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obsessivelysweet · 1 year

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* Hello everyone! I'm sorry this took so long. And it's long, too, lol. I revised it and deleted stuff too many times and lost motivation for it. Honestly, I don't truly like it, but oh well, it's finally done! I really do hope you like it. If not, it's ok. No worries, just thank you for stopping by! Hope you have a good day! Warnings under the cut!

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Warnings: sagau/cult au/obsession/violence/slight mention of death/yandere/blood/kidnapping/a bit suggestive/female reader/spelling errors

Characters:Childe(main focus)/

(side characters) Zhongli/ Xiao/ Doctor

Look at only Me~♡

You were beautiful in everything you did and said. Just being in your presence felt so euphoric, like being on an endless high. Your pure tender love for all of Teyvat was breathtaking. And boy, oh boy, you were certainly a drug to him.

The tall gingered hair harbinger stared at your form as you tended to the flowers in your garden. A small smile peaked out from the corners of his mouth just by watching you. He observed your form as you went to each flower bed, speaking to them almost as if they were your friends. Gently caressing the petals as you sang it sweet nothings hoping these actions will make the flowers grow stronger. He loved watching you for hours on end.

Of course, though, you didn't know that a certain pair of blue eyes watched every move you made. He would observe you from a safe distance but close enough to hear you should the opportunity present itself to save you from danger. It was also because he wanted to be close enough to still hear your heavenly voice.

This voice could pull him out of a blood thirsty episode. The voice that saved him from the days he spent in the abyss. That sent shivers down his spine just by hearing you call out his name. He could listen to you for the rest of his life even in his last breath, he would want to hear you.

Your very being was holy, pure, the true essence of divinity. He was still just a measly human even if he did have a delusion on him. Compared to you, he was nothing, just another devoted follower who hopelessly wished to be your one and only. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't move Celestia and the Abyss for you. He wouldn't kill for you no matter who it was. He would do it in a heartbeat if it meant you would look at him. You brought him peace to his suffering, an end to his means, no longer dealing with the pain he would feel from having a delusion. For that reason, he longed to repay you for it.

He would do it by keeping tabs on you for instance; where you went, when you ate or what you ate, sleep, who you talked to etc. Everything you did he would want to know it all but unfortunately he couldn't keep eyes on you all the time though.

To be honest he hated the others you so lovingly gave attention to. They didn't deserve your warmth, your touch, your attention. They deserved none of it from you, they weren't worthy of your presence.

There were two followers that were a bit too close to you. Too close that he despised their very existence.

One who he knew very well, a tall slender man with a low husky voice that made everyone fall for him; Zhongli.

He was calm as he basked in your presence, telling you stories of his old days as he would share tea with you. He hated how Zhongli's golden eyes would linger a second longer on your lips than they should. Hated how you would run your delicate fingers through his dark, long locks, letting you braid it as you pleased. Hated how Zhongli would every so slightly lower his hand a bit more while holding your back as the two of you would stroll through the streets of Liyue. Zhongli would claim to be one of your only devoted followers, that he's been loyal to you for so long, surely he was worth being in your presence. He knew the former archon wasn't so devoted to you before you descended into Teyvat.

The gingered man watched in the distance coldly, as his grip on his trusty bow tighten. The soft smile you would give to the man was so pure; ereathal, how dare such a hypocrite of a man see you like that. He didn't deserve your gaze, your company, not one bit of you he didnt deserve. Honestly he wouldn't mind watching the former geo archon's eyes go dull as the life fades away by his own hands.

The other was a dark green haired adeptus known as the Conquer of Demons.

He would also keep tabs on you but at a further distance. Just uttering his name from your lips would make him appear before you in an instant, kneeling with his head bowed, golden irises looking straight down, ready for your orders. Whatever you may ask of him; to be in his company or to slash down any foe before you. He will do it in an instant for you, anything for you. Nothing is more important to him as you are, even if you wished for him to remove himself from this existence, he would for you.

He was very close to you, close enough for you to lean your head on his shoulder as you talk away your day or whatever you had on your mind. Close enough that he could lightly trace your shoulder as he looked at you, who was looking out onto the beautiful landscape in front of you. He would etch your features into his mind as you looked out from the balcony the inn.

The way your eyes creased when you smiled or laughed. How gentle your lips looked, the feeling of you saying his name, your laughter. He wanted to remember every moment with you. His loyalty to you has no end, and he swears by it. These small moments you share with the adpetus feel like eternity when he's with you.

The harbinger hated watching how close the adeptus was with you whenever he could get close enough without the adeptus noticing. Hated how he could easily hold your hand or feel your soft hair as it draped against his shoulder when you leaned your head onto him. Hated how the once loner of an adpetus was smiling around you. His golden irises followed your every movement even if it was small. His golden hues looked too long onto your lips or thighs.

The harbinger watched in disgust, the blood in his veins boiling. Vile burning in the back of his throat, wishing for release. He wished for the day he could best him in battle. To take him away from your presence, from this world, and hopefully your memory entirely.

These two took so much of your time, glances, smiles, laughter, touch... your very presence.

Unfortunately you were too kind to see how bad they were for you, surely they had something bad in mind for you with how they acted. Their eyes lingering, their subtle facial expressions changing, their subtle touches on your holy skin. Every second is precious with you and they were taking it. He had to save you from them and after he takes care of them surely you will look at him, right?

It's not like you haven't been keeping him company or been looking at him. You've been trying to spend time with all of your followers, even with him.

He loved every second of being next to you. Walking down the harbor, seeing you look out at the sparkling clear water with a content smile on your face. Hearing you hum an unfamiliar tune as you kick your feet above the water. The way the sunlight kisses your skin, the way it gives you a glow, like you're angel. Your hair gently swaying with the wind as you look back at the harbinger who is trying his best to compose himself. Talking about everything and nothing at the same time, but it's ok because it's you.

He wanted to spend more time with you, wanted to be the first one you looked at when you opened your eyes in the morning. The poor harbinger wanted eternity with you even if he didn't get to live for all eternity. He wanted to be the first and last thing you saw every day. He wanted to see you until his last breath, but it wasn't enough. Not with how everyone else hogs your attention, especially those two.

Look at his blue eyes, his pale face sprinkled with freckles, his soft gingered hair. He just wanted you to look at him more, to only look at him. Only him and him alone.

It was quiet in your bedroom except for your soft breaths as you slept under your silken blankets. You were wrapped in warmth as thunder, and lighting was heard outside your window. Your room was illuminated with a soft glow from your bedside lamp as every now and then a flash of white light would peak from your curtains. You were deep asleep that you didn't hear the door slowly creak open. Soon, the door was opened enough for Childe to step in ever so carefully to not wake you up. He crept quietly in your room, slowly moving bit by bit to your bed, stopping only when you stirred in your sleep.

Eventually, he was by your bedside, looking down at your sleeping face. You looked so cute, he thought to himself. He had to savor this moment, the way your chest rised and fell so softly. Your sheets hugging you, your hands clutched the blanket, the way your eyelashes fluttered. Everything was beautiful to him, and soon, he'll be able to have more moments like this with you.

He gently placed his blood-soaked glove on your shoulder to gently wake you up. It took a couple of tries before you slowly registered the cold glove shaking you gently and something that was cold slowly dripping down your shoulder. At first, you didn't register what was going on or the fact that Childe was covered in blood. You just asked lazily what is it? Childe smiled at your sleepy face before caressing it. He spoke softly, almost a whisper, "Its done, my grace, they are no longer a nuisance."

Done? Nuisance? These soft spoken words suddenly got your attention, which made you look more at him. That's when you noticed the blood on his clothes, on you now, his dark smile, the smell of something once human. You pushed his hand away and shot up to look at him. A pit started to form at the bottom of your stomach. You felt sick.

He was hurt by your sudden slap of his hand away from you, but no matter, you were just in shock. He did wake you up in the middle of the night, so it's ok. He took a step back to give you some space, but really, it was for him to see you more now that you were sitting up.

You asked him whose blood was on him, what happened, if he was ok, and what he meant by his words. You were starting to panic, so all of these questions sounded more like gibberish if anything. Even in this panicked, confused state of mind, you still looked so beautiful. He wanted to see every facial expression you could make, and what's important is that you're looking at him.

This feeling of euphoria was intoxicating because you were looking at him. Your eyes were solely on him. Even if your eyes screamed for help, you were looking at him. He wanted to grab your face and lock eyes with you. Wanted to kiss you, love you, hear you say his name. He will hear you say it soon.

Before you could speak to ask again, Childe smirked. This smirk made your stomach churn even more, but why? The soft aura of the light felt suffocating against the tall man before you. You couldn't find any words as he started to walk back to you.

"Your Grace, I'll be honest, the blood belongs to two of your followers; Zhongli and Xiao. They did put up a fight, but it's fine because I won. They were a danger to you, and as your follower, I had to see that they were disposed of. Of course, though, I'm sure the Doctor will take good care of their corpses"

By now, he's standing over your frighten form with a sick look in his eyes. His once beautiful blue eyes were now dark mixed with some kind of hunger. A hunger for something more. You couldn't move from the shock of hearing whose blood it was. He inched closer and closer to your face, locking eyes with you as he barely touched your lips with his. You could feel his warm breath tickling your lips in the silent room.

He wanted to kiss you but stopped himself. Honestly, this whole time, he wanted to do so much with you. He didn't want to hurt you, but he knew he had to get you somewhere safe. He leaned back again away from your trembling state to pull something out of his pocket. It was a small white cloth that had a sweet aroma.

You knew exactly what it was, but before you could react,Childe lunged at you, putting the cloth over your nose and mouth. He held onto your body as you tried to struggle out of his grip to get the cloth away from you but to no avail. Soon, the room became dizzy, your eyes felt heavy, and everything became dark. You fell unconscious in his arms, in your once safe bedroom, in the dark of night.

The room was once again quiet with the occasional thunder and lighting. He held onto your unconscious body, caressing your face for a while. He wanted to bask in this moment for a bit longer. Your being felt small as he hugged you. Surely, this is why he needed to keep you safe, he thought to himself. He knew you would be mad at him, but it would only be for a bit. Eventually, you will understand his love for you.

He got up with you in his arms as he left your room. His blood-stained clothes did get on your silken nightdress. He felt bad but he'll get you another one. He couldn't help but notice how your dress hugged your figure beautifully, especially your chest, which he quickly averted his eyes from. A blush forming onto the cheeks of the gingered male as he walked into the rainy night, holding onto his beloved creator.

You awoke to something cold on your ankle and darkness blocking your vision. You don't know how long you've been out for, but it felt like a while with how groggy you felt. You felt around first while you were lying down and soon realized you were lying down on a soft bed with silken sheets. The room felt comfortably warm, and there was a salt water smell in the air. You could hear waves crashing and seagulls outside wherever you were. You were about to reach up to take off the blindfold, but you heard a door squeak open. Immediately, you went back to pretending you were asleep.

Childe, on the other hand, knew you were up, he was watching you from the door to the room he had you in. He was watching you the whole time, not taking his eyes off of your sleeping body worried he would miss you waking up. It was fun watching you coming to your senses, trying to feel around you with caution. The reason he made his presence known is because you were gonna pull off the blindfold, he wanted to do that. He wanted to be the first one you see, not the ceiling or the ocean, just him.

He walked over to you and sat next to you, the bed creaking with the new pressure added to it. He was happy that it's just you two now, away from everything that could harm you.

"Ah your grace! You're finally awake, thank goodness, I was starting to get worried."

The sudden voice of him speaking happily startled you and him sitting so close to you didn't help. You felt him lean towards you as his rough fingers remove your blindfold.

At first, you blinked a couple of times to adjust to the light change, and then you looked at him. His eyes were full of happiness looking back at you. He had the biggest smile on his face as you adjusted to your surroundings.

He sat patiently next to you, waiting for you to say something or ask something, but if not, then it would be alright with him. Just sitting here made him happy. Everything seemed like it was going well because you were here safe and sound.

You spoke, a bit apprehensive at first, wishing to know what did he do to them. Where were they? Why was there a cuff on your ankle?

He hated that you asked about them, it made his face turn dark again. He turned his face away from you to look out the one window in the room. The bitter vile taste in the back of his mouth was there again. Why were you asking about two people who don't even exist anymore. They dont matter, so why are they still occupying your mind. He didn't mind telling you where y'all were, it was that you asked about them is what made his mood turn sour. Maybe if he acted dumb you would forget about them?

He turned his face back to you, your scared yet lovely face. He noticed your breathing changed as well. He held your hand in his, bringing it closer to his chest, slowly rubbing your hand with his thumb as he spoke.

"What do you mean your grace? All I did was bring you to safety. And there's a cuff on your ankle so you won't leave. But I assure you that there's enough chain to it so you can get around the house safely! It's just the two of us now, so don't worry, I'll take good care of you, your grace."

He sounded so cheerful as he basically explained that he kidnapped you against your will and sealed you away somewhere. His thumb rubbing your hand was rough and dry, you could tell he's been fighting for so long. Even though he holds you so gently, it still doesn't change the fact of what he did and what he's doing. You're still afraid of him even if his demeanor seems sweet.

You swallowed your nerves before asking him again, pulling your hand away from his, which made him a bit sad but he still listened with intent.

"Childe..what did you do to them? To Zhongli..to Xiao. Please tell me..Childe."

Ah, your voice is saying his name. It sounds so sweet to hear you say his name. The bones in his body feel so relaxed, like there's nothing to worry about. His body slightly quivers with your voice echoing in his head. He would savor and love this moment so much, but it turned bitter as soon as you spoke their names. Why? Why, even after he disposed of them, are they still interfering!?

He got up to leave to the other room, his footsteps echoing as he walked. You could feel the air become tense as you hear him looking for something.

Childe went to the kitchen to prepare something to calm you down. You're just not feeling well, is all, and those two were somehow still on your mind. If he couldn't get you to change the subject, then he'll just help you relax a bit.

He's vowed not to hurt his beloved creator, but sometimes he might have to if it means you'll be safe. He might even have to permanently make you only look at him. Thankfully, he knows how to safely remove one's sight thanks to the Doctor. And if he does, you'll wont be able to look at him but you'll still see him in your mind. He'll be the last thing you'll see before removing your vision. Thinking about the thought makes him sad but it will be ok because he can still look at you. You'll be safe so its ok but thats only if it has to come to that.

Before he went back into yalls bedroom, he looked out from the kitchen window. The weather was nice and warm. The ocean spanned so far out that it seemed like it could go on forever. It was pretty out. He couldn't wait to take you out on walks, forage for food, and fall asleep together. He can finally relax, truly relax now. With that thought in mind and the noise from your chain, he made his way back to the bedroom.

At the same time, while Childe was in the other room, you tried your best to make as little to no noise moving around. However, that was difficult with the rattling metal chain connected to you. The first thing you went to was the window. If you could open it, maybe you could get someone's attention or see at least where you were. Yet Childe didn't let you, with a forceful tug to the chain, you fell to the ground with a loud thud. The hard wood floorboards didn't help with your fall. Adding more to your injury was the cuff around your ankle. Childe's boot was stepping on the chain, which made your ankle be in a weird, uncomfortable position.

He looked down at you with a stern expression on his face. His eyes were dark again, his demeanor cold towards you. He just wanted you to be safe, to be happy with you. So why. Why do you look at him with such disgust. Why are you trying to leave him? He did everything to protect you, to keep you safe, he spent so many hours watching you. He prayed to you every night, whispering in the dark late hours of his sins, hoping for you to bless him. Hoping for you to clean him, to heal him, to make him live at peace with you by his side. But now you still don't see any of that. You still aren't looking at him. Instead, you're looking past him. You're looking for a way out. He was angry but no worries, he'll fix you. That's why he went to the kitchen in case you were acting irrationally.

Even though only your one leg was chained, you still had your hands. Childe walked closer to you even as you tried to push him away. You were hysterically crying, pleading for him to stop whatever he was about to do, but he didn't hear anything you were saying. His mind was blank as he grabbed for your hands to bound you. No amount of struggle, of flailing your arms around, of trying to scratch him could help you. Even though his face was cold, his voice was soft as he spoke to you.

"Its ok, you're just not well my grace. You need rest so don't worry, once you wake up again you'll feel better."

With that, the same white cloth he used on you that night appeared before you again. This time, though, he was faster than you realized. In a blink, the cloth was on your face again. The sweet aroma fills your senses, your feet kicking whatever it can, and your body shakes until his blue orbs was the last thing you saw. It was silent again, with the sound of waves in the background. Your body again asleep against your once trusted follower.

He was at peace again, holding you in his arms. His hair was a mess, but it mixed with yours so beautifully. He would hold you close in his arms as the two laid on the creaky wooden floor boards of your now forever home. Childe just wanted you to look at him and you will eventually. Even if you might wake up still sick it will be ok because with time you'll wake up feeling better. He didnt want to hurt you, he felt horrible that he made you fall. How could he hurt his delicate creator like that, despicable. He'll have to take at look at your bruises later.

If you do have to keep going back to sleep and having to see him for the "first" time when waking up then its fine. He doesn't care how many times you'll have to go through it. He will savor each moment until you come around and then savor each moment after that.

The two of you lived in that cycle of waking up, asking about the two, then falling asleep. Each time, he made sure he was the first one you saw when opening your eyes. This took quite a while, tucked away on a small island away from everyone.

One day, though, when you woken up and he took your blindfold off, you seemed different. Instead of asking about them or where y'all were, you said good morning to him with a smile. Ah, this was it, Childe thought to himself. You've finally woken up, and you're now looking at him. He was ecstatic on the inside, but he didn't show it. He just smiled back at you, cupping your face with one had, and saying with a soft voice, "Good morning, my love."

The male harbinger was finally living the dream life he always wanted with you by his side. He may have broken your psyche, but it's ok because you're finally looking only at him. Never stop looking at him.

#genshin cult au #genshin sagau #genshin x reader #genshin self aware #genshin yandere #genshin brainrot #genshinimpact x reader #trying my best #genshin x female reader

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birbfeeder2artisticboogaloo · 1 year

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thousand autumns donghua, episode 13~

(i have been warned in advance that this one is gonna HURT. so. brace urselves, gentle tumblrinas 😩)

kid: how come i've got to fetch water?? MAKE SHIWU DO IT! D:<

shifu: *WHACK* i may not have a shillelagh but i HAVE GOT A HORSETAIL WHISK. GO, CHILD. DO CHORES!!

ohhh poor sweet shiwu ;A; he volunteers to help anyway ;A; what a good lad!! DOn'T TAKE HIM FROM ME 😭😭

shen qiao: *is unconscious in front of the temple*

the kids (in skyrim child's voice): AH!! DEAD BODY!!! DDD:

sang jingxing: how dare shen qiao hurt me. I AM HURT. I AM HURT BY SHEN QIAO TRYING TO STOP ME FROM KILLING AND EATING HIM. >:(

awwww now shiwu is looking after shen qiao ;A; he's so SWEET, he's such a kind and gentle babby ;A;

OH NOES!!! SHEN QIAO'S MERIDIANS ARE BROKEN!?! HE CAN'T DO MARTIAL ARTS???!!! BUT HE HAS LITERALLY NO OTHER SKILLS (that we know of)!!!!

ashdodsdaisji shifu is strict!! but shiwu goes 'even if u've got a sharp tongue, i know ur a good man, shifu! :D' and now shifu can't say shit when shiwu asks him to heal shen qiao!!!! well played, u clever babby, well played indeed!!! 🤣

yan wushi: lol u better pray for urself shen qiao. like call an ambulance but not for me >:D

shen qiao: *goes thru a magical girl transformation in his sleep*

shen qiao: that was weird :)

OH!!! HIS MERIDIANS ARE FIXED??? HIS DANTIAN IS HEALING?? HE CAN SEE??????

yan wushi (in his memories): lol let's uhhhh dual cultivate >;D >;D >;D

shen qiao (waking up): *BAAAARRRRFFFFF*

uh-oh

OH NO CHUYI

CHUYI NOOOO BE QUIET, CHILD!!! RUN, CHILD!!! RUN!!!

'xiao daoshi' this guy definitely drives a white van in the modern au version of this story 😒

NO DON'T HURT THE BABY!!! LET HIM GO U TWAT!!! ;A;

oh it's the weirdo with the fan made of knives!! lol i didn't recognise u with a child suspended in front of ur face as a hostage 😊

knife-fan guy: if u don't bring shen qiao here within two hours i will kill EVERY PRIEST HERE!! >:)

all three of them?? ok lol

……….i am bluffing pls do not kill them one is old and two are baby pls do NOT KILL THEM ;A;

shifu: well, that kid's dead. hehuan sect will kill everyone anyway, so i'll go die and u take care of my other student, k?

shen qiao: :) ??? :)

awww he froze shen qiao in place bc he knew shen qiao was gonna throw himself in front of them ;A;

HE PAT SHIWU ON THE HEAD GOOD-BYE

SHIFU NO

SHIFU DON'T DO IT

SHIFU NOOOOOOOO

knife-fan guy: wow too bad i have to kill this cute kid lol >:) i would have preferred to kill shen qiao but this is fine too >:)

shifu entering the scene like a character from a shakespeare play: 'it's dark!! who has disturbed my dream??'

and verily shifu did appear and try to make the blackguard spare his young squire the noose!! alas, the cruel knave believed him not, when shifu swore he did not know shen qiao, the one the blackguard sought; and so, in blood-soaked rage did he—AHEM ANYWAY

AHHH, XIAO SE!! that was his name. xiao se, bai rong, and yan shou!!! they are all the hehuan sect clowns, they who use children as human shields!! (except bai rong 😘)

awww poor shifu ;A; he knows his odds are bad but he's still trying to protecc shen qiao and save his boy ;A;

holy shit shifu is badass!!! GET EM SHIFU

uhhhh they're not gonna make me watch the kid die, are they?? are they???

zhu lengquan is shifu's name!!! nice to meet u sir!! im just gonna call u shifu tho. bc i have a feeling i won't be able to call u anything for very much longer ;A;

OH NO

OHHH NOOOOOOOO

CHUYI

CHUYIIIIIII NOOOOOOOOOOOO

THEY

THEY MADE ME WATCH

THEY MADE ME WATCH THE CHILD DIE

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

AWWW SHIFU YELLED HIS NAME!! HE IS HEARTBROKEN OMG

damn shifu is cool!! he's fighting so hard on chuyi's behalf ;A; he even SPITS on the murderer!! bc he's a BADASS MOTHERFUCKER!!!! U GO KING!!!

SHIFUUUUUU

SHIFUUUU NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

'even if i knew who he was, i wouldn't tell u bc u killed my disciple!! KILL ME FIRST'

and then they did ;A;

SCREW U LOT!!! SHIFU AND CHUYI WERE GOOD GUYS AND THEY DESERVED THE WORLD ;A;

NOOOOOOO SHIWU AND SHEN QIAO ARE CRYINGGGGG

FCK IM CRYING TOO

NOOOOOOOO MY BABIESSSSS

bai rong don't betray them. BAI RONG DON'T BETRAY THEM

awww THANK U BAI RONG!! UR THE BEST BAI RONG ;A;

she's just!! SO GREAT ;A; THANK U BBYGIRLLLLLL ;A;

BUT MY POOR SHIWU ;A;

my poor bby!!! he's crying so much!!!

NOW THEY’RE BOTH CRYING OVER SHIFU'S BODYYYY ;A;

THIS IS SO FUCKING SAD ;A;

shen qiao what are u doing wITH THAT SWORD oh he's

he's doing a swear. he make an oath. ok cool

AWWWW THEY BURIED SHIFU AND CHUYI ;A;

spongebob squarepants narrator guy: a few days later~

shen qiao and shiwu stare sadly at the river and cry ;A; they're sad, i'm sad, WE'RE ALL SAD HERE ;A;

shen qiao: btw i'm adopting u :(

shiwu: ok thanks new dad ;A;

shen qiao does not respect his scabbard, he throws that shit to the ground without regard

THIS SONG SLAPS!!! i wonder if it's some sort of specific music?? the singer's voice seems different to what i’m used to hearing somehow?? it's BEAUTIFUL tho, i love it 💚💚💚

shen qiao: ok kid watch this and repeat after me *does a whole-ass ROUTINE that most adults couldn't do*

'shang he tong bei???' is that what the blade is called? woe for all??

shen qiao is filled with DETERMINATION!!! good for him!!!

i love this donghua but sometimes the pacing is a bit odd, and it's more noticeable with the bg music shifts lol. i don't mind it tho!!! i'm enjoying myself very much!! :DDD

goin for a lil swim, shen qiao?? 🌊

AWWW SHIWU ASKED IF HE COULD BE LIKE SHEN QIAO ;A; THAT'S FECKING ADORABLE ;A;

OH MY GODDDDD THEY'RE SO CUTE ;A;

shen qiao: u smiled!! it would make ur shifu and chuyi happy to see that :)

OOAOAJDIOSAJ THEY'RE HUGGINGGGGG

HE'S HUGGING THE BABYYYYYYY THEY ARE FRIENDS NOW THEY HUGOMG THEY HUG 💚💚💚💚

aaaaa it's very sweet to see shen qiao acting with such warmth to shiwu ;A; unlike SOME PPL 😒 (glares at young zhou zishu telling babby jiuxiao and chengling not to cry ) shen qiao u will make a very good surrogate dad!! i look forward to u not at all contributing to this child’s trauma thru ur either ur reckless actions or ur choice of husband!!

[Exit, pursued by a bear.]

#birb watches #thousand autumns donghua #qian qiu #cw child death #cw i used the word 'barf' and i am sorry #normally i wouldn't but i just thought it would be funny in this case lol #pls laugh ;A;#attempt to post 2 technological boogaloo #OH SHIT ITS WORKING #HOORAY #thank u @antique-forvalaka!!!!!#u have saved my poor brains!!!! :DDD

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levi-supreme · 2 years

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hehe be ready for a long one, mrs ackerman!! if i could send all the colors, i would. nothing is stopping me, but i’ll pick a few for now…

strawberry lemonade, buttercup, PLUM, blue bell, mahogany, aqua, fuchsia <3

ALSO I LISTENED TO THE SONGS YOU SENT!! for pure grinding, i can’t get “try to make a dollar out of fifteen cents” to “…changes that made me who i am” out of my head AAAAA its my favorite part

as for i will show you by ailee, i caught myself singing along in the shower earlier haha. it’s slow at the start, then upbeat, and its so catchy!! perfection. its one of the features i love in a song, and its a new artist. but now i’ll be listening to her more!!! i also really love the song shut up and my love from the same album XD

i absolutely love the lazy song by bruno mars. its such a mood all day, every day ☺️ we should definitely play D:BH for the rest of the day instead urgh!!! you know, i recently have found myself falling for xiao...

Suki my dear Mrs Arlert-Ackerman!!!!!!!! Answering you below the cut because.....

Warning: Verbal diarrhoea, long post XD

What colour am I?

Strawberry lemonade | Buttercup | Blue bell

Oh pleaseeeeeeee I could say the same thing for you too!!!!! You are so sweet and very cute and a ball of energy and you are always channelling the little sister vibes hahaha what a cutie. I'm so glad to have known you too!! You're a joy to be around and I am always manifesting good vibes and good things for you too my dear hehe.

Plum

Oh please I COULD SAY THE SAME THING FOR YOU SUKI. You are ALWAYS up past your bed time and if you're replying to this ask at 4am again I swear... imma get Sumo to bite you >:( please get more sleep or you end up with permanent dark circles like me 😭

Mahogany | Aqua

Likewise, I would listen to you ramble for hours too!!! Always remember that I'll always be there to listen to your rants and problems!!! 💕 and also, YOU are the one with lots of creative ideas!!!!! I'm so sorry I haven't been posting much from my springtime event which is waaaaaaayyyy overdue T.T but I love all the requests you've sent me so please don't ever feel bad for spamming my inbox <3

Fuchsia

YESSSSSSSS LET'S LIVE IN A CASTLE TOGETHER WITH ALL OUR SELF-SHIP FRIENDS!!!!! The castle will be filled with us and our mans and the kids (maybe mine and the Smiths kids only LOL) and also all the fur kids!!!!!! There will be so many of us so we better get that castle or people might complain about us being too noisy 😂

And now, I can move to the second part of your ask HAHA!!!

Like I said, the beats in Pure Grinding are really sick and be hitting harder than Avicii's other songs haha but yes, I love his music!! I love the lyrics too, and coupled with that bass line? Mmmm. It's pure grinding for me too HAHAHA.

And yayyyyy I'm so amazed that I will show you is stuck in your head 😍 Ailee's such a fantastic vocalist and I really love her music. Her ballads are really great too, and she also sang some OSTs for Korean dramas as well <3

Last but not least. Let's play D:BH all day until we get 100% completion on the entire game!!!!! Let's unlock every single cut scene and scenario there is in the game (and then we can also see more Connor hehe).

Alsoooooo I 10/10 agree with you on Xiao 🥺 I have such a soft spot for him too!!!! I regretted not going for him when he first came out, and I was so happy I got him during his rerun 😭😭 Xiao's my little meow meow and I wanna put him in my pocket and carry him around 🥺 of course I love my main hoes Diluc Zhongli and Ayato, but I will always have a space in my heart for Xiao hehe.

#sckerman.asks #rei.answers #suki suki daisuki!!!#hehehehehehe #yessssss let's play d:bh and genshin impact all day every day!!!!!

0 notes

momosandlemonsoda · 2 years

Note

For prompts uhhhh, Pingsang with Liu Sang wearing Xiaoge's clothes?

So I cheated a bit on this and merged your prompt, @aurawolfgirl2000 , with one that @foxofninetales provided: Them figuring out how to share dresser/wardrobe space. WU Xie thought he had taken out all of Xiaoge's stuff but Liu Sang finds something leftover.

My obligatory disclaimer that this may or may not make it into the final version of the arranged marriage AU, but it is definitely helping get the gears turning. AM!AU basically follows the Reboot timeline, this is set after Wu Xie's illness is revealed and Ershu sends him back to Hangzhou, but before he starts the Warehouse 11 arc.

It’s colder than Liu Sang expected, or maybe he just adjusted to the weeks in a warmer climate, because he’s shivering in his long-sleeve shirt this morning. Normally he’d just pull on a sweater, one of his own or Wu Xie’s, but the only clean ones he can find are his grey cardigan that shrunk in the wash so it’s weirdly uneven and Wu Xie’s too-scratchy fisherman’s sweater that always makes his skin come up in a rash. He’s dug through all their drawers and now he’s pawing through the closet for the third time, cursing Wushanju’s terrible washing machine. The thing is probably 15 years old and it destroys more clothing than it cleans. He blames that for his own bad habit of waiting until the laundry has piled up like Mount Doom before even trying to tackle it. He never used to be this laundry-averse when he had his own place.

Maybe, he thinks, dragging the hangers from one side to the other, today is the day that he gives in and goes washing machine shopping with Pangzi. He jerks on another hanger and whatever was barely hanging onto it slips to the floor. He bends down to pick it up and finds— oh. He takes a few steps back from the closet to where the light is better and, yes, that is one of Zhang-ye’s hoodies. Or at least, he’s pretty certain it is. He can’t imagine anyone else who lives here having a navy blue zip-up jacket with black piping around the seams and hood in a size so small he’s not actually sure it will fit him.

He holds it up a little higher, turning it this way and that. Then he shivers— he really is freezing. He could put it on, he thinks. Wu Xie will surely recognize it; chances are, Pangzi will too. If Wu Xie can generally be relied upon to be circumspect, Pangzi won’t bother. Does he want to hear comments and comparisons—

And honestly, Liu Sang wonders, does it really matter? Since their return from southeast Asia on Ershu’s orders (and oh, hadn’t that been a fun trip, Wu Xie’s lungs still fucked up from the dust and humidity, fighting every step of the way not to be sent home like a child; Pangzi refusing to speak to Liu Sang but as protective of Wu Xie as a mother with her xiao huangdi; himself still smarting from Ershu’s vicious frustration while managing his husband’s idiot tendencies to downplay every facet of his worsening health) things had changed. That kiss in the jade mines had cracked something open, and they both recognized that there was too little time left. They’ve spent every night back in Hangzhou making up for lost time. Who cares if he wears Zhang-ye’s jacket, he thinks, when Wu Xie might be thinking of Zhang Qiling, but he’s here with him.

With that thought, Liu Sang pulls on the hoodie, the material soft and warm over his shirt. It’s tighter than he expected, the close fit that Zhang-ye seems to favor so different from the loose cardigans he prefers and how Wu Xie’s sweaters hang on him. He’s amused to find the sleeves a centimeter too short, even if the shoulders fit perfectly. He zips it up, puts on his watch, pulls his hair back, and slaps a little of the cologne Wu Xie had given him at his throat. Then, taking a deep breath, he heads down the hallway to the kitchen for breakfast.

#arranged marriage!au #prompt fill #wu xie #liu sang #zhang qiling #pingxiesang #someday #xiesang at the moment #listen #liu sang knows exactly where he stands in wu xie's affections (he does not) but if zhang qiling isn't here what does it matter?#unwritten: wu xie doing a spit take when liu sang comes into the kitchen dressed in xiaoge's hoodie #god damn it #warn a man xiao sang #pangzi closes his eyes #wu xie is all in on dirtying more clothing for mount doom #they really need a new washing machine #and then erjing shows up #writing is a bullshit hobby

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tartagliaxx · 3 years

Note

congrats on your milestone! can i request xiao + salvia please? thanks in advance~

“ XIAO + SALVIA ”

━━ ☆ PAIRING: xiao/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: hurt/comfort

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: salvia | wisdom, healing, long life, purity, youthful innocence

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: none

xiao had heard many things throughout the long span of his life but he was convinced that nothing, not even the sound of the dihua flute, was as sweet as the sound of your voice. it crawled in his veins, setting a fire in its course that scorched and seared his skin until he was nothing but a devoted pile of ashes that yearned to hear your soft little mumbles one last time. and xiao, an adeptus who has never known warmth, was perfectly fine with the idea of being burnt alive because the heat that you so willing offered was the closest thing he ever felt to being loved.

it was strange to live so long and yet still be new to a subject that came as second nature to people who lived significantly shorter than him but for xiao who saw himself as a broken statue of the past, there was little to no question. he had tattooed inks of darkness and blood that curved and twisted in his arms. they were scattered in all these magnificent patterns that painted a vivid picture of his crimes. either way, it was nowhere near humble but maybe it humbled him. it reminded him that he was not innocent or refined or anything that you were and that? that meant he was unworthy of love.

even now as you poured him a cup of tea that smelled glorious, he was being the selfish monster that he was. so selfish to risk smudging your pure and pristine with his ink stains and so selfish for staying stay when the logical move was to leave. still, he was very much alive, even if it was so much easier to say he was not, and being alive meant being susceptible to feelings and whatnot. xiao felt guilty for bringing this untold burden to you but that did very little to blur the way his cold, lonely heart soared in peace for the first time in millennia.

"are you alright?" your gentle voice, which he wished only sang for him, tugged him back to reality. xiao found bitter amusement in the fact that he had always longed to be right by your side and when he finally was, the first thing he does is doze far away from you.

"i'm fine. just a little... never mind."

you knew better than to pry unnecessary answers from a man who did not wish for it to be told so instead, you hummed, and by gods, xiao wanted you to do it again and again and again because it painted a beautiful image of lilac skies that slowly faded to shades of magentas. it was a marvelous sight on its own but for a man who could only see shadows and gruesome reds no matter what time it was, it doesn't fall short from paradiso.

you turned your gaze away from him and it took every ounce of his strength to stop the whines that threatened to fall off his lips. selfish, selfish, selfish — the voices in his head screamed but he paid it little to no mind when you were right over there, right by his reach, gold-dusted and warm. the lilac skies faded into nothing but he couldn't bring himself to care, perfectly fine in leaning against the balcony as his eyes wander over to you, the fire behind them bursting through the roof.

"hey xiao," you paused, hesitant, he presumed, "are you alive?"

the question itself shouldn't have made as much sense as it did. he was alive. his blood was warm and his heart was beating abnormally fast. are you alive? your words echoed in his head and it had his mind unfurling in a rapid descent. was he?

"i don't know."

in a way, he was a ghost of the past; a man who has lived far too long and was left behind, half-alive, moving limbs out of obligation and continually reliving nightmares to fulfill the oaths from the bygone era. his life, if you could even call it that, was in shambles. there was no joy, no love, no peace, and certainly no hope just pain and even more of it that sliced through delicate skin until there was not one part that was not scarred.

"well," you peeked at him through the teacup that you held gingerly in your palms, "that's fine. it's hard to say you're alive when this world is so intent on killing you from the inside and out. i would know."

the warmth that emanated from the teacup was the same warmth that emanated from your eyes when you traced over his amber ones that subtlely dripped off his true nature of fragility.

"but i suppose there will be days that it'll be easier to fight to live and those better days... i hope they come soon for the both of us."

if you were going through the same things as he was, then how could you still be sane? as if reading his thoughts, you sent him a cheeky smile, hand placing down the cup as you fished out something from your bag.

"have you ever considered allowing yourself to heal?"

the silence that came from him spoke volumes.

"mortals and gods alike all hurt. it's just how it works. but... sometimes we forget that we're all deserving of love and that kind of love can be found everywhere but the one place you need to find it most."

he pulled his gaze and you just watched, lips quirked up slightly to communicate the tender understanding you had of how difficult it was to take the first step.

"you have to love yourself, xiao. dark bits and all." how could he? he could barely glance at himself in the mirror without the rush of the memories of the horrific things he has done rushing into him.

"one day," you hesitantly took his hands into yours. "one day you'll wake up and find that the chains that suffocated you are loose and maybe one day, they won't be on you at all."

xiao wondered if you knew how powerful your words were or at the very least, how much power you had over him. it was unthinkable and if anyone else had proposed that whole idea of overcoming his self-destructive tendencies then he would've called them out for sounding so undeniably preposterous and yet, you somehow managed to do it. you made it sound appealing— made him want to live as you ignited that minuscule part of him that still had childish optimism left.

"i wish you a long life, xiao. one that you could stand by and one that could truly make you say that you're alive. you don’t have to figure it all out now. healing takes time and for every second of it, i’ll be here if you need me.”

gently, you placed a flower just about near his reach. salvia; a remembrance of all the prayers you made for his name.

━━ ☆ NOTES: thank you for joining the event! i hope you liked it! view the rest of the shorts here! 💐

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canary3d-obsessed · 3 years

Text

Lost Tomb Reboot Lewks: Part 13

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for both seasons of The Lost Tomb Reboot and also vaguely for Daomu Biji in general

Look 66 belongs to Ah Ning, who has chosen, for this adaptation, to go with short hair, heavy makeup, and all-black clothes, but with a bit of a club vibe, rather than her more usual tactical vibe.

The short hair is a weird choice. The whole schtick with DMBJ adaptations is that you have to tell who's who by their costuming and styling, since the associated actors toss roles back and forth faster than Wu Xie and Xiao Ge on a date with Liu Sang.

Hot guy in a hoodie? Xiao Ge. Slightly dorky but ridiculously charismatic guy who dresses like Joey Ramone? Hei Yanjing. Man who's too old for fluffy bangs and puppy-dog eyes but is working the hell out of them anyway? Wu Xie. Ponytail, gun, and a whole bunch of disposable sidekicks? Ah Ning.

Ah Ning, Lost Tomb 1 version, with her signature ponytail & disregard for human life.

For this look, Ah Ning has gotten rid of her long hair, henchmen, weapons, and the part of her shirt that normally would cover her belly. This is an outfit that says "I am finally ready to fuck Wu Xie."

Unfortunately she decides to accessorize this outfit with a giant deadly snake.

This snake, unlike the equivalent snake in uhhhhhmmm a different DMBJ show that Ah Ning might theoretically die in, does not appear to be poisonous or have an unusual instant-kill-you ability. It just squeezes her a little bit, and the boys don't make any attempt to revive her, even though not-breathing is a super survivable condition, if it's corrected quickly.

This non-poisonous snake accessory is all about killing a woman so that men can feel manpain, and I am kind of offended that this version of Ah Ning went out like that, after being a badass in every other adaptation.

(more after the cut!)

The hypothetical other show where a version of this scene perhaps also happens does correct this, by having her talk about her acceptance of the risk of death, and by having the fucking snake be POISONOUS. I am not naming the show because where’s the fun in that? If you watch TLTR first, like I did, you get to be worried about Ah Ning in every other show she’s in, which is exhausting but also kind of fun. (I don’t mind women dying in fiction, as long as their deaths are an important part of their own stories, rather than just being important for the growth of the men around them.)

Thanks to poor accessory choices, Ah Ning and her snake necklace go the same route as Ye Piaopiao and No-Longer-Mute Chick; fortunately Xiao Ge didn't fall for Tattoo Artist Ah Tou or she'd be in the morgue with the rest of them.

Look 67 is young Wu Xie's jungle adventure outfit, featuring a bright white popover jacket with cream color sleeves from Scotch & Soda’s Club Nomade collection. Scotch & Soda have have thoughtfully printed their name on the string so that those of you who share Wu Xie's clothing tastes will know where to shop. You know who you are.

You would think highly visible bright white would be a bad choice for a jungle adventure, but apparently snakes in these parts are only attracted to goths.

Wu Xie is also wearing wired ear pods, which did not exist whenever this flashback supposedly happened, but if we're cool with sentient crustaceans and clams that can incapacitate a ruthless trained assassin (clams got legs!), we can be cool with ear pods.

The show conveys flashback-Wu-Xie's youth and naiveté by having him smile sweetly, not watch Ah Ning take her clothes off, and not attempt CPR after she gets lightly squeezed by a snake.

Looks 68 and 69 belong to Not Ah Ning, who is played by Liu Yuqi, who also plays Ah Ning. Her makeup is much softer and prettier as this character than as Ah Ning; this character’s job is to be pleasing to men, whereas Ah Ning’s job is to get male underlings killed on the regular, so I guess that makes sense.

This outfit is an amazing body-hugging soft green jumpsuit with raised quilty detailing on the arms and shoulders. Her jumpsuit perfectly matches the couch she's sprawled on, which is her subtle way of telling Jiang Zisuan that she is a nice comfy place to have a lie down.

She accessorizes this look with her usual soft wavy brown hair and a scattering of gold finger rings. I think she also accessorizes this with ass pads, because Ah Ning does not appear to be draggin’ this wagon in her scenes. I checked. For science.

When the first outfit doesn't work, she ditches the subtlety and goes for a Chanel-style suit in black, white, and red, with a with a black leather bustier underneath.

Unfortunately this is a wasted effort, because the Jiang Zisuan she tries this on is actually Wu Xie in disguise.

Wu Xie only likes girls if they are 1. secretly manipulating him while acting like a tiny adorable sidekick, 2. trying to kill him repeatedly while adventuring together, 3. planning to kill him as soon as the roads are clear but willing to bone in the meantime, or 4. are a skin effigy with a sentient crustacean in their head.

Sorry, Not Ah Ning; this was a good effort.

Look 70 features Wu Xie in a white thermal shirt, dark blue jeans, and fake facial hair. This is a good look for sitting with your not-quite girlfriend and wondering how you both managed to have romances with Bai Yu in parallel universes. (OP recently watched Love O2O, which is a trip for fans of DMBJ, Guardian, or feminism)

Fortunately Wu Xie doesn’t know that his second-favorite doctor/Zhan Rishan’s girlfriend also had a romance with Bai Yu or his mind would be entirely blown.

This is a soft, comfortable look, perfect for torturing someone, with help from your first-favorite doctor, by pretending to poison someone with nicotine, all so you can have a few moments of quality time with a cigarette before said doctor takes them away again.

Wu Xie's cigs are stored in a buttery-soft leather case that completely covers the brand name of the cigarettes, so apparently cdramas don’t go in for ciggy product placements.

Wo Xie wears this outfit with a silvery-metal watch with a black leather wrist strap. The watch appears to be round, and it probably tells time. (If you’re new to the Lewks series: I lack watch knowledge and that’s not likely to change.)

Wu Xie finally peels off his fake facial hair so we can see his pretty face again, only to replace the facial hair with an entire fake face. Fortunately, this face, belonging to actor Wu Lipeng, is also pretty.

Look 71 belongs to Wu Xie, initially (for this outfit) played by Wu Lipeng until his inevitable unmasking. So many actors have played Wu Xie, this whole disguise thing is barely worth blinking at. Wu Lipeng does a nice job changing his mannerisms to play Wu Xie, and this whole schtick eventually gives us Zhu Yilong's delightful performance as Wang Meng, so even though we eventually get way too much of not-Zhu-Yilong in the role, I’m good with it.

This outfit features black jeans, black tactical boots & gloves, and Ah Ning’s coin bracelet, although it’s mostly hard to see the bracelet. The outfit’s main feature is a possibly-leather jacket that’s been molded into a hideous and disturbing voronoi pattern.

This jacket is probably very expensive and took a lot of work to craft, but it makes him look like he’s wearing a Glad Force Flex garbage bag. I mean, I guess that's cool.

This outfit is good for several episodes worth of adventures, including getting tied up and being sassy...

...and underwater cave exploration, which is totally a thing that a person with critically damaged lungs can do.

This outfit is good for homoerotic wrestling...

...and also for heteroerotic wrestling.

This is also a good outfit for being gently cradled in the arms of your doctor, while you massage your throat in order to swallow what he's putting in your mouth.

The fingerless gloves are useful for helping Xiao Bai get out of not one, but two different situations in which she stepped on a trap without realizing it, requiring Wu Xie to get down on the ground and have a tense encounter with her foot.

Scenes like this are where costuming really makes a difference. In this shot, we we watch a stunt hand (Zhu Yilong has never had that long of a thumbnail in his life) hold a wire steady, while a stunt foot is pulled out from under it.

This shot includes a lot of visual texture and interest, from the hatch lines on the palm of the glove to the cross-striping of the boot lace. The complexity of this glove and this boot help to hold our attention when they’re in the frame, allowing the tension of the scene to build, instead of dissipating when the viewer runs out of things to look at.

Bonus Look 1

Carrying all that tragic baggage has given Jiang Zisuan spectacular arm muscles.

Bonus Look 2

Zhu Yilong with not-fake facial hair.

Daaaaaamn.

#the lost tomb reboot #reunion the sound of the providence #the lost tomb reboot spoilers #lost tomb lewks #spoilers #my gifs #canary3d-original #my stills #ah ning #wu xie #zhu yilong

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cybernaght · 3 years

Text

Guardian rewatch: episode 12

We start the episode in the Snake Tribe territory, which is supposedly still somewhere within the confines of the Dragon City. It is baffling that it took citizens of this place so long to figure out that there are mysterious beings and demi-humans living among them, it truly is.

While the scene is mostly centred around the conflict between Zhu Hong and her tribe, and the ominous warning of the war brewing, it also does a really lovely joy of showcasing, yet again, the fierce loyalty not only she, but Guo Changcheng have to the SID. This boy remains the most precious muffin of a human.

At the SID, Sang Zan is learning to write under a loving watchful eye Wang Zheng. The once fierce and ruthless warlord is now the softest archivist. On a separate note, I am not sure how good of an archivist he might be considering that he is evidently illiterate.

Anyway, it’s heart-warming to see those two happy together. I sure hope nothing terrible happens to them in the future.

Our actual power couple, on the other hand, have done a full reversal into the relationship they had in the beginning; only it’s somehow even worse now. Shen Wei, who properly messed his cover up during the last adventure, has his guard up as he is being questioned in relation to a case. Zhao Yunlan, who grew to see this man as a friend and partner, is no longer amused by secrets, nor intrigued by them. He is now furious at their existence, upset at what he must perceive as lack of trust on Shen Wei’s part.

Shen Wei serves Zhao Yunlan a cup of tea with a side order of avoidance, hoping that by ignoring the subject of himself it will go away.

When in the previous scenes together they were always across the desk from each other, or next to each other, leaning in closely, body language open, there is now a rift between them. It’s awkward; neither of the men want to be here, but their needs are the opposite to each other, and neither of them are willing to back down.

Shen Wei goes on explaining in great detail his connection to the case and to the victim, despite Zhao Yunlan’s attempt to change the subject with a very unsubtle, “your body surely recovered fast”. The latter then proceeds to stubbornly talk about Shen Wei’s archaic ways, which earns him an incredulous “Are you even listening to me?” from the professor. The incredulity is wonderfully misjudged, considering the circumstances.

“I only want to hear you tell the truth”

We rarely see Zhao Yunlan open and vulnerable. I can’t off the top of my head remember him ever being open and vulnerable with anyone who is not Shen Wei. Zhao Yunlan operates on false bravado, aggressive charm, weaponised smiles. But with this man, he purposefully lowers his guard. I trust you, he seems to say, and I always have. Why can you not trust me?

Shen Wei gulps.

He then continues talking about the case, which is the last straw for Zhao Yunlan, who explodes, smacking his palm hard on the desk.

Shen Wei startles, looking hurt. I just… don’t understand what he was expecting. Once again, this is a man who, from Shen Wei’s perspective, has unmasked him on the first day they met. This is a man who has been poking and prodding him for weeks. And I get that it is hurtful when someone you care about does not respect your boundaries, I do, but truly honestly hoping that the same someone will just accept the relationship terms that have never even been discussed is a little bit unrealistic, especially when Shen Wei is not divulging anything.

Shen Wei is bad at communicating. Which is, I suppose, not news to anyone.

“It seems that Chief Zhao still hasn’t given up on suspecting me.”

“Not suspicion, but lack of understanding.”

Zhao Yunlan is trying very hard. He is trying to close the rift between them: by pulling the chair over next to Shen Wei’s and settling down on it, by reminding Shen Wei how much they have been through together, by telling the man that he is being perplexing. Shen Wei, on the other hand, has raised his barriers all the way back up, smoothly explaining that he is just a normal man who ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He has got a polite smile playing on his lips, his mask fully in place.

Zhao Yunlan does not even pretend to have believed Shen Wei, he gives up on the conversation with a dejected “Fine, forget it.”

He makes his excuses and pulls his phone out to make a call to Wang Zheng to check up on the rest of the team. Just as that happens, the SID gets attacked by the magical sound waves, and Zhao Yunlan sprints into action.

Shen Wei calls after him, and then asks to come with. Considering they have just spent some very awkward time together, more or less fighting about Shen Wei lying an awful lot, Zhao Yunlan would be well within his moral rights to reject help. He doesn’t, however. Even now, the trust he has in Shen Wei - in his good intentions, in his friendship - is unwavering.

At the SID offices, Tan Xiao is using his sound device to get past the two ghosts energy beings, and break through the safety measures protecting the Hallows. In other news, apart from being susceptible from curses or poisons slipped through the letter box, the SID HQ also does not have anything that might stop a human from breaking into it. How those people survived for this long is a mystery.

A point of complete diversion from me: I am currency watching a contemporary drama entitled To Dear Myself. It’s about young professionals in Shanghai who get their lives broken in about ten different ways; Zhu Yilong’s the leading man; there will definitely be a lengthy think-piece on it here. But the reason I’m bringing that up here is that it also has Chen Weidong, the actor who plays Tan Xiao, as a contextually neurodivergent rich boyfriend of one of the protagonists.

It’s kind of surreal seeing him here; there’s only been about two years between the filming of those two shows, but he looks so different. Oh, and, he is very good as well.

Back in the world of Guardian, we see Sang Zan shaking off the sound attack and attempting to stop Tan Xiao. He does not succeed as such, but manages to pull a string which activates the Indiana Jones-style set-up with loaded crossbows. It’s very silly; I kind of love it.

While evading the arrows, Sang Zan flings the Awl up in the air, Zhao Yunlan catches it. How close is the University to SID? He took about five minutes to get here! The chief gets a barrage of premonitions which include Zhu Hong knocked out in the future, as well as in the present, and a little sneak-peak into the Disaster Wedding incident.

He then proceeds to pass out into Shen Wei’s slow motion embrace.

There is nothing wrong with this. This is beautiful.

Shen Wei checks on Yunlan briefly, but Tan Xiao goes on the offensive, which deserves him: a) a shot of dark energy right into his chest, which flings him across the space, b) the meanest of Hei Pao Shi’s death glares. This is the moment Tan Xiao earns an uncharacteristically rough treatment he’s going to get at the end of this episode.

She Wei carefully places unconscious Zhao Yunlan next to the wall, calling out his name. We can only presume that the lab has a second exit, as Tan Xiao manages to get away despite the two men currently being more or less in the doorway.

An indeterminate amount of time passes, and Zhao Yunlan wakes on the sofa, Da Qing in human form miaowing at him, his team and Shen Wei nearby. The team goes into a full debrief mode: Wang Zheng reports that she is generally able to repel sound waves, but was taken by surprise; Da Qing and Lin Jin speculate about the shield being affected by the waves as well, since an apparent Undergrounder managed to get through it.

Zhao Yunlan notes that the sound waves ability seems to be doubled, and used for both attack and suggestion. He notes that the powers can be numerous, while grinning conspiratorially at Shen Wei.

Shen Wei quietly despairs. He probably genuinely thought that this conversation was truly over. He takes a few seconds to come to terms with Zhao Yunlan actually teasing him about him maybe being an Undergrounder, before composing himself and stating that compound abilities don’t actually exist.

Da Qing, who doesn’t necessarily pick up what this conversation really is about, but does note that *something* is up with those two, comes to his own conclusions, asking Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan to stop flirting.

Lin Jing comes up up with this.

“Comrades!”

Thank you, Viki subbers, for notifying the audience that the word “Comrade” is also a slang for “gay”.

Lin Jing springs to his feet, saying that he needs a sample test of a human consciousness - presumably to create that clever brain chip of him which would make one immune to the wound wave powers. Zhao Yunlan very theatrically feigns a big scary headache to see whether Shen Wei would volunteer to take the test in his stead to spare him the pain. It’s an underhand move, but it works nonetheless.

We briefly return to the Snake Tribe, or, more specifically to Zhu Hong’s Fourth Uncle asking whether she is still mad at him, while she is forcibly restrained and bound to a pillar. What is it with this show and binding people to pillars? In reality, the one bound to a pillar is actually Guo Changcheng, which the Fourth Uncle doesn’t pick up on even through Xiao Guo is not actually wearing the clothes Zhu Hong arrived in. Zhu Hong springs the trap, plies her uncle with the same wine, and then goes to regroup with the others, leaving Xiao Guo behind for the time being, because, I guess, it makes more sense for Zhu Hong to be alone when she gets hypnotised later in the episode.

Honestly, it’s easier to not think about too much about this scene, so let’s return to the main characters.

Lin Jing is just finishing the experiment on Shen Wei, who is lying on the lab bed in his undershirt, seemingly asleep. I would assume that Shen Wei has gone into some kind of a meditative trance to try and affect the way his own brain works and emulate the human activity. He does not stir when Zhao Yunlan walks over, and call him.

“Shen Wei? Professor Shen?”

Having received no response, Zhao Yunlan leans in to…

... Count this man’s eye lashes? Admire the effects of his skincare routine?

Oh, no, sorry. Here’s the excuse.

Thank you, Guardian, for this moment.

As Shen Wei wakes up and rises, he lets Zhao Yunlan know in no uncertain terms that he did see through his ruse.

“You don’t have a headache anymore?”

This snaps Yunlan out of gazing at Shen Wei with barely contained lust to pretend that his head indeed still hurts. Considering that Shen Wei does not look concerned, and knowing that Zhao Yunlan’s health and well-being is his number one priority in life, we can conclude that he did know that a headache was just an excuse to get Shen Wei out of his shirt check Shen Wei’s brain activity. Our professor collects his things and leaves with a brief goodbye.

Lin Jing is staring at the readings, checking that the computer has worked properly. Noticing that something is wrong, Zhao Yunlan asks, “Did you see live pornography in his head or something?” Not that I blame his for his mind being the gutter, but also, wow Zhao Yunlan’s mind is in the gutter.

Lin Jing dismisses the idea of mind reading as a whole, and shares his findings that Shen Wei’s consciousness was unwavering, like a dead man’s. Unfortunately for Shen Wei, whatever it was that he did to appear human has not worked well at all.

Zhao Yunlan smirks.

Outside of the SID building, Shen Wei is still frozen in place, contemplating his future actions as he is thumping the Pendant of Pining.

“Should I tell him after all?”

Yes, Shen Wei, you should.

“If I tell him, will that put him in danger?”

I am afraid the the good ship Zhao Yunlan Being In Danger sailed the day Zhao Yunlan became Lord Guardian and Chief of the SID.

(Am I again getting unreasonably frustrated with a fictional character of a show that aired several years ago? You bet I am.)

What follows in the episode is a brief interlude of Zhu Jiu being horrible to Tan Xiao, and making inappropriate comments about him and Zheng Yi. We also learn some of Tan Xiao’s backstory, which expands on his character and explains that the reasons he felt so protective of the little girl was because she reminded him of a sister he once had.

Back to SID offices.

Zhao Yunlan is doodling Shen Wei and the Envoy as he tries to reconcile the two in his mind.

It does sound like he still has doubts that the two are the same person, despite the overwhelming pile of evidence that made him draw to this conclusion in the first place. If anything, it is quite surprising that it took him this long to figure out that the enigmatic mysterious handsome professor and the enigmatic mysterious handsome Envoy are the same person. It is also curious that he seems to think the Envoy is much taller.

Da Qing watches his friend’s mental agony in absolute bewilderment.

Very shortly, they will get a ping for the sound wave energy from somewhere close to Zhu Hong’s home and rush to the scene to find that Zhu Hong has, indeed, been put under mind control, as she attacks Chu Shuzhi.

Here’s another piece of fight choreography for me to tear into.

Okay, good things first. I really like that the actors are doing their own fighting. Jiang Mingyang is generally looking good in combat, and his reactions continue to be on point. Gao Yuer is very flexible, and her kicks are great.

The fight itself however, is another example of the time/money constraints.

The opening punch is… fine. They do lock arms for a split second, which indicates that Zhu Hong properly swung that in rather than stopping the energy, but they are also out of distance, so safety-wise that’s okay-ish, and at full speed it looks alright . But the way Lao Chu is sticking his thumb out and then wraps that around Zhu Hong’s wrist just gave a full body shudder. This is how one gets they thumb dislocated (which I have never done myself, but I hear is very painful) and/or gives their partner a nasty bruise. For anyone out there who needs to hear this, if you ever perform a fight, please tuck your thumbs in line with your fingers and avoid hurting yourself and others. Doing otherwise adds nothing apart from a small but completely avoidable risk of injury.

Then there is this kick-punch-kick combination.

The three moves in isolation are good, but they don’t flow together, at all. I think, and this is pure speculation, that the sweeping punch in the middle was actually meant to follow the previous two moves, then the kick would come next, leading into Chu Shuzhi restraining Zhu Hong. That first kick (which is the same as the third kick, shot from a different angle) just does not belong there as a follow-up to the two punches. I can speculate that it was cut there because it looked cool - which it does - but it also sacrifices any hope this fight had for coherent storytelling.

Then there is a capture and a swivel, very similar to the finishing move used in Zhu Jiu/Sang Zan fight in episode 11. Zhu Hong gets pressed against the tree, and the team shows up to sedate her and bring her back to the headquarters.

Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi watch this scene unfold at a distance, as Zhao Yunlan appears behind them. The SID chief calmly lets Tan Xiao know that he’s been abandoned by Zhu Jiu, and the other man offers no resistance to being captured.

The narrative brings us to the boxing ring, introducing us to it as Zhu Jiu’s energy farm, and then briefly cuts to SID, where Chu Shuzhi realises that they have not retrieved Guo Changcheng. The puppet master springs into action, leaving Lin Jing to wonder since when his friend is so protective of the rookie. If he paid attention, he would have noticed that Chu Shuzhi was protective of the rookie since day one.

We then move to the interrogation of Tan Xiao, which is happening in the hospital set, with Zheng Yi tucked into the hospital bed, even through it was never established that she would need medical attention, and, considering that she would have no issues walking out of the hospital very shortly, she clearly does not. Here, we see some more flashbacks, detailing Tan Xiao and the girl’s backstory, the abuse she suffered, and the bond the two forged. The young man is admitting to all the crimes he had not committed to protect her, and Zhao Yunlan is honestly moved. He sounds almost regretful when he lets Tan Xiao know that he will still be persecuted for his crimes.

Right on cue, Hei Pao Shi portals in.

Zhao Yunlan greets him with a customary “long time no see”, but the most acknowledgement he receives from Shen Wei is a side-eye which does not even focus on his face.

In fact, the Envoy is doing as much as he can to avoid even turning to Zhao Yunlan. He simply announces his purpose to the room in general and teleports Tan Xiao away. It’s easy to see what he is doing. In Shen Wei’s mind, the less communication he has with Zhao Yunlan as Hei Pao Shi, the better are his chances to separate his two personalities in the eyes of the other man. That said, showing an abrupt and uncharacteristic change of behaviour is the opposite of suspicious.

Even Da Qing notices the change Hei Pao Shi.

“Lao Zhao, what did you do to upset him? You used to do small talk, not anymore?”

Zhao Yunlan smirks, replying that he knows the reason why. He then notices the little girl crying, and goes to comfort her the only way he knows how, with a lollipop. When that does not work, he gestures for Da Qing to leave with him, and returns with a familiar black cat and an adorable “ta-dah”. It’s so sweet it makes my teeth hurt.

As this is going on, Hei Pao Shi is being his glorious over the top avenging self. For one, he is actually floating above Tan Xiao, which I don’t think he ever seen him do before. He then proceeds to throttle the young man, lifting him in the air and throwing him back on the ground.

He does so in order to shake the sound wave equipment out of him, sure, but it is easy to assume that Tan Xiao also brought the Envoy’s wrath onto himself by his misguided attempt to hurt Zhao Yunlan earlier that day. It’s deliciously petty; we know that the best way to earn Shen Wei’s ire is by threatening his companion. And, to be fair, Shen Wei had a bad day: this is as good a way as any to get some of that ancient anger out of his system.

As Hei Pao Shi realises that the man he arrested is a simple human armed with some clever technology, and the real homicidal Undergrounder is the girl he is protecting, so does Zhao Yunlan. Even miles away, even when they are having arguments, their analytical brains still work in sync. And, as plot twists go, this one is neat, albeit not entirely unpredictable.

Unfortunately, realising that the girl is dangerous, brings along a realisation that Zhao Yunlan left his friend in her care. He rushes to the hospital to check on Da Qing, finding the ward empty. If this was Zhu Jiu’s plan all along, it’s a good one: having access to a brainwashed SID member would also spell easy access to the headquarters and the Hallows - which is exactly where Zheng Yi leads Da Qing, taking the Hallows and leaving the Yashou to go into a berserk mode as he imagines or remembers Zhao Yunlan/Kunlun saying “I will abandon you”

Next up, episode 13: The Disaster Wedding.

——

Notes.

Every time Shen Wei lies my brain supplies me with Why You Always Lying song. Every. Single. Time. Which means I sing it a lot around the flat, to my partner’s great chagrin.

Whoooo boy and I thought the Episode 10 recap was the crackiest one I’ve done.

#guardian #recap #rewatch #zhao yunlan #shen wei #now with gifs #sometimes my brain is like this #I'm not sorry

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hajimeiwaswife · 3 years

Text

STRINGS

Word count: 4,1K

Warnings: major character death, little angst

Summary: two lovers reunited by the power of music.

"Traveller! Be careful!" Xiao shouted, reaching to Aether in time to safe him from being knocked by a giant rock that fell out of the mountain.

"Thank you, Xiao." the boy said, out of breath, before resuming the fight against their enemies, the ones that had taken his sister away from him.

Xiao recognised easily the odour of blood, having spilled so much by himself in his past. If it had been any other time, he would have fought harshly and precisely, but now that he had finally found happiness, he didn't want to die. Or worst, his significant other to die.

Years took upon the Adeptus to finally open up to the Anemo Archon, who didn't give up on him ever since they met. Barbatos, or Venti, as he liked to go by, had been by his side trying for the Adeptus to comprehend human emotions, feelings that he already had inside of him. He had been so patient with him, so caring, that now Xiao finally understood what it was to be loved. But what if this battle took it away from him? He was terrified.

The sound of explosions surrounded the landscape, lifeless corpses on the ground above pools of scarlet liquid decorating the grass. The touch of Death wrapping those who sighed their last breath, too many to be count. The Adeptus was heading into battle again when he felt someone grab his shoulder, the gentle hands of his lover.

"Not there," Venti stated, taking Xiao's hand in his, "you're needed in this other area. The Millelith are having trouble."

He took his orders, not without giving him a nod to indicate respect and, in Xiao's language, a 'take care'. Venti, however, took the Adeptus' nape and kissed him briefly before running away, laughing mischievously. Poor Xiao, flustered as ever, followed the way he had been indicated and started fighting in all his might again, powerful lance in hand.

Hours of battle passed, more dead around the survivors to assimilate. The Adeptus was tired and in need of checking on his loved ones, but he continued to fulfil his duty, he understood that if he was exhausted, humans would be in their limit. Nonetheless, after everything went quiet, he breathed as if he had been deprived of oxygen for centuries.

The silence was appalling, announcing the misfortunes and desperation that waited for those who were still alive. Xiao took a look around, sighting Aether with Paimon, Zhongli, Kaeya, Diluc, Jean and some of the Knights of Favonious. He also saw some of his fellow Adepti and the Qixing. But he couldn't find Venti, the Anemo Archon was nowhere to be seen nor to be heard.

A bad feeling sunk in the bottom of his stomach, with shaking legs he started walking along the path of corpses, wishing to be mistaken and to not find his lover laying within them. When he saw no green in the clothes of the dead, he felt relieved, knowing that the Archon was somewhere else, until he saw the blue braids he loved so much.

His heart dropped while he approached the corpse, green clothes now red from blood, characteristic hat lost somewhere in the valley, aquamarine eyes, once full of life, now looked at the sky without emotion, lifeless, no soul behind them. The Adeptus' knees gave up and fell next to his lover's body. He was speechless, in shock, completely gone from reality as his brain tried to understand what was going on in front of him. 'Please, let it be another nightmare.'

With tremble hands, Xiao took Venti's body in a cold hug, the Archon's head on the Adeptus' chest that rumbled in a hurt scream, shouting to the skies and letting them know he had had enough, he had lost the person he loved the most. Swaying them both from side to side, Xiao cried, caressing Barbatos' hair. "I love you, please, don't leave me." Xiao begged, heartbroken. "I know I never told you, but I think- no, I am in love with you. At last, I understand my feelings. Please, Venti, don't go."

Aether came next to Xiao, pitying his friend's sobs that didn't stop. He also felt sad by Venti's loss, he considered the Archon his friend, and he was going to cry and mourn his death. Along with him, the survivors of Mondstadt as a whole kneed in front of the dead Archon and the Adeptus, bidding their goodbyes to Barbatos, the Archon of the City of Freedom.

2000 years later, in another dimension...

Xiao was late, he had overslept and had lost the train to the Conservatory, again. He had spent the night studying Harmony II and lost track of time. What was sleep for a student, though? 'Never heard of it.'

Running across the street, trying not to lose his piano sheets, he finally got to the bus station, the only transport apart from the train that could get him to his destination. It was to its fullest, so he would have to be standing, not very practical to study. He eyes followed the Chopin Nocturne nº20, thinking the rubatos in his mind and trying to memorize the digits in the final scales. He sighed, if he hadn't had spent so much time studying the Harmony rules in the Gregorian Era, he would have had enough time to practice piano. But organization wasn't his best attribute.

He trusted his ability reading at first sight and closed the folder, looking out the window. It was a good day, the sun was shining and lighting the path of those who walked in their way to their jobs, schools, universities or even who were just strolling. The few trees the city had were full of green leaves that were swaying to the sound of the pre summer breeze, warning people of the incoming heat wave. Xiao wished to finish the year as soon as possible so he could go to the beach and stroll and listen to music with the dancing waves of the ocean.

The rest of the morning went without incident, his inner talent allowing him to feign having study and his teacher praising his musicality. Xiao was a sensitive person, he felt too deep, different from what everyone who knew him thought of him because of his rough facade. His musicality and deep feelings were what made him an expert in Chopin, being the best in his region to play the musical pieces of the Polish composer.

He exited the place and walked to the train station thinking about his incoming exams, music was definitely one of the tougher and more beautiful things he had ever experimented. At the same time, he started listening a guitar melody and a sweet voice accompanying it; Xiao looked to the source of the sound and saw a boy his age playing an acoustic guitar and singing inside the train station. He had dyed dark blue hair, nearly black, that degraded into a light blue the nearer it came closer to his hair tips. He had enough hair to pull it into a bun, giving him a carefree look that matched his crop trousers, white t-shirt and denim jacket. But when they both made eye contact, Xiao swore to had seen those eyes before, gentle aquamarine gaze looking back at him.

The pianist stood there for a few minutes, listening and admiring the singer, but he had to go if he didn't want to lose the train. He just hoped he would see the singer again, captivated by his songs and, especially, his eyes.

Indeed, he saw the man every day since at that same spot, at the same hour, different songs. Xiao envied him, he also wanted to compose, but was too focused learning classical pieces to invest more time in composing his own ones, but he was positive one day he would.

It continued like that for a month; the man would be there, playing and singing while Xiao stood there for some minutes listening to him. He was so familiar and strange at the same time that Xiao had no choice but be intrigued by him. Until one day, the man wasn't there.

"What?" Xiao looked around, but the dark blue haired man wasn't in his usual spot nor in any nearby.

For a week, the singer didn't appear and Xiao started to think he would not see him again. Much to his disdain, he felt sad; he always waited for the time of the day where he would see and hear the man, it was like a ritual for him. Now, all of a sudden, it was gone.

Walking out of the train, distracted looking for the man, he didn't notice his folder opening and the piano sheets getting lost among the people.

"Hey!" he heard behind him. Even if he had never heard him talk, he knew it was him, his voice sounded as sweet as when he sang. He turned around and saw the singer behind him, shaking some papers in his hands, "I think these are yours!"

Xiao took at what the singer had in his hand. He was still rather shocked by finding him again after so long, but he paid attention to the papers to recognise them as his piano sheets, the ones he needed for his exam tomorrow.

"Thank you," he said nonchalantly, taking them from the other musician.

Their hands touched for an instant, a short among of time for any other mortal, but enough for them to feel a tingle inside their chests. Xiao took the sheets quickly and put some distance between them both. He didn't know what that feeling was and he definitely didn't want to discover it.

"You're welcome!" answered the man, smiling brightly after falling silent for a few seconds after the incident, "I see you play the piano, are you majoring in music?"

"Yes," replied the pianist, looking at everywhere but the man in front of him.

"That's so cool! I would have loved to learn music officially, but I had to conformed with learning by myself."

"I see."

"Hehe! I always saw you pass while I was playing, it's cool to know that I had a fellow musician listening to me!"

"Hmm, you're not that bad."

"Why, thank you."

The singer felt how closed up the pianist was, so he took it as a compliment, comprehending that maybe he wasn't really used to interacting with people. Meanwhile, Xiao was panicking. He had been looking for the man for weeks and now he couldn't even talk properly.

"What's your name?"

"My name?"

"Yes!" the singer waited for the other man to reply, patiently.

"...Xiao," said the pianist after considering telling him or not, "and yours?"

"I'm Venti, nice to meet you!"

Again, them both felt like those names were too familiar, a similar sensation like the one before arose in their stomachs. Venti smiled, something that Xiao noticed to be frequent, as in the two minutes they had been interacting he hadn't stopped smiling.

"Well, I hope I see you around! Maybe one day we can play together."

"I guess so, yes."

With a parting nod, Xiao turned around and went to his daily classes, not without thinking about their encounter. Something felt odd in the deep of the situation, he just couldn't think of what it was. Feeling like you know someone without having actually met wasn't something that happened at Xiao's life.

Returning from the Conservatory that afternoon, he first heard the guitar and voice, and then saw Venti playing at the train station. 'So, he's back, definitely'. He passed by him, Venti's eyes on Xiao already, giving each other a smile from the singer's part and a nod from Xiao's, and then parting.

The following weeks followed the same dynamic. Sometimes, Venti ventured to talk to Xiao, small talk, enough to get the pianist to open to him. He learned that Xiao was majoring in music specializing in piano, that he had his final exams in June and that he had a cat. The singer felt happy to have collected so much information for someone who rarely opened up.

"I was thinking that maybe we should play together," Venti said, one afternoon after Xiao returned from his classes. They had decided to have a coffee every Thursday to catch up and so they could have more normal conversations and not rushed ones at the station. Or, better said, Venti offered and Xiao just followed.

"I don't play your type of music."

"Ah?" said the singer, confused, "What do you mean with 'my type of music'?"

"Well, I'm specializing in classical music." Xiao shrugged his shoulders, returning to his almond and chocolate muffin.

"Well, yes, but that doesn't mean you can't play other styles."

Xiao continued eating, listening to Venti rumble about pop, rock and R&B. The pianist knew which styles they were, their characteristics and the most popular singers for each style, but something in the way Venti talked made him want to listen nonstop. The young singer was passionate about what he did, just as Xiao was about his profession.

"So? What do you say?"

"I don't know," Xiao started, biting his lip, "I don't think I would be good on it."

"If you can play Chopin and Mozart, you can play four chords on repeat."

Like that, Venti took Xiao to the little studio he had with Aether, his producer. Both musicians were really young, but had already launched a couple EPs. Xiao was amazed by the studio, there was a little keyboard, an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar and then the recording studio and the production table.

"Do you like it?"

Xiao just nodded, directing himself to the keyboard and switching it on. The keys were less harsh than a piano's keys, but he was sure he could manage to play on it. The sound was more electric, just what he expected.

Venti, on his part, was following Xiao's movements, happy to see him interested in what he could offer. He had been feeling dizzy in the pianist's presence for quite some time now, and he was sure he was falling for him. He was determined to show him how he felt and to open Xiao's mind.

"You can come here whenever you want, I would love to play with you," Venti said, smiling brightly when Xiao sat on the bench and placed his hand on the keys, "Can you play something for me?"

The pianist thought for some seconds, deciding on what he could gift Venti's ears with, and decided to play Fantasia in D minor by Mozart. A beautiful and complete piece by his favourite composer, he enjoyed so much playing him that got lost in the moment. The most difficult thing was to keep balance between the left and the right in the sense of sound, but for the rest Xiao had everything so clear that the melodies kept falling out of the keyboard.

After nearly ten minutes, hi finished. Venti was shocked by the way the man played, emotional and emotionless at the same time, a technique enviable. If he could do that in a keyboard, what could he do in a piano? What could he do in a harpsichord to keep up with the real instrument Mozart used?

"Sorry for the quality, a keyboard doesn't make justice to the piece." Xiao said, timidly, standing up from the bench.

"Nonsense," started the singer, still moved by the little performance, "it was incredible. You're such a good pianist!"

"I'm just mediocre." mumbled the man, blushing furiously.

"No mediocre pianist can do what you had just presented, Xiao."

They looked at each other on silence for a moment, Xiao noticing his heart rushing again. Something about Venti made him feel dizzy in a good way, it scared him, but also desired to know why he felt so attracted to the singer. Venti was just admiring Xiao's features, skin kissed by the moon, eyes deep as gold wells, rough expression that was becoming in a vulnerable one. He reminded him of a cat, wanting to make it look as he was independent and surly, but that actually was a sweetheart who needed love and care as any other human being.

'Maybe he'll let me love him in a near future.' thought the singer, gazing at a distracted Xiao, who was touching the acoustic guitar.

They decided to try and play something together, improvising in the moment and giving each other inspiration to think of better ways of following the music. Xiao had to admit to himself that it was fun and that it sounded good. He never thought he would be able to improvise to pop music, but there he was, following a guitarist and singer man.

Venti opened his mouth and started singing an, of course, improvised melody. Xiao nearly stopped playing, too distracted with the sweet and hypnotizing voice of the other man. Every time he heard him sing a memory came to his mind, one of that same voice singing just for him. Memory? No, it couldn't be. It felt like a dream, a very far away dream he had when he was a kid.

Venti, on his part, had the same memory whenever Xiao appeared when he was singing. He saw a lyre, green clothes and tattoos, golden eyes that returned his caring gaze; he also heard his own voice. What it was he didn't know, but that it had a meaning, he was sure.

The following days, after a hard time convincing Xiao, the both of them started composing a song. The chords were not the usual for the 21st Century chords, they reminded of an old Era, one forgotten by the human kind, one that only the two of them understood. The melody was melancholic, similar to a letter to a loved one you lost. The lyrics were heart-breaking, Venti provided a cruel perspective of love, requited love that did not fulfil the dream of both lovers of becoming true for centuries of being apart.

Xiao was in love with their creation, wanting to play more and more, getting lost in the music that Venti gifted him with. He didn't care about the heartache he felt whenever Venti called him 'friend', he didn't care about the goose bumps every time the singer touched his hand, he didn't care about the overwhelming desire to kiss him when he smiled. He only cared for giving him the best piano version he could offer.

"Crimson red blinded my vision, there and then you took the decision," sang Venti, fingers moving within the strings of his guitar, "'I'll see you again', you said, 'when the sun goes down and I don't feel regret."

Xiao played, keys sounding too much for his liking, he really disliked the keyboard, but it was his only way of playing with Venti. He had considered inviting him to his house, but the acoustic wouldn't have been that good.

"Arrows flied, swords were wielded, but your kiss was enough to put me out of war. Let me tell you, everything but you was a blur."

The pianist couldn't take it anymore, the lyrics had been giving him a headache ever since Venti wrote them. He loved them and hated them at the same time, it was like they were mocking him, remembering him of something he lost, but he couldn't remember what it was.

He stood up from the piano, storming out of the room and living Venti confused. The singer knew how Xiao could be, but that didn't make him feel less worried. He had never left a rehearsal, always playing his best and taking part actively in the decisions taken for the song. What could have trigger him so much to make him exit the room?

"Hey!" Venti called out, stopping Xiao from going out the studio, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." replied the pianist, tone piercing.

"Don't even try that with me," said the singer, annoyed, "we're passed the state of putting a facade."

"Really, it's no―"

Venti didn't know what crossed his mind. He was so angry, frustrated, annoyed and disappointed in Xiao not trusting him after so much effort to get to him that he kissed him out of desperation.

The pianist couldn't move, not understanding why he had a pair of lips on his, but liking the feeling of the kiss. Hesitant, he placed one of his hands on Venti's waist and the other on his left cheek and corresponded the kiss.

Hearts content and reunited, jumping in euphoria; souls greeting each other after being apart for so long; bodies finding like you find an old item you forgot you had but that you deeply cared for. They separated, a thread of saliva connecting the two of them.

"W-what?"

"Come with me, my lovely adeptus."

"Adeptus? What's that?" asked Xiao, confused, still grabbing Venti's waist.

"I-I don't know, it just felt... right? To say." replied an equally confused singer.

Venti dismissed the topic fast, carrying Xiao with him to the studio's couch. He made the pianist lay on it while he topped him, kissing him again and again, taking away his shirt after checking for his consent.

The windows tarnished because of the heat, moans of pleasure could be heard as they both took care of the other in a loving way, caressing, kissing, biting their bodies. When Venti entered Xiao after preparing him, they both saw the stars. Love noises filled the empty and soundproof room, fastened breaths demonstrating the effort of being in love, orgasmic euphoria filling the empty space on their chest, gifting them the chance of reuniting something that didn't consummate on the past.

No amount of time could break the bond they created at that moment mixed with the one they forged two thousand years prior. Post orgasmic music running between them as they recovered from the love-making session.

Venti got up, searching for towels on the little bathroom of the studio to clean both of them, trying to extend the blissful moment before they had to talk about it, focusing on the aftercare.

"Thank you." whispered a tired Xiao after getting cleaned up and being helped to put his clothes on.

"It's nothing," said Venti, shy for the first time the both of them had met, something that didn't passed Xiao's observant skills.

"Do you... regret this?"

"No!" exclaimed Venti after noticing the insecurity on the pianist's voice, "No, of course no. I was just, you know, wondering if..."

"If?"

"Wondering what this leads us to."

Xiao thought for some seconds, he knew he liked Venti, it would explain his body reactions whenever he was near him, and he understood what had just happened as Venti returning his feelings. For what he had read on books, that meant they were dating, but he could be wrong.

"I guess I'm your boyfriend," he mumbled, gazing at the floor.

"B-boyfriend!?" asked Venti, surprised of the statement the other man made.

"Isn't that the term for the person you are dating?"

"Uh... yes, but you hadn't asked me to be your boyfriend..." Venti was amused and shocked with Xiao's bold attitude, but he blamed it to the pianist's lack of experience.

"Oh, then, would you be my boyfriend?"

"But don't make it so... cold!" Venti face palmed, laughing at the situation they had at hand. He had to say, though, Xiao's ignorance on the topic was adorable, his heart was melting at the man's confused gaze.

"Then how?"

"Forget it, yes, I'll be your boyfriend." Venti replied, still laughing.

"Okay, good," said Xiao, nodding and processing the information. "now what?"

"Now we continue with the song, that we have to finish recording it."

Venti stood up from the couch, giving Xiao a small peck and 'hehe'-ing after. He positioned himself on the guitar again, shaking a little at the amount of emotion running through his veins. The pianist was still on sitting, watching Venti's every move the same way he looked at his piano. The singer was touched by the sincere look on Xiao's eyes, meaning he did feel the same.

"C'mon, little Adeptus, go play the piano half as good as you played my body."

The blush on the other's man face was imminent, causing Venti to find his new favourite thing: teasing the music student.

Music had reunited the lovers that war separated once, being the conductor channel of an Archon and an Adeptus to find their way back to the other's arms. Their past kept a mystery from them both, but their souls did remember each other, hugging and causing the two men to love as much as they once did. A bright future waited for the two talented musicians now that nothing could separate them again.

The air was pure and clear again.

#xiao x venti #xiaoven #venti x xiao #xiao #venti #xiao genshin impact #venti genshin impact #genshin impact #musician venti #musician xiao #pride 2021 #happy pride 🌈

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cross-d-a · 3 years

Note

I wanna know about Liu Sang time loop bc that sounds like a fic I would die for

(this refers to the WIP tag game I completed a few days ago!)

:)))) it’s also something Liu Sang would die for :)))))) Many many many times :)))))))

(warning ahead for blood/death/suicidal ideation bc timeloops are a TRIP and a HALF and we all know i’m a SLUT for ANGST)

I haven’t gotten much more than an outline and it’s a lil’ tricky bc I’m not gonna stick to the traditional “loop every time you go unconscious.die” which just adds more Trauma and I love it :) Because Liu Sang will constantly be wondering if he’ll get one more day, just one more day to wake up. And maybe he got to wake up to a new day today, but what about the next? Or the day after that? Is he finally Done with the loop or will he get sent back??? And undo EVERYTHING he’s accomplished?? :))

Basically, Liu Sang encounters Something in Thunder City (or maybe he gets knocked into the golden coffin, not quite sure yet!) and keeps waking up in the cave after they’ve all reunited in the zombie jungle. He keep waking up to Wu Xie gone. And he knows if Wu Xie Leaves then someone DIES, but if Wu Xie DOESN’T leave then they ALL die. And ok?? Maybe??? I just want Liu Sang to wake up screaming bc that Nasty Dude actually DID hammer that giant spike into Liu Sang’s head :)) and maybe I want Liu Sang to think: “well if SOMEONE has to die maybe it should be ME” and then he wakes up again and again and again and every time he dies he just gets sent BACK so what’s the POINT.

And Maybe I want Liu Sang to see every iteration where every single person in the Desperado Fam dies. :) Wu Xie chokes on his own blood and Pangzi lays so silent and still on the ground with his eyes wide and blank and glazed. And Xiao Bai dies in Liu Sang’s arms with a shaky smile on her face and terror in her eyes. And Jia Kezi gets his throat slit over and over and over and sometimes it’s Li Jiale who becomes a zombie but sometimes it isn’t. And sometimes Liu Sang watches as his friends tear each other apart like bloodthirsty beasts because they are beasts, there’s nothing left but breath in their chests and hunger in their bellies. And sometimes Hei-ye dies with rage on his tongue and a bullet in his head.

And worst of all is Zhang Qiling who dies when Wu Xie dies, if not in body then in soul. Who sometimes gives Liu Sang such a small, soft smile that it guts him. Who sometimes doesn’t and it hurts worse because Liu Sang remembers how that smile looked. He remembers the warmth in his chest and the relief burning his eyes and sliding down his cold, numb cheeks. So in those loops Zhang Qiling doesn’t smile at Liu Sang he wonders what he did wrong. What he can do better. How can he make Zhang Qiling like him?

And worst of all, is watching Zhang Qiling choose a dying man over himself every single time. And worst of all is watching Wu Xie fractureshattercrumble apart as they all watch Zhang Qiling fall, blood splattering hot, eyes going hazy and deadeadead.

One time Zhang Qiling steps in front of Liu Sang. He takes the hit. He falls to his knees. There is blood on his breath and a smile on his lips. Liu Sang looks into his eyes and sees relief.

He hates that he can relate to that so well.

And he hates himself more.

But most of all he hates Zhang Qiling for finding that absolution when Liu Sang in cursed to live live live when all he wants now is to die die die and never have to wake up again.

(and how awful it is, to begin to hate someone you love so much?)

He tries going to Jiao Laoban’s side.

He tries negotiating.

He tries making them turn back but no one wants to do that at all.

He tries forcing Wu Xie to stay in that little cave of theirs and he tries making Wu Xie take them all with him and one time he tries to last out in the jungle all alone but that loop gets a little hazy because his breath goes ragged and his hands start twitching and there is a headache hazing his head and blurring his eyes and there is a deep awful hunger in his belly and thousands of ants skittering just under his skin.

Liu Sang wakes up with the taste of blood in his mouth and he wonders whose it is.

SO BASICALLY. A giant ANGST FEST. Mostly HURT, with very little comfort until the end. :)) Because I Like Pain. I am VERY excited about this fic. ALL the Liu Sang whump! :)

#blood #death #suicide #kinda #suicidal ideation #my fic #wip #cross talks #I dunno what to tag these anymore #tag game #ask game #??#dmbj #liu sang #the lost tomb reboot #wip tag game

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translations-by-aiimee · 3 years

Text

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 18

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 18 - Memories

Lin Yan was afraid that the professor was going to run away. When the event was over, he didn't even take the time to change his clothes. He called over to little Daoist priest to tell him he could leave first, then rushed to the backstage lounge. The crowd trying to leave completely blocked the exit. Lin Yan wasn't able to get out for a while. Behind him was a swarm of school reporters, sweating profusely as they followed.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" He wasn't sure whose foot he stepped on in his rush, but the girl in front of him turned around and gave him a sharp look.

"Lin Yan!" a clear voice rang out. Lin Yan looked up and saw Weiwei standing at the door with a red staff badge hanging around her neck.

Lin Yan didn't care anymore about feeling embarrassed while he hurried through the crowd without any organized manner. He shouted at Weiwei: "Can you do me a favour? This is urgent!"

"It's my birthday next week, come over for dinner!" Weiwei shouted on her tiptoes.

"Okay, whatever, help stop the crowd behind me!"

Lin Yan ran as fast as he could straight down the corridor, stumbling from time to time over the hem of his clothes. When he burst into the backstage VIP room completely dishevelled, he realized that he had been worried for nothing. The professor hadn't planned on sneaking away at all. He was seated on the sofa and had waited for him, sipping his tea.

"You came? Sit down."

Lin Yan clutched his chest and nodded, breathing too heavily to speak.

The lounge was decorated in a very stylish way, with arc-shaped floor-to-ceiling French windows, beige wallpaper, and light brown soft leather sofas that looked like they were worth a lot of money. The school had always been willing to spend money on entertaining guests. The professor poured a glass of water for Lin Yan and pointed to the single-seater sofa opposite of him.

"You're Lin Yan, who came to us for an internship before, right? You performed well today. You've got guts and have a good mind." The professor pondered for a moment: "I thought you'd come find me sooner or later. I didn't expect that you would get back here so soon. "

"Do you know me?" A series of questions popped up in his mind. Lin Yan suppressed the urge to outright address his issue. He apologized for the outburst just then, and then said seriously: "I did here for that internship. This is very important to me, please tell me everything you know."

The professor nodded slightly: "I can probably guess what happened. So, I'll speak slowly. Listen carefully. If there's any useful information, I'll tell you." He sighed and looked out the window. He spoke softly: "The fact that you are still standing here in good shape is already much better than the person who came before you."

Lin Yan looked back at Xiao Yu, who was holding his hand tightly, standing ignorantly.

The floor-to-ceiling windows were facing the path outside the auditorium. The students must use this path to get to the dormitories. In the night, boys and girls walked down it together in large groups. I don’t know who yelled: "The river flows eastward, the stars in the sky look to the Big Dipper!*" The professor smiled, turned his face to Lin Yan, and recalled: "I was about the same age as you when I first entered the tomb. It was a good time to be young."

*(Song lyrics from "Hao Han Ge" by Liu Huan)

"Young people don't know what's important. . ."

The professor spoke very coherently, as if he had been wanted to say all this for many years. Lin Yan even felt that he was using this as an opportunity to reminisce about his nostalgic youth. But when the professor painted the scene back to Lin Yan, it sent a chill down Lin Yan's spine.

Twenty-five years ago, a group of coal miners in Jinxiang County accidentally collapsed a mineshaft while they were hacking away. They removed some jade plates and funerary wooden figurines from inside the hole, which turned out to be the entrance tunnel of an underground tomb. Once the county head official learned about this tomb, he blocked off the mausoleum and reported the news to the central government. At that time, China was still a novice in both archaeological technology and cultural relic preservation, and it was still difficult to excavate many imperial tombs. Therefore, this cultural Ming Dynasty tomb was handed over to the university, and a team of several master's students hired some local volunteers and rushed to Jinxiang.

This group of people included the professor and Lin Yan’s current supervisor. When preparing the materials for the tomb, the professor and Lin Yan both found some strange information. He strangely discovered that whether it were the county chronicles, the local chronicles, or genealogical records, there was no record of the tomb's owner. One of the workers on the team claimed to be a master of fengshui. After seeing the mausoleum, he said that it would be impossible to excavate. The earth's meridians formed a breeding ground for negative energy. The evil spirits attracted to the space were too dense to bury people. The owner of the tomb wouldn't be able to find peace after death. Not to mention the misfortune it would bring future generations. However, most of the students were young and energetic. They were eager to try after seeing the exquisitely carved jade artifacts. Without much consideration, they went directly to the tomb with tools and equipment.

"Strange events started after that." The professor adjusted his glasses and grimaced: "We should have listened to the warnings, but we didn't believe in evil at the time."

First, the four chickens brought to ward off evil spirits died overnight. When the underground tomb gate was opened, the scaffold collapsed, and an 18-year-old fell and broke his right hand. Everyone thought it was an accident, but from the time they entered the tomb, all those involved in the excavation had nightmares whenever they closed their eyes. Every night they dreamed that they were dying to the point that no one dared try to sleep anymore. Fatigue and constant fear made everyone’s fighting spirit die off after only a week.

"What happened after that?" Lin Yan looked back at Xiao Yu in surprise. He thought he had been tormented thoroughly by him, but he hadn't even seen half of this ghost's ferociousness yet.

"After entering the main chamber, we found many valuable cultural relics beside the coffin, but they were poorly preserved. We could only brush off the embroideries. Watching the treasures that we brought out so easily blacken and carbonize the moment the sunlight hit them was the fatal blow to our spirits. I cried miserably, but everyone was equally depressed and even fearful. No one had the energy to comfort me."

The professor's hand shifted on the windowpane, leaving behind a damp handprint. "There seemed to be some kind of energy in that tomb that could make people fall into despair. We worked hard and sang to make ourselves feel more brave, but it was still useless. A rural volunteer girl went crazy on the ninth morning and smashed her husband's head in with a machete while everyone could only stand in shock."

"Blood sprayed all over the bricks on the top of the tomb, and it was dripping everywhere. The woman put her husband's head in front of the blank memorial plaque, kowtowed three times, and sat on the ground convulsing, laughing eerily, while laughing and shouting a name." The professor looked at Lin Yan and asked, "Do you know what name it was?"

Lin Yan took a dazed step back. He wanted to break away from the hand holding his, but Xiao Yu held it tighter, not giving him a chance to escape.

"It was Xiao Yu. Who exactly is Xiao Yu? I searched through both the official and unofficial records, but I couldn't find any record that mentioned this name." The professor's expression became painful: "We gave the woman a consolation fee to settle the matter. After she took the money, she laughed for a while before she raised her machete and slashed it down across her neck. The blood was sprayed onto the memorial plaque. When she fell, only a thin piece of skin kept her head attached to her body. At that time, people didn't know much about archaeology. At first glance, some of the students were okay, but the hired volunteers were all scared away, saying that we dug up the grave of the dead, and this was retribution for it."

"The last person who left was the fengshui guy. He told me that the tomb had no fengshui. The owner of the tomb had died violently. Nothing could approach the tomb through the evil energy breeding ground. This resentment built up over a long time. The woman's body had been filled with too much Yin energy and she was the first to fall prey to the ghost."

"The man left. The students didn't want to go, but they were still having nightmares every time they. They tried to stick it out for a week before packing their bags and returning to school. No one else died. The first time the lead took over, he wouldn't even touch the coffin. It was a disappointment for everyone."

Lin Yan imagined the beheading. His face grew pale, and his stomach felt sick.

"Are you alright? You don't look well." The professor seemed to catch on to the younger's expression, and pointed to Lin Yan's cup: "Drink some water. Take a break then you can listen some more."

Lin Yan shook his head and asked, "Was it really like the fengshui master said?"

The professor hesitated for a while, and his fingers scribbled across a section of thin vapor he exhaled onto the glass. Two words appeared on the glass: "Xiao Yu." As if he didn't want to see it, the professor wiped it away and shook his head: "I have seen a lot of weird things throughout my career. The demon and ghost theory is not unfounded, but I think that the tomb might be some kind of spiritual formation. In ancient times, emperors and generals did everything they could to prevent their bodies from being destroyed. Many strange arts and techniques also emerged. It is possible that the woman was already delirious and so was the first to lose her mind in the consuming and the gloomy atmosphere in the tomb."

Lin Yan imagined the shadowy chamber with two headless bodies lying on the ground. He could barely squeeze out a wry smile: "What does this whole thing have to do with me?"

"I'm getting to that part." The professor sadly lowered his head: "Young people have never been willing to admit defeat. Since then, I've been very interested in the history of the Ming Dynasty Chenghua period. At first, I wanted to find out the identity of the tomb owner but I really fell in love with the history, and, 20 years later, I became an expert in the field. But long-term research in any field will encounter roadblocks. I was troubled by problem for nearly two months, and finally decided to go to the Ming Tomb again."

Lin Yan asked puzzledly: "Are you not afraid something will happen again?"

The professor shrugged: "No way, the large amount of untouched cultural relics inside was too tempting. The team left before anyone had even touched the coffin the last time I was there. I've never gotten over it."

"Be considerate of the obsessions of an old man who has been involved in academia for most of his life." The professor said: "When the newspaper published the news about the excavation of the Ming Tomb again, a message came from my secretary saying that someone was willing to help me. He understood fengshui. If something went wrong, I could turn to him."

"I'm not the same young man who spent a whole year studying about the tomb. I ran all over the country all day and night. I was too busy to take care of it, so I asked the secretary to keep in touch with him."

"Later on, something did happened. It was exactly the same as before. After entering the tomb door, everyone was inexplicably depressed and paranoid, and soon began to have nightmares. I was so afraid that the tragedy would happen again, so I had to ask the person who knew fengshui for help. He told me that I need to find a person who shares the same horoscope as the evil creature in order to make it stop. Then he gave me a birth date and said that he could find someone with the same birth date horoscope."

Lin Yan had already guessed the answer. He pointed at himself and hesitated to confirm: "Me?"

The professor nodded: "That birth year made me think of a student. I asked your supervisor. He said that he had a friend’s son who was looking for an internship, and his own student, Lin Yan. It was just an extreme coincident that your birthday fell onto the right date."

"You know what happened after that." The professor looked at the path outside the window. The students were almost all gone now. The moonlight didn't reach the path, instead only reflecting the black shadows of the trees that were swaying back and forth in the night breeze. "If you want to ask me who the owner of the tomb is, I can only tell you that I don't know. It's shameful; after more than 20 years, I have revisited this topic year after year, but I still haven't made any progress."

"If you have anything else to ask, please go ahead. As soon as you say the name 'Xiao Yu', I knew it was you. You've got a lot of guts to throw my things like that." The professor laughed, "I was just like that when I was young. I had trouble with authority back then. It took a lot to keep up with me."

Lin Yan hurriedly lowered his head and apologized. He kept thinking that it was this File Folder dragged him into this mess, but it didn't seem like he did it intentionally. . . How much did he know about what happened after? Thinking of this, Lin Yan raised his head and asked, "Don't you want to hear how I know Xiao Yu's name?"

The professor waved his hand and relaxed his expression: "People my age don't want to listen to these ghost and monster stories. It's bad luck. I know you're fine when I see you standing here. I didn't discuss it with you. I blame myself for not discussing this with you sooner. I'll try my best to explain anything you need, but the rest. . ." The professor said, spreading his hands, expressing that there was nothing he could do.

During their talk, the professor's personal secretary came in and urged him to leave, saying that the car was ready and the school officials were all waiting downstairs. The professor nodded to the secretary, turned around and asked Lin Yan, "Is there anything else you want to know?"

Lin Yan felt stuck. The most renowned Ming historians in China had no answers. Did he really have no choice but to wait out the three months, waiting for this ghost to remember his life experience and tell him his wish. But what he couldn't remember? Would Lin Yan be forced to accompany him for eternity as a ghost?

As he pondered, a thought popped up, like a small copper hammer hitting the glass with a crisp sound. Lin Yan stopped the professor who was packing up and asked: "You. . . you mentioned that the fengshui guy had mentioned a horoscope date. I happened to be looking for an internship at that time, so it all worked out, right?" Lin Yan's voice was trembling with excitement: "This is too much of a coincidence. It's almost like he was waiting for me. . . Where is he now? How did he know something would happen in the Ming Tomb?"

The professor suddenly stopped, frowning and thought it over: "You're right to be suspicious. At that time, I was busy planning the excavation and didn't care much about it. . ." The secretary who was waiting at the door shouted: " Xiao Liu, do you remember that fortune teller? Give me his contact information."

The young girl flipped through the folder in her arms, and replied: "That person never contacted me directly. He had been passing messages through a young guy who was new to the team. I'll look into it for you. I'll get back to you about in in the next few days."

The professor's face sank, and just like Lin Yan, he had no answer. He whispered to him: "It'll should be easy to track him down." He patted Lin Yan on the shoulder: "I'll help you out with this, don't worry. "He took out a pen and left Lin Yan's his phone number, and the corner of his mouth ticked up: "I still owe you your prize. I'll give it to you the next time we meet."

When he left, the crowd was gone. The corridor was empty. The old custodian didn’t even turn on the ceiling light to save electricity. Only the wall lamp glowed a dull yellow. Lin Yan’s face drained of all colour. He suddenly felt like he was in a horror movie. He was the lead actor stumbling along the wall in a terrifying corridor.

The professor's story made him feel incredibly afraid. Behind him was a ghost, a murderer who put people to death in a cruel and bloody way. He didn't even dare to look behind him. He was afraid that when he turned around, a ghost covered in bloodstains would be there, grinning sinisterly at him through a veil of long hair, saying: It's your turn.

Lin Yan's breathing became heavier and heavier. When he couldn't resist the urge to run away, he was suddenly pushed harshly against the wall. His body was wrenched around. Lin Yan raised his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

#dig a grave to dig out a ghost #dig a grave to dig out a ghost translation #chinese bl #chinese novel #english translation #danmei #danmei novel #yaoi #yaoi novel

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shijiujun · 4 years

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[SPOILERS KIND OF] TLTR2 - Thoughts on the last 10 episodes + EVERYTHING

Ahhhhh the found family trope gets me every single damn time!!! Honestly Zhu Yilong’s TLTR is the best I’ve seen!

Okay first things first, TLTR as a whole was EXCELLENT in terms of characters, script, twists, SETS (wow damn TLTR creeps me out episode after episode) and the whole premise seems a little far-fetched but actually melds together really well. Pacing could be slightly better (HAHAHAHA like Wu Xie was stuck in Warehouse 11 on his own like FOREVER in the first half) but they remedied that with S2, the pacing was spot on and I was literally jumping on my feet EVERY WEEK. Reunions? Check. Xiao Ge badass catwalk from the shadows every time Wu Xie is in danger? Check. TEAM BONDING WITH LIU SANG WHUMP?! CHECK. HAPPY ENDING?!!! CHECK (could have done with an alive Jia Ke Zi to be honest, but we’ll take what we can get).

And one thing TLTR does really, really well is like touching, reminiscing scenes? Even with Er Jing?!!! And of course everytime Pang Zi and everyone else thinks Wu Xie is dying, and when Wu Xie himself thinks he’s literally going to die the next moment, wow the script is amazing?!!! I cried (okay but I admit that I cry really easily) soooo many times?!

On Er Jing - The Mole

The moment when Wu Xie recalls Er Jing saving him when he was younger, and how much he trusted Er Jing, and I do feel so sad for both Er Jing and Wu Xie? Like I don’t believe each moment for Er Jing was spent like scheming and tbf he’s not that good of a schemer, ISTG his greed and glee shows up EVERY SINGLE TIME the second he steps into warehouse 11 and Pang Zi is right, “It’s so obvious it’s Er Jing please.” Wu Xie says it as well - if Er Jing truly was a scheming little bij, he would have been seen throughout the 20 years?! So Er Jing perhaps through the years, did think about Er Shu and Wu Xie as his family, I do believe that. It’s just sad af that he chose treasure that he never saw over riches with Er Shu ya know?!

Not sure if Er Jing and his band of crazy friends are dead or alive? Seems at the last episode Wu Xie asked to send doctors down to treat them, but I guess...

On Liu Sang

In the book apparently Er Jing isn’t the mole but Liu Sang (in a different setting, not the same situation if I recall correctly), but San Shu admits that he was drunk or smth when he was writing the ending and Liu Sang and Xiao Bai ‘disappeared’ LOLOL but San Shu has been supportive always in Liu Sang’s character, so I am soooooo glad my Liu Sang BB is pure, innocent, sometimes scheming, always whump?!! AHHHHH LIU SANG!!!!!

Liu Chang as Liu Sang is fricking amazing damn I LOVE HIS LOOK? Honestly, Liu Chang is my new obsession, I love this man. I really, really do. I love his hair, I love him with glasses, anything tbh.

And he’s so protective of Xiao Bai?!!! LIKE LEGIT GENTLEMAN?!!! The first time when he tried to save Xiao Bai from Boss Jiao’s people in the cave, and then in the last ep, when the black thingys came flying over, he shielded her with his coat?!!! Not that it would have made a difference but damn, my pure, competent bb Liu Sang.

Also Liu Sang still DOES NOT GET HIS HUG FROM XIAO GE ISTG?!!! XIAO GE HUGS EVERYONE BUT HIM. DAMN. I REST MY CASE.

On IRON TRIANGLE + 4th sister Xiao Bai

Wu Xie is amazing. ZYL is damn frickin amazing too, and Chen Minghao as Pang Zi IS GOLD. HE’S SO DRAMATIC ASS?!!! And young Huang Junjie as Xiao Ge, damn. This is the best trio I’ve ever seen. This is the best trio you need. All the brotherhood shit, all the meaningful stares between Xiao Ge and Wu Xie, COME ON!!!!

And also Pang Zi taking care of Xiao Mei?!!! And Xiao Mei calling him dad?!!! I love it. AHAHAHAHA

Xiao Bai, I don’t even know where to begin. I think it’s cute, her and Wu Xie, and when Wu Xie called her and she didn’t pick up and in the last ep when Xiao Bai left him behind to run towards Pang Zi and the rest and Wu Xie’s AFFRONTED LOOK, I think he’s fond of her somewhat too. Although to what degree, in what sense, well... I just think it’s cute (ALSO DID YOU GUYS KNOW THAT MAO XIAOTONG WHO PLAYS XIAO BAI IS THE SAME AGE AS ZHU YILONG?!!! LET THAT FARKING SINK IN. THEY ARE BOTH 32 YEARS OLD OKAY?!!)

Hei Yang Jing, Huo Dao Fu, Li Jia Le, Kan Jian, Xiao Hua

AHAHAHAHA I just wanna laugh at these few - LJL especially was so mean in Warehouse 11 but the moment S2 starts he’s just a cute, clumsy bun bun who keeps getting KO-ed, glad he’s alive tho!!! Kan Jian too, so skinny and crying all the damn time, who loves his boss so much, he’s the cutest. I see a lot of fics shipping Kan Jian and Liu Sang, and tbh, in S1 I did see it quite a bit.

Hei Yan Jing and Chu Chu is frickin alive?!! Damn Xiao Hua, I knew you would have done something. Honestly, if you have so much damn money, and you let Chu Chu go without a fight after warning her that you take HYJ’s request to keep her safe seriously?!!! DAMN THE REVEAL IN THE LAST EP. Hope they meet. Baron Chen is... gosh, I love this man. Also Baron Chen and Huang Junjie were in The Pillow Book tgt and oooooof I love it I love it.

And all of you know just how much I love YOUTIAO DOC?!!! He was such a major side character in the second half of like S2 and I am all for it. His sass, his eye rolls, the way he takes care of Wu Xie and does things for him even tho he grumbles about it?!!! Damn. I need a friend like that.

On Er Shu

Honestly Er Shu was the mastermind in the novel? If I recall, it was his plan basically to get Wu Xie to go to Thunder City to get himself cured, because Wu Xie would not have done it otherwise. In fact, everyone except Wu Xie knew it was Er Shu’s plan to get him to go and that he schemed it all?!!

And when the reveal happened, everyone was like “yeah we knew it was him and that we’re all part of his plan but we didn’t say anything” because no one knew which roles they were playing in Er Shu’s plan?! And then yeah Liu Sang turned out to be a mole but I didn’t manage to see why, but he was kind of a morally ambivalent character? And Wu Xie in the novel at one point said that he believes in the kind of person Liu Sang is and that he’s not all that bad after the reveal, so... anyway, ER SHU WAS MEANT TO BE MORE BADASS THAN THIS?!!!

I’m so sad he was really paralysed ;-; I legit thought when he stood up in Ep 29 it was really him and I freaked out but it was HYJ CRIESSSS

Overall this was definitely a drama of friendship? Forged over creepy tombs that were a mix of Frankenstein, The Mummy Returns, Aliens vs Predator and Indiana Jones?!!! FRIENDSHIP!!!! At the end of it all, Wu Xie found so many new friends that are definitely going to come running the next time they have to find another tomb?

Like I was sad Liu Sang didn’t turn up in the last scene but he’s alive thank god, and you can imagine that the next time they need help, Liu Sang will roll his eyes but turn up?!!! And LJL also maybe?! And HDF, everyone!!!!

One thing I wanna know is what the hell is going to happen to the Wu family business?!!! Wu Xie looks like he not going to deal with the power shit, argh IDK he’s back to hobo-ing with his bros which I guess is best life.

EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT IF ER JING WASN’T A MOLE ARGH I’M SO MAD. AND IF JIA KE ZI DIDN’T DIE?!!

I’D WATCH THIS WHOLE DAMN THING AGAIN. 10/10 FOR BROMANCE, FRIENDSHIP, FAMILY AND CREEPY ASS TOMBS.

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spaceskam · 4 years

Text

A Boy Like That

Summary: In which teenage Lan Xichen dotes on Nie Huaisang to flirt with Nie Mingjue.

Word Count: 4,016

Warnings: implied separation anxiety

ao3

Nie Huaisang quite liked Gusu.

There were many more things to see with many more colors than in the Unclean Realm. That was all gray and boring, but the Cloud Recesses were all pretty blues and pure whites and tons of plants. The men inside were all stunning and, although he couldn’t see them, he had to assume the women were as well. Everything was endlessly beautiful.

Including the very important person Da-ge was speaking to.

Lan Xichen stood tall and thin, his hands behind his back and his smile easy. He looked at Da-ge in the exact opposite way that he was looking at him with his shoulders back and his face permanently angry. It always was when there were others around to see. The only thing that made Nie Huaisang sure his brother wasn’t all stone was the fact he didn’t let go of his hand even when clutched his saber in the other.

“I can help you study,” Lan Xichen offered, voice just as pretty as he was, “I understand not everyone can learn by reading.”

“I learn just fine,” Da-ge said, but even he couldn’t keep his angry voice around Lan Xichen. Nie Huaisang couldn’t stop staring at him. Nothing in the Unclean Realm was like him; he was a character in a storybook who was the definition of elegance.

“I don’t mean to insult you, Nie-gongzi,” he said, “One future sect leader to another, I think we need to work together if we want to be better than our predecessors, don’t you? Especially if it means surviving the elder sect leaders we’ll inevitably have to work with. Sect Leader Yao is going to outlive us all out of spite, I’m sure of it.”

Da-ge let out a slow breath and looked to the side for a moment. Lan Xichen never once looked bothered. He was all patience. Nie Huaisang studied his face anyway, the smile that gave away nothing. Every single time he saw him, he had that smile. Nie Huaisang tucked it in the back of his mind for later.

“It isn��t that I can’t study, it’s that I can’t focus with my secret weapon,” Da-ge said, lifting his arm and lifting Nie Huaisang off the ground with ease. He giggled quietly and smiled at his brother. Lan Xichen’s expression changed just enough to show his complete fondness.

“Ah, I’d say he could play with A-Zhan, but A-Zhan doesn’t really play,” he said, crouching down just a little to get on eye level with Nie Huaisang, “But you’re in luck because I do.”

Nie Huaisang smiled shyly and pressed into his brother’s side.

“Xichen, you don’t need to‒”

“Let me help you, Da-ge,” Lan Xichen said, raising to his full height again. Nie Huaisang noticed the way his smile changed with his voice into something teasing. When he looked up to his brother, he saw him softening up just a little.

“If he gets to be too much, bring him back,” Da-ge said, “And he will get too much.”

“Nonsense,” Lan Xichen said, holding out his hand, “Come, A-Sang, let Da-ge study.”

Nie Huaisang checked with Da-ge first before reluctantly grabbing Lan Xichen’s hand, but he kept a hold on his brother. He wanted to make sure this was actually what they were going to do. He didn’t really like leaving Da-ge’s side. It was always a bad idea. But Da-ge nodded and released his hand.

“Don’t cause trouble, do you understand?”

“A-Sang is not trouble, Da-ge is trouble,” he said. Da-ge glared at him until Nie Huaisang’s laughter made it go away. Lan Xichen chuckled.

“We’ll be just fine,” he promised.

Da-ge gave Nie Huaisang a once over before he reluctantly headed towards the library. He looked over his shoulder to him just once before he disappeared into the room that was full of things that Nie Huaisang could make a mess with. He felt a little nervous when he could no longer see his brother and he really thought about running after him and promising to be quiet. Lan Xichen was pretty and nice, but it wasn’t the same. What if something bad happened?

“Don’t worry, A-Sang, we’ll have a lot of fun,” Lan Xichen said, his voice calm and reassuring. Nie Huaisang nodded and leaned into Lan Xichen’s leg. He was taller than Da-ge by just a little.

He led the way as they headed away from the buildings and into some of the pretty trees. Nie Huaisang reached out to touch the grass and leaves as he passed them, careful not to pull on any of them even when he really wanted to. Lan Xichen, oddly enough, had a much firmer grip on his hand than Da-ge. He was pretty and elegant like in storybooks, but he was strong. Maybe that’s why he’s the only one Da-ge didn’t hate.

They eventually came to a stop when they got to a small clearing with a stream nearby. Bunnies hopped around freely and Nie Huaisang watched them with wide, intrigued eyes. Lan Xichen loosened his grip on his hand.

“Now, you can play, but this is still a quiet place, A-Sang,” Lan Xichen said softly, couching down to look at him in the eye so he would understand, “This is A-Zhan’s favorite space, but I don’t think he’ll mind us playing here as long as we take care of it.”

“Yes, Lan-gongzi.”

Lan Xichen laughed softly, “That’s too formal, call me Er-ge.”

Nie Huaisang thought about telling him that was too informal, but if he told him it was okay then it must be. He nodded.

Lan Xichen let him to the middle of the small clearing and gestured for him to sit down. Nie Huaisang watched all the bunnies hop around and he just wanted to chase them and grab them and hug them, but he knew that was wrong. So he sat and watched Lan Xichen intently, watching for what to do next.

“If you’re very nice, they’ll be your friend,” Lan Xichen said softly, reaching out to pick up one of the braver bunnies. He put it on Nie Huaisang’s lap. “Be very gentle.”

He nodded, petting the bunny as softly as possible. It took a lot of self-control, but he tried really hard. He didn’t want to scare the bunny away.

“A-Zhan loves these rabbits. One time, I couldn’t find him anywhere I went, even here, but then it turns out he’d just been so still they’d all piled on him while he took a nap,” Lan Xichen said. Nie Huaisang looked up at him with wide eyes. He couldn’t imagine staying that still for so long. Da-ge said he kicked in his sleep, too.

“Wow,” Nie Huaisang said. Lan Xichen smiled, reaching his hand out to some of the shy bunnies. They sniffed his fingertips before hopping a little closer. “I can’t do that.”

“It’s alright. Everyone is different and they like different things,” he said, tilting his head, “What do you like?”

“I like…” Nie Huaisang said, watching Lan Xichen for a moment. He knew that he was supposed to say swordplay. He had gotten in trouble because he didn’t like swords. But Lan Xichen seemed like he might not get mad at him for that. “I like stories.”

“Stories? What kind of stories?”

“Like… Like the one where the big strong warrior saves the fair maiden and they, they fall in love and, and they get married. Or the one where the Sect Leader who was the strongest cultivator ever reached immortality and, and he fell in love with a lesser cultivator, but he spent years helping her so they could be immortal together and, and then he left his Sect to be a rogue cultivator with her forever!” Nie Huaisong said, getting a little too excited that the bunnies ran off. Lan Xichen didn’t seem bothered by it as he smiled. “Da-ge read me that one, he said it was his favorite.”

“Da-ge has a favorite love story?” Lan Xichen asked. Nie Huaisang’s eyes widened and he gasped, switching to his knees as he shushed him.

“Shhh, Da-ge said it’s a secret,” he said. It took him a few seconds before he realized he’d just shushed the heir to the Lan Sect. He was about to apologize, but Lan Xichen was smiling so maybe it was okay.

“So Da-ge’s favorite story is of a Sect Leader and his love becoming immortal and running away together?” Lan Xichen said, smiling, “That’s very romantic.”

“Romantic,” Nie Huaisang repeated, dropping his shoulder and nodded insistently.

“I read one about a female cultivator who was so strong and wise, but she fell in love with a common man and gave up everything for him. I’ll have to find the book for you,” Lan Xichen offered. Nie Huaisang smiled wide and nodded.

“Yes, thank you, Er-ge.”

Lan Xichen smiled to the point his eyes got all crinkly. Da-ge never did that. It made him look even more handsome, Nie Huaisang thought. He wondered how many female cultivators pictured him when they dreamed of their future husband. Probably too many to count.

“What else does A-Sang like? Poetry? Music? Drawing?” Lan Xichen. He didn’t even once mention swordplay. Nie Huaisang really liked him.

“Yes! Da-ge lets me skip calligraphy practice to draw sometimes,” Nie Huaisang said, but he soon realized what he said and his eyes went wide, “But, but don’t say anything because Da-ge got in trouble.”

“I won’t, I promise,” Lan Xichen said, still smiling, “Da-ge is a very good big brother to you.”

“He’s the best,” Nie Huaisang said. Lan Xichen smiled and looked down for a moment. He almost looked a little sad. Before Nie Huaisang could say anything to make him feel better, though, he looked back up.

“Would you like to see something?” he asked. Nie Huaisang nodded instantly. Lan Xichen reached into his sleeve and pulled out a xiao. “Its name is Liebing.”

Nie Huaisang leaned perhaps a bit too close, eyes wide with intrigue. There weren’t really instruments in the Unclean Realm. They weren’t valued unless they were used in battle, which was a skill typically only used in the Lan Sect‒anything that wasn’t useful in battle wasn’t valued. He only got to see them when he ventured outside which wasn’t often. He’d never seen one so up close.

“And you use it to fight?” Nie Huaisang asked.

“I could, but the Lan Sect has many other uses for their instruments. We have songs to communicate with ghosts and songs to purify someone’s golden core and songs to help heal someone‒almost anything you can think of,” Lan Xichen said. Nie Huaisang nodded easily. Then Lan Xichen smiled and leaned a little closer. “But, if you can keep a secret, I quite like playing for fun.”

“A-Sang can keep a secret,” he promised. Lan Xichen nodded.

“I bet you can.”

He brought Liebing to his lips and played a couple of notes. Nie Huaisang was entranced. He scooted close and tried to see all the things Lan Xichen was doing. It sounded so pretty and it was so cool. Lan Xichen laughed.

“Here, look,” he said. He handed Liebing to Nie Huaisang and it felt like the biggest privilege in the world. He held it very carefully as Lan Xichen showed him where to hold it near his mouth and adjusted his fingers over the holes. “Now blow just a little bit. Not too hard. Gentle, like you were with the bunnies.”

Nie Huaisang nodded and a soft, pretty sound came from it. He nearly jumped out of his body with joy. He wanted to run around and make as much noise with it as he could, but he couldn’t because that was against the rules. So, instead, he smiled and tried to keep calm even though he was already moving. Lan Xichen didn’t seem bothered as he moved his fingers to show him another note.

They did that for a while until Nie Huaisang was struggling to stay still and Lan Xichen indulged him just a little, letting him chase around the bunnies for a few minutes. He knew it was against the rules to run inside the Cloud Recesses, but Lan Xichen urged him to get it out of his system. A-Zhan never felt the need, he’d said, but he understood wanting to.

“A-Sang should find things to entertain his hands when his body can’t run around or draw,” Lan Xichen said, “It will help.”

Nie Huaisang eyed him for a moment. It seemed like he was slowly leading in to tell him to practice swordplay, to keep him entertained. He wouldn’t know what to say to that. Lan Xichen didn’t seem like the type to particularly enjoy swordplay in the same way most disciples were expected to. He played music and read romantic stories. Was he really going to suggest swordplay?

“Does A-Sang know how to braid?” Lan Xichen asked. Nie Huaisang stared at him.

“No.”

“It keeps your hands busy. Perhaps it will help you allow Da-ge to focus a bit more when he’s studying, it’s a very important skill,” Lan Xichen suggested. Nie Huaisang nodded and walked a bit closer to him. He sat down beside him again and stared up at him.

“Okay.”

Lan Xichen smiled and pulled some of his own hair over his shoulder, separating it into three separate strands. He showed him the proper way to cross them slowly and didn’t say a word when Nie Huaisang leaned in super close to get a better look. When Nie Huaisang took his own hair and tried to copy him, Lan Xichen offered him ample amounts of patience even as he messed up over and over. He never once got frustrated when he was playing his xiao or chasing rabbits or braiding hair. Nie Huaisang considered asking to stay here with him forever.

“In a few years, you’ll come to study at the Cloud Recesses with other disciples your age,” Lan Xichen said softly, smiling and nodding in approval as Nie Huaisang finally got the hang of the braids, “It will be very beneficial if A-Sang finds tasks that keep his hands occupied and his mind free. You have all the makings of a very strong cultivator. You learn very quickly.”

Nie Huaisang didn’t have the right words for that. He had no real interest in being a strong cultivator. He’d much rather live a life full of stories and spending time with pretty people like Lan Xichen who played music for him and helped him break the rules. But he couldn’t say that.

He had to follow the rules and he had to do as he was told.

Nie Huaisang smiled, doing his best to copy the way that he’d seen Lan Xichen smile. “Thank you, Er-ge.”

“Nie Mingjue, your Da-ge, is a very strong cultivator,” Lan Xichen went on, “One of the strongest of all the junior disciples here, but he has a bit of a temper. If A-Sang studies and practices and keeps his smile and his wits, I think the two of you could make a rather unstoppable team.”

“Like the brothers in that story Da-ge read where they fought all the bad guys all by themselves?” Nie Huaisang asked. Lan Xichen nodded firmly and smiled.

“Brotherhood is very important and so is balance. A-Sang balances Da-ge very well. The Nie Sect has had many fearsome and angry warriors‒it seems all of the light has been saved for you,” Lan Xichen said fondly. Nie Huaisang felt his cheeks grow a bit warm at the praise. “And you bring out the light in your Da-ge. One day, the two of you could be legendary leaders together. A-Sang must take care of Da-ge the way Da-ge takes care of A-Sang.”

Nie Huaisang nodded, never breaking eye contact. It seemed important not to. He never saw Da-ge as someone that needed to be taken care of, but Lan Xichen maybe knew more than him. Maybe they could.

As fun and smart as Lan Xichen was, Nie Huaisang felt infinitely more at ease when they got to the room he and Da-ge shared. He immediately barrelled into his brother for a hug and clutched him tight. Da-ge, for all his angry stares, pet his head and put a hand on his back to hold him in place.

“Did A-Sang have fun with Xichen?” Da-ge asked. Nie Huaisang nodded against his stomach.

“He taught me his xiao,” he said, “And he taught me how to braid. He said it was a very important skill.”

“Important?”

“Yes, he said so,” Nie Huaisang argued.

“I did say so,” Lan Xichen’s soft voice said. Nie Huaisang twisted his head just enough to see him politely standing in the doorway.

“Thank you, Xichen,” Da-ge said, taking his hands off Nie Huaisang just long enough to bow. They went back to his hair and his back once he was done.

“My pleasure,” Lan Xichen said, “I take great pride in being entrusted with Nie-gongzi’s most sacred of weapons.”

Da-ge hummed in a noncommittal fashion, petting Nie Huaisang’s head perhaps a little too rough. He didn’t mind as he hugged his brother a little tighter in retaliation. Da-ge never asked for hugs, but when he did things like that it usually meant he wanted one. Or, at least, wouldn’t reject one.

“Both Nie-gongzi and A-Sang should attend dinner with Grandmaster tomorrow evening,” Lan Xichen suggested, “It would be good for Grandmaster to meet you both.”

“Would it?” Da-ge asked, his tone of voice suggesting a little more than Nie Huaisang could put together. He tilted his head up to see if there was anything on his face giving it away.

Then, he remembered the way their father screamed and sent them both to punishment for little things and instilled fear in so many and yet still got praised with ‘at least he’s nicer than the previous Sect Leader’. That and Lan Xichen’s mention of Da-ge having a bad temper. Maybe that’s what it was.

“It would,” Lan Xichen said calmly, “Because then this disciple would not have to explain when I ask to attend with Nie-gongzi on my own.”

Da-ge was quiet for a very, very long time. So Nie Huaisang spoke for him.

“A-Sang thinks that’s very important,” he said, echoing the way Lan Xichen had spoken earlier in the day. The smile he got in return from the storybook-like man made it worth every effort.

“Okay,” Da-ge said, “Okay.”

“Okay,” Lan Xichen replied, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Er-ge!”

“A-Sang.”

“Goodnight, Nie-er-gongzi,” Lan Xichen said, amusement in his voice even though he gave him a stern face and bowed deeply for Nie Huaisang to earn a laugh. He stood up straight with a smile and looked over his head to Da-ge. “Goodnight, Mingjue.”

“Goodnight, Xichen.”

Lan Xichen exited with that same ease he always carried. He seemed to float. Had A-Sang not felt his strength with his own hand, he might’ve thought he was simply air itself. The moment he was gone out of sight, though, Da-ge grabbed Nie Huaisang’s wrists and pulled him off his feet. Nie Huaisang laughed as he wrapped his arms around his brother’s neck and got a proper hug.

Da-ge breathed in deep as he squeezed him tight and breathed out. Nie Huaisang suddenly understood what Lan Xichen meant about taking care of his brother a little bit better.

“A-Sang missed Da-ge,” he said. Da-ge didn’t respond as he just held him for a little while. He wondered just how big he would have to get before he stopped lifting him in the air liked that.

He hoped he never got too big.

After they retrieved their dinner for the night and brought it back to their room, Nie Huaisang was finally allowed a bit of freedom. He ate while he talked and ate while he wandered around the room, looking at all the little things the Lan Sect put in their dormitories. He’d already looked at most of them, but they were usually too interested to ignore.

Eventually, Da-ge let him get a hold of his hair and he started adding braids everywhere he could. He didn’t fight him about or even look at him like he was angry, he just let him do whatever he wanted. He was his favorite person in the world.

“Did Da-ge study?” Nie Huaisang asked, again remembering what Lan Xichen had said as he took a bite off the spoon that Da-ge held out to him.

“I did,” Da-ge said, “There’s too many rules and logistics here and not enough real-world application. I think I would’ve gotten as much knowledge with you asking what everything was the whole time.”

“A-Sang can do that tomorrow.”

Da-ge nodded in agreement.

After a bath and getting into their Lan-white night robes, Nie Huaisang lingered by the cot that had been set up for him when Da-ge had shown up with him attached to his side. It wasn’t usual for disciples to bring siblings too young to study inside the Cloud Recesses, but they’d made an exception after he promised to be on his best behavior. It usually meant sleeping in past Da-ge’s classes and then hanging onto his side after that.

“Sleep, A-Sang,” Da-ge said, lifting him onto the cot. He draped the blanket over him and pet his head.

Da-ge made it all the way to his bed and laid all the way down and extinguished all of the candles before Nie Huaisang slid off of the cot. He tip-toed over and crawled under the blanket, his head popping out of the top beside his brother’s. He didn’t yell at him or tell him to go back to bed, he just gave a tiny little smile and nodded.

“Er-ge looks like the cultivator from the love stories,” Nie Huaisang told him softly. Da-ge breathed in slowly.

“Does he?”

“Er-ge is pretty like them,” he explained. Da-ge didn’t answer, but Nie Huaisang reached out to put his palm on his cheek. He felt warm. “Da-ge thinks Er-ge is pretty.”

“I don’t think anyone is pretty.”

“A-Sang is pretty,” he refuted. Da-ge turned his head to look at him, smiling in that way he only did when there was no one around to say anything. Nie Huaisang smiled wide enough to make up for them both.

“You’re right, A-Sang is very pretty.”

The next morning, it only took a little persuasion to get Da-ge to keep the braids that hung around to frame his face. Nie Huaisang put a handful of random ones in his hair as well so he wouldn’t be embarrassed. It felt fair and Da-ge looked pretty.

By the time they ran into Lan Xichen, it was nearing midday. His eyes lit up and he stepped close, touching one of the braids in Da-ge’s hair.

“Da-ge, your braids! They’re so pretty!” It was the most vibrant Nie Huaisang had ever heard from any Lan disciple, even if it was teasing, and he felt the excitement grow in his chest in response.

“I blame you for this,” Da-ge grumbled, still managing that angry stare even when someone who looked like Lan Xichen was being so friendly. Nie Huaisang bounced onto his toes, laughing slightly.

“This disciple accepts responsibility,” Lan Xichen said, bowing slightly. His playful expression didn’t fade as he looked to Nie Huaisang. “A-Sang did such a good job.”

“Thank you, Er-ge.”

Lan Xichen nodded and stood up a bit straighter. He looked at Da-ge and Da-ge looked at him and they seemed to have a whole conversation without saying a word of it. It ended with Da-ge nodding twice.

“Would A-Sang like to draw while Da-ge studies?” Lan Xichen asked. Nie Huaisang’s eyes widened with excitement and he nodded, accepting Lan Xichen’s hand when he held it out.

The three of them walked to the library together and if he deliberately stayed on his best behavior when Lan Xichen leaned a bit closer to help Da-ge with his calligraphy, they would be none the wiser.

#the untamed #mdzs #nie huaisang #nie mingjue #lan xichen #the untamed fic #mdzs fic #my fic #i love how easy it ease to write flirty scenes when there's so many titles #you call someone bro in modern america and its casual af #but call this guy you only know kinda well da-ge????#the tension #also i just love the idea of NMJ being soft for 2 people and 2 people only

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windlion · 4 years

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Whumptober 2020 - Day 6: Get it out

DMBJ - Reunion:tSoP - Liu Sang and Kan Jian for @choptail TW: Author 3 canonical parasites, AUGH.

—

Kan Jian had enough time to register Liu Sang's eyes, wide and dark and desperate in the glare of his flashlight, before the man more or less ran him over. Kan Jian caught him reflexively, trying to keep both of them on their feet because if your specialist is running, chances are you ought to be running, too.

Instead of attempting to go past him up the narrow goat trail, Liu Sang folded into him, panting harshly. "Thank fuck. Help."

Kan Jian automatically started scanning down Liu Sang's backtrail over his shoulder, looking for what he was running from. Nothing but dark rocks and green vegetation spilling down the mountainside. "What-?"

"Centipedes."

Kan Jian grimaced, "Glowing, technicolored, long as your forearm?"

Instead of replying immediately, Liu Sang dropped his forehead to Kan Jian's shoulder, groaning, "You know them?!"

Kan Jian patted him on the arm, amused despite himself. "Yeah, it's a thing. Nastier than corpse beetles. Where are they?"

Liu Sang steadied himself, straightening and aiming a finger behind him. It looked off target but Kan Jian was willing to bet he was pointing straight to where he heard them. "There's a nest of them in a crevasse about 750 meters up the trail. I think there's a territory line, they stopped following after half a klick."

"Xiao-ge and Laoban will be fine if they run into them, everyone else, not so much." Kan Jian glanced at Liu Sang, giving him time to cover his ears, before letting out a series of whistles high and piercing to warn the others. The uneven rocky terrain of the kharst mountains was hell on radio and cell phone signals, but it made the sound echo long and loud and wild.

He waited, hearing a few message-received responses bounce through the terrain, then turned his attention back to Liu Sang. The man had frozen, hands over his ears, his face gone ashen.

"You okay?"

Liu Sang unceremoniously dropped his backpack and gear to the path, frantically scrabbling out of his jacket. While Kan Jian might have had thoughts about having the pretty boy throw himself into his arms before, the borderline panic on Liu Sang's face definitely killed any and all hopes of it being the right mood.

"Get it out."

Kan Jian didn't get a chance to process that before Liu Sang stripped his shirt over his head, shoving his back towards him. There were bright red lines on the back of his neck, sluggishly bleeding bite marks, and then something flexed under the skin and muscle in a way that made his stomach churn.

It couldn't have felt good, either; Liu Sang dropped his knees with a harsh noise, panting. "Get it out, get it out, get it out--"

Oh, hell. It wouldn't be the first time they'd had to do something like this. Kan Jian grimaced and dropped his gear to go diving for his knife and medical kit. "How many-- is it just one?"

Liu Sang paused, covering his ears again and focusing, then nodded hastily, hands dropping to steady himself kneeling on the ground. "Yeah."

Grabbing the alcohol and his knife, Kan Jian tried to make his voice positive. "Just one, that's not that bad."

Liu Sang's jaw was clenched tight, muscles trembling as Kan Jian ran his hands over his back to find out where the parasite was now. "Yeah, well, I can hear it."

Kan Jian winced as the centipede flinched under his hands, "Sorry?"

"Just kill it first." Liu Sang breathed in and out shakily, then pointed to his own back, a few centimeters over from his spine and thankfully above the kidneys. "Here. Four centimeters deep. Fast."

Kan Jian was a soldier and good at following orders. He didn't hesitate. The knife punched easily through pale skin then crunched into carapace. Liu Sang bit out a sharp cry as the thing spasmed, then stilled. Kan Jian was careful in bringing the knife back out, not wanting to do more damage than he had to. In the wound, he could see glimmers of bright green from the head of the centipede. Liu Sang was still shaking under his left hand, but some of the hysteria was fading from his face.

After a moment, he panted, then whispered, "You got it."

Kan Jian patted his shoulder awkwardly. "That was stage one. It can't stay there."

Liu Sang laughed under his breath, sharp and broken, "Getting stabbed was the easy part. Right."

Kan Jian gently pushed him to sit down on the rocks, then turned to move their gear together to make a steady place to rest the light on. "Not glamorous being a tomb robber."

Liu Sang took the water he pressed into his hands, steadying himself for the next step. For a moment, his shoulders rounded, collapsing into himself, before he straightened decisively. He sounded more like himself as he turned to present his back to Kan Jian's knife again. "It comes with the job. Do it."

Kan Jian hadn't signed up for field surgery, either. He wasn't going to be able to get the images of too many legs writhing through pale skin and muscle, and brightly-colored segmented bodies dripping blood out of his head for awhile. But the job needed doing, and Kan Jian, he was good at getting things done.

#whumptober2020 #no.6 #get it out #parasites #daomu biji #dmbj #fic #Kan Jian and Liu Sang #I'm with Liu Sang I would NOT BE OKAY with that #once it's dead okay yeah sure fine but NOPE NOPE NOPE #Kan Jian has seen too much shit to really be bothered #just one more trauma for the conga line #he's more upset that Liu Sang is upset #but he can't have emotions in the moment #sometimes I write

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aki-draws-things · 4 years

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NaNoWriMo #03

That was supposed to be angstier, and yet... Oh, well... there’s a whole month for me to write some real good angst. (Any comment or idea for future parts is so very welcome, that goes without saying. I may be really slow, and stray from prompts, But you’re gonna have my endless love. Even Though most this month prompts are on Mingjue and Zonghui.... and I’m not sure many people ship them...) aaaaahhh anyway! Day: 03/11/2020

Prompt: Ritual Sacrifice

Ship: None

Word Count: 2234

Qinghe was a cursed realm, every other sect always said that and despite loving it even the Nie sect living there had to agree.

Every region had their own legends made to scare misbehaving children. “If you don't go to bed, the wood spirit will take you.” “Eat everything or the howling demon will come for you at night.”, for some reason it always worked up until a certain, varying age. Then one day those children would learn that the spirits and the demons didn't go after misbehaving children, but after everyone they crossed their path with. “be careful when walking at night.”, their parents' words turned into, instead of the little stories to scare them. The Qinghe children never fell for any of those stories, not even the scariest, most gruesome, other children would tell. But they had some stories of their own.

“there are demons living in the mountain.” Nie HuaiSang said one night in Gusu, his two friends listening close to his story. “Sometimes they get hungry, other times they get angry at the heaven's for having been banished there and they walk down into the woods and into villages.”

“And they take the first born!” Wei WuXian ended, like he knew the story already, well, that was how most legends went after all, but Nie HuaiSang scoffed.

“No. They roam and roam. They destroy and, yes, they kill. So the Elders choose someone pure and just, and this person gets sacrificed to the demons. It is said, - He lowered his voice just a bit. - that this will grant that person's soul immortality because of their selfless sacrifice. I don't really believe that, but the demons leave after the sacrifice, their thirst for blood satisfied.”

Jiang Cheng frowned.

“It doesn't sound like a story…”

“Because it's not.” Nie HuaiSang said. “Qinghe is guarded by demons.”

In truth Qinghe wasn't cursed, not in the proper meaning of the term. The unclean realm was a fortress built as a last defense, circled by mountains and distant from the rivers, the first place most demons would encounter when they descended, and the Nie sect had, for many years, perhaps even centuries, protected the region, all the little villages and the civilians. It was an honor, the elders said, to be born in that family.

“Honor?” HuaiSang asked. “If there's something cursed in Qinghe that's our blood.” And in truth his older brother couldn't help but agree. It was almost like they were personally connected to those demons. Nie members never lived long. But they've never been sacrificed either, bad luck, Elders said, to rob them all of their best protection. At least they were safe from that fate.

Or so they thought.

The demons were led by a woman. Everyone knew that but not many had ever seen her, she left the mountains less times than the rest, older and more used to surviving the blood lust the others experienced.

She was scary, hideous even. Like any demon. She walked among men many more times than people thought, able to change and look like them, she even let some of them try to court her for a day before disappearing. She didn't like to deceive them and, much to the other demons' surprise, she even grew fond of the people of Qinghe.

That didn't stop the call for blood, she still was a demon, a beast. Human souls was what kept them alive, and she liked that life.

“Xiao Nie.” A voice greeted Nie MingJue, coming from the air around him, he was sitting cross-legged in the middle of his chamber, busy in meditation.

“Mysterious voice.” He greeted back, the tiniest smile appearing on his face. “Coming to haunt my meditation hour again?”

The voice laughed and didn't answer him.

“Well, since you're here, - MingJue said again. - you could be helpful. That song you sang last time. It was really calming for my mind, would you mind if I asked you to sing it again?”

And she sang.

It wasn't a language Nie MingJue was familiar with, foreign and yet calming, he couldn't make out the words, nor try to learn them, but the voice was now a constant in his evening meditation, and for some reason he couldn't explain, Nie MingJue trusted that stranger's voice, he had for years by then. Every night she talked to him, she sang and she taught him, she guided him through meditation.

“We'll meet soon, Xiao Nie.” She whispered that night when he finally fell asleep.

Nie MingJue never talked to anyone about that voice, part of him was convinced it was a trick of his mind, the sickness getting hold of his family's mind, maybe that was the beginning. He was still too young to die of qi deviation, despite having had some before, but maybe he was starting to grow sick too.

One night the demons came down. From the mountains, converged silently as ever in the streets of the unclean realm, people shut the doors and windows, they hid in the safety of their homes and prayed.

A demon walked forward in the courtyard and everyone bowed more or less gracefully.

“In one week from now I will return. - Her voice was like melted metal. - bring your sacrifice to the altar and you all will be safe.” Then she turned and the crowd of demons opened to let her pass before following.

No one noticed how Nie MingJue's eyes went wide as she spoke. The familiarity of the sound merging with the voice singing to him. She was a demon, he reminded himself, she can use any voice she wishes, maybe everyone hears a different voice, someone they like or find comforting… Maybe--

“You will have to meditate without me for this week, Xiao Nie.”

He gasped and attracted the attention of the elders and his younger brother.

“Da-ge?”

“Sect Leader is everything…”

“Yes.” He cut them short. “Do what you need to do.” He turned and retreated to his chamber.

Despite the warning he waited for the now familiar company but she didn’t come. Nor she did the following day, or the one after, just like the demon said.

It was strange. Him, Nie MingJue, born and raised in the Unclean Realm, in a Sect that gave sweat and blood to keep the world safe from demons, he who now was leading said sect, he was wishing to hear that voice in his head. A demon’s voice!

“She had been kind to me.” He would try to justify himself. “She never harmed me in any way. She even guided me through meditation.” He said aloud once more, just to himself. “Even Baxia is quiet with her.” So she can’t be too evil, or his Saber would make sure he knows.

Meditation was leading nowhere during that silent week Nie MingJue realized, he got so used to her presence and her voice that the silence was even more distracting, there was no point in trying.

“After this week everything will be back to normal.”

He wondered for a moment if it would actually be, or if knowing would make meditation different. “She’s not evil. I feel it.”

He would ask for her name, next time, so that he could properly greet her. One leader to another.

“It’s the obvious decision.”

“But… He’s a Nie.”

“He’s useless. The Sect will be much better without him.”

“The Sect Leader will oppose.”

“Ah! Let him talk, that child. He acts all big and strong and what he is in truth? An overgrown boy.”

“He still has the final word.”

“Oh, but don’t worry about that, he will understand our reasons. More and quicker than you.”

“But…”

“Sect Leader Nie. It’s time.”

The Elders gathered in the council room, before them Nie MingJue sat behind a desk, Nie HuaiSang stood by his side, anxiously shifting from one foot to the other. Everything would end in a couple of hours and for at least six months Qinghe would be able to forget the demons and their blood sacrifices, families will sigh in relief and him and His brother would pay a visit to the family of the chose sacrifice. Then everything back to normal. Why did he feel so anxious then? What was that fear crawling in his chest and wrapping cold fingers around his heart? He swallowed.

“So? - Nie MingJue asked. - Who is the one?”

The Elders spokesman lifted a hand without speaking, his finger pointed straight at Nie HuaiSang.

“Wh— What?” He managed to whisper, mouth suddenly dry. Nie MingJue looked back and forth between his paling little brother and the Elders wondering when they all went insane.

“I thought the rules forbid a Member of the family to be given in sacrifice.”

“There are certain… reasons that would make the rules bend. - The man explained and he almost sounded valid, except he was too mechanic not to have studied beforehand those very words. - The Queen herself came here, we can’t simply offerer a farm girl or a young boy. We need something more.”

“Then find something more.” Nie MingJue growled, two soldiers moved to grab HuaiSang but immediately stilled as Baxia flew from her sheath in front of them, trembling in rage.

“Sect leader, you must understand.”

“Find your more. And I’ll find a way to stop this blood madness.” “I will talk to her, she will listen, I can find a way that will suit both, I… I’m turning my back to the rules of my family…”

“There is no more time. He’s the best candidate, whether you like it or not, Young Master. He’s no use to the Sect anyway.”

“Da-ge!” Hands grabbed Nie Huaisang’s arms and dragged him out of the room to get ready. Soon Nie MingJue was left alone. His brother, his only little brother sentenced to death and he could do nothing to avoid it.

Or… No, maybe he could.

He didn’t have much time before the sacrifice ceremony start, but he had enough.

Dismissing the usual robes to the ceremony ones was fast, finding the golden jewels he had laying around a little slower, he never wore them much. Making the braids, that took him way longer than expected, but in the end the result wasn't as bad as he feared, white and gold beads shone under the lights of the candle, barely a shadow of golden make up over his eyes. HuaiSang would complain that his style was too plain, that he needed more colors and details, something red perhaps. But HuaiSang wasn’t there. He threw a cape and covered his head with a hood before leaving the room without turning back. Baxia rattled for a moment in her sheath then went still, he trained her well, Nie MingJue thought, she understood. He asked for her forgiveness, but her voice was silent.

The demon’s Queen was clothed in gold and red, standing above the silvery white altar and waiting, far more patient and calm than all the other demons and spirits.

“Bring him forth.” Nie HuaiSang almost tripped as strong arms dragged him toward the altar, tears streaming down his face; that shouldn’t happen, he was a Nie, He should have been safe, he—

“Stop!” Nie MingJue’s voice ringed through the crowd, he walked ahead, he tried to look fearless, glad that they couldn’t hear his heart hammer fast against his ribcage. “I will go. I will do it.” He turned to look at the Elders, daring them to stop him, they wouldn’t, he knew it, they couldn’t risk of being accused to go against their Sect leader, no matter how young he was.

“You can’t! Da-ge, you ca—” HuaiSang ran to him grabbed his robes and pulled at them weakly. “You can’t. I… I don’t know what to do…”

“Oh, but you know, HuaiSang. - He said smiling. - You’re far better than what they all think, you’re strong and capable. And you’re going to be a great leader for Qinghe. Listened to them, and then ignore their words because you know better.” He pushed him back lightly. “You have it in your blood as a Nie, you will know what to do. When it’s time, it will be clear.”

He kneel on the altar and let the outer robe fall on the ground, looking up and meeting the demon’s eyes, she looked almost surprised, definitely intrigued by that change. Maybe a little saddened too, or perhaps it was the candle light giving MingJue that idea. Why should she look sad?

“Would you mind if I ask you something?” She unsheathed the silver dagger and teared open the robe in a swift movement, the blade briefly tangling with a golden necklace. “Your name. - Nie MingJue continued, unfazed by the weapon and by his fate. - I was going to ask the next time but there won’t be a next, so…”

She leaned closer, pure white hair falling to cover her face, she hummed a song Nie MingJue heard many times over the years during meditation, but for the first time he understood a couple of words. “Oh, Sweet soul of mine.” The dagger went through his heart and he gasped , blood trickling down from his lips on the altar, he felt himself fading, his brother’s voice broken as he called him, and then… then he heard her, and it was like he had always known.

“Baxia.”

#nie mingjue #nie huaisang #baxia #demon baxia #tw main character death #ritual sacrifice #the untamed #cql #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #mdzs fic #fanfic #nanowrimo 2020 #angst collection in cultivation #aki writes

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canary3d-obsessed · 3 years

Text

Lost Tomb Reboot Lewks: Part 12

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for both seasons of The Lost Tomb Reboot

Look 61

The first look is Wu Xie’s road trip outfit, which includes this grey and white jacket. It has a contrasting elastic waistband, cuffs, and neckline, and slanted pockets.

This is exactly the sort of jacket that my 5th grade science teacher would have worn in 1979, and she would have slayed in it. She awakened something in me and it wasn’t love of STEM. (Spock was responsible for my love of STEM, and various other awakenings in 5th-grade me) I’m sure it would still look great on her, because she is probably a silver haired foxy granny now, and that’s who this jacket belongs on in the current century.

Wu Xie should never have gotten within a mile of this old lady jacket.

To clarify, I’m not being gender-essentialist here; I’m being ageist. If this jacket had some contemporary detailing or interesting features to offset its last-century vibe, the way Bai Haotian’s green roller derby jacket does, it would be fine even though I’m not a fan of this sort of collar in menswear. But it’s just a nicely-made old lady jacket. Mary Berry could bake a nice cake while wearing this jacket.

Note: Liu Sang could wear the hell out of this jacket, of course, because that man can wear literally anything and make it look like it’s made of spun pheromones.

(more after the cut!)

Wu Xie eventually improves this look by taking the jacket off and giving the camera operator a nice long look at his ass. He’s wearing dark jeans and a long-sleeve white thermal shirt, which is a great improvement.

Look 62

The granny jacket is contrasted by the blessed arrival of Huo Daofu’s daddy jacket, and the rest of the clothing that Huo Daofu is wearing with it. This is a dark green jacket with a nipped in waist, military styling, and invisible stitching that says "obey" You can't see it, but oh, it's there.

He's wearing this jacket of domination with jeans so tight they appear to be made of paint. I approve of these jeans so much that I might need to take a break from writing for a moment.

Instead of shoes he’s opted for a pair of tall riding boots, just in case anyone failed to get the message.

He finishes off this look with gold rimmed glasses, pomegranate-toned lips, and an air of authority so strong that even Pangzi does what he tells him to with minimal back chat.

Later the jacket comes off, so he can wrap it solicitously around the shoulders of a person who is already wearing a perfectly good jacket. OP looks up “service top” in the dictionary.

Underneath, Huo Daofu is wearing a grey houndstooth waistcoat. Shen Wei’s tailor would gnash his teeth in envy, if he saw the cut of this vest. This tops off a warm-toned brown shirt worn with a silver-toned watch. The watch is...round, and it tells time. He’s wearing a brown belt with his black jeans. Huo Daofu is great at combining warm and cool, formal and casual, in a single look.

Look at this dapper bitch. Slaying this hard has got to be against his Hippocratic oath.

This jacket-free look is combined with hip posture so provocative that it sends Wu Xie into a hasty search for the last scraps of his heteronormative assumptions. Xiao Bai does her best to help.

Look 63

The beards.

OP's family of origin is full of hairy visigoths, so Pangzi's beard is a style I've encountered before, alas. We call this a [US] Civil War beard. This one is terrible and lopsided, but at least it covers a lot of Pangzi’s face.

Wu Xie’s fake facial hair isn't terrible, but isn't great. You can tell it’s fake because everything about Zhu Yilong is inherently lovely, and this isn’t.

Also, it's a ridiculous idea for a disguise. Wu Xie's close-trimmed chin patch and mustache are nice style, very typical for a Chinese dude. They let Wu Xie’s lovely facial structure continue to do its thing while they just provide a bit of an accent. But this is a problem, because they don't change his appearance in any meaningful way; his cheekbones are still visible from orbit.

He’s wearing this facial hair and cap with the same vest he wore earlier to practice slingshot. This time he's accessorizing with a simple tan jacket, with an interesting buttonhole detail...

...and with an attractive human IV stand.

Doctor doctor, give me the news, I've got a bad case of loving you you loving me.

Look 64

This look belongs to the man that Jia Kezale’s wife has replaced him with. We have to infer his look based on his shoes, and that he is presumably in the same league as the extremely hot Jia Kezale.

Based on these shoes, which are very nice, if a little weathered, Huarache-style loafers, this other man in her life also presumably wears linen trousers and a guayabera shirt.

*mentally pictures this person*

ok, I guess I don't blame her.

[Image, and shirts, from cubavera dot com]

Look 65

After having his IV fluids, Wu Xie goes for a nighttime motorbike ride, because he apparently needs to go way up on a hill to see that the hotel he’s staying in is circular.

So, what is with the Ultraman motorcycle helmet? Does it have any padding or insulation at all? Why doesn’t it cover more than 40 percent of his head and face?

And shouldn't it have a chin strap? How does it stay on in a crash? I mean yes I know this is a show with sentient crustaceans...yeah, never mind. I’m sure that’s a super effective helmet.

Once the rain starts, his mustache and beard look better. Still not great, but better. Here he looks like he’s cosplaying as Zhou Yunlan.

Now he’s wet and lying on the ground because...oh, hell if I remember. Just look at him, poor moist snookums. He needs a blankie and a hot tea and a hurt-comfort fic about him and his doctor.

This look gives the newest members of the polycule an opportunity to demonstrate their devotion, as they haul him off the motorcycle and over to a wall, and then continue to stand in the rain, for some reason, instead of going indoors.

I gotta say, when a producer decides to pour water on Zhu Yilong, they commit to it.

Speaking of commitment, here’s Huo Daofu holding his hand up over Wu Xie’s face like a tiny umbrella.

Bonus 1

Look at the yellow duffle coat on that kid. She looks beautiful and classic, and the mustard yellow color just pops so nicely in this scene.

The mustard yellow also visually marks her allegiance to gold-dragon-wearing Xue Wu.

Bonus 2

This look is Wu Xie’s antique-scheming outfit, but now he is wearing the Sunglasses of Manpain. They belong to Pangzi, but Wu Xie is wearing them while he waits for Pangzi to collect his angst from the morgue.

These sunglasses are good to wear while contemplating the fact that, despite the many differences in narrative tropes between Chinese and Western media, the one where a female character is hurt and/or dies merely to further a male character's emotional development remains a constant.

That said, this is a nice small signifier of their relationship, as he puts these glasses on Pangzi, allowing him to hide his feelings, while hugging him, allowing him to express his feelings.

#dbmj #wu xie #the lost tomb reboot #reunion: the sound of the providence #huo daofu #canary3d-original #lost tomb lewks #my gifs

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