#he is dead and he is going to die

[selfconsciousfangirl]

All this talk of Band of Brothers being haunted on account of us seeing these men as young, healthy and living, portraying men who are —by the time the show was made and aired— old, some of them fragile, some of them even dead, it got me thinking about a Ronald Barthes quote that goes “He is dead, and he is going to die …”

The Barthes quote is about the infamous Lewis Powell (he of Abraham Lincoln assassination plot) photograph, the one where Powell looks oddly modern and young and yes, attractive. It's about the haunting power of photography, how in this particular case the "photograph simultaneously witnesses to three related realities. Powell was, he is no more, and in the moment captured by this photograph, he is on his way to death".

Webster is Powell in those last images, when we see him being young, healthy, carefree, playing baseball. He is alive, but text is superposed to remind the audience that he died many years ago, under tragic circumstances. He is going to die in the future that does not yet exist in the alternate reality of the show. But he is very much alive for those moments in the fiction of the show, unaware of the fate that awaits him (unlike Powell in the photograph, it must be said). Webster is doomed by the narrative of real life. He is dead, and he is going to die …

Of course Webster didn’t kill Lincoln. He was not a racist part of a conspiracy to overthrow the United States government, but the quote is true all the same, more true perhaps because it’s based on fiction. We see a fiction that reinforces the hauntedness (it should be a word), the sort of unspoken tragedy of making a show about young men who are by now, if they’re lucky, very old men; men who see their old dead friends as young living men, who get to see themselves as young, living men who nonetheless are going to die.

Here's the article on Barthes and the Powell photography where I got my quotes from.

[lazylittledragon]

dndads s1 you're so special to me

[cantpickyourgenre]

I believe Bobby is coming back from the dead because I think we deserve to live in a world where Kenneth Choi gets to act his ass off by playing a simultaneously relieved/joyous and angry/furious Chimney, who feels like he has to thank Bobby, but also scream at him until his throat is sore because it wasn't fair to make that decision! he's going to say they should have played rock, paper, scissors and Bobby will chuckle because he thinks he's joking like silly haha Chimney, but Chimney is like "no, we should have discussed it, you died and I didn't even get to say thank you. you died and I owed you a debt I didn't even know about. you let me carry that" and he has to wrestle with the guilt of knowing that Bobby would do that for him, not just theoretically, but actual concrete proof that Bobby would die to save him. which they all know on some surface level that they'd die for one another, but it feels like such a far-off concept until it isn't. but Chimney also has to deal with the gratitude because Chimney is also so incredibly thankful that he didn't die. every step of the way he wanted Ravi, Bobby, Buck, and Athena to commit crimes, because he loves his life and he wants to keep living it. he's so overjoyed that he got to go home to his wife and kid, and that comes with its own guilt because how can he be so happy to be home when Bobby DIED. does that make him a monster? that on some level he's HAPPY that Bobby did that? and now he has to FACE Bobby. so he tries to be the Before Chimney who gets people whimsical gifts, but how do you give someone balloons about choosing your life over theirs? and he spirals because he's different now and Bobby is here and he has so so much he wants to say but all of it feels contradictory and unfair and he would normally go to Bobby for advice. so he does. he goes to Bobby and he says "what would you do, if you were in my position?" and Bobby just says "whatever you need to say or feel, I understand" and that just makes Chimney even more upset because what he needs is for none of this to have ever happened. its like they all got a re-do, but kept the memories and the feelings and now he has nowhere appropriate to put them. anyway, Bobby lives and we get Chimney angst yay <3 forever and ever.

[vaguely-concerned]

the strength it must have taken for illario to not immediately go full 'lmao since when have you even had a kiss hello lucanis' sibling violence mode during the café talk. inspirational. rook and lucanis really were doing all that right in front of his salad huh

[sunderwight]

SV fic where Luo Bingge discovers that Shen Jiu had a long-lost half-brother or something, and subsequently decides that he's going to infiltrate the minor sect which this "Shen Yuan" belongs to in order to get close to him and then indulge in revenge fantasy 2.0 when it inevitably turns out that Shen Yuan is like Shen Jiu (i.e. a horrible abusive scum teacher).

So Bingge uses some magical object or technique or other, makes himself look like a scrawny 12-14 year old, then puts himself in Shen Yuan's path in hopes of convincing the man to take him on as a disciple. The idea being that after Shen Yuan abuses him, Bingge will be justified in reenacting his Shen Qingqiu Revenge Arc again and maybe finally feeling some closure about the whole thing.

Yes, this is a very deranged plan. No, no one is going to tell the emperor of the three realms that. Bingge also wants it to be clear that this has nothing whatsoever to do with his recent escapade in an alternate universe, except that he was inspired to find Shen Jiu's relative as a consequence of that. But he's absolutely sure that this guy is going to turn out just as rotten as his brother, given the opportunity. That is definitely the only reason he is doing this!

Flash forward about four years. Bingge's retainers are begging on their knees for him to actually come back and do some administrative work. The harem is running itself at this point and they're all very terrified of the situation with Liu Mingyan and Sha Hualing (i.e. ruling with lesbian iron fists) and whatever the heck Ning Yingying is up to (no one is certain but it's something). The outer provinces are rebelling. Mobei Jun's somehow found another weird human surnamed Shang to cavort with, except this one is basically running admin for the entire northern kingdom now and no one's even sure if they're fucking or if it's some kind of mind control situation or what.

Bingge is annoyed. He doesn't have a good explanation for why a bunch of demon lords would be showing up on the doorstep of Tiny Cultivation Sect to beg him for anything. They're going to spoil his cover! And they're interrupting his schedule! It's already four o'clock and he hasn't started on Shizun's dinner yet! Shoo! Get lost!

Anyway, eventually some of his demon followers get desperate and dramatically kidnap him. Shen Yuan is horrified and grieved when it seems that his precious disciple, so like white lotus Luo Binghe from the novel, has been captured by demons. He tries to track the assailants down, but they've covered their tracks too well. In the end, there's only one path left to him to pursue: taking this matter to the protagonist!

Yes, the protagonist! Because the thing is, Shen Yuan noticed the similarities between his disciple and the book character he so admired. Not only that, but he did manage to glimpse Bingge one time from afar. It wasn't anywhere near to a real interaction, but it was enough for him to notice the strong resemblance between the protagonist and the mistreated little lamb who showed up at his doorstep. A resemblance for which there can only be one explanation:

Shen Yuan's disciple is one of Binghe's kids!

Yes, he had it figured out since fairly early on. Not only was there a resemblance, and not only were their dispositions quite similar, but also the boy showed a lot of signs of some demonic heritage. Shen Yuan was just working up to broaching the subject, partly because he had been trying to avoid any direct or even indirect interactions with the emperor, and partly because he... became somewhat reluctant to part ways with his student. Sue him! He got attached! And anyway, he knew how missing child plots usually went. There was probably someone in the harem who was out for his disciple's blood, and it wouldn't be safe to send him back into that mess until he was strong enough to look after himself.

But as is inevitable, the plot seems to have reclaimed Shen Yuan's student all on its own.

He just... needs to make sure that it isn't a tragic outcome. It seems it falls on him to make the emperor aware of his son's survival, and subsequent peril, and help launch a rescue!

Which also means approaching Luo Binghe in person, which he knows is very risky indeed, due to his connection to the infamous Shen Qingqiu! He'd been avoiding the protagonist at all costs for that exact reason.

But if it's his only hope of rescuing his disciple, he will simply have to take the risk, and hope that enough time has passed that Luo Binghe doesn't read too much into a shared surname and a passing resemblance. Or that restoring the emperor's long-lost son to him will be worth seem lenience for the crime of being connected to Shen Qingqiu. Maybe if he's lucky, he will even be allowed to continue visiting his disciple! (Ha, yeah right! More likely, Luo Binghe's going to take his head for hiding his own kid from him for so long!)

Anyway, cue Luo Bingge running around swapping between his Emperor and Disciple forms, dramatically trying to orchestrate a situation where he can fake the emperor's death and go back to the sect with Shizun as his disciple, or something, only for it all to blow up in his face because Shen Yuan keeps flinging himself between Bingge and potentially fatal threats that could plausibly kill him???

[kermdoeswriting]

Bruce Wayne died the very same night his parents were murdered brutally in front of him. In an alleyway near his favorite theater in Park Row.

Its a simple well known fact to those that are EXTREMELY closest to him.

The problem was that he just wasn't aware of how seriously true that fact was until a young ghostling approached him to talk about entering his "haunt" semi-permanently.

Both to attend university (Bruce DID have some concerns about this teenage ghost attending classes when he was dead but more so for the ghost themselves and not the students) and to talk about getting the Batman some help for his currently unstable "core".

Something that seemed to be making him run around more violently over the years compared to a regular ghosts core and was affecting his ghostling children the longer it continued like that.

Either way, Bruce was concerned that the ghost was just seeing things wrong and Danny seemed equally as concerned as to what could have POSSIBLY made his subjects core this broken inside and if it could even be fixed-

[carebeardean]

Charles has always left Edwin little notes slipped between the pages of his favorite books, in his science equipment, places he knows Edwin loves. Just silly things—post its that say “hi Edwin :)”. doodles of Edwin with his nose stuck in a book. reminders to stock up on wolfsbane. but.

Then, post canon, Edwin tentatively starts dating people. And it’s ridiculous, because Edwin’s right there, all the time, but Charles..misses him a bit. And his heads a mess, and he can’t sort out what the hell he’s feeling most of the time, and whenever he tries to say any of it out loud it comes out rubbish.

So. He writes down some of the shit he can’t say right, and because he’s a coward, hides them so he doesn’t have to see Edwin’s face when he reads them.

then Edwin starts writing back.

Neat lilac blue little envelopes appear in Charles coat pockets. In his bag. Once, in his shoe? Some nights, Edwin will clear his throat and mention something from a letter, offhand, like they’re just picking up conversation, and Charles can pretend they are. That they always have talked about the basement, the belt, the nameless fear that chokes him every time Edwin walks out the door with someone else on his arm.

Sometimes he can’t. The words get stuck in his throat. Edwin’s not mad, he’s maddeningly, stubbornly kind about it, which is worse.

Some nights they trade. A secret for a secret. Charles learns about the novels Edwin used to hide under his mattress, about all the lonely years before Charles got there. About Simon.

Meanwhile, Edwin is losing his mind, because Charles has accidentally stumbled onto what was a fucking courting ritual in his time. Love letters were something engaged couples treasured for years, kept and reread over and over. (Edwin does. keep them in a special box, will take one out and trace the words, tuck it in his breast pocket for courage).

Edwin would rather have to reattach a limb again than lose Charles trust, all the dark and beautiful things he shares with Edwin only. He knows—knows Charles doesn’t mean to make him fall more in love with him.

[gothamite-rambler]

Duke meets Lady Shiva

Duke (in his Signal suit): Cass, who's the lady next to you?

Cass: (in her Orphan suit) Um, Signal, this is my… mother, Lady Shiva. Shiva, this is my friend and possible soon-to-be foster brother, the Signal.

Lady Shiva stood tall, proud, and incredibly intimidating. Her expression was emotionless as she stared down at Duke, but much like Talia, he couldn't help himself.

Duke: Are you sure she’s your mother and not your sister?

Cass (not aware of what is about to happen): No, she’s my mom.

Shiva (indifferent): I wasted hours birthing you, at least.

Duke cleared his throat, taking a cautious step back then he began speaking.

Duke: Lady Shiva, respectfully, you are a radiant beauty, and I mean that. I know you’re a tough assassin, and I don’t want to get on your bad side, but I just wanted to give you a compliment. You’re stunning, and I can’t believe you’re close to Bruce’s age.

Cass looked at her mom, worried at first, but Shiva's steeled expression softened into a half-smile as she nodded, appreciating the compliment.

Shiva: I will allow these compliments. I usually hate most, if not all, men, but you seem quite charming.

Duke (with a prideful grin): You know I keep it real, especially since you're a straight ten out of ten—

Cass (confused and embarrassed): Could you stop talking to my mom like that? She's a villain and… my mom!

Shiva: This is the most tolerable I’ve been with people, so he’s winning me over. You both should be lucky I'm in a good mood tonight.

Duke: Thank you, Lady Shiva. I like that name, by the way.

Cass (whispering): Please stop.

Lady Shiva: "Signal" is quite an interesting name too. I’ve heard bits and pieces about you through the villain circuit, and I have to say you’re making me hate you less.

Cass (dissociating for a second): It’s because he’s complimenting you. Let this end.

Duke: I’m sorry, Cass. I see a pretty woman, I give her compliments when needed. And with a baddie villain like her, I’d rather that than have her get all stabby with me later.

Lady Shiva: Baddie? Huh, I’m assuming that’s another kind word about my beauty?

Cass (exasperated): So Damian wasn't remotely exaggerating that this is that painful to witness. I owe him an apology.

Duke (unfazed): I know I’m embarrassing your daughter, but even though I’m partially terrified you’ll stab me if I let my true thoughts out, I’ve got one more piece of praise for you. Villainous or not, you’re as gorgeous as a martial artist and actress. You do your own stunts, and if you get mugged in real life, you’d beat their ass or merc them.

Cass’s masked eyes widened as she sweated nervously, trying not to scream while Shiva nodded in agreement.

Shiva: I did always want to act. I like him. The signal, I might actually consider not killing you if I ever go after Batman. Keep him around, Cassandra.

Cass (facepalming): I— I can’t believe this is actually happening. I’m both uncomfortable and angry.

Damian (on the comms): Welcome to the club.

Duke meeting Talia for the first time

[happypeachsludgeflower]

One day, Shen Jiu’s soulmark burns itself out, suddenly a black harsh husk of a broken bond. A devastated Shen Jiu knows that this is proof Qi-ge died trying to come back for him. Shen Jiu cries, screaming his heartbreak in shrieking sobs, the jagged lines of a burnt out bond haunting him from his wrist.

Shen Jiu lives for years knowing his soulmate is dead, knowing there’s nothing left for him, but he keeps going because it wasn’t built in him to give up, to stop fighting. So he keeps dragging himself forward in spite alone, slaughters his way out of the Qiu household, burns the manor to the ground, and keeps going. For years he keeps going.

But then? But then… there he is at the Immortal Alliance Conference, staring back at him with haunted, horrified eyes. Qi-ge is there, alive, a charred husk of a soulmark patterned over with a new silvery one that’s taunting Shen Jiu across the bloodied field.

He rejected Shen Jiu. He replaced Shen Jiu.

Yue Qi reaches out a hand towards him, the heart displayed in his eyes wracked in guilt, in shame, in a myriad of drowning, awful, pitying emotions. “I’m sorry,” he chokes out, tears tracking a path down his face.

‘I’m sorry,’ rings in Shen Jiu’s head distantly as he swallows down a sob and growls at the other boy, gnashing his teeth. He clutches his arm to his chest and glowers hollowly back. ‘I’m sorry you’re here at all,’ the cruel voice mocks in his head, ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you a dirty secret forever. I’m sorry anyone has to know about you.’ Shen Jiu’s nostrils flare as he shudders an ugly breath, hand tightening around the soulmark on his wrist, gouging into the blackened mark. ‘I’m sorry I can’t erase the evidence of you from my soul’

Shen Jiu doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t want to hear it confirmed. He doesn’t want to know what he already knows. But he has to. He bares his teeth at the trembling man in front of him and snarls.

“Why,” he demands, voice cracking on the fury raging inside him. Tears burn in his eyes. “Why.”

Part 1 (here), Part 2, Part 3 (pending)

[deathflare]

less than 1mo until we find out if he's a runaway prince fr...

( pose base )

[batcavescolony]

Ok let's go back to this line from Agatha All Along

"it's underwater! There's a boy. It's a prank. They tricked him. He's gonna drown. it's a bad place. And the people, the family, there's no one to love him! He's got no one!"

Guys we're getting some Tommy lore and it's heart breaking💔 (we knew it would be).

[gomzdrawfr]

About this rb (the op linked this video in their twt before) and I wanna share it too

This. Pair with @on-a-lucky-tide post about Price 🤌🏻

[critter-dead-set-on-driftin]

Art block is finally over. Have these companion pieces that spawned when I thought about Drifter and Hunter parallels (I might have to post about that more later I’m cooking). I’m actually pretty happy with these and tried somthing new for beheaded’s design!

Also here’s a sketch because I couldn’t help but think about how Beheaded would have to deal with both of his sick cats being on such borrowed time and wanted to make a bit of a joke about it I guess?

I dunno I’m just glad to be able to create again.

Also here is beheaded’s without the text :)

[sunderwight]

Bingqiu roleswap where disciple Shen Yuan knows he's gay, and figures out that he has a big huge crush on his handsome Shizun, but also concludes nearly at once that he's not going to be drawing Luo Binghe's eye any time soon. Firstly, Luo Binghe is notoriously straight. Secondly, even if he weren't, he wouldn't go for his scrawny untalented nerd of a disciple! Shen Yuan's not bad looking, not before or after transmigrating, but he's neither a beautiful nor a hot manly man, and he assumes if Luo Binghe were into dudes he'd be into the same kinds of twunks that Shen Yuan likes. Guys on his own level, etc etc.

Plus Luo Binghe hated the original disciple Shen, and only started to warm up to the transmigrated version after Shen Yuan got injured in front of him trying to stop the other disciples on the peak from killing a small animal. For some reason, Luo Binghe brought Shen Yuan medicine. He got even nicer after Shen Yuan distracted the skinner demon by trying to convince it to take his skin instead of Luo Binghe's, and then again when Shen Yuan successfully fought off a demon invader -- though initially when Luo Binghe volunteered him for that job, he thought it was an assassination attempt. His heart was in his throat when Luo Binghe nearly took a poisoned blow for him, but luckily he reacted more quickly and got hit by the thorns instead. His heavenly demon blood took care of the poison, and he managed to convince everyone that he narrowly avoided getting cut at all.

Shen Yuan's careful not to read anything into it when Luo Binghe finds out about his, erm, uncomfortable dormitory situation and moves him into the side room, or when he completely messes up trying to make dinner and Luo Binghe takes over cooking and bans him from the kitchen (he swears he's not actually that bad at cooking, he just never had to use a kitchen without a microwave or an electric hot plate before...)

After all, it's not like Luo Binghe is cooking for him, he's just making food he likes and letting Shen Yuan eat it too! Because he's nice! He's way nicer than the book gave him credit for being, see, clearly Shen Yuan was correct in signing up for his defense squad, "top ten worst villains of all time" his ass that poll was nonsense...

Unfortunately, though, the plot's still gotta plot. Shen Yuan is heartbroken when the Immortal Alliance Conference rolls around and his shizun stabs him and throws him down into the Endless Abyss. Heartbroken, but not surprised. After all, it was always going to go this way, wasn't it?

But at least, now that it's done, he has some agency in how he reacts to it. He's changed the story enough that he doesn't need to go get revenge. Maybe Luo Binghe's still the villain of his story, maybe that was inevitable, but some heroes let the villains get away. Don't they? It's all part of that noble, breaking the cycle of abuse type stuff. He can be that kind of hero. He can let it go. As long as he avoids Luo Binghe altogether, it should be fine, right? It's not like he's obligated to turn people into human sticks. He asked the system, he's definitely not!

Technically he's not even required to conquer the demon realms. He just has to get out of the Abyss and the be sufficiently cool and/or tragic. Conquest is just one means of doing that, and not even Shen Yuan's preferred, since he doesn't exactly want to rule over anybody. Going around the demon realms beating up some jackasses and rescuing some damsels in distress and becoming sworn brothers with Shang Qinghua, one of the current demon kings, is suitable. He definitely doesn't want to marry any of the damsels he encounters (thank fuck the system lets him off the hook for that!)

But eventually he has to go back to the human world. Not only is it mandated by the system, but he also misses living there. The demonic realms are in many ways better than expected, plus a lot of the monsters are really cool, but he misses the weather and plants and the people he's more accustomed to being around.

He misses Qing Jing Peak, if he's being honest with himself. Shizun's cooking and the bamboo forest and the crisp mountain breezes, the comforts of home.

Not that he can actually go back there in specific. Of course not. If he did that, Luo Binghe would try to kill him, or else the system would try and make him kill Luo Binghe. Bad ideas all around. No, he can't go back to Qing Jing Peak, but he can go find someplace nicer than the demon realms at least. He just has to keep a low profile, which shouldn't be hard since the original goods did that even while actively scheming to kill his former master!

Except.

Everywhere he goes, suddenly Luo Binghe is also there?!

Good thing Shen Yuan thought to take a page out of the book of Luo Binghe's actual love interest, Liu Mingyan, and start wearing a veil. He just didn't want any randos who might have seen him at the Immortal Alliance Conference or on any of the other missions his shizun sent him on to recognize him. But one minute he's investigating a strange case in Jinlan City, and the next the streets are full of Huan Hua cultivators (Shen Yuan has no intention of joining them, that's the path the original took to getting revenge! He doesn't want revenge!), and then Luo Binghe and Sect Leader MBJ and Peak Lord SHL show up, and SY is ducking down alleys and hiding behind columns, just trying to stay out of the way until the lockdown on Jinlan lifts and he can leave.

Except...

Luo Binghe really isn't acting like himself?

He looks like he hasn't been eating or sleeping well. There are dark circles around his eyes, and something almost melancholy in his countenance. And he's dressed entirely in white, none of the usual Qing Jing greens and blues anywhere to be seen. Of even greater concern, he's being reckless. Shen Yuan can't stop himself from rushing out when he sees his former shizun get infected by a sower demon.

Luckily, it's been some years since the last time they saw one another. Shen Yuan's gained a few inches in height, so he's almost at eye-level with his old master now, and though he's still more slender than bulky he's picked up some totally new styles from training the demon realms. He doesn't move the same way he used to. With that, plus the veil, it's enough for him to quickly swallow back his words as he grabs Luo Binghe and quickly administers a cure for the sower infection.

Well, he has one of course. He wouldn't need it himself, heavenly demon blood and all, but his time running around playing hero in the demon realms meant he rescued a lot of humans from such fates. Which is hard to do if you don't have a cure to their afflictions, but between him and Shang Qinghua, sourcing such things was almost easy.

Luo Binghe looks at him like he's just seen a ghost. The other Cang Qiong sect members are alarmed by SY suddenly accosting one of their own and of course find him suspicious, so he runs away right after, and then he has to lose Sha Hualing's pursuit in the city.

But what else could he do? He manages to evade the system's attempts to railroad him into meeting Gongyi Xiao, avoids the rest of the Cang Qiong crowd, and drops some of the cure through the current Qian Cao peak lord's window to get the incident sorted out. Then he flees and puts a good amount of distance between himself, Jinlan City, and every righteous sect he can think of.

The only problem is that after this point, Luo Binghe is everywhere.

Any time Shen Yuan stays in one place for longer than a few days, Qing Jing disciples start turning up. Any time he takes a job hunting some cool-sounding monster or pursuing some interesting tome of knowledge, the better to satisfy the system, it seems like Luo Binghe has selected and gone after the exact same target! Which is especially annoying because back when SY was a disciple, Luo Binghe was always assigning him to do this stuff. Since when does his chronic homebody master have an interesting in six-tailed scorpion lemurs or ancient spiritual kilns?

What's weirder, though, are the rumors.

It seems like any time SY stops at some well-populated place and asks for the latest gossip, he has to hear about how the Qing Jing peak lord lost his beloved disciple during the Immortal Alliance Conference, and mourned like a widow, and now wanders the earth in search of solace for his grief. Seeking something, possibly even the ghost of his dear disciple.

What nonsense! Luo Binghe threw SY into the Abyss himself. He had to do it, it was the plot! And also his obligation as a righteous cultivator, confronted with a "dangerous" half-demon. Does it sting? Yes it stings! That's why SY wouldn't just forget it! Despite logically knowing it's pointless, is there some part of him that wishes his master would have chosen differently? That thinks he should have known that no matter what kind of power Shen Yuan had, he would never use it to hurt people recklessly, or harm innocents, or especially not harm... well. It's pointless, his blood condemned him, and if there is some part of Luo Binghe which regrets what happened, it's doubtless just that he unwittingly harbored a monster for so long.

Which is fine and Shen Yuan would leave it at that, if the guy would just let him!

But no. Instead he has to deal with Luo Binghe turning up and asking him questions, trying to get him to talk (SY has no hope of disguising his voice, if he says anything he's not even sure it won't crack as he comes perilously close to tears instead, so he just stays silent), and then asking for his name, asking if he's mute, asking about his background, his sect, his kin. Is his a righteous cultivator? Where did he get that sword? (NOT Xin Mo, thanks, he used that thing once and then tossed it back into the Abyss before the portal finished closing behind him -- he knows a poisoned chalice when he sees one, although knowing the plot twist about that sword from the novel sure helped.) Where did he learn those forms? Is he... does he have a safe place to go home to? Someone to tend his injuries? Make sure he eats his meals?

SY, of course, stays silent. But it's difficult. Not only because Luo Binghe asks, but because he still looks... bad. Sunken, sorrowful, desperate almost. Shen Yuan can't figure out if he knows or not. Maybe he's unsure, maybe he's looking for SY to give him a sign, so that he can figure him out and then flip a switch and try to finish the job he started.

That can't happen. If they fight, SY will win, and he doesn't want to hurt Luo Binghe.

But even if Luo Binghe's not a heavenly demon, he is a highly accomplished cultivator, and it seems he's got his own breaking points to reach. Eventually he corners SY and gets a hand on his veil, and for a moment SY is sure he's going to rip it off, see his face, and confront him all "I knew it was you, you twisted evil demon, you won't escape justice a second time" and he feels a deep, icy terror close around his lungs--

Luo Binghe lets go of the veil before he can lift it.

But then something even worse happens. Because Shen Yuan's handsome, peerless, noble master breaks down. He falls to his knees, begging forgiveness, sobbing, clutching at his head like he's being driven to madness.

It all spills out of him, then. How he pushed his own dearest disciple into the Abyss, which obviously SY already knew, but also how he was apparently qi-deviating the whole time, and his senses could not differentiate between one kind of demonic "threat" and another. How he realized what he'd done only after he regained his senses hours later, and rushed back to the place where the tear to the Abyss had opened, but could not find a way in after the one he lost. How he had betrayed and thrown away the only person who cared about him, and couldn't even explain that he hadn't intended to. How he would accept anything, any punishment, hatred, penance, or revenge, if only he could see his disciple's face once more.

SY is stunned.

Apparently, Luo Binghe hadn't rejected him for his demon blood?

Not only that, but beforehand, he seemed to have valued Shen Yuan a lot more than Shen Yuan would have credited.

Is it a trick? Is he lying? SY would have guessed so, would have assumed that Luo Binghe's plan was to lull him into complacency only to turn on him once he finally had confirmation. But somehow, he just... doesn't think this is an insincere display. His old master is too cool for this stuff! He has too much dignity to just throw it away on a scheme! There are other ways to get what he wants.

Even if it is a lie, Shen Yuan is tired of running. He's the hero. He won't actually lose, and if it comes to it, it's still in his hands to decide if he wants to spare Luo Binghe or not (he does, of course he does, even if this whole spiel is an act). Plus he's got a backup plant body in one of Shang Qinghua's greenhouses if all goes to shit.

He takes the veil off himself.

Luo Binghe, teary-eyed, stares at him as if his face is the most beautiful he's ever seen.

Shen Yuan nearly puts the veil back on. His cheeks heat up. Dear Shizun, aren't you an immortal master? A noble peak lord? Isn't it your calling to vanquish demons? Get up off the dirty ground right this minute! Where did your dignity go? Shen Yuan did not spend all those nights doing the laundry to watch his teacher dirty his knees for no good reason!

There's a quaver in Luo Binghe's voice as he points out that Shen Yuan was terrible at doing laundry. Luo Binghe had to redo it the day after, all the time.

Shen Yuan chides at him that he should have made one of the other disciples do it then.

Luo Binghe just laughs, and stays on the ground, until finally Shen Yuan has to physically pull him up. Muttering about how he's being ridiculous, what's he crying for, why's he been moping so much, doesn't he know that handsome face should never look so bereft? Then he realizes what he's saying and shuts his mouth, but Luo Binghe just looks happy for the first time in years. Since the Abyss. How is it possible that SY, who actually had to slog through that awful place, can still smile more than Luo Binghe, who didn't?

They're standing so close. Holding on to one another. Almost as if... as if the scene's tone is... well...

Oh what the hell!

Shen Yuan closes the last little bit of distance between them, and kisses Luo Binghe.

[altschmerzes]

reflecting on seasons 3 and 4 of slow horses and i'd like to take a moment to appreciate how At Her Fucking Limit louisa guy is and for good reason. local woman who is isolated and very much alone and has just risked connecting with another person only to have that person brutally murdered now risks connecting with SECOND person only for that person to turn out to be god's least favourite court jester who keeps trying to also die on her. please give this poor lady two minutes of peace.

[plutonious]

oouhhhh I'm dying of artblock. so I'm forcing myself to draw things that look shitty DEAD EMMET AU SAVE ME. SAVE ME DEAD EMMET AU.

basics of this au; Ingo was missing(in Hisui) for eight years, and in that time, Emmet spent it not coping well to the point he gave himself a heart problem from the stress.

Complications from a seizure and stress caused him to die in his home.

Normally that would be fucked up and bad; but what makes it worse, is that a month after Emmet dies, Ingo reappears back at the subway and tries to stitch himself back into the old life he didn't know, and have to deal with grieving a guy who has been with him for most of his life but he doesn't even know.

But Emmet is verrrrrry much not gone.

anyways. I them. this au is a bit more ingo focused than what I normally drift around because I like Emmet soooooo much. I'm going to throw more thoughts down.

Despite dying in their apartment, Emmet wanders around Gear Station; its where he spent most of his time and where Ingo disappeared. He, as a ghost, is looking for Ingo still, thinking it will cause things to go back to normal.

Emmet isn't really sentient in the month between his death and Ingo's return. He's aimlessly wandering in through the station and the tunnels calling for him and asking if people have seen him, but he can't really interact well. Sometimes he's spotted or heard. He's probably talked to passengers and been seen on trains, with many excuses.

Chandelure can see and interact with Emmet as soon as he appears at the station. She would wander the tunnels to keep him company in the month after he dies.

When Ingo does return, something clicks and he is actually aware. He has a lot more control of what he can do and isn't stuck in some foggy limbo of conscious.

Emmet finds out he can posses Ingo, which he uses to polish up duties he thinks Ingo needs help with. Sometimes he just wants to jump in for a battle.

Elesa and the other depot agents are not happy about the possessions. Elesa thinks Ingo is pulling a joke in bad taste(because I mean you didn't know the guy but he was your brother and he's fucking dead), and the agents get really uncomfortable.

Before Ingo knows about him being a ghost, the possessions feel like a lapse of time that he is only vaugely aware of. After Ingo and Emmet meet in the tunnels, Ingo can boot him out and communicate with him.

First two images are after Ingo comes back but before they meet, and the third one is before Ingo is back.

SCRATCHES HEAD. I don't really have much on any actual stuff. I'd love to do a comic or perhaps a fic but I have the horrible disease of not knowing how to panel things in a way I can achieve and the other illness of not writing often. whatever. I am a big fan of au though. I think it's neat. hopefully I'll be out of artblock soon enough to do more shit about it. I lot a lot of little scenarios I'd like to draw out

I'm also going to @emmyet because you're sooooo nicies and soooo polite and got me to draw multiples things with oneeee swag reply. hiiii helloooooooooo (CHEERFUL WAVE)