migraines georg

call me kreb 🦀 they/them. 30s. multifandom personal blog. crabs, danmei, video games, vampires, more. baseball sideblog @lightthatbabyup. 100% crab meat by volume. ao3 here multifandom fic rec list carrd here

[krebkrebkreb]

i’ve only had luo binghe for one chapter but if anything happened to him i would kill everyone in this book and then myself

[krebkrebkreb]

welp.

[sillygoofyqueer]

Genuinely one of my least favourite fanon things that people often believe (or just say) about MDZS is the idea that Lan Wangji was waiting for Wei Wuxian in those thirteen years. Like, I know it's fun for jokes and all but one of the most crushing parts about all of that time is that Wei Wuxian literally was dead for thirteen years and there was literally no conceivable hope of him returning.

Like, by no means am I trying to weigh up the MXTX love interests' separation periods (as I like to think of them), but Hua Cheng had hope that he would find Xie Lian - he had so much hope that he actively searched for eight hundred years for him before he found him. Luo Binghe was able to bring Shen Qingqiu back, was in the midst of doing so when the mushroom body situation happen and then (while it wasn't Luo Binghe who did it) did bring him back.

Wei Wuxian died. Like straight up, no coming back, impossible to see him again, died. And I sometimes feel like saying that Lan Wangji was waiting kind of undermines the fact that this was a soul-crushing thing, and this was just going to be the rest of his life. There literally was no fucking shot of Wei Wuxian coming back in anyone's even remote comprehension, and the fact that he did come back was a fucking miracle in and of itself.

Lan Wangji mourned for those thirteen years. Hua Cheng searched, Luo Binghe (it's been a while so call me out if I'm wrong) was almost in denial over Shen Qingqiu's death even though he comprehended the sacrifice so he planned, but Lan Wangji mourned, and was going to mourn for the rest of his life. He just had to get used to the fact that he would never, ever get to see the love of his life again. There wasn't even a body to bury. It was just the memories and the gradual, slow descent of those memories disappearing with aging.

ALSO now that I'm thinking about it, the fact that he couldn't even talk to anyone else about it. Obviously, there's this whole thing of memories being kept alive through like sharing and talking about them, but Wei Wuxian cemented himself as basically a taboo subject. A monster who is only talked about to scare people or to curse out his name. Those who remember him can't or won't talk about him for one reason or another, and that means that Lan Wangji is left all alone, mourning someone who nobody even cares to talk about, and that will be the rest of his life. He has come to terms with the fact that he will die with the faint memory of Wei Wuxian's smile and that's all.

And, once again, this isn't trying to make a competition out of the separation periods, I could just as easily talk about how Hua Cheng's despair of not being able to find Xie Lian but knowing that he is alive somewhere (or is he? Has he gone? Faded away? Is Hua Cheng just looking for a memory?). I could talk about that desperation that Luo Binghe felt at losing the only person he had ever loved and been loved by, who had sacrificed himself to save him when he needed him most, who gave so many mixed signals, and then needing to get him back by any means necessary. But this post was borne of me being tired of the 'waiting' label being applied to Lan Wangji's mourning period.

Wei Wuxian was never, ever meant to come back. Lan Wangji was going to spend the rest of his life mourning a man who nobody else would ever talk about, memories fading until it was hard to pick apart what was actual memory and what was just his idealistic daydreams. Do you think he was waiting to die, sometimes? He never would, but do you think he just...passively waited for it sometimes, when he was alone and holding those few small reminders of the man he gave his heart to? Who he failed? Anyway. Lan Wangji just makes me so very sad and so very sick and I love him dearly.

[ahfuck-why]

a 100% agreed!!! lan wangji was set to mourn the love of his life for the rest of his life while dedicating said life to continue what wei wuxian wanted, to protect all those who wei wuxian gave everything away to protect (lan sizhui, the impoverished, those in need and no one to turn to for help etc)

also, not to take over the original post (sorry four), but i think a lot of these people who love to claim that lan wangji was waiting for wei wuxian are actually confusing him with the one - and only - character in the whole series who actually was technically 'waiting' for wwx : jiang cheng.

like thats one of the first things we learn about jiang cheng in the books. idk maybe its because he's so hated in the fandom or what that people transplant this trait of his onto lwj , but its literally canon that jiang cheng at every opportunity is on the lookout for wwx's return. to the point that the masses lowkey think him delusional.

lam wangji's love for wei wuxian is boundless and tragic because wei wuxian actually dies dead and remains so and that lan wangji has to live with that.

[sillygoofyqueer]

There's literally no need to apologise, that's such a brilliant point, actually! I've always found it absolutely fascinating how Jiang Cheng had always expected Wei Wuxian to come back, and was literally waiting for it - he went after all demonic cultivators he found, he kept Chenqing, he was wholly just ready for the man to return. Thank you so much for actually pointing that out!

It actually makes things a little bit more upsetting for me when it comes to the twin swords now that I think about it. Because while Lan Wangji mourned, Jiang Cheng waited, and yet his waiting meant absolutely nothing. He didn't get Wei Wuxian back - in fact, things might have even gotten worse after his return. We don't know why he was waiting but the fact that he was waiting at all speaks volumes to me.

Let's make the tragically sad post even more tragically sad because while Luo Binghe and Hua Cheng got what they waited for, Jiang Cheng waited and got nothing. Maybe he's even still waiting now. Waiting for Wei Wuxian to reach out because I don't think he himself ever could. Knowing deep down that Wei Wuxian probably won't reach out either. SIGH.

[princesssarisa]

Where did your first name come from?

I was named after one of my parents

I was named after a dead relative or family friend

I was named after a living relative or family friend

I was named after a religious figure

I was named after a historical figure

I was named after a fictional character

I was named after a place

My parents just chose a name they liked

Other

Remaining time: 6 days 11 hours

Having been named after a character in The Great Gatsby by my English-major dad, I thought I would ask about this.

[maikhiwi00]

xiyao + looking at each other

[therozanov]

THE UNTAMED | episode 50

[jtownraindancer]

thinking about The Character

[unicorngelato]

Every fifth TGCF textpost: people are wrong about the Character

Every fifth MDZS textpost: nobody understands the Themes

Every fifth SVSSS textpost: what if Shen Yuan transmigrated into a pregnant flea

[loamsome]

You know what I think it would be hilarious for us to try and popularize blaseball's definition of wimdy now like 5 years after games ended

[soulscreamdetector]

OUOHAIHIIOUEHIAIOUOUOAOUAIEAEAEIIIOOIOIEEAAEAEEE

[therozanov]

THE UNTAMED | episode 36

[aphel1on]

it's really hard to explain the kind of ship where you want them to be together specifically so they can divorce

[bellabs-dream-lab]

Just remembered I had this screenshot on my phone somewhere and had to post it here because it really speaks to me

[sappho-ilmarinen]

Niche danmei shitposts are my speciality

(Pls no spoilers, I am currently at vol 2 of Erha (Seven Seas edition) and I really, really want to experience this blindly)

[siredcrab]

Shi mei + Hua binan

[vensft]

Ties our red string of fate into a lasso and pulls someone else into our relationship

[tenowls]

wretched beginning, wretched end

[kunosoura]

collapses in your arms princess style after casting the biggest evil most fucked up spell you've literally every seen

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Mirror-Ball Spiders: these spiders are covered in shimmering, mirror-like panels that shift and expand as the muscles of the abdomen contract

Spiders of the genus Thwaitesia are often described as mirror-ball spiders, because their bodies are lined with reflective panels that make them look like tiny disco-balls. Some sources also refer to these beautiful arachnids as dewdrop spiders or sequined spiders.

Above: two different species of mirror-ball spider

The shimmering panels are produced by a digestive secretion known as guanine, which seeps through the lining of the spider's gut, forming a mosaic of crystalline cells just beneath the surface of the abdomen.

Above: Thwaitesia spiders

The crystals retract and expand as the muscles in the spider's abdomen contract; they often shrink when the spider is agitated, and they expand as it begins to relax.

Above: the panels expanding and retracting

The adaptive purpose of this effect is unclear, but researchers believe that the panels may mimic the glistening appearance of raindrops or beads of dew, which could allow the spiders to blend in with their environment.

Above: another view of the guanine crystals shifting beneath a thin layer of cuticle

The reflective panels may also help to confuse predators, as this article explains:

The spider’s decorative patterning may seem like a dead give-away to predators, but for those looking to feast on this arachnid, the hunt might result in confusion and failure.

“Like a disco ball with lots of different mirrors, the reflective splotches on the spider’s abdomen probably scatter light and make it difficult for predators to see it,” says Robert Whyte, an honorary researcher in arachnology at the Queensland Museum.

Above: Thwaitesia affinis

There are at least 22 known species of mirror-ball spider, and their physical features can vary significantly. In some cases, the silver panels on the abdomen are accompanied by colorful, iridescent spots and scales, and the abdomen itself may have a red, orange, green, yellow, or beige appearance.

Above: spiders of the genus Thwaitesia

Mirror-ball spiders are not aggressive toward humans, and there are virtually no recorded cases of humans being bitten by the spiders of this genus. They're also tiny, with most individuals measuring just 2-4mm long (roughly 1/10th of an inch) which means that their fangs are often too small to penetrate human skin.

Above: Thwaitesia nigronodosa

These spiders are widely distributed throughout the southern hemisphere. They can be found in the tropical and neotropical rainforests of South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, China, Singapore, and Madagascar.

Above: Thwaitesia margaritifera

Sources & More Info:

iNaturalist: Mirror-Ball Spiders

Australian Geographic: This Sequined Spider Glistens in the Light

My Modern Met: The "Mirror Spider" and its Changing Mosaic of Reflective Panels

A Field Guide to the Spiders of Australia: Tiny Forest Jewels: Spectacular Thwaitesia Spiders

Science Friday: How is a Spider Like a Disco Ball?

Land for Wildlife: Spider Sampling Points to a Potential Indicator Genus (PDF)

Royal Society Publishing: The Spider Cuticle

BBC Science Focus: Mobile Disco