#bc bazaar is doing amazing

[iceunhie]

synopsis: Kaveh doesn’t really like Christmas shopping with you for one (1) reason: You have horrible taste in matching Christmas outfits. 

warnings: 1.1k words, slight mention of Cyno and Tighnari, small mention of Collei BC she's my daughter my baby fr, modern au!! bff kaveh has my heart honestly he'd be such a good friend yet u still have to tell him to take a breather on his issues like get this man some help pls judgy kaveh but he swears it's in good faith lol

mhie’s notes: participating in @2023gisecretsanta's secret santa event! this piece is for the wonderful @june-again <3 i hope you enjoy this fic and have a wonderful happy holidays !! took a little break from romantic writing since you said you preferred platonic heehee,,, i shuld really write for kaveh more he's so silly

“No.”

You sigh, before plastering your best sopping wet cat expression. “Please, Kaveh? My wonderful, amazing, incredibly talented, bestest friend—”

“First of all, gross–” you stick out your tongue at him. “And second, [Name], I already told you this a million times and I'm going to say it again. I will not be caught dead in that… that abomination.” 

“C’mon, pleasee? It's just to take pictures with, I swear!” you say as you shove the red, abnormally large Christmas jacket to your best friend’s face, trying to at least get him to relent for just a few minutes. You do not succeed, and this only furthers the mortification in his eyes. This has been something Kaveh had been dreading for a long time already. 

It'd been a pretty okay day, his design for a new architecture project was approved and he was looking forward to excitedly sharing the news with you over a nice meal after work, only to be faced with the hell that is Christmas shopping near the Grand Bazaar in downtown Sumeru with Cyno and Tighnari, who are currently browsing through the rows of nice ‘make-your-own-plushie’ kits to give to Collei as a gift.

After you lot met up after your respective work and caught up by a delicious meal in a fancy restaurant (his wallet is screaming bloody murder right now though), the first stop he was immediately dragged to was a clothing store by you, and normally he would gladly pick outfits with you without complaint, but you were a huge fan of picking these tacky (sorry, but it's true) Christmas jackets that came in pairs to match with him. Best friend privileges, you say, but that absolutely clashes with his style. Like, he loves you, really, you're his friend and partner in crime and probably the only person he trusts more than Al-haitham, that bastard, anyway, but that (the sweater) is nothing but a fashion disaster waiting to unfold.

So he crosses his arms, Kaveh giving you a withering stare. “In the first place, why this sweater of all things? And that color?!” 

“It looks good on you! See, it even matches with your eyes! It's modern.”

“It's horrendous, that's what.” 

“Hey! You criticizing my style choices now?”

“Uh, duh? Why else are we friends? Why else am I your best friend, huh?” 

“Still, it's the holidays, so indulge me just this once, please?” 

“Excuse you, just this once? Last year was that green jacket that was too itchy for me to even wear! And the Christmas tree design in it wasn't even halfway finished!” 

“Hey! The Christmas tree print on it was still cute though, don't lie. And you wore it anyway.” you say dismissively, and you press against the sleeves of the jacket.

“Well, yeah, but–” Kaveh stops himself, before giving you an exasperated expression. “Wait, no, that isn't the point here! The point is, we should just look for better options!”

“Aww, but this one has a reindeer and elf print on this….” you sigh, disappointed. Kaveh eyes you with skepticism before turning to the aforementioned sweater. 

Okay, maybe it wasn't so bad… the reindeer print and the elves helping out the Santa Claus on the jacket front was kinda endearing… wait, no, don’t be swayed! 

“In any case,” he snips, putting a hand on his face and eyeing you distrustfully, “We can talk about that—” he gives the jacket a horrendous look of distaste, “later. For now we should just meet up with Cyno and Tighnari.” 

Before Kaveh can exit the store, however, you pull him back. “Nuh uh! Those two are going to take forever getting presents and you know it.” and just when he thought he dodged a bullet, you immediately give him the jacket, send him over to the fitting rooms and even have the mind to say ‘take your time!’ and then leave him be.

So, inside the fitting room, Kaveh can only try to struggle to find the utter appeal of the very, very questionably designed Christmas Jacket. There are two beings on his shoulder right now, the one with imaginary angel wings and of course, the one that's undoubtedly the devil.

‘Do it for [Name]! Please, this is exclusive best friend privilege and you're just going to throw it away? This is tradition!’ the nicer one says, endlessly using his moral compass as means for Kaveh to accept, and he almost does, really, but of course, with the angel comes the devil.

‘[Name] will understand if you don't wanna wear it! Besides, they've never had the best taste in fashion when it comes to Christmas jackets! Surely just one refusal won't hurt?’ 

“Okay, stop, stop!! I'm getting too into my head right now, I have to weigh the options….” Kaveh mentally chides himself and the little voices in his head, but ultimately comes up in a slump; on one hand, refusing you was fine, he knew that you would respect his decision, as you had always had. But… if he accepted just one night of humiliation, which will no doubt come in the form of Al-haitham and Cyno giving subtle and noticeable teasing when all of you gather around the local Lambad’s Tavern to celebrate Christmas Eve. Heck, even Collei would probably give him a look of pity! Kaveh hates it, really, but then again, it was just one night….

And you’d be disappointed! Also, what if instead of him who has to endure the matching Christmas jackets, what if you would match with someone else? No way, no way. Those were his best friend privileges and he was not forsaking them. Hmm, this was seriously a hard decision to make.

One day of humiliation versus the loss of potentially Kaveh’s and your Christmas tradition forever and likely the appearance of being a horrid friend– okay, he was overreacting here, but still! A horrid friend to you. Would he, in all his good conscience, really turn you down?

“Ooh, looking good there. I told you it wasn’t too bad!” you’re smiling and slightly smirking (no doubt you knew about his moral dilemma) at him when Kaveh comes out of the fitting room, donning the very oversized, very unfashionable jacket. “Oh my god, Al-haitham is never ever going to let you live this down.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” he grumbles, clearly swatting your phone away. “Can we just get it over with now? I swear I'm going to be so sweaty in this jacket. You’re lucky you have best friend perks.”

“Heh, don’t mention it! No one can resist my wonderful and amazing personality. Now, wear this too-!”

“Wait, hey! I never agreed to the Christmas hat-! Hey, [Name]!”

@ MHIIEEE 2023 : do not copy, repost or plagiarize my work.

[juni-ravenhall]

i bought this horse for saved up free sc at the bazaar on my middle east alt acc... wouldnt have bought it on my main bc its one of those with bland animations that feel not-alive to me (some horses like the appaloosa, jorvik wild, feel like they have thoughts behind those eyes like an intelligent living animal. its prob usually nomi's horses but im not sure 100% which horses were made by who. praying the new fri they mentioned will be as amazing as the appaloosas and not stiff and plastic like lippizaners)

anyway this mc is called "princess snowing" and ive been going with a princessy and silver-black-white theme, and this elegant dapple fit pretty well. except now i got this dress from a quest and am wearing that but it still kinda works.

i do like the brown eyes (certified blue eyes hater due to nordic trauma) and the soft way the coat was painted while still having pretty details and variety is actually really nice, and i love the pink nose and the socks (hidden by rainbows). some of the recent horses coats are way too plain and plastic-y for me but this one is good. i dont like the bwb manes in general bc i prefer long manes, but it worked out with a button style for princess. basically just a horse i wouldnt have had enough reasons to buy otherwise, but ended up enjoyable on my alt.

[lamemummy59]

IM GOING THRU YOUR BLOG i cant move bc i jus woke up to my kitten conked tf out on the lower half of my face so im in limbo BUT I FOUND YOUR BLOG AND NOW EVERYTHING IS. AL. RIGHT . ohhhh god omg YOUR COLORS ARE THE JUICIEST FRUITS FROM A THAILAND BAZAAR AND VINTAGE SODA ADVETISIMENTS AND CELLULOIDS FROM THE VAULTS OF HANNA BARBERA AND YOUR LINES ARE WATERPARK SLIDES AND RIBBON DANCERS AND PUZZLES AND ANCIENT STONE CARVINGS AND JELLY GUMMIES??? I JUST. ITS TECHNICALLY UNFATHOMABLE TO ME HOW YOU DO THESE THICK ASS MATHEMATICALLY PERFECT LINES AND I KNOW YOU DONT USE ILLUSTRATOR THEN HOW THE HELL?????? WHAT IS YOUR MAJICK??? and sorry for being annoying abt that but all this at your age??? you're gonna be in the animation industry in 5 years. as soon as possible. this is breaking my mind. like a jawbreaker but for the brain. all of your designs are canon from now on. they have always been. i want a rubber keychain of your amy. w the lines being like really ridged. so i can hold juice in the colored spaces. youre mad my man. youre mad.

THANK YOU OH MY GOD??????????? THANK YOU SO MUCH THIS IS LITERALLY AN AMAZING ASK DUDE 😭😭😭 I could do a tutorial on my linework if you want lol.

[taegularities]

hehe yes, unfortunately there aren't very nice beaches around here apparently? some people advised against swimming on the island beaches etc due to pollution :') it's the grand bazaar in istanbul!!! one hell of an amazing city fr 🥺

Ooh that’s sad but atleast you’re getting great pics and views and wow that’s a cool bazaar! How are you liking the food there I’ve heard soo many great things about it (I’ve tried very limited Turkish foods but the few things I had were nice !) 🌟

Alsoo unrelated to the trip and v random but which other kpop groups do you like and just who are your general English music favs ?

ahhh turkish food is amazing and very much to my taste bc they use just the right (amount of) spices! a looot of meat though, it can be hard to find veggie stuff, so i'll stuff myself with some chickpeas today, now that i'm back 😂

hmm good question.. bts is obv my main group and (not quite kpop but) i'm v much into dpr — other than that, i listen to txt, stray kids, mamamoo, blackpink, ateez, exo, b.i, shinee, taemin as a solo artist (!!!), gemini, the rose.. :D as for english music, the nbhd!!!! and zayn, paramore, lana del rey, hozier sometimes.

that was a long list hahaha wbu!

[puppy-phum]

pingxie thoughts (and prayers) bonus 2/2

continuation for this post where i try to make sense of all the visuals offered to us in the amazing bazaar photoshoot. had to divide the bonus part of this series into two bc of the amount of photos and my own tendency to write novels (even while excluding the video clips). hopefully these can offer you all at least something (more than just an eyeroll at my pretentious poetry). 

side note: the photos from the digital magazine (the ones without a watermark) belong to @/thosch3i who i very much want to thank you for all the updates and translations ♥

The Bazaar Photoshoot – Future Dream

As stated in the first part of this “analysis”, the theme of this photoshoot was the Pingxie ten years reunion. I already managed to get through the “ideal reality” photos, so now it’s time to delve into the “future dream” in the remaining ones. These seem to offer a deeper look into Pingxie’s actual relationship during the reunion and how their past and future meet in that moment. 

(placing under cut bc this gets long with all the photos!) 

These photos really challenged me to think outside the box. Bc the obvious answer would’ve just been me screaming “Pingxie married!” on top of my lungs but that’s not really something I’m aiming at quite yet. So I decided to call this pile of photos “the (future) dream” instead, which I think suits it quite well. Just let me try to explain why. 

Beginning with these two teaser photos where we first see their matching rings and then their matching necklaces. A lot of eternal promises and unbreakable bonds and soulmate symbolism here (my left brain: but Pingxie married!!! me: shush, not now). I feel like these photos in general show many of those themes, try to catch their bond and the deepest essence of their relationship. This is some type of core, them in their purest form, far outside of actual reality now.

The black and white colors make these photos feel even more like they’re part of a dream or a fantasy or a memory almost. Maybe it is about the things they now have and the things they have lost. Maybe it’s black and white bc things have changed but they still want the same things; they still have their bond and things still make sense. (Maybe I sob about this bc I’m just so weak and Pingxie soulmates, it’s confirmed now!)

Also gotta mention here – bc I will allow myself this one moment of gushing – that Pingxie in black and white, ZSX and XYL in these suits (both suits), is sinful. Absolutely sinful. But also stunning. And so soft. And well, what else could be more symbolic than making Wu Xie wear white and Xiaoge wear black? Tho I think that together, they have always been turning a bit gray. (And how many times did I read that as “gay”? Which,,, still true but. Not the point here.)

At this point am also fighting against my urge to talk about the video clip that dropped with the weibo update on the 1st of March and all the hand action we got in that. Bc I just loved how they played with each other’s hands and the snow and kept looking at their hands together in that clip. It felt like an inaudible love confession. And maybe these photos are just that; a voiceless, wordless way to say “I love you”. Neither of them is good with words anyway and the love is so loud am going deaf. I hope they’re happy. 

But if we forget that video, I want to pay attention to the poses in these photos. They are sitting or lying down together, Wu Xie’s head on Xiaoge’s shoulder, Xiaoge’s face almost buried in Wu Xie’s hair or at least turned his way. It feels domestic. There is nothing but them. There is nothing else to care about in this world than them being together and this closeness they share after all the time without it. It’s what they want; this very intense focus on each other (and if that doesn’t scream love to you then I don’t know what to say). It’s a little bit like the ideal reality I talked about in the previous post but even more intense and somehow so much more open which makes me think about this as a “dream” or at least a fantasy of sorts. 

Then in the two photos above, we again have Wu Xie looking at the camera while Xiaoge is focusing on him. It feels almost like Xiaoge is a prop here, all the focus placed on Wu Xie who is, unlike in that intense photo in the previous post, smiling. Slightly, but still. He looks soft, content, happy. He’s okay to be the center of all this attention bc he knows that it will take it away from Xiaoge (and omg I know yall whine now that such a thing is impossible with XYL’s beauty but just humor me for a bit). He’s so relaxed bc he knows that Xiaoge is content right next to him. (He might also be a bit smug bc he has a man like that but can anyone blame him?) 

I have to note then that, after gushing about their outfits and how good they look in them, there also seems to be a deeper meaning to these suits. Because I don’t think it’s an accident (or a thirst trap) that in these whole-body pictures where they lie in the snow, we see their chests and they’re bare-footed. It feels like this is them being bare in general, open. Their chests show bc their hearts are open, feet are bare bc they are vulnerable (and when you google symbolism for being bare-footed, Wikipedia hits you with childhood and innocence so yes, they are innocent here, pure, like they wish to be). This is them being true and honest with each other, offering all those parts of themselves to the other to look at which they never previously had the courage to show. 

At least that’s true in this dream, in this future they hope will become reality one day. In this future that, for now, ignores all the difficulties and obstacles between them (bc they have a lot of stuff to sort out and then Reboot happens and. Yeah well, the future never goes as you planned anyway).

Sitting and shoes on now, we then have Wu Xie offering this almost angry look to the viewer. He might be sitting slightly behind Xiaoge and lower than him but he’s the one who seems powerful here. Xiaoge looks almost childish (which might be just XYL’s personality showing through lol) and is focused on his own hands, the ground, and his shoes/legs. It feels like this is Wu Xie being the one aware for once, being the one who carries their worries, the one who sits there protecting Xiaoge so that Xiaoge can finally focus on something else. So that Xiaoge can be free and a little careless. That he can focus on himself and what he wants after giving so many years away for Wu Xie and his (at this moment non-existent or at least tainted) innocence. This is their dream; or at least Wu Xie’s dream bc somehow this whole photoshoot seems to focus on him instead of Xiaoge (like I stated before, he seems like a prop sometimes haha). 

In contrast to that thought and the previous photos, this one actually puts Xiaoge on display tho. He’s at the front, in the middle of the photo, and if you don’t get distracted by Wu Xie’s eyes (hard, I know), then you most likely focus on Xiaoge and get stuck there. It feels intentional, like Wu Xie’s strong protective instinct is somehow left a bit hidden? Behind Xiaoge? Who is usually seen as the protector? Which is interesting imo bc at this point Wu Xie has learned to be very brutal, and in Ultimate Note (and before that), we see him being very fierce when it comes to him protecting those he loves. So this setting between them feels a bit like a dream too, a dream where Wu Xie has been able to pull away a little bc Xiaoge is alright while facing the world again. Xiaoge is not as vulnerable as someone who doesn’t know who he is and who to trust. He has found his place to be.

Then the two photos that confused me the most bc at first they felt like they didn't fit at all? They just felt... weird, even if they look absolutely stunning. Here we have Wu Xie and Xiaoge dressed in their second pair of suits (if these can be called suits?) with Xiaoge in this long cape thing and his arms half bare. Wu Xie’s outfit seems almost too simple compared to everything else he’s worn, and they are both now facing towards the same direction while previously they were either looking at each other, away from each other or, in Wu Xie’s case, the viewer. 

Maybe these pictures were why I finally came to think about these as “the future” instead of just some type of “dream”.

Because in these pictures it feels like they are actually looking towards the future. Especially in this last photo they are both facing the light, side by side, in these clothes that feel almost like they’re… I don’t even know. Purified? Divine? Heavenly? Please excuse my lack of words but this just feels like that, like some kind of final peace where even their clothes are somehow on a higher level. It’s a dream-like future where they both can stand strong and be together forever, finally. (Also makes me think about how we see their rings in these pictures, like a sign of the bond they have formed and the bond they want to form (my left brain again: Pingxie married!!!! and this time am tired of arguing against that).) 

And if we add the other photo up there, where they are slightly turned towards each other, sharing a look almost, it feels like they have decided to go. Like this is a mutual choice of walking forward, some kind of turning point like the last photo was in the previous post. They are going and the future is at their reach and it’s going to be amazing (or at least I believe so, once again, bc they deserve their happy ending).

What are we then left with? With a future that includes them being at peace, being content with each other and the surrounding world. A future that is, probably, more from Wu Xie’s point of view than Xiaoge’s but still so utterly loving for the both of them (bc what else would Wu Xie want than happiness for Xiaoge?). And then if we connect this to the other photos in the first part, this feels almost like that ideal reality coming to life in their future, that closeness and joy and basking in the other’s presence stretched to cover an eternity. It’s so soft and gentle and sweet. Just like Pingxie are always. And I’m not even surprised that their future includes all of this bc what else could they wish for than the final relief of being together?

[redxblueihateloveyou]

dmbj newbie here with a bronze gate question. so as i understand it, the only place the bronze gate episode takes place on film/in an adaptation is the ultimate note harper's bazaar issue bts (this is me being funny)—but does the ten years get mentioned in any of the adaptations? you have it sometimes in your gif sets is why i ask, but it's usually on b&w frames so i guess that's just reboot wu xie thinking about it? reboot would be after the 10 years, and there's the wu xie war widow movie right before? i'm just trying to understand for fic writing purposes, but as you know the adaptation timelines are so bonkers ahaha. anyway thank you and your tumblr is AMAZING—

Oh yeah I've seen some in fics confusing 10 years separation with his first time going behind the broze gates (aka heavenly palace one, after which ultimate note is set up). These are not the same. First time he left, in book 4 it did left Wu Xie shook and scared but at that time it was just the beginning of their relationship and Xiaoge didn't leave for long, he just went to see what was there and soon returned. But it has nothing to do with major tragedy in book 8, where Xaoge is already fully admitted to himself that he doesn't want to ever leave his Wu Xie but has no other choice, and their 10 years long separation.

Tbh adaptations timelines are all accurate (its just the actors age who play Wu Xie I think confuse ppl when it comes to Sand Sea, Reboot and now Tibetan Sea Flower, bc Zhu Yilong looks younger even tho it's set after the other two). But its all accurate. Heavenly palace is the first time Xiaoge goes behind the gates, by that time his feelings for Wu Xie hasn't established yet (bc as NPSS said it is hard for him due his past to feel that way and it took a long time for Wu Xie to break through even tho he surprised him from the very beginning) so when he leaves, he doesn't quite understand yet why he wanted to look at Wu Xie before he left. He comes back pretty soon after and thats where UN starts aka the time their feelings for each other develop, Wu Xie after the first bronze gates first time feels scared that he might not see him ever again so after that it changes their dynamics a lot and Xiaoge starts to realise that Wu Xie is his home but is still confused about such foreign feeling bc he never ever wanted to stay, which finally in book 8 leads to him finally admitting it and the "it's just you" infamous confession. He realizes that doesn't want to leave Wu Xie anymore, but sadly and cruelly its also the time they're forced to separate not at his own will. He then finds out the whole thing about Wu Xie being the next one who has to go behind the gates and takes him place instead.

So thats the book that goes after UN, there's no adaptation for this one yet, but I think everyone waits for this one the most xD. Then will be "Tibetan Sea Flower" (the one that's gonna be released soon), its set 5 years after Xiaoge leaving. This one is gonna be very angsty bc in this time period he's just very uncontrollably angry and quite chaotic. He has a hard time dealing with all the pain so first years out of these 10 are the most intense. After that goes the "Sand Sea" series (thats only half of it), it's the last of these 10 years, aka my least fav part, bc at that time he's colder, his soul seems dead and he's mostly just depressed and tired af and its all well.. depressing.

Then goes "10 years later" and all the extras. Also the most anticipating part we all want to see, but still don't have the adaptation. Aka them reuniting and Wu Xie saying "fuck ya all", taking Xiaoge to the village and iron triangle enjoying peace and quiet.

And then goes Reunion the Sound of the Providence, which is first 2 books of the Reboot series.

As for mentioning, I'm not sure what do you mean its not mentioned? In "Sand Sea" series it's mentioned all throughout the series. When grandma shows Wu Xie's 10 years calendar and at the end when Pangzi tells Wu Xie that Xiaoge might not recognize him and that they'll reunite soon specifically, but I mean.. the whole series is about that xD I don't get what you mean…? The piece of bronze gate at the end to terrorize him also counts as a direct mention I think.

As for Reboot, also there were scenes like this one, where Pangzi tells Wu Xie not to panic and that "if Xiaoge could survive behind the gates for 10 years he's gonna be okay" and Wu Xie almost starts crying and his sickness worsens bc he couldn't breathe:

So here's the exact scene voicing it, too.

But in general just for the record, in the books after they reunite, they literally fucking NOT ONCE FUCKING TALKED ABOUT IT! And that's fucking pissing everyone off. Like I understand why, bc I recently came to a conclusion that they both know everything already (Wu Xie figured everything out during these 10 years and Xiaoge knows what he was doing from Hei Xiazi I'm sure). So all that is mentioned is that Wu Xie hid his scars bc he didn't want Xiaoge to see them first time he sees him again. We also know that Wu Xie is mad about Xiaoge taking his place and that Xiaoge is mad bc he did it to keep Wu Xie happy and innocent and instead everything went the opposite way. But they both never mention it to each other bc there's no point really, I guess. I think they both know that being mad about the fact that they both did same thing is pointless. And they won't apologize too, bc they don't feel sorry for what they did. Its like saying "you had no right to blah blah" when you did the same thing xD. So no one speaks about the "thing", only very subtly bc its a very sensitive matter. It was pretty clear that they wanted to forget and just be with each other as much as possible right now. Like when Xiao Hua was like "I get why you want to shelter yourself alone with him here in the village after that and just be near each other".

But then again in Reboot 10 years PTSD shines all throughout the SOP part heavily. Bc with Wu Xie getting sick thing.. its just all that pain resurface and war flashbacks just linger heavily in the air in the first two books. Bc its the first time since that that they have to separate again unwillingly and Wu Xie just doesn't handle it well even with the fact that he knows that its "not like that" and that he promised to return to him as soon as possible. And Xiaoge has troubles with controlling his anger there, bc he has his own PTSD aka "wanted to protect my treasure so he'd live a long carefree life" and now that he's back he found out that not only it's not carefree but it also might end. So after too short of a period of happiness the trauma comes back and there are lots of parts like "the thought of him leaving again made my heart sink" (in the book he was crying next to the window in the village when he found out that Xiaoge has to leave, in the series he cried in bed). So when it comes to Reboot it might not be directly mentioned, but its always there. And all of these emotions were in my opinion transferred very well by both sides in the series. Like it was the hard part to play in my opinion bc it was the first time they had to deal with their ptsds after short happy times and it all came back like a tsunami, but they both were very stoic about and the only way you could get how Wu Xie felt is by reading his thoughts directly, not bc he showed anything. So they had to somehow transfer it to the screen, which is real hard considering that in that part they're both emotionally constipated and Wu Xie also learned how to hide his pain.

So in this aspect adaptations are all accurate.

P.S. Not really that related to the question, but to me the most upsetting thing about this is that the only thing that can help them at the moment with this is not currently possible.

Bc if you think about it... talking about these cursed times won't help really, bc there's not much to talk about it. I mean what are they gonna say "sorry not sorry"? lolz. And it's like not the usual chinese bl stuff where one has no idea what other did, so someone has to tell them. Here they both know what they did and for whom, they also both by now know about their own feelings and aren't in any denial. The only problem is that they both think that they're trash compared to each other, bc they both see one another as their whole world without whom they can't live.

So the only thing that can help them rn is getting together. I would really want Wangxian like thing with Xiaoge kissing Wu Xie's scars bc hell he needs it so much, I cry. You know what I mean. Thats in my opinion is the only way they can soothe the pain and cure their ptsd little by little. By loving each other, thats all. But with the list of all the problems right now its just.. idk how to deal with this honestly.

P.P.S. Zhu Yilong always talks about these 10 years in all of his interviews lmao. And in one as an obsessed books fan he also agreed that its better not bring this up, bc Wu Xie almost got mad during those xD

P.P.P.S. Thanks for loving my blog and hopefully that helped somehow, bc I remember being hella confused back in the days xD

[greektravelblog]

Day 3 (part 1)

I slept in waayyy later than I was planning to. Finally up at noon, after getting ready, M and I decided to go to a pizza place down the street from us, called Bellagio's. Man when I tell you that was the best pizza I've ever had, I mean it. American food sucks in comparison to even street food you find here.

I mean come on, who wouldn't want this every time they ate pizza? Not to mention it was only around a buck per slice! M and I were the only ones in the restaurant despite it being two pm. After picking up more lemonade at the Bazaar, we headed back home to get ready for a downtown Athens tour at 4pm. After changing and applying a religious amount of sunscreen, we walked across the street to the R1 lobby where we were meant to meet up before the tour. We were the first ones there and I started out hopeful that the tour would be small.

Boy was I wrong.

Our poor tour guide. She was a wonderfully sweet greek woman who spent the whole time speaking over these college students who wouldn't know respect if it slapped them in the face. I struggled to listen as she explained to us the history of this amazing city and what buildings we passed. She eventually grew tired, I know, because she would cut off her stories and switch to a different topic if they were talking over her. I was livid. Not only are we in the most historically rich city in the world, but you've been given a FREE excursion with a tour guide who is taking the time out of her day to inform you about the city and all you can think about is getting piss drunk and going clubbing? Do what you want, but you shouldn't have signed up for the tour if you weren't prepared to listen and participate in it. To that tour guide: I'm really sorry for what happened today. Please know that the information you provided wasn't completely ignored and it was greatly appreciated by the few people who were paying attention. To the college students who are on this trip with me: put up or shut up. You're not just here for a vacation. You're here to STUDY abroad. Do whatever you want with your life, just don't hinder those around you who are actually trying to learn.

Anyways,

Rant aside, the views were stunning. We passed several buildings and landmarks that were erected in the 19th century when Greece finally won its independence from the Turks. While these buildings date back to only the 1800's, they are still ancient historical landmarks. Below is the very first college ever created in Greece and one of the oldest in the world. It is still a college today and a statue of it's founder, Plato stands before the building. Guarding the academy, Athena and Apollo are placed on either side of the building on tall pillars as protectorates and sponsors. The building next to the college is it's library.

Our first stop was to an original arena from the 4th century BC.

(The girl next to me is my roommate, M)

Originally, it was made of wood until a rich sponsor a couple hundred years later paid for it to be completely re-done in marble. Now, obviously it wouldn't have lasted in this condition, so in the 19th century it was restored using the same marble.

Why was it restored?

Because the very first modern Olympics were held in this very arena!

Of course, the arena is now too small for the capacity of today's Olympics, so it now stands as a museum. People even use the track to exercise!

We then saw the official Cathedral of Athens. Its official name is: The Holy Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary (a lot I know.) And the small building in front of it is a Cathedral from the Byzantine Empire. We arrived right at seven so we got to hear the bells! (volume warning).

We saw beautiful statues with so much history, I'd be here all day typing.

(The bottom one is Alexander the Great)

I have to do this in two parts because tumblr only allows 10 photos per post.

[starrysupercell]

Sooo... Now that its my wif- Tara's birthday... Are the Mystics (And Bo) gonna celebrate it :D? I can imagine Gene trying to set up some kind of surprise party for her, that would remain a surprise for like 4 minutes...

DANG IT. Past 12. TwT

But here you go! An outline for how Tara’s birthday is celebrated this year. 🧿 best fortune teller in Starr Park tbh. Your wife says hi 💜

I really gotta start keeping track of the Birthdays to have these things planned out.

~

One of the many good things about how much time Tara and Gene have known each other, is he knows she'll figure it out.

The surprise for her will be not the fact that there's a party because she can easily see that, but the extent of it, because she can promise not to sneak a peek at it.

(But now she's curious! Also, she's so used to checking on the future,* it takes a very conscious effort to not do so.)

So, while Gene keeps Tara preoccupied by taking a walk around the Park, Sandy, the Tribe, Gale and Mortis (because they're also friends with the Mysticals bc of the skins, shush.) are in charge of decorating.

So, with only two responsible adults in this group, how well do you think this is going to go? :)

Gale: So do you have a plan for the setup?

Sandy: hm? >.o oh. Yy*yawns*eah. here you go... *hands him a paper*

Gale: ...this just has a rough sketch of the main room and a couple of balloons.

Sandy- mm..felt sleepy but there's still.... -.-...time to...zzzz....

Gale:

Mortis laughs because well they'd just have to wing it! (He would definitely ask Emz for help, but she's busy with the teen crew for plot convenience) As long as decorations are already bought, it should an easy thing in setting it up the way they want it to look.

....decorations are already bought, right?

Sandy softly snores, and the Party Crew realizes that's their answer.

~

Meanwhile, Gene and Tara walk through the Park. The plan is picking up a few extra gifts along the way before heading back to the main party.

Their first stop is Barley's for some drinks! He gifts one bottle of Tara’s preferred drink, but does charge for the rest. Along the way, we see Brawlers greeting Tara and wishing her well on her birthday.

Colette’s very enthusiastic! She knows all the Brawler’s birthdays, and wanted to make something for Tara!

She doesn’t really have extra money recently, since there was some recent change in management, and she usually makes more detailed items, but because of the money problem, couldn’t buy as many materials she needed, but she’s derailing, so she hands Tara her wrapped gift.

It’s a cute hand-made Shade Plush!

Tara is delighted and thanks her for it. It’s a pleasant surprise, and she appreciates it. Colette fangirls a bit, thanking her, and then waving bye as the Mystics carry on.

~

Back at the Bazaar, they're trying to brainstorm on what to do. Well, half of them present are. Sandy is asleep and Nita + Leon are playing around the house.

Mortis says the only things he has back home are.. well, decorations of a more... gothic type..you know,.. (Halloween decors. they’re Halloween decors.)

Gale also offers up... some Snowtel hangings, but again, ‘tis not quite the right season to be jolly.

Bo suggests makeshift decorations. The twins are good at crafts! .. but more so along the lines of forest materials, not sand and...

Everyone’s drawing a blank, and decide that they could gather up their own share of materials, and see what could work best. Their time limit won’t really allow a break after all.

So Gale contacts Lou and asks him if he could meet him halfway with everything he can carry. Try not to get caught by the Penguin boss. Lou, ever the chaotic good guy agrees.

Bo gathers up Leon and Nita and they head out to see what they can scrounge up.

Mortis wonders if he should call up Frank too since he’ll be here later to set up and provide the music, but decides to be ~generous~  and just send a flock of his Bats to pick some things up for him. He sees them off adoringly.

With a content sigh, he lounges back and waits for his precious lovelies to return with his ideal decorations. Sandy sleeps on...

~

Back with Gene and Tara, the next item to pick up is the cake. Piper has the order ready-- a black forest chateau cake.

“Magnificent taste, darlings!” she compliments. she has it all boxed up very fancily. “It’s on the house. Take it as my gift for you. Happy birthday!”

She’ll also be attending the party later. Tara thanks her for the cake. She and Gene then take their leave.

Along the way to their last stop at the new Castle environment for the food, (because while they don’t know Ash very well yet, Tara loves trying out the new items and pizza is always great for a party.)

“Hey, Tara! ...hold up.” Edgar jumps down from a building they’re passing, just because he can and . “...this is from the rest of the Gang. Me too, I guess. Happy birthday.”

~

The party squad are actually worse off than before.

The Shaman Tribe are back, and the Twins became interested in using fabrics to try and make something too. so they’re playing around with it pretty much.

Gale just arrived, with Lou joined along because he was interested in the party planning too. (So, the snowtel is understaffed right now.) but they’re just chatting instead of working.

Mortis’ bats haven’t arrived yet, and he’s getting worried. They don’t usually take this long in running errands for him.

Leon and Nita are practically playing catch right now. They knock over something that looked priceless. Oh, a crystal ball, perhaps. Bo reprimands them.

They haven’t gotten much closer to making up the room...

There’s a knock, and the group freezes because oh no, they’re out of time. but it ends up being Frank. A very unhappy Frank who was suddenly surrounded by screeching batties who kept picking apart the house while he was packing up his set up for the party. They followed him there afterwards, along with several things.

Mortis tries joking it off ;; , and then very quietly and off-handedly apologizes when Frank doesn’t find it very funny.

But then so hey!!! you’re here so decoration time, everybody! let’s hop to it!

Gene’s Lamp, Sliver, floats in. Sent by Gene himself to check on the progress. They were nearing after all. The Lamp’s alarmed by what it sees. That is, absolutely nothing.

It glares around, and spots Sandy still sleeping. Sliver floats over to him, and hops on him-- Wake up!

Sandy does so, but is very grumpy. “what?”

Tara’s Birthday.

“yeah? what about it?”

Don’t you care?

“obviously.” he swats at the lamp. “it’s tomorrow.”

>:( Today. It’s TODAY.

“,” Sandy looks around, as wide-eyed as he could be.

broken crystal ball, a mix of decorations, and nobody currently fixing up anything from the looks of it.

They’re on the way.

Sandy makes a face. “ok... game plan on the fly.”

~

The final stretch of the day out.

Gene and Tara are nearing the Bazaar, and along the way, Gene starts to get heartfelt.

He reminisces how they first met, how far they’ve traveled together, how much longer they’ve yet to go.

He wishes he could think of something to give her that meant something like the other gifts that she received that day.

He was a Genie, but after everything they’ve been through, she deserves much, much more than what he could ever imagine to conjure up for her.

Tara smiles. “(Don’t... put me on too high a pedestal, my Friend.”)

Don’t sell yourself short either. You’ve done so much.

“(Yes. I have.)” Tara muses unhappily, thumbing the doll.

Gene suddenly gets the idea of what his gift could be, but he needs his Lamp to start on it.

~

Right before the two opened the door, a pair of bats were hanging up the last decoration.

And when the two walked in with the final party supplies at hand and are amazed at the display.

intricate ice sculptures and a more snowy feel set up where the food would go. the music section where Frank set up (who was talking with Mortis.) had a darker aesthetic, including the balloons over there.

Lastly the rest of the place was decorated with very cute works of art. no doubt the Tribe kid’s handiwork. she recognized it from when they stayed over, and the gifts Bo’s gotten from them and shown her.

You’d think that the seemed like the mix of fancier silver decorations, a more gothic theme and natural crafts would look odd together... and well, it was quaint, but it was very pleasing to see.

a patchwork of oddities, not unlike this park, really. She’s always been fond of odds and ends. Tara loved it!

Sandy yawns and walks over to them. “we actually just got done with the set up. but if it makes you feel better, we can still hide right now and yell surprise.”

Tara laughs. It’s okay.. it isn’t like she could be-- but she appreciates it. Sandy shrugs, like he didn’t just call all the shots and work in a hurry with the other eight. “you’re welcome.”

Lou offers to help set up the food and cake. Gale helps too, after presenting his gift too.

Frank and Mortis notice the arrival of the Birthday Gal and wave her over. They chat animatedly-- it’s been so long since they’ve had the chance to catch up! They should plan something soon. Tara agrees, and their gift is from the both of them. I can see it being a very nice piece of clothing, though I’m drawing a blank as to what.

The Lamp reunites with Gene, and their perspectives merge again. Oh. the party was really cut close, huh? but it worked out well! what a relief. a scrap book of actual memories is what you have in mind? how very sappy.... She would like it.

Lastly, Bo walks up to Tara, greeting her and wishing her well on this day. He hopes she likes what they helped with ....he then has the Twins apologize for breaking a few things around the house--

Tara dismisses it easily. They can be replaced. The Twins, that is. (joke to scare them.) But really, as long as they were careful from now on, it was okay. the cub and chameleon agree with no hesitation and then run off to cause more mayhem, but quieter this time.

The Psychic smiles. The guests would be arriving soon, and it was already so lively.

Time to party~!

_______

*I’m still deciding on the extent of her powers, so future sight might not be a thing, because of the characterization I have for her. I’m thinking something along the lines of “Can see past events, and make very informed guesses based on what she knows about people, but cannot see the future itself.”

[accio-victuuri]

Do you have any favorite fanmeeting/CQL concert? I've only watched the concert one in Nanjing which I loved bc it was them singing only (CQL OST is perfect), but I've read mixed reviews about the one in Thailand bc it only focused on GGDD and the others were just there as decoration. And how many were they?

THAILAND FANMEET!!!!!! I’m so mad that I wasn’t a fan yet or I would have gone there no questions. It’s pretty close to me ( and i’ve been wanting to go since feb last year ). I loved that cause we had the smiling GG moment and that fake kiss + the interview where they wore white + bazaar pictures omg glorious. It was chaotic behind the scenes and everything else that was going on— but that FM was magical. at least for me. As much as I agree that every cast member deserved their time in that FM— the truth is, the people attended mainly for GG and Web. The organizers were just doing what i guess is, what most of the audience wanted. The fan support for them were amazing!

Fanmeets were. Beijing ( this one is online and they were still unprepared) , Tianjin, Thailand and Nanjing. NANJING was amazing of course. cause they were more prepared and at that point they understood how big this is and that fans were expecting. but it’s so melancholic to me since it was the last show. very bittersweet. 👇🏼

[moskaisley]

migraine pt.3 | chronic

gif: @logan-solo​

rating: mature

word count: 3k

warnings: cursing, suggestive language, fluff but also ANGST, jealous!mando aka my favorite kind 

a/n: this literally took so long to write bc i basically changed the last half of this fic, but i’m rly happy with the results. there was a lot i wanted to include about life before din left, and i thought i’d put them in separate like one shots, but i figured that it would be include in the main story too. this is basically like an anime recap episode LMAO. enjoy!! thanks for the love <3

summary:

“But slowly and languidly, there was a sense of tenderness that began to bleed into the crevices of your daily lives.”

When you and the Mandalorian existed in another time, another place. 

parts 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

ao3 link / masterlist

Dreams these days never really consisted of anything new. Old memories played in your head like a holovid, both the good and the bad. Tonight, they were filled with him. 

In the beginning, the two of you never really acknowledged what it was. 

You fucked only a few more times after the cockpit. Business always came first, of course, and sex wasn’t a regular occurrence. But when the tension (often mixed with the adrenaline of bounty hunting) became too much to handle, you were all over each other. Most of the time, you were in either of each other’s bunks, and you only did it in the cockpit when you couldn’t bother to go down the ladder. At first, you chalked it up to strictly satisfying physical needs. With the two of you in such close quarters, it only made sense. The aftermath often involved getting dressed and cleaned up in silence. There would be an occasional joke or two, but the discussion usually steered itself towards the next mission. 

But slowly and languidly, there was a sense of tenderness that began to bleed into the crevices of your daily lives. Your hands would linger on each other longer. He seemed to loosen up around you, joke around and indulge you in conversation. It was such a stark contrast to his menacing, stoic warrior demeanour he used when rounding up bounties.

Once, you found yourself too distracted and flustered to even spar with him.

“At this rate, you’ll never win a match against me,” he poked, legs straddling your waist as he pinned your arms down

“Oh, shut up,” you huffed, irritated. He had won against you using the same move, twice. 

You’d never tell him, but your eyes were definitely indulging over the build of his body, imagining the way his bare muscles flexed or his lips moved against yours. 

Squirming against him, you hiss, “Off, Mando.”

He chuckles and your chest tightens. I bet his real voice sounds like heaven.

“I dunno, I think I like you like this.”

He studies you under him, helmet tilting sideways watching your chest heave up and down. A wave of heat washes over you at the thought of tearing off his mask and pulling him down for a kiss. Mando lightly laughs again and you swear you’re going to fucking lose it.

“I think you like it too.”

With all your strength, you bring your knee into the small of his back, knocking him forwards as you twist to launch him off of you. After shuffling up to stand, you spin on your heels and march away, embarrassed at how he’s got you flushed and smiling like an idiot schoolgirl. 

He’s still groaning in pain when he calls to you, “Done already?”

You stumble on a witty response, “You’re the worst!”

Smooth.

--

You weren't the only one losing their cool. Mando became a lot more defensive of you in those days; you nearly killed him once because he kept trying to cover you from blaster fire. He even started a bar fight for you. 

You hated the stares you received by virtue of being around him; traveling with him always meant that being unassuming was impossible. Normally, people would avert their eyes. If you were particularly lucky, a poor soul would try and push the Mandalorian’s buttons, not realizing they’re digging their own graves. One day, however, you’d hit the jackpot when they decided to  target you. 

You sat across from him in a booth, patiently waiting for the quarry to pass through; you took the side facing the door while he was turned away, taking advantage of the element of surprise. Out of the corner of your eye, three drunk bumbling idiots stumbled from the opposite end of the bar. Despite your stealthy gaze, one of them locked eyes with you, and when you saw his lips curl into a disgusting smile, you knew you were in for it. 

The man you saw and sauntered over to your side of the chair. His friends shuffled behind him like dogs, and he practically beamed when he saw Mando, seemingly nonchalant.

“My my, Mando! You’ve got quite the catch here,” he says, undressing you with his eyes, “Where’d he buy a thing like you, baby?”

Are you fucking serious?

You cocked an eyebrow and shot him a glare in response, but remained quiet. You turn back to your view on the door, praying to Maker that he’d leave you alone. But the man didn’t let up.

Instead, he turns to your partner inquiring,

“How good of a lay is she, huh, Mandalorian? Bet she’d be a real treat for me and my boys” his men move a little closer to corner you both, “How much to take her off your hands?”

Can a girl just exist?

“I’m not for sale,” you snarl, voice tight. A dull pain begins to echo in your temples.

“So she speaks,” Your irritation only seemed to egg him on, “C'mon darlin’ let us take care of you. I promise I’m good for it.”

Your fingers were itching towards your blades, but you were still waiting on the quarry to enter the cantina. A scene would scare him away and you would lose your money and time.

Business comes first. 

At least, that’s what you thought.

Mando’s voice cut through your exchange, “Get lost, she said she’s not interested.”

“Now, that’s not what we heard, was it boys?” His men laugh in agreement behind him. His eyes turn dark as he goes to place a hand on your shoulder, “The lady can speak for herself. I think we can negotia-”

A blaster shot whizzes by your ears before you can even think to fight back against him. Mando, ever the gunslinger, shoots again towards his leg, knocking him onto the floor.

And then the whole bar descends into chaos. 

Drunkards pile on top of each other as tensions crescendo; the sound of a single shot has everybody up in arms. Your migraine only grows in intensity as the situation spirals out of control. To top it off, amidst the chaos, you see the quarry a few paces away. His eyes were wide watching the shitshow before him, and in a panic, he scurried back out the door.

You’d caught him eventually, but not without traversing the entire underground marketplace that stretched under the city. By the time he was in carbonite and you were both in the cockpit, your irritation boiled over.

“Are you insane, Din?” You fumed, “When did you get so careless? We nearly lost him!”

He simply looked at you as if you knew the answer, but his silence only fueled your exasperation.

“Fine, don’t talk to me,” you grumbled, throwing your hands in the air, “I’ll be in the refresher.”

You turned to leave, but his gloved hand suddenly gripped your upper arm, spinning you into his chest. It was then that you realized how much bigger he was, dwarfing you in his arms as he rubbed the space above your elbows. 

“He was gonna touch you,” Mando’s voice was low, bordering on a growl.

Oh. The air in the room shifts dramatically.

You take a shaky breath, your voice quieting down to a whisper, “And if he did?”

The gloved hands on your arms squeeze like a vice grip. Your heart swells.

“He’d have a hole in his head.”

Your expression softens before your lips spread into a sly smile. You move as close as you can, eyes boring into the black space of his visor.

“Tell me something,” you swallow hard as you gingerly move his hands to your waist and trace your fingertips over his breastplate. Mando’s breathing is ragged through his vocoder, and you relish in his excitement. You bat your eyelashes a few times before peering up at him.

“How good of a lay am I, Mandalorian?”

His fingers dig deeper into your sides before pulling you even closer, erection already stiffening against you. He groans out a response, “Let’s find out.”

--

There were little things that warmed your heart, too. When you were stuck in your bunk with a migraine, he never let you get up to do anything by yourself. He brought you water and food and he took extra care in opening the door so no light was let in and he wasn’t too loud. When you could tell he was dozing off in hyperspace, you forced him to go to bed. If he was particularly stubborn, you shoved him into the co-pilot’s chair and covered him with a blanket. Sometimes, if you came across a market with a few extra credits, you’d cook him a real meal, leagues better than the shitty ration packs you normally partook in. 

And then, there was the first time he kissed you.

You were strolling through a bazaar before a job when you stopped at a produce stand, excitedly picking up a fuzzy white peach from the box.

“I haven’t eaten one of these since I was a teenager,” you say, bringing up it to your nose and sniffing, “They smell amazing. We should get some later.”

Much to your chagrin, the job went south that day. You were so frustrated and angry that you’d completely forgotten about it, caked in mud and grime demanding to go straight back to the Razor Crest.

Holed up in your bunk and fresh out the shower, you were clad in only a long sleeve shirt and underwear when you heard him knock. When you opened the door, you were surprised to see  the fiercest hunter in the parsec standing before you with a plate of peaches from the market, sliced neatly into little wedges.  

Mando sat with you on your bed as he watched you eat; you told him about how the fruit used to grow on trees in your family’s orchard in the summer. Though you acted like you were sick of them, you always ate it when you were upset. You smiled at the memory of your adolescence, silently cutting up the fruit into wedges and eating them outside during dawn, right after your first break up with some boy.

You were so caught up in the memory that you nearly jumped when Mando leaned in and took your chin in his right hand. His finger traced over the side of your lips, and your heart raced in your chest. 

“Sorry, it’s just,” he uttered, “It was going to drip on your chin.”

You would’ve thought he’d lit your body on fire. Your core ached and you suddenly couldn’t breathe. When he began to pull back, it felt like instinct to grab his wrist and keep his hand near your face. You leaned into his touch, pressing a chaste kiss to his thumb. 

You began to crawl across your bunk to him when he stopped you, “Wait.”

Mando stood, and closed the door and shut the lights off. Darkness enveloped you both, and you called out to him, “Din?” His voice cut through the inky dark, “Can you see anything?”

You hear him shuffle, as he stands in front of you, “I dunno, can I?”

“Y/N,” he urged, impatient.

“No, Din. I can’t see.”

And then you hear the air hiss, and metal clanging to the floor. Realization hit like a meteor crash.

He took it off.

You panic immediately.

“Din, wait! What are you doi-”

You shut up the instant his hands cup your face and his lips are on yours.

And it felt delightful, better than any kiss you’d ever had. Your eyes flutter shut as you deepen the kiss. Your arms go to wrap around his neck, and you pull him even closer, elated at the way his soft hair feels in between your fingers. You were sure that he could taste the sweet, tangy peach on your tongue. When he pulls away for air, your face feels flushed with heat and you could feel your swollen lips.

You’re in a daze, “You kissed me.”

He laughs and you hear it. His real voice. No distortion. No modulator. 

“I did.”

He does sound like an angel.

“Do it again.”

--

When it all broke apart, it wasn’t like the steady, dawdling way you fell in love. The break was quick and it stung worse than any migraine. 

“What do you think?”

You walked around the cockpit, tracing your fingers over the controls. “Why? You thinking of an upgrade?” You shoot Mando a smile. He doesn’t seem amused, “It’s nice, I guess. Smaller, though. We already have a tough time fitting together in the Razor Crest.”

You’d been on Nevarro for a few days, having finally finished your last job. Instead of going back to the Crest, however, Mando took you to a shipyard and aboard an empty cruiser. The Slipstream’s windows were big and were much cleaner, but space was still an issue even if you and Din didn’t carry much.

You turn to him expecting a response, but he only says, “Let’s go.”

“Wait, Mando,” you reach for his shoulder, “What is this about? I don’t understand. Why are we here?”

He doesn’t stop to answer, “I said, let’s go.”

You let out a huff as you followed him out of the cockpit. Ever since you landed, Mando’s behavior had flipped like a switch. Your friendly talks had been reduced to one-sided exchanges. He’d been ignoring you, cold like the beskar he donned on his back. 

“Mando!”

He kept walking down the loading ramp. His terrible attitude had made your blood simmer for a while, and now it was all boiling over. 

You stomp forwards, stopping at the entrance to the hull and shout. 

“Din, stop!”

And he does, but he doesn’t turn around.

You’re fuming, “What is your problem? You’ve been in a shitty mood ever since we got here and frankly I-” You’re interrupted by something flying towards you, instinct having you catch in your hands. It’s a small silver device. Code sets, for what could only be the ship you’re currently standing on.

The dots begin to chaotically connect in your head, “What the hell is this?”

“It’s the -”

“No, Din. I know what this fucking thing is,” You’re seething with panic and rage as you hold up the silver box, “I mean, what are you doing?”

He only stares up at you, the mask emotionless and frigid. The reality of the situation was crashing into you like waves; you were begging to any god that this was just a fucked up nightmare. Tears were stinging in your eyes, threatening to pool and pour over. 

You hated how your voice cracked, “Answer me!”

“I’m leaving you, Y/N.”

Fuck. Hearing him say it out loud made your gut wrench. 

You made an audible sob; you couldn’t control it. Shuffling to the bottom of the ramp, you’re desperate to try and connect to him, bring him back to you. The questions spill from your lips.

“Why? What did I even do? What’s wrong?” You bring your hands up, cupping the sides of his helmet. You whisper through your cries, “Din, please.”

You know. You feel it in your bones. You know he feels it too. 

He gently holds your wrists, “We can’t do this anymore.”

“Can’t we talk about this?” You plead, “I know something’s wrong, you gotta let me in.”

“Y/N, please don’t make this harder than it already is,” he chides, pulling your hands away from his helmet. Your heart feels like it’s in freefall when he turns around to continue walking.

You try to scramble forward to pull him back but to your horror, you’re met with the barrel of a blaster. The noise that roars through your ears sounds like shattering glass. You gape at him, a mixture of shock and disbelief contorting your features. The figure that stood before you was unrecognizable. Because it wasn’t Din, the soft lover who kissed you in the dark and traced words of Mando’a into your sternum. It wasn’t even Mando, the old snarky friend who joked at how bad of a shot you were and who laughs like a complete idiot when he had one too many sips.

It was the Mandalorian, the ruthless and deadly warrior poised and ready to fire you away.

--

You wake up smelling peaches and blaster smoke.

Shifting to sit up against the wall behind you, you groan at the dull ache in your head and heart. Mando is here with you at the foot of the bed; you’ve memorized the way the bunk feels with or without him. 

“Why are the lights off?” You ask.

“I didn’t know if you were going to wake up with a headache or not.”

Of fucking course. It drives you insane how considerate he is sometimes.

You suddenly become more alert as you remember, “Aayn’vida, where is she? Is she safe?”

He quells your anxiety immediately, “She’s safe. I took her to her family.”

“And Khan?”

“Cold.”

You feel him shove pills and a bottle of water into your hands. You took them, and as you both waited for the pain in your head to subside, he told you what happened in Jaemai. As it turns out, Aayn’vida’s mother was a doctor for many years, and she was kind enough to check on you and care for your wounds. Khan’s goon nicked your right side; no major organs were hit, but your skin was likely scarred since it was basically singed off. There was another thing, however. Mando had asked her about the constant migraines,  “She said that they can happen because of stress or trauma.”

You laughed bitterly, “Well, we both know I have plenty of that.”

Silence blankets you two again. Even in the dark, you can tell when the Mandalorian is uneasy. You wait for him to confess.

“If I’d known this would’ve happened, I would’ve never asked you to come with me,” he lets out a tired sigh, “I’m sorry.”

You roll your eyes. Why is he so fucking nice?

“We’ve been through worse,” you say, a familiar feeling fluttering through your chest, 

“Besides, this just means I’ve rightfully earned my 80%”

[lansizhuis]

Hello! I’ve been seeing a lot of tweets on twitter regarding “Guardian” and was wondering if you could tell me whether that’s a novel or show? I’ve seen a show version I think, but I doubt it’s the same one everyone’s talking about. Thank you in advance, you’re always of great help!

Am I ashamed to admit these asks made me get out of bed so I can get to my laptop and answer this while feeling the keys as I cry over how much I love Zhenhun/Guardian and weilan??? nope

BASIC DETAILSZhenhun/Guardian (i will mostly refer to is as zhenhun) is one of Priest’s (a popular danmei writer) early works dating back 2012 - so it is, originally a novel. It got a live action adaptation last year summer of 2018.

DRAMA/LIVE-ACTIONDue to loads of censorship issues (got pulled out after ep 6 then back again then pulled out for a while when it ended then back again) especially since Zhenhun’s canon story revolves around gods, ghosts, REINCARNATION (pls tell me you felt my tears there), and the like then this was completely scraped off and made way to some mutant/alien thing. OKAY tbh I haven’t met anyone who went to the drama for the plot hahaha I’m gonna go ahead and say it - plot is sht (understandable w/ censorship concerns but still), ending is sht (so bad that priest had to write a mini fix it in her 4th extra about it), cgi is sht (this one was bc they originally had a very rich company sponsoring them hence the amazing OSTs aka pre-prod stuff but then the company went bankrupt whelp soooo), etc. WE ALL STAYED BECAUSE OF WEILAN. Zhu Yilong (played Shen Wei - left in blue suit) and Bai Yu (played Zhao Yunlan - right in uhh rugged clothing lol) had such amazing chemistry!!! They seriously couldn’t have found a better pair to have portrayed our main pair!!! Let me fangirl for a bit bc I love them sfm and I thank their ancestors for reproducing. 

And sooo quick facts:

Zhu Yilong: a bit shy and gentle but was actually a delinquent student in the past and he’s super strong af like he does muay thai, boxing, and in short he can snap us in half despite his super duper beautiful face (his face was like made by god as a personal project while mine was passed down to an intern - that’s the hierarchy around here)

Bai Yu: rowdy af bb pls sit still for a moment but was actually a model student who did archery, calligraphy, etc in the past and lol he’s actually weak af don’t let the facial hair fool you hahaha he has delicate looking hands and fans have noted his thin af arms and very noticeable slim waist (bai yu w/o facial hair: literal babey // bai yu w/ facial hair: UNCLE)

Lemme just throw in some of my fav stuff of them:

shen wei at episode xx with an in-love look: this must be.....brotherhoodme, behind my screen: BINCH NO???????

lol that even their script (and da qing) cant handle them

ALSO the producers and staff AND both zhu yilong and bai yu read the novel and worked around the  censorship issue really good like that part where zhao yunlan changes his hairstyle midway-ish of the show bc usually when a woman marries, they change their hairstyle so yeah tiny things like that

fans: ugh cant believe weilan cant get married in the dramaharper bazaar photoshoot: we got u fam

It has 40 episodes and ngl I ended up ff so many things starting ep 25 unless my dads were on screen. Oh, and you can watch it HERE. ANYWAY i have to shut up about them now so i can continue on to the most important part aka.....

THE NOVEL*breathes in* I binged the novel so fast it rivaled my MDZS reading hence this is how i know im as obsessed lmao It’s currently being translated HERE by rainbowse7en. THE NOVEL IS EXTREMELY SUPERIOR IN ALL ASPECTS IM GOING FERAL!!!!!!! The novel is waaay more intense and darker and tbh I’m still crying over the fact that Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu could have definitely done novel version had it not been for censorship issues bc they’re that good! 

Okay, anyway, back to the novel so quick summary is that gods of the past existed, there’s hell and afterlife whom the Special Investigations Department (SID) deals with and the chief of that unit is Zhao Yunlan. There’s a lot of supernatural and fantasy elements here which is kind of a spoiler if I discuss so I’m letting that go. Anyhow, so any case that’s supernatural is given to SID and we open with a case in a university where *drum roll* Professor Shen Wei is teaching. And so our pair meets and we get intense emotions from Shen Wei who obviously has deep affections for Zhao Yunlan but won’t get close to him. Thing is, Zhao Yunlan is a shameless SHAMELESS VERY THIRSTY man (canonically bi lol) who’s out for this very beautiful Professor Shen. 

One of the things about Priest is you get a challenging time who’s the top and who’s the bottom and I was speculating the entire time and yet only getting “;)” responses from my friends who’ve read it before me. Not gonna say much but when it got revealed who was who I LOST IT HAHAHAHA im still laughing about it tbh. THERE’S FOUND FAMILY FEELS FOR SID!!!!!! they’re so dysfunctional and are easily ordered around by Zhao Yunlan when he threatens to cut off their bonus. Every single SID member fantasizes on beating up their shameless boss and tbh I sympathize haha But heyyy, they also love and care for each other. AND YOOO DA QING IS A CAT!!!!!!! i love cats and esp with how he deals with his “useless master” aka our shameless chief is funny af i love their brotp the most!

A disclaimer on my end - as this is one of Priest’s older works, I feel like the explanation on what happened in the final showdown part is lacking. I talked about it briefly HERE regarding the angst of the novel and I still stand by what I said there. It was mostly funny for me when I read it bc Zhao Yunlan’s thirst is an entity of its own. And since a lot of you here already know, I’m a weaksht and cant handle angst so rest assured that anything I recommend has a happy ending~ 

BC IM SHAMELESS - i had my drama livethread HERE + novel livethread HERE + listen i love weilan sfm i gotta put small novel thoughts HERE

*****

If you’re a visual person like me, I suggest you watch the drama first or even select episodes (again, as I said I’m very bad at watching dramas bc i always fall asleep so at the latter half i ended up doing loads of ff esp since it’s barely useful in the novel). Here’s what’s non-negotiable - if you’ve watched the drama, you can’t not read the novel! It’s extremely waaay better! It fed me the reincarnation trope I thirsted for (im still shaking FIVE THOUSAND YEARS!!!!! and that shen san extra ahhhhhhh) and weilan’s characterization yoooo esp for Shen Wei whom we get to see is [redacted] and yet no matter what Zhao Yunlan would always [redacted]!!! istg this is the abriged version of my thoughts hahaha

[maritimesilkroad2-blog]

Vacationing the Silk Road

21st Century Maritime Silk Road

Wonderful Silk Road, as a deal route arose in W-century BC and lasted before sixteenth century. Many destructive wars, destruction, fires, starvation and pestilence have seen the actual ancient trading cities coupled Traveling the Silk Street. Some of them have sunk straight into oblivion, leaving the wrecks of the legendary descendants, aside from once blazed with flames, and killed again enhanced, to amaze the world using riches, blue domes, openwork terracotta band of mausoleums and mosques. Centuries multi-lingual, bazaars, hundreds of years along the grungy caravan roads were brought for sale to Europeans silks and precious stones, seasonings and dyes, gold and silver, unique birds and animals southern region.

21st Century Maritime Silk Road

Traveling the Silk Highway, one of the most significant achievements from the history of world world. Widespread network of caravan ways crossed Europe along with Asia from the Mediterranean for you to China and served throughout ancient times an important means of business and cultural exchanges involving East and West. Typically the longest part of the Silk Path passed through the territory involving Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan. Caravans laden with a silk filled duvet from China, spices and important stones from India, gold goods from Iran, Délicat paintings, afrosiab ceramics and many more goods went through the deserts of Karakum and Kyzyl Kum, through the oases connected with Merv and Khorezm, the particular boundless steppes of Sary-Arka; overcame passes of the Pamirs, Tien Shan, Altai, surpassesd the river Murghab, Amu Darya and Syr Darya.

On the road caravans began to come through and flourish the prosperous cities, trade and art settlements, caravan sheds. Turkmenistan - Merv; Uzbekistan -- Bukhara, Samarkand, Urgench, Khiva. Kazakhstan - Otrar, Turkestan, Taraz, Ispedzhab. Kyrgyzstan : Julie, Suyab, Novokent, Balasagun, Borskoon, Tash-Rabat, Osh, Uzgen.

European countries to collaborate in addition to communicate with countries of Asian countries. Ecumene Hellenic closed rates high with ecumene East. Along with like the two communicating boats so different civilization did start to pour into one another their very own knowledge. Arteries connecting typically the vessels were trade tracks. For him not only trafficked goods, for centuries the road to get agents of culture, scientific research, technology and religion. Key Asia, situated between Tiongkok and India in the far east, between Persia and Persia to the south, the European entire world in the west, the Volga as well as Siberia in the north, close to two thousand years ranking at the crossroads of industry routes.

One of the first who defined this trade route, historians believe the Chinese diplomat Zhang Tsanya, who occupied the I century BC. The fact that in this period, Middle Asia became embroiled with trade relations with The far east, demonstrate a large number of Chinese money, bronze mirrors, silk textiles, remnants, fragments of porcelain tableware made in China, identified during archaeological excavations. Consuming China in Central Parts of asia began to develop sericulture and report doing, and from Main Asia, China took up growing of grapes, alfalfa, onions, cotton, pomegranate, walnut, fig trees and cucumbers.

Simple servant of the Firm Florencia Bardi Francesca Pagolotti went back in 1355 after 8-10 years of absence back home within Italy, for his neck were thousands of Chinese, Arabic and European farsahs mls of the Great Silk Route. He became the author of any tome "The practice associated with trade, or a treatise about land division, trade procedures, and other things, information and that is necessary for merchants of all international locations. "

The paradox is its current name, this kind of ancient road was merely in the nineteenth century, consist of by Ferdinand von Riztgofena, author of classic effects the physical geography regarding China and the orography involving Asia, with a light side that this name is acknowledged everywhere. Warmly welcomed by simply world public opinion the choice of UNESCO on the intercontinental program "The Great A silk filled duvet Road, the path of normal gardening to organic, mutual understanding and rapprochement of cultures. The Great Man made fiber Road, like the Phoenix pet bird, begins its rebirth.

Let's take a go to the road! And you will view magnificent architecture, get acquainted with often the picturesque nature, feel some sort of hot desert wind, start to see the dazzling mountains, marvel with the beauty of soaring birds. Try looking in the past and in it you will observe today. Have a nice trip to the truly great epoch and the legendary Cotton Road.

[tripsinegypt]

How to Plan Your Adventure In Egypt "Complete Guide"

Egypt is considered to be the home to some of the oldest civilization and historical monuments in the world which worthy to plan Egypt adventure tours.

The Giza pyramids, Valley of the Kings and temples & tombs of Luxor are all breathtaking and only the start of many ancient wonders. However, do not forget the majestic desert safaris to the western desert, to camp under the magical stars in the White deserts.

In this article, we provide you with how to plan your adventure in Egypt by clarifying the best adventure place in Egypt and when a suitable time to do that, continue to read.

Best Places in Egypt for Adventure:

Here are several options for the various places who are looking for enthusiasts to adventure.

1- Discover The Great Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx.

We will ride the time machine to take you on a trip to the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, those landmarks that considered one of the highlights landmarks of the ancient Pharaohs civilization and which are still maintaining their status until today, and even increase day by day.

It is the ancient monuments that attracted the attention of millions and even billions of tourists who coming to Egypt to see them. The pyramids of Giza were one of the seven wonders of the world for a long time and did not decrease their status, but increased more and more.

During your visit to the area of ​​the Pyramids of Giza, you will be able to know more about the great pyramid founded by King Khufu which date back to the year 2650 BC. This pyramid was used to be buried cemetery for King Khufu and his family.

You can visit the ship of Khufu or the famous Sun Boat, which was discovered in 1954 by archaeologist Kamal Al-Malakh, and then you can head to the pyramid of Khafra, which is 5 minutes' walk from the Great Pyramid on foot.

Then followed by the Pyramid of the "Menkaure" which is located at the end of the plateau, and the pyramid visit is available from 8 am to 5 pm. After that, you can head to the myth Sphinx which is a monumental and legendary statue established to protect the pyramids.

It is one of the largest statues on the face of the earth. It is 20 meters long and 73 meters wide. It is famous for its body, which is the body of the lion and face of a human. The sphinx is symbolized to power and reason.

2- Explore Best Cairo Sights

Cairo city has many iconic sights you should visit when you plan your adventure in Egypt. In Cairo, you can visit the Egyptian museum and the treasure of King Tutankhamun and thousands of artifacts.

Cairo city also has the oldest Churches in the world like the Hanging church. Also, Cairo has many Islamic landmarks such ad the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammed Ali and Alazhar Mosque and the majestic Khan Elkhalili Bazaar also you can take a dinner cruise at Nile view restaurant.

Read more facts about King Tutankhamun and discover its treasures which found with them through the discovery of his tomb.

3- Cast Your Eyes at The Biggest Open-Air Museum in the World

Luxor the city of thousands of gates or Thebes as called, it was the capital of ancient Egypt during the golden era of the Egypt new kingdom which ruled by great Pharaohs in the ancient time.

It one of the best place to visit in Egypt.  Luxor has one-third of the monuments of the world, the best places to explore in Luxor such as the royal tombs of the ancient pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings, the famous tomb in the valley is King Tutankhamun tomb.

There ate more monuments located in the east bank of Luxor such as Hatshepsut temple which was built to commemorate the achievements of the great Queen Hatshepsut.

Also, you can visit the massive Colossi of Memnon which founded by King Amenhotep III to guard its mortuary temple. Leave the east and heat to the west to visit the biggest temple in the world "Karnak Temple" which actually contains many temples inside. It has the largest Hypostyle halls in the world and wonderful inscriptions on its wall and many Obelisks.

4- Witness What Aswan Has to Offer

Aswan, a city located on the Nile River. It contains considerable archaeological sites like the Philae temple complex, Aswan High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and the majestic temple of Abu Simbel.

Aswan landmarks are worthy to explore when deciding to book one of Egypt tour packages, so don't miss the chance and discover the beauty of Aswan during your trip to Egypt.

5- Enjoy The Adventure At The White Desert & Egypt Oases

Explore the best Egyptian desert which all the travelers who like the desert adventures Egypt have an amazing dessert that dominates about 2/3 of the Egyptian distance the Western Desert and the Eastern Desert.

The white desert originally was a great ocean and dried then the wind formed the white chalk into amazing shapes of animals and birds, Mushrooms, etc. The White Desert of Egypt distinguished by its tranquility and serenity that makes it one of the amazing destination for desert camping and Safari in Egypt.

Egypt has quite a number of oases, and the natural landscape of the oases is filled with warm sulfuric water, which can be cured of rheumatic diseases, and is frequented by visitors of safaris and nomadic singers. To enjoy and see the natural and tourist attractions.

The best oases in Egypt that you can visit is Bahariya, Dakhla, Kharga, Baris oases.

6- Enjoy The Relaxation at The Red Sea

Resorts such as Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt are among the most visited by tourists, due to the abundance of coral reefs, white beaches, and sunshine, making it a destination for divers and sun-lovers.

Also, Hurghada has considered one of the best diving spots on the Red Sea include the rubble of an amazing old ship and coral gardens. The beaches are 20 km away for good destinations for tourists; hotels, restaurants, and markets. The beaches of Marsa Alam are other examples of beaches in the Red Sea.

7- Discover Egypt By A Nile Cruise

There is nothing wonderful to spend a magical Nile cruise on the back of a floating hotel in the Nile, from Luxor to Aswan or the opposite, where the warm sun of the South and watching the effects of the first civilization in history make you feel proud that you are true when deciding to spend your vacation in Egypt.

You can read also about 25 weird facts about ancient Egypt.

[bonky-and-steeb]

If you could go to any place in the world for free, where would you go and why? Additionally: who would you take with you?

I think I'd go to Istanbul. Part of it is wanting to experience my heritage bc I'm part Turkish, but also because I've always had a fascination with everything Ottoman. I studied the Ottoman Empire when I was a kid. Instead of having a Greek or Egyptian phase, I had an Ottoman phase, and Istanbul is so steeped in that kind of history. The art, the food, the Grand Bazaar, and the culture and traditions. I already know that Turkish food is literally amazing, but I would love to experience it in Istanbul. I would love to visit the mosques and see all the Islamic art firsthand. I think if I were to do this, I would bring along my best friend bc she always makes things 10 times funner and so we can be ridiculous together :)))

[alien-the-magician]

50 Questions

I was tagged by two cuties @princess-shurii and @tiddiescult thank youu💕

1. What takes up too much of your time?

Studying, the closer I get to graduation (which is next year sjjs) the more stressed I get

2. What makes your day better?

Talking with my best friends

3. Whats the best thing to happen to you today?

My stage got approved!!

4. What fictional place would you like to go to?

Neverland or Camp Half Blood

5. Are you good at giving advice?

Nope :)

6. Do you have any mental illness?

I was diagnosed with depression when I was 14 and I have apparently some degree of anxiety but it is not too bad

7. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis?

One time and legit this man clad in black with fangs was at the corner of my room and I was so desperate to scream but I wasn’t able to move, this happened while I was at y family home at Brasov

8. What musician inspired you the most?

I got into violin thanx to the Eurovision winner from Norway (the fairytale guy) but as for making beats, more technical stuff  and finding what I like jazz music was so important especially Ella Fitzgerald

9. Have you ever fallen in love?

I am not sure but I think I was getting there with my ex

10. What’s your dream date?

Nothing super big maybe enjoying a nice dinner with good food

11. What do others notice about you?

I don’t know probably my eyes or my height, my friend Defne said my cheeks bc apparently I have natural blush sshsjs

12. What is an annoying habit you have?

I am constantly playing with my fingers 

13. Do you still talk to your first love?

Umm I kinda still talk with my ex

14. How many exes do you have?

5

15. How many songs are in your playlist?

Okay I have several playlists but my school ride playlist consists of 21 songs

16. What instruments can you play?

Violin, piano and guitar

17. What do you have the most pictures of?

My brother and my friends

18. Where would you like to go before you die?

Japan Fox Village or São Paulo or Blood Falls

19. What’s your zodiac?

Okay I was born at 22nd december so I am considered both a capricorn and a saggitarius but most astrologists take it as capricorn

20. Do you relate to it?

Yeah bc I am definitely highly critical and also a perfectionist, and super ambitious too

21. What is happiness to you?

Loving myself and being around people I love

22. Are you going through anything right now?

Super stressed thanks to school and stupid people who like making rumors

23. Whats the worst decision you ever made?

Trusting fake people

24. What’s your favorite store?

I like going to the spice market with my mom the smells are amazing also Grand Bazaar is so wonderful and the general atmosphere is magical

25. What’s your opinion on abortion?

I think it should be up to the woman who is carrying the child

26. Do you keep a bucket list?

Yep

27. Do you have a favorite album?

Lately I have been listening to Suncity by Khalid

28. What do you want for your birthday?

College acceptance (the early application week is close to my 18th bday)

29. What are most people’s first impression of you?

They think I am quiet

30. What age do you seem according to most people?

Most people say I look my age

31. Where do you keep your phone while sleeping?

Next to my bed

32. What word do you say the most?

Okay

33. What’s the oldest age you would date?

Currently its either 1 year older 

34. What’s the youngest age you would date?

One year younger

35. What job/career do most people say would suit you?

A doctor sjsjs (it has been my dream for a really long time people just associate me with it)

36. What’s your favorite music genre?

r&b

37. If you could live in any country in the world, where would it be?

France probably

38. What is your current favorite song?

My Bad, Khalid

39. How long have you had this blog for?

I think either 3 or 4 years, I have been on here for a really long time 

40. What are you excited for?

April holiday which is in two weeks 🙏

41. Are you better talker or listener?

Depends on the situation

42. What is the last productive thing you did?

Finished my last college essay draft

43. What do you want for Christmas?

We don’t celebrate it :(

44. What class do you get the best grades in?

Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Philosophy 

45. On a scale of 1-10 how are you feeling right now?

a 5 maybe

46. What can you see yourself doing in ten years?

Hopefully in a med school close to getting my MD

47. When did you get your first heartbreak?

I don’t think I ever did romantically

48. What’s age do you want to get married?

33-35

49. What career did you want to have as a child?

I wanted to be an archeologist (my aunt at that time did some archeology stuff in Egypt so blame that)

50. What do you crave right now?

Ice tea 

I tag: @cypressgrove, @minslattae, @iliketosuckdickswithbarney, @ilovetowritebutwhohastime, @junguwus-en-rose

[puppy-phum]

pingxie thoughts (and prayers) bonus 1/2

tbh i was very unsure if i should be doing any analysis on these pictures when am not that well aware of what happens here (i’ve never read the novels) but these pics just really deserve it. after this, i will try to return to the regular blabbering posts at some point but i hope you enjoy these in the mean time. part 2 you can find here.  

side note: the photos from the digital magazine (the ones without any watermark) belong to @/thosch3i who has been doing amazing work at keeping us all updated and translating things ♥ 

The Bazaar Photoshoot – Ideal Reality

As ppl probably know by now, the theme of this photoshoot was the Pingxie reunion that happens after the ten years Xiaoge has spent behind the Bronze Gate. I don’t have an impression of the original scene in the novels but ZSX and XYL very lovingly provided us with the most important dialogue in the video clips we got (which I will not be analyzing here bc this would become even longer than it already is), so I have at least some type of overall view through that. 

At first tho, I’m going to divide the photos into two categories which I will be labeling as “the (ideal) reality” and “the (future) dream”. In this first part I will be focusing on “the reality”. 

(more under the cut bc the pics obviously make this kinda long)

This part I called “reality” happens in the pictures with colors, where Pingxie are dressed in their more casual clothes (tho idk, who goes on a mountain in a suit? def neither of them, I bet, but it’s a photoshoot so let’s forget that). In these photos the whole reunion itself happens, concrete and very much real, easy for us to imagine. (One of the first teaser pictures we got was of this moment and it really felt like their reunion even without any context.)

They are facing each other in these photos to properly give off the feeling of them walking towards each other, meeting halfway, and finally colliding after all those years. (This also happens in the video clips so I think it really is their purpose here, to make them physically meet.) 

Wu Xie is grasping Xiaoge’s shoulder like he’s trying to make sure that Xiaoge is real. Like he’s trying to make himself believe that Xiaoge is actually there, right before his eyes, alive and healthy and for him to touch. (And I very much think that he is trying to do just that, trying to make himself believe, bc this moment is so unreal after all those years spent alone. I wonder how many times he saw mirages during the past years only to wake up and realize it was just a dream.)

In these photos where they face each other, it feels like they are looking at each other but then also kinda not? It’s like they’re looking through each other almost, seeing something more before them than just a person. Maybe it’s the future they see, or the past. Maybe it’s those both at the same time. (Maybe this is just me reading too much into them when they’re only being awkward and maybe I should stop. Maybe.) 

Then there’s also that permanent smile on Wu Xie’s face that I adore. It’s like in this reality there’s nothing that could make him happier than seeing Xiaoge again. Wu Xie seems so utterly delighted to be here (which, obviously, understandable. He’s waited a decade). His smile and eyes are so soft here. There is adoration in his look bc he’s been finally reunited with the person that matters the most to him. And Xiaoge meets him with this stoic look, this blank face we very often see but his eyes are locked to Wu Xie too. He’s glad to be there, glad to be back. (And I’ve heard that in the novels Xiaoge returns from the Bronze Gate without any serious trauma etc. but is that really realistic? I don’t think so. So only in this “ideal” reunion, neither of them carries the weight they actually do and can meet like this, happy and easy.)

Also, as a quick note, I need to mention the glasses in the photo below. It’s a cool little detail. It feels almost like a nod towards the fact that Wu Xie wishes he could change himself. That he could still appear the same in front of Xiaoge, be as innocent, be that “tianzhen wu xie” he used to be. Are the glasses his innocence then or him without it? I don’t know. 

Then let’s move to the lying-in-the-snow photos. Those seem to emphasize that, in fact, this truly is an ideal reality, a moment that’s almost idyllic to Pingxie. There is that feeling of basking in the other’s presence, the joy of closeness, the unhurried moment of pure bliss. They haven’t seen each other in ten years, Wu Xie has gone through hell, Xiaoge has been lost in darkness, and they both know the sacrifice they’ve made for the other. They are finally here after all that. They obviously want to enjoy their moment together, and I feel like these photos show how they wish for this moment to last. This moment that is still carefree and just filled with joy. Bc on that mountain, in the middle of the snow, they are not part of the cruel world quite yet. They’re away from reality even if this still is real. This is their little bubble, untouched by the life outside of this snowy scene.

After that, I gotta mention here that these are my personal favorites out of all of the photos we got. Especially the picture above where Wu Xie is smiling. He looks so content and happy in it that my heart just melts (and after knowing what happens in Sand Sea, he really does deserve happiness). 

I find it kind of symbolic in these photos how Wu Xie is the one with his eyes closed, basking in the moment, while Xiaoge is looking into the distance. It’s like Xiaoge is already being pulled away a bit, even in this ideal reality of theirs. He’s always away, not completely there. Even he himself doesn’t know who he is, like XYL said in their interview for the magazine. He would be the one to move first, if they had to.

But then again, in the picture below where Wu Xie has his eyes open, Xiaoge is turned towards him. His focus is solely towards Wu Xie while Wu Xie looks into the camera with eyes that could be almost seen as angry. And all of this feels like some type of new resolve, like things really have changed.

With this, it’s interesting to note that the photo above is, besides being the only one where someone is looking at the camera, also the only one where the snow isn’t falling. This makes it feel like some type of turning point, the crashing of reality. It’s like they have reached what they were looking for and now this is where we will move forward. This is where they have become something new. This is where and how they meet the world again. 

And how does that happen? With the new roles they have taken in each other’s lives. Wu Xie has come to protect Xiaoge, wishing to keep him safe from all those ppl that try to use him when he’s vulnerable. Wu Xie’s look in this feels almost like a warning to those ppl. And then there’s Xiaoge, finally in touch with his humanity despite of being so far away from it for a decade. He’s accepted that he can be someone that feels, who needs ppl beside him. He’s curled on his side here, looking very soft, almost fragile – and that’s what he can be now, with Wu Xie. (And we really gotta thank XYL for giving all of this humanity to Xiaoge bc now he feels real, and I always break when I think about the affection and understanding he has towards his character, it’s truly amazing). This is the photo where things have changed and we return closer to the “true” reality. 

So, in the end, this “ideal reality” consists of the actual reunion scene – which feels like the realest or most realistic part of the photoshoot – and then these other moments that follow, these brief happiness indulged dreams that probably only appear in their minds. (These feel a bit like those extra sappy scenes you get in romance dramas where a short moment suddenly turns into a pastel pink hued musical number, just saying.) This is Pingxie’s romanticized reality. It’s what they wish could happen – and maybe it does in some ways, tho I doubt they really go rolling around in snow like that. But I still wish they both can truly smile and be happy and forget about the world for a bit. The reality is harsh – let them dream a little. 

(more about those dreams in the next part!)