#and i keep on not getting chuns book for some reason?? so i have to redo that fight 1 limbillion times

[spookfished]

ive been beating my head against the xiao libraryofruina fight for sooo long... please spare me. at least iron lotus is a good song

[shuuenka]

Of first meetings / Lian Bai Wei

AO3 LINK: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61707382/chapters/162186238

“Figured I’d find you there,” he heard Lian Bai Ai’s voice right after the comfortable silence inside the library got interrupted with the sound of steps on the creaky wooden floors. ‘’You know Academy has places to sit outside too. You need to get some sun, Wu Chun Tian.”

Wu Chun Tian looked up from the book he was engrossed in and blinked when the light late autumn sun hit his eyes. 

‘’But it’s windy,” he replied and motioned at the papers in front of him, indicating that it would be uncomfortable to keep catching paper so it doesn’t fly away from his hands. 

The 9th prince gave a short sigh and ventured deeper into the empty library floor. The little alcove with a desk was located on the second floor of the building. Wu Chun Tian liked this space the most, as the windows here allowed most sunlight during the day, which meant he could study for longer without straining his eyes under candle light. It also had a small balcony, which oversaw the lower part of the library - all people coming in and out were easily spotted from there.

‘’Your highness, what are you doing here?” he asked as he stretched. He heard his bones creaking after sitting in the same position for a long while. He stifled a yawn, and watched as the prince walked along the shelves.

‘’Oh, I was visiting my old teacher and I thought I might check up what my dear protegee was up to,” Lian Bai Ai replied as he leafed through a volume he picked up. ‘’Old musty volumes, nothing changed.”

‘’Did you study here?” Wu Chun Tian asked. He made sure to put a bookmark in the volume he was reading, and focused his attention on the prince. As far as he remembered, Lian Bai Ai never mentioned studying at the Academy. Sure, he praised the teachers here and many smart people coming out of the doors of the Academy and into the court, but didn’t mention his own school days.

‘’Unfortunately no,” he shrugged. “I had teachers come to the palace to mentor me and my siblings, and so it happens one of them later became director here. Anniversary of his appointment is coming soon, and I had a bit of time, so here I am.”

“Director Su was your teacher?”

“Springly old man, isn’t he? I’ve been scolded many times for my chicken-scratch like calligraphy.”

‘’It seems he managed to fix that chicken-scratch in the end,” he teased. 

‘’There’s no greater stress than writing a letter to your calligraphy teacher!” the 9th prince laughed, and put back the book on the shelf. “Nevertheless, after some struggles I do find the art of calligraphy quite relaxing in the end.” He looked down at him and smiled widely, “come along, let’s take a walk. No buts.”

Wu Chun Tian could only comply. 

They walked along the open corridors of the Academy. It was part of the whole Imperial College complex founded by the previous emperor for the benefit of the Great Huang. Courtyards with study halls and libraries were still bustling with some activity in the afternoon.

Many youths from all-over the empire had a dream to study here, and not without reason. The Academy collected great scholars to pass on their knowledge from many places in the world, earning a great reputation. Studying there almost guaranteed a success on the Imperial Examination and smooth sailing towards the career in the imperial court. 

It was so much different from the Academy in Port Fuzhou where Wu Chun Tian grew up. The academy there was much smaller and consequently, the teachers gathered there could not be compared to teachers from the Song capital, much less to the scholars from Chang’an. 

Since he was a child, he wished to attend a big academy and enter officialdom. Back then, he thought he might have a chance at getting into the academy in Song Capital if he studied hard, but due to his streak of wild luck and meeting Lian Bai Ai, here he was. In Chang’An. Being in this school felt marvelous and intoxicating. After almost a year and a half in Minli military camp, he finally felt that this was a place he was truly comfortable in. He could speak and debate with other scholars, sit in the library for hours and study on his own. He was really not built to be a soldier.

In his childhood he studied all classics, and many other books, thanks to the fact that his parents were very much educated people. However, no matter what, he still felt lacking. He needed to learn more. His father sure was right when he said that people learn all their lifetime, and he already learned some hard lessons. Since he was here, he would just absorb all the school was able to give him, be greedy and ask for more. He also realized that since he was under Lian Bai Ai’s wing, he needed to know more and enter the officialdom to truly be of help and to repay this immense favour he was given. 

‘’You missed the first academy examination, but the next one is around the corner,” Lian Bai Ai mused, as they walked across red painted wooden corridors. ‘’How do you think you will do?”

“I’ll get first rank,” he replied immediately. Lian Bai Ai gave out an amusing scoff.

‘’Oho! if you do so, you’ll be called a genius.”

“This doesn’t make sense, your highness. I’m not a genius,” he denied. ‘’It’s not like I learned to read yesterday.”

‘’Entering academy barely three months ago, and within a half a year gaining a first rank? It sounds quite a genius-like achievement to me,” the 9th prince continued, arms behind his back. 

He was in a good mood, Wu Chun Tian could see. He was always energetic, or at least played so, even if he was tired. But today his steps had a natural spring to them, and had a smile on his lips. The visit here to see his old teacher must’ve gone well. And as usual, Wu Chun Tian thought with an inward sigh, he was amused with him.

Nevermind. He gave the older man a smirk, and said, ‘’I can’t break my 1st rank streak, your highness, no matter the school.”

The prince laughed.

‘’Wonderful! I’ll be looking forward to the exam results then,” his eyes crinkled. ‘’It’s even better to see you in good spirits. I was worried since we got back from Minli, but it seems like the Academy is a really good place for you.”

He blinked, looking over at the prince. 

‘’Why were you worried? Because it’s the capital? I know how to behave and I don’t intend to pick up fights like in Minli camp. Endless hours in kitchens taught me a lot.”

“Oh you know, Chang’An is in itself a can of worms - that’s for sure. And for the record, I don’t trust you won’t pick up fights, just do so within reason,” Lian Bai Ai said and then looked at him. “You’ve been in a terrible mood since, ah, Yangxi Pass. Not without reason, I know, but it was not a good look.”

‘’Ah,” he looked away. Just remembering the Yangxi Pass battle and aftermath made his face sour a bit. Then he took a breath to clear his head off, then looked at the prince. He already made his resolutions firm and this was a thing of the past. ‘’No matter. I like studying here. I will get the ranks and then succeed at the imperial examination.”

‘’That’s quite a goal. Our Huang Empire could use such an ambitious youth,” a new voice interrupted from behind.

Wu Chun Tian looked back, his brews raised at the sudden appearance of a man he didn’t know. It seemed he caught the end of their conversation and was walking towards them with confident but graceful steps. His green robes fluttered on the wind as he moved, and soon enough, the tall man stood before them, a folded fan resting in his hands. His gaze swept bfrom Wu Chun Tian to Lian Bai Ai and small smile played on his lips, but how sincere it was, it was up to anyone’s imagination. 

‘’Brother,” Lian Bai Ai spoke first, turning to fully face him. He performed a courtesy bow, and straightened his back. ‘’I didn’t know you were there.”

Ah, Wu Chun Tian realized. So this must be Lian Bai Wei, the 4th Prince of the Empire. He followed the suit and gave a bow. Now that he looked between the two, he could find some similarities in their features. All he knew about Lian Bai Wei was from the words of others, as he didn’t have a chance to meet him yet. Gentle and smart eldest nephew to the Emperor, who’s favour was the greatest honor one could hope for. Or, a man you should not associate yourself with, but one you should not offend - as per Liu Yan Bang’s huffed out advice. 

‘’It seems we had the same idea to visit Director Su,’’ Lian Bai Wei spoke and opened the folded fan. With elegant moves he began to fanning himself. ‘’Imperial Uncle also wished to come, but the court matters kept him. A pity. Nonetheless, congratulations are in order. Director Su has led this academy for 15 years, may he lead them 15 years more.”

While Lian Bai Ai confirmed his words, the 4th prince's gaze fell back on Wu Chun Tian. He stood quietly, a little behind Lian Bai Ai as per the custom. He met his gaze head on, belatedly realized that maybe it could be impolite, but then Lian Bai Wei looked at his younger brother, not paying him any mind.

‘’I hear you recommend somebody for our honored academy. Is it fair to assume it’s this bold young man?” he asked. His voice was laced with curiosity.  

‘’Indeed,” Lian Bai Ai confirmed and smiled. He motioned towards Wu Chun Tian and made a formal introduction. The 4th prince smiled kindly in reply as he received another bow from Wu Chun Tian. 

‘’How do you like the Academy so far? Is it everything you dreamed of?” Lian Bai Wei addressed him, for the first time since interrupting their walk.

‘’Very much so, it's a great place to study,” Wu Chun Tian agreed. 

‘’You’re from far away, aren’t you?” Lian Bai Wei asked. ‘’Quite a trip, I do command your tenacity.”

Wu Chun Tian only nodded and explained that he’s from the Song Kingdom across the sea. 

As per usual, folks in the capital quickly noted he wasn’t from this region due to his accent. At first it was a bit annoying, taking into the account that Chang’An was full of people from various places of the world - not just the Great Huang itself. But he figured it was something nobles and natives of Chang’An simply did to note their difference from the outsiders. 

‘’My dear brother sure has a knack of finding talents in most obscure places, I must admit,” Lian Bai Wei laughed and hid his face behind a fan. Golden accents reflected the afternoon sun. His scrutinizing gaze washed over Wu Chun Tian.

‘’Smart people can be found in many surprising places,’’ Lian Bai Ai quipped. 

‘’Indeed,” 4th prince agreed. ‘’Unpolished jade may one day give off the brightest shine, as they say. Well then, I will not interrupt your walk any further.”

“Not at all,’’ Lian Bai Ai waved his hand, in an exaggerated manner. ‘’Don’t let our idle chat keep you from meeting Director Su.”

They bid the 4th Prince farewell and watched as he strode across the courtyards.

What a snake, Wu Chun Tian thought. 

[legitimatesatanspawn]

Star Wars EU question: what's going on in the creche?

Okay so I never watched the Clone Wars series and my knowledge of the EU is rather... scattershot. I read a good chunk of the Jedi Apprentice books as a kid (and its been a while). Obi Wan is treated like trash there, I swear. Like constantly facing Soap Opera level problems from around 13/14 years old right up until Qui gets killed off when he's around... 26?

Anyway. If anyone has read the Jedi Apprentice books, you know how Obi Wan was almost "aged out" of the Jedi Temple and got tossed to the Farm sidegroup instead of staying in the temple. This was actually part of a scheme by Yoda to get him paired up with his favorite grandpadawan Qui Gon for... uh... basically child-as-therapy. You can boo Yoda for this. I know I boo Yoda for this.

The reason why Obi Wan was nearly tossed was because of anger issues. Anger issues that were because he's a human kid in a stressful position knowing he's gonna be Too Old soon and he lives with a huge bully who keeps goading him into fights.

The bully is Bruck Chun by the way and he is salty about "Oafy Wan" and just...

So there's this wild theory I have as to why this sort of thing was allowed to happen in spite of the Creche masters having the Force on their side and should've been on the ball about the Baby Jedi in spite of narrative convenience making them ignore the bullying and be unable to see the truth.

The two main ideas: one/some of the Creche masters are at the tipping point of Falling from sheer stress, because let's face it young kids are HARD even if you have the best intentions and burnout is real and Force Sensitive kids would probably be both easier and harder. Or... the Sith plot that we vaguely saw revolving around hemming the Jedi in and manipulating the Senate to make things Actively Worse all around had a part in it.

If Creche Masters are known to be more likely to fall from constant stress then there'd be a better watch on the creches so unfortunately it's likely to be the Sith Plot. Which actually makes sense!

The Jedi have been purposefully or not reacted hard against being anything like their Sith counterparts in the wake of the Ruusan Reformation. Their Code while good in itself is imperfect and the way things have built up, there's a huge misunderstanding in how the Jedi are perceived versus how the Jedi are intended. The Senate limits what the Jedi can do and in some cases the Jedi are treated more like Space Attack Dog Cops.

But...

What if there was a subtle shift in how the Jedi babies and Initiates are treated because of the Sith Plan? It's not intentional on the Jedi's part as a whole but there's a slight bend to how the Baby Jedis are handled. Even in IRL bullies are given more leeway and bullied kids are judged harder but a Jedi should be able to tell who really started things and who's lying.

The arrogance, pride, anger issues, and even issues with self-confidence (some Knights/Masters might be less willing to take on someone who doesn't properly display their skills with the saber) cause more would-be knights to phase out of the Temple whether they are like Bruck or like Obi.

The would-be Padawans either find better lives outside of the Temple or they possibly become bitter. The ones who WANTED to be Jedi Knights but were seen as being bad or wrong or ill-fitting. The kids who become Padawans could be too good at hiding their negative feelings, some peacock about, and some of them are mostly good until they reach a tipping point and become Worse. (A canonical example of someone known to be a jackass but trusted until the reveal: Krell).

The colder Jedi and the ones who come off as douchebags and dicks feed into the cultural perception of Jedi as Aloof Asshole to be feared. We straight up see people in Coruscant react to "Jedi Business" in Episode 2 like cops: don't get closer, don't draw attention to yourself, the person getting their arm lopped off did something but you Don't Know and Don't Want To Know, and one Absolute Idiot just moments before tried to sell drugs to a Jedi only to get Force Mind Tricked "I don't want to sell you Death Sticks, I want to go home and rethink my life".

And then of course we get Episode 3 with the Jedi as "war mongering people" who fight in the "civil war" against Ex-Jedi Dooku only to get thrown under the bus by Sidious who claims that they tried to kill him and now the Galaxy will be safe from the threat they pose. 3 years could be enough to make a shift but... considering all the faff about the "grand sith plan" then it'd make more sense than it's been centuries of prep and getting everything Just So not only for taking over the galaxy but RUINING how the Jedi are seen and how the Jedi raise people trusted to them.

Deliberately sowing discord not merely among the various planets but also setting the Jedi up to Fall or be crushed no matter what happens? That'd definitely take generations of Sith to get right.

(Partially inspired by a discussion with @evilminji .)

[hobidreams]

july 1869.

does some part of him still remember the smiles you once shared?

pairing: joseon king!yoongi x reader genre: fluff, angst, very brief smut words: 1.2k contains: old friends. memories.

moonlit throne index. this is drabble 22. start from the beginning?

Today, the sky is an overcast of grey clouds, promising at least a few drops of rain before hopefully giving way to the sun as you weave through the crowd in the town marketplace with a package in hand.

“Uinyeo-nim!” A bright voice cuts through the bustle of citizens trying to do their best to earn their living.

You turn, and smile when you see a face you’ve come to know rather well in the past month. “Scholar Park!”

He clutches a bundle of books in his arms as he walks up to you. “If I had known you were going to town, I would have waited for you.”

“You are kind, but I always have an escort.” You gesture to the guard assigned to you today, another stern-faced man with one hand on his sword at all times.

Scholar Park presses his full lips tightly together at the subtle reminder of your status. “Right. Well, at least we can walk together now! Are you finished with your errands?”

“Not yet. I have one last stop. We’re almost there, actually.” You fall into a comfortable step, keeping your pace light as you begin to walk forward again. “What’re you studying today?”

He groans. “I have to memorize all the guidelines on taxation. Even though they seem needlessly complicated, and I am far from interested in that area. I would much rather focus on agriculture.”

“But you’re working hard on it anyway, right? Not sneaking in any romance novels in with the texts?” You grin, giving the books a light poke with a finger.

“Um! No, of course not!” He denies it too quickly, and you make a note to bring him one of your favorite books later to see if he’ll take. Master Taehyun’s novels have only gotten better as the years pass, and his latest is a riveting story about a dashing young soldier and his childhood friend, who disguises herself as a man to bravely join him in the military ranks.

For now, you let Scholar Park off with a smile. “We’re here.”

Before you, Chun-ja scowls down at her son with a loose fistful of his hair caught between her fingers. “Yah!” She yells, “how could you break another plate?! I told you, no more running inside!”

“Sorry mom…” The kid shuffles from foot to foot, glancing to the side for a way out. His guilt-ridden face lights up when he sees you approach: the perfect escape plan. “Uinyeo-nim!” He runs towards you, slipping out of Chun-ja’s grasp before barreling right into your stomach.

You laugh as fondly pat his head. “Hey there, Han-jae.” Then you give him a knowing look. “You’re causing trouble for your mom again?”

“When is he not, is the question.” Chun-ja rolls her eyes, but in good humor now that you’re here. “It’s so great to see you. Grandma’s going to be overjoyed you could come. Let me go get her.”

“Here. Take these books I brought for you first.” You hand her the package, which she accepts with a grateful bow. “Oh, and Eunuch Kim included some for you as well. With a letter.”

Chun-ja flushes, her smile easily pulled wider at the mention of the kind man before she disappears through the door.

Left alone, Han-jae turns his head to the man beside you. “Who’re you?” Han-jae asks Scholar Park, regarding him with some suspicion. “Are you with uinyeo-nim?”

“A scholar. Who’re you?” is the reply, said with the same amount of maturity in the tone (though you can tell Scholar Park is mostly playing along. You think.)

“Han-jae.”

They stare each other down, and you leave them be to sort out whatever man to man fixation they’ve got going on as Sook-ja opens the door. “Uinyeo-nim!” With a huge smile, she immediately pulls you into a warm hug. She soon proceeds to interrogate you about your health and the importance of drinking hot water, even in summer, before she pushes a box of colorful dasik treats into your arms, making you promise to give some to the young lord that is still most definitely not your betrothed. Inevitably, Han-jae tries to steal a sweet before long and you’re forced to play keep-away from the rambunctious boy for a little while until you’re breathless, but smiling so hard your face hurts.

Even as the rain starts to fall on your way back to the palace, today is, without a doubt, a good day.

At the palace gate, upon your return, you are immediately instructed to go to the king’s quarters. You bid goodbye to Scholar Park as the guard escorts you through the palace grounds. You wish you could change, as your hanbok is rather soaked, but there is no time.

As soon as you enter his room, you sense a tension in the air, a thickness that makes you feel uneasy. The king sits at his desk, his back straight as he intently studies parchments. You know he was scheduled to have a particularly grueling meeting today, and it seems to have taken its toll on him by the scowl on his face. You aren’t sure whether to announce your presence again, and are just mulling it over when—

“Where were you?” He snaps, his stare still on the papers. “You weren’t in your room.”

“I was in town, jeonha.”

“Alone?”

“With the guard. And with Scholar Park.”

Now he looks up. His eyes are narrowed as he takes in your damp appearance. “Park? That recently acquired academic?”

“Yes, we met by coincidence in the market.”

“I see.” His attention is drawn downward once more as he flips the page. “Strip.”

“N-Now, jeonha?” He will have you, even when he seems wrapped up in his reading?

“Unless you would rather catch ill, su-uinyeo-nim.”

Oh. Your chest tightens ever so slightly at the unexpected reason. You do as he instructs, peeling off the outer layer of your blouse and skirt before hanging them over a nearby chair.

“I, um, saw Sook-ja-nim in town. She’s doing well. She asked after you, and asked me to bring you these dasik.”

You wonder if he remembers her. And if he does, if he even cares. Still, you pick up the box and approach the desk to set it carefully on the solid surface. He watches you lift the lid to reveal the assortment of sweets, but doesn’t reach for them.

“You don’t wear it anymore,” he says suddenly, his eyes concentrating on your skin. “The bracelet.”

Instinctively, you wrap fingers around your bare wrist. “I’m sorry. It broke.” (An accident with a sharp edge just last week. You still keep the pieces in a small case buried beneath your clothes, but you don’t tell him that.)

“I’ll send Eunuch Kim for another one.”

“But that’s not the…” You shake your head, biting off the truth. “No, thank you, jeonha. There is no need to go to the trouble. It’s fine.” It could never be the same.

His brow wrinkles at your answer, but he seems to accept what you’ve said, so he doesn’t fight you. Instead, he stands. Takes you in his arms as he leads you to the bed, always the solution when he no longer wants to talk and risk letting you in that tangled, thorny mind of his. Among the luxurious fabrics, he claims you again. Reaffirms over and over with his head between your thighs that you are his, with a fervor that makes you want desperately to believe that he needs you as much as you do him.

[stiltonbasket]

Nielan fathers day prompt! Sorry if its late, but how about finding out they're going to be parents on Fathers Day? (mpreg, adoption, surrogacy, your choice).

anon: the first fathers' day after jingyi is born, modern lxc and nmj both set up a present for each other "from Jingyi." It's very cute. Baby Jingyi magnanimously chews on his foot and accepts giving two presents and meals.

this is for the art thief au, so lxc is trans here!

(ao3 link)

----

What should I give Xichen for Father’s day?

Nie Mingjue has been puzzling over gift ideas for the past two weeks, with no luck whatsoever. Jingyi is still too small to make them gifts, so he and Xichen use the occasion to exchange presents with each other and label them with their little boy’s name; Xichen probably picked out his gifts already, since he knows Nie Mingjue’s tastes like the back of his hand, but Mingjue keeps flipping through mail-order catalogues and crossing off their entire inventory as he goes.

“I have present,” Jingyi insists, as Nie Mingjue carries him down yet another aisle of their local department store. “A-Die, look!”

Mingjue looks. A-Yi is holding a six-pack of orange bath sponges, since Xichen mentioned that they needed some more earlier that morning.

“That’s not a Father’s Day gift, A-Bao,” Mingjue chides, kissing Jingyi’s forehead. “Last year, I gave your Ba a brooch with his initials on it, remember? It has to be pretty.”

Jingyi wrinkles his tiny nose. “Starfish?”

“Mm, the starfish brooch.” Lan Xichen has an impressive collection of jewelry, with most of it coming from gifts Nie Mingjue gave him over the course of their fifteen years together; and nearly all of the pieces are sea-themed to go with his husband’s wardrobe and his clear, moon-white skin.

Perhaps he could buy pearls, this time?

“A-Yi,” he says slowly, “what do you think about going to the discount shop across town?”

A-Yi is happy enough to go wherever his father goes, so Nie Mingjue drives to the discount store--full of discarded, overstocked, and secondhand merchandise from all over the city--and digs through the bins of jewelry until he finds an antique bracelet, strung with pearls carved into the shapes of starfish and clam shells. Jingyi nearly loses his little mind at the sight of it, and he squeals at the top of his lungs while Mingjue pays for the bracelet and bundles him back to the car.

“I know them,” he declares, when Mingjue gives him the bracelet to play with on the way home. “Diedie, it’s a clam!”

Mingjue glances up at his son’s reflection in the rearview mirror. “Can you count how many clams there are?”

Jingyi flings himself headlong into the task, counting twelve starfish and eleven clams, and then he peruses the Learning Reader books Xichen keeps in the back seat until Mingjue carries him into the house.

His husband runs to meet them at the door, and it is this, not the driveway or their well-worn doorstep, that means Nie Mingjue has finally come home.

______

To Nie Mingjue, stepping into his woodworking studio feels like stepping into another world.

It isn't that the studio looks very different from the rest of the house--in fact, Nie Mingjue had a tiny nursery built into the north corner, since he set the studio up with A-Yi’s needs in mind--but Mingjue feels different here, more sure of himself, and aware of his own thoughts and hopes as he scarcely is anywhere else. He had only to enter, and he was changed: his hands steadier, his heartbeat slower, and his mind somewhere distant and immediate all at once. It is here that he pays homage to his heart, his muse, and the dearest friend he has ever had, or ever will. It is here that he pours pieces of his love for his husband into everything he touches, and everything he makes, and emerges with pieces of polished art like testaments to the husband he vowed his life to. 

“That isn’t a metaphor,” Nie Mingjue said once, when Huaisang asked what he meant. Mingjue has carved everything from furniture to lamps into shapes reminiscent of his husband’s lips, perfected the stems of wooden sunflowers to match the sweet arch of Lan Xichen’s neck, and burnished every last one of his creations until they shone like sunlight falling on the apples of his husband’s cheeks. He etches A-Huan’s expressions into the faces of statues intended for the foyers of upscale hotels, and into a thousand quarter and sixth-scale figures commissioned by model collectors, since he rarely has any excuse to sculpt his husband directly. But today he does, so he sits down at his bench and gets to work with a block of oak and his favorite gouge and chisel.

He will love this, Nie Mingjue thinks, as two bowed heads and a pair of smiles take shape under his hands. This is the most beautiful thing I have ever made.

He glances over his shoulder at Jingyi, fast asleep in the glass-walled nursery with his feet up in the air, and turns back to the sculpture with his heart quivering in his chest.

______

The sculpture takes about a fortnight to complete, almost exactly the span of time between the day Nie Mingjue begins working on it and the holiday it was intended for. Nie Mingjue wakes up early on Father’s day, leaving Xichen asleep behind him, and bundles A-Yi out of bed and down into the studio. They wrap the sculpture up together in Jingyi’s favorite gift wrap, and then Nie Mingjue carries him to the kitchen just in time to catch his husband as he comes stumbling down the stairs.

“Good morning, love” Lan Xichen sighs, burrowing into Nie Mingjue’s arms. “What should we have for breakfast?”

“Eggs?”

For some reason, Lan Xichen shakes his head.

“Noodles, then?”

This suggestion is met by a drowsy nod, so Mingjue goes to the fridge to dig out  a few ingredients while Lan Xichen hops onto one of the bar stools with Jingyi in his lap. He chops the scallions and garlic for plain noodle soup around their son’s little body, leaving Mingjue to boil noodles in one pot and stock with soy sauce and sugar in another until three blue bowls of yang chun mian are steaming on the counter.

“Smells yummy,” Jingyi yawns, while Xichen spoons fresh green onions into his soup bowl. “Baba, feed A-Yi?”

“He’s forgotten about the presents,” Lan Xichen mouths, as Nie Mingjue tries not to snicker. They eat quickly, slurping down the noodle soup with cups of soy milk on the side, and then Jingyi scrambles to the other side of the room before running back with Mingjue’s wrapped box in his arms.

“Father’s Day gift!” he squeaks, wriggling like a happy worm as Xichen laughs and tries to remove the gift wrap without tearing it; because Jingyi never lets either of them cover gifts with anything but Pingu penguin-printed paper, and he cries if anyone rips it up in front of him.

Mingjue used the weakest tape he could find, so that Xichen could extract the box with the paper left mostly whole. He hands the paper to Jingyi, watching as his husband’s slender fingers close around the base of the sculpture, and then--

“Oh!” Lan Xichen gasps, pulling it all the way out into the light. “A-Jue, I--”

The sculpture depicts him and Jingyi at the beach near their house--in fact, at the same beach where Mingjue and Xichen first met. Mingjue was sitting on a sandy rock, catching his breath after running around behind a hyperactive Nie Huaisang all day, and then he looked out over the foggy water and saw what looked like a water spirit drifting out of the darkness in a rowboat.

He sculpted Xichen seated on that very rock, with his long hair tangling in an invisible gale, and a little heap of shells (the pearls from the old bracelet he found at the discount store) piled up in his lap. Jingyi is standing on the ground at his feet with a wave of seafoam brushing his ankles; and in his hands is a small pearly starfish, offered up to his baba as Lan Huan leans forward to cup A-Yi’s cheek in his palm. Both father and son are smiling, with heart-breaking happiness in A-Huan’s eyes, and sheer pleasure at finding the starfish in Jingyi’s.

Nie Mingjue looks up at his own flesh-and-blood husband, tearing his eyes away from the wooden figure, and finds Lan Xichen sitting there, frozen, with tears rolling down his face as he traces the tiny ridges and dimples of stone and sand and water.

“It’s beautiful,” he chokes, rounding the corner of the table to throw his arms around Nie Mingjue’s shoulders. “It’s the most precious thing you’ve ever made, sweetheart.”

“The most precious thing I helped make is over there,” Nie Mingjue teases, tilting his head at A-Yi. “But I think this one comes pretty close.”

Xichen opens his mouth, and then closes it again; but Jingyi interrupts before he can say anything else, impatient to present his diedie’s gift from his baba.

“Now this one!” he shouts, diving into Xichen’s pocket for a small present in a wooden box, labeled with Jingyi’s name just like Nie Mingjue’s gift was. He all but shoves it into Mingjue’s hands, leaping up and down on the spot while he snaps the lid open--and then he screeches with delight as Nie Mingjue goes crashing to the floor, staring at the contents of the tiny box until his eyes blur over.

He had expected some kind of memento or trinket, like he usually gives to Xichen. But the box was so light, impossibly light--and it holds a pair of hand-knitted baby socks, set neatly on top of a black and white photograph with his husband’s name printed in the upper left corner.

Nie Mingjue has already been a father, already accompanied his husband through the endless doctors’ visits and checkups that came before Jingyi was born. He saved all of Jingyi’s ultrasound pictures, even the ones where A-Yi looked like a chubby white bean on the sonogram, and he stared at every photograph for so long that reading them comes as second nature to him.

"A-Huan,” he says, after a long pause. “Please tell me I’m not dreaming this.”

“You’re not,” Lan Xichen laughs, wiping Mingjue’s face. “I had my first doctor’s visit last week when you and A-Sang took Jingyi to the park. And the clinic ran a few blood tests just in case, so I already know it’s going to be a girl.”

“And you’re okay? Both of you?”

“Very okay, darling. I haven’t even had any morning sickness yet, and the baby’s perfectly healthy.”

Nie Mingjue only cries harder, at that; but Xichen is crying too, clasped in his arms while A-Yi climbs all over them, so perhaps it doesn’t really matter.

All in all, this is the sweetest father’s day he has ever had.

[touchmycoat]

BOOK RECS BOOK RECS

I've read 3 (and a half) books by this author (Bai Lu Cheng Shuang) now and I'm in LOVE. They seem to be consistently concerned with the question of how love can exist between men and women when society loads them with such systemic power imbalances. The female leads are all charming as hell and super distinctive, and BLCS has this way of concretizing exactly what love is. You get tons of hijinks and shenanigans and sarcastic mental monologues, but in the middle of all that, you also get relationships broken down in realistic, down-to-earth terms. Showing your shitty husband loyalty and apparent love? It's how you keep your ass out of the line of fire, whether or not he actually likes you, duh. Not getting jealous when he shows affection to other women? Why get jealous of insubstantial promises when you can get that dough, or food and shelter. Find out what he needs done and do it for him—make yourself useful and you get leverage. The author sees the problems of patriarchy and finesses the fuck out of them—plays men at their own game until the women walk out with both the monetizable goods and the emotional goods lmfao.

Can't stop won't stop recommending this. Modern woman transmigrates into a novel's minor villainness and sets out to make the main male lead fall in love with her so she can go home and get her end-of-year bonus already. Ji Man makes me heart-horny, I've already raved about it. I'm honestly about to reread it literally in this moment. BLCS is all about practical love—yeah, you can get doki doki about some person, but that's going to go. After it fades, have you learned how to manage that relationship? Do you understand that staying in love is work? Ji Man is so damn SMART, and i love scorpios ;;

I...would actually love to translate this novel because talk about my cup of tea! Widely-hated princess is executed for her sins by the Prime Minister, only she transmigrates into another young lady's body and sets out to clean out all the corrupt politicians and get revenge on the people who got her killed—who of course is the male lead. MC serves mushy nonsense and sex jokes like nobody's business, but it's all an act to keep her by the ML's side. The ML's ADORABLE jesus christ, very Lan Wangji-energy. I lovelovelove Ning Yuxuan from Spring Boudoir, but Jiang Xuanjin pushes all my OTHER buttons. Li Huaiyu is sexy and cute and has a following of men for good reasons. I cried for her when shit started going down, and this novel has one of my favorite slow burn > whump > misunderstandings > ignition progressions in the world.

the book i literally just finished today and spent oh, two hours dripping tears and snot for? Tentative title translation: The World for a Peach Blossom. A Zhao Country princess is to be married to the Southern King (an honorary title for a son of the Emperor) of Wei Country, but on the way, she stumbles into the Wei Prime Minister's plot to kill her for political power. The author writes something like "Shen Zaiye has a hundred ways to get Jiang Taohua killed and Jiang Taohua has a hundred and one ways to convince him not to." Bastard meets bastard, and the political shenanigans are FIERCE. BLCS writes such intricate plot lines that exemplify "the personal is political" fnjdjfndjnf harem women and their relationships and infighting can both dictate and be dictated by the greater "men's world" of politics. The title really says it all—the MC's name is literally peach blossom, and the tug-of-war at the heart of this novel is, when two bastards fighting for the good of their countries meet and fall in love, which will they sacrifice, their love or their countries?

(okay this one was not an easy read though, i'll be real the ML rapes the MC in the very first chapter and while she takes it pretty calmly, it's...a hell of a way to start a relationship. the ending had me fucking bawling for chapters and chapters though, in a good way.)

I'm putting this last 'cause i'll be real i didn't finish it. I picked it up because of the premise: modern woman transmigrates into the Prime Minister of an ancient kingdom who is a major pain in the Emperor's butt. She thinks the PM is a guy, but turns out he's a woman in disguise. Both the Emperor and the Emperor's bff go gay for her, except the Emperor figures out she's a woman first and they fuck about it. It's interesting and funny, and the MC has the charm of Shang Qinghua from Scum Villain—clever enough and good with words, but very much a coward at heart. Emperor's gruff and tough dude who does NOT know he comes off so grumpy. Reasons I put it down...neither the MC nor ML are as clever as the leads in the other novels. The plot lines and pacing also felt kind of sophomoric compared to her other works—the emotional payoffs really weren't all that there for me.

[fillingthescrapbook]

Rewriting The CW's Kung Fu, Part 9: Reflections and Moving Forward

And we have reached the end of our Kung Fu journey. If you haven't seen where we began, here's a handy guide to the previous posts:

Part 1: The Characters

Part 2: The Pilot

Part 3: The Mythology

Part 4: The Story Map

Part 5: Act I

Part 6: Act II

Part 7: Act III

Part 8: The Finale

Before I start with the lessons I learned and my other reflections, I want to thank @flailingbloo for all of her help and support in this endeavor. Without her to talk to and commiserate with, I would probably have gotten stuck in Act II forever and everything I've written would've been riddled with spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. So my eternal gratitude to flailingbloo. And now, we begin:

Lessons.

Going into this writing exercise, I already knew it was going to be hard. Writing stories is time-consuming, it's nerve-wracking, and it takes a lot of research...and patience. Writing, especially for television, is also not a solitary task. I mean, sure, the writing itself needs to be done alone--but everything that comes before, during, and after the writing needs input from so many people.

Although I have a lot (and I mean A LOT) of complaints about how The CW's Kung Fu was handled and written, I do have a lot of respect for the work that the writers put into their scripts. And I do appreciate all that they have done to have a show like this produced.

Doing this rewrite, I learned that it's really important to make the main character likeable. Like, every episode I broke down, I had to ask myself: is Nicky likeable here? Is she someone who viewers would want to root for? Like, for me she is, but only people who read what I wrote can say for sure. My perspective is now a bit skewered because I have bias.

Second, story maps are very helpful. There were times, especially during Part 6 (where I wrote breakdowns for Episodes 6 to 9) where I kept getting road-blocked by where I want the story to go. So I went back to the story map over and over again, to remind myself--where does the story itself need to go? How do I help the characters get to the point where they're ready for what needs to happen? (This is also where flailingbloo helped the most for me. Like, she really reminded me why I was doing this rewrite in the first place. Because I care about Nicky and the show. I wouldn't have funneled so much of my time and effort into this if I didn't.)

Another thing I learned, or rather re-learned, is the art of letting go. I created the character of Stanley to recur throughout the series as a reminder of who Nicky was and who she is becoming. And then I finished writing the first act without even mentioning him. By the second act, I was ready to use him finally--but, after multiple false starts, I realized Stanley was one of the reasons why I was having a hard time pushing Nicky's story forward. Because I kept trying to go back to the past. So I decided in the writing of the second act to shelve Stanley completely, only to find him popping up in the second to last episode in a, at least I hope, more organic way.

The last thing I learned in this exercise was that, whenever a new character needs to come in, I have to look at my existing characters first to see if any one of them can fulfill the role I needed for the story. Like, creating new villains for Nicky was fun, sure--but, at the same time, I realized that there were already existing villains that could recur. Like the Triad, who played villains in two more episodes after the pilot; and Henry's martial arts class at the community center became the source of two existing storylines from the actual show.

Reflections.

Do I think what my rewrite is better than the show? To me, yes. But, again, I am very biased. That said, I am proud of how I utilized the characters that the show created and didn't really give much importance to. Dennis, when he was introduced, felt like a rich character that could provide a very different point-of-view from the Shen siblings--but he was mostly relegated to being eye-candy. And I thought I gave him more meat by making him more involved in Althea's sexual harassment storyline, while also involving him in Nicky's stories.

That said, I also realize that I wasn't able to play up Nicky and Evan's past relationship as I was writing the episodic breakdowns. I was able to give them a lot of opportunities to explore their chemistry together, as I did with Nicky and Henry, but I kind of dropped the ball as a writer on guiding those planted moments into something more significant. Granted, I only wrote breakdowns and not actual scripts. Maybe I could've explored the romance angle more with a little sprinkle of direction and dialogue.

As I went deeper into the rewrite, I do see how easy it is to fall in love with characters as you write them. It's very easy to trap yourself into wanting villains to be more well-rounded. I keep having to remind myself that I don't have to redeem everyone. Just Nicky. Which became harder and harder as I went further and further into the story.

Another thing that became difficult as I went on? Keeping the mythology from just bursting open. That's how Henry, as I wrote him, evolved into becoming the son of a guardian--just so there's a reason for him to be so invested in Nicky's quest, while also having someone who can explain things to our main character. I'm actually really proud of that evolution.

All that said, I also have to recognize that I rewrote the show with the benefit of hindsight and the lack of budget constraints. In the real show, there's a group of writers who each have their own ideas of what the show should be. (This is where a head writer--not a show runner--would come in handy, so they could reel in the story to what needs to be told.) With more writers comes more chances for inconsistencies to happen. (And this is where a script supervisor, or a writing assistant, could come in handy.) And then there's production notes and budget. Not to mention, you know, the whole pandemic that's still happening. I didn't have to think about those things while doing this rewrite.

So, again, I want to give the writers kudos to actually producing scripts. I hope they haven't lost their minds--or their will to write--just because there are people like me who nitpick at everything. That's what people who love things do. We nitpick because we care.

Moving forward.

I do plan to stick with the real show for Season 2. I hope it's planned better. I hope they get researchers (plural!) and a writing assistant to help in the writing room. I hope the writers would sit down with the cast to discuss and develop the characters more. And I really hope they hire a better fight choreographer and fight director for the second season. (Like, rehire the people who choreographed and filmed the flashback scene in... Episode 11? The one with Nicky's maternal grandmother and Pei-Ling's own mother?)

I hope that the Nicky-Henry relationship gets explored realistically, and if a potential new love interest is ordered, they get introduced in a way that isn't antagonistic. Make them more well-rounded characters too, please. Make us want to root for their success. And while I think Nicky doesn't have an iota of chemistry with Evan, I do like Evan himself as a character. So I hope they get him more involved in future storylines--as an outsider looking in, sure, but also as an honorary member of the Shen family.

With regards to the Shen family, I do hope that we get to explore their relationships and dreams more before the show drops the reveal about Mei-Xue's daughter. I want Althea to have a cohesive storyline that doesn't pause for no reason. I want Ryan to explore being Asian AND gay as a first-generation Asian-American. And give the Shen siblings some recurring friends. They don't have to be semi-regulars (unless there's a story that can be explored) but let's not keep the Shens in a bubble. It was weird in the first season. Especially for Althea whose friends only showed up for her bachelorette party and never again. Not even when she was panicking about wedding preparations, which, considering how rich Dennis's parents were? They wouldn't let Althea be in charge of anything. They would hire a Chinese wedding coordinator. And an expensive and hard-to-book one at that. They donated an entire hospital wing, for crying out loud.

I want Jin to have an actual character, and not just be the supportive dad who loves his kids very much (admittedly my own rewrite also made this same mistake). And I want Mei-Li to be consistent as a character. Like, no more surprise twists about being the descendant of a legendary warrior without proper foreshadowing and plot-planting please.

Dennis shouldn't just be eye-candy. The same applies to Kerwin. Sure, I get that shirtless men are a must in a CW series, but please give their characters some meat too. Dennis's nerd-side was never showcased in the show, and Kerwin had that poor little rich boy background that didn't get explored either. Because the show was too busy keeping him and Zhi-Lan tearing each others' clothes off--when they're not tearing other people down.

Also, don't drop the ball on the tease that Bian-Ge is now everywhere. If I understood correctly, Bian-Ge is Kung Fu's version of Qi. If yes, then I hope they treat it respectfully as a force of nature--and not just the source of magic. The flowers from Bian-Ge itself can be magical, sure, I have no problem with a fictional flower being a McGuffin.

Finally, I hope the show also explores other Asian communities and cultures. Like, Kung Fu is great--but imagine if Nicky had to face someone who is versed in Silat Melayu? Or someone who uses Arnis? Someone who practices Kalaripayattu or Lathi Khela? Or Kuntao? Imagine Nicky having to use Wing Chun against someone who uses Karate or Krav-Maga? Asia is a big continent and there are so many different types of martial arts found from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. Kung-Fu is an umbrella term, so it'll be great to see the different styles found under it.

... This went long again. Sorry about that. Funny thing is, when I started this whole rewriting plan? I thought it would take three posts, tops. And look at us now. Nine posts deep, and it seems I still haven't run out of things to say. So I'm cutting myself off before I completely wear out my welcome.

But if you've read all my Kung Fu posts, please do reach out. Let's discuss the show and what it can do to produce a better second season.

[minmotl]

Chapter 26: Sui Zhou Asks Tang Fan To Move In With Him

Context: Tang Fan has arrested his landlord Li Man for killing his lawful wife Lady Zhang, while Wang Zhi has given Pan Bin an impossible task to solve, so Tang Fan heads to the Northern Administrative Court hoping that he can find either Xue Bing or Sui Zhou to help him.

Happens after The Marquis Wu An Case and marks the start of Tang Fan’s domestic life with Sui Zhou and Ah Dong.

Introduction Post | Masterpost

—

Highlights under the cut

Unfortunately, Xue Bing was not at the Northern Administrative Court, and the men currently on shift are unfamiliar faces to Tang Fan, so Tang Fan asked a few questions and seeing that they were reluctant to reveal any information to him, he did not force the issue, turning around to leave.

However, a familiar, cold voice sounds from behind him, “Why are you looking for Lao Xue?”

Tang Fan turns around and grins, “Guang Chuan-xiong, you have returned?”

Sui Zhou still has that stoic, icy face on, but the moment he sees the genuine delight on Tang Fan’s face, his eyes reveal that little bit of happiness, and he nods, “Hnn, you were looking for Lao Xue?”

Tang Fan smiles in return, “I was intending to look for you and made a trip here a few days ago. Lao Xue told me that you left on a trip, so I didn’t expect you to return so quickly. If it is convenient for you, I do have some things I would like to discuss with you.”

Sui Zhou replies, “I did hear about the request you made of him.”

Pausing for a moment, Sui Zhou looks to the side slightly to indicate at the person standing behind him, “In the future, if both Lao Xue and I are not around, you can look for Pang Qi.”

Pang Qi is similarly dressed as an Embroidered Uniform Guard, but at a glance, his position seems to be slightly lower than that of Lao Xue’s. He is also younger with a child-like face, the kind of person who smiles constantly and gives off a gentle and harmless feeling.

Yet, Tang Fan would not underestimate him just because of this. Any person who works at the Northern Administrative Court and does not bat an eyelid even at the sight of various kinds of prisons cannot be judged with the standards of a normal person. Out in the world, one should not read a book by it’s cover, and it is often that the more harmless a person looks, the more capable he is.

Tang Fan nods at the man in acknowledgement and introduces himself, “I’m Tang Fan, Tang Run Qing, a prefectural judge at Shun Tian Prefecture. We met the day you accompanied Guang Chuan-xiong to Hui Chun Tang for the investigation.”

This person before Pang Qi calls Sui Zhou by his birth name, and after hearing Sui Zhou himself tell the man that he can look for Pang Qi next time if he needs to, even if Pang Qi was dumb, he knows that this man has a very good relationship with his superior. This is a man that Pang Qi cannot afford to offend, and so he puts his hands together and greets, “Tang-daren is too polite, if there is anything you need in the future, just let me know!”

Sui Zhou turns impatient, listening to the both of them exchange unnecessary pleasantries, and so he interrupts them, “Jian Xian, you can get back to work first.”

“The location of that White Jade Horse that you asked Lao Xue to search for, we’ve found it,” Sui Zhou continues.

“Where is it?” Tang Fan asks quickly.

“In the house of the Eastern Depot’s Head, Shang Ming.”

Tang Fan’s expression turns strange at that.

Sui Zhou adds, “Shang Ming was the one who paid a high price to buy the White Jade Horse from Ying Guo Gong, and Wang Zhi wanted one at the same time but was unable to snatch it out of Shang Ming’s hands, so he’s not involved with that object.”

Tang Fan laughs wistfully, “Pan-daren is in a difficult position if that’s the case. Why did Wang Zhi prank him like this without any reason?”

It was futile, because even if he knew the location of the White Jade Horse, how could Shun Tian Prefecture go to Shang Ming and ask for the object? The fact that the White Jade Horse was originally Shang Ming’s aside, even if it was not, with Pan Bin’s position, if he really went to ask for it, would Shang Ming have simply given it to him?

Considering this from another perspective, wouldn’t Wang Zhi have known that the object was at Shang Ming’s? And yet, he still asked Shun Tian Prefecture to look for it, is it not clear that Wang Zhi is putting Pan Bin in a spot?

Is Wang Zhi really as the rumours say, an arrogant and selfish who marches only to the sound of his own heartbeat?

Sui Zhou thinks about it and says, “Wang Zhi has always been enemies with Shang Ming, his motive could be simply to disgust Shang Ming.”

Tang Fan puts out both his hands, “Pan-daren who has nothing to do with this was dragged into this when he he was never involved in the first place.”

“Then how are the both of you going to handle this?”

Tang Fan shakes his head, “I’ll go back and let Pan-daren know about this. Oh right, there is something I wish to tell you.”

He briefly explains the situation with Lee Man murdering his wife and his mistress, surname Chen, disappearing, before mentioning the White Lotus Sect mark again.

“The White Lotus Sect has risen from the ashes again, and all they will do is create trouble from the dark, I will get my men to keep an eye on this.”

He doesn’t know why, but once Sui Zhou says this, Tang Fan knows for certain that the man will treat the matter seriously. On his part, Tang Fan is also assured, as if he has entrusted this important task to someone reliable.

Perhaps there are simply people who handles tasks well and are naturally able to set others at east, and Sui Zhou is exactly this kind of person.

Tang Fan smiles then, “Then I will leave this to you. I should be sitting down with you and having a chat with you since you have just returned from your trip, but because of the White Jade Horse matter, Pan-daren has been very concerned so I have to quickly head back and let him know. Let us reschedule for another day?”

Sui Zhou makes a sound of assent and they slip into a moment of awkward silence, before he asks abruptly, “What time will you get home today?”

“If nothing else comes up, the court will be dismissed at the usual time and I will go home then, what is it?”

“Then I will find you tonight,” Sui Zhou says.

Tang Fan unconsciously agrees, and looking back now he thinks that something is amiss, but what exactly is wrong with what Sui Zhou suggested?

The incredibly intelligent Tang-daren thinks hard about this on his way back, but is unable to come to a conclusion.

Pan Bin’s dilemma over the news of the White Horse Jade is put out of his mind for now. Without Ah Dong sending snacks over to him, Tang Fan usually settles his dinner outside after he is dismissed from work before going home, but considering that Sui Zhou said he is coming over, Tang-daren veers off to the side of the street and buys some meat stewed with soy sauce from a snack stall, and also buys a bottle of rice wine from the wine stall next to it.

He makes a huge detour and by the time he makes his leisurely way home, he realizes that someone is already standing at the door to his house, and isn’t that Sui-qianhu?

“If I’d known you were coming over so early, I would have come home first and save you the wait standing outside my door!” Tang Fan increases the speed of his footsteps as he walks towards Sui Zhou, an apologetic smile on his face.

“It is no bother,” Sui Zhou says.

Tang Fan realizes that there are also some snacks in Sui Zhou’s hands.

“My house is quite a distance away from yours, I will just stay here tonight, you don’t mind, do you?”

“Ah? I don’t mind at all, it’s a rest day tomorrow, we can take the opportunity and chat through the night!”

Tang-daren lives the legendary bachelor’s life. Other men, when they become officials, even if he is not married and has a family, he would at least have one or two companions at his side, but only Tang Fan lives alone. He faces the moon in the night, nibbling on snacks and reading his novels, and this life can be considered quite entertaining as well.

Of course, with one more person around, the place becomes more lively, so it cannot be helped that once night falls, it feels colder and emptier. Even though this person is often expressionless and doesn’t like to talk much, it is better to have company than not.

Both men put their things down. Tang Fan goes in search of cups for the wine, while Sui Zhou opens the paper bags containing snacks.

Tang Fan bought pig’s ears and tongue stewed in soy sauce, fragrant and delicious, and is the best snack to have with wine.

Sui Zhou brought peppered pig intestines, crispy-fried tofu, slated peanuts and raw cucumbers mixed with sauce.

“Since you are visiting, why did you still bring things over? You and I are so familiar with each other, you must not spend the money on this next time!”

Tang-daren says these pleasantries out of courtesy only, taking a bite out of the crispy-fried tofu. The tofu skin has been fried to a crisp, but once he bites into it, the inside is white just like beancurd, so soft that it almost drips out, the aroma of the tofu fragrant.

“Where did you buy this crispy-fried tofu from, why is it so delicious?” Tang Fan asks, bewildered.

“I had some ingredients at home,” Sui Zhou answers simply.

“You know how to cook?” Tang-daren asks, astonished.

Sui Zhou’s mouth curls upwards, the motion a rarity, and stays silent.

After a few breaths, Tang Fan is still immersed in his surprise, “Guang Chuan-xiong, you can actually cook? This is… is… this is…”

He stammers for a long while but is unable to come up with the right words for it, and that’s when hurried knocks sound on from outside.

“You’re really great!” Tang-daren exhales, finishing his thoughts on the matter before getting up to open the door.

Ah Dong is standing outside, and without waiting for Tang Fan to open his mouth, she blurts, “Tang-daren, save me!”

The girl is about to kneel down, but Tang Fan stops her, “What happened?”

With tears on her face, Ah Dong answers, “Ah Chun jiejie told me that tomorrow Master Li will get the dealer to come over, and they’re going to sell me!”

Tang Fan startles, “They’re selling only you?”

Ah Dong nods, “They sold off a batch of us a few days ago. The steward knew that I wanted to come over to your place and didn’t have anything to say about it originally, but who knew that they would suddenly change their minds today, saying that they are going to sell me off!”

She held back her tears and told her story in detail through gritted teeth, but when she got to the end of it, she could not help but choke, “Tang-daren, what do I do, can you please go tell the steward, that I don’t want to be sold off!”

Tang Fan knows that this is definitely not the steward’s intentions, and it is likely the idea of the Li family’s young master Li Lin.

Li Lin probably resents Tang Fan for what happened this morning,  but at that time he was unable to oppose Tang Fan directly, so he decided to act first to gain the upper hand and sell Ah Dong off so that Tang Fan would end up empty-handed. She is after all the Li family’s slave, and no one can say otherwise.

As his thoughts come to this, Tang Fan finds himself momentarily struck speechless.

When Lady Zhang was still alive, he met Li Lin a few times and the boy was shy and a person of few words then, but because they were both scholars, Li Lin admired Tang Fan for passing the imperial scholars examination at a young age, and Tang Fan did give him some advice in the past.

Who could have known that with the passing of time and changes in the family, Li Lin’s character would change so drastically, becoming this irrational. He wonders what Lady Zhang would think of her son under the netherworld.

It is true that it is Li Lin’s right to sell Ah Dong off and it also holds true that Tang Fan is unable to do anything about it. He was intending to think of a solution to Ah Dong’s situation, but who knew that Li Lin plans to sell her off immediately. If she’s sold into a bad family, Ah Dong will have to suffer through some tough days ahead.

Looking at this adorable young woman, Tang Fan cannot bear the thought of that happening to her.

“Let’s do it like this, don’t panic. Go back to the main house first, I’ll think of something.”

Ah Dong has a natural sense of faith and trust in Tang Fan, and so after listening to his words, she obediently nods and heads back, wiping her tears away as she goes. She snuck out earlier, so she cannot leave through Tang Fan’s main door, and when she leaves, she makes a detour and leaves by the back door as well.

As Tang Fan watches her figure disappear from his line of vision, he thinks about what can be done.

Behind him, however, someone says, “You want her?”

Tang Fan nods, then realizing that the sentence could be understood in a few ways, he explains Ah Dong’s situation briefly.

“Coincidentally, I am short of a helping hand that can help me with household chores and cooking. Ah Dong is hardworking and can do the job well.”

Sui Zhou nods, “This is not a difficult matter, you don’t have to concern yourself with this anymore, I’ll settle it for you.”

Where would he go and find such a loyal friend, and Tang-daren is touched by the gesture, hurriedly putting out both hands, “Then I’ll have to thank Guang Chuang-xiong!”

Sui Zhou adds, “Since you’ve fallen out with the Li family, then what are you going to do about your accommodation?”

Tang Fan did not tell him about how he was currently searching for a house, but for Sui Zhou to actually notice this detail, he can see just how meticulous Sui Zhou is.

“Jing City is large and there are many houses, I can still find one,” Tang Fan says.

Sui Zhou is silent for a moment, before he suggests, “If you are willing, you can move out and come and stay with me.”

Tang Fan startles, “This… it’s not appropriate, is it? Won’t sister-in-law be unhappy?”

Sui Zhou returns coldly, “I have not yet taken a wife.”

“Then you should at least have a lady of the house…”

Sui Zhou is now upset, “Since I have not yet wed, I do not dally with any servants either.”

Before Tang Fan can ask further questions, he continues, “My parents stay with my older brother, I have moved out on my own, you do not have to worry.”

Since he has said so much and with Sui Zhou’s sincere invitation, if Tang Fan continues to refuse it would not be good. He puts his hands forward and bows, and says with sincerity, “Then I’ll have to impose on Guang Chuan-xiong temporarily.”

In reality, even though Sui Zhou seems cold at times, he’s not a difficult person to be around, and the both of them have common topics to talk about. Most importantly, not only does Sui Zhou cook, his cooking is more than a hundred times better than Tang Fan’s.

Now that he thinks about it, Tang-daren is feeling quite excited about moving in with Sui Zhou.

The end of Sui Zhou’s lips finally curve upwards a little.

“You and I are so familiar, you don’t have to stand on ceremony.”

===

Notes:

*北镇抚司 bei zhen fu si - Northern Administrative Court

This is the organization that the Embroidered Uniform Guards 锦衣卫 (jing yi wei) belong to, and they are primarily in charge of the imperial prison. They are authorized to make arrests, interrogate, torture and execute suspects, and they don’t have to go through the usual process that other departments have to. They’re known for having a variety of torture methods and in cases where there is a big investigative case, it is possible for the cases to bypass the legal and law enforcement department 刑部 (xing bu) and go straight to the Northern Administrative Court. During the Cheng Hua years, the Northern Administrative Court reported directly to the emperor, and not even the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s Commander could interfere in this process.

Translated as Northern Administrative Court as per iQiyi’s English subtitles.

*千户 qian hu

There are four ranks within the Embroidered Uniform Guards - 千户 (qian hu)、百户 (bai hu)、总旗 (zong qi)、小旗 (xiao qi) arranged highest to smallest rank, aside from the Commander 统领官 (zong ling guan).

*老薛 lao xue

This is referring to Xue Bing where Xue is his first name and Bing his last name - In Chinese we usually affix terms such as lao-, xiao-, a- etc. to names and this usually indicates familiarity with the other person. In this case they used lao- to indicate someone who’s older as a nickname for Xue Bing.

*广川兄 guang chuan xiong

As mentioned in my introductory post and on courtesy names, Sui Zhou’s courtesy name is Guang Chuan, surname Sui. -xiong can be affixed to the end of someone’s first names and means ‘brother’. I’m not translating it as Brother Guang Chuan because it looks weird, so I’m settling for typing out -xiong instead.

*回春堂 hui chun tang

The name of the medicine hall involved in the first case. Hui Chun in general means to ‘return to spring or youth’ and Tang means hall.

*字 zi

Courtesy name, as in 表字 (biao zi). As I explained in the introductory post, a courtesy name is a name chosen by someone’s elders or significant person like a teacher etc once they turn of age and to be used in public from then onwards. In this novel’s case, the courtesy name is not used usually and people are addressed by their given birth names, and only those who are close to each other can call the other by their courtesy names. A little counter-intuitive, I know, but that’s how it is in this novel.

*唐大人 tang da ren

Tang is Tang Fan’s surname, followed by da ren as in Lord. It literally translates to ‘big person’ but it’s general term that most officials use regardless of their ranks i.e. for most civilians, when they see Tang Fan (who’s a sixth rank official in the beginning and then a third rank official later in the novel) or Sui Zhou (who is a qian hu and then vice-commander later) it’s alright for civilians especially to simply address them as da ren rather than their formal titles/ranks.

*见贤 jian xian

Pang Qi’s courtesy name.

*白玉骏马 bai yu jun ma

This is a white jade horse decorative piece that can come in the shape of a horse or refer to a white piece rectangular or oval plaque-like piece with a horse carved on it and they used to be very expensive and valuable. Now you can buy one for less than 40 bucks on Taobao.

*英国公 ying guo gong - The Grand Duke

The closest equivalent would be a duke. It’s a title, among many others, used to indicate royal and noble ranks. In the beginning it was used only for members of the royal family, and then shifted to be used to promote rankings of well-performing officials in court as a reward.

*黄酒 huang jiu - Rice wine

Originating from China, this rice wine can be made by fermenting various types of rice and wheat, and the alcoholic composition is usually between 14-20%.

*人牙子 ren ya zi

A slave-dealer or slave smuggler back in those days.

*管家爷爷 guan jia ye ye

Guan jia means butler/steward (someone who takes care of the house in literal translation), while Ye ye means grandpa. Ah Dong refers to the steward as a grandpa due to his age and likely grandfatherly role in her life.

*九泉之下 jiu quan zhi xia

In the netherworld or underworld. Literally means under the ninth stream/river, which is traditionally used to mean the deepest point in the ground, where a corpse is buried.

*京城 jing cheng

Cheng means city, and in this case jing cheng is actually today’s Beijing, and is noted as China’s capital city where the Emperor and most royals reside in.

*嫂夫人 sao fu ren

Sao as in sister-in-law, usually meant to refer to an older brother’s wife. Fu ren means wife.

*纳妾 na qie

To take in concubines. A usual Chinese family in those times would have one lawful wife 妻 (qi) in the main house, and then several other 妾 (qie) concubines. Who becomes the lawful wife and who becomes a concubine is dependent on status of the woman and reputation, especially in big reputable families. For example, a prostitute that a man takes home and weds may not be approved of as his lawful wife (by his family usually), which is reserved for a woman who comes from a family of ‘good upbringing’ or with money etc. It’s possible for a man to take in concubines without having an official wife in a sense, which is why Tang Fan refers to Sui Zhou possibly having a lady of the house even if it’s not a lawful wife.

*侍婢 shi bi

Also very common for men to have female servants to serve them - whether in household chores etc. or in bed.

[manggojooz]

Foolish Love, Fake Love (Part 3)

pairing: idol!Jungkook x bodyguard!reader

word count: ~1,800

genre: idol!au; angst; romance; drama; enemies to lovers sort of thing

warnings: none

previous part: Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2

summary: If all you can give me is a fake love, then I will be the fool to pretend that it is all true.

comments: sorry if the chapter is a bit short haha but im trying to get myself back into writing in baby steps =) pls comment or reblog if you liked this <3 

How do you explain love? Is it a feeling? Is it an agreement? Is it an experience? 

---

The day felt like months.  

You were using Yuri’s phone to surf the net, her nose poking into the side of your chin as she leaned against your shoulder, trying to read the tiny words on her phone too.  

“When are you getting your phone back?”, Yuri asked soullessly.  

“Whenever the reporters stop calling, I hope...”, you answered. As though on cue, Sejoon bursts into the waiting room, causing Yuri to knock her forehead into your cheekbone when she abruptly shot up straight.  

Sejoon dragged his feet along as he approached your side and held out a handphone for you. “Use this phone in the meantime, I've saved a few contacts in it for you. And Director Lee wants to see you for a while”, he said sheepishly.  

You handed Yuri’s phone back to her and Sejoon caught a glimpse of the article you had been reading.  

---

As you made your way to the higher floors of the BH building, the lift ride was silent and awkward. Half a day has since passed after Rapid released the exclusive article confirming that Jungkook was dating you. Sejoon suddenly blurted, “I suggest you don’t read any of the articles...”  

You looked at him silently.  

“You know the saying right... a pen is mightier than a sword... in this case, a keyboard is definitely mightier than a gun”, his tone was serious yet soothing at the same time.  

“I know... I won’t take the articles or the comments too seriously”, you said almost nonchalantly.  

He shook his head slightly, “it’s easier said than done, Y/N. It’s better if you just don’t read them at all”, he stared ahead as he nagged gently at you.  

Somehow you felt a tinge of warmth from the situation, which softened the otherwise difficult and draining day.  

---

“Since it doesn’t make sense for you to be a bodyguard anymore, we just said you are a staff member. But let’s be clear, you are not qualified to do any other job so your job will still be the same. In fact, now you have more to guard...”, Director Lee was rambling on more than she usually would.

You only nodded in response. For some reason, since the earlier part of the day you have felt like you no longer own a voice. It is as if you had given your tongue to the sea witch but in return you got a fake prince.  

“We have put all the policies in place to ensure employee confidentiality on this situation. But since you are a lead character in all of this, we believe it calls for a little more documentation...”, she fumbled around, tossing files around her desk. It was the first time her room seemed a little messier than it usually would be.  

Her assistant who had been standing next to her this whole time, meekly pointed towards a black thin folder resting under her elbow. “Alright, I got it”, she snapped. 

She opens the folder and tosses a document in front of you. “Sign it”, she instructs, and her assistant almost immediately holds out a pen to you.  

You stare at them with a puzzled expression and Sejoon, who had been standing in the far corner of the room, peers over in concern.  

“I’ll read through it first...”, you were hardly even batting an eyelash at the whole situation now. After all the entire day has been incredulous on top of more incredulity. 

Director Lee scoffs and was about to say something when Sejoon swoops in, grabs the document as well as your arm, hurrying to pacify the executive, “I will explain it all to her quickly and will get it signed by the end of today, Director Lee.”  

---

“Clause 4.3, basically it’s just saying that this arrangement will be for an initial three months from today, and the management can decide whether to shorten or lengthen this term. Clause 4.4 says that you shall not speak about this arrangement with anyone outside the company...”, Sejoon was rattling all the terms written in the contract.  

“... Clause 5.2...”, he paused and cleared his throat while scratching his forehead, looking rather uneasy, “... Clause 5.2 says that you cannot fall in love with Jungkook... ummm... I can’t read the rest of it to you, it’s too cringe for me... anyway point is that you should just stay professional ok?”, Sejoon gave you those little sheepish glances he was always so good at.  

“What if I break any of these terms?”, you asked outrightly with folded arms, sitting across from Sejoon in the tiny pantry reserved for staff members.  

“Ummm... let’s see”, he flips to one of the pages at the back, “here... you gotta return all the advance payment made to your company and its employees... meaning the payments made to Ssam Chun and Yuri too... and there’s a penalty sum”, Sejoon pauses again. “But Y/N, I hope you know this isn’t what should be of concern right? If you get into the bad books of the management, it’s not going to be just paying back all these monies.”  

Sejoon was right, the power and influence that a relatively large company like BH would have, cannot be summarised in just monetary terms.  

“I’ll think about it...”, it all made you more reluctant to sign off on that stupid contract.

“Y/N, there isn’t much of an option here...”, Sejoon said but he still handed the agreement to you, knowing you probably needed some time to come to terms with it.  

---

You clenched the contract tightly in one hand and walked down the long corridor. This feeling was indescribable, you were confused, you were alone, you were afraid  – it just felt so wrong and your entire body felt the weight of it. 

You were trudging along towards the lift lobby when you think you heard Jungkook’s voice coming from a room further down. You couldn’t hear what he was saying but as you approached the room you heard a woman’s voice too.  

“No Jungkook, it’s ok... I have no right to meddle in your private life like that”, she said coyly and you recognise that it is Yeonjoo’s voice. She had a distinct tonality when she spoke, and people often praised her for it – it was somehow cute and cool at the same time but not unnatural sounding.

“What do you mean, Noona?”, Jungkook sounded taken aback.  

“I mean... if you are really dating her, I should be.. no, I am happy for you... I really shouldn’t have come down here today... but I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened the other night and I hope nothing has changed between us...”, her voice was getting softer and you had to strain your ears to hear what she was saying.  

You rolled your eyes, “she’s good”, you thought to yourself. This was a classic example of managing her fish farm and Jungkook was one dumb fish trapped inside. It's not that he can’t leave, he willingly does not leave, and she sure seemed bent on making sure it stays this way.  

“No, Noona... you have no idea how grateful I am that you came down. They took my phone away since this morning and I've been stuck here wondering how I am going to explain all this to you... She’s really our new bodyguard, I mean... staff member... I didn’t even know her name before today! So how can it be possible that I am dating her?”, Jungkook was exasperated.  

To think about it, half the people you have guarded before probably do not remember your name. Yet now he remembers you, even though it is for one of the worst reasons ever.  

Just when Yeonjoo was going on about Jungkook not having to explain himself to her, someone taps your shoulder, giving you quite the shock and you lunged backwards almost hitting him in the process.  

“Oh it’s you! You gave me a shock!”, Kijin exclaimed.  

“Look who’s talking”, you mumbled snidely, glaring at the man who landed you in this situation in the first place.  

“Oppa? Is someone outside?”, Yeonjoo called out.  

Kijin gestured for you to enter the room, as though saying ‘would you rather go in yourself or have me drag you inside?’

The moment you entered, Jungkook visibly tensed up.  

“Were you eavesdropping on us?”, his frown was so deep that you started getting a little nervous.  

“I was just walking past, and I heard your voice so I wanted to see if it’s a good time to talk because there’s something-”, you were making an attempt to explain yourself.  

“There’s nothing to talk about between us...”, he cut you off promptly and continued frowning, his tone was very hostile.  

“Jungkook, there’s no need to talk to her like that...”, Yeonjoo gently chided him, “she probably isn’t happy about landing in this situation either, just like how you are feeling.”  

Jungkook lets out a light chuckle, “Apparently her handphone wallpaper is a photo of me... so I really don’t think she’s feeling what I’m feeling right now”, he said rather dejectedly. This somehow piqued Yeonjoo’s attention.  

“So you are a fan?”, her eyes were already pretty huge but it got even larger, “wow... and will you still be following Jungkook around for his schedule after all the... news?”  

“Seems like it... it’s still my job to do it...”, you answered earnestly, regretting coming towards the room at all.  

“You must really love your job”, Jungkook suddenly turned sarcastic and you felt a twitch in your chest.  

“I do...”, you tried to keep up that professional posture but was sure that your insides were tangling up slowly.  

“Even if your job is making a fool of you like this?”, this was the longest Jungkook had ever looked at you in your eyes.  

“I’d rather be a fool”, you answered.  

“As opposed to a ---?”, he asked, still with the same annoyance he had when you had entered the room.

“As opposed to a liar...”, you thought to yourself.

You decided to face the situation and his concerns head on. "Yes, I like you as a fan, but it won’t become anything else just because of this situation.”, you said as you put down the contract on the desk before them, flipping to Clause 5.2.  

“Love is not an arrangement, and it can never come from a contract. This...”, you tapped the agreement slightly with your fingertip, “this is not love. And I'm not foolish enough to believe it is. So, you really need not be worried about it either. If nothing else, just know that... as a fan, I want you to be happy at the end of the day.”  

“And I will be... if you can keep that promise...”, Jungkook replied after glancing at the page laid opened before his eyes. To say his words didn’t hurt you would be a lie, but there was also a sense of relief that at least he killed any hopes before they could be groomed. 

Without answering him, you picked up a random pen from the notepad holder in the middle of the table and signed your name at the end of the document. 

---  

Love is a promise.  

And you promised, never to love him.  

[chibikinesis]

Another Sean/Jacob for y’all ♥ I imagine it takes place some days after the last one I wrote.

Sean’s attention is pulled away from his sketch book by the sounds someone clearing their throat, and of shuffling feet behind him. He shifts to find Jacob standing timidly, averting his gaze.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t looking; promise.” There’s a slight giggle in his voice, and Sean finds it’s a pleasing sound. “Mind if I sit?”

“Of course.” He readily scoots over, and gestures for him to sit.

Jacob wastes no time filling the vacancy, and he breathes a small sigh after he finds a comfortable position. His tired eyes skim up to find Daniel and Sarah Lee playing on the battered, sun-bleached old jungle gym, and he breaks out into a small smile.

“It’s so nice today. I think this is the most tolerable weather we’ve had all week.”

“Call me crazy, but I think I might’ve even felt a breeze or two.” Sean chuckles, pencil finding paper again as he continues his sketch. “It’s…really nice to see them both acting like kids again, huh?”

“It really is. When she was sick, she was so tired all the time. And it was like... even when she did start to enjoy herself, Lisbeth was…” Jacob breathes, his brow knit ever so slightly. He shakes his head, as if he's trying to shake a bad thought away. “- ugh - no. I need to stop thinking about her.”

“Hey…” Sensing his turmoil, Sean looks over at him, rests his pencil, and raises his hand to give Jacob’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “She’s been a part of your life for a long time. That kinda’ stuff doesn’t just go away over night. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

His hand and his eye both linger for a moment, and his expression softens when Jacob met his gaze.

“Seriously, don’t sweat it too much,” Sean reiterates. “You guys went through a lot, and healing from that sorta stuff is… definitely not a linear process. At least, I wouldn’t imagine. Just take your time, okay?”

Jacob takes a deep breath, and after a slight pause, exhales in a contented sigh, nodding solemnly to himself. “You’re right. Thanks, Sean.”

“Anytime.” He smiles and he nods. His thoughts stew for another moment as he watches Sarah chasing Daniel in an erratic pattern around the equipment - he can't help but chuckle at her messy braids. And dare he say they're an improvement from the last time he’d seen Jacob had attempted to do her hair for her. But there was no doubt in Sean’s mind that she loved it whether good or bad - and goodness knew her big brother was putting forth an effort for her, at the very least. “How’s Sarah taking everything? Since you guys left home?”

“She’s usually pretty good.” Jake smiles. “She has the occasional bad day where she starts to miss everyone, but… I guess that’s to be expected. She misses our parents, but… I can’t possibly send her back to be with them after everything. But I also… can’t bring myself to tell her everything, either. I kind of feel like I’m stuck in between a rock and a hard place. I have so many reasons I could give her, but… none that I’m ready to. Not yet, anyway. I know I can't keep it from her forever, but right now... she way too young to carry that kind of baggage.”

Sean can definitely relate. “It can be… tough.”

“You’re not kidding.” Jake laughs softly. “And it’s not just that. I remember you said before about how you just know Daniel’s getting sick of you, and… I feel that now more than ever. She’s never mean or nasty about it, but I can tell. She gets quiet, and kind of distant. I’m positive she was happy to see some different faces when we got here.”

“It’s good for them once in a while anyway.” Sean smiled. “Just try not to take it too personally. Which is easier said than done. I know. It’s probably good for all of us, though, honestly.”

“A break in the monotony never really hurts.” Jacob fidgets with one of the creases in his pants. “It’s always nice to see familiar faces anyways. To know at least some of the people you care about are doing alright.”

Sean hums in agreement, and tries to direct his attention back to his sketchbook.

But as his eraser taps rhythmically at the page, Jake feels his stomach pang. Was he taking up too much of Sean’s time? Was he pulling him out of his creative flow? “Goodness, sorry - if I’m too much of a distraction, I can leave-”

“You’re fine, Jake.” Sean chuckles. “Actually, I could use your help. Once in a while I’ll draw some comics to cheer Daniel up. He’s SuperWolf, and Chris… he’s the awesome kid we met in Beaver Creek… he’s Captain Spirit, but… I’m having some trouble coming up with something for her.”

“You’re drawing her as a superhero? That’s wonderful. She’ll be so excited.”

“I will be if we can come up with something, I guess. I’ll work on some concepts we can run by her later… if we manage to come up with any.”

“I can’t help but think of… her fascination with chickens.” Jacob giggles. "Maybe you could incorporate that somehow."

“How does one make a chicken badass?”

“How about… Kung Pao Chicken?” Jake can already see Sean raising a brow, but he wrings his hands in a very just hear me out sort of manner. “- But spelled like the comic book sound effect. Like a… wordplay kind of thing.”

“That’s almost… unbearably cheesy, Jake. Holy shit.” Sean finally says after a long pause, laughter apparent in his voice. “- But it’s… really cute. I kinda’ love it. Could make it a spin on a kid-friendly Chun-Li, and throw some feathers and... plumage. This could be fun, actually.”

It’s a welcome change of pace from the previous conversation. They smile and joke and share ideas as Sean sketches, and he almost allows himself to be distracted as Jacob leans in closer. He typically wasn’t too keen on having an audience while he drew, but he didn’t particularly mind in this instance - just like he didn’t mind the sudden pressure against his arm as Jake closed the gap between them, resting a tiny bit of his weight against Sean as he did so.

There’s a slight pause - or at least a slowing, or even a hesitance - in Jake’s movements, as if he’s waiting for some indicator that this sort of contact is okay, that Sean’s not going to be weirded out by it. Reassurance comes to him in the form of a warm smile. He can’t say if it’s on account of their proximity or on account of the heat, but Sean’s cheeks are a bit flushed. It doesn’t deter him from resting his chin - even if just barely - on his shoulder, though. And, goodness, is it comforting to him; he does his best to push all the reasons from his mind and just allows himself to enjoy it.

Sean makes absolutely no protests as he continues to bring the concept of Kung Pow Chicken to life.

"We should totally give her some chicken feet for shoes."

[salt-and-simmer]

2 in 1 Tag

uI was tagged by one of my favorite Simblrs @racingllama! I swear I only kinda forgot at the tag.... I’ve been on a much needed semi hiatus. I’m sure you’ve seen me lurking and liking posts. 

I have been playing recently and was thinking of sharing some of what I’ve got.

Name / Nickname : Marla / Marklar

Height : This question usually turns into an argument. My sisters believe I have ti be around 5′0. Sometimes shorter. While my Hubs says I’m around 5′6.

Zodiac sign : Pisces

Hobbies : Reading and Photography mostly. Though not as much as I would like. Our pup keeps us busy. He really is too smart for his own good.

Favourite colours : Purple, Green, Black

Favourite books : This is ALWAYS a hard question for me to answer. I seriously LOVE so many of the books I own. Instead of picking my favorite, I’m going to pick a book that I’ve read repeatedly since I was a teenager. Killjoy by Julie Garwood. I love all of her books. I’m a sucker for romance novels that are also a mystery, thriller, and suspense. 

Last song listened to : Oh man... Chun-Li by Nicki Minaj. I wouldn’t say I’m a 100% stan but I can not stopping boppin to this!

Dream job : Travel Photography? I don’t get to travel really ever, so it would be pretty amazing if I was getting paid to do exactly that (and of course taking photos of the breathtaking sights). It would have to pay so well that the Hubs and Mingus could come too. There’s no way I’d be leaving them behind.

Meaning behind your URL :  Haha! I kinda happy this was one of the questions. SO... salt-and-simmer.... I’m a fan of Salt-N-Pepa. And I’m a simmer.... I don’t think I realized until after that maybe it sounds like cooking? Or maybe is just confusing all around.

Cats or dogs?  Dogs! But I would love to have a Cat as well.

YouTube celebrities or normal celebrities? Really depends... I can’t deny that I don’t listen in on all the happening gossip.

If you could live anywhere where would that be? My dream would be to live off the coast of Washington State. Love that gloomy weather. 

Disney or DreamWorks? Both

Favorite childhood TV show? Beetlejuice the cartoon, That’s So Raven, Lizzie Maguire, Umm...So so many more

The movie you’re looking forward to most in 2020? I honestly don’t know.

Favorite book you read in 2019? I have read very little this year.... The last thing I read just a few months ago wasn’t necessarily a book. More of a graphic novel named Saga. Very good reads! 

Marvel or DC? Both.

If you choose Marvel favorite member of the X-Men? If you choose DC favorite Justice League member? Storm and Wonder Woman

Night or Day? Night

Favorite Pokémon? Balbasaur

Top bands: Anything 90′s R&B

Top movies:  John Wick, Get Out, Dolemite Is My Name(2019), Too Wong Foo

America or Europe? Europe

Tumblr or Twitter? Tumblr. I don’t really use social media outside of this.

Pro-choice or Pro-life? Pro-Choice. (also feel free to delete this question if you don’t feel comfortable with kind of question)

Favorite YouTuber: Currently it would be Anthony Vincent. He does 10 second songs. 

Favorite author? This is one I can’t answer. I love so many different authors for different reasons. How could I just pick one? 

Tea or coffee? Tea if I’m not working. Coffee only in the morning to help wake my sleepy ass up at work.

Do you play an instrument/sing? Learning the bass guitar and I sing better when I’m alone. I like to try out those Mariah Carey notes. Haha!

Your’e a trooper if you made it all the way through. Thank you for reading!

I going to do what I always do and invite anyone to do this is they want!

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: N’Doul

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Perhaps the greatest trick Stardust Crusaders pulls is keeping you thinking that there will be nothing but painfully average Stand users all the way until DIO. The first half of the series is very hit or miss, with some really great Stand users, some really average Stand users, and some really awful and forgettable Stand users. But as soon as the gang sets foot in Egypt, the quality is amped up to 11, and what better character to showcase that than the blind Stand user N’Doul?

Actor: Greg Chun portrays him in the anime, and there’s not much else that can be said other than that he gets the job done. He certainly doesn’t do a bad job, so don’t worry about that.

Motivation/Goals: As with most of DIO’s henchmen, his goal is simply to assassinate Jotaro or, if all else fails, at least keep the gang occupied long enough so that DIO can finally master The World and use it to stomp out his enemies with ease. N’Doul is very good at this job; he basically knocks Kakyoin out of the series until the final few episodes, and succeeds in murdering multiple Speedwagon Foundation men before he’s ultimately stopped.

Unlike a lot of Stand users prior, N’Doul actually does give a solid background that explains why he would follow someone like DIO: having lived a life where he felt shunned and ostracized due to his powers, DIO finally made him feel like he had a sense of purpose and belonging by accepting him for who he really was. It’s not the deepest of backstories, but at the very least it shows that ultimately, N’Doul is a tragic figure who may have been the groups friend in another lifetime.

Interestingly, later revelations show Kakyoin similarly felt he could not relate to others growing up due to his powers; in that regard, N’Doul is sort of a dark mirror to Kakyoin, and it’s a shame this wasn’t played up and Kakyoin instead gets wounded and put out of commission until its time to go to DIO’s mansion.

Personality: N’Doul is a truly loyal and honorable villain; he makes no excuses and openly states he and DIO are evil, and yet he still has some standards, decency, and honor, to the point where Jotaro actually comes to respect him by the end.

Final Fate: Ultimately, he ends up taking his own life after Jotaro gets the best of him, deciding he’d rather go out on his own terms than be executed by DIO for failure.

Best Scene: The moment when he accomplishes few others can ever claim to have done: knock Jotaro’s hat off.

Best Quote: I could put his massive monologue he gives right before his death, in which he outlines his morality, his backstory, and his loyalty to DIO in an epically long-winded dying speech that would make Sniper Wolf proud… or I can say his best quote is “I can't believe it! He actually threw the dog...” if only because it’s the sort of beautifully out-of-context insanity only JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure can provide.

Final Thoughts & Score: Much as Forever long ago eased everyone into the sheer insanity of what a Stand user could be, N’Doul easily establishes just what one should expect coming up from DIO’s henchmen. There are few weak links between him and the final confrontation, and the ones that are are ones played for laughs; N’Doul is a sign of just how intense the battles are going to be going forward.

As cool as I think N’Doul is, I do think there is some really great missed opportunities that ultimately hold him back a little bit. The aforementioned point about Kakyoin is the worst of it; Kakyoin gets so little to do in Egypt because of N’Doul, and on top of that he actually could have made for an interesting foil to Kakyoin. Sure, it’s unlikely someone as powerful as N’Doul could ever be more than a one-shot character and so any sort of rivalry with Kakyoin would have to have been condensed, but if there had been a little something it might have cushioned the blow of my boy Kakyoin being MIA for all the Stand fights going forward.

Still, I think the most major problem with him as a character is that he gets eclipsed by the more extravagant personalities of the other Egypt Stand users. N’Doul has a very subdued personality, and while he is certainly cool, intriguing, and mysterious, he’s not as fun as Oingo, Boingo, Alessi, or Mariah, and he is overshadowed in violence and depravity by Vanilla Ice and Pet Shop. Even with how cool his battle is, it gets overshadowed by the sheer intensity of the elder D’Arby’s battle. N’Doul is a nice way to ease us in for sure, but he feels a bit quaint compared to the others in Egypt.

Ultimately, I think N’Doul still deserves a very high 8/10, held back only by his one-shot nature and for just coming off as a convenient way to remove Kakyoin from the plot until its time for him to get punched through by DIO. He doesn’t even have the excuse Vanilla Ice does of being the penultimate obstacle before DIO to at least somewhat justify him taking out a hero, and while he doesn’t kill Kakyoin, he might as well have for all Kakyoin does upon returning. Still, N’Doul was cool enough for Diesel to rip off, so he’s cool in my book.

I think perhaps the most important thing to note is how he bookends Iggy’s time on the team. Iggy meets his end at a villain with no qualms about kicking a dog to death for the pettiest of reasons, while N’Doul reacts in shock at the mere notion that Jotaro would pitch a dog at him like a baseball. It’s nice to know there’s at least one JoJo antagonist who cares about the well-being of dogs.

[cruzrogue]

Worth Fighting For

#Fictober19 @fictober-event

————————————————————————

for fanfiction:

Prompt number: Prompt:28 “Enough! I heard enough.”

Fandom (AU if applicable): #arrow fanfiction #olicity

Rating:PG13

Warnings/Tags: exes clashing with one another

Roy Harper makes an appearance

Summary: Oliver vs Laurel (defending himself and his team) Very AU

Notes: Dedicated to Bluedove who supplied earlier prompts to Fighting Words (ch6) & Fighting Actions (ch20) This is for you… Worth Fighting For... Hope you like it. To everyone I hope you enjoy. Thank you!

~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~sp@ce~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~

Worth Fighting For on A03

There has been a delicate air of balance amongst the team members slowly building up. Between Ra's al Ghul, the surge of criminals trying to make their name in the city, and still figuring out the deal with Sara’s death. With Laurel Lance in the mix there is a sort of resentment that’s creeping among the morale within the foundry walls. The lawyer still hasn’t found her niche within this group and now seems to belittle Roy who is trying his best not to snap. His annoyance best used to go out on patrol or beefing up on his training. He misses Oliver’s sister so when Laurel speaks to him in a matter-in-fact tone about knowing Thea so well it just pisses him off to no end.

Case and point is what she is doing right now. She’s sitting on a stool looking at an array of gizmos Oliver is working on. Little trick arrows that he and Felicity have measured and designed to fit properly. None of them yet properly tested. He’ll be doing that with Roy later on.  

“Does she know?”

Roy hitting the Wing Chun Dummy one last time before turning his attention to Laurel. “What?”

“I said, does she know?” Roy not having the slightest clue to what she is talking about gives her a blank stare. His thoughts turn to Felicity who he’s been hanging out with. She’s cool. Like a sister cool. “How dense are you?”

“Lady, I’m about to lose it if you don’t get right to the point. Are we talking about Felicity?” He’s in love with Thea and as much as he enjoys her company she’s already spoken for. She’s great in the sister role. Loves her to death. “Because I don’t get what you are hammering about?”

“Thea, but wait you hang out with Felicity? Oliver is okay with that?”

“Seriously? What is your problem?”

“Here I thought your every waking thought was on Ollie’s sister but…”

“Hey! Don’t go there!” He’s seriously giving her a scowl. She just smirks. The boy just admitted that Felicity isn’t so squeaky clean. She raises her hand to signify she’s done. Felicity not only has the eye for her new boss but spends her extra time with Roy. How convenient? How this girl got all these guys eating out of her paws.

“Actually I was in the midst of asking does Thea know of you extra activities?” Making sure to point to the arrows.

“No. Oliver isn’t keen on the idea.”

She just is bemused. “You’re really allowing the brother of the girl you supposedly love from the truth from a man who has perjured himself, cheated, and killed.”

“He has his reasons.”

“That’s it. You’re just going to allow him to dictate how you live your life?”

Roy grumbles lowly at her. He doesn’t need her to point out anything. He understands Oliver’s reasons after joining the crusade sometimes keeping people in the dark keeps them safe. He understands from John at least that Laurel finding out was never the intent of team arrow. Instead of Laurel trying to help people in a courtroom she’s here bothering him.

“You looked smarter than that.”

“Really?” He shakes his head. “Your using psychology on me? I’m out of here.” He grabs his jacket and books it. Leaving Laurel to just sit there and look at the empty foundry.

This is the first time that’s she’s really down here alone. With no other member of this ragtag group. She decides to really take stock of the place she has been hanging around more frequently as to show she isn’t going anywhere.

Its crazy how much work it seems it takes to make arrows. She gets the gest of why he uses that form of weaponry even though John using a gun seems more likely a better bet. She’s seen the petite blonde using this section it seems its her domain. She doesn’t like that this techie even has a domain. She learned her lesson to not underestimate Felicity. It seems the petite has a meaner streak. Sitting in the woman’s chair she takes the vantage point of what Felicity gets to see and notices the salmon ladder that Oliver always seems to not do when she is around.

She is about to start the middle computer when she hears a voice from the staircase, “I wouldn’t touch her babies.”

Her fingers pull back and she glanced at the computer monitors. “Oh God, she probably even named them.” Laurel looking disgusted.

“She might have but that is her story to tell. Why are you down here? Specifically, why are you in Felicity’s domain?”

“I was actually taking a look around everything and landed here. It is the focal point of the foundry.” She actually never really thought about it before but Felicity is the center of the crowed basement of Verdant.

“We don’t touch the computers or servers down here. Not without some sort of approval.”

“You are pulling my leg.”

“No! These aren’t your standard computers anyhow.”

“Wow! She really makes herself be indispensable. No wonder you guys bow to her.”

“Felicity isn’t like that and you know that well enough. The woman knows she’s smart but she is also humble.”

“What she stopped telling you she’s a genius?”

“As much as I’ve refrained from telling her I’m an archer. We both know each other.”

“She really has you wrapped around her finger.”

“She’s wonderful, she’s kind, she’s a real asset to the team. She’s just someone… She’s just special.”

“You sound like you were trying to sell her. Now that she is only your friend.”

“Her safety, happiness means the world to me. Even if I can’t be the one, I want her happy.”

“Yet, you say your friends but she barely has time for…” Her hands scope the foundry as she finishes, “For any of this.”

“She’s busy. She needs to work. I understand that.”

“Though she used to follow you around at QC.”

“Well we worked together. She would have been a better C.E.O.”

“Yea, I bet. Then the money would have trickled down into her pockets.”

“I’m not as rich but I still have plenty of money.”

“Well maybe that is why she isn’t here.”

“You know she’s at her job.” He gives her a funny look. “It is working hours. Unlike you I suppose she doesn’t make her own hours.”

“Are you inferring to something?”

“No, not at all. I don’t have a nine to five job so I can’t begrudge anyone.” He just shrugs.

“I was just pointing out that now that you need her the most she’s shacking up with someone who can buy her stuff.”

Oliver takes a deep breath he is actually expecting this from her. Felicity is a grown woman who isn’t bound to him. He is pushing the woman he loves away and as much as its making him miserable it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want Felicity to be happy. If Ray can give her what he surely lacks comfort, stability, and it pains him to say it but if the man can love her right he isn’t going to begrudge that relationship.

“Oliver she is a teammate. I admit she’s really good at this tech stuff but she’s doesn’t really know you. Like I do.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Deep in my bones I know that there is nothing that truly stands between us.”

He closes his eyes. This moment couldn’t get any worse. He’s losing the woman he loves. Seemly has a woman he can’t ever shake off. He knows there is something off about his sister. Ra’s al Ghul is a tremendous opponent. The SCPD is out to get him. Life just sucks all around.

“Laurel, I’m not into you.”

She shakes her head slightly amused, “Oliver, you know you need me. I’m the fixture in your life that has always been constant. It’s fate.”

“I really don’t know what I need to say or do for you to understand I’m not that guy. You aren’t in love with me.”

He gets taken aback when she screams at him. “You don’t know what you are saying!” Her finger points at him her voice rising in pitch, “I’m the woman who has been there for you. Always there. Don’t you dare tell me how I feel. You’re the one who doesn’t know how to feel.”

“You are right.” He pauses, “I don’t feel anything for you.”

“You lie.”

“I really don’t think we should…”

“Shove it! You and your indecisive tendencies to never commit. I feel pity for her thinking you’d…”

“Don’t!”

“Don’t what? Talk about how much of a jerk you are? You left with my sister. Disappeared and have the gall to waltz back and now decide what others can and can’t do?”

“If that is the case you wouldn’t be here. Your sister loved you. You have no idea the savagery outside these foundry walls. I get you’re mad at me. I can live with that. That is my guilt to carry.” With the look she gives him he continues, “I don’t love you Laurel, not in the way you deserve. That I will not apologize for… Ever!”

“You have got to be kidding me?”

“No. I beyond serious. If you want to stay. Fine stay. Just know that there is nothing between us but some past history that doesn’t define me anymore.”

“You are going to stand there and once again lie to my face.”

Oliver now beyond annoyed, “That’s the thing Laurel. I’m not lying, for once hear me tell you at face value that I’m totally over any semblance of an us.”

“Its because of Felicity, right?”

His hands go to his head. This woman is unbelievable. When it comes to him her brain short circuits. Then again, she always was around for the prestige and now that he doesn’t have the wealth, he hoped she’d move on. Finally letting him live his life unattached to a Lance.

“Laurel, let it go.”

“Like I let Tommy go?”

“I just can’t with you!” He just wishes she would stop. Tommy is dead. There is enough guilt to go around. She has her own demons to deal with and he told her he was done chasing after her. He meant it. It doesn’t mean he can’t be cordial because like she stated they had history but more important he wants to do right by Sara’s memory. “I really can’t. I can’t be any clearer that there is no us. I can’t be any clearer that you trying to walk in your sister’s shoes won’t end badly for you.”

“You just hate that I’m excelling in boxing under Wildcat’s tutelage and that Nyssa is showing me some moves.”

“Do you even listen to yourself?”

“How am I different than Roy? Or John and Felicity?”

“You know darn well John’s equipped and Felicity stays behind the scenes and yes you do have some parallels to Roy. The difference is Roy isn’t charging against league taught Merlyn. Like you insanely did. He could have killed you without blinking an eyelid.”

“Well he didn’t.”

“I don’t know his reasons nor do I care. You’re just lucky to be alive until the next villain.”

“Then train me like you are doing with Roy”

“No! Roy needs an outlet.” Oliver not moving in his opinions. “You need to step back and go back to using that law degree.”

“Like I said, you think you can make up the rules and every one follows I’m not like that I will honor my sister.”

“Fine, you are going to do what you want anyways. Sara’s sacrifice created the Canary Mantle, the discipline, attitude, honed skills from surviving which she had to do to stay alive.” He doesn’t need to add the obvious that some midnight boxing classes won’t cut it. That her pompous living style is far from reality of what’s in store. That he’d have his team and himself look out for her because Felicity would never let them live it down. She may have a chip with Laurel but she’d always do what is right. That is what being heroes is all about.

Laurel isn’t done yet, “Enough! I heard enough.”

Oliver not backing down is about to add more choice words when both Oliver and Laurel turn to Felicity that has both her hands on her hips.

“I heard more than enough! Both of you step away from this space or…” Looking at Laurel first, “I will knock you to kingdom come and don’t even try my patience.” Then looking at Oliver, “You better have more than a pint of ice cream to calm me down. You know exactly how much these babies cost and how much blood, sweat, and tears I’ve given to them.” Without any words both Laurel and Oliver move out of the designated Smoak space. “Now we are all adults here. We have a common goal. We don’t always have to like each other but let’s get something straight.”

“Felicity?” Oliver tries to interject.

Just as Laurel says, “Get what straight?”

“You want to be a part of Team Arrow?” She hears Oliver deject that team name but she doesn’t really listen or care right now to that objection. “Then figure how to work with us and not against us. We aren’t into power plays. We are a family...” She takes a moment to gaze at Laurel. For once the woman is taking in what Felicity is saying. Somewhat amazed that Laurel hasn’t said a word, she adds, “Worth Fighting For.”

That was the last time that there was a big riff with Laurel versus each member as they began to synchronize as a team. The Canary title changed as Felicity dubbed her the Black Canary, sweet homage to the original.

Nothing is ever simple in the lives of vigilantes there are always highs and extreme lows and somewhere in the middle there is a mending road that the past can stay there and a future of promises can make its footing. The old script that time changes things moves them all along. Some people believe in happily ever after. The notions that heroes deserve to flourish. Well in this case, Oliver Queen gets the girl. John Diggle gets to add two more little ones to his family. Laurel Lance is finally happy with her life choices. Roy Harper loves being an uncle with Thea by his side. Felicity Smoak loves bossing people in her own company… Unfortunately, she gets bossed at home by a few prodigy fair-haired angelic offspring that are more like their dad each coming day as archery truly is becoming a family trait.

[lazyyyart]

The Robins fighting style (part 2)

Remember, this is my analysis based on what I see in Titans episode 6. Not from the comics. Even though I found similarities that I would discuss later.

So, first and foremost. Jason.

Damn, he’s quick. I can’t really tell which style he used, but it’s a mix for sure. He continued to display effectiveness, make no time wasted. All of his fight scenes put him againts ordinary people. Well, not so ordinary, since he’s going for the cops and that sorta swat assassin in the last episode, but again his opponent is not as skilled as the Nuclear Family which Dick fought to a standstill in that awesome motel room fight. That was before Nuclear Dad resorts to his advantage in power and push Dick out of the window. I’d say, Jason got so much potential, but so far his fight scenes vs Dick’s fight scene in the motel room? Dick wins hands down.

Remember, this is my analysis. You could think differently.

Jason’s fighting style is brutal. Not even Dick in that warehouse scene in ep. 2 can top that. He’s maiming with the intention to hurt. He picked the most convenient attack to end everything quickly but also the one that would hurt the opponent badly. If he goes against Dick in the fight, with his current capabilities, he’s still going to lose because he’s still not as experienced as Dick. And also once you got into the territory of hand to hand combat which is Dick’s specialty , it could go bad for Jason. But he’s a wild card, even though he’s still not on Dick’s level yet. If he comes back a few years later and still has this ferocious appetite for hurting people plus the stabile mentality, Dick would got some serious threat. Red Hood, everyone?

And Dick, he’s got no cool fight scenes in this episodes except the last one with Nic Zucco which not really showcasing his abilities. Nic seems powerful enough, because he can stand after getting kicked by that awesome kick by Jason on his chest. I say his chest, not his neck or the tip of the chin, because if you got kicked in that area, you’ll get knock out, immediately. I don’t know if Jason intentionally missed the kick to that area or that he’s just being cocky that he can take him down easily. But, boy Dick’s so worried about Jason getting shot that he goes full on rage. It’s not quite seem that way, but that what’s happen in my eyes. Dick still displaying continuous streak of effective attacks constantly in all episodes so far.

And, I am kinda disappointed that we might not get awesome fight scenes next week, because then l have nothing to analyse 😭 But I hope we’ll still get it.

Anyway, cool episode. And the fact that Jason keep using his knee as his signature moves makes me happy. Well, he’s famous for his thighs, right? So that’s how he gets that. 🤔😁 That’s another one from the comics that I notice. I don’t know if the creator intentionally put little easter egg like that, but if they do, wow 😮 I am impressed.

So, knee attack. Muay Thai? 🤔 impressive streak Batfam. Silat, muai thai, escrima, they all tied together by history of the great Srivijayan Empire. South East Asian martial arts is really the most effective style in my opinion, so it’s no wonder the Batfam use it. Wing Chun is also superior in hand to hand, but I really think it’s more softer than South East Asian martial arts. The one generating the hardest hit, in technicality will be Baji quan. For that, I hope, if we got Cassandra Cain later, it will be her style. And i can see Tim using both style as he was trained by shiva too. And if we see Damian, I want to see him using Arabian wrestling and expertise in talwal. So even though he’s using Katana, his swords stances will be different. Oh it’s gonna be so awesome if DC could really pull it out. And, Bruce. Uuh the man himself. It’s hard to picture a perfect fighting style for him. Because he’s Batman, he’s awesome like that. But i’d say his basic fighting style will be from Japan. Because it’s canon and also fits his personality (discipline mentality). But later in his life he was trained by various people and he absorbs multiple style along his journey. In my head, as a martial artist enthusiast, no matter how many style you learned, you will only use several of them, and the one you used is definitely your favourite. This related to: a) physicality, b) mental state, c) personality. That way, martial art does not make you great, if you’re awesome it’s because you’re awesome. No other reason. No martial art is greater and better than the other. It’s about you, and always about you. Your chosen moves will show your true colours. Like a mirror.

It’s weird tho, I have head canon for years in my head about their respective fighting style and to see them actually happen on screen is mind blowing. It’s like someone read my analysis somewhere in the internet and use it. It’s surreal when your dream comes true like this.

In the pages of comic books it’s impossible to draw fight scenes with the same fluidity as live action. The artist can only draw impact not movements. This has always been my problem with American comic. Especially the eara of 2006-2010 where everything looks like photo tracing. But, even among japanese manga world, which, in my eyes, is better with action scenes in comic, only a few mangaka can draw good action scenes, and some, not all, is aided with the use of stylised panelling, which helps tremendously to illustrate movements. American comics are pretty dull in panelling sometimes, but it has improved over the years. When they start hiring someone from asia, that is 😁 And only selected artist can draw fighting style plus it’s signature moves on paper. They must have been a martial artist themselves, or having a deep understanding of martial arts. As you know, it’s almost impossible to found such perfection in an artist, so if they’re exist, they are truly gems.

Oof I go off topic again. But here are my analysis, thoughts and opinion.

So, Titans. I hope you keep being awesome. See you next week.

[hcneymilkks]

24K Jinhong | The Purge

REPOSTED FROM WATTPAD! 

next

[ALL P.O.V's THAT HAVE NO NAME ON TOP BEFORE THE SENTENCE STARTS IS Y/N's WORDS AND THOUGHTS.]

[ALSO, SOME OF THE DESCRIPTION IS FROM 24K's MV "STILL 24K" AND "BINGO". THE SAME MEMBERS IN THOSE MV's WILL BE USED HERE. CREDITS TO THE TRAILER OF "THE PURGE" AS INSPIRATION FOR THIS IMAGINE.]

[STARS (***) WILL REPRESENT NEW P.O.V's WHILE DASHES (---) WILL REPRESENT CONTINUING P.O.V.'s]

[Y/N means your name and Y/F/N means your friend's name.]

The poster flapped vigorously in the wind, one corner already peeling off. In bright red letters painted to look like streaks of blood, it said 'On October 13th, 2018, all crime will be legal for twelve hours, starting at midnight. Be prepared, for you don't know what's coming for you.'

News stations around the city were announcing this very important yet dangerous day, encouraging us fellow citizens to lock our doors and hide. As if it would help. People in this century know how to pick locks, or even easier, blow up the whole front door.

Once the twelve hours end, all citizens are to resume their daily lives like normal, only some may have lost valuables, doors, and even people. No one can report the crime, for the criminals are safe under the law, The Purge Law.

"The Purge Law states that any crime, whether small or extreme is legal. Any persons killed are given a regular funeral, no compensation may be given. All weapons used are granted permission by the government to be registered yet the files will be destroyed after twenty-four hours. No one is protected, everyone is vulnerable on this day." The newscaster read, making me chuckle.

History has shown that The Purge has been going on for one hundred years, starting in 1918 when the Ku Klux Klan in the United States had reformed. Their goal was to use violence against Blacks, Roman Catholics, Immigrants, and anyone who supported giving minority groups equality rights. Their vision was to have a White Christian supremacy, just like how Hitler in World War Two wanted Germans to be the Master Race.

But now, people have used it just to reduce the population, or to get revenge on a family member or friend, or anyone who just doesn't fit in society.

Coming from Japan, where little to no crime happens, I wanted to see it in action. Yes, I wanted to leave myself as vulnerable as I can, even if it means I'm asking for a death wish.

***

[JinHong]

October 10th, 2018

11:09 PM

JeongUk's garage was filled to the brim with boxes on each side, a couch in the middle, and a table with weapons.

Hui was using a cloth to wipe down a simple handgun, one of his favorites.

"So," Cory, the appointed leader started. "Does anyone have a specific person in mind to target?"

"Just anyone who gets in my way," Kisu says, twirling a dagger around his fingers with careful yet fast movements.

JeongUk nods in agreement.

"Changsun, Hongseob?"

"I mean, I want to steal rather than kill because you can sell the valuable items in exchange for money and maybe invent something new," Changsun says shyly.

"That's a good idea," Hongseob says and uses the computer. "According to Google Maps, there are many jewelry places in Portland so it's either we can split up or go altogether."

Cory puts a hand under his chin. That signifies he is thinking of a plan. "I believe it's best to go in all together. That way if anyone tries to attack, we all protect one another."

"But doesn't the law state that all of us are vulnerable no matter what? It's like saying not to trust in one another and only focus on ourselves." Changsun explains.

"What? Do you think we are going to just abandon one another? Or are you the one who's going to abandon us?" Kisu says angrily and Changsun gulps in fear, probably regretting speaking up.

"Easy now Kisu, I need you to save that energy for tomorrow," Cory says. He turns to Changsun. "Changsun, there's no need to worry, we are all in this together okay? We will protect one another."

"Let's go till the end." Changsun mumbles.

Cory turns to me. "JinHong, usually you're the most talkative. What? Cat's got your tongue?"

I playfully smirk. "Nope. I just wanted everyone to have a chance to speak what they want to."

"Now they have. So, what specific person do you want to target?

"Well, remember when I joined this gang group for one reason only?" I ask.

Cory nodded. "You said your parents died in The Purge when you were only nine."

"I found the people responsible for my parent's death."

"But the law states that-" Changsun started but I interrupted him.

"I know. The law states that you can't press charges or throw them in jail or something like that. But that's not it. I saw in old records that in 2008 they moved to Japan and stayed there until they died."

"So...if they died, who are you targeting?" Kisu asks, clearly annoyed.

I smirk. "They were husband and wife, and from reading many books, couples want to have children. The wife gave birth to a daughter, who they both kept their secret from her. But, she's here, and I want her. I want her to know the truth of what her parents have done. I want her to know how it feels to have your heart ripped out and your breath stuck in your throat. I want her to die a slow and painful death."

---

"Hey baby," Chun-Li kisses me on the lips. I feel Kisu shooting glares at me but I ignore it.

"What's up? Anything new with the girl?" I ask her. Along with Hongseob, Chun-Li is an expert of hacking and tracking down people.

"Not much. All I know is her name, how old she is, what city she lives in, and her hobbies."

"Spill," I said.

"Her name is Ji Y/N. She's nineteen years old, she currently resides in Portland, Oregon and loves to read and write."

I smirk and kiss Chun-Li on the lips happily. "Get ready baby, for the 13th will be the best day of your life!" I pick her up and bring her inside one of JeongUk's many rooms, with her laughing.

***

October 12th, 2018

3:34 PM

I walked along the streets of Portland, letting the cool air surround my skin. It was like giving me an extra layer of protection from the harsh rays of the sun and from the scorching heat. Many people smiled and laughed as they walked, but it was a shame to see that all of this would be gone in less than twenty-four hours.

The bookstore was calling me so I entered roamed around. Fairy tales, Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Murder, Romance and many more genres swarmed around my eyes. Oh, how I wanted to have all of them. I smirked. Stealing books was the one thing I have been dying to do since I've heard about The Purge.

At the corner of my eye, I saw a speck of black. Craning my neck to where it came from, my eyes immediately land on a blank black cover. No title, no author. I pick it up and flip to a random page. Nothing. I look at the back to see if there is a price tag. Nothing.

I put the book down and go back to looking around but my feet indistinctively went back to the same place where the book was.

Although The Purge started tomorrow, I couldn't help myself and tucked the book into my bag, walking away and praying that no alarms will go off. Once I pushed the door and walked out, I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.

---

6:50 PM

Unlocking the door, I walk in but step on my own foot causing me to lose my balance and almost faceplant into the hardwood floor.

"Woah girl did you drink? Why are you walking all tipsy?" My friend Y/F/N asks.

"No. You know how clumsy I am. I legit just stepped on my own foot. You know how saddening if would have been if I dropped my bubble tea? I paid six dollars and thirty cents for it."

She starts to laugh. "This is why you should stay in the house during The Purge. It's either you are going to run away from the person and fall in the middle of it, or you are gonna talk so much that the person can't be bothered with you. So it's a fifty-fifty chance you make it out alive."

"Are you dissing me or offending me?"

She smiles evilly. "Whatever you think it is."

"I hate you."

"You know you love me."

---

That night, we watched a lot of action and defense movies "in order to protect ourselves if we get in that kind of situation" as how Y/F/N described it.

We moved to the basement and sat on the floor cross-legged, each of us having a knife and a handgun.

It's now eleven fifty-seven pm and at any given moment, our phones are supposed to go off. At least that's what they said.

"Y/N?" Y/F/N asked.

"Hmmm?" I responded.

"You won't betray me, right? We will survive this together right?"

I nodded. "After my parents died I had no one. You took me in because we looked like twins. Over the past few months, we did a lot together. I wanna continue it. I can't lose you."

She started crying and I saw her phone screen light up. One minute. I hugged her back.

"I love you, my twin."

12:00 AM

Beeps came from our phone, signaling a text alert.

'ATTENTION! THE PURGE HAS NOW STARTED. THE BILL OF RIGHTS HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY TAKEN DOWN AND BEEN REPLACED BY THE PURGE LAW. YOU HAVE TWELVE HOURS TO COMMIT A CRIME IF CHOSEN TO. OTHERWISE, BRACE YOURSELVES, FOR YOU WON'T COME OUT THE SAME WHEN YOU FIRST CAME IN.'

Muffled sobs came from Y/F/N's mouth and I whispered soothing words into her ear, trying to keep her voice down.

It was quiet, too quiet.

"Why does the government have this Purge thing going on every year?" I whisper.

She opened her mouth to say something until a crash was heard upstairs. She buried her face in my shoulder and I rubbed circles on her back.

Loud steps, not one, not two, more like eight people were walking. I heard fabric being ripped, glass shattering. I pictured the whole living room a mess.

"Stay here," I whispered. "Go hide in the hidden closet. I will come back once everything is fine upstairs."

I was about to leave until Y/F/N grabbed my wrist.

"You said you wouldn't leave me. Please stay."

I pried her hand off my wrist and tears were in her eyes. "I can't, if we both want to live, one of us has to go up there. Just trust me. If I'm not back here in thirty minutes, stay hidden and don't make a sound." She nodded and I trudged up the stairs, using my phone as a small flashlight to guide me.

When I turned at the stairs I immediately closed my phone, trying to force my eyes to adjust to the dark as quickly as they can.

"There's no one here." One person says.

"Do you think she left?"

"That's not possible, there's still a bowl of fresh popcorn on the coffee table." Another one says.

Wait, how can they see that? It's pitch black outside and they didn't even open any of the lights.

I quietly went up the stairs and took out my knife. If I can get close to one of them then I can-"OUCH!" I covered up my mouth.

"Who's there!" One took out their flashlight and I tried to run away but I bumped into something, wait no scratch that. I bumped into someone.

The person took out their phone and shone their light on me, revealing a boy who looks my age with silver hair wearing a black bandana as a mask.

"HONGSEOB, CHUN-LI! IS THIS HER?" The boy yells and another one comes and puts a device to my face.

"JinHong, it is." the boy says and the silver-haired boy who I presume is JinHong pulls down his mask and smirks.

"Ji Y/N, you're coming with me." and I felt something heavy hit the back of my head, the last thing on my mind was if Y/F/N was going to be okay.

MASTERLIST

[kob131]

RWDE Story Comparison 1: Dudeblade Part 1

https://rwdestuffs.tumblr.com/post/181687313437/done-dirty-word-choice

I’d give you the middle finger Dudeblade but I cut it so I’ll just settle for verbally tearing you apart.

You assholes wanna talk to other writers? FIne, better make sure you don’t share the same blind spots.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Not entirely sure how to break this down.

Basically, the choice in words is important. In a non-comedic series like this one, fans, theorists, and critics are going to comb over pretty much every detail.

Except that in a different post, when someone (suspicious you never mention WHO considering this is before Monty’s death) you bitch at the writers for a joke. An even then, people combed over Red Vs.Blue when it is largely comedic so that doesn’t work here.

Why am I doing this? Cuz Dudeblade is gonna try to use comedy as a defense since I’m gonna be using his precious fanfic.

Easy example: The word choice on how Qrow describes his semblance (fun fact: I have this particular screenshot labeled “Qrow being a melodramatic piece of shit” on my laptop).

Now, with the phrase “It’s always there, whether I like it or not.” Heavily implies that it’s on 24/7. That he has no control over it whatsoever. However…

This clarification from the Reddit AMA then says that Qrow’s semblance isn’t at all how he worded it. Now, this could be because even Qrow doesn’t know his semblance that well, but given that these are the writers whose response to being given an out by a fan who theorized that the reason Zwei survived all that stuff in Volume 2 was because Tai unlocked his aura was “There’s this thing called ‘Anime.’” I doubt that they’ll use that reason.

Funny thing:

"Indeed." Ganon added, "Do you want an update on that curse that I cast?"

Lex hummed and nodded in response. "Well, it took hold of the one that the emotionally weakest. They should be turning into a being of near-insufferableness soon."

"I'm pretty sure that 'insuferableness' isn't a word." Lex mentioned.

"It does not matter." Ganon replied, "Soon, we shall be able to use one of their own against them."

"Why the one with the most glaring emotional weaknesses, though? Wouldn't a much more stable victim be more useful to our cause?"

"The curse works in mysterious ways, Luthor. We must first force them on our side. Then, we break the heroes from the inside." Ganon replied.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11815703/104/Aftermath-The-DB-Chronicles

Why was the change so drastic? - Because time travel That's why.

https://www.deviantart.com/dudebladex/journal/Mewtwopoint-of-Future-Past-Alt-Timeline-battles-694649032

You’ve pulled that shit yourself.

So if it’s NOT okay when Miles does it, why did YOU do it?

Here’s another example:

Jaune knowing about Yang’s mom. Given Yang’s dialogue with Blake back in Volume 2, we can gather that it’s a very important secret to her. Given her reaction to Qrow knowing where Raven was but never telling her, we also know that for a fact. Given that Yang said that Ruby was a bit too young when she went on her “I want to find my mom” search to remember, we can gather that it’s likely that even Ruby doesn’t know. But, even if she did know, what reason does she have to tell RNJR?

Was she all “Hey guys! Let’s all share secrets with each other as a trust exercise! I’ll go first! Yang’s been searching for her biological mom for over ten years!”???

See, if it had been Ruby who had said Jaune’s line, we could gather that, yeah. Yang probably told her what happened. But we don’t get that. Instead, we get Jaune asking about it. Which either implies a betrayal of trust either on Qrow’s part, or on Ruby’s part. Either way, one of those two shared information that was very personal and important to Yang, and it was… brushed over.

IBurnBlonde: What, are you planning on dating me or something? IBurnBlonde: T? IBurnBlonde: Tifa? IBurnBlonde: Seriously. It's been ten minutes. What happened? IBurnBlonde: Forget it. I'm signing off. * * * [LockYourHeart has made a Private Chat With Buster Blader] LockYourHeart: Cloud! I need your help! Buster Blader: What is it? Did Yang confess her love to you? LockYourHeart: No, but she almost figured out that I have plans to date her! Buster Blader: smh… You didn't go on your tirade about how nobody deserves her, did you? LockYourHeart: … Buster Blader: You dug yourself in this, Tifa. I'm not digging you out. LockYourHeart: You are absolutely no help. Buster Blader: If you want help, as Link. Speaking of, I think he's in the main chat. LockYourHeart: Really? We might get to see how he chats with people? Buster Blader: Yep. Buster Blader: Tifa? Buster Blader: You did this to Yang, didn't you?

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11815703/103/Aftermath-The-DB-Chronicles

Why do I bring this up? This is a betrayal of Yang’s trust in Tifa except Tifa is doing it for far more selfish and creepy reasons.

Again, apparently it’s okay when DUdeblade does it.

And as for a third example, we have this:

If the narrative or writers wanted to paint Tai as a “Father who is trying to work through his loss to take care of his kids” then these lines of dialogue don’t help in the slightest. “

"What?" Jaune asked, "Are you seriously going to tell us that we need to go out there? - I already lost enough people in my life, thank you very much."

"Then you aren't cut out for the real world, kid." Frank said, "I lost my wife and children, and I still go out to keep the city clean of criminal scum every day. But you?" He gestured to the swordsman, "You only lost someone you barely paid attention to. That was your only personal loss. Everyone else here lost more than you, more than once, and we still go out there to fight." Jaune was at a loss for words. "So make your decision. Live and hide, or fight and die.

" "Your girlfriend chose the second option. But considering that you couldn't be bothered to even try to save one of your other friends after bemoaning losing everything earlier, I guess it's no surprise that you can't be bothered to try when it's the whole world at stake." Deadpool sneered.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11815703/134/Aftermath-The-DB-Chronicles

"Klicks? What are those?" Jaune asked, "Can't we use a distance people actually know? Like Kilometers?"

"How did you get into a prestigious combat school without knowing this basic combat stuff again?" Chun-Li jeered.

"I uh…" Jaune stuttered. "He cheated." Tucker clarified, "He wasn't sent there to be used as a test dummy, he actually cheated."

"So, why doesn't he know the basics?" Chief asked in an annoyed tone. "I heard from Blake that he slept in class and spent most of his study time reading comics." Cheetara mentioned,

"That probably has something to do with it." Jaune sighed, "Can we just… drop it? Please?"

"This is going to escalate later." Mega Man realized, "I don't know how, but it will."

"Seriously, were you reading a comic book while we were doing the debriefing on the way here?"

"No!" "He actually wasn't." Tucker defended, "He was busy crying over a picture of his girlfriend that he has on his phone."

"There are other people who lost more than you." Master Chief pointed out, "Also, two Klicks to Joker and Skull's battleground."

"Guts definitely lost more than you." Doomguy pointed out, "How someone on the internet thought that you had the worse life than him is beyond me, but whatever."

"Guts has not had a 'worse life' than mine!" Jaune whined. "How so?" Chief asked, putting his binoculars away.

"His girlfriend's still alive." Jaune said, as if it proved his point.

Everyone else was silent. Even one Predator facepalmed at the statement.

"Starting to see why Guts said that nobody would miss you." Tucker sighed, "You make pain be all about yourself, and don't let anyone else mourn.”

"Please." Mega Man sighed, "Please tell me that you're making a joke that's in poor taste and that you don't actually believe that."

"Uh, it… kinda is…" Jaune trailed off.

"Oh my God." Tucker snarled, "You actually think that?"

"Well, I don't know his life!" Jaune defended.

"His girlfriend was violated!" Sonya screamed, "I swear, if you actually think that dying is a worse fate than that, then I'm throwing you out there to get killed!"

"See, this is why nobody likes you." Doomguy pointed out, "You don't care about anybody but yourself, and put more people in danger than you actually save."

"The only thing worse than baggage is baggage that whines and complains all the time." Master Chief replied, "Get your priorities straight kid. People might let failures slide if you actually try, but if you just look away from a friend about to be killed without trying to save them, then you aren't any better than the killer."

"How so?" Jaune asked, "All I hear is 'Jaune, you suck at this!' or 'Arc, you suck at that!' but I never hear any ideas of how to improve!"

"Did you ask?" Mega Man asked, deflecting some plasma blasts with his Mirror Buster. "Well uh, no… But-"

"No buts." The Blue Bomber replied, "It's not our job to 'open the door' for you and offer advice. You have to be willing to accept it, and acknowledge that you have things to improve on!"

"Yeah, I mean, I was willing to listen to Wash when he was offering some tips on how to be a better leader back on Chorus. But you just grunt and walk away." Tucker pointed out, taking his sword out of another Hydra soldier.

"You aren't complaining that it's hard to improve," Orchid growled, "You're complaining that it's not 'magically happening' automatically."

"Beat has the area covered. We can move on to the next sector." Mega Man reported.

"You can either stay here, or keep going." Tucker said to Jaune, who was visibly shaken up, "But we're not going to be playing babysitter. I get enough of that with Caboose. Except Caboose can actually fight."

Our HEROES ladies and gentlemen, showing even LESS empathy than Dudeblade’s delusions he calls Taiyang Xiao Long. For those of you who don’t know, Dudeblade hates Taiyang because he called Yag’s depression ‘moping.’ And yet here is his HEROES, the guys we’re suppose to be ROOTING FOR, mocking Jaune for the exact same thing, using arguments Dudeblade as decried as immoral and sociopath.

Once again, not okay for RWBY but a FAR FAR FAR worse version is okay for Dudeblade.

Overall, these lines and details don’t have a lot of thought put into them. They’re used to further develop characters, but the writers don’t realize the implications of who is saying it, what they are saying, and why the choice of words matter.

I could bring up in each instance how Dudeblade is fucking up, whether it be that Qrow doesn’t understand his Semblance, that Yang could have old JNPR like Blake told them about her race or the numerous arguments about Taiyang but you’ve heard it all before. Instead let me prove to you that RWDE has no fucking idea what it is doing, By showcasing that for every single bitch they deal out: they commit the same if not WORSE sin.

The issue from them isn’t the action: it’s just the person who did it they hate.