they/he adult 🏳️⚧️ -- nonbinary guy cries over pretty women part 72
32 posts
with the existence of recohunting, marcoleta, reco37, recolania, gee, recoleta, how come you're still not out on global yet your mom lets you have a dozen girlfriends?
Not to downplay Homura and Madoka's relationship at all, but Homura falling deeply in love with the first girl who gave her the time of day is like. Painfully accurate queer teen representation. Throw in Homura's implied Catholicism and baby, you got a stew going.
Gay people can’t say “I still love you despite everything” to each other, they pull something like:
“If this is the salvation you brought, I will embrace it with joy.”
“If this is the salvation you’d hope for, I will accept it. If I must.”
These two…. I really can’t take this anymore..
I've observed that Liang Yue is a lot more explicitly neurodivergent-coded compared to other characters. A lot of these observances were picked up from how she acts, how she thinks, and how it tends to affect the world around her. I want to explore it here in this post.
Now, this is non-definitive of Liang Yue's character. Whatever opinion you have of her is still by all means valid. These are just my thoughts as an ND person. Consider this as my apology of disappearing a lot more LOL
Additionally, she'll be referred to as Yue from now on, as it's her first name. Let's get started.
1. Social Cues and "Infodumping"
The first thing Yue gives off is her humility and her honesty. And while that softens people's hearts, I also find it interesting that part of this is because of her struggling to pick up on social cues.
She tends to be left puzzled by people's words (e.g. Poitier's comments on her home life affecting her job), and follows it up with asking for clarification. I also found that Yue can be confused when her actions make others upset.
Many neurodivergent people struggle with ambiguity. Straightforward and direct passages are highly valued, and the lack thereof makes it difficult to figure out what people are actually telling them.
I also find that this might by why Yue overshares or "infodumps" anything she has knowledge of when it's needed. She wants to ensure that not only do others completely understand what she thinks, but also her thought process is entirely clear to her.
Speaking of which, it's also observed that Yue tends to speak out her thought processes throughout the story (e.g. speaking out her thoughts on Qi Xing's motives).
I think that her internal thoughts are a lot more disorganized, and talking about those thoughts out loud make it easier to pinpoint the main points she wants to make.
2. Isolation and Being "Different"
It's no secret that Yue is not very well-received by those around her, often being singled out for being different. But it inherently affects her social capabilities and how she approaches relationships.
Yue's classmates did not like her because she was a "traitor" and a "teacher's pet", so they often left her alone or made fun of her. Meanwhile, her colleagues also did not like her at first, thinking that she was just a spoiled rich kid.
There's also her own parents (particularly her father) who have set expectations for her as a guardian to Qiangliang. Yue often got reprimanded by her father because she struggled with understanding his teachings, and she found it hard to grasp his strictness over it.
Additionally, taken from my friend's insight, her family raised her in such an isolated environment that it kept her from learning how to communicate with others. It's common for traditional families to raise their children this way, but it's definitely made it more difficult for Yue to express her feelings directly.
All of this culminates to Yue having the impression that she'll never be liked or understood. It's led her to being incredibly closed off and hesitant to opening up about herself, making it hard to bridge her relationships with others. Her upbringing also led to her being accidentally coming off as indifferent or unempathetic, which does drive an emotional drift between herself and her peers.
Moreover, it becomes why Yue is surprised when Poitier protected her from Qi Xing's attack, and why her father did not react harshly to when she said she lost Qiangliang.
3. Special Interest and Escapism
Detective C07 defined most of Yue's life and values, and her love for this movie is integral to the story and her character arc. A lot of the values that Detective C07 (and Qi Xing) had, Yue found it in herself and she carried it for all her life.
It's one of the few things she tends to sacrifice things for, risking getting punished her parents to watch those movies when she's able to. The film Detective C07 had nestled a special place in her heart, and that influence brought her to who she is now as a Vigiles cadet.
However, this also contributes to some hinderances. She struggled to get past her love for the movie and it showed as a conflict in her story, especially when she had to harm Qi Xing to stop her.
In her mind, harming Qi Xing also meant harming Detective C07; and hurting Detective C07 also meant hurting the part where Yue saw herself in her.
Additionally, that sense of justice (or "right or wrong") can also be a hinderance to an extent—Yue has a tendency to project that onto others without taking their feelings to consideration. Not only does her family's teachings have a hand in that, but it's also influenced by her interest in Detective C07 too. It becomes very evident in how she views C07's ending and how she treated other kids in her childhood.
4. Liang Yue and Qiangliang's relationship
When Yue reflects on her relationship with Qiangliang, she often says that she never got to understand it and might never be able to because of its sacrifice.
She claims that she never liked Qiangliang as a child, but it shows that she really loved it and often treated it as a friend. She often tried teaching it how to play like other kids, and Qiangliang—as much as it did not understand—tried to play as well.
That desire to understand Qiangliang as an individual is what made Yue succeed in resummoning it. I think Qiangliang had become a companion to her, and they greatly respected each other.
Companionship is also very much valued by neurodivergent people, as it establishes a lot of trust and deep mutual understanding. Qiangliang became Yue's companion because she was alone, and it shows that she also felt entirely whole when she could sense its presence.
What Yue didn't observe is that they placed an equal amount of trust in each other, but it's more clear to her now that they'll be able to bridge those gaps together moving forward.
5. Final Thoughts, Clarifications
Now, I figured that Liang Yue's character also represents the cultural dissonance between the modern youth and their connections to their traditions, especially when trying to trace back to it in society. There's no way I'm undermining this aspect of her writing.
However, I find that her traditional upbringing does greatly impact her actions as she grows up. As my friend from earlier talked about it, placing those high expectations on a child who happened to be able to connect with the very deity her family protected definitely hindered her growth as a person. She was raised to rely on herself and yet also protect others; this kind of position, as much as it is common, makes it difficult for her to understand others and herself.
We see how it affects her now, and how she struggles to simultaneously cope with: the cultural rift she found herself in when she was deployed in America, and struggling to socially connect with those around her.
Overall, I want to just share this because I personally resonate with Liang Yue a lot. And it makes me happy to see it when people also resonate with characters like her, leading them to share their own personal experiences.
I've written a twitter version of this post if you want a more summarized way of reading it, but do know that it is a little outdated compared to what I said here.
I hope this post does bring enjoyment for you to read as much as I did writing it. I'd really love to hear your own thoughts or hcs about Liang Yue too. As always, thanks for reading.
have a healthy dose of low-effort memes i made before i sleep💔
Ulrich: Flux-
Sonetto: just say fuck
Ulrich: what?
Sonetto: don't be afraid, say fuck
my recomarcus drawings that no one asked for lol🥲
-chibi appreciation end note ♡-
Windsong and Vila are the biggest girlfail relationship, yeah, but we should give some love to Lucy cause Simone really puts up with her being a massive girlfail on a cosmic scale
they really took emotional damage to the next level, huh 😭
Arcanists are...something else. Their weapons are so unhinged.
she does NOT know what's about to happen to her
Melania losing her mind before exams in college before she became a thief, sobbing because she can’t do it anymore:
Kaalaa Baunaa: Queen never cry.
Melania:
hofmann and marcus dynamic to me is an adult albatross and its chick. do you get where im trying to say
Windsong: That was so attractive, Vila.
Vila: I literally called the person who just insulted you a degenterate dog and told them I hope they get dragged through the streets.
Windsong: I'm so in love with you.
Canon Windsong reaction
I can almost see Vila fighting someone like that one Tooth Fairy image for insulting Windsong while she's just in the back red faced
AU where Kakania doesn't drop out of college and gets an actual license, Isolde gets the treatment she needs with a good and legit psychiatrist (not Kakania), Heinrich doesn't join a cult, Elbert doesn't lose his arm, and Theophil doesn't set himself on fire with his paintings:
Then everyone dies because of world war. But at least they're happy
DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TRUE SUITCASE GEEZER‼️‼️💼🎩🌧️🌧️🌧️
Wise words
Found this cool universe alignment chart and it's making me think of them
Top quote is from In Stars and Time, bottom left is from Night in the Woods, bottom right is from Minecraft end poem
Vertin: So, what made you attracted to Windsong?
Vila: Her girl loser energy. She's pathetic, in a cute way! :>
(*for angst: windsong overhears but just hears her name, loser and pathetic)
Not the Anime timing 😭
Let's flesh out on this by the sheer fury I have over not communication, the worst part? It could be a fr thing
Windsong Is very easily discouraged, as we saw in Farewell Rayashki, but having Vila and Rayashki by her side strengthened her little confidence. Although Rayashki is not there anymore, she still counts on Vila's words.
So, when she walks out of their shared room with eyes filled with stars and very excited, she wouldn't have seen what comes next. An accident on her part, that's for sure.
"Windsong is quite a loser, stubborn, pitiful and pathetic-" Vila's easily recognizable voice saying such words about Windsong, and it hurt.
Windsong held her breath, feeling heavy, and her stomach dropping, giving her nausea. The annoying ringing in her ears prevented her from listening to anything after those words. She tried not to cry, it felt hard to hold back when all those words used to describe her, to denigrate her, were said by her lover.
So she ran to her room, closing the door after her and dropping everything in her hands to the floor. Had she not been quick to conclusions, maybe she would have heard the full conversation.
"-and she is brave, strong and determined. My comrade Windsong may be a little pitiful, but that's what makes her so charming. Her sad eyes and string determination are what I love about her. She's not one to give up on the things she loves, even if people turn against her. That, is what I love about Windsong. Everything."
It doesn't take long for Vila to notice, however, since they do share a room. It wasn't hard to notice the sheets formed into a ball and sobbing sounds coming from it.
Of course that's Windsong, her shoes are by the side, and she didn't even try her best to hide. Vila would have smiled at this silliness, however, she found herself concerned by the sobbing.
She sat by the edge of the bed, placing her hands carefully where she believes would be Windsong's shoulders, trying to comfort the sobbing girl. "Comrade Windsong, why are you crying? Care to tell me what upsets you?"
There's a moment of silence before she receives an answer, a trembling, insecure and... Dare I say pitiful, reply.
"D-do you really love me? Am- am I too-" Sobs "pitiful and, and, and a loser? Did you date me out-" sobs again "out of pity?"
"What do you mean, Comrade Windsong? I would never date you of pity!" Vila's voice is filled with concern. She tries to pull down the sheet covering Windsong's face, and she lets her, revealing the tear-filled, messy sobbing face.
It melted Vila's heart.
"But, I- I heard you say that to Vertin..."
And that's when they actually start talking. Vila ends up having a long talk to Windsong about how much she loves her, and also about assuming which is a conversation they had a long time ago and gets reinforced.
In the end, Windsong still has trouble with assuming the worst of herself, but Vila is always there to lift her up. And they did cuddle for the night, Windsong needed the emotional support.
The Reverse 1999 doomed yuri pose™
Vila: Comrade Windsong, there you are! I was wondering if you've my updog?
Windsong: ... Hm? *her ass was in yapland (her head)*
Vila: My updog. Have you seen it?
Windsong: Uh... Sorry, Vila, but what's updog? I've never heard of such a thing. Is it some kind of new phenomena, or maybe a never seen before critt—
Vila:
i like to imagine marcus being able to lift things twice her size (you can thank her giant suitcase for that), and a few meters away, you see windsong struggling to lift up a 40 lbs box despite being like 5'10 😭
I love sonetto’s new garment so I doodled it