#zykamiliah writes

i am VERY tempted to say he transmigrates as a hen because of all the motherhening he does lmaooo

Chicken Yuan was one almost cooked that one time but he was able to fight the cook his rudimentary cultivation qi by turning his feathers into deadly blades!! Thus CQM discovered the wonder that was that chicken, and after assessing their cultivation-- very far away from the kitchen of course-- it was agreed to let it be. So Chicken Yuan is allowed to sit at lessons (even though it can't answer questions, it eventually learns to move a brush with its qi, so it can communicate clearly with the other disciples!

Everyone is very excited about this phenomena, so Chicken Yuan doesn't stay at one peak but takes lessons at all of them and spends time with the head disciples. Yue Qingyuan is very fond of it, but Shen Qingqiu HATES it. Food should stay food, not become intelligent! He tries to kill it one time but Chicken Yuan defends himself and squawks away. Chicken Yuan is very fond of Liu Qingge, who will try to teach him some combat techniques, though most of the time he'll just bring it over to the platform demonstrations so the chicken can learn from watching. Having found out the chicken's presence is very calming, Mu Qingfang recommends Liu Qingge to take it with him when he meditates, so chicken and man become meditation pals!

Absorbing the energy from the Ling Xi Caves allows Chicken Yuan to cultivate its core and, after some months of doing that, it's able to develop a human voice!!! Chicken Yuan asks its martial siblings to call him Shen Yuan and it specifies that it considers himself a male, despite being a hen. CQMS is just wildly overjoyed they have their own talking chicken, and are excited to see where Shen Yuan's cultivation will take him.

Shen Qingqiu continues to hate the chicken, SPECIALLY because it stole his name JUST to annoy him (pls, who do you think you are, the center of the universe??), Yue Qingyuan invites Shen Yuan over to have tea and converse, specially about Shen Yuan's knowledge and how it managed to cultivate his core. Mu Qingfang along with the peak lord responsible for this kind of stuff (mxtx when are you going to give us more cqm lore) invite Shen Yuan over for tests and examinations, since this kind of event needs to be studied and documented.

The younger disciples LOVE Shen Yuan the Chicken. They pick him up and take him everywhere, for their classes as well as their leisure activities.

Now you're wondering, since Chicken Yuan is a hen, shouldn't he be laying eggs? Well, he DOES!!! And he's mortified about it, but what can you do? At least he's contributing to the sect's food reserves in some way!! He can't wait until he gets a human form and is able to control his cycle. This happens some years later, coincidentally when the Qing generation ascends!

The Peak Lords are able to see his human form for the first time, when Shen Yuan emerges from the Ling Xi Caves after half a year of closed door seclusion. They were expecting it to have a, well, an aviary appearance, but aside from his hair looking slightly featherish, his appearance is that of a handsome, pretty young man!

Shen Yuan was found in the Qing Jing Peak pen, so he's technically a Qing Jing Peak disciples that answers to Shen Qingqiu, but in reality he has such a good relationship with the newly ascended Sect Leader that he can do as he wishes and Zhangmen-shixiong will have no choice but to pacify both parties.

Itching for a chance to get out and roam the world, Shen Yuan takes up mission after mission; he's not mush interested in romance, though he loves spending time with his martial siblings! Except that fucking traitor Shang Qinghua, who he never tried to get along with. Fate would have it that they go on a mission together with Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge and Shang Qinghua lets out some modern slang that will clue Chicken Yuan to his identity, so they'll soon get to talk about PIDW and everything that's happening.

Of course, Shang Qinghua will start calling him Chicken-bro, and Shen Yuan will try to pick at his eyes every. single. time.

Their newfound acquaintance makes Shen Qingqiu even more suspicious and annoyed at the existence of the chicken cultivator, but it's not like he can accuse them of anything (yet).

Fun fact! Shen Yuan can turn into a chicken in the middle of a fight, which really shocks his opponents! Instead of leaves, he uses his own feathers as deadly weapons. He also fashioned a fan out of them, though he does have normal fans, a collection that started when his dear Liu-shixiong gifted him one.

Qi Qingqi has complicated feelings about Chicken Yuan. She allowed him to cross the Rainbow Bridge up until it revealed himself as a male, at which point she interrogated him thoroughly to make sure he wasn't interested in harassing her disciples. Shen Yuan had to insist that even if he considered himself a male, he was biologically a hen, so his inclinations were... ehem, that of a female- OR SOMETHING in between.

So Qi Qingqi knows the chicken is gay and thus allows him to visit her peak.

Lastly: Shen Yuan will show up at Cang Qiong Mountain’s recruitment trial, bat his eyes at the sect leader, and poach Luo Binghe from Shen Qingqiu. There are two wolves batling inside Yue Qingyuan, the one that wants to give Shen Qingqiu everything and the one that's a reasonable man who knows Shen Yuan is the best choice. Using his wifebeam and his feathery charm, as well as a look that says "are you really going to allow him to keep doing that? Aren't you worry he's cultivating bad karma for himself?" (they've already had that conversation), Shen Yuan manages to stir Yue Qingyuan to the correct choice.

Ning Yingying, clapping her hands: "Shidi, you are fortunate to have Chicken Shizun as your teacher!"

-

au in which merlin takes morgana's control of lancelot from her; merlin ends up with a hollow man who swears felty to him, and has to teach him things, remind him of who he is— not the lancelot the people know, no, the real lancelot, the one that's insecure and chaotic and has existencial crisis; and he has to do this while hunting for a spell, a last attempt to bring lancelot back, for real this time, reach out for his soul through the veil, something that no one has ever done and is aledgely impossible without a blood offering. and lancelot follows him around everywhere, spellbound, and the tiny part of his soul that resides in the shade is attracted to merlin's presence, his magic and his power. merlin is heartbroken because he knows this isn't the real lancelot, not yet, but it's lancelot face saying "I am loyal to you, Merlin, no one else" and "The heart I don't have wants to touch you" much more bc merlin has been reading poetry to him, and it hurts that it isn't true and that the real lancelot would never say that to him bc he was loyal to arthur and he loved gwen

but then Merlin finds the ritual he has to perform to resurrect Lancelot (sacrifice the shade, pour out a great deal of his magic and blood) and tears open the veil after almost destroying the Cailleagh (because he could, he could and he didn't know before) and finally, finally he brings Lancelot back, among a storm and lighting splitting open the skies.

they ride back to camelot and the only person to know of the change is gaius, although the knights notice that lancelot looks more lively, and elyan remarks jokily that he was like a dog following his master all those weeks, and lancelot looks at merlin and merlin ducks his head, avoiding his eyes

later that night in merlin's room lancelot takes his hand and whispers "I felt my soul reaching out to you through the darkness" and he kneels before before a stricken merlin, voice charged with wonder "I never dreamed of meeting someone willing to so much for me. I don't deserve you."

"No, Lancelot. You did so much, you gave your life back then—"

"And I would do it again."

"For Camelot."

"No, Merlin," he kisses Merlin's hand, presses it to his heart, and smiles oh so softly. "For you."

Merlin shakes his head.

"I couldn't— I don't want you to die, to lose you again."

Lancelot ponders this for a moment, and then stands up. He doesn't let go of Merlin's hand.

"Then let's live together."

That was one facet of the ending that made me see red honestly because of how insincere and quick fix it felt. What is your impression of it?

Hey there @sneezemonster15! Thanks for the ask, this has been interesting to think about.

From the moment Hagoromo showed up, it all felt extremely Deux ex Machina to me. He gave Naruto and Sasuke power ups that were pulled out of nowhere. The thing with Ashura and Indra and Kaguya, if taken literally, (and not as a metaphor about how power corrupts people) it’s just so cheaply convenient for the plot. Oh, Madara was too hard to beat, so let’s just magically remove him (Zetsu “killing” him was another Deux ex Machina, lol) and set up how to solve the puzzle of defeating Kaguya: you just have to touch her with the seal hands; easier than fighting a godlike Madara, right? By the way, let me just take my time to make a lengthy exposition about who this Kaguya is, as I have never mentioned anything about her or chakra fruits or an original source of chakra, whose history turns out to be, rather conveniently, the origin of everything that’s wrong with the world. This will also make it easier for the sequel, because the future villains can’t be shinobi from other nations, obviously. Not after the War Arc, where apparently all conflicts between the shinobi villages were abolished, and the power of nakama was highlighted. It would look like going backwards, especially if the new Kages are the good ones, and Naruto’s allies and friends.

By bringing Kaguya and all her siblings into the plot Kishimoto shifted the blame from the shinobi system and humanity to the aliens. Now it wasn’t that the shinobi system was corrupted from the actions of those in power, it was that these entities were manipulating everything from the shadows. Madara and Sasuke were just being influenced by some cosmic chackra and were not actually affected by discrimination and violence and all that. The characters' suffering is not a product of the system they grew up in, it’s all because of Kaguya, an otherworldly entity that’s not human and so killable without regrets or upsetting shonen sensibilities.

And now I’m thinking that, ironically, by introducing Kaguya, Kishimoto did present a “solution” to the big problem of: how to stop the cycle of hate and violence between nations and people? How to unite all shinobi so there’s no more wars between different villages or communities and so ninja stop being used as tools of war?

In the end Sasuke was right: the only way to keep shinobi together in an alliance is to have a common enemy, so that’s the route Borruto took (I really don’t know what’s going on in Borruto because I don’t follow it, the movie was enough for my weary heart lol)

I think this is common in countries with a strong sense of nationalism: Japan or the United States, my own country… There has to be an enemy that threatens everyone but serves as cohesive element, so that people can set aside their differences and unite under a common cause.

The first important arc is the Land of Waves, and it is established from the beginning that the system is corrupted. I suspect that it being a shonen manga and operating within the limitations of Shueisha, Shonen Jump and the demography itself, Kishimoto wrote himself into a corner with that theme. Kishimoto, are you encouraging young teens to question the authority and the system that regulates their lives? Are you saying that all the cool ninja stuff is actually bad because ninjas are weapons, trained in the art of violence since they’re children? That’s not in the spirit of a shonen manga. Even if he still addressed this theme throughout the entire manga, it was not something that he could make his protagonist face upfront. It became a bit peripheral, something related to the characterization and motives of the antagonists (Madara, Nagato/Pain, Sasuke), and by the end, completely dismissed.

and now lets listen to this song to lighten the mood lol

Unpopular opinion but I don't get the people who's unsatisfied with leverage redemption, particularly on the topic Eliot's character, romance plot, and the current status of the OT3

Putting aside all the stuff about "the world is not ready for a full polyamorous relationship on mainstream media bla bla bla" (which is bullshit) I must again repeat myself

Leverage is not about romance

The jobs, the Found family and character development are always going to come first, not always in that order. THAT'S what leverage is about.

Ignoring Word of God, what the original series showed was the OT3 was half platonic, half romantic, and half sexual; it's just that Parker and Hardison are the only ones doing the sexual part. Does that lessen their love? I think not

This is gonna sound pretty mean but: You need to manage your expectations people, either way you're always going to be disappointed: your mind =/= what actually happens in real life, not to mention the media you consume. You can analyze and predict some stuff accurately, yeah, but it's not going to make all your wishes come true

What Leverage Redemption Was: All the good stuff about the original + Callbacks and Parallels, Found Family Settled-in Edition, Sophie and Parker Masterminding, Leverage International, Hardison being the great leader he was always going to be, NewbiesTM, Representation that's not forced or just dumped to say "there, take it"

That said, what Leverage Redemption showed us about Eliot Spencer is amazing and complex: he still needs to work on some stuff, especially on the matter of how he perceives himself and how he needs to accept the fact that even if he made unforgivable things in the past, he's come a long way, he's different, and he deserves to be happy. And that means finding out someone who truly understands him AND accepts him.

Like, I don't think he ever got that realization in the original Leverage? In s5 finale he knows he wants to be with this people and protect them; he knows what role he wants to play in their lives, but he's still pretty much settled on making up for his mistakes for the rest of his life.

And that's where his romance plot with Maria comes in. They were great, yeah, he seemed happy, but in the end she didn't accept him. What she did do was repeat over and over that Eliot deserves to be happy; that helping people is good, yes, but he also needs to do things for his own happiness.

It doesn't escape me that this happens coincidentally when Hardison (Eliot's emotional support hacker) is out of town; that put the OT3 off-balance, and upset not just Parker but Eliot too. Who is the one he can spend hours talking with? Who's the one that he gets to talk about his dad and other personal stuff with?

Not to mention that everyone was encouraging him to go out with Maria, and the fact that he was SO reluctant, that he can't do casual anymore??? Almost a decade of living next door to Meaningful Romances(Nate&Sophie, but specifically Parker&Hardison) has made him long for something like that.

Hell I'm still a bit shocked that he openly admitted that HE ALWAYS ADMIRED PARKER AND HARDISON'S RELATIONSHIP???

He not just loves them individually, he LOVES their relationship; that's no longer subtext, IT'S FACT. And they are his home, and if it's ever possible, they're going to spend eternity together.

And I'm not gonna get into Parker being weird (jealous) about Maria, because that's another whole post, but!! The fact that even being like that, her priority is Eliot's happiness, even if she isn't actively happy herself with him having a serious girlfriend (tho she tries lol I love her)

Like!!! The OT3 vibes of this whole situation kind of confirm my headcanon that while they are a unit, Eliot has been still dating casually on the side all that time, playing his role as the third wheel; he gets to be sexually intimate with someone AND he has his two partners at home waiting for him.

BUT!! Suddenly after being together as a unit for a really long time Hardison needs to go away... And that's when their things go off-kilter and Eliot starts to feel weird. He can't do casual, he doesn't flirt with others unless he has to, and he tries to find a romantic partner that will accept him for who he is...

While still not noticing that he doesn't have to look for that anymore, because the two people he swore to be loyal to, the ones that are his home and accept him for who he is, ARE RIGHT THERE LOL

Or maybe he came to that realization after the season finale; who knows

But I kind of like the energy of that; the undercurrent that nothing can separate them, that what matters the most is their happiness, that they'll always stay together.

I remember I was a bit surprised watching s5 final scene where Parker essentially takes the mastermind role (probably because I wasn't paying attention). Since then every time I rewatch I'm unconsciously trying to find clues, not in s5, where there's even an episode about it (The Broken Wing) but in earlier seasons.

The Nigerian Job: There's this scene at the beginning where she asks Nate how does he know how many guards are there, and he tells him to count the haircuts. Parker responds with "I would have miss that."

And it seems small, but I think it's interesting to note that she's the one always learning these little things from Nate. If you compare it to, say, Hardison trying to figure out in The Real Fake Car Job how Nate knew everything would happen like it did, it tells you how they perceive the mastermind role: Parker sees Nate as someone who can teach her skills she doesn't know, while Hardison sees the Mastermind as someone all-knowing that controls everything, and has perfectly effective and intricate plans for everything, like a puppet master.  When in reality you can tell Nate improvises things most of the time, even if he does have back up plans to fall back into.

The Bank Shot Job: Parker explains to Hardison how easy it's to rob a bank like that, displaying in her plans something that Nate teachs Hardison in The Gold Job: the best plans are simple and effective.

Parker: It's embarrassing. Everyone knows you don't rob a bank without an exit strategy. These two deserve to get caught. 42 seconds.

Hardison: What?

Parker: To rob this bank. One security guard who has never fired his gun before, 2 closed-circuit cameras outside, 1 inside, and a Glen-Reader safe built in the 50's whose default combination is the birth date of the manager's wife! Get in, get out, 42 seconds.

Hardison: Seriously?

This also ties with something she says later to Hardison in s2.

The Bean Town Bailor Job:

Parker: I think people are like locks. Really complicated and frustrating. But you can't force them. You have to take time and be fiddly.

Hardison: Fiddly?

Parker: You learn to be patient, and just wait until you hear the...

(the lock opens and the door swings wide)

As a thief, she has to be able to unravel complex locks and security mechanisms all the time. Nate's great at getting inside the bad guys' heads and bringing them to their undoing. (As an aside, I like the fact that the show let us know that Sophie was perfectly capable of leading the cons if she wanted to, because she's also great at manipulating people).

And if she applies the locks=people thing to the plans she makes, it's not unexpected that planning a con and planning a theft would be quite similar to her.

Another point: as a thief pre-Leverage, she was always at more risk, not because she wasn't capable of defending herself, but probably because she had to avoid security guards and the like, and because she wasn't the best at social interaction at the time. Where Sophie would make the mark open the door, Eliot would barrel through any barrier and make himself an exit and Hardison would simply hack something, or not be in a place where he could be caught.

Parker would have had to make contingency plans every time she went to steal something. It's also because she's great at improvising, and adapting, which she hones over the years working with the team.

The Three-Car Monte Job:

Nate: First Boston Independent, State Street Branch of the Boston Bank, Commonwealth Loan and Securities. Now...

Parker: First independent's got a Glenn-Reeder alarm system, series f-900. Two guards in the front, (laughs) one guard in the back. Cameras record, not monitored. Daily turnover, $2 million. State Street, mostly commercial papers and loans, but they do have bearer bonds in a basement lockdown room. Just takes a key and a retina scanner. Commonwealth (laughs) they-their alarm system's a holdover from the '70s, But (chuckles) But it's...

(everyone is looking at Parker, making her feel uncomfortable)

Parker: What? What do you guys do on your weekends?

She plans/analyses how to rob banks on her weekends, as a hobby. It's like Nate and Sophie's past-time being  solving murder mysteries. Parker loves that kind of thing and she's great at it.

The Rashomon Job: She's the one that gets closer to stealing the dagger, and only loses it because she accidentally drops it and someone (cofsophiecof) took her duffle bag by mistake.

(Transcripts taken from here)

No, listen

This handsome man that's not Arthur (who was already there when he met Merlin) suddenly shows up and it's like Merlin can't go anywhere without him, even after defeating Morgana & Morgause, which must have vexed him because HE is supposed to be the one Merlin relies on for his secret quests??

And it's amazing the way Merlin and Lancelot's faces light up every time they meet each other! Imagine his face when he's told how Merlin met Lancelot!! Poor puppy, he must have been very confused and annoyed. There were probably times when Merlin and Lancelot were conspiring in low voices and they'd grow quiet the moment Gwaine approached :(

because we actually never see them sleeping together in the same bed, but I doubt lancelot would take the bed for himself and leave merlin on the floor. maybe they're comfortable with sharing because they're both peasants and are used to it? Maybe lancelot slept on a pallet on the floor? let's take a look at 1x05

IT ALL STARTS HERE:

they put him in the patient's bed when he is hurt, which makes sense since gaius is treating him. the wound is not serious, so lancelot is no in danger. he can leave the patient's bed. that's normal, right? are we clear that merlin's room and merlin's bed is merlin's, he doesn't have to put anyone in there if he doesn't want to? ok, moving on

LET'S GO TO YOUR ROOM, I NEED TO TALK ABOUT MY BACKSTORY

they have the "i've always wanted to be a knight" conversation, they're in merlin's room, which tbqh it's ABSOLUTELY unnecessary for the plot. they could have talked back in gaius' workplace. except maybe if the writers wanted to put emphasis in their budding intimacy

THERE IS ONLY ONE BED??

later, after gaius explains the first rule of the knights' code, lancelot is crushed, and they retire to merlin's room for the night. merlin is even lighting the candles. oh and look! do you see any blankets on the floor? a pallet? nope, nada.

THEY SLEPT TOGETHER FROM THE BEGINNING.

_____