#the build they gave him in the trial is similar to the build i currently have as a placeholder

[hydrodragons]

once i get wriothesley on his rerun it's over for y'all

[justinspoliticalcorner]

WaPo: Trump falsely compares campus protests to deadly Jan. 6 attack, broadens offer to pardon Capitol rioters

isaac Arnsdorf at WaPo:

NEW YORK — Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump compared the current wave of encampments and civil disobedience on college campuses to the deadly riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He suggested Tuesday to reporters that students protesting Israel’s war in Gaza should face punishments similar to those meted out to his supporters who were prosecuted in the Jan. 6 attack. And in a separate interview, he expanded a pledge to pardon Jan. 6 defendants by saying he would consider clemency for all of them. Trump addressed the campus protests while speaking to reporters in the hall outside the courtroom here where he is standing trial on charges of falsifying business records in a hush money scheme before the 2016 election. He and other Republicans have seized on the campus unrest to exploit fissures within the Democratic coalition over Israel’s war in Gaza and portray President Biden as losing control of the situation. On campuses across the country, students and other demonstrators have set up tent encampments, barricaded themselves in buildings and defied police orders, leading to arrests and some police use of tear gas. No deaths have been reported. By contrast, many Trump supporters on Jan. 6 violently assaulted police officers and ransacked the Capitol, leading to five deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Trump, though, drew a blanket equivalency, arguing that college protesters should face consequences akin to the more than 1,000 prosecutions of Jan. 6 rioters. He added that he doubted that would happen, expanding on his allegations of unfairness in the legal system, which are core to his defense in this trial and the three other criminal cases against him. “I wonder if what’s going to happen to them will be anything comparable to what happened to J6, because they’re doing a lot of destruction, a lot of damages, a lot of people getting hurt very badly,” Trump said, exaggerating the toll of the campus protests and using a shorthand term for Jan. 6 that was popularized by defendants’ lawyers and families in the MAGA movement. “I wonder if that’s going to be the same kind of treatment they gave J6,” Trump said. “Let’s see how that all works out. I think I can give you the answer right now. And that’s why people have lost faith in our court system.”

[...] In his remarks Tuesday, Trump also repeated a false comparison between the campus protests and the 2017 march in Charlottesville by neo-Nazis and white supremacists, one of whom killed a counterprotester with his car. “Charlottesville is peanuts compared to what you’re looking at now,” Trump said. At the time, Trump defended the marchers as including “very fine people on both sides.” On Tuesday, he insisted that the remark had been taken out of context: “When you extend the statement, it’s a big hoax, what they say was said.”

Donald Trump's false equivalence-laden comparison to campus protests over the Gaza Genocide to the January 6th Insurrection he helped incite is offensive and blasphemous. Trump posted on TRUTH Social to "stop the protests."

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Attorneys for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon were unable to convince a judge Tuesday that they should be given a year to go through four terabytes of data and documents collected by prosecutors in their investigation.

Instead, New York County Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan gave Bannon four months to file his first motions in the criminal fraud case.

Bannon was charged in September with money laundering, conspiracy and a scheme to defraud, for his alleged role in an organization that raised millions on the promise they would privately build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In the indictment, Bannon and the group, called We Build the Wall, are accused of pocketing some of those donations. Their trial will be scheduled for November 2023, Merchan said Tuesday.

Bannon's attorneys asked for a year to process the information, saying there's "no possible way we can go over the materials" in just a few months, but Merchan gave them until February 6, 2023.

Bannon, who was ordered in September to surrender his passport and attend all hearings in the case, arrived in a green jacket and untucked black button-down shirt. He has been charged with two counts of money laundering in the second degree, two counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree, a scheme to defraud in the first degree and conspiracy in the fifth degree.

Asked by a CBS News reporter if he believed any We Build the Wall executives cooperated against him prior to his indictment, Bannon replied, "I don't know."

Bannon added that prosecutors "haven't shown me anything yet."

Bannon has entered a not guilty plea in the case and previously called the charges "nonsense."

Bannon was indicted on federal charges in a similar case in August 2020 along with three other people associated with We Build the Wall. Bannon was pardoned by then-President Donald Trump in the federal case, in which two others, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, have entered guilty pleas. Proceedings for another defendant, Timothy Shea, ended in a mistrial and Shea will be retried, according to federal prosecutors.

An attorney for We Build the Wall, which also entered a not guilty plea in the New York case, said during the hearing Tuesday that the organization may not have enough funds to pay for his services.

Bannon's indictment comes as criminal investigations hover over many in former President Donald Trump's orbit.

Merchan is also presiding over the Trump Organization's fraud and tax evasion case, which goes to trial in Manhattan Criminal Court on Oct. 24. The company has entered a not guilty plea in the case. A block south is a civil court, where another judge has for three years overseen proceedings that led to a massive lawsuit filed on Sept. 21 by the New York Attorney General, who is seeking $250 million and an end to Trump doing business in New York. The Trumps and their company deny the allegations in the lawsuit.

Two miles away, in federal court in Brooklyn, Thomas Barrack, a billionaire friend of Trump's and 2016 inauguration committee chair, is currently on trial on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent in an effort to sway U.S. foreign policy in favor of the United Arab Emirates' interests. Barrack denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty.

The ornate stone lobby in that courthouse, the Raymond J. Dearie Atrium, is named for a semi-retired federal judge who was recently called upon to serve as a special master in a federal lawsuit filed by Trump. He sued the U.S. Department of Justice in August after it served a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, seizing White House files, some of which were labeled "Top Secret."

Bannon was found guilty in July of Contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena to appear before the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He could face up to two years in prison when he's sentenced this month.

Federal investigators probing the Jan. 6 attack have subpoenaed more than 40 Trump allies and supporters, including several associated with the fundraising PAC Save America. No charges have been filed in connection with that investigation.

[ninjago-forever]

Ninternia 1: The Ultimate Elemental

Chapter 4: New Friends

"You're late Katara, " Ju said, sipping his tea as he watched her close the Temple gates.

"Sorry Sensei," she said, brushing a strand of her long, black hair back as she kneeled before her teacher, "I would've been here last night if my boots hadn't malfunctioned."

"Boots?"

"My latest invention, ice lightning boots. They let me fly. I figured I'd use the trip here as a trial run, and, well... They could use some more work."

"An admirable creation, but next time I ask you to come, perhaps you can take a more reliable form of travel?"

She rubbed her neck sheepishly, "Yes, Sensei..."

Katara tried to stay still as he studied her. In addition to her long hair, which was in a ponytail, she had tan skin, a light build, and angular face. Under her ached brows was a pair of slanted eyes, one silver, one blue. She wore cargo pants, a simple T-shirt, backpack full of equipment and a light grey handkerchief carefully positioned to hide her ears Why? Because her ears were pointed.

 Yes, you read that right. Katara was a winter elf. Humans weren't aware that they existed, they thought elves were stuff of legend, and not exactly good ones. Hence why she hid her ears, even though Ju knew the truth. After all, he'd trained her ancestors.

Apparently satisfied with his inspection Ju set his teacup down, and said "Ah well, it's of no major consequence. You already know your heritage, and of my brother. The only thing I have yet to tell you of is a current mission. We'll be leaving on a journey to collect all the Blade pieces. When the sword is complete, it will reveal my father's heir, the Ultimate Elemental."

"Do you have any theories on who it is?"

"Not exactly, but I do hope its one of your teammates, or perhaps even you."

"There's no way I'd-wait, did you say teammates?"

He smiled as he stood up, "Khan, Clay, Jaya, Ren, Cyrus, please come out."

Katara stiffened as five teenagers of around her own age stepped out of the Temple's open doors. The first one had a confident smile, twinkling eyes, and way too much hair gel. He wore a bright red gi with a flame design, and a curved sword on his back.

"Hey," he said, with a wink, "I'm Khan, who might you be?"

"Ignore him. Your life will be much easier, trust me," a girl with similar facial features said. Despite her black hair, and sea-blue eyes, she looked a lot like Khan, Katara guessed they were brother and sister. Her gi was tight fitting, and grey and teal. She carried a trident.

"I'm Jaya," she added.

"Katara," the elf replied. She was about to ask the others names when one of them, a boy with wavy auburn hair, electric blue eyes, and a childish face, squatted next to her. He wore a blue gi, and had a kusarigama.

"What do the boots do?" he asked, "Oh, and I'm Ren by the way."

"They let me fly," Katara said shortly, wondering how he'd realized that they weren't normal boots. She'd disguised the tech pretty well.

"Cool! I like to tinker but I've never made anything that high-tech," Ren said, "Since I lived in a jun- I mean, a um, penthouse over in... er, Eleternia City, I didn't have the best parts." He gave an awkward chuckle and shot Jaya a sideways glance.

Katara raised a brow, questioning the credibility by of the last statement, but before she could ask, another of the boys stepped forward.

"My name's Clay. Nice to have you on the team, Katara," he said. With his warm brown skin, stone grey eyes, and friendly expression, he wasn't as obviously handsome as Khan, or flat-out adorable like Ren, but he wasn't bad looking either. Unlike the others outfits, his had metal plating for armor, which made it harder for him to move, but provided more protection. His chosen weapon was a scythe. He held a hand out to her.

Shaking it, she said, "Happy to help save the world."

He laughed, "I guess that is what we're trying to do."

"It is not a statistical probability that we'll succeed," someone behind Clay said in a strangely metallic sounding voice.

"Who cares about probability Cyrus?" Khan said throwing his arm around a six-feet tall android wearing a white and ice blue gi with a pair of hunting knives across his back, and a pouch full of shuriken around his waist.

"Whoa," Katara said, "where'd the robot come from? Did you make him Ren?"

"Ha! I wish," he responded, "Actually, we don't know who made him."

"Probably the last Ice Guardian," Jaya commented, only to receive some curious looks, "What? It'd make sense since they'd be the one to pass the power down."

"Not a bad theory, " Clay said thoughtfully. 

So if Cyrus is the Guardian of Ice, I'm guessing Jaya is water, Clay is Earth, Ren is Lightning, and Khan is... Fire Katara thought.

"So..." Ren said, "Which Guardian are you?"

"My element is Protection," she said.

"Never heard of that one, and I know all sorts of old Guardian legends," Ren commented, but before Katara could come up with an explanation Khan started laughing for no apparent reason.

"What's so funny?" his sister asked.

"If her element is Protection, that means... Katara is the Guardian of Protection!" he gasped out as he cracked up all over again, and the others soon joined him.

"I don't understand. Humans have a strange sense of humor" Cyrus added. While Jaya explained the joke, Katara did a quick scan around the courtyard.

"Did anyone see where Master Ju went?" Clay asked, apparently noticing his absence right when she did. 

"Yeah... About that," Ren said sheepishly, "I was supposed to tell everyone to join him after we were all introduced, but... I got distracted." 

"Well, better late than never, " Khan said, as the teens started hiking down the mountain. Katara went last, watching her new teammates laugh, joke, and continue the banter, already acting like old friends. Only Cyrus hung back, looking uncertain. She chose to walk with him, neither sure whether or not they belonged.

I wonder how they'd react if they know I'm not human. I'm sure I'll have to tell them at some point...

They found Sensei Ju standing with two other people in the parking lot of the ranger station about halfway up the mountain. Everything above that point belonged to Ju and the Temple of Elements but anything below was open for people to hike, climb, and get their fill of mountain fun.

"Sensei Ju needs to install an elevator," Khan complained, stretching as they made their way into the parking lot.

"An elevator in a... mountain?" Jaya asked, raising a brow.

"What?" Khan said defensively, "It's a long hike."

"It's not that bad, "Clay commented, "Not after running up and down it at sunrise every day at least."

"Ugh, don't remind me about that," Khan groaned.

"What is this, amature hour?" Ren taunted, "That sounds like my warm up!"

"Impressive," Jaya said, "I always had trouble waking up on time."

"And that remains a problem," Master Ju said as they approached nim, "Did you take a nap before coming down here?"

"Our apologies Sensei," Cyrus said with a slight bow, "Ren did not inform us that we were supposed to follow you at first."

While they were talking, Katara took the time to inspect the two new people. The first was a woman, who looked to be in her late fifties. Her grey hair was in a neat french braid, with a few wisps of brown running through it. She had fair skin and dark blue eyes. With her buttoned up tan, long sleeve shirt, beige pants, and green hankercheif around her neck, Katara thought she looked like a kindergarden teacher on safari day.

The other was a guy in his late thirties. His brown hair had more gel than Khan's, and it was in a notably less stylish 'do. He wore khaki pants, cowboy boots, and an aivator jacket. One of his eyes was a warm chocolate, brown, but the other was covered in a eye patch decorated with a... churro? Basically, he looked like a theater enthusiest who'd snuck backstage, and fell into the costume bin.

"Well, lateness put aside," Ju was saying, "I'd like you all to meet a old aquaintence of mine, and her friend."

"My name's Atalie," the woman said, smiling, "I'm a historian, and I specailize in things concerning the First Elemental, and the Guardians."

"And I'm Churro Lopez! Explorer extrordiare!" the man said enthusiastially.

"Churro?" Cyrus asked, "That is a... highly unusual name."

"You mean weird," Khan whispered. Ren and Clay laughed, but Jaya shot her brother a glare.

"Well my name's actually Charlie, but back when I was in high school, I worked at place where I'd dress up as a churro, so all my friends started calling me that," he explained, "Ah, the good 'ol days. Too bad none of us kept in touch."

Katara got the distinct impression the none of his so called 'friends' knew his actual name. As Ju introduced them, she fought the urge to deny her place in the team. She'd been on her own for so long, it sounded strange to hear her name among others. The last time she worked with anyone, it had been her brother and she hadn't seen him for quite awhile.

"Let me get this straight," Ren said, "We're getting the pieces, Sensei Ju knows where they are, and Atalie knows about the Blade, Vaults, and our powers, right?"

"Correct," Ju confirmed.

"Okay, then why are you here?" Ren asked Churro.

"To provide transportation of course!" he said, "When Atalie told me that she we going on an expedition, and needed a way to get around, I knew I had just the thing for the job. Come on, I parked her down the road, so that you could all see her for the first time together!"

As they walked down the street, Katara hung back from the group again, but she somehow found Clay walking beside her. Neither of then said a word, and she was thankful for the silence. Studying him out of the corner of her eye, she noted his alert, tense posture, and the way he kept a careful watch on the others. He was obviously a dedicated ninja, and seemed to be the leader of the group whether by unspoken consent or Sensei Ju's choosing, she wasn't sure. She was wondering if she should say something when they turned a corner, and saw something that stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Frostbite," Katara muttered.

"I hate to ask, but... what. is. that." Clay asked.

"I think... It's a bus," Jaya said, "or at least the remains of one."

She was right, possibly on both statements. Before them stood a huge, double-decker tour bus. Stepping closer, Katara realized what she'd though was grey paint was actually brown covered in countless layers of grime. There was so much stuff strapped to the top it was a wonder that it was able to move.

"Um... guys?" Khan said from the rear end of the bus. There was a strange expression of horror on his face. Exchanging weary looks with each other the four teens and nindroid walked cautiously to their teammates location.

"My processers are unable to process what my optical sensors are sensing," Cyrus said.

Ren clapped a hand on his shoulder, "You said it buddy."

Apparently, someone had thought it would be a good idea to hook up a a small platform to the back of the bus and strap a porta-potti to it. Walking around it, Katara didn't see a door, so she supposed that it was on the side facing the bus.

"Is that... legal?"Jaya asked.

"Of course it is!" Churro said, coming around to join them, "Come on and see the inside!"

"That's the last thing I want to do," Clay whispered to them.

The interior of the bus wasn't much better than its exterior. It was pretty dim because of the dirty windows and the supposedly broken lights. There was various stains and spills, on the seats. Old wrappers and fast food containers littered the floor. The only cool thing was a TV and old school gaming console set up in the back. The boys instantly lost all their disgust and fired it up. Katara rolled her eyes as they started arguing over who got the first game. Noticing the tightly wound staircase next to the door, she decided to check out the second level.

It was somewhat cleaner than first though there was still some dirt laundry lying around. All the seats had been taken out, replaced by bunk beds and tables. Walking over to an empty table Katara set her backpack on it, hearing several things jostle around as she did.

"Hello?" a strange female voice said, "who's there?"

Katara spun around to find an old female android. Her silver hair was in a neat bun, and her skin was white with several purple power lines visible under it. Her eyes were bright green lights. She wore white leggings, a blouse, and a bright purple sash. She reminded Katara of Cyrus, if not as well made.

"My name is Rali, which stands for Robotic Assistant Lifeform, Intelligent," she said, "who are you?"

Thinking of how many introductions she'd been through today, how many more she'd go through before their journey was over, and wondering how many would turn out to be new friends, or new enemies, she said, "My name is... Katara"

[yanderedbdimagines]

Part 1 - Part 2

The Trapper

The Entity knows…

Everyone grew a consciousness, most of them not knowing of what to do with it other than to keep sticking to their purpose to which they were programmed to follow from the very beginning.

You could say that Dead by Daylight currently lives and exists because of you, although in a very underdeveloped state.

And the possible risk of everything to disappear from the moment that you die is just too great of a defrayal. Therefore, for you to be *sacrificed* is absolutely out of the question.

But in order to keep the game as it currently is- healthy, functioning, self-aware and breathing with new-found life; the Entity feels hell-bound to keep you in a similar condition.  

Days have already passed, you see. From day one, the moment you actually went up and moved from the campfire after escaping the Trapper, the dark power had led you straight into an empty arena containing many items and resources for you to survive and to live rather comfortably from.

Of course, not an hour goes by without you trying to find a way out. The two times you did manage to do so, you were unknowingly forced to make a loop through the mist and straight back into the arena.

Perhaps you long to return to the real world. The place you were born and raised. Yet it doesn’t want you to go. It can’t let you go. This is your home now. Your purpose is here. You wouldn’t have ended up within the game if that wasn’t the case.

And then an idea pops up… Companionship… A survivor always needs one…

And then an added fact.

The Trapper…

Ever since the masked slasher has crossed paths with you, his loyalty towards the Entity has diminished almost completely within the very short span of just a few days. Currently, he’s unruly and unpredictable as he doesn’t sacrifice his victims at all anymore, preferring to kill them upright instead.  

And by listening to the beat of a black heart and sensing for the sparks traveling through a twisted brain does the mighty being understand why one of its most loyal of servants acts the way he does now.  

The bond between you and him is stronger than that of anyone else’s, no matter from what state of mind you approach the matter. Even the bond between the god-like entity and the slasher isn’t nearly as… intertwined. The entity knows which emotion is the culprit of this very fact. Love. Or at least, a rather deformed and more extreme form of it. It had already started to bud and blossom to what it is now from the very first day you played as him and against him through your computer/console.

Perhaps, it’d be a good idea to reach out to the killer and tell him what one of his new tasks is from here on out. One which doesn’t only benefit the Entity, but most definitely the Trapper as well. The new question now, however, is how well you’ll adjust to it and if you will accept the new situation once it sets its plan into action. Accept, and you’ll have a happy life ahead of you. Reject, and the Entity will force you to decide otherwise…    

You feel frustrated. Absolutely frustrated. And not just because of the ever present darkness that’s watching you from above.

Even after these few days, you still don’t know where you are. The modest house which desperately needs a fresh coat of paint, murky pond, old and slanting shed, overgrown garden and the bit of unmaintained farmlands at the side do not look familiar to you at all.

In fact, the entirety of the map is utmost unknown to you, and it looks a tad bit better than most areas within Dead by Daylight. Almost as well-kept as Haddonfield, so to speak, just by the fact that you have a working kitchen and a warm water bathtub within that old-fashioned house…

The few hints through which you could tell that you’re still stuck in this specific game is that the night is endless within this universe- the moon forever stuck at its peak, and every time you found a way past the walled border of the area, you’d somehow end up right back at the spot where you’d previously slipped through from. It didn’t take long for you to figure out why.

You brush your fingertips alongside the cold metal bars that make up the Arena’s main gates. Then, you withdraw your hand just as quickly as black spikes suddenly spawn from the place you’ve just touched. The Entity is currently pretty desperate to keep you inside the premises, especially from the moment you’d nearly escaped a third time.

You scowl, kick the gates in a pent of aggression and retreat back into the house with a hand skimming through your hair. This is not going as planned and your emotions are reaching an all-time low. As far as you can see it, there’s not a single chance of escaping, your family might as well have called the national news for how long you may have been missing and you don’t have a single clue of what the Entity has in store for you with the way it has been treating you from the moment you had escaped your first and only trial. You’re basically a bird stuck in an impoverished golden cage.  

You proceed to drag your feet upstairs after a quick raid of the kitchen’s cabinets before retreating inside of your bedroom. In the meantime, reading a book might stimulate some ideas for a future escape attempt and to give you some time to reflect for the ones that have failed in the past. It might also help you to calm down for a bit in order to tackle the problem with an overall better state of mind.

But before you could actually grab a book from the over stacked bookshelf besides the window, you incidentally saw something move from behind the window and look down to see a tall shadow stir to the right from behind the fenced border which is being overshadowed by the shed. And when you finally see it stalk into the moonlight, you felt as if the ground gave out from underneath you.  

It’s the Trapper… Weaponless?

You quickly duck below the windowsill with a hand already clenched over your heaving chest.

Why is he here? Does he know that you’re here? Did the Entity send him? Is he here to kill you with his bare hands? Is this the start of some sort of a trial? Has he seen you standing here?

There are so many questions rumbling through your brain with not a single clear answer to pin them to. And frankly, you don’t plan to hang around to see them answered on their own, either.

You quickly decide to dart out of the room whilst making sure to close the door behind you, before moving over to the room located at the other side. There, you also make sure to close the door before leaping towards the window.

After another survey of the outside world, you decide that the coast’s clear and carefully slide the glass panel upward as quietly as you possibly could.

As you did so, you heard the front door open with a soft groan, indicating that the killer hasn’t only succeeded in entering the premises, but to enter this damned house as well.

You climb through the window and firmly place your feet between the slippery vines and tested your footing before starting your climb downward.  

A sudden bang can be heard, and then another. He must have checked your bedroom, like you’ve suspected, and must have shut the door in irritation before slamming open the door of another room next to it.

It didn’t take long before yet another door was thrown open against a wall and heavy footsteps could be heard from above the second you’ve reached solid ground.  

A chill prickles your neck and causes goosebumps to appear all over your skin, automatically forcing you to look upward.

Your eyes widen and your breathing stops for a millisecond as you do so.

The Trapper grinning mask’s staring at you from above, breathing heavily. If it’s due to him running around the house or him being irritated with you(the later most likely), you truly  do not know. Maybe a combination of both, for all you care.

You move and point your body towards the direction of the main gates, waiting for him to move away from the window since it’s almost guaranteed that he won’t climb down the vines himself due to his weight. Maybe he’ll fall for your trick, and move towards the gates as quickly as he can in order to cut you off. He did just that and you quickly spun around and run towards the back of the building instead.

You already know he’s a sharp killer. The only question is, will he round the house from the right or from the left once he understands what you’re actually trying to do? The fact that you’re also trying to bluff him as if there’s another way out of the premises? Maybe he’ll cut straight through the building?

‘Wait… Damn it! Of course the backdoor isn’t locked! I didn’t expect a killer to stroll around here anytime soon!’ you remember, and quickly decide to move your point of destination towards the shed instead.

You need to move quickly before he truly does burst through the backdoor and throw himself onto you.

You stick to the wall, take a peek around the corner and confirm that he isn’t there. As a hasty distraction, you pull open the backdoor- making sure that quite a bit of noise is made before you dash straight into the shed.

Once at the front you take another look through a split in the wooden wall. He’s not at the main gates, and more importantly, the gates are gaped wide open…

But what if it’s a trap?

You could wait and observe for a little while longer before actually trying your luck… Yet you cou-

Your thought of process falls silent as heavy footfalls abruptly thunder into earshot. You turn around, only to see no one in sight, but heave out a surprised gasp instead when the shed’s rickety doors suddenly burst open and something big flies straight towards you.

Before you knew what was actually going on, you were quickly pinned against the wooden wall by a warm, big and rough-skinned hand coiled firmly around your upper arm.

You try to break free from him, but the more you struggle, the tighter his grip would be until the point it actually is starting to hurt. As result, you seize your attempt of wriggling yourself out of his iron grip before dropping your head in defeat- feeling utterly useless in your current situation.

Eventually, he slowly and reluctantly lets you go and takes a step back in order to allow you some breathing space, but still remains close enough if he’d be forced to grab you again if you’d decide to try and make a run for it.

After a moment, you finally dare to speak, fear obviously affecting your vocal cords; “W-Why… are you here…?” you ask him with a shaky voice. You can already guess the answer, considering his current behavior, but you need to hear it from him as confirmation.

He replies with a voice so dark and raspy that it forces a shiver to creep down your spine; “To keep you from running away any longer. Entity’s orders…”

Figures…

You take in a deep and shaky breath, sadly doing little to calm your fear before taking a tiny step to the right. Just so he won’t get the wrong idea, you ask him to follow you before leaving the shed, the tall man following close behind.  

Many thoughts, mainly complaints, race through your head like a herd of out-of-control horses, but you won’t ever voice them out. You can’t voice them out, let alone to the slasher currently following you. The fact that the Entity decided to basically stall him with you already says a thousand words. And you hate it…

Of course, you don’t know how dependent this game’s Entity is with feeding on the mismatched hope of survivors. Before you know it, it might need you more than it needs them, in a sense.

You suddenly turn your gaze towards the man walking behind you, only to quickly turn away with your heart jumping in your chest as you noticed how close he is to you now. Still, you also saw enough of his posture and recollected enough of his behavior before all this to see what he’s approximately thinking right now.

In his own way, he seems to be attached to you in a way you never expected to happen at all. A character of a video game who’s smitten with you… A killer from Dead by Daylight… You would have laughed hysterically if someone ever told you that this would happen to you- deeming them crazy.

Your shoulders quake as a shiver runs up your spine. A shiver of fear and disgust.

You turn to him again after you suddenly heard a low grumble resonating from the giant behind you, springing away from him.

He seems overstrung and strangely out of place as your eyes land on him. He’s sensed that you’re feeling very uncomfortable in his presence.

Your eyes are wide for a second, surprised with his observation and the way he’s giving you your space as result. You then frown at him. Not out of irritation. At least, not entirely, but more so out of empathy. “I’m sorry,” is all you could whisper after a minute of silence, not even knowing yourself what you’re exactly apologizing for. For your feelings? For his? For the situation as a whole?

Of course, he seems to know you much better than he obviously seems to let on. Also, Meg did know your name without the two of you ever meeting each other before face to face during that trial. Does this mean that all of them were able to watch you in a similar way you were watching them while you played? The Trapper included?

You swallow as you turn yourself away from him before stepping into the house.

Either way, you don’t know if the survivors, the Observer or anyone else out there could ever save you from your peculiar situation. Perhaps all you can do in the meantime is to try and make the best out of it while searching for a way out... A quest now all the more difficult now that you have a love-sick killer as your unwanted bodyguard…

[lazyliars]

Tubbo’s current trajectory is a completely sensible leap from where he was left in the aftermath of Doomsday.

Tubbo made New L’manberg to be an open, safe place, welcoming to all - no walls, built with wood, and a heart on the flag, just in case it wasn’t clear enough. (To be fair, Ghostbur did most of the building, but it was under Tubbo’s administration and with his clear approval, so for the sake of this analysis I’m counting it as being made close to Tubbo’s original vision.)

New L’manberg wasn’t perfect, but Tubbo’s vision for it was very close to what Snowchester is now, minus the nukes. Even the building scheme is similar.

Tubbo’s original idea for the governing forces of New L’manberg were an extremely equal one; the first thing he did when the dust had settled over the first explosion of L’manberg, was to assure Quackity that he would have a say in the future of L’manberg - same with Fundy. He also asked Philza to be a guiding force of earthly wisdom. He even granted Karl a token position - even after he had just fought against Pogtopia. Tubbo took every precaution to make sure he would not be a dictator.

Tubbo didn’t want to have control over the others, and tried to make sure decisions were made by the group and not just by his whims. Unfortunately, the pendulum would end up swinging too far the other way, and his own input ended up getting shunted aside, and resulting feelings of frustration would put more and more tension on Tubbo -- until he snapped, and exiled Tommy against the wishes of the cabinet.

After this, Tubbo clearly regrets going against his advisors, even if he still believed at that point that exile was the best choice. He steps back in most of the decision making.

The cabinet, mainly Quackity, took over controlling the flow of momentum. (Fundy was also culpable, but to a lesser degree - he spent more time supporting the other two, in line with his characterization; “seeking approval from an authority figure”) Quackity, compelled by the desire to hold control in a world filled with people who could kill them all on a whim, took to creating the butcher army. This is completely in line with his character, too; Quackity despises tyranny, a trait he’s had since before the election, when he opposed Wilbur’s one-party system.

(It’s ironic, then, that he finds himself as Techno’s foil in a lot ways - they both hate Tyranny, and see it most strongly in each other. Techno, the Tyranny of Government, rulers who control their citizens through ill-gotten power, exacting laws and punishing any who stand to challenge them. Quackity, the Tyranny of The Powerful, of individuals who believe that only the strong are worthy of walking in the light, while the weak are left to struggle and scrap in the darkness.

But that’s a topic for another day.)

It’s worth pointing out that when everyone started leaving, Tubbo did not try to stop them. Quackity with Mexican L’manberg/El Rapids, Fundy with Dry Waters, and Philza only owning property in New L’manberg.

I truly believe that this is the best example of how Tubbo was never Schlatt. Schlatt would have tried to stop them - violently, or manipulatively, or would have lashed out. Tubbo just sadly watched them all leave him, and earnestly wished them the best.

The only time he ever tried to stop someone leaving was with Philza’s house arrest (which Tubbo was comically bad at. Like, looney toons levels of bad, goddamn)  and that was more a move of national defense, as Phil was known to be working with Techno at that point. They also didn’t try very hard, or at all really, to catch him after he escaped.

^^^And all of the above was Quackity’s initiative. Tubbo cannot escape all of the blame for trying to execute Techno without trial, but it wasn’t his idea, and he was originally against it (to the point of threatening to demote Quackity iirc). He only gave in after making the snap decision to Exile Tommy, a decision made under extreme duress, with the threat of another pitched war looming over them like the sword of damocles, but one made against the advice of his cabinet, and one that netted him a lot of comparison to Schlatt.

Tubbo did his best with New L’manberg, and it blew up in his face. Every decision he made was under the blazing eyes of Dream, and every decision he delegated was into the hands of someone who’s ideals were steeped in a power grab.

So. A nation built to be open, peaceful, and welcoming to anyone. A cabinet full of strong-willed individuals who had their own desires and machinations to contend with. A god of chaos and destruction with his eyes set on this fledgling nation. And a first time leader fresh off the failures of the last two.

I’m not gonna say the line.

New L’manberg started conflicts with no means to defend itself against the repercussions; a conflict of interest between peace and control.

Tubbo learned from his mistakes, clearly, when he made Snowchester.

Tubbo started innocently, like he did with New L’manberg. A new place, a safe place, hidden away from conflict and violence. Supposedly safe from Technoblade, as it would have no standing leaders to become to Tyrants. It would be a peaceful getaway from the Dream SMP, and from the memory of his failures.

But Tubbo couldn’t forget - not with the final battle for the discs hanging over them. While Snowchester didn’t come into play in the conflict with Dream much, these plot-points intersect in meaningful ways, most notably in how Tubbo was ready to die for Tommy with zero hesitation, and how he now wants Tommy to come live in Snowchester more than ever.

Tubbo is terrified of losing what he cares about far more than he is of dying. Sacrificing himself for Tommy, or for the discs, it means more to him than living. But he knows that even his life wouldn’t be payment enough for the things he loves.

Sacrifice, giving, preservation. These don’t matter to gods.

Paranoia and fatalism, a feeling that something would come along and crush this new home, too. This is what fueled Project Dreamcatcher.

Tubbo was taught a lesson very effectively when Techno and Phil destroyed New L’manberg, but it wasn’t one they meant to teach. They meant to teach that power corrupts, that hierarchy is cruel, that cruelty will breed it’s own downfall.

What they taught instead was that Might Makes Right. They taught the strong will crush the weak. They taught that to build with wood, you must be able to stop the fire before it starts.

So Tubbo has taken those lessons to heart and decided that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - there wont be another war because the next war will be the last war.

Nuclear weaponry is self destructive - it’s poison to the land, to the people, to even those it is not aimed at. It’s not preservation. It’s a threat of taking, taking life and land and everything else too. It is the promise of an eye for an eye. Of mutually assured destruction.

Tubbo will protect what he cares about.

Or nobody will care about anything, ever again.

[longlivejasongrace]

about wylan van eck and kaz brekker

ever since i finished the duology i havent been able to stop thinking about the similitudes and differences between wylan and kaz. they certainly look like they should be at the opposite sides of the spectrum and they are but that doesn't mean they dont share some key traits that make them very similar if you care to look more closely.

wylan obviously personifies the role of the naïve member to counterpoint this band of thieves: a boy who grew up in privilege and who has never had to fence for himself until he had to swim for his life a couple of months before the events of six of crows. wylan's firm moral compass doesn't help him integrate to the thug life and only highlights how new he is to this world. in many ways, wylan is just like young kaz: honest and earnest, someone who believes in kindness over greed.

they are both very intelligent characters who are motivated by curiosity. i feel like people forget that kaz rietvield was the one who learned about magic and sleight of hand, not kaz brekker. he didn't try to crack that mystery because he thought it would be necessary or useful, he was just curious. he tries to spin it as a way to show how crooked he is, how he just cant let things go, but it doesnt change the fact that it was a very childish impulse which interested him so much in sleight of hand.

wylan is also very curious, he likes to understand how things work, he needs to understand. while kaz learned just because (at first), wylan uses his curiosity as a way to have more tools against the weakness he sees in not being able to read, a way to balance it out so to speak. since he cant learn via the academic route he throws himself in studying in his own way to try to parse this world which has closed so many doors for him.

you could say, well they're both curious about the world around them, so what? the thing is, the whole question about where the water comes from is how kaz discovers an escape route from the white island. if wylan had been motivated to keep digging he would have probably found the same answer.

expanding on this, kaz and wylan can see the world from the same perspective

it's not something that comes naturally to wylan in the sense that he usually doesnt use his knowledge to do criminal activity lol but they both see things as puzzles, objects to be made sense of.

another similarity: wylan can be pretty ruthless. i feel like people forget this too often

but of course, he wouldn't ever reach the level of cruelty kaz achieves since after everything wylan has a conscience lol (can you imagine wylan throwing someone off a building or taking their eye out with an oyster knife? yeah, i didn't think so. he's not above burning people tho lol)

this is a small detail but i believe it wasn't random, it's another link between kaz and wylan:

wylan is the only other character besides kaz to have a "scheming face". it's not only kinda funny to picture the 'innocent' wylan as some kind of evil mastermind, it shows how wylan does have the potential to be like the current kaz. he definitely has the brain for it

because by crooked kingdom wylan understands how kaz' mind works

(notable how wylan is one of the few who lies to kaz and kaz lets him get away with it. wylan knew it was no coincidence kaz gave that information for free but he didn't have enough context clues to imagine what he would find if he went to Saint Hilde)

his background and what he has learned from the crows also helps him see bad decisions where jesper does not

(what does it matter? because for all intent and purposes both wylan and jesper are outsiders, they didn't grew up in the barrel but wylan understood its laws from being there for like half a year while jesper has been a part of the crew for longer but still keeps a bit of his innocence when it comes to deals)

and wylan is usually the one who gets the most detailed parts of the plans

either from the merch side of the equation:

or the puzzle side:

this is a minor detail but another thing that links kaz and wylan together is jesper. not only because jesper expresses romantic interest in both of them, but because of what he sees in the two of them.

jesper about why he likes kaz:

jesper and how he sees wylan:

in conclusion (im sorry this is so long):

while i wouldn't say wylan is kaz' literary foil, he definitely embodies the impressionable kaz rietveld, just like jesper can be a projection of what jordie would have become if he hadn't died. wylan is very clever but unlike kaz he hasn't lost the things that connected him to his humanity and kindness: his moral compass and his hope for reuniting with his family. Marya Hendricks becomes a powerful motivator after wylan finds her and wylan goes through all these trials and tribulations for her. kaz lost that kind of connection when he was too young and went through a devastatingly traumatic event on top of that to ever be able to recover from it.

(not to say kaz is completely ruthless, he just has reshaped himself so he can supress that natural reflex of helping others. both wylan and kaz are very loyal to the people they trust, even if kaz has to disguise the fact and make it look like every freaking decision is made only to serve himself)

i wish people stopped seeing wylan as this angel who can do no wrong or as a wimpy kid who cant stomach what it needs to be done. it's a disservice to his character because while he is understandably scared through most of the duology, he makes conscious decisions not to lose himself in the violence and the cruelty of the barrel.

honorary mention: all the tricks and ways wylan has picked up to hide how he cant read, like using the fact he's a newcomer to not understand directions, mentioning how he doesn't know enough fjerdan to write the names in the plans he's drawing, claiming he doesn't understand someone's handwriting and many more.

[subscribe2technoblade]

The Syndicate/Butcher Army Parallels and Perpendiculars

Here's my thoughts on Technoblade's "First Meeting" stream and the discourse surrounding it. This is a long one. /rp for all of this. All names from here on out are in reference to characters, not content creators.

First: a list of similarities and differences between the Syndicate's visit to Snowchester and the Butcher Army's visit to Technoblade's retirement home.

Similarities

Four people in full netherite approach a snowy settlement currently populated by one individual

Said individual is alerted in advance to the approach by someone they trust, and therefore given enough time to prepare

Said individual has the potential to absolutely decimate their enemies if they choose to, and their decision not to is important

There is a pet that the individual cares about who could be threatened if things go south

Differences

The Syndicate’s visit to Snowchester was intended to be a stealth mission- failed very early on because Tubbo was right there

The Butcher Army broke into Phil’s house to find out where Techno was hiding. The Syndicate already knew the vague area of where Snowchester is.

The Butcher Army was always going to push Techno to violence, because they did not care that Techno was retired. The Syndicate recognized that Snowchester is not L’Manburg 2.0 and therefore left it alone.

The Butcher Army threatened Carl to force Techno to comply. Ranboo and Tubbo hid Michael before Techno got there. (Imo it was unnecessary considering Techno gave Jack Manifold’s fox a golden apple rather than threatening it, but I can understand their concern since pets in general have a short lifespan on the smp.)

Now: some analysis

Tubbo was the Technoblade in this stream. Here he is, surrounded by what he has built, showing people that could be his enemies around. The Syndicate means him no harm, but Tubbo doesn’t know that. He is outnumbered. If they wanted to hurt him, kill him, blow up everything he cares about, they could, and in his experience, if someone can do those things, they will. So he puts up a front of nonchalance and shows them the crater. The subtext seemingly goes right over Techno’s head that Tubbo is preparing for history to repeat itself.

Ranboo is doing the same thing. Ranboo was also part of the Butcher Army. He watched how they treated Techno and how they executed him without a real trial. New L’Manburg was a paranoid nation always looking for traitors. I can actually kind of understand why Ranboo didn’t immediately speak up that Snowchester was peaceful. If he had told the Butcher Army that Techno was peaceful, they would have gone ahead with their plans anyway and accused Ranboo of being in league with the enemy. Ranboo should probably know Phil and Techno better than that by now, but man’s got anxiety so I’ll cut him a little bit of slack. Ranboo could also see history repeating itself and wanted to protect his husband and adopted son.

The key difference here is the Syndicate’s reaction to Snowchester. They are wary, because of course they are. Phil, Techno, Niki, and Ranboo know better than anyone else how quickly a small nation can turn corrupt. (Niki especially had a visceral reaction to Tubbo wearing the black shield with the red x, which is understandable given her history under Schlatt.) So they don’t sugarcoat what they’re doing, but they don’t put words in Tubbo’s mouth when he describes what Snowchester is. They listen, they follow Tubbo without barging into any buildings or looking through chests, and when they understand what’s going on, that Tubbo has no intentions to institute a hierarchy or start conquering other people, they leave. This is where people slip up and start calling the Syndicate tyrannical or claim it’s policing the SMP. From the similarities, it could look like that, and let’s be real, people poking around your base on the Dream SMP is very rarely benign. However, the Syndicate is not the Butcher Army. They are looking to benefit everyone on the server by fighting tyranny. The Butcher Army did not care who they hurt or lied to if it was in the name of securing power.

Personally, I’m hoping this leads to better cooperation between people on the SMP. Ranboo and Tubbo might be able to see that Techno is not just a being of violence and chaos; he can be reasoned with. Ranboo might be able to gain more confidence as the Syndicate allows him to speak his piece without being accused of treachery. I haven’t even mentioned how happy I am that Niki is actually being listened to and involved in this arc. The Syndicate gives people freedom and is a vehicle for mutual aid and cooperation. The Butcher Army was a group of hitmen hell-bent on reinforcing government power at any cost.

(I do not have time to go through all the streams to find timestamps for all the things I’m referencing, so feel free to add on to this post if you do have the time to gather textual evidence.)

[mianavs]

making amends

part 10 of Cathexis

a/n: relationship development...and that’s pretty much it. currently planning the next arc that’ll include a troupe of characters

wc: 2.1k+

Cathexis 

No matter how many ways you looked at it, Hisoka had once again manipulated you into meeting him using Illumi as an excuse. The only difference now was that you knew more about him than you had during your encounter in Swardani and wouldn’t make the same mistake twice—or at least that’s what you told yourself during your flight to Heaven’s Arena.

After hours of fighting the urge, you pulled out your phone and reread the message he’d sent you.

[Come to Heaven’s Arena and I’ll let Illumi know that you want to meet with him ♥]

Unbidden memories of your night with Hisoka came to mind. The pleasure and pain he gave you. The heat during your coupling and coldness afterwards. The logic-defying lust and numb detachment. The conflicting emotions of that night mirrored your relationship with the magician—you knew he was dangerous yet you couldn’t stay away.

You put your phone away and with it any lingering thoughts on Hisoka to direct your focus on the purpose behind your trip—apologizing to Illumi.

Of course, you didn’t have to apologize to him since he was completely oblivious to your falling out with your brother, but you needed to rid yourself of the guilt you felt when his face came to mind. In addition to eliminating your guilt, the apology would serve as proof of your differences; you were open-minded and understanding whereas Illumi was stubborn and cold. That was the logic behind your reasoning yet the possibility of you two bonding over your similar situations crossed your mind throughout the remainder of your flight.

The glaring lights of Heaven’s Arena against the dark backdrop of the night sky guided you to the tall building where you had first met Hisoka a couple of months ago. You couldn’t believe how naïve you’d been at the time, treating your investigation on Illumi as a hobby when in reality your connection with him went back two generations with your grandfather and Zeno Zoldyck. Yet despite the anger and frustration over the situation, your relationship with Illumi deepened to the point that you thought about him from time to time and forced yourself to travel to a different continent just to meet with him.

The arena was as busy as ever with fighters and spectators alike crowding the hallways, restaurants, and shops. It had once been a place that filled you with excitement but now only reminded you of the fateful encounter that changed your life—whether it’d been for better or worse you couldn’t exactly say.

Upon getting off the elevator on Hisoka’s floor, you made your way towards his suite number when you saw a short pink-haired woman with a sack slung over her shoulder exit a room. For whatever reason, you suspected the room she’d left was Hisoka’s and that suspicion grew ten-fold when she shot you a knowing look. Your mouth opened to say something but the woman passed you wordlessly and left you no choice but to swallow the question that’d been on the tip of your tongue.

Sure enough you stopped in front of the room she’d exited out of and looked towards the elevator but the woman was already gone. You took a deep breath and shifted your focus back to dealing with Hisoka before knocking twice on his door. It swung open almost immediately and you wondered if he’d been waiting for you at the door—If he’d told his prior guest about you.

“It’s nice to see you again, Y/N.” Hisoka drawled, his eyes drinking you in from head to toe before stepping aside to let you in. “I’d been waiting patiently for your arrival.”

You entered swiftly and pretended to look around his suite while putting some distance between the two of you. “Yeah, I could tell. I hope I didn’t interrupt a prior engagement with the guest that just left.”

Hisoka’s mouth stretched into a smile, “Oh, her? No, we finished our business before your arrival.”

“That’s good,” you replied and turned to face him. “You must be tired after finishing your…business, so I’ll let you rest. Let Illumi know that I’m here and want to meet with him tomo-”

You broke off when Hisoka took three large steps toward you and effectively backed you against a wall with an amused grin on his face. His close proximately allowed you to see his still-wet pink tresses that clumped together at the ends and smelled the sweetness of his soap that still lingered on his skin.

“You’re mistaken, Y/N. I didn’t sleep with her-”

“Forget it. Who you sleep with really isn’t my business.” You cut in and pressed a hand to his chest with enough force to gently push him away. Hisoka’s smile only faltered for an instant before caressing the spot on his chest where your hand had been. You rolled your eyes and sidestepped him to head towards the door

“Since Illumi isn’t here, I’ll head ou-”

“I didn’t sleep with Machi but I believe Illumi did.”

Your head snapped to him and you spoke without thinking. “What did you say?”

Hisoka let out a low chuckle at your fierce reaction. “So that’s how it is, huh? Does it bother you that much knowing Illumi slept with another woman?”

His words shook you to your core when you realized how your little outburst appeared to an onlooker like Hisoka. Your eyes widened before you looked away, taking a couple breaths to calm down before you spoke. “Who Illumi fucks isn’t my business either.”

“When it comes to Illumi, you really are a bad liar. Not a good thing for a Transmuter, you know.”

Hisoka’s face darkened and a vicious look reflected on his golden eyes that sent chills down your spine. In that moment, the apprehension you felt the first time you met him returned. You averted your gaze when Hisoka’s bloodlust seeped out, poking and prodding at the Nen barrier you put up.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Hisoka.” With that you left the unnerving magician and buried all thoughts of Illumi and that Machi woman in the darkest recesses of your mind.

The entire way to Hisoka’s suite the next morning, you rehearsed the words you’d say to Illumi when you saw him and even went as far as to plan the events that would take place. You would greet the two of them, ask to speak with Illumi alone, leave Hisoka, and head to some random café to converse privately where you’d quickly apologize and then leave.

That had been the plan yet when Illumi was the one to greet you at the door, your mouth went dry and all you could do was stare helplessly at the assassin.

All it took was a glance at him for you to realize he’d just finished up a mission. His clothes were covered in dirt and dotted with blood while his hair was matted and pulled into a loose bun. There was also the slightest hint of weariness on his face that you’d seen on him at the mansion after he returned from his mission.

“Did you just finish a job?”

The question tumbled out of your mouth as you crossed the doorway and turned around to face Illumi while he closed the door behind you.

“I did. Hisoka said you wanted to see me, so I came as soon as I could.” Illumi stated, fixing you a quizzical look.

“Morning, Y/N.” Hisoka’s lilting voice rang out, but you ignored him and remained focused on Illumi.

“You’re not hurt are you?” You asked and took a step towards him while your eyes scanned his entire body for cuts or patches of blood on his clothes.

Illumi’s brow furrowed ever-so slightly but he shook his head. “I’m fine. Why did you want to meet?”

You opened your mouth to answer but remembered your plan and turned to address the magician instead. “We’ll be leaving first. Thank you for arranging this, Hisoka.”

Not waiting for him to respond, you grabbed Illumi by the wrist and exited Hisoka’s suite without sparing the magician a glance.

It wasn’t until you reached the elevator that Illumi spoke. “Where are we going?”

You wondered the same thing, but when your eyes glanced at Illumi’s clothes, the answer came to you. “My hotel. You look like you could use a shower and a meal. We’ll talk afterwards.”

Illumi didn’t say anything and just stared at you with those wide, black eyes of his that fascinated and unnerved you all at once. The elevator ding broke your trance and the two of you stepped inside. The entire elevator ride, you ignored the voice in your head that protested bringing Illumi to your hotel room.

The walk to your hotel was filled with inquiries over Illumi’s preferred food to which he responded with “anything is fine”, so you made a mental list of decent take-out places nearby. The two of you passed by a clothing store and you almost stopped to go in until you realized how ridiculous that would make you look. In the end, you took Illumi’s clothes while he showered and handed it to the concierge to get them dry-cleaned immediately, making sure to include a handsome tip.

By the time Illumi finished, his clothes were clean and hanging from the bathroom door while you set up the food that’d been delivered a few minutes prior. You were pouring juice into two cups when he stepped out of the bathroom along with a cloud of steam.

So he also likes hot showers

He looked more like the Illumi you were used to seeing with clean clothes and blow-dried hair that swayed with each step. When you met his gaze and realized he’d caught you staring, you averted your gaze to the food before you and took a seat while he followed suit.

After making sure Illumi swallowed three bites of food, you spoke. “How is Killua?”

A dull half smile appeared on Illumi’s face but his voice was as apathetic as ever. “He didn’t pass the exam but I did.”

The juice went down the wrong pipe and you coughed into your napkin as you fixed Illumi a bewildered look. “Y-you…why?

“For the job I just finished and to placate Mother. He might have even passed if he’d gotten a different opponent in the last trial.”

You thought back on how excited Killua seemed to take the exam and shook your head lightly before taking another bite of food.

“How was your brother?” Illumi asked off-handedly and you tensed up instantly with goosebumps erupting on your skin. It shouldn’t have been a surprise he knew you’d gone home, but the fact that he specifically mentioned your brother made you paranoid. Illumi’s face revealed nothing as he stared at you with mild amusement before the corners of his mouth turned downward the longer his eyes remained on your face.

“Good. He’s healthy and strong even though-” you trailed off and lowered your gaze to think over what you wanted to say. “He told me he didn’t want to be a hunter after years of intense training. It was a huge shock to me and we ended up having an argument.”

Illumi’s brow quirked but he remained silent while you squirmed in your seat.

“Look, I-I wanted to apologize for judging you the way I did about Killua rebelling and taking the Hunter Exam. It was hypocritical of me since I reacted similarly when my brother told me he wanted to be doctor instead of a hunter. I understand now why you’re so against Killua straying from his path because my brother is also my father’s heir and if he gives up being a hunter then our family’s legacy will be over.”

Per usual, Illumi’s face didn’t betray whatever he was feeling. The only indicator he’d listened to you were his eyes that studied your face for a minute before he opened his mouth to speak.

“I suppose I also owe you an apology for what I said over the phone.” Illumi admitted before taking a sip of juice. “You’re not an outsider. You’re my betrothed and you deserve respect.”

The statement should have made your stomach turn like your first conversation with him in York New. Instead your heart fluttered and there was a tightness in your chest as you searched his face for any indication he was joking, but it was Illumi and he meant every word.

“I- thank you,” you replied after collecting yourself and turned your attention to the half-eaten food on your plate.

“We should finish eating before the food gets cold.” You laughed awkwardly and glanced up in time to see the faintest smile playing on Illumi’s lips.

[hawks-supremacy]

Quiet Meetings

Summary: Bokuto want you to take the job as the new team manager for the MSBY Black Jackals, but you’re a little hesitant to take his offer because there’s one problem. You’re deaf.

Warnings: Panic attack

Pairing: Sakusa x Deaf!Reader

Genre: Angst? Fluff

Word Count: 2.8k

Bold = Written    Italics = signed

Arriving at the address that Bokuto sent you, you made your way to the front desk where they smiled and handed you your visitors ID and went back to the call they were on. You sent a text to Bokuto saying that you were here, but you knew he wouldn’t get it until after his team was done with practice or took a break. Having been here before you made your way to the private waiting room for staff and friends.

You were visiting Bokuto on your one day off because he had been trying to convince you to be the new team manager for the MSBY Black Jackals. While you appreciated the thought you weren’t sure if you could handle being a manager to a volleyball team. Sure you managed the Fukurodani Academy’s volleyball team, but that was different. Everyone knew you there so nothing needed to be learned or taught. Your current job sucked but it was convenient for you because you didn’t need to talk to anyone and it was just computer work. Finding a good place to work while being deaf was tough, not everyone knew JSL or could be bothered to learn. Which is why you had been hesitant to agree to Bokuto’s new found job offer after the last manager suddenly quit. 

You had been waiting for a half an hour before deciding to get up and get something to drink from the mini fridge in the corner of the room you were currently sitting in. Turning around after acquiring your beverage you jumped back at the sudden appearance of one of Bokuto’s teammates. Going through your head of all of Bokuto’s teammates and what he’s said about them you determined this one was Sakusa Kiyoomi. He was tall enough that you had to look up if you had wanted to speak to him, he had a curly mop of hair with two moles resting above his eyebrow, and if that didn’t give it away he was wearing a mask as well. You had remembered Bokuto mentioning he was “scared of germs”. While you weren’t 100% deaf you still couldn’t hear fully unless the person was shoulder to shoulder with you or shouting. Even then you still had to put all your focus on hearing who was talking to you or if just sounded muffled. Sakusa wearing a mask didn’t help and you didn’t quite know how to get out of this interaction.

You realized he was talking to you when he waved a hand in front of you to gain your attention. While you couldn’t see half of his face you could tell by his eyes that he was pissed and probably not talking cheerfully to you. You started panicking desperately hoping for something to get you out of this situation or for subtitles to miraculously appear next to him so you could understand why he was mad. Starting to hyperventilate you tried to turn and leave the room to hopefully find your friend but he just stepped in front of you still, what you assumed to be, yelling. Too busy trying to calm down your frantic breathing you hadn’t noticed Bokuto coming up to you and Sakusa while yelling his usual greeting. 

You nearly jumped out of your skin when you felt Bokuto touch your arm. You turned your head to give him a panicked look and you could tell he felt bad for scaring you as he pulled you into a hug and started to rub small circles into your back to calm you down. After your breathing had returned to it’s normal pace you stepped out of the hug. You quickly hid behind Bokuto embarrassed when you noticed his teammates had been there and watched the whole thing. As you rested your forehead on his back you could tell he was talking to his teammates due to the vibrations of his back.

As Bo moved you presumably to formally introduce you to everyone you moved with him still not wanting to be seen. Bo reached behind him and grabbed your wrist to move you to the side of him as he started to introduce you to his friends. While he was telling everyone about you, you looked around trying to match descriptions and names to faces. The shorter one with orange hair was Hinata, you briefly remember meeting him back in your first year during a training camp. You think the taller one with faux blond hair was named Atsumu. Then lastly there was Sakusa and you had already met him. After guessing who everyone was in your head you realized that Bo had stopped talking and Atsuma and Hinata were both talking to you. 

You took a small step back and shyly looked at Bokuto. You watched as he smacked his own forehead and said something to the small group in front of you.  As you watched the faces of realization sweep across all three faces you made an educated guess and assumed that he told them about your hearing or rather lack thereof. You gave everyone a small smile as you waved and turned to Bokuto.

What did you tell them? You signed, slower than you normally would since Bokuto was still learning despite being friends for so long. You were younger than Bokuto and Akaashi but your moms were all friends so you grew up together. Bokuto was still getting the hang of some of the difficult signs and still confuses some of the similar ones, but it was the thought that counts. You told him numerous times you didn’t mind texting or writing everything on the small white board you usually carry in your backpack. He insists it’s just faster if he learns to sign as well.

I told them that you were deaf so you couldn’t understand them. You giggled slightly as he struggled with some of the words. Did you think about being our manager yet? You shrugged as you looked at your shoes. 

The idea itself seemed great and you wouldn’t mind getting to hang out with one of your best friends more than you already do. But you couldn’t help but be embarrassed that you can’t talk to the team like a normal manager would be able to. You don’t want to be a burden on anyone already feeling that way in your own family, you wouldn’t want to feel that way with strangers too. 

Feeling a tap on your shoulder you looked up at Bokuto, You aren’t a burden stop thinking like that. Of course he knew what you were thinking he wasn’t your best friend for nothing. Please just a trial run for at least a month. There’s no games until next month so you would just help at training. You sighed as you nodded, giving in. You smiled as he picked you up and spun you before setting you down and telling the rest of the team that you were going to do a trial run for being the new manager.

You pulled on Bo’s sleeve signing that you can’t start until next week so you can quit your current job. Even if this doesn’t work out you don’t want to continue working there. After getting everything set up with the coach and meeting the rest of the team who were talking in the gym you guys went out to eat so you could get to know everyone. You wrote down what you wanted to say on your board and Bokuto wrote the answers to questions or comments that others had down for you. 

A week later and you re-entered the building to meet with Bokuto but this time you would be staying and working. The guys minus Sakusa had greeted you when you entered the gym. After dinner last week you had exchanged numbers with Atsumu and Hinata then was immediately put in a group chat with the three boys becoming good friends throughout the week. You didn’t take Sakusa ignoring you when you walked into the gym personally, you figured he was still mad at you for what happened last week. Although you yourself aren’t quite sure what happened last week. He didn’t have anything to say to you during dinner and he wasn’t interested in exchanging numbers either. You shrugged it off and sat yourself at the edge of the bench while the guys warmed up.

As the guys warmed up you took out a notebook that had information for the team written down. Everyone was pretty basic, just small things they liked done differently than each other. The only one that seemed to have a big difference was Sakusa. The biggest thing was the fact that he was a germaphobe, so you went out and bought a few things to accommodate that. You bought antibacterial wipes so you could wipe down where you set his water bottle and towel down so that he doesn’t have to come near anyone to get his stuff or worry about it getting it dirty by setting it down on a dirty bench. You also bought a travel pack of hand sanitizer and some antibacterial spray for your hands. The boys had mentioned that he liked the laundry done with certain products and you made a mental note to ask him later how he wanted them done.

Looking up you noticed that they had split up and started practicing. You figured they would have a break soon so you grabbed everyone’s water bottle but Sakusas and went to go fill them up. When you were finished with that you put aside a towel for each of them to wipe away their sweat. You sanitize your hands before grabbing Sakusa’s bottle to fill up with water. You didn’t mind taking two trips if it meant he would be more comfortable. When you returned to the gym you took the wipe you had gotten out before leaving and wiped down the area you wanted to place his stuff on. Placing a towel down next to his water bottle you sat down by everyone else’s stuff. While you were doing this you hadn’t noticed a pair of eyes watching you do all this.

After you had successfully completed your first day as their manager you had read through the notes you took throughout the day. They weren’t anything too detailed mostly just who played what position. The guys were currently getting changed and showering in their locker room and you decided to wait. You still wanted to ask Sakusa about the laundry, not wanting to upset anyone. 

As the boys were exiting the locker room you noticed that even if he was the first in the locker room he still wasn’t out even though everyone already left. As you thought about it you really didn’t know how you would get his attention, usually you tug on Bokuto’s sleeve but you didn’t want to invade Sakusa’s personal space. You quickly texted the group chat and asked for Sakusa’s contact information praying that someone had been on their phone at the time. As Hinata responded you made a mental note to bring him a cupcake or lunch to tomorrow’s practice. 

You sent him a quick text asking if you could talk after he was done in the locker room. As he replied with a simple ‘Ok.’ you noted that he was a dry texter, or maybe he really did hate you. You hoped it wasn’t the latter. You stood up with your white board and you saw him walk out of the locker room and stopped about five feet away from him and shyly waved. You frantically waved your arms as he took off his mask and started to walk closer to you. He raised an eyebrow as you started writing on your white board, I have two white boards, you don’t have to take off your mask if you don’t want to.  He nodded and you sat down on the bench to give him your spare white board and marker and he sat down with you. 

Before you gave him your white board you got out your package of anti-bacterial wipes and handed them to him before handing him the board and marker. You smiled as he took everything and started disinfecting it. When he was done with everything he wrote a simple, Thank you, what did you need. 

You shook your head at the fact that he was just as blunt as everyone said he was. While he was erasing his previous statement you wrote yours, Bo had mentioned that you liked the laundry done with certain products, I was wondering if you could tell me so I don’t mess it up? After reading your question he looked slightly shocked and that confused you. Is it not normal for the team manager to want to do things the way the teams like? Come to think of it Bo never did tell you why the previous one quit. 

After thinking about it for a while Sakusa had written down, I’ll just text it to you. You made an “Oh” face and nodded. He handed you back the white board and started walking towards the doors, you quickly put them both away and stood up to leave. 

As you exited the building you noticed it was darker then when you used to get out of work and you were thankful you didn’t live near a sketchy neighborhood. As you turned to leave you felt someone tap your shoulder and you jumped before turning around. You gave Sakusa a questioning look as he pulled out his phone, soon you felt your phone buzz in your pocket. You pulled out your phone and saw a text from him asking if you wanted a ride home. You shook your head and turned again to leave but was quickly pulled towards the opposite direction. You glanced down where you felt the tugging and saw Sakusa holding the end of your sleeve while walking towards his car.

As you got in the car and buckled your seat belt you glanced at him and noticed he was watching you the whole time. You tilted your head in confusion and he pointed to the screen that was prompting you to enter in your address and you nodded and started typing it in smiling at him when you were done. On the way to your apartment you looked out the window watching all the people pass by occasionally looking at Sakusa as he drove. Before you got out of the car you quickly signed Thank you out of habit and you were about to scold yourself that you probably look dumb but you were shocked and pleasantly surprised when he signed back You’re welcome.

You stopped at your mail cubby and grabbed the few letters in there nodding at the other person in the lobby before heading to the elevator to get to your floor. You showered before you did anything else knowing Sakusa wasn’t going to text you right away about the laundry supplies. After you showered and did your nightly routine you opened the mail you retrieved, one of them being a letter from your parents and the other being a hospital bill from your monthly visit. You sighed and set the bill aside while you put the letter from your parents with the others they sent. You didn’t have the best relationship with them.

You glanced at your phone again and noticed that Sakusa had texted you six minutes ago. Listing all of the products that he used to do laundry and you quickly jotted them down in your notebook and made a mental note to get them the next time you go shopping. You sent a thank you thinking that was the last of your interaction for today when you got another text.

Sakusa: I talked with the rest of the guys and they said you think I hate you. I don’t. I feel bad that I yelled at you and basically caused you to have a panic attack. I didn’t know how to apologize or to approach you so I just avoided you. I’m sorry. I don’t do well with new people or people in general.

You laughed at the last part and quickly sent a text back saying it wasn’t his fault, and he didn’t know you were deaf. After that you had a light conversation before it ended saying he would see you at tomorrow's practice and asked if you needed a ride again. You declined saying that Bokuto was supposed to pick you up but thanked him anyway and told him to sleep well. You were glad he wasn’t mad at you or absolutely hated you. Otherwise that would’ve made for a long and awkward month.

[ruanbaijie]

Finally crawled out of The Untamed / MDZS hell... do you have any suggestions for other cdramas to watch?? Preferably on Netflix bc that’s what’s currently accessible to me

oh my god I feel like I’m the last person you should be asking because a) I don’t have netflix, and b) I haven’t actually watched that many cdramas to be able to give a good rec (;^_^A

okay but I had to google “chinese dramas on netflix” and I’m just gonna point out the ones that I’ve watched from this list (https://reelgood.com/tv/country/china/on-netflix), plus a couple of others that I haven’t but that I’ve heard good things about. all of the synopses below are from mydramalist/ wiki because I’ve mostly forgotten how to recap even those I’ve watched before lol my memory is terrible (;￣ー￣川

On Netflix

1. Ashes of Love 香蜜沉沉烬如霜 (2018)

http://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.com/2018/11/ashes-of-love-episode-1-recap.html

Genres: xianxia, fantasy, romance

Synopsis: The Flower Goddess dies after giving birth to a daughter, Jin Mi. She saw a prophecy that her daughter will suffer a great love trial within the first thousand year of her life, thus before dying, she gave her a magical pill that prevents her from feeling and expressing romantic love. This caused Jin Mi to become the brunt of many jokes when she gets tangled in a love triangle with Xu Feng, the haughty Fire God, and his brother, the Night God Run Yu.

Jin Mi is tricked into thinking her father died in the hands of Xu Feng and kills him, coughing up the magic pill in the process. Xu Feng is revived a decade later in the realm of the Demons as the Demon Lord, and wages war against Run Yu, who has now ascended the throne as Heavenly Emperor. Jin Mi is caught in between and doesn't know what to do, ultimately sacrificing herself to end the war and return peace to the world. (wiki)

Another “three lives, three worlds” xianxia concept

Was super popular when it aired

I was super invested in the first half but towards the second half my excitement for it mellowed

Amazing world building

Female lead may seem annoying at first but she grew more tolerable as the series progressed - it’s related to the story arc

Angsty

Shot Luo Yun Xi to fame (灬♥ω♥灬)

2. Eternal Love / Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 (2017)

https://hiddenflowerashes.wordpress.com/2017/05/08/cdrama-review-ten-miles-of-peach-blossoms-eternal-love/

Genres: xianxia, fantasy, romance

Synopsis: After a devastating war, the immortal tribe paid a heavy price to seal the demon lord. 70000 years later, in an attempt to re-seal the demon lord who broke free, Bai Qian was sent to the mortal realm. In the mortal world, she meets Ye Hua and falls in love with him after forgetting about her life as a goddess. Ye Hua gifts her the name of Su Su. Su Jin, who is jealous of Ye Hua's love for Bai Qian, intentionally creates a series of misunderstanding between them and causes Bai Qian to lose her eyes. Thinking that Ye Hua has betrayed her, the devastated Bai Qian jumps off from the Zhu Xian Terrace. At her request, all her memories have been erased and she forgets Ye Hua. 300 years  later, the two meet again as deities. Another lifetime another world, Ye Hua recognises Bai Qian but the latter remains indifferent. Three lives three worlds, her and him, are they fated to bear an entangling love? (mdl)

I haven’t watched this yet but I’ve heard raving reviews

Spin-off series: Eternal Love of Dream

Set up is pretty similar to Ashes of Love (or is it the other way round?? I don’t know which novel came first) where a pair of deities/ fairies fall in love (with or without them realising it) and then have to live for a while in the mortal realm to pass some tribulations and then they realise that they’re deeply in love, etc.

I don’t think I’ll watch this because I tried watching the spin-off after watching Ashes of Love and realised that the whole three lives three worlds thing was starting to bore me

BUT I’ve really heard good things about this drama! And it’s rating on mdl is pretty high too

Side note: Ashes of Love is not in the same universe as Eternal Love and Eternal Love of Dream

3. Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain 从前有座灵剑山 (2019)

https://ninenovel.net/2019/11/30/once-upon-a-time-in-lingjian-mountain-2019-episode-30-recap/

Genres: wuxia, fantasy, romance, action, comedy

Synopsis: A story that follows Wang Lu, a young genius, who enters the Spirit Blade Sect and embarks on an unconventional journey towards immortal cultivation. The Spirit Blade Sect was established in the year 4233. Through years of producing martial arts prodigies, it has been hailed as one of the five great sects. As the nine continents face a crisis, a genius by the name of Wang Lu joins the Spirit Blade Sect and comes under the tutelage Wang Wu. Despite Wang Wu's beauty, she is hundreds of years in age. Famous for having a sharp tongue and an erratic temper, she and her disciple Wang Lu engage in endless squabbles while trudging on a path to becoming the strongest sage in all the lands. (mdl)

Quite a fun, lighthearted show to watch

Big on humour but also has its smart moments

Reminded me of a more lighthearted version of Joy of Life (see below)

Female lead is super sassy

4. Tientsin Mystic 河神 (2017)

https://nextepisodepls.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/tientsin-mystic-%E6%B2%B3%E7%A5%9E-series-review/

Genres: fantasy, mystery, suspense, supernatural, detective

Synopsis: Set in the 1920s Republican era, flooding ravages the land of Tianjin and conjures up numerous strange tales about the river. Guo De You is a part of the river salvage team, who retrieves bodies from the water. His master is nicknamed 'Old River God'; as the 'Little River God', De You has inherited his ability to use tobacco to uncover the truth, however, his body cannot handle smoke in large amounts. He ends up being suspected for the murder of a distinguished chairman, whose son Ding Mao, a trained forensic investigator, joins forces with him to uncover the truth. With their female partners - Gu Ying, the daughter of a sorceress and De You’s childhood friend, and Xiao Lan-lan, a journalist, whose father is a rich local businessman - they begin an investigation that leads them to an incident twenty years ago, and a cult whose presence is still affecting the city in increasingly sinister ways. (wiki)

I’ve honestly forgotten quite a fair bit of this because I watched it quite some time back

Has a second season

Not on Netflix

5. Eternal Love of Dream / Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book 三生三世枕上书 (2020)

http://www.chiefoil.cn/redian/663890.html

Genres: xianxia, fantasy, romance

Synopsis: Queen of Qing Qiu, Bai Feng Jiu, is the only red nine-tailed fox in the world. One day, Feng Jiu is attacked by a savage beast while seeking cultivation in the mountains and is saved by the first emperor of Heaven, Dong Hua. Grateful and feeling indebted, Feng Jiu accompanies Dong Hua to vanquish the Demon Lord. As the two spend time together, Feng Jiu realises her gratitude towards Dong Hua has slowly evolved into love. Unfortunately, Dong Hua has long forgotten what love is. Although the coldest hearts can melt with time, will countless lifetimes be sufficient to bring these two hearts together? (mdl)

OKAY so this one is also quite good

But I ended up dropping it because as mentioned above I was getting bored of the whole “deities get reincarnated and live three different lives together” thing

That being said, ngl the human arc for this was super cute and ended super painfully

The only other thing I couldn’t stand here was unfortunately Dong Hua’s white wig

6. Oh My General 将军在上 (2017)

https://www.viki.com/tv/35829c-oh-my-general

Genres: historical, romance, comedy, gender bender

Synopsis: During the Song Dynasty, Ye Zhao cross dresses to become a general of outstanding ability, receiving a top rank of general. The Empress Dowager constantly worries about Ye Zhao holding too much power and took the opportunity to betroth Ye Zhao to one of the Emperor's nephews, the no-good Prince of Nanping, Zhao Yujin, who possesses remarkable beauty but is pampered, lazy and spends his time on "useless" artistic pursuits. Thus, the story of the real battle of who will take power in this new household begins. (mdl)

Oh my god this show. It’s so underrated ヽ(´Д`;)ﾉ

The dynamics between Ye Zhao (Sandra Ma) and Zhao Yu Jin (Peter Sheng) are AMAZING

Especially the heart eyes he keeps giving her when he realises how head over heels he is in love with her

And how much being in love with her changed him from lazy snotty aristocrat to actual functioning “I Will Protect My General Wife Even Though I Can’t Fight At All” member of the government

Side note its Chinese name literally means “general above/ on top”, and this series was adapted from a novel called 将军在上我在下 “general above/ on top, I am below” like HMMMM.

Also the costuming in this show is ridiculously colourful and lowkey Japanese-like because they actually got a Japanese costume designer

7. Guardian 镇魂 (2018)

https://forums.soompi.com/topic/399199-mainland-chinese-drama-2018-guardian-%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82/

Genres: fantasy, science fiction, (b)romance, mystery, supernatural, detective

Synopsis: Guardian is set on the Earth-like planet of Haixing, populated by a native human population and two alien races — the Yashou, who are able to shapeshift into plants and animals, and the Dixing, superpowered beings who live deep underground. The three races have enjoyed a peaceful co-existence since the arrival of the Yashou and Dixing over ten thousand years ago, broken only by an ancient war declared by the Dixing after a meteor strike depleted their resources. During that war, the Haixing and Yashou were led by the hero Kunlun, who became a close comrade to the Black Robe Envoy, the leader of a faction within the Dixing that sought peace. The war was won by the Haixing with the use of four holy tools crafted from the meteor. At the end of the war, Kunlun vanished, and the Black Robe Envoy became the overseer of peace between the races while awaiting Kunlun's return.

In the present, conflict has begun to erupt again between the Dixing and the surface-dwelling races. The hotheaded Zhao Yun Lan leads the Special Investigation Department (SID), a group that works with the Black Robe Envoy to uphold peace and investigate cases related to the Dixing people. While investigating an incident at the local university, Zhao is assisted by Shen Wei, a biological engineering professor. The two men are drawn closer together as a mysterious enemy threatens to re-ignite war. (wiki)

Ah where do I begin

Adapted from Priest’s BL novel Guardian

Terrible sfx (that makes the sfx in CQL looks amazing), barely intriguing plot after the first few episodes

BUT. BUT. 

The chemistry between Zhao Yun Lan (Bai Yu) and Shen Wei (Zhu Yi Long) is ridiculously good ヾ(*′○`)ﾟ.+:｡ﾟ☆

This show was censored so heavily and diverged so much from the original novel, but the actors and the entire crew knew that they were acting a romance and not a romance and it damn well showed

I believe that this show set the road for CQL because even though it became so wildly popular among fans that I guess it signalled to show runners the possibility of drama adaptations of BL novels despite the heavy censorship

ALSO shot Zhu Yi Long to fame (灬♥ω♥灬)

8. Joy of Life 庆余年 (2019)

https://www.tvmao.com/drama/Yy0wHDA=

Genres: historical, romance, political

Synopsis: Fan Xian grew up in a small town by the sea with his grandmother, following a sudden visit of a poison master, his peaceful life quickly morphs into one filled with danger and hardship. After becoming rather skilled with medicine, poison, and martial arts, he goes to the capital to find out more about his mysterious mother. He ends up on an adventure of marvelling the world, getting tangled in politics, finding true love, figuring out his purpose in life and secrets of his world. (mdl)

Believe me or not, this show actually has quite a fair bit of science fiction in it

It’s a super clever show and involves a bit of thinking

Also stars Xiao Zhan as a side character that has a completely different personality from Wei Wu Xian

Character to look out for: Second Prince. He’s the scene stealer

Character description from wiki that I just had to include: Lin Wan'er, a chicken drumstick princess

9. Reunion: The Sound of the Providence / The Lost Tomb: Reboot / The Lost Tomb 3 重启之极海听雷 (2020)

https://www.iq.com/play/2ffkwt832r8

Genres: fantasy, mystery, suspense, adventure

Synopsis: The iron triangle Wu Xie, Pang Zi and Zhang Qi Ling restart their adventure after receiving an unusual text from Wu San Sheng. Wu Xie, Pang Zi  and Zhang Qi Ling  have hung up their hats to end a ten-year promise. After trading their adventures for a normal life, a text from Wu San Sheng drives them to embark on a mysterious journey for the sake of family and friendship. (mdl)

Tbh I would’ve listed horror as one of those genres

Because especially in the first half of the show I was watching most of it from behind my hands

There are a whole bunch of series and movies before this one, it’s part of a super big franchise (probably one of the biggest franchises) in China called 盗墓笔记 (The Grave Robber Chronicles, or The Lost Tomb)

But you don’t have to watch the previous shows to know what’s going on because this one pretty much starts from a new arc, give or take a few casual references thrown into the conversation referring to their past adventures (which are also shown in the opening if you know what to look out for)

Has a second season coming out before the end of the year??? I’ve seen the trailer floating around but I forgot when

Zhu Yi Long here is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from Zhu Yi Long in Guardian. There he was invincible ass kicking alien. Here he is sick dying old uncle who needs to be protected but still pretty damn smart.

Shows on My Queue (Yet to Watch) But Still Rated Quite High

10. Arsenal Military Academy 烈火军校 (2019)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenal_Military_Academy

Genres: mystery, romance, action, war

Synopsis: Hoping to follow in her deceased brother's footsteps, Xie Xiang enrolls into the Arsenal Military Academy in Shunyuan disguised as a male, with only her good friend Tan Xiao Jun knowing her secret. There, she becomes good friends with the country bumpkin Huang Song and the quiet Shen Jun San, all while getting into periodic quarrels with her hot-headed and playful roommate, Gu Yan Zheng. Despite her small stature and weak constitution, she gradually trains into an able soldier, winning the respect of her peers. These students soon uncover a dangerous conspiracy surrounding the Japanese occupiers, the Chinese resistance, as well as past royal descendants of the now defunct Qing dynasty. (wiki)

11. My Roommate is a Detective 民国奇探 (2020)

https://medium.com/my-roommate-is-a-detective-ep-1-2020-eng-sub/eng-sub-my-roommate-is-a-detective-episode-1-2020-iqiyi-fa3fe924a1c9

Genres: mystery, action, adventure, detective, romance

Synopsis: Set in the mid-1920s, a resourceful young police officer named Qiao Chu Sheng is on the trail of a brutal but devious killer. Realising that the police force will need some extra help with this difficult case, he decides to form an elite crime-busting detective team. He reaches out to a young man who has recently returned from studying in Great Britain, Lu Yao. Qiao Chu Sheng has learned that Lu Yao has remarkable powers of deduction and a brilliant mind – and believes he can help crack this difficult case. To round off the team, he enlists the help of Bai You Ning, a focused young female reporter for a daily newspaper. A free-thinking, independent young woman, she has a strong sense of justice – and pledges to help catch the killer. The trio form a small detective squad that specialises in solving strange and unsettling murder mysteries. (mdl)

I’ve heard that this has a very strong bromance (@stebeee can probably furnish you with more information)

12. The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty 成化十四年

https://www.shine.cn/feature/entertainment/2005097707/

Genres: historical, mystery, bromance, detective

Synopsis: Set during the 14th year of Chenghua Emperor's reign, Tang Fan, a sixth rank official and Sui Zhou, a decorated uniform guard, join hands to crush a conspiracy to maintain peace and order for the people. After working together to solve the case involving the Marquis' son, Tang Fan and Sui Zhou gain widespread fame and form a lasting friendship with each other. Although his reputation precedes him, Tang Fan remains honest and upright in his duty as a public servant and continues to rent a humble home. His landlord is found dead in her quarters presumably from suicide, but clues lead to suspicions of foul play. 

After the case is resolved, Tang Fan travels to Henan to investigate the sudden disappearances of people near the tomb site of the late Northern Song Emperor. When the culprit is revealed, it seems that he is but a pawn in a much grander conspiracy. As major cases continue to plague the capital and the local offices, Tang Fan and Sui Zhou work hard to unmask the mastermind who is pulling the strings in the background. (mdl)

Another one that I’ve heard has a very strong bromance （ФоФ)

[ninjago-forever]

Eleternia 1: The Ultimate Elemental

Chapter 4: New Friends

"You're late Katara, " Ju said, sipping his tea as he watched her close the Temple gates.

"Sorry Sensei," she said, brushing a strand of her long, black hair back as she kneeled before her teacher, "I would've been here last night if my boots hadn't malfunctioned."

"Boots?"

"My latest invention, ice lightning boots. They let me fly. I figured I'd use the trip here as a trial run, and, well... They could use some more work."

"An admirable creation, but next time I ask you to come, perhaps you can take a more reliable form of travel?"

She rubbed her neck sheepishly, "Yes, Sensei..."

Katara tried to stay still as he studied her. In addition to her long hair, which was in a ponytail, she had tan skin, a light build, and angular face. Under her ached brows was a pair of slanted eyes, one silver, one blue. She wore cargo pants, a simple T-shirt, backpack full of equipment and a light grey handkerchief carefully positioned to hide her ears Why? Because her ears were pointed.

 Yes, you read that right. Katara was a winter elf. Humans weren't aware that they existed, they thought elves were stuff of legend, and not exactly good ones. Hence why she hid her ears, even though Ju knew the truth. After all, he'd trained her ancestors.

Apparently satisfied with his inspection Ju set his teacup down, and said "Ah well, it's of no major consequence. You already know your heritage, and of my brother. The only thing I have yet to tell you of is a current mission. We'll be leaving on a journey to collect all the Blade pieces. When the sword is complete, it will reveal my father's heir, the Ultimate Elemental."

"Do you have any theories on who it is?"

"Not exactly, but I do hope its one of your teammates, or perhaps even you."

"There's no way I'd-wait, did you say teammates?"

He smiled as he stood up, "Khan, Clay, Jaya, Ren, Cyrus, please come out."

Katara stiffened as five teenagers of around her own age stepped out of the Temple's open doors. The first one had a confident smile, twinkling eyes, and way too much hair gel. He wore a bright red gi with a flame design, and a curved sword on his back.

"Hey," he said, with a wink, "I'm Khan, who might you be?"

"Ignore him. Your life will be much easier, trust me," a girl with similar facial features said. Despite her black hair, and sea-blue eyes, she looked a lot like Khan, Katara guessed they were brother and sister. Her gi was tight fitting, and grey and teal. She carried a trident.

"I'm Jaya," she added.

"Katara," the elf replied. She was about to ask the others names when one of them, a boy with wavy auburn hair, electric blue eyes, and a childish face, squatted next to her. He wore a blue gi, and had a kusarigama.

"What do the boots do?" he asked, "Oh, and I'm Ren by the way."

"They let me fly," Katara said shortly, wondering how he'd realized that they weren't normal boots. She'd disguised the tech pretty well.

"Cool! I like to tinker but I've never made anything that high-tech," Ren said, "Since I lived in a jun- I mean, a um, penthouse over in... er, Eleternia City, I didn't have the best parts." He gave an awkward chuckle and shot Jaya a sideways glance.

Katara raised a brow, questioning the credibility by of the last statement, but before she could ask, another of the boys stepped forward.

"My name's Clay. Nice to have you on the team, Katara," he said. With his warm brown skin, stone grey eyes, and friendly expression, he wasn't as obviously handsome as Khan, or flat-out adorable like Ren, but he wasn't bad looking either. Unlike the others outfits, his had metal plating for armor, which made it harder for him to move, but provided more protection. His chosen weapon was a scythe. He held a hand out to her.

Shaking it, she said, "Happy to help save the world."

He laughed, "I guess that is what we're trying to do."

"It is not a statistical probability that we'll succeed," someone behind Clay said in a strangely metallic sounding voice.

"Who cares about probability Cyrus?" Khan said throwing his arm around a six-feet tall android wearing a white and ice blue gi with a pair of hunting knives across his back, and a pouch full of shuriken around his waist.

"Whoa," Katara said, "where'd the robot come from? Did you make him Ren?"

"Ha! I wish," he responded, "Actually, we don't know who made him."

"Probably the last Ice Guardian," Jaya commented, only to receive some curious looks, "What? It'd make sense since they'd be the one to pass the power down."

"Not a bad theory, " Clay said thoughtfully. 

So if Cyrus is the Guardian of Ice, I'm guessing Jaya is water, Clay is Earth, Ren is Lightning, and Khan is... Fire Katara thought.

"So..." Ren said, "Which Guardian are you?"

"My element is Protection," she said.

"Never heard of that one, and I know all sorts of old Guardian legends," Ren commented, but before Katara could come up with an explanation Khan started laughing for no apparent reason.

"What's so funny?" his sister asked.

"If her element is Protection, that means... Katara is the Guardian of Protection!" he gasped out as he cracked up all over again, and the others soon joined him.

"I don't understand. Humans have a strange sense of humor" Cyrus added. While Jaya explained the joke, Katara did a quick scan around the courtyard.

"Did anyone see where Master Ju went?" Clay asked, apparently noticing his absence right when she did. 

"Yeah... About that," Ren said sheepishly, "I was supposed to tell everyone to join him after we were all introduced, but... I got distracted." 

"Well, better late than never, " Khan said, as the teens started hiking down the mountain. Katara went last, watching her new teammates laugh, joke, and continue the banter, already acting like old friends. Only Cyrus hung back, looking uncertain. She chose to walk with him, neither sure whether or not they belonged.

I wonder how they'd react if they know I'm not human. I'm sure I'll have to tell them at some point...

They found Sensei Ju standing with two other people in the parking lot of the ranger station about halfway up the mountain. Everything above that point belonged to Ju and the Temple of Elements but anything below was open for people to hike, climb, and get their fill of mountain fun.

"Sensei Ju needs to install an elevator," Khan complained, stretching as they made their way into the parking lot.

"An elevator in a... mountain?" Jaya asked, raising a brow.

"What?" Khan said defensively, "It's a long hike."

"It's not that bad, "Clay commented, "Not after running up and down it at sunrise every day at least."

"Ugh, don't remind me about that," Khan groaned.

"What is this, amature hour?" Ren taunted, "That sounds like my warm up!"

"Impressive," Jaya said, "I always had trouble waking up on time."

"And that remains a problem," Master Ju said as they approached nim, "Did you take a nap before coming down here?"

"Our apologies Sensei," Cyrus said with a slight bow, "Ren did not inform us that we were supposed to follow you at first."

While they were talking, Katara took the time to inspect the two new people. The first was a woman, who looked to be in her late fifties. Her grey hair was in a neat french braid, with a few wisps of brown running through it. She had fair skin and dark blue eyes. With her buttoned up tan, long sleeve shirt, beige pants, and green hankercheif around her neck, Katara thought she looked like a kindergarden teacher on safari day.

The other was a guy in his late thirties. His brown hair had more gel than Khan's, and it was in a notably less stylish 'do. He wore khaki pants, cowboy boots, and an aivator jacket. One of his eyes was a warm chocolate, brown, but the other was covered in a eye patch decorated with a... churro? Basically, he looked like a theater enthusiest who'd snuck backstage, and fell into the costume bin.

"Well, lateness put aside," Ju was saying, "I'd like you all to meet a old aquaintence of mine, and her friend."

"My name's Atalie," the woman said, smiling, "I'm a historian, and I specailize in things concerning the First Elemental, and the Guardians."

"And I'm Churro Lopez! Explorer extrordiare!" the man said enthusiastially.

"Churro?" Cyrus asked, "That is a... highly unusual name."

"You mean weird," Khan whispered. Ren and Clay laughed, but Jaya shot her brother a glare.

"Well my name's actually Charlie, but back when I was in high school, I worked at place where I'd dress up as a churro, so all my friends started calling me that," he explained, "Ah, the good 'ol days. Too bad none of us kept in touch."

Katara got the distinct impression the none of his so called 'friends' knew his actual name. As Ju introduced them, she fought the urge to deny her place in the team. She'd been on her own for so long, it sounded strange to hear her name among others. The last time she worked with anyone, it had been her brother and she hadn't seen him for quite awhile.

"Let me get this straight," Ren said, "We're getting the pieces, Sensei Ju knows where they are, and Atalie knows about the Blade, Vaults, and our powers, right?"

"Correct," Ju confirmed.

"Okay, then why are you here?" Ren asked Churro.

"To provide transportation of course!" he said, "When Atalie told me that she we going on an expedition, and needed a way to get around, I knew I had just the thing for the job. Come on, I parked her down the road, so that you could all see her for the first time together!"

As they walked down the street, Katara hung back from the group again, but she somehow found Clay walking beside her. Neither of then said a word, and she was thankful for the silence. Studying him out of the corner of her eye, she noted his alert, tense posture, and the way he kept a careful watch on the others. He was obviously a dedicated ninja, and seemed to be the leader of the group whether by unspoken consent or Sensei Ju's choosing, she wasn't sure. She was wondering if she should say something when they turned a corner, and saw something that stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Frostbite," Katara muttered.

"I hate to ask, but... what. is. that." Clay asked.

"I think... It's a bus," Jaya said, "or at least the remains of one."

She was right, possibly on both statements. Before them stood a huge, double-decker tour bus. Stepping closer, Katara realized what she'd though was grey paint was actually brown covered in countless layers of grime. There was so much stuff strapped to the top it was a wonder that it was able to move.

"Um... guys?" Khan said from the rear end of the bus. There was a strange expression of horror on his face. Exchanging weary looks with each other the four teens and nindroid walked cautiously to their teammates location.

"My processers are unable to process what my optical sensors are sensing," Cyrus said.

Ren clapped a hand on his shoulder, "You said it buddy."

Apparently, someone had thought it would be a good idea to hook up a a small platform to the back of the bus and strap a porta-potti to it. Walking around it, Katara didn't see a door, so she supposed that it was on the side facing the bus.

"Is that... legal?"Jaya asked.

"Of course it is!" Churro said, coming around to join them, "Come on and see the inside!"

"That's the last thing I want to do," Clay whispered to them.

The interior of the bus wasn't much better than its exterior. It was pretty dim because of the dirty windows and the supposedly broken lights. There was various stains and spills, on the seats. Old wrappers and fast food containers littered the floor. The only cool thing was a TV and old school gaming console set up in the back. The boys instantly lost all their disgust and fired it up. Katara rolled her eyes as they started arguing over who got the first game. Noticing the tightly wound staircase next to the door, she decided to check out the second level.

It was somewhat cleaner than first though there was still some dirt laundry lying around. All the seats had been taken out, replaced by bunk beds and tables. Walking over to an empty table Katara set her backpack on it, hearing several things jostle around as she did.

"Hello?" a strange female voice said, "who's there?"

Katara spun around to find an old female android. Her silver hair was in a neat bun, and her skin was white with several purple power lines visible under it. Her eyes were bright green lights. She wore white leggings, a blouse, and a bright purple sash. She reminded Katara of Cyrus, if not as well made.

"My name is Rali, which stands for Robotic Assistant Lifeform, Intelligent," she said, "who are you?"

Thinking of how many introductions she'd been through today, how many more she'd go through before their journey was over, and wondering how many would turn out to be new friends, or new enemies, she said, "My name is... Katara"

[yusuke96universe]

Sky's Insecurities

I had this big Linked Universe prompt I spent the last 2-3 hours on, but then Tumblr erased it all because I moved some tabs around and now I am sad. Here the gist of what I remember.

This is a follow up from the Cal's Chain Dynamics prompt I made yesterday.

Calamity has been all over Sky ever since he discovered that he is the eventual first King of Hyrule and due to his upbringing as a knight in training since he was little, it is ingrained into his being to serve the royalty to the best of his abilities, but he is extremely oblivious when it comes to people's comfort levels.

So when Sky leaves the camp site with a lame excuse no one bats an eye, until Wind noticed he, of all people, forgot to take Master Sword with him. Wind offers to deliver it to him real quick, but Warriors says he'll go with him because he feels like Sky is going through more than he simple frustration with Cal and is a little worried.

They find Sky who was has been playing a beautiful melody on his harp, but Wind claims that this is the saddest song he's ever heard Sky play before and that something must really be eating away at him.

Warrior takes a step back, but the snapping of a twig gave away them away, so Sky jumps into action using his Gust Bellows to blow them out of their hiding places and already had his Scatter Shot ready to fire.

Both come out with their hands up, promptly. They comment on how they thought he'd have trouble without his beloved Master Sword at his side, but were proved wrong.

Sky takes a quick look, but has to look away from the sword. Which is unusual for him. And tries to feign a smile that neither hero buys for a second.

They offer to leave if he just needs a little more time alone to get his bearings or their help by lending Sky an ear if there is something he needs to get off of his chest because it's not a good idea to internalize problems allowing them to fester and eat away at you, or else you'll end up like Time or Legend.

Sky admits that they're right and that this is unusual behavior from himself as he hesitantly takes up the sword and gently sets it down away from him. (that's weird they note)

When questioned if this is about Cal annoying him or getting invasive, Sky denies these claims, and says while he appreciates his dedication to the crown, his presence, along with this blade's, as he gestures the Master Sword, are constant reminders of something he's been trying to ignore since they started this adventure together.

That he'll one day be the first King of Hyrule. Sky doesn't feel equipped to be a leader with people diligently serving him like Cal does, let alone being the Founder of a great Kingdom that will withstand through and overcome countless trials and tribulations. He doesn't even feel like his status as a knight measures up to the likes of Calamity or Warriors. Since his version was more like going to Knight Academy for training and being the security with routine patrols over the small floating island known as Skyloft. Which, even though they took pride in that status they worked hard to achieve, he feels it isn't nearly as impressive as going to wars with battle tactics at play or shouldering the responsibilities of commanding soldiers on and off the battle field with politics involved. When comparing the two, Sky believes he has only been playing knight with his friends like a child.

Sky looks at the sword and continues.

I am not fit to be a King. Even the title of Hero is too lofty for someone like me. I am merely a swordsman. One that got cursed by Demise and brought hardships and troubles to all of you and the people of Hyrule throughout time. It's my fault someone like Ganon even existed in the first place.

Warriors takes a deep breath. He tells him that as a commanding Knight, he has helped a lot of rural knights who have gone through similar feelings of inadequacy when compared to those of Castletown. What Sky's going through when he sees both Warriors and Calamity is actually very common, but it's also very easily fixed when changing their perspectives a little.

He would tell those knights that Hyrule needs every person, including mere swordsmen from the countryside to help. For they bring the people ease and peace of mind as knights are the ones to put in the effort to diligently train to protect them in times of danger. Knights are willing to give everything for all of Hyrule's protection, not just the Capital. And if they are able to keep the civilians out of harm's way and with a virtuous heart give them hope. Then those are deemed the highest of quality Knights, at least in Warrior's eyes that is. And Sky. You are one of the finest specimens of a gallant Knight exuding valor that he has ever come across in his countless battles.

This shocks Sky.

Now, Wind jumps in.

Yeah, besides. That curse got broken a while ago in my time. So it's not like it'll last forever! Even, if you did fail to prevent Demise's curse you can't blame yourself for his actions. You need to give the proper amount of blame to people's actions. Take you. You have the strength to admit your failings and are looking to the future by building Hyrule with your Zelda on a land you two found. That is an awesome start! I should know, I am currently doing the same thing with Tetra.

Listen, you don't need to be some perfect figure of power or wisdom to be king. You're allowed to fail and have those shortcomings. Just keep focusing on the future of Hyrule and it's people. You already know you can't bear those burdens alone since you said you turn to your Zelda and your friends when things get too hard. You're already in the process of becoming a great King. And it sounds like your Zelda would be doing most of the leading anyways so you can just focus on what only you can do along with everyone else. You're going to make an amazing Kingdom one day, so you have nothing to fear!

Sky takes a minute to process everything that they've said. His bright and cheerful smile returns.

You're both right. I've just had my head too high up in the clouds and been overthinking things again. Thanks for bringing me back down to Earth. I needed this wake up call. -Sky

Though, I still don't know how I will deal with Cal's enthusiasm. hahaha -Sky

They all have a good laugh and head back to camp. Sky now has the Master Sword on his side, proudly displayed again, and unbeknownst to them,it flashes a blue light.

That's it. I hate how I lost the first half, but I hope you guys can enjoy. I was surprised at how Calamity opened up a few doors for Sky's development. Tell me what you think of this?

[obsessive-ego]

Sneaky but not really

Musical beetlejuice x reader

Beetlejuice first sleepover with you

Soft, lewd jokes warning, sort of, you know how bj is

Love at first strike was the perfect way to describe your relationship, well at least to beetlejuice. After a scare gone wrong the ghoul was head over heals for you, long story short you were Delia's niece, after a few moments upon meeting lydia, the kid tricked and locked you in the basement, where said ghoul was waiting to 'introduce' himself to you. When he jumped out from the darkness you reacted poorly and sucker punched him in the jaw, with a hard thump the demon hits the floor, of course you felt awful about the whole thing, hitting someone you didnt even know, but as you went to help the poor man up his only response was "damn sugar, hit me again".

The rest was history, you visited lydia and beetlejuice like clockwork, you enjoyed them both, having a similar sense of humor really helped, hell you even joined in on Beetlejuice's lewd humor when lydia was out of ear shot, the ghoul adored this, you were perfect for him, funny and had the balls big enough to hit him, no one's ever done that before.

...

"Please please please, come on baby, dont you trust me?~" beetlejuice pleaded clinging to your leg like a child

"Beej, no, it's not that I dont trust you its just-" you trail off glancing to lydia for some help, the kid just stifles a laugh at you.

"What's wrong y/n? He'd be the perfect little house guest, you live alone right? What's the issue?" She shrugs

You sigh, beetlejuice has been begging you forever to let him sleepover and looks like he roped lydia into it, or she just thought it was funny to watch you flail.

"Come on babes, itll be great, we'll watch movies, order take out, suck face-"

"What?"

"Nothing"

You scowl, and pinch the bridge of your nose, taking a deep breath, then a long sigh

"Fine"

The weight from you leg was lifted in a flash and the ghoul was right in your face "REALLY?! Great choice, you are never gonna regret this sweet stuff" the ghouls cups your face and gives you a quick kiss before disappearing leaving you dazed and confused, what have you done.

...

As you walked home you couldnt help bit feel dread creeping up on you, hoping you never reach your destination, it's not like you didnt want beetlejuice to come to your little home, it's more of you were nervous being alone with the demon in such a personal space, you liked him yeah, more then you're will to admit, this whole 'sleepover' is gonna be more then awkward. The dread sinks in when you stand infront if your little apartment building, you sigh and head inside, at your door your hands tremble with the keys, your nerves reaching new heights, you wanted to vomit, you wanted this whole thing to be done and over, stupid undead bastard who wormed his way into your heart.

Home sweet home, you toss your belongings aside and shamble your way to the living room, plopping down on the couch you swallow hard, as the conversation you and beej had before leaving the Deetz house flood back into your mind

'Now all you gotta do to get me into your little home is say my name 3 times, 3 times in a row spoken, unbroken, okay? I'll be waiting sugar~"

You knew he was teasing you, the ghoul could probably tell how the whole pet name thing effected you, since no ones ever done that to you before. Taking a deep breath of air and jumping up from the couch you decided it's now or never, and you knew if you didnt summon him he'll be twice as annoying the next time you saw him.

"BEETLEJUICE"

You could feel the air get heavier

"BEETLEJUICE"

The temperature around your body drops, you take a deep breath trying to steady yourself

"Beetlejuice" you clamp your eyes shut, not really sure what's gonna happen next, since you weren't exactly told much past the whole how to thing.

"Its showtime~" a gravely voice purrs in your ear and you nearly jump out of your skin, you curse and turn to the culprit, beetlejuice, he was here, it was really that simple.

"You came-" you stutter in disbelief

"Oh doll, your sweet voice would make anyone cum as fast as I did~" the ghoul coos as he cups your face, you flinch at the joke, yes you sure walked into it, giving the demon a perfect set up, beetlejuice howls with laughter at your reaction.

"Babes you make this too easy, but ya know I like easy gals" he gives you a wink followed by a loud cackle.

You regain your composure and clear your throat "well this is it, my home" you give a half hearted gesture, the ghoul whistles in response as if he was impressed by your little home.

"So babes, how bout you show old mr beebleboose where the magic happens~" the demon coos wiggling his eyebrows, you couldnt help but snort a laugh, as you give the demon a soft shove.

"All right sugar, what's the plan tonight? Shitty horror? Take out? Tonsil hockey?" Tips of pink gracing the demons hair as he purrs that last part.

Again a you snort out a laugh "2 out of 3 there beej"

"Sucking face while watching bad movies? You really know how to spoil a ghost" beetlejuice cackles, leaning in close as he makes kissing sounds.

You push the ghoul off, as you chuckle, embarrassed, yet amused at your pal's constant jokes.

You pull out your phone to order a pizza for the two of you, you knew the demon can and will eat anything so you knew he wouldnt really care WHAT you ordered. Beetlejuice perks up at your actions, he wasnt a fan of cell phones, he hated when your attention wasnt fully on him, but after some trial and error he learned to adapt to subtlety messing with you in that state of distraction.

The ghoul places his arm around you shoulder and leans in to you, watching you tap away on your phone, he never really got the whole technical thing, the ghoul was more into making you nervous, in his current position, pressed up against you, he could feel your warmth, he could hear your heart pounding, and he could see your fingers fumble as you try to type, the ghoul huffs out a small chuckle when he sees you puff out your cheeks as you try to focus and steady your hands to finish what you were doing.

...

The two of you chatted and joked about as beetlejuice told you stories of scares he pulled off with lydia, he was practically glowing green with excitement as he told you in great detailed of how amazing and scary he was and how you need to see him in action more often, the demons mood was contagious you couldnt help but laugh and hang on practically every word. The two of you are interrupted with a knock on your door,

You get up from the couch without much thought, beetlejuice jumps up quickly after you, and pulls you to the front door, you make a noise of surprise at the sudden action.

"Watch and be amazed sweet stuff, its show time" the ghoul swings open the door to see the delivery guy.

"Pizza for l/n"

"Thanks man" the ghoul takes the pizza and hands it to you.

"Oh! Babes what did you order anyway?" The ghoul asks before snapping his fingers, a familiar tingle goes through your body, you go stiff as beetlejuice puppets your words

"Oh you know honey, the usual, pepperoni, bacon, and tarantulas" you say in a cheery tone.

"Tarantulas?" The delivery guys asks

"You never tried one? They crunch real nice" the ghoul goes to pull out a live rather large tarantula from his coat pocket, you flinch at the sight, not being a fan of bugs. Beetlejuice, without hesitation drops the spider into his mouth, the crunching noise alone made the colour drain from your face, but your reaction was nothing in comparison to pizza guy. The poor guy looked like he was gonna vomit, frozen in place with the scene in front of him.

"Where are my manners? Want one?" Beetlejuice leans forward into his victim dangling a new larger tarantula in the poor man's face.

"Open wide~" he coos

At that The pizza guy's legs finally give out, causing him to drop to his ass, the man screams and scrambles to his feet, stumbling and fumbling all the while getting away from your home.

"Such a beautiful sound~" beetlejuice sighs, as he slides the spider into his coat pocket "save him for later" he mumbles before turning to you

"So? How was I sugar?" The ghoul was beaming at you with a big toothy grin, desperate for your approval.

You snort out a hard laugh "you're disgusting beej, amazingly disgusting" you cackle

The ghoul bows at your praise "thank you doll, you are too kind~"

God did beetlejuice live for your praise, the attention you gave him, he wanted you so badly, he wanted you to say 'beetlejuice, I see you, I accept you, I fear for my safety around you'. But you were dense and a coward, and he sure as hell didnt want to make the first move, so this, this was fine for now, you praising him and spending time with him, will just have to do until you proclaim your undying love for him.

..

The two of you hang out on the couch, you in your pajamas, beetlejuice leaning into you with an arm around you, you never really fought this, beej was the touchy feely type and he claims how he just likes how warm you are, so you just went with it. As your movie marathon runs late you begin to nod off, you finally commit to bed time when you nudge Beetlejuice's arm off and stand up, the ghoul makes a noise of annoyance at your absence.

"I'm going to bed" you yawn out "night beej" you wave goodnight before heading to you room, the ghoul growls at this, he didnt really want to stop hanging out with you, but unfortunately breather need sleep, the demon flows you to your room.

As you climb into bed beetlejuice phases through the bedroom door

"Oh no!" His voice alerts you to his presence

"Theres only one bed" he continues in a false worried tone, you know your brows together

"Beetlejuice I can make up the couch for you if you like, I know you dont sleep-"

"OH NO THERE'S ONLY ONE BED AND ITS A SINGLE" he repeats as if a louder volume will change anything.

"Bee-"

"I guess we'll just have to share y/n, please be gentle with me~" the demon coos as he slumps onto the bed

You give him a soft smile at this awful little show, but as nice and warm as the idea of sharing your bed with him would make you feel, you weren't exactly ready to agree to that, anxiety and nerves beat away any romantic thought.

"Beej, come on-"

"Cum on what?"

You snort out a soft laugh, you always walked into a set up for him without a second thought.

"Beetlejuice, no offense, but I dont feel comfortable with that, you know, sharing a bed with you, I mean, like, you know" your voice shrank as you spoke, you didnt want to sound rude, not that hed ever mind, the ghoul sits up and stares back at you with a wide toothy grin.

"I getcha sweets, not till marriage, right? You never struck me as the old fashioned type, but I can wait till we tie the knot~" he winks that last part, you can feel you ears burn with embarrassment, all of his flirting jokes did make you blush, but the marriage jokes were the big guns, you adored the demon, and the idea of being married to him made your heart want to rip it's way out of your chest.

Without another word beetlejuice vanishes before your eyes, and a soft "goodnight" is whispered in you ear, causing you to shiver.

...

Finally after all that time begging you finally let beetlejuice into your home, just you and him, such a high level of trust you have in him, the ghoul himself is filled with delight at the thought, here he was floating next to your bed, watching you slept so peacefully, completely unaware of the dead man watching you.

"Ya know sweet stuff, you look real cute when you sleep~" he purrs, pink hue gracing his hair in streaks.

It goes without saying the demon was a creep, so it was no surprise he would watch you sleep. The ghoul stares at you for hours, taking in all the little things about you, the little things of being alive, how your chest slowly moved up and down as you slept, how you're lips were slightly parted, those sweet little sounds you'd make during your slumber.

As the time went by the ghoul's mind began to wander.

"Bet it's real warm under those covers huh?" He mused

"Y/n is such an oblivious little breather, they probably wouldnt even notice little old me sliding in next to that soft, warm, body of theirs" he whispered to himself, the thought alone of pressing himself up against your warm body was enough to get the demon drooling.

That was all the convincing he needed, slip in to cuddle for a bit, then slip out before you wake, easy.

With a snap of his fingers the ghoul's trade mark striped suit disappears leaving him in a pair of striped boxers, with another snap beetlejuice reappears next to you in bed, the wave of warm washing over him was delightful, so toasty warm, so soft and comfy, he could get used to this, with a soft sigh the ghoul cuddled up to you, without a second thought he gets carried away, wrapping him arms around your body, you respond with some unintelligible noise as the demon pulls you into him.

Beetlejuice, now completely pink, gives your forehead a kiss before whispering a soft

"goodnight y/n"

This was heaven, or as close as a born dead demon straight from hell was gonna get at least, everything felt so good, your soft body in his arms, your warmth, your scent, your soft comfy bed, he could really get used to this. Beetlejuice didnt have to sleep, but did to pass the time when bored, but tonight he fell asleep for a more soft reason, yes the ghoul has had more flings and one night stands then he could remember, but this, he never spent the night in another's arms, someone who genuinely liked him and wanted him around, the ghoul couldnt help but doze off with this level of comfort, as cheesy as it sounded, it was true.

...

Unfortunately him dozing off was a less then great idea, beetlejuice was a heavy sleeper, more so then you were.

"BEETLEJUICE!"

The ghoul shoots up at your rather loud call, beetlejuice looks up at you to see a rather embarrassed, confused you, clenching the blanket to your chest, though you were full clothed.

"Morning sweetheart, you sleep well in daddy's arms?" He purrs, busted the demon Hope's to flirt his way out of getting trouble.

"What are you doing?!" Your voice trembles as you're pretty sure the ghoul can hear your heart pounding like a jackhammer.

"I couldnt help myself it's so chilly at night, and you're so warm" the ghoul shrugs "Oh! Right I forgot my little y/n is an old fashioned little breather, guess we gotta get hitched now huh?" The ghoul winks at you.

You felt like your heart was gonna explode, you just woke up and he's pulling this? Honestly part of you wasnt surprised he'd worm his way into your bed, and tease the hell out of you, then it hits you. You stare at the ghoul, his torso exposed, completely bare, revealing a rather hairy, scared up upper half, while his waist was hidden below the covers.

"Beetlejuice, please, please tell me you're wearing something below the waist" you turn your head away not wanting to look at him, you knew beej is a creepy pervert, but he wouldnt sneak into your bed completely naked, would he?

Beetlejuice let's out his awful cackle, causing you to flinch.

"Babes do you really think, I'd slip in next to you in bed balls out? Please, I am a perfect gentleman, I already vowed to marry you after I slept with you" he snorts out a laugh.

You return your gaze to the ghoul to see he has removed the covers to reveal a pair of boxers resembling his suit. You sigh in relief, the demon only smirks at your reaction.

"Like what you see?~" he wiggles his eyebrows and bites his lip while giving his hips a quick jerk upwards.

"Beej please, i guess it's fine if you want to sleep with me, as long as you're respectful, I mean you're gonna do it anyways so" you trail off clearly embarrassed at his lewd motions, but finding it easier to ignore them and continue on with what had transpired.

"Whoa, you mean it?" The ghoul sits up, wide eyed and pink at your words

"Yes, as long as you're not gonna be gross about it- FUCK"

Beetlejuice lunges at you, pulling you into a tight hug, this was all too much for first thing in the morning, yes it felt nice to be held, but youd be lying if waking up next to beetlejuice didnt scare the shit out of you, but sleeping together, as warm as it made you feel, its gonna take some getting used too.

"How bout we get some coffee?" You ask timidly.

Beetlejuice pulls away, a big dopey grin plastered across his face, patches of pink slowly taking over his scratchy facial hair.

"You read my mind doll".

One of these days, you should really ask him what pink ment for him, maybe comfort? Really happy? Who knows

Bonus

After a rather embarrassing morning for you, the two of you make your way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Beetlejuice didnt exactly drink coffee, just really milk and sugar with coffee in it, not that you minded

The two of you sat in silence at your little kitchen table, you scrolled through your phone checking weather and other nonsense as you take a sip of your coffee the ghoul cuts the silence

"You think Adam will be my best man at our wedding?"

You nearly choke on your drink.

[scarletjedi]

Untitled Untamed Time Travel Fixit AU but make it Mingcheng

@piyo-13

Part 1

Part 2A

PART 2B: GUSU UNLEASHED

Nie Huaisang immediately grabs a piece of blank paper to write a message back to Nie Mingjue, leaving Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian staring at each other. “Well,” Wei Wuxian said after a minute. “Aren’t you going to write to him, too?”

Jiang Cheng startled, he’d been too caught up in Huaisang’s words, “He’s alive!”. He had been prepared to go through the process of meeting Nie Mingjue again, of hopefully catching his attention, of watching A-Jue fall for him the way Jiang Cheng had fallen years ago — that his lover was here, alive, and *knew him* had not had time to process.

Trembling, Jiang Cheng moved from his bed, weak limbs pouring him like water until he was sat up against the table, taking the paper that Huaisang handed him. He stared, blankly. What to *say*?

“Tell him you love him,” Wei Wuxian said from his bed.

“Tsk, he knows that,” Jiang Cheng said with little snap.

“Then tell him you want to fuc—”

“Ah, la la la la!” Nie Huaisang said, covering his ears, and Wei Wuxian fell back laughing. Nie Huaisang winked at him. “Be honest,” he said. “But be short,” he looked down at his own missive. “All of this needs to fit on the bird.”

Nodding, Jiang Cheng picked up his brush. After a moment, he put ink to paper, writing in quick, sure strokes. He fanned the paper back and forth a few times to dry the ink faster, and folded the note to hand to Huaisang. Huaisang took it with a grin and ran from the room to send the message back.

“What did you write?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“None of your business.”

Two days later Nie Zonghui would bring the messages to Nie Mingjue, who would open Huaisang’s note, only to have a smaller note fall free. He would pick it up with a small frown before reading Huaisang’s note, smiling — blinking, then reading the note again. “If he put nearly have the effort into studying...” he muttered and Zongui would hide a smile. Then, Mingjue would open the smaller missive, nearly dropping the paper in shock, scrambling to catch it. “Sect Leader?” Zonghui would ask, and when Nie Mingjue looked up, he would be beaming.

Now, Nie Mingjue, who had fought, lead, and won a war, lead a sect, and died a slow, agonizing descent into his greatest fears, finds himself once more at 19, newly made Section Leader, and the clearest minded he’s been in years, without the damage caused by cultivating a war and...well. He wasn’t actually sure *how* Meng Yao managed to kill him, just that he knew he had.

Which was another problem. By this point, Huaisang was safely in Cloud Recesses, but Meng Yao was on his way back to Qinghe. It would take him most of a week to return, traveling on horseback as he was, and Nie Mingjue wasn’t sure what reception Meng Yao should receive.

Meng Yao, long before he was renamed by his father, had acted in ways that were counter to the values of the Nie sect. Even if Nie Mingjue were to overlook the crimes he committed as Jin Guangyao, or the atrocities he participated in as a torturer for Wen Ruohan, his crimes began in Qinghe.

Crimes that, as far as Nie Mingjue was aware, had not yet happened. Even before Meng Yao had used the chaos of an attack to kill the captain of his guardNie, Mingjue was never sure how much Meng Yao spoke was the truth — just knew that at one point he was sure Meng Yao had never lied to him, and then was never sure Meng Yao was not lying.

In his previous life, Nie Mingjue turned most often to Lan Xichen for council, particularly wher Meng— Jin Guangyao was concerned. Then, as years passed, Xichen would turn ever more towards Jin Guangyao first, and Nie Mingjue found himself turning to Jiang Wanyin as their wartime sparring turned to tent-side comfort, to comraderie to courtship.

A-Cheng.

For all that Mingjue had more years of experience leading a sect, Wanyin’s experience was a similar enough trial by fire to grant him insight, and an outsider enough to the triumvirate to offer an outsider’s clarity.

Truly, his love possessed an uncanny wisdom hidden behind brusque words and toothless threats.

He wished for Wanyin’s council now. He wished for his presence. It had already been too long since they had last seen each other before Mingjue made his last, fateful visit to Jinlintai. It would likely be several months, if not years, before their paths would cross once more.

And— he missed his lover as a lover. Wanyin was a beautiful man, strong and proud and fierce and so sweet in private. A joy and a challenge.

Getting Huaisang’s letter was bittersweet because his didi had already suffered so much: even the first time, Mingjue had wanted Hauisang’s youth to be as worry free as possible, to have the freedom to be careless in a way Mingjue never had. And sweet, because it meant that Mingjue wasn’t alone in this.

Getting Wanyin’s message was a blessing and a curse. He had already resigned himself to wait, to reach out to the Jiang Sect in support to save Wanyin his own heartbreak, to court him properly from the beginning. To know that his love was here, and yet still so far out of reach...

Huaisang’s letter boiled down to “plan in motion. Do not engage.” Which...

“Didi,” Nie Mingjue muttered. “What are you doing?”

Because, the thing is, Mingjue would *like* to listen to Huaisang. Mingjue was tired, and doing the right thing was an increasingly difficult and murky task....but Mingjue was also a just and righteous man. Certain actions he would take no matter what...and certain actions he would not.

The facts were thus:

Meng Yao had killed him in a way that was both intensely malicious and duplicitous. (Nie Mingjue was unsure as to his motive. What did Meng Yao gain aside from petty revenge? No, the method was revenge. The act...the act was something different).

Meng Yao had not, as of yet, committed any crime, nor was he currently capable of the technique that had been used to kill Mingjue.

Nie Mingjue could not in good conscience kill a man who had committed no crime, nor could he stand by and allow another to fall off the righteous path when it was within his power to prevent. (Was it within his power?)

So, Nie Mingjue could neither punish Meng Yao for crimes he had not yet committed, nor could was he able to relax in Meng Yao’s presence the way he had the first time around.

...Maybe Huaisang had ideas.

[later] “I can’t believe this!” Huaisang glared at the letter from his brother. Jiang Cheng’s own letter sat in his pocket to be perused later. It felt almost hot, the way his focus continually drifted towards the folded paper, but he knew better than to read his lover’s letter in front of Huaisang. Not if he wanted to keep any pretense to dignity.

“What is it?” he prompted when Huaisang fell silent, re-reading furiously.

“He wants to rehabilitate Meng Yao! His own murderer!”

“Meng Yao didn’t come back with the rest of us,” Jiang Cheng offered. “He’s not the man who killed your brother. Not yet, anyway.”

“You didn’t see—” Huaisang cut himself off, looking away and biting his lip. Jiang Cheng shifted, focusing on the letter to let the heat of its presence chase away the chill of the reminder that when his lover had died, Jiang Cheng wasn’t there.

“A tiger can not change his stripes,” Nie Huaisang muttered, and hid his face behind his fan.

[The discussion over what happens to Meng Yao plays out thusly:

NHS: I don’t want to kill Meng Yao, Da-ge! I just don’t want him alive. Anymore.

NMJ: Didi, no.

NHS: Didi, yes!

Ultimately, NMJ pulls the big brother/sect leader card and says they have time to deal with Meng Yao, and since Meng Yao was currently NMJ’s problem, he would deal with it. NHS threw a tantrum that reminded everyone that yes, NHS is related to NMJ by blood, but finally went: “fine! It’s not like the *whole reason* we came back wasn’t to fuck up all of his shit!” and adjusted his plans again.]

When he goes back to his room, Jiang Cheng finds himself alone. He can bet that Wei Wuxian will be off with Lan Wangji (and no, Jiang Cheng doesn’t know why Wei Wuxian hasn’t just moved in with his boyfriend, considering how often he comes skittering into the room just on the wrong side of curfew, mussed and bruised in a very specific way that Jiang Cheng a) wants to know no more about and b)isn’t jealous of, fuck off.), so he has time to read his letter.

Cheng-er,

We never were a pair for letters, you and I, preferring to steal time for each other like a pair of romantic thieves. I regret, now, not making more time to woo and court you properly then — though I fear I already had all you could give — not desire, you showed me your hunger for me readily enough, matched only by my hunger for you — but hours of the day.

I think very fondly of our nights.

This second chance makes me desire to do better, to build you a place in my life from the start, as I hope you build a place for me. We are young, yet, and have time to hope.

I miss you, Wanyin. Cheng-er. Please write to me. A letter is a poor substitute for your fire, but I will cherish even these scraps above silence.

Yours,

A-Jue

Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure how long he was there, re-reading the letter, when Wei Wuxian tumbled in, only to stop when he caught sight of Jiang Cheng.

“Jiang Cheng! You’re pink!” Wei Wuxian crowed, pointing a finger and laughing at the way Jiang Cheng startled. “Who wrote to you to make you blush? What did he say?”

“None of your business,” Jaing Cheng snapped, tucking the letter away.

A-Jue,

Who gave you the right to write such a letter? Who would believe the NIe Sect leader to be so shameless? You can take a lesson from your brother in poetry if you are planning to continue!

Building a space — as if I did not rebuild my piers with a place for you. As if you had not already crawled into my heart to live.

I lost you once, A-Jue. I will not lose you again.

I await your next letter,

Yours, always,

Cheng-er

Jiang Cheng hands the folded paper to Nie Huaisang, face burning. For once, Nie Huaisang doesn’t tease, doesn’t give him a knowing smirk. Instead, his eyes are kind, and he takes the letter with little fanfare, tucking it neatly into his own missive to be sent off at once.

When the next letter comes, Jiang Cheng doesn’t even bother waiting, taking the letter and retreating to the sound of Nie Huaisang’s laughter.

Cheng-er

You want poetry, do you?...

Jiang Cheng’s eyes skip over the page and he gasps aloud, face burning as he looks around to see that no one else is near. To write such things! Shameless! But...oh, how it lights a fire in him, and he’s breathless with his, dizzy with sudden, frustrated want that he cannot satisfy.

In the end, Nie Mingjue was right. The words are a poor substitute, but Jiang Cheng would not trade this letter for anything.

The next morning, Jiang Cheng approaches Wei Wuxian with an idea for a long-distance communication array, one that could be personally powered and used. The reasons he gives are all to do with military strategy, but he needn’t have bothered. The challenge to create something new has Wei Wuxian distracted immediately, and he wanders off to the library mid-sentence.

The next free afternoon they have in Caiyi, Jiang Cheng purchases a wooden box, cleverly built with locking compartments and false bottoms. It is perfectly sized for folded letters.

Time passes. Now that Jiang Cheng has thirteen years of lived experience - and hard years of war and cuthroat sect politics and rebuilding his sect - the lessons aren’t easier, per say, but they have context that he missed the first time. HIs understanding is more in depth, which quickly makes him a favorite of Lan Qiren to call on — even if his actual answer (usually “threaten them with Zidian”) wasn’t the answer he provided in class. Wei Wuxian was also a calmer presence in class - still questioning, still pushing limits, but when Lan Qiren calls on Wei Wuxian to answer his questions, Wei Wuxian’s answers are thoughtful, inventive, but within the bounds of conventionality. Surprisingly, it’s Lan Wangji who suggests solutions that boarder on the heretical — solutions that Jiang Cheng knows come to pass, such as the spirit attraction flags.

It’s enough to make Lan Qiren change colors, and judging by the tiny smirk on LWJ’s face, it’s absolutely deliberate. (The one class that Lan Xichen sits in on is, actually, hilarious, as he seems consistently torn between laughter and exasperation at his brother’s small rebellion).

Nie Huaisang, however, seems to be *genuinely struggling* with the material. So much so that Jiang Cheng takes pity and drags him (and Wangxian) into the library one afternoon to actually study rather than their usual spot by the river where they would refine their plan to keep everyone alive that they actually cared about keeping alive, and killing those who needed killing as efficently as possible. (“That’s a rather blunt way of thinning about this, Jaing Cheng,” WWX said to him. JC had just shrugged. He didn’t see the reason to couch the truth in political double speak when he didn’t have to”)

After an hour or so, Nie Huaisang slumped forward over the table, thumping his forehead against he lacquered wood. “It’s no use. I’m going to have to repeat this year again, *again*”

“I don’t understand it,” Jiang Cheng said. He knew that Huaisang was smart; he figured out Jin Guangyao’s plot, he successfully modified the time travel array — Jiang Cheng was pretty sure he ran Qinghe’s spy rin duing the war, though that had never been confirmed. “I know you know things.”

“I don’t,” he wailed. “I don’t know anything. Don’t ask me.”

“I don’t mean to alarm anyone,” Wei Wuxian said, leaning in and keeping his voice low. “But we have a spy in our midst.”

“Those rumors were never proven,” Huaisang said, sniffling.

“Not you,” Wei Wuxian said, and angled his head in a way that he only thought was subtle towards where Jin Zixuan was sitting, stiff and imperious, with an exasperated Luo Qingyang. “He’s been doing that a lot,” he said.

Jiang Cheng watched him for a long moment, trying to remember the frustration he felt with a young Jin Zixuan who hadn’t yet unlearned the smug superiority of Jinlintai...but all he could see was little Jin Ling, awkward from growing up alone and desperately lonely (except Jin Ling had picked up Jiang Cheng’s bad habit of expressing any emotion as anger, and it seemed Zixuan had chosen...smug silence.)

“Aw, crap,” Jiang Cheng muttered, because as soon as he realized it, he knew what he had to do. Pushing himself up, he stalked over to Jin Zixuan, ignoring the hissed complaints of Wei Wuxian, and stared down at him, arms crossed.

“What do you want?” Jin Zixuan sneered. Behind him, Luo Qingyang rolled her eyes, and Jiang Cheng huffed.

“Cute. But you got nothing on my mother.” Jin Zixuan blinked, surprise loosening some of the stiffness in his posture. Rolling his eyes, Jiang Cheng snapped. “Look. You’re not subtle. We see you. So do you want to sit with us or not?” He looked between them. “Both of you.”

Jin Zixuan nodded, then blinked as if surprised at himself. Luo Qingyang stood to salute, but Jiang Cheng waved it off.

“Great, come on,” Jiang Cheng said, and turned around, not waiting to see if they. He sat back in his seat, shifting books to make room. He didn’t really want to sit next to Zixuan, but with Nie Huaisang sprawled over his books and Wei Wuxian practically in Lan Wangji’s lap, it was the only safe place for them.

Nie Huaisang sat back, looking at Jiang Cheng over his fan. “What?” He snapped.

“Softie,” Nie Huaisang said softly, and Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes.

“He needs to learn, and Luo Qingyang is the only one at Jinlintai right now that I trust,” he muttered.

Wei Ying squinted at Jiang Cheng, as if trying to figure something out, but when Jin Zixuan and Luo Qingyang appeared, he blinked at her, surprised, and perked up in recognition. “Mianmian!”

Which, of course, was the wrong thing to say. Jin Zixuan puffed up, and Lan Wangji hissed a pained Wei Ying, and Nie Huaisang was being no help. So, Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes again and translated.

“No offense meant, Lady Luo,” he said. “My brother’s memory for names is notoriously bad, but he means no disrespect by his over familiarity.”

Thankfully Luo Qingyang smiled. “No offence taken, Young Master Jiang. If your offer is genuine, and we are to be friends, then you may call me Mianmian.”

Jaing Cheng smiled. “Then please join us, Mianmian. I am Jiang Cheng.”

That caused everyone to look at him, and he glared. “What?! I have manners.”

“Jiang-xiong is quite a gentleman,” Nie Huaisang agreed, mildly, and Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. That tone always meant mischief.

“And you’re a pain in my—”

“No excess talking in the library,” Lan Wangji interrupted, staring placidly back when Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng both glared at him. Well, Jiang Cheng glared. Nie Huaisang pouted.

After a moment, Jin Zixuan grunted softly, as if someone had elbowed him in his ribs. He cleared his throat. “What are you working on?” he asked woodenly, as if speaking from a poorly rehearsed script. Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Cheng saw Mianmian nod encouragingly.

“We’re trying to help Nie-xiong pass the next exam,” Wei Wuxian offered.

“Who’s we?” Jiang Cheng muttered, flipping his book open once more. “Unless sitting in Lan Wangji’s lap is a new study method.”

Nie Huaisang giggled behind his fan as Wei Wuxian squawked, reaching out to smack Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, only to be hauled back with apparent ease by Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji who, arms wrapped securely around Wei Wuxian, stared square at Jiang Cheng and said. “It is an advanced technique.”

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian protested, going pink in the face, and Nie Huaisang’s giggles turned to outright laughter.

Jin Zixuan leaned into to Jiang Cheng. “Is it always like this?”

Jiang Cheng shrugged. “Pretty much. Those two decided shame was for other people a long time ago.”

“I...have questions,” Jin Zixuan said.

Jiang Cheng turned and looked at him. “You know, so do I. But mine might involve yelling, so the library probably isn’t the best place for them.”

(It takes a while to build up to the conversation, a few weeks until Jin Zixuan is comfortable enough to sit with them without Mianmian as a social buffer. He’s still insufferable, but more and more Jiang Cheng sees the kid he remembers from childhood visits, and even shades of the proud yet just man that he almost had a chance to fully grow into being.)

Meanwhile, something is shifting between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, the simmering tension between them boiling over, and Jiang Cheng is both sure that they’ve actively started fucking and and sure that he wants *absolutely nothing to do with it.* He does not want to hear it, see it, smell it — which makes it difficult when Wei Wuxian proves that he has no filter, and Lan Wangji proves he has no shame.

What had actually happened was Lan Xichen had approached Lan Wangji and said that he was glad LWJ was making friends, and hey, haven’t you been spending an awful lot of time with that Wei Wuxian kid? Don’t worry, little brother, I’ll keep Uncle off your back.” LWJ was unsure if Xichen knew that LWJ and WWX were together, but was unsure how to clarify. Every time he tried, LXC seemed to double down on his interpretation of their relationship as being the same as his with NMJ (and while NMJ thought LXC was pretty, he was more interested in Xichen’s swordplay than his *swordplay*) - and LWJ decided that the best course of action was to kiss Wei Wuxian as much as possible as often as possible.

For the record, Lan Xichen was well aware of his little brother’s inclinations, and was quite enjoying his own spot of harmless rebellion by encouraging Wangji’s shamelessness. Besides, Wei Wuxian was a good match for Wangji, and it was a relief to see Wangji smiling. Perhaps it was time to begin drafting some marital paperwork. It wouldn’t do to be caught unprepared, afterall.

He hoped they married in the spring. He always loved a spring wedding...

Somewhere, Jiang Cheng felt a chill.

NEXT TIME - THE RETURN OF THE MAIN PLOT

[bamf-jaskier]

What the fuck is up with Triss and Geralt (in the books)

Hello! and in today’s wtf post, here is a summary of the relationship (or lack thereof, sorry Triss) of her and Geralt’s relationship in the books. 

TLDR: At the end of the day, Triss and Geralt have a clearly described mutual attraction to each other through all the books. However, Geralt’s attraction to Triss does not compare to his love for Yennefer and as such, despite Triss and Geralt sleeping together once, they set boundaries and relegate each other to friends. Geralt never fully stops being slightly drawn to and sympathetic towards Triss and Triss never fully falls out of love with Geralt. 

CW for minority graphic depictions of violence (standard for the books)

More under the cut:

So, let’s start out with their backstory. Here’s a snippet describing their hook-up from Blood of Elves. 

Then Geralt of Rivia appeared. A witcher leading a stormy life, and tied to her good friend Yennefer in a strange, turbulent and almost violent relationship.

Triss had watched them both and was jealous even though it seemed there was little to be jealous of. Their relationship quite obviously made them both unhappy, had led straight to destruction, pain and yet, against all logic… it had lasted. Triss couldn’t understand it. And it had fascinated her. It had fascinated her to such an extent that she had seduced the witcher – with the help of a little magic. 

She had hit on a propitious moment, a moment when he and Yennefer had scratched at each other’s eyes yet again and had abruptly parted. Geralt had needed warmth, and had wanted to forget.

No, Triss had not desired to take him away from Yennefer. As a matter of fact, her friend was more important to her than he was. But her brief relationship with the witcher had not disappointed. She had found what she was looking for – emotions in the form of guilt, anxiety and pain. His pain. 

She had experienced his emotions, it had excited her and, when they parted, she had been unable to forget it. And she had only recently understood what pain is. The moment when she had overwhelmingly wanted to be with him again. For a short while – just for a moment – to be with him.

So Geralt and Triss had sex once, and it is important to note that while CDPR took the interpretation that this meant Triss had assaulted Geralt and used that in their games, this is not explicitly said in canon. The single line “she had seduced the witcher – with the help of a little magic.” is also likely to be referring to how mages use transformation magic in order to alter their appearance to be more beautiful. This is mentioned by Fringilla in Baptism of Fire: 

She herself had regularly ridiculed the crude image painted by gossip and propaganda of the typical sorceress from the North: artificially beautiful, arrogant, vain and spoiled to the limits of perversion, and often beyond them.

Even then, Geralt has a pattern (similar to Yennefer as well with Istredd) of sleeping with other people such as Fringilla herself in Lady of the Lake when him and Yennefer are on a break. So it’s important to note for their relationship in the books, that there is nothing in the text that says that Triss assaulted Geralt and that is simply another literary interpretation of the relationship and not directly canon. 

Sometime after their hook-up Triss is presumed dead at the Battle of Sodden but goes to Kaer Morhen in order to teach Ciri magic. Here is Geralt and Triss’s reunion in Blood of Elves. 

“I’ll take your horse,” offered Geralt, reaching for the reins. Triss surreptitiously shifted her hand and their palms joined. So did their eyes.

“I’ll come with you,” she said naturally. “There are a few little things in the saddle-bags which I’ll need.”

“You gave me a very disagreeable experience not so long ago,” he muttered as soon as they had entered the stable. “I studied your impressive tombstone with my own eyes. The obelisk in memory of your heroic death at the battle of Sodden. The news that it was a mistake only reached me recently. I can’t understand how anyone could mistake anyone else for you, Triss.”

“It’s a long story,” she answered. “I’ll tell you some time. And please forgive me for the disagreeable moment.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. I’ve not had many reasons to be happy of late and the feelings I experienced on hearing that you lived cannot compare to any other. Except perhaps what I feel now when I look at you.”

Triss felt something explode inside her. Her fear of meeting the white-haired witcher, which had accompanied her throughout her journey, had struggled within her with her hope of having such a meeting. Followed by the sight of that tired, jaded face, those sick eyes which saw everything, cold and calculating, which were unnaturally calm but yet so infused with emotion…

She threw her arms around his neck, instantly, without thinking. She caught hold of his hand, abruptly placed it on the nape of her neck, under her hair. A tingling ran down her back, penetrated her with such rapture she almost cried out. In order to muffle and restrain the cry her lips found his lips and stuck to them. She trembled, pressing hard against him, her excitement building and increasing, forgetting herself more and more.

Geralt did not forget himself.

“Triss…Please.”

“Oh, Geralt… So much…”

“Triss.” He moved her away delicately. “We’re not alone… They’re coming.”

So they have a (bit) of a spicy post-death reunion where Geralt says some very nice and heartfelt things things that make Triss especially horny. Triss almost orgasms from a hug and kisses Geralt to avoid moaning (can you tell this series was written by a man yet?)

Then later, Geralt and Triss have a conversation about Geralt needing to reach out to Yennefer because Ciri’s trances and magic are becoming overwhelming. In fact, in this scene, Triss is pretty shaken up because she was just in a joint-trance with Ciri. So, post-trance in Blood of Elves Geralt brings up their past hook-up: 

“You have to get help from another magician. A more gifted one. More experienced. You know who I’m talking about.”

“I do.” He turned his head away, clenched his lips.

“Don’t resist. Don’t defend yourself. I can guess why you turned to me rather than her. Overcome your pride, crush your rancour and obstinacy. There is no point to it, you’ll torture yourself to death. And you are risking Ciri’s health and life in the process. Another trance is liable to be more dangerous to her than the Trial of Grasses. Ask Yennefer for help, Geralt.”

“And you, Triss?”

“What about me?” She swallowed with difficulty. “I’m not important. I let you down. I let you down… in everything. I was… I was your mistake. Nothing more.”

“Mistakes,” he said with effort, “are also important to me. I don’t cross them out of my life, or memory. And I never blame others for them. You are important to me, Triss, and always will be. You never let me down. Never. Believe me.”

She remained silent a long while.

“I will stay until spring,” she said finally, struggling against her shaking voice. “I will stay with Ciri… I will watch over her. Day and night. I will be with her day and night. And when spring is here… when spring is here we will take her to Melitele’s Temple in Ellander. The thing that wants to possess her might not be able to reach her in the temple. And then you will ask Yennefer for help.”

“All right, Triss. Thank you.”

“Geralt?”

“Yes.”

“Ciri said something else, didn’t she? Something only you heard. Tell me what it was.”

“No,” he protested and his voice quivered. “No, Triss.”

“Please.”

“She wasn’t speaking to me.”

“I know. She was speaking to me. Tell me, please.”

“After coming to… When I picked her up… She whispered: ‘Forget about him. Don’t torture him.’”

“I won’t,” she said quietly. “But I can’t forget. Forgive me.”

“I am the one who ought to be asking for forgiveness. And not only asking you.”

“You love her that much,” she stated, not asking.

“That much,” he admitted in a whisper after a long moment of silence.

“Geralt.”

“Yes, Triss?”

“Stay with me tonight.”

“Triss…”

“Only stay.”

“All right.”

Okay this scene makes me feel a lot of emotions because Triss knows she has to let go of Geralt and she genuinely wants to because she values her friendship with Yennefer more. But like she said, she can’t forget. And it’s also important that in the same way Triss asks forgiveness, Geralt is asking forgiveness too. He knows that he slept with Triss while still in love with Yennefer and while, like he says, he doesn’t think his mistake is unimportant, he is not going to pursue a romantic relationship with Triss. 

This scene is so important because it sets the boundaries for the two of them. Especially at the end with Triss asking Geralt to stay the night with her platonically, it’s them trying to re-gain their friendship without the romantic aspect. Triss is a pretty insecure character in the books. In fact, in an interview when asked what immediately came to mind when her name was mentioned, Andrzej Sapkowski said: insecure and red-headed. So her setting these boundaries for herself is important and Geralt setting these boundaries is important as well. 

After this, Geralt stays as as close friend of Triss, even comforting her when she recounts the Battle of Sodden (which btw is one of my favorite book Triss moments in the series, it’s so powerful). 

Then, Triss is traveling with Ciri and Geralt and gets very bad food poisoning and basically has to be nursed back to health by the two of them and Geralt has to literally hold her as she shits herself in the woods. So it’s nice that he’s being a supportive friends but also it’s a gross situation. 

On the road, when asked by Yarpen who Triss is to Geralt (Triss is currently very sick and asleep) he replies in Blood of Elves: 

“Who is this Triss to you?”

“What difference does it make in this situation?”

“In this situation – none. I asked out of an inappropriate curiosity born of the desire to start new rumours going around the inns. But be that as it may, you’re mighty attracted to this enchantress, Geralt.”

The witcher smiled sadly.

You can tell that there is a still a lingering sense of attraction. But it’s not love and it pales in comparison to what Geralt feels for Yennefer. So it’s important Geralt keeps up the boundaries he set earlier. But it’s not just Geralt who has trouble letting go. When Triss is in the worst part of her fever she says this to Geralt: 

“Oh, Geralt,” she sobbed. “I so regret… I so regret that what was between us”

“Triss, please.”

“…it should have happened… now. When I’m better… It would be entirely different… I could… I could even—”

“Triss.”

“I envy Yennefer… I envy her you—”

“Ciri, step out.”

“But—”

“Go, please.”

It’s hard for the both of them, in my opinion Triss far more than Geralt but they both struggle. 

It’s important to note that at the end of Blood of Elves, Yennefer also finds out the whole story about Triss and Geralt from Ciri:

There was a subject which the girl [Ciri] instinctively and carefully avoided. But one day, she got carried away and spoke out. About Triss Merigold. Yennefer, as if casually, as if indifferently, asking as if banal, sparing questions, dragged the rest from her. Her eyes were hard and impenetrable.

Now, the next time Geralt and Triss meet, Geralt and Yennefer were invited along by Philippa to attend a mages’ meeting on the island Thanedd. Here is their meeting from Time of Contempt: 

They went over to Triss, who was shimmering in shades of blue and pale green. On seeing them, Triss broke off her conversation with two sorcerers, smiled radiantly and hugged Yennefer; the ritual of kissing the air near each other’s ears was repeated. Geralt took the proffered hand, but decided to act contrary to the rules of etiquette; he embraced the chestnut-haired enchantress and kissed her on her soft cheek, as downy as a peach. Triss blushed faintly.

So, Yennefer knows that they slept together but they all seem to be able to co-exist together which is good. Yennefer and Triss even have a sem-nice conversation about Ciri together moments later:

“They’re on excellent terms,’ Yennefer warned her gravely. ‘Be careful, Triss. Don’t breathe a word to him about–about you know who.’

‘I know. I’ll be careful. And by the way…’ Triss lowered her voice. ‘How’s she doing? Will I be able to see her?’

‘If you finally decide to run classes at Aretuza,’ smiled Yennefer, ‘you’ll be able to see her very often.’

‘Ah,’ said Triss, opening her eyes widely. ‘I see. Is Ciri…?’

‘Be quiet, Triss. We’ll talk about it later. Tomorrow. After the Council.”

“Tomorrow?’ said Triss, smiling strangely. Yennefer frowned, but before she had time to ask a question, a slight commotion suddenly broke out in the hall.”

This is an important conversation, because Philippa set up the Thanned meeting as a way to arrest Nilfgaardian mages such as Vilgefortz and Francesca and Triss was in on this planned coup while Yennefer was not. However, I don’t want to get too off-track, so back to Geralt and Triss’ relationship! 

Triss in Time of Contempt, mentions to Geralt that Yennefer is member of the mage’s council and asks Yennefer why she hadn’t told Geralt yet and this is Yennefer’s reply: 

“No, darling,’ said the enchantress, looking her friend straight in the eyes. ‘For one thing, I don’t like to boast. For another, there’s been no time. I haven’t seen Geralt for ages, and we have a lot of catching up to do. There’s already a long list. We’re going through it point by point.’

‘I see,’ said Triss hesitantly. ‘Hmm… After such a long time I understand. You must have lots to talk about…’

‘Talking,’ smiled Yennefer suggestively, giving the Witcher another smouldering glance, ‘is way down the list. Right at the very bottom, Triss.’

The chestnut-haired enchantress was clearly discomfited and blushed faintly.

‘I see,’ she said, playing in embarrassment with her lapis-lazuli heart.

‘I’m so glad you do. Geralt, bring us some wine. No, not from that page. From that one, over there.”

Then, Geralt asks Yennefer once he and her are alone and says: 

“Sure you didn’t go a bit too far?’ he asked coldly. Yennefer’s eyes flared violet.”

“Don’t try to make a fool out of me. Did you think I don’t know about you and her?’

‘If that’s what you—’

‘That’s precisely what,’ she said, cutting him off. ‘Don’t make stupid faces, and refrain from comments. And above all, don’t try to lie to me. I’ve known Triss longer than I’ve known you. We like each other. We understand each other wonderfully and will always do so, irrespective of various minor… incidents. Just then it seemed to me she had some doubts. So I put her right, and that’s that. Let’s not discuss it any further.”

So underneath this exterior, there’s definitely some tension and we see Yennefer’s possessive side come out. Needless to say, Triss isn’t going anywhere near Geralt romantically while Yennefer is in the picture. However, it is important to note that Yennefer still highly values Triss’ friendship, going so far as to daydream about her being in their lives if Yennefer and Geralt were to ever retire. 

Then, during the coup on Thanned, Geralt’s leg is horribly injured and Triss is the one who saves him (although she did help cause the coup in the first place). From Time of Contempt: 

Now Geralt could see nothing and hear nothing. He was sinking, submerging into something warm. He thought Vilgefortz had gone. He was astonished, then, when a fierce blow from the iron staff struck his thigh, smashing the shaft of his femur.

If anything occurred after that, he did not remember it.

‘Hang in there, Geralt. Don’t give up,’ repeated Triss Merigold endlessly. ‘Hang in there. Don’t die… Please don’t die…’

‘Ciri…’

‘Don’t talk. I’ll soon get you out of here. Hold on… Damn I’m too weak, by the gods…’

‘Yennefer… I have to—’

‘You don’t have to do anything! You can’t do anything! Hang in there. Don’t give up… Don’t faint… Don’t die, please…’

She dragged him across the floor, which was littered with bodies. He saw his chest and belly covered in blood, which was streaming from his nose. He saw his leg. It was twisted at a strange angle and seemed much shorter than the intact one. He didn’t feel any pain. He felt cold. His entire body was cold, numb and foreign. He wanted to puke.

‘Hold on, Geralt. Help is coming from Aretuza. It’ll soon be here…’

Triss basically drags Geralt to Tissaia and begs for help. Tissaia reluctantly gives help and Triss teleports Geralt from Thanned to Brokilon to be healed by the dryads and tells only Dandelion where he is and keeps Geralt’s location a secret. Both Yennefer and Ciri are missing after the coup. 

However, once Triss fully commits herself to the Lodge of Sorceresses, she puts  their well-being above all her previous connections. In The Tower of Swallows, she is even willing to let Geralt die as he didn’t serve the purposes of the Lodge:

“The information,” Yennefer said dully, “for his life. Save him, Philippa.”

“No, Yennefer.”

“Because it's not in the interest of the Lodge.” A purple fire kindled in the sorceress’ eyes. “Did you hear that Triss? There, you have your Lodge. You see their true colors, their true interests. And what do you think of them? You were a mentor to the girl, almost – as you put it – a big sister. And Geralt…”

“Do not attack Triss’ relationships, Yennefer.” Philippa retaliated with her own fire in her eyes. “We will find and rescue the girl without your help. And if you succeed, that's fine, a thousand thanks, because you will have saved us the trouble. You tear the girl out of the hands of Vilgefortz and we will be happy. And Geralt? Who cares about Geralt?”

“Did you hear that, Triss?”

“Forgive me,” said Triss Merigold dully. “Forgive me, Yennefer.”

“Oh, no, Triss. Never.”

While Triss takes many steps to try and find and save Ciri, she does nothing of the sort for Geralt and it appears that she has abandoned much of their friendship (and Yennefer’s) in favor of The Lodge. Despite this, Triss still showcases jealously whenever someone else mentions being involved with Geralt. 

For example, in Lady of the Lake, Fringilla is summarizing her seduction of Geralt and his responses and says: 

“December came,” she continued. “Then Yule, then the New Year. The witcher calmed down to the point where Ciri’s name no longer showed up in every conversation. The monster hunting expeditions, which he regularly undertook, seemed to completely avail him. Well, maybe not completely…”

She trailed off. She thought she had seen Triss Merigold’s blue eyes flash with hatred. But perhaps it had just been a reflection of the flickering candle flames. 

Seeing The Lodge like this is a turning point for Triss and she regrets joining The Lodge and her actions in The Tower of Swallows and says as much to Nenneke in Lady of the Lake:

“I cannot go madly hurrying after Ciri to help her, I cannot run like crazy to save Geralt and Yennefer. Not only that, there is a war, which you have sent your girls… A war, that Jarre fled to and I am refused the possibility to even stand on a hill. To once again stand on a hill. Knowing this time, I’d made the right decision.”

“Everyone has their decisions and everyone has their hills, Triss,” the priestess said quietly. “Everyone. You cannot escape your own.”

This arc of jealously, betrayal, and love comes to a head when Triss accompanies Ciri and Yennefer to Rivia to try and rescue Geralt from an uprising. Yennefer rounds on Triss and the two of them have an absolutely vitriolic fight. From Lady of the Lake: 

Triss averted her face, determined not to give Yennefer any excuse. She did not expect it to work. For a long time she had been sensing Yennefer’s anger and aggression growing stronger as they approached Rivia.

“You, Triss,” Yennefer mischievously insisted, “do not blush, do not sigh, do not drool or wiggle around in your saddle. Or is it that you think because I agreed to your request that I want to have you with us? That I was interested in seeing you spend a meeting with an old love? Ciri, I asked you to go on ahead. The two of us need to talk!”

“It is not a discussion, it is a lecture.” Ciri dared to argue, but under the threatening glare from violet eyes, she immediately recoiled, clucked and galloped off on Kelpie on the road ahead.

“You’re not going to meet a loved one, Triss,” Yennefer continued. “I am not so noble or stupid enough to give you the opportunity, or him the temptation. But just for today. I could not deny myself the sweet satisfaction. He will know what role you play as a member of the Lodge. He will thank you for that with his famous look. And I’ll be looking at your quivering lips and trembling hands, I will listen to your lame apologies and excuses. And you know what, Triss? I will faint with delight.”

“I knew,” Triss grunted. “That you would not forget, that you would take your revenge. I agreed to this, because I was actually at fault. But one thing I must tell you, Yennefer. Do not count too much on fainting. He knows how to forgive.

“He knows what was done to him, of course,” Yennefer narrowed her eyes. “But he will never forgive you for what was done to Ciri. And me.”

“It is possible,” Triss swallowed. “He may not forgive. Especially if you insist. But he won’t fly into a rage. He won’t lower himself like that.”

“Yennefer flicked her horse with her whip in anger. The animal whinnied and leapt and the sorceress swayed in her saddle.

“Enough talk,” she snapped. “More humility, you smug viper! He is my man, mine and only mine! Do you understand? You have to stop talking about him, to stop thinking about him, you have to stop admiring his noble character… As of right now, right now! Oh I want to grab you by your matted red hair…

“Try it!” Screamed Triss. “Just try it, you vindictive bitch and I’ll scratch out your eyes! I…”

The both fell silent when they saw the cloud of dust as Ciri galloped back towards them.

That fight was particularly ugly and it’s built out of a lot of repressed feelings and betrayal over the course of the story that these two refused to properly address. However, the two of them put this aside in order to work together and fight together in the end of Lady of the Lake, but this post is not for analyzing Yennefer and Triss’ relationship so I won’t link the quote. 

TLDR: At the end of the day, Triss and Geralt have a clearly described mutual attraction to each other through all the books. However, Geralt’s attraction to Triss does not compare to his love for Yennefer and as such, despite Triss and Geralt sleeping together once, they set boundaries and relegate each other to friends. Geralt never fully stops being slightly drawn to and sympathetic towards Triss and Triss never fully falls out of love with Geralt.