domoz-writes

[domoz-writes]

Go write 100 words of: Hand over Hand Over Hand and Desert Spring

HOHOH

Tobirama shrugs. "Then do it, but know that you won't come up with a better answer, so it would just be a waste of time. Izuna came up with most of this, anyways." That makes Madara look up in alarm -- probably more at the fact that he didn't know that it happened than that it did, "You talked with Izuna?" "Civilly, even." Hikaku can't help but add. It had been very strange, standing there in the dark as Tobirama prodded at Izuna for his reasoning and Izuna glared back at him and provided it. Maybe he'd hoped, too, that another person leaning on Madara would finally get him to concede. Maybe he was right to.

Desert Spring

Tobirama's spot in said formation, best as he can tell, is on the far side of the back line. No one protests his presence there, anyways. Rather than jump the wall into the city proper, they make their way around to go through the gates proper. In fact, there is a line made up of groups just like the one Tobirama is a part of, all shinobi clans silently advancing forward as some official marks their attendance and lets them inside. When their turn arrives, all Tobirama can hear of the conversation is a confirmation of their clan name and some number designation before they're sent on their way.

[domoz-writes]

Go write 100 words of: Foxfire and Hand over Hand Over Hand

Foxfire

Like… a certain old lady who sits outside his apartment is definitely a demon. He sort of expects her to disappear after he talked to her, but she doesn't. Every morning he shoves his way out of his apartment building to find her sitting in her little wire chair picking at her embroidery. She lets him sit next to her and if he tries to peek over her shoulder she even lowers what she's working on so that he can see it too. She tells him weird fairy tale stories about emperors and fox ladies and lets him call her baa-chan. Nobody even looks at him, as long as he's sitting at her table.

HOHOH

Madara sits in his office, hunched over his desk as he goes over the correspondence that has started to come in since their return from the capitol. Some people are seeing the writing on the wall and trying to get in their mission requests in now before other clans get involved, a few others have expressed tentative interest in joining this alliance themselves. And then there was the package of swords that arrived at their gates -- an apology gift, from the clan of the man who had tried to stab Madara. Hikaku slips in to the room, sets a box of snacks on the corner of Madara's desk, and waits for his clan head to look up and acknowledge him.

[domoz-writes]

Go write 100 words of: Hand over Hand Over Hand and Desert Spring

HOHOH

Tobirama is treating this as though it's all very ordinary, but when Izuna answers the door his first words are, "What the hell?" He then looks to Hikaku for an explanation, but he can only shrug helplessly. He has a vague idea, but Tobirama gives a better answer than he could manage, "I need your input on who is best suited to take on certain roles. We're going to use the building the the village to force your brother into delegating more." Izuna, very reasonably in Hikaku's opinion, says, "We are?" "I am." Tobirama answers, "Your input would be appreciated."

Desert Spring

…A seal, maybe? Almost certainly, but not with his current knowledge. Tobirama mourns the shelf of books he'd been collecting in his room; he could have figured something out if only he still had access to it. Hopefully they found good homes instead of being hidden away to gather dust. He's drawn out of his musing by a whistle, Komako having arrived with a few of the shinobi he's been teaching joining them. "Alright." Daava straightens up from where he's been leaning on a scrubby tree. He doesn't sound exited to be here. "In formation. Best behavior everybody."

[domoz-writes]

I am keen to learn more on how Shiro thinks he can wriggle out of Izuna's desire to fight him (yessss, deny the Yandere!). Please 100 words of in the corner of another room.

Plus healer AU to keep that ticking along?

Many thanks!

Noooo, Izuna is normal about everything I super duper promise. But anyways we're in the present time now.

In the Corner of Another Room

The largest assumption he's working with is this: That Shiro has not lied to him. That he is a man, that his face is disfigured, that his reputation is one that would lead to Izuna attacking him on sight. The only thing that can be fully trusted is what Izuna has seen with his own eyes, and that is surprisingly little. He doubts Shiro is the type to carelessly re-wear parts of his disguise, or to leave remnants of watercolor staining the sides of his hands. The only real identifying feature Izuna has to work with is silver-grey of Shiro's hair, and that isn't nearly as distinctive as Izuna wishes it were. A good third of the Senju clan sport that color, and nearly every Hatake that Izuna has ever seen. If he takes reputation into account, Shiro might even be some rogue Kaguya, hidden away in some secret department without his knowledge.

Healer AU

Tobirama gives him a sidelong glance when he's made to walk alongside Madara instead of behind him, but this way he's forced not to be too obvious when he glances around the compound. He still does, focus drawn mostly to the people who have not so inconspicuously paused in their days to watch him. Nobody is foolish enough to crowd around them, or try to follow, but there are enough people around that the short walk to the guest house is practically a procession. When they arrive the doors are all standing wide open, and the front room some of the tatami is misaligned as though it has only just been replaced. Someone had the forethought to clean the place out -- with a mental sigh Madara activates his sharingan to make sure nobody left any assassination attempts behind.

[domoz-writes]

Go write 100 words of: Canon Rewrite and In the Corner of Another Room

Canon Rewrite: I'm sure I've said it somewhere before, but how much more intresting and cohesive would it be if Naruto opened with the story of kaguya and the chakra fruit instead of kurama destroying Konoha... It both makes her showing up later Make Sense and makes naruto discovering about kurama (both being sealed inside him and his own lore) more intresting. Since then, though, I've been "kaguya should have lived" pilled. What better character to be convinced to not be evil via talk-no-jutsu! Set her up as someone doing her misguided best, driven by fear of what the other Otsutsuki are going to do to her and the planet she loves, let her be defeated and subsequently convinced that working alongside humans is the best course of action after all.

Anyways, a sketch. I might want to simplify the linework, if anything...

In The Corner of Another Room

Izuna is stunned into his own silence, a strange heat rising in his body that he wrestles back down. "So what," he jokes, "You're spending all this time with me because you want to?" "Yes." Shrio answers. Then he turns back to his painting so that he has an excuse to ignore the way Izuna sucks in a quiet breath. "You're interesting. For the record, I do think you would be fun to spar with, but I'm not going to break my own rules to do it." Izuna, speechless, stares at him as he continues to work. Is it because of the mask that he can be so shameless?!

[domoz-writes]

Could I perhaps get Heart of Flowers and Hanahaki Adjacent? :)

Ah... a mysterious benefactor here for a little hanahaki I see....

Heart of Flowers

"I was just wondering…" Madara says carefully, "If you settled those clan matters." For a long moment all Tobirama does is blink, like he doesn't understand what Madara is referencing at all -- and then he laughs, short and dry like Madara has told a joke that isn't very funny. "They're as settled as they ever are. You don't need to worry about it, Madara-sama. Is that all?" Tobirama should know him better by now, if he thinks that's the sort of answer that would make Madara let things go -- but he has no avenue to push for now and so is forced to bide his time.

Hanahaki Adjacent

But, Tobirama doesn't realize until it's too late, he's made a fatal error in his handling of the situation. Mission scroll in hand, just as they are about to leave, Izuna glances at him with a sly smile and says, "Let's see if we can get it done fast enough that you don’t start coughing up leaves this time." By leading Izuna to believe that his situation was one that is known and unremarkable he prevented the Uchiha from asking questions about it, but in exchange he now thinks that it's something that he can comment on casually. His grin fades at Tobirama's careful non reaction, but Tobirama doesn't notice, too busy considering escape routes -- if him and Izuna leave right now, then maybe Hashirama will think that he's misheard and let the matter drop.

[domoz-writes]

Go write 100 words of: Hand over Hand Over Hand and Desert Spring

HOHOH Madara's face is flushing red now, "I'm doing like my father trained me to do, and I'm doing it well! How many years have I kept this clan alive?!" In the silence after his shouting, Hikaku steels himself and quietly adds, "Your father also had help." "My father was a beta!" Madara throws up his hands -- Tobirama cuts him off before he can continue his rant. "Did someone scoop your brain out of your skull between here and the capitol? If you're in charge then run things how they're best run, not how your father did." Madara's expression freezes into something complicated. "…Many people in the clan would be relieved if you shared more trust with them." Hikaku adds.

Desert Spring

Tobirama supposes that this is the best solution if him sneaking into the event isn't possible. He's not going to turn it down, though. not when he's as curious as he is. If it didn't block so much of his vision it would be wise for him to wear something like this anyways, just to block the sun. There must be a way to fix that problem, he thinks, idly rubbing the end of the fabric between his fingers as he waits for Komako to gather the rest of the people she wants to bring. Davaa waits not too far away, apparently content to let his daughter handle the arrangements.

[domoz-writes]

Healer AU! Do more surgery to that sulky brat!

The surgery arc is over :( Any more surgerys done to Izuna in this fic are elective and purely for fun and/or education.

"If you're done here, then get out." Izuna tells him. Tobirama looks at up Madara, then who suppresses a sigh and finally forces himself to stand and move away from Izuna -- though not without glancing him over with the sharingan to capture the image of him alive and well. Izuna notices, swatting at his leg like it will get him to leave faster. "You can stay in the guest house from now on." Madara decides -- though he hadn't actually commanded that it be cleaned out and prepared beforehand. Hopefully Hikaku will have thought to do that, and if he hasn't Tobirama will just have to deal with it.

[domoz-writes]

I have so much time for an inhinged Izuna trying to get a reaction out of Shiro - 100 words of in the corner of another room please

Plus another regular dose of Healer AU?

Many thanks

(Oh! and you know how I said that writing was harrrd? I have just posted the second chapter of my second fic. I'm so happy)

Izuna can try but he seems to get it flipped on him every time...

Also congratulations!!!!!

In the Corner of Another Room

"Not now. Sometime after the mission." At some point, Izuna had started to refer to it as their mission in his head. They're after the same guy, aren't they? "…But before we leave snow country." "Mm. We're unlikely to have the chance." "But if we do, let's plan on it." Shiro is still and silent for a long moment, brush hovering over the page. "The entire point of -- this." Shiro gestures at his face -- his mask, "Is to give me the freedom to do some of the things I want, and to avoid some of the things I don't want. I do not want to have to fight you."

Healer AU

Izuna scoffs. "You weren't even going to ask, were you?" "I usually don't." Tobirama admits. The glow fades from one hand and in a moment a scalpel of chakra is in its place; thankfully he moves slowly enough that Madara can control his instinct to reach forward and stop the cut from being made. Izuna grimaces, unable to keep himself from grunting as a small globe of tainted blood is pulled out of him, his wound sealing up after it's gone. With his supplies at hand, Tobirama is quick to guide it to a vial, which he offers back to Izuna.

[domoz-writes]

Go write 100 words of: The Academy Three and Unnamed #3 (Hanahaki Adjacent)

The Academy Three

Iruka's reprimands about how 'you shouldn't speak to your teammates that way' freeze on the tip of his tongue as Naruto says, "Yeah, yeah. Anyone who gets put on a team with me gets failed, I get how it goes." Oh, of course he would think that, when actually that's the one reason it definitely isn't. Hatake you jerk. "To be honest with all of you, Kakashi probably wasn't going to pass any team no matter who was on it or how well you did. I'm not sure why they keep assigning him ones to be honest."

Hanahaki Adjacent

It also means that the next time a mission comes up that one of them would best be suited for -- a follow-up to their last one, technically -- that Hashirama is all too eager to assign them to together. Tobirama does not argue against it as much as he ordinarily would have. For one thing, it offers him the rare chance to leave the village without having to worry about a relapse, and for another Tobirama can tell, now, that though Izuna complains about being paired with Tobirama again that it's all theatrics. He's chakra radiates a feeling that he would classify as pleased, or maybe even smug.

[domoz-writes]

Shang Bros AU Part 2, the one where the OGs have something funky going on.

So, Airplane is the head disciple on track to being the next peak lord; OG!SQH takes it upon himself to go investigate the other head disciples, to try and determine how troublesome they're going to be. It's done with the plan to make some allies, or if not, get some blackmail/debts to hold over them.

Which he manages! Most of the peaks are too reliant on An Ding to make enemies with its peak lord in the first place + he discovers some juicy blackmail anyways, just in case. Some of them present problems, though:

Liu Qingge is difficult to pin anything blackmail worthy on, OG!SQH starts going out of his way to start crafting  a narrative of how careless he is/how much destruction he leaves behind after missions.

Qi Qigni is less difficult, she's had her scandals, but as Xian Shu peak lord she will inevitably have access to a wide information network, because it's pretty common for cultivators from her peak to go off and marry important people and keep up a correspondence with the peak lord. He needs her to be an ally, not an enemy, but he can't really approach the all-women's peak for no reason. So he comes up with a reason to enter their library/take books out on loan -- he claims that An Ding's fighting style is so simple because they're expected to incorporate bits of other peaks fighting styles into it (true, no one has the time to study these), that he's interested in the qinggong they practice on their peak (true, if you're trying to avoid danger or keep from getting hurt it seems like it'd be Very useful!), and that An Ding doesn't have any masters of it so he's attempting to teach himself.

It's believable enough, but men have made even bigger excuses to do stupid things on their peak, so he's allowed into the library with an escort. Frequently, Qi Qigni herself is the escort, but after a while where he doesn't so much as Ogle At A Breast she starts to relax and do her own reading while he does. OG!SQH realizes she's reading the same book that his brother is and makes a comment about how the two of them share the same taste in literature (gay erotica). Qi Qigni is delighted and apparently goes out of her way after the next head disciple meeting to corner Airplane and ask about it. So… OG!SQH secures yet another psychically damaging alliance for his brother. Yay.

But his biggest concerns are about the head disciples of the peaks that rank over An Ding. Wei Qingwei is one of the aforementioned peaks that depends on An Ding too much to make them an enemy, but Qiong Ding and  Qing Jing both pose potential problems. Yue Qingyuan is basically unassailable, reputation-wise; OG!SQH can't dig up ANYTHING on his past, and as a matter of fact there's a period of a couple of years where no records of him seem to exist at all. When he brings this up to Airplane, his brother points out (after talking about it for a while) that while Qiong Ding can purge their own records, and pressure An Ding to do the same, Qian Cao would and have refused to do such a thing. OG!SQH can't get into their stuff yet, but he keeps it in mind.

Shen Qingqiu is… much easier, not because of his already bad reputation on his own peak, but because OG!SQH LITERALLY catches him leaving the mountain to go to the Warm Red Pavillion when he goes to do some investigating. This really intrigues him: why would he risk his already tenuous position on going to a brothel?? So, he decides to follow, and immediately begins to suspect that SQQ is not, in fact, some young noble lord. His main reasoning? SQQ is too nice to the service staff.

It probably isn't an act, because if SQQ could act like that he probably would have been nicer to his peers on Qing Jing to secure his position -- But a real lordling who was coming here to be a lecher wouldn't behave as though the workers were his friends. If OG!SQH, it's only to ask if anyone working here has any complaints about him, and when they don’t (and want to defend him even) he lets it drop.

But this blackmail isn't useful if someone else outs it! So he waits and catches SQQ when he's on his way back up the mountain and lets him know that he knows where he was: not as a threat, he wants to make an offer. Qing Jing and An Ding will both only thrive if they work together and share information. They should form an alliance! As a token of good will, he even gives SQQ a token that lets him get into the An Ding work tunnels, which will let him sneak off of the mountain unobserved much more easily.

SQQ doesn't exactly say yes, but he doesn't reject it outright either. A mutual alliance is much more palatable and understandable than someone trying to befriend or seduce him. And he totally does not feel one way or another about OG!SQH doing all of this in support of his brother.

At the same Airplane tells his brother to keep a special eye out for what Huan Hua is up to -- particularly their head disciple. OG!SQH would anyway due to Mobei-jun's own feud with them, but this is enough to make him go investigating. On one mission (with SQQ, who makes a point of requesting OG!SQH drive his carriage when he's on a mission that requires one) he does actually spot Su Xian. More than that, he spots her meeting with a demon!

He gets caught spying on them (by Zhuzhi-liang) and is dragged to face Tianliang-jun. TLJ is actually the only one who wants to keep him alive for questioning! Su Xian and ZZL both want him dead right away.

OG!SQH tries to spin some bullshit about wanting to see a working relationship between a demon and a human, which TLJ acts like he might start to buy, until he says, nah, fuck it, bite him Zhuzhi. In this case (for plot convenience), ZZL's venom has truth serum-like properties. In an effort not to spill everything, he switches his story to wanting to observe a human/demon relationship, on behalf of his brother, who is embarrassingly down bad for a demon lord.

This delights TLJ immensely and makes him immediately willing to be sidetracked into answering relationship questions about common miscommunications in human/demon relationships. When he finds out that the demon in question is Mobei-jun he even "offers" (<-he's going to do it anyway) to "go give young Mobei a talk, since his father certainly isn't going to :)"

SX is exasperated about this whole situation, but less obviously hostile towards OG!SQH, they both agree that no one will ever hear about this.

SQQ is concerned incredibly suspicious about OG!SQH returning back with a snake bite and no snake corpse to be found. He gets even more unhappy when the lingering truth effects have OG!SQH admit that it was a demonic snake, and that it's long gone by now.

OG!SQH and SX keep mutual tabs on each other from then on, and they become something like acquaintances… OG!SQH is pretty much the only person she can confide in about her divided loyalties and ends up telling him about how she and TLJ met, and how she believes her sect has done more evil than TLJ has in all her time knowing him -- and he's the demon emperor, so who is she to call all of demonkind evil, etc. OG!SQH gets some very juicy insider info on HHP throughout all of this.

…Coincidentally, meetings with MBJ have become exceptionally awkward all of the sudden, like he doesn't know how to act when Airplane is around. OG!SQH decides that he's not going to touch that situation at all, MBJ can figure it out or die in a fire.

And then, without warning the attack on TLJ happens, and OG!SQH can't explain that if TLJ kidnapped SX that it was probably a mutual decision. Airplane is brought along (even secret attacks have logistical concerns!) but the An Ding peak lord forbids OG!SQH from coming, too, citing secrecy and the fact that Airplane will need to learn to operate without his brother looking over his shoulder. So OG!SQH spends the siege moping around with MBJ, just in case Airplane calls for help.

But Airplane shows up at home just fine, and more than that, he has a huge stack of paperwork that he stole from HHP that serves as physical evidence of all of the embezzlement/fraud/etc that they already suspected.

The current generation of peak lords decides to ascend not too long after. There's the whole pomp filled ceremony, and then a banquet, and then an afterparty, and after that Airplane and OG!SQH go to the An Ding Peak Lord's house, where airplane presents him with a token that basically gives him peak-lord level access to everything on CQMS. Airplane (<drunk) probably also gives him a hug and calls him the best family he's ever had. Confusing, but touching.

Airplane: BTW I'm also going to be restructuring how the entire peak is organized now haha :)

So Airplane and by extension OG!SQH get VERY busy basically rebuilding and modernizing how An Ding works. OG!SQH is going on a Lot of night hunts to cement his place as someone who's skill should be respected/to make it clear that he is not only on An Ding because of nepotism. SQQ is going through something similar and still insists on bringing OG!SQH along as often as possible, mostly just to annoy him at this point.

On one of these missions they have an asexual sex pollen incident. In classic fashion, they fall into a field of flowers, get pollen everywhere, and start to feel aroused, but as SQQ is starting to freak out, SQH points out that if they don't start to get secondary symptoms like a fever, this type of pollen can probably just be gotten rid of with dual cultivation in the most strict sense -- just exchanging qi (this cheat knowledge is thanks to having Airplane as a brother).

So, they do exactly that, and it's still pretty intimate, but SQQ doesn't get touched in any ways he doesn't want and OG!SQH has no idea how much he's just risen in his esteem.

Shortly after, Airplane suggests that OG!SQH come with him to the next disciple selection -- An Ding is expanding, and since he's technically a hall master/equivalent in seniority, he should consider taking on a few of his own students to train as "little ninja spies". OG!SQH has doubts he'll be a good teacher but can't deny the utility of having these kids that most people on the peaks totally ignore report directly to him.

Life continues to go on without slowing down. OG!SQH takes on his little disciples and gets more dedicated to training them than he thought he'd be. With TLJ gone the demon realm is in flux and MBJ is sleeping in Airplane’s house more often than he isn't. OG!SQH has a standing weekly tea date with SQQ that, in theory, is supposed to be about SQQ requisitioning what he needs from An Ding.

Years pass this way, though not exactly peacefully. Every time OG!SQH thinks he can relax a little, he or his brother gets hurt (about equally as much for CQMS as they do for MBJ). OG!SQH isn't really sure what to do to secure their positions even further, until MBJ can ascend and become king.

And then another disciple selection happens. Airplane declines to go, but directs OG!SQH to look for a boy who 'looks just like his mother.' OG!SQH doesn't notice Luo Binghe until SQQ and LQG are already fighting over him, but he knows that's the kid because he looks just like SX, and knowing who his father probably is, he can see the hints of TLJ in his face too. Demonic heritage sealed, though, so good job SX! Unfortunately, he knows that there's no point in challenging SQQ for the kid, so he plans to keep an eye on him instead -- he's on Qing Jing often enough that it shouldn't be difficult.

But for some reason LBH really seems to piss SQQ off right from the start, which the rest of the peak takes as a chance to bully the kid relentlessly. Eventually on one of their tea dates, OG!SQH asks what the point of picking LBH as a student was if SQQ had no plans of teaching him. SQQ immediately gets prickly and defensive and says that he was able to succeed under even worse conditions.

SQQ: Go on then, tell me how much you disapprove.

OG!SQH: I mean, it just seems like kind of a waste to me.

SQQ: It is! Why would I spend effort on a child who refuses to even defend himself. Who makes such slow progress on learning how to read, much less cultivate. If he really is such a prodigy, shouldn't he be able to grow despite the hardships.

OG!SQH: (Doubt.jpg. Wouldn't a prodigy be even better if you taught them??) Hmm… Give him to me

SQQ: … Pardon

OG!SQH: Not officially, he can stay your student. But let me teach him -- he might not meet your standards, but I bet I can make him loyal to me easily.

SQQ: If he's a Qing Jing disciple, he needs to meet Qing Jing standards.

OG!SQH: How about a bet then. I train him, and get him up to your Qing Jing standards.

SQQ: The stakes?

OG!SQH: If I fail, I'll break into Zhangmen-shixong's medical files and give you everything in find there

SQQ: …

OG!SQH: If I win, you have to tell me about where you came from before you got the the sect.

SQQ obviously thinks very hard about this, but then agrees.

OG!SQH: Well, I guess the paragon of Qing Jing values would be your head disciple, right? Let's compare the Luo Binghe to them when you have exams

SQQ is obviously not happy about that, Ming Fan is the head disciple because he's an ass kisser, not a great disciple, but he has several years over LBH so it should still be fine…

SQQ: Deal.

OG!SQH goes to retrieve LBH, and since he's trying to build trust/loyalty in him, informs him about the bet and tells him that he will have to work very hard, if he's willing to participate. LBH agrees and so he packs up his things (his like, two things) to move. OG!SQH flips through his cultivation manual as he does so -- it's probably not directly sabotaged, but a lot of the pages are missing, important information left out (especially at the beginning), and the words are very old fashioned -- it's likely that whoever gave it to him just grabbed the oldest most beaten-up book in the stacks. It's also lucky that LBH doesn't know how to read too well just yet, because if he'd started trying to cultivate where the book starts he could have seriously hurt himself. He tosses the book at SQQ on the way out and tells him that he should audit his library more often, if that's the sort of thing they keep there.

LBH joins OG!SQH group of students as its babiest member. His training regime is tough, but as OG!SQH suspected, LBH absolutely blooms under even just a little positive reinforcement. He also gets… sticky, which OG!SQH does not like very much, and isn't afraid to tell him so, so that gets nipped in the bud pretty quickly.

Airplane is also… delighted?? Frightened?? In awe?? Of the fact that LBH is on his peak and making friends and having a good time. He doesn't even try to resist patting LBH's head.

SQQ and OG!SQH do still continue their tea dates, but OG!SQH remains purposefully vague about LBHs progress, so SQQ does the same for Ming Fan. OG!SQH does notice that the two of them are both getting quite haggard, to the point where one week SQQ falls asleep at the table, and when OG!SQH wakes him up, he starts qi deviating. Badly! OG!SQH's cultivation isn't strong enough to help much, but it's enough to send for Mu Qingfang for an emergency, at least.

Ming Fan at least gets a little break while SQQ is recovering, but LBH does not. OG!SQH goes out to find specialized tutors for the four arts so that LBH can live up to Qing Jing standards as well, as promised. Airplane likes the idea of cross-beak training in general -- An Ding is Supposed to incorporate other styles after all and comes up with something he calls "extra credit classes"… they're for small things at first, someone from Qian Cao will come over and teach first aid, someone from Cai di (agriculture peak) will come to talk about forageable and dangerous plants, that sort of thing. LBH is such a teacher's pet that he complains about not having time to go to all of the extra lectures.

OG!SQH even makes acquaintances with the qinggong teacher that Xian Shu sends over, and SQQ is Totally Not Mad about it. Qing Jing refuses to send anyone to teach at An Ding, and refuses anyone coming to teach on their peak either. Who's petty?

SQQ won't admit it, but he's still recovering from his qi deviation, and you know what would cheer him up from that? How about this random kid OG!SQH found in a city he was securing deals in that looks just like SQQ. Shen Yuan is immediately distrustful of OG!SQH, especially when he offers to take him to CQMS -- like, this is so obviously stranger danger?! But OG!SQH's students are with him, and he throws them at him to convince him to come -- SY folds like wet paper almost as soon as he hears LBH's name.

OG!SQH figures that even if SQQ has no interest in the kid, current day An Ding ALWAYS needs more bodies, and his kids are getting along with SY quite well -- but it turns out that SQQ is Intensely interested in the possibility of having a family member, and also respects his Street Rat Vigor (Internet Troll Tendencies). He gets made a Qing Jing disciple, moved into SQQ's side room, and OG!SQH isn't really worried about SY getting mistreated. SY has ALREADY threatened to just Leave and join the beast peak instead if he doesn't like how things are going.

SY has also arrived just in time for exam season on Qing Jing, and as soon as he understands what's going on (well, kind of. He still thinks it's weird), immediately starts to root for Binghe. LBH and Ming Fan tie at first (LBH is better at the guqin and wequi, Mind Fan has better calligraphy and technical skill at painting) -- the tiebreaker is martial arts, which LBH then wins handily despite being smaller and younger.

SQQ is a very sore loser, and OG!SQH keeps pressing on it until SQQ all but spits out that he used to be a slave. When OG!SQH doesn't act Appropriate Appalled, he then goes on to tell him about how he killed his master, burned down the manor, practiced demonic cultivation --

OG!SQH just nods along -- it's not like it's not shocking, it's way worse than he thought, but it also makes a lot of things make sense, and when SQQ has worked himself down a little he tells him as much, and that he never believed SQQ was a young master. SQQ then starts to get paranoid about what OG!SQH wants to do with this information, and OG!SQH that while, yeah, if him and SQQ ever become enemies he's keeping all that in his back pocket, he asked because he was genuinely curious about the man he's known for so many years. SQQ acts disgusted at this "attempt at friendship" and points out that he doesn't know anything about OG!SQH's past either, and that it was fine that way. But now that SQQ has told him about his past it's only fair for OG!SQH to share his.

OG!SQH isn't actually too hesitant about this and tells SQQ that his mother was a concubine, and that he killed her (he did not, but he believes he was responsible for her death). SQQ is satisfied with this for the moment, but becomes more invested in getting something over OG!SQH, which is troublesome, given the whole MBJ situation is still ongoing.

Somewhere in here, Airplane gives some talismans  to his brother, to pass off to SQQ, with intent to help LQG with HIS qi deviation. SQQ is upset about the perceived insult at first, but OG!SQH is like "look, my brother just wants you to bring them with you into the caves" "I haven't told anyone that I was planning on going to the caves" "well, take them with you when you do go."

So, LQG is still saved (Airplane has at this point gotten pretty good at subverting the system by having other people do things that he can't for him). Sha Hualing attacks the sect, and during the attack SQQ looks at LBH a little too long when thinking about picking someone to fight the demons, which prompts LBH to volunteer himself to try and prove Yet Again that OG!SQH's teaching is superior -- and then realize afterwards that people still see him as a Qing Jing disciple and the credit went the SQQ anyways. And SQQ is NOT getting himself poisoned for this kid (though as we know, LBH ends up fine).

Afterwards, OG!SQH gets pulled into Binghe's dreamscape, however when Meng Mo shows up he's much more pragmatic about it all and tells Binghe that he should be careful, but that the opportunity to learn such a rare skill shouldn't just be cast aside (he sees the potential of being able to enter and manipulate dreams REAL quick). Afterwards Bingha approaches him and OG!SQH reaffirms that learning from Meng Mo is fine, so long as he doesn't end up in danger or in that demon's debt -- just think of it like another extra credit class. LBH wonders if OG!SQH really doesn't mind him working with a demon, and OG!SQH answers "when has your shishu ever taught you to hate demons?"

Meanwhile, planning for the immortal alliance conference is starting to come up. It's still years off but as it becomes more and more obvious that several demon kingdoms are planning to invade the event, Airplane suggests that LBH and MBJ meet more and more often.

Despite the bet being over, LBH doesn't return to Qing Jing except on rare occasions, and SY makes it a point to go visit An Ding as often as he can. At some point OG!SQH walks in on Airplane and SY getting in a fight over something he doesn't understand At All and realizes that SY must be the same nature of seer/whatever that airplane is. Despite the antagonism, Airplane seems happier after talking to him so OG!SQH lets it be.

After they've had this talk though, Airplane asks if OG!SQH won't pretty please go to Bailu mountains and get some special mushrooms for him, it's really important!! OG!SQH is pretty used to indulging these asks by now and on a whim, invites SQQ to come with him. More accurately, SQQ tries to get OG!SQH to go with him to something HE wants to do and OG!SQH tells him he's busy, so why doesn't SQQ come with HIM instead?? OG!SQH isn't really expecting SQQ to agree, but he does (it's a rare day when OG!SQH deems something more important than him, he wants to see what it is)

That mission goes more or less as normal, except that OG!SQH recognizes ZZL and is the one to leave the mushroom behind.

As the immortal alliance conference approaches Airplane grows more and more nervous about it. They still can't decide on introducing LBH and MBJ or not -- it's possible that Airplane is literally forbidden from letting this happen early, but also, it’s a bad idea to let a kid in on the fact that hey! We're helping betray the cultivation world! Right! Now! Eventually they settle on telling MBJ about LBH and ask him to help cover for the kid when things go bad.

Airplane also makes it a point to send An Ding attendees off with extra crisis supplies. OG!SQH does the same and goes even further by instructing his kids not to focus on placing too highly and instead to focus on making connections with other contestants/putting other disciples in their debt by saving them/etc. LBH is given the choice -- because he's so strong he could easily place highly if he wanted to, and there is a place for that in OG!SQHs network -- but LBH denies it, because if he wins he wants to be recognized as an An Ding disciple, not Qing Jing.

The attack on the conference happens, as expected. Airplane enters the gorge immediately with all the other peak lords, OG!SQH isn't able to follow until later.

Airplane thinks he has things under control -- him and Mobei are "fighting", LBH's seal remains unbroken, and then his attempts at subverting fate are failed because the abyss just spits a beast out at them capable of breaking Binghe's seal anyways. SQQ and tagalong SY are also there to witness this. SQQ immediately starts berating and attacking Binghe to push him back, which prompts SY AND MBJ to defend LBH against him. Airplane is… less decisive, which SY calls him a coward about, and this drama goes on for so long that the abyss closes and Airplane and SY fall into immediate identical qi deviations.

MBJ immediately grabs Airplane and makes to teleport away. LBH, still fresh of his seal breaking, tries to bite and claw and drag him back and ends up being dragged through to the northern kingdoms instead.

OG!SQH arrives on scene to find SQQ trying to keep his brother (?) from dying and everyone else gone. SQQ informs him that his brother was qi deviating and kidnapped by MBJ. He threatens him for consorting with demons and tells him not to do anything stupid in the same breath, to which OG!SQH that he's not the one who did something stupid. He maybe makes a brief stop to check in on his kids (all fine, his plan worked and they came out on top in this scenario) and then heads directly to the northern kingdom.

The qi deviation itself has stopped, but Airplane is still comatose when he arrives and none of the healers know what to do. OG!SQH coordinates with MBJ to kidnap Mu Qingfang so that he can check on Airplane too (keeping as much plausible deniability as he still can, defending himself with things like "I'm just doing what it takes to keep my brother alive"). MQF is able to identify that Airplane is under some sort of curse -- not his specialty, they really should take him back the CQMS -- MBJ says no and immediately changes tracks into finding someone who can identify and break curses.

Eventually someone (possibly Madam Meyin) is able to determine that something about the curse requires "Luo Binghe to fall into the abyss and retrieve Xin Mo". LBH immediately volunteers and MBJ takes him to one of the natural abyssal rifts in the north to push him in. Airplane (and SY, back on CQ) wake up immediately after he enters the abyss.

Airplane is intensely worried about this at first, but OG!SQH, MBJ, and probably MQF all berate him for it -- LBH went in there for him willingly! He's a heavenly demon! He'll be fine!!

MBJ then returns MQF to CQMS, but Not Airplane, Eventually the sect sends LQG to request the return of Peak Lord Shang and his brother .SQH says that he's not going to leave his brother's side and points out, no, LQG can't stay here to defend the both of them either, since someone has to deliver the message to CQMS. LQG leaves… suspiciously… and shows back up fairly often, sometimes with MQF, to assess Airplane's health. MQF eventually says that he's fit for travel and they have a standoff about whether MBJ will be releasing him to CQMS custody.

Airplane isn't convinced that he'll live if he does go, so why would he agree to it? MQF points out that he was under a curse and everyone will likely be lenient towards him -- LQG and MBJ get into a serious fight before Airplane steps in and promises that he'll go, and since he's going OG!SQH is going with him.

MBJ was able to freely enter and leave CQMS in the past, and his shadow portal powers are not well known, so they make sure to take talismans/something with them to alert him in case they're walking into a trap. Since OG!SQH doesn't have the excuse of a curse to fall back on he decides to fall back on making the trial that they are put on into a spectacle, to make the story behind the betrayal more interesting than the act itself. Probably, they are held under some kind of truth telling array as well.

He tells them everything he knows about MBJ's sad backstory, claims that he thought the cultivation world's actions against him were unjust and that the more he dug into HHP the worse he found their actions -- the hard evidence they got during the attack on TLJ is helpful here, and speaking of TLJ, has SQQ told any of you about LBH's heritage yet??

SQQ confirms that yes, LBH was a heavenly demon, and so OG!SQH LBH's existence proves that TLJ is innocent of the crimes HHP accused him of -- There should be no doubt about who LBHs mother is when they look so alike, and he has Qi Qigni confirm with advanced enough cultivation it's a small matter to prevent or abort a pregnancy, and Su Xian was a very powerful cultivator so it would not have been an issue for her if that's what she wanted. HHP sentenced an innocent man into the cruelest punishment the cultivation world has ever conceived of, and tricked CQMS into helping.

The room is a lot more divided than it was when they arrived, but then someone asks about the immortal alliance conference. Which was also supposed to be still primarily targeted at HHP, and anyways, their knowledge about the particulars was limited. Airplane adds that he even brought up certain relevant security concerns multiple times and was ignored every time (… to cover for a scenario like this, he knew they wouldn't listen to him, but still!!).

With attention on him, questioning then turns to the nature of the curse on Airplane, but he can only really answer that he's had it since birth, and that there are certain fated events that need to occur, or he'll be punished. He's obviously scared to death talking about it and OG!SQH tries to stop the questioning but gets yelled over.

"Can you answer if your association with Mobei-jun was due to the curse." "…That's complicated. No?"

"…do you regret associating with him?" "……………No."

Obviously this causes an uproar, but Airplane defends…. Well, in the end Mobei-jun kept him safe didn’t he? He was the one found out about the curse in the first place and also can he mention that he's also the hottest person--

OG!SQH: Yeah, that's enough. Look … LQG, MQF, you’ve met the man, you can be the judges on how evil he was or wasn't. But I know there are many in this room who have suffered far more at the hands of humans than they have at the hands of demons, so why not judge on actions instead of birth? And as for the rest of you, don't go throwing stones from glass houses (Referring to the blackmail he has on the rest of them).

As those at the trial deliberate, Airplane and OG!SQH are separated and put on house arrest. SQQ used his favoritism to hold OG!SQH in the bamboo house. As soon as they're alone SQQ demands he cuts the bullshit and tell him why he really did all that, OG!SQH tells him that obviously, it always stemmed from a need for safety -- for himself, and for his brother -- and that the only way he knows how to be safe to to have more power. Ergo, allying with those more powerful than him.

SQQ is initially weirdly bitter about this answer.

OG!SQH:: Well Peak Lord Shen can obviously take care of himself, and would have been offended if I had ever offered, but if he wants something from he need only to ask.

He doesn't realize the innuendo that he's just made until SQQ calls him shameless, and he wonders if seducing him into letting him go would even work? Maybe keep that idea as a backup?

SQQ then demands -- what if what he wants from OG!SQH is to stay on the sect and stop consorting with demons? OG!SQH answers that he'll have to ask for Peak Lord Shen's help in making it happen.

SQQ: Do you? What if I decide to keep you here by keeping you on house arrest forever?

OG!SQH is aware that he should react to this like a threat, but he doesn't. Instead the idea of SQQ wanting to keep him around like that makes him feel warm on the inside.

OG!SQH: You'd have to pamper me to keep me quiet. I'd be like a spoiled little lordling, you wouldn't be able to stand it.

SQQ: Wouldn't I? Shidi knows that I take good care of my things.

OG!SQH… really likes the idea of being taken care of, and as they talk, SQQ has started caressing OG!SQH's face/taking down his hair/scratching at his scalp. He doesn't even really realize how floaty he feels until SQQ draws away and tells him that the wards on Qing Jing are the same as when he was here last.

OG!SQH: …Don’t try to get me to run away yet, Peak Lord Shen. We haven't even heard the ruling yet.

And anyways, if the wards are the same then MBJ can come and get him whenever he needs to.

(SY is in the sideroom listening at the door for any news about LBH and gagging to himself).

In the end, OG!SQH and Airplane are sentenced to be exiled from CQMS -- a pretty weak ass sentencing, probably due in part to the fact that Yue Qingyuan knows that SQQ would be pissed at anything worse. He's already not happy about this!

They're even given permission to make their goodbyes and collect their belongings -- when OG!SQH goes to give his goodbyes to SQQ, he asks what happened to permanent house arrest, to which SQQ answers, pretty weakly, that he'd rather not be accused of consorting with demons himself. Then in a sudden burst of anger he throws his fan at OG!SQH and demands that he leave.

OG!SQH: Oh, thanks. Do you mind if I borrow this?

SQQ: Borrow.

OG!SQH: I'm certainly not going anywhere Peak Lord Shen won't be able to find me. By the way,  if you need something from An Ding for the next little while, make sure to approach [Head Disciple] directly

SQQ: …You have another plan. OG!SQH: As usual.

SQQ: You're coming back.

OG!SQH: Well, I'll try my best, but no promises.

For some reason, that answer makes SQQ laugh.

SQQ: That's fine. I don't want your promises, as long as you try. Give up, and I'll kill you.

Since he's exiled anyways, OG!SQH committed one last crime before he left and hands over YQY's medical paperwork to SQQ before he goes -- it has dates and explanations on it and everything.

When he goes back to An Ding, Airplane has finished packing and is seeing off another group of disciples with some tips about effective unionizing -- they'll be alright.

[domoz-writes]

I love the idea that Izuna thinks Shiro is charming (of all things). More please?

Izuna doesn't even realize how bad he's down yet...

Not in a way that leaves him worried that this is actually some attempt at seducing him. Despite the mask, Shiro gives off the impression of someone who is earnest, probably to a fault He clearly curious about Izuna, and yet doesn't dare to cross any lines.  Izuna wants kind him to, though. He wants to see what Shiro do when pushed, how long he'll keep up his pledge not to fight him. How he will fight, once he has to. "We should spar." Izuna says one night. Shiro pauses. He's painting again; he's done that every night, after the first. Tonight he's making tiny paintings of the shogi board that got placed against the wall, each one in slightly different colors. "Bad idea." Shiro answers. "Aren't you supposed to be keeping a cover?"

[domoz-writes]

Go write 100 words of: Hand over Hand Over Hand and Desert Spring

HOHOH

Or maybe it's not such a good sign, because one evening Tobirama is sitting under his mate's arm when he suddenly asks, "Why don't you delegate anything?" Madara doesn't answer, and so Tobirama pushes "The system your brother was using seemed to work well. Why change back when it gives you significantly more work?" The alpha finally grunts. "Me and Izuna… Aren't the same." "Obviously not. Everything I've seen implies that one of you is able to run things with far more efficiency." Madara withdraws his arm from both of their shoulders, scenting session suddenly over. Hikaku holds his breath to fight of the shiver from how cold the back of his neck suddenly feels.

Desert Spring

He could just refuse to involve himself but the idea of leaving feels hollow -- it was too late for that the moment he let himself collapse in the desert. More than that, he finds that he doesn't want to. Where else would he go? At least here he has a chance to be useful. So long as he manages to keep a low profile, it should be fine. Komako must think the same. The camp starts to move before sunrise, and she meets him at breakfast with a hat, veil long enough to cover him down to the waist. He's seen others with veils in the camps around the riverbed, but none quite so long.

[domoz-writes]

Repeating my order of hands and tongue amd nowhere else to go :3

Hands and Tongues (short bc this one ended up being the end of a scene)

"I'll only accept if Hashirama Senju himself is the one to do it." He says after a while. Surely he can find something to work with in someone so foolish. "…Just remember that you're the one who asked for him." Hikaku answers dryly. He moves to start cleaning up the dishes when it becomes obvious that Izuna doesn't plan to touch any more of it. "Do you want to tell Madara or should I." "You do it." Izuna wants to let him stew for a little while longer.

Nowhere else to go

The moment stretches, Izuna stares, the afternoon shadows stretching in front of him like he's a Nara trying to catch him in a trap. "Did I?" Izuna's voice has no inflection to it, but Tobirama thinks he see it for what it is. Izuna is trying to fish information out of him. "You did." Tobirama agrees. "Why don't you explain all your reasoning again, to make sure we're on the same page." Izuna's eyebrows twitch, his lips press together, and Tobirama waits. Of course, it's mostly a test to see if Izuna can keep his own story straight. He seems more sane than he did last night, but Tobirama has never had a good baseline for Uchiha sanity; either way, he wants a more coherent explanation than what he's working with right now.

[domoz-writes]

Popping out of the darkness again like Zetsu to challenge: 100 words of crane's return of a favor and nowhere else to go

Not that we didn't know i had too many wips but i feel bad when i click on one and realize i haven't touched it since the last time i got an ask...

Cranes Return of a Favor

Though he was forbidden from seeing the names of the others who had signed the scroll before him, as far as he is aware there is no actual rule against two summoners discovering or communicating with each other, though going about things this way will give the cranes control. He may be taking advantage of Rika's naivete, a bit. "This one will endeavor to deliver your message. " Rika chirps with a bow of her head. She makes to take off through the window, but she dips dangerously before she rights herself and flies up and away. Tobirama watches after her for a moment then shakes his head and turns back to his work. There isn't much use wondering what will come of it, until something does.

Nowhere Else To Go

The Uchiha doesn't pretend to be asleep for very long, testing his restraints only once before setting down and fixing Tobirama with an odd look. Tobirama endures it for a long minute as he shuffles his paperwork into a neat pile. He meets Izuna's eyes when he raises his head -- the binding seals he's used have years of data behind them proving that they can suppress a sharingan. Izuna's expression becomes the forced blank calmness of anyone who's been trained to have to withstand torture. And if torture were any good at getting reliable information out of someone, Tobirama probably would. But he might not have to resort to such a thing, when Izuna had seemed so eager to talk about what he wants to hear about the most.

[domoz-writes]

Go write 100 words of: Something like Sort of Like a Disciple and Desert Spring

Something Sort of Like a Disciple

That's not what it says, thankfully. The handwriting is messy enough that it gives Tenten a little trouble to read, but she manages after a bit of squinting and turning her head. Thanks for thinking of me but I don't need it! Mito-sama made this for if I had questions about you-know-what, and this has nothing to do with that!!  Trust me a little bit, alright! I can totally handle this! The note is signed with a drawing but try as she might, Tenten can't work out what its supposed to be. An eggplant, maybe? Or a pepper? But with ears and an attempt cutesy face, except the ink got splattered and half of it is ruined.

Desert Spring

He's given his own small ger, set right next to the much larger one that Komako and her family seem set to stay in. It is as sparsely decorated as it was before, and Tobirama spends another night staring up at the ceiling, thoughts tumbling over and over each other but never growing any smoother for it. Already Tobirama can see the edges of what he's been asked to do. Even if teaching others how to use suiton isn't treason, it can certainly be used to facilitate such a thing. And yet the idea of abandoning what he's been asked to seems intolerable; not out of any misplaced pride, nor out of dislike for the system he's only barley starting to understand. It just seems -- inefficient. A problem, but that can actually be solved with a little effort.

[domoz-writes]

I'm sneaking in the door early for my usual every-five-days-request for Healer AU and Room - please, 100 words of each?

The door is always open...

Healer AU

Izuna doesn't move at first, then he tears himself away all at once, folding himself into a lotus pose with no part of him left touching Madara at all. Tobirama doesn't comment. He flexes his hands, pulls Izuna's yukata apart, and makes a new set of hand signs. True to his word, whatever Tobirama is doing takes the better part of an hour. Glowing hands start at Izuna's collarbones and move painfully slow towards his stomach. His eyes remain unfocused until his thumbs are pressed just above Izuna's navel. One of them pulls away before he seems to come back to himself with a blink. "I'm going to reopen the incision now."

In the Corner of Another room

He seems happy enough to do whatever chores are given to him. Izuna finds him mending blankets and clearing snow from the garden paths, and when it seems like the woman of the house is about to invite him to help make dinner Izuna steps in and asks if they can spare him for Izuna to play a game with, to which they happy agree. He even goes so far as to bring a bottle of sake and some dishes, which never gets touched, because both in cover and out of it Izuna Is sure that he's the higher rank between the two of them, and Shiro never pours. The days are long and lazy, the nights quiet, and despite himself Izuna comes to find himself thinking that Shiro is charming of all things.