#i feel like it's kind of mean to assume he's using ming

[heretherebedork]

How aware of Ming’s feelings do you think Tong is? Unless he’s an actual brick, he must know Ming likes him. Does he indulge him for the attention?

I think a lot of people give too much weight to people knowing that someone who is hiding it likes them.

I don't think Tong knows. And even if he has the suspicion, I don't think he's sure of it. And he might not want to be sure of it. He might just want to believe Ming is his friend and that they can just be friends.

Just because we know we're watching a queer show and know that Ming has a crush on Tong doesn't mean Tong knows and the assumption that he knows and it using that for attention goes against a lot of what we saw of them in this episode which included Tong try to indulge and treat Ming in his excitement about his return.

I see no reason to assume that Tong knows and is using Ming when he's famous enough to have fans and already has a girlfriend. I think he's just friends with Ming and missed him and was happy to see him come back from abroad.

I dunno, I might be wrong, @respectthepetty might be better for this question.

But I tend to fall on the side of 'most people don't know that their friends have crushes on them randomly because it's just not on most people's radar.

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

Just on "is Ming Fan the Head Disciple", I don't have access to the revised originals but does SQQ no longer call LBH his 关门弟子 while he's mentally roasting LQG for telling him he can always get a new disciple? Because CQM has that strong tradition that all Succeeding Disciples/Future Peak Lords get cute matching courtesy names I was assuming that none of the Peaks had one yet but if LBH is still Official Final Disciple that would still give him a strong position by the power of Xianxia Tropes.

I just checked, and yes, SQQ still does refer to LBH as 关门弟子 in that scene! Of course, this is the only time the term is used in the novel, so it doesn't seem to hold any kind of official meaning, but instead is simply referring to the trope itself (for those who do not know, 关门弟子 literally means "closed door disciple/final disciple" and refers to the last disciple taken in by a given teacher, who is often highly favored and given special attention, ultimately becoming the teacher's successor; a lot of xianxia protagonists can fit into this role. In the EN TL, the term is translated as "favorite disciple" but it does have a more specific meaning in the genre).

Because LQG says just before that SQQ can still take other disciples, I don't think that Qing Jing Peak's gates are officially closed-- but that SQQ is just refferencing the trope because that is how he sees LBH.

In terms of the courtesy names, that is a bit of an oddity-- Luo Binghe is referred to as 首徒， which is the same term for head disciple used by those succeeding disciples of the Qing generation in the Qijiu extra, however, he is not referred to as 首席弟子 anywhere, which seems to be the more official title for a succeeding disciple. Perhaps here, 首徒 is a disciple given authority, where 首席弟子 is one who has been designated as successor, though both terms are translated as "head disciple," and they are used somewhat interchangeably.

So basically, LBH still had an official position-- it just seems more like he was given the authority role, rather than being designated as official successor-- it's likely that there's quite a long time before the ascension of the Qing generation and so they are not yet choosing successors. Generational names are only given to the successors, so LBH wouldn't have gotten one of those.

Of course, it's hard to say whether or not this is a common practice-- since there isn't anyone who mentions it being odd for SQQ to make LBH head disciple, my guess is that it is an accepted practice, but he is also the only Cang Qiong Mountain disciple we see to be referred to as 首徒 that is not also the named successor who has received a generational name.

This is the best explanation for it I can think of-- but anyone who has other thoughts feel free to add on!

(The post anon is referring to regarding Ming Fan's status is this one)

[watchinglikeafangirl]

Does Ming actually have a crush on Tong?

This second episode shows us a lot of Ming's life and it puts things in different perspectives. We see what kind of relationship he has with his mother and with his sister May. The more I watch and the more I understand, the more I ask mysef if he really has a crush on Tong or if he's "just" lonely.

We haven't seen any other friends of Ming, so I assume he only has Tong but that means he has to share Tong with his sister and maybe that's the problem. Tong doesn't always have time for Ming, he cannot always be there and Ming knows that but still keeps on asking while trying to not cross a line. Ming is lonely and wishes for the days to pass by and time moves faster when he's with Tong. But as soon as Tong leaves, the emptiness Ming seems to feel eats him up and I think this emptiness is still there even if Tong is with him. Because Ming doesn't look too happy and he barely smiles at Tong. Ming is forcing himself and I feel Tong is the person keeping Ming from isolating himself and maybe even keeping him alive. So I believe Ming doesn't even have a crush on Tong.

In the first episode and the beginning of this second one, we still see Ming trying to see Tong in Joe. Last week, Ming kissed Joe's back and didn't see his face in order to pretend he is Tong. This week there is a sex scene in a men's bathroom and Joe kisses Ming's body and we can see Ming watching him in the mirror. We cannot see Joe's face, therefor he could be Tong. A bit later we see Joe complain or noticing that Ming is always taking him from behind, another way to pretend Joe is Tong.

It's why Ming rejects and insults Joe because he doesn't want to have feeings for Joe since it would mean he betrays his "crush" on Tong. But he still gets heavily jealous and after hearing Joe talk so fondly of him and spending the day with his sister, Ming decides to let Joe in. And he's immediatly different than he's with Tong. The feelings for Joe are real and not a fantasy and Joe actually makes him feel less lonely even at the times he's not around. When Tong leaves, Ming feels empty, when Joe leaves, there are lingering feelings. We can see it in the way he smiles but he still has to sort things with Tong. It's too complicated to just brush away.

We can see how truly unhappy Ming is and how much he doesn't like nor understand himself since he projects his insecurities about himself on Joe and becomes extremely jealous of Sol. "If I hadn't been here last night, I guess you would've used the condom." The way I gasped. It's so insulting and accusations like this after seeing Sol bring Joe home because he's drunk clearly come from a place of deep insecurity about himself. Nevertheless it's a huge red flag because even if he doesn't like himself, his behavior is not justifiable.

I think the reason why Ming likes Joe in the first place roots in his relationship with his mother. He is a closeted gay man who cannot please his mother and who needs to pretend when he's at home. As soon as he's home, his mother sets him up with some random girl he once saw in his life but doesn't care about. And I think it's the way Joe just accepts him the way he is that makes Ming feel so welcomed. He teels Joe not to talk about what's going on with them.... and Joe agrees. He want to apologize by cooking....and Joe is grateful. He pushes Joe away....and Joe talks about him as his boyfriend. I feel like Joe's sheer acceptance touches Ming's heart, so he takes a step towards Joe because Joe doesn't back off and is not afraid of what it would mean in the future.

But the thing is, when Joe talks about Ming with Sol, he mentions feeling lonely, so I guess Ming thinks spending more time with Joe would make Joe feel less lonely. Ming is doing the same he does with Tong, forcing himself and the other person in ordner to numb the emptiness instead of properly adressing the issue. And Joe being Joe, he naïvely agrees to move in with Ming because he likes Ming but Ming also hurts him because he doesn't like himself. This is going to be some "don't love someone else before you like yourself" because loving someone doesn't mean you will eventually love yourself. This other person loves things about you, you don't like and it's not going to make anyone feel better. Ming is breaking Joe's self-esteem and Joe is someone who doesn't notice the signs until it's too late. He scarily reminds me of myself in my first relationship. I didn't notice it until I lost weight and sleep. I hope someone will tell Joe and I hope Sol stays around to support Joe (but hopefully there's no weird love triangle, I would hate that).

Still, I can already feel some red flags here. Ming is very possessive and obsessive. Whenever he has time, he goes to Joe but that can be overwhelming sooner or later. He's immediatly jealous, he makes Joe feel lonely and he's pushing the relationship. I can already see some falling apart here.

But I absoluty love how Up plays Ming. He says mean things with such a blank face, it's funny. It's the way his voice doesn't waver like Ming means it 100% and sounds so unbothered saying it.

My theory for the upcoming episodes is that Tong is the antagonist plotting something and maybe outing them in public. I get a lot of "lovely writer" vibes with the way the story is progressing. Ming being the closeted one who doesn't want anyone to know. Tong knows about Ming's crush and feels threatened by Joe who seems to change Ming. Something like that.

[doordaash]

*cw: jealousy* | originally posted on twitter

fx wouldn’t say he was… “close” with pei ming…they got along! between them being martial gods of a region & also both being a sort of “love” god

they simply…worked….

as much as fx hated it most of the time.

but he knew he could go to pm for anything if he /really/ needed to, which wasn’t often, as he would usually just go to mq for anything he needed. as after the incident at mt. tonglu, the two had gotten closer

fx didn’t know how to define their closeness, as he personally didn’t know what was really happening with them, but he didn’t think mq did either, so….

what he /did know/ is that as pms “buddy” as the northern god affectionately calls fx, he was given permission by the god of love to ask for /any/ advice on love, no matter what it was, & pm swore he would try & help

if that was the case…

then why the FUCK was he crowding mq into the wall? a muscular armored arm pinned above mqs head, leaning on the wall

what the fuck

you see, fx did use his favor with pm, & asked for advice on his & mqs…whatever it was…and pm accepted!!! so why!! was he!! flirting!! with!!! mq?!?

mq looked…uncomfortable to say the least…so that was good-he wasn’t into it- wait no, NOT good! he’s clearly /uncomfortable/!

fx feels something in his chest stir, it feels like his usual protective instincts at first, but then that feeling turns…angry….because why was pm acting that way towards /his/ mq, especially since pm /knew/ he knew mq was /fxs/

his resolve snapped, & he stormed over to the scene, trying to ignore the disgusting smirk on pms face.

“ming guang. i need to borrow mu-xuan zhen, for a moment.”

“ah, sorry nan yang, but currently we are in a very riveting conversation about xuan zhens….cultivation….”

pm winked, fx held his fist back

“what the fuck do you mean”

mq, who has stayed silent up until now, butts in with a “why does it matter to /you/, fx?”

“it just! why are you discussing something so private with…with him?!”

“oh ho….you don’t know…do you….xuan zhen! you didn’t tell him?!” pm gasps, but fx can tell he’s teasing

“know what?”

“our little virgin changed his path”

“the fuck you mean “OUR” he’s not YOURS??” fx fumed, not even remotely picking up on what was revealed about mqs cultivation

“oh? but he’s /yours/?”

“no-i…he…i….”

“im no one’s, thank you” mq hisses at the two others

“what were you telling pm?!”

fx tries again, because why on earth does /pm/ know & not him?!

“oh poor nan yang…”

“pm. stop” mq hisses again, glaring at the northern god an unspoken conversation goes on between them & fx swears he sees red

“what the FUCK is going on?!”

“would you quiet down? you’re gonna draw attention!”

“no!! not till you tell me what the fuck is happening! why does pm get to know? w-why don’t you wanna tell m-me?? i…i thought…i…we….” what started as an aggressive tone, quickly became sad, fxs eyes downcast as he swam through his memories, trying to place where he may have went wrong or assumed incorrectly aboit he & mqs…whatever…

“fx….”

“no i…i just…..it’s fine…i’m sorry to bother you….i’ll take my leave…”

“oi, nan yang, chill, i’ll escort myself out…i can see you two have some catching up to do” pm winks at mq, who blushes deep red.

fx once again sees red, holding back his first beside who is pm to wink at fucking mq?!

mq sighs as pm walks away, as if a weight was lifted off his shoulder. his more relaxed state, helped calm down fx.

“explain?”

mq didn’t answer, instead he grabbed fxs hand, dragging him towards the palace of xz, fx stuttering the entire way. once they reached mqs chambers, he shoved fx onto the edge of the bed, and climbed ON HIS LAP

fx thinks he reascended

“m-mu qing??”

“it was a surprise”

“w-wha”

“i didn’t wanna tell you until it was set but i…i switched paths….” mq whispered shyly

“you…why?” fx placed his hands on mqs hips, keeping the other man steady

“i…i guess i kind of…l-like you…..i thought you knew that!” mq slaps his shoulder

“i didn’t know! i didn’t wanna assume!” fx hisses our at the punch, but doesn’t move away

the two stare at each other for a moment, before fx wraps one hand around the back of mqs neck & pulls him down, finally kissing the lips he had been staring at for ages

mq made a small hum of approval & it only spurred on fx to kiss him deeper. mq was a bit inexperienced, but he made up for it in his strong ability to learn & adapt

soon enough he was kissing fx back as deeply as fx, nibbling at fxs bottom lip, when fx rubbed his sides

“f-feng xin, a-xin….i want..i want”

“mmm…what do you want, qing’er? i’ll give you anything…” he responded with an accompanying roll of his hips

“you..you please”

“with pleasure” nipped at mqs shoulder gently

~

that night he took mq apart gently as possible, working him open to make room for fx so that mq would experience the least amount of pain possible. mq had opened beautifully, like a soft flower revealing itself to the sun. every moan & whimper he let out, fx drank like he was a dehydrated man & they were the last drops of water in all three realms

~

fx still doesn’t understand pms tactics to this day, but whatever he had done…./did/ work - and for that, he’s grateful

THE END ~ sorry it’s in twt thread format, going forward i might edit them to be properly posted here, but we’ll get there when we get there huehuehue

[monroeknoxwrites]

zhuzhi-lang prompts:

zhuzhi-lang/ming fan, there was only one bed

"Your uncle booked the room, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did," Zhuzhi-lang answered cautiously.

Ming Fan dropped his bag at the foot of the singular bed.

"I figured," he said, flopping backwards.

Zhuzhi-lang inched closer. "You aren't angry?"

"Angry?" Ming Fan propped himself on his elbows, the look on his face confused. "Why would I be angry?"

"Uncle assumed the level of our relationship, putting us in the same room, with only one bed–"

Once Zhuzhi-lang was in range, Ming Fan hooked his legs around him and toppled him onto the bed. He kissed the color rising in Zhuzhi-lang's cheeks then touched their foreheads together.

"Do you mind if we sleep in the same bed?"

Zhuzhi-lang was stiff over him, maintaining an appropriate distance between the rest of their bodies. He avoided Ming Fan's gaze, found himself staring at Ming Fan's lips instead and darted his eyes to the side.

"I wouldn't object to the idea…"

Ming Fan laid his head on the mattress, rubbing at Zhuzhi-lang's forearms. Zhuzhi-lang was grateful that, despite the fact they were in bed together for the first time, Ming Fan restricted his affections to pre-established comfort zones.

He spoke in a casual manner as well, putting Zhuzhi-lang further at ease.

"We can share the bed for a night. If it's too much, I'll order a cot."

"No! You've waited for this vacation for months, I can't have you sleeping on a cot."

The smile directed at him made Zhuzhi-lang's insides squirm. The same kind of warm, squirmy feeling when Ming Fan asked him out, as he read Ming Fan's messages wishing him a good morning the next day and every day since. Or during their first kiss.

Suddenly he wasn't quite sure what was so scary about sharing a bed.

"A hotel this nice, I bet it's more comfortable than my own bed." Ming Fan threaded their fingers together, cutting off whatever protest Zhuzhi-lang wished to make. "One night and we'll worry about the rest later."

"Alright," Zhuzhi-lang agreed. Ming Fan's hands were so warm it was hard to focus.

Carefully, Ming Fan coaxed Zhuzhi-lang to lay beside him, their hands still locked, staring at each other.

"You, uh, mean a lot to me," Ming Fan said, nervousness creeping into his voice. "So. I don't want to rush things. All we really have to do is sleep. Nothing else."

Zhuzhi-lang was relieved knowing they felt the same. Ming Fan meant a great deal to him, more than he felt about anyone, but he wasn't ready. He didn't think losing his virginity needed to be this grand, life-changing affair but he also didn't want it to be because his uncle meddled too soon.

"I would like to sleep beside you," Zhuzhi-lang confessed quietly.

Ming Fan grinned broadly, tried to rein it in and failed, ducking his head.

"And I'm looking forward to waking up with you."

[coffeeandritalin]

Reactions and questions as I watch episode 4 of Cang Yue Jin Ming/Till the End of the Moon. (Possibility of spoilers ahead)

Huh... they seemed happy enough as a couple at first... The emperor seemed so nice. How did things go so wrong? Fricking evil bone...

oh... oh no... she dies in childbirth doesn't she... making the emperor hate the kid that she died for... Although... okay... with how things are in today's climate... it's kind of sweet that the husband cherishes the wife's life instead of seeing her as an heir producing machine <3

Ok genuinely impressed with the Jin emperor holding onto the piece of burning paper for so long and managing to not get singed. Also impressed that the fire managed to go out before hitting the carpet (and thus preventing a palace fire... like if anything... I feel like these are signs that TTJ's birth is a good omen... just saying)

He was such a cute babby!

Oh. Vampire baby.

Lan'An trying to stay strong and hopeful is... I mean, for me, what I can only hope to be like.

I feel for Yingxin though. She didn't actually volunteer for this (like she did, but she was mostly following the lead of someone she trusted). She was still so young and had so much life and possibility ahead of her. And then everything turned to darkness. And it's understandable that she would be freaked out by little TTJ. Like Lan'An is the exception, not the norm. I do feel like Yingxin is trying her best to do right by her princess, her friend/senior, and the little prince...

Hmm I wonder if Lan'an actually lied and only saved herself or if something else happened. I hope they close this bit of the storyline.

(Sigh... why do they have to make the bully chubby?)

Ok but seriously? Little kids can hold down a full-grown woman? But... I guess she is malnourished and pretty weak... but those kids that are holding her look like they're 1/3 her height... at least get people like the (I'm assuming) 5th prince's stature to hold her down...

Awwww little Xiao Lin is so adorable. He's such a smol bean.

Oooh TTJ didn't jump into the lake the save YBC because he likes YBC. He was just copying Xiao Lin's actions. (Ok but TTJ imitating Xiao Lin for social cues feels kind of autistic-coded? Like... kind of stereotyped autistic, but still... can't help but draw the connection)

Like I really don't blame Yingxin for resenting and fearing TTJ though. She's just very human. And again, despite these feelings, she's trying to do her best.

Why is this male servant/eunuch willing to give news to Yingxin? Like usually there's a trade of some sort. Oh is he like a spy for Sheng Guo?

You're getting old... she looks almost exactly the same as when TTJ was born... like... please tell me what her skincare regimen is

Again... really don't Yingxin for being willing to betray TTJ. She just wants to get out of a bad situation herself.

Of course they're going to leave us on a cliffhanger of whether or not Yingxin actually followed through on betraying TTJ... My guess is that she pulls back at the last second but forever holds the guilt in her heart

X-D from Xiao Lin's expression, I feel like they've been wandering this forest for quite a while now.

Where's the kitty?

Ooooh do we get to see TTJ's dream? Oh he's actually growing a flower.

I know this is a very traumatic bit showcasing his abandonment issues... but he just got slashed at... where is his slash wound?

Oooh evil Xiao Lin/GYJW is a nice touch

"[this power,] isn't it more fun/interesting than emotions and desires?" - idk dude... he looks like he's in pain more than he's having fun...

Oooh... he got his first peacock ring

Awwww Xiao Lin going over to help his bro up first <3. I ship this bromance. Let it be a thing please.

Eldest Miss Ye is mentioned. *Xiao Lin immediately drops TTJ*. yeah... that seems about right...

Yes. Let's repeatedly call the person's name. That will surely wake them from their magically induced comatose state.

And now he's tempted by power... dun dun duuuuuuun~

[minty-marshmallow]

Novoland: Pearl Eclipse [Ep 13-14]

[Ep 13]

I feel bad for Ju, but I mean there's nothing you can do when the person you love doesn't love you. You can't force someone to love you. She knows that though, otherwise, she would have already tried. She just was always sitting and waiting patiently hoping his heart would change. She even cut up her betrothal dress thing...I actually don't know much about what that actually is but I'm assuming it's like an engagement dress. Idk...

Uh oh, stuff is about to go down. I hope Hai Shi does well in battle.

I wonder what's wrong with General Tang. Like why is there even a reason that Jian Ming would need him killed? Well, it's just a possibility at the moment.

Okay, so an even bigger battle is gonna happen. I bet Tang is the one working for the other side and that's why the information didn't get received until "too late". I don't see who else it could be...well I'm sure there are others but who knows.

I'm not surprised that Tilan saved the Emperor but I am surprised that she stayed all night with him.

I wish the Emperor would leave Jian Ming alone about marriage. Like dude, he already told you he doesn't want to get married to Ju multiple times.

[Ep 14]

Poor Miss Ju, she knows that Zhou Ying was lying to make her feel better. She knows that Jian Ming just doesn't want to see her. I think that hurts her more. He could at least still be friendly with her. I guess he thinks that if he does though, then the Emperor will continue to press on the issue of marriage.

Anyway, things are getting tense. The other armies are pressing on different fronts and splitting up soldier forces. I don't like that it zoomed in on closing the gate when Hai Shi left. Something about that feels ominous. They didn't just show that for no reason.

Hai Shi is smart, she's on guard with everyone. The way she kind of glanced at the general Song or whatever his rank is. It's like she's saying "I'll follow you, but I don't trust you." I knew she was smart. Too bad the guy offed himself before they could get any answers.

[I really love the cinematics, everything is filmed so well..even the desolate snow areas]

Who is the masked, hooded guy? [Ugh it's so tense, lol it's working my anxiety up can the attack happen already lol]

So many innocents killed already. That poor girl and her goat. I hope they make it out okay. I doubt they do, but still.

[No animals were harmed in the making of this right?]

Why doesn't Hai Shi use a sword? It would be more convenient than using a bow and arrow in close combat.

Is it Zhou Ying!!?? Oh, I bet he has like a twin brother or some shit right? I was not expecting this kind of twist though.

[kaz3313]

Part Two, of sharing TGCF Danganronpa AU,

Brief note. Hua Cheng is the protagonist which is why each person’s description shows how they feel about him (< at least in the beginning)~

Ban Yue || Ultimate Herpetologist: Side

Survival Chance: 50%

About Appearance: I totally did not give her the scarf because of Gundham Tanaka and I’m appalled you would assume 🙄🙄 Also, I’m not sure why but I’m obsessed with Ban Yue having blue hair, it’s just correct in my mind.

At the start of the “game”: Ban Yue can’t say she’s not worried- she is- nor can she say she’s not scared- she also is- but she dealt with stressful situations before. Not only that, but these people are friendlier to her then the people she’s used to, they aren’t making fun of her (well this very loud one is definitely shit talking but he’s doing that with everyone and not singling her out), and there is a few people she knows! The lucky student seemed kind, there was a particular look he had… she didn’t know why but she couldn’t help but feel perhaps people had not been so kind to him in the past either. Perhaps, they could get to know each other?

Pei Xu || Ultimate Strategist: Side

Survival Chance: 80%

About Appearance: I didn’t want to make him too casual or formal so I tried something more in between! Did give him a bit of a blue streak because why not <3 Maybe him and Ban Yue dyed their hair together

At the start of the “game”: It was obvious that this was not their average school life. His Uncle gave him one of those ‘be careful’ looks- it’s odd he was only a year older then him yet he acted as his guardian much of the time. It didn’t bother him, instead he focuses on potential allies. Obviously anyone he already knows he has a good read on, which is several people, so he looks to everyone else. One in particular stands out- Hua Cheng. Dresses like a man of wealth, yet he is simply a lucky student. Pei Xu knows many powerful men, but no “Hua Cheng’s” ring a bell. Which could mean he is simply a nobody… better to not underestimate him. On the other side of things, he is amicable and it’s clear Ban Yue see’s him as a non threat- and she has a good read on character. He’ll keep a lookout on him, but there’s definitely other pressing matters at hand.

Ling Wen || Ultimate Secretary: Side

Survival Chance: 75%

About Appearance: She did not look good in a skirt so I simply didn’t give her one- the suit looks good on her I just wish their was more colours. Gave her a “Togami-esk” vibe but outwardly I feel she’d be more bearable

At the start of the “game”: She didn’t waste time learning everyone’s names and talents (expect for the one who was keeping that to himself- she’d look into that later). Some caught her attention, others she could simply put away the information for later. Pei Ming asks her what she thinks of the lucky student. “Trouble. But likely not the one who’s behind this.” Is all she says on the matter.

Lang Qianqui || Ultimate Vigalante: Side

Survival Chance: 40%

About Appearance: I wanted to make him more flashy but none of the clothes fit him well!! Just know he’d have something tiger themed on

At the start of the “game”: Yes! His new classmates! Many of them looked… unhappy. Very… underwhelming. Whatever- he’d focus on the few who did look receptive. “Lucky Student” didn’t seem that big of a talent (was luck even a talent) but he could not judge, so instead he said his warm welcomes. He didn’t enjoy the chill in the air, the off tone of everything, but he assures himself if there is an issue he would find the person responsible. And if need be, take the matter into his own hands.

Rong Guang|| Ultimate Traitor: Side

Survival Chance: 50%

About Appearance: I looked to dear discord for help, as I have not formed in my head what Rong Guang should look like (and when I did he was very sword-ish given his canon). I gave him the cloak for “mysterious guy” reasons.

At the start of the “game”: “And what is your talent”. The question went ignored. Mostly ignored. He kept away from most of the people here, though he did provide his name. However, this classmate of his seemed rather persistent . “I can’t have two people not tell me their talents. That Mu Qing fellow was bad enough. So come on, either you get him to tell me his or you tell me yours” He made it sound like a game. He continued to not answer him. “Well I have your name- that’s enough, Ultimate Traitor” He glared at him, but Hua Cheng had already left to introduce him to someone else. … how did he… what did he know?

Jian Lan || Ultimate Masseuse: Side

Survival Chance: 55%

About Appearance: She dressed up for her first day at Hopes Peak 👏And what does she get?? Stuck in a killing game 😭😭

At the start of the “game”: Being rude would get you no where, that’s where half of these people were doing wrong. They were standoffish, crude, or just plain mean. She could be all of those things- and once she was rather standoffish and crude and mean- but she learned that it got you further if you were just neutral. Be somewhat polite but don’t come off as a push over. Confident but not overbearing. And, in situations that seemed dangerous? Well, don’t get attached to any one of them. Not the people you used to know- nor the people you’re meeting.

BONUS CAUSE HES NOT PART OF THE KILLING GAME BUT HE IS IMPORTANT TO THE AU!! I PROMISE

Yin Yu: Ultimate (none): Side

Survival Chance: 99.9% he isn’t in the killing game but there’s always that small chance~

About Appearance: I! Gave! Him! A! Cool! Mask!! Yep!! Perfect Yin Yu design /hj

At the start of the “game”: … It’s dark. It’s tiring. He’s so fucking annoyed- he wasn’t able to make it in time which means… the location changed. Damn. Well, he’ll have to find them and hope to any higher power that they don’t fall into despair. If that happens, then they’ll be quite a mess.

[kolachess]

Ghostman’s Backstory

 Who is Ghostman?

First, you very likely have no idea who I’m talking about. Ghostman, as Wu Xie dubs him ‘鬼影’, is a character that shows up in Volume 8 (the last volume, and in drama-speak it means the events right after Ultimate Note) briefly to impart a lot of insightful explanations on Wu Xie (and we the audience). 

This does mean this will be a lot of spoilers then and quite lengthy. I’ll usually tag these with posts spoilers, but I’m using a cut this time too.

When does he first appear?

So technically, he’s made an ‘appearance’ earlier, as the mysterious figure stalking them around Banai, and the person who tried to steal the box containing the iron block from Xiaoge when they first visited his former residence.

Although described as ‘collapsed’ or ‘sloped’ shoulders, this should not be confused with the ‘collapsed shouldered’ figure standing behind a screen Wu Xie saw in the old photograph that led them to Banai in the first place (that was later unveiled to be an iron figurine (Vol 6, Ch. 35)). (However, there does seem to be another mention of the photo that may contradict this... so idk. It’s all Wu Xie hypothesizing anyway.) 

What does he look like?

From Wu Xie’s description in the novel:

His whole body was like a mass of wax that had quickly melted at first. All the skin was mottled with holes, but the melting process seemed to have stopped abruptly. His shoulders were practically nonexistent, his hands hung on both sides of his body, and all the flesh and skin on his shoulders were wrapped around his body. I could even see the joints through the thin skin covering his shoulder bones. His whole face had been melted and his hair was so long and unkempt that it was practically knotted together.

When and why does he approach Wu Xie?

He approaches Wu Xie (and Pangzi technically) as they are about to enter the mountain to find Zhang Family Ancestral Manor and save Xiaoge. 

Recap: A long-range authentication system was set up for the manor in Sichuan, which is where Wu Xie’s team operated. After they messed up a password though, they lost contact with Xiaoge and Pangzi’s team in Banai. Wu Xie then rushed over to perform a rescue operation, and for reasons, had to utilize his Sanshu’s identity to do so (so he’s posing as his Sanshu). Pangzi managed to make it out somehow, and now they’re both trying to get back in.

Ghostman approaches Wu Xie because he recognized Wu Sanxing and was curious what he was doing back here. Hence, he finally shows up and asks Wu Xie to follow him (Vol 8, Ch. 31).

Who is he really and what is his story?

It turns out his name is ‘Zhang Qiling’ (though presumably no meaningful connection to THE Zhang family). Thirty years prior, he was part of the  ‘archaeology team’ of Chen Wenjin that came to Banai. 

He joined the team because he was part of the result of a nation-wide search for people named ‘Zhang Qiling’, and was the only one who remained by some qualifications (Vol 8, Ch. 36). He doesn’t know the significance of the name, however.

Although an archaeology team nominally, their real task was to bring a coffin into the mountain (Vol 8, Ch.35-6). What this is, he has no idea. But he says they were all deceived, and only three people probably knew the real situation.

When they went into the mountain and finally reached the building, the miluotuos (rock beings that preyed on humans and were attracted to their warmth) had been hot on their heels, even if they couldn’t immediately breach the alkali barrier. This concentration of Miluotuos triggered the Manor’s defense mechanism - a spray of alkali mist that kills / scares them off, but also liquefied the team. Those in the building were instantly liquefied, and Ghostman was fortunately in the tunnel and only got lightly exposed, and he still became the way he is today (Vol 8, Ch. 35)

He only survived all these years thanks to the help of Panma. And since then, he’s been raising lynxes and keeping people from approaching all these years. If they did get too close, he’d kill them, because it was better they died by his hands than inside that terrible place and feed more miluotuos.

He asks ‘Sanshu’ what he’s doing back here and if he knew things would happen the way they did back then, and if that was why Sanshu did not join their group. He also wants to know who is ‘in charge’ now and if Sanshu agrees now that the ‘secret’ should never be revealed.

What all did they learn from him?

Since Wu Xie was posing as Sanshu and didn’t have his actual memories, he had to tread very carefully on how to answer / ask follow-up questions.

The origin of the qilin tattoo

The Yao people in the area would tattoo a qilin tattoo on their best hunters when they come of age. It turns out the reason it took the shape of the qilin it is today was because a Han tattoo master had come through around Ming or Qing dynasties (1300s - 1900s) to teach here and decided to modify / improve it. 

Now as to where the original tattoo came from... it was deemed a necessary thing for hunters who hunted deep in Yangjiao Mountain, which to the people was a very unique place. They’d forgotten the reason though, and only carried it out of tradition.

Eventually, Ghostman’s team chased down enough clues to realize it was a very precise topographical map of the mountain. It mapped the route to the Yao ancient road. The Yao people spent a lot of time trying to figure out what special thing was at the end of the route, and Ghostman’s team similarly presumed this special thing must be the Manor. But then they realized it was a closed loop. (Vol 8, Ch. 34)

Miluotuos and secrets of the mountain

The path that wound around complicatedly was in fact more of a ‘fence’ to keep the miluotuos at bay. Miluotuo actually means ‘old grandmother’ and refers to the whole mountain. Technically the rock people are the miluotuo’s shadows.

The miluotuos eat people by trapping them inside the rock they secrete, which is why when Wu Xie and co. got stuck in the cave from the siphon, they couldn’t find any entrance. And since the miluotuos are everywhere in the mountain, it’s like the entire mountain is jelly with shifting passages.

And as I mentioned above, miluotuos are attracted to heat and while trapped in the walls, could break through if attracted enough. Hence, the Manor has a defense mechanism of misting alkali, which would force them to retreat. (Vol 8, Ch. 34)

Thousand year plan

The Zhang family had actually planned to move the Manor to this area nearly a thousand years ago. Two points - 1) the vegetation around this mountain was of especially good wood for construction. And there was a great fire in Ming dynasty (1300s-1600s) that conveniently wiped out the original vegetation. 2) To transport this lumber down, they formed a deep vertical hole all the way to the bottom of the underground cave. They did this simply by placing a copper ball at the entrance of the cave, and let thousands of years of rain slowly wash away the stone since water would pool at the bottom of the ball. (Vol 8, Ch. 33)

Others

There was a ‘Chen Qing’ group that was Sanshu’s faction, presumably led by a ‘Lao Yu’.

There’s a secret in the mountain that should not be revealed to the outside world. And they’re very close to losing the ‘key to all the secrets’ presumably because Xiaoge got trapped inside.

Notable questions / implications:

What is the significance of the five pointed star that he tosses ‘Sanshu’? (Vol 8, Ch. 32)

Whose coffin was carried into the Manor? (Vol 8, Ch. 35-6) 

Some netizens have hypothesized this to be Wang Canghai, but who knows.

What is the ‘secret’ that must not be known by the outside world? (Vol 8, Ch. 35) 

I want to say that while this might be related to the Zhang family secret / gate, it’s not quite it. Otherwise Ghostman would probably know what Zhang Qiling meant?

What’s the ‘only key’ that will soon be lost? (Vol 8, Ch. 36)

Again, maybe he’s referring to Xiaoge, but then why would he not know the importance of Zhang Qiling?

Why does Wu Xie feel like he recognizes Ghostman? What’s his relation to Wu Xie? “As he spoke, he regained his composure. Although his whole face was melted, I suddenly had a thought—I seemed to recognize him.He wasn’t in that photo and didn’t have the kind of relationship I thought he did with Uncle Three. As I was thinking this, I immediately broke out in a cold sweat. I had met him before, but where? Who was he?” (Vol 8, Ch. 35) 

Only ‘three’ people probably knew the full truth of the situation. Assuming Chen Wenjin and Huo Ling were two, who was the third? And was this before or after the ‘replacement’, so were these even the real Chen Wenjin and Huo Ling?

Why did they conduct a nation-wide search for Zhang Qiling? (Did they actually care to find their patriarch for once?)

[zhuhongs]

Upon rereading tgcf, one of the biggest complaints I have is how lackluster all the extra chapters were. literally none of them were good and all contained rlly gross and harmful sentiments (like the amnesia one which.. yea.. or all the things implying xl should get pregnant for hc thus equating gay relationships with hetero ones and playing into the wife thing and just GOD I HATE MXTX) 

There were a lot of little plot points i wish that had been further elaborated on more in the extras as opposed to hualian being ... like that. I had enough. Like mdzs had actaully good extras (minus the incense burners) that were nice side stories that elaborated more on the characters. Like the hook one with the juniors was so cute and i loved seeing them grow more. Or the lotus pod extras omg.. im such a lotus pod extra stan. those were so cute and gave us a lot of good insight into just how lovestruck lwj was during the times when he didn’t see wwx. mxtx should've stuck to those sorta extras in tgcf but NOOO. SO I have a list of so many other more interesting things those chapters couldve been spent on like:

A resolution on He Xuan’s revenge and his character arc. Bc its implied He Xuan is still hanging out and watching over sqx and that taking revenge didn’t fully satisfy him bc ok.. yea shi wudu is dead but he xuans family will never come back. Now what does he have to live for?? i wish we couldve seen a look into his life during the entire ordeal. like a chapter from his perspective while he was posing as Ming Yi  and maybe a look at a conversation btw he xuan and the real ming yi or a chapter after SQX was banished to see what he’s doing now. Also what did he xuan owe hua cheng money for anyways?? Like ik not every little thing has to be explained but I Want to Know. PLEASE more goth boyfriend content now I just wanna see him :,((

a better resolution of yin yu and quan yizhens storyline. im still mad abt how that plot point was split btw books 3 and 5  when it was rlly out of place and  there were other more pressing plot matters and it just rlly deserved more time. Also i thought yin yu died!?!?!? but apparently one of the extras says he��s alive and man... i;m not reading any more of the extras to see that, give me a full yin yu and quan yizhen chapter.. fuck.

a day in the life of the guoshi fangxin or general hua PLEASE especially like one where hua cheng was SO CLOSE to meeting xie lian but had no clue that xie lian was there at the time but the two did smth that inadvertantly helped the other and they still were connected even though they hadnt met omg pls that’d be so nice. like imagine Hua cheng catching a glimpse of the guoshi in public in yong’an while he’s trying to follow some lead that points to xie lian or maybe following a lead to capture qi rong bc he said he knew qi rong was a part of the yong’an stuff and originally thought the guoshi was one of qi rongs pawns. like can you IMAGINE him getting so close. but at the last second he did smth small that impacted xie lian. like they bumped into eachother on the street or smth. god i’d go crazy

OR vice versa.. like a day in the life of the young ghost king hua cheng. Like again, one of my biggest issues was that hua cheng just knew everything and its never really explained how he got all of that info. like yes he’s been alive very long and has eyes and ppl working for him everywhere but like... how did he build that network?? I’d love to see a chapter of young ghost king hua cheng travelling around trying to learn as much as he can abt the world and how it can help bring him to xie lian. and the two maybe are in the same kingdom for a bit and they don’t meet exactly but hua cheng stops some fight or something and helps xie lian indirectly or maybe xie lian is performing on the street in some costume and hua cheng doesn’t recognize him and smiles and gives him a coin or smth. idk i’m just dying for any sorta extra chapter or fic like that. i’m honestly so tempted to write my own but i cant write

also!! we’ve seen how xie lian picks up people down on their luck near him and show them kindness (like banyue, lang ying, xiao ying, he tried to with san lang but we know how that ended lmao) so i’d love to see another little vignette of him doing that on his travels and how every person he meets teaches him smth about life and being a good person and idk, i just think it’d be rlly sweet. i love this facet of his character and feel like we didn’t see enough of it towards the end.

ALSO hua cheng only seems to respect one heavenly official besides xie lian and thats yushi huang.. i assume thats mostly bc she was the only one to help xie lian and let him use the rain master hat to bring water to yong’an. I was thinking maybe when he was a new supreme he had run into trouble and maybe was picked up by the rain master and helped him heal and in return he promised to help protect her village from harm in the future. Like i know a heavenly official wouldn’t cooperate with a ghost like that but yushi huang is different and doesn’t really care about the heavens so i think she would protect him if he could do something to benefit her village. ik this is kinda far fetched but when he first became a supreme I’m sure a bunch of ppl probably tried to mess with him and didn’t rlly believe him to be undefeatable bc he hadn’t proved himself yet also i doubt all his power came overnight. he had to learn how to use it once he escaped the kiln. and some group probably thought they could weaken him somehow. I’m thinking maybe a rlly well formed group of ghosts actually caught him off guard once and he had to retreat and was picked up by the rain master and stayed with her and learned from her a bit. i think it’d be a cool concept also i just rlly want more yushi huang content and i’m on their friendship agenda bc he rlly did seem to actually respect her when she first appeared and i think it’d be cool if the two had some history together.

Also idrc if this was addressed I couldve missed it But!! Did xie lian ever tell Hua cheng that the reason he got the curse shackles and was banished again in the first place wasnt bc jun wu wanted to punish him, but because he requested it. And specifically requested it bc he felt guilty abt letting wu ming take the human face disease and disperse for his sake. So he took the shackles and descended to atone for that?? Bc I dont recall hua cheng learning that bc his soul was already dispersed at that point so it didnt follow him and xie lian didnt say anything so uhhh... someone should tell hua cheng that. Like I dont think xie lian rlly said how much hua cheng meant to him and didnt show him he was loved in grand ways. Like xie lian did always care for bc in other ways but I think if hua cheng learned abt this on screen it wouldve been such a great moment and I'm rlly surprised mxtx didnt address this iirc!?!? Like imagine jun wu telling Hua cheng this in the kiln bc xie lian wouldnt say it himself. Imagine how cool that would be.

Also a small thing adding into the whole young ghost king Hua cheng stuff. Its implied and p much stated that hua cheng isnt his real name. That he likely doesnt have a real name bc his parents died? (It's not clear. I'm still mad at mxtx for not making his childhood clearer). So I'd like to see when and why hua cheng chose that name for himself. The new tgcf ending song kinda hints at its meaning with the lyrics "for you I'd fill a city of flowers" as xie lian is the flower wielding martial god so it's probably inspired by that. Also xie lian saved hua cheng from leaping off the city walls but I'd love to hear him say it bc the implication of his name didnt dawn on me for quite a bit and I dont know if everyone made the connection. Again I sure as hell didnt. So itd be cool to see a chapter that takes place in his past after just ascending as a supreme

Overall I rlly think tgcf had a lot more potential to be even better and a lot of that comes down to fleshing out the side characters and letting hualian have more of a storyline independent of one another. like i know the appeal and message of tgcf is that through love, people can overcome anything, but fuck man. i just wanna see what these two (mostly hua cheng) where like in the absence of each others presence. Part of what I really liked abt mdzs is that we got to see that longing develop btw wangxian when the two weren’t together and how they thought about each other and did things in thei others spirit bc they knew the other wouldve done the same thing. but whatever, mxtx was too consumed by her own unhealthy idea of what devotion and true love looks like but still. i rlly think the extras couldve helped the story be better rather than be fujoshi fuel that i try to bleach from my mind -_-

[boxoftheskyking]

Something Good, Part Sixteen

I know this is late, and not to be That Guy, but it is the playoffs

In which there is music and Wei Ying is awkward

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen

--

Lan Wangji kicks him out of the kitchen, but kindly. 

“The children will be worried,” he says, nudging Wei Wuxian towards the door. “They didn’t see you last night. I will prepare breakfast, and you should wake them.”

So Wei Wuxian wakes them, just as he always does. It’s one of his favorite moments of the day and is the only thing that makes rising before five worthwhile. Sizhui and Jingyi always stumble over to him where he kneels, rubbing sleep out of their eyes and tumbling into his arms. He holds them for a long few seconds, feeling their warm little faces against his neck, their messy hair tickling his nose, their tiny fists pressed against his chest and shoulders.

“Are you dreaming, little ones?” he always whispers before picking them up and spinning them awake.

This morning he stays down on the floor with them for a long time. Jingyi starts snoring, a little whistling hum, which makes him laugh, which makes him cry. 

“Wei-qianbei,” Sizhui says when he lets them go. “Are you sad?”

“No, A-Yuan. No, I’m not sad.” He wipes his eyes. “Ha! Come on now, everyone. Breakfast! Breakfast! And I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” Ouyang Zizhen hops over, grinning down at him.

“Yes! Yes, come on. Up! Up! Hanguang Jun is making breakfast today!”

“Hanguang Jun can cook?” Su Meiling asks with her undershirt stuck over her head.

“Hanguang Jun can do everything,” Lan Ting says.

“Clothes! Clothes, now, come on.” Wei Wuxian gets Su Meiling sorted out and darts around tying sashes and pulling up boots.

Wen Ning stays back in his corner, dressing silently and staring at him, blank. Wei Wuxian, still a coward, sends all the children out before approaching him.

“Are you going to leave?” Wen Ning asks.

“No.”

“Are you going to change your mind?”

“I’m not going to leave unless they send me away. Unless you all want me to leave.”

Wen Ning nods. 

“Do you—” Wei Wuxian scratches his nose. They’re really only a few years apart. He suddenly feels like the young one, desperately seeking approval. “Do you want me to leave?”

There is a very, very long silence. Three years at least. Then Wen Ning throws himself forward, wrapping his arms around Wei Wuxian’s waist and pressing his forehead into his shoulder.

“No, no, please don’t go. Don’t go.”

“Aiyah, Wen Ning. They’ll have to fight me off.”

Wen Ning mumbles something into his shirt.

“What? Here, I can’t hear you.” He pulls the boy back by the shoulders.

“Why were you going to leave?”

Wei Wuxian chews on his lip. “I was wrong about something. I thought something had happened that would mean I couldn’t stay, but I was wrong. Now I know where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to do.”

“And what’s that?” He’s shrewd, this kid, gentle but iron underneath.  

“Look after you. For as long as you need it.”

“And Jiejie?”

“What Wen Qing does is her business. The junior disciples are mine.”

Wen Ning makes him wait for it, but finally a sunrise smile takes over his face.

“Okay?”

“Okay.” Wen Ning salutes him and dashes out the door to catch up with the others.

--

In the afternoon, the children quietly practice their brushwork. Lan Wangji doesn’t look like he’s been up all night, but he’s passed on teaching lessons and set them busy work instead. Wei Wuxian is leaning against the doorway and keeps jerking himself awake. They’re mostly very attentive, focused on their writing with furrowed brows, tips of tongues poking out from serious faces. Wei Wuxian doesn’t notice that Lan Wangji has left until he comes back with Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren. 

That wakes him up, trying to stand at attention and look responsible. The look Lan Xichen gives him is so kind and almost proud, it reminds him of Yanli and makes it very hard to not do something ridiculous like hug him. Lan Qiren is impossible to read. He doesn’t look completely furious or disgusted, so Wei Wuxian assumes he’s been told the whole story. 

Wei Wuxian opens his mouth to say something, can’t think of anything, and bows instead.

“Wei Wuxian,” Lan Qiren says. Wei Wuxian bows again. “I’m told you will be staying in Cloud Recesses.”

“If allowed by the Grandmaster, of course,” he says diplomatically.

“Hmf,” is all the response he gets. 

“We are honored by your continued service to our sect,” Lan Xichen says. Wei Wuxian scratches the back of his neck and barely stops himself from scuffing the toe of his boot against the floor.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says suddenly. Lan Xichen’s eyebrows raise and his lip curls up in surprise. Now Lan Qiren looks furious.

“Yes, Hanguang Jun?” Better to play it safe.

Lan Wangji says nothing more, just reaches into his sleeve and pulls out Chenqing, holding it out to him with his jaw set and shoulders straight. Wei Wuxian looks hastily around the room, wondering if a set of guards or angry villagers might burst through the windows. Nothing happens. The Sect Leader and Grandmaster also do nothing, though Lan Qiren’s face is nearly as red as Lin Biming’s. Wei Wuxian takes the flute from him, giving an awkward little half-smile, and then tucks it quickly away inside his shirt. 

“Wei-qianbei!” Lan Feifei pipes up. “Is that a flute?”

“Yes, Feifei, just a flute. Just a normal flute, for a normal man. To play normal music.”

“Will you teach us?”

“Oh, yes, teach us!” Lan Hua and Su Ming shout from the back of the room.

“Uh. I, uh . . . We’ll see.”

Lan Qiren storms out of the room. Lan Xichen smiles, bows to them, and follows, graceful as a summer breeze.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian hisses to him. “He may not be able to send me away, but he can still kill me with his mind.”

“Who?”

“Your uncle!”

“He can’t—”

“Never mind!” Wei Wuxian waves him off, suddenly feeling restless. “All right, disciples! You’ve all worked very diligently today, and you behaved so well during the festivities this week, how about we spend the rest of the day with the rabbits? Good, yes?”

Lan Wangji raises an eyebrow at him.

“Really, Lan Zhan, get your face under control,” Wei Wuxian mutters to him before heading out the door.

“I will see you this evening,” Lan Wangji says.

Wei Wuxian spins back around to him and pouts. “No bunnies for you?”

He shakes his head. “There is work to be done now that the guests have all left. But I will ask Madam Xiao to supervise dinner and bedtime tonight. Come to the Jingshi.”

Wei Wuxian looks at him for a long moment, waiting for some crack in his expression. “All right,” he says finally. “Deal.”

--

He spends the afternoon playing Chenqing for the children and the rabbits. When the children ask him “What song is that? Is it about something?” he makes up fantastical stories about cranes that turn into old women and children that grow in place of radish bulbs.

He’s hit the point of being awake for so long—and he’s realizing how little he’s been sleeping all week—that he’s tapped into a kind of manic energy. Part of it surely is being able to play music, freely, as much and as loud as he likes, for the first time in years. He lines the children up and tries to assign them each a little melody.

“Now, Yao Hualing, when I play this figure—” he blows a little trill— “then that means I’m calling you. Ready?”

He plays it again, and she hops up. Su Meiling hops up, too.

“No, A-Ling, this is you.” He plays a slightly different trill, and she frowns at him.

“I can’t tell the difference, Wei-qianbei.”

“Me neither!” Lan Yixian yells, hanging upside down from a tree branch.

Wei Wuxian sighs. “Well, we’ll call that a failed experiment. Who knows a song to teach to everyone?”

After a number of favorite songs sung too many times, and an intense argument over how many children Mother Chaochong has in the “real” version, it’s time to eat. He turns the children over to Madam Xiao and apologizes for the inconvenience. She just pinches his cheek, which makes the children scream with laughter.

When he gets to the Jingshi, the door is closed, and he’s not certain if Lan Wangji is around. He kicks some stones around on the pathway, nerves bubbling up inside his ribcage, until the door opens and Lan Wangji looks around, face worried.

“Lan Zhan!” he calls with completely false confidence. “Here I am! Are you going to play the gu—”

He loses his voice and his mouth goes completely dry when he gets to the doorway. Lan Wangji is dressed for bed, only wearing one layer of robes, hair down around his shoulders. It’s an odd sight when the sun hasn’t even started to go down yet.

“What—” he can’t think of what to ask, so he takes his boots off and holds them. Lan Wangji sits down on the bed, and Wei Wuxian is quite sure the skin on his cheeks is about to melt away.

“You haven’t slept.”

Wei Wuxian shakes his head.

“You should sleep.”

Wei Wuxian coughs. “I have a— I have a bed.”

“There are other people there, in the servants quarters. You won’t sleep well.”

“There’s other people here. I mean, you’re here.”

Lan Wangji’s brow furrows. “Would you like me to leave?”

“No!” Wei Wuxian shouts and drops his boots. “I mean. Unless you want to. But you’re not dressed, so that would be a scandal. What would everyone say? Wen Qing might see you, and then where would we be? Not—”

“Wei Ying.”

“Yes, Lan Zhan?”

“Come here. And sleep.”

He has some kind of hypnotizing powers. That’s the only explanation for how Wei Wuxian is suddenly next to him, one knee up on the bed.

“And what about you?”

“I will also sleep,” Lan Wangji says, as if it’s that simple. He rises and closes the door, then crawls onto the bed, settling near the wall. There is plenty of space. 

“There’s no way I’m going to sleep,” Wei Wuxian breathes. Lan Wangji just looks at him, a challenge, and far be it from Wei Wuxian to not meet a challenge. 

He lays down on his side and stares over at Lan Wangji. “I mean it, there’s no way—”

“Shh.”

Wei Wuxian glares at him, then squeezes his eyes shut as dramatically as possible.

He’s asleep before he can take another breath.

Part Seventeen

[silveryinkystar]

Some deleted scenes from my latest atla fic!

#1: In which Zuko adopts a dragon, and Mai really should be used to this by now

Just when she thinks he can’t surprise her anymore, Zuko goes and does something that proves her wrong. Like bringing home a baby dragon.

“I’m going to call you Druk,” he coos at the little coiled lump in his hands. “You’re lucky I’m here, otherwise Sokka might have called you something like Firebreather or Noodle.”

Mai has been introduced to Zuko’s turtleducks both before and after his banishment. Sokka’s not the only one who would be tempted to name a dragon Noodle.

“When Ty Lee said you wanted some time away,” Mai says conversationally, “I don’t think this is what she meant.”

He starts badly at her voice, but when he spins around to face her, he’s beaming widely. Spirits, he could light up the entire Fire Nation with that smile. “Mai! I thought you were coming back next week.”

“I got bored,” she repeats, smirking. “I missed Ty Lee, and gave my parents the slip when they said they were taking a detour. Seems like I wasn’t the only one who ran away. You’ve been up to a lot, hm?”

He chuckles. “Kind of,” he admits, and his expression turns serious. “The palace was getting to me, so I needed a break. I wasn’t intending on bringing Druk back, but I don’t mind.”

“Do the turtleducks like him?” she asks dryly.

“They love him. It’s weird, they’ve never actually seen a dragon before.”

“And you have? Before… Druk, I mean.”

He flushes, opens his mouth to speak, and closes it again.

“Zuko, that’s a yes or no question.”

“It’s… confidential?” he squeaks, flicking his gaze to the tiny hatchling winding around his hand, weaving around the limb before lying across Zuko’s shoulders like a very short scarf. It’s adorable.

She exhales. “When it stops being confidential,” she allows, “let me know before the others? And by that I mean the Fire Nation officials. I’m going ahead and assuming the Avatar and your other friends know.”

“Aang knows, but the others don’t,” Zuko corrects. “Of course I’ll tell you the whole story first.”

“Good.” She walks up to her best friend and embraces him tightly. He stiffens momentarily but hugs her back, careful not to dislodge Druk. “I didn’t just miss Ty Lee, you know.”

She can feel his smile against her shoulder. “I know. I missed you too, Mai.” He pulls away and holds her at an arm’s length. There’s a wicked smile on his face that’s somehow also completely devoid of malice. Not that she could ever see malice on him. “But you mostly missed Ty Lee.”

“One more word and you’ll find a knife on your royal person,” she warns.

#2: In which Sokka takes Zuko into the towns outside the Caldera to show him how much the place has changed

“You know what I think?”

Zuko hums and looks over from a scroll to his friend, who’s lounging on the bed with a map held above his head.

“I think the council members are jealous,” Sokka says.

Zuko raises his eyebrow. “What of?”

“Huh?”

“What would they be jealous of?”

“Oh,” Sokka exclaims, blinking in surprise. “They only have a few supporters among the nobility. Mostly in Caldera City. The people love you and your reforms, and your latest repeal of Sozin’s marriage laws won you even more favours among them.”

“There were more dissenters,” Zuko says with a frown. “I thought it was massively unpopular, even if it was the right thing to do.”

Sokka turns over and waves a hand vaguely at him, grinning like a fool. “See, that’s what I mean. You don’t care about popularity. You saw the marriage laws and knew that you couldn’t put boundaries on love, so you changed the rules. You found out why the war was wrong, and you ended it. Not without help, of course, but you did it all. You care about your people, and they know it.”

Zuko doesn’t know what to say to this, so he resorts to throwing a cushion at his friends face for having him confront feelings. His indignant yelp is a sound that leaves him chuckling for a good minute, so he lets it slide.

But the matter isn’t done yet, at least according to Sokka. On the last day of his visit, Zuko finds that there are no meetings scheduled for the day. He thinks he’ll spend some time in the gardens with his friend, like old times, but Sokka seems to have other plans.

“You guys have fun,” Suki says with a kiss to Sokka’s cheek and a clap on Zuko’s shoulder. “I’ll catch you later.”

Sokka pulls Suki into a proper kiss on the lips before he calls out a quick goodbye and drags Zuko out of the palace.

“Have you been to the towns and villages before?” Sokka asks as they make their way down the slope of the inactive volcano housing the capital city.

“Not nearly as much as I’d like,” Zuko admits. “I’ve been around the capital and Ember Island, but there wasn’t any reason for me to go down to the rest of the Fire Nation.” By reasons, he trusts Sokka understands that he means Ozai had strict rules to stay within the city limits.

“Huh. That’s not great.”

“I went to one of the towns once with my cousin, though,” he adds, expecting the familiar pang in his heart at the mention of Lu Ten before it hits him.

“He’s one of the good ones?” Sokka guesses.

Zuko smiles sadly. “He was like an older brother to me. You know, he was the one to tell Mom and Uncle that I was good with swords?”

“No way.”

“Ozai knew that I was leaving for a change in instructors,” Zuko continues, “but he never really cared either way at the time. He only really became a problem when Uncle and Lu Ten left to fight.”

“Ah.” Sokka rests a hand on his shoulder and squeezes lightly, and Zuko knows to draw comfort from the gesture. He misses Lu Ten dearly, but the sting of loss is numbed, now. He can think of his antics with his cousin during his early childhood without the accompanying sorrow threatening to overwhelm him.

They’re at the base of the volcano now, so Zuko slips up his hood. His hair is free of its topknot and falls over his scar so that he can blend with the crowd unremarkably. There’s no sign that he might be discovered, though, and no repercussions even if he is (except perhaps from his guards, but Ming won’t really mind once she understands why).

The first thing he notices are the sounds. There’s laughter, chatter, and the occasional yelling interspersed with off-key music. He’s already taken aback by how different it is from when Lu Ten helped him sneak out one night when his parents were away with Azula.

“I…”

Sokka smiles and loops an arm around his shoulders. “You haven’t seen anything yet, buddy. You’re going to love this.”

The wind blowing around them is cool enough to be uncomfortable, so Zuko tugs up his collar and raises his internal temperature to compensate. Sokka seems to be unaffected by the chill, which is only to be expected considering his friend spent most of his life in harsh southern winters. They stop every few paces to look at what the roadside stalls were selling, and more than once Sokka actively considers the merits and demerits of buying something they sell before deciding against them, moving forward, and darting back only to walk away again.

The fifth time this happens, Zuko finds a permanent solution in the fire-dancers performing in the streets. It’s his turn now to haul his friend over to them, and Sokka is all too willing to oblige as Zuko watches the performers exaggerate their movements with graceful bending.

“You know, this was pretty cool in the Fire Days Festival too – spirits, are you okay?”

From how distressed Sokka suddenly looks upon seeing his face, he automatically reaches up to touch the scar only to find his cheeks wet. He hadn’t even realised he was crying, but he scrambled for an explanation to keep the other boy from panicking.

“I used to watch the fire-dancers with my mother every year when we went to Ember Island,” he says, swiping at his eyes. “I always wanted to learn their bending style, it’s much more flowy than any other form of firebending. And… it’s been a while since the Fire Nation was this happy outside of festivals. And, well, Ember Island.”

Sokka nods slowly, but he doesn’t look any more placated.

“I guess it never really felt real to me,” Zuko mumbles, ducking his head as his eyes start to burn and glaze over once more. “I’m always stuck at meetings or fighting the council to pass a reform that would help my people, but…”

There’s a lump in his throat that stops him from speaking further, but Sokka leads him away from the crowd gently and finishes it for him.

“You never saw how your decisions impacted your people.”

Zuko manages a strangled chuckle. “They’re happy,” he whispers.

Sokka holds him an arm’s length away, hands firm on his shoulders. “That’s what I wanted to show you,” he says. “They’re healing, and they’re happy. I know most of the people you see are the ones who benefitted from the war, but when we were making our way to the capital before the eclipse, we noticed that it had left its mark on the Fire Nation too.”

Zuko nods, thinking about how he’d received news of an important weapons factory suddenly stopping production because of some problem with the river it was located on. He’d investigated it further and had declined to deliver that information to Ozai once he heard how badly the nearby town had fared.

“We’re the ones who instigated the war,” Zuko says, slumping against the wall of some building. “There were so few people who didn’t suffer for it.”

Sokka slides down next to him wordlessly. It’s not self-deprecating for him to say this – it’s the truth, and Zuko’s doing his best to make up for his ancestors’ terrible choices. They weren’t mistakes, not when each tragedy piled up on top of each other with the sickening, deliberate motive painting them red with blood.

He’s going to help the world heal, and if that starts by healing the Fire Nation? Well, that’s all for the better.

[tonyglowheart]

I vague tumblr for a bit and come back to find the prevailing theory here now is that CQL (and then ppl project into MDZS) has a one-character-ming, two-character-zi naming construction. And... I do think it’s a very interesting one, which has a lot of correlative data for it. But at the same time... I’m inclined to believe some examples might... just be their ming? Jiang Yanli, for example. Though it’s hard to tell, since JYL, YZY, and JFM are of an “elder” generation from WWX, so it seems like it wouldn’t be germane for him to call them by their birth names anyway, which might be why we’re never presented with them.

At first I was inclined to theorize that maybe the Jiang Sect tends to prefer birth name over courtesy name, given that the cultivation world at large seems to call Jiang Cheng by his birth name - e.g. first chap/prologue where the randos are just like “his shidi Jiang Cheng is the one who killed him” - (with the exception of LWJ who calls him by his courtesy name) but, then, Wei Wuxian is called by Wei Wuxian... (though I do think the headcanon/theories that JYL uses this name to emphasize his ties to Yunmeng Jiang bc that’s the name that JFM(?) gave him is very intriguing and I think it has legs)

The Nie is the other one I wonder about, because I always kind of just assumed that was their birth names and they just go by that - e.g. imo if there were anyone that WWX would know the birth name of, it’d be Nie Huaisang, who is of his age/slightly younger? But Nie Huaisang is just Nie Huaisang the whole time. Which then led me into a theory/headcanon that maybe the Nie don’t have/do courtesy names. This to me is interesting because it could be a sort of class differential too, given that the Nie are also famously descended from butchers, and that they seem to be the “warriors” who do a lot of legwork in terms of fighting for the Great Sects (vs, say, the Jin who are like more obviously gentry/nobility, and the Lan who are monk-descended and are rather famously sticklers for propriety).

And Wen Qing, we don’t ever see her with a(n obvious) courtesy name. Nor do we see a lot of the other Wens with them (Wen Chao, Wen Xu, etc). We know Wen Ning’s, and we see WWX use it, in a heightened situation to get his attention (sort of like in English when a parent calls their kid by their full name, and then you know they’re in trouble lol), and as @thewickling pointed out (thank you!) it’s used elsewhere, but I think he’s still primarily known as just.. Wen Ning? vs his courtesy name the way we see WWX is, and the Lans seem to be.

I mean.. I still think it’s hard to really pin down a pan-MDZS naming system given the inconsistencies (if we’re referencing history as a precedent), and I’ll be honest, I actually do like the idea of the different Sects having different naming conventions - both in whether they give courtesy names, and if they actually use them. A friend I was chatting with about this mentioned how it really gives it that kind of disparate city-state feel, where each place has different practices/conventions. And actually, I’d say there IS evidence of that in canon, rather than trying to find a one-size-fits-all system that applies to ALL Sects in MDZS’verse.

[hamliet]

He Xuan, Shi Wu Du, and Shi Qing Xuan: Three Mirrors

So yeah how about that chapter 124.

What a mess. And by that I mean it’s like excellent writing, but the circumstances are such a mess and it’s so tragic because it did not have to be that way.

Shi Wu Du and He Xuan parallel each other quite a bit, and of course, Shi Wu Du and his brother Shi Qing Xuan foil each other, as do He Xuan and Shi Qing Xuan. The entire arc explores a lot of themes like love and its limits, family, power and control, etc. by foiling these three characters. And they’re all kind of summed up in that final confrontation between Shi Wu Du and He Xuan, which reveals both of their fatal flaws are the same: they lack empathy and try to control that which is close to them. But instead of condemning them or writing them off as shallow, the narrative shows us that the reason both of them do these things is because of love.

“EVERYTHING I HAVE TODAY, I FOUGHT FOR MYSELF. I WILL FIGHT FOR WHAT I DON’T HAVE. I WILL CHANGE FATE I DON’T POSSESS. MY FATE IS UP TO ME AND NOT THE HEAVENS!” 

These are some of Shi Wu Du’s final words. But Shi Wu Du’s best quality--his refusal to capitulate to a cruel fate, or to leave those he loves at a cruel fate’s mercy either--is also his fatal flaw. Because he hasn’t just been about controlling his own fate: he’s extended that control to the fate of others in Shi Qing Xuan, the brother he adores, and He Xuan, a random person who just happened to have the wrong name at the wrong time.

Where Si Qing Xuan is concerned, of course it’s understandable, even justifiable in some sense. He loves his brother and was fearful of the Reverend of Empty Words’s curse on his baby brother. To save him, he switched his fate with He Xuan’s and allowed Shi Qing Xuan to ascend without having earned it, and then kept the truth from Shi Qing Xuan. But by robbing and erasing He Xuan’s work to control his own fate, he shows a privilege He Xuan never had, and shows that in controlling his own fate, he doesn’t mind changing others’. Not to mention he ties Shi Qing Xuan up when he discovers the truth, forcing him to drink the black liquid.

In their final confrontation, Shi Wu Du refuses to consider He Xuan’s first option of giving Shi Qing Xuan a terrible fate, and tells his brother that he has to kill him instead. He doesn’t take Shi Qing Xuan’s wishes into account, because it’s not just about who will die; it means traumatizing his brother.

Shi Qing Xuan however, wasn’t as despairing as he was, and said hurriedly, “Ge! Ge! Let’s, let’s choose the first option. The first one.”

A moment later, Shi Wu Du calmed down. “No. I choose the second one.”

“...” Shi Qing Xuan was dumbfounded, “Why the second option? Can we not both live? Ge, I can’t do it, I really can’t.”

Shi Wu Du said furiously, “QUIET! Don’t you understand? To have me lose everything and watch you become a grimey creature, you think I can do it?! Why don’t I just go ahead and die from madness!” ...

Shi Qing Xuan was so horrified he couldn’t keep a hold of it in his hands, dropping it a number of times on the ground. “Nevermind, ge, nevermind! Didn't you tell me yourself? Everyone only cares for themselves in this world, why would anyone take care of us? Haven’t we always taken cared of each other? Don’t give this thing to me, DON’T GIVE IT TO ME!”

Shi Wu Du shouted, “QING XUAN! Don’t be so immature!” 

But of course, Shi Wu Du is in part playing He Xuan. Shi Qing Xuan would never kill him, and finally decides to strangle his brother so that they will both die, forcing He Xuan to intervene.

Shi Wu Du gritted through his blood-covered teeth, “Qing Xuan! I can’t leave you alone like this! If I die there’s no way you’ll be able to survive in this world, so you might as well come with me!” ...

Shi Qing Xuan broke down, “...Ge ge, I beg you I beg you, please stop talking, please shut up. Help…”

However, Shi Wu Du’s smug arrogance was undaunted, “Qing Xuan, ge ge will go ahead first. I will wait for you down below. Hahahahaha…”

Considering those are his last lines, it’s fair to say he may indeed have planned on them both dying. But again, he’s repeating the same exact flaw that got them into this situation in the first place: assuming he knows what is best for Shi Qing Xuan, when really what Shi Qing Xuan wants is just for his brother to be okay--he was more than okay with giving up his heavenly official status, for example, as long as it was going to be okay. Shi Wu Du’s inability to understand this is heartbreaking.

But even though Shi Wu Du could not understand this about his brother, his deep love for his brother parallels He Xuan’s tragic love for his family as well. As he even notes before he dies:

He used those broken arms that were bleeding profusely to tug He Xuan’s collar, “Because I see the you right now who is so filled with rage, so filled with suffering, so filled with hate, yet you are still powerless in bringing your family back. You’re still nothing more than a ghost in the gutters of the shadows. BE AS MAD AS YOU WANT, THEY’RE LONG GONE! But me, and my brother, we’ve lived for so long, and we’ve been heavenly officials for hundreds of years, so even if he can’t be one any longer, even he can’t live anymore, he still profited. I’M STILL THE VICTOR SO I FEEL EVEN BETTER THAN YOU! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…”

Again, this ties into the idea of privilege--no matter what He Xuan does now, he will never have his family back. And as such Shi Wu Du cannot fully understand the pain He Xuan is in, having lost his family and his rightful place in the heavens. But in pursuing controlling his own fate via revenge, He Xuan demonstrates the same flaw of Shi Wu Du’s: he tramples on the fates of others.

Shi Qing Xuan was completely innocent. Shi Wu Du treated He Xuan as just a tool to help his brother; He Xuan treated Shi Qing Xuan as a tool to help him get to Shi Qing Xuan’s brother. And yet it’s implied that not all of He Xuan’s feelings for Shi Qing Xuan were bitter--he knew Shi Qing Xuan was a good person, and gave him chances to denounce his brother’s actions.

He Xuan whipped around and started pacing back and forth within the hall of Nether Water Manor, growling, “I’ve given you chances!”

Shi Qing Xuan shut his eyes, clenching his fists. Xie Lian recalled that excessively furious “Fine. Very well!” back at the town of Fu Gu, and that scene of ‘Ming Yi’ blocking Shi Qing Xuan’s path to follow Pei Ming in going to the East Sea.

Only, every time, Shi Qing Xuan had chosen to help Shi Wu Du.

He whispered, “...I’m sorry.”

He Xuan stopped. He demanded, “And what good is your apology?”

That row of four urns were placed squarely in front of Shi Qing Xuan, as if they too were jeering at his feather light sorry, drilling misery into his heart, scorching his innards, like everything he said would be seen through. Shi Qing Xuan begged, “...I know it’s futile, but I…”

And again:

Before he finished his sentence, He Xuan placed his hand over his head and gripped his hair. Shi Qing Xuan’s soul was going to leave his body, the iron chains banged and clanged against the wall madly, “MING-XIONG! MING-XIONG! I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY! WE’RE THE ONES WHO SINNED! WE’RE THE ONES WHO ARE WRONG. IT’S MY FAULT! MY BROTHER ONLY DID WHAT HE DID BECAUSE OF ME. MY BROTHER’S GONE MAD, HE’S CRAZY CAN’T YOU SEE! I… YOU… YOU…”

He wanted to beg, to pray for mercy, but his pleas wouldn’t leave his lips, and he could only use his eyes to kowtow. He Xuan watched him, and in a fleeting moment, he seemed to have remembered something. He calmed and stopped.

Seeing this, it was like there was a thread of hope, and Shi Qing Xuan let out a breath of relief, tears finally rolling down. But before he could speak, he heard He Xuan’s cruel voice rang, “You’ve called the wrong person.”

And this gets to Shi Qing Xuan’s greatest strength and also, like the others’, his biggest flaw: his love for his loved ones. And it reveals something of what He Xuan was thinking: you don’t know who I am. He was never Ming-Xiong, but He Xuan, and the whole refusal to acknowledge his identity and what he had done to earn his ascension was cruelly ignored by Shi Wu Du.

Because part of what He Xuan wanted was to have someone know him, acknowledge him as mattering. He transformed himself into a female form around Shi Qing Xuan because Shi Qing Xuan asked him to, clearly wanting to get close to Shi Qing Xuan, to the point when Shi Qing Xuan insisted he was his best friend. But even in the end, Shi Wu Du tells him everything he’s done does not matter, that it’s all futile.

On the topic of Shi Qing Xuan and his love for his family and friends paralleling both his brother’s love for him and He Xuan’s own mourning for his beloved family, it presents an interesting conflict that again gets at this core desire to be acknowledged for who he is in He Xuan. Because what exactly was he expecting by giving Shi Qing Xuan chances? Would He Xuan have denounced his family, the family he claims to be so moved by, had they done something similar? Considering that he’s not really motivated by righteousness, I doubt it. So why was he holding Shi Qing Xuan to an higher standard? Because he’s a god? Or because it was really about himself in the end? Or more likely, a combination of the two? Did he just want to know what kind of person Shi Qing Xuan was, and by extent Shi Wu Du? Did he want something better to exist?

If he wanted to know what kind of people they were, he should have looked in the mirror, because he is very much the same as both of them. And by killing a part of himself and breaking another part of himself in the person who truly loved him and thought of him as his best friend and whom he clearly, to an extent, cared for as well, he’s unlikely to find that his bitter fate has changed very much.

Anyways off to cry again.

[whyamistillwatchingtheseshows]

Sorry for sending wrongly lol it's me, my keyboard went mad and i couldn't finish my request sorry, Idk if your taking any requests now. Could write something like beam feels insecure at the begining of their relationship simply because he doesn't think he's forth's type and this kinda increased at times when seeing wayo. Idk sorry for bothering you and the awful idea. But idk i always thought forth going from Yo to beam might make beam think about it sometimes. Thank u, sorry for the trouble.

As I said these two are my chef’s kiss, my jam! My bread and butter. My peanut butter and jelly. So this is why I can write so fast for them. Plus, it also helps when one feels so akin to a character as I do with Beam. Also there’s nothing terrible about this idea. Forth did go from like: “hey, I’m going to flirt with that angry submissive who just dumped pink milk in a trash can and kicked it over.” to “shit I slept with my best friend, what are those feelings? Oh, let’s flirt with him instead and make this one my boyfriend.” Beam’s insecurity would be understandable. Here we go: 

Beam knew he was shy. No doubt. He was painfully, awkwardly, introvert shy. However, he didn’t think he was as shy as Wayo. That boy always looked meek and Beam often wondered if it was just a performance for Pha. Beam certainly hoped that Forth didn’t find him that meek. There was a time when Forth wanted to pursue Wayo and that baffled Beam. Even as the four couples sat for an evening dinner (the third time this week), Beam felt more confused than ever by the fact that Forth once wanted Wayo. What did that mean for him? Could Forth so easily switch type? Fall in love so hard? What’s the catch? 

“P’Pha!” Wayo’s whine jarred Beam from out of his head. “Stop it.” Of course. Pha was nauseatingly pressing kisses into Yo’s cheek. Beam had a sudden image of Forth doing the same thing and that made even more nauseous. He covered his mouth. Forth put a hand to his shoulder. 

“Are you alright Beam?” He nodded an okay. Forth squeezed his shoulder. They were at an outdoor restaurant with long benches and a buffet line to get the meats, veggies etc. The four couple(s) broke apart and then brought food back to the table. A silence lingered over them so Beam watched his friends as they ate. Okay, so by watched, he meant a lingering gaze on Pha and Yo, sometimes the image of Forth replaced Pha. At one point it became so vivid that Beam threw his fork down onto the plate. 

This made everyone freeze and look at him. Great. All eyes on him. Peachy. “Are you feeling well?” Forth put a hand to his forehead as if to assume a sudden fever broke. If it were actually that Beam wouldn’t mind. That he could handle. It was hard to handle that nagging voice in his head that kept saying, does Forth really like you? You’re nothing like Yo. He’s an innocent, sheepish guy (though they all learned, especially Pha that Wayo could be a vindictive little shit). Pha did that thing to Wayo’s cheek again and Beam cracked his neck. 

Little did he know, Forth observed everything. Don't imagine Forth across from you. He’s right next to you. Maybe a hand on his thigh, could convince you? Beam did just as he thought and caressed a thigh. Forth responded by intertwining fingers into that hand. Okay, so he’s there. He’s responding to your touch. But why the fuck is he over there too? Beam closed his eyes in frustration. They popped back open and Pha no longer existed. It was another Forth ruffling Wayo’s hair and whispering let’s go get more food. Vivid as fuck was the mental image as they walked to the buffet. 

“I too have concerns like Forth,” Kit spoke up and nudged Beam’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” Beam noticed that he did have the best seat at the bench. Forth to his right. Kit on his left. That was nice, but it was doing nothing to satiate his pathetic mind that kept asking, why does Forth like you? You are not like Yo who is frankly a chew toy for someone as dominant as Forth, even Pha. 

“Hey!” Forth’s hazing voice boomed. “Beam!” He shook his head and looked at his boyfriend. “That’s it. We’re leaving.” Ming and Kit waved them off. Pha and Yo came back to the table. Pha gave Kit ‘a what gives’ look. 

“Beam’s not feeling well.” Kit told Pha. The four of them finished their dinner without questioning any further. If Kit wanted he could probably get it out of Beam later. 

__

Forth watched as Beam erratically paced up and down the room. Up and down. Up and...down. Forth shook his head from dizziness or annoyance, he couldn’t tell which. “Babe!” Forth yelled. “Stop!’ His voice was soft, but demanding. Beam slowed his pace and then stopped. Forth jumped from the sofa and lifted Beam’s head by the chin. “What is going on?’ 

“Why do you like me? I mean, you once wanted to flirt your way to being Wayo’s boyfriend and then suddenly we sleep together once and you’ve changed your mind? You didn’t even want to give Pha a challenge?” Forth’s fingers fell from his chin. 

“I suppose that’s how much you changed my mind. Sure, I could’ve made Pha’s life a living hell, the two of us batting Wayo back and forth like a cat bats at yarn, but that night with you- well- it was an epiphany of sorts. A realization that there is someone in front of me, someone that has been my friend who I’ve had fun with and just maybe I want to explore the idea of being his boyfriend. Thus, cue my flirting with you. You agreeing to be boyfriend by way of a hammer dropping on my head...I wouldn’t trade any of this to go back to flirting with Wayo. It’s clear where that little guy’s feelings lie. It’s with Pha who,” Forth now grips Beam by the waist, “admittedly terrifies the fuck out of me and that’s saying something.” 

Beam laughs. “Yeah, I’m sure he’d murder both you and Ming if either of you broke mine or Kit’s heart. It’s true. He’d plan to a level of perfect crime detail so that way he could still be with Wayo.” 

“Well, if that happened then I'd at least know you have Kit. Just hope the two of you don't sleep together too soon after our deaths,” Forth jokes. Beam smacked him on the chest.  

“I’m just taking a page from your vivid imagination Beam. Though, there’s no plan to break your heart.” Forth gave him a quick kiss to the cheek then changed the subject back to what they should be talking about, “Are you going to tell me what was going on at the dinner table?” 

“Nope. That will stay buried in my subconscious. For now,” Beam wrapped arms around Forth’s neck, “I want to do something else. Give me a good reason and I mean a good reason as to why you wanted me to so desperately be your boyfriend?” 

“There’s not one good reason. There’s several but the ultimate reason is because you’re fucking adorable even when you’re angry.” Forth flashed back to when he bluffed Beam. A mildly annoyed Beam felt put on the spot, having admitted true feelings for him. Forth didn’t regret pinning him to that pick up and kissing him. That boy was wearing fucking adorable pajamas, because of course, he packed pajamas for the trip. Forth chuckled to himself. 

“What is it?” Beam lays their foreheads together. Forth yanked him closer as if the space between them wasn’t already closed. 

“Yeah, you’re fucking adorable, kind, generous, sweet. The list can go on and on, but what Beam needs to understand is that I don't think about Wayo anymore. Not even a little. I think about you, I think about those eyes, those lips, this hair...” Forth caressed a hand up to a cheek and a few fingers brushed into Beam’s hair. They smiled at each other and then Forth hungrily locked their lips. Beam hoped this would be enough reassurance to suffice that nagging voice inside his head. Too bad it couldn’t shut it up entirely, but for now, this will do.

[hecate-herself]

Quarantine prompt 1 for LiVer?

Day #1

“You. Me. Quarantined for two weeks. Anything could happen.” Silver purred, dragging his right index finger up Li Ming’s arm, starting from the back of his hand and working his way up to just below the dragon’s shoulder. Li Ming slapped his hand away.

“Yeah. I may kill you. Or we may both get sick.” Of all the people to get stuck inside with, for an entire two weeks, it had to be an insufferable Fae intent with trying to bed any sentient creature with a pulse, himself included. He got up and brushed imaginary lint off his immaculate suit. “If you don’t mind, I do still have work that requires being done, quarantined or not. I imagine that you have… something?”

“I am sure I can come up with something to keep myself entertained.” Silver said with a flourish of his hand. “Have fun.”

 Day #2

Li Ming had seriously over estimated quite how much work he had to do and had managed to work his way through about a quarter of it in the first day of the quarantine. He spent the second one giving all of his belongings, and the rooms currently not being occupied by a certain Fae, a very thorough cleaning.

He did catch glimpses of Silver as he went about his day, he was mainly draping himself over various pieces of furniture, clearly preening and trying to gain his attention, he refused to let it work (though he was a little worried about what would happen if a Fae of Silver’s archetype couldn’t get the attention that they needed) and did his best to just avoid him.

Day #3

Silver was bored. Other than the few glimpses of the other dragon (it was downright sinful to look that attractive in shirt and trousers, with the shirt sleeves neatly rolled up to his elbows, though they had slipped down and Li Ming had clearly given up after a while and just shoved them up over his elbows) he was left to his own devices.

On the third day, Silver was tired of lingering and waiting for attention, if Li Ming was going to try and ignore him, then he would have to do his best to make him pay attention.

He waited until he knew that Li Ming was sorting through the papers on his desk before he knocked and barged into the study without waiting for a response. “I made coffee.” He said a little too proudly as he set the tray down. “Drink it with me and then you can go back to boring old work. And you don’t owe me a thing for this lovely cup of coffee, you drink it with milk and no sugar, right?”

“Right.” Li Ming said slowly. “I suppose that your payment is my attention for ten minutes?”

“If you want to think of it like that, then yes.” Silver said, smiling, showing a flash of his teeth.

“Then I do not want it.” Li Ming said, pushing the cup away. “And go away. I am busy.”

Day #6

He had run out of things to do on the fifth day of the quarantine. The paperwork was done, not that he could leave to return it to his majesty Ao Shun, and his office and room was immaculate. He supposed that thoroughly scrubbing down the kitchen wasn’t going to hurt anyone.

Silver walked in whilst he was on his knees scrubbing the floor.

“If this is your way of asking me to cook dinner tonight… it is working.” He said, Li Ming could feel his eyes on him, and he quickly got to his feet, aware that there was a flush to his face, but he would swear until he was blue in the face that it was because of how hot it was in the kitchen.

“If I wanted you to cook dinner then I would simply order you to do it.” Li Ming said, attempting casual disdain and entirely unwilling to admit that Silver had him at a disadvantage, he had won the point this time.

“I will have you know that I am an excellent chef.” Silver replied. “I will prove it to you tonight.”

“All you want is my company for an hour?”

“I wouldn’t say no to it.” Silver said with a toothy grin. “What do you say? I cook dinner, you can sit around and drink wine whilst you wait for it to be cooked. I will even wash up afterward.”

“You have a deal.” Li Ming said cooly, having someone else cook for him was a tempting offer, it wasn’t that he didn’t like cooking, it was that he couldn’t be bothered to put as much care into it as he should do. Silver grabbed his hand and before Li Ming could yank his hand away, he had brushed his lips across the back of his knuckles.

“We have a deal. And may I suggest you use some moisturiser?”

 Day #7

He slept in. Li Ming couldn’t remember the last time that he had slept in this late, but it was… good. He stretched out in the large and plush bed, his silver hair fanning out on the pillow around him. He would need to give it a thorough brush now, as he hadn’t tied it up before retiring for the night.

He’d spent longer in Silver’s company than he thought he would have done. And he had actually enjoyed himself, he loathed to admit it, but he had really enjoyed the evening, assisting Silver when it had been asked of him, imbibing on a few glasses of wine, probably more than he should have had done, the pair of them had emptied the wine bottle and were halfway through a second when they had called it a night.

Silver had kissed the back of his hand again, catching it as Li Ming set down the towel that he had been using to dry the wine glasses and Li Ming had forced down his blush and exerted a little control over his environment, dropping the temperature by a few degrees to cool himself down and hopefully soothe his heart. If Silver had noticed this reaction, he hadn’t said anything except to wish him a good night.

“Did you oversleep?” Silver asked as he came downstairs, hair damp from the shower. “The great and powerful lord Li Ming had a lie in. Oh you must fan me, I think that I may pass out.”

“I’ll leave you on the floor if you do.” Li Ming replied. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know.” Silver shrugged. “I’m bored. What are you planning on doing today?”

“I haven’t decided yet… Do you want a coffee?”

“I thought that you would never ask.”

 Day #10

“Think, you only have to deal with me for another four days.” Silver said, he had draped himself across a chaise lounge with some book that Li Ming didn’t recognise, though he assumed it to be licentious, in his hands. He reached for his bookmark. “Are you going to miss me?”

“No.” Li Ming lied.

“Not even a little bit?”

“Not even a little bit.”

 Day #11

Silver cooked dinner again, but Li Ming didn’t sit around to talk to him like he had done beforehand. He did the washing up, and he left Silver alone in the kitchen, staring after him before giving up and sitting down to nurse his glass of wine alone.

 Day #12

He was ready to leave, he just needed to get through the last two days. He needed to spread his wings and have a proper stretch. Li Ming didn’t like being cooped up inside. He needed the fresh air, to feel the wind on his skin, or scales, to feel it ruffle his hair. He wanted to feel the rain on his skin, or the snow if he could. Maybe he would go somewhere cold and icy for a few days of peace and alone time.

And nursing a mildly fractured heart, granted he had deliberately done the damage himself, but it still stung.

Who would have thought that within twelve days Silver would have gone from detestable to… desirable?

Leaving as soon as possible and never talking to him again was the best course of action. He couldn’t be with a Fae, he wouldn’t allow himself to stoop so low. Even fraternising with him was something to be frowned upon. He was beneath him.

God he wanted Silver beneath him.

He quickly schooled his wandering mind. Such thoughts simply would not do.

He entererd the study and stopped. Silver was at the desk. “Are you… doing work?” Li Ming asked very slowly in complete and utter confusion. As far as he was aware, Silver did not do any work. He was completely unproductive.

“I am.” Silver said, flicking his eyes up to look at him, sliding his gaze over Li Ming’s smart, three-piece suit. It was the first time since the first day of the quarantine that he had dressed so formally. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Not at all. I just thought that I would die of old age before I witnessed it.”

“Don’t you have a very long life span?”

“A very, very long one.” Li Ming nodded. “I stand corrected. Maybe you aren’t entirely useless.”

 Day #14

“I will miss you.” Silver said softly, Li Ming thought that he would manage to escape the house before Silver had woken up, but evidently, Silver hadn’t gone to bed. And evidently, he had had several drinks whilst he had been waiting. “I just wanted you to know that before you ran off to wherever dragons run off to.”

“Home.” Li Ming said after a long moment. “I was going home.”

“Was?”

“I don’t know if I believe in the concept.” Li Ming shrugged. “And I think that I will miss you too. In a weird, maybe I don’t entirely hate you, kind of way.”

“Kind of… I guess I will have to take that.” Li Ming took another step toward the door. “Will I ever see you again?”

“I don’t know.” Li Ming replied. “I suppose that you will, work takes me all over, and with the prince here, then I imagine that it wont be long before I return here. I must see to my Lord first.” Silver nodded. “What? Will you actually miss me?” He had meant to sneer it, to put some spin on it like he didn’t desperately want the man to say-

“Yes.” Silver confessed after a heartbeat. “I will.” Li Ming swallowed and set his case down by his feet. “I like to think that I have gotten under your scales.”

“If you mean that you irritate me, then yes. You have done a marvellous job of getting under my scales. Like a grain of sand.” God he hated sand.

Silver wasn’t sand though. Silver was too…

“I don’t hate you.” Li Ming found his mouth moving before his brain clocked on. “I have never hated you. It’s just that we are two very different men. We are two different for us to be anything more than what we are now.”

“Must we be?”

“I don’t think either of us are willing to change for the other.” Li Ming shook his head. “It isn’t in our nature to change like that. I am sure that it would probably destroy you if you tried to change for me. And if I tried to change for you-”

“You would lose everything. Which would destroy you, even if not literally.” Li Ming nodded. “I can understand that. Well. Goodbye. It has been a fun few weeks, working my way underneath your scales.” He nearly managed to smile. “I will see you whenever you are back next, I hope?”

“Maybe you can cook me dinner again.” Li Ming said. “I’ll bring the wine. And then we go back to pretending that we hate each other.”

“That sounds like a good plan.” Silver said. “I know exactly how to get on your nerves now, Li Ming. I think we drew this game, but I’ll win the next.”

“What are you talking about? I have won.” Li Ming said, smiling as he shook his head.

“How have you won?” Silver asked incredulously. Li Ming took a step closer to him.

“By doing this.” Li Ming ducked his head, he was about an inch and a half taller than Silver, and he kissed him. It was a soft, barely there kissing. Just a brush of his lips against Silver’s. Silver was quite taken aback by how cold Li Ming was, and he would have pulled back had Li Ming not stepped away first.

Silver stared at him.

“I will see you next time.” Li Ming said, it was very much a promise. “Good bye, Silver.”

I accidentally wrote a lot, and sorry it probably wasnt as fluffy as you wanted? I just... got abducted by an idea