#and then it was like 'he'd leave you for xie lian' and it was fucking hilarious actually

[jade-len]

you know it's bad when i read svsss and tgcf, stories about just two guys falling in love and getting together, and think, "god i wish i were in between them."

gay little domestic cottage core life with binghe and qingqiu? please and thank you. being sandwiched by hua cheng and xie lian, two pretty men who are hundreds of years old? i am blushing, kicking my feet and giggling

and again, it's not even that i would want only one of them. like in both of the relationships, the two love each other too much to the point it'd feel wrong if they were separated! it wouldn't feel complete, so you gotta be with both of them!

but that's the thing; i just?? i feel so incredibly guilty whenever i think about being loved by these mxtx couples??? like it's so stupid but i feel like i'm intruding in on something and it's like, everyone else seems to just want them together only, not wanna be with them. like it's fuckin taboo or whatever

i feel like with any other character from any other media it'd be fine to simp for and write/read x readers of them, but when it comes to these books, it's off limits! no way, what are you, crazy? yes, yes i'm unhinged and desperately want their love and affection simultaneously. i want to be in a happy little poly relationship with these overpowered beautiful men with long hair.

i can't be the only guy or whoever to feel this way?? to wanna be kissed by these characters? sandwiched?? i have two hands for christ sake and they all look so happy together and im just like "lord i wanna be with them so much". someone tell me i'm not alone cmon <\3

[tklpilled]

hold me like a grudge

(feng xin/mu qing)

summary: mu qing is not concerned about his rival. ignore anything feng xin says about the matter.

a/n: for a req i got back in december </3 so sorry it took a while anon

[this is a sfw tickle fic!]

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"Why the fuck were you following me," Feng Xin growls, barging in like he owns the place.

Mu Qing can't bring himself to be bothered too much. He scoffs. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you, bastard!"

Mu Qing rolls his eyes. He's just gotten back—from a trip of his own, of course, because he'd never go near Feng Xin if given the choice—and he's too tired for this conversation. "Use your brain for once. I didn't follow you anywhere."

Feng Xin steps closer, poking his finger into Mu Qing's chest, and Mu Qing flushes (with anger) at how close he is to Feng Xin's stupid, annoying, unfortunately pretty face. "If you weren't following me, then where have you been?"

Mu Qing crosses his arms. "I don't owe you that."

...Okay, yes, maybe he had been following Feng Xin. It doesn't mean anything, alright?

"You're a terrible liar," Feng Xin snorts. "What, were you worried about me?"

(Yes.)

"Of course not."

Feng Xin pauses. "You were, weren't you?"

"No." Mu Qing really, really wants him to leave.

"That's it." Feng Xin grins. "I'm right."

"You're an idiot—"

"Admit it."

"It's not true."

"It's in your best interest to say it."

"Oh? Why's that?"

Mu Qing...did not expect to end up in this situation.

"W-wa-hahahait! St-stohohop, I hahate you!"

It's embarrassing that, in eight centuries, Mu Qing hasn't grown out of being ticklish. The only thing saving his wounded pride is the fact that he's not the only one.

"You," Feng Xin starts, with a terribly smug look on his face, "care about me."

"I dohohon't!" Mu Qing digs his heels into the ground. "F-fuhuck, stohohop it!" Great, now he's even starting to pick up on Feng Xin's vocabulary.

(A memory flickers through Mu Qing's mind, and suddenly he's hundreds of years in the past, when Xianle was still at its peak.

"Please, you two," Xie Lian mumbles as they get into another shouting match, because this is long before he gives up trying to stop them. "Can't you get along for once?"

"Well, Your Highness," says Mu Qing, "that might be more doable if Feng Xin—"

"Me?"

"Stop," Xie Lian sighs. "Surely there's a better way you can vent your frustrations with each other?"

Mu Qing scoffs and crosses his arms, but he waits for Feng Xin to answer first. Which, after glaring for a few moments, he does.

"Fine," he says simply, and then he turns to face Mu Qing with an air of sudden confidence.

Tickling isn't a stranger to them, although it's not on purpose; it's just rather hard to ignore the way Xie Lian squeaks and giggles when they touch his sensitive spots, and that tends to happen often. So, while a tickle fight is far from anything Mu Qing had expected, it's not quite a big surprise.

In only a second, Mu Qing is on the floor of Xie Lian's room, and before he can stop himself he's curling in on himself as uncharacteristically bubbly laughter spills from his lips.

"I think I may prefer this," says Feng Xin over Mu Qing's peals of laughter. "Seeing as there's no way you'll ever beat me."

"I'll kihihill yohou!"

Again, Xie Lian sighs, but there's an unmistakable fondness lingering underneath.

And then Mu Qing is back in the present, and his heart aches.)

"If I remember right," Feng Xin is saying, "You'd always squeal like a girl when I got you right here..."

Mu Qing does not squeal, because he's much more dignified than that, but he will admit that his laughter does get more frantic as Feng Xin's calloused fingers skitter near his ears.

"Stop! Stohohop, ple—" He cuts himself off quickly. He's not going to beg.

"Admit it," Feng Xin pressures him again. "You were worried about me."

"L-lihihike hehell I was!"

Don't listen to a word Feng Xin says—Mu Qing has never been concerned about that man, never in his life. And he's especially wrong with his stupid idea that Mu Qing is so stubborn because he wants Feng Xin to tickle him. Absolutely preposterous.

The smile on his face isn't genuine. He's being forced to laugh.

That's all. Really.

[mvsicinthedvrk]

hw event 15 (funky murder mystery time) plot call! hit the 'like' button and i'll send you a plotting message, maybe not today but definitely tomorrow/wednesday at the latest, and we can pick some people to plot with. this will double as a starter call; i'll add threads here as we plot them. (but as a side-note, i probably will drop most non-event stuff once this starts, just for my own sanity. if it's a thread i'm really enjoying i'll keep it but otherwise if it's not hugely plot-related it'll probably get cut, rip)

wei wuxian: this man has died 3 times already, so he's not concerned. also his personal life is going great at the moment, so I can't see him getting too distracted by these murders when he's got better things to do than panic.

wei wuxian starters for: marlene mckinnon (mcrcki)

yuri plisetsky: he is tired of this bullshit. will be compulsively texting his friends and acquaintances to make sure they don't go out alone. will he be investigating? no, because he's a 21 year old, without any background in detective work. but for plots he's more than willing to tell your character that their theories are stupid and ridiculous

yuri plisetsky starters for: lizzie midford (drvcxrys)

orpheus: probably doesn't even know this is happening, tbh. does not read the news, does not eavesdrop on people at the cafe. blissfully living his life without a care in the world.

orpheus starters for: vanellope von schweetz (flyaboveitall), sirena (vcndetta), samwise gamgee (softsliders19)

wen kexing: his security system at home and at work are great. he'll be worried about a-xiang and chengling more than anything, so he'll want to keep an eye out on them/for them, but solving a mystery is none of his business.

wen kexing starters for: zhou zishu (youllalwaysbemyporcelain)

xie lian: xie lian is unfortunately in the category of 'i care too much' and 'let's work together and help solve this, okay?' he is pretty sharp when it comes to solving mysteries, but definitely wants to team up and coordinate with other people, because the more minds working together, the better! he is very optimistic that they can get this wrapped up soon.

xie lian starters for: mu qing (masqce), qi rong (tragcdysewn), ji euntak (spellbcok)

blathers: man is just trying to do his job at the museum, ok. please do not pull him into anything, he does not want to be involved, he is too aware of true crime podcasts to think that his contributions would be useful.

blathers starters for: ahkmenrah (purelybilateral), stede bonnet (softsliders19)

he xuan: this is not his fault. he did not cause this. he will have a few people he wants to keep an eye on but will be minding his own business otherwise.

he xuan starters for: shi qingxuan (irresistiibles), chunyu (tragcdysewn)

sha hualing: murderers? finally some excitement that this city needs. she will be causing problems on purpose, such as purposefully fucking with evidence and trying to leave fake clues for investigators. because that's good, cheap fun.

sha hualing starters for: eddie munson (recklcssabandon)

liu qingge: if he sees someone even vaguely suspicious, he will not hesitate to stab them with his giant fucking sword. so consider your characters warned.

liu qingge starters for: adora (flyaboveitall), anakin skywalker (recklcssabandon)

loid forger: finally a chance to utilize his spy skills! he has not been "officially" put on this case, but in the interests of helping keep the city safe, he will be investigating, so if you want anyone to team up with, give him a call.

dongfang qingcang: let everyone kill each other, he literally does not care. caring is beneath his paygrade.

chu wanning: he'll feel an obligation to contribute, probably by investigating on his own. i don't think he'd want to work with anyone else, because he doesn't want them to get potentially hurt, but that motive probably would not come across well and instead he will most likely come off like a loner asshole, rip

chu wanning starters for: mo ran (tragcdysewn), cisco ramon (vcndetta)

filippa kosta: yeah, they're ambivalent. this shit happens all the time. it is what it is and they just hope they don't get stabbed to and from work, but-- they have decent insurance, so.

filippa starters for: josh washington (purelybilateral), fred weasley (rcquicm)

qi yan: she's suspicious about why this is happening, but trying not to get involved. she works at the white house, so i'm sure tensions there are relatively high. if you have a white house employee character as well, this is a good potential plotting opportunity.

qi yan starters for: leia organa (mcrcki)

kaz brekker: keeping eyes out everywhere. he won't be trying to solve the murders unless someone he knows falls victim to it, but-- he's a good person to bounce ideas off of, because he does know crime pretty well.

kaz starters for: elliot alderson (purelybilateral), inej ghafa (irresistiibles), nikolai lantsov (rcquicm)

mo xi: he'll mostly be wanting to keep an eye out and make sure gu mang doesn't go wandering around alone, stupidly. he'll be concerned about the situation, but one or two murderers can't be that big of a deal, right?

pei ming: no murderers on the loose will keep him from enjoying a good time. he may, in fact, talk his bar owner into throwing a serial killer themed party at the bar one night. bad idea? probably. fun, though? hell yeah

pei ming starters for: victor nikiforov (irresistiibles)

lee rang: look, man is down to use this as an opportunity to cause some chaos, so if you want one of your characters to get injured or psychologically fucked with in some way, we can plot with him.

lee rang starters for: zoya nazyalensky (masqce), lee yeon (youllalwaysbemyporcelain), sabrina spellman (spellbcok)

that's what i've got! hit the like and we'll figure out a couple threads to do during the event 🎉

[truly-morgan]

[Kinktober 2021: Breath Play (18+)]

HuaLian | Heaven Official’s Blessing 25-10-2021

Day 25: L̷a̷c̷t̷a̷t̷i̷o̷n̷ / [Breath Play] / B̷u̷r̷n̷ ̷P̷l̷a̷y̷

Hua Cheng knows a lot about kinky play and Xie Lian is curious. He will always trust his husband, even with his hands around his throat.

====

“Are you sure?” Hua Cheng asked, still looking a bit unsure about doing this, yet his husband looked as confident as before. He tensed a bit when he felt Xie Lian grab his hand, taking it to his mouth, leaving a little kiss on his palm.

Then he brought the hand to his neck, smiling up at hc, “I trust you, I know you won’t hurt me and will stop immediately if needed” he replied. 

Xl knew that hc knew more about kinky play than he did, from being in the scene for a while now.

From what hc would tell him, he had learned about a lot of plays, being a dom for people who might need one (“but my prince was always in my heart” hc would assure him as if him doing something like this before meeting him again was bad).

On the other hand, there was xl, who grew up being told that chastity and celibacy were the thing to do. He knew nearly nothing, hc had been his first in everything.

He had been surprised when he discovered some of hc toys and bdsm gear (to hc horror), but never judge him for his preferences. “I wouldn’t mind trying” he had assured him, looking rather excited at the idea.

And so, their sex life had spiced up a bit, xl also discovering the kinks he has while hc is more than happy to work with what he wants. But every now and then xl would come up with something he was curious about and wanted to try.

And this is how he now had his hand around his throat. He was usually pretty alright with anything, but this did make him nervous because if he was not careful enough, he could seriously injure xl and this would probably kill him to do so.

“If you need me to let go or just stop tap my arm” he asked, bending down to kiss him a little, fingers caressing his skin. Xl smiled to him, tapping his arm to show he understood.

And so they resumed what they had started, hc trusting inside of him again, hand simply resting at his neck first. Then he started to grip. He made sure that he was doing it safely, not squishing his windpipe and only then did he start a better and faster rhythm.

Of course, he was watching closely xl expression and he was surprised by how much he seemed to enjoy. He'd let go a bit when it seemed necessary,  it otherwise kept going. Who was he to keep gege from something he enjoyed?

And xl was enjoying it, the lack of oxygen was making him lightheaded, making everything feel better. It was new yet the sensation was somewhat familiar, reminiscent of his teen years when he would force himself to be quiet when pleasuring himself because he didn't want to be found out. Reminiscent of days when he had noticed that holding his breath until he really needed air again and masturbating made him feel even better.

This was just something else because his instinct to take in air was not at play here.

And this ended up making him come hard, spasming and clenching around hc. Hc was not far behind, forcing himself to let go when he came too so he wouldn't accidentally end up hurting him by squeezing.

He pulled out as he watched xl was gasping for air, panting heavily and still looking daze. This made hc bend over, kissing his neck where his finger had been pressing earlier.

Once he made sure xl was back to a more regular breathing he laid back down with him. He pulls xl in a tight hug, hair playing in his messy hair.

“Did gege enjoy it like he wanted?” he asked quietly while leaving a little kiss on top of his head. He received a pleased hum at the question “san lang did perfectly good" replied xl in a rougher voice than usual.

This made hc hum a but too. If xl like it then it was all perfect, its what counted the most.

====

(ngl I'd be interested to write more about a fucked up way xl could have been raised like, you must keep yourself for marriage and any sexual pleasure is bad

I know he was not taught than in a bad way, it was part of his cultivation, but let's make it more of a modern world setting, if we but fucked up jun-wu it could be interesting )

Original - AO3

[actualsoyboy]

mxtx danmei ramblings

Listen, I'd kill for official content that's written from the POV of Mu Qing or Feng Xin (for TGCF) or Lan Zhan (for MDZS). Puttin' all my thoughts out there, spoiler warning ---

Like, I love Mu Qing and Feng Xin but I'm still so resentful of them...? Mu Qing leaving was fair, but... the way he compared his actions (kicking an old friend while he was down to ingratiate himself with his heavenly peers) with Xie Lian's (unsuccessfully robbing someone to afford medicine for his dying father)?? What the fuck? Fuck you, Mu Qing. And Feng Xin!!! He knew Xie Lian was acting different but he didn't even bother to figure out what was going on? At least he stuck around but he asked 0 questions when Xie Lian came back fucked up and depressed, like Xie Lian had been through the absolute worst trauma of his life and Feng Xin was like "why are you like this now :( " and fucked off.

The point is, I want to know what they were up to as gods during the 800 years that Xie Lian was living in poverty and pain… How they felt when he ascended again… Their motivations behind why they worked with him again as Nan Feng and Fu Yao... If Mu Qing still felt guilty for fucking him over so bad back in the day... If they ever learned what Xie Lian really went through during his first banishment... Mu Qing pouring his heart out to Xie Lian at Tonglu was good but it was not! enough!!! I need more!!!

In MDZS I'd love Lan Wangji's point of view because I really want to know when he developed his crush on Wei Wuxian and what he likes about him. Was he in love when Wei Wuxian from the first moment they met? Did he like Wei Wuxian because Wei Wuxian spent such so much effort teasing him or in spite of it? I need to know how he felt that whole time throughout the Sunshot Campaign and after, when Wei Wuxian saw Lan Wangji as an acquaintance, but Lan Wangji was so in love with him that he'd risk everything to protect him? And Wei Wuxian's death!! Please I want to know exactly what Lan Zhan went through…

[aeipathic]

oh reading book 4 has me feeling a whole heap of things about mu qing

like. okay. we all know that mu qing is the one who fucked up, right — the one who left xie lian first, the one who stood with others instead of xie lian when the 33 martial gods confronted him because he prioritized his own reputation. and i’m not saying those weren’t bad things, especially the latter. later, he’d regret ever leaving xie lian. xie lian was vulnerable — even if mu qing couldn’t know how vulnerable he was, at that cultivation spot, the fact that he knew he’d resorted to robbery meant he could at least guess that it was bad — and mu qing’s betrayal was part of what tipped him over the edge, right into the perfect spot for bai wuxiang to truly fuck him up. what mu qing did was wrong and had some real bad ripple effects for xie lian. (and, in all honesty, it would be fair if xie lian never quite forgave him for that — or, at the very least, never quite trusted him not to leave again, even if he claimed he never would.)

that said.

i think what gets forgotten is how much mu qing really tried to put things right. he fucked up, and no amount of apologies or good intentions after the fact could negate that, yes, and nor would they guarantee that the next time he found himself in such a spot that he wouldn’t make the selfish decision. but he really did try, y’all. he comes to find xie lian afterwards to help him up. and when xie lian isn’t willing to talk to him, he goes to his parents instead, and brings food, and promises to find medicine, and apologizes repeatedly. and like, i realize apologizing is the least that he could do, but it’s explicitly stated that xie lian and feng xin have never heard mu qing apologize in the years they’ve known him, and we know what his pride is like.

he bows his head and says “i’m sorry.” he says, “yes! i was wrong, i admit it, and i apologize!” (and in that moment he isn’t apologizing only for the incident with the 33 gods, but for leaving in the first place.) if xie lian had given him the chance, i think he would have made good on his promise to find ways to provide for them — because that is, in large part, the reason he left.

it’s true that mu qing left to provide for his own mother and not just xie lian’s family, and it’s true that he left because he wanted to think of himself as well. but he was getting very frustrated with xie lian and feng xin’s inability to see the larger picture and make choices that would help their situation. out of the three of them, he did the most work; they all took grueling jobs during the day, but mu qing was the personal attendant for the entire royal family as well — he cooked, he cleaned, he washed their clothes, he took care of them all on top of their daily work. and he was the one who carried the money. he was the one who was excruciatingly aware not only of what it took to fend for themselves (something none of the others, even feng xin, could be said to understand, growing up privileged as they had), but also of how exactly how little they had. he had to deal with a prince who refused perfectly good bread because it wasn’t the fare he was used to, and who then came near to fainting from not eating enough. he kept trying to suggest ways for them to make more money, to find more stable jobs, and kept getting shot down by the other two who would refuse the indignity of mu qing’s suggestions without offering any solutions of their own. he was the one who had to hold feng xin and xie lian back during fights — out of all of them, in a strange turn, he became the peacemaker. and it never did any good, and it never made anything better.

(feng xin grows angry at him for asking them to consider money when xie lian has just suffered a humiliation. mu qing says that he’ll have to get used to if it he doesn’t want to die. “get used to what?” feng xin retorts. “being humiliated by others? get used to mortals stepping on his face? why does he have to get used to something like that?” and i can only imagine that mu qing is looking at these two, who before the war had all the respect they could ask for, and thinking, get used to being humiliated by others? why not? i did. my whole life, i did. is it so unbearable for you? that, right there, is the moment he solidifies his decision to leave.)

so, yes, he leaves. he leaves because the three of them together is nothing more than the three of them suffering. he leaves because he isn’t being listened to, but, he thinks, he can do better than this. “your parents and my mother, the three of us, who knows how long we’d have to struggle in the mud! if i went back first, maybe there’d still be a chance...” was it a selfish choice, yes, maybe, but mu qing thinks in the big picture. if one of them had wealth — if one of them had resources — isn’t that better than none of them having anything? it’s very true to point out that he didn’t make use of those resources to help until after he’d already fucked up with xie lian — that he could, perhaps, have returned sooner — but i do genuinely think that his plan was to gain a foothold in the heavens, because xie lian couldn’t but he could, and find a way to make things better from there.

because — and this, finally, is the part that really made me want to write all this — i think that a large reason mu qing left to re-secure his position in the heavens is not just his desire for recognition and acceptance (though of course that was part of it), but because of his desire to be the one with the resources to help, for once. xie lian has been helping him for years. xie lian, who had everything, found it of no consequence to forgive an ignorant servant an accidental theft of a piece of gold foil and help cover it up, or to intervene so that that servant could bring a scant basketful of berries to his poor mother. it was easy for him, thoughtless, and yes, mu qing was grateful for it — he had to be — he thanked xie lian for it — but oh, he was so resentful. he resented needing charity. he resented being on that side of the relationship. he recognized xie lian’s goodness, but hated that he had to be on the receiving end, and that he could never stand as his equal. 

and now: here was a chance, maybe, to turn things around. now he was the one who could gain wealth, influence, resources, if he played his cards right, if he got in with the right people, and he could do that. finally, it would be him with the privilege to reach out a hand, to provide, to bring medicine, resources, whatever was needed. he could even things out. he could return the favor. he could be the charitable, and not the pitiful. and i think he wanted that chance. he wanted to know what it could be, to be the one with the means to provide.

(but of course even when he was the one with privilege, even when he did have that chance to be the better person — he wasn’t. xie lian, faced with the judgment of his equals, had never hesitated to stretch out his arms to protect the poor and the hated. he’d done it for that grubby little hong-er. he’d done it for mu qing. but when the chance came for mu qing to do it for him, he was too afraid of losing the respect of his peers — of going right back to being ridiculed and humiliated and shunted out, again — and so he didn’t. and that proved that he was a worse person than xie lian. that it wasn’t about wealth or privilege after all. xie lian was simply a better person than he was. that was the thing about the incident with the 33 cultivators that would haunt him the most, for hundreds of years afterwards.)

[inhumanescreeching]

welcome to another segment of twisting tgcf canon concepts. for today we have tgcf four famous tales but we make them calamities instead

not for the faint hearted nor for the ones who've yet to finish the novel. this gets heavy, and real sad

The Crown Prince Who Fought The Gods

- after the fall of xianle, his highness loses everything; his parents, feng xin and mu qing, his kingdom, everything. he begins cultivating as a coping mechanism, all of his anger buried deep within his heart. neither the whole yong'an revenge nor the hundred swords arc happens, because bai wuxiang for plot's sake doesn't exist here since we're amidst the making of the new white calamity

xie lian's second ascension happens. as soon as he arrives in heaven, he unleashes all the rage he's been keeping inside. he fights every official he sees, screaming bloody murder about how they've left him, how they've wronged the citizens of his fallen kingdom

his banishment is where things go askew. instead of returning to the mortal realm with cursed shackles, xie lian demotes himself into a ghost, harnessing evil intent and resentment of all the people he could not save

his resentment grows strong enough to even break the shackles at some point, and when that happens heaven and earth shake as if a new calamity was born

the new white calamity, mortals and heaven officials alike would whisper, the prince who fought the gods

The Princess Who Slit Royalties' Throats

- this one's pretty gruesome but yushi huang, in a fit and on the last bit of her rope, goes on a rampage the day pei ming's army threatens her family (it was the build up of her resentment for their mistreatment finally blowing over). "if you won't do it, then everyone else's blood should suffice" she said to her greedy king of a father, and starts slashing everyone else's throats

the king, who's rarely showed any emotion, looked up at his daughter in fear as she stood over the bloodbath. she had mad killing intent in her eye as she walked past him instead, out into the pavilion for the entire kingdom to see

she screamed for bloody freedom, for bloody repentance, and cut her own throat. pei ming's army slaughtered the kingdom as promised. the kingdom cursed their king for not sacrificing himself, and pledged their malicious auras to the dead princess instead

yushi huang's ghost grows powerful thanks to this, and with her rose the green calamity, the color of her fallen kingdom's insignia and for faming yk but im just eyeballing for aesthetics sake

The General Who Broke Swords

- a sequel of sorts for yushi huang's tale, she haunts pei ming for a good portion of his mortal life as a general after her kingdom's downfall. she whispered to him white lies and half-truths until he turned insane, became paranoid his men would turn against him

in the end, the revolution to make pei ming the king just . never happens, and instead we get a bloody war of a hundred men against one powerful general with the ghost of a calamity over his burdened shoulders

pei ming leaves rong guang last, and the two former partners stand over the graveyard of their men's corpses. "you've changed." rong guang said. "no, i'm growing stronger." pei ming replied, and the two fought neck and neck until a surge of power lands rong guang's sword broken in half

pei ming kills off rong guang with the very sword named after them, and as per canon after he comes to he realizes what he's done and breaks ming guang in half, except this time he pierces his own heart

up rises the crimson calamity, with his near sentient broken-in-two sword ming (and) guang so imagine e ming for hua cheng that's how ming guang is for pei ming here except it's two pieces of a sword and not a scimitar with an eyeball

The Young Lord Who Poisoned His Wine

- the existence of the venerable of empty words and his brother's constant pressuring drives shi qingxuan into alcoholism. shi wudu has yet to find the fate-swap method so all he's been doing is keeping shi qingxuan locked up somewhere, in some city

shi qingxuan rarely saw daylight due to this, and even so alwags he'd move to a different city in the near future so it didn't really matter. wine did not help, nor did it lessen his worries or inhibitions but he kept drinking anyway

it got to the point that he just . hated living so one day, when he's grown just too antsy after migrating, he snatches a few jugs of wine and escapes

he asks around when he gets to a busy street, and he finds out he's moved to a little village near the beach side. a vendor approaches him, an old man who looks like he knew all of shi qingxuan's secrets, and gives him a small vial. "i hope you make the right choice." the old man said, and when shi qingxuan turned to where he'd walked away there was no one

shi qingxuan walks by the sandy shore with wine and that bottle. he doesn't even hesitate to open it, or pour it into a jug of wine.

the venerable of empty words finds him, whispers "you'll die if you drink that" as if it was a threat, and shi qingxuan smiles darkly. "that doesn't scare me anymore."

he finishes all the wine, and lets himself simmer in the poison. black calamity is born on those salty shores, and the first thing he does is finish off the venerable of empty words

fuck this was so fun i need more of this au send tweet

[puns-parce]

YOOOO I just listened to Happier Than Ever for once (instead of just that one clip) and the ending of of it just makes me think of how Xie Lian and Hua Cheng wronged my favorite Xian Le trio. aka, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and Qi Rong.

Side note - I do like Xie Lian's character and I like a lot of Hua Cheng's lines but this will be sorta critical and riddled with some headcanons and inferences since the book is obviously centered on the main characters and sometimes doesn't fully explain side characters' emotions and what not!

MQ and QR haters probably won't like this one but to explain-

You scared me to death but I'm wasting my breath / 'Cause you only listen to your fucking friends

I see this as all 3 of them. For Mu Qing and Feng Xin, it's obvious. They worry frequently about their friend because he's hanging around a ghost king who is...frankly, pretty unpredictable to others and capable of horrible, horrible things. with and without cause. and xie lian listens to HC more than them at this point, which obviously stings since they want to be his friends and try to help him as much as they can. For Qi Rong, I see it as him trying to hold Xie Lian accountable for leaving him behind and letting him die in Xian Le at the hands of...anyone really (which was ofc a scary experience for a young man) but he knows it's a waste. Xie Lian already doesn't like him and anything Hua Cheng says Xie Lian will generally trust and HC hates QR.

I don't relate to you no / 'Cause I'd never treat me this sh-tty / You made me hate this city

THIS i see as Qi Rong finally, as a ghost, coming to the realization that he finds no relation to his cousin anymore. Any closeness, any love is gone. Xie Lian abandoned him, kept him in the dark, berated him. He'd never do that to himself, much less to Xie Lian. And now? Now he doesn't even have his home - he hates Xian Le. It's a reminder of all he had and all he lost - it's a reminder of what his cousin did to him. Or, more accurately, what his cousin never cared enough to do for him.

And I don't talk sh-t about you on the internet / Never told anyone anything bad / 'Cause that sh-t's embarrassing, you were my everything / And all that you did was make me f-cking sad

First off the number of swear's in this is totally on brand for FX who swears when he gets worked up. Second off, it's so PERFECT. Hua Cheng essentially accuses Feng Xin of abandoning XL when XL told him to leave. FX was trying to be loyal, and he never talked bad about the crown prince. Sure, he might have had moments of frustration but he'd never talk bad about Xie Lian. Meanwhile, Xie Lian wallows and it begins to seem more like FX abandoned him - which wasn't the case. That's such a depressing thing to know when XL was his everything, he was ready to serve XL to the bitter end. Endlessly loyal to the prince, even if it hurt.

So don't waste time I don't have / Don't try to make me feel bad

Mu Qing, sure he wanted to be Xie Lian's friend. But if Xie Lian is going to keep let Hua Cheng spoon feed him any words and say it's the truth, then he's too busy. He's suffered too - Xie Lian is not the only one who was hurt. Mu Qing is too mature to keep being guilt tripped or have his time wasted by a person that values the opinion of someone that sees him as an irredeemable traitor over a centuries old mistake over the opinion of someone they claim is their close friend

I could talk about every time that you showed up on time / But I'd have an empty line / 'Cause you never did

Another Qi Rong part! I see this as young Rong'er literally waiting for Xie Lian to come visit or talk to him and growing more bitter as he realizes he just doesn't matter. And probably also young Rong'er being beaten, tortured, or killed in the downfall of Xian Le and waiting for his cousin to show up and save him. But he never does.

Never paid any mind to my mother or friends so I / Shut 'em all out for you 'cause I was a kid

Mu Qing's frustration as a human at sticking around to help Xie Lian and his family (longer than he should have tbh) when he could be taking care of his own blind mother, who was also likely impacted by the fall of Xian Le. He was endlessly patient with Xie Lian and so generous in giving his time to Xie Lian, but reflecting back on it he realizes how selfish the crown prince really was, creating that silent sense that he expected Mu Qing to stick around and help (even if he didn't mean to)

You ruined everything good / Always said you were misunderstood / Made all my moments your own

Feng Xin and Mu Qing reflecting on how Xie Lian more or less threw away the kingdom of Xian Le pretty much in an attempt to prove his philosophy correct and, while well intentioned, it was heavily warned against by many. And afterwards it seems like Xie Lian is so misunderstood, so hated by fate...when, in a way...he brought it upon himself. He had received warning from the Guoshi, from Mu Qing, from everyone but he still chose to go through with it out of youthful arrogance and stubbornness and dragged everyone down with him. He made their moments - their futures - his own. He dragged them down with him (but luckily Mu Qing had the guts to take his future, his moment back and Feng Xin was lucky enough to stay to a point where Xie Lian simply dismissed him) and took the path they were supposed to walk together, fracturing it in his attempts to change fate even when many told him it would only cause more harm than good

Just f-cking leave me alone

ever notice how most of the times qi rong has an appearance it's because hc or xl are seeking him out or dragging him along? sure he's troublesome but so is hc. but no one tries to challenge him or force him to change course or try to hurt him. and aside from the issue with xuan ji and him stealing the farmers from Rain Master, we don't really see a point in time where he...creates a large mess meant to hurt many? he just wants to function on his own, walk his own path. but hualian come and regularly f-ck sh-t up for him.