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townofcadence · 16 days

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✨ What was your inspiration in making your muse?

Munday Meme ✨ What was your inspiration in making your muse?

I ended up getting on a roll, apologies, so I put this under a read-more ^^;;;

It depends on the character for sure! I usually end up really vibing with a concept i want to build around, like a personality archetype or a story element. Usually this is a pretty generic concept, and then I build out the rest of the OC, trying to understand their place in the world and how the life they've lived has affected who they are, and make it more personal to me so I get attached.

Caelan for example, is a fae prince who was raised as a weapon by his family during a war, due to his abilities and how intense his magic is-- he was hunting the enemy prince down, had him cornered in a fight, when the ground falls apart beneath them and they're pulled underground-- deep into webbed catacombs, where they're hunted by a monster over and over again. His whole concept was basically born from the desire to play with the idea 'character trapped in a maze being hunted by a creature'. Which--- was initially a concept i started playing with because of a song about the ghosts in pacman being trapped in the game and eaten by pacman xD

I think the main exception to this style of creation for me is Artair, which I'm sure you were asking about! So I apologize ahead of time for the tangent incoming xD

My very first character I ever rped online was Arthur from Mystery Skulls Animated, which was a collection of music videos following a plot revolving around four main characters dealing with the supernatural, set to indie artist Mystery Skulls' songs. But the thing was, MSA only gave us the vaguest details about the characters when the first video came out, which is when I started writing him. The most we knew about Arthur was that he had been possessed and forced to kill a teammate, and that he lost his arm to an animal teammate that seemed to stop the possession. Also that he was kinda like-- a fraidy cat? MSA was basically a parody of Scooby Doo with a twist, so he was a little like a yellow shaggy lol.

But yeah, it was actually really cool because every version of the same character was so wildly different, because it was so vague that there was so much room for interpretation! We weren't sure how well the group knew each other except that they were on the same team, we were only given blood types to determine personality, we didn't even know if the animal teammate spoke to the team-- even things like how they grew up or where they were or family dynamics were up in the air at the time. When his uncle was revealed soon after the video, I wrote Arthur as growing up with him after his own parents passed, but there were dozens of interpretations-- some where Arthur only came to live with him as an adult, or an older kid, with details ranging from his family was bad news, passed, or just too busy to look after him. One of the characters didn't have a last name for years. It was all kinda just--- free real estate lol.

So over the course of a decade I wrote him, i built out every detail about Arthur, including stuff like his history/backstory, his relationships, his abilities, his personality beyond the fearfulness-- even some details about the events that were canon. Over time as I was writing him, he changed personalities in a lot of major ways too, as storylines from rps and events happened while writing him. He changed, for better and worse, and the things I focused on more were less and less aligned with canon. I started experimenting with ideas and concepts i really liked too, especially ones like him being a medium, which then further deviated into eldritch/celestial/fae stuff, since I always had a deep interest in those kinds of beings. But that only continued to take him further and further from anything resembling MSA lol.

And I guess at some point a few years ago, i realized he was basically an OC, but with a canon coat of paint?

Soooo I basically took him and gave him a redesign and overhaul to make him an OC. I kept some elements i loved of Arthur that drew me to him in the first place, but I tried to get away from his original design as much as I could without making him feel too different to my brain. I kept a version of events similar to the first video, due to how formative they were, but everything else pretty much got chucked out. The rest I kept was heavily altered if it wasn't reliant on my own headcanons already.

The only other thing I kept was kind of keeping his name similar. I kept Arthur as a name he used for a while growing up due to kids being mean about 'weird' names, which he still uses as a safety precaution with people/fae, since so much of his history he was known by it. Then I gave him a scots version as his official legal name, since I had headcanoned Arthur was directly scottish anyways and would likely pick it, with the headcanon that as Artair got older he stopped caring what people thought of his name and started going by the one he chose. It was different enough to feel i was separating him from MSA, but close enough that it didn't feel wrong when I was so attached to 'Arthur' as his name for a decade (part of my initial attachment to him was connection to Arthur as a name and him being the color yellow, whoops)

But yeah! Overall for me, it's just about interesting or fun narrative concepts. And then there's Artair being the one canon guy who got hit with extreme OC-ification beams over time xD

Also, here's an old and silly spider-man meme doodle of Arthur and Artair if you made it this far xD

#answering things #ask meme answers #munday meme #doodles #artair #artair kingston #tristan rambles #and i really really did i'm so sorry djdjd #long post

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dawns-beauty · 27 days

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This isn’t on the ask meme, but what are your thoughts on the three combat archetypes? Warrior, mage, and thief!

I think they're neat! I actually think what ESO does with them (personifies them as Celestials, mysterious powerful beings, possibly formed by the Magna Ge or ascended mortals) is pretty interesting.

I like that all the minor signs have a tie to their major archetype.

For Skyrim, I like alternating between Mage and Thief for levelling up Faolythe as a blade-conjurer type (bound bow my beloved.)

I use Warrior the least, because I live that glass canon life for Skyrim lol

Thanks for asking :)

#answer

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sentfromwolves · 2 years

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✧ SENTFROMWOLVES. ⊰ WRITEBLR INTRO & TAG/WIPS DIRECTORY ⊱

➺ Hey friends! Welcome to my writeblr (re)intro. If you’re new here, my name is Eran. I’m 20+, nonbinary (they/them, experimentally he/him), and not only is my sun in Virgo, so is my rising (heck). I’m from the pnw but I live in new england now, and if you ever see a key smash, I swear it was my cats. You can find out more about me here!

⊰ Let’s get some house keeping out of the way really quick! ⊱

➺ I interact from @calamityeden! If you see that username in your dms/ask box, it’s just me!

➺ Feel free to tag me in ask/tag games! I am open to them and happy to partake. I am slow, so please don’t mind if I take my time in responding! ; w ;

➺ Never hesitate to DM or sending my asks about my wips or inquire about my tag lists. I’m also always happy to just say hi! My dms/ask box is not a scary place, I swear! I am just a slow and somewhat distracted potato.

➺ This is a strictly 18+ writeblr. Please DNI with me if you are a minor and respect my boundaries.

Ok cook, now onto the more exciting stuff. 👀✨

✧ TAGS MASTERLIST ✧ there are others but these are the important ones!

➺ 📝 my writing (woo!)

➺ 💌 my graphics (double woo!)

➺ 😤 shoutout train (for amazing writers & writing!)

➺ 🎉 game train (for oc games/asks & answers!)

➺ 🎑 insp tag (general inspiration for wips)

➺ 💫 shut up eran (personal thoughts, rants about writing, etc)

➺ 📚 resource tag (!!)

➺ 💦 you should be writing (writing memes & silly things)

✧ So what do I write? ✧ I write queer NA/Adult crossover fantasy. Sometimes it’s space fantasy. Sometimes it’s urban fantasy. And sometimes I get really wild and do historical fantasy too. You can check out my main projects below for a better understanding of what I’m focused on at the moment!

In any and all of my works, you can be sure to find:

➺ Nonbinary and trans voices at the heart of the story.

➺ Polyamorous relationships in varying shades of platonic/romantic.

➺ Tall men who love their tiny lovers. Am I a size difference hoe? Yeah. Yep.

➺ Soft magic systems, celestial gods, sprawling series-long plots.

➺ Large queer diverse casts. I very rarely write anything that doesn’t have an ensemble cast involved.

✧ While I don’t often write explicit content into my projects, I am always happy to provide a list of potential tws for each of them. ✧ Very often I will explore complex topics and sensitive issues through the lens of my characters with a lot of nuance based on my own experiences (gender identity being a major one among others), and I will always mark anything I share appropriately if they are discussing or involving sensitive issues.

✧ Beneath is a list of my active projects I am projecting to work on through 2022-2023! ✧ Feel free to ask about any of them, or inquire about being added to their taglists!

✧ BIRTHRIGHT / ENCHANTED AT EVENTIDE. ⊰ Adult Soft Fantasy Series ⊱

In Adrien, the light of the sun is eternal, but there are whispers that once, it was not. The middle daughter of the last Lunar Celestials in the realm, Aurora spends her time avoiding would-be suitors and reading myths of lost moons and missing stars, wondering where the night has gone.

But when her eldest sibling goes missing, Aurora flees her home to find a way to bring Diana back - even if it means chasing fairytales off the edge of the world and into the unknown. The last thing she expects is the help of an arrogant planetary god, or to unravel the mysteries of Adrien's broken past only to find herself at the center of a prophecy forgotten by time itself.

Soon enough, what had once been Aurora’s quest to find Diana and bring them safely home becomes a journey that will decide the fate of all Adrien--and the rest of the shattered celestial realm of Tolemia too.

➺ WIP PAGE . ➺ WIP TAG . ➺ CAST PAGE (UC)

✧ HIS BODY A BROKEN LAW. ⊰ Nitty Gritty Urban Fantasy Duology ⊱

There’s a clock tattooed on Nemesis’s wrist, and when it reaches midnight on his 21st birthday, it will kill him.

It doesn’t help that his mother was the one who cursed him, and that the demon possessing his car ate her down to the bones before Nemesis could get her to break it. But Nemesis is nothing if not versatile, not when he’s only got a few months left until the big bad end. If a deal with the devil under the hood of his vintage car is what it takes to survive, Nemesis doesn’t mind selling what’s left of his soul.

But Judge doesn’t just want Nemesis’s soul. The demon has bigger, meaner plans than that, and he needs Nemesis’s help to see them through. After all, stealing the heart of a living city isn’t a one-man job, and for all Nemesis is cursed, he’s still the first True Witch in a generation. And with a centuries old turf war raging through the streets of the Veldt, Judge and Nemesis are going to need each other’s power if they hope to make it past every last exorcist, demon, and vengeful witch in their way―regardless of whether they can stand each other or not.

➺ WIP PAGE . ➺ WIP TAG . ➺ CAST PAGE (UC)

✧ CARVE THE STARS. ⊰ Neo 80′s Space Opera ⊱

Two hundred years after reaching the stars, it turns out that aliens are either dead, missing, or worse.

For Wren Akane, this is a fact of life that comes alongside the three golden rules: water is wet, the sky is red, and whatever came before left something behind. A mechanic of Terra-9, a backwater planet in the backdrop of a budding human nation set against a foreign set of stars, Wren doesn’t care much for the starward politics of the galaxy, but they certainly have something to say about the aliens everyone thinks are merely dead.

Unfortunately, Wren’s golden rules are shattered the moment Marek Khalid touches down on Terra-9 and challenges them to a race. A star pilot turned famous for coming back the lone survivor of the missing deep space mission of the century, Marek is nothing short of dangerous, but Wren never learned better than to play with fire when it came crawling to their door.

But being burned is the least of Wren’s worries when their life is turned upside down by an alien doorway in the desert opening again after a thousand years closed, and a sudden calling only they can hear. Drawn into an intergalactic war when their planet is sieged in search of something ancient and holy, Wren is forced to flee to the stars, where they learn that they may play a greater role in the universe than they’d ever asked for, and that now, they’re being called on to finish the job.

After all, Wren might not have won the war they started ten thousand years ago, but they’re nothing if not determined to end it once and for all.

➺ WIP PAGE . ➺ WIP TAG . ➺ CAST PAGE (UC)

✧ PREY FOR THE WICKED. ⊰ Adult Dark Fantasy Trilogy ⊱

The only thing in all of Ossia that men fear more than monsters are the red-coated hunters that slay them.

That's none of Zara's concern. As long as their coin continues to line her pockets, they can continue cowering for the rest of their years. A Marchen, Zara's life is defined by hunting and killing the beasts of the world, whether undead or divine or some hideous corruption of both.

But when Zara is hired to find out what is eating wives in an ancient forest far to the north, she is forced to work alongside a necromancer to get to the bottom of the malady in the heart of the woods. The last thing she expects is to fall into a forgotten kingdom trapped in time, or have to make an uneasy truce with the cursed wolf-headed queen that rules it to find a way to kill the evil sleeping within.

➺ WIP PAGE . ➺ WIP TAG . ➺ CAST PAGE (UC)

And that’s all she wrote for now! Please feel free to reach out anytime hehe! 💝

#writeblr intro #writeblr #writing community #writing #HELLO!! new pinned post time!!#this was a BEAST to finish #but I'm pretty satisfied with it #I'll update the links under the wips once i get the cast pages set up #but for now! 👋👋#nice to get a new intro pinned finally

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sebastianshaw · 11 months

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Well, didn’t get to actually watch Dogma tonight after all. Maybe tomorrow or Friday night. But I got the memes sent and answered! Besides that: - Bean is losing weight but she’s still feisty and her poops are still fairly regular and healthy which indicates she’s still eating and drinking well enough. - I kinda wonder what sign language system comics Makkari uses? I think the one in the movie uses ASL like her actress (MCU Makkari probably knows multiple sign languages across time and geography, much like the others would know spoken languages) but in the comics, she only recently became D/deaf, and since that’s not otherwise a thing with Eternals that we know of, they wouldn’t have a pre-existing sign language. My guess is it’s ASL again, since Makkari has basically lived in the US since the 1940s since the comics. Which means, since Ajak talks back with her, Ajak knows ASL. And I kinda love that. - On the subject of both Eternals and religion, no one asked/cares but I really love when the Celestials are written as just. . .alien and incomprehensible. Like, Lovecraftian almost, not in a “horror” way but as in “we fundamentally can’t understand these beings or their motives or the scale they work on” because I think that’s how “space gods” should be. I mean obviously there are the gods like Loki and Thor and so on, but like. . .the Celestials are something different and I think that’s how they should be written. Like I really liked how the Dreaming Celestial essentially couldn’t explain to Makkari why the other Celestials imprisoned him in the Earth not because it was a secret but because it involves concepts that even Makkari, an Eternal, doesn’t have references for, and likened it to explaining concepts like democracy, tyranny, and comedy to a bacterium. And it wasn’t being insulting. It was actually genuinely doing its best in this conversation to communicate with him. But they’re just too far removed from anything humans---or even Eternals--can truly understand. At least, in some writing. The above example is how Gaiman wrote them, and he did it REALLY well (he also did a good job reminding us that the Eternals too are fundamentally inhuman, and that Makkari and Sersi are just kinda weirdo outliers who are unusually like us because they hang around us so much and they’re the ones we see the most but they’re EXCEPTIONS) which is why it’s disappointing to me when other writers make them just. . .very understandable, and explain everything, and so on. Like the writer (Knauf, I think) who followed up Gaiman’s run had the Dreaming Celestial give a very understandable, comprehensible reason why he was imprisoned by the other Celestials, that he attacked Arishem for culling Deviants because he thought Arishem was violating protocol, it’s really simple. And like. . .I don’t think they should be simple. I think they should be baffling. But I’ve noticed a big Thing in comics, or at least Marvel in my own experience, is this NEED among writers to explain, explain, explain. They’ll live a million plot hole unfilled and characterization inconsistency un-addressed, but boy do they like eliminating a mystery where it actually WORKS. - In Gillen’s run, it’s established that when Ajak speaks the language of the Celestials, she sounds like a choir of angels to humans. . . and a yokel with a mouthful of straw to Celestials. I love that detail so, so much, it’s perfect.

#out of shirt

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oathkeeper-of-tarth · 1 year

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DnD character ask meme replies! @fuleao and an anon both asked for 2, so here it is first:

2. what was your original concept for this character? how did playing them change that concept?

Here my very very first concept was: haven't played DnD in ages, let's make an honourable oathkeeping paladin, absolute Oath stock character, easy mode, check. I then like taking silly things, in-jokes and memes, as well as core DnD/mechanical stuff, and using it all as prompts for serious character expansion and flavour.

The rest is under the cut because I ramble quite a bit.

Second in this particular case, I was fuelled by an old grudge from back in my highschool 3.5e playing days. We were starting one of our homebrew campaigns, I made an aasimar character, ate the level adjustment, and took the whole chain of prerequisite feats from the old Races of Faerûn in order to have wings. I literally just wanted to play a speedy glowy lil guy with wings and a bunch of Freedom of Movement stuff even though it was severely sub-optimal in a million different ways. And in approximately the second session we ever played, the DM decided to be a dick (we don’t play with that guy anymore for a variety of reasons), instakilled the char in a contrived way, and then had them reincarnate… as a normal human. So anyway, about a decade later, I made a glowy lil guy with wings (once a day for a minute but hey, whatever, I'll take it).

The origin of the name is a completely non-serious

And the other thing is that FMA gif of the buff guys clasping hands, and the amusing contrast with the fact that we were using standard array for stats and I dumped the 8 into strength.

I ended up doodling this "family portrait":

So there, a weird little glowy foundling child adopted by the village's buff blacksmith couple. An absolute noodle who wanted to be a smith, ended up being a righteous knight of honour and justice due to Circumstances and an Incident (which I left vague until way, way later on). And finally, got spirited away by spooky magical mists into a cursed, dreary land with an evil vampire overlord, which is where the actual play started.

How the concept changed? Well, mostly it became more refined, especially setting-wise, because when we started CoS we all had fairly vaguely defined characters we were deliberately filling and colouring in as we went and as things became relevant (it was a fun way to do it instead of writing out 30 pages of probably irrelevant backstory, would recommend). The party that got Mist-napped was originally from Eberron, our group’s favourite and by far most played of the official settings. Eberron has a very specific cosmology/way of handling the planes and all that, and thus an aasimar wasn't just a lil glowy guy with wings anymore, now I had a whole Thing to work with, and the thing was Irian (thanks Exploring Eberron, btw - excellent book). This led to other silly-but-later-serious things, like the idea that Ramiel's main way of contacting Irian is by… bath. Because Irian has this bit called the Refuge:

The Refuge is a vast fortress-monastery, though it has aspects of a spa as well. It’s filled with tranquil groves, soothing baths, and places to rest and reflect.

Healing angelic hot springs, come on, I'm not leaving that out. And CoS the module has a whole thing with a mysterious blessed pool in one of the towns (originally entirely unrelated to anything mentioned above, but sometimes things just work out nicely). This tidbit also tied in to my general love of playing support/heal, and things I noticed as we started playing, just looking at what abilities and spells I was using, etc. Sanctuary, Protection from good and evil, Bless, all that good stuff. Having access to and constantly using both Lay on hands and Healing hands.

The paladin bit became refined as well, with the Silver Flame and other setting-specific stuff coming into play, and I found the idea of having TWO perhaps clashing sources of radiant/celestial power (and responsibility) interesting. It's also relevant politically, with us collectively deciding to be a trio from the setting's Fantasy France.

Ultimately, the contrast - and essentially struggle - between protection and healing vs. paladin nova stuff and easily going absolutely apeshit with dealing single-target damage (arising from mostly mechanical resource management during play) turned into a fairly important aspect of the character. Are you chasing glory and smiting evil, being vengeful and destructive, and using protecting innocents and whatnot as an excuse, more than anything? You can indeed protec but also attac… but not at the same time, and if you go too far with one, you won't have anything left to enable you to do the other. And then Rudolph van Richten dies because you don't have a spell slot left for Revivify fml.

I also took the Oath of Devotion "do not lie" bit 100% seriously, which was… interesting to roleplay, to say the least.

I realise upon writing this all out it actually better fits several other questions on that list… but here we are!

#ask meme #blorbos from my tabletops #gonna take my horse to the old svalich road #ramiel #dnd #tabletop #curse of strahd #oathkeeper replies to things

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marykaxmuses · 1 year

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J'ai publié 359 fois en 2022

204 billets créés (57%)

155 billets reblogués (43%)

Les blogs que j'ai le plus reblogués :

@alexandraxsuoh

@marykaxmuses

@justmorerpmemes

@dancinghearts

@spiltichor

J'ai étiqueté 319 billets en 2022

Seulement 11% de mes billets ne comportaient pas de tag

#ooc: aerynn's talking - 73 billets

#|specify which muse if not i'll choose ~| - 29 billets

#♦ celestial traveler: aether ♦ - 22 billets

#dashcom: i'm watching ~ - 20 billets

#anomieheld - 18 billets

#{clumsy & kind hearted: ange} - 18 billets

#eden's producer: misakye ♫ - 15 billets

#{meme: let's have fun ~} - 13 billets

#the mysterious one: mitsuki endou - 13 billets

#self-promo: we bet about more trouble? - 13 billets

Longest Tag: 92 characters

#\\ there's also the fact there is also things plotted included. mostly by discord of course.

Mes billets vedette en 2022 :

n°5

|| I’m in the mood to rp with my ocs but no matter what I do, none is interested. I’m trying again.

Starter call/Inbox call for one of my OCs poking your muses. Like/Comment, please.

4 notes - publié le 11 janvier 2022

n°4

“Did I just hear someone wanted to be picked up like a potato bag?” Mao, sweetie, NO.

4 notes - publié le 25 janvier 2022

n°3

♦ Little Starter Call for my producer OCs. Like or Comment but please specify which units please. (I don’t have Fine and 2wink so it would be Raphael if asked since he doesn’t have an unit.)

4 notes - publié le 23 mai 2022

n°2

«Trust, betrayal, and misunderstandings. Within the gaps between dreams, a horrible night is coming.» ft. Mitsuki Endou

Indie, Selective, Multimuse, Multi-fandom, Multiships ♠ RP English/French only ♠ Please read the rules before asking!! ♠ Au, OC, Crossover Friendly ♠ Written by Aerynn ♠ Mun is 28.

Rules ♫ Ask ♫ Muses ♫ Interest Checker

5 notes - publié le 28 juillet 2022

Mon billet n°1 en 2022

@dancinghearts : Cue Lumine biting his shoulder

“OW! What the hell Lumine?! Don’t bite your own twin!”

14 notes - publié le 11 novembre 2022

Obtenez votre année 2022 en revue sur Tumblr →

#tumblr2022 #année en revue #mon année tumblr 2022 en revue #votre année tumblr en revue #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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decemberspell · 5 years

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So.... this is my celestial ball event summary.

#im an evil person because im asking another one to date while wearing charlie hood #help #dat faces #hogwarts mystery #mc #hogwarts mistery mc #meme #barnaby lee #celestial ball #event #prom #hp memes

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evarenity · 5 years

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🖊 Rikokaya

Rikokaya has some interesting magic of her own, even though she comes from a race of humans that lack magical powers. One of her abilities is to play music with an enchanted instrument and, depending on what kind of music she plays, inflict ailments on her enemies. Like, a sad song can make an enemy depressed or a lullaby can make another fall asleep. :3c

It’s also helpful when she has to save anyone who’s fallen under the influence of a monster! :3c

#Rikokaya is a bit of a mystery >w>#Or so I like to think lol #Celestial Reflection #Rikokaya Nakamura #Ciela’s OCs #OC ask meme #ask #anonymous

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 3 years

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Hello , just wondering were you part of a religion but then saw the overwhelming flaws of it and now this is why your so passionate about telling people the truth ? I’m asking this because I used to be part of a religion in a luke warm sense of a way and now that I’m out of it I have noticed that I am similar trying to tell people the truth . Also I really enjoy the blog and hope you have a great day 👍🏻😊

I was raised in what you might call Lukewarm Catholicism. I went to Thursday School - which is Sunday School on Thursdays - went to church probably about 50 Sundays out of the year, did confirmation.

But none of it stuck. I remember the buildings from the Thursday School classes, because it was at a Catholic school I didn’t go to associated with the local church (my actual school was non-religious). But i don’t remember the classes, the lessons, the teachers - not even if they were male or female. It made no impression on me, whatsoever.

I dressed up to be walked through my confirmation, apparently, but I don’t remember any of it except through photos.

From church, I remember the boredom, the parquet wooden collection plate being passed around. I remember that when they did silent prayer, I had this extreme sense of the emptiness of the hall and its high ceilings; there was nobody there to listen to them. I remember looking around at the people with their eyes closed, and hearing the deafening silence, not just from the lack of sound, but the god they were praying to who wasn’t there. Like I was watching a spiritual tumbleweed roll through the air above their heads.

I ate the little wafer thing, but didn’t get the little sippy cup of wine. I thought it bizarre that they wanted me to eat flesh, but I knew it was just a wafer, so it didn’t bother me. They told me that it actually becomes the body of Jesus, but I still assumed they were either kidding or being symbolic, because it was clearly still just a wafer.

We never said grace or prayed before bed or anything. Nothing of this belief system existed outside of these compartmentalized rituals. By the time I was 16, we had stopped going to church entirely. It had apparently been something that we’d done only because my parents had felt socially obligated to.

Religion was a non-entity in my life for quite some time. I didn’t think of myself in terms of the word “atheist.” I just knew that some people believed in various religions and I didn’t.

This blog was never intended for anyone but myself. As I explored Tumblr, I found science posts and memes which eventually lead to atheism ones, which was sort of my first real return to the religious sphere since my family stopped going to church. The original intent of the blog was to collect interesting and funny memes that I found, starting with the one which correctly identifies that a rib from Adam would have had a 44XY genotype and would necessarily have had to be a male clone. My reblog disappeared when Tumblr deleted the original poster’s for some reason; this is my more recent reposting of it.

I suppose my intent now is less about telling people what’s true, and more about helping figure out what’s false. To show that the beliefs of believers, as stated by the believers themselves, refute themselves. Their god being mysterious and unknowable, yet “good” or “loving.” Being perfect but needing worship. Purported “evidence” and “supported by science” yet requiring faith. Unfalsifiable claims, both celestial and terrestrial.

And then also help people push back on other people’s beliefs intruding into their lives, from Xianity to Woke, with the courage to do so, be able to say why, be able to dismiss sophistry like Motte and Baileys or Ad Homs, point out that their right to have and express their belief also the same right that allows you to point out the flaws in that belief, to ignore feelings as epistemologically valid, to be able to decline to participate without guilt (secularism), and focus on values, particularly those of Liberal ethics, rather than subscribing to specific beliefs.

That by being principled, you can withstand and resist the demands of those who lead with their offended feelings, outrage, self-invested victimhood, and demands for your participation in their belief. With gut-check on your values and principles, you can laugh off those who decry you as a “sinner” or “immoral” or “spreading hate” or racist/Nazi/fascist (their definition). These are attempts to make you play their game, and exhaust yourself defending yourself on their terms. “LOL” or “no, you” is all you need when someone threatens you with hell.

Hopefully when you clear away all the false ideas, the fallacies and sophistry, the emotional reasoning and the illogical clutter, something resembling the truth remains. If it doesn’t, that’s still okay. Eliminating wrong answers helps us not waste time or effort on them, and helps us get closer to correct answers.

How well I achieve that is up to others to decide. But that’s where I’m coming from.

#ask #religion #religion is a mental illness

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skullsandwineglasses · 3 years

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Love and Redemption Review

Overall, I have to say that the story was really good, maybe even better than the popular xianxia romances that came before it like Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, Love and Destiny, and Ashes of Love. The romance may be comparable to AOL, but as a whole, the plot in L&R was more interesting and cohesive.

****SPOILERS AHEAD FOR LOVE AND REDEMPTION AND OTHER XIANXIA DRAMAS****

Plot

What sets Love and Redemption apart from the other 3 xianxia romances is that Love and Redemption also feels like a quest/adventure story, while also delivering a gut-wrenching, star-crossed romance plot. What’s interesting about L&R is that the main focus is on the mortal realm and the FL and ML’s current mortal incarnation, as opposed to the heavenly realm and their immortal identities.

The actions of the mortals have consequences across the 3 realms, as opposed to other xianxia romances that only use the mortal realm as a temporary stage for the leads to fall in love. The other 3 xianxias that I mentioned all opened up in the heavenly/celestial realm first, while the mortal realm was just a brief trial that the leads have to endure before returning to the immortal realm. The moral realm in L&R therefore feels livelier and more eventful, and the mortals have more agency and are not easily influenced by celestial beings. Whenever a celestial being does come down to the mortal realm, their powers are limited and are they are bound by the rules and restrictions of the mortal realm (which means that celestial beings can’t use their powers to mess with the emotions and decisions of mortals).

The drama opens up with a tournament being held at the FL’s sect and members from all the other sects are arriving for the tournament. When the FL and ML meet, they are on equal footing (well, equal in terms of status as disciples, but not so much in terms of magical prowess). It’s like when you were in high school and you meet the visiting basketball team from a rival school, and then end up becoming friends with them.

Love and Redemption also takes the audience through a mystery. What is the true immortal identity of the FL? What’s her relationship to the Star of Mosha? Is she the saviour or the doomsday harbinger? Does the ML have an immortal identity too? Why do they have the same birthday? The drama keeps us on our toes because we learn about the truth and the history of the characters as they’re discovering it, as opposed to the other xianxia dramas where there is very little mystery and few plot twists.

Because of this mystery, the drama is tight and well-paced, since a new piece of the puzzle is always being revealed. Just when you thought that the mystery is solved, there’s a twist, and you realized that the twist was set up from the very beginning of the story, but you just missed it.

The story also doesn’t stray from the main leads. Yes, there are subplots (as all dramas do), but the subplots here are brief, and they usually relate back to the main leads. Unlike in AOL where the later half of the drama derails and focuses on the two other supporting couples, while the main leads only get about 10 minutes of screen time.

The Male Lead - Yu Si Feng

Before starting the drama, I read a lot of comments about how much whump and emotional torture the ML goes through and how much he sacrifices for the FL. I thought this was an exaggeration. I mean, Xufeng in AOL went through a lot of Jin Mi too, (and you could make the same argument for Ye Hua in TMOPB, or Bai Zi Hua in Journey of Flower), so I was a little hesitant about the premise since it’s such an old trope, and I was doubtful that it could top the sacrifice that other MLs have done in other dramas.

But reader, boy was I wrong. Yu Si feng is the definition of limitless, unconditional love. I lost count of how many times he almost died for the FL (not including the 9 times she killed him in their previous 9 lives). He’s spitting up blood and stabbed in nearly every episode. Episodes 37-47 were the hardest to watch because of the escalating chronic angst and misunderstandings between him and Xuan ji that caused irreversible damage to their relationship. Even when she tries to kill him and tells him she regrets having ever known him, he still drags himself back to rescue her. To quote Si feng himself, it’s not a question of whether or not it’s worth it, but it’s a question of whether you are willing to do it. And Si feng is as eager and willing as ever to sacrifice everything for Xuan ji.

I mean, even Xufeng in AOL and Ye Hua in TMOPB snapped at the FL’s cruelty and aloofness at one point, but Si feng seems incapable of ever being angry with Xuan ji. Even when Si feng purposely tries to avoid her, it’s out of protection for her, not out of anger for everything she’s done. Like??? Si feng is impossibly perfect, even by the impossible standards of xianxia.

Cheng Yi plays Si feng to a T. He conveys a different type of pain in every crying scene, and so Si feng basically experiences like 59 different types of crushing pain, and you feel it in your bones every time you watch it. The man’s eyes speak volumes.

While it would be easy to say that Cheng Yi carries the drama with his portrayal of Si Feng, the actions of the ML would be meaningless if there were no romantic interest that he was doing this all for.

The Female Lead - Chu Xuan Ji

Some people may feel that Xuan ji isn’t worth Si feng’s devotion. But, I would argue that the first 37 episodes shows us that she is definitely worth it.

Xuan Ji is similar to Jin Mi from AOL in that she is incapable of feeling or understanding love. Because Xuan Ji was born without her 6 senses (and also without a real heart, unbeknownst to the other characters), she’s naive and juvenile. But despite not having feelings, she’s still able to care completely about others. She cares about her sister, her father, her sect brothers, and Si Feng. She’s fiercely protective of them as they are of her. To the best of her limited abilities, she is devoted to people as much as she can be.

Because of her sensory deprivation, Xuan Ji is really curious about the world. She wants to be like everyone else, to feel like everyone else, in hopes of being able to properly reciprocate people’s love for her. She envies people who are able to cry because she thinks that’s an unhindered way of showing love. She regrets not being able to cry when her mother died. Xuan Ji is therefore a self-aware character, unlike Jin Mi, because she knows her shortcomings. She wants to be able to feel, understand, and share pain.

As such, she’s quite an active character because she has this goal of reviving her senses, which has ripple effects for the other characters in the story since they become a part of her journey, whether by choice or by force.

Why Si Feng fell for Xuan Ji

Xuan Ji and Si Feng are very opposite characters, and not just because of the obvious difference in their personalities. Si Feng is a boy who feels too much (we later see that he gets his persistent sentimentality from his father), but was taught his whole life to suppress his emotions (I mean, the mask both literally and figuratively prevents him from emoting). Si Feng wants to express his feelings, but cannot.

On the other hand, Xuan Ji is allowed to be as expressive as she wants, but she is empty on the inside. Xuan Ji represents everything Si Feng wants to be and is expected to be: free and emotionless.

In this mortal incarnation, SF has responsibilities to everyone, from his spirit beast to his sect. Xuan Ji is the only one who doesn't ask or expect anything of him and yet, for someone who can't feel, she's always thinking of him. she stands up for him, she brings him snacks to comfort him when he’s being punished, she helps steal back his mother's hairpin. These are very simple gestures, but they mean the world to him (no one else has done these things for him before, and he doesn’t understand why she would unconditionally do these things for him), and that's why he's so quick to risk everything for her. Thus ironically, Si Feng actually learned about unconditional love from Xuan Ji.

He’s never known love, warmth, or friendship in his lonely years growing up in the Lize Palace. And so, when you’re just a 16 year old awkward, hormonal, and introverted teenage boy, it’s easy to fall for a selfless girl who invades your personal space and has no sense of propriety.

Why Xuan Ji fell for Si Feng

We see that her love is gradual. She falls in love with him without even realizing she’s fallen in love. She cares for him as a friend at first. After all, like she said, Si Feng is the first friend she’s made from outside her sect. But soon, her caring for him surpasses that of what she feels for her sect brothers. Si Feng teaches her about the world, from what different food tastes like, to naming colours. Si Feng doesn’t infantilize her like her sect brothers do. Her sect brothers are either dismissive or protective, like Ming yan, but she is able to find a proper confidant in Si Feng who is willing to be patient with her and listen to her.

Their 4-year separation when they each undergo training and achieve a boost in their abilities, only made Xuan Ji’s heart grow fonder. She misses Si Feng, and is frustrated to see that things are different between them when they meet again. She doesn’t understand why he’s so cold and distant, and all she wants to do is close the distance between them.

It’s a meme that Xuan Ji is the one who wears the pants in the relationship. She’s assertive and bold, and I think part of the reason why she fell for Si Feng is because he gives her that space to be best and biggest version of herself, whether in the heavenly realm or in the mortal realm. She’s also fascinated by him. A person outside of her sect who has an endearing personality unlike anyone else she’s seen. He piques her curiosity, and so she’s drawn to him. He’s as much as her romantic and sexual awakening as she is his.

It’s apt that their ship name is the combination of their last names “Chu Yu”, which sounds similar to the words 初遇, which means “first encounter”. Not only is this drama about capturing the feelings of first love, but Si Feng and Xuan Ji have also had 10 different first encounters because of their 10 reincarnation tribulations.

The Romance

It’s actually quite fun and endearing to watch because both Xuan Ji and Si Feng are playing hard to get, which frustrates the hell out of both of them. Xuan Ji is trying to win back Si Feng and convince him to stay, while Si Feng himself is trying to win Xuan Ji’s heart, and she doesn’t even realize it. They’re both trying to woo each other, but they’re both being resistant, intentionally and unintentionally.

I have to admit, though, that the first few episodes were slow.

There aren’t major sparks during the first meeting between the leads. She just falls out of the sky into his arms, and he’s flustered by her sudden appearance and clinginess. The love story didn’t feel “epic” during the the first 4 episodes because it didn’t feel like there were any stakes. These were just 2 young disciples from different sects who had a stereotypical meet-cute. It was like watching a high school coming-of-age romcom.

Things start to get serious when Si feng is forced to wear the lover’s curse mask, meaning that he cannot love, or else every time he’s hurt by the one he loves, that mask will release a feather to his heart and he’ll feel unbearable pain. When all the feathers are released, he’ll die. This means that he has to stay away from Xuan Ji, but obviously, the drama can’t let that happen, so he’s constantly thrown into situations with her, he can’t stay away from her, and he ends up falling for her harder and harder against his will.

Xuan Ji trusts Si Feng completely and unconditionally (until episodes 37-47 that is). She is willing to go against her father and sect in order to protect him. She’s willing to sacrifice herself to save him. She’s willing to go rogue with her powers for him. When no one else trusts him, she does.

This makes Xuan Ji a very cathartic character to watch because she isn’t frustrating at all. She isn’t easily influenced and has her own views. She doesn’t share the same prejudiced views as the elder sect leaders. She is willing to disobey if it’s the right thing to do. She immediately clears up misunderstandings, like the one between her and Ming yan. We see her gradually become more mature through her increasing protectiveness over Si Feng.

I think because we see this rational and loyal side of Xuan Ji, we’re able to have a higher tolerance for her ignorance and mistakes later in the drama (but only barely).

The Reincarnations - What Does it Mean to Love a Soul?

Si Feng fell for Xuan Ji 10 times in the mortal world, not including the very first time he falls for her when they were immortals in the heavenly realm.

I explained why I think Si Feng fell for Xuan Ji is this 10th reincarnation, but why did he fall for her in the past 9 lives? In the flashbacks, we see that in each life, Xuan Ji is cruel and heartless, and she still had the same unforgiving and ruthless demeanor as when she was the god of war. Is it because Si Feng’s soul is always going to be automatically attracted to Xuan Ji’s soul?

Because we only see brief glimpses of the past 9 lives (more specifically, we only see the ending of these lives), we don’t really know how they met or how Si Feng came to love her in each life. But, I would assume that there was something about Xuan Ji in each of her reincarnations that attracted her to Si Feng and completed him. Also, we know that Xuan Ji is capable of tenderness. As the god of war, she disliked fighting. As Mosha, she cared about Bailing. So, while Xuan Ji’s nature might be violent and cruel, I think that with each life, she learns about love and sincerity. If we assume that the flashbacks of the 9 lives are in order, then it would seem like Xuan Ji becomes more and more affected by Si Feng’s death with each successive lifetime. In the first life, she is completely indifferent to his beheading. but we see that she begins to become affected in the later lives, but tries to shove those emotions aside because they’re foreign and unfamiliar to her.

We get even less context for how Si Feng might have fallen for the god of war in the heavenly realm. We only know that Si Feng was the Jade Emperor’s son, and only gained a celestial anamorphic form after 10, 000 years. His true form is the Golden-feathered bird. He’s always appearing by the god of war’s side to listen to her vent, but the god of war only sees him as a stray bird who comes by to visit occasionally. Why did he fall for her? Did he empathize with her loneliness? Maybe she was his only friend, like he was her only friend, but she didn’t even realize it.

We also see that Si feng loves Xuan ji no matter who she is or what form she takes. Her gender doesn’t matter to him, and gender was never even an issue in the drama. The drama doesn’t give an explanation for why Bailing created a female body for the god of war (besides that he wanted to disguise Mosha’s appearance), but it also doesn’t matter. It’s a non-issue, and I love it. We just need to accept it, because the “why” isn’t important.

Xuan Ji has 3 different identities: The Star of Mosha (Luo Hou Ji Do), the god of war, and Xuan Ji the mortal. The god of war and Xuan Ji have the same “soul”, and that soul came from the glass of Mosha’s imprisonment lamp, and also from Mosha’s altered corporeal body. So, she is a part of Mosha, but has also become her own entity.

To Si Feng, all 3 identities are Xuan Ji. The memories, emotions, and experiences of all the identities are what made Xuan Ji Xuan Ji, and so he loves all of them.

But what made Xuan Ji finally crack so that she’s now able to love Si Feng in this 10th reincarnation? I think it has to do with her upbringing. We see in her previous 9 lives that she had a troubled upbringing filled with scheming and violence. So she was consumed by the darkest side of humanity and Si Feng couldn’t pull her out. But in this life, she grew up with an abundance of love, which made her want to learn how to love, which allowed her to open up to Si Feng. In this way, the drama shows that Si Feng alone isn’t enough to redeem her, but it took the love of her friends and family to help her grow a heart.

The Angst

Okay. So. Si Feng has probably suffered more than any male lead in xianxia history. I think someone said that he has a martyr complex. But, I’d like to break down the type of angst that are present in dramas.

There is angst that is harmless, and there is angst that is damaging to the relationship.

Harmless angst is usually angst by external forces. Like parents who don’t allow their kids to be together. Like in AOL when Xufeng mistakenly thinks that Jin Mi might be his sister so he can’t be with her. In L&R, this kind of external angst happens when Si Feng mistakenly thinks that Xuan Ji likes her 6th sect brother Ming yan. Xuan Ji isn’t purposely hurting Si Feng, but it’s an unintentional misunderstanding.

Damaging angst is when the couple turns against each other and become enemies. This happened when Jin Mi kills Xufeng and says she never loved him (which technically is true since her heart was re-sealed so she didn’t even understand what love was when she said it). In L&R, this happens Xuan Ji sides with her sect and attacks Si Feng when he reveals his demon form. This happens again when they confront each other outside the Lize Palace and she announces that she’s done with him and breaks ties with him. This happens again when she stabs him, says she regrets having ever known and loved him, and proceeds to try to stab him again. In Love and Redemption, Xuan Ji keeps saying hurtful things to him. There’s not just one moment of betrayal, but a constant onslaught of betrayals over 10 episodes that make the relationship feel like it’s entered a point of no return.

The masochistic side of me likes love/hate relationships and damaging angst. I grew up with it. TVB dramas have a lot of it. My favourite is the angst in Raymond Lam and Charmain Sheh dramas like Drive of Life and Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion. But despite over 20 years of watching dramas, I was still not prepared for the pain and suffering in Love and Redemption.

The good news is that they make up fairly quickly, though some may argue too quickly and easily.

What I Enjoyed

Other xianxia romances usually only have 1 mortal reincarnation. This has 10 reincarnations (even if only shown briefly), and I love that. The leads have already had such a rich history together, but they don’t remember, and so the romance is about them falling in love all over again in this life, while also slowly remembering the love they had in their previous lifetimes.

The world-building was also compelling, and the supporting characters were great. They were the voice of reason and talked sense into the main leads to help move the plot forward. I also liked how the ML and FL each had their own personal relationship with the supporting characters separate from each other. For instance, Ming yan has a childhood friendship with Xuan Ji, but he also develops his own friendship with Si Feng. Wu Ziqi was once Mosha’s helper, and also knew the god of war, but also forms his own friendship with Si Feng. Zi Hu is also friends with both Xuan Ji and Si Feng. Having separate friendships with the leads means that the supporting characters are unbiased. They’re not likely to help the ML more than the FL or vice versa, but they’re able to see both sides of things. They help the leads, but they’re also critical of them, and is therefore able to help the leads make rational decisions. It reminds me of the friendship dynamics in Avatar where the characters have unique relationships with each other. Like Toph has her own relationship dynamic with Sokka and Katara, which is different from Aang’s relationship dynamic with them.

It goes without saying that Si Feng is the best part of the drama. He plays an emotionally repressed character, so it always feels like the heavens opened up when he smiles, and Xuan Ji seems to be the only one who can make him smile. SF's best moments are when he shows moments of vulnerability, like when he begs Xuan Ji not to cut ties with him, or when he's so happy to the point of disbelief and he's afraid of it being true that he begins to slightly quiver, like when he kept asking XJ if she was really the one who took off his mask. You can see him break down and not being able to contain his emotions and how much he’s desperately yearning for his love to be reciprocated.

I like that the FL has the same personality throughout the drama. I'm always annoyed when the FL's personality takes a 360-degree turn when she has a sudden "awakening" when her past life memories come flooding back and she instantly matures and becomes jaded. In Love and Redemption, Xuan Ji stays her bubbly self, even when she’s burdened with responsibilities. Hell, even when she becomes a mother, she’s still aloof and playful. In episode 52 or so when she burns her leg and refuses to leave Si Feng’s house, she acts like a helpless little girl again. Si Feng tells her that such a small injury wouldn’t even faze someone as powerful as she is, but she reminds him that he once told her that even if she didn’t feel pain, her body would know the pain, and so she should always tell him when she’s hurt. I just like this throwback to the earlier episodes to show that while Xuan Ji has grown and matured, she’s still the same person who wants to be loved and pampered.

Weaknesses of the Drama

Xuan Ji is a really multi-faceted and complex character (because of her villainous tendencies), but Crystal Yuan doesn’t completely deliver in all of her performances of the character. Crystal Yuan is great when she’s acting cute (though it reminds me a lot of Zhao Liying’s acting in Journey of Flower, even the voice actress is the same actress), but I feel like Crystal Yuan’s crying scenes are a little lacking. Also, Xuan Ji is a character who is often in moral and emotional conflict because she starts to feel emotions that she doesn’t understand since she’s never felt them before, but sometimes Crystal isn’t very convincing when trying to convey this internal conflict. For instance, in the scene when she thought Si Feng was getting married to Ah Lan, I thought that her devastation at seeing that should have been a bit more palpable. I mean, you finally found the love of your life after searching him for over a year and now he’s in front of you, about to get married to another woman. There should be more pain, anger, regret, disbelief, a battle of emotions unfolding on the face. There should have been more deflation, more staggering. I think back to when Tang Yan was watching Luo Jin get married to someone else in Princess Weiyoung, or when Jin Mi was watching Xufeng propose to Sui He in AOL, and the desperation and shock was subtle, but still so strong. You could feel the drop in your own stomach when sympathizing with the female character.

I also obviously disliked how Xuan Ji didn’t believe Si Feng. But I would have understood why she didn’t believe him (even when he logically explained his innocence) since there are so many people pressuring her judgment, but what I can’t get over is how she had it in herself to physically hurt him. And she already hurt him before too, so she knows how much it pains her to hurt him. She already regretted the act before. But because she mistakenly thinks that he killed Hao Chen, she decides that she needs to kill him? Does Hao Chen mean that much to you that you’d be willing to sacrifice Si Feng in order to avenge him? That was my breaking point for her character.

I didn’t like how Hao Chen’s arc was resolved. For 1000 years, he thought he was right and never had any regrets. He was obsessed with controlling his friend Mosha to the point of killing him and sealing his soul away. He then created another being, became possessive over that being to the point of falling in love with it (without admitting it), and then follows his creation down to the mortal world, and wrecks havoc on the mortals, especially Si Feng. And when Hao Chen learns that he can no longer control or redeem Xuan Ji, he decides that he needs to kill her in order to prevent Mosha from coming back. But then suddenly, because of a few words and visions from the Jade Emperor, he immediately has a change of heart and sees the error of his ways. It’s just so anti-climactic. Yuan Long’s ending was also underwhelming. I just wanted the good guys and bad guys to fight it out without divine intervention.

While I sympathize with Si Feng and agree that it's like watching a puppy get kicked over and over again, he honestly gets jealous way too easily and is too insecure. He also keeps everything to himself and sucks at communicating. We blame Xuan Ji for being too quick at jumping to conclusions, but Si Feng also jumps to conclusions too and causes unnecessary pain for himself.

Overall Impression

Overall, despite the frustrations, I really liked the consistency of the drama. It flows as one complete narrative and all the subplots are well intertwined with the main plot. With other reincarnation xianxia dramas, you could divide the story into distinct arcs, but it’s harder to do with this one since you have arcs that overlap and transcend other arcs. There’s the mask arc, the god of war arc, the reincarnation arc, the demon identity arc, the Mosha arc, etc. Before one arc is completed, another arc is introduced.

If you’re looking for a be-all-end-all, til the end of time and end of the world romance, this is it. While it has many similar tropes to other xianxias like AOL, I think this executes the tropes better. Although if you’ve already watched AOL or other xianxias, you might be more immune to the angst (even though this drama is angstier). But if you watch this drama first, I think it sets the bar pretty high for other xianxia dramas.

The chemistry and sexually tension is also through the roof (and the BTS will have you raising your eyebrows - are costars normally that flirty and touchy feely on set?)

So yes, this drama does live up to the hype. More meta posts to come because I’m still going through withdrawal.

(Just checked the word count on this review, and it’s over 4700 words. I’m clearly an obsessed mess).

Other meta posts:

Recurring details and motifs in Love and Redemption

Similarities to other stories in movies and literature

#love and redemption #cdrama #琉璃 #成毅 #cheng yi #crystal yuan #cdramanet #romance #xianxia #袁冰妍 #琉璃美人煞

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alkcomics · 3 years

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Been making an effort to listen to at least one new album every month for a while now. The first year anniversary of the pandemic hitting felt like as good a time as ever to take stock of what I’ve been digging and share it with y’all.

Seeing this all helps me really feel the passing of time, which has been difficult with the lockdown isolation and depression. Album names link to a choice song on Bandcamp (when I can) or YouTube (when I can’t) in case anyone else out there feeling like a sad zoo animal wants to spice up the cage for a few minutes.

Hope y’all dig. Cheers!

2019 New Music

September | Ahmed Fakroun | “Did you like the musical texture of the Land Down Under song but wished it were sad Libyan disco instead? Well have I got the album for you.” Seriously though, Njoom Al Leyel is probably the most gorgeous song in existence

November | Patience by Mannequin Pussy | All the feels of the Joan of Arc/Kinsella bros Philly emo scene; rad female vocalist and one of the last live shows I saw before the shutdown

December | Devil is Fine by Zeal & Ardor | High concept music project mixing American Black folk with black metal; totally delivers on the premise

2020 New Music

January | Jaago by Lifafa | Vernacular electronic music project of Suryakant Sawhney; chill vibes and gorgeous lyrics

February | On by Altın Gün | The 70s psychedelic revival in Turkish rock music right now is my jam, and I’d be wearing lines in the vinyl if I had a physical copy of this album (waiting til next Bandcamp day to order)

March | Grab that Gun by the Organ | This album fell neatly into my life from the first driving bass line. Dunno how I missed it when it came out. Equal thirds Screaming Females, Joy Division, and it’s own dang thing

April | Dust by I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness | The dark indie pop post rock of your dreams

May | Savage Times by Hanni El Khatib | Come for the punk bangers, stay for the disco tear-jerkers. Hanni El Khatib delivers again

June | Antiphon by Alpha Mist | My cousin rec’d Kamasi Washington and I realized I was woefully illiterate in modern jazz. Very chill jazz sophisticated through the lens of hip-hop; echoings of J Dilla

July | Windflower by Herb Ellis & Remo Palmier | Jazz guitar album from the late 70s I’d never heard; melodic and exuding the feelings of death and renewal that come with spring

August | Space Echo: The Mystery Behind the Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde Finally Revealed! by Various (collected by Analog Africa) | So much good 70s electronica from Africa, and this is a fantastic compilation of different artists with a very insane backstory

September | Drowner’s Wives by Monte Luna | Old school garage heavy feeling; just some good dark psych metal

October | Conference of the Birds by OM | Not my favorite OM album but one I’d never gotten to hear before and perfectly emblematic of why I fucking love them. Search the reddit thread of stoned grad students pouring over the lyrics to add the cherry on top

November | The June Frost by Mournful Congregation | Textured metal outfit from Australia with the range of black metal but the tone of doom

December | Life Metal by Sun O))) | As someone put it recently, this album is the soundtrack to the big bang. Monoliths & Dimensions always overshadowed it before, but after really giving it the time of day I say why pit two kings against each other. I think actually they were talking about M&D with that quote. Y’all ever been sent that meme with Sunn O))) and a vacuum cleaner that’s all “where’s the difference?” Not to take the funny seriously, but the difference is my cats lose their g-damn minds when the vacuum is on but absolutely vibe when Sunn O))) blasts through the airwaves -- which, luckily for them, is much more often than when I vacuum

2021 New Music

January | Liberty Bell by DARKSIDE | Dark electrowave - not a genre of music I generally flock to but I could and have listened to this song on repeat for days

February | What’s Your Pleasure by Jessie Ware | 2021 is about trying to branch out more, and I also don’t usually gravitate toward pop... but you give me a new disco record titled from a Hellraiser quote and I’ll fucking stan

March | Veils of Winter by Blackwater Holylight | ‘Motorcycle’ starts out doom, then gets stoner psych, then goes full dark hippy butt rock guitar riff with dreamy vocal goodness. The rest of the album loses the butt rock but you bet your butts my neighbors are tired of hearing it

April | Celestial by ISIS | A standby of post-metal glory that I’d never really heard in its entirety til now. ‘C.F.T’ is my favorite, but as an avid Earth fan it’s the easy choice. Perfect soundtrack to the warming spring nights, which in the words of a dear friend, are ‘for acid and metal’

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Ask box is always open if anyone’s got some good jams they want to share my way. Love y’all

#playlist #alkcomics

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writeiolite · 4 years

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sticky

who: oikawa x gn!reader

what: fluff

plot: you’re as sweet as candy, and oikawa’s on a sugar high. / “your laugh is adorable”

wc: 937

a/n: for @haikyuuwriters june mpe using the fussa firefly festival theme!

You should be in jail.

Upon laying eyes on you for the first time, Oikawa couldn’t compute how someone can get away with stealing the stars out of the sky and holding them prisoner in their eyes. He didn’t understand how anyone was allowed to walk free with a smile capable of killing even the strongest man. And he really was afraid to find out what you went through to get a laugh that cute. Just hearing that tiny little melody chime in his ears sounded like an invitation to paradise at the same time that it sounded like a siren’s song.

You should be locked up.

In his arms.

“Your laugh is so adorable,” he blurts out finally, unable to handle the tug-o-war that came with being near you. Were you doing it on purpose, leading him down a dangerous road of desire and devotion? Did you purposely sit by him in the library every single day and get in line behind him at Starbucks every time as well? Oikawa had no doubt in his mind that you were scheming this like any criminal would.

“Huh, mine?” You look at him with that smile — the one laced with silver secrets and cotton candy pink hints of innocence. A concoction for disaster and his undoing. And then you laugh again, as if to give him what he’s asking for. “I seriously sound so weird, like… like Windex or something. But thank you.”

Your smile melts like dissolving sugar, becoming soft and turning him into putty with a sticky sweet aftertaste left in his giddy heart. Just like that, you went back to talking to your friend in line, truly a master of disguise and deception. And even though he knows this, Oikawa still finds himself drawn to you and your mysteries.

So he tries a different tactic every day that he’s at the library with you. Sometimes it would be something small like saving your table, while other times he’d pay for your drink. He doesn’t really know what’s gotten into him that he’d take things this slow, but part of him knows that this is right. That he shouldn’t launch into it because the chase is all part of the fun.

So then came the saved seats, the runs to the printer, the free drinks, the airdropped meme, and eventually a phone number with an invitation to the Fussa Firefly Festival. His rationale was that it would make a perfect end of the semester to have a break and just watch the glowing world ebb and flow with life. And you were easily convinced.

It seems it doesn’t take a lot to make you feel special or glow with an ethereal light, for you’re shining just as bright as the fireflies now that you’re here with him. He really did expect you to have a bit more caution or something up your sleeve. Maybe a “Sike, my boyfriend is here” or a “Your fly is undone!” but all you had was that half-moon smile and celestial eyes.

And his heart.

“Oikawa or Tooru?” you blurt out, lips and tongue stained red from the candy apple you’re finishing off.

He tries really hard to focus on your words and not his wishes, pleading with the gods to stop him from asking for a kiss or your hand in marriage. “Tooru,” he gulps out.

“Well, Tooru,” you walk in front of him, stopping him dead in his tracks while you peer up at him. The world seems to buzz by, little lights glowing around to frame your beauty and add to the succoring ambiance of this one, perfect moment. “I’m having a lot of fun walking around and I really appreciate the candy apple…”

Here it comes… This is the part he was expecting, the part where you make your grand getaway. He can see the wanted posters now: candy red lips, and gum drop eyes, with your hand forming an L on your forehead because he’s nothing but a fool following you around for the past few weeks.

He saw this coming from a mile away, and your hesitation only confirms his beliefs.

“I already know what you’re gonna say,” he cuts you off, holding a hand up. Just spare me the embarrassment at least. I’ll take anything else from you.

“You do?” You lean forward, having to peek through your lashes juuust a tiny bit to hold eye contact with him.

That was on purpose, right? Another tactic to stun him so you can make a run for it.

“Y-yeah,” he stutters out, his heart as fragile as glass and oh so easy to see through. “You wanna leave, right?”

To his dismay, you nod. It hurts even when he’s expecting it, which is unfair in its own right. The world is a bitter place and fate is a sourpuss, the two working against him as your evil sidekicks.

“How’d you know?” you ask, snatching his hand up like it’s the last piece of candy on earth and yours for the taking. Technically, it is. “Let’s go somewhere private. I think first dates are super nerve-wracking when so many people are around.”

His legs follow behind you without hesitation, but his brain is left behind. If you’re pure evil then he really can’t tell now, the most earnest grin and a tooth-rotting glance over your shoulder thoroughly sticking him in your trap. Still, it doesn’t take much convincing. Like any kid in a candy shop, he runs headfirst into whatever may come with you, as sweet as it may be.

@raevaioli, thank you for requesting! somehow manages to make this fluff kjhsghkj

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#haikyuuwriters 0620 #oikawa fluff #oikawa x reader #oikawa scenario #oikawa imagine #oikawa imagines #oikawa scenarios #oikawa fic #hiakyuu fluff #oikawa tooru #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu fic #haikyuu x reader #haikyuuwritersnet #haikyuu!!#haikyuu #HQ #HQ!!

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whatissleepeven · 4 years

Text

...So apparently people liked my Obey Me! hcs and wanted to see more...

I hereby provide you with some more hcs -

Obey Me! Headcanons Part 2 (Demon Brothers + Undateables)

Lucifer checks in on his brothers at ungodly hours of the night to make sure they're actually sleeping + are alright

If one of them is in the middle of a nightmare? He silently walks over and places a hand on their head, gently brushing their bangs out of their face until they calm down (When I was little, my mom did this for me and it was extremely comforting, plus we all know Lucifer is practically their parent)

He always leaves before they wake up, certain that no more nightmares will plague them that night

Most of the time, more than one brother has a nightmare on the same night, so once he's done comforting one he immediately hurries to finish his rounds

It took an innocent question at breakfast for the brothers to piece things together, Lucifer opting to eat breakfast a little bit later since he was "behind on paperwork" (he's an over-achiever)

"I got the best sleep last night!"

Beel nods at Asmo's words, you looking on in dismay as he nonchalantly ate a piece of his plate. "Me too."

Mammon jabs a thumb at himself. "Well, I got the best sleep! Must be because I'm makin' more money nowadays!"

Satan rolls his eyes, contributing to the conversation. "I'll admit that I have been sleeping better as of late. Levi, Belphie?"

The darker-haired twin was half asleep, but he nods once. Levi makes a noise of agreement, eyes focused on his gaming console.

"As long as you guys are getting enough sleep, it's all good right?" You smile, seeing each of them smile back in agreement.

Then in walks Lucifer, who looks...less-than-stellar. He's a tad bit paler than usual, there are bags underneath his eyes; it seems that his "late night rendezvous" is finally catching up to him.

Asmo's shriek is the first thing that alerts you all. "Lucifer, what on earth happened to you?! Your complexion, it's...!"

Beel swallowed the remaining food in his mouth, staring at Lucifer with an unnerving intensity. "...Sleep?"

Lucifer waves him off curtly, taking his seat. "No need for worry, Beel; I get enough. Good morning to you all as well."

Mammon's eyes are wide. "Lucifer, you look like the dead! What the hell happened to ya?!"

Lucifer began to eat from his plate, but his eyes flashed in mild irritation. "Paperwork. Now, focus on your studies; there is a test on Celestial Architecture later today."

His words have the others scrambling, but Satan peers at him for a while longer as he fits the pieces together. He glances at you to see if you've come to the same conclusion, smiling when you nod.

"You'll make a fine detective yet."

That being said, the brother who watches mystery films with Satan is actually Levi. The otaku claims it was for "character design ideas", but you've found the two exchanging theories numerous times as the film progresses

Simeon likes to make grilled cheese and send them over to the House of Lamentation from time to time. It's a battle: Everyone vs. Beel, who seems to have a sixth sense for the angel's food

"What the- Beel! Don't eat it all before we can get a bite!"

"Sorry...it's just so good."

Good luck trying to get a taste of Barbatos' food whenever he sends some over

Beel's third eye + sixth sense have activated and no leftovers are to be had

While Satan and Levi watch mysteries together (Lucifer sometimes opting to stand in the doorway and watch over their shoulders, but whether he's watching the film or watching his brothers bond is anyone's guess), Asmo and Mammon binge rom coms together

Mammon will deny it, though; especially if someone asks him if he got a pickup line from one of them

"Ugh, why can't they just get together already?! They clearly like each other, so what's stopping 'em?!"

Asmo gives him a nonplussed look. "Honey, it's called drama. And that's rich, coming from you."

"Wh-Whaddya mean by that?!" *Proceeds to try the same moves seen in the movie on you the next day, only for each attempt to fall flat*

Beel likes watching found family movies

He used to watch them alone after they Fell, remembering how much Lilith liked to sit with him and listen to his thoughts as they enjoyed it together. At the time, it was a source of comfort even though it made his heart ache

Surprisingly, it wasn't Belphie who found him first: it was Mammon. It was late at night, but he was a little hungry so he was making his way to the kitchen when he heard the TV

Seeing Beel and what was playing made him understand immediately what was happening, so without a word he tossed a bag of chips at Beel as he sat down

"Mammon?"

He hated seeing the deep sadness in Beel's eyes. He hated feeling like a failure. And most of all, he hated the rut everyone was stuck in. "How far in are ya?"

Beel's smile was radiant in the dark cover of night, his hand reaching to rewind the movie. "Not long."

Before they knew it, they were on their third movie and Belphie and Asmo had joined them, Levi coming in shortly after

Satan joined after hearing a laugh from the living room. He had glanced at the clock: 11:47pm. It was late, and usually he's the only one up at this time, so of course he investigated the source if the noise

"What's going on?"

"Ah, Satan!" Asmo waved him over, scooting so he had a spot on the couch. "I know it's not your style, but come watch with us!"

Satan realized what was happening. "In a minute." He was actually the one to go get Lucifer, threatening to bust down his door if he didn't get out this instant

"Yes, I abhor you with every fiber of my being, but it's not me who needs you right now."

Once Lucifer joined, everyone temporarily forgot about the crushing weight of failure on their shoulders. They could relax and have fun without worrying about the consequences, and it made Beel incredibly happy to see that those he cared about could still smile even after everything they've been through. They were so strong, stronger than him, and he's blessed to have them as his family -

"Beel, you're shakin' the couch!"

Levi's eyes widened. "Wh- Mammon! Catch the popcorn!"

"Oh sh- "

It ended up going all over Lucifer. The eldest blinked, and the silence that had descended upon them was broken with the sound of laughter.

"Sorry, Lucifer," Beel said honestly, standing up, "I'll go get a new bowl. Or two. Maybe three."

"It's alright, Beel." Lucifer flicked some bits at his laughing brothers (not even Satan was safe), smirking once their mirth turned into cries of indignation. "Belphie, pause the movie. It seems you all need to learn some manners."

It was a weak excuse and they knew it. Mammon threw some popcorn back at him, yelling "FOOD FIGHT!!" and the war begun

Beel stood in the entryway five minutes later, a big smile on his face as he watched his brothers have fun.

"I think we needed this." Belphie's voice came from his right. The other had somehow managed to escape the chaos intact, and for the first time since the Fall he seemed to be at peace. "So thank you, Beel."

Beel shook his head. "I should be thanking you all instead."

Belphie gave him an exasperated look. "Beel, just take the compliment for once."

And so he did.

Now, whenever Beel feels like watching a movie, everyone joins

You are not exempt from this, either

"(Y/N), come on. Everyone's waiting."

"Huh?"

Beel would always smile, wide and pure and innocent as nostalgia fills his eyes. "We're all watching movies together."

You scramble to get up. "I'll be right there!"

Mammon is a walking meme and he's the only one who doesn't know it

"Mammon, stop! You're gonna get in trouble!"

"What? Pfft, I'll be fine (Y/N)! The Great Mammon knows what he's doin'!"

He does not know what he's doing

He then gets into trouble, and the rest is history

Unlike what most people think, Asmo does like baking and appreciates it immensely

If you have a sweet tooth, be prepared to sample nearly everything he makes

It's okay; what you can't finish (or eat, since some desserts are fatal to humans), Beel eats

Belphie and Levi search the deep web together. Conversations with them the following day are always interesting.

"(Y/N), did you know that humans can only go 400 feet without using scuba gear before the water pressure becomes too great for their lungs to handle?"

"Oh yeah, and did you know that once they return to the surface, they cough up blood as their bodies attempt to reach homeostasis again? Humans are so fragile."

Dark humor usually comes from these two as well, but sometimes Beel says something dark purely on accident and it's always hilarious to hear it

Levi slams his hands down onto the dining table at dinner one day, eyes wide with a sudden realization. He opens his mouth, and you can just hear the mental "oh no"s coming from everyone.

"In the event of a nuclear blast, there's an instant where every single frozen pizza in a supermarket is cooked to perfection."

Asmo stills. Mammon chokes on his food. Lucifer pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a deep, world-weary sigh as you preform the Heimlich Maneuver on the Avatar of Greed.

Belphie, who looks strangely more awake than usual, just grins. "The same could be said of every human within the blast radius."

"Mmm," Beel hums as he swallows his food, a happy smile on his face, "Flavor Town!"

Satan snorts, covering it up with a cough as Belphie starts chuckling. You do too, if your brand of humor is dark as well.

Lucifer just wants the ground to envelop him whole, leaving not a trace behind. "Beel...no."

You thought Solomon's antics were done? Think again

In fact, the more time that passes, the worse and more frequent they get

One time at RAD, you caught him and Asmo hanging out outside, although Asmo was less "hanging out" and more "pole dancing without a care in the world"

Solomon had shades on (where did he get them? Nobody may know), and was aggressively singing "Somebody come get 'err, she's dancin' like a stripperrr. SOMEBODY COME GET 'ERR - "

You backed away immediately and could not take them seriously for the rest of your stay

Luke only visits you when he's certain that most of the brothers aren't around. He's fine if Beel is there, though, and usually bakes for him while talking with you

"If you ever need a break from these demons, Purgatory Hall is always open for you!"

"Luke, Beel's eating your batter again."

"Wh- BEEL!"

Solomon tries to introduce Simeon to human slang, and you end up becoming his unwitting accomplice. It does not go well.

Diavolo picked it up, though, and Lucifer glares at you whenever he says something strange

"Solomon, (Y/N)...would you say that demon over there had their "wig snatched"? Did I use it right?"

"Mm-hm, yup," You manage to choke out as Solomon is trembling beside you with laughter. If looks could kill, Lucifer would have both you and your future children decimated. "You got it right, Dia- Lord Diavolo."

Diavolo would never fail to light up, a smile on his face as he beamed. "I see. Human language never fails to amaze me!"

Lucifer refused to let you hang out with Solomon without at least one of his brothers there to supervise you. God knows what kind of mischief you two would get up to.

(Thank you for checking this out! Should I keep making these? Let me know what you think!)

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