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quitealotofsodapop · 7 months

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If all versions of Sun Luzhen love apples and hates peaches, what about the other Wukongverse kids? Any favourites? It'll be funny the peach loving Wukongs have half of their kids not liking peaches. The betrayal of genetics.

At least Heaven's Peach Gardens are safe from them... Or are they...?

Referencing this post about Luzhen loving apples and hating peaches.

LMK Xiaotian/MK has canonically expressed his love for stonefruit, so he probably loves peaches. I've seen hcs that he absolute fave though is apricots ("Not too big, not too mushy, just the right amount of cronch!"). This gets his Au counterpart the nickname Apricot.

Mei would love any fruit thats brightly coloured - kiwis being her fav for flavor alone, but dragonfruit is a close second.

Bai He is in the kid phase of "fruit is gross", but Macaque has managed to get her to enjoy frozen blueberries and strawberries.

The Eclipse Twins devour any fruit offered to them like little piranhas, but especially melons. Give them a red watermelon, and the end result looks like a crime scene.

Yuebei is a peach fiend like her baba. No stonefruit left unturned. Her twin brothers Jidu and Luohuo are a little different since they loudly prefer plums and mangos like Macaque.

Hib!Liuer is a peach-fiend like his adoptive dad/mentor. Fa Ming probably convinced the little monk to eat his fruits by telling him how much the Monkey King loved peaches.

Hib!MK/Xiaoyun has a predicament... he does like peaches and other stonefruit - but his fave fruit is pomegranate, a fruit that requires a lot of dexterity to enjoy. Dasheng only found out Xiaoyun had this issue when he caught the one-armed kiddo trying to peel a pomergranate with his feet. Pre-peeled pomegranate fruit/seeds are aa god-send for him.

Shui Lian (the white vixen in the HiB verse) loves most berries and tree fruits, but her favorite is cider apples (like irl foxes) which confuses anyone who eats one and gets a mouthful of super-sour rotten-tasting apple. More for her then :3

In the Reborn verse; Qi Energy/"Fruitie" is a little fruit glutton. As shown in the film; the little nature spirit noms on what appears to be breadfruit, longans, and apples while in the village market. He also eats to replenish his powers. In the reborn au; as Xiao Qi he's even worse. Ever since he's been introduced to stonefruit, he ravages peaches like they're going out of style. The parents still joke that he's a fruit cannibal.

The two wolf siblings (Zhu Yu and Ku Ai) that Reborn!SWK & LEM picks up are used to forest fruits like berries and the rare crabapple. Their favorites are blueberries, which they will literally jump into bushes for. They don't see what the big deal is with peaches.

And ofc you got the 5 Stone-Fruit Monkeys, who are all named for said fruits. More cases of "fruitie cannibalism" the pilgrims joke; as the five babies have declared the fruit they were named for to be "their fruit". Fights will break out if you attempt to feed anyone other than Xiaotao/Little Peach a peach. They all agree that dates are a neutrally-enjoyable fruit however.

Netflix!MK/Xiaoshi loves peaches, but Netflix!SWK actually doesn't care for them that much - bad experience with the poisoned one.

The twin pebbles love cherries, and again, crime scene occurs when left alone with a basket of them. They also love raw tomatoes.

The Heavenly Orchards may breathe a sigh of relief for now... until the different MKs get into the celestial realms and start getting hungry. Xiao Qi and Yuebei probably give a few immortals pstd flashbacks with their snack runs.

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obscurushydrae · 21 days

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KAR ASTER’S RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted. Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

Mun name: Kar, Karmun, or if prefer to separate mun from muse, use my middle name, Asher.

OOC Contact: Here, or on @stellevatum or @karthonic or discord on request.

Who the heck is my muse anyway:

Main Verse: She's a Primordial god of destruction that got reborn as the abomination child of Hecate; raised by Jewish lesbians in 90s NYC after the BPRD found her in a sarcophagus. She is constantly fighting against her inherent Ogdru Hem nature of destroying all reality, and just bein being a regular person. Inherited her mom's position as Queen of the Crossroads a few years back and juggles that and BPRD duties.

Points of interest:

Resting bitch face ahoy, and if she's not wearing her glasses (which assume for the most part she is), her eyes. She also has fangs which are more obvious when talking or smiling. Supernatural muses may feel free to 'sense' an odd or unsettling aura around her.

What they’ve been up to recently:

Main timeline: rebuilding the BPRD, lobbying for more supernatural rights, outreach and opening dialogue between the worlds for at least tolerable co-habitation. Guest Lecturing at colleges. Possibly writing a book on early bronze age cultures, and in talks on hosting a doc for BBC.

Where to find them:

New York, Fairfield (BPRD Headquarters) mainly, but her job(s) take her everywhere. Her family house in Limbo/Erebus and sometimes bothering the Hadean court. (Their Wifi sucks though.)

Current plans:

Not really? Just remade her blog to in-character shitpost, but if wills want more plotted stuff I'm down but I'm keeping it very chill here.

Desired interactions:

Cracky, fun, casual with little high stakes stuff at the moment is ideal. But more planned out stuff is possible. Bureau Shenanigans (Like The Office/WWDITS) style shit that's a little weird, crazy, but slice of life because that's life at the BPRD, especially HB/Kar sibling shenanigans. (But it doesn't have to be!) Fellow Chthonics/Gods just being regular jagoffs in the mortal realm is a vibe I like. (Example: Like her and other Psychopomps having a group chat to settle who's covering what that night, etc. Dropping memes or whatnot.). May open her up to ship again but not sure yet. Just started and haven't vibed enough yet and I'm not assuming any of my old partners are interested in picking things back up.

Offered interactions:

Archaeologist by training, can do expeditions or research. BPRD Agent/Director, can be involved in investigating the paranormal & supernatural and arbitrating on it. She's a goddess of the underworld, envoy of the Fates, etc etc, so dealing with the dead, dying, and politics of the other underworlds. So you can play into that. Or just hit me up I can tool something!

Current open post/s:

Open Posts | Memes | Calls | Optional Interest Checker

Anything else?:

Guidelines | Bio | Promo

Tagging: @ourcwnside @voxiiferous @rebelgodking @mystxoak @realmyths and anyone who sees this and wants to fill it out!

#ooc;#nav;

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duefault · 4 months

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" i alone am the honored one " - when satoru stated this it was very clearly referential to a story which attributes these words to the shakyamuni buddha when he was born. as far as i can tell, this is predominantly from the mahayana tradition - specifically with ties to thien/chan/zen school of buddhsim. below is generally the context described for this quote.

he immediately took seven steps, then with one hand pointing to heaven and one hand pointing to earth, he said, “above heaven and below heaven, i alone am honored."

so generally this makes sense. satoru was on the verge of death; was 'reborn' through reversed cursed energy and awakened to the full potential of limitless. it was a rebirth, quite literally. in addition, the above statement is part of the hanamatsuri (buddha's birthday) liturgy in most japanese buddhist services. so paralle between the birth of the buddha and satoru.

there are few others intrepretations of this phrase that i've found. they range from the idea that the buddha was making a statement about the preciousness of life (being that all life is interrelated), the emptiness of self (i - being uttered to arise a self-reflection on the ego, maybe fitting in the view of toji who then overestimates his baility), and an interesting note recorded by vietnamese thien monk thich nhat hanh:

siddhartha ought to have revealed his true identity when he was born in suddhodana's palace. he took seven steps and with his hands pointed to heaven and the earth. because of this gesture who knows how many disciples were lost

this last one particularly interesting; primarily the last verse of how many disciples were lost. while i can certainly say this was not thich nhat hanh's meaning in this context, i think in the context of jjk and satoru we can see how that might apply to his classmates during the flashback arc, and maybe even suguru?

that all being said; i think another thing that's interesting is satoru awakening to the hollow technique: purple. purple bearing significance specifically in japanese mahayana buddhism:

raigō (Japanese: 来迎, lit. "welcoming approach"; Sanskrit: pratyudyāna) in Japanese Buddhism is the appearance of the Amida Buddha on a "purple" cloud (紫雲) at the time of one's death

for reference, amida buddha (known also as amitābha) is a buddha associated with pure enlightenment and undesrtanding of the aggregates of buddhism. he is known to have 'infinite merit' and infinite perception. kind of a fitting paralle.

moreoever, amida buddha is specifically associated with the pure land school of buddhism. the pure land school believes, primarily, that calling upon amida will ensure one's rebirth in the pure land. the pure land is essentially a paradise realm, where one can attain enlightenment without any of the roadblocks of our world.

he's also associated with the bodhisattva ideal; delaying one's own enlightenment to assist others. again, kind of a fitting parallel to satoru when he becomes an instructor himself.

so. i dont know if i have any grand thesis here. just connections that i've noticed with this phrase, that seems pretty intentional. in a western context itd be like a character quoting one of jesus' proclamations at a pivotal point. the framing of this phrase and satoru making the exact gesture that the buddha is described as making doesn't seem like this was a throw away line to me.

#★ ・﹙ i alone am the honored one gojo satoru ﹚#★ ・﹙ a personal theory satoru headcanons )#this is kind of me just doing pepe silvia and connecting random dots #anyways here it is LOL #ignore mispellings :))

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takingstockofwhatmattersmost · 11 months

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In echoes of sacred verse, I sing within secret realms, where whispers hold their breath, unveiling the symphony of words, as they bloom upon my lips, their essence aflame, untamed.

Such ardor I'd impart to you, a love akin to linguistic art, murmuring your name, caressing, conjuring rhymes to ignite, drawing forth your hidden depths, to grace this realm, united.

With every breath, I'd beckon, woven melodies tenderly crafted, tracing the contours of your soul, until you emerge, unveiled, melding with the tapestry of life, a symphony reborn, rewritten.

**A follow-on to @youreyesblazeout**

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charmingbrute · 1 year

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❝ ah ─── meteor, have you a moment to spare ? ❞, gentle blues crinkle at the corners, polite smile curls and lights soft features, nerves all but hidden save for tightly clasped palms hidden behind her back & the barest sliver of tension to line shoulder - blades. she moves closer with light steps, trapped air hidden behind teeth, and she couldn't remember the last time nerves had plagued her so; where words so oft at the forefront of her mind fell flat for something so simple as a seasonal gift, valentione's day, a gift of friendship ─── all other scion's, close and acquaintance alike, had already received theirs with ease ( so why hadn't she the strength to see it through with him ? ).

throat clears, resolve steeled, and stiffness is masked for care as hands unclasp and move to present a small pouch neatly tied with ribbon red. inside, lay a bracelet of tourmaline. far past were her mining days, with all to be had there was little time for it, but ... a few sleepless nights needn't be so bad.

❝ pray forgive the slight lateness of my gift, it isn't much i must confess, but a token of my gratitude. happy valentione's day, dear friend. ❞ / minfilia :)))))))))))))))))))

As the Warrior of Light concluded his exchange with his Scion companions, he could not help but feel a sense of relief at the prospect of departing from their company. Make no mistake, they're a fine company to have and all. Still, he found his presence there unnecessary. Though the exchange of reports had been significant in their common cause, he found himself growing increasingly frustrated with the bureaucratic formalities that seemed to plague their every interaction.

For him, every task was clear, and all that he required was a sense of direction and the freedom to execute it as efficiently as possible. And yet, he was constantly drawn into the intricate machinations of his peers, their reports and assessments requiring his attention and input. As he turned to depart, his attention was drawn to the figure of The Antecedent, who lingered nearby with an air of confidentiality about her. He regarded her with a puzzled expression, uncertain as to the nature of such an approach and the reasons for her apparent secrecy.

For a moment, the two regarded each other in silence, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavy in the air between them. And though he could not fathom the reasons for her behavior, he could not deny the intrigue that it stirred within him. Rooted to his spot, his glance shifted upon the small pouch that The Antecedent had given him. It was a simple thing, tied neatly with a ribbon of vibrant red, and yet it had left him stunned and unsure of what to do next. He longed to open it, to discover what lay hidden within, but her presence made him hesitate. He could not risk revealing the depth of what he truly felt for her, not when there was so much at stake.

He fed her with a lie that couldn't be any more obvious. "Oh... I seem to have forgotten that's today..." As such he merely received the gift with a forced smile, his nerves frayed as he struggled to keep his composure. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, the flush of embarrassment that came with the realization that she had deemed him worthy of such a token of affection on a day meant for celebrating love. As he clutched the item gently, his mind raced with thoughts of how he might repay her kindness, of how he might show her importance to him without revealing much. And then he recalled the box of celsettia oils that he had left beneath her table earlier without her knowing, a gift that he had hoped she would find and recognize as his own. Being around her in so long, he had come to know what perfume she wore. He didn't mean to sound uncaring and ungrateful, but for certain he's failing in displaying just how joyous he felt. "...I... shall treasure it."

#inbox.#verse : a realm reborn.#eikons #crying he really gave her a customer service smile #HE'S SO AWKWARD #im sorry your boy is a puppy

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alexissero · 10 months

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Alexis Sero

FATHER. EX-MERCENARY. CHAMPION FOR THE SCIONS OF THE SEVENTH DAWN. HOPELESS ROMANTIC.

My first time in FF14's tumblr and Rp space, like or reblog if you're interested in interacting and writing with Alexis! Mildly Selective!

Like or Reblog if you wanna interact or follow (I'll follow back too)

3+ years of rping on Tumblr, just came back from Hiatus and been playing FFXIV the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV has a free trial, and includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime?

FFXIV-verse, multi-ship, mildly selective

I have formats for planning at my carrd link below

NSFW and 18+ themes are to be expected depending on the RP

Mun and Muse is 21+ Freaks only

Inclusive of any AU, canon and separate timelines

Please state if you are post-endwalker msq or even before!!

I do not rp in-game, I have anxiety whenever I even think about it HAHA

We can rp on either discord or tumblr!

also I sketch if I like the rp

About. Rules. Lore. Carrd.

#ffxiv rp #ff14 rp #ffxiv promo #ffxiv rp promo #final fantasy rp #spoilers present #RP promo

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eternitas · 6 months

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Tell us about your bun boy, the world needs to know about him. Who cares if it isn't lore compliant

@wanderin-rook @deathmeddle @saanphoenix @niceaxephotos

Okay so because these people were so kind to indulge me and ask, allow me to give you a short introduction to Yoon before I give you an actual sheet with his stats and all

Also DISCLAIMER: I am not through with A Realm Reborn and therefor have limited knowledge of Vierra so most of this is NOT canon compliant.

This.

Is Yoon

Yoon is a Vierra from the Ishgardian snowy mountains. Due to his village and subesquently his baby sister falling terribly ill he took her down the mountain to find someone who could cure her, but ended up in Gridania where he stayed for a good bit. He is NOT A WOL, he is more of a support character for my WOLs squad. Since he is skilled with a spear/lance he later down the line takes up a job as a dragoon. He also has a boif, called Lemuel (played by my irl fiance @kyuji)

I will get to their story later bc its Spicey with a capital S

Here are more in depth stats and a more thorough recount of his story until he arrived in Gridania. Also beware of bigger Font for readability.

Name: Yoon Dorochnewesfv

Age: he never talks about his age, but you can count him around 20ish in human years at the beginning of "A Realm Reborn"

Lineage: Vierra - Veena

Birthplace: Ishgard East Mountainrange/ Yaga village

More info: Yaga Village is an interesting one in its history, as it has been established many many generations ago. Its history is passed down oraly by the elder female Veena and says that they were once send by a divine power to guard the lucious mountains, but with time the climate changed and it became a landscape of ice and snow. However the Vierra could not abandon what they promised to protect and so they stayed in Yaga for centuries, adapting to the new climate. While it is one village its population is divided into different families, named after old Viera matriarchs. Dorochnewes was one of them.

Affiliation: Gridania

Class/Job: Lancer, later Dragoon (tho also versed with a bow)

Status: mated to Lemuel

Physical Describtion: Yoon is a Snow Mountain Veena with almost completely white skin, white hair and white ears and tail. Only the tips of his ears, the tip of his tail and his toes are black/dark blue furred. He has feint freckles in his face, his left eye is white while his right eye is a deep blue. Originally both eyes were blue, but due to an injury he sustained on his trip down the mountain he got partially blind on his left eye and bears a scar on the side of his face. His hair is a bit longer than shoulder length and he has the natural height of Vieras, though among his species he is average in height to slightly shorter. He has very strong legs as most Vierra and rabbit feet with white furr and black toes. Different to other Vierras those of his village have the ability to cover their skin with a layer of furr when in cold regions so there is little need to bundle up for them. The furr falls off and sheds in warmer regions and is, as most of Yoon, completely snow white.

Backstory:

Born as the middle child of a renowned huntress in the tribe, there was a lot of hope in Yoon to be female, as his older sibling turned out male, which was seen as a disappointment to the tribe. His mother did not love him any less and only two years, after his younger siblings birth, his father died. All the more disappointment was once it became clear that Yoon was a male Vierra, which made his mother now have two sons and not a single heiress.

But not shortly after his younger sibling Taya was confirmed to be female, the entire tribe was slowly falling ill to a terrible disease. By then Yoon had been out on his own for quite a few years only hearing of the illness from other male Vierra that visited the tribe. Since his mating cycle was coming close he decided to make an earlier visit to the tribe and to check on his family only to find his mother and little sister terribly ill. By now even a few male Vierras had contracted the disease, however they seemed to recover with little issue while the female population seemed to suffer greatly and even die from it.

His mother knew she was not going to make it and sent Yoon with his sister down the mountain to get at least their youngest into a city where she could get medical treatment, as the tribe was incapable of finding a cure. Yoon knew this would lead to them being banished, but promised to take his sister to safety. He then made his way down the mountain, giving whatever he could hunt to his sister and keeping her alive, while he got by with mere scraps. He went slowly and steadily to make sure he wouldn't overexert his young sister, taking breaks to warm up and let her get some proper sleep.

It's during his way down that he, delirious and weak from little nourishment and sleep deprivation, slips during a snowstorm and tumbles down a steeper and cliffier path, causing him to gravely injure his left side of his face and damaging his eye. He took some time to take care of himself and Taya, who he could luckily shield enough to not get hurt, and with newfound strength made his way further down. However when he came to Coerthas he was met with closed gates and hostility as the nation of Ishgard was in grave tension due to their fight with the dragons. At least one helpful individual by the name of Estinien directed him south towards Gridania, saying Yoon should ask there for a cure.

On his way to Gridania he traverses the forests, unable to hunt, due to his new adjustment to his eyes and being unable to blend in with the green flora. He pushed through by sheer willpower and eventually collapsed in the City of New Gridania, being taken in by Mother Miounne and given a temporary stay to recover. So now Yoon was in Gridania, a place completely different from his home and taking care of his very ill sister. He is aware that he will need money to come by, pay for their stay and especially Tayas treatment so he joins the adventure guild and becomes a Lancer. However doing quests and hunting himself manages to pose itself as a big difficulty. Yoons entire appereance is natural to a snowy and rocky environment with little to no vegetation and he just recently lost most of his eyesight in one eye, having to relearn how to aim and see the world.

It's during this time that he meets another Vierra.... Lemuel.

Character: Yoon is not too hard to read if you are familiar with vierran expression through their ears. His face seems very unmoving and his tone usually stays the same, but his ears give him away far easier as he never had the need to control that. He does learn to open up and be more expressive around people he knows and likes, to strangers however he is cold and distant at first. He is awkward with other people and gets along better with other men, while he has great respect and shows politeness to women and non binary individuals. He is by no means uncaring, sometimes even being too caught in his own emotions as he left to the villages outskirts in his teens only one year after being fully identified as male. He has therefore little social skills and doesnt know much about ettiquette or how to handle his own emotions. Due to the Party, especially the Miqo'te girl Anayeli, he learns to understand emotions and social interactions more, however it often still shows, that he just comes from a completely different background.

He is often led by instinct and his learned skills as a hunter, prioritizing survival over anything else, that he almost naturally sacrifices his own comfort. As a Vierra male that grew up in the snowy mountains he doesnt do well with heat and had a hard time adjusting to the new climate or the forest environment (Thanalan is his personal nightmare). It's usually uncomfortable for him to stand out due to his appereance, but with time most Gridanians learned to just let him be and do his thing and not stare, because it will trigger his flight instincts. He can be quite childish, when he does feel comfortable and as he had not run a single mating cycle yet has little sexual experience (until he meets Lem). It is his long term goal to find a cure for his sister and if possible bring the cure to the last remaining Vierra of his tribe and to fulfill that goal he is willing to go great lengths tho he has his principles and sticks to them, trying to live a life of which his mother would be proud and he has not to be ashamed of.

Trivia:

-Yoon can not swim. He never needed to learn. Lem teaches him to at least not completely drown.

-as with most Vierra his ears are very sensitive and he puts special wachs mixed with cotton in his ears to dull the noise. It is also why he prefers the quiet nature more than bustling groups of people

-Yoon doesnt exactly see himself as part of the Gridanian population and more as an outsider that happens to stay in the city, which makes him far more sympathetic with some of the wild tribes than most

-his favourite food is Honey Custard Tart, a sweet baked good that is filled with a custard that is mixed with honey and a honey glace on top. He never tasted honey before so when he got the good as a reward from a comission he got immideatly hooked.

-As the mountains are not as rich in vegetation as the forest Yoon was much more prone to have a meat heavy diet, which is only proven more by his sharp teeth and canines, that almost seem to match more Miqo'tes teeth. However he does prefer to have a vegetarian diet if he can help it.

-Yoons brother Eleesh disappeared about a year before the disease befell their tribe and its unknown if he died or not

-While they don't show much PDA, Yoon and Lem have a very active sex life, with Yoon being the one with the driving libido.

-as with most Vierra, Yoons strongest aspect are his legs. He can jump pretty high and far and is a very fast runner, being able to zigg zagg and make quick turns rather easily.

-and yes. He has pawbeans

-Usually Viera give up their forest names after having left their tribe, but Yoon holds onto his name as it is the last remains he has of his mother. However he does emphasize that he prefers to be called by his first call name instead of his full name or last name, as it is a very personal detail to him. He will often introduce himself as "Yoon. Just Yoon is fine."

-he finds Miqo'te to be unnerving due to their intense eyes and the natural predator disposition, Elezen to be unnerving for their height and especially Au'ra men for their size and sharp scales. Roegadyn and Hrothgar, no matter the gender, instinctly trigger his flight response.

-despite being dispositioned as prey, Yoon is very skilled with his lance and an incredible hunter... at least in the snowy mountains. In Gridania he passes as average when it comes to hunting, so he is much more prone to choose flight as an option.

More unrelated pictures as done by @kyuji

I will post the couple ones in my follow up

Thank you for reading!!!!

#final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ffxiv #ff14 oc #ffxiv oc #yoon #thank you so so much for aksing i will probably make one followup talking about just yoon and Lem but that's for future me #i love my bun boy so much you have no idea #there is a theme amongst a lot of my characters being older or middle siblings putting themselves aside to care for their younger siblings #trust me i wished i was far more patient with drawing or i would draw yoon all the time #tho i have heared Lemmy say that the boys hair is a nightmare to draw #thank you again for indulging me QwQ #own character #oc #original character

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dviilcried · 2 months

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.𖥔 ݁ ˖ d.ead by daylight verse ...

[ 13 ] 𓆩♱𓆪 ❛ 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖊 𝖍𝖊𝖗 ; 𝖒𝖞 𝖍𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓'𝖘... ❜ — dead by daylight. rejected. cursed. a failure. that's what she was. that's all she could be. unable to fulfill her creator's goal, ruining his plan in the process. the relic, shattered before her. forced to swallow the pain with plucked wings and a chest halfway turned to marble - she cried. she cried and cried... begging him to take her back. instead, thrown aside like a broken toy, she fell into the deep abyss. the vessel couldn't tell if it was the torturous pain that made her vision so... blurred. almost foglike. she was in hell... but not the one that mundus had rule over. she had been offered a deal. serve Her, the Entity. 'twas to give her a new meaning, a new objective. she would be reborn, gifted more power mundus could ever offer. in her weakness, she agreed - and became known to the realm as THE VESSEL. ABILITIES && POWERS TBA.

#[ 13 ] 𓆩♱𓆪 ❛ 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖊 𝖍𝖊𝖗 ; 𝖒𝖞 𝖍𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓'𝖘... ❜ — dead by daylight.

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tomorrowxtogether · 1 year

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TOMORROW X TOGETHER is defining a new generation Three analyses of the wavering youth in The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION

A different kind of youth

Kang Myungseok: “Dude, what’s you dream?” So goes the first verse of BTS’s 2013 debut song, “No More Dream.” Ten years later, TOMORROW X TOGETHER sings something different in “Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)” off their new album, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION: “Been a long time since that shiny dream wore off.” When BTS got their start, they didn’t know what their dream was, but they came to figure it out by calling out to people of the same generation as “dude.” TOMORROW X TOGETHER, meanwhile, were handed a dream when they started but now laugh bitterly at themselves for having worn-down dreams; in the same song, they define themselves as a “rockstar minus star, just a rock.” TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s first chapter, and the one that introduced them to the world, was Dream, with their debut album fully titled The Dream Chapter: STAR. From that album and up to and including their most recent release, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION, the history of the group is characterized by a paradoxical rejection of their duty. The world has changed during that time. BTS, in their song “Silver Spoon,” criticized a society that forces the young to always try harder; by contrast, the concept has fallen out of favor in the time since TOMORROW X TOGETHER debuted. The rise in popularity of the TV series Reborn Rich, in which a poor protagonist is reborn as the grandson in a conglomerate family, is a perfect reflection of the fact. When the devil whispers in “Devil by the Window,” the opening track off TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s new album, it even comes across as a critique of how what’s happening today is actually temptation in disguise: “He’s whispering, ‘Give up, don’t you put up a fight!’” It’s easy, in other words, just to give up. Just as in the lyrics to “Happy Fools” (feat. Coi Leray), the older generation tends to tell the young ones that “the future’s always more important than now.” But for TOMORROW X TOGETHER and their generation, it’s the kids who are well-off now who go on to continue to lead a good life. Leave all the worrying to “myself of tomorrow” and bask in “this moment that will never come back” and its “sweet taste of laziness.” And why should anyone resist such temptation? A small change of perspective, and the real world becomes Neverland. With effort or not, you can never grow up quite as much as you’d like.

Consequently, the titular temptation in The Name Chapter leans toward one of intense rebellion. The members of TOMORROW X TOGETHER actually want to keep idle, even labelling themselves “just rock” as opposed to rock stars, in an apparent attempt to redact all evidence of their own existence, including their own name. In “9 And Three Quarters (Run Away),” the lead single off The Dream Chapter: MAGIC, meanwhile, they pose the suggestion, “Should we run away?” It’s a rather impactful declaration to define their own identity as people who don’t want to do or be anything; for them, the only option is to escape reality. They try to pull others into their Neverland, too, like in “Sugar Rush Ride,” their latest lead single (“Come here more, let’s play more”). Maybe Neverland is actually “the little island” where “a little secret began,” as they sing in “Magic Island” (The Dream Chapter: MAGIC). Where they were running from reality in “9 And Three Quarters,” now they are Peter Pan figures turning that little island in Neverland and tempting others their age to join. As in the four sets of concept photos released in the lead-up to The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION, TOMORROW X TOGETHER is now something akin to a mystery Peter Pan figure, whispering in languid, attractive tones in “Devil in the Window.” The group goes beyond temptation and into the realm of pure delight in “Sugar Rush Ride,” singing, “gimme gimme more,” in the most upbeat and bright track off the album. By contrast, there’s hints of wistfulness in the boys’ vocals in “Happy Fools” (feat. Coi Leray) and “Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)” that give way to lively bossa nova and Latin rhythms in each song respectively, and “Farewell, Neverland” starts off with a light, guitar-backed rhythm that at some point moves on to something more intense (“Neverland, my love, bye bye / And I’m free falling / Stars, go to sleep now”). They know that their days in Neverland are numbered and, like it or not, reality will unavoidably catch up with them. The song foregoes the intense vocals typical of a lot of K-pop and instead works toward a climax made of whistles and sharp exhales. Laid-back vocals and upbeat music make up the majority of the album, but there’s also a current of dark and anxious emotions running in parallel all throughout. The combination of the music with the group members’ appearances, a mysterious mix of the bright and the sensual, creates a distinct aesthetic—one that represents the generation to follow BTS. TOMORROW X TOGETHER personifies the idea of giving up as a form of youth in rebellion. Calling themselves “rocks,” these young people come together to create their own island. What name will the world give those rocks when they leave Neverland and return to the real world?

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Temptation, thy name is Peter Pan

Yoon Haein: In the classic novel, Peter Pan is described as a being a boy forever, never growing up as time moves on. Neverland, his home, is a fantastical place where adventures unfold—a dream island where children come to stay and adults are barred from entering. TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s latest album, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION, borrows these elements from the original story but puts its own spin on the fairytale. Like heads or tails on a coin, remaining a child forever gives up the potential to move forward in favor of being complacent with the here and now. For example, the devil in “Devil by the Window,” the first track, whispers, “Give up, don’t you put up a fight … Dream on, dream on, good night!” He’s saying that it’s better not to put in the effort for your dreams and simply enjoy falling deep into sweet reverie. It’s just like Peter Pan, who looks to enjoy adventure forever in “a place where we will never grow old, with no worries,” knowing that, once you leave Neverland, you become an adult and can never return.

The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION is not akin to a song of someone in eternal boyhood like Peter Pan. TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s teenage years, singing of “looking back at the empty school” in “Way Home” and the “endless final exams,” are gone, with the kind of worries they sing about changing naturally as they grow. Just like in their real lives, the group today delicately paints the complex emotions experienced by young adults living life somewhere between boyhood and adulthood. But there’s a price to pay for passing through the boundary that exists somewhere between adult and grownup. To move on requires grappling with the helplessness of the world and making numerous choices regarding internal struggles. On the other hand, it’s simple just to give up. The lyrics of “Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)” are a tightrope walk between self-acceptance and justification, calling themselves a “rock” rather than a “rockstar,” and they mockingly say that their dream was never attainable anyway and so they’re fine with who they are now. At the same time, their generation experiences a feeling of hopelessness in a world where material wealth is considered the only path in life and where they’re forced to choose to give up if they can’t achieve it. Even with so much on their plate and plenty to worry about, they try to be “Happy Fools” who “leave it to myself tomorrow” and enjoy “this moment that will never come back,” sometimes tempting others, singing that “it’s me who’s bad” (“Sugar Rush Ride”). Instead of reducing the struggles experienced by their generation with cursory terms like “Gen Z” and “youth,” TOMORROW X TOGETHER depicts them in detailed pictures using specific language. It’s here where we see that the title of the album and the theme throughout, temptation, doesn’t stop at its conventional meanings tied to romance and the challenging of taboos. They prevent the world of boyhood from progressing to that of the adult, as represented by Peter Pan, and cover their own eyes (“No, I can’t tell what is fake in my reality”), extending the meaning of temptation in a way only TOMORROW X TOGETHER can.

Released in the lead-up to the album, the concept trailer for The Name Chapter ends with HUENINGKAI jumping out of a collapsing house and into the void. Whether he falls, or soars like Peter Pan, we can’t say for sure, but the final track off the album, “Farewell, Neverland,” implies the result of his choice. After facing various temptations and the choices they lead to, TOMORROW X TOGETHER realizes Neverland, which at first appears like a kind of utopia, can never truly be home, and bid Peter Pan farewell. In the novel, Peter playfully explains to Wendy that she too can fly if she thinks of something pleasant, then heads off to Neverland with the aid of Tinker Bell’s magic. Contrary to the sweetly magical image of lightly flapping down to the ground, leaving Neverland is more like a crash landing, “heading toward the ground at full speed.” But even after this, the members of TOMORROW X TOGETHER, choosing the less-than-sweet truth, will, unlike Peter Pan, become adults after all and begin a journey of their own—standing on their own two feet.

He who strives on and lives to strive can earn redemption still

Kim Doheon (music critic): In Goethe’s Faust, the devil Mephistopheles tempts the titular doctor with sweet words: “Come, bind thyself by prompt indenture … What no man ever saw, I’ll give to thee.” Faust, a highly studied man who falls into terrible boredom, is fascinated by mysterious magic and this voice offering him the thrill of chaos. In return, he wagers his soul in this dangerous bargain: “When thus I hail the Moment flying: / ‘Ah, still delay—thou art so fair!’ / Then bind me in thy bonds undying.” As soon as he decides to stay in the intoxicating excitement of the moment, the great scholar loses his name and becomes an eternal servant to Hell.

The devil similarly comes for TOMORROW X TOGETHER, who goes to bed as a child who has far to go. Here, the devil isn’t some conceptual metaphor for the chaos of growing up, as in the song “CROWN,” nor is it in line with the romantic language of learner wizards in “Angel or Devil.” The devil’s voice creeps in through the window at midnight, sweet as sugar. The drowsy daydream begins as dream they don’t want to wake up from, moving beyond artificial reality and into the realm of alternate reality. By the time they let go of reason and repeatedly jump through fantasy worlds like some scene out of Everything Everywhere All at Once, the five young boys take a breather, lose the colourful kaleidoscope and take a moment to reflect on themselves. It’s a big issue. In their house way up in the sky, the boys are stuck in their beds, only ever dreaming. To make matters worse, the house is crumbling to pieces. Soon it will be nothing more than a rock. By the end, they can’t say anything more than, “Thou art so fair,” and their laughter is written out in a dry “ha ha ha” on screen. Thursday’s child finally takes a hard look at his fate, and comes to a forlorn conclusion: My life can’t be to soar through the air; I have to jump from this collapsing house and land onto the ground on my own two feet.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER enter a whole new world in The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION. It’s more romantic and fantastical than the miraculous, imaginative world of The Dream Chapter: MAGIC and yet colder and more sophisticated than the frozen world of The Chaos Chapter. In the dark pop song “Devil by the Window,” the devil slyly approaches like a monster from under the bed, whispering, “Don’t you put up a fight … Dream on, good night!” The boys then give us the dizzying disco pop song “Sugar Rush Ride,” feeling like something right out of the movie Wreck-It Ralph. The song is written in part by salem ilese, the romantic behind “Anti-Romantic.” In this track, the members sprint across an up-tempo, danceable disco pop beat in the same tradition as “New Rules” and “No Rules” but with a taste of a glitchy dark trap beat. The song warns that all these places could exist only in an artificial reality. But the boys, unable to resist the temptation, become “Happy Fools” who play mindlessly to their hearts’ content. The sky-high piano chords are “locked in a sweet moment” and give a proper picture of “a sweet taste of laziness” and “dream-like guilty pleasure.”

Soaked in elation, the boys of TOMORROW X TOGETHER give their bodies over to the springy reggaeton rhythm in “Tinnitus” as the music rings in their ears. They choose to abandon the rock and roll image they built up with songs like “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You),” “LO$ER=LO♡ER” and “Good Boy Gone Bad,” wanting to simply be rock, and roll. Fortunately, the devil is unable to simply take away a young person’s soul, heard in the bitter gypsy guitar in “Farewell, Neverland,” which reawakens the forgotten value of growing up and trying new things. It’s a solemn way to close the album, symbolizing the fate of a boy who has to overcome all temptation and, in the end, move on.

The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION organically intertwines mystic Arcadia and the precarious present day to inspect the ennui of today’s youth as they give way to temptation and indulge in pleasure, giving up on life without realizing it. From the choice of genre to the lyrics, the album is full of meaningful details, organic music and solid narratives. The experience of following TOMORROW X TOGETHER as they wander about enjoying the fantasy is as beautiful as it is dangerous. It would’ve been a perfect place for their journey to reach its end. But as we reach the thumping “Farewell, Neverland,” we come to realize that the group’s growth and adventure, and our future, don’t stop here. No one stays a child forever. Paradoxically, an innocent, uncorrupted child is more easily swayed by false morals and by brutality. It’s often forgotten that, in the original Peter Pan, the rule in Neverland is to kill off any child who becomes an adult. Faust, who signs a deal with the devil to gain the power of ambition, never loses his passion or sense of self-realization, and is therefore saved by God at the last moment. Redemption comes to who strives on and lives to strive. Goodbye, Neverland.

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