#ep: devil may care

[random-fandom-whump]

Whumptober Day 30: Manhandling & Hair Grabbing ↳ Supernatural S09E02

#whumptober2022 #no.30 #manhandling #hair grabbing #supernatural #gifs #dean winchester #spn 9x02 #ep: devil may care #face touching #hair pulling #thrown through a window #defiance #fear #pain #wincing #power play #abbadon #jensen ackles

[teafiend]

All gifs credited to @Nungchae (Twitter/X)

That scene of her eating that ice popsicle lived rent-free in my headscape for more than two years 🤩😍

(The lighting in this show just does something to me… and the minimal make up is certainly one of the reasons I am fixated on KGY)

#jung eun chae #kang gil young #the guest #ocn the guest #just love her so d**n much #rewatching Ep 5 #that poor Ms Kim 😭😭😭 #and the soft glare she gave Go-sunbae during the ice popsicle scene was another great one #love her character #her annoyed devil-may-care-attitude is amazing #reminiscing on the character feels 🤩😍🥰🥹 #KGY during the second half of Ep 5

[glorious-sunset]

Location Names in LBFAD – Meaning and Significance

For English viewers, some of the location names in LBFAD (Love between Fairy and Devil) are given in Mandarin. However, the meanings of these names have deep significance that are lost in translation! Here are my translations and interpretations of these meanings.

Cang Yan Hai - 苍盐海: “Dark blue Salt Sea”

The hanzi (mandarin character) for “Cang” is the same as the “Cang” in “Dongfang QingCANG” (DFQC) and means dark blue. The colour dark blue is representative of the Moon Tribe, and may symbolise the night sky featuring the Moon (their emblem) and its reflection in the water of their Sea. Only members of the royal family (DFQC and Xunfeng) are seen wearing dark blue, embellished with gold (see image above). Other characters, such as Jieli and Xiao Lanhua (XLH) do wear blue but generally in lighter hues. Part of DFQC’s name (but not all, I will post more on this later) is named after the realm of the Moon Tribe, as he represents Cangyan Sea as their leader. The darkness of this imagery (and their better fashion and clothing! :D ) contrasts with the light and airy tones of Shuiyuntian.

The character for “Yan” is the same as the “Yan” in Lady Yan, the founder of the Moon Tribe, and means salt. Cangyan Sea is named after its founder to honour her establishment of their Tribe, and her name reflects the bitterness (saltiness) of her personal life experiences and her actions in response to these (I will post more on this later). “Yan” also symbolises the saltiness of the seawater in Cangyan Sea, and the harshness of the environment there. The people of the Moon Tribe work hard to survive, depending on fishing and hunting for sustenance. “Hai” means sea, acknowledging that Cangyan Sea is made up of many small islands surrounded by sea. The Moon Tribe also obtain many varieties of fresh seafood from the sea (and have better food than Shuiyuntian! :D )

Si Ming Dian - 司命殿: “Arbiter of Fate Temple”

This sacred place is named after the Arbiter of Fate, Siming (the title of her position), and hosts the sacred Tree of Destiny and Tianji Mirror. “Dian”, meaning temple (although subtitled as “Hall”), reflects the consecrated nature of this abode. The Arbiter of Fate, Siming, was in charge of the fates of everyone in the three realms, and took particular care to guide the destiny of XLH, whom she loved like a daughter, and upon whose fate the safety of the three realms depended.

Siming Dian is located in the most remote part of Shuiyuntian, and it can be supposed that Siming (and her predecessors) intentionally established their abode here to avoid Shuiyuntian politics and protect XLH’s secret identity. Fairies describe it as a miserable destination (ep. 1) and avoid visiting unless absolutely necessary. This remoteness and solitude allowed DFQC and XLH to peacefully coexist there for almost two weeks without being disturbed or discovered. Due to its north-facing aspect and remoteness, however, it does not receive much sunlight, making it difficult for the spirits there to cultivate and for XLH to recover after having her energy drained.

Shui Yun Tian - 水雲天: “Heavens of Water and Clouds”

“Tian” means sky/heavens and “Yun” means clouds, and from its lofty position high in the sky among the clouds, the residents of the Fairy Realm, Shuiyuntian, look down upon the mortal realm and the realm of the Moon Tribe, both literally and figuratively. They believe they are the top, most superior race, and have been actively trying to wipe out the Moon Tribe for generations. The fairies look down on XLH because of her origin from the mortal realm. But their views and opinions have been clouded by the propaganda circulated within Shuiyuntian, especially around members of the Moon Tribe.

All locations in Shuiyuntian (Arbiter Hall, Fountain Palace, Yujing etc.) float in the sky, and its residents are immortal beings with the ability to fly and manipulate energy. The clouds in this heavenly ethereal paradise are also home to the magical Cloud Whale.

“Shui” means water, and the capital of Shuiyuntian (Yujing) is the place where the four rivers Xiao, Xiang, Li and Yuan converge, controlled by the Four-River Pearl tower. Many structures featuring water are seen throughout Shuiyuntian, such as Fountain Palace, the waterfall in Shuyu forest and floating water fountains throughout Yujing. The vast amounts of water are a lethal weakness which DFQC exploits in ep. 9 by destroying the Four-River Pearl. This creates catastrophic tsunami waves threatening both Shuiyuntian and the mortal realm, the flow of which the celestials are barely able to reverse with their combined powers!

Yu Jing - 玉京: “Jade Capital”

Yujing, the capital of Shuiyuntian, is named after the sacred stone Jade, which is rare and highly prized in both Cangyan Sea and Shuiyuntian. However, the rarest forms of Jade come from Cangyan Sea, such as the Magical Jade Firefly stone which takes 10,000 years to form in the cold temperatures of Northernmost Ocean. No wonder Shuiyuntian wants to conquer Cangyan Sea and exploit their resources! Changheng obtained the Firefly stone for XLH during his recent invasion of Northernmost Ocean.

The other jade artefacts in the series are also observed within Cangyan Sea. The holy token of the Moon Supreme, the magical Jade ring, is a sacred artefact made of rare jade. This ring is enchanted to protect its wearer from mental influences, including the mental and emotional effects of the one-heart curse. Jieli steals rare jade from the Spiritual Treasures Pavilion at Silent Moon Palace (claiming it is for XLH :P )

Shu Yu Lin - 淑玉林: “Gentle Jade Forest”

Also named for the prized stone Jade, it is possible that Shuyu forest has some jade deposits, although we do not see them. “Shu” means gentle, and this forest is so well-lit, open and safe that escaped celestial criminals from Haotian tower are able to hide there only briefly in ep. 2. A few demons are brought in for a day for the fairies’ examination, but otherwise no dangerous creatures are seen in this forest. This was a beautiful and idyllic location for XLH and Changheng’s fateful tryst 500 years ago! :D

What a contrast this forest is to the Dark Pine Forest in Cangyan Sea! The Dark Pine Forest is dense and dark enough to hide the most evil of schemers, Ronghao, his henchmen and allies prime among them! It is also used for hunting and dangerous beasts likely lurk within.

Hao Tian Ta - 昊天塔: “Vast Sky Tower”

Located within the heavenly sky realm of Shuiyuntian, this maximum security prison is so vast that XLH is able to float freely within the top tier in ep. 1, the walls of the tower being so distant as to be out of sight. The vast tower has many many levels separated from each other, to house its numerous prisoners, who are sentenced to lengthy terms spanning tens of thousands of years. They are immortals, so executing them would lead to them reincarnating. Therefore, they are imprisoned instead to eliminate potential threats to Shuiyuntian. Haotian Tower is beside Shuyu Forest, as XLH observes the High Council around the tower from there in ep. 1, and both she and celestial criminals end up there after escaping the tower in ep. 2.

Xuan Xu Zhi Jing - 玄虚之境: “Realm of Deceit”

The Xuanxu realm is the region of Cangyan Sea that 30,000 years ago, saw the downfall of DFQC and the 100,000 soldiers loyal to him and to the Moon Tribe. “Xuanxu” means mystery or deceit, and perfectly describes how both DFQC and his soldiers were taken off-guard by Lady Chidi’s sacrifice, which sealed the soldiers within the earth. DFQC describes these tactics as “dirty tricks” in ep. 2.

Prior to the arrival of DFQC’s 100,000 soldiers, he and Lady Chidi had already been battling each other for some time (days in the novel), during which time, DFQC had marked the back of Lady Chidi’s neck with Hellfire, and she had weakened him. Thus, after her sacrifice, Lord Dong and the combined Heavenly High Council were able to gang up on and capture an already weakened DFQC, separating his spirit from his body and imprisoning both within Haotian Tower and the powerful magical seal of the Haotian Matrix. Note that DFQC refuses to stoop to this level of (deceitful) unfairness in ep. 13 when he refuses to fight a Changheng who is already injured and disadvantaged.

Shuiyuntian again launch an unprovoked attack and invasion of Cangyan Sea in ep. 31, on the deceitful false accusation that Ronghao offers them. The Xuanxu Realm is the site where the gravely outnumbered women and children of the Moon Tribe try to defend themselves against this genocidal onslaught.

Yun Meng Ze - 雲夢澤: “Cloud Dream Lake”

Yunmeng Ze is the only realm for mortal inhabitants among the three realms, as both Shuiyuntian and Cangyan Sea are the homes of immortal beings. It is named for the bountiful lakes bordering its buildings and residences. These lakes are connected to the Oblivion River, which immortals can use to transport themselves between Yunmeng Ze, Cangyan Sea and Shuiyuntian (as our OTP do in ep. 26).

The mortals that live here are not aware of the existence of magic or immortal beings, or of the other two realms, thus their perceptions are “clouded”. And like a fleeting cloud or dream, their lives are brief and fleeting compared with the lives of immortal beings. Even time runs much faster within Yunmeng Ze compared with the other two realms. A few hours in Cangyan Sea or Shuiyuntian is equivalent to a few months in Yunmeng Ze. For immortals living out tribulations in the mortal realm, their memories of their immortal lives are absent during this time, thus their perceptions are also clouded and the life they live out here is like a dream in retrospect.

Lu Cheng - 鹿城: “Deer City”

It’s not clear why Lucheng, a city in the mortal realm, is named after deer, but perhaps its inhabitants enjoy hunting deer for sport or for sustenance :) In the novel, Lucheng is a city under siege, thus its inhabitants are prey, similar to deer.

Hai Shi - 海市: “Sea City”

Haishi was founded by Ronghao with the backing of Xunfeng 30,000 years ago for the purpose of refining evil qi to sustain Taisui. It is a thriving centre for commerce and trade, and its location beside the sea (for which it is named “Sea City”) enables efficient transportation of mercantile goods to and from other regions. Within Haishi are located Jieli’s shop, the Luifang Pavilion and the Soul transformation grounds.

Haishi is located outside the three realms of Yunmengze, Shuiyuntian and Cangyan Sea. The evidence for this is: a) Jieli’s shop contains many magical artefacts that are forbidden in the mortal realm of Yunmengze so her shop can’t be there. b) XLH visits Jieli’s shop in Haishi in ep. 2 and she wouldn’t have been allowed to (or able to) visit Cangyan Sea at this time so the shop can’t be there. c) Jieli had been enchanted by her parents to have the appearance of a member of the Moon Tribe, thus would not have been allowed to live and trade in Shuiyuntian so her shop can’t be there. d) Ronghao is based in Haishi and he infrequently visits Shuiyuntian, thus Haishi is not in Shuiyuntian. Being outside the three realms enables Ronghao to refine evil qi from the souls of both Fairy Realm and Moon Tribe members without the notice of either of these tribes.

Liu Fang Ge - 留芳阁: “Keep Fragrant Pavilion”

The Liufang Pavilion in Haishi is the base for Ronghao (the Master of Haishi) and Dieyi, and is a legitimate business centre. It is the cover that they use for their nefarious activities of refining evil qi from the souls of the dead and feeding Taisui, thus it is important that they keep the reputation of this centre ever clean and fragrant.

Xi Shan - 息山: Breath (of life) Mountain

Xishan is also placed outside of the three realms in a faraway and remote location, and is named for the many mountains in this region. Members of the Xilan tribe inhabiting Xishan had the unique ability to restore damaged and disembodied spirits and had powerful healing magics. The Goddess of Xishan, with the power of the breath of life, could even resurrect the dead. The character for "Xi" is the same as the "Xi" in Xiyun (XLH's real name) and means breath (of life). Thus part of XLH's name is the same as the name of her realm, just as part of DFQC's name is the same as the name of his realm. This is because they both represent their respective realms and peoples as their leaders!

The Xilan tribe alongside the Goddess maintained tight security over the ultimate ancient evil god Taisui, who could not be completely defeated but was carefully sealed away beneath Xishan.

Here is a link to my article: LBFAD is the most inspiring series I have ever watched and here is why…

All of my LBFAD articles can be viewed with the tag #lbfad reflections (hyperlinked) and the table of contents to these is here.

#lbfad #love between fairy and devil #canglan jue #clj #dongfang qingcang #dfqc #xiao lanhua #xlh #cdrama #lbfad meta #cang lan jue #lbfd #cdramasource #asiandramasource #asiandramanet #dylan wang #wang hedi #yu shuxin #esther yu #lbfad reflections

[the-marshals-wife]

Keep Me Close (Tech x Reader)

*BELOW THE CUT THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR S2 EP 8: TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES*

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day, babes! I'm hitting two mynocks with one stone: writing something short and sweet for my favorite Batcher and processing my emotions over [redacted].

Description: Tech x Fem!Reader Batcher, semi-established relationship (there's an unspoken thing *wink*) | Warnings: none, hurt+comfort fluff | Word count: 804

★ Bad Batch Tag List ★ @dantes-devil-huntress @sageislostinspring @sweetheart-bo (comment to be added!)

Gif credit: user dreamswithghosts

Imagine being unable to sleep, upset by Echo's departure, and turning to Tech for comfort

The ship was stuffy. Your mind was full. The future was uncertain. It was the perfect mixture of reasons to be restless.

You'd removed the top half of your blacks and tied it around your waist, putting on a tank top in hopes of cooling down. Sitting on the lowered ramp of The Marauder, you stared into the misty night sky, feeling trapped by the stale silence. Your eyes began to sting, emotions starting to overcome you. How could so much have changed so quickly?

The sound of footsteps pulled you from your troubled thoughts, and you didn't have to turn around to know who approached. The rapid tapping of gloved fingers on a datapad was enough for you to recognize him.

"You are unable to sleep," Tech says.

It wasn't a question. He'd just stated it as a fact, as he did with most things.

"Not really," you answer, quickly wiping at your eyes.

"I suspect there is a reason," he begins, sitting down beside you, "Would it ease your mind if you shared your concerns with me?"

Your heart skipped at the prospect, and at how near he was.

"I'll be alright, really," you hesitate, trying to compose yourself.

"The tension in your voice and your constrained body language suggests otherwise," he replies, putting away his datapad.

You can't help but chuckle, "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"Not really," he parrots your words. He removes his helmet and puts it aside. You're surprised to see he's smiling ever-so-slightly.

You sigh, trying put your many thoughts into words. "We've all lost so much. After all our fighting and all our running, sometimes I've wondered what it was all for. But I thought as long as we stayed together, things would be alright. We would figure it out because together we had hope. Now, I'm afraid that we've lost it."

Tech pushes up his goggles before responding.

"I know it may seem that way, but Echo did not leave because he had no hope," he offers, "He believes that there are better ways apart from this squad that he can help preserve hope, and if he is successful, pass it on to others."

"I thought we were already doing that," you reply, shaking your head, "I know we have to be careful, especially for Omega's sake, and we can't fight The Empire the same way others can, but I thought we were making some kind of difference."

"Echo's departure does not necessarily signify failure in our pursuits."

"But aren't we stronger together than apart?" you ask, looking to him.

Tech blinks slowly, visibly weighing your question. Surely he is bothered by all this too?

"Theoretically, yes. But our objections cannot change what has happened," he admits.

Your gaze falls back to your boots, shame setting in. How selfish you must sound. "You're right. I don't think less of Echo. Truly I don't," you say, holding your arms, "I just don't want to lose this squad, and I really don't want to lose..."

You were desperate to say it, but the word caught in your throat. Tears threaten to return. This is not how it was supposed to go. Squeezing your eyes shut, you bow your head, hoping he wouldn't see your entire façade crumbling.

You nearly jump as you feel his hand gently clasp your shoulder. You look up to see his soft brown eyes, full of warmth and understanding.

"I do not have plans to go any place where you cannot also be," he affirms, "And I intend to never make such plans."

A tear slips down your cheek as you choke back a sob. Whatever was left of your composure, he'd just destroyed it, and somehow it was the push you needed.

You lean over to rest your head on his chest. You hold your breath as you feel him tense up at the contact. Fear washes over you that you've gone too far, and you're about to sit up, but then he carefully wraps his arm around you, holding you close.

You purse your lips, trying not to grin. How long you had waited for this moment. Heart racing, you close your eyes and wish for time to stop. So many words had passed between you over the months, but now you could barely speak.

"Tech?" you breathe.

"Yes?"

"I never want to make those kinds of plans either," you say, relaxing into him more.

"It's settled then," he confirms, proceeding to rest his chin upon the top of your head.

It was settled. You knew with absolute certainty that this is where you wanted to be. You were stronger together, and no matter what became of the galaxy, together you and Tech would stay.

#tech x reader #tbb tech x reader #tech imagine #tech bad batch #tech x you #tbb tech x you #tbb fanfiction #the bad batch fanfiction #tbb season 2 #bad batch imagine #star wars imagine #tech x y/n #my writing

[magadauthan]

Ep 16: Fifth Moon

Trying to keep up. Maybe I can keep the @trigun98watchparty to one day behind? Yeah, right. Fifth Moon ends the first arc of the story and next we transition to the not-fully-fleshed-out TriMax portion.

"The greater the tragedy, the greater the emotional effect." You're not wrong, Legato.

--Midvalley has sax appeal lolz

--Meryl's so sad, look at her. She misses him terrible. Milly's worried too, but she's just as worried about Meryl as she is about Vash.

--"Oops, did I say that out loud? No, I don't have a thing for him at all, ah ha ha ha ha"

--Oh Meryl, honey, please be careful.

--The non sequitur with the weird little messenger... can someone please explain it to me? Is there a cultural reference here that a Western audience wouldn't get? Or is this some odd interpretation of the Garden of Gethsemane for Vash?

--WW can't stay away.

--yes, it's bowdlerization... but seriously, how can you get a major city evacuated in like one day? Anyone who's lived through a natural disaster knows how that goes.

--EG Mine anticipates the pandemic! Plus, only Legato gets to be a drama queen.

--Nice lampshading of samurai tropes against spaghetti westerns.

--Rai-Dei brings a sword to a gunfight. Indiana Jones knows how to handle this situation.

--Meryl has crossed the line from worried sick into worried stupid, and Milly knows it. Someone is going to have to be the adult in the room, and it won't be Meryl.

--Western audiences wouldn't pick up on Meryl's shift in pronouns (neither would I except for that excellent discussion) but she's crying out like a child to go to Vash. She's wailing in despair, fighting her best friend because she is desperate to help the man she loves, and Milly has to pick her up and drag her away. Milly knows how to be a good big sister.

--Twisted Christian Science is a good name for a band.

--Vash nukes another city, and presumably all the Plants in it, so what the hell, Knives

--WW doesn't seem terribly sorry to be offing Rai-Dei, especially since he's become more fond of Vash than he'd let on. "this annoying guy, and he beat up on Vash, fuck him"

--Oh, Meryl. Meryl. Trying to hide the tears under bravado, only to be told that she's to stop looking for Vash immediately and she has no further excuse to try in the future. The only reason she has to follow him now is that she loves him - which I'm not sure she's admitted to herself at this point - and it would cost her everything.

--The saddest part of the ep is that the individual people Vash has helped, or whose lives have been touched by his actions, now have to ask themselves which Vash is the real one. Were the kind things he did for them just a ploy? Were they tricked? Is he evil, is he the devil, is he wicked, is he inhuman? (yes on that last one... sort of. depends what you mean by "human.") It may be only Meryl who continues to believe in him wholly at that point. (Even Milly is angry, because Meryl is crying over him, and Meryl doesn't cry.)

Fade to black.

#trigun #trigun 98 #trigun 98 watch party #vash the stampede #meryl stryfe #milly thompson #Day 16 #Fifth Moon

[spokenfromtheheartandsoul]

when i first started the eclipse, i remember thinking, "man, i can't wait till we get to see the sweet side of akk!" because of how serious akk was all the time. but along the way, we got to see another side of him that took me by surprise: the lighthearted, playful side of akk.

when we first meet akk in the show he was so stern and stiff-backed you'd have never realized he even had it in him to crack a joke, but the reality is that akk -- akk is playful! akk can be mischevious! akk likes being a little shit! we get brief glimpses of this side of him when he’s alone with wat and kan, but even with them he is always aware of who he is: the head prefect. he is constantly under insane amounts of pressure to meet the expectations of being the perfect leader, but in doing so, he lost the freedom to express his truest self. 

like, there's a reason akk was so drawn to aye. it's the same reason akk kept coming back to aye time after time, despite fighting his own instincts tooth and nail. aye's teasing and his devil-may-care defiance and cheeky playfulness is everything akk never let himself have and everything akk is attracted to. it’s the one person around whom akk does not have to be the head prefect.

the beautiful thing is that when akk and aye are together, they both bring this quality of lightheartedness out in one another. they know exactly how to tease it out of the other, they're both very into it, and it's part of why they both fit together so well, because they both desperately need that sort of happy distraction in their own lives, for their own personal reasons.

you can especially see it in akk in the last few episodes. the more time they spend together, the more akk lets himself be the one who's playful or teasing first. one of the biggest tells that their relationship is shifting to something more is when akk begins to relax enough to tease ayan back -- not as a defense mechanism, not out of fear, but just because...it's fun. it's their thing! 

in the last half of ep 12 there's no reason for akk to play hard to get anymore but he continues to do so, because it’s fun to tease aye. and aye is fully aware of what akk’s doing, but willingly plays right into it, because it’s fun for him, too. it’s like their own love language at this point. and...idk, i’m just really in love with their love

#alternative caption: akk terrorizes aye (who has never done anything wrong in his life) for a full gifset #actual caption was not supposed to be a full on essay jfc what happened #if you made it through to the end i am sending my deepest apologies. u deserve compensation! #the eclipse #akkayan #the eclipse the series #firstkhao #akk x ayan #the eclipse series #eclipse the series #khaofirst #the eclipse gmmtv

[aziraphales-library]

Hello! I’m aware there probably won’t be many right now, but since the description says asks generally don’t get answered for about a month I’m hoping by the time this gets seen there will be some - I’m wondering if there’s any fics out there about Nina and Lindsay’s relationship? Or at least dealing with the aftermath of it? Or just general Nina angst, I think there’s a lot of potential there lol!

Hi! Here are some Nina-sentric relationship angst fics for you...

Hang Ups by Cassandraic (T)

Nina still has a Lindsay problem. Mrs. Sandwich helps, in her thorny way, and they discuss the events of the recent Whickber Street meeting.

Broken Locks by Welcome2MyWorld (T)

Nina and Maggie were locked in the coffee shop for most of the night until Mr Smoking Six Shots of Espresso walked past and the power came back on. Nina barely registered that Maggie had spoken about the espresso guy when her phone blew up in her hands. She knew going home was going to be a train wreck. The scene that was missing between eps 1 and 2.

Devil May Care by Smiley5494 (G)

In the beginning—not The Beginning, but her beginning—there was a girl. She'd been named Mary Hodges by her parents, but she'd grown to be a woman with many names. Mary Hodges, Mary Loquacious, Nina Johns. Nina was a woman with a string of bad luck, pessimistic where she'd once been optimistic, silent where she'd once been loud. She'd been a nun, an entrepreneur, a small cafe owner. She hadn't been someone who stood up for much of anything.

I set out to rule the world (with only a paper shield and a wooden sword) by Andnever_ever_eatpears (G)

Lindsay turns up at the coffee shop one day. Nina gets to prove how far she’s come (she tells them to fuck off) and Maggie gets to do something she’d vowed to do months previously (she punches them in the face.)

Lilac Wine by Ducks Have Ears (G)

When I think more than I wanna think I do things I never should do I drink much more that I oughta drink Because it brings me back you Lilac Wine, Eartha Kitt

Moving on like grown adults by unknownlifeform (T)

In which Nina is totally handling her break-up well, and Crowley is also totally handling his break-up well, and neither of them needs someone to cheer them. Totally. Peachy fine

- Mod D

#good omens #good omens s2 #lindsay/nina #maggie/nina #angst #break up #mod d

[lurkingteapot]

2023 post round-up/summary

Lovely @twig-tea tagged me here, so I'll try my hand.

I'd abandoned tumblr for about 4? 5? years 2016ish through 2020, had a short stint with it again in 2020, took peeks and vehemently disagreed with much of what I saw in 2021-2022, and grudgingly settled back in in 2023. I wasn't going to interact. I wasn't.

Jan-April: *crickets* I was being strong!

Then, I saw people moaning about how they'd learn Thai if only it was on Duolingo, and you know how spite can be funnelled into positivity? I did that! Result:

May

Popular: Free Thai Language Learning Resources, most popular by a landslide. This pleases me greatly, as I put a lot of work into it and always hope more people start picking up this language.

Favourite: maybe my thoughts on Ming, piggybacking off @kenmakaashi's post?

June

Popular: my musings on translation and how it relates to fannish reception of media, which was my most popular post of the year and 'broke containment', if only in a very small way. Some of the additions in the tags and reblogs are fantastic, do go have a look if you like!

Favourite: toss-up between my attempt at showing a parallel between a silly moment in Our Skyy 2 x BBS and a scrapped shot from BBS proper and this rant about Romanisations of Thai and why G**gle translate is the devil (that bit is in the conversation downthread), which let me meet @plantsarepeopletoo.

July

Popular: Summary of James Welker's 2006 essay "Beautiful, Borrowed, and Bent: “Boys’ Love” as Girls’ Love in Shōjo Manga"

Favourite: the offerings are slim here … let's go with the one in which I once more was salty about the way folks talk about BL

August

Popular: Only Friends' Ray isn't just The Drunkard, but also The One Who's basically Given Up On Himself, as per his title card (this one was so popular it got stolen and reposted – without credit or permission – to twitter 🙃)

Favourite: Thinking about Drama, the Romance genre, and tropes, and how those relate to our perception of BL (good additions from various folks in the notes; conversation with @visualtaehyun in reblogs and @twig-tea in the replies).

September

Popular: IFYLITA Ep 6 poem context notes

Favourite: toss-up between complaining about badly machine translated content in Love in Translation and musing on the name of Khun Yai's favourite bar

October

Popular: my long-winded answer to @zimmbzon's ask "Hi, how would a non-binary person (me) get around the binary gender rules and vocab in Thai?"

Favourite: uhhh … maybe my musings on honorific translations in kimi ni wa todokanai? (yes, technically a reblog from sideblog, shh)

November

Popular: most popular was this throwaway therapy vent containing food for thought and while I guess this meme is mostly fannish I'm linking it anyway because it's my blog and I'll cry if I want to (or something)

Favourite: when I called out the resemblance between the Last Twilight trailer and Intouchables (2011). Literally no one cared, but then @my-rose-tinted-glasses independently came in strong with receipts as soon as the actual first episode aired and made me feel validated af.

December

Popular: Why I'm pretty sure Last Twilight's "fried rice/false rice" joke was funnier in Thai

Favourite: the saga of the songs in Ep 4 of Last Twilight

I didn't do any round-up posts, but I'll include the other category @twig-tea added:

Five other posts that I want to highlight because I can:

BL Favourites Tag Game (July 2023)

Link to fujoshi.info with information on WHY you should check out that site if you're interested in having an informed opinion on BL and the genre's history.

contemporary issues in Thailand as mentioned in Only Friends ep 1

Thoughts on code-switching in Step by Step

Reply to @mynameisnotthepoint's comment-via-ask on my anti viki rant

I'm not going to tag anyone because I'm completely lost – I was mostly off tumblr for nearly three weeks; if you made a post like this you'd like me to see, please link me/tag me! <3

#2023 roundup #link dump #self promo (of sorts) #my nonsense

[liesmyth]

What is wheel of time and should I start it tomorrow?

you SHOULD.

Wheel of Time is an epic fantasy series by the late Robert Jordan. It's epic in scope, in length, and in its insanely large cast of characters. It's fascinating. The worldbuilding is insane, but also familiar (partly because it relies on widespread fantasy tropes, partly because it made many of those tropes popular for many books published later). The characters are exasperating but deeply human; I love SO many of them and appreciate so many others. It's very Of Its Time in some regards, especially re: its handling of gender roles and sexuality, but it's also surprisingly progressive and queer in intent even when the execution falters, and I really appreciate a lot that it even tried to Go There, because it was Very formative for me as a young teen. It's also one of those books where you can see the author's kinks all over the place (both narrative and otherwise) and tbh? it's a bit cringe but lots of fun. Also it’s very well written; the plot is as Epic as epic fantasy gets but it’s really the character moments that make the reader invested in the story. I just love it a lot, ngl.

Fun fact: I am now today on tumblr dot com, blogging in english, because sometimes around age 15 even though I fucking hated english class in school I just couldn’t wait for the latest books to come out in my country so I had to become fluent enough to read a 700-pages novel by myself. THAT is the grip this series had on me.

Some things I am now into because of reading WoT starting at age eleven.

codependent magical bonds with loyalty kink thrown in (if you’re familiar with TLT, think necro/cav but usually f/m. Not always though :) )

femdom. both F/f and F/m varieties

Propesized Savior trying to kill their humanity to become a figure larger than history (before realizing that's bullshit)

what if monastic(ish) order of sole women but also we had sex about it

unfortunately. a lot of weird kinks. I will elaborate on request but it’s better if I don’t right off the bat.

no, I lied. It wasn’t unfortunate. I appreciate it when authors are brave enough to let the banner of their id fly high

ruined civilizations and newer, less advanced civilizations rising from the wreckage. the collective understanding that you live in a post-apocalypse world. old scientific principles becoming magic

confronting your alternate dimension self, as a treat

dream sex

devil-may-care rogues who actually care a lot

alien morality, or cultural differences so big that they fundamentally are the same thing

people who are SO Wrong about everything but are 100% committed to their own personal moral code

whatever the fuck Mat’s luck had going on

“I know what my destiny is but I say: fuck you”

I can’t stress enough how many of my kinks (narrative; sexy in fiction only; sexy in RL) came directly from this series. Like, I know I’ve already said that but putting together this list made me think and. Oh my god.

SWORD MAIDENS

More practical information: there are 14 books. Yes, I know. The first book is The Eye of the World - it's fun and probably not exceptional even though you can feel the hints of how grand and insane the greater worldbuilding will be, and some characters really shine (Nynaeve!). The second book is where it really gets original, the third book is where I went from "books I like" to "series OF ALL TIME". If you don’t like it by book 4 then give up. If you like book 4 as much as I did you will never ever want to give up.

There's also an Amazon Prime show, currently S1 has been released! I haven't watched it beyond the first ep, but plan to do it soon; it's a lot more f/f than the books and the back half had some pacing issues (partly due to COVID fucking with the production) but definitely very iddy from what I've heard, and I’m very excited to check it out in time for S2.

tldr PLEASE read wheel of time!

#ask #Anonymous #wheel of time #wot #FORMATIVE SERIES OF ALL TIME #btw not worth going into it in the actual post but. when i say 'of its time' i mean 'conceived in the late 80s & plotted in the early 90s' #the author was a vietnam vet from the american south who identified as het & went to a military college #and they are SURPRISINGLY queer even with that #it's one of those cases where i'm like. yeah the execution was clumsy but. the fact that he tried gave Interesting results

[timotey]

What really enthralled me when watching The Spirealm was the character development of the leads.

Ruan Lanzhu started as a savvy, smart devil-may-care who became interested in Lin Jiushi only because he was programmed that way and who used others as tools, his team included. And he became the epitome of "caught feelings". It was like one of those fairy tales where an artificial being becomes human through someone else's love for them. He grew a heart because of and for Lingling.

Ling Jiushi started as a smart but hapless and maybe a bit cowardly nincompoop. And he became steadfast under pressure and so brave, facing monsters and assassins square on, willing to give up his life for his friends in general and for Lanzhu in particular. Lingling in the later eps is almost unrecognizable, you wouldn't even say he's the same person as Ling Jiushi from ep 1 or 2.

I've honestly rarely encountered character development this good and thorough and well-written. It's so fascinating!

Also, I love that throughout the series, everyone agrees that Ruan Lanzhu is the boss - but if you actually want something, you have to ask Lingling. Because Lanzhu will say no to anyone - but Lingling.

#the spirealm #mé

[random-fandom-whump]

Supernatural S09E02

"You give a girl all sorts of nasty ideas."

#bonus #whumpedit #deanwinchesteredit #spnedit #supernatural #dean winchester #spn 9x02 #ep: devil may care #face touching #hair pulling #thrown through a window #defiance #fear #pain #wincing #power play #abbadon #jensen ackles

[saltygilmores]

THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS: S3/EP6: TAKE THE DEVILED EGGS (PT 3) (STILL SO MUCH HAPPENING HERE)

Can I have a donut too? *yoink* Thank you. So much going on with this outfit. Wardrobe Dept : Layers, people! I WANT TO SEE MORE LAYERS! AND I WANT THAT VEST TO BE PUFFY! And make sure his shirt has a skull on it too cause the chicks dig that. Milo:

Jess informs Luke he has to run "errands" before school and the thought of this small infant kitten making a run to the post office to buy stamps and dropping by the laundromat before homeroom is just a delightful image. Of course we know where he's actually going. To toil in the Walmart Mines. But first, coffee and a donut and some petty theft.

This is such a great line. Perfect sassy delivery. Perfect comedic timing. Totally under rated quip that rarely ends up in anyone's little edits and I don't know why. So under rated that I forgot about it. Luke and Jess are the best.

He can steal a little bit. As a treat.

There goes my teenage nephew. Off to his Gigolo Job. Sexually servicing the horny lonely women (men?) of The Hollow. I'd really love to know who Luke thought Jess had as his clientele in Stars Hollow. Miss Patty?

*shudder* Luke goes to Gypsy's auto shop to confirm that Jess' car purchase was legit. She can't confirm the source of his cash flow. Not satisfied with the answer, Luke goes home to nose around some more and commit some serious violation of Jess' privacy by rifling through his underwear drawer, where he finds a mysterious box. I'm not clear what he's looking for. Money? Is he looking for the $10 Jess took out of the register? Kiss it goodbye Luke, it's gone. Probably already spent on a copy of Maxim and some Jergens. (Rebecca Romjin Stamos was on the cover of Maxim in November 2002, by the way. What other Gilmore Girls Watcher Person is going to look this stuff up except Ol' Salty?). Depending on whose dresser drawer this is, either Jess or Luke wear gray and white striped panties. My money is on Jess, striped boxer briefs are too sassy for Luke.

Seen: Striped panties, Box O' Weed. A few moments earlier Luke had spoken to a waiter/undercover cop in the diner (a waiter I have never seen before nor ever again who looked incredibly out of place) asking him to narc on Jess' whereabouts. Luke then proceeds upstairs to rifle through Jess' shit without his consent, as one tends to do on Gilmore Girls. During this rifling, Luke takes a phone call from an unknown person. I don't yet understand the context of this odd phone call. It goes like this: Hey Randy. What's up. Someone's gotta take care of it. It's not gonna take care of itself. I understand. I get it. What else? Huh? Who the hell is Randy? The other time someone said "I have to take care of something" the Stars Hollow PD had to dredge a dead body from the lake. Shady shit.

At one point in his little privacy violation mission Luke opens up an oddly shaped reddish box that almost looks like a heart shaped Valentine's Day chocolate box (the lighting is very dim here). Maybe the kind of box you'd stash your weed in after you finished the candy. (it was empty. Jess must have smoked all the weed already). Next, in anticipation of Creepy Sherry's baby shower, Lane and Rory have a walk-and-talk about the disgustingness of sex and childbirth. Rory calls the "Getting there" part of child birth a "big cosmic joke." So...is the "Getting there" sex? Poor Dean and Jess. The bluest balls in all the land. Rory stringing Dean along for two years without putting out may be the only sympathy I reserve for him. That's rough. Lane: My mom has never told me where babies come from. When my cousin got pregnant she said an angel brushed its wings against her. Rory: I could fill you in on the details. Lane: No thank you. I already learned it on the streets. That was funny. Lane is great.

Welllp. I take that back. Jess and Lane could have been really great friends. Good thing she comes around eventually. In like...the last episode before Jess and Rory break up and he disappears forever she calls them a cute agoraphobic couple. A little too late there my friend. One day you might need a place to crash in NYC with your band and you'll wish you had his number. Let this be a lesson to you fine people. Never get into an unavoidable minor car accident while in Stars Hollow. Never drive in Stars Hollow. Never visit Stars Hollow. Pretend the entire state of Connecticut doesn't exist. You'll be happier, healthier and wiser.

Here we go again. Rory's friends and family trying to fight battles for Rory that she really, really doesn't want fought.

Incoming! My little puffy vested kitten. I'm going down a "what did teenage boys wear in the early 2000s" rabbit hole now. I'll bring you back a souvenir. I graduated high school in 2002. I just have no memory of the fashion at the time. Boys did not give me the time of day. It was for the best, honestly.

Hey, look who it is! Mr. Rygalski/Brody/Cohen, you likely don't have complete control over your own wardrobe for television, but this outfit is a crime. Speak up, man. Don't get me started on Timberlake, either. My search results are skewing Puffy vests over dress shirts instead of puffy vests over tshirts. I want to leave the early 2000's now.

Put that finger down, woman.

:(

Ladies and gentlemen, we have Upside Down Watch. After the lively recent Tumblr debate about UDW being some kind of tribute to military service members wearing their watches upside down, I asked my friend in the army if this was a thing she was aware of and she stated she had never seen any one wear their watch upside down. Admittedly a very small sample size. But it deepens the mystery.

Please watch this scene and listen to how he lisps "Andy Griffith" in this sentence, it's really adorable, and cawr always delights as well.

Cawr cawr cawr!

Lane proceeds to pontificate on the shoddy quality of his Cawr. Okay, Miss Judgy No Cawr or License. After you obtain a car, license and registration through dubious means like Jess did , then you can have an opinion on what he’s driving.

Maybe if you tried to befriend him, he'd be wiling to let you bum a ride with him to band practice. That is a quandry you're currently trying to solve, is it not? Use your noodle. There's a white tshirt peeking out. So he's wearing...*counts* four layers. Vest, beige shirt, black shirt, white shirt. Underactive Thyroid Betty over here.

The best part of everyone being salty to Jess is that he doesn't give one single flying cupcake if someone doesn't like him. Plus he has a braw in his back seat. Probably several braws. Goodnight.

#gilmore girls #gilmore girls season 3 #TDDE #take the deviled eggs #rory gilmore #lane kim #jess mariano #literati #milo ventimiglia #luke danes #cawr #backseat bra #shane's braw

[pardi-real]

Main Story Ep. 2 / Part 3 / Chapter 3 & Chapter 4

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Chapter 3 - Guard Team Training

[Devil's Palace, Garden]

Muu: "Ah! Looks like the guard team is over there!"

> "Indeed…!" > "Let's go take a look"

Trudge… trudge…

Berrien: "Oh? My lord, you've come."

> "Would I disturb your training?"

Berrien: "No, not at all!  In fact, I was just about to invite you."

> "Is that so?"

Berrien: "I'm planning to review the guard formation now. Could you lend us a little assistance?"

> "Of course!"

Berrien: "Thank you. Now, everyone, let's confirm the actual formation. My lord, please come next to me."

> "Sure"

Berrien: "Muu, please stay close to the lord."

Muu: "Of course!"

Berrien: "And, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Miyaji, Bastien… Please position yourselves surrounding the lord."

Lucas: "Got it... ♪"

Miyaji: "Understood."

Bastien: "Yeah..."

Berrien: “In the actual scenario, the Grovaner family’s reconnaissance team should be present around me and the lord.

Again, a large number of angels are predicted to attack. In some cases, the intelligent angel might appear.

However, our main objective is to guard the lord. Please avoid pursuing too far and disrupting the formation."

Lucas: "Of course... ♪"

Miyaji: "Got it."

Bastien: "Understood."

Berrien: "Bastien, how's your condition?"

Bastien: "Hm... I have nothing to worry about anymore. I'm rather eager to fight and can't wait."

Lucas: "That's reassuring, isn't it? ♪ If I falter, please take care of my part, Bastien."

Bastien: “Yeah... Leave it to me."

Berrien: "Ideally, Bastien would be suitable for the capture team. But since he's not in perfect condition yet… Please give your full effort in guarding the lord, Bastien."

Bastien: "I'll do anything to protect the lord."

> "Thank you"

Berrien: "Bastien… If you sense anything unusual, please inform us immediately. Again... the possibility of another demonization is not zero."

Lucas: "I'll also keep an eye on Bastien. Just reach out if anything happens."

Miyaji: "I'll be vigilant too."

> "I'll keep an eye out as well...!"

Bastien: "Hm... I may cause inconvenience… But I'll rely on you."

Muu: "Hehe. No need to worry about the guard team, they are very reliable!"

> "Indeed, they are…!"

Muu: "Well then, my lord. Shall we go see another team soon?"

> "Yes, let's do that”

Trudge… trudge…

.

.

.

Chapter 4 - Capture Team Training

[Devil's Palace, Backyard]

Haures: "Hmm..."

Muu: "Ah! There they are!"

Haures: "My lord, you've come."

> "Can I watch for a bit?"

Haures: "Of course, but please stay back a bit for safety."

> "Sure, understood" Muu and I decided to watch from the spot Haures indicated.

Haures: "Alright, let's begin. I'm in charge of the capture team."

Lono: "With us around, the intelligent angel is a piece of cake!"

Lato: "Let's make him regret having intelligence by beating him up nicely."

Lamli: "Geez… Lato-chi, could you not say scary things?”

Boschi: "Are these guys really okay...? Their teamwork is zero.”

Fennesz: "Hmm... yeah. Unfortunately, you might be right, Boschi."

Haures: "Listen up. Let's confirm the plan again. This time, do not defeat the intelligent angel. Capturing him is the top priority."

Lato: "Why... can't we defeat him? Even though he’s an angel… Angels should be erased mercilessly... they should disappear in agony."

Haures: "Lato… You've asked the same question before, haven't you?"

Lato: "Oh? Did I? I forgot."

Haures: "Sigh… Let me explain again. If we can capture the intelligent angel... We can extract information about angels. And that might end this long-standing battle. Understand? Absolutely do not defeat him."

Lato: "I see… That's boring. I hate boring things."

Fennesz: "I-if we defeat him, Professor Miyaji and the lord will be really sad!”

Lato: "Hmm...  I don't want that. Alright, I won't defeat him.”

Fennesz: "Phew..."

Lamli: "But it's okay to break his wings, right?"

Haures: "Yeah... breaking his wings is fine. Well... if you can. Frankly, his speed is quite fast. Lato, Boschi, and Lamli are some of the fastest among the butlers… But it might be challenging to reach him one-on-one."

Lato: "Hm… We won't know until we try..."

Lamli: "Huh~! Can’t even reach him? How do we capture him then?"

Haures: "That's where… Our secret weapon comes in. Fennesz, I'm counting on you."

Fennesz: "Y-yeah… I'll go get it, so wait a moment! Hey, Lono. Can you help me?"

Lono: "Huh? Uh, sure..."

Trudge... Trudge…

Lamli: "Hm~! What's this secret weapon?"

Lato: "Is it a powerful weapon or something?"

Trudge... Trudge…

Fennesz: "Huff… huff... I-It's heavy..."

Lono: "Grr...!"

Lamli: "Hmm~… You're carrying something black, but... what is it?"

Haures: "This is… A giant net."

Boschi: "A-a net? Like, the net used for catching fish?"

Haures: "Yeah... it's that kind of net."

Fennesz: "This is a strong net made of thick ropes. It has a durability that even a galloping horse can't tear apart. It's usually used to catch wild horses... But we dyed it black."

Haures: "We plan to execute the operation at night this time. First, Lato, Boschi, Lamli, and I will provoke the intelligent angel. During this time, do not hit, just lure him. At the right moment, he will fly into this net set in the darkness."

Lamli: “I-I see…"

Haures: "That said... Even if we hide the net in the darkness… There's a high chance the angels will notice it beforehand."

Boschi: "What do we do then?"

Haures: "That's where… Brawny Fennesz and Lono come in. I want you two to set up this net.

The net is about 5 meters in height and 7 meters in width… there are 5-meter iron rods sewn on both sides. Each of you, hold one of those rods and spread the net.

To summarize… we'll lead the intelligent angel towards Lono and Fennesz. Then... at the right moment, Lono and Fennesz will spread the net."

Boschi: "It's like hunting with a net."

Lono: “Tch, I also wanted to chase the intelligent angel, tho. And I wanted to hunt him for his feathers if I could…”

Haures: “Lono… You and Fennesz are the right people to cast the net. If the strategy goes well, the angel will jump into the net at a pretty high speed. Lono and Fennesz are the brawniest among the butlers. We’re counting on you guys.”

Lono: “If you say that much… well I don’t mind.”

Boschi: “Easy there, Lono. That little compliment shouldn't make you so obvious.”

Lono: “Ugh…! I’m totally not happy about it!”

Haures: “Even if the net is broken, it’ll still definitely slow him down. Right at that moment, we, the capture team, will remove his wings. Without his wings, the intelligent angel won’t be able to fly. It shouldn’t be that hard to capture a flightless angel.”

Boschi: “It’s a good ol’ gambit, but I guess it’s still better than nothing.”

Haures: "Now that it's decided... Practice. So, Lono, Fennesz. Can you try holding the ends of the net?"

Lono: "Ugh... It's, uh, heavy. But it's totally fine."

Fennesz: "I-It's heavy... But I can endure it."

Haures: "Here is where the angels will fly into. Lamli, can you jump into it?”

Lamli: "Yeah! I'll go with all my might!"

Dash…

Whump!

Grrt (sounds of ropes holding up)

Lono: "This is quite heavy."

Fennesz: "Uh, yeah."

Lamli: "Ahaha~! This is fun, like a hammock! My lord, why don't you jump in too~?”

Fennesz: "Wait, Lamli… Don't bounce around on the net..."

Lato: "Hmm~ It looks fun. I'll jump in too."

Dash…

Whump!

Lono: "W-woahhh...!"

Fennesz: "S-so heavy...!”

Lamli: "Hey, Lato-chi!  I'm still here, you know!? It's dangerous to bump into me~"

Lato: "Kufufu… I’m sorry.  I couldn't help it… because it looked so interesting."

Boschi: "Lamli looks normal when Lato is around."

Haures: "A-anyway… Lono and Fennesz will spread the net to capture the angel this way."

Fennesz: "Got it. I'll do my best."

Lono: "Yeah..."

Haures: "Your coordination is crucial here. While holding the net, move quickly… And spread the net swiftly. Both of you need to practice thoroughly. I'm counting on you, Fennesz, Lono."

Fennesz: "Uh, okay… I understand."

Lono: "Hehe! Leave it to us, Haures!"

Trudge... Trudge…

Muu: "It seems like the capture team is well-organized with Mr. Haures around."

> "Yes, it looks that way"

Muu: "Indeed, Mr. Haures is an impressive leader! And His condition seems to have returned to normal, as usual."

> "Certainly” > “I hope so"

After that, the training continued until dusk.

note: I’m so tempted to refer to the intelligent angel by “it” since they don’t explicitly put it as him most of the time and none in this whole chapter, but they once referred to it by he/him so I'm trying to be consistent now…?

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#main story #*aknk

[dangermousie]

I love that so much of DFQC’s arc isn’t so much change, as returning to himself he would have been if his tree of emotion was never destroyed and honestly, he is a genuinely likeable person. What strikes me is not how much he cares for Orchid (after all, chicken bro is ready to destroy the universe for his girl, and it’s not exactly admirable) but how much he is fine with her autonomy, with putting her needs first (unlike chicken bro for whom Chidi Woman is a vessel for what he wants; he knows she’d be appalled and he doesn’t care.) He spent the bulk of today’s eps thinking she was fancying CH but other than carping, he did nothing about it.

Yes, he’s putting up a front he doesn’t care (a front that folds quickly, I might add) but the thing that struck me is his saying “well, if she likes him, I can’t do anything.” The fact that it does not even occur to him to force her or coerce her or mind manipulate her or whatever speaks for itself.

And then there was this scene:

That’s not even trying to manipulate her, that’s just reading her mind without her consent. And he’s tempted, he goes into her room ready for the magic swap. And then he stops. And he doesn’t do it. Because her mind is her own and if she hasn’t invited him in, he shouldn’t come in. Like - growth!!!!!!

And once again, there isn’t even “of course I am superior duhhhhh” from the most powerful being out there. Like the fact that he’s even able to wonder.

This bit was my favorite though. He doesn’t know she’s only smiling because various things in CH’s company remind her of him, DFQC (I love that Orchid figured out she likes him btw eeee!!! And was ready to tell him but he chose that moment for his jealousy to act up.) And his reaction is not rage but a way to try to process and understand and thinking she may have a point. As I was telling @silentlurkingbluey​ he’s arrogant about things he can be arrogant about - his magic ability etc - but he is not arrogant about her, and I love it.

He blames himself and not the girl, for the girl not liking him, and that alone already makes him superior to 90% of non-super-powered guys.

The jealousy is still hilarious though!

But jokes aside, devil’s humanity (even in his petty jealousy) is such a contrast with the fairy king, who is happily planning to murder both Chidi Woman and his own brother (who he refers to as a sinner with as much emotion as I would discuss a plank of wood) to consolidate his power and help his position in the upcoming war. DFQC is a much better older brother, indeed. But also, ironically fairy king and the old moon supreme are pretty darn alike - sacrifice family members for their supposed saintly but actually selfish goals and feel aggrieved the tools refuse to cooperate smoothly.

#cdrama #esther yu #cang lan jue #love between fairy and devil #dylan wang

[chocolatepot]

Completed chaptered fic:

If You Don't Love Me Now: Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. Ed goes back to playing Blackbeard before he finally comes face-to-face with Stede again. (9k, 3 chapters, rated T)

Prisons Of Our Own Perceptions: A hurt/comfort epic. Instead of being saved by Ed from the Spanish, the Revenge was captured by a crueler captain, and the crew scattered. (60k, 18 chapters, rated M)

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: AU in which Stede makes it to the docks and Ed doesn't. (16k, 7 chapters, rated T)

Works in progress:

I Saw You And Sealed My Fate: Stede's become resigned to living a quiet life under his parents' thumbs when they introduce him to Benjamin Hornigold and slowly slide him into an engagement. Ed, meanwhile, chafes in his position in Hornigold's massive corporation and is in fact planning a way out. The two of them meet at the engagement dinner and immediately hit it off … (6.5k, 2/5 chapters, rated T)

Dirty Rotten Pirates: Ed is the most successful con artist of the twenty-first century. Stede is a nobody with a penny-ante grift. When they meet, everything changes. (3k, 1/? chapters, rated T)

Series:

Sweet Damsels: Genderbend fics with lesbian Blackbonnet, mostly not in continuity, ranging from sweet to smutty.

A Kiss on the Hand: A series of fics based on a prompt list of different types of hand kisses.

Twelvetide Drabbles 2022: Drabbles, drabble multiples, and ficlets written for a fest. Multiple ships and characters!

My one important meta: Stede's presentation and historical standards of masculinity in clothing

One-shots:

Canon compliant one-shots:

The To-Read Stack: Domestic fluff, post-reunion, Stede finds some books missed in the purge.

First Night Home: Stede returns to his ship.

Beside the One You Have Waited For: A missing moment when Ed and Stede are up in the maintop that first night.

What Dreams May Come: Stede has a steamy dream about two Eds on his way back to the Revenge. (Not explicit.)

Sugar Baby: How Lucius got hired by Stede, somewhat by accident.

More Nicer: A missing moment - Stede's conversation with Doug in the kitchen in ep 10.

Waitin' For My Dearie: An exploration of what it's like to be queer and autistic when you don't really realize that's what's going on with you. (Has a happy ending.)

Parched: After Stede leaves home in the middle of the night, Mary grows and changes.

I See A New Horizon: Stede and Ed escape the Academy, and begin to navigate the new changes to their relationship.

Interesting Accounts: Wellington's interrogation on the subject of Stede Bonnet.

An Officer and a Gentleman, or, All Kinds of Situations: Samuel Hornberry hopes that by writing some of his fantasies out, he can escape them.

Momentum: An angsty reunion, illustrated by @feriowind.

there'll be peace of mind: Reunion where Ed and the crew rescue Stede and nurse him back to health.

Proud of You: Ed realizes Stede has a praise kink, and he enjoys playing into it. (Rated E)

no sign of land: Ed/Izzy, the latter topping from the bottom.

Watching Over Olu: Olu is ill, and Jim watches over him.

Rescue Me: Stede is captured.

Take Me In Your Arms: (Sequel to the previous.) Stede's been rescued, and now Ed's in trouble.

Those Savage Beats: Things have gotten stale since Anne and Mary left the seas. Anne takes matters into her own hands. Or rather, teeth.

Fresh Towels: Ed and Stede have retired to run the inn of Ed's dreams. Ed is still nervous about customer service, and Stede does what he can to help.

Alternate universe one-shots:

Going Nautical: A Going Postal AU.

What Else Could I Do (Again): An AU where Stede did stop the Revenge's construction, but still goes to sea.

Making An Entrance: Role reversal AU about the famed Gentleman Pirate and newcomer Edward Teach.

A Perfectly Diabolical Angel: A Good Omens AU.

It Might Be All That You Get: A Ted Lasso AU.

Be Careful, It's My Heart: AU in which Stede gets back to the Revenge when Ed is still in his depression-robe era.

An Offer of Matrimony: A Regency AU where Ed is a rake and Stede is a wallflower, and they have a marriage of convenience.

In the Conjugal Sense: Sequel to the previous - the wedding night!

Drinking Out of the Same Bottle: A Prohibition-era speakeasy AU.

Fiftieth Ficlets (A Miscellany): Five ficlets, written to celebrate a milestone.

Bird of Paradise: A soulmate is a complicated thing. (Stede/Lucius and Stede/Ed.)

#my fic #ofmd #ofmd fic #our flag means death fic #our flag means death #pinned post

[sombredancer]

How to fight your doom (Pt.2)

Episode 8 I think this and the next one episode are most important for development of Devil’s and Girl’s relationships. The story is filled with fateful accidents as well as interesting parallels and some of them we can see in this episode too. It’s funny that at the beginning of the story Girl IS in love with God of War and he IS in love with her. You may think: if their feelings are mutual, what can go wrong? But God of War is too afraid to go against his brother (although he is more powerful than all of the fairies together, as we can see in ep. 26) and too fixated on his duty to get this mutual love. He lies to his brother that he doesn’t like and even despises Girl. And Devil shows this scene to her. I love that it happens by accident: Devil sincerely doesn’t know about GoW’s affection, so he doesn’t have any intention to disrupt their relationships, he just forces her to face the truth (and he also believes it’s true), but it will matter to romantic feelings of hers for GoW later. At the same time it parallels with the future situation when Devil himself tells the same lie to her face and it breaks hers as well as his life. A lie destroys any relationships.

Devil starts to feel something other than Girl’s emotions and I love how he tries to find some rational explanations why it happens. If Devil’s heart hurts when he sees Girl as GoW’s bride, it’s because of Girl’s physical state. Not because Devil cares. No way! If he is angry when Girl praises GoW, it’s because of wicked effects of the curse. Not because Devil is jealous, no. And Dragon boy watches it all with the poker face: «Master, when are you going to force her to fix Destiny Book? Not today? She needs to sleep? Hmmm… OK».

Then there comes this ICONIC scene:

Girl tries to refrain from tears and Devil says that she shouldn’t pretend to be strong in front of him because he knows how she feels. He knows it, obviously, thanks to the curse, but Girl doesn’t know about it, so she thinks he is very empathic. Knowing how another feels is very intimate thing, only our nearest and dearest ones can say how do we feel just by looking at us and only in front of them we can be ourselves and don’t have to hide our weaknesses and pain. Devil doesn’t get even medium level of emotional intelligence by now but he is a VERY good learner, so he does some very empathetic and important for their relationships things: when she asks him, if he looks down on her like others do, he squats. He SQUATS to be on the SAME LEVEL with her! He is ben zuo, the higher God of Demons, he doesn’t need to do it at all, but he does.

And then he wipes her tears. This movement is raw and quite not gentle but, as we will see later, he even doesn’t know how to smile and how to show his affection to his relatives. Tears wiping is a big deal for him. And again: he doesn’t have to but he does.

And after that we can see EVEN MORE ICONIC SCENE:

Girl knows that he is a criminal who has broken free from the Fairy Prison and is a demon from the enemy tribe. But she has no prejudice against «enemy» tribe. Devil has done to her mostly good deeds (let’s put aside that attempt to strangle her at their «first date»). She is very compassionate and doesn’t want him to die because of other’s prejudice, so she grabs him and hides him beneath the Arbiter Hall, in the sea.

Devil is almighty and doesn’t need to be saved, so maybe in this moment he thinks that she tries to save her precious GoW from his Hellfire. When she is out of breath and slowly falls to the bottom of the sea, we can see another parallel, which shows us Devil’s changes.

Devil high above looks like in his battle against Fairy Realm 30 thousand years ago: we can see only his silhouette, he is very afar and out of reach, indifferent to lives and deaths of those who beneath him. I find this scene a little bit funny because we all know: he can’t be indifferent to Girl’s life anyway, he is cursed and if she suffocated so did he. So Mighty Demon God sighs and comes down to breathe life into Girl.

What I love in this story the most – we can think about «point of no return» when their affection starts, but, exactly like it goes in the real life, we can`t find the certain moment. Forging affection is a process, not a flash that pierced one’s heart right away. So, even forced to save her life, he is truly embarrassed when they are at the Arbiter Hall again, he touches his lips trying to understand his current emotions and the Spring starts in his Sea of Heart with the first tiny green leaf of feelings. He is quite affected. But his affection is fragile and ghostly by now.

And then this BEAUTIFUL scene comes:

"Little flower demon?!"

He wakes up. Somewhere. He was unconscious. He was knocked out by little, harmless and suspiciously nervous Girl. And he wakes up. He wasn’t poisoned to death. He wasn’t imprisoned. Everyone in this world wants him dead, he was short-sighted and could be already dead but he is still here. And Girl says that she knows he is enemy of her tribe, she knows how risky it is to send him away now, but she CARES about his safety, well-being, warmth and food and wants him to go back to the Demon Realm so no one could kill him.

Later, when he comes back, he learns that this 10% of soul recuperation couldn`t be proceeded not because of Girl`s unrequited love for GoW but because she really was worried about him.

This realization is very important for him as we can see later in this story. In his life Devil always was an enemy to be hated or a weapon to be relied on. But even almighty evil lords are just human beings deep in their hearts. If you are strong it doesn’t mean you don’t need to be cared, supported and loved. So this situation pushes him to rethink his life and his father’s teachings about affections. And in this scene he also learns how to show his attachment: later in Human Realm he will give to Girl food on the go as she in this boat scene does.

Btw there are plenty of stories when people fall in love with nice attitude towards them (and GoW is one of them), and I find it much healthier than to fall in love at first sight or with someone’s appearance. So, although Devil’s Tree of Seven Emotions will bloom far later, I think in this episode him falling in love with Girl starts to be inevitable.

#love between fairy and devil #cang lan jue #dong fang qing cang #苍兰诀 #long reads #xiao lan hua #cdrama #me trying to process my obsession #SDaboutLBFAD