mysanaf

[mysanaf]

sometimes I think about older Mianmian meeting Jin Ling and I just. have to take a moment.

what do you do when you leave soceity for noble righteous reasons and strike out on your own... only to find out that your best friend got married, had a son, and then was tragically killed by the guy that you left society to stand up for, all in less than two years? that you were at each others' sides your whole lives but because you left in such a scandalous way, you can't even go to his funeral - if you even find out at about it in time? might things have gone differently if you'd been there? could you have saved him? how do you even begin to mourn him? and do you have any right to try and talk to his son?

on a happier note, I think she WOULD talk to him because she knows no one else at Koi Tower would have told him any cool and/or deeply embarrassing stories about Zixuan and you know she absolutely has to remedy that. Cool Auntie Mianmian to the rescue!

[mysanaf]

i am re-reading the thief and one thing i adore is how the book takes pains to establish gen as uncool up front. he starts off in prison, and it is not sexy. he has sores, he is weak from lack of exercise, he stinks. he's there because he loudly confessed to a crime in front of a bunch of witnesses. he is genuinely afraid of the magus's threats. he leaves prison and immediately is crying, snot streaming down his face crying, because he hasn't seen direct sunlight in so long and his eyes hurt. he's going to be your favorite most badass character of all time, but he first we have to establish that he's pretty lame, just to balance things out.

[mysanaf]

time travel au where liu qingge and shen qingqiu (yuan) end up accidentally traveling a decade back in time before luo binghe was amitted to qing jing peak and before shen qingqiu had his qi deviation, but after their generation has risen to peak lords.

which means, shen yuan realizes quickly, as they're accosted by said peak lords, that he will have to face shen jiu.

as they're being cleared for demonic energy and the likes, mu qingfang of course instantly detects the poison without a cure eating away at shen yuan's meridians. liu qingge pulls a copy of the treatment plan out of his sleeve (shen yuan blushes a bit, did liu qingge always keep that on hand?), and just like in the current timeline, they agree to keep it under wraps.

shen jiu tries various times to get a moment alone with shen yuan, but he never quite manages because liu qingge is there, who is also... nice?? to him?? for some reason?? shen jiu gets a bit flustered at the solemn politeness and skitters off.

it comes out pretty quickly that shen yuan has "memory loss", and thus can't remember anything that's currently taking place in this time. shen yuan expects scorn, hatred and disdain from shen jiu, expects to be grabbed and interrogated, to arouse suspicion.

but shen jiu looks....... sad???

being transported here threw shen yuan's qi off-balance (even liu qingge had to sit down, which means it's bad), and his cultivation is already so unstable, so when the peak lords are all squabbling and arguing and threatening and raising their voice, he can feel his body shut down. he sees yue qingyuan start to move towards him, which, knowing the future yue qingyuan, he really isn't up for right now—but before the sect leader can get to him someone else is at his back, transferring him qi, holding him up gently by his shoulders, then coaxing him up, leading him outside

shen yuan's been fed qi by every peak lord at least once. he doesn't recognize this one. that means it can only be one person.

he looks up. it's shen jiu.

and it's bizarre, getting fussed over by the scum villain, having gentle hands run along his back, his hair, that clear, soothing voice calming him down. and somehow shen jiu knows exactly what to do?? somehow it works perfectly on him?? it's almost as if shen jiu has known him his whole—

oh.

bodies, like homes, hold memories, even if the original occupants are no longer there. it's the milestone marks on the doorpost that chart a child's growth, blurry photographs faded by time, scuffed floors from well-walked paths, and tiny holes in the walls where pictures once hung.

shen jiu takes him to the bamboo house, pours him tea, and asks, calmly, what he remembers from their childhood.

it's not his childhood, so shen yuan doesn't actually remember anything, but the body he's in does. the memories it holds are emotional rather than visual; he remembers being alone, scared, and hungry. he remembers anger, pain. a dark room. loud voices. he remembers his heart skipping a beat when heavy boots stomp his way. the sound of a whip.

he doesn't have to lie. the memories aren't his own, and they're from long ago, which means shen jiu has them too. and, he supposes, this is his only chance to find out what really happened.

but shen jiu doesn't say anything about it. he just nods and stares, intensely. then he asks shen yuan if he remembers yue qingyuan. shen yuan says no, he doesn't. the conversation takes a very strange turn after that. shen yuan can't help but feel a little queasy when shen jiu asks him if yue qingyuan has taken advantage of his memory loss.

"has he come into your home? has he brought you gifts, sweets? does he invite you for tea? did you accept?"

he has. shen yuan doesn't know why that would be a problem, the sect leader has been nothing but kind and helpful and patient. and generous, too.

when he says yes shen jiu looks furious.

liu qingge (his one) comes to pick him up, and his time with shen jiu is cut short. somewhere he's glad, cuddling into liu qingge's back as he holds him while they fly. he feels a little bad for yue qingyuan, knowing he's probably caused a big fight, but it doesn't sit right with him. he wishes he knew what happened.

.

liu qingge, meanwhile, is having the time of his life fighting himself. it's good practice!

[mysanaf]

Hamster Escapes the Most Dangerous Prison Maze 🐹

[mysanaf]

Day 4. Sage Green. 5 years. And he couldn't take his body home. (I'm very sorry for everyone who sees that, but I have such mood today) ...................... Day 1, 2, 3 and more mxtx art you can find in my blog ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

[mysanaf]

I think I’m funny

Based on this TikTok!!

[mysanaf]

big fan of stories that, while undoubtedly being about the power of friendship, acknowledge that the power of incredible violence is just as important

the love was there. the love changed everything. the crowbar helped also

[mysanaf]

help

[mysanaf]

Spending time at the Kent’s

[mysanaf]

They’re matching :))

[mysanaf]

(id in alt!)

prompt 604, butch4butch dickbabs for @catacoves via @dcforgaza - tysm again!!

requests close on the 14th!

[mysanaf]

Batgirls >:)

[mysanaf]

man, The Character really strikes me as someone who would struggle with Same Problems I Have, for no apparent reason

[mysanaf]

The problem with AO3 is that every online store's search function is bullshit by comparison

[mysanaf]

Been forgetting to post here so have some miscellaneous dc doodles

[mysanaf]

You've heard of the 'Judge branded his children with their numbers' head-canon, I raise you this. (Read right to left)

I really wanted to use this comic to explore how, while Sanji was aware of how awful his life in Germa was, there was probably a lot of messed up things happening to him that he wouldn't necessarily recognize as abuse, since he had no frame of reference for what a 'normal' childhood looked like.

[mysanaf]

Queer Historical Fiction Book Bracket: Round 2A

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

Babel by R.F. Kuang

Endorsement from submitter: "A story heavy on colonization, identity, and how love can be lost before it is given the chance to be found. An alternate history of 1830s England afoot with magic, with footnotes to detail the differences and similarities of the world."

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

Setting: alternate history of 1830s England

Historical fiction, fantasy, alternate history, academia, politics, colonialism, 1820s, 1830s, adult

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

Endorsement from submitter: "Queer supernatural historical fiction, featuring Talmudic study partners Uriel the angel and Little Ash, a demon. When a former resident of their tiny shtetl (so small it's only known as Shtetl) disappears, the pair set forth to America to find her, facing threats both supernatural and mundane (but no less dangerous for them)."

A queer immigrant fairytale about individual purpose, the fluid nature of identity, and the power of love to change and endure.

Uriel the angel and Little Ash (short for Ashmedai) are the only two supernatural creatures in their shtetl (which is so tiny, it doesn't have a name other than Shtetl). The angel and the demon have been studying together for centuries, but pogroms and the search for a new life have drawn all the young people from their village to America. When one of those young emigrants goes missing, Uriel and Little Ash set off to find her.

Along the way the angel and demon encounter humans in need of their help, including Rose Cohen, whose best friend (and the love of her life) has abandoned her to marry a man, and Malke Shulman, whose father died mysteriously on his way to America. But there are obstacles ahead of them as difficult as what they’ve left behind. Medical exams (and demons) at Ellis Island. Corrupt officials, cruel mob bosses, murderers, poverty. The streets are far from paved with gold.

Setting: Late 19th century, Pale of Settlement (eastern Europe) and New York City

Fantasy, historical fiction, folklore, turn-of-the-century, young adult