#lotus flowers are not meant to be eaten

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

Exposing SVSSS Fanon: 24/∞

APHRODISIAC-PRODUCING PLANTS ARE AN EVER-PRESENT DANGER IN THE WORLD OF PIDW

Rating: FANON - UNSUPPORTED

One of the most common tropes that I have ever seen all across SVSSS fanfiction is the use of aphrodisiac-releasing plants or "fuck-or-die" plants, as a plot device in order to get two characters together. Surprisingly enough, however, there is not a single mention of such plants existing in PIDW.

I debated on whether to rate this as neutral or unsupported, since typically I will choose neutral when there isn't any kind of evidence for or against something-- however, in this case, I chose unsupported due to the sheer amount of times that SQQ's narration references the sex scenes and plot devices in PIDW, and the fact that not once was any specifically sex-related plant mentioned among them.

We do know that there are all sorts of rare plants used as plot devices in PIDW:

"Do you still remember creating a plant that only appears every thousand years?” Shang Qinghua was speechless. “Your description is way too broad. Bing-ge’s eaten at least eighty, if not a hundred plants like that.” (7 Seas, Ch. 5)

and

...the number of mythical flowers in Proud Immortal Demon Way numbered at least in the hundreds, and every single one was at least a thousand years old, and when you added on all the mythical grasses and mythical trees, who the hell could remember all those names?! (7 Seas, Ch. 3)

Naturally, we also do not know all of these plants, so it cannot be said with certainty what sort of plants are included or excluded from the set. However, the effects of the plants we do know of are as follows:

Thousand-Leaves Snow Petal Lotus

"This flower has grown within the depths of Jue Di Gorge for thousands of years. Its spiritual qi is extraordinary, and furthermore, it is the natural bane of creatures from the Demon Realm. It emits an innate barrier that repels demonic beasts." (7 Seas, Ch. 4)

Additionally, when Luo Binghe absorbed the flower, it increased his abilities, likely due to the spiritual qi contained within it:

Incidentally, he even absorbed the nutrients of the mythical flower the girl had just eaten, and so his martial ability once again made great progress (7 Seas, Ch. 3)

Sun-Moon Dew Mushroom

The Sun-Moon Dew Mushroom was also called the “flesh mushroom,” and this name was entirely literal. Though this mushroom wasn’t especially useful for cultivating, it still grew by collecting spiritual energy from nature along with essence from the sun and moon. If you planted its sprout in soil rich with spiritual energy, nurtured it, meticulously sculpted it, and watered it with blood and qi, once it matured, you could cultivate a living body of flesh. The body could grow just fine, but it was impossible to also create a soul via this method. That was to say, you could only grow a soulless, empty shell. (7 Seas, Ch. 9)

This is by far the most well-known of the mystical plants of SVSSS, considering the fact that it directly contributes to a major plotline. It is also notable that this plant was not used by Luo Binghe in PIDW:

In [SQQ's] defense, this mushroom wasn’t reserved for Luo Binghe. Rather, it was supposed to be for one of his opponents... ...If it were a thing that affected the main plotline, or if it were some mystical flower or herb meant to provide one of Luo Binghe’s power-ups, he wouldn’t have had the guts to try and steal it. (7 Seas, Ch. 5)

Also notable here is the mention of mystical flowers and herbs providing Luo Binghe's power-ups-- this is seemingly the primary purpose of mystical plants in PIDW.

The Ties That Bind

This is the final mystical plant mentioned in SVSSS-- and also the only one with a negative effect:

This plant sowed its seeds in the bodies of living beings, and they were especially attracted to people who gave off energy. Recklessly deploying one’s spiritual or demonic energy attracted these seeds to oneself. That was why Shen Qingqiu had stuck to physical combat as much as possible and avoided using his spiritual energy. When Ties That Bind seeds entered one’s flesh, they didn’t hurt, only faintly itched. But once they sprouted from the flesh that was their soil and burst forth through the skin, every inch of rent flesh from which they grew erupted in violent agony. Furthermore, the more you used your spiritual energy, the faster they grew. If you went as far as to use a spiritual blast, they would sprout like mad, budding in an instant. (7 Seas, Ch. 16)

Now, obviously, since there are only three of these plants mentioned within SVSSS, it is far from the eighty to a hundred mystical flowers, plus the additional trees and grasses, which we know nothing about at all. It wouldn't at all be unlikely for one of these many plants to have an aphrodisiac effect, or to produce a fuck-or-die poison-- but I personally feel that it would be likely for Shen Qingqiu to mention this directly in his narration had it been as common trope in PIDW as many fanworks imply.

Of course, it isn't unreasonable for fandom to come to the conclusion that such plants were present in the PIDW world-- after all, sex pollen is a fairly common trope, and PIDW contained a great variety of sex scenes. However, here it is important to note that Proud Immortal Demon Way WAS NOT purely an erotica, porn, or hentai novel. Fundamentally, it is a power fantasy-- and papapa scenes are just one part of that power fantasy.

In the original text, it is described as "YY", which is a slang term that literally translates to something like "mind masturbation"-- but that doesn't mean purely sexual content, instead it refers to a wish-fulfillment, escapist setting, a non-academic fantasy world, where the primary focus is on the main character becoming more and more powerful, overcoming more obstacles-- in Luo Binghe's case, this includes defeating all of his past enemies and marrying all of the beautiful women he came across. The sex scenes were just one part of the power fantasy-- erotica for erotica's sake was not the goal.

That isn't to say that PIDW didn't feature an abundance of sex scenes-- after all, that was one of if not the most-desired plotlines, and Airplane was made to cut backstory content in favor of them:

"And back then, everyone in the comments section was saying they wanted to see the other plotline, right? The one where Bing-ge bravely conquered a hundred flowers, you understand. A whole hundred holy flower spirits who had from their birth never laid eyes on a man, and all of them virgins. Cucumber-bro, how I suffered while writing the chapter of the hundred flower buds’ first mass-blooming! And still you roast me…” (7 Seas, Ch. 14)

Still, the power-fantasy of PIDW encompassed many different factors-- the battles and revenge against the villains and the ever-increasing power level as stronger and stronger enemies were defeated were just as important as the sex scenes and harem plotlines to the overall effect of the story.

My hypothesis for the origin of the theory that "the world of PIDW is full of fuck-or-die plants" is that it comes from the common sex-pollen trope in erotica and fanfiction, PIDW's reputation as containing quite a lot of erotic material, as well as a few select passages of SVSSS which link plants and flowers with sex-- one of which is the passage above, regarding the hundred flower spirits. I think that the more significant root for this theory, though, is the curing of Without a Cure through sex.

In SVSSS fanfiction, I have found it most common that the sex-inducing plants are specifically of the fuck-or-die variety (therefore, able to be categorized as poison) rather than the pure aphrodisiac variety. This lines up quite well with Qin Wanyue's affliction by Without a Cure in PIDW-- and its subsequent cure:

Then, in the end, how was the poison cured? After the down and dirty scene, the girl’s poison was naturally cured! Was it ridiculous? Cliché? Implausible? …But it was satisfying, right? Ridiculously satisfying, so ridiculously satisfying, ha ha ha ha… Look, Luo Binghe was of both human and demon blood, right? And the demon half of his bloodline came from their number one Saintly Ruler—from the heavenly demons of old! A wee little demonic poison wasn’t even strong enough to get stuck between Luo Binghe’s teeth, and he instantly absorbed and digested it during their you know. (7 Seas, Ch. 3)

However, the poison itself had little to do with either flowers or sex-- it was simply an incurable poison, which just so happened to be cured by dual-cultivation with a half-Heavenly Demon. There's a debate to be had as to whether the sex itself was the cure, or if it was Luo Binghe's bodily fluids in any form (curable by his blood as well), but that is all a topic for another post. Regardless, though this created a fuck-or-die scenario, it had nothing to do with fuck-or-die plants. Even in this scenario, the sex was only coincidentally a cure, with the characters not aware of it until afterwards:

The girl thought, “Since I’m about to die, I must leave behind some memories to ensure that my life won’t have been in vain. I don’t have many days left, after all, so I won’t suppress my feelings anymore.” Then, using her weak and fragile body, she pushed Luo Binghe down. (7 Seas, Ch. 3)

Now, we do know that aphrodisiacs do exist in the world of PIDW, but only one aphrodisiac is actually mentioned, which is produced by succubi:

Even if he was Great Master Liu, being poisoned by the succubi’s natural, innate Mesmerizing Fragrance—or in other words, their aphrodisiac, was profoundly…not good! (7 Seas, Ch. 23)

It's perfectly likely for other aphrodisiacs to exist in the world of PIDW, and for plants with aphrodisiac effects to exist, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that such plants may have been used in some of the many, many harem plotlines. However, the aphrodisiac here is an ability belonging to a certain type of demon rather than a plant, and this is the only time where it is mentioned that some external cause is meant to induce lust in someone (Xin Mo is a matter for a future post as well). Rather, it seems that harem members are mainly drawn in by Luo Binghe's power, talent, looks, and generally magnetic appeal, rather than being forcibly drawn in through aphrodisiac plants or specifically fuck-or-die poisons.

Everything in PIDW was about bringing satisfaction to the (male) readers-- so, to determine whether fuck-or-die plants would have been a common plot device, we would need to ask would this plot device provide such satisfaction? It could-- but that would also depend on how it is portrayed. In fanfiction, both parties are often rendered helpless by whichever plot-device plant is being used as a means to get the characters together. In PIDW, though, I feel like it might play out a little more differently-- likely, there would be more plotlines in which Bing-ge himself was not affected, but instead generously helped out whichever maiden was currently afflicted and suffering, through which the romantic relationship was established.

Of course, it would still depend a lot on the specific plotline being followed, so this is more of just a suggestion to consider how the mechanics of such a plant would work to provide satisfaction to PIDW's target demographic, and whether to follow or subvert those expectations and tropes. Alternatively, because of the genre shift that occured during SVSSS, it wouldn't be out of place to include tropes more common to danmei, or to fanfiction, in that universe-- where it may be more common to have scenarios where both parties (especially the POV character) are incapacitated and affected. Every writer, of course, has the freedom to explore whichever tropes and plotlines they wish to-- but it could be interesting to look into genre tropes and see how they may or may not apply.

Typically, these arguments would lead to a neutral rating, rather than unsupported, since there is no direct evidence against the existence of such plants-- however, this post is not primarily meant to address the existence, but rather the prevelence. The existence of aphrodisiac or fuck-or-die plants in the world of PIDW would be neutral or even somewhat likely, but the topic being analyzed is the common fanfiction trope that within the world of PIDW, fuck-or-die plants appear frequently and are a well-known, common threat that the cultivation world's inhabitants must be prepared to face at any time.

I think that if that were the case in PIDW, there would have at least been one single mention in Shen Qingqiu's narration of a fuck-or-die or even an aphrodisiac plant-- perhaps as something that he himself would need to prepare for and worry about after transmigrating. However, there is no such mention-- therefore, while they may exist, it is not likely that sex-inducing plants are an overly common sight in the world of PIDW. The mystical plants seen in SVSSS are either poisons, power-ups, or utilities, and it is implied that most of the many other plants in PIDW would also fall into that category.

[crystalflygeo]

The best way to scent-mark ft Zhongli + fem!reader

cw/tags: biting kink, marking kink, scenting, slight dirty talk, creampie??, cum-marking, feral Zhongli??, he acts a lil dragon-y but stays in full human form.

notes: I really have no idea how to tag this sorry I just wanted to explore this one specific kink hehe and also have jealous/riled up Zhongli and scenting. I love scenting.

As soon as you saw him you ran across the wooden pier and jumped into his arms.

Being away at Inazuma for months had been exhausting, not only for the errands you had been working on all over the islands, or even the slight adjustment to a different time zone and customs but also because it meant being away from your beloved, Zhongli.

But now, right here at Liyue Harbor back into his warm embrace, you felt back at home.

“I missed you.” You murmured as you felt him place a kiss at the top of your head “I missed Liyue, the lanterns, the food… ahh after such a long trip I’m starving too.” You noticed his grip on you was a little stiff and he seemed to have frozen on the spot holding you. Deep in thought? Perhaps he missed you just as much? “Zhongli?” You chuckled.

“Ah, sorry dearest.” He shook his head releasing you, you immediately craved the contact again. “Of course, I missed you too.” He smiled gently. “I have already asked miss Xiangling for a reservation so let us not make her wait any longer. You can tell me all about your trip.”

Maybe it was just you, but the way his arm slid around your waist felt a little tighter than usual.

Moments later you were seated at one of Wanmin’s tables surrounded by all the delicious dishes you had missed so dearly: Jade parcels, Tianshu meat, Jueyun chili chicken, Bamboo shoot soup, and even sweet Lotus flower crisps. You couldn’t help the happy hum as you savored every dish.

You enthusiastically went on and on about all the people you had met in Inazuma -including many many interesting yokai- the festival you’d helped organize, the cute traditional kimono you got to wear, and even the difficulties you’d encountered, but after a while you couldn’t help but notice Zhongli looked rather… distracted.

He looked serious sitting across from you, golden eyes sharply focused in the food although he seemed to have barely touched it, you knew him well enough to notice the minute gestures in his eyebrows and pursed lips. His polite and quiet nature was not strange per se, but he hadn’t spoken a word! -when he would usually comment on your anecdotes- and whatever tranquility he naturally possessed seemed lost as he sat as still as the stone he personified. You could even see his grip on the chopsticks was rather… tense.

“Zhongli?” You asked rather concerned as you stretched your hand across the table to place it on top of his. To your surprise he jolted in his seat, startled out of the focused state he was in and shocking you. You squeezed his hand softly. “Are you ok?”

His nostrils flared just slightly, as if he had captured a whiff of something that disturbed him and he shook his head again, partially to dispel whatever was clouding his mind and in a vain attempt to calm you. “I apologize darling, I’m… not really feeling that well.” He squeezed your hand back.

Your demeanor instantly turned to worry “M-Maybe it’s better if we get home? I’m quite tired as well.” You said, looking at the barely half-eaten dishes.

You’d quickly asked Xiangling to wrap everything up to go and in no time both of you were on your way to his apartment. He was silent the entire walk, hands flexing at his sides and long ponytail whipping after him as he strode a little ahead of you, it was starting to make you nervous. Did something happen? Was he sick? -Do archons or adepti get sick?- Was he upset?

Once at his place he quickly unlocked the door and walked inside as you followed, watching him stagger slightly. He brought a hand to his face, drawing his palm down his forehead with a quiet growl.

“Zhongli please are you ok? Tell me what’s wrong.” You pleaded approaching and placing your hand at his arm in a comforting gesture, you had no idea what was going on and your mind was already running wild.

However, he surprised you when he suddenly pulled you back into his arms, his larger and taller frame surrounding you completely as he pressed your back to his chest, circling your waist and holding your arm possessively. You instantly blushed as he nosed at your neck, warm breath making you shiver.

“Zhongli!” You squeaked. “W-what has gotten into you?”

“I’ve held it long enough but I can’t simply stand by idly anymore.” He mumbled into your shoulder, arms circling your waist tighter and pulling you closer.

“What do you mean?” You blink confused and a little taken aback at his actions.

“Your scent.” He growls. “You smell like… kitsune, tanuki, kamaitachi, and all sorts of other creatures.”

Oh.

Oh.

Well then. Now things started to make sense. “Well, I suppose I did spend a lot of time with the yokai while helping out Yae Miko with… t-the festival.” You choked out the last words when you felt him rub his pelvis forward against your body, the obvious evidence of his desire making itself known, trapped between the tight squeeze of your bodies.

“Miko…I see.”

“Z-Zhongli!”

“No matter.” He says licking a stripe up your neck and nibbling at the skin there. “I’ll just have to renew my claim. Make sure everyone knows exactly who you belong to.”

You whimpered.

———————————————————–

Zhongli is determined to mark you in every way possible. Every inch of your soft skin adorned with an array of love bites, hips slightly bruised by his grip and your sweet pussy already dripping a mix of his spent and your own pleasure.

“Zhongli, Zhongli please-” You babble, tights shaking around his hips riding the last waves of yet another climax…

Despite Miko’s status, Zhongli wouldn’t put it behind her to have purposefully paraded you around the yokai knowing this would be the exact outcome, riling up his inner dragon. What a cunning sly woman.

And yet he pushes those thoughts away focusing on you, your trembling body under his, moaning prettily and taking his cock so well, breasts rising and falling rapidly with your panting and on par with your quick heartbeats, trashing and arching as the sound of skin slapping against skin becomes louder. A thin layer of sweat covering both of you as the air grows hot and heavy. You gasp and whine. You’re sensitive, he knows, but he’s not done yet.

Not yet.

“Aah… oh, Z-Zhongli. I’m so full- Oh!” You yelp, feeling him latch his canines back to the junction of your shoulder and neck, sucking and lapping softly, his thrusts getting more frenetic. He hums pleased at your words.

Yes. Full. Of him. Of his seed. Of his love. Thoroughly claimed. Even if others look at you, touch you, scent you, they can never have you.

“Mine.” He huffs.

“Yours… always yours.” You breathe out.

Suddenly he pulls out making you gasp at the unexpected feeling of emptiness and the loss of warmth at your neck, though a little thankful for the break on your overstimulation. You blink dazed and see him still on top of you, still rock-hard, furiously pumping his length with his hand.

“Hng Wh-wha…?”

He grits his teeth, eyes dark, pupils blown wide in lust. “I want you to smell like me.” He groans, his cock twitching in his hand. “I’m going to- hng- paint you with my cum. Let it dry on your skin so you no one… so no one doubts- ugh- you’re mine.” You shiver against him.

A few more strokes and the dragon roars with euphoria, his seed splattering in thick spurts across your stomach and up your chest as you mewl at the sensation. Warm and sticky covering your heated skin in white stripes.

Zhongli lowers down to kiss your shoulder, neck and then your lips. Softly this time. Quick and fleeting as he comes down from his high and you recover from the intensity of it all. There was something incredibly erotic in such animalistic display from your ever-so-calm-and-collected lover.

Both sweating and panting, you groan once he rolls over by your side, his hand rubbing circles at your hip right where the dark spots of his previous grip are and you hiss lightly.

Warm golden eyes meet yours as you flutter them open, drowsily. You run a hand down your own abdomen, fingers catching on his cum here and there. “Covered in your mess... and you made a mess of me too.” You mumble, voice a little rough and tired. “Does this satisfy your need to claim me, my dragon?”

Pink dusting covered his cheeks for a moment and you let out a soft chuckle at the fact that now he feels embarrassment. “I apologize if I went overboard, dearest, I’ll make sure to prepare a warm bath for you.” Zhongli states, still tracing patterns on your skin. “But to answer your question, yes. You look quite lovely covered in my marks. All of them.” He adds, smooth voice dropping low.

You sigh relaxed, and Zhongli almost purrs at the sight of a happy, sated mate. “A bath sounds good… though...” And against all better judgement, you bring those slick fingers to you mouth, making a point of showing off as you lick his cum off your digits. “Wouldn’t you want to coat my back too before washing it?”

The look on his eyes is feral.

[somethinaboutdemonslayer]

Ascension to paradise

Teehee this is my first ever douma fic, I hope i did him justice, haha. Enjoy!

Trigger warnings: Graphic depictions of being eaten alive, cannibalism, as well as sexual undertones. Manipulation, cult activity, and just Douma as his own warning.

MINORS DNI!!!

1.8k words

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A beautiful furisode kimono adorned my body, rinzu silk made up the lovely garment, the silk was apparently similar to a western version of silk called silk satin damask, woven with beautiful designs. In fact, this kimono is made of rinzu silk that I wove by myself, it's design made to represent pure paradise, decorations of ice blue lotus flowers and pink sakura blossoms adorned it in a beautiful pattern. It was all for him, I hope that Kyoso-sama will enjoy my work.

My smile was obvious as I stepped out of my dressing room, waiting for one of Kyoso-sama's retainers to bring me to him.

"Ah, ojou-san, Kyoso-sama is ready to see you," an elderly man spoke, he held out his hand with a soft smile, while his other hand held onto a walking stick.

I grabbed his hand gently with a nod and he lead me to an elaborate door, the room of Kyoso-sama.

He let go of my hand and left. I got down on the floor to announce my presence to the shoji door.

"Ah, come in!"

With that, I slowly slid open the door. Kyoso-sama entered my view. His hair truly spoke of his relation to the gods, pure and white, even with the red spot, it just made him seem more holy. The way his rainbow eyes looked my way, both of them lit up with what looked to be happiness, it's beauty made me blush. They never spoke of what ascension to paradise meant, but, I just know it has to be beautiful, just as beautiful as Kyoso-sama.

"Ah, little lotus, please, wait no longer and come inside~" his voice rang out, it was as beautiful as ever, causing my face to heat up more.

"Of course, Kyoso-sama..." I nodded and entered the room, then, turned my back to Kyoso-sama as I gently slid the door closed. I turned back to him, blushing as I looked up at him. He was always so beautiful, always so kind...

"Well, lotus-chan, stand and come to me, yes?"

"Ah, of course Kyoso-sama..." I did as he said, slowly standing up as to not ruin my hair and kimono. I trotted over to him, placing my hands in the sleeves of my kimono.

"Ah! Hey," he smiled, adjusting the way he sat in his chair, looking closely at my kimono, "Is that your handywork!? It looks beautiful!"

"Huh..? Ah.. yes... it is.." I blushed, he was always so kind, he could always tell my own work from the work of others. From every moment with him, I remember that he'd always notice my work, and compliment it.

Looking back...

"Ah, Kyoso-sama... you're..."

"Hoh! That looks great! I never knew you were so good at weaving silk! Hey, hey, can you make some for me?"

I'd look up at him, that was the first time I realized...

I loved him. Not just for his looks, but he was just so kind, no one had cared for my textiles before, but it was Douma... the founder, Kyoso-sama... who finally understood, understood how much work I had put into them.

I had begun becoming more passionate about my textiles and sewing, making Kyoso-sama incredibly happy. Whenever I had finished one, I always showed it to him, and he always loved it, so I always made more to gift to him, he always seemed so happy...

"Yeah! I could tell your work from a mile away! You're such a wonderful craftsman, and just so..." he stood up and went to cup my face in one of his hands, "So... so beautiful... I'm sure you're so healthy as well... a good craftsman needs a healthy body so they can keep going... yes?"

I held his hand that was on my face and nodded, he was always so kind... What other man in the world would be this amazing? No other man could compare, perhaps that is why I haven't a family yet, no man could compare to Kyoso-sama... Ah, I've repeated that already, maybe it was a testament to just how unique he truly was.

"Yes, Kyoso-sama, every piece of my art... I dedicate it all to you..." I leaned into his touch.

"Ah, that kimono you're wearing is a brilliant piece... ah... You cheeky thing, a furisode? Are you trying to tell me something, young lotus~?" his hand went from my cheek to my chin, holding it up to look at my face. I averted my eyes.

"Ah... n-no... it's nothing like that... Kyoso-sama..." I felt even hotter.

"Ah~ It's okay if you are~ Here, look at me, beautiful lotus~"

I looked up to meet his beautiful gaze, his rainbow eyes never ceased to amaze me... "Y-yes...? Kyoso-sama...?"

"Ah... you're so beautiful, you have no idea, either..." he leaned forward, using his other hand to... move into my kimono and the nagajuban underneath, his touch was cold... but only now am I realizing it.

"K-kyoso-sama...?" I was burning up more. Did ascending to paradise... mean...!?

Looking back on all the girls who had ascended... they were all gorgeous and were head over heels for Kyoso-sama. Ah.. they were all beautiful women... did this mean...? Did the founder see me as...

I felt even more red.

"Beautiful lotus... are you ready...?"

"R-ready for what...? K-kyoso-sama...?"

He smiled, his face becoming close to my neck, his breath wasn't hot... it was rather chilly, causing me to shiver.

"Are you ready... for your ascension to paradise...? My lotus flower~? My beautiful... beautiful... flower..."

My mind began racing. Was this... was this what it was...? Was... Was ascension...

His hands worked around my kimono, gently moving the bodice and sleeves past my shoulders, opening it.

His head went further down my neck and then down my chest.

"You look so... beautiful... and just so... so... so.. so.. delicious..."

Suddenly, pain erupted from my chest, as if I had been bitten by a beast.

But why...? Why would this pain...? Wait.. delicious..? How..? what?

The pain interrupted my thoughts, I could feel my skin ripping from the flesh, burning at the contact point between myself and...

His teeth.. they were so sharp... His eyes looked up at me as I stared back down in horror. He had blood everywhere around his mouth. I looked even further down. My chest... where my breast starts... it's been ripped and... I see the fat spilling out...

"I was right...! You are delicious! Hey hey, does it feel good? The face you're making... really sends shivers down my spine, you know?"

His happy-go-lucky tone betrayed what he was doing to me. "Yeah! You're definitely enjoying this! Hey, you wouldn't mind if I take it slow for you, right~?" He bit down on my shoulder, I tried to scream, but nothing except tears came.

The flesh tearing so close to my ear was the second worst thing about this. The squelching... mixed with my own dazed breathing, and the way he chews and swallows...

"Ah! You're crying! Hey hey, here, let me help you with that!" he lifted his head to my own, grabbed my chin, and licked my tears. Leaving trails of blood that led up from my cheeks to my eyes.

I was able to let out a choked sob, which caused him to laugh, "Ah! You finally made a noise~ Music to my ears, you know...? Please... make a symphony for your beloved Kyoso-sama...~"

My voice suddenly found it's place, and out came whimpers, and begging, "P-please Ky...Kyoso-sama... I beg you... please stop..."

"Ehh..? Why would I stop?" he licked my blood off of his hands. In fact, his hands looked different as well. His nails were long and blue. Ah, what's more, his seat was covered in a wall of ice...? How..?

"Please... I'll do... whatever you want... please just... s..sto-" a scream erupted from my mouth as more pain came, my entire body was on fire, and my mind was screaming at me to run as fast as I could, but I couldn't get my limbs to move at all.

"You think you could really give me anything except your body...? You're more naive then I remembered... lotus~" he spoke with his mouth full.

He worked on removing my obi, one that I had spent days weaving for this ceremony... "This Kimono is rather lovely... I wouldn't want to ruin it with your blood.. so.. I'll take it off, okay?" he smiled, that awful red liquid around his lips and teeth. My kimono came off, exposing all of me to him.

Maybe, at one time, this would've been my dream, to lie exposed to this man whom I've admired almost all of my life. Maybe in another lifetime, something I've imagined with a different man can happen, but now... Douma's image has been ruined for me. I can only now imagine what those women who went before me went through.

I was set down on the tatami mat, as the tears rushed down my face. Douma set my kimono and obi on his seat, then moved his body on top of my own.

"It's sad that I have to get rid of you now, since your textiles are so gorgeous, but if I waited any longer... sadly your flesh would get stale... Hah... y'know.. it was such a hard decision.. but you smelled so delicious that I couldn't resist~"

I held up my arms to hide my head, everything was hurting, but I just didn't want to die.

"Huh? You're hiding yourself from me...? Why? Doesn't it feel good? Ah..! Did I forget to kiss you before giving you pleasure? Haha! Oops!" he hit his head lightly with his closed fist, removing my arms from in front of my face, pinning my arms to my sides. He pressed his lips on my own, it didn't take too long for him to move back to my neck, not leaving trails of bitten off flesh, but with kisses, what was going on...?

"Ah, now that I'm done with that, it's time to continue, yes?" he smiled, then trailed his disgusting claws down my chest, then more pain came from my stomach. A scream, was that from me? It sounded like my voice, but was it? With the pain coming...

"Ah~ Are you not screaming anymore...? That's too bad, I was hoping to hear a little bit more...~ Oh well! You're head is pretty, so I'll cut off when you finally die~"

He took another bite. All I feel is pain. Spreading throughout my body. The stretching and ripping of skin and flesh made me want to scream, but nothing came out but dry heaving.

Bite after bite, pain after pain. Was Kyoso-sama always like this...? I can only remember him being so kind, and helpful, he always gave such great advice.

When did...

When did he... become so....

[magicalshe]

headcanons and an explanation of drug names used on this blog.

Okay, so I want you all to know that I will be using names for real-life drugs and the names of fantasy drugs on this blog. Why? Well, it mostly has to do with Lilim. In my canon, it's hard for demons, devils, and other supernatural with 'poison immunity' or 'poison resistance' to feel the effect of human substances (both drugs and liquor). This is because they were made for humans by humans who have a significantly lower tolerance than folks like the residents of hell. So instead of having to take an obnoxious amount of human drugs to feel anything, the supernaturals have developed their own drugs over the years (many of which have fun or interesting effects).

Under the cut will be a list of drugs that Lilim is known to take, both human and not, as well as some descriptions of the fantasy ones.

regular/real drugs.

alcohol via drinking.

cocaine via snorting.

psilocybin mushrooms via oral consumption, typically straight or in tea.

salvia via smoke inhalation.

cannabis via smoke inhalation or edibles.

LSD or acid via tabs or sheets meant to be taken orally.

MDMA or ecstasy/molly via oral consumption, typically pills or tablets.

PCP or angel dust via smoke inhalation or pills.

ketamine via snorting or oral consumption of pills.

fantasy drugs.

dragon spice. It's basically a fantasy mix of cocaine and ketamine that is meant to be snorted. Because of the name, many people wrongly assume it to be made of something like dragon scales. In fact, the name is a hint at the drug's largest consumer.

heavenly lotus flowers. These are heavenly flowers that look like red and gold lotus. They are made into a tea that gives a person a relaxed and euphoric feeling. It's popular amongst the heavenly hosts and those belonging to the Upper Realms.

nepenthe. Popular amongst the Greco-Roman crowd, it is made from the resin of unique trees that only grow on Olympus or in Hades. It promotes jovialness and is most often used at celebrations. It's consumed by mixing it into a liquid (preferably wine) and drinking it.

sundrops. A sweet, amber tablet meant to be dissolved slowly on the tongue or on the side of the cheek and is made through a fae alchemy process that combines liquid sunlight and an herbal mixture unique to the Seelie court. It has heavy aphrodisiac and pain relief effects and is popularly used by the fae during courtship dances or solstice celebrations.

blackroot. A lichen that grows on large rocks in all circles of hell. When chewed on, it causes the user to have a pleasant tingling sensation on the lips, tongue, and gum. It also gives the user a sense of mental sharpness, alertness, and quicker reflexes for a few hours. Blackroot is most popular among foot soldiers and lower-ranking demons due to its cheap price.

wandercaps. A mushroom that looks like a blue inkcap mushroom popularized by the fae of the Unseelie court. It's a hallucinogenic that allows one to see onto the ethereal plane for a number of hours. It's typically washed with moon water and then eaten plain.

sharpsugar. An energy-boosting iridescent white power that can be snorted or rubbed on the gums. It was made popular by stage performers and is well-liked by the upper ranks of hell for use during long meetings or gatherings. It has a side effect of whitening teeth and is fairly expensive.

stardust. Made from dead stars, it's typically used by eldritch space horrors but has been growing in popularity recently due to a new refinement process discovered by the fae. It's basically like space LSD. It is recommended to be mixed with water and then drank.

purified stardust. A more concentrated, powerful, and safer version of stardust.

shatter. An odd emerald substance that can be smoked or consumed in a tincture. It gives a potent and pleasant high. If taken in large and consecutive doses it is possible for the individual to split into copies of their self. The effect lasts until the copies are killed or the high ends causing the copies to turn into emerald green smoke. During this time, the copies are scarily realistic to all the senses.

fever fire. Made from the ground petals of a translucent flower that only grows in the coldest parts of hell, fever fire causes the body temperature of the user to rise and enter a pleasant yet foggy state of high. It can be paired with sundrops to force creatures into an artificial heat or estrous cycle.

redthyme. An odd concoction that is used to force that user into a violent, psychotic state. It is typically drunk and is infamous for its bitter taste. Prolonged use of this drug is known to wear down one's mental state quickly.

unicorn wax. It's basically fantasy top self cannabis and is normally smoked. Unicorn wax is in fact made out of unicorns and is very expensive because of that.

[sleepy-moron]

Hey I'm posting about actual world building and plot shit in stranger things for once look at that (absolutely spoils all of volume one)

I don't really know how to line this out in a theory evidence format because this is less of a theory based on what happens in the show itself but more on the thematics of the show and specifically this season+ vibes that I cannot explain the origin of. I don't even really think this is the most likely outcome, it's just something I can't stop turning over in my head.

Here's the rough idea: this season is not completely real. Wether it's some kind of vision or an alternate reality, or they wind up doing a time travel thing while still remembering what happened in this first series of events; there's something fucky going on with reality here.

There's just a lot that feels.....off to me about what happens in volume one? Like there are so many callbacks to plot points and scenes from previous seasons, but they also completely forget March 22 is Will's birthday, and the timeline for how long Will says the Byers' have been in California is wrong by a LOT. Steve and Nancy seem to have feelings for each other again, Mike is recycling parts of his character arc from season three, and El is back in the lab with Brenner again. There's this really cyclical feeling to everything, which tracks with all the clock motifs that Vecna has, and the upside down is literally still stuck at the same point chronologically that it was when Will first got taken by the demogorgon.

Plus the whole "gimmick" of Vecna as an antagonist is that he screws with his victims perception of reality. You mean to tell me that this show isn't going to have us in a trance that seems like it's reality at some point and not have it be obvious at first? I don't buy that shit for a second. Things feel weird, and if this show is as deliberate as its creator's want us to believe it is, that means something. There very much are strange things afoot here...

[haikyooot]

Season + Weather | 17 | Kita Shinsuke

|17| Lesser Heat 小暑 Shousho

07/07-07/21

After the winter chill comes the bearing of spring. Then comes the summer of cicadas, and finally the fields of neverending gold.

Kita Shinsuke x f!reader Genre: Slice-of-life Word Count: 1,014

Summer 夏 Natsu | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |  Masterlist

In the Kita household, the large shoji doors leading to the garden have been kept open frequently during the past weeks. You found it quite enjoyable to laze around the engawa, admiring the birds flying about and the deep blue of morning glories. More often than not, you’d fall asleep in the midst of fanning yourself and wake up with a neckache.

The summer heat, oh please put the emphasis on the heat. The sun that was a gentle sunshine has now turned into harsh rays. Windows were almost kept open all day to circulate air. In rooms without air conditioning, fans were pointed outside because it was just simpler and better to suck the hot air from indoors and blow it out. 

While baby hawks learned how to fly and made their preliminary circles in the sky, lotus flowers bloomed in some of the garden ponds. The blooms occurred overnight while the temperature was a bit cooler. The next day when the sun woke the land, the pink petals were fully ready to embrace the light.

Today you were lazing on the tatami mat indoors instead. The natural woven grass was fragrant and cooling. In two days, it was going to be Greater Heat, but it was hard to imagine just how much “greater” the heat could possibly get if this season was already on the cusp of being unbearable. 

Cold-brew tea and watermelon became a constant source for quenching thirst. You laid comfortably on your stomach, skewering cubes of sweet fruit and observed Kita play a game of go with his grandmother. As the game went on, the click and clack of the stones on the board were pleasant to the ears. 

Rising from depths, lotuses bloom Hidden in trees, cicadas cry Facing the sun, asagaos say hello

“The first semester ended yesterday,” you said into the air. You now laid out like a starfish while staring at the wooden beams of the ceiling. It sounded as if you were still trying to come to terms and understand what that meant.

Kita glanced at you from the corner of his eye before refocusing on the match with Granny. He picked up a white stone between his middle and index finger, and laid the piece down on the grid line in a firm clack.

“I concede. I really am getting too old,” Granny mused. “I’ll have to challenge someone at the senior center tomorrow to boost my ego!”

Kita laughed and began to clear the board.  “Go easy on them Granny!” He turned towards your form, still as a starfish, on the tatami. “Do you want to play a round?”

“Sure, I’m bored.” You sat up and took a kneeling position where Kita’s grandmother was sitting earlier. The go game board was a giant hunk of a wooden cube with a black grid of 19x19 on the surface. “I don’t really know the rules.”

“It’s simple,” Kita said, placing a black stone down on an intersection. He then placed four white stones on the four intersections surrounding the black. “The white stones cut off the four liberties of the black stone, so it’s eaten. If you had two black stones side by side, that would be six liberties, and require six stones surrounding to kill, and-” 

“I'm so not following. Better give me something like twenty handicaps, oof-” You shifted your bottom off your heels and stretched your legs out. “Not sitting like that, my foot’s asleep.”

Kita chuckled and also adjusted to sit cross-legged instead. “Just sit comfortably.” He took a handful of black stones and put them in a row on each intersection. “Let’s play gomoku, instead.” 

Gomoku, or five in a row. It was a simple game derived from using the go stones and board. There were no territory fights, kills, ladders, none of that. The only rule was that whoever could get five in a row first, would win.

“That’s easy! I go first then,” you said, taking the bowl of black stones.

“Sure.” Kita took the bowl of white stones.

Strategically speaking, whoever goes first had an upper hand. But four turns in, you found your current stone blocked while Kita’s stones began to slowly connect. You intercepted quickly. “Not on my watch.”

This was easy enough. You just needed to keep a close watch so Kita didn’t have three-in-a-row open-ended or four-in-a-rows with one end. If you missed either of those, come Kita’s turn and it would be game over.

“You’re pretty good,” Kita complimented as he put a stone down. “But it seems like I win this round.” 

How? You stared at the bored. Kita pointed a finger at a cluster you hadn’t minded, until now. You were so careful in watching what Kita was doing in one half of the board, you didn’t see that his arbitrary placements were actually connected. And now you’re in a death trap. If you placed a stone on spot A to stop him, Kita would win via spot B. If you tried to cover B, then A would be left vulnerable. 

You exhaled loudly. “Again! I’ll know next time.”

Five minutes later. 

“Again.”

Two minutes later.

“That was a slip-up! Again!”

Three minutes.

“Shinsuke, you’re so mean!”

Six minutes. 

Kita rubbed the stone between his fingers briefly before dropping the piece back into the bowl. “I lost,” he conceded.

“You see what I did there?” you beamed. You tapped the cluster and explained, “This was your tactic from the first round.” 

“Yea, like I said, you’re good at this.” Kita began to clear the board of the stones again. “Let’s take a break now, we can play again later if you’d like.”

“You should teach me the full rules for Go next time,” you said, putting the wooden lids onto the bowls. “But, earlier you totally could’ve won. You shouldn’t just go easy on me, you know.” 

Kita raised an eyebrow. “Really? Is that so?”

Later in the evening, the two of you played gomoku again. You never won another round. So, you exacted revenge through other means.

Endnotes:

• I think visuals are easier, from S4 E20. Shōji, Engawa, Fusuma (not mentioned) • Go game is a board game originally from China, later gaining huge popularity in East Asia, and now worldwide. Gomoku is a “mini-game” that uses the same pieces, but honestly it can get pretty intense too. • Asago (朝顔) are morning glories.  朝= “morning” and 顔= “face/expression” • Seiza is a formal sitting position where you kneel and sit on the heels with legs folded/tucked under. The feet sort of cross into a v-dip “seat”.

Summer 夏 Natsu | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |  Masterlist

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: this body yet survives, ch. 7

Relationship: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Lán Qǐrén, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Jiāng Yànlí

Tags: No War AU, Recovery, Trauma, Dissociation, Courtship, Courting Rituals, Near Death Experiences, Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Panic Attacks, Vomiting, Siblings, Protective Siblings, Soup, Triggers

Summary: Wei Ying has a panic attack upon waking. Jiang Wanyin makes an unpleasant discovery.

Notes: Life has been busy lately and it might take me longer to write. I get my second Pfizer shot on Wednesday, and I’m expecting it’ll make me useless for a couple days. It’s also nearing the end of the semester, so I’ll be busy with that, too.

Parts 1 & 2

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

AO3 link

---------------

It took a few moments for Wangji to remember where he was when he woke, and then a moment more to place what had woken him before mao shi—quiet sobs and a soft voice murmuring soothingly.

He had taken the bedding on one side of the bed, and his eyes adjusted to the dark quickly. Wei Ying was curled against Jiang Yanli, who had taken the last shift. It was close enough to morning, then. 

“We’re here, A-Xian, and you’re safe,” she whispered, then noticed him sit up. “He had a nightmare.”

Wangji wished his guqin was here instead of the jingshi, that he had asked xiongzhang to bring it last night, that he could play calming music for Wei Ying; instead he levered himself to sit on the bed and hummed ‘WangXian,’ hoping it would remind his zhiji he was loved. 

Wei Ying’s trembling eased slowly, and Wangji kept his movements slow as he reached forward to take his hand, squeezing it lightly. He was relieved when Wei Ying squeezed back.

“S’going on?” Jiang Wanyin murmured blearily, sitting up. 

To his credit, he immediately moved beside his sister when he realized the issue. 

“Hey, hey,” he murmured, trying to be comforting, patting Wei Ying’s shoulder. 

Initiating unexpected touch wasn’t the best idea for someone in the throes of a panic attack—Wei Ying couldn’t quite mask a flinch, and Jiang Wanyin’s hands fluttered in a helpless way before clutching the bedsheet hard enough his knuckles turned white. 

Wangji continued to hum through it, not stopping even when his heart clenched at Wei Ying’s gasped apologies for the reaction. 

“Not your fault,” Jiang Wanyin whispered insistently, clearly trying to keep his own reaction in check for fear of hurting his brother further.

“Not yours,” Wei Ying returned, equally insistent.

“Neither of yours,” Jiang Yanli cut in. “Neither of you should blame yourselves.”

Wei Ying’s breath hitched.

“I hate it,” he whispered. “I hate being afraid all the time. I hate that I can’t stop.”

Wangji couldn’t abide him blaming himself, and paused in humming, rubbing his thumb gently across the back of Wei Ying’s hand. . 

“The past few days have been stressful. Too many events too quickly. Too overwhelming.” 

“And some were unexpected,” Jiang Yanli added, clearly thinking of his talk with Madam Jin and the last minute ceremony. 

“We should have just ditched the banquet,” Jiang Wanyin muttered. “The food sucked. A-Jie’s was better.”

Surprisingly, Wei Ying giggled at that, helpless in his laughter for nearly a minute. 

“Jiejie’s food is way better,” he said when he caught his breath. 

Wangji was relieved that his voice wasn’t tight and shaky anymore. The familiar joke among the Jiangs about Gusu Lan food, and particularly the food in the Cloud Recesses, had eased the panic attack.

Honestly, having enjoyed Jiang Yanli’s cooking, Wangji knew they had a point. 

She reached forward and smoothed Wei Ying’s hair, down and mussed in a way that was unfairly attractive, then poured him a glass of water from the ewer the healer had brought before hai shi. He drank  obediently, likely needing the hydration and something to rinse the taste of stale sick from his mouth. 

When he finished the glass, she poured him another, and then maneuvered him until she could reach his hair. She carded through the tangles gently with her fingers before quickly braiding it and tying the end off with his red hair ribbon.

“How are you feeling, A-Xian?” she asked when she was done. 

Wei Ying’s eyes had fallen shut during the process, and he hummed contentedly in response.

“Better,” he said after a moment.

He seemed to hesitate, as though he was about to say more. 

“Wei Ying?” Wangji asked.

Wei Ying ducked his head and bit his lip. 

“A bit hungry,” he admitted. 

He knew Wei Ying often downplayed his needs, so Wangji translated that to mean he was very hungry. 

“Well, you were sick,” Jiang Wanyin said, frowning. “It’s like you didn’t eat dinner, kind of.”

Jiang Yanli tutted softly. 

“You’re still so thin, A-Xian. I can go ask the healer if they can provide something… Or I could go get something from our quarters.”

She started to rise but was stopped by Jiang Wanyin.

“I’ll go, a-jie. I wouldn’t want you to go alone in the dark, and one of us needs to chaperone.”

The Jiang sect heir turned to Wei Ying.

“I’ll stop by your rooms and grab fresh robes for you while I’m at it,” he said gruffly. “You were sick in those.”

Wei Ying smiled brightly, and Wangji wanted to thank Jiang Wanyin for bringing that light to the surface through his courtesy. If he did, it would undoubtedly fluster him, and he could almost see why his zhiji enjoyed teasing people so much, imagining it.

It was near enough to mao shi, and the purpose of Jiang Wanyin’s break of curfew was to help his brother and would be excused, so Wangji said nothing when he left. 

Jiang Yanli fussed softly over Wei Ying after his departure, helping to straighten his sleep-skewed robes. 

When he shifted on the bed, he nearly knocked Suibian off. Wangji kept the sword from falling and handed it to Wei Ying, who laid it against his thigh. The sword, he knew, was a comfort, despite having been made by the Jiang sect—it represented his ability to protect himself. 

Wangji was content to watch Wei Ying as his sister doted on him, their gentle teasing—Xianxian is three; hmm, I think that’s too old—and the blessed calm that had found his beloved. 

Jiang Wanyin’s expression, when he returned, was stormy. He placed a tray of fruits and osmanthus cakes on the end of the bed.

“A-Cheng?” Jiang Yanli asked. 

He shook his head but looked at Wangji and gestured to the hall. Whatever had him troubled, he didn’t want to say in front of his siblings, which was immediately worrisome.

“Someone put lotuses in our rooms,” Jiang Wanyin said after the door was closed. “Ripped the petals off some and threw them all over.”

Rage filled him, icy and terrifying in what it might lead him to do. 

This confirmed those delivered to Wei Ying’s quarters, the entire reason he had to spend the night in the infirmary due to the fear of qi deviation, the reason he was ill and had panic attacks… It had been intentional. 

The culprit had likely expected them to take Wei Ying to the Jiang quarters in the morning, not expecting… 

“I will wake shufu and xiongzhang,” he said, his voice more forceful than he meant it to be. “The mess will be removed.”

Jiang Wanyin let out a soft sigh, almost one of relief that it’d be handled immediately. 

“I didn’t go to A-Xian’s quarters for fresh robes. And you might want to make sure they didn’t hit your jingshi.”

The rage he had felt dwarfed that which he felt now at the thought of his home being violated, the very place he had finally reached Wei Ying, whose well-being was now threatened by an unknown source. 

That they had dared to harm Wei Ying… He knew not what he would do if he caught the betrayer. 

“I will take care of it,” he said. “Protect Wei Ying.”

Jiang Wanyin blanched a bit, and he wondered briefly if his anger had shown in his face or voice, but he swept that aside, channeling his emotions into energy. 

When Xichen answered his knock at the hanshi, the sleepiness fell from his expression immediately, and he knew his own expression revealed his turmoil. 

“What happened, A-Zhan?”

It took him a moment to find his voice. 

“Sabotage. Lotuses in the Jiang quarters.”

Xichen’s quick intake of air was almost a gasp, and he closed his eyes as he often did when emotionally overwhelmed.

“I will wake shufu,” xiongzhang said after a moment. “Please meet us there.”

Wangji tried to bow, but was kept from doing so by his brother, who instead pulled him into an embrace, one that left his eyes stinging embarrassingly, the emotions that were overcoming him threatening to escape in a way he didn’t want. If he gave in to it, he didn’t know if he would stop until all the grief and anger and helplessness he had felt over the last year was expelled.

It was a relief when Xichen released him.

“We will protect him, didi. We will make this right.”

He could only nod, turning to walk to the Jiang quarters, glad for the dark that hid the emotions he could feel roiling within him.

The Jiang quarters were worse than Jiang Wanyin had let on, though Wangji could now see the reason behind his near-wordless rage. 

A large bouquet of lotus flowers dwarfed the table they had eaten at only hours before. Lotus blossoms were strewn about the room, petals on nearly every surface, and the smell was more than could be accounted for by the blossoms. It smelled as though far too much lotus incense had been burned. It was entirely possible the scent would prove difficult to remove, that the idea of Wei Ying staying with the Jiangs would now be impossible.

Knowing now how lotuses impacted Wei Ying, the smell made Wangji nauseous in sympathy. Had he come with them for breakfast in the morning to encounter this, after his own rooms had been similarly violated… 

They had been here all evening, until shortly before curfew. This had been done after they left, purposefully. 

Which made it clear neither this nor the bouquet left in Wei Ying’s quarters were innocent mistakes.

He dared not touch anything, lest he destroy evidence that might lead to a culprit. 

Wangji felt the decorative silverwork on Bichen’s hilt start to cut into his fingers and forced himself to loosen his grip. He left the rooms, standing on the small patio, breathing in the cool night air and listening to the chirp of crickets in the dark until he felt some semblance of calm.

His uncle and brother arrived shortly thereafter, and the thunderous expression on shufu’s face told Wangji he had reached a similar conclusion.

“Wei Ying is being targeted,” he said, knowing it was unnecessary.

“Return to him, Wangji,” shufu ordered gently. “This will be investigated and dealt with, and he needs you more than we do.”

Truthfully, Wangji was grateful to leave it in their hands.

He felt as though he had been contaminated by the smell and stopped by the jingshi to change lest the odor upset Wei Ying. His home was undisturbed, and he was able to change without incident. He even ran his comb, scented with sandalwood, through his hair a few times to ensure it would replace any scent that had taken root there. He took Wangji with him when he left so he could play for Wei Ying.

He stopped by Wei Ying’s quarters on the way back to the infirmary and was relieved they had not been further adulterated. He selected a set of robes, one with some blue in them, then checked to be certain his hair oil had not been tampered with—still the scent of orange and cinnamon—before taking both it and the comb he had gifted with him.

Wei Ying’s smile was weak when he returned, his face lined with new tear-tracks, and the Jiang siblings were hovering over him. Jiang Wanyin had not kept the discovery from him, and though it hurt him to admit, it was the correct decision. As much as Wangji wished to protect him from this, Wei Ying deserved to know, to make his own decisions. 

“Xiongzhang and shufu are investigating,” he told them as he hung Wei Ying’s fresh robes over a chair and set his guqin down.

He handed the comb and hair oil to Jiang Yanli, though he wished he could comb Wei Ying’s hair himself. It would be improperly intimate, and the courtship was important to show his value. 

He did not offer platitudes, knowing it would not change the way any of them felt. That this had likely originated from his own sect rankled him, and even kowtowing didn’t feel like enough. Nothing felt like enough penance. He had been unaware of negative sentiment toward Wei Ying, had been blindsided by this act of violence against him, had failed him… 

“It’s not your fault, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying whispered, as though he could sense the guilt he felt.

His zhiji’s words, the love in his voice, saved him from the downward spiral of his thoughts. Wangji sat on the bed and took his hand. 

Though he had not committed the crime, he felt responsible for his failure to protect Wei Ying again. 

“We will be more vigilant,” he said, in lieu of worthless apologies.

Wei Ying offered a sad smile, then shifted closer and hugged him, leaning against his chest and tucking his forehead against his neck. 

Wangji brought his arms around him, held him close, basked in the warmth of his presence, and was grateful when the Jiangs said nothing against it, allowing them this simple comfort.

[antiquecompass]

Fic: Signed, Sealed, Delivered

For Xichen Week Day 2 I picked ‘soulmate’ out of the prompts and took a jaunty little stroll back to the Winter King and Wizard Jiang in Journeys ‘verse

“You should consider yourself very lucky,” his mother said. “Few in this world have soulmates, even rarer still is for that mate to be found. And you have found yours in the Winter King.” She turned her eyes from the waters of their home, her fingers clenched around her arms. “And your betrothed is also your soulmate. And you two have a mutual attraction and affection for each other. So what, exactly, causes your hesitation? The Elders asked if you had any reservations. What could they possibly be?”

Jiang Cheng did not want to say it was fear, because it wasn’t. Nor was it caution. He wanted to accept the Winter King’s invitation, to stay and study at the Cloud Recesses for a turn of the sun. To learn more of the Winter Court where he would one day dwell. To learn more of the Sidhe that he--that he--it was still too early to say love. Still too new. Still too unknown.

“I suppose I am nervous,” he admitted.

His mother scoffed. “You are Jiang Cheng. You are born of Wizard and Siren stock. You bow to no one unless you choose to do so and you demand respect with your name and your power. You are the Winter King’s Chosen. To insult you is to insult the Crown of the Winter Court.”

“I don’t care about the Winter Court,” Jiang Cheng said.

“Good,” his mother said.

“I do care about Lan Xichen, and how I could be a disappointment to him, or the image he holds of me in his head. We have been acquaintances. We have been betrothed. We have exchanged letters and elemental messengers. And yet, in so many ways, we are strangers. We don’t know each other as partners. As the people beyond our titles. I don’t want to be a disappointment to him.”

“You will disappoint him if you refuse his invitation,” his mother stated. “And he may take it as a firm rejection.” She cupped his cheek. “You are much like your mother, my sea star, and though your eyes tell of your heart, the rest of you can be far harder to read.”

“I do not reject him,” Jiang Cheng said. He shook his head at the very idea. “Nor would I ever wish to do such a thing, but he’s a king and I am me.”

His mother grasped his chin tight, purple lightning dancing on her fingers, calling his own Siren magic, calling it up, calling it out, until it pulsed awake and alive across his skin.

“You are magnificent. The best that has ever come or will ever come from a Wizard and a Siren. I do not raise mediocre sons. Let the world think you’re nothing but a standard wizard, but we know the truth. The water calls to us, grants us its powers, and it loves you more than any raised outside the Sacred Seas in a very long time.”

Jiang Cheng nodded as his power filled him with the familiar warmth of his magic, a comfort since his youth.

“I will draft the letter of my acceptance tonight,” he said.

“Good,” his mother said, standing back, and finally letting him go. She turned, her magic causing ripples to shiver through the surrounding water.

Jiang Cheng let his power run over his fingers as he thought about their situation. It should’ve made things easier, he supposed, knowing his soulmate. Knowing he was a good, honorable person who genuinely cared about his family and his people. Knowing something and experiencing it were two very different beasts. They weren’t soul-bonded yet. It would take a decade, at the very least, of close contact before they could mindspeak. Knowing Xichen was his soulmate didn’t stop the nerves or the second guessing. 

Sometimes Jiang Cheng wished he didn’t know. That they could just court each other as they wished, damn all the proper traditions and politics and the like. Damn the expectations and the history of other soulmates, other love matches.

Let them just be themselves. To discover each other at their own pace, at their own time, in their own way. 

He couldn’t even respond to Xichen’s invite without having it approved by three different elders. 

Jiang Cheng looked down at his hands and then turned his gaze towards the end of the family pier. Inhuman laughter and splashing told him the mer-folk had come for a visit. He looked down at his hands, at the manifestation of his power, and smiled. 

Damn the rules. 

Even with his worries, Jiang Cheng knew who and what he wanted. And Xichen had addressed the invitation to him before any other in Lotus Pier. He wasn’t going to make him wait any longer. 

It would certainly be an unconventional method of delivering a reply, but his soulmate should know all the eccentrics that came with courting a wizard and siren.

***********

“He’s pacing,” Moira said.

“Yes,” Song Lan agreed.

“He’ll mark up the floor if he doesn’t stop,” Moira said.

“Yes,” Xiao Xingchen agreed.

Lan Xichen paid little attention to his cousins and friends as he waited for an answer. Of course he didn’t expect an immediate response. An official visit of one of the Jiang Wizards to the Winter Court, especially his betrothed, would require deliberation and determination. A debate over good omens. Consultations. Politics.

But part of him had hoped Jiang Cheng would’ve sent word that he’d at least received the invitation.

He felt like they’d made progress, since his surprise visit to Lotus Pier last year. Their correspondence had increased dramatically, and he longed for one of those letters now, containing Jiang Cheng’s loose, slanted handwriting and harsh opinions and tangents about life in Lotus Pier. 

“Perhaps it did not reach him yet,” Wangji said. “It could’ve been intercepted by his mother or one of the councilors or one of his siblings.”

“Or his dogs,” Moira said. “They could’ve eaten it. Or that brother of his. Wouldn’t put it past the Necromancer.” She laughed. “Your face will freeze like that, Wangji. Stop glaring at me. It’s no one's fault but your own that you saw that Master of Destruction and decided, ‘thank you, Fates. I’ll take this one.’  After trying to kill him, of course.”

“I never--” Wangji cleared his throat. “We started off with a misunderstanding that has long since been corrected.”

“Has it?” Song Lan asked. “Because he’s clearly missing the point of every one of your subtle courting attempts.”

“The Winter King is headed back towards his study,” Xingchen said, drawing everyone back to the matter at hand. 

Xichen started walking towards his desk. “Perhaps I should send another invitation. Just in case something did happen. Moira’s right, the dogs do love to scatter his papers. They have to spend most of their time in his office, you know. Poor things aren’t allowed to roam free.” Xichen paused. “Perhaps I should invite the dogs as well.”

“Oh,” Moira said with a shake of her head. “You don’t want to seem too eager, cousin. Give it a day. At the least.”

Xichen was eager, though. But a day. A single day? He could do that, of course. What was a single day in the life of an immortal sidhe?

“I’ll just compose a draft,” Xichen said as he headed towards his desk.

Song Lan gently stopped him with a powdery snowball to the face. 

To lesser kings, more concerned with their power than being a good person, it would’ve been a grave insult. To Xichen, who counted Song Lan as someone he could always trust to treat him like Xichen and not the Winter King, it was a cold, if pointed, reminder to breathe.

“I shall take that under advisement,” Xichen said as he wiped snow from his face. He looked down at his light, spring robes. “Now, if you will excuse me, I need to change.”

“He’s going to write another letter,” Moira mumbled.

Xichen would not. Or perhaps he would, but not an invitation. Just a general letter to Jiang Cheng, with the little bit of freedom they were allowed. Xichen was a king and had to be mindful of what he put down in writing, even to Jiang Cheng. Private correspondence remained the source of so many scandals among Sidhe rulers. And yet writing to Jiang Cheng still meant that he got to devote pages to his favorite novels or art or inane things like the weather, the flowers, his brother’s ever-growing collection of rabbits. It wasn’t about land or trade negotiation. And while he did worry that he bore Jiang Cheng with some of his longer letters, Jiang Cheng had assured them that he enjoyed them all.

It made Xichen wish they could’ve known each other as normal lovers and soulmates, rather than the Winter King and his Chosen. 

A loud splash in the small lake besides his quarters drew his attention. He gasped when he spotted a face in the water.

A woman emerged, or at least the face of one, neither old nor young, but beautiful in the unattainable way that came to all Mer-folk. Her skin was a pleasing light blue hue and her eyes a shade of violet Xichen had come to associate with Lotus Pier.

“Are you the Winter King?” she asked in a heavily accented, ancient version of the Common Tongue. 

“I am,” he said.

She studied him for a moment. “You speak true?”

“Yes,” Xichen said as he knelt beside the lake’s edge.

The mermaid dipped her head back in thanks, dipping underwater before resurfacing again.

“I have a message from the Siren’s Son,” she said.

“Jiang Cheng?” he asked.

She smiled at him, her face turning youthful in its joy. “Yes, they were correct. We do like you for him. He has let you know the truth of him, or some of it.” She pulled a satchel from around her neck. “You may keep it all,” she said. “He crafted it just to transport this message.”

There was spellwork around the purple cloth. It smelled of Jiang Cheng and the material was soft, as if made from his own robes, but it was dry as a bone. A handy bit of magic for a wizard so connected to water.

“I feel like I must give you something in return for your journey,” Xichen said. “You are far from home.”

“I offered,” the mermaid said. “It is an honor to aid the Siren’s Son in his pursuit; to bring his voice to his mate. He already gifted me a song in gratitude.”

She hummed a soft tune and Xichen could imagine Jiang Cheng’s deep, smooth voice singing along to it. It soothed him and he felt calm for the first time in hours.

“Still,” he insisted.

She cast her eyes about and pointed at a patch of snowdrops. 

“I will take one of them,” she said.

Xichen nodded as he picked a handful, putting his energy into the ground to re-grow what he had taken and then again to preserve his gift in everlasting ice. 

“You are kind,” she said as she took the gift. “We approve.”

“Thank you,” he said before wishing her well. 

In the privacy of his quarters he was finally able to open the pouch. Inside was a letter, sealed with the symbol lotus blossom pressed into deep purple wax. It was covered in a sort of spellwork Xichen had never encountered before. His fingers pressed over the familiar image on the seal and the letter immediately unfolded in his lap. It was blank inside, but then, as Xichen touched the paper again, a burst of purple light overtook the pages. 

Xichen gasped as Jiang Cheng’s voice sounded in his room. 

“I am not always skilled with words,” Jiang Cheng’s voice told him. “And I felt that if I wrote a reply it would become so practiced and revised so many times that I would make you think it wasn’t even written by my hand. Xichen I am honored to accept your invitation to stay in your realm. I long to see the home that shall one day become mine as well. To learn of it and its people. To learn of you.” He sighed. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that, perhaps it is too much, but I want to know you, everything about you, as the Winter King and as my soulmate. If you’ll still allow me such an honor, of course. The official reply should be there in the morning, but I couldn’t keep you waiting any longer. I know how restless I would be in your place and I hope you would feel the same.”

“I do,” Xichen said, heart full and pounding, smile wide as the purple light of the letter started to flicker. 

“I am eager to see you again,” Jiang Cheng said. “And I send my warmest regards to you, your family, and your realm.”

The light went out then and Xichen was sad the spell was done. He sighed as he picked the paper up again, only for the light to burst across the paper once more, only for Jiang Cheng’s voice to repeat. A message for him from his soulmate, forever captured.

“He is so clever,” Xichen said as he folded the paper, careful to keep his fingers to the outside and not the inside. 

The wax seal redid itself once the ends of the page met. Xichen carefully wrapped it back inside its purple cloth and cradled it to his chest. 

[kinghellcat]

Tales from the Burial Mounds, Part I

I wrote a little vignette! I think I want to make a short series of these, detailing the time Wei Wuxian and the Dafan-Wen family lived in Yiling. It’s been a while since I’ve written anything, and much longer since I shared my writing, so... be nice to me :x Thanks!

2k Rated G

Tags: Wei Wuxian & Wen Ning, feelings, a lot of feelings (dude idk how to tag)

The wind made hardly a sound as it rushed through the bare, brittle branches of the trees dotting the sides of the Burial Mounds. Though it was well into the summer, the trees remained gnarled and blackened, as though they’d been burned. Not one of them bore leaves, nor flowers, nor fruits. Indeed the only thing that grew well here were bitter wild herbs. Those and radishes. Wei Wuxian had never liked radishes, and couldn’t imagine why anyone else would. But they grew here, they fed the people here, and thus he would tend them. 

Wei Wuxian kneeled in the dirt, pulling weeds and inspecting the spindly leaves. Much of the work had already been done, but he wasn’t ready to rejoin the others yet. “Yiling Patriarch” is hardly the title he would’ve given himself -- how self-important it sounds! -- but he supposed it suited him after all. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he’d already begun feeling the pressure of supporting and protecting the people here. He had brought the remnants of the Wen clan, the Dafan-Wen, to this dreary place, and thus he would protect them. 

Only, he felt that they deserved better. Better homes, better clothes, better food certainly. A better leader too. Someone who had more, or anything at all, to offer. Eventually, Wei Wuxian’s hands came to a stop and he found himself just sitting in the radish patch alone, feeling sorry for himself. He shook his head vigorously, like he could shake the negative thoughts from his mind. He stood and stretched his arms high to the waning sunlight. 

It was probably almost dinner time. If he didn’t return to the main compound -- if you could call it that -- Wen Qing would surely give him another lecture. Heaving a mighty sigh, he brushed off his robes and made his way back to their shabby dining room/main hall/everything else room. It was made from the ruins of a temple to the fallen, all those whose bodies were buried in these hills. The irony was not lost on him; the fearsome Yiling Patriarch, the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation making his home on a literal mound of corpses and sharing meals with criminals in a desecrated temple was probably exactly what the world had expected of him. 

In reality, it was just a bunch of poor, scared people who wanted nothing more than to live in peace. The world would never get to see that, they wouldn’t even try. And why should they? Wei Wuxian thought wryly, It’s not like this is a place worth visiting. He shook his head again. Now was not the time for complaints. If the Burial Mounds weren’t worth visiting, he would at least try to make it a place worth living in. And if that meant he had to eat radish soup every night for the rest of his life, well, that was a sacrifice he was willing to make. 

He arrived with enough time to spare that Wen Qing didn’t go off on him, but she did lightly scold him for getting so dirty. Wei Wuxian just laughed it off; he had realized by now that she scolded people to show that she cared. It was sort of touching to think he was included among the people she cared for, if only she could express it more kindly… With a sharp breath, Wei Wuxian once again cut off his train of thought. If he let his mind wander toward Jiang Yanli, he might actually cry. Instead he forced himself to focus on the present, on the people around him now. 

Wen Ning had helped Granny Wen make dinner tonight, and though it was still mostly radishes, it was almost tasty. Wen Ning had apparently been quite skilled in the kitchen since he was very young. “Well, see, my sister was always busy with her studies, and after our parents died, it was only natural that it’d fall to me, right?” He had reasoned when Wei Wuxian remarked on his cooking. Underselling himself, as usual, Wei Wuxian thought. But he knew that trying to force praise on Wen Ning only made him uncomfortable, so he let it be. He settled for giving his hand a warm squeeze. 

Wen Ning shuffled his feet shyly, but squeezed Wei Wuxian’s hand in return, ever so lightly. “Thanks…” he mumbled. He withdrew his hand and returned to serving up the others, with a very small smile. Even when he was alive, Wen Ning hadn’t been the most expressive person, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel deeply. On the contrary, it was the strength and breadth of the feelings he left unexpressed that had allowed Wei Wuxian to return him to life, or something close to it. All his leftover resentment and fury at the abuse he and his family suffered before his death, on top of a lifetime of being looked down on and ignored, had turned him into a frighteningly powerful fierce corpse. 

But that rage was tempered by an even greater kindness. For all his anger at the injustices of the world, Wen Ning was a gentle young man. Sweet, even. Juxtaposed with his ferocity on the battlefield, one might assume he was two different people. Wei Wuxian laughed, thinking that if only people could see the great and terrible Ghost General serving soup to his aunties and cousins, they couldn’t possibly find him so frightening. They couldn’t possibly hate him. Wei Wuxian had already cursed himself a thousand times for turning such a good, kind person into a weapon, to be feared and reviled by the rest of the cultivation world. But what else could he have done? Let him die? He could never have forgiven himself for doing nothing. 

Wei Wuxian sighed. He wasn’t doing a very good job at staying positive tonight. He finished his soup, down to the last wretched radish, and excused himself. Wen Qing side-eyed him as he slunk away, but if she was suspicious or concerned for him, she didn’t say so. She returned her attention to her family, and reached across the table to wipe a dribble of soup from Wen Yuan’s chin. “A-Yuan, slow down or you’ll make a mess.” The little boy nodded, but continued to slurp loudly and messily. Wen Qing shook her head, but she smiled fondly. 

Wei Wuxian’s mind threatened to wander to his sister again. How he wished to see her again! But how could he, after his unceremonious departure from the Jiang sect? Jiang Cheng would never allow it, and frankly, he wouldn’t want Yanli to see this sorry place. He wanted nothing more than to taste her cooking again, to rest his head on her shoulder while she comforted him… His fingers curled into fists at his sides and he squeezed his eyes shut. It wouldn’t do to start crying while anyone was still awake. 

The inside of the Demon-Subdue Cave was just as shabby as the rest of the settlement, worse maybe, considering that it was literally a dark, creepy cave. But Wei Wuxian had claimed the spot for his own, and the Wens knew better than to bother him here. There was plenty of space to tinker, which meant there was plenty of space to make messes. There were crumpled papers, faulty talismans, and half-finished inventions littered all across the floor and on the flat, raised stones that functioned as tables. Wei Wuxian stepped carefully around them as he made his way to the back of the cave where his bed stood. It was another raised stone platform, just long enough to lay on, with a moth-eaten blanket thrown haphazardly over it. He stretched out lazily, his shoulders popping and spine cracking loudly. Though it seemed almost pointless to try, he got as comfortable as he could and tried to sleep.

Sure enough, sleep evaded him. He tried over and over again to clear his mind and relax, but failed every time. Waves of melancholy lapped at him, shot through with deep regret. Why did I do this? How could I leave Yunmeng? How could I betray Jiang Cheng and shijie? One half of him lamented, desperately wishing for his soft bed in his nice clean room back at Lotus Pier. The other half tried to reason with him: I had to do something. I couldn’t let the Wens die! My dream has always been to stand on the side of justice. Isn’t that what I’m doing? It was a solid argument but still he had trouble convincing himself. 

He got up and surveyed his many abandoned projects. Maybe he could distract himself with his inventions. He’d been meaning to work on improving his Compass of Evil. Scooping up his prototypes and sitting at his makeshift desk, he examined the parts and the enchantments he’d placed on them. He took the latest version apart and put it back together, but couldn’t think of what to add, what to do differently. Frustration mounting, he gripped the compass and hurled it across the cave with all his might.

It hit the wall and broke into pieces. A yelp from the darkness startled Wei Wuxian from his seething. Wen Ning took a step into the dim candlelight. “Master Wei… are you well?” He asked. Since his resurrection he had lost his stutter and most of his nervous twitches, but he was still shy, and polite to a fault. His long, dark hair was loose around his shoulders, nearly blending in with the darkness, making his ghostly pale face stand out among the gloom. “You left dinner much earlier than usual… I wanted to check on you sooner, but Wen Qing kept stopping me.” 

“I’m fine,” Wei Wuxian lied. “Thanks for worrying, though.” He tried to smile but must have failed; Wen Ning looked thoroughly unconvinced.

“Forgive me, Master Wei, but I’m not stupid. I can tell something is bothering you… I want to help you if I can.” He took a few steps forward, but stayed out of reach, like he was afraid to approach Wei Wuxian. Was his poor mood so obvious? Wei Wuxian stood and closed the gap between them, ignoring the flash of panic in Wen Ning’s eyes. 

“Oh Wen Ning. I know you’re not stupid.” He started, laying a hand on Wen Ning’s arm. Wen Ning’s posture relaxed a little. “But really, it’s fine. You help me with so much already! You don’t have to worry about a bad day.” 

“Master Wei--” Wen Ning tried to argue, but Wei Wuxian cut him off.

“Haven’t I told you to stop calling me that?” He laughed. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Wen Ning stared for a moment, eyes wide. “Friends…” he echoed. “Right… Sorry Mas-- er… um.” He fumbled his words, eloquent as always. Suddenly he seemed very interested in the ground.

Wei Wuxian laughed for real this time. Maybe he was teasing him too much, but it really was a lot of fun. And at least he seemed distracted from trying to talk to Wei Wuxian about his feelings. Just to lay it on thick, he reached out for Wen Ning’s chin and tipped it up so they were looking each other in the eyes. “Repeat after me: Wei. Wu. Xian.” He said clearly.

If Wen Ning could still blush, he would surely have gone beet red by now. “Wei…” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Wei Wuxian.”

“Good!” Wei Wuxian smiled, patting Wen Ning’s cheek gently. It had actually felt a little nice for Wen Ning to drop some of his usual reverent formality. 

Wen Ning shifted his gaze to the ground again. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times, trying to find the right words. After a few moments, he clenched his jaw and made eye contact with Wei Wuxian again. “Wei Wuxian,” he repeated, with more confidence than Wei Wuxian had ever heard from him. “As your friend, I am worried about you. Even if I can’t help… At least let me care.” His expression was subtle, but the knit of his eyebrows and the set of his jaw spoke volumes. He was serious. 

Wei Wuxian didn’t have a response to that. He simply blinked a few times before a single tear slipped out. With a gasp, he took a step away and turned his back. Stop it stop it stop it! He yelled at himself. A firm hand grasped his shoulder. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. But you don’t have to be alone with whatever is bothering you.” Wen Ning said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Wei Wuxian was still for a long time. At last, he nodded and turned back around. He mustered up a watery smile for his friend. “Thank you. I’m glad to have a friend like you.” They sat together quietly for a while and eventually Wei Wuxian couldn’t hold back his tears. He was just thankful he managed to keep the pitiful wailing to a minimum. When he finally felt as if he had run out of tears, Wei Wuxian was exhausted. He’d been tired for days now, unable to relax enough to get any rest, but now he could barely resist the thrall of sleep. He figured this must be his body finally giving up on him. His eyelids fluttered and he swayed a little. Immediately, Wen Ning reached out to steady him, and looked at him quizzically. He leaned into Wen Ning, resting his head on his shoulder, smiling vaguely before blacking out completely.

[deborahleaguefineart]

Watercolor art print of three colorful Koi fish swimming in an aqua blue lotus pond. Pink lotus flowers and lily pads anchor the image, while the fish reflections and play of sunlight on water bring movement to the image.In Japan, Koi fish are known as the swimming, or living jewel. The name "Koi" comes from the Japanese word “nishiki” which traditionally means beautiful or elegant things.In ancient Japan, there were 4 treasures Kin (gold), Gin( silver), Sango (Coral), and Aya Nishiki (figured brocade), and it is said that the name “Nishiki-goi” is named after “Aya-Nishiki”. Nishikigoi is also commonly likened to the multi-colored brocade patterns of the Japanese traditional woven silk fabric, “kimono,” known for its vivid yet delicate colors and striking beauty.“Ggoi” or koi is what the Japanese refer to simply as carp fish which is meant to be eaten. So you might say that Nishikigoi means “living jewel koi”Originally created to be a consistent food source in Japan, these carp or koi soon evolved into an ornamental fish that many kept in their garden ponds to add beauty or shine.As the concept of these “living jewelry” expanded, the koi soon began to symbolize success, ambition, perseverance, and advancement in life. It is said that to be a Nishikigoi is to be a fish that succeeds in life.Therefore, Japanese people building homes would add a pond in their garden and keep Nishikigoi there as a way to mean that the master of the house feels fulfilled.

This image is available as wall art and on items of home decor.

https://deborah-league.pixels.com/featured/three-koi-fish-in-sunlit-lotus-pond-deborah-league.html

[earlybirds-atla-au]

Hmmm, ok more prompts? I’m not sure if my Jet-equivalent one got eaten, but thoughts on that if you’re willing to share? Also, do they go to Omashu and meet Bumi? Also, how does Kyoshi go?

I’ll get to the Jet one, it’s very important! And idk about Kyoshi yet, but you just gave me an excuse for a snippet I’ve been dying to write, so thank you and enjoy!!!

~~~

The messenger hawk flew into Avatar Roku’s temple and proceeded to nip and screech at anyone who tried to retrieve the letter tucked into its harness until Fire Sage Kuzon showed up. Then the bird became the sweetest, most loving animal in all existence. This might have had something to do with the hippo-beef jerky Kuzon brought with him.

“Not to worry, not to worry,” he reassured young Initiate Shyu, who was nursing pecked fingers. “She’s a persnickety old thing. I know how to handle her. It’s a personal message anyway.” He took the bird and decided it was close enough to evening to retire early for the day. He brought the hawk to his private chambers, set her up with more meat, made a pot of tea, and turned his attention to the letter.

It was a perfectly innocuous thing. Plain, undecorated parchment, a yellow wax seal stamped with a pai sho tile design that, when broken, revealed a message so simple and rambling, anyone reading it would easily assume it was nothing more than a letter sent between two old friends.

They would be perfectly right. And also completely wrong.

Greetings and salutations, my dear Kuzon!

I hope this letter finds you well. It’s been some time since I last wrote - your last move in our latest game was fiendishly clever! I have spent some time puzzling over how best to combat it, and you’ll see I’ve decided to sacrifice one of my flowers. We shall see how it plays out!

Kuzon paused his reading to look at one of the other papers tucked into the letter - a drawing of a pai sho board, with the positions of the tiles in play noted. One of the lilies had, indeed, been left vulnerable out in the open.

Things are well with me. The remainder of Fluffy’s pregnancy went well and she gave birth last week to a darling little thing I’ve named Flopsy. He’s quite the rambunctious little scamp!

Kuzon could only imagine what kind of trouble a newborn gorilla-goat could get up to.

But aside from that, there isn’t much to report on my end. The most interesting thing to have happened lately is the Avatar’s return! I’m sure you already know about that, though, you devoted Fire Sage you! I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me you were right there when the temple started glowing!

Kuzon had, indeed, been right there when the statue of Avatar Roku had started glowing. It had been terrifying, in a world-shattering kind of way that meant life had just taken an irrevocable turn for the weirder.

Couldn’t believe it myself when I heard the announcement! Who expects an Avatar to show up after all this time? I’m worried about how this will play out, but I will hope for the best.

Anyway, enough of that current events chit-chat, we’re too old to bother with that for long. So on an unrelated note, you’ll never guess who showed up for a visit the other day - our old friend Bonzu Pipinpadaloxicopolis!

Kuzon choked on his tea. 

When he was done choking, he reread that sentence. 

Then he reread it again.

Then he decided to read the next sentence just to see if it cleared anything up.

I know, I wasn’t expecting it either, but you know how the old fellow was always full of surprises. I must admit I’m jealous - he’s remarkably well-preserved for his age. Hasn’t aged a day! I suppose the ladies are right when they say you should moisturize, haha.

Kuzon stared helplessly at that paragraph. Then he glanced back up at the lines about the Avatar’s return. Then he thought about the report from Prince Iroh that Fire Lord Azulon had shared, detailing how the Avatar had apparently been frozen in an ice berg. “Mother of Agni,” he breathed.

We had a grand old time catching up. Played some games, showed off some bending, the usual. The old fellow’s still as energetic as you or me - even more so, perhaps. And he’s just as determined to travel as ever! Fortunately he has three new friends to assist him in that. I have faith they’ll be taking care of him when he goes a-wandering. I told him you’ve been doing well, and he was glad to hear it, but he knows you may not have time for him to visit given all your work with the Fire Sages.

And of course, we played a few rounds of pai sho while he was here! Please find enclosed one of his more interesting games, which I plan to continue via letter. Please let me know if you have any opinions on strategy!

Kuzon found another illustration of a pai sho board. The pieces in play were a sky bison, a boat, and two lilies - water lilies? - all clustered together. The white dragon was prowling the board alongside the knotweed and another ship - fire signs, the princes? the navy? In the center of it all sat the white lotus tile, unaffected and unused as of yet.

And I suppose that’s all I have to write about for now. Looking forward to your response! Don’t be afraid to crush me in our game, haha. The sooner you win, the sooner I can try again!

Your friend,

Li

Kuzon put the letter down and stared at the window at the setting sun. There was so much information to process, so his brain latched onto something familiar - prayers, and thanks. Thanks be to Agni that he and Bumi had figured out a covert writing system years ago. Thanks be to Agni that a much younger Kuzon and Bumi had decided the risk was worth it and spent years writing each other under the guise of old friends, so that now no one would be suspicious with Kuzon’s correspondence. Thanks be to Agni that pai sho was so versatile both as a game and as a code. Thanks be to Agni that Aang was - 

That Aang was - 

Kuzon took a shaky breath. He’d given up hope so long ago. Everything he’d done in the last seventy years, he’d done for a memory. And now that remembrance was paying off, in ways he’d never dared to hope for.

To think, that when Avatar Roku’s statue had lit up last week, it had been Aang--

Kuzon reached for a piece of plain paper and an ink brush and got to work.

[katarinahime]

Day 2 - Worlds - Greek Mythology

Sasuke didn’t particularly care for the “You stole her” sentiment that everyone seemed to form around his relationship. Not that he tended to bother himself with what mortals thought in the first place.

But when Naruto was coming down into his domain, interrupting his work, his personal time, with these foolish rumors. He was forced to confront them.

“I didn’t steal her.” He scoffed.

“Locals say she found an ‘narcissus’,” Naruto looked at him pointedly. “That doesn’t normally grow in the area. When she went to pick it, a hole opened up in the ground and she disappeared.”

Sasuke didn’t even blink. “Locals say lots of things.”

Naruto rubbed down his face exasperatedly. “Sasuke,”

It wasn’t exactly not ‘not’ true...

Sasuke had watched Hinata for a long time. A diety, like himself, though nowhere near as powerful. Few were. She was weak, even for her family. The Hyuga had been tasked with an important job, cultivating the fields, bringing life to the people.

Hinata was weaker, more gentle than that. But she was sweet, and kind. She loved flowers. He had seen that.

...so he might’ve baited her with a narcissus.

So, he might’ve grabbed her without expressly asking permission.

But she was happier, here, now, with him.

He had watched her in the human world long enough to know that she wouldn’t miss it.

Hinata’s life had been full of nothing but sadness and heartache and disappointment from the people that were supposed to care the most about her.

Sasuke didn’t know when he started watching her. But she caught his eye once when she was much younger. Not in some perverted way, but he did notice her. She looked awkward next to her family of prestige and greatness. Her hair was chopped short in adolescence, and the only thing she could muster was a few daisies, while her younger sister could till a whole field.

Sasuke could remember what it was like, to be overshadowed by a sibling. Hinata too had seemed determined to better herself, like he had. She too had faced the disappointment and dismissal of her father. The difference between Hinata and Sasuke though, was she never seemed to quite catch up.

She didn’t need to worry about that anymore. He had seen to it.

He found her deeper in his domain, in one of the rooms that she had thought fit to make hers.

“What are you doing?”

She turned around and smiled openly at him, gesturing for him to join her. She was wearing white, contrast to Sasuke’s black. Her hair was beautiful, thick and dark and twisted around, out of her face and down her back, braided with white narcissus.

His flower.

She was looking over a larger bowl, full of water with mud and rocks at the bottom.

“Is that one of the salad bowls?” He asked, mildly perturbed.

“Shh.”

Sasuke side eyed her. He had never heard someone hush him before, at least in adulthood, especially in his own domain.

“Look closer.” She coaxed.

“A lotus.”

She nodded, smiling happy at her little flower. “I finally got one to grow.”

Hinata herself could make flowers bloom anywhere, even in the Land of the Dead. But to grow one organically -

Sasuke smiled, letting his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her against his chest. She settled into him easily, her hand covering over his, her soft skin brushing against him. He leaned his head down into her hair, breathing her in.

“They’re going to try and take you back.”

Hinata went rigid in his hold. This was the first time he had ever spoken about the circumstances surrounding her stay there. He wasn’t sure if she was holding her breath from excitement or dread.

“My family?” She asked, quietly.

“And Naruto.”

She turned to look up at him, her eyes searching his face. “Are you going to let them?”

Sasuke let go of her, in favor of looking down back into the lotus bowl.

Hinata was his wife now. Just on principle, he couldn’t sit back and let someone else tell him what to do with his wife in his own kingdom.

But, if he had misjudged her... If they came and she wanted to leave...

“Sasuke?”

Her soft voice tore him away from the small blossom in the murky salad bowl.

He had let go of her, but she was still clutching onto him. Her small hands, fisted in the fabric of clothing.

Sasuke tried not to smirk. Really, he did.

She wanted to stay. He had known it all along, but seeing the desperation of it on her face had settled him.

He grabbed her hand, prying off his chest and cupping it in his own. “There are... ways... of making it impossible for them to take you.”

“Okay.” She whispered, her fingers lacing with his as he tugged her even closer.

They were now flushed together. She didn’t want to leave him. She was willing to stay. With him. Forever.

Sasuke held his free hand up, a pomegranate appearing in his palm. Hinata’s eyes sparkled as she side eyed him. Sasuke could do unimaginable feats of power, and producing a single pomegranate was enough to enchant her.

“Just this?” She asked quietly.

“Just this.”

He left her to decide on her own.

When the did come for her, as Sasuke knew they would, it was actually much later than he expected.

The Hyūga had turned the above world into cold, unforgiving winter, flooding the Under World with the dead. He was sure they did this on purpose, making Sasuke work overtime to compensate.

Hinata had taken to helping Sasuke, perched upon the días next to him for hours on end, quiet if not for her ocasional inputs. Sasuke was just happy to have her there, to brush his hand against hers, look over and see her beautiful face when the job got tedious.

When they came, that’s where she was, her place at his side.

Sasuke didn’t know if it was unconscious or intentional, but Hinata had started dressing like him. She was clad in thick, black shinny fabric that bared much more skin than she had before coming here. He had memorialized the narcissus into a sliver cleaning crown upon her head.

She was sight to behold when her family came. Her looking down upon them. Her regality, her power, her beauty, and their insignificance.

“Naruto.” Sasuke only extended the respect to his “brother”.

“Sasuke.” Naruto smiled beside himself, but sobered when he remembered why he had come. “The humans are dying.”

“I’m aware. Because I, for one, am doing my job.” Sasuke sneered straight at Hiashi.

“Cut it out Uchiha. Return my daughter.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, ready to retort but Hinata’s hand reached for his, her pale fingers interlacing with his own.

“My duty is to my husband. My new home.” Hinata affirmed.

The Hyūga gaped up at Sasuke’s wife. His Queen. He could only smirk in victory. She had only been with him for six months but it was enough to see her truly blossom into what she had always meant to become.

Hiashi recovered quickly. “Stop being a brat Hinata. Come down.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto cut in before the family feud could make anything worse. “I think that we can come to an agreement.”

“She has already eaten the pomegranate.” Sasuke’s said, dismissive.

“You think you’re so clever.” Hiashi sneered. “No simple fruit could bind her here. Not a Hyūga. At least not forever.”

Not forever?

“That’s what were here to talk about.” Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously.

“Sasuke,”

She had turned to him, looking horrified. “I-I-I did what you said. Sasuke, please I’m sorry.”

He didn’t know what she was apologizing for. He didn’t blame her.

This situation wasn’t even considered a technicality. They were bending the rules, to still the pride of the Hyuga. They couldn’t undo what had already been done.

Hinata was his.

Sasuke begrudgingly understood where Naruto was coming from. The humans were dying. If there were no humans, there were no gods.

He had grossly underestimated Hiashi’s pride.

“I’ll see you soon.” He parted with her stiffly.

Hiashi moved up to the días upon Sasuke’s verbal agreement.

He was not a man to let the room see who he truly was.

Hinata was different.

“Sasuke, please.”

Tears flooded her opal eyes and she cling to him.

Sasuke saw her as he had always seen her, truly and deeply.

As much as she didn’t want to let him go, she didn’t want to let her power go.

She was finally something more. Something dark and powerful and dangerous and she meant something. She was filled with purpose, not only to Sasuke but his world as a whole. Her world too now.

And it was being stripped from her by the people that had always tried to stifle her.

She was terrified

He kissed her, opened mouthed in front of everyone, not that he had given that half a thought.

She tasted sad and sweet and of pomegranates.

“I’ll see you soon.” He promised.

[flamingmel]

Helping Hand - a Brak/Zorak drabble fic thing

I wrote this over a bunch of tweets and I decided to put it together & clean it up a bit, but didn’t add more details or anything cause I’m lazy, whoops. It was fun to write though and I hope y’all like it too!

SETUP: It’s based on the episode “Urges”, when Zorak went back to his home planet but he was saved from gettin his head eaten during the mating ritual by a mantis dude intervened, inviting him back to his pad to chill until the ‘urges’ passed. Now that Brak knows about it, he’s concerned next time mantis mating season comes around and takes it upon himself to help his best friend. He arranges for Zorak come over his apartment so he can keep an eye on him.

Enjoy~

-

Things are normal at first.

They watch tv and order take out, just the usual... as the hours pass, though, Zorak gets increasingly horny & it shows. He tries to cover it up by being extra chatty, somehow the conversation turns to the previous mating season, and Zorak clumsily confesses to Brak that he and that mantis who helped him did /more/ than just hang out... realizing what he's just admitted, Zorak gets rly embarrassed & snaps at Brak to leave so he can jack off in peace!

Brak's shocked at the revelation and almost breaks out into a song about the joys of keeping friends’ secrets, but stops himself in time, thankfully. He respects Zorak's wishes and gives him some privacy... goes to the kitchen to try to busy himself with writing up material for the show/eating a snack, etc.

But Brak's mind keeps drifting back to Zorak.. He's glad his buddy's here & not on his home planet getting his head bitten off! things just wouldn't be the same without him...what does dokarian dick look like anyway? As Brak considers this he visualizes Zorak and the other mantis in the heat of the moment, Zorak flushed and panting as he pins the other mantis down with more force than his wiry frame seems capable -- he's intensely focused, his thrusts quick and needy, almost violent, but then so are the other male's, writhing desperately beneath him--

Brak's heart is already racing from the unbidden fantasy when he hears a crash! he abandons the coffee he's just spilled over his notes and runs to see what's up -- and is met with the almost comical sight of a pants-less Zorak attempting to jump out his broken living room window.

"NO WAIT!!!" Brak yells as he lunges and grabs Zorak around the middle, yanking him back before he can spring off! Phew!! They're on the floor, Zorak is struggling, cursing and flailing his arms, trying to hit or bite , anything to be freed - but Brak has a good grip & he isn't letting go anytime soon!!

They argue back and forth for a good few minutes, Zorak snarling and spitting insults at Brak for keeping him from experiencing the greatest pleasure that exists for his species, Brak yelling that he wont let his best friend die like this!!! Zorak suddenly screams "THEN /HELP/ ME, IDIOT!!!"

Brak's speechless, the implication of Zorak's words hitting him like a freight train.

"You mean you want me to... 'mate' with you?"

"Am I speaking blorganese?? YES DAMMIT!!"

Brak gets quiet, thinking it over.. he /did/ set his mind to keeping Zorak safe, didn’t he? This would just be part of the favor... coworkers sleeping together wasn’t unheard of, but this was different. Zorak was his best friend... and he wasn’t thinking clearly, obviously. Yet he was still struggling - every second, he seemed to get stronger and Brak knew he couldn't hold on forever.

If this is what it took to keep his best friend alive, then... Brak would do it. He'd do almost anything really, and the thought of 'helping' Zorak like this wasn't.. exactly unappealing. However, now reallyyy wasn't the time to analyze what that meant!

"I'll do it."

"Do WHAT?!"

"The um, mating thing. But on one condition - you cant bite off my head, ok?"

"Like hell I will! Do I look like a broad to you??"

"Oh yeah..."

"Moron."

For once, Brak agreed, but he quickly brushed away the thought in order to focus on what to do next..

Brak sits up and shuffles over so he can lean against the couch, pulling Zorak with him, arms still looped firmly around his waist - the mantis isn’t struggling anymore but Brak still isn't gonna let his guard down.. Once they're settled Brak peers over Zorak's bony shoulder and finally processes the fact that he now knows what a dokarian dick look like. Green of course like the rest of Zorak, long and curved with two prongs at the end, his member blooming out of what seems like an exo-skeleton of petals around it.

(the exo-skeleton petals sorta look like a lotus flower 'cause its a play on locust and they form a pretty solid protective around his soft bits which are smaller and fit better when he isnt aroused n all)

Brak's just like taking it in when Zorak leans his head and hisses in his ear--

"Will you Just Fucking Touch me already???"

Brak shudders at the desperation in his voice, his heart beat picking up like it did when he was imagining Zorak and that other mantis.

Zorak's eyes widen like he's noticed, but Brak acts quickly -- frees one of his arms and reaches for zorak's dick, gloved fingers curling around it in a firm squeeze. The result is instant - Zorak lets out a strangled sound, like he's swallowed a duck, body spasming as his hips thrust into Brak's hand, his clawed fingers jumping up to grab at Brak's arm still around his waist. Brak cant help but grin. He's seen Zorak do some silly things before but -- he has to stay focused. Before Zorak can growl at him again, Brak gets right into jacking him off as if his life depends on it - and it does. Zorak's at least.

Zorak cums in Brak's hand what feels like 40 times before he's exhausted and falls asleep against the alien cat. Zorak's dick finally shrinks and withdraws into its protective shell and Brak cleans up as quick as possible, lest Zorak wake up and go into arousal mode again.

But it really seems to be over! Brak's tired himself and he's sure he's got arthritis in at least one hand (he switched between both) but he still carries Zorak to his bedroom and tucks him into bed, the mantis dead weight but breathing deeply against his chest.

Brak watches him for a while just in case but when Zorak starts snoring loudly, Brak heads for the shower. He really, really needs one... Zorak had been pretty incorrigible, squirming and moaning curses (and -gasp- *praise*) at Brak.. he just hopes that Zorak had been too 'distracted' to notice that Brak was trembling along with him, hadnt given a thought to the dampness of Brak's pants against his back... the shower covers the noise but Brak bites his hand anyway as his other rubs out his frustration, evidence washing down the drain.

When Zorak wakes up the next morning, he insists that he has a monster headache and demands that Brak give him breakfast in bed - he seems like his old self as he rolls over to snooze some more. As they eat, he critiques the meal like he usually would, belches rudely, but he wont look Brak in the eye.

Its clear Zorak doesnt want to talk about yesterday and while Brak expected this, he's kind of relieved. Talking about it would just complicate things between them, bring to light feelings Brak's not sure he's-

"So who taught you how to give a killer handjob anyway? Your MOM??"

[sufferthesea]

Pink Peonies (Kakashi/Reader) Part 4/5

Did anyone else grow up eating Botan rice candy? I always thought it was a lotus on the box but I found out like a week ago that it’s actually a pink peony. Who knew “botan” meant “peony”?   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (probably lots of people but whatever) 

A/N: Are you guys ready for the ending?! One more part to go! Ahhh! I hope it isn’t disappointing, RIP. I’ve only ever completed a very few fics before so idk how endings work!? *insecurity intensifies* 

Words: 1.885 (this chapter is kinda short because I had to find a suitable place to split up the parts.) 

Rating: General 

Part 1: Tumblr // ao3 Part 2: Tumblr // ao3 Part 3: Tumblr // ao3 Part 4: ao3

Tagging: @thetoxicstrawberry @thefoxthief

You lounged on the stool at Ichiraku for a while longer, drumming your fingers against the counter. Teuchi and Ayame were busy washing dishes and cleaning up for the night. It was already dark out and you knew that pretty soon almost every shop and restaurant would be closed. “So much for a date,” you muttered under your breath, finally allowing yourself to feel a little depressed about the whole situation. “The guy asks me out and then does this. I should’ve known it was to blow me off. If he didn’t want to go out, he shoulda just said so.” Standing, you gave a courteous bow to the cooks before leaving the bright lights of the ramen stand and heading out into the evening.

“I should go home,” you sighed, looking up towards the sky. A few stars twinkled back at you, but it didn’t seem as romantic as you would’ve liked it to be. You were here, alone, disguised as somebody else, having just eaten at a ramen stand instead of a fancy new restaurant, and all of your flowers were gone - given away. The evening seemed to be getting worse and worse. “If this is how all his dates go, it’s no wonder he’s single.” “Hey, that’s not very nice.” You spun around, caught off guard, and saw - to your embarrassment - Kakashi walking behind you. He had one hand in his pocket and his typical lazy expression on his face. Blushing, you crossed your arms defensively. “Well, I don’t think it was very nice of you to ditch me like that.” “Ditch you? I didn’t ditch you. I was trying to those genin off our backs for a while. I think we’ve bought ourselves enough time.” “I saw you had enough time to buy yourself a new book.” He stepped beside you and seemed even taller than before. Maybe the person you transformed into was shorter than you were normally and you just didn’t notice until now. “And since it’s so dark,” Kakashi noted without paying attention to your remark, “nobody will be able to tell it’s us. You can get rid of that transformation jutsu.” “Gee, thanks, glad to know you only wanna be seen with me in the dark.” “That’s not exactly what I said.” Releasing the jutsu, you transformed back into yourself and sighed heavily in relief. You’d never been happier to be yourself, and it made you glad you didn’t have to keep using the jutsu during dinner. You ignored the fact that Kakashi’s height hadn’t changed; you really were that short. “You know, I ran into the person I transformed into. Do you know how scary that was? I thought for sure I’d been found out.” “I’m sure you handled it well. We’d better get going. I think that restaurant is only open until 11 tonight.” “Mhm.” You were resigned to the fact that this day was not going at all how you imagined, but you were thankful that Kakashi had turned up again. He hadn’t deserted you after all, which was really nice to know. Although he did seem to keep a stride or two ahead of you as you walked back towards the heart of the village where the restaurant was. You chalked it up to his legs being longer than yours.

Sakura, Ino, Kiba, and Akamaru stood outside of the Academy, digging through the bushes. Finally Ino pulled back and hysterically shouted, “I got it!” She waved the peony in the air victoriously, sending a few petals soaring to the ground, and plucked twigs out of her hair.

“What’s it doing all the way out here?” Sakura whined, grabbing the flower out of Ino’s hand. “I feel like we’re getting farther from finding Ka - the thief! And why’d he bother to buy - I mean, bother stealing them just to throw them all away? It seems weird …” “Another one? Already?” Kiba grunted as Akamaru took off again. “This one must be close by. Let’s go!” “Do you think he figured it out?” Ino asked, brushing dark leaves off of the front of her shirt. “Do you think he’s just running us around the village for fun?” “Well, that is something he would do … But I haven’t seem him at all, so I don’t know how he would know we were following him. Or how he had time to hide all of these flowers!” “Maybe he wasn’t buying them for anybody after all,” Ino said dejectedly. “Maybe this whole time he knew we’d be suspicious so he bought them just to mess with us.” “Maybe. Let’s go see what Akamaru found.” They jogged after the others and soon came upon Ichiraku Ramen, where they saw Kiba standing inside the shop. They parted the curtains and ducked inside. “I’m sorry, but we’re closing,” Ayame explained to Kiba. “It’s pretty late and we’ve put away everything.” “I’m not hungry,” Kiba stressed. “I’m looking for something. For - that!” He motioned behind Ayame to the shelf where a dozen ceramic bowls were sitting. Among them was a pink peony, looking a little wilted and worn from the summer heat. “What? This? What about it?” She grabbed the flower and held it for the three to see. “Who gave that to you?” demanded Ino, slapping her hands on the counter with enough force to rattle the glass container of chopsticks. “Just a nice person who stopped by! They were actually our last customer. Said it was a gift. It was their last one.” “Last one?” Sakura collapsed onto one of the stools and dropped her head into her hands. “Did you see what they looked like at least?” “Nothing remarkable,” Teuchi cut in. “Just a civilian dressed for the summer. I don’t really remember much about them, sorry.” “Thanks, anyway,” Ino sighed. “Come on, you guys. Let’s go. I’m sure my parents are back now and wondering what happened.” The three ninja and the ninken filed out of the shop and into the dark village. The lively sounds of a summer evening had died down and there were only a few distant conversations being carried on the night air. Most of the lights were off, painting the streets in shades of dark blue and black. “We’ve only found four of them,” Sakura noted. “But you said there were six, right?” “Yes. Can’t that dog try again? Find the last two?” Kiba knelt down and pulled out the peony Ino had brought from the shop, sticking it out for Akamaru to smell again. “What about it, buddy? Can you find the other two?” The small dog sniffed around the ground for a few moments before whining and shaking his head. “Sorry, guys,” Kiba said as he scooped up the dog and cradled him in his arms. “He’s pretty worn out. Sorry we can’t help you more.” “It’s alright,” said Ino, giving a pitiful smile to the exhausted dog. “You helped a lot, today. Thanks. It means a lot to me.” “Of course. We’re glad to put our skills to use! Although, next time we wouldn’t mind being compensated.” Ino rolled her eyes, “Yeah, sure, whatever. Next time I’ll buy you some dog treats or something.” “Nice! I’ll hold you to that! Let’s go home, bud.” Kiba handed Ino back her peony before heading down the street. When he was about fifty feet away, he let out a sudden cry of disappointment and screamed, “I never got my dumplings! Aw man!” Sakura turned to Ino and the girls stood in contemplative silence, completely ignoring the fuming genin stalking away from them. “I don’t know what to do now,” Ino said. “I really thought that we would’ve found him by now. We searched the whole village! He’s probably gone home already. He’s probably laughing at us, right now!”

“Sensei can pull a lot of jokes on us,” Sakura agreed, “but I would’ve thought that if he did this on purpose, he would’ve shown up by now to tell us we needed to work harder. I guess we’re not as good as I thought we were.” She sighed heavily and shuffled her feet back towards her home. “I guess neither of us will get to know who the flowers were for, if they were for anybody to begin with.”

“And I need to get back to the shop before my parents completely lose their minds,” Ino pouted, already anticipating the worried and annoyed lecture her parents would have waiting for her. “What a waste of time. The next time I see that Kakashi-sensei, I’m gonna tell him what’s what and let him know that if he ever wants to buy flowers from my shop again, he has to let me know who they’re for!”

“Right,” Sakura drawled, shooting an unimpressed look to the girl, “like he’s gonna listen to you. You already tried that and it didn’t work. That’s why we’re out here in the first place.”

“Oh, shut up Billboard Brow! I don’t care! My shop, my rules.” Ino stopped and clutched at her stomach when it growled loudly. “Ugh. I’m so hungry … We’ve been out here for a long time. Do you think any place is open?”

“I don’t know. It looks like a lot of lights are off. Oh! I think that one that just opened - that Botan one? I think the sign said it was open until 11.”

Ino rubbed her stomach, “Well we can stop by and see if they do take-out. I can’t be any later than I already am. And I’m not quite dressed for a sit-down restaurant.”

Sakura and Ino looked each other over and grimaced. Both of them were covered head-to-toe in dirt, sweat, leaves, and dog fur. Even in the late evening they could tell their hair was greasy and feet were covered in road dust. “At least it’s dark outside,” Sakura offered, though she knew it didn’t help much. “And I’m sure everyone we know is already home so it’s not like we’re gonna run into anybody important!” “Right,” added Ino, trying to cheer herself up. “And tomorrow is still the weekend, so we don’t have any training which means we can sleep in.” “Exactly!” There were a few minutes of awkward silence as the girls hobbled down the road towards Botan restaurant. There were still a handful of people walking about, but many of them were headed towards the taverns or gambling halls. The aroma of decadent food had been replaced by alcohol and body odor. The half moon hung high overhead, lighting their path to the restaurant. “Hey, Ino?” “Yeah?” “Listen … I’m sorry we couldn’t figure out who the flowers were for. I know you really wanted to know - not because of Kakashi-sensei, but because the flowers are important to you. And since we didn’t find out … You don’t have to give me the daffodils for Sasuke.” Ino let out a breathy laugh, too tired to fight, and smiled, “Gee, thanks.” She paused for a moment before nodding. “I appreciate it. I mean, you understanding. Thanks for coming along with me, and for suggesting to get Kiba and Akamaru to help. We didn’t find them all, but we found quite a few. We did good.” “Yeah,” Sakura said, giving a weak smile. “We did do good.”

[goodmorningawfulbye]

Zora Courting, or Zorting

I told myself this wouldn’t be long. Last time I checked, it was like 450 words. now, it’s 1100-something. I do it out of love, though. Enjoy!

(also: inspired by @darthsuki‘s hcs for Zora Courtship)

You sat down at the edge of the pool, taking off your boots and placing them next to your hip, then sinking your feet into the water, glad for its coolness and how refreshing it felt on your sweaty skin. There must be something special about the water here in the Domain, you thought, sighing and leaning back onto your elbows, looking up at the clear blue sky.

A loud whoop and a splash disturbed your (rather disorganized) train of thought and you sat up, looking towards the source of the sound—even though you knew whoever it was had probably been a Zora and was still underwater. You stayed sitting up, waiting to see who it was.

…they were still underwater. Now you were leaning forward, wondering. Were they okay?

As you were about to dive in and swim over towards where you’d heard the splash, so ready to dive that your face was near the water, that was when they rose from the water.

Well. It had been a Zora. You were lucky he hadn’t come up quickly or he would have broken your nose. Instead of doing that, he just laughed while you flung yourself back. The both of you caught your breath, and then he said, “Impressive, right?”

“I mean,” you said, huffing a little, “yes. But I could have done without being startled twice, Sidon.”

“Sorry, sorry” he said. “I wasn’t trying to.”

“No, it’s fine. Why, though?”

He shrugged. “Impulse. Desire to be flashy.” Interesting, you thought. A generally humble Zora such as the prince wanting to be flashy, worrying about being impressive. What an odd display.

He sat with you for a little while, talking—about your ride to the Domain, how things had been going, other small details of your lives, and then he abruptly sat up and slid himself into the water.

“What are you doing?” you asked him.

“I saw a really lovely lotus over there and I was going to go get it.”

“Oh. Alright.” You drummed your fingers on your knee as you waited for him to come back. When he did, he presented the lotus to you. It… it was very nice.  You flushed a little. “Thank you, Sidon. It is a nice flower.”

He grinned, and you studied his teeth. They were so sharp, so white… you wondered what they felt like to the touch. He moved to exit the water, but then apparently thought better of it, sinking back down and saying “have you eaten? I’ll be right back.”

You lay down at the edge of the water, waiting for Sidon to finish doing whatever it was he had left you to do. You would simply watch the clouds or something while you waited.

You barely noticed when your eyes slipped shut.

You were teetering on the edge of being asleep when you felt something dripping on you. You opened your eyes to see that it was water dripping on you… off a bunch of fish Sidon was holding, standing above you. You sat up again, rubbing your eyes and the back of your neck. “What are you doing with those?”

“I, um, brought them for you.” He said. You sighed and lurched towards your boots, feeling in one of them for the knife you always brought with you. Finding it, you straightened.

Sidon stepped back, unsure of what exactly your being armed meant. You gestured for him to hand you a fish. “They’re dead, right?”

He nodded.

“Good.” He handed one over and you plunged the knife into it, to gut it. “Link eats them roasted whole, but I don’t. I have to gut and scale them before I cook them. How do you tend to prepare them?”

“I—I mean, Zoras—tend to just eat them whole, or in bites, but no cooking is necessary.”

“Well, I don’t want to get sick.” You smiled, laughing drily.

The two of you ate your fish snack and then, as you sat by the tiny fire you’d built to cook the fish, Sidon invited you into the water with him.

“I don’t know that I should. I mean, I did just eat.”

“You could just sit on me while I float, if that sounds preferable?”

You could agree to that. “Okay.” You settled into position then, and gently, he propelled you both out into the open water.

You were still out in the water, talking and laughing, when the sun began to set. The fire was still burning where you’d been seated, quickly become more visible than the daylight that was rapidly fading around it, and as the moon became more prominent in the sky, it hit you.

This has all been an elaborate courtship ritual. It wasn’t even that different from Hylian date behavior—flowers, food, one partner trying to impress the other… how could you have missed all the hints?

You felt awful. You’d been so unyielding this whole time, and Sidon was giving it all he had, since he’d known you’d arrived at the Domain today. And you fell asleep in the middle of it. What a jerk.

“Hey, Sidon?” You said quietly, as though anyone could hear you out here. Although, there could be other Zora under the water eavesdropping…

He turned his attention from the starry sky to you. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry I ruined our date today.”

“Oh. So you’ve deduced that that’s what it was?”

“Well, I think so. I guess I could just be reading into it, that I wanted it to be—”

He raised a hand from the water and placed it on your lips, leaving a wet spot on them and down your chin. “No, that’s… it was. At least, I’d hoped so. But you seemed bored.”

“I didn’t get it at first. I realized once we got out on the water.”

“Well, at least the big finish got to you.”

“No,” you replied, “I liked all of it.”

He sat up then, throwing you into the water by mistake. Immediately, he groaned and helped you onto his back to return to where the fire was still burning.

You sat next to it while your clothes dried (still on your body, to avoid any implications of impropriety—apparently, you were right, the water had eyes and ears aplenty as everyone wanted the prince to find a spouse). In the quiet, and the slight chill, Sidon had wrapped an arm around you while you two continued your conversation from before.

“I wasn’t bored,” you told him, “I just was… I don’t know, upset that you kept running off to do stuff in the middle of us spending time together. I guess.”

“That’s understandable. It certainly sounds rude when you put it that way. But you’re not upset now?”

“No. This turned out really nice.”

“Well, other than the—” he gestured at your clothes.

“No, that’s nice, too. Gives you an excuse to keep me warm.”

He grinned. “That I can do, uninterrupted.”

[bafflinghaze]

An Autumn Time: Extra: Food Notes For October 2017

The following are the food notes for An Autumn Time. There is an entry for each day of the month, plus extra.

Sunday 1st October: Harry made cauldron cakes, with custom fillings of pumpkin, and apple, as autumn flavours, and with yuzu, which Harry saw on the Great British Bake Off (in Sophie’s bake). He shared these with Draco, as part of a lunch-outside spread.

Harry’s cauldron cakes consisted of a charcoal dark chocolate or golden white chocolate shell in the shape cauldron, followed by a thin layer of sponge and an oozing filling inside.

Monday 2nd October: Harry made fish and chips and mushy peas for dinner with Ron and Hermione, a British staple. Harry, being a chef, choose dover sole for his battered fish, and accompanied it with curry-spiced sweet potato chips, mushy peas, and a tangy coleslaw, aside the condiments of vinegar, lemon and tartar sauce.

Tuesday 3rd October: To give Draco energy to work hard, Harry made a packed dinner, charmed hot, which included a cup of green tea, a dish with chunks of salmon, slices of avocado and blanched greens with sprinkles of toasted sesame seeds, and ending with dessert, a dark chocolate pudding, topped with chopped nuts and blueberries. This was inspired by the previous week’s Great British Bake Off episode, what had been pudding, and all the ingredients, according to one of Harry’s cook books, were supposed to increase brain power.

Wednesday 4th October: Harry made a tonne of pastries, given that yesterday’s Great British Bake Off episode was pastry week. He made both individual savoury pastries and sweet pastries, for Draco, for Teddy and Andromeda, and for the Delacour-Weasleys, using seasonal ingredients including game meat, squash, beetroot, blackberries, raspberries and figs. For him and Ron and Hermione, he made a single large hand-raised curry pie.

Thursday 5th October: This was the night of the full moon, and given that it had just been the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, Harry made moon cakes for Draco and the volunteer patients to share. In one golden moon cake, Harry had made a lotus paste filling, with four salted egg yokes. In the other golden moon cake contained sweet and savoury salted pork, nuts, and four salted egg yokes. The white snowskin moon cake contained an egg custard filling, and the dark purple moon cake contained purple yam, and a sweet potato paste shaped into a ball served as the ‘moon’.

Friday 6th October: Date night with Draco! For the main meal, Harry made a seasonal wild mushroom stroganoff, which he served with rice. He made two identical servings of dessert: each comprised of a “frosted” bubble made from melted sugar, inside which Harry had laid down crumbs from dark chocolate biscuits and crushed hazelnuts, shaped leaves made from matcha icecream, and a flower with thick petals made of cheesecake (double cream, cream cheese, sugar, pureed strawberries) which “flowered” by the power of magic, opening up to reveal mixed berries sitting in a berry sauce and cream.

Saturday 7th October: For breakfast, Harry made a Full English. He fried bacon, eggs, and mushrooms. The tomatoes, cut in half, and the black pudding, in slices, were grilled in the oven along with some hash browns Harry had made previously and frozen. Ron heated up canned baked beans. They had home-squeezed orange juice and a cup of good breakfast tea.

Sunday 8th October: Harry, Ron and the kids had a day out on the scarecrow trail. They ate grilled sausages, kebabs, patties, along with some salad, out of plastic plates with plastic utensils (they eventually gave up on the utensils). They bought soft drinks, and Harry also a couple of ‘gypsy tart’ slices to share, a traditional dessert from Kent.

Monday 9th October: With pumpkin definitely in season, Harry made a well-spiced pumpkin soup, with scattered pumpkin seeds, sage, and a drizzle of a savoury cheese sauce, which was served with crusty bread. For dessert, he made a pumpkin cheesecake to share. Harry didn’t expect it to actually happen, but he and Draco ended up feeding each other little spoonfuls of cheesecake.

Tuesday 10th October: Draco bought food, in part motivated by wanting something decidedly not pumpkin, and also for Harry to take a break from cooking: matcha soba and a number of side dishes to go with it, including dipping sauce, green onion and wasabi, a mix of vegetable and shrimp tempura.

Wednesday 11th October: Harry spent the day with Ron making many, many different iterations and matches of chocolate insects—mostly milk and white chocolate, with added colours to make them more realistic—and figuring out how to spell in the sweet coloured syrup that would be the blood of the insects, all without it burst out as the charmed chocolate insects moved around. Dinner was something pumpkin themed, presumably.

Thursday 12th October: Draco actually cooked—he made ‘grilled’ pork with apples, which he cooked by preparing all the ingredients and then levitating it over a good strong direct heat that he used to heat up his potion cauldrons. The apple-crumble-cheesecake came together quickly: for any ‘baking’ components, Draco used a levitation and quick direct heat and charm to speed up the re-organisation of the molecules, and for the ‘chilling’ components, Draco again used a spell that quickly cooled and set the cheesecake just so.

Friday 13th October: An unlucky day, perhaps. Harry was feeling down, so he and Draco made dinner together. Harry just threw together a quick stir fry (with pumpkin), and Draco made a Waldorf salad (with apples).

Saturday 14th October: Today, Lee came over to take photos of Harry cooking, and of his food. So Harry made a full English for the “breakfast”, open-faced sandwiches for the “lunch”, and a pasta for the “dinner”. Just before bed, he, Draco, and Teddy each had a cup of hot chocolate, with marshmallows on top.

Sunday 15th October: After visiting Grimmauld Place, Harry made an array of sfogliatelle, with different fillings including chocolate, and jam, candied fruit and cream. They were served after the traditional large Weasley Sunday dinner, which would have included a large roast, baked potatoes, Yorkshires, a mixture of roasted and blanched vegetables, salads, and lovely gravy.

Monday 16th October: Draco had a packed lunch from Harry, which would not have been mere sandwiches. Harry also made some black-cat shaped cookies, which would have been flavoured and coloured with activated charcoal, black sesame, or oreos. He found all three flavours had their own charm.

Tuesday 17th October: Harry spent the day baking various different things in trial before the bake sale. Draco bought medlar tarts for dessert, which took him a while to find, not that he’d admit that to Harry (given the Forgotten Bakes theme for the Great British Bake Off that night, Draco wanted to buy something very old fashioned and obscure, yet still looked appetising).

Wednesday 18th October: Harry shared a romantic lunch with Draco (before it was unceremoniously interrupted). For an appetiser, he made bruschetta with cheese and cured meats, and the main dish was pasta pescatore—a seafood pasta—which included clams and scallops and mussels, i.e. Harry had spared no expense.

Thursday 19th October: Harry prepared a lot of pumpkin puree ahead of the bake sale. For dinner though, he did make risotto, that did not include pumpkin nor related vegetables.

Friday 20th October: Harry made a big chocolate cake, to be eaten with icecream and strawberries, for Draco and the lycan volunteers, in celebration of the breakthrough that Draco had made. Throughout the day, Harry made many, many different baked goods, both sweet and savoury for the bake sale the next day. Draco had previously said he’d make dinner this night, which meant that he went out and bought noodles.

Saturday 21st October: Today was Harry’s bake sale! He had made pumpkin cheesecake brownies, blackberry cheesecake shots, pumpkin pies, rhubarb and lemon pudding, apple cakes, oreo black cat cookies, miniature glowing jack-o-lantern pumpkin cakepops, ghostly candy floss, chocolate bats, slime cauldron cakes, pastry latticed mummy-like tarts, and an assortment of miscellaneous monster miniature bakes (of biscuits and cookies and cupcakes decorated like monsters and insects and spiders)...

For actual meals though, he had a quick sandwich before the sale, and had a sandwich after it. After his and Draco’s bath, they would have made some proper dinner together.

Sunday 22nd October: It’s the weekly dinner at the Burrow! Harry made caramel apples to share, and he and Ron and the kids tricked Draco into biting into a caramel-onion! Harry did give Draco a proper caramel apple in the end.

Monday 23rd October: Harry made an earl grey cake for Narcissa and the house elves to enjoy, as a thank you for their help with Grimmauld Place. He had packaged it in a box that would automatically enlarge back to its original size when opened. In fact, he he felt that was getting rather good at this packing thing (in contrast to his ability to wrap Christmas presents!), which made Sara’s idea of an owl-order business more tantalising.

Tuesday 24th October: Ron cooked dinner this night. He made a spiced aubergine bake, grilled salmon, and a watercress salad. He also made chocolate cake with a tonne of chocolate frosting and chocolate bark with chocolate sauce, which he served with some pitted cherries.

Wednesday 25th October: Harry and Molly and all the kids made sweet treats: there were pretzels, marshmallows, lollies, nuts, sprinkles and various toppings, and a lot of melted chocolate. The kids were...creative in what they smashed together. A lot of it was eaten, but some were saved for the upcoming Halloween party.

Thursday 26th October: This night had the dinner party at Harry and Draco’s place, with Draco’s friends, Pansy, Millicent, Blaise and Greg. For the starter, they had butternut squash soup. For the main dish, there was a very cheesy roasted squash lasagna with a nutty pesto, and for dessert, pumpkin flan. To cut through the alternating sweetness and saltiness was a sharp iced mint lemonade.

Friday 27th October: Harry still had a lot of pumpkin, so he made pumpkin ravioli, that went in a dish along with cubes of pumpkin, a cheesy crème fraîche and an almond glaze. He made some little choux buns with pumpkin-cream inside for dessert (inspired by that week’s Bake-Off episode).

Saturday 28th October: The great big Weasley Halloween Party! There were all the lollies and chocolates and treats that the kids made with Harry and Molly, there was pumpkin juice, and caramel apples, and apple bobbing. The main dish included a stuffed jack-o’-lantern bell pepper/capsicum.

Sunday 29th October: In the morning, Harry had a full English brunch with Ron and Hermione. After he and Draco walked around the park, and explored a bit of Muggle London together, they when to an overpriced food kiosk in one of the parks, and had burgers and chips.

Monday 30th October: Harry made some desserts for Lee to photograph. For dinner, Harry went back home. He made gnocchi, which his paired with apples and Stilton cheese. Draco dipped slices of apple into chocolate ganache for the dessert.

Tuesday 31st October: Harry and Draco only shared breakfast today—Draco cooked. Later in the evening, after they finished visiting the cemetery by Godric’s Hollow, Draco will go to France and eat dinner with his extended family, and Harry would go to the Burrow to eat dinner with his surrogate parents.

:::

In the future, Harry would teach Draco how to cook more things; Draco would diligently learn, but subsequently cook it in his own way. Draco would eat crabapples, and will find them delicious. Not as delicious as apples, but he will admit that there is more to fruit than apples.

And one day, Harry would have the bright idea of making a chocolate ball that melts away to reveal an engagement ring inside...