuxian, how could you?!”...

...Lan Wangji stood up furiously as Jin Ling leapt in front of Jiang Cheng again, trembling as he begged, “HanGuang-Jun! My uncle is injured......”

Jiang Cheng struck a blow on Jin Ling, causing him to stumble to the ground.

–Chapt. 102 Hatred: I’m Sorry, I Swallowed My Words, chiaki_himura

Jin Ling wanting to hear kind words from Jiang Cheng:

Several sect leaders grabbed onto their offspring, urgently directing them, “When the corpses rush in, you have to protect yourself and find a way to escape. You must stay alive no matter what! Do you understand?!”

Hearing the desperation in the parents’ voices, Jin Ling felt a pang of sadness. Deep down, he had hoped that perhaps Jiang Cheng would also say this to him, but however long he waited, nothing came out of it...

–Chapt. 81 Loyalty: Corpses of the Burial Mound, chiaki_himura

Various Sect and Clan Leaders had grabbed their own sons, warning, “When the corpses rush in, you will protect yourself, and find a way to escape! You must survive no matter what happens! Do you understand me?!”

Hearing this, a sourness churned within Jin Ling. A part of him longed to hear those same words from his own uncle. But after waiting for a few, long moments, Jiang Cheng showed no sign of speaking up.

–Chapt. 81: “Core” Part 3, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Jin Ling looking to wangxian for comfort:

After taking the blow, Jin Ling couldn’t stand any further and sat onto the ground heavily, breathing deeply as his eyes travelled to the silhouettes of the two people sitting closest to the entrance of the cave.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were a mess.

–Chapt. 81 Loyalty: Corpses of the Burial Mound, chiaki_himura

Yet Jiang Cheng* himself had no energy left to stand after giving this slap. He sat down heavily, breathing hard as he glared at the two figures closest to the mouth of the Demon-Crouching Cave.

Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi were a mess.

–Chapt. 81: “Core” Part 3, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

*boat-full-of-lotus-pods is the only translation of the three I have of Chapt. 81 that says that Jiang Cheng is the one who looks at wangxian. Both exr and chiaki_himura say that this is Jin Ling.

#human reads mdzs: take 2 #human metas mxtx #omfg this was long #also i thought about using every jl/jc interaction #but that is just too goddamn long #if you want to know how many times jc threatens jl with physical violence #you'll have to look that up on your own #i only took pertinent info from major arcs

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lord-squiggletits · 3 months

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I'm not normally a "fuck canon" kind of person but it's still wild to me that JRO said via word of god that Pharma's red rust plague wasn't designed for Tarn. Like what the fuck. Tarn trapped Pharma into a blackmail deal to give him free tcogs for his transformation addiction and Pharma designs a plague that activates on transformation and you're gonna try to tell me that Tarn wasn't in Pharma's mind when he made it like that? How can you NOT write that into your plot when the connection is so obviously there? I guess it would've meant writing Pharma as more of a vengeful mech seeking punishment for his captor and not as an insane selfish doctor, and I guess that just wasn't what we were after.

#but also it's word of god + in canon pharma says he did it to close the clinic w/o suspicion on him #so it's a mix of fuck word of god and fuck canon i guess #honestly i do say fuck canon re: pharma saying he made the virus JUST to get the clinic closed down #again the connection b/t tcog blackmail for a transformation addict and a plague that activates on transformation is way too obvious #also i don't understand how pharma's plan wouldn't have possibly worked to infect the djd anyways #whether tarn shows up at delphi to get his cogs or pharma delivers them or someone else picks them up #if tarn doesn't get the cogs bc delphi is closed down then he would of course go to delphi to rain punishment on pharma #and then the whole clinic is infected with plague so tarn and co walk right into an infection ridden trap #like i do think pharma wanting to not get caught is pertinent to his character (tho i see it as understandable tragedy instead of cowardice #but this is just another instance of me seriously questioning JRO's use of word of god when WOG is worse than fan theories #squiggposting #pharma apologism

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dupliciti · 1 month

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i’ve been getting a feel for writing aha - in the form of emanator sampo being controlled like a puppet when aha is bored… not to be confused with my au/verse idea that will be sampo is actually aha therefore aha!sampo still aha but different manifestation. this comes from what i’ve been writin with ayla uwu

Puppet mercenary hasn't made any moves to sheath his blades upon seeing his lover, not even the bravado && command of a captain making him back down. Though, such behavior wouldn't be any different from how Sampo typically interacts with Gepard, fitting for their meeting now. With a twirl of one blade, greens observing the way the metal glints, he laughs softly. Sound of it somewhat forced, growing louder as his eyes travel upward && settle on Gepard. There's a lack of light, madman sitting in what may as well amount to a husk of another.

❝ I'm having fun, is that not obvious enough ? ❞ Typical lilt still present, but it's slightly more sophisticated. Aha has been through quite a bit of time, dealing with many. If they try hard enough perhaps they could get Sampo's mannerisms && voice down to a T, but the intent isn't really to fool anyone. It's to bring about cause, perhaps force change neither Sampo or Gepard want. ❝ You look a bit bothered... I promise that this is something meant to bring joy ! Come on... You look so much better when you smile~ ❞

He starts to take some steps forward, not getting too close, but cutting down the distance. There's a bit of a skip to his strides, the infectious enthusiasm cannot be contained even in the body of an Emanator. Rather than greeting Sampo's captain with a warm smile, it's a full blown grin. ❝ Ah, so no one is dead ? Then there shouldn't be any issues ! ❞ The dagger he hadn't inspected gets raised to his face, the blade flirting very close with his lips. They're a rather bulky set of blades, though the build of the mercenary accommodates for the necessary upper body strength in handling them. Shape && style more so meant for the way they dazzle when latched && thrown as one unit. Tongue flicks purple steel, flat part first while chasing the sharp edge. ❝ Dating a criminal... Is it the danger factor ? Is that what gets you going ? But hmm... You don't seem to be taking too kindly to seeing your beloved doing what he does best... That's sad. ❞

#the fact that i have reasoning for how i am writing aha the way i am means im already in too deep #also i have technically written a single reply for aha prior to this but this was more so pertinent to me making distinctions #( ic; )#( muse: aha; )

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bleachbleachbleach · 9 months

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[Bleach 547/574]

The other day I wrote in the tags that I was certain Mayuri/Zaraki was a canon ship but I couldn't remember why, but NOW I I DO. When I first read TYBW I was reading as scanlation that translated both of these lines as "I don't dislike illogical things" and I was like hehehe... braintwins. >:} MAYURI WOULD BE SO MAD ABOUT THIS

But it's TRUE these two brought the exact same energy to TYBW. Byakuya's out here contemplating visceral philosophies of fear and Hitsugaya's rambling about thermodynamics but Mayuri and Zaraki show up like "fuck it, WE BALLLLLLLL"

Mayuri's line is 「非常識な事は嫌いじゃア無い」

Zaraki's is 「理屈の通じねえのは嫌いじゃねえぜ」

What these two lines have in common is:

the construction "I don't hate..."

both Zaraki and Mayuri not hating illogical things (though they use different words to describe the concept)

Translating the two lines, I came up with:

Mayuri: I don't DISlike the absurd.

Zaraki: I ain't mad about crazy!

For Mayuri, I decided to go with "I don't DISlike the absurd" because he's speaking pretty standard Japanese, but emphasizes one of the syllables of "hate/dislike," so I went with 'DISlike' to mimic that. I went with "the absurd" because nominalizations like that are super academic-y, which I feel like gives it the air of an ~intellectual. It also shares its construction with stuff like "theatre of the absurd," where Mayuri sure is troddin' the boards TONITE.

For Zaraki, his tiny lead-in bubble says 「ムチャクチャだな」 a translation for which can be "that's really absurd." I translated this as "fuckin' nuts" because "fucking" is used as a coarse emphatic in English all the time, and it matches the overall coarse pattern of Zaraki's speech in Japanese. The actual phrase he uses is also part of the title of a popular manga, "Love You Like Crazy." So for Zaraki's "I don't dislike illogical things" I borrowed the "like crazy" sentiment from that earlier bubble and went with "I ain't mad about crazy!" because I felt like that matched the coarse pattern of the original and there's a little fun wordplay there in terms of "mad about" as in "hate/dislike" and "mad" as a synonym for "crazy."

AT THE END OF THE DAY, the sentiment they are expressing is the same, they are braintwins!!! And given that the last two digits of these chapters are transpositions of each other, manga numerology dictates that KenMayu is super SUPER canon now.

#kurotsuchi mayuri #zaraki kenpachi #bleach manga #bleach language #bleach カラー #no brain just bleach #NB: Viz translates Mayuri's line as 'inconsiderate things' which is also valid #but given that the man walked out in an Electric Light Parade cosplay I feel like 'absurd' feels more pertinent to me than consideration #though later on with the zombies Mayuri actually does talk more about consideration #so the Viz translation might work better in the long game

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klanced · 10 months

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this isn’t even about my evil agenda anymore I actually just need to hear your dissertation on voltron/klance x first love late spring

you do evil things to my dick and balls. i hope you know that.

first love / late spring is a very keith-core song, but i think it also applies to both keith and lance... but more specifically, FL/LS is keith pre-relationship, and then FL/LS is lance once they have already started dating.

i'm obsessed with that one interview of mitski where she explained that she wrote this song while she was experiencing her vulnerable first love... and first love is vulnerable. you simultaneously reap the rewards of being known but at the same time, you've now let someone else know you, and now you have to trust them to take care of you. and it's so vulnerable. it's more naked than being naked. and it's so difficult as well because now you're learning a brand new way you can be hurt.

so keith, pre-relationship... he's pining for lance and he is MISERABLE. he's lost control! he feels like he's being consumed by the enormity of his feelings. he's eight years old and small and never asked for this, he never wanted to know he could feel this way. he just wants lance to fucking go already. keith wants to spit vitriol and blame and shame and drive lance away so that when lance leaves him (and he will leave him, like everyone else has), then at least it will be on keith's own terms for once. and keith doesn't, he refuses, to say how he feels. he'll spitefully choke on his confession until it suffocates him. he doesn't want to know what lance might say.

but he also is afraid of lance's reaction because... if lance gives him even a sliver of ground, if there's even a promise of a chance -- keith will fold instantly. he will jump into this love headfirst. he'll do anything if it will make lance stay with him.

and then lance, mid-established relationship... things with keith are perfect, everything is going great, so why does lance feel so anxious all the time? why does he feel so scared when keith looks at him like he's his whole world? maybe the problem is lance. because what they have is real. because he's pretty sure keith is it for him. and that terrifies lance. because lance, deep down, knows he's going to screw this up. and it's not just his heart on the line; he's also going to hurt keith.

keith smiles at him and lance feels sick to his stomach. he wants to tell keith that they might be happy right now, but eventually, lance is going to ruin this. he wants to warn keith that lance is going to break his heart one day.

lance isn't always so negative about himself. during the day, it's easy to let himself be buoyed and enveloped by his feelings for keith. he loves being in love with keith. because the love is real. it's real, and it's there, and that matters. but at night, all those poisonous insecurities and anxieties rear their ugly head, and lance finds himself standing on a ledge over a drop. lance daydreams about spending the rest of his life with keith; lance has never felt so young and small.

#mintcaboodle #klance #voltron #ask #the old child/young adult metaphor is also like. so lance-core. AND THE 'I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME' LINE!!!!!!!!#im in my feels tonight i'm sorry the lance analysis is not fully cooked #also like obviously lance doesn't always feel this way. it's more pertinent closer to the beginning when he #starts to fully realize the depths of his feelings and he's freaking out because he's beginning to understand what it means to spend #the rest of your life with someone and that is a TERRIFYING thing to want and imagine when you're only 17/18 #lance does get better though and his insecurities die out the longer and more stable his relationship with keith is #though sometimes those same insecurities crop up now and again #i talk a lot about pining keith and how like tumultuous his experience is. but once he starts dating lance things even out for him #whereas lance is relatively chill in his pining and then begins to flounder after they get together and after he's realized the Love word #otp: we are a good team #katiecanons #idk i guess #keith #lance

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balleater · 2 years

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another bit of lore i want to bring up into the discussions for exu calamity is what the tal'dorei reborn book tells us about the beginning of the calamity as well as vespin chloras's involvement and fate thereafter:

we know what happened (or atleast what the alabaster lyceum believes to have happened) to vespin after his attempt to reach out to the betrayer gods, and this is actually why i'm particularly interested in brennan's choice to include asmodeus as prominently as he did in the first episode.

#critical role #exu calamity #vespin chloras #exu spoilers #vespin chloras is wizard hubris personified and he got Fucked Up as a result. love that for him.#anyways im probably gonna keep posting random bits of lore that are pertinent to calamity as i remember them djfkdn #mostly bc ive seen some takes that contradict some known lore and ik a lot of this type of lore isnt given directly in the show #so i just want to put it out there #(also im trying to get better at including alt text for the pictures i post hopefully i did this one right djkfndkd)

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saltpepperbeard · 2 years

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No but imagine a scene similar to the one where Stede is pretending to snore to avoid confrontation with Mary, but instead of something depressing like that, it’s something silly with Ed.

Like, Stede gets to bed first, and pretends to be asleep only so he can pounce on Ed with kisses or tickles or something of the like when Ed doesn’t expect it.

He hears Ed rummaging around in the bathroom or shedding his leather, and decides to go through with a light fuckery. He keeps his back to Ed, and pretends to snore, but he’s grinning the entire time.

Ed gets into bed behind him, and leans over to softly ask, “Stede? You asleep, mate?” Stede has to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing, and fears that the light from his huge smile might give him away, but keeps his acting up.

The second Ed lets his guard down and presses a light “goodnight” kiss to Stede’s hair, Stede whirls around to tackle him into the mattress.

And that little bit of pretend sleep is the only sleep he gets for a while; the rest of the night is filled with laughter, banter, and of course plenty of kisses and love.

#OFMD #Gentlebeard #Blackbonnet #Edward Teach #Stede Bonnet #Revenge Rambles #Just thinking about them and drowning in Hopeless Romantic Imagery TM as per usual JSKLDHS #Also I couldn't help but notice some trouble stirrers running amok and found it pertinent to spread lovely scenes instead #SPREADING LOVE WITH THEIR LOVE #I simply want to put a bandaid over their bad moments and kiss them both on the head idk #Because the thought of Stede crying himself to sleep every night is SO heartbreaking #And I wouldn't be surprised if Ed was doing so too #Or numbing himself #Either way they both weren't happy at all so I just #God I ADORE to think about how soft and warm things will be once they're soundly back in each other's arms #IT'S JUST SUCH A COMFORTING THOUGHT

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hadesknockedupintheunderworld · 6 months

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Hhhhh brainrotting over Ianfinite <- man who should not be this obsessed over the psyche of someone's Sonic oc

Anyways, I think it's a common misconception that Infinite simps for Ian Jr, but Ian Jr would never reciprocate feelings

What if the feelings are mutual but each of them thinks the other does not feel the same

Like Infinite thinks Ian Jr is cool, and that he can see right through his attempts to be cool and edgy (even if he also simultaneously thinks he is how he tries to be). He wants to please Ian Jr so he can win him over, or at the very least so Ian Jr will keep him around. Pathetic Jackal trying to impress his crush and make his crush see him as super cool and great, but also afraid that his crush can see through him and will notice every slip up or mistake. Doesn't think Ian jr feels the same but wants to make it happen by just being so appealing

And what's funny is that Ian Jr *does* see right through him. He can see that Infinite is pathetic and cringe. He *does* notice when Infinite slips up and fails. Except that's what Ian Jr likes about him. Does this make sense? Someone would be like "Infinite is cringe!" and Ian Jr would counter with "I know! It's what makes him appealing!" Or at the very least he knows and doesn't care. But even though that Ian Jr can see Infinite's attempts to look cool in front of him and what would be Infinite's attempts to woo him, it does not occur to Ian Jr that Infinite likes him romantically.

Ian Jr looked for Infinite after he "went missing" (I have not played forces. I heard Infinite got trapped in the phantom ruby or something? Idk I'm thinking from a specific comic I'm pretty sure Ian made), but Infinite doesn't know this. Infinite isn't just acting the way he does because he wants to prove himself better than Shadow, but also because he frankly wants to make Ian Jr swoon (and be considered cool by the mobian he thinks is just so incredibly cool), and Ian Jr doesn't know this.

This could be solved if they just talked about it, but they won't!😂

Because Infinite is dedicated to his plan of winning over Ian Jr without having to reveal himself (basically getting Ian Jr to confess and choose him)

And Ian Jr believes Infinite doesn't feel that way and is just glad Infinite is around and alive at least, so he doesn’t see any reason to talk about anything

Idiots idiots someone should force them to kiss

It wouldn't fix this, but it would be funny