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#dachang
wirwerdensiegen · 2 years
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Liu Chang uploaded a new vlog on bilibili. Unfortunately it’s too big and long (sorry, this sounds dirtier than it should...) for tumblr to handle...
请吃外卖的bro》第一集 go——「外卖盲盒」
Please eat takeaway bro" Episode 1 go - "Takeaway Blind Box"
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notholaenas · 6 months
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rabid
print! | dachang version under the cut:
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dachang version
print!
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ziseviolet · 3 months
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If you don’t mind me askin, do own and hafus? If not, do you have any favourites?
Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply! (image via)
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Yes, I do own a few hanfu. Here's a list of hanfu & hanfu accessories I currently own:
3 quju + 1 matching dachang
1 jiaoling (cross-collar) ruqun set (jiaoling ru + banbi + qun + pibo)
2 duijin (parallel-collar) shanqun sets (duijin shan + moxiong/dudou + qun + pibo)
1 Song dynasty-style set (beizi + shan + moxiong + baidiequn)
1 mamianqun
1 hanyuansu one-piece dress
1 pair of shoes
A few hairpins & a necklace
My favorite is probably the Song dynasty-style set by 上遥居 that I got from Nüwa Hanfu. It has a lovely color palette of lilac, pink, and white, light & ethereal fabrics, and exquisite floral embroidery & pearl accents. Perfect for spring!:
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I'm also in love with this gorgeous handmade ronghua hairpin I recently got from 卿子手作 (seriously, the photos don't do it justice):
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I'm looking into getting a bag next, since I realized I don't really have a matching bag to wear with my hanfu. In particular, I've been eyeing this cute embroidered swallow-motif crossbody bag from 瞳莞:
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Feel free to share favorite hanfu acquisitions in this post! ^^
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hawberries · 1 year
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A commission for Miss Homunculus! If Arknights won’t give Lee a 0011 series skin then we’ll do it our damn selves
[image is a digital illustration of Lee wearing hanfu, a black dachang (overcoat) with grey brocade trim and dark grey robes accented with yellow. His hair is in an ahistoric high ponytail and he is idly waving a folding fan. He is sitting before a laden weiqi board, considering it with a sidelong smirk, holding up a black game piece in his hand. Stylised curls of smoke or clouds decorate the image.]
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kurukufute · 11 months
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"Ther is a lake ahead we can set up there for lunch " Wukong mentioned to the others Zhu Bajie huffed "could you cool you fireworks we ain't runnin' got that wonder boy". Wukong ground "But I'm hungryyyyyyyy" Ao lie giggled "Bajie's right the lake isn't going any where and we got nothing but time" the pig grind "Thank you". Sha wujing chimed in "I am getting a little hungry two so we should pick up the piece." "We aren't running we aren'tthat far from if anyway." Tripitaka spoke sternly to them "Alright no running." Wukong said.
When they got there they we separated to te a man sitting under a tree's shad eating some food. The group pays him no mind and continues unpacking for ther break "If it's not to much to ask are you lot headed west?" The older man questioned Tripitaka looked to the man and nodded "We are." Wukong's head snapped to the man he passes his true site vision on the man and then he relaxes he was no threat. "Then I suppose we can travel together me and my son are vendors and we are heading back home he's a very skilled fiber and good strategist." the man said that last part with pride. "I'm not that great i just try to keep u from getting lost and eaten by some random demon." A nother voice is heard this one smooth as silk and sweeter than sugar filled with a teasing and playful tone.
The gang looked up at the tree to find a figure resting on one of it's branches. He wore a black liangmao on is head an a mask to cover his face, hair tide dack in a loose ponytail, under is scarf he wore a dachang. He hoped off the tree and sat next to hi father. The man smiled "I suppose we should introduce ourselves I'm Shan gou and this is my son Gequ Baoshi."Baoshi slightly baud slightly to them "You can call me Mihou if you prefer." Tripitaka smiled gently to them "It's a pleasure meeting you both." Wukong was silent taking in the site of Shan's son he blinkes back to reality almost immediately and continues eating tring to push out this strateg fuzzy feeling in his chest. He'll deal with it later right now food.
What he didn't realize is that someone was paying attention. A mischievous grin placed its self on Ao lie's face. Unfortunately for Wukong he didn't notice the slight tint of pink on his cheeks. Things were going to getting interesting and Ao lie can wait to see where it goes.
hope yall like it <3
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thecrowsart · 1 month
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My Wenren E and Yin Hanjiang designs (from Devil Venerable Also Wants To Know)
Wenren E: His design came to me pretty easily, while reading i basically imagined him with long loose christmas tree (lol) hair, and the basic xianxia yichang + dachang. Black and gold of course. I wish I understood Chinese astrology because I don't quite know what they mean about the patterns of the stars on his robe + ji, but I just kind of winged it. Arm braces because even though he should have a big wide triangle silhouette, I also think he should be somewhat practical and they give a nice martial look. And the double crescent ji of course.
Yin Hanjiang: I know the accepted design for him has bangs and a cross collar robe, and I did envision him with a cross collar robe at first, but for some reason it just didn't look right to me when I was drawing it. I ended up giving him a yuanlingpao, because they have a nice smooth practical look (yes I know they were also court garments) which in my opinion is suitable for someone like him who starts the story trying to be someone with no personal desires. Again, it gives a martial look which is fitting for someone who is trying to be a "sword." Also, while looking at pictures of yuanlingpao I noticed how with modern hanfu, they often have colorful/patterned linings, so if you wear them with an open collar, you can see a nice pattern. It gave me the idea of a double sided yuanlingpao, like those reversable jackets if you've ever seen them. Imagine his black yuanlingpao is red on the inside, so when he goes Azula mode it's really the same garment, but now what was hidden is shown. And his collar is open so it's like his heart is open.
I forgot to stick my thoughts about bangs in there. I know they're cute and not giving him them was kind of an act of self control for me but when Wenren E makes note of the fact that he has loose hair when he comes back, it makes me feel like he wouldn't normally have it. I know that could mean his hair is just down but also think about it, doesn't a tight, pulled back ponytail fit a character like Yin Hanjiang? And then it all comes apart....right......
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the-monkey-ruler · 4 months
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The Devil of the Bull Is Back (2023) 牛魔王之魔王再临
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Director: Wang Hui / Zhang Zengguang Screenwriter: Lu Yufan / Ma Jiaqi Starring: Fan Shaohuang / Li Muyun / Wang Gang / Chen Yiming / Zeng Chen Genre: Fantasy / Costume Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2023-03-26 (Mainland China Internet) Duration: 87 minutes Type: Retelling
Summary:
In ancient times, the leader of the demon clan, the Bull Demon King was arrogant and prideful and rebelled against Heaven. However, he eventually suffered the consequences and was knocked back to his original form. The heavenly king was compassionate and allowed him a way out. He was kind-hearted and demoted him to the mortal incarnation of Liu Jiu. Unexpectedly, a few years later, the demonic nature and memory in Liu Jiu's body were deliberately awakened by the traitor. Liu Jiu went to Kunlun alone to seek a solution. On the way, he met Ye Xiaoxiao, the princess of the Flame Mountain. The two shared weal and woe, and their love gradually grew. They met the little demon pig Dachang and the dog Shisan again, Liu Jiu wandered between good and evil several times, almost causing a catastrophe, but in the end, evil cannot prevail against good, and the conspiracy that had surrounded him since ancient times was solved.
Source: https://mov-20.chinesemov.com/2023/The-Devil-of-the-Bull-Is-Back
Link: https://nunuyingyuan.com/movie/304085
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yugiri315 · 14 hours
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LWJ Cosplay Log - Master Post
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Making Lan Wangji
(AKA My Lan Zhan Cosplay Log)
This went from a historical project to cosplaying all the Hanguang-Jun, Lan Wangji in existence!  The main concept is Lan Wangji’s (LWJ) novel/manhua/audio drama design.  As the project started pre-pandemic, I didn’t consider the butler or dragon au in the design.  That would be too much.  There is a dash of videogame in him since there were some details I liked in that model.  If the title is “Mo Dao Zu Shi” then I have incorporated Lan Wangji’s description and concept arts into my design.  
Lan Wangji as known in The Untamed was generally avoided save for a tiny nod to the show’s Gusu Lan Clan.  “Mo Dao Zu Shi” Wangji and “Untamed” Wangji are distinct in my opinion.  Neither is superior from the other, just different enough that I need to pick one interpretation to play with.  The actors of Untamed, especially Xiao Zhan, really claimed the characters as their own and portrayed them wonderfully.  Wang Yibo’s Wangji is his Wangji, I won’t interfere that.  If you want to see that interpretation of Lan Wangji, then go watch the show.  It already exists.
A few caveats before you dive in:
1)     I am not a seamstress or tailor so I don’t know all the proper sewing terminology in English or any other language 2)     Also, modern romanization of Chinese confuses the shit out of me, a native speaker, so apologies for any spelling mistakes.  The Yale Romanization made so much more sense but then China thought they understood the English alphabet better than native English speakers so here we are.  Do as the Romans do, I guess. 3)     I am not a historical costumer either so all my info come from conjecture and research 4)     I am not a Chinese historian but I like to think I know enough about my history and culture through osmosis and the hell-hole disguised as Chinese school to talk about it 5)     I am not trying to make an authentic historical costume, I’m trying to make an anachronistic fantasy costume. Historicity went out the window the minute LWJ and every adult character decided to have their hair down.  I did try to make a semi-historically accurate version?  Depended on the mood at time of construction. 6)     I suck at being Chinese apparently so that will be my safety net if everything fails horribly :P  
The Lan Zhan Cosplay Log Layer 1:  Undergarments! 中衣 Layer 2A:  Yichang 衣裳   Layer 2B:  Ruqun 襦裙 Layer 3:  Zhiju 直裾 Layer 4A:  Leatherwork Layer 4B:  Jade Bling Layer 5A:  Dachang 大氅 Layer 5B:  Bijia 比甲 Layer 0:  Hair, Props, “Cheating,” & Overall Stats
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Exhibit:  LWJ cosplay in action [1][2]
Citation
Patterning:  https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Qb411j7z6?spm_id_from=333.905.b_72656c61746564.1
http://www.yeoh.com/index2.php?section=journal&g=691
https://cosplayqna.tumblr.com/image/38971971992
https://torguqin.wordpress.com/hanfu/hanfu-tutorial-list/
Hanfu Resources:
@ziseviolet:  https://ziseviolet.tumblr.com/about
@fouryearsofshades:  https://fouryearsofshades.tumblr.com/post/179249195707/hello-do-you-happen-to-have-a-master-post-of-all
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wenjunting · 4 months
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ep 2 of asia super young BROKE me... i never want to see zzt cry again, but also, i'm glad the teaser cut of him saying "if you can't do this, don't" wasn't about lqz. they trended on weibo twice which was so real of every yhnext fan on weibo (see below!)
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[trans: li quanzhe & zhu zhengting, don't kill me with the dachang knife]
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[trans: when li quanzhe was scolded, zhu zhengting cried first]
i think zzt is a great mentor/judge! he's being as strict as i would expect, which is more than i can say for the overall grading... i will reserve my judgement for now
cheng xiao & rain are also rly good and rain trying to steal yuehua trainees is so funny. without cx and zzt yuehua would have no trainees left :p
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onyx232323 · 5 months
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An Adeptus' Last Wish- Zhongchi fic
(2/30)
Summary-
After the Gnosis incident, Childe decides to take a much-needed break away from Zhongli.
However, how was he supposed to react, when all of a sudden Lumine showed up outside his apartment sounding terribly mortified, "Childe......Zhongli.......Zhongli....is in grave danger."
Of course, he was going to do anything to help the dying man.
Sure, he still felt a lot of contempt for him, after what he did, but his heart still loved him.....
But, what he hadn't expected was the sudden wisp of golden light that somehow transported him during the times of the Archon War?!
What the FUCK?!
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Chapter 2: A New, Ancient World.
“Who are you?......And why are you in my house?” asked the pair of eyes, that almost seemed to pierce through the darkness around them. 
The voice sounded familiar but Ajax was too groggy from sleep and the strange tiredness he felt to answer the voice or even discern who it belonged to. So, he just grunted in reply, causing the person to continue to stare at him. 
They were cold and distant, a sharp contrast to the usual warmth he saw in eyes like those.
Eyes like Zhongli. 
Was that even Zhongli? 
His vision started to fade out as the darkness around him closed in, and once more, he could no longer see the pair of eyes staring back at him. 
He only woke up a while later, being carried on the back of a man in what appeared to be a dachang; where was he? And why was this strange man carrying him? 
Was that really Zhongli? 
‘Zhongli’ must have heard him calling out to him and said, “My name is not Zhongli.....I am....Morax.” 
Morax? Where had he heard that name? 
He thought about it for a while, before it finally clicked. Morax was the name Zhongli was given by Celestia when he was born into the world as a newly formed archon, it was his prior name. His previous name before he knew Childe, the name that evoked fear and authority. However, Childe was still not certain as to why Zhongli was dressed up in a dachang….what exactly had happened. Was he dreaming, or did he manage to go back in time by some miracle..? Or was he just hallucinating? 
Morax shook him lightly and asked in a rough voice, “I said....Who are you, and why were you in my house? And, who is this Zhongli person?” 
Childe paused before he finally decided on a vague answer, “I got…lost. And…he's an old friend...you just reminded me of him, sorry.” 
Morax huffed, likely not pleased by that answer and muttered something about, ‘promising to be gentle with mortals,’ before he continued to walk up a set of stone stairs? 
Where were they going? 
Childe cleared his throat lightly, the realization that he was being carried by Morax fulling dawning on him; embarrassment hit him in waves, “Umm…If I may ask, where are we going?” 
Morax glanced to look at him, and undoubtedly…it was the face of Zhongli. Although this ‘Zhongli’ had no fondness or warmth in his eyes, in its place was a strange out of place serious look on his face. He also looked younger, no blemishes and smile lines yet to have marked up his perfect face. And, he also had a curious pair of horns made of what appeared to be cor lapis…..was that how Zhongli used to look like during that era? Or did he just hide his appearance? 
Morax’s hair was also let down, a very rare sight to see in Zhongli back in the present. The consultant wore his hair in a neat ponytail and never let it down, unless he had too. But, this version of him had his hair down in a carefree manner, like he did not care what happened to his hair or not. 
“You-” Morax stopped mid-sentence, and before Ajax could ask why, he was met with the sight of a worried looking woman. 
She looked vaguely familiar to the lady in his dreams, the same lady that had presumably sent him back, however when she looked at him, there was no clear recognition in her eyes. She did not know who he was. 
Her eyes were as beautiful as a starry sky, so much that they seemed like galaxies. Her hair was long and brown and was held up in a fancy assortment of hairpins and ornaments. She held a small fond smile and looked skeptically at them, vague exasperation in her expression, “Morax, what did I tell you about carrying injured mortals in that way?”
“‘It is not the best method and can cause further harm.’ But, he is no mere mortal,” Morax replied, earning a curious look from the lady. 
She looked back at Ajax and stared for a few moments before her eyes widened ever so softly, “What good news! I'll inform the others!” She walked away hurriedly towards what he presumed to be where the ‘others’ were. 
Now, Ajax was really confused. What was going on, and what was good news? 
__________________________
Not even a few seconds later, he had been carried to the nearest chair by Morax. Who did his best to place him down gently but, if Ajax was a normal human without the resistance to pain he had, he would have likely suffered from a broken bone or a sprain from the amount of force Morax exerted on him when placing him down. Ok perhaps he was exaggerated a little bit; but it still hurt.
Soon enough, familiar faces started to stroll in one after another: the 2 bird adepti, a deer-like one, and a young woman with turquoise hair.
Some whom he had briefly met and someone whom he he did not know nor recognize. 
They all surrounded Ajax at once, and looked at him up and down.
After an awkward while, he finally heard the blue adeptus yell out “This is clearly a human pretending to be an adeptus!” 
The brown haired lady shook her head, “But Shigu, he clearly has a set of horns and his meridians are overflowing with adeptal energy! Besides, he was found where the rest of us were, down by the mountain!” 
Cloud Retainer huffed and pressed her wings to his head(?), before she carefully inspected him, coming close to check his eyes and horns before turning back to face Guizhong, “This one supposes you are correct..” 
What does she mean horns? 
What the hell happened to him? 
He felt the urge to touch his head; to find out if there really had been horns there, but stopped when the woman smiled, “What’s your name....child?” 
Well shit, he can’t say his name is Childe, or else that would be too weird. And using Tartaglia would be too lengthy and strange since he had grown to associate such a name with the Fatu, and it would probably be too difficult for them to say....Celestia knows how much Zhongli and Xiangling struggled to say that name since they heard it....and how much so many others in Liyue struggled as well. 
So he decided to use his birth name instead, and as uncomfortable as that was, it was the easiest sounding name without sounding strange, , “My name is.....Ajax.” 
The lady sounded out his name with her lips before she smiled, “Ajax, what a strong name! I suppose you are a foreigner, correct?” 
He nodded, her eyes widened exponentially and she looked amazed, “That’s so interesting, a foreign adeptus who was once a human! I have never seen such a strange occurrence in my life!" 
She reached out to touch one of his hair strands, “Your hair is as red as lava, and the texture is quite unique! And what are those brown speckles on your face? They are so cute!”
Her hands retreated from his head and he touched his hair self consciously before he decided to change the subject, “Ah. May I ask what your name is, Miss?” 
“Oh! I have almost forgotten! Please do not mind my manners, my name is Guizhong, but you can call me shijie! ” 
He smiles before he gestures towards the other adepti, “Nice to meet you, but what are their names?” The bird huffs and eyes Ajax in a way he could only presume to be irritated, “How insolent! You should respect your elders....One's name is Cloud Retainer….But, you may call this one Shigu.” 
The other bird looks at him and snappily replies, “Mountain Shaper.” 
Was that where Xiao had gotten his attitude from? 
Where was that bastard anyway?
The other deer-like adeptus isn’t any nicer and rolls his eyes at Ajax before saying, “Moon Carver.” 
The last turquoise haired lady is much nicer than the rest and smiles kindly towards him, “Nice to meet you Ajax, you may call me Madame Ping.” 
Wait! That was Madam Ping when she was younger! 
He did not have enough time to swallow this fact before he got interrupted once more, this time by Guizhong, “Ah, little one, how come you are bleeding so much, where do you have injuries?” 
What injuries? 
He looked down at himself and nearly wanted to smack himself when he realized that he had retained the same state he was in when he got transported back; he was covered in blood, and half of his shirt was exposed. 
He scratched his cheek, “Oh…um…the blood isn’t mine..” 
A long pause ringed out throughout the outdoor pavilion, and he could swear he heard the occasional flutter of hair clashing against clothes. He almost thought he said something bad before he heard a soft laugh coming from Guizhong who slapped the back of Morax in a manner too light to be threatening, “Shizun, it seems like we have one more trouble maker. From now on, you won’t be the only one anymore.” 
Morax huffed and pried her hand away from his back, “Don’t say such useless things.” 
Guizhong did not seem at all offended and just continued to laugh, “Ah, shixiong I’m sure you’ll get along fine with your shidi~” She teased, only causing further annoyance to Morax. 
“I’m your Shizun and you’re my disciple, it is not impossible for me to be your shixiong,” he said, his tone being too serious not to make fun of. 
Guizhong laughed and patted Morax's head, careful to avoid his horns, “Only teasing Shizun!” 
He huffed and swatted her hands away gently, looking strangely pleased? 
It was quite a sight to see, and yet it caused a strange feeling to arize in the pit of his stomach, fleeting jealousy.
He knew he shouldn’t but the way she was so carefree with Zhongli and the way that even though he looked annoyed there was clear fondness in his eyes. Even when he was starting to grow closer to Zhongli, he had never gotten as close as he saw those two, which oddly made him feel out of place. Almost as if he was watching something that was not supposed to be seen. 
Something private and intimate. 
Guizhong finally stopped her antics and turned her attention back to Ajax, “So! Now that you are an adeptus, there are basic ground rules we should discuss.” 
Ajax nodded and waited for whatever rules were about to go on. He was not sure if his dream or whatever this was would ever end but he hoped it would, or at least he hoped to find out what he had to do. 
She cleared her throat before continuing, but was interrupted by Cloud Retainer, “Rule 1: You must never under any circumstances take our lord’s gnosis. If you do attempt to do such a foolish thing you will be executed immediately.” 
Ajax paused and almost wanted to laugh at the irony of the whole situation. What he could gather from his short time in the new world (ancient world?) was that he absolutely without a doubt needed to take away Rex Lapis’ gnosis. But, with such a rule being implemented, he was not sure how he would retrieve it from him. However, he was not sure how to take away from someone so powerful even without that rule being stated, so he guessed it did not matter.
Cloud Retainer eyed him suspiciously before she continued on, “Rule 2: You cannot…injure or kill mortals....no matter what,” Cloud Retainer sounded disgusted when she said ‘mortals’ but
Ajax guessed he would as well, if mortals had done such disgraces to his entire kind and the world he was in charge of taking care of. 
“Rule 3: You may not form a romantic relationship with any of the other adepti or any mortals, you are here to complete your duty, and the responsibilities that come with it. Do not fool around.” 
Ajax almost cringed when he heard that sentence; was that why so many adepti were so solitary and did not have descendants? 
Then, did Zhongli go against the rule he formed himself in order to be able to love him…that was new information he did not know. Or perhaps they had ended those ridiculous rules ages ago? 
But if he had those rules, then why did he still kiss him on that mellow day on the beach? 
________________________________
Zhongli had brought him to the beach in order to collect starconches!  
According to Zhongli, he had never heard the sounds of waves crashing when you placed a starconch to your ear. And in order to remedy that, Ajax insisted on bringing him to hear them. Zhongli had at first politely declined (if not a little insistently) but Ajax kept asking and soon enough he begrudgingly agreed to it. 
Ajax immediately swooned over when he saw the bright blue colored waves and the gorgeous clear white sand, not to mention the almost painting-esque sunset. It was a gorgeous sight, so gorgeous that he ran immediately into the inviting water below. 
Ever since he was small, he had loved oceans, lakes, and small creeks. Back in his small town of Morepesok, all he had to entertain himself with as a kid was either to go into the woods or to have fun fishing or swimming by the lake. Every summer, when the ice and snow was not nearly as cold; which meant that you could swim in the lake without catching hypothermia or frostbite almost immediately. He had learned not to swim in the fall or winter, when he had almost lost his leg to frostbite. 
So every summer, he took the opportunity to swim in the clear waters at every chance he got. Every time after school, every time before dinner, before bed, before breakfast, any spare time he got he spent in the lake. 
In hindsight, a hydro vision is the most suitable element he could have gotten. He loved the water, and that feeling only got enhanced when he got the vision. It was almost as if he became almost one with the element, so much so that he felt like he could fly through the water’s waves. 
It was a very pleasant feeling. 
And so, he immediately tore off his shirt and dived into the water below. He swam through the water for a few minutes before he came up to the surface, only to see a very fond-looking Zhongli staring down at him, “Care to join me Xiansheng?” 
Zhongli looked slightly alarmed, but quickly calmed it down and replied, “I am fine, thank you Ajax.” 
Ajax laughed and splashed around the water, making small ripples in the clear waves with his motions, “Aww, c'mon Xiansheng! The water's just fine.” 
Zhongli shaked his head, and took a seat on a rock, “I think I will pass for this one, Ajax.” 
He laughed and finally decided to spare Zhongli from his apparent fear of water (or was it the ocean that scared him?) and got out of the water. 
And he will admit; although he loves the water, he hates the way his entire body and clothes feel 10x heavier when he gets out. So, he slightly stumbles a bit before he’s finally out of the water; not missing the way Zhongli’s eyes raked up and down his torso. 
One of the other things he had trained in the fatui as a harbinger was noticing the signs of attraction and repulsion. Most of the time he had to utilize his charms and use his beauty to get what he was after. Which often than not meant having to make out or even get into bed with other people in order to complete the missions (although the latter missions were rare, he had only done 1 so far). Being the Tsaritsa’s Vanguard meant that although he had to appear threatening he also had to appear completely irresistible.  
So, he could tell what that look in Zhongli’s eye meant, he was attracted to Ajax. 
Normally, he would have ripped out the internal organs of those who had looked at him in such a way (unless it was necessary for a mission). 
But, since this was not a mission he decided to allow Zhongli to feast on his beauty. And besides, it was not like he wasn’t attracted to Zhongli either. The man was absolutely beautiful, after all. 
And, well, it was no secret that the both of them knew of each other's attraction for the other. If the many nights spent together in bed, down by the beach, eating a meal in Wanmin Restaurant, the loving touches that were given by the other, and the many sweet words exchanged weren't enough of a sign to indicate the obvious attraction.  
He walked up to Zhongli, trying to subtly lower the hem of his pants to accentuate his v-line, it seemed to work since Zhongli’s eyes immediately averted their gaze and his cheeks flushed a delicious shade of cherry pink.
Ajax parted his lips and said in the most flirtatious voice he could muster up, “Xiansheng, what’s wrong? Are you sick?” 
Zhongli’s cheeks paled and he looked almost ashamed, “Ah…no.....it is nothing. I am quite alright, don’t worry.” 
Ajax smiled and tried to not laugh at the flustered man before him. He sat down next to the stone before facing towards Zhongli once more, “Xiansheng , here I collected some starconches, would you like to hear one?” He took out a small starconch from his pocket and pressed it against Zhongli’s ear. Zhongli’s eyes fluttered shut and Ajax could see the way he seemed to noticeably relax when he listened to the sound of crashing waves inside the shells. 
Ajax's heart beat in his chest as he looked at the soft slope of Zhongli’s nose, his plump lips that noticeably had a small scar towards the end, the way his red eyeliner was slightly smudged, his strong broad shoulders, his nice high-cheekbones, the mole on his cheek, the way his bangs seemed to perfectly frame his face…he was...so fucking handsome. 
Zhongli’s eyes opened and they widened subtly when he noticed Ajax staring at him, “Ajax...” 
Ajax did not notice how close he was to him until he felt his breathing on his lips. Zhongli’s eyes fluttered closed. He started to lean in closer towards Ajax, his hand coming to rest on his jaw, absentmindedly stroking it. Ajax leaned into the pleasant warmth, causing Zhongli to lean closer. 
They were centimeters apart, and then….he felt a pair of lips against his own.
It was soft and warm, perfect. 
The kiss was chaste but it was all Ajax needed for his heart to soar. It felt like forever, but after a few more subtle kisses, and a pair of warm hands drawing small circles on his back, they finally separated. 
That was the last one they would share. 
It was the day before the Golden House disaster and Ajax felt his heart jump through the clouds when Zhongli smiled as warm as a summer’s sun, “Ajax…I am in love you .” 
It was the first day he had heard Zhongli say those words out loud, after spending many a nights together. But little did he know now that he would come to yearn for the warmth of Zhongli’s hands and his comforting words. 
“I am as well.”
__________________________
He figured that those rules did not apply to archons and shrugged off his stupid memories, ‘Focus on the mission, Ajax.’ 
Ajax smiled brightly up at Cloud Retainer before waving his hand dismissively, “Alright! I got it! I got it! So, what do I have to do in order to seal this oath?”
Cloud Retainer looked irritated, not so subtly tapping her legs in irritation, “This one is not the one you should be asking.”
“Aiyoh, Cloud Retainer, stop eyeing Ajax like an enemy! We are all adepti here, no need to fight amongst us,” Guizhong had side-hugged Cloud Retainer who definitely looked angry now, pecking at Guizhong’s arm. However, despite her irritation she did not say anything and just huffed and looked away. 
Guizhong laughed before she turned to look at Ajax, “You seal an oath by making a contract with our dearest Yanwang Dijun.” 
So, he had to make a contract with Rex Lapis….was she crazy?
That was one of the things he knew he should stay away from. From all accounts in prior historic texts, sealing a contract with Rex Lapis meant that you had to abide by the restrictions if you did not want to ‘suffer the wrath of the rock,’ or so the text had said. And, even if Ajax looked to fight, he still did not want to find out how Morax would react to his break in his contract. 
He shook his conflicting thoughts to the side (he would deal with them later), for now, he would have to accept; otherwise he would look suspicious. 
“...How do I do that exactly?” 
Guizhong smiles and drags Morax by the hand (who was currently in the middle of falling asleep on a nearby log). He snaps up into alert but once his eyes land on Guizhong he visibly relaxes and allows himself to be pulled along, “You just have to shake his hand!” 
She pulls Morax’s hand and Morax sleepily looks at Ajax. He comes to and quickly straightens out and stares deeply with glowing eyes as if he was looking right at his soul, “Do you accept the contract’s terms?” 
Ajax nods and stretches out his hand, “I accept your terms..” 
Morax’s eyes stopped glowing and he nodded, “Then, it is set in stone.” 
He envelopes the surprisingly cold hand and shakes it lightly; feeling a warm stream of energy flowing through his veins (was that a part of the contract?).....It continues for a few seconds before he looks down to notice a geo sigil engraved on his skin. It was only there for a moment before it faded in a wisp of golden light, not able to be seen again with eyes, but felt nevertheless. 
Morax eyes him and his eyes begin to glow once more; however, this time he even bared his teeth, showing off his sharp fangs, “Let our contract be honored, Ajax. If you go back on your word, you shall suffer the wrath of the rock.”
Ajax nodded, feeling the mood turn too sour and deadly serious. Apparently, he wasn't the only one that felt that way because shortly afterwards, Guizhong had come over to Morax and thrown her hand around his shoulder, “Celestia above Morax, don’t scare the poor man! You’ll scare him to death if you do that!” she looked towards Ajax and winked, “Don’t worry Ajax, you’ll be fine!” 
Morax shakes his head and even brings a hand to rub at his temples, “Guizhong, don’t cause trouble.” 
She laughs and unhooks her hand from his shoulder and raises them defensively, “I won’t, I swear Shizun!"
Morax sighed before going back towards that log he had previously been resting on (or attempting to at least). Which only earned another laugh from Guizhong, exasperated sighs from all of the other adepti except for Madam Ping who looked slightly amused by the entire display. 
____________________________
“Alright shidi, your shijie will show you to your living quarters!” 
Ajax nodded and Guizhong gestured to follow her. They didn’t have to walk for long as they reached a small abode near Mount Hulao. It was nothing fancy, just a small house made of wood, but it looked durable enough to last a couple of years, and it had a charming look to it. Surrounding the small cottage were sand bearer trees and glaze lilies, “Your shijie personally went out of her way to decorate your house! I hope you’ll like it!” 
Ajax nodded, “Yes, thank you…Shijie.” 
Guizhong brightened up immediately, “Aww di-di! You finally called me your shijie!" 
Ajax flushed and looked away. Something about Guizhong that he noticed was that she was the most incredibly aware unaware person he had ever met. She did not seem to realize the embarrassment he felt, judging from the weird proud look on her face. 
Her facial expression almost reminded Ajax of the look his father used to give him whenever they would ever go out ice-fishing and he would catch a big fish all on his own. His father would pat him on the back and commend him for his achievements. And, the twinkle in his eyes; it was proud. 
He looked so proud of Ajax. 
A face he has not seen on his father, not since he was 14 years old. 
Whenever his father would look at him now, it would no longer be a look of a proud father with his son but more of bone-chilling fear.
He missed that look dearly. 
He missed the way things were, the way things used to be; back when he did not have to worry about miniscule things like love, and could just enjoy his life as a carefree child. That was the irony of his name; Childe. He was nothing like a child, he was a monster in disguise of a young charming man. 
He was not a child by any measures; a child does not slit the throats of other people without batting an eye.
He was a monster.
An abyssal beast. 
“What’s wrong shidi, you look pale? Are you sick?” she pressed a warm hand on his forehead, attempting to detect any excessive warmth. 
He turned to look at Guizhong; she looked worried, the gentle curve of her lips curved down in a slight frown, her eyebrows were furrowed, and her eyes were full with endless sympathy. Ajax started to feel guilty that he ever felt any sort of negative emotions to a being so pure and empathetic.
He was even sure that she was the type of being to forgive those who had wronged her easily and even comfort them through it; that was the kind of god she was. A gentle and understanding god, with never ending sympathy towards her followers, non-followers, fellow adepti, even the dust that seemed to follow her: shining brightly like pure gold.
However, she was not only a gentle god, she was also incredibly intelligent according to the Liyuen history books Ajax had read before coming to Liyue. She had built many technological advances with the help of humans and had even constructed the Guizhong Ballista, a machine that fired autonomously; a great feat for the time. Her advances in technology even rivaled Khaenri'ah or Sumeru. 
A truly impressive genius of their time. 
Ajax was starting to understand why her memory was adored throughout Liyue. The goddess of dust, Guizhong was someone who was often mentioned along with other adepti through the early history of Liyue. 
She had sacrificed her life for her people, when Osial had gone mad; she had traded her life for the safety of mortals. Without her sacrifice, humanity would have not continued to exist. 
Osial would have brought destruction, not only to Liyue but to all of Teyvat, it would have been catastrophic. 
However, some say her sacrifice was in vain because all humanity did was just further destroy each other.
So did she really make the right choice? 
This was the sentiment that was uttered with many philosophers and skeptics alike. Many saw Guizhong’s sacrifice to be foolish.
Why couldn’t she just allow humanity to burn? It would have benefited her to do so.
Endless suffering was caused by greedy and selfish human beings, so wouldn't it have been better to wipe them all out? 
She did not however, she still had hope for humanity. 
However, another god wasn’t the same: Rex Lapis. 
She had tried to coerce her to let humanity collapse in itself, to stop devoting herself towards mortals if all they were going to do is kill and commit atrocities towards one another. But, she simply laughed and waved him off as if he was telling a humorous joke, “You still haven’t understood humanity, dear Morax. While that is true, you must see the beauty within….After all, there is beauty in all of us, if you look close enough.” This was her reply to Morax, who stood perplexed, wondering deeply what her words meant as he gazed into his cup of still tea. 
Ajax wondered if Zhongli had finally understood what she had meant. Was that why he allowed Ajax to hurt him so, because he saw the beauty within? Did he allow his people to nearly rip at each other's throats because he saw the beauty within it? Did he allow himself to grow as close as he did to Ajax because he understood the beauty within pain itself? 
He shook off his thoughts and reassessed his current situation. He was stuck in the past, and he had apparently turned into an adepti. And besides that, he had also been tasked to retrieve Rex Lapis’ gnosis from past Guizhong herself. But, on top of that he had to stay within the contract if he did not want to end up dead for committing treason. 
“Ah, I’m fine. I’m just tired is all. But, if you don’t mind me asking, where is the…um…bathing room?” 
Guizhong took her hand off of his forehead and smiled, “Oh, yeah that is right! I almost forgot you were covered in blood shidi! The bathing area is near the side of your house! Although, I should mention that it is public.” 
….public… 
He had to bathe in public…naked…with many other strangers around him…and possibly Morax. 
He nearly started to burst into tears when he learned that new information. While it wasn’t at all uncommon for fatui soldiers to bathe in public; often than not they had to be on missions that were time essential, so in order to not waste it, they had to bathe publicly. So, Childe had grown used to seeing others naked and had no problem showering in front of others. However, it had been a while since he had been in the fatui army, and…he had not conquered the embarrassment that followed with bathing with others yet. When he was still a young teenager, he didn’t have time for embarrassment and mostly just focused on climbing the ranks and becoming a harbinger by the time he was 19.
So now, at 24 years old, he was now used to a certain level of luxury that came with being a harbinger. Now, he had underlings who could acquire him time alone in the bath and do everything for him. And ever since he had gotten comfortable with such a simple lifestyle; his tolerance for embarrassment had dwindled down. An unfortunate side-effect he had not foreseen. 
So, with that being said, he was a little more than hesitant to bathe. However, he swallowed his pride, “Thank you, shijie. I appreciate your help.” 
Guizhong nodded, “Your welcome, shidi! I hope you’ll find your stay here comfortable! And although I do have questions for you, I’ll refrain from doing so until dinner. So, see you there!” 
He smiled and waved her off as he walked back up the mountain staircase with an elegance he was certain he would never be able to achieve in his lifetime. He sighed and hurried over towards the large steaming pool out in the open. He had heard of things like this before, they were called hot springs. He hesitantly took off his clothes before he went into the water; it was sublime. 
The temperature of the water was a comforting warmth, and it relaxed Ajax to its fullest potential. It was just what he needed, a simple relaxing time for himself. He needed a breather after all of that information was shoved down his throat; not leaving any room for him to get a word in. He sighed and relaxed his body into the clear warm water below…before he felt something against his leg. 
He was not initially alarmed, chalking it up to be an underwater plant of some kind, or even moss…however, those thoughts were immediately thrown out of a window when he saw a tail rising up from the waters…The scales were brown with golden accents, Ajax immediately jumped and was ready to jump out of the waters and retrieve his vision…when he noticed a head pop out from the waters. 
It was Morax; his dark hair was soaked and he was looking at Ajax curiously…
He did not know what to say. After all, he had to grow close enough for Morax to trust him enough to hand over his gnosis willingly; or Tartaglia needed to grow stronger in order to win in a duel with the Geo Archon himself. 
“It's umm, nice weather isn’t it?” 
He wanted to slap himself as soon as he said it. Out of all of the things he could have mustered up, he decided to comment on the weather?  
Morax blinked once, twice before nodding and fully pulling his head out of the water (Ajax tried not to stare at the gorgeous outline of his clavicle), “Yes, it does seem to be quite pleasant today.” 
Ok, that was a start at least. 
“Yeah…” Ajax did not know how to continue the conversation and continued to bathe in the waters. He tried his best to avoid Morax’s presence and scrubbed at his blood-stained cheeks and hair (careful to avoid his new found horns). When he had killed all of those hilichurls, he had managed to get blood soaked into his hair. Which was only a further annoyance and inconvenience to him. 
He roughly pulled at his hair; using the soap he had received from Guizhong moments before. Apparently, he had been too rough since a hand reached out and stopped him from washing his hair. 
Ajax paused and looked up to see Morax staring deeply into Ajax, “You are hurting yourself.” 
Ajax was about to shake his head in denial and yank Morax’s grip from his hands, when he felt a slight sting on his scalp. He touched it and brought it up in front of his eyes; along with the glaze lily soap there was blood. He had scratched his scalp too harshly and had ripped the skin on his scalp to rip open. 
He almost sighed but Morax came to touch his hair instead causing the sigh to become trapped in his throat, “Is that why your hair is red?” 
Ajax raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?” 
Morax paused and seemed to be deciding his next words. When he finally came to a resolution he continued on, “Did you rub your head so harshly when bathing, that overtime your hair  has become red?” 
Ah, so that was what he meant.
Ajax almost wanted to laugh at his adorable naïveté. For a god he was still so terribly new to the world around him. He guesses that this is the case, Morax at this point had only lived a few hundred years, so he was still relatively new to the world. He had only recently found what gentleness had been just a few years before Ajax went back. 
From what he had gathered, it was a few hundred years before the Archon War, so in other terms, he had a long, long, long time in order to gain Morax’s trust and find out what his weaknesses are, as well as gain more battle experience. 
So, he had to utilize his time wisely.
“Ah, no, I was born with my hair like this. It’s more common back in my country than here I presume?”
Morax nodded and touched a strand of Ajax’s hair carelessly, staring at it fascinatingly, “Yes, it is not at all common here. Do the rest of your family have this hair color as well?” 
“No, only my younger brother, my father, and I have red hair. The rest of my family has brown or blonde hair.” 
Morax nodded and pointed at the freckles that covered his shoulders, “Then, what are those spots? Are they some sort of disease?” 
‘He certainly is full of questions today,’ Ajax thought. 
“Those are called freckles and they are not a disease. Think of them sort of like moles.” 
Morax nodded and stepped back from Ajax, “I see. Well then, I....will....allow you to continue your bath.....Please excuse my interruption.” 
He walked away to the other side of the hot spring and continued his own bathing, calmly washing his own hair out and scrubbing at his body with a small cloth. 
Ajax looked away sheepishly and continued his own bath, trying to erase the memory of Morax being as close as he was to him, while they were both entirely naked. 
____________________________
Thankfully, Morax had spared Ajax and exited the bath shortly afterwards (Ajax tried not to scream as he saw Morax’s entire body exit the water). He tried to push out the way his muscles contracted and the way his hair seemed to pass all of the way towards his lower back and how beautiful he looked. 
Ajax got out shortly afterwards, getting into a bathrobe (one that Guizhong had handed him earlier) before making his way towards his house. 
When he got it he noticed it was bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. It was intricately furnished with several elegant decorations. The walls were wood, and were polished to the point where he could swear he could see his own reflection in them. The furniture was perfectly placed and polished which gave off the vibe that it was not habited but gingerly cared for. Everything was too clean, too preserved, that he almost thought someone lived in the spacious home when he first arrived. 
However, upon closer inspection, amongst the tidiness and cleanliness of the house; it had absolutely no personal items. And, it was almost eerie in that way. It was entirely desolate and far too quiet for his own liking. 
Every step he took on the wooden floors resonated within the very walls of the house.....it was too lonely. 
He almost hated it in a way.
Now, he was not in constant company back in his apartment in Liyue harbor, however he could still make out the hustle and bustle coming from the streets of Liyue. And since the city was always teeming with riveting conversation and lively debate, the noise still managed to make its way into his closed apartment. However, he had somewhat come to enjoy the muted murmurs and laughter coming from his locked door, it was almost slightly comforting in a way. 
Back home, in Snezhnaya everyone was too quiet. To the point where people’s every breath could be heard from nearly 6 rooms down back in the Zapolyarny palace. Even in his small town of Morepesok, everything was always so quiet; part of the reason he did not want to stick in the small town any longer than he needed to. Everyone in the town was highly judgemental and did not shy away from telling you what they really thought. It was a brutal environment, and the fact that the corrupt officials and higher ups did nothing to stop the endless violence and brutality, only made it worse. 
In fact, Childe clearly remembers that a fatui soldier once got paid off and turned a blind eye to a child getting half way beaten to death on the cold streets by a classmate of his. If it wasn’t for his recent experience in the Abyss, he would have never been able to ward off the attacker on the innocent kid. However, even the kid who was getting attacked just shoved Childe off for helping him or in his words, ‘making him seem like a pathetic weakling.’
So much for thanks, he guessed. 
That was just the kind of environment he was subjected to both in Snezhnaya and in the Abyss.
Environments that were cruel, horrific, and unforgiving; one wrong move and you’ll wind up as another missing poster on your town’s noticeboard. It was nothing new in fact, Ajax’s parents had already moved on when they saw their son missing for 3 weeks. They had just presumed he had been eaten by wolves, and held a small funeral outside of their house. It was normal to do so in fact, he remembers his aunt had lost one of her daughters and she didn’t think twice before already starting to build her coffin, in grim anticipation of when her corpse would eventually float down the river, decomposing and partially eaten by the various insects and animals. 
So, they were nothing short but flabbergasted when their ‘dead’ son showed up with blood covered all over him, with a dazed look on his face. Of course they were relieved, what parent wouldn’t be? However, their relief was quickly dried up when they realized what he had become.
Soon enough their perception of him shattered completely and in their eyes, he was no longer human but a sadistic....creature. 
__________________________
It was about 2 days since he had come back, and he had grown significantly and even had more muscles than his 2 older brothers.
It was quite the shocking development.
And even if it was all strange, nobody seemed to believe him when he said it had been 3 months for him. He was no longer the carefree and slightly gullible ambitious son they had; one that made his mother exasperated and his father proud once proud.
He was a shell of his former shell, he no longer cared about anything else; he mercilessly killed whatever he could lay his hands on. 
It was about the time when his family hurriedly searched for him in the forest. They found him covered in blood, blade in hand. His parents had freaked out, and checked him all over for injuries. However, their concern had come to a complete halt once they realized the bloody display in front of their eyes; a little ways into the forest, they laid the bodies of about 20 wolves or so, all dismembered and horrifyingly discarded about the forest.
His mother gasped and nearly vomited, while his father’s eyes widened with horror and he paled significantly. 
They slowly turned towards Tartaglia, who had a nonchalant expression, “They were bothering me....so I killed them....It really was no big deal.” 
His father raged, fear that desperately turned into anger, “What the fuck do you mean that it’s no a big deal, Ajax!"
Tartaglia almost wanted to laugh when he heard his father whisper that name.
No, he was no longer Ajax. 
Ajax had far since been killed in the abyss, by those monsters. 
He was no longer present. 
Ajax was now just a name, his birth name.
But, it wasn’t who he was anymore. 
He had vanished. 
However, he didn’t say anything and instead replied with the same nonchalance as before, “I said, it's no big deal, Fath-” 
His father had effectively shut his mouth by slapping him across the face, with a force that did not even push him back all that much, much to the horror of his father. He touched his stinging cheek, and for a moment everything seemed to click. He wanted a challenge, he wanted to have the same adrenaline rush. The same he got when he had to fight the monsters of the abyss. 
He put his best mask up and lowered his face, “I am....sorry father, I won’t do it again.” 
His father did not seem to buy his act whatsoever, since he only continued to glare at Tartaglia. However, even his own father wanted to desperately cling onto that false hope that Ajax was still the same. That he hadn’t been permanently scarred and changed due to the abyss. 
And it was his false hope that nearly landed several people onto their deathbeds. 
_________________________
In the pursuit of a new challenge, he provoked many fights in his school. At first, it was kids the same age as him, who got insulted at the slightest word about their appearance. Of course, with all of his battle experience he easily won that fight. The next one, it was with an older kid, nearly an adult. He also easily won that fight as well. Even though he didn’t have height, he had speed and agility which he used to effortlessly win. 
And so, it carried on for a while. He looked for a tougher and better opponent until their small town could not take it anymore and his father had come to a decision. He pulled Ajax aside one day and asked a simple question, his eyes boring holes into Ajax, in desperate search for his son, “Ajax! Either you pick up your act and return to normal or you will join the Fatui! Which will it be son?” 
“The Fatui,” he replied, almost immediately causing the hope to burn out within his father’s tired eyes, like water to fire. 
The fatui wasn’t all that bad, in fact he sort of enjoyed the challenge to climb the ranks and go from soldier to harbinger in less than a few years. It gave him the challenge he craved and he got to soothe his insatiable bloodlust even if just for a while. It was a good change for him, and in all honesty, it was the only thing that prevented him from becoming a complete and utter abyssal monster. 
It kept him humane and under Pulcinella, it helped him stay sane.  
And, after a few years, he could finally keep a lid on the other side of himself; the bloodlusting and monstrous side of himself.
And over time, his family had started to tolerate him back into their group slowly. Deceiving themselves further by saying that everything that he had done was just a ‘silly stage’ in his boyhood, and not something else, something deeper that gnawed at him at every turn. He could finally return back to his role as that ‘ambitious and carefree’ child and occasionally could lose himself too much in the part, that even he himself started to believe it…...if only a little. 
He would only let go completely on missions or spars. He could indulge the part of his mind that he desperately wanted to erase, and let go. 
__________________________
He settled down pretty easily into the house and had even gotten the much needed rest he desired. He hadn’t bothered to change out of the bathrobe yet, and instead just fell asleep that way. So, when he woke up, he had to face yet another challenge. 
He had to figure out how to wear the pair of blue shuhe on his nightstand. It was most likely a gift from Guizhong judging from the nice note attached to it which read: “For my dearest shidi. ” 
Guizhong had surprisingly easily accepted him into their society, which gave him subtle whiplash. Everyone else seemed wildly skeptical and even aggravated that a stranger else was joining, and seemed to give off a very unwelcoming aura. However, she was eager and enthusiastic to include him in their society, and had even vouched for him when they were discussing what to do with him (he had overheard earlier). So with that note, he was starting to further realize why she was so beloved by all living creatures. 
She just loved, no matter what. 
And although that was a very admirable trait, it was also a very foolish one to have. 
He grabbed the several layers of the hanfu in his hands and attempted to piece together how it went. He had not worn shuhe or other types of ancient traditional Liyuen clothes personally ever before during his stay in Liyue, but he had seen how other people had worn it before during Lantern Rite. 
The innermost layer was usually a simple white undershirt with subtle designs; that was easy to put on. However, the problem was knowing which outer layer to put on first, and which one to put on second and in what direction. Although he had seen people wear them before, he had never stopped to consider how they put them on in the first place. 
So, with the undergarments on, he was stuck a little on how to put the rest. And so, he did what any other person would have done in his position; he threw them on randomly and hoped it would be the right way to wear them. 
______________________________
He made his way up the various gray stone stairs and made his way towards the presumed location.
And in that location, in the middle of Hu Lao mountain there was a small table, which he had laid his eyes upon on his way down the mountain with Guizhong moments prior. 
And surely enough, on the table was the rest of the adepti, looking terribly impatient.
He shuffled towards them as silently as possible but they all turned to look at him. Cloud Retainer looked as irritated as usual if not more, looking as if she wanted to poke out his eyes. Madam Ping just looked slightly amused and waved enthusiastically at Ajax. Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper preferred to pay him no mind. Guizhong’s smile grew bigger as she spotted Ajax and she even shook Morax up who was sleeping on the table. He opened his eyes and yawned; Ajax won’t admit this but it was one of the cutest things he had ever seen.
But amidst them, there sat another adeptus he had never seen before; he was a blue adeptus and he had gold horns. He looked at Ajax with a much more gentler curiosity, than his other colleagues. 
He made his way towards the table, and Guizhong gently opened up a chair for him, “Shidi! You’re finally here! I was starting to get worried about you!” 
Cloud Retainer huffed and crossed her (wings?), “All of us have been waiting for you, insolent child! You are far too late, all of the food is cold by now.” 
“You can not blame him, dear Shigu, he must have been tired. After all, we all remember when we became adepti ourselves. It was quite an exhausting and lengthy process, was it not?” Guizhong asked. 
Cloud Retainer huffed again, but begrudgingly nodded, “This one…guesses that you are correct…again.” 
Guizhong laughed and patted at the empty chair beside her, “Well then, hurry up shidi!...What Shigu said was true! Your food is getting colder by the second!” 
He nodded and sat down besides her. He attempted to pick up the chopsticks, before he shakily brought a piece of steamed vegetables to his lips. But before he could eat it,  he was bombarded with a load of questions by Guizhong herself, “So then, shidi! Where are you from? Shizun has told me about how your hair color is quite a common sight in your village, and how those brown speckles on your face are called freckles. Are they also a common thing in your village? How did you manage to become an adepti? How come you speak Liyuen so well? How-”
Madame Ping intercepted and brought a hand to Guizhong’s mouth, “Now, now, shijie please give him some room to breathe. Like you’ve said before, he must be tired and hungry from his journey. So please, allow him some time to eat before he could answer all of your questions, dearest.” 
Guizhong nodded and gently lowered Madame Ping’s hand from her mouth, “I’m terribly sorry di-di, it seems like my curiosity and excitement for your arrival has far exceeded my restrain. I’ll give you some time to rest.” 
Ajax shook his head, attempting once more to pick up some steamed vegetables once more with his chopsticks (and somewhat failing), “It’s quite alright, shijie. I understand that you must be excited to see a new adeptus, especially since you know little about me. However, to answer your questions, I am from....somewhere that is quite a bit ways from here. And yes, freckles are a pretty common thing in my village. I don’t remember when I became an adepti exactly; I just woke up and I was in the mountains. Also, I can speak Liyuen well, since I’ve studied it before, back in my homeland.” 
She nodded and greedily soaked up the information before,“That’s very interesting, thank you di-di,” before she turned around towards the rest of the adepti, “Sky Bracer, this is Ajax! He’s a new adeptus!” 
Sky Bracer laughed before nodding; he seemed very fond of Guizhong (but, then again, it seemed like everyone was), “Yes, I’ve heard. Nice to meet you, Ajax. I’m Sky Bracer.” 
Ajax nodded, “Nice to meet you too, Sky Bracer.” 
Sky Bracer nodded, but Ajax suddenly got yanked away by his clothes. He turned alarmed and was ready to slap the hands away, but then he saw warm eyes, and all of a sudden his hands lowered. No matter what form Zhongli was in, he would always warm up to the man no matter what. He was like butter in his warm hands; he melted. He was easily swayed by the man’s soft words and even softer eyes; and although these eyes of his didn’t exactly portray warmth, they were still so captivating. Perhaps his eyes were a big part of the reason why he always seemed to agree to whatever he wished (was that something all archons had?). 
Morax’s hands started to take off his shuhe, and tugged at the belt causing the shirt to slip off. Causing Ajax to snap back into reality and swat at Morax’s hands, “W-hat are you doing?!” 
The god blinked before he looked calmly at Ajax, “You....are not wearing it right.” 
Wearing wha-oh.  
He looked down at his extremely messy and disorganized shuhe and flushed, “Oh…”
Morax nodded and continued to organize it the right way, “This one goes on this way,” he added one of the outermost layers and placed it over the layer he had on top, in a different way he had. He tied the belt once more and organized the pendant so that it was precisely on the left side, making sure the jade pendant faced the correct way. He also organized the sleeves and made them much neater then Ajax could ever hope of doing himself. 
This continued on for a few more awkward seconds, but he’d be lying if he said that he did not enjoy the attention given to him by someone else. Yeah, his feelings for the archon in front of him were complicated at best, however, he couldn’t deny that he could not appreciate the eyes and hands that seemed to glaze up and down his form; diligently organizing the messy shuhe. Every once in a while, he would look up to meet the curious gazes from the rest of the adepti. They seemed to have a variety of expressions ranging from mortified to shocked and to amused. Everyone’s reaction was completely different from the next, Guizhong was a little taken aback herself but other than that she seemed amused. 
Amused by his suffering; maybe she wasn’t a god of kindness and mercy after all…
Finally, after a few minutes, he was finally done. Morax took off his hands, checked the shuhe once more before he nodded, “Now.....it is right.” 
Ajax was still in the middle of processing what had just happened, so he let out a small, “Thanks” before he turned the brightest shade of red Guizhong had ever seen, “Woah! Di-di, you’re glowing red like jueyun chilis!” 
Ajax wanted to crawl into a ball of self-pity again, for the third time in his life. 
__________________________________
Dinner went by in a flash, and all Ajax remembers from it (besides the absolutely mouth-watering dishes) was the utter embarrassment he felt throughout the entire exchange. The other adepti did not bring it up (thank Celestia), but the awkward encounter did seem to linger throughout their minds as their eyes darted from Morax to Ajax respectively. 
Just what was on their minds? 
He decided to ignore them, and kept eating (as well as he could anyways) with his chopsticks. However, he mostly stuck to using the spoon to scoop things up, which thankfully did not cause any further stares. 
After dinner, Ajax was escorted to his room by none other than Cloud Retainer and Guizhong. A rather odd duo. Guizhong had wanted to escort Ajax back with Morax (muttering something about ‘making her lousy Shizun more sociable’), but Morax had managed to slip by her. And besides that, since Cloud Retainer was still highly distrusting of him, she offered to lead him down the mountain. The only reason she hadn’t done so the first time, was because she was busy with other duties and because Ajax seemed too tired to hurt even a fly. So, he went down the mountain with the two adepti. 
Guizhong was as chatty as ever, talking to Ajax about her new ideas for new projects involving new secret technology she was developing; only to be hushed by Cloud Retainer who told her, ‘It can’t be a secret if you are blurting it out so much.’ 
Guizhong was the one who huffed and decided to talk about other topics, such as new villages in the middle of construction, new flowers she had encountered, stories about Morax and the other adepti. But amidst all of the topics, one specifically stuck out to Ajax. 
“ -shizun never has let me into his house ever since. Besides that di-di, there has been a rise of rift wolf sightings since the week before.” 
“Rift wolves?” 
Guizhong was taken aback, but was delighted all the same that he had said anything at all, “Yes, we have seen them a while ago. Have you ever seen rift wolves before di-di? ” 
He had more than just seen rift wolves before. Back when he was in the abyss, he had to fight off those annoying things at every turn he got. They smelled abyssal energy from a mile away and had been known to come directly to places where it was in an excess. The bad thing about that was that, ever since he had adapted to the energy down in the abyss, everytime he killed any monster down in the abyss he had to swallow all of their energy in order to not catch the attention of a rift wolf.
However, even though he had adapted to the abyssal energy, it did not mean that it still did not affect him in any way. When he swallowed too much at one go, his bloodlust and the need to eat up more energy poked at his very soul. It was almost like an addiction; however the more he ate more of the energy, the more he himself exuded that energy and the harder it was to keep a lid on it. 
Skirk had warned him from consuming too much at a time; she herself had told Ajax about the horrors she had seen of those who have had too much. They mostly ended up going through a slow metamorphosis, where they would be gradually transformed into the very monsters they once killed and detested. It was a painful process and it was not preventable once it happened. And since, it was not something he himself wanted to go through, he tried to limit the amount he ingested. 
“Yes, I have,” he said, rather simply. 
Guizhong nodded and looked solemnly downwards, “I feel quite sorry for the creatures.” 
Sorry?  
Why would she feel sorry for the beasts? 
“Don’t be. They are worthless and helpless creatures, no need to waste time on them,” Cloud Retainer replied, looking irritated at her words. 
Guizhong sighed and gave a small smile, “That’s precisely why I feel sorry for them. They do not have any meaningful existence and are just going through the motions or their circumstances. They are quite......pitiful, and I feel sorry for them.” 
They didn’t say anything else for the rest of the walk, and bid Ajax farewell before going towards the direction of their own living spaces. 
______________________________
Ajax drifted off to sleep and dreamed about his past memories: times spent with Zhongli by the harbor, his mom’s warm pirozhki's and the comforting smell of silk flowers. 
However, his sweet space was quickly disrupted when he was awoken by the shaking of his shoulders. He swatted them off and buried his face deeper into his pillows, but the person kept shaking his shoulders, this time saying his name, “Ajax....wake up.” 
He opened his eyes begrudgingly and saw who it was….Morax?!
What was he doing in his house?!
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fannish-karmiya · 1 year
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I love all the new story ideas you've put out lately! Which ones are you most excited to try and write? Are you working on any particular one, or is it just as the mood and ideas compel you?
I finished rereading Awaiting Your Return recently! And then, once I reread ch 1 of the sequel, I had to wonder - is Wei Wuxian wearing his fancy new (old) Wen dachang? I bet that's quite the sight!
And, when he waled out - where did he go? He's probably liable to raise alarms, even *with* Lan Wangji by his side, so without him for even those few moments... was he intercepted? Did his husband (!) Catch up to him quickly, or lose track, bc he doesn't actually know where Wei Wuxian likes to go in the Cloud Recesses?
Omg, thank you! I actually am uploading a bunch of backlogged fics which are partially-written. All of these are either at least 30 chapters in or on the last story arc. I'm really excited to pick up and finished Our Feelings Remain Unchanged, though; that one is very firmly in the last story arc and has been a blast to write.
Oh wow, thank you! It's really incredibly flattering to hear that someone liked my story enough to re-read it! Actually, Wei Wuxian in the sequel is wearing a white one which Wen Qing gave him, because his old one was torn on a night hunt (and Wen Ning used it to bind his wounds, poor dear). It's still a Wen design, though, so yeah, he certainly makes a statement in it!
Your message actually inspired me to finally re-read ch2 and upload it, so now you'll find out! I'm not very good at keeping track of time, so sometimes I go way longer between updates than I meant to, sadly!
Thank you so much for your message, it was so lovely to hear from you! I've been having a tough time with writing lately (original writing woes, how to get published, etc), and it was so encouraging to hear from someone who enjoys my writing. Thank you! <3
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darkeningclouds · 1 year
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China Masterlist 🏮
Umbrella Terms
Huafu (any clothing originating in China)
Hanfu (Han-Chinese ethnic clothing)
Hanyuansu (western clothing inspired by hanfu)
Modified Hanfu
Wedding Hanfu
Winter Hanfu
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General Hanfu Terms
Men’s Hanfu
Mianfu (emperor’s clothes)
Dachang (male equivalent of a pifeng)
Yichang 
Yuanlingpao
Qiyao Ruqun (Parallel Collar) (Crossed Collar)
Moxiong (undergarment for women)
Shan
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Han Dynasty + Wei/Jin Dynasties
Quju
Danyi (sheer coat for shenyi)
Shenyi
Zhiju
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Tang Dynasty
Daxiushan (lit. big sleeved shirt)
Banbi (Tang Dynasty beizi)
Banxiu 
Tanling (U-collared shirt)
Qixiong Ruqun (chest-high ruqun)
Yaoqun
Heiziqun
Hezi
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Song Dynasty
Beizi (narrow-sleeved coat with slits on the side)
Beixin (sleeveless version of the beizi)
Moxiu (similar to a shan but the sleeves are wider and shorter)
Lanshan
Xiapei
Baidiequn
Song-style Pants
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Ming Dynasty
Pifeng (big sleeved coat)
Bijia (sleeveless version of a pifeng)
Zhaojia (male equivalent of a bijia)
Changshan
Zhuyao
Mamianqun (horse-faced skirt)
Aoqun
Zhiduo
Daopao
Tieli (pleats go around the skirt)
Yesa (no pleats at the front of the skirt)
Fengguan (phoenix crown)
Yunjian (shoulder accessory)
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Qing Dynasty
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Republican Era/Minguo
Qipao/Cheongsam
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Footwear
Zaoxue
Chixi
Fangxi
Qitoulv
Qiaotoulv
Yuntoujinlv
Tang-Style Astana Cemetery Raised Head Shoes
Tang-Style Astana Cemetery Shoes
Fanglv
Gongxie
Dengyunlv
Yunwa (socks)
~~
Makeup
Pearl Makeup
Huadian (forehead)
Xiehong (side of face)
Mianye (dimples)
~~
Musical Instruments
Guzheng
Pipa
Yueqin
Guqin
Dizi
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Other Clothing Tags
Qi Lolita
Qungua
Xiuhefu
Xiyu
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Other Tags
Chinese Opera
Beijing Opera
C-Drama
Guzhuang
Gufeng
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eulaties · 8 months
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rewatching idol producer and then finding out that bi wenjun is starring in the link click la while zheng ruibin is starring in the tgcf la ...... nah im crying the dachang boys are everywhere fr
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juniebuggle · 11 months
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[Image ID: A digital drawing of three original characters in chibi form with a green background and gold accents. The top character has dark skin and wears his dark brown hair in dreadlocks pulled back in a bun. His outfit has a combination of Ancient Greek and Hanfu inspirations with a cool color palette. He is shown with happy, sleepy, silly, and crying expressions. The middle character has tanned skin and short warm brown hair. He wears a red jacket and black outfit with punk/rock influences and holds a sword. He is shown with stern, sighing, and catboy expressions, as well as one mimicking akito from project sekai’s “interesting” stamp. The bottom character has pale skin and red hair, which she wears in a side braid. Her outfit is Elizabethan inspired and made up of a blouse and trousers with a blue cape. She is shown with indignant, embarrassed, angry, and happy expressions. /.End ID]
°.✩┈∘*┈┈୨♡୧┈┈*∘┈✩.°
Some stickers I made for my cousins birthday of his characters in the rp I dm! The patterns on Boson’s (the top guy) outfit are referenced from Leon Bakst’s Phedre costume.
Some sketches and an alt color background under the cut!
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[Image ID: The first image is a digital sketch of four costume designs for Boson made of a chiton and a Dachang. The first three are variants of purple but the fourth is teal. The second image is a collage of traditional pencil sketches of the characters from the first picture in the post. From top left to bottom right: the male character in red from the shoulder up making a neutral expression; the same character as a chibi making a fighting pose with text that says “punching u” repeatedly; a headshot of the character from the top of the first picture smiling warmly with lines representing light radiating out from him; the redhead from the waist up sighing and putting a hand to her forehead; and a comic of the same character trying a cute expression and then being embarrassed/ashamed of it, with text that says “before a meeting with Oscar.” The third image is the background of the first image, but with a brighter and more vibrant green. /.End ID]
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localsya · 1 year
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31 and 32!:D
ty for ask uvu 31. Your character has been invited to a masquerade ball. What mask do they wear?
uhggheeh Yuna would probably wear a traditional shinto festival mask, a basic porcelain kitsune one, as for Bao she would def wear a komainu mask hehe
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32. Your character is having a prom night/debs. What kind of outfit do they wear?
Yuna would def have a jūnihitoe, a 12 layered kimono meant for high royalty ladies, as for Bao her clothing would be a dachang styled hanfu.
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thewul · 13 days
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Discovering the architectural intricacy of it, or how Islamic cultural and architectural influences had spread as far as Dachang China where this project is located, and amazingly how they have been completely appropriated by the Chinese to produce their own version, their own understanding of our culture and architecture
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