#to be able to get in without a jade token

[mxtxfanatic]

The Most Un-Lan-Like Lan (Junior) vs. The Most Un-Lan-Like Lan (Married-In Senior)

Lan Jingyi is such an interesting character. He is very opinionated and often speaks his mind without considering how his words will come across. He is cowardly about the supernatural despite being a cultivator but brave against those in positions of power despite being a child, always willing to stand up for what he thinks is right. Lan Jingyi starts off the story with a low opinion of "Mo Xuanyu," usually acting rude, hostile, or dismissive:

When he turned his head, he saw the Lan juniors tailing him. “Children!” he shouted. Lan Jingyi said, “Who are you calling children? Don’t you know which clan we’re from? Just because you’ve washed your face, you get to act like our senior?”

—Chapt. 9: Pride IV, fanyiyi

Wei Wuxian went to the youngsters. “Am I seeing things right? Each of you is a disciple of a prominent clan. Haven’t your moms, dads, and uncles taught you that the dead can’t receive the paper money you’re burning? They’re dead, what do they need money for? They won’t be able to collect it. Plus, you’re burning the money right at someone’s door—“ Lan Jingyi waved his hand dismissively. “Move aside, move aside, you’re blocking the wind. The fire will burn out at this rate. Anyway, it’s not like you’ve ever died—how do you know whether the dead can collect the money?" ... Lan Jingyi knifed him in the heart again. “Even if you’ve been dead before and didn’t get any, it has to be because no one burned any for you.”

—Chapt. 42: Flora X, fanyiyi

It doesn't help that Wei Wuxian, playing into his "gay lunatic" persona, is intentionally trying to put everyone off:

Lan Jingyi said, “Why are you crying? You’re the one who said you like Hanguang Jun! Now he even brought you home. So what are you howling for?” Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows were wrinkled, his lips frowned, and his face was the perfect picture of misery.

—Chapt. 11: Elegance I, fanyiyi

Wei Wuxian took out the apple from the breakfast they had given him and offered it to the donkey. As expected, as soon as the animal bit in, it stopped braying, and began smacking its lips and crunching the fruit with its teeth instead. Wei Wuxian touched the back of its neck and thought about the jade passage tokens the juniors carried while pointing at the round, white rabbits covering the ground. “I’m really not allowed to cook them? So if I cooked them, I’d be chased off the mountain?” As though facing a major enemy, Lan Jingyi opened his arms and stepped in front of him immediately. “These are Hanguang Jun’s rabbits. We just help watch them once in a while. Don’t you dare cook them!”

...

“I can’t get up,” he said sincerely. “Uh, what’s happened to you now?” Lan Sizhui said. “What’s happened to me? Your clan’s Hanguang Jun ravished me!” Lan Jingyi piped up louder and fiercer. “If you keep spouting nonsense, we’re not going to let it go. Come out!”

—Chapt. 19: Sunshine I, fanyiyi

Yet despite all this, once Wei Wuxian sheds his "Mo Xuanyu" cover and begins to seriously lean into his mentorship role, Lan Jingyi becomes one of his most vocal followers amongst the juniors, seeing the man as both a steady pillar to rely on—on par with his idol, Hanguang-jun—and someone whose safety he is concerned with, so much so that he can even cast aside his fear of the supernatural to volunteer himself as bait in Wei Wuxian's stead:

Wei WuXian said to them, “When the second group of fierce corpses rushes in, I will lure them towards the Pool of Blood, and HanGuang-Jun will be in charge of slaying them. With this target here,” He patted himself, “They won’t bother you. Don’t be tempted by battle, just run.” For once, Lan SiZhui’s raised his voice, “No! We can’t do that. There’s no way!” Sect Leader OuYang had given up trying to hold his son still. OuYang ZiZhen, “Senior-Wei, we will slay the corpses too! I can slay a hundred more!” Meanwhile, Lan JingYi had already started to undress, “I’ll draw a flag on myself too!”

—Chapt. 81: Core Part 3, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

OuYang ZiZhen, “HanGuang-Jun, why did Senior-Wei collapse?” Lan WangJi, “Tired.” Lan JingYi was astonished, “I thought that Senior-Wei would never tire!”

—Chapt. 84: Core Part 6, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Soon, he began again, “Speaking of it, why didn’t I see SiZhui and the squad this time back?” In the past, these juniors would’ve crowded around them and begun chirping all the way from the entrance of the mountain. Hearing him mention SiZhui and the juniors, Lan WangJi’s brows relaxed somewhat, “I can take you to see them.” After he led Wei WuXian to find Lan SiZhui, Lan JingYi, and the others, the juniors didn’t do anything apart from calling out in delight.

—Chapt. 114: Banquet Extra, exr

With such a fierce and impressionable personality, it's no wonder he's one of the few juniors whose name Wei Wuxian can remember 😂

[whatitsdecending]

Even in Arcadia (III)

Fem Reader & Sleep Token

Settling in as much as you can into this new place that you have to call home is hard enough, until something strange occurs and new fears start to fall in place.

Content warning: Crude language, violence against women, intentions of SA

Word Count: 3.6k

“…and I don’t even know who I used to be, but nothing is the same and some things have to change now…”

—————————

You sat in the now cold water of the bath that was drawn for you, staring at the string of soap that you dragged around in the water. It had been hot when you got in, the chamber had even been full of steam after your maid Cara drew the bath for you. You’re not sure how long you’ve been in this water, your mind has been stuck on everything that’s happened.

It didn’t make you cry anymore thinking about all the death and destruction you faced just a few days ago. Your body had completely run dry of the ability of shedding even a single tear. Now you just felt numb. It felt like your heart no longer beat in your chest, all you felt was the emptiness inside where it once was.

You weren’t sure how long this feeling would last. It could go away tomorrow for all you knew, or it may never leave and you’ll feel empty until the day you die.

You closed your eyes. That could’ve been a few days ago…

So why were you alive? You, out of anyone in your kingdom? If they really wanted answers to anything your father would still be alive. But no, they didn’t even hesitate with him. So you really questioned exactly why King Langley gave the directions to not kill you. No possibility that crossed your mind was important enough to kill off an entire kingdom just to get to you. None of them. So why?

You sighed and opened your eyes again. The only way you’d be able to find that out involved going to Carbine and asking the King himself… if you wanted to most likely be kidnapped and tortured by his men. You wished with every bone in your body at that very moment that you were well versed in combat, that you’d grown up attending the classes that all the knights had. Learning how to equip a sword and use it without hurting yourself. Only because the thought of slicing through King Langley’s neck and watching his head topple off it seemed to relax you.

A knock on the door startled you from your thoughts. “Princess?” Cara’s sweet voice called from the other side. “Are you done? The King wants you to join them for dinner.”

You sighed deeply. “Yes I’m done, I’ll be right out to dress.” You lifted yourself from the cold water and stepped over the tub, grabbing the fluffy robe that sat on the stool beside it and wrapping it around you. Your fingers had become pruned and you shivered as you walked to the door that led into the bed chamber. You were very grateful that these quarters were as private as they were, having your own balcony and bathing chamber was not a common thing in castles for guests. It reminded you of your own room, except a little more muted in color.

“You were in there for a while.” Cara said as she carried an armful of dresses. “Are you alright?”

You sat on the stool in front of the vanity. “Yes, I just needed time to be alone.” She nodded and gave you a sad smile before holding out dresses for you to choose from. It was only a dinner and you didn’t care to wear anything extravagant, since they did see you when you were covered in dirt and blood and smelled awful. So you chose the simple jade colored dress that had lace sleeves. It was beautiful, definitely something you will be wearing again around the castle.

Cara helped you get dressed, altering some pieces of the dress that were too big and didn’t hug your body the way it should. You watched in the standing mirror as she worked, taking in the sight of your tired eyes and sighing. She glanced up and you made eye contact, another small and sad smile pulled at her lips.

“How would you like your hair?” She asked after she finished cuffing the sleeves so they landed at your wrists.

You looked at the hot mess of your hair. “Any braid of your choice would be fine.” She nodded and began working with the long strands of your hair, braiding a crown around your head and letting the rest of it lay against your back. You observed the intricate braid and nodded in approval. “It’s beautiful.”

“I’m happy you like it, Princess.” She smiled softly. “Did you want any cosmetics on your face?” You nodded and she got a little more excited, happily grabbing some blush and a light pink lipstick from the vanity. “I’ll keep it simple.”

“Perfect.” You said as she applied the cosmetics to your cheeks and lips. There was a knock on the door to the bed chamber. “Come in.” The door opened and Three stepped in, giving Cara a small wave.

“I’m here to escort you to dinner.” He said.

“Alright.” You say, slipping on the shoes Cara had found in the wardrobe. You walked to the door with Three behind you, letting him get the door that led back into the hallway. The two of you left your quarters and walked briefly in silence.

He nudged your side. “How are you doing?” You glanced up at the tall man, his bright blue eyes sparkling with worry.

“I’m alright, I feel a little more like myself.” You pointed at the dress and gave him a small smile.

He nodded. “It is a pretty dress. The Prince will like it.” You now glared at your companion and nudged him this time. “What? I can’t acknowledge your engagement?”

“No. Not the arranged one that I don’t want any part of.” You replied. He remained silent for a while, the only sounds being the noise of your shoes on the rug below you. This castle was quiet, you were so used to it being busy and loud at almost every hour of the day. You weren’t sure how to feel about the quietness, it made you feel a little uneasy at times. It felt as if the castle had no life to it, and despite the beauty of it all, it all felt so empty.

You turned the corner of the hallway that led into the grand hall which was holding the dinner tonight, and next week the engagement ball, and the week after that; your wedding. You paused as the guards at the doors announced your arrival, earning some joyful applause from the guests at the table. You just smiled at them as a new guard showed you to your seat, across from the Prince and to the left of the King. As you sat, you glanced around the room for Three, relaxing once you spotted him leaning against one of the marble pillars behind you.

“You cleaned up very nicely, Princess Y/N.” King Damocles snagged your attention from Three. He smiled at you and then to his son, who chugged at his wine. Likely his third or fourth glass of the night. “Harry, doesn’t your fiancé look beautiful?”

He set the glass back onto the table and eyed you, making sure to focus the most on your chest that was a little exposed. “Ravishing.” You cringed at his gaze and words, suddenly uncomfortable by this conversation.

King Damocles turned to you once more. “I hope you found your quarters to be inviting.”

You cleared your throat. “Yes. It is a lovely accommodation, thank you.” He just nodded and sipped at his wine. You quickly found your glass and sipped it as well, humming lightly at the taste.

You managed to make it through the conversations without faltering. The many dinners you’ve attended in your life made this easy, just laughing with whoever thinks they’re the funniest at the table, this time being the Duke of Vale, and adding whatever seemed to make sense in the flow of the conversation. Mostly it was old stories that the guests told, piquing your interest because you loved hearing about people’s lives.

Dinner was brought out on steaming platters; lamb, potatoes, some sort of stew, and so much more you couldn’t even name it all. So you did your best to fill your plate with new things that never existed to you before tonight, deciding it was best to get used to their food right away. It certainly was delicious. You ate in silence as the conversation carried on, something about the Prince’s prized sword collection or something boring like that.

“Do you enjoy reading, Princess?” The King asked you quietly, under the noise of the others.

You nodded. “I do, very much.”

He smiled. “Then you’ll have to check out the castle’s library after dinner, if you are up to it of course.” Now we're talking about something you enjoyed.

“I would love to.”

“I’ll inform one of your guards to escort you there. We have some first editions of novels, my most prized collection as they were passed down through generations of the Damocles line.” You raised your brows at that. It was rare to have so many first editions, especially when during the Great War they were sought out and destroyed.

“Well, King Damocles. You have caught my interest in your collection.” You admitted as you took a sip of your wine. His smile grew as he waved Three over, but when you turned you realized it wasn’t him.

“Four, will you escort the Princess to the library? She has expressed interest in viewing the collections there.” The King said to the knight at your side.

Four nodded. “Of course, my King.” You glanced around again, wondering where Three had gone off to. Most of the afternoon Four had stood guard at the door of your quarters, clearly switching out with Three at some point while you got ready for dinner. And yet they switched once again…

“I’m finished.” You suddenly say, pushing the chair back and standing. “Thank you for dinner, and thank you for the wonderful company.” You bowed to everyone at the table and then bowed to the King, before turning towards Four. He smirked at you and walked off towards the library and you followed.

The library was down a few flights of stairs and deep under the castle. You slowed to look at the walls made of stone, intricate carvings of some kind of story stood out to you and you traced them with your fingers. “That’s the story of the Damocles line.” Four said as he watched you from afar. You turned to where he stood, a fluttering feeling in your stomach as the light from the candles cast shadows on his face, turning his soft features into something dangerous. It maybe was wrong, since you were engaged and all, but you could not help but admire his beauty. He was stunning. More so than any man you’ve seen, and you’ve come across many.

“They’ve got quite the story it seems.” You say as you glance back at the carvings that indicated a brutal battle. He nodded as you walked towards him, stopping a few feet in front of him when he hadn’t moved again. “Everything okay?”

He shook his head and cleared his throat. “Yes, sorry.” He turned and continued to walk to the library. “I like your dress.” You felt a warm flush come across your face at the compliment.

“Thank you. I like it too.” The two of you continued the short walk in silence, as the doors to the library appeared. He pulled one open, the heavy wood door creaking on its hinges as you looked inside. It was a large room lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves, all filled to the brim with books. You stepped inside and gasped at it all, turning on your heels in order to see everything that the library could offer. “Wow.”

Four stepped in with you. “I like coming here whenever I’m not training. It’s always quiet, no one seems to use it much.”

“Is that why you’re here instead of Three?” You asked.

He shuffled on his feet. “No, Vessel needed him so I replaced him for this shift.”

“Shift?”

He nodded. “We’re going to rotate shifts-”

“I know what you guys are doing.” You cut him off. “But please don't refer to it as a shift.”

“You don’t like it?” He asked as you wandered into the library.

You shook your head. “Makes me feel weird.” Your eyes danced over the spines of the books, some of the titles already catching your attention as you made a mental note of them.

“We won’t refer to it as that then.” He said, leaning against the bookshelf opposite to the one you looked at. You were silent after that. Not because you didn’t want to respond, but because the pendant seemed to hum against your skin slightly. You put your hand on top of it and doing so confirmed the feeling. This has never happened before and you wondered if you were losing your mind.

You took a step to your right, the humming seemed to get a little stronger. Another step and you felt it more. Your feet moved forward, following the hum of the pendant as it turned into an obvious vibration against your chest.

“Did I upset you?” Four asked as he followed you through the bookshelves. You walked further into the library as the vibrations grew stronger. “Y/N. I’m sorry if I did, I wasn’t trying to.” His hand wrapped gently around your shoulder and pulled you to face him. “Is everything okay?” You grabbed his hand and placed it over the pendant as it vibrated violently. He snapped his hand back in surprise, staring at the thing dangling from your neck.

“I’m not crazy then.” You say, relief flooding over you.

He touched it again. “Why the hell is it vibrating?”

“I have no idea. It’s never done this before.” You admitted, glancing around at the books near you. Nothing stood out to you here, no titles that gave you the slightest clue about why your pendant suddenly started to vibrate.

A strange feeling of unease washed over your skin, the hair on the back of your neck raising as a chill crept down your spine. You immediately felt the need to run. “We need to leave.” Four didn’t hesitate and grabbed your hand, racing through the bookshelves and back through the door to the hallway. The feeling went away after he shut the door, as if it locked whatever it was that gave you the unease in the library. He didn’t say anything as he gently took your elbow and walked you through the hallways of the castle and back to your quarters.

He was as freaked out as you were. And your mind was overwhelmed with questions you had no idea who you would even ask about. The vibrating had ceased the moment you left the library along with the unease. Now, the pendant just felt heavy around your neck as it had been for the last couple of years.

You made it back to your quarters at last. Four opened the door and let you inside after he started to scan your surroundings. You pushed open the door to the bed chamber and almost jumped out of your skin at the sight of Prince Harry sitting in the vanity chair reading a book. Four was instantly at your side, his sword drawn.

“Oh my, no need for that Four.” The Prince stood up and set the book on the chair. “I’m only here to visit my fiancé.” His words slurred out of his mouth.

Four kept himself partially in front of you. “I don’t think it's a good time for that right now. The Princess is very tired.”

Harry brushed off his comment. “I’m sure she’s fine, right sweetheart?” He looked at you, a hunger flashed in his eyes. “You’re dismissed, Four.” The knight looked back at you, searching for an answer in your eyes. All you could do was squeeze his arm and pull him into the room with you.

“He stays.” The Prince just rolled his eyes as you stepped further in the room, Four staying guard at the door and eyeballing the Prince. “What is it that you want?”

He walked up to you, the stench of wine on his lips becoming clearer the closer he got to you. “I wanted to discuss something with you, in private.” He glared at Four as he said the last part.

“He is my personal guard. He can stay and will not repeat anything that is said within these walls.” You weren’t ever going to be in a room alone with this man, not after all the horrid stories you’ve heard of him. The Prince only scoffed in response after he was finished staring Four down.

“I believe we should begin trying for my heir.” Those words left his mouth and hit you like a brick.

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Why? We’re not yet married.”

He rolled his eyes. “So? No one will even have an idea that we began trying before our wedding, I don’t believe you’d be impregnated that fast.” Now you rolled your eyes. The audacity this man had, just wanting to do his job of knocking you up so he could get back to his prostitutes from the village.

“I don’t see the point. Your father will still be King for years to come, trying to make an heir for you should become priority once he has passed.” And if you could choose, it would never be a priority in the first place.

Prince Harry sighed. “My father is sick. There is no telling how long he will be alive for.”

A small feeling of regret hit you. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “I’ve come to terms with it.” He stepped forward and stopped just in front of you, his tall frame causing you to crane your head in order to look at his eyes. “So I need you to come to terms with me needing my heir.” He brushed the stray strands of hair that had fallen from your braid behind your ear.

“I can’t. I’m not ready yet.” You took a step back but was stopped by his hand holding your arm tightly. “Harry, I will be ready after our marriage. Now please let me go.” You struggled to get out of his grip, glancing over your shoulder at Four who stood there watching, his jaw clenched tightly at the sight. He wouldn’t do anything unless you told him to, he was well disciplined.

“Look at me when I talk to you!” Harry shouted, causing you to flinch and face him again. His face was full of rage and he raised his hand, bringing it down hard to your cheek. You cried at the pain that echoed through your face as you fell to the floor, holding your hand to your cheek. A loud crash caught your attention and you looked up to see Four holding the prince’s shirt as he pressed him against the wardrobe.

“Don’t you dare touch her again.” He spat in his face. “She doesn’t want to have sex with you right now, you fucking pig.”

“Four,” you breathed heavily. “That’s enough.” He turned and looked at you from over his shoulder, his eyes wild as the adrenaline pumped through his veins. It took him a second to finally let the prince go and pushed him toward the door, watching his every move as he scrambled from the room.

After he left, Four rushed to you, kneeling down to look at your cheek. He gently brushed his thumb over the throbbing print Harry’s hand had left, grumbling under his breath as he checked you over for any other injuries.

“I’m fine.” You pushed yourself up off the floor and he followed your every move. “He’s just an asshole.”

Four stared at you. “He’s not going to get any better. He does this to every woman he comes across.”

“I know.” You said as you went to adjust the vase of flowers that were knocked out of place during the altercation. You could feel his eyes burning into your back as you checked the injury in the mirror. “What?” You watched him in the mirror as he paced around.

“You shouldn’t have to marry him.” He said.

You ran a finger along the welt that formed, you were definitely going to put a cool rag on it before you went to sleep. “I don’t have a choice.”

“Yes you do.”

Before you could respond, there was a light knock on the door and Cara stepped in. “Hello Princess, oh!” She said when she noticed Four. “I didn’t realize you had company.”

“He was just leaving for his post.” You said, dismissing Four since you couldn’t fully wrap your mind around what he just said. He only nodded and left, murmuring a quiet goodnight to you and Cara. She walked to you and gasped when she saw your cheek. “It was my fault.” You quickly said, wanting to avoid any conversation surrounding it.

You let her undo your hair and lay out your nightgown for you to change into. Once she was done, she slipped out of the bed chamber after saying goodnight. You blew out the candles in the room and climbed into the bed, the plush blanket warming your body immediately. It hadn’t warmed ever since the library and seemingly got worse once you got to your quarters and found Harry in them. You wrapped the blankets around yourself tightly, embracing the warmth and hoping for it to drag you into a dreamless sleep.

[artheresy]

I have like very very specific feelings about Blade and Dan Heng’s dynamic/complicated situation and of course by extension the situation that occurred between Dan Feng and Yingxing and it’s like super particular, not in the way I think I’m objectively correct or fully indulging in fanon but a secret third thing. And the worst part is that I quite literally cannot for the life of me verbalize/write down my feelings and viewpoint to the full extent

They are just so complicated and full of so many tropes I love and it oof, it hurts very deeply. I like just reread the Passerby of Wandering Cloud relic set and I’m hmmm

I will say something as best as I can, I will never stop thinking about “Pairs of objects are destined for an eventual reunion.” In general that whole relic set wrecks me emotionally on a scale that I haven’t had since I read Stormbringer from BSD. They have such a complicated dynamic and I enjoy it so deeply, and see the thing is that they have such contradictory feelings that I don’t know the direction Hoyo will take it in but I am strapped in for the ride either way.

Also theres something like this fixation certain people have on separating the two and fixating on how they’re on their own paths AWAY from each other and I just,, I can’t understand that fixation because first off, even without talking about past selves, just talking about the current selves, the connection between them is extremely important when it comes to characterizing either of them. That is a significant part of their characters and where they currently are and a refusal to acknowledge that even without any shipper goggles confuses me. Additionally, as I brought up before, “Pairs of objects are destined for an eventual reunion” even as Blade and Dan Heng rather than Yingxing and Dan Feng, their paths are destined to cross. Given the earliness of the Xianzhou arc, heavily doubt this is any kind of “eventual reunion” as said by the relic seeing as its not like this is the first time they’ve met and those weren’t the this spoken of reunion. And additionally, I can’t help but think about Dan Heng specifically whether with knowing intent or not, carries multiple tokens of his past from the bracer itself to the jade pendant to literally Cloud Piercer. The weapon that makes him feel safe and yet he also has unfinished business with the creator

Speaking of that line, I’ve seen some people who think that he knows Blade made it. I personally heavily think he doesn’t know, given word choice to how he feels about it etc. But hmm I wonder if we’ll see what happens there. And that voiceline is just yet another thing hammering home how these two are destined to continue to have their paths intertwined.

And I’m trying to find the post again but I saw someone talking I think about the translations of the relic lore for that set and referring to the whole Pairs of objects line and they talked I think about how that statement is not meant to merely represent the actual objects but more so to represent Dan Heng and Blade themselves which may have been obvious from the start, but after reading that I felt like someone had expanded my mind and I can’t stop thinking about it, I can’t

Anyways anyways, I don’t think these two are by any means solely characterized by each other and they shouldn’t solely be seen as only existing in proximity to the other, but I don’t get people who for some reason hate the idea of them being connected in any manner bc of hating ships that they outright disregard and deny like key important parts of their canon. I mean people will do what they do and there’s no reason trying to put logic behind every single thing or whatever, but maybe that’s also just because I feel insane about their lore and again have this specific idea and view of them in my head. Maybe I’ll be able to put it into words better one day

Everything I ranted about arent even the full extent of my feelings about this particular topic regarding them. I just feel so specifically that I don’t know how to put it in words. If only sounds alone could convey my thoughts

Theres so much more I could rant about, so much more I could say but its like 4 am and I cant properly formulate thoughts without tangents starting in the middle of them

[yuri-is-online]

Question: When it comes to Twisted Wonderland, how is it that people seem to have lots of SSR cards? Where are they getting all the gems from??? Admittedly I'm F2P and have only had the game for 3 months but even playing daily it feels like I barely make 150 gems a week.

ahhh. well. i am one of those people yes i have 37 ssrs jesus and while there are a few things that contribute some of it really is just either from luck or being a whale. It also helps that pity on banners does not reset when you pull an SSR even if it's the one on rate up. I got 2 copies of Scary Monsters Jade without hitting pity and those pulls still counted toward the pity total, so while you can get spooked you can't really loose.

When it comes to gems/building a stash the number one thing I cannot stress enough is to buy the 10 key in Sam's shop for 250 gems at the start of each month. A normal pull is 300 gems, so this helps you build your stash even if it feels like it's not. Logging in on birthdays gets you a free 10 key (unless it's the twin's birthday then you get two) The exam token shop and all event shops (including the crowley token shop that's up right now) have single keys you should invest in. I had 40 (if not more) by the time I was rolling for Clubwear Floyd and that was just from saving event keys, and I am at 20 right now.

You've only been playing for a bit, so don't put too much pressure on yourself to have a really built up account. This is the wiki I use to keep up to date on stuff, I'm not the greatest at team building ;-; so I won't be able to help with questions like that but I did clear some space on my friends list recently. If you feel the need for a particular SSR just ask, I might have it or something you can use to beat content that's not in book 6

[throatsplit]

For a few moments, Louis says nothing—just lets the silence blanket them, tension heavy in the air like it's threatening to suffocate them all. Louis is used to it—the leering gazes of predators fixed on prey as if the monsters are only waiting, biding their time until Louis declares her to be nothing more than entertainment or a meal, ready to be picked apart by whichever serpent or wolf gets to her first. That's typically the case. Louis is old and jaded after centuries of watching the humans pilfer and destroy the things they don't understand, condemn the things they fear. He much prefers this—a world where his word is law and those who don't please him are eaten or torn apart.

Something about her sparks his interest—with a curiously cruel tilt of his head, fingers still against her jaw as his eyes rake over her. Louis doesn't just look at the travel-weary features of a face that he might regard as pretty beneath the smears of dirt and blood, but takes in the whole of her: the bruises, the trembling of her knees against the marble, the slight quiver of her lips with restrained fear. He can hear the sounds of a hunger in her that Louis can't recall ever feeling. Her heartbeat reminds him of a hummingbird, drumming with fear in his ears. She reeks of desperation, but it isn't the kind that grovels, and that's where Louis' interest lies—her spine might be bowed, but it isn't broken. She doesn't beg, not in the way he’s accustomed to. She asks.

That's enough for now.

With a wave of his free hand—casual, almost absentminded—the guards return to their posts outside. Louis' lips twitch just barely, a mockery of a smile as he rises to his feet. He exhales, long and slow through his nose. His gaze flickers to the waiting court for a moment, and to no one in particular, loud enough to echo through the space as if he's making an announcement, "She asks for food. Medicine. Mercy." A few monsters chuckle. A vampire leans back into his seat with a smirk. Some shake their heads, amused. An older hound growls low in his throat while one makes an offhand comment about how they don't offer mercy here. No one takes it as an invitation to help themselves to her, even as Louis moves to take his seat again. Never without his permission.

"Children," he echoes, a hint of amusement coloring his tone as he addresses the girl again. It's not soft or kind, though his stomach twists with the sudden memory of his own daughter, then the familiar sting of not being able to protect his family when it had been his only job. It does little to soften him to her or her plight, and he assumes that had been the goal. “Like my little girl killed by the very things you seek to aid? Centuries ago now. Not the ones you call family, of course, but the same nevertheless. Always the same. Cruel to those they don’t understand. Tyrannical to the ones they fear. You might have heard the tales spun as bedtime stories, but there's always a shred of truth hidden within them."

His gaze slips down to her knees again, then upwards to the collarbone with skin stretched too thin, carved from hunger that Louis knows rages rampant outside these walls, but feels no need to rectify even if he has all the means in the world. They made their bed, he thinks, and now they must lie in it. But her? "Come," he says, one hand curling inward like he's aiming to summon her. He nods once to a human servant lingering at the edge of the room—one of the few allowed to remain inside, marked by a brand at his throat—and without a word, the man moves swiftly to grab a carved chair and a plate already prepped with steaming meat and bread. He sets it in front of Louis at the top of the steps, then hurriedly runs off to resume whatever duties he'd been tasked with before.

"Sit. Eat," he demands, like more of an afterthought rather than genuine concern for her survival—and in this place, that's more than most humans receive. "A token for your bravery. For coming to me instead of groveling at the gates. Do not mistake it for kindness. It may very well be your last meal."

There are uneasy glances from those who know their King is never generous without reason. Some look on in jealousy or anger as if the simple display means the girl has stolen directly from their plates, but Louis ignores them entirely. He has no use for opinions that are not his own. "Perhaps you'll tell me of your family. The children you're so concerned for." It's said like an offer, an option—it is anything but. "And you can tell me what you've come to offer in return for my help. Yourself? Your loyalty? Or is it hope alone you thought you could barter with?"

The miles travelled underfoot are nothing compared to the hunger pains clawing apart her stomach. Only desperation could push one to come this far – over hills, valleys, lakes. To survive the outliers of supernatural beings that hadn’t quite made it into the court. Other humans that had been pushed to cannibalism to sustain themselves. Leonora is not brave – she is no foot soldier sent to ring the bell of revolution. She’s just a woman that’s hungry, that’s seen too many flies gouge the eyes of people she once called friend. A warring resilience in her bones that tells her she won’t be one of them. Or perhaps she’s just stupid, with foolish notions that she could appeal to any scrap of humanity left in the ruling King, if there was any to be found.

She knows the price of her transgressions could be her very life. A slow-death, one that wouldn’t leave her martyred, but just another tale of caution. It doesn’t matter to her in the way it should. It’s been days since she left home. They might just all be dead now. Mother, father, what small gaggle of cousins were left. All gut-rot for the vultures that would find them there.

The sharp twist of her arm has her yelping, heels scraping against the ground as she’s yanked and dragged into the belly of the castle. It’s grand in a way she’s never seen – only heard in stories that had been handed down from a world where humans reigned supreme. The ogling she’s done is more in disgust than splendor – unable to rationalize how someone could live like this while the rest of the world suffered.

There’s sure to be another bruise in her arm when she’s flung against the steps. The whispers, the stares, the soft scrape of nails into wooden chair-arms haven’t gone unnoticed. It dawns on her, too slowly, that this was more than she had bargained for. What rotten luck to wander into a feast, where the smell of food only heightens the pain in her belly. Has her desperate to reach out a hand and grab something within reach and devour it, at the risk of it being severed. Those thoughts still and quiet when the King’s voice breaks through the harsh whispers of the hall.

He's terrifyingly tall. That’s the first thing she notices after opting to not look him in the eye. The marble beneath her knees has started to wear against the bone, making her shift uncomfortably. In pain. It takes every ounce of control to not run the moment his feet land on the last step above her.

Mouth parts to speak, but nothing comes out. Just a harsh breath, like she’s gone mute entirely. Pallid tongue sweeps over her bottom lip and she swallows what little saliva is left back in her mouth. Another try, just as his gloved hand grips her chin and forces eye contact. The stormy blue of her eyes is no match for the unnatural blue of his own. Mesmerizing. Enough to make her silent again, if only for a few more beats of her heart.

“I meant no offense.” The words come out with a heave of air from her chest, panicked. “I needed to speak with you, I didn’t know how else to do it.” The desire to look away from his intense gaze is currently at odds with the desire to keep her head. “I understand there are consequences but please hear me – I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t have travelled all this way just to insult you.” Another breath in and she decides to stop stammering. If he was going to kill her, there was nothing she could do about it.

“My family is starving, they need food. Medicine. Supplies. We have nothing.” She wonders if it would matter to creatures like them. “We don’t need, we don’t want everything. Just something. Please. There’s children.”

[shanastoryteller]

happy holidays! could you do mdzs for prompts? thank you c:

Wei Wuxian knows he should be grateful that Lan Xichen is here now, smiling at them from behind Lan Wangji’s shoulder, that they’re not going to be forced to wait outside the entrance of Cloud Recesses in a humiliating manner. But mostly he’s just pissed off, at Jin Zixuan for being a jerk, and at Lan Wangji for the same reason, for thinking forgetting an invitation was an appropriate reason to treat them like this. Shijie and Jiang Cheng are clan heirs, just like Lan Wangji is. He’s pretty sure the idea is for them all to get along here.

It’s an insult, plain and simple, and Wei Wuxian isn’t willing to let the Jiang enter Cloud Recesses like this.

“You are most generous,” he says to Lan Xichen, making a subtle hand gesture behind his back that causes all the Jiang disciples to freeze and fall back, no longer walking towards the entrance. He can practically hear Jiang Cheng grinding his teeth from here, but he doesn’t protest. Rank is a tricky thing with them and the disciples and the best solution they’ve found is to never, ever contradict each other when it counts, even when they think the other person is being an idiot. “However, before we enter, I must request you put up your regular wards. I understand the entrance is currently being guarded,” he inclines his head to the two Lan at the gates like he hadn’t been giving them shit thirty minutes ago, “but that’s no reason to be complacent.”

Pointing out Cloud Recesses nonsensical security system is petty, and a bit of an easy target, but it’s better than nothing.

Except Lan Xichen raises an eyebrow and asks, “What do you mean?”

This is just asking Wei Wuxian to trash his clan’s decisions, which makes no sense. Or he genuinely doesn’t know what Wei Wuxian is talking about, which is concerning enough that this is no longer about making a token protest. “You shouldn’t put up weaker wards just because you have guards here now. Even if it’s an energy drain, you should always have your strongest wards up.”

Lan Wangji is giving him a super bitchy look, which is at least what he’d been expecting. Lan Xichen’s voice is still perfectly pleasant when he says, “We do not alter the wards for shifts. I assure you that our wards are constantly set up to provide maximum protection.”

Uh.

Um.

He looks behind him, partially to hide whatever his face is doing, and partially to look at his siblings. Jiang Cheng shrugs and Shijie presses her lips together and gives a slight shake of her head. Okay, wards are his thing, he hadn’t exactly expected his siblings to notice, but from Shijie’s reaction the Lan brothers aren’t messing with him right now.

“I can’t let my shijie stay here if this is your maximum protection,” he says apologetically. He will march them all down back to Caiyi and put them on the first boat to Lotus Pier.

Lan Xichen’s smile becomes a little fixed. “Our wards are put in place by our clan elders. You have nothing to worry about.”

He could stand here and argue with them about it, but. He sketches a talisman in the air, not even bothering to ink it on paper, and sends it forward with an arrogant flick of his hand that he learned from Madam Yu.

As soon as it hits the wards it fizzles, then it all dissolves, the barrier breaking down like a string being cut.

The Lans all turn to it, incredulous. He didn’t know they had facial expressions, but that’s shock if he’s ever seen it. “They are inadequate. They are ancient and predictable and weak.” He starts sketching in the air again, and this is something that he should grab talisman paper for, but it’s easier for them to see this way. “You use silver as your grounding base, right? The air around it tastes like it. Copper is basic and old and resists meddling better, although iron will give you more flexibility for modifications. Your also weakened by using a continuous line rather than a feedback loop. Once one section breaks, the rest follow suit, which means someone only needs to find one weak spot to bring it down.” He has to put his weight into this one, shoving the glowing characters into the nearest pillar and watching his red spiritual energy flare across it. The warding barrier is back up, but different than it was before. Better. “That’ll do for now. The Jiang are happy to provide aid in updating your wards.”

If they don’t accept that help, they’re going home. He cannot handle the stress of being worried about all his martial brothers and sisters all the time because the Lan haven’t updated their practices since Lan An.

They’re all staring at him now. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, not liking their stares, because he’s not sure what to do with them. They’re not hostile, he doesn’t think.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Shijie says, voice sweet and full of false politeness. “We may have neglected to introduce ourselves properly. This is Wei Wuxian.”

Those stares are sharper now. “Wei Wuxian,” Lan Xichen repeats slowly. “The Jiang’s first disciple is Wei Wuxian.”

“That’s me,” he agrees cheerfully.

“You are – young,” Lan Xichen settles on finally.

“The invitation said all disciples below twenty one,” Wei Wuxian says, blinking. “I’m fifteen, so I’m here. I distributed my duties among the senior disciples before I left.”

“I encourage you to accept his aid. Senior Brother Wei is a master of talismans.” Ooh, Jiang Cheng must have been more pissed off by all this than he let one. He never calls him Senior Brother.

Lan Xichen looks back at the barrier he’d just put up and says, “I see that.” His smile when he looks at them is somehow both more fixed and more genuine. “I will discuss it with my uncle, but perhaps we do need a bit of an update.” He bows and gestures to the gate. “We welcome the Jiang to Cloud Recesses.”

Wei Wuxian falls back enough so he can walk side by side with Jiang Cheng and tries not to let Lan Wangji’s heavy gaze bother him.

[mysteryshoptls]

Friendship Level Up Lines

Below are the friendship level up lines from the newly implemented Guest Room function in-game.

HEARTSLABYUL

Riddle

Your guest room is quite lovely. I'll return again soon with a small token of my appreciation for you.

Max Level: Being a Dorm Leader means that I am constantly busy, but… I cannot ignore your hospitality. Next time I have time available, I shall come visit.

Ace

Looks like a pretty snazzy room, but I bet you've just swept all the trash under the furniture! ...I'm kidding, I'm not gonna go look for any, so don't kick me out!

Max Level: Hey, can I put something in this guest room, too? I bet I’ll be coming around a lot more often, and it’s a pretty big room, so I can have a little space, right?

Deuce

I feel bad you're always inviting me over. I'd offer to have you come over to my place, but because I'm in a shared dorm room it's not that easy to.

Max Level: The other day, I saw something that’d be perfect for this guest room in the school shop, so I’ll get it. Hey, don’t worry about it, we’re buds, right?

Cater

Thanks for the great time! If you ever want to invite me back over, I'll definitely come. I'm sure the guest room will look even more amazing next time I come, right?

Max Level: Maybe I’ll try making some furniture with you next time. The style you got going right now’s pretty rockin’, but we do a collab, maybe you’ll end up even more attached to Cay-kun. What if, right? ♪

Trey

At first, when you said you wanted to extend your hospitality to me, I thought to myself, "what are they scheming?", but... Haha, you're always full of surprises.

Max Level: I need to give you proper thanks for always inviting me. …Eh? Hey, it’ll be troublesome if you ask for that much. Do me a favor and don’t expect too much, okay?

SAVANACLAW

Leona

I don't like being constantly disturbed. So in that sense, this place is perfect and quiet.

Max Level: I don’t mind coming by this guest room once in a while. Make sure you have a place to nap and some food ready for me.

Jack

I mean, I'm pretty busy with my studies and training, but... Hey, wait, I didn't said I wouldn't come! It would be rude to not show up when you've invited me.

Max Level: Oh yeah, why don’t we put a cactus in your room, too? It’s not that hard to take care of, and you’ll end up enjoying raising it.

Ruggie

You wanna know if I'll come back again? Hey, 's long as it's free, I'll come anytime! And hey, if I get some snacks out of coming here too, that'd be even better. Shishishi.

Max Level: I gotta make sure to thank ya for always invitin’ me. Oh right, let me know if any of your furniture breaks. Not sayin’ I’ll do it for free, but I can give you a friend’s discount to fix it.

OCTAVINELLE

Azul

Thanks to your efforts, I was able to spend quite the worthwhile time here. ...If it pleases you, do not hesitate to invite me back.

Max Level: I dislike being in debt to anyone. Next time, I shall play host to you. I’ve already scheduled it. I cannot wait to see your surprised look.

Jade

It seems I cannot help but stay longer than intended here in Ramshackle. I do hope I am not disturbing you.

Max Level: Thank you for everything. Your hospitality is pleasant and appreciated. Perhaps I could receive some guidance in these matters sometime? Of course, you’ll be fully compensated

Floyd

Hey, make a chair just for me. One that's round, but also sharp; that makes a statement, but is also subtle. Thaaaanks~

Max Level: I feel like I’m one of your regulars here, huh. It’s kinda rare for me to be able to hang in one place for so long without gettin’ bored. Keep it up, I’m counting on ya.

SCARABIA

Kalim

Can I come again sometime? Thanks! You should come visit my dorm sometime, too. Me and Jamil'll totally treat you well!

Max Level: Thanks, as always! I wanna give you something in return, so I’ll send some jewels and clothes over to Ramshackle soon! …Eh, you don’t need it? Then, what do you want?

Jamil

I'm usually on the hosting end of these kind of things, but it's not that bad to be a guest for once. If you'd like, invite me again sometime.

Max Level: When I’m in this room, I feel so at home. May I come again? I thought it’d be nice to spend some quality time talking with you sometime. Of course, I’ll definitely bring a gift with me when I come.

POMEFIORE

Vil

When I'm with you, time just seems to fly by so quickly. It may be because I am so absorbed in our conversations. You've successfully kept me engaged, well done.

Max Level: Do you fully grasp just how much of a sin it is to monopolize my precious time like this? If a fan were to hear of this, they may faint from shock… Fufu. That is fun to imagine.

Epel

It's kinda calming to spend time in this room. It's dangerous, though, 'cause I might get so relaxed that I let my real words slip out... But I still want to come over anyway!

Max Level: This place is so awesome with how I can spread out and relax! Thanks for everything. I’m gonna make sure you can have just as much fun over at my place, so you need to come over next time.

Rook

All this time I get to spend with you is filled with new discoveries, it is absolutely spectacular! May I come visit again?

Max Level: You are a dangerous one. Time and time again, I feel as though my innermost thoughts may come spilling out. Oh, this delightful feeling of tension… Beauté! I shall come visit again.

IGNIHYDE

Idia

Y-You've got some ulterior motive for being so nice to me, don't you? Honestly, I'd feel more relaxed if you'd say that you did...

Max Level: When you first said you wanted me to come to your guest room, I thought you were being forced to on a dare or something, but… Guess I was wrong. Uh, well… I’ll come again. Yeah.

Ortho

Your room is such a mysterious wonder. It makes me want to come back over and over again. I'd like to solve this enigma, so please call me over again!

Max Level: I want to help you with setting up your room, too! Let me know the next time you’re redecorating, if you need anything heavy moved. I’ll change into a heavy-lifting attachment!

DIASOMNIA

Malleus

I cannot believe that there would be someone out there who would invite me like this... Wait. I wasn't barging in uninvited, was I?

Max Level: I suppose it’s not a bad feeling at all to have such gentle hospitality like this. Right now, I am in a fantastic mood. Fufufu, if you have any favor you wish to ask of me, now may be the time to do so.

Silver

I haven't had much opportunities to visit another person's home. If I do anything discourteous, I shall remedy my actions. So please, welcome be back again sometime.

Max Level: Thanks to you, I have been able to thoroughly enjoy myself.  I am still figuring out how I could possibly relay these feelings of gratitude.

Sebek

From the way you keep trying to talk to me, I can see that you've nothing to do. I'll allow you to join me for training, then! ...Why are you declining...?

Max Level: I’ve gotten used to listening to you ramble on. From now on, you’re free to call on me whenever you want. …I can’t promise that I’ll always listen though, you understand?

Lilia

This place is filled with things that pique my curiosity. Of course, that includes you. Kufufu.

Max Level: I cannot believe I’ve gotten to this age, and I’m still making new friends that I can confide in. Kufufu, it’s a blessing to be able to live this long. Keep up the good work!

Grim

Nyahaha, yeah, yeah! I told you, good things happen when you're under my wing. Here, I'll give you a bite of my tuna! ...Just one bite, okay?

Max Level: Hey, look! I dusted the guest room for you. You’re always working so hard, so I gotta help ya out once in a while. Did it make you happy? Hey, did it?

Crowley

I don't quite mind being so beloved by my students. I shall whole-heartedly accept your adoration, so please, keep it up for as much as your heart desires.

Max Level: I cannot just let you host and not return the favor. After all, I am so bountiful in my generosity! Please come by my office sometime. I shall treat you in grand fashion!

Crewel

Have you come to ask me questions again? Your eagerness to learn is a good trait. We professors have an obligation to help resolve our students' quandaries, after all. You should take full advantage of my knowledge to help you improve yourself, pup.

Max Level: You strive to understand that which you do not understand, and you have the resolve to ask questions without shirking away... ...A pup like you is truly worth having as a student. I look forward to seeing your future prospects.

Trein

Recently, I've seen an improvement in your focus on your studies. You've not been falling asleep in class, nor have you been forgetting your homework... Now, now, don't you leap for joy for something that should be the norm. That reaction in and of itself is yet another reason why I cannot lower my standards.

Max level: Whenever I have a student so earnest like yourself, my life feels vigorously rejuvenated. It is beyond satisfying to have made it to my age and still be able to experience something so rewarding... I thank you.

Rollo

I have no recollection of ever accepting such gracious hospitality… How dubious. You would do well to tell me honestly of whatever nefarious plans you may have. What, you have none? …If that is true, then this is even more troublesome.

Max Level: I cannot help but pity you for residing in a place such as this while unable to use magic. If you find you cannot suffer these wicked mages, you should come to me. I shall gladly lambast them.

Fellow

Can't believe you're trying to be friends with me, after going through that harrowing experience. You're a little too soft-hearted, ain'tcha? Not gonna be my fault if you get taken for a ride again, fwahahahahaha!

Max Level: Whew, you sure got me at a loss! How is it you're such a little charmer? Hmm? Sure, I'm pretty good at that sort of stuff too, but you're definitely not bad at your attempts to bond.

[opalesense]

the last appointment

zhongli & gn!reader

3.4k words • ~25 min. read

summary: as a studious and credible fortune teller in liyue, you discover something about your last client of the week that completely derails your outlook on life.

warnings: liyue arc spoilers, little bit of existential dread, slight mention of family member’s death

notes: might make more parts to this idk?  just kinda wanted to dip my toes into genshin writing for the first time!!

LIFE IN LIYUE HARBOUR seemed to be repetitive and mundane.  For the past few years, you would wake up, open your fortune telling shop, analyze the futures of your clients using your geomancy, possibly take a stroll around Liyue when you needed to run errands, and then call it a day.  You performed the same routine constantly, sometimes travelling beyond the harbor to collect crystals and magical supplies for your shop, but rarely did anything truly change in your routine.  If something was off in the slightest, it was never too exciting to note.

   As anyone would have suspected, you were tired of your state of limbo in life.  Other vision holders seemed to be going on adventures, travelling with companions and exploring the vast mountains and valleys of Teyvat.  Other vision holders seemed to be fighting against evil, helping citizens, and saving the world from imminent dangers.  You could even recall a recent event where the Qixing had evacuated the harbor to defeat a terrifying sea monster.  The Jade Chamber had been sacrificed for the safety of the people of Liyue, and yet here you were, playing with a bunch of rocks for a living.  Despite being able to grasp the glowing Geo vision that held your coat together, you could not grasp why you felt doomed to tend to this shop for the rest of your days.

   You didn’t know where or how to “start” your life.  The small, inherited establishment from your late aunt was located in the small alley of Chihu Rock, practically out of sight from most of the foot traffic in the harbor.  Not many people came to visit, though your name was still decently known.  In fact, most of your appointments were simply previous clients from your aunt, regulars that relied on her readings for years and believed you were the next best thing after she passed.  Especially considering you were the first vision holder in your family, it made your credibility even stronger.

   You still remember how you got your vision.  The morning after your aunt had passed, the elemental gift somehow made its way into your hand as if the timing was meant to be perfect.  You didn’t celebrate such a special and momentous occasion with pride or joy.  Your face stiff with tears, you instead reflected on why you received your vision at that moment in the first place.  With the shop doors closed upstairs, you gripped your vision and did what you felt needed to be done.  With your family’s legacy and tradition on the line, adventuring like other vision wielders was not a priority at the time.

   But after years alone of research, a social life consisting only of interacting with customers, and a constant state of grieving the experiences you could’ve had in your youth, you were now in your late twenties and closing the shop for the day.  Your last appointment was either extremely late or not showing up at all and you were tired of working today, just like every other day. Regret gripped you tightly as you wondered how you managed to get yourself in such a boring, slow burning loop.

   That is until the shop door opened, eliciting a gasp from you at the sudden noise, shattering the previous thought.  You accidentally dropped the basket of cor lapis you were refilling and immediately knelt down to pick up the precious pieces that thankfully hadn’t cracked on the way down.

   “Hello, [Y/N],” the tall figure practically glided through the doorway, “My deepest apologies for being late.”

   He closed the door behind him, “...and for startling you, it seems.”

   You sighed, checking for any scratches on the gems and sighed again with relief based on the good results.  You grinned to hide the fact you had just been in deep thought.  “It’s quite alright, Mr. Zhongli.  It’s kind of you to stop by at the very least, even if you’re late.”

   Mr. Zhongli was one of your aunt’s longtime clients.  Since you were a child, your aunt had always described Mr. Zhongli as a complex yet thoughtful man that had always shown kindness to your family for many years.  When Mr. Zhongli learned of your aunt’s death and began to receive readings from you instead, you quickly realized what your aunt meant by calling him complex.  Mr. Zhongli was truly a tough nut to crack in every single reading, his sessions taking longer than most other cases.  That is why Mr. Zhongli would always offer to take the last spot of the day at the end of every week as to not trouble any of your other clients.

   As you took a few of the best cor lapis from the basket, you could see Mr. Zhongli’s acts of kindness and thoughtfulness unfold in front of you.  He seemed to carry what was now clearly a gift basket at closer inspection.

   “This gift is for you,” Mr. Zhongli took a few steps forward to set the basket on a countertop.  “I brought you your favorites.  Slow cooked bamboo shoot soup, qingxin, glaze lilies, and all the crystals I could find…  needless to say, let this be a token of my appreciation for your patience and hard work from our last few sessions.  I know I am not the easiest to read, but you truly have a talent.”

   You were speechless at the gesture as your eyes sunk into the intricate detail of the handwoven basket and decorated items inside.  No one had ever done something so kind for you in so long.  It was astonishing enough that he remembered your favorite soup that you mentioned only once a few months ago, let alone your favorite flowers and crystals as well.  “Thank you so much, Mr. Zhongli!   I’m at a loss for words – this is so thoughtful of you!”

   “I even brought you that Rex Incognito series you had mentioned, although, I am not sure why you would need to read the series when I am fully capable of educating you on the history of Rex Lapis myself,” he flaunted, taking his seat on the cushioned chair in front of the reading table.

   “Now, Mr. Zhongli...” you picked out some prithiva topaz from another basket, following the usual protocol you had with such a personalized, frequent client like him. The required materials for his readings were imprinted into your memory like carvings in stone. “You know I don’t want to burden you with my curiosity.  And with such an intriguing topic like Rex Lapis... once I start asking questions I’m afraid I will not stop.”

   “I have all the time in the world,” he got comfortable in his seat as you sat yourself across from him, “I truly think it would benefit you to discuss the history of Rex Lapis with a learned scholar such as myself.  We can even have some tea as we discuss.”

   You chuckled at his eagerness.  He seemed more forward than usual. “You are too kind, Mr. Zhongli.  Perhaps I’ll take that offer someday, but at least let me put those books to good use first. Maybe I won’t need to bombard you with questions if I’m already well briefed on the subject.”

   He sighed happily.  “You make a good point. And you will enjoy them, I’m sure.”

   You settled into your seat as you arranged the crystals between the two of you.  “The usual for tonight?”

   “Yes, please.”

   Your hands meticulously placed the last crystal in its spot on the surface.  You closed your eyes and hovered your hands above the rocks, clearing your mind to make way for the usual reading: a reflection on the past, any significant events of the present to focus on, and some insight into the future.  You held this hand gesture for awhile, letting the energy from the rocks lift into the air and envelop your gloved palms.  When you felt there was enough energy to work with, you opened your eyes to reveal the manifestation of his thoughts in front of you, able to take its physical form using the powers from your glowing vision.

   No one had ever taught your this skill, not even your aunt.  If you had to bloat your own ego, one could say you invented this Geo fortune telling process yourself. The process indeed came to you naturally, a true display of pure talent.

   You slowly lifted your hands to allow the visual manifestation to settle on the table among the gems so Mr. Zhongli could watch his reading unfold in front of him as well.

   “Let us analyze the past first,” he spoke, already knowing the routine without you needing to ask him where to start.  You slowly waved your hands as if you were digging a hole in sand on a beach, the manifestation displaying ambiguous patterns that wouldn’t make sense to any commoner’s eyes but could be interpreted easily by yours.

   Two pairs of focused eyes fixated on the picture as you spoke your mind out loud.  “You have recently given up something extremely important to you, it seems.  I see you handing over something…  small, physically, yet unbelievably significant and personal.  I can’t tell what it is exactly, only that it glows like the sun with its energy.  But you have handed this important object over to a very... evil... figure?” you cocked your eyebrow, confused.  “You seem to be brooding over the fact that its aura is dark with malicious intentions.”  You hesitated, “Well, that can’t be right, can it?”

   He sighed.  “Unfortunately, that is indeed what happened recently.  But it had to be done.”

   “Didn’t we talk about a similar situation in a previous reading?  If I remember correctly, I thought I had advised you to not give up whatever that object was.”

   “I am aware of the consequences that will follow.  Especially with your future guidance, I’m sure the events following this one questionable decision will unfold in a better way soon enough.”

   “I will always be here to help you, Mr. Zhongli.  But please be careful in the future with these decisions.  The importance of this object seems to be off the charts.”

   He nodded.  “It is as you say.  Please, have faith in me now. I cannot change what happened in the past, after all.”

   You hovered over this image of the sacrifice.  You couldn’t make out what this object was, no matter how close you tried to inspect it.  It had the likings of a chess piece, but surely this wasn’t simply a chess piece, was it?

   “Let us move on, if that is alright with you,” his low voice cut the silence.

   You wiped the image from your mind and waved your hands again, as if you were slowly putting the sand back into the hole you dug before.  If the last image wasn’t enough bad news, this new one that formed was even more painful to witness.

   “You have been grieving your losses very recently,” you said gently.  “Your mind is currently weighed down by your past.  I see you looking out at the sea in deep thought.  There are flashes of…”

   You stopped as you inspected the graphic images that suddenly appeared beyond your hands.  You gasped at the terrifying horrors.

   “What is it?” the low voice tried to search for understanding of what you were seeing.  Even though the image was clearly laid out in front of him, it was still too ambiguous to tell when he lacked your years of experience.

   “There are flashes of war,” your breath stifled as you watched his thoughts splayed out in images of lifeless bodies and destruction.  “Very graphic details of war and death.  Mr. Zhongli, I believe this image of suffering has been weighing over your mind like an anchor in the sea.”

   He paused to process your comparison.  “That is... a very good way to put it.”

   “Though, I believe that despite the sorrow that emanates in this image, you are in a state of relief and tranquility.  It seems you are grieving, but you are simultaneously at peace,” you hesitated again, “Yet I wonder what these graphic images of war are meant to represent.  Surely we are not in an actual war, are we? Perhaps you are at war with your past, wanting to move on but haunted by your memories?”

  Mr. Zhongli unfortunately knew the images you were seeing were, in fact, real events he had experienced in his life time and the truth was that lately he had been reminiscing on these events.  Mortal life is kind to humans for them to be blissfully unaware and carefree of these harsh realities, he internally commented.

  He still put your analysis into thought, though.

  “I am haunted, indeed.  I have been attempting to come to terms with my troubled past, just as you advised me only a few weeks ago.  I have tried to follow your guidance, and although they resurface what I have been trying to repress, I believe I am coming to peace with what happened.”

  You grinned.  “That is very good to hear, Mr. Zhongli.  I believe you are currently making good progress when it comes to moving on.  Just remember that it is okay to remember your sorrow.  Let your emotions pass through you instead of repressing them or rushing to move on.  It is okay to take your time and let the thoughts bubble inside of you for awhile.”

  He closed his eyes as you continued, letting your advice seep in.  You continued. “Imagine the stillness of the sea.  Many creatures and lost remnants take their place in the depths of the waters, but on the surface we see constantly moving yet serene waves wash over what is hidden below.  Your memories are there to stay, Mr. Zhongli.  But your present self, the surface of the water, can peacefully coexist with whatever is hiding deep within.  Let these thoughts weigh you down momentarily, but rest assured, you will find balance and acceptance in due time.”

  His eyes fluttered open as he reflected over your words.  You always seemed to know what to say.  “Your words have truly resonated with me, [Y/N].  And you are absolutely correct.  I have been fighting these memories to avoid the pain, but it had not dawned on me that sorrow is... what I am meant to feel, not push away.  I suppose your advice has put my mind at a bit more ease, and I suppose I am focusing too much on when I will be able to move on rather than allowing my thoughts to coexist for a moment.”

  “Now you’re getting it,” you grinned with the relief that washed over his face.

  “Shall we move on?” he offered.

  You got to work on the last segment of the reading.  If manifesting the other images didn’t take long enough, reading one’s future always took the longest.  Interpreting an event that hasn’t happened yet always made you a bit nervous with your words.  You never wanted to let a client down with an inaccurate reading.

  On the contrary, this reading, despite taking quite awhile to appear on the surface on the table, was very clear.

  “That is undoubtedly an image of me,” your eyes glazed over the facial features of the person in the manifestation.  “I apologize for the delay, Mr. Zhongli, I must have accidentally let my thoughts seep into yours–“

  “Do not fret, I believe this is accurate,” he interrupted.  “Keep going.”

  Your perplexed expression remained as you continued the reading.  “I am admittedly stumped.  There is nothing left in this image.  I suppose it is simply me standing in what looks like some ruins.  I am holding a staff, or some kind of long object.”  You paused to think out loud.  “Why am I in your reading?  What could this possibly mean?”

  Mr. Zhongli chuckled as you thought out loud.  “Perhaps this is a good time to tell you why you are in my thoughts.”

  “I’d love to hear it, I have never appeared in someone’s reading in my last decade and a half of experience.  This is quite unique.”

  He folded his hands in his lap, “For some reason, I have had this strange vision of training you.  I’m not sure why, since you don’t seem like the fighting type, but there is some voice inside me that is telling me you are destined for something great and i need to take some part in it.  What do you think, now that you see this vision as well?”

  Your eyebrows rose in shock.  “Training me?  I guess this does relate to something I have been pondering as of late.  I do not want to lay out my troubles on you though, my job is to interpret your life, not mine.”

  “Our lives have clearly intertwined in this vision,” he insisted, “Please do not hold back for my sake. I have the time.”

  You thought for a moment.  How could you form the words without seeming too selfish? How could you maintain professionalism by talking about your personal problems?

  “I am not the fighting type, Mr. Zhongli.  Though, lately I have been quite depressed about the fact that I am not doing as much with my vision as other vision holders are.  My life is uninteresting.  The truth is that I am a simple fortune teller that plays with rocks.  I hope you can understand why I am failing to interpret this reading,” you apologized. “It’s because this doesn’t seem characteristic of me at all.  And with all due respect, after giving you readings for years, I would have never guessed you were versed in combat to train me!”

  He chuckled.  “I respectfully disagree.  To tell you the truth, your talents surpass the abilities of many other vision holders.  Not everyone can read thoughts or tell the future.  Now that I mention it, I know of one talented astrologist in Mondstadt, but think about that.  You are one in hundreds of thousands in Teyvat,” he reassured.  “You did not receive your vision for no reason and I truly believe you are destined for something big.  I regret not being able to realize this before.”

  “How are you so sure of this?  I would love to believe you, but I’m afraid I am not destined for much, really.  Again, I am simply a fortune teller.  What could I possibly do for Liyue other than read some rocks?”

  He sighed and connected his palms with yours, interrupting the reading and wiping the manifestation off the table.  The hovering crystals dropped onto the surface, making you gasp at the sudden sound.

  “I am not who you think I am,” his amber eyes finally met yours for the first time this evening, which sent a chill down your spine.  “Promise me you will not fret, for what I am about to show you may shock you.”

  “What do you mean?  What are you doing, Mr. Zhongli?” you slightly panicked as he firmly grasped your hands.

  Suddenly, the room was engulfed in golden light that emitted from the seat across from you.  Scattered, distorted images of a mystical dragon, a devastating war, and seven seats in Celestia flashed across your eyes as you stared at the beams of light.  Death seemed to swallow you, but not take you.  The baskets of crystals around the room shook with the surge of energy.  The world seemed to destroy itself then remake itself over and over again within fleeting moments.  These thousands of years of memories made your body tremble.  It all happened within fleeting moments, and after a few seconds of your senses being overwhelmed, you finally pulled yourself together and connected the dots.

  His expanded knowledge of Liyue’s history.  The sudden gift of your vision immediately after your aunt passed.  Grieving his losses and having flooded thoughts of war and death.  Offering combat training.  Remembering your favorites the same way he would remember Liyue’s customs and traditions.  His glowing amber eyes alone.

  Mr. Zhongli was the God of Contracts and overseer of Liyue.  Rex Lapis, a being that lived for millennia, sat in the seat across from you. He had been posing as a mere mortal for years, taking readings as if he were any normal customer. The realization shook you to your core as you sat there bewildered, grateful, and horrified at the same time.

  He let go of your hands after seeing that the information successfully processed in your mind.  He saw something in you that was yet to be awakened, where the sky was the limit under your own expectations.  This daydream of his was no simple vision – it was a calling.  Internally, whether you agreed to it or not, he vowed that he would not leave your life until your true destiny was fulfilled.

  He would see this vow fulfilled by offering you a contract that would change the course of your life forever.

[toreii]

Episode 6 spoilers below!

Where do I even fucking begin?😭

I’m a sobbing mess right now. The last part came out May 20th, so it’s been two months already. Two freaking months trying desperately to move past chapters 66 and 67. Yes, I am pathetic and absolutely suck as a gamer. I never imagined twst devs were gonna challenge me like this. This is what I get for never taking a video game seriously, but I told myself “This is the hill I will die on. This is my grave to dig.” For two fucking months, I’ve done nothing but non-stop grinding, non-stop farming, spending all of my madol, tokens, notepads, notebooks, grimoires, honeys, and so on to level up so many cards.

As I mentioned before, I made a small change in line-up when I got to chapter 67 by adding Idia. The Riddle/Azul team did not require much attention when I did this. But, what was the Pomefiore team and Leona/Jamil… It was absolutely taxing.

If this serves as help to anyone, make sure you have SSRs that can duo magic. Get those magic levels to lv5 at least. Have someone in your party that can heal. Obviously, have some decent cards that work well against the titans. Like, I never imagined my SR Vil card to pack so much attack with his water magic. I’m honestly really surprised. Oh, make sure all your cards are groovied too. And, of course, study the way the titans attack and do your best to counter every one of their moves. I did miss once or twice, but I at least tried to be 100% accurate with the predictions. Otherwise, I’d restart the battle and try again.

That said, I didn’t struggle at all taking on OB!Idia (and Ortho). Idia’s overblot design had already been spoiled for me, but to finally see it for myself including Ortho was still a surprise. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but with my trusty SSR Dorm Riddle card, all I needed was a friend’s SSR Dorm Azul to duo magic with. With Azul’s healing, and the double duo magic between the two, countering Idia’s fire and flora attacks was super easy! And, again, I brought Vil’s ceremonial robes card to add that much needed back-up☺️ Lab Jade and GM Idia were there as little reinforcements. Really, I breezed through all three overblot battles.✨

And now, for a fucking round of applause. VIL SCHOENHEIT, GUYS!!!👏👏👏

All this Vil slander as of late…ABSOLUTELY NOT! DO NOT SLEEP ON THE POMEFIORE TRIO!!!!!

ROOK, EPEL, AND VIL STOLE THE FUCKING SHOW!! THEY ABSOLUTELY SAVED THE WORLD! VIL EVEN SACRIFICED HIMSELF!!!

Honestly, they were just introducing themselves in Book 5. Book 6 is where they truly shine!💖 And, I know I said it before jokingly, but seriously… They took in Yuu, and without hesitation made them one of their own. How they went out of their way to make sure Yuu was okay and safe, risking their very lives to protect them at any given moment, and just looking after their well being. Yes, the Pometrio absolutely became Yuu’s newfound family. I already had a feeling Vil was gonna let Yuu and Grim stay in Pomefiore while the renovations at Ramshackle were underway. I wish we’d gotten to see a bit of that, tbh. I’m just loving this new budding friendship/family.

To me, more than any other previous dorm, I feel like Pomefiore really stepped up to the plate and showed exactly why they are not just the oldest dorm in NRC, but why they are damn good at what they do. Vil’s leadership as housewarden went above and beyond, and he absolutely deserves to be at the top. Epel finally gaining his unique magic and developing in his own means while still leaving room for growth has me feeling so proud. And Rook, my sweet, precious Rook❤️ His support, his faith, and guidance, I’m thankful to him. To all of them.

Of course, Riddle, Leona, Azul, and Jamil are right there next to them. They may have all been “problematic children” as Idia calls them, but they definitely pulled their own weight. Even if they mostly spent it squabbling amongst each other. I’m relieved and happy they worked through their differences, and were able to pull through. Absolutely loved Azul’s back story, and Leona giving Jamil some much needed advice.

Now, for Idia and Ortho… Oh my god… First of all, I loved the world building and the Shroud lore. All the Hercules references were an absolute treat! However, Idia and Ortho…oof! I fucking cried. Ugly cried. Their story… The heartache, the sadness, clawed and broke my heart into pieces. I did not imagine such tragedy. Even the truth behind Ortho… I’m still blown away. Ortho is an absolute gem. He’s another character like Vil who slowly grew on me. And when I buy for Idia, I decided I couldn’t have him without Ortho. I love Ortho a lot more now. If only he’d come home to me already😭 And Idia…I don’t think a hug is enough to give. His grief impaled me deep in my soul. They were so innocent, merely wanting to see the outside world… Like Vil said, they have their dreams just like anyone else. But, of course, destroying the world is not an option😆 My love for the Shroud brothers deepened a lot more, though. They are so cute and precious. Protect them at all costs!🥲

That said, wow…. A group of teenagers put themselves in danger to stop the world from getting destroyed. If we’re gonna slander anyone, Crowley absolutely deserves it. Of course, there would be nothing incriminating him. Of course, he’d accept hush money from Idia’s parents and STYX HQ. I guess the only good thing to come out of this is Ortho’s new status and Idia now more willing to be friends even if he still needs a bit of encouragement and pushing.

I’m really looking forward to Book 7 now. However long it takes me, I know I can do it. And, I’ve got my eyes on Malleus. Oh, he was so sweet checking up on Yuu and making sure they weren’t hurt. But, I have a feeling this was a sign. Especially with Malleus seriously contemplating the fragility of humans now. Please, let me be right. I wouldn’t mind if Malleus kidnapped Yuu😭 Because I totally wanna be rescued by Idia😂💙

Let me recover my resources now😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[xiyao-feels]

Hi! May I ask a The Untamed question: Why does Meng Yao return the jade pass? What is it and why is it important? Lan Xichen seemed a bit upset, surprised but also resigned to it simultaneously.

Hi! So—/why/ Jin Guangyao returns the jade pass is an interesting question, and there are various different opinions on the matter. I think it's best if I start with the second part of your question: what is it and why is it important?

The Lan use the jade passes as a security measure; you need one to get in and out of CR. JGY has a pass which previously allowed him access to CR, but LXC changed it; this time, when he came, it didn't allow him in.

I think it's worth taking a fuller look at the jade passes, which in this case means looking at MDZS.

We first see them, I believe, in chapter 11. In MDZS, WWX a) believes LWJ hates him and b) doesn't realize LWJ has recognized him. He pitches a fit outside the gates of CR because he doesn't want to go inside, because without a jade token that allows you in and out, he won't be able to leave:

If he was dragged inside, it would be extremely difficult for him to come outside again. Back then, when he came to study, all of the disciples were given a jade token for passage. Only with the token, would a person be able to enter and leave freely, or else they couldn’t pass through the protective barrier of the Cloud Recesses. After ten years had passed, the security could only have gotten stricter, instead of looser.

After he's inside, he tries to see if he could escape without the token, but no dice:

Lan WangJi went to see his uncle to discuss serious matters, while Wei WuXian was pushed into the room. Right after Lan WangJi left, Wei WuXian also went outside. He strolled around the Cloud Recesses, and found that, as he had expected, without the jade token for passage, even if he climbed up the white walls of a few zhangs’ height, he would be immediately flung off by the barrier, attracting the attentions of the nearby patrolmen at once.

In chapter 65, we see that LWJ is able to detect when someone tried to come through the wards without one:

Wei WuXian slept sometime later. He was asleep until early morning when he suddenly woke up. With a shiver, he crawled forward and looked up. Lan WangJi’s was still dressed, sword was on his back. As he took back the hand that he had put on Wei WuXian’s shoulder, he stared at a white object within his palm, “We have an uninvited guest.”

Wei WuXian squinted to see. The object was the GusuLan Sect’s jade token of passage. He could recall that Lan WangJi’s token was a very high level, able to alert him if others intruded over the barrier of the GusuLan Sect.

This was JGY coming, the very same trip he returns the jade token, because now it's no longer working. WWX concludes that LWJ modified its access at some point in the last couple of days:

Wei WuXian understood now. Since ZeWu-Jun and LianFang-Zun had quite a good relationship, Lan XiChen had given Jin GuangYao a token of passage as well so that he could visit freely. However, it was likely that within the past few days he had either edited the prohibitions of the Cloud Recesses’ barrier or retracted the permission of Jin GuangYao’s token of passage. When Jin GuangYao came to visit, he was refused permission to enter, and thus he voluntarily returned the token.

In chapter 119, LWJ tells WWX that the jade token he gave him can also be used to withdraw money when he needs it:

Wei WuXian, “[…] Oh, right. HanGuang-Jun, I’m out of money. Give me a bit more, won’t you?”

Lan WangJi, “Simply take the jade token to withdraw the money.”

Wei WuXian let out a muffled laugh, “Apart from letting me in and out of the barrier, that jade token you gave me… can also let me draw money?”

“Yes.”

Though I very much doubt that Jin Guangyao ever used it for that.

I can't find reference to anyone other than JGY and WWX being given tokens permanently (like, aside from the visiting disciples), so only Jin Guangyao who didn't live among the Lan. (Although since the damn tokens aren't referred to by a single consistent name, I could be missing something.)

See also this bit in ch 80, from the second siege:

Wei WuXian laughed, “Who said that you have to go inside the Room of Forbidden Books? Wouldn’t it be fine as long as your master can go in at will? The methods of tampering with the sheet music—he was probably also the one who taught you that, right?”

A person of power free to travel in and out of the Cloud Recesses at will. There was no need to say out loud whom Su She’s master was. Everyone knew—it could only be LianFang-Zun!

It's not actually totally clear to me how much of this carries into CQL canon. For example, we don't have the WWX trying to escape from CR plotline in CQL, so from what I remember I don't think we see him testing the wards and being flung off the walls. And more than that: in CQL we don't get the scene where LWJ detects JGY's visit through his own token, meaning Wangxian's presence during the meeting comes across more as something LXC deliberately set up. I think you could read it in if you really wanted, but it's definitely reading against the text.

(Incidentally, to me in CQL LXC doesn't seem surprised when JGY puts the pass on the table, but I think he very much is surprised when JGY says I'm returning it to you; that's not the direction he was expecting this to go. Episode 43, 31:17-31:37, if you want to check yourself.)

Okay, so, now we have all the context. Why does Jin Guangyao return the jade pass? He says that it's because it stopped working, sure, fine—but why did it not working mean he returned it?

To the best of my knowledge—though as ever I could be wrong—we don't get any more information than that in the text, which means it's a matter for meta and speculation. This is where I'd usually tell you what I think and why, except... honestly, I'm not sure. I haven't yet settled on something that feels right to me.

I've seen the ideas that he was distancing himself, or that he was reacting as though it was a complete rejection—it's certainly true that being completely rejected is his usual experience, see NMJ and QS. I can follow the logic, but it doesn't quite work for me? First because it's followed by his reassuring LXC on the subject of LWJ's reputation and the possibility of CR being searched, and then inviting LXC to Carp Tower for a conference about the Burial Mounds, but also...hmmm. Retreating like that is—not really how he usually operates? You see it with NMJ, you see it with QS—he keeps reaching out, he keeps trying to explain himself. In MDZS he stops after the stairs, but at that point he's very thoroughly done with NMJ and I think we can agree he's not there with LXC; in CQL he keeps trying even after he's decided NMJ has to go. Now it's true QS literally just killed herself! so he might not be reacting as usual and all. But...mmm, I don't know. He says it himself (ch 106): “I can’t help it. To seek pity even after doing all the bad things—that’s the kind of person I am.”

Okay, so why the heck /does/ he do it? Welllll...it could be practical considerations—maybe it would be a risk for the Lan if the token got into the hands of an enemy, say, and he's not sure he'll be able to protect it. But honestly that's not very satisfying, and there doesn't seem to be any evidence in the text that I can remember? So I think it makes sense to look elsewhere.

Maybe he actually is trying to respect LXC's boundaries, especially since they don't have time to hash this out. Maybe he figures that—well, we don't know exactly how the second siege would have played out without Wangxian's intervention, but it seems pretty likely that it would have involved damaging the Lan, which is LXC's care and to whom until now JGY has been the staunchest of allies; a way of acknowledging the damage he's doing, even if it won't be understood until later. Maybe he's trying to send a message to LXC: shit is going down, are you in or out? Maybe he's trying to knock LXC off balance; LXC certainly seems off balance for the conversation, reacting rather than acting. Maybe it's to distance LXC from him in like, the potential eyes of the crowd; they've been close and public allies for so long, and now he's trying to help make sure LXC doesn't he pulled down with him if he goes down. Maybe it's a farewell gesture—not so much to LXC, but to the life he's been living, to the precise shape of relationship they had. Maybe it's giving LXC something safe to remember him by—a token, but not something it will look weird if LXC keeps, because he still hopes that LXC will want to remember him. Maybe it's meant as a reminder of the help he has given the Lan. I don't know! I don't know. I do at some point want to sit with the text and seriously work this out, but I also want to get this out for you, anon, so you actually have the information you asked for XP

I think right now I'm leaning towards—some combination of farewell to this part of the life he's been living and the shape of his relationship with LXC (but not saying farewell to /any/ relationship with LXC), and—giving LXC a token of that time. But right now I'm just not sure.

(MDZS quotes all taken from the ER translation)

[ibijau]

Forbidden Romance pt4 / On AO3

Lan Wangji was predictably furious when his brother confessed to him that he had everything that had happened in recent months. That anger was for the most directed toward Lan elders, but Lan Xichen felt his brother had to also be disappointed in him for making so many compromises. Had their places been reversed, Lan Wangji’s closed expression seemed to say, he would have stood for justice at any cost. Had it been anyone else, Lan Xichen would have dismissed this as an empty boast, the sort every cultivator would do when they weren’t in such a position. But this was Lan Wangji, and he bore on his back the proof of his dedication to his convictions even if it meant going against their elders, something Lan Xichen hadn’t had the strength to do.

Or perhaps it was just Lan Xichen’s guilt speaking. His brother only said a few words, having grown more silent than ever during his forced seclusion, but not a single one of those words aimed to condemn his brother. Instead he asked for details about the plot that had nearly killed Nie Mingjue, and asked why his brother had chosen to reveal all of this after keeping the secret for so long.

“Hm. Nie Huaisang,” was Lan Wangji’s only comment when Lan Xichen shared the plan hatched to protect his brother and his nephew.

His tone was neither warm nor cold, but it was knowing. It was not something the two of them had ever discussed, that shared preference for men. They had also never really talked about the targets of that preference, neither really understanding why the other would want such a partner, but trying to be supportive in spite of it.

“Are you sure?” Lan Wangji asked about the plan. That he needed to ask at all said a lot about the amount of trust he placed in Nie Huaisang’s word, Lan Xichen thought.

He couldn’t even blame his brother. Lan Xichen knew Nie Huaisang’s reputation as lazy and indolent, and wouldn’t argue that it wasn't at least somewhat justified. But weak cultivation and lack of taste for martial arts didn’t mean Nie Huaisang couldn’t be depended on when necessary.

“I’m sure,” Lan Xichen said.

It was enough for his brother, who expressed no further doubts.

Having agreed on a plan to follow, preparations were quickly made to allow Lan Wangji a chance to leave the Cloud Recesses undetected, and to ensure his departure wouldn’t be noticed too quickly. Lan Xichen gave his brother a hefty sum of money to cover any expenditures he might encounter on the way to Qinghe, as much food as he had been able to take without attracting attention, and his personal jade token so Lan Wangji could leave without going through the main gate. 

Regarding Lan Yuan too, arrangements had been made. Lan Xichen had taken the child from his class that very afternoon, declaring that he intended on spending the next few days personally teaching him. Since the little boy was largely suspected of being Lan Wangji’s bastard son, it did not surprise anyone that Lan Xichen would wish to supervise his education. 

He had worried that his uncle would notice Lan Yuan’s absence since they lived together, but Lan Qiren had been so busy these recently that Lan Xichen hardly ever saw him. And even if he noticed the child was missing, Lan Qiren would surely understand and hold his tongue. It was then only a matter of bringing the little boy to his father in the middle of the night, and wishing them both a safe journey. Lan Wangji had recuperated a great deal from his wounds, and though he wasn’t yet in perfect health, he was strong enough to arrive to Qinghe in a few days, even if he had to carry a child while flying.

For three days, Lan Xichen hid his brother’s escape. It took a little work to make sure meals appeared to have been consumed, but at least doctors no longer needed to attend Lan Wangji as frequently as they once did, and nobody else ever came to visit him.

On the morning of the fourth day, Lan Xichen dressed carefully to make himself look older and more respectable, and put on a guan that had once belonged to his grandfather. He opened the Hanshi’s determined to demand that the council meet him, so he could finally reveal everything he had learned about the plot against Nie Mingjue and force them to accept that their sect would be morally in the wrong if they persisted in refusing to choose a side. He would not back down, not this time. His brother, his best friend, and his true love were counting on him. Lan Xichen could not disappoint them, not again. He would…

“The elders are requesting your presence for a council,” a disciple informed him as soon as he stepped outside. “Some urgent news has arrived regarding recent events.”

A slight change of plan. Lan Xichen was equal parts aggravated and relieved. He would have liked to be the one making demands for once, but there was no certainty that the council of elders would have gathered merely because he asked for it.

Lan Xichen promptly made his way to meet the elders, and apologised for his tardiness when he entered the room where they had gathered. After exchanging a glance with his uncle, who appeared just as ignorant of this new matter, Lan Xichen went to sit at his place, on a dai that raised him above the elders. And yet, it was toward Lan Xiaofan  that every eyes turned, knowing as they all did that his opinion held more weight than that of the boy they used as a figurehead.

“Two pieces of news have reached us early this morning,” Lan Xiaofan somberly announced. “The first is that Lanling Jin has also started speaking of going to war. They say Qinghe Nie has kidnapped their sect leader’s grandson and heir, Jin Ling.”

“A serious accusation,” Lan Xichen retorted, certain Nie Huaisang would have known about that if it were true, and that he would have warned him. “What proof is there?”

Lan Xiaofan hesitated, surprised by his sect leader’s defiant tone, or perhaps by the very fact that Lan Xichen would dare to speak without invitation.

“The proof is that the child is missing, and the Nie are their only enemies.”

“So we are to take the absence of proof as a proof?”

The old men glared at Lan Xichen, who innocently smiled at them in return. He’d never understood how some people could just say rude things, be wilfully insolent, or do whatever they pleased without consideration for the will of others, but he was starting to understand the thrill of it. There was something absolutely delicious in daring to say the things that were on his mind, instead of just reciting what he knew people wanted to hear.

It was addictive, and he suddenly felt new sympathy for Wei Wuxian.

“Nie Mingjue has gone mad, and is capable of nearly anything at this point,” someone said. “Even harming a child, if that’s what it takes to destroy the one sect that stands between him and power.”

“Da-ge isn’t doing this for power,” Lan Xichen protested.

“After he’s kidnapped that child, can you really believe his story about a murder attempt?”

“I do, and I know there was a witness to that attempt,” Lan Xichen proclaimed. “I have talked with him, he was there when it started, and helped me understand how the attempt was made.”

That, at last, silenced the elders. It gave Lan Xichen some hope. They weren’t enemies, he reminded himself, and they were not cruel by nature either. They were just trying to make the best possible decision for their sect, just like him, and when they were told with no uncertainty how the whole thing had unfolded, they would finally side with Nie Mingjue.

“Who is that witness?” Lan Qiren asked.

“Nie Mingjue’s own brother. He's heard me play Cleansing and was surprised to find it different from what Jin Guangyao had been playing for Da-ge. We talked about it, he shared the melody he remembers with me, and if you let me share it with you, you will surely agree that…”

“Well, that was the second news we wanted to discuss today,” Lan Xiaofan said. “Nie Mingjue has apparently found his brother conspiring against his life and imprisoned him.”

Lan Xichen’s blood turned to ice.

“That’s impossible,” he whispered, the words difficult to even get out. “Huaisang was just… and Da-ge trusts him. He knows Huaisang would never hurt him!”

“Nie Mingjue is unstable, and his brother was a little too fond of that Guangyao before this incident. Not to mention it could be that if there was an assassination attempt, might it not make more sense indeed if it came from within? They’re only half brothers, let’s not forget that. Nie Huaisang could easily have gotten involved into a coup against his brother, only to try and blame it on the Jins. But in the end, if they are torn apart it is no concern of ours.”

It was certainly Lan Xichen’s concern. He knew with the greatest certainty that Nie Huaisang would never do anything that might harm his brother, and it was something Nie Mingjue himself had professed more than once. Whenever he’d complained about his brother’s perceived failings as a cultivator and clan heir, he would always balance it out by saying that at least Nie Huaisang was loyal, and they that they lived in a world where that quality was to be cherished.

Nie Huaisang couldn’t have betrayed his brother.

As to whether Nie Mingjue might believe that he had… Before this whole debacle started, Lan Xichen would have found that equally impossible to imagine. But he’d seen the flashes of terror in Nie Huaisang whenever he’d spoken of his brother during their secret meetings, his ever growing desperation to quickly heal Nie Mingjue. And then there had been the way Nie Huaisang had clung to him when Lan Xichen had said they both needed to head home, as if something about returning to the Unclean Realm terrified him.

“Surely this whole situation has become complex enough that it needs to be investigated,” Lan Xichen insisted. “We keep hearing different versions of events from different parties. Since we have announced ourselves to be neutral, then naturally we ought to…”

“Neutrality might no longer be the better course of action,” Lan Xiaofan said. “Not when a child’s life is at stake, and Nie Mingjue is as unpredictable as a wounded beast. The Jins have been patient with us thus far, but they will not be forgiving if anything happens to their sect leader's grandson."

"But we don't even know…" 

"Lan zongzhu has made his opinion clear,” Lan Xiaofan cut him with a glare. “He may now stay silent as his elders discuss the situation with judgement unclouded by old preferences." 

If it had only been him and those elders, Lan Xichen would not have let himself be silenced in that manner. Not again, not anymore. Not when his brother was out of their reach at last, while Nie Huaisang and Nie Mingjue’s lives appeared in greater danger than ever before. But Lan Qiren, who was seated nearest to him, grabbed his wrist and looked at him in a manner that said the time for a fight hadn't come yet. 

It struck Lan Xichen as odd. His uncle had, up to that point, made it clear to him that he would support his nephew, should he try to go against the council's wishes. He had promised he would find ways to keep Lan Wangji out of harm's way, at the cost of his own safety if need be. Lan Qiren had also been quite clear that out of the two sect leaders in conflict, he had always found Nie Mingjue to be the more honest one and could not imagine why that would have changed. 

If his uncle suddenly no longer wished for direct opposition, he had to have his reasons. So Lan Xichen, with great effort, kept silent as old men discussed matters for which they refused to hear all the facts. It did not come as a surprise when, after wasting nearly all morning in useless arguments, they decided to remain neutral. 

Unsurprising, but somehow disappointing. Had they sided with the Jins, Lan Xichen could have pretended a fit of anger and left to finally act as his conscience dictated. Instead, he would have to come up with a new plan to help his friend and his beloved. 

As the council disbanded for the day, Lan Xichen started walking toward the Hanshi, wishing for a chance to be alone and think his next move. Before he had taken two steps, Lan Qiren grabbed him by the elbow and started pulling him in another direction, away from most buildings. 

"Let's go for a walk," Lan Qiren ordered as they passed by the elders. "I have a few things to say about your behaviour earlier."

Tempting as it was to refuse, Lan Xichen obediently followed, and tried to appear contrite at the perspective of a scolding. They walked together in silence, leaving behind the heart of the Cloud Recesses. The path had a certain familiarity to it, but Lan Xichen was so preoccupied that did not realise where they were headed until a small house came into view, isolated and surrounded by gentians.

Lan Xichen slowed, staring at his mother’s prison.

A terrifying thought immediately crossed his mind, about Wangji being caught, or getting wounded and being forced to secretly return to the Cloud Recesses, relying on their uncle to hide him. That house had sat untouched for years, young disciples avoided it if possible, elders behaved as if it didn't exist. Lan Wangji had been the only one to regularly come there to ensure it didn't fall in disrepair before his punishment, sometimes dragging Lan Xichen with him. Lan Qiren, certainly, had no love for that house, and wouldn't have come there unless forced. 

"Do we have a guest, uncle?" Lan Xichen asked in an unsteady voice. 

"Something of the sort. A visitor the elders need not know of."

Now in a near panic, Lan Xichen quickly made his way to the house, and opened the door without knocking. The house being small, there was only the one room, and nowhere to hide, so Lan Xichen could not have missed the sight of a young man seated on the bed. A young man who wasn’t Lan Wangji. In fact, it might have been generous to even call him a man when he could hardly be more than fourteen or fifteen, or more likely younger and just tall for his age.

The teenager looked away from the book he was reading, and his face was one that Lan Xichen had seen before, though not one he would have paid much attention to. If not for the bright yellow robes he wore, embroidered with a peony, Lan Xichen might not have guessed so quickly who he was.

“Xuanyu?” Lan Xichen gasped, before his eyes fell on the toddler currently napping on the teenager’s lap. “And is that Jin Ling?”

Mo Xuanyu grimaced and glanced at Lan Qiren who made a gesture his nephew didn’t quite see, all his attention being turned on Jin Ling.

“Well, you got one out of two right,” Mo Xuanyu announced with a smile that seemed familiar, though it did not belong on that face. “Not that I’d expect anyone to guess. Even Lan-xiansheng took some convincing, but I was able to share some details that only I would have known, so he…”

“Oh no,” Lan Xichen said, seized by a horrible doubt. It made no sense, except in the way that everything was such a mess lately, and kept getting worse and worse. “Oh no,” he repeated, pressing a hand to his mouth. “Wei Wuxian?”

Mo Xuanyu’s sheepish smile was an answer, but not the one Lan Xichen would have preferred to get.

[quirkless-and-proud]

Vigilante Au

Mido finds aizawa in the middle of a fight in an alley and then there’s a gunshot and eraser is down and the villains escape,

when mido approaches him he assumes he’s another vigilante and cuts his hand on the approach, a sign from one vigilante to another that they are not pros, (willing to make one’s self vulnerable to gain trust from someone already hurt and bring yourself to that level)

when he gets close enough, he sees the goggles and realizes this is a pro, and before eraser passes out he grabs him by the arm and says he can’t be taken to a hospital - there is a mole in the police force

when eraser next wakes up he’s in an apartment, completely bare with dressings on his gunshot wound as well as the other damage he sustained

now that he’s more lucid, eraser realizes he’s hooked up to an iv and he can’t feel the gunshot as well as he’d be able to if he wasn’t on some sort of pain meds

conversation is stilted and mido asks what is going to happen next, since he won’t be on his feet for another 2 weeks without quirk healing

eraser asks about the bullet and the kid shrugs and says it’s not the first time he’s had to deal with one and as for the medical equipment, he has some friends who are willing to supply medium grade med supplies on the down low

eraser wants to ask where they are, where the kids parents are and a multitude of other things but realizes that he’s going to have to rely on this kid until he’s on his feet

over the course of those two weeks eraser notices two distinct things, one, that other vigilantes drop in with information, food, money, or a multitude of other things and receive medical care in return

and two, that children or other random adults with serious injuries turn up for medical care as well, the children usually crying and the adults not, they all wear the same shoes as mido tho, so he wonders how they’re all connected

essentially, the sludge villian incident was at the end of mido’s 2nd year of middle school and he was told off by all might, then over the summer he decided to become a vigilante, taking summer courses at a dojo that helped quirk less kids, his mom died at the beginning of the last year of middle school and between her life insurance and his dad’s payments for the apt, mido realized that he could keep the apt to himself so long as someone signed for him, so one of the vigilantes registered as his big brother and the two of them lived together until 2 months before eraser turned up because he died (way more emotional and spontaneous)

this was decided by a meeting of the vigilante “council” which is 15 different people who showed up at mido’s house after he took over for the brother that died before he met eraser it’s similar to pirates of the caribbean where it’s passed down verbally and with a token from the original 15

aizawa doesn’t want him putting himself in danger and mido flaps him off as best he can but also points out that he needs his help, he doesn’t have many choices and he is getting everyone personally

3 members of the council approach eraser w/out mido and tell eraser in no uncertain terms that if mido is hurt in any way he will be held personally responsible and that vigilantes rely on him for intel/analysis of villains and hero’s alike to avoid/help/capture and he has saved their lives both with the hospital and also with his mind. building up a network of safety took time and eraser has to realize how many lives he will put in danger if he tries to dismantle the network.

one of the 3 stays back and tells eraser she was mido’s brother’s first contact and longest friend, and that he asked her to watch after mido. she tells eraser she thinks mido could be a pro, that he might be the key to ending vigilantism but that he could revolutionize pro-hero work. the kid is wicked smart but she doesn’t want to see him become bitter and jaded.

this is something eraser has been thinking about non stop the whole time he’s been holed up here.

eraser asks her for a knife. it is the single request all vigilantes must obey, a sign of trust.

he cuts his palm and says he swears to try his best to take care of mido, as much as the boy will let him and that he will do everything in his power not to jeopardize or hurt him. “a vigilante adoption if you will”

and mido, this whole time. well. he’s still mido and there’s a lot of hero worship of eraser who fights essentially quirkless and has been respectful and kind to the quirkless kids and who has relied on and trusted him

and so 5 of the 15 vigilante council, including mido are to do a recon op of the police station and try to incriminate the mole based on plans eraser helped them lay out

it goes alright except mido breaks 2 ribs fighting someone and when he gets back eraser is able to stand and takes over his care as best he can and mido tells him he can go back to the police, the mole has been caught

eraser asks mido why he isn’t trying to become a pro

mido laughs and makes a broken noise and says a very reliable source told him he couldn’t be

and eraser says whoever it was was out of their goddamned mind, that they must have been blind and deaf to miss what was in front of their faces, he points out the illogic and that he fights quirkless and he points to everything mido had done in a little over a year, how fast and capable he is and the connections he has already and just, if eraser knew the kids from his classes would be half as good as mido eraser could retire because crime wouldn’t be a problem

and mido is crying and eraser asks him if he would go to ua, if he would let eraser work out a deal for him and recommend him

and mido says his money must go to the hospital, he can’t leave this place and he doesn’t have money to really go to school and his grades aren’t great (half on purpose lol)

and eraser says what he does with his money is his business as long as eraser can’t prove it and that getting a hero license would help him protect vigilantes and there would be some rules, like he wouldn’t be able to live on his own like this, but there are places eraser is willing to look away in the short term until they can figure out a real long term plan

and mido says he wouldn’t have anywhere to live that isn’t the hospital and eraser says kid if you think i’d do this for just a student, i mean i’d be a hell of a teacher but i’m only a decent one, that i already declared a vigilante adoption in front of that girl, unprompted, and that his husband and he had always considered fostering/adopting

and mido blurts out something that means he knows it’s present mic despite no formal paperwork saying that anywhere and eraser just fucking loses it and starts laughing like a madman because of course mido figured it out the kid is a genius

and yes, hizashi and i would fucking love you kid, like you deserve and you wouldn’t have to do all of this alone, and you wouldn’t have all this responsibility, you could give it to me and then, slowly as you become an adult we add it back without overwhelming you

and mido says to let him go to ground for 2 weeks - that eraser has to give him time to sort a few things out, largely to protect everyone at the hospital and get word out to the quirkless kids and eraser says okay

and in 2 weeks eraser has talked to nezu and they have a plan and a police deal and mido walks up to the gates of ua all by himself with a backpack that has notebooks and clothes but nothing else (he ran everyone to ground, moved the hospital and sorted out the money problem with that girl) and now he’s standing in front of eraserhead turning himself in

my name is midoriya izuku, you know me as mido and i am here to turn myself in

nezu regards him with a glint in his eyes and eraser just rolls his eyes and hugs the kid telling him he has done a good job and that he’ll take it from here

———

this is a really lost outline for a fic that i would love if someone else wrote lol

sorry about caps and stuff, this is really just for the notes section on my phone so hope you like it

[parablesoftheone]

Ginko and Adashino: a study in Daoist perspectivism

Huizi said, “I am not you, to be sure, so I don’t know what it is to be you. But by the same token, since you are certainly not a fish, my point about your inability to know the happiness of fish stands intact.”

Zhuangzi said, “Let’s go back to the starting point. You said, ‘Whence do you know the happiness of fish?’ Since your question was premised on your knowing that I know it, I must have known it from here, up above the Hao River.”

—Zhuangzi: Essential Writings, pg. 76

It would be criminally neglectful to talk extensively about Mushishi without discussing Ginko and Adashino’s friendship. Apart from Ginko himself, Adashino is the most frequently recurring character in the stories, and he and Ginko obviously share a connection that goes well beyond trading in mushi-related goods. 

In contrast to Ginko’s other significant relationship, this one is not with someone who shares his degree of centeredness. Adashino’s focus is markedly external, his habits of life and outlook very much out of line with the teachings of Lao Tzu. Most obviously, he stockpiles a wealth of mushi-related treasures and is always on the lookout for more, while Ginko’s possessions are pretty much what he has in his backpack. The storing up of wealth and possessions, the Dao De Jing warns, can only bring grief: "Amass a store of gold and jade,” it says in verse #9, “and no one can protect it.” And indeed, Adashino’s storehouse is invaded with dire consequences no later than the tenth episode of the first season. His insatiable desire for interesting items persists nonetheless, leaving him open to a level of emotional excitability Ginko never displays even at his most distressed.

(Still, a man’s gotta protect his property...)

This is hardly the only particular in which Adashino and Ginko are decidedly unalike. S2 E8 "Wind Raiser” especially develops their differences. When Adashino takes credit for Ginko’s cure, Ginko completely ignores it; when Adashino speculates about what the young man Ginko advises will do, Ginko responds with a laconic, “Who knows?” These simple interchanges point toward their fundamental contrast: Ginko’s mindset is Daoist, and Adashino’s is (mostly) not. In accord with multiple verses of the Dao De Jing (#2, #10, #30...), Ginko doesn’t care a damn about who gets credit for his work; neither does he care to speculate about future events, preferring to “move with the present” (Dao De Jing #14). His focus is centered; Adashino's is outward.

Given these divergent values and the fact that Ginko reguarly cheats Adashino—of which Adashino is well aware—an observer might wonder why these two have anything to do with each other, much less why they’re such good friends. 

But their bond makes perfect sense through a Daoist eye. 

Daoist perspectivism

To the Daoist mind, contrasts and differences are part of how the world functions—and this includes differences from the Daoist mind. Zhuangzi not only teaches followers of the dao to not disdain non-Daoist values but hold “perfectly to the differing allotments of things” (Zhuangzi: Essential Writings, pgs. 70–71); his own closest friend Huizi is a man with whom he trades debates and criticisms throughout the Zhuangzi (pgs. 8, 38, 112...). This worldview doesn’t seek the exclusion of others—the Daoist idea of “oneness” means that opposing views and forces are inherently one, without being made to unite or agree.

Along with this embracing of contrasts comes a firm belief in perspectivism: that anything that can be affirmed from one perspective can be negated from another and vice versa, and that each person and creature’s nature and experiences determine what is right from her/his/its own perspective. "The embrace of the same viewpoint,” says the Zhuangzi, “comes simply from being in the same position” (pg. 101).

Just as Ginko understands that the natures of the mushi are rightful parts of the world whether they’re valued by humans or not, he also understands the validity of differing human viewpoints. Though he scolds Adashino for the trouble his collection causes, he doesn’t consider him lesser or unworthy of friendship because of it, or because of any other contrasts between them. Through all the disparity in their values, they share a connection—and in true Daoist fashion, their differences are likely what brought them together in the first place. Ginko gathers mushi-related items, and Adashino wants them. Ginko has no desire to collect things or haul them around, so he’s happy to sell... if not always honestly.

Which raises the next point about their relationship: Ginko’s shady business ethics. 

Perspectivism applies here too. As Zhuangzi tells us, “whatever might be [from some perspective] strange, grotesque, uncanny, or deceptive” (pg. 13) can be affirmed as right from another view, and this certainly applies to Ginko and Adashino’s exchanges. To an outsider, they’re questionable as all get out—but it’s not an outsider’s view that matters. Both Ginko and Adashino freely choose to associate with each other on their current terms, because that choice makes sense to them. Adashino knows from the start that Ginko isn’t always on the level—from his first appearance in S1 E5 “The Traveling Swamp,” he’s questioning Ginko’s story about the green sake cup. And as Ginko points out, Adashino is under no obligation to buy from him—he chooses to, knowing the odds, and continues to choose to. And we can see in “Wind Raiser” that Adashino values even the more questionable items Ginko’s sold him; he’s held on to all of it, even the stuff he's probably guessed is junk.

Whether this arrangement makes sense or seems right to an outsider is irrelevant. Ginko and Adashino accept each other as they are, and the only ones who need to validate those choices are themselves. 

So, for all their differences, do Ginko and Adashino have anything in common? 

In fact, they do—and one significant value they share is the very perspectivism that shapes their relationship. We can see as much in “The Traveling Swamp,” when Adashino asks Ginko why he’s so determined to save Io from becoming a mushi. 

“If the girl said she wanted desperately to live,” he says, “I’d understand. But she wanted to become part of the swamp, right? That might be her happiness... Sometimes that’s the way it is in this world, though it sounds cruel...”

Adashino’s statement points to the path along which he and Ginko connect: No less than Ginko, Adashino is open to another’s perspective, even one that he acknowledges sounds terrible. He fully understands that “rightness” for one person is not the same as “rightness” for another.

Ginko’s reply underscores that he shares this value. In S1 E1 “The Green Throne,” he made a human a mushi because it was her choice—despite his own assessment that becoming a mushi is a terrible fate for a human. He seeks to prevent the same from happening to Io, not because he doesn’t value her choice, but because his observation of her has convinced him that she doesn’t understand what she’s giving up—that she’s making her choice without full knowledge. 

Interestingly, in this sense, Ginko and Adashino’s exchange is reminiscent of one between Zhuangzi and Huizi. Crossing over a river with his friend, Zhuangzi comments on the happiness of the fish below. Huizi protests and asks, "Whence do you know the happiness of fish?” In his frequently smartass fashion, Zhuangzi replies that he knows it from the position where they stand, above the river, watching the fish (pg. 76).

Not simply a play on words, this exchange is an illustration of Daoist perspectivism. Zhuangzi’s point is that, while we truly can’t know the perspectives of anyone other than ourselves, we must proceed from our own—including our observations of what may or may not make others happy. Not able to consult Io on the matter, Ginko has to proceed from his own observations, which lead him to believe she still cherishes human feelings.

Like Zhuangzi and Huizi, Ginko and Adashino both know that perspective is individual, and they respect the choices others make from their own. Adashino respects that Io may, after all, want to become a mushi, and Ginko respects that, in his assessment, she probably doesn’t—just as, in Renzu’s case, he respects that she does. 

By this same principle, they respect each other’s natures, Ginko accepting that Adashino is an outward-focused, obsessive collector of things, and Adashino accepting that Ginko will occasionally chastise him or sell him a bad coat. 

On these multiple levels, their relationship is one of Daoist perspectivism. And in the same way that Ginko can guess what Io’s happiness might be, we can “know” from observing them that Ginko and Adashino value their relationship just as it is—with no need for any foundational “rightness” other than their own choices.

With all that said, there is another kind of rightness to their friendship. In their contrasts to each other, Ginko and Adashino fit together. This is even signaled visually: Adashino's light-reflecting monocle signifies the yang within his yin, just as the tokoyami in Ginko's opposite eye is the yin within his yang. Like Ginko and Tanyuu, Ginko and Adashino form a Taiji, interlinked and corresponding through their similarities and their differences alike.

[puddingcatbeans]

wangxian + "i've been staring at the edge of the water" for some reason how far i'll go from moana has been playing and replaying in my head...hope the weekend is treating u well!

The sun has just set over the horizon when Wei Wuxian hears the soft footsteps along the wooden planks behind him. He doesn’t move, staring out at the lotus flowers swaying gently in the breeze. This side of the pier is quiet. It was his shijie’s favourite place; she used to sit here doing her embroidery or reading, and she used to let Wei Wuxian nap beside her when he wanted to hide from being everybody’s dashixiong for a bit.

“There are fresh watermelons from the kitchen,” Lan Wangji says, sitting down next to him. He looks like a painting, the sunset’s afterglow splayed across his straight posture and serene beauty. How lucky of Wei Wuxian to be able to stare at this man any time he wants.

“They’re sweeter than the ones you get up at Gusu, huh?”

Lan Zhan hums. He gazes out at the water, too. For a moment, they sit in comfortable silence, suspended like a rowboat on the lake. Then, in that quiet voice of his, Lan Wangji asks, “When will you leave?”

It’s silly that Wei Wuxian still feels surprised that his husband knows him so well. Better than he knows himself, even. This wanderlust licking at his bare heels, even as summer settles into his bones when he walks through these rebuilt halls that he grew up in, once upon a time---it never fades. An itch that lingers, a need that festers. Even Jiang Cheng has noticed, eyeing him over the dinner table, pretending not to notice the extra jars of wine Wei Wuxian has been hoarding. Yet Jiang Cheng never says a word. A kindness, maybe, if Wei Wuxian can trust his reading of his martial brother anymore.

“I shouldn’t,” Wei Wuxian replies in lieu of an answer. “Jiang Cheng finally allowed me to enter Lotus Pier, and even bring along my darling husband! What kind of a man would I be to spurn his generosity.”

“We have been here for four months. You are still listed as a guest.”

“Yeah, well. Wouldn’t exactly be fair if I suddenly took over as head disciple again, would it?”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says, and Wei Wuxian gives up the game.

He looks down at his feet, ankle-deep in the water. “Isn’t it awful, though? I finally weaseled my way back into Lotus Pier. I even managed to wheedle your uncle into giving me a jade token. I spent a whole year away from you, Lan Zhan, and you still welcomed me into the Jingshi without hesitation. And still it’s not enough for me. Isn’t that awful of me? That I somehow get to have all this, but I still can’t make myself stay.”

"There is no shame in wanting to travel,” Lan Wangji says. “Wei Ying is not meant to be caged.”

“That’s sweet of you, but aren’t you tired of watching me leave?”

Lan Wangji’s hair flutters lightly, but his eyes are steady. “Wei Ying. Wherever you may go, however long your journey may take you, I swear you will always have a home to come back to.”

And, well. What is a man supposed to say to that?

Wei Wuxian closes the distance between them in an attempt to hide the sudden stinging behind his eyes. His husband kisses the tears that escape, holds him close. Around them, the water moves gently, waves alternating between beckoning and farewell.

(In the morning, they will have their bags packed, route shared until outside of Yunmeng. By noon, Wei Wuxian will have promised Jiang Cheng to write and to visit on his return. By the next dusk, Wei Wuxian will be on his way north, a donkey and a flute his only company. But he is not alone, not really---there are plenty of people for him to come home to.)

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: 只羡鸳鸯不羡仙

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

Characters: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Gusu Lan Disciple(s)

Additional Tags: Animal Transformation, Magical Accidents, Fluff and Crack, Ducks, Crack, Chases

Summary: Wei Wuxian has an accident with an experimental talisman. Now he has to find his husband.

Notes: See end

AO3 link

-----------

Wei Wuxian had to take a moment to assess the situation. He had��� shrunk, and his robes billowed around him. He had no hands, and he couldn’t see what his appendages might be, given the darkness under his robes, which of course made getting out even more difficult.

Getting out took more time than he would have liked, his body… odd. He couldn’t quite seem to operate it right, and he let out a frustrated noise as his face encountered more fabric after finding the edge of one robe.

It was a quack. Unmistakably. 

Well, fuck.

He had somehow turned himself into a duck with his experimental talisman, which didn’t make sense to him. Wei Wuxian couldn’t recall having written the character for duck on it, and it wasn’t supposed to be a transmogrifying talisman in the first place—though he supposed it could be handy to trap enemies in their own robes.

Once he had an understanding of what he had become, it was easier to understand that his neck was more serpentine and could be used to delicately push through the folds in a way his wings would not. He kept those folded against his sides, as he could just see getting his wings tangled in the fabric and breaking one.

Finally, he found his way out of the robes, and collapsed gracelessly beside them, trying to think of his next move. He could just sit here until his husband found him, but that seemed like it would take an awfully long time. Lan Zhan had gotten a new batch of letters he had to sort out as Chief Cultivator and had retreated to the library to deal with them so as to leave Wei Wuxian in peace to work on his newest talismans.

It also might have been that he was purposefully distracting whenever he saw a vein throb in his husband’s forehead, which generally meant they wound up fucking. Unfortunately, that just delayed the inevitable, so they had learned to work apart—though Wei Wuxian helpfully sorted the mail beforehand, making sure Sect Leader Yao’s were at the bottom of the pile.

Now, however, this would mean leaving the jingshi and making his way to the library. Which in theory wasn’t too difficult, but in practice would mean finding a way to open doors.

His beak, he discovered, was quite strong, and so he was able to use it to find and widen the gap in the sliding doors of their home, then wriggled through it as best he could. It wasn’t terribly graceful, but Wei Wuxian was more focused on the task at hand.

That accomplished, he put his ruffled feathers back in order, then descended the stairs in a haphazard fashion before waddling his way down the stone path toward the heart of the Cloud Recesses: the library.

The plan, he discovered, was not a good one, as the first disciples he came across immediately decided that he was a poor wild duck trapped within the wards, and the humane thing to do was to catch him and release him outside.

If they succeeded, he was royally fucked. He didn’t know if he would randomly transform back to his normal self, and if he didn’t, he’d be trapped as a duck outside and Lan Zhan would have no way of knowing what had happened. Because of course he hadn’t thought to find the jade token that would let him through the wards in the folds of his robes and take it with him.

He supposed that at least, being Lans, they weren’t likely to eat him?

As he discovered, the disciples were not casual in their desire to “free” him, though they kept to the rule of no running. It didn’t help much, given that he wasn’t used to this body and it was so much smaller, but his feathers made him slippery, and that gave him a bit of an edge.

More frustrating was his inability to communicate. Anything he tried to say came out as quacks and hisses, and only attracted the attention of more disciples.

With little other choice, he led them on a merry chase around the Cloud Recesses. He didn’t mean to cause havoc—he just wanted to reach his husband, dammit, and somehow convince him that this duck was Wei Wuxian.

One of the braver disciples managed to grab one of his web-footed legs, and he was almost sorry to bite the poor boy, but he couldn’t let them catch him.

By the time he reached the library pavilion, he had a merry squad of at least fifteen juniors chasing him, though by this point they had taken to trying to herd him rather than grabbing at him. This was a relief, except one stood in the way of the library, and Wei Wuxian wasn’t having that.

He’d have to apologize later for the feathers he left in that disciple’s hair as he half-flew and half-scrambled over him. That led to them trying to grab him again.

Before he could try to figure out how to get into the library while dodging disciples, the door slid open, an occupant coming to see what the commotion was all about.

It was Lan Zhan, and Wei Wuxian took the opportunity to dart under his robes. Not the best plan, as finding his way out the other side was hard, but it was a rare graceless moment for his husband, obviously startled by the duck, and for the disciple that, too focused on catching the duck, collided awkwardly with him, sending them down in a heap that, fortunately, he didn’t wind up under.

Wei Wuxian made his move, finding the long end of Lan Zhan’s forehead ribbon and yanking it free.

The disciples made horrified noises as the ribbon fell away, and he got his beak around the hard metal cloud, darting away before he could be grabbed.

“Stop,” Lan Zhan intoned, and thankfully the disciples froze, instantly obeying even though Lan Zhan was sitting in a somehow-dignified heap on the floor.

This was going to make calling the juniors ‘ducklings’ exceedingly weird from hereon out.

Wei Wuxian took a moment to consider his options. He had to hope his husband would understand. He waddled forward and set the ribbon in front of Lan Zhan and quacked at him in the best approximation of ‘Lan Zhan’ that he could manage.

Lan Zhan blinked, then reached forward slowly, not for the ribbon, but for him.

“Wei Ying?”

He quacked, doing his best to nod, relieved to have been understood—of course his zhiji would know him, even like this.

“Talisman?”

He nodded again, this time more morosely. He nuzzled at the hand as it reached him, then let Lan Zhan pick him up without complaint.

Wei Wuxian relaxed, now thoroughly exhausted, as his husband dismissed the disciples.

As long as he had Lan Zhan near him, he could weather anything, though he expected this would put a halt to their every day until they could figure out how to undo the effects of the talisman.

How did ducks even have sex, anyway?

--------

For @writersmonth day 14, prompt “duck.” 

Title is from the Lu Zhaolin poem, “Chang’an nostalgia.” Mandarin ducks mate for life, and thus represent romantic love in Chinese culture. The line of the poem translates to “be envious of mandarin ducks, not of immortals,” but in the Chinese MDZS fandom the mandarin ducks are often replaced by WangXian to make it a fandom phrase, as discussed in this meta.

This fic might also be a possible variation on the idea of “it is a beautiful day, and you are a terrible goose,” except wwx is a duck.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

[This Anon is referring to this game theory.]

...I can see that happening, yes. Crowley must, after all, appeal to those with a preference for glasses on their pretty boys.

This became its own set of shitpost headcanons in of themselves, but I will allow it for now because it supplements my ever-expanding pretty boy game theory. I only wrote for the students, NOT faculty because the list of students itself is already super long.

Enjoy.

Riddle wrote an entire speech to the headmaster about how he will contribute to NRC and improve the school community if he gets accepted. All of that went right out the window when Crowley clasped his hands during the interview and shouted about how Riddle is perfect. That strict persona, coupled with the contrast of his boyish appearance...it is perfect for appealing to those that like the youthful look, but still want someone respectable!

Trey had a relatively normal interview. Crowley was impressed by how reliable Trey seems to be--he’s sure to make use of Trey’s “big brother”/”boy next door” vibes for NRC advertising. He didn’t find out about Trey’s thing for dental hygiene until after Trey was already accepted, but Crowley was quick to dismiss it as a real concern because it’s not like he’s going to sell pictures of Trey brushing others’ teeth for extra profit (well, not unless there is a high demand for that).

Cater was very relaxed, even slouching a bit in his seat. He interrupted Crowely in the middle of one of his questions to ask to take a photo for his MagiCam account. Though Crowley found this to be a little irritating, he knew that social media is a good way to reach a wider audience. Having a handsome student well-versed in the use of the web and able to capture candid photos of his peers seems like a huge advantage to NRC’s social media presence!

Ace was super casual. He showed up a few minutes late and sat down without being given permission to. He’s nothing like his older brother, according to the records Crowley consulted. Ace’s brightness was able to charm Crowley in the interview, and he allows the trickster in just because of that infections, albeit shit eating, grin of his.

Deuce tried very, very hard to show off how “reformed” he was. Came to the interview in a full-on suit and gelled back hair so he looks like a responsible young man. Lost his shit mid-interview when Crowley brought up his past delinquency as a potential issue. He was still let in because Crowley knows “bad boys” with a soft side can be appealing to some.

Leona got to skip the interview. Not because he’s royalty or anything, but because Crowley knew just from reading Leona’s application and seeing his picture that he would be a worthwhile student to slap onto advertisements. THE ANGST PRACTICALLY WRITES ITSELF. Look at how handsome Leona is, and how dark his backstory is. You can change this arrogant, broken cat boy, Crowley will hawk at his audience, all you need to do is donate your money to NRC!

Ruggie was accepted for his mischievousness--and partly due to his sad history in the slums. He didn’t show up to the interview wearing the fanciest clothes, but there is a charm to his humility, his frugality. Crowley thinks that winsome laughter of his will net the school some extra cash. Some would love to dote on people like Ruggie, after all!

Jack has muscles, and that’s all Crowley needed to see to accept him. Sure, he may have only responded to interview questions with simple, short answers, sometimes punctuated by grunts, but...muscles. Crowley’s already thinking of throwing as many sports-related events as possible for the upcoming school year, just so Jack can get all hot and sweaty in front of a live audience. NRC merch sales will go through the roof.

Azul groomed himself for several hours in advance, and practiced interview questions with the Leeches beforehand. First impressions are very important, and attending NRC would be the opportunity of a lifetime! He performed very well and dressed sharply. When his interview wrapped up, Crowley started questioning his eyeglasses, which confused Azul a lot. He was told that he is accepted, granted that he maintains wearing spectacles. Azul, being the big brain octoboi that he is, understood Crowley’s game and complimented his shrewdness. Crowley killed so many birds with one stone by accepting Azul...he appeals to those that like smart boys, glasses, and...well, tentacles.

Jade & Floyd spent even more time preparing than Azul did. They are concerned about Floyd making an outburst or a comment that could jeopardize their acceptance--and if they don’t also get into NRC, then Azul will be all alone. To their surprise, Crowley accepted them a few minutes into the interview after he asked them to sit and just...interact with the other brother. He was shouting something about how twins are a “rare find” and that “people love having two lovers tease them” while furiously shaking both of their hands. They left the office very confused, while Crowley was smirking to himself about his great find. Not only do the Leeches have a strong brotherly bond that will melt people’s hearts, but their whole butler/bodyguard dynamic will play well off of Azul. And those fangs...that’s the cherry on top!

Kalim is automatically in thanks to that massive donation the Al-Asim family oh-so-generously gave to the school. It didn’t matter if he was bouncing off the walls and veering way off topic during the interview. Crowley knows that Kalim’s endless, youthful cheer is sure to appeal to someone.

Jamil is calm, poised, controlled. Almost too much so. Crowley was on the fence about him--doesn’t Jamil seem a little too boring upon first impression?--but his beauty is nothing to sneer at. He allows Jamil in, if only to be a companion to Kalim...and boy, does Crowley not regret that decision. People sure do love the “super repressed crazy one”, huh?

Vil came with a perfectly coordinated outfit and makeup, ready to kill the interview. A shame that Crowley cut it short to congratulate him on his acceptance. Such beauty and confidence will do well at NRC and shilling NRC merch...! His status as a MagiCam influencer and model is also sure to attract Crowley some sweet, free publicity!

Rook was dubbed “the token pervert” in Crowley’s mind the moment he strolled into the office for his interview. He took a great fascination with the headmaster himself, asking many personal questions and even if he can touch Crowley. A very forward lad, even back then. Still, there’s a market for these types of things! Rook’s French (one of the romance languages!) also played into his acceptance--multiingual people can have a broad appeal...!

Epel’s innocent outer appearance instantly won Crowley over, even though he didn’t speak clearly and didn’t wear nice clothes at the interview. Sure, he’s just the son of some farmers from a backwater town, but Epel is just so meek and beautiful! He’d be perfect for those in the public who want someone to take care of. That mild rebellious streak of his may also be popular!

Idia almost didn’t make it. He stuttered and mumbled through his interview, avoided eye contact, and sweated bullets the entire time. It also didn’t help that he looked so disheveled. Crowley forced Idia to change his clothes and wash his face to see how well he cleaned up--and Idia cleaned up very well. The headmaster let Idia in after that to have “otaku” type for advertisements and to potentially beg the Shrouds for donations. Plus, having another sharp-toothed boy doesn’t hurt. The Leeches can’t be the only ones that appeal to the public’s fang fetishists!

Ortho didn’t really have an interview. It was more like Idia made him one day and asked if Ortho could be enrolled as a student. Crowley just shrugged and let it happen. He’s sure that someone out there is into robots in “that” sense.

Malleus did not need an interview. His magical ability already speaks as to why he was an instant acceptance--and he’s related to the Great Witch of Thorns! That, combined with his commanding presence and mysterious allure, makes him a powerful force to be reckoned with. Plus, he has an emotional vulnerability behind all of that...

Lilia spooked Crowley by dropping in from the chimney. Despite this, he nailed the interview and now supplies Crowley with all the content he needs for his “thousand year old vampire that looks like a 12 year old” trope folder. He looks young, but he’s wise and will bite if you’re not careful! On top of all of that, Lilia has a fatherly side, which Crowley knows will make him endearing to some.

Silver fell asleep mid-interview...! Oddly enough, Crowley still accepted him despite that. Soft, sleep boys, after all, have their own sense of charm! Besides, what kind of self-respecting pretty boy fan wouldn’t want to stare at Silver’s peaceful face as he rests?

Sebek’s booming voice nearly sent Crowley flying out of his seat. So loud, and so assertive--yet Sebek also expresses his strong, burning desire to be at the Young Master’s side. Crowley knows that such devotion and boisterousness can be a charm point, so Sebek was accepted!