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masterqwertster · 1 year

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Soul Bloom AU

Also known as the fic Full-time Soulmates, Part-time Problems

This is mostly the behind-the-scenes lots of mechanics and stuff from my author's notes and comment replies

Who Blooms What

Ages (as of Campaign 3) and Flowers: Chetney- 400+ dogwood (credit SalamanderMeander) Laudna- 53 marigold Ashton- 30 thistle (I selected/guessed age) Orym- 34-35 lavender (credit SalamanderMeander) Imogen- 28 camelia Dorian- 27 blue orchid Fearne- 14/112 belladonna FCG- 4/1000? sunflower Fy'ra Rai- 33 fire lily (I selected/guessed age) Dariax- 27 dandelion Opal- 19 rose (starts pink, turns black upon either attuning to the Circlet of Barbed Vision or agreeing to be the Spider Queen's Champion Deanna- 200+ lotus FRIDA- 2/1000? gerbera daisy (green, possibly some blue and yellow upon dating FCG)

Soulmate Groups

Bells Hells

The Crown Keepers (Morrighan and Cyrus not included)

Deanna & FRIDA

Term to Know

Poke- pricking the hand to make a bloom appear on a soulmate

How Soul Blooms Work

Soul blooms are magic and don't create "real" flowers. In practice this means that they lack medicinal or poisonous properties and will dissipate into the ether once they leave a roughly one foot radius of the person they bloomed from, as well as only having a scent to those in the soulmate group (which makes stealthing still feasible when you don't/can't leave a trail of suspicious petals laying around or be covered in stinky flowers). Soul blooms also never wither, so if you can manage to keep a bloom within that radius, it'll last as long as you do.

You can't use soul blooms for divination magic. Or at least, not as the only targeting focus. Like, a soul bloom can help you hone in on the soulmate for a Scry spell, but if you try to scry on a soulmate you've never met using the bloom, you'll get nothing because it connects to the sender and everyone who receives them (including the person it bloomed on), thus confusing the spell.

Soul blooms occur when a person bleeds from an injury into open air as blooms inside the body would be bad, and bruises are, technically, internal bleeding. I count inside of the mouth, nose, and ears as internal as well, in that while there is still exposure to the outside, it would be highly inconvenient to life-threatening to have flowers bloom there. Airways need to be clear and many flowers do not fit inside the ear canal.

Things like wings, horns, and tails, which not all races have, bloom at the point of contact. Like tail injuries bloom on the tail bone of those without a tail, horn injuries wherever the base of the horn would be on the soulmate, wings at the shoulder blade connection point, etc. And the blooms are more about volume in that space than the details of the injury, so the soulmates without those body parts get more of an idea of severity than anything.

The Matron of Ravens would get the job of over seeing soul blooms as part of the Fate domain. The correct understanding of her domain in regards to soul blooms is that she protects their sanctity. Magics that would block or falsify a bond are a Big No-No, much like grand necromancy is against Death. The Matron of Ravens does not assign soulmates, just protects the function of the bonds. Much like how she's not the arbiter of Death but a shepherd of passed souls, or minder of Fate's weave but not actually forcing the strings.

Blooms will never change their type of flower (example: baby's breath to dahlias), but can change their coloration (example: red rose to white rose) in accordance to big life/personality changes

Social Customs

Belly buttons are the first scar of most human(oid)s. So older soulmates get what could be colloquially called a "birth bloom" in their bellybutton from the detachment of the umbilical cord. Races that don't have bellybuttons, mainly the avian and reptilian races, will often have a ritualistic prick of the child upon birth to announce their presence to theoretic soulmates, if the eggshell doesn't nick them in the hatching. Traditionally, once a birth bloom is noticed, the soulmates will poke back. Children younger than 10 will be pricked on the back of the hand, usually by the parents/guardians. Those older than ten will prick a finger tip, usually the pointer, though some will select a different finger. And because some races live centuries, tradition also has an additional fingertip prick for each century lived as an indicator for that extreme age difference and what races one's soulmate could be.

Two other reasons exist for back of the hand pokes:

Infirmness: the individual who is to send a poke as either a request to be poked back or to poke back themself is in a condition that makes it difficult or impossible for them to perform the prick without doing more damage than necessary. It's sort of the same premise as children under 10 are discouraged from poking on their own: you don't want people full-on stabbing their own hand.

Chain Pokes: in larger soulmate groups, finding other members is signified by clasping hands and pricking each other on the back of those clasped hands simultaneously. Or in larger congregations that aren't the full group, making a chain-loop of clasping the next person's wrist for the simultaneous poke. Technically, doing it to each other isn't necessary, but most enjoy the intimate ritual to it.

Probably one of the worst social taboos (of any Soulmate AU) is to intentionally and maliciously harm your soulmate. It's not something that's going to happen too often, given the nature of soulmates is someone who loves you wholly in some capacity (romantic, platonic, familial, a mixture), but it can happen. Usually after a metric-fuck-ton of trauma that crushes empathy and compassion and capacity for love gets involved.

#MQ AU machine #soul bloom au #critical role #bells hells

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pacificwaternymph · 1 year

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Sausage used to be very sweet and was great friends with pearl and a good older brother but as he got older the propaganda got to him he acts similar to how the evil sausage is like(he gets better)

In this au Sausage is part of the Wither Rose Alliance, which is this world's Order of the White Lotus

So he's actually actively trying to take apart the fire nation rather than falling victim to its propaganda

#atla au #the four empires au

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ao3feed-xicheng · 10 months

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freezing winter embraces withering lotus

by beefdogcoffee ‘Forever’ – To claim to be able to love someone forever, is a really daring thing to do– And, to love someone, forever– was like attempting the impossible– especially when said person was no longer with you.. ∘₊✧──────✧₊∘ For mortals, he was the Thunder Master, someone to be praised and respected– someone to be looked upto. Yet, for the gods, he was someone to be mocked and made fun of– a laughing-stock, a mere joke. The calamity of frost– ‘Freezing Winter Embraces Withering Lotus’ was a mystery among the three realms– The second born natural calamity, to ever exist. Yet, the supreme had only ever made two appearances, one of them being its origin. ∘₊✧──────✧₊∘ After a series of events occur, when paths of old acquaintances clash again– Things happen. Nothing much has changed; yet, everything seems to have changed. Is there more to everything that meets the eye? Is the ghost really a ghost, or is the god really a god? Who really is the one behind the series of strange events? Will the old acquaintances be able to figure it out? Or, will their meeting cause new problems to arise? Words: 1921, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 1 of XiCheng TGCF AU Fandoms: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: M/M Characters: Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Huā Chéng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Jīn Líng | Jīn Rúlán, Mù Qíng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Fēng Xìn (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Péi Míng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Yǔshī Huáng Relationships: Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín/Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín & Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín & Jīn Líng | Jīn Rúlán Additional Tags: Immortal Jīn Líng | Jīn Rúlán, Thunder God Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Crossover, Dark Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Slow Burn, slow updates..., Crossdressing, except its for a mission, Jiang Cheng in a wedding dress, actually this is what prompted me to write the fic, slow updates.., hualian adopt jiang cheng except jiang cheng doesnt know about it, JIANG CHENG IS FENGQING'S SECRET LOVE CHILD ????, Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added via https://ift.tt/RIJAPGD

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #xicheng #jiang cheng #lan xichen #mdzs #cql

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rosethornewrites · 1 year

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12/26-1/9 T & G reading

The usual

Finished

Teen:

snow on the beach, by faerietell

“Lan Zhaaaaaan,” a familiar voice cried out. Well, there went his peace and quiet.

Lan Zhan opened his eyes just as Wei Ying flew at him, looping his arms around Lan Zhan’s neck, teeth chattering. “Lan Zhaaaan. I’m so cold! It doesn’t get cold like this in Yunmeng. Look, my hands are freezing!”

Wei Ying easily gets cold.

Bright Voice Roughly Rendered Softly Silent, by Preludian_Staves (13 chapters)

The fight between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian after the Fall of Lotus Pier goes differently, changing the course of events that should follow, but now don't.

Lan Wangji goes looking for the boy that captured his heart. (Also known as Wei Wuxian goes to the Gusu Lan earlier than in canon)

crushed ceramic, by doyeorem (pomellogranate)

Wei Wuxian falls several feet from a cliff, and then startles awake in the center of a bloody array with a heaving gasp. He’s supine on the dusty floor, limbs askew, his hair in such a state not even a rat would make a home in it. Four scars line his arm, and his entire body is screaming with pain. It’s like he’s been dropped into the Burial Mounds again, but instead of mindless corpses trying to tear him apart with their teeth, or colder than ice resentment burning through his meridians, it’s his soul turning on him.

He gasps again, and screams for his brother.

Wei Wuxian is resurrected, but the state of his soul is precarious. Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling seek to rectify this, but it will require some precautionary measures.

A Place for Fury, by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (2nd in a series)

There was a pain growing in Lan Zhan's chest and he recognized it as an old enemy. It had been a while since he’d had to truly struggle with his grief; not since he’d recovered from his punishment and left seclusion. Usually he wore it without shame.

Eventually he came to a walled courtyard; one that was slightly at odds with the surrounding architecture. Lotus Pier was built for natural light and to keep the air moving. Even the doors had large slats built into them.

He could see trees over the top of the wall and guessed it was a shaded garden; a place to retreat from Yunmeng’s relentless summer sun. Someone inside was playing music; a lazy tune played on a paixiao that tugged at the edges of his memory even though he couldn’t place where he’d heard it before. The garden gate, a large reinforced door, was shut and barred. Lan Zhan interpreted that as a typically Jiang-style hint that the garden was not open to visitors.

The song ended and seamlessly transitioned into a new melody that rooted Lan Zhan in place right where he stood.

He knew that song.

Or: that one where Lan Zhan catches up.

These Words on Your Skin (And Mine), by geethr75 (7 chapters)

The names of the people you love appear on your skin in the colour of their Sects, but when they die, the words burn away to form black lines.

Once, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian had almost the same words on their bodies till Wei Wuxian dies and returns with a body devoid of any words, and Jiang Cheng the only one who remembers the names of the people whose names he once bore.

THIS FIC IS EXTREMELY JIANG CHENG FRIENDLY

When has silence saved anyone?, by Vrishchika (reread, locked to ao3 accounts only)

Wei Wuxian accidentally lets it slip that Lan Xichen called him Lan Wangji's only mistake. Neither his husband nor his son are happy about it.

Scars Etched in Heart and Mind, by silver_sun (2 chapters)

Canon divergent au from the last few minutes of The Untamed.

It tears at Lan Wangji's heart to let Wei Wuxian walk off in to the Jianghu without him. Yet he feels powerless to do anything else, certain Wei Wuxian needs his freedom, which he will not have if he remains with him in the Cloud Recesses. Walking back, alone once more, he breaks.

song of..., by HandsOfGold

Since the death of Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji has been withering away.

General:

A Dark Red Rose, by Luna - Soul (soulmatchmaker) (6 chapters)

Lan Wangji was just a regular person, doing his job and more often than not visiting a certain coffee shop.

However, one day he lays eyes upon a person who flips his world (and heart) around.

a kiss on the nape (is better than the lips), by Accidental_Child

The intimate, intricate ritual of doing your husbands makeup

every cloud has a silver lining, by thelastdboy

In the summer before A-Ying’s fifth birthday, he and his parents made a stop in Yiling. His parents left to night-hunt and never returned.

Two years later, an unimaginable devastation hit Qishan, when the volcano under Buyetian erupted. The main branch of the Wen Sect was eradicated and the survivors of the branch left to search for a new home.

Their paths crossed and A-Ying became part of their family. Years later, they found a new home at the outskirts of Gusu.

The Porcelain Lotus of Yungmeng, by The Feels Whale (miscellea)

Jiang Cheng was getting better at controlling his outbursts. He didn’t often bother, but he wanted a good deal on the saffron silk so he bit back the first furious bellow that threatened to escape him.

“He’s dead," he bit out. “At the siege at Nightless City.” He didn’t clarify which siege as old man Guo seemed to be one of the ten or so remaining people in the world who didn’t know Wei Wuxian had been the Yiling Patriarch.

He expected condolences and to be honest it would be nice, just once, if someone’s response to that revelation was something other than ‘well, good.’ Jiang Cheng’s anger at Wei Wuxian burned hot and cold. Most of the time he wanted to stab him properly. Other times the thing he couldn’t forgive was Wei Wuxian tearing free of Lan Wangji’s grip.

Old man Guo just blinked in confusion.

“Is he?” He scratched the back of his neck. “I must have been mistaken. Well that explains it, I suppose. I’d wondered why he didn’t recognize me.”

Or: that one where Wei Wuxian doesn't die at the Siege of Nightless City and Jiang Cheng finds him first.

Lan Qiren's Worst Day, by bluesloth (4 chapters)

Wei Wuxian fell asleep working on one of his projects in the Demon Slaughtering Cave.

Lan Qiren went to sleep at exactly nine.

They woke up in each other's bodies.

Unfinished

Teen:

In Walls of Glass, by Comfect

Lán Qǐrén thinks about different Lan rules when Wei Wuxian brings up resentful cultivation in class.

Everything goes better from there.

Seriously, everything.

You Saved Us, by Skyeriz

Wei Wuxian didn’t know since when he had this gift, he only remember his parent's death because of it

He remembered only a few things from his past, he will forever be glad he still remembers his parents loving figures.

He remembered the words his mother said to him while looking at his mother's exhausted eyes and his father's worried face.

“A-ying…. this gift, you must use it to help others, promise me don’t use it for any bad purpose okay”

His mother asked for a pinkie promise, and A-ying can never deny his mother's request so he took his mama’s finger and wrapped it in his own little finger.

Even though he still did not understand what gift his mother referred to.

Or the story where Wei Wuxian has a gift and chooses to go around making everyone happy, but he doesn’t know he also makes family along the way.

Shimei, A-Mei, A-Li, by fructosebat (locked to ao3 accounts only)

At age 8, several days after Jiang-shushu had brought Wei Ying back to Lotus Pier, Wei Ying called Jiang Yanli ‘A-mei’ in Madame Yu’s hearing and was subsequently hit once with Madame Yu’s spiritual weapon, a whip made of lightning called Zidian. It was not Wei Ying’s first time being struck—he’d had plenty of that as a beggar child on the streets of Yiling—but it was his first time encountering a spiritual weapon in such a way and he couldn’t help but cry out in pain and surprise.

“You’re not her brother,” spat Madame Yu.

***

Or: what if Jiang Yanli was the youngest?

The Shadow Land, by rymyanna

Darkness was growing in Yiling, the rumors said. It had started in a small corner of the territory and spread over the nearby towns and fields. No one the shadows swallowed was ever seen again.

The sects wanted to investigate but only one person may enter the barrier: Lan Wangji.

What has long been concealed, by Gaby007

The Burial Mounds change everything falling in their grasp, Wei Wuxian is well-placed to know it. Lan Wangji is rather nonplussed when he learns his beloved's secret yet seizes the opportunity to finally bring the Yiling Patriarch to Gusu and keep him safe.

Now, he just has to keep Wei Ying hidden from the cultivation world, and maybe he will get to learn some secrets of the Lan sect as he does.

Hand in Hand Together (All Your Life), by sami (37th in a series)

He tells his sister, "There's a little boy in Yiling with no parents and he's in trouble. We have to go and find him."

His sister smiles and says, "This is a good story, A-Cheng. Tell me more."

"It's not a story," he says. He's frustrated by his own childish petulance, but he can't seem to stop it. "I'm from the future. I know."

His sister laughs, and he glares, and then she clears her throat and stops laughing, but still has a small, indulgent smile. "Of course, A-Cheng," she says. "And what's this little boy's name?"

"Wei Ying," he says, and his sister's smile freezes. "His name is Wei Ying, and his parents are Zangse Sanren and Wei Changze, and something bad has happened to them. Wei Ying is alone in Yiling and he needs help," he insists.

Jiang Cheng starts again from the beginning.

Into the Dark, by milesofheart

Wei Ying stood at the edge of the cliff, fists clenched and trembling, his face twisted and broken. Blood stained his chin; sweat beaded against his sallow skin. Unacknowledged tears fell from his tortured eyes.

"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji pleaded, ignoring the noise of the battle and the desperate quiver in his own voice. "Come back."

Wei Ying's gray eyes turned toward him, but they were blank, lost and hazy. He knew Wei Ying was in that place again: lost to the agony of his own inner world, beyond the reach of any words.

Lan Wangji had always preferred action anyway.

Before he even finished the thought, he felt the cold bite of Bichen's blade as he pressed it gently against his own neck.

Bruises be damnded red and green, by amykissthedark

If Mingjue were any other man, he too would’ve paled at the sheer power like the Jin insects. If Mingjue were any other man, he too would’ve felt a bile coming up at the distinguished whispers of those black shadows surrounding the man. If Mingjue were any other man, he would’ve missed the trembling of those hands as they let go of Jiang Wanyin’s sleeves, the grimace as he hissed Wangji’s name, and the odd look he gave the Lan as he left them there,

Huh, interesting…

Mingjue was no Huaisang, Mingjue did not enjoy teenage drama yet…

Mingjue was really, really interested,

These Marks Upon My Skin, by LittleNarwhal

Deep in the Burial Mounds the Yiling Patriarch bleeds. Desperate to starve off the madness creeping deep into his soul he tattoos protective charms and talismans across his skin.

This changes everything.

Talking is Better than Silence, by KuroiWrites (blackcatkuroi)

"This path harms the body. Harms the nature of one's heart even more." Lan WangJi spoke those words upon first seeing Wei Wuxian alive after the Burial Mounds, unknowing of the truth.

Wei Wuxian, though, didn't need to be told, and he accepted that he'd lost whatever he might have once had with Lan WangJi. Several nights later, in a moment of drunken weakness under the melancholic light of a full moon, he tells Lan WangJi the Truth. He'd never needed Lan WangJi to spell out his fate for him - he'd known since he walked out of the Burial Mounds alive.

But one small bit of honesty can go a long way, and Talking is far better than Silence.

In My Defence, I Have None (For Never Leaving Well Enough Alone), by SemiLocalCryptid

Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and Wen Ning are unsure of how they feel about Nie Huaisang trapping them in a soul-transferring array that sends them to the past, long before the happy ending they had suffered so much for. Reliving their most traumatic memories is not what they had planned when they went out on a seemingly innocuous nighthunt. But now that they're here, apparently to stay, they have no intention of making the same mistakes twice.

(Or, a Time-Travel AU where Nie Huaisang sends Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Wen Ning, and himself back to their first night at the Cloud Recesses with an agenda: save everyone, especially his brother)

The Twin Ghosts of Yunmeng, by sandupommelfrog

After months of planning to resettle the Wen remnants and stop Wei Wuxian’s terminal decline from demonic cultivation, disaster struck, and Jiang Cheng was left alone, throwing away everything to try to save his brother including his life and his sect. But, he can’t let his own death stop him from his duty to his people or his love for his nephew, and Jiang Cheng breathes again to begin the slog of rebuilding. The years are long, the world is dangerous, and his own health is a daily battle, but Jiang Cheng is not alone this time.

Even with Yunmeng Jiang destroyed, the outside world still fears the vengeance the Twin Ghosts of Yunmeng will wreak upon them, and they will rise again as snakes writhe in Koi Tower and the tangles of deception gradually untwist.

Also a mer au :D

Updates twice a month on mondays!

General:

Lies and Truth, by parodismal

What happen if Lan Wangji decided to actually check Qiongqi Path after Wei Wuxian leave?

....

It leads to a domino effect towards a new Chief Cultivator

Is it a better?

Or worse?

After the end starts a new beginning, by Hellcat8340

It's been a few years since the whole thing with Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are happily married. however, strange beasts are starting to appear and they may or may not be related to the mysterious death of Wei Wuxian's parents.

Love Blooms So Easily, by Evenstarr

Lan Wangji knows his days are numbered when he coughs up a flower petal. Even so, he will never stop loving Wei Ying.

Rating may change later.

#the untamed #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #cql #chen qing ling #untamed fanfiction

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evienyx · 2 years

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I just saw your withered lotus au and immediately devoured all the content for it I could find and it was amazing I love Azula being protective of her brother!!

Please please please can the fire siblings hide out with Piandao, I think the guy could definitely stonewall Iroh

Iroh: have you heard from Prince Zuko?

Piandao: not directly, Last I heard Young Sokka had heard he was still in the Earth Kingdom

Literally just feeds Iroh’s own misinformation back to him

"You once trained Prince Zuko, did you not?" Iroh asked. Piandao's face stayed carefully neutral. "Forgive me if I do not believe that you know nothing."

"I speak the truth," Piandao said curtly, "Fire Lord."

"As I said, forgive me if I don't trust your word on this matter," Iroh replied.

Piandao hummed and bowed his head. "Of course, my Lord."

"I'm sure, then, that you wouldn't mind allowing me and my men inside to look around?"

Piandao allowed his lips to turn down into a frown. "I presumed that you were a man of your word, Fire Lord Iroh."

Iroh blinked. "I like to think that I am."

"You remember our deal, then," Piandao said, raising an eyebrow. "And you know that you are going back on it?"

Iroh pursed his lips, recognition flashing in his eyes. "Of course I remember, Master Piandao. These are... extenuating circumstances, however. Unprecedented."

"Our deal," Piandao said, speaking up to ensure that the White Lotus members flanking Iroh would be able to hear, "Was that you would leave me be. I take my leave from the Order, I stop questioning and arguing against your decisions at the Table, and you allow me to go back to my home and live in peace."

Iroh opened his mouth, but Piandao simply raised his voice and continued to speak.

"Additionally, you agreed to not contact me unless it was an emergency, and you agreed to respect my privacy. I believe I have proven myself a trustworthy man, Fire Lord Iroh. If you break your end of the deal, though, I will be forced to break my own."

Iroh's eyes narrowed, almost imperceptibly. "Do you really want to go down that path, Master Piandao?"

"I don't know," Piandao said, eyes locking with Iroh's own. He raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"

Iroh stayed silent.

"You were his swordsmaster," Iroh said after a few moments. "It is not much of a stretch to believe that you will be helping Prince Zuko. Or Princess Azula."

Piandao took in a steady breath. "How do I know that you yourself do not know where Prince Zuko is, Fire Lord?"

Iroh leaned back a bit, his eyes widening. "Why would I be here if I did?"

"A cover-up." Piandao shrugged. "Looking for someone on whom to place blame."

"Blame for what?"

"You tell me."

Silence.

"Why would I be helping him?" Iroh asked. "You know as well as I that Prince Zuko has proven himself a threat."

Piandao's eye twitched. It didn't seem that Iroh noticed, thankfully. "Why would I be helping him?"

"I know nothing about where he is. I would not be here if I did," Iroh said firmly.

Piandao was quiet for a moment. Then, he spoke one more time.

"He was your nephew, was he not?" Piandao asked. "Forgive me if I do not believe that you know nothing."

Iroh said nothing more, and made no move to stop Piandao as he closed the door.

Piandao sighed, hanging his head as his fists rested against the closed doors. After a moment, he turned to Fat, hanging off to the side, and said, "Make sure they stay out. Call me if you need me." The butler nodded, and Piandao moved away and back into the depths of the estate.

"Master Piandao?"

He glanced at the face peeking out from behind a pillar. "Yes, Sokka?"

"Can you come tell Azula that using her firebending in sword training is cheating? Zuko refuses to, and she won't listen to any of the rest of us."

Piandao let out a small huff of air and nodded. "I'm on my way."

Sokka grinned and slipped through one of the doors, and Piandao followed him quietly, his sword resting at his hip and the tiniest of smiles playing on his lips.

#atla fanfic #atla au #ask #ask away #withered lotus au #listen its not really zuko and piandao #but i think its what this ask wwas getting at lmao #this si obviously quite a ways off from the first full story in this au #but regardless

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trilliastra · 3 years

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the meaning of flowers

[all fluff no pain xicheng AU]

“My sister doesn’t live here anymore.” Jiang Cheng says. He is trying not to sound so harsh when talking to other people, but he was in the middle of a much-needed nap after he pulled an all nighter at the animal hospital. Jin Zixuan is living with Jiang Yanli now, he should know better than to still send flowers to her old address.

“Is she Jiang Cheng?” The guy asks just as Jiang Cheng was about to slam the door on his face.

“What.” He arches an eyebrow. “I am Jiang Cheng.”

“Then these flowers are for you.” The guy says, all but shoving the bouquet in Jiang Cheng’s hands.

“But – who –”

“There’s a card.” He answers cheerfully, turning around with a last wave.

Jiang Cheng watches him go, bewildered, and then scrambles to close the door and read the card. No one has ever sent him flowers before, this must be a mistake. But even though he is sure this might be just another prank from Wei Wuxian, his hands are shaking when he opens the little purple envelope – his favorite color, he notices, blushing.

‘Wanyin,’ he reads, ‘congratulations on your promotion! Lan Xichen’

Oh, Jiang Cheng blinks at the words, staring at the name for a long time. It is Lan Xichen’s handwriting, so it cannot be a prank from Wei Wuxian. So that means Lan Xichen took some time to buy flowers for Jiang Cheng – white carnations, white camellias and full red roses.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t know what they mean, never been interested enough to learn about it, but again, he never had a reason to. Holding the card against his chest, Jiang Cheng places the flowers carefully on the table and reaches out for his phone, he has some research to do.

A few days pass and the flowers begin to wilt, Jiang Cheng watches the petals withering sadly, wishing there was a way to keep them alive forever.

He managed to convince himself Lan Xichen didn’t know the meaning behind those specific flowers – pure love? Admiration? Passion? Hah. And he sent a polite message thanking him for the thought, as impersonal as possible, keeping his thoughts and hopes to himself.

He spends most of his days working or at home, ordering take-out and skipping his daily runs at the park, scared he might come face to face with Lan Xichen and make a fool out of himself, babbling out something stupid.

A week after the bouquet, the same guy returns, this time holding a basket that, upon inspection, contains a bottle of wine and other delicacies – chocolate! – and Jiang Cheng is so surprised, he doesn’t notice when the guy rolls his eyes.

“You are Jiang Cheng, right?”

“Yeah.” Jiang Cheng says, immediately, taking the basket and slamming the door on the guy’s face, angrily.

He rummages through the items inside the basket and manages to find another purple card.

‘Wanyin, Wei Wuxian says you’ve been working too hard. I hope you’re healthy. Lan Xichen’

“No.” Jiang Cheng drops the card, angrily, when his heart does a somersault inside his chest. How dare him? Worrying about Jiang Cheng? Buying expensive wine? Fancy cheese and pear jam? Swiss chocolate? “No, no, no.”

He abandons the basket on the table, climbs up the stairs to collapse on his bed and scream against his pillows.

This is ridiculous.

He keeps the wine for a special occasion, but he does eat the cheese.

It was delicious.

Two days! It’s been two days since the basket and now Jiang Cheng finds himself staring at the same guy.

“Are you –”

“What are you,” Jiang Cheng interrupts him, annoyed, “his assistant?”

The guy shrugs. “Yeah.”

Gods.

“What if I don’t accept it?”

The guy looks surprised, as if it never crossed his – or Lan Xichen’s – mind that Jiang Cheng would send him away. “Are you going to?”

Jiang Cheng eyes the new, and smaller, basket, the purple card sticking out. He sighs, hating himself. “No.”

Bath bombs, lemon scented hand cream, moisturizer and aftershave.

‘Wanyin, take care of yourself, please. Lan Xichen’

Jiang Cheng wants to scream.

“Why the fuck is the box moving?” Jiang Cheng asks, eyeing Xu Chen wearily. He’s learned his name after the seventh time he came bearing things – because Jiang Cheng refuses to call them gifts – for him.

Xu Chen struggles to keep his hold on the box as it keeps moving. “Can you help me?”

Jiang Cheng sighs, opening the door wider and letting him place the box on the floor. After Xu Chen straightens, he smiles. “Zewu-jun has a message for you,” he recites, “he says he will be stopping by tonight with food. And also –” he fishes another purple card from his pocket, “this.” Xu Chen smiles brightly. “Have fun!” He says, before walking out of Jiang Cheng’s house, closing the door behind himself.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t have time to fully process the given information, because as soon as the door closes the box begins to bark.

‘Wanyin, so you won’t feel lonely, Lan Xichen’

It’s a collie, Jiang Cheng realizes, Lan Xichen got him a fucking puppy.

“Wanyin,” Lan Xichen smiles when Jiang Cheng opens the door. He’s holding another bottle of wine in one hand and a bag with take-out in the other. Jiang Cheng glares at him so hard, Lan Xichen startles, “oh, should I take it back?”

“She,” Jiang Cheng growls, “it’s a she, her name is Rose because it means love and she’s going nowhere.”

The tip of Lan Xichen’s ear turn an adorable shade of pink and he visibly relaxes, stepping inside the house carefully. “So, I –”

“Are you in love with me?” Jiang Cheng asks, too tired of wondering and lying to himself about the gifts he’s been receiving. No one would do that for a friend. Shit, Jiang Cheng wouldn’t do that for his siblings.

Lan Xichen places the wine and the bags on the table slowly, turns to Jiang Cheng and offers him a shy smile. “Yes.”

“Good, I’m in love with you too.” Jiang Cheng says, stepping closer and pressing a kiss on Lan Xichen’s lips. He doesn’t linger, knows he wouldn’t be able to stop if they deepened the kiss, but when he pulls back and watches Lan Xichen smile, he knows there will come a moment for more, perhaps sooner than he expected. “What did you bring?”

“Lotus root soup.” Lan Xichen answers, eyes still closed, a soft smile on his face.

“Great.” Jiang Cheng smiles, pulling Lan Xichen towards the kitchen.

#xicheng #jiang cheng x lan xichen #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #my fic

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raven-moon33 · 3 years

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@dorkshadows @earl-of-221b @melonmass @antidotefortheawkward-art @videogamelover99 (I’m tagging a bunch of people in case Tumblr eats my post again.)

Hello everyone! Happy #jttwfestival2020! I’m so excited to be participating in this event, and am so thrilled at all the new content we’re already getting. Here’s my fill for the prompt Day 3: Role Switch!

I will be cross-posting this on AO3 as well, so feel free to leave a kudos or comment there if you happen to swing by.

Basically, Golden Cicada/Sanzang is the super powerful protector of the group while the other four are severely weakened from their various positions before the journey started and can’t protect themselves all that well on the road.

Some notes on this AU thingum:

- Golden Cicada is asked by Guanyin to help with the journey. He agrees and takes the name Sanzang as his human alias and to hide his true identity from demons who might cause them trouble. (He’s referred to as both Sanzang and Golden Cicada in the story, so let me know if that gets to be too confusing.)

- He wears two golden bracelets that limit his powers so that he can stay on the mortal plane in a semi-human form for as long as the journey will take, although the strain of having his powers limited in such a way is sometimes quite tiring and even painful. (He’s still more than powerful enough to protect the group however, so don’t y’all worry).

- Wukong, Bajie, Wujing, and Bailong are all well aware of who their protector is, but they’re not aware of the whole bracelet/limited powers situation. (At least, as far as Sanzang knows).

Anyways, now that we’re done with all that, on with the prompt fill! I hope you all enjoy! :)

Sanzang was deeply regretting his decision to accompany the pilgrims on their journey. Although the four other members of their group were each powerful in their own ways (especially the monkey, good heavens) they still needed him to guard their journey onwards.

In order for the four celestials-turned-demons to redeem themselves and potentially achieve enlightenment, it was vital they had a guardian overseeing their journey, ensuring they remained on the righteous path, and protecting them from the many dangers their road took them towards.

Perhaps if they were taking this journey earlier-

before Bailong was weakened by decades cut off from the sea-

before Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing lost most of their celestial might from the years of being slowly corrupted from their own demonic behavior and the consumption of human flesh-

before Sun Wukong was trapped under a mountain for five hundred years, once one of the most powerful creatures in existence, withering like a lotus flower locked away from the sun until he became a mere echo of his former self-

perhaps then they would not have needed a protector from the hordes of demons and mortals who sought to end their journey before they could complete it for one reason or another.

But they were not. This was now, and the things of the past could not be changed, only dealt with. So they continued on, however reluctant they might’ve been to do so.

Although the presence of a guardian for the pilgrims was clearly necessary, it most certainly didn’t need to be Golden Cicada himself. The only reason he volunteered to be the guardian of the scripture pilgrims at all was because Bodhisattva Guanyin herself asked it of him, and he never could find it in himself to say no to her. So he took the name Sanzang for his temporary human form and released Wukong from the mountain, beginning their journey west.

So now he was here, less than a year on the road with four demons who clearly didn’t want to be on this journey at all, trying desperately to prevent Wukong from killing. Again.

“Wukong! Stop!” He raised his hand to intercept the golden cudgel, only just stopping it from caving in the cowering bandit’s head. If Wukong was at his full power, the cudgel likely would’ve destroyed Sanzang’s hand (if not more) for the trouble, but as it was the hit left not much more than a stinging sensation reverberating up his arm, easily ignored.

Wukong’s eyes blazed with frustration (whether from Sanzang’s interference or from his own inability to power through that interference as he once might have, Sanzang couldn’t be sure) but his mouth was still tilted in an easy grin and his posture remained casual.

“What is it, little bug? I was just going to give him a tap, a tap! I swear!”

Sanzang couldn’t quite hold back his scoff. “You and I both well know that a ‘tap’ from you is enough to kill an entire army, let alone a single man. I thought you agreed that you wouldn’t kill anymore humans, especially not while on this journey?”

“If they can’t handle someone fighting back, then these bandits have no business trying to steal from people on the road in the first place.” Wukong’s grin became a little more feral when his eyes shifted to the bandit still cowering behind Sanzang. “Or is it alright that they’ve been going after traveling families and elderly folk?” His voice deepened a little into the demonic tone he only got when he was truly angry. “Children?”

“Of course it’s not alright.” Sanzang said with a soft sigh, his grip on the golden cudgel tightening a little to get Wukong’s eyes back on him. “And you know that’s not what I’m saying.” The silence between them grew into a large, tense thing, Wukong’s eyes blazing with the fire of his fury, singing with the memory of his days of havoc, and for a moment Sanzang wondered if they were going to fight once again, like they hadn’t since the very early days.

Back then, Wukong was still so wound tight with frustration at the situation- being freed from the mountain only to be trapped on a journey he wanted no part of, Sanzang having to rescue him from demons so lesser Wukong once probably wouldn’t have even noticed them amongst his horde of monkeys and demons, not even being able to fly on his cloud to make the journey easier or shorter at all, weakened as he was by the weight of Five Finger Mountain- that he’d more often than not lash out at Sanzang over everything, physically and verbally slashing at him with every method available until he either tired himself out, they became distracted by something else, or they managed to reach an uneasy compromise built up of tense silence and avoided glances.

It got better with the addition of the others to their group, levying the tension and anger somewhat with the presence of others who likely better understood and who could commiserate with Wukong’s frustration, but still sometimes there would be an aborted swing of his staff, a grinding of the teeth as he seemed to resist the temptation to bite at Sanzang’s outstretched hand.

But it was getting better, slow as the progress might be. Recently, Wukong even let Sanzang bandage some of his wounds after a particularly rough encounter with a mountain demon, the first time he’d accepted such help from anyone in the year they’d been traveling together.

Sanzang was surprised by how deeply he hoped they wouldn’t slide back into those early days.

It was not only because the constant war of wills had been exhausting, but because he genuinely hoped they could become something approaching friends before the end of their journey together. Sanzang had already become fond of the four demons he watched over, troublesome as they could be at times, but the other three took their cues from the Monkey King. So long as Wukong and Sanzang remained at odds, the others kept their distance from him, figuratively if not literally. (They did share a campfire more often than not, after all.)

And besides that, physical altercations with Wukong were always draining, more than nearly anything else on their journey.

He wasn’t sure if it was because Wukong was still just that powerful (weakened as he might be, it would still be suicide for most to challenge him) or if it was because Sanzang refused to use more than defensive tactics against him when they did fight (regardless of their personal issues, Wukong was still his charge, and he would never knowingly or willingly bring or allow harm to any under his protection), but whatever it was, fights with Wukong could leave him weakened enough to warrant a brief visit to Bodhisattva Guanyin to regain his strength, and he hated leaving the group even for handfuls of minutes, talented as they were at getting themselves into trouble even when he was there.

But luckily, Wukong didn’t seem to want a fight either. With a brief glance at the golden bands wrapped firmly around Sanzang’s wrists, the anger seemed to leech out of the monkey completely. (Not for the first time, Sanzang wondered if Wukong knew more about the bracelets than he was letting on, but now wasn’t the time to question him about it.)

Wukong rolled his eyes and took a step back, tugging his staff out of Sanzang’s grasp. He twirled it until the golden cudgel rested across his shoulders, both arms hanging off it casually.

“Right right, ‘doing wrong unto those who have wronged will not undo their wrongs, only add to your own’, and all that. You need to get some new sayings, little bug, if even those of us who aren’t listening have them memorized.” He walked off before Sanzang could retort, disappearing through the trees and returning to the road the bandits attacked them on. Sighing, out of frustration or relief or maybe even both, Sanzang turned back to the bandit still frozen to the ground behind him. As soon as he saw Sanzang’s eyes on him, the bandit hurried into a kowtow, bowing over and over again as he muttered a shaky litany of ‘sorry’, over and over again, interspersed occasionally with ‘thank you’ and ‘please spare me’.

Abruptly feeling very tired, Sanzang knelt down in front of the bandit, placing a gentle hand on the back of his head as he bent down to stop the frantic movements. The bandit froze and fell quiet instantly, face nearly pressed against the dirt despite the feather-light touch Sanzang had on him.

Sometimes, when he was feeling a little too tired or stressed or frustrated to completely hide the parts of himself the bands couldn’t quite suppress (or when he simply chose to stop hiding himself), everything around him could feel the heavy weight of his presence in the air. The insects in the trees would go silent, the plants in the forest would still their slow growth, and all mortal creatures would stop and tremble and hide in a desperate bid to avoid being seen by whatever now crouched among them, the entire world holding its breath as if waiting for the strike of lightning or the crash of an avalanche to swallow it whole. But, luckily for the bandit bowing beneath him, Golden Cicada was not cruel.

“You have lived a hard life, Chenglei,” the bandit flinched when Golden Cicada used his name, but otherwise didn’t move or make a sound, “but you know in your heart that it does not justify your actions now.” Golden Cicada gentled his tone, feeling the loss and grief twisting the man’s heart, feeling the beginnings of a demon’s bitterness rooted there in the ashes of love and gentleness.

(Loss wrought such devastation on a soul, and there was so much of it in the world; was there truly any wonder as to why so many demons wandered the world?)

“You have lost much, but you know those you’ve lost would be ashamed to see what you have become without them. Do you truly seek to dishonor their memory?”

“No.” The man sobbed out, shaking as his tears stained the dirt beneath them.

“Then go,” Golden Cicada said, standing up and stepping back, “and do better. Live the way they would’ve wanted you to.” The bandit didn’t waste another moment, scrambling up from the dirt and escaping into the forest, running as far and as fast from the road (and from Golden Cicada) as he could. With a small wave of his fingers, a cicada sprung from a nearby leaf and buzzed hurriedly after the man. Golden Cicada had given the bandit a chance, a choice, and it was up to him what he did with it.

But whether he chose to turn from the dark path he walked or continued along it despite Golden Cicada’s interference, he would be sure to face the appropriate consequences; Golden Cicada’s messenger would make sure of that.

The bandit now long gone, Golden Cicada sat down in the shade of a large oak tree, relaxing into the familiar lotus position. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and he drew himself back into himself. The heavy presence of the air eased away until it was locked completely behind golden bands and a human facade once more.

After a brief moment of silence in the newly lightened forest air, the insects began to cautiously chirp and chitter once again, birds hopping nervously onto new branches and singing soft tunes to one another, the trees groaning as they carefully continued their slow growth.

Sanzang released his breath in a long sigh, eyeing the cuffs around his wrists. They were mostly unremarkable looking, plain and nondescript even with their golden appearance, but that rarely meant much when it came to celestial tools.

They were given to him by Bodhisattva Guanyin back when he first agreed to help with the journey, and if it weren’t for the bracelets he wouldn’t be able to accompany the pilgrims at all, especially not for as long as the journey was likely to take. He recognized the necessity of wearing them, yet still he couldn’t help but loathe them at times. They locked away the majority of his powers, the majority of himself, shrinking him into something small and muted enough to exist on the mortal plane in a form he could pass off as human when he needed to, while still giving him enough power to help the pilgrims when they needed him.

The bracelets tethered him to the world in a way he hadn’t been bound for almost as long as he could remember, and although he could technically take them off whenever he desired, they still felt like chains trapping him, keeping him away from the sky and the freedom he’d enjoyed for an eternity (yet still for not long enough).

The heaviness of his own body startled him at times, his bones filled with mortar and his blood as viscous as honey, and he thought often about how he could understand at least some of Wukong’s frustrations. To be a creature of the sky suddenly bound to the unforgiving grip of the earth was a unique kind of torment not easily likened to any other.

He could take off the bands whenever he wanted, free himself and stop feeling like he was too big for his own skin, form itching with the need to be drifting amongst the stars and being the stars and forming the stars and dying with the stars all at once, but he also couldn’t take them off.

As Bodhisattva Guanyin warned him the single time he removed them, (back when a surprisingly powerful demon had his charges captured and was going to kill them, actually going to kill them, and Sanzang in his neutered form might not have been able to save them in time but Golden Cicada in his full glory most certainly could) the bracelets could only be removed and replaced a limited number of times.

Rebinding his power weakened the bracelets significantly, powerful as they were otherwise, and eventually his own form would be too much for the bracelets to contain. If the bracelets broke before the journey was over, there was no telling what would become of the pilgrims left without the guardian and guide they needed, and he was determined to see this journey through to the end for them.

(Come to think of it, Wukong hadn’t picked a fight with him since the time he briefly took them off. Wukong hadn’t been there when they were put back on as far as Sanzang knew, couldn’t have seen how excruciating it had been to lock himself away again after that brief taste of full freedom, but again he wondered if Wukong had managed to glean some understanding of what they were during that incident. Sanzang would have to question him about it soon, for his own peace of mind if nothing else. Something about the thought of any of his charges knowing, but especially Wukong, made something unpleasant shiver under his skin. He hoped none of them would ever know.)

It had only been a year, but already his investment in the pilgrims’ fates had gone from being for Bodhisattva Guanyin’s sake only to being entirely about his hope to see them succeed.

He had become so fond of them even in such a short time, and although he missed his old life amongst the celestials without these bracelets leashing the very essence of him, he found he dearly wished for his charges to succeed and achieve enlightenment themselves far more, even if they themselves didn’t seem to care much about it, judging by how often they complained and conspired against him when they thought he couldn’t hear. (The fact that none of them ever made a serious attempt to abandon the journey was often the only kernel of hope he had as the nights grew longer and the road stretched ever on.)

All these swirling thoughts of his were interrupted by something soft being stroked across his face.

Although he couldn’t see what caused it, he’d spent enough time around Bodhisattva Guanyin to recognize the feeling of a willow branch on his skin. She remained invisible, and although he could see her if he summoned his power once more (straining the magic of the bracelets binding him) he knew she would’ve shown herself if she wanted to be seen.

He recognized her visit for what it was (a gentle reprimand), so he closed his eyes and folded his body into the lotus position once again. The minutes passed peacefully between them, her silent presence as comforting as it always was, warm and gentle as spring rain, and they needed no words between them.

He breathed in, felt the knot of anger and anxiety and frustration and panic coiling in his chest, building from the time he’d last given himself to properly meditate, and he breathed it out.

With each breath he felt himself relaxing more and more, the tight clutch of fear easing until it disappeared entirely. Soon he was empty, mind calm and quiet like it hadn’t been for a good many nights, and he felt as much like himself as he could, bound to the earth as he was.

There was one more feather-light touch to his head (chastising, yet fond) and he could almost hear her saying you must take better care of yourself Golden Cicada; if you yourself are not at peace, then how can you help them find their own? before her presence faded and was gone completely. When he opened his eyes, all that remained as proof of her being there was a small lotus leaf filled with crystal clear water.

Smiling at this generous gift, he picked up the leaf and took a small sip. He drank barely enough to be able to taste it, yet still the subsequent warmth and strength suffusing his body was immediate. (He didn’t realize how weak and tired he’d been feeling recently, not until energy lit him up once more).

With care, he expertly twisted the edges of the leaf together until it closed up, protecting the water inside so he could safely store it in one of the hidden pockets in his robe. He would use it in their stew that night, as he knew they would be facing danger again soon and wanted his charges to have as much strength as they could before that happened. With one last look at his surroundings, Sanzang stood up, brushed himself off, and moved to return to the road where his charges were (hopefully) waiting for him.

When he returned to the site of the bandit attack, what he saw both surprised and warmed him.

The bandits hadn’t really been aiming for their group when they attacked, as their sights were focused more on the wagon of a traveling family who’d been on the same road. Although the combined efforts of Bajie, Wujing, and Bailong were enough to scare away the rest of the bandits while Sanzang prevented Wukong from killing the man he’d chased into the forest, it appeared the family and the wagon hadn’t managed to escape entirely unscathed.

The cart had somehow been flipped onto its side, flinging all of its contents into the grass beside the road, and while the horse pulling the wagon didn’t seem to be harmed, it had gotten loose and was now running down the road at a panicked gallop. The eldest of the group (likely the father of one of the parents), appeared to have broken his leg after falling from the wagon, and the two young children, a boy and a girl surely not more than five years old, were crying from their place stuck in a tree, where they’d gone to hide while the bandits fought the pilgrims.

But it was not all this that made Sanzang suddenly feel so warm and fond.

It was the sight of Wujing carefully lifting and righting the cart onto the road as Bajie helped the father of the group pick up the family’s scattered supplies.

It was Bailong quickly shifting into the horse form he generally seemed to prefer on the road to chase after the frightened mare, calming it down and leading it back to the family before it got too far to catch.

It was Wukong soothing the scared children, carefully lifting them out of the tree and returning them to the ground, letting them cling to him until their shaking stopped and patiently calming them down so their mother could tend to their injured grandfather.

A small smile painting his features, pride in his charges glowing brightly in his chest, Sanzang quickly strode over to help the mother set the elderly man’s leg.

Perhaps there’s hope for this journey after all. He thought to himself.

Somehow, somewhere, he felt like Bodhisattva Guanyin was laughing.

(A/N: Thank you all so much for reading! Let me know what you think and once again, happy #jttwfestival2020!)

#jttwfestival2020 #jttw #journey to the west #Tang Sanzang #golden cicada #sun wukong #sha wujing #zhu bajie #bailong #white dragon horse #Bodhisattva Guanyin #*scuttles into the room out of breath and slams story down onto the table*#sorry I'm late everybody!#holiday season has been a word I'm not allowed to say in front of the children #hopefully I'll be able to get at least a few more of these prompts filled even with the holidays breathing down my neck #someone send help ;;#hopefully my post will actually show up in the tags this time #fingers crossed lmao #but AGH I'm so excited for this and it's only day three

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yabancreations · 1 year

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Consider: TGCF… but metal.

Heavenly Damnation is a metal music modern AU fic series based on the novel Heaven Official's Blessing by MXTX.

Written by: Yabanned. Art by: Tiiracotta.

It counts with a Spotify playlist.

---

Part 1: Withering Lotus

Xie Lian is a talented multi-instrumentalist who had a meteoric rise as a metal star when his band, White Lotus, released their first EP and got the attention of the prestigious label Immortal Records. When he became the youngest artist to sign with them at the age of 17, he felt that he had the world in the palm of his hand. Three years later, though, a song he wrote tore everything down: he lost his contract, his career, his friends and his family. Vetoed and blacklisted, he was forced to live on the move, as far away from the offices of his old record label as possible, picking little odd jobs related to music in order to survive.

After eight years, a bureaucratic nightmare forces Xie Lian to come back to the capital. He tries his best to go unnoticed, yet he receives two unsettling requests upon arrival: a man in red wants his permission to cover a song he wrote, and a man in white wants him to inherit his mask.

Read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42649482

---

Part 2: Rotting Waters

The story of Heavenly Damnation continues!

During the mid-autumn festival, a fateful encounter allowed Hua Cheng to take his all-time idol Xie Lian away from the grasp of Immortal Records —the most important label for rock and metal music in the country— who were trying to coerce him into signing up for a nightmare. Retreating with him and some members of his own band to a vacation home away from the Capital, Hua Cheng now must make the best out of the couple days they’ll spend together to gather what he needs in order to save Xie Lian’s music. The task isn’t easy: Hua Cheng can’t tell Xie Lian about his plans without breaking his trust and scaring him away, there are more interests at play, and back in the Capital, Jun Wu loses no time summoning Feng Xin and Mu Qing, Xie Lian’s former band mates and friends, to set a snare in which he can catch Xie Lian as soon as he returns. Dishonest debts, broken feelings and stolen songs start to surface in the muddled waters.

Read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46928263

#mxtx #tgcf #tian guan ci fu #hob #heaven official's blessing #hualian #metal music #yabanwrites #danmei

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guccilan · 4 years

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Twin Jades

Hi @hunxi-guilai the Lan Sisters anon is back, and no longer on anon to scream at you about the Gusu Lan Ladies, with this particular piece inspired by your comparison of the dawn and moon (note: I’m keeping the courtesy names bc -ahem- reasons, and following novel canon)

*****

Two daughters.

The Lan sect has announced the birth of Qingheng-jun’s second daughter, Lan Zhan, sister of Lan Huan. Two daughters – and the cultivation world whispers about the Lan sect’s respect for tradition, whispers about Lan Yi and her assassination of dissidents, her reluctantly prized Chord Assassination technique, whispers about rules and inheritances, and waits for an announcement for the birth of a Lan son.

It never comes.

The world may whisper and wait, but there was never any question within Gusu Lan itself. Lan Huan’s birth mirrored the birth of that day, the golden sun peaking over the edge of the horizon, sunbeams piercing Gusu clouds just as she took her first breath. She was a light, eagerly, cautiously, hopefully awaited after the dark night of Qingheng-jun’s seclusion. And Lan Huan easily proves her elders’ silent approval when she grows and blooms into a dawn herself.

For she is a dawn, and though, sometimes, empty clouds try to cover her and make for dim days, there is always a vibrant sky behind them. There was, is, and will be a dawn yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Sect Leader Lan Huan- Lan Xichen- is as undeniable. Chancellor of the morning sun, indeed.

So the world moves on and asks their next question. When will you marry and who, they say – no question, for of course she will. Of course such beauty cannot be left to wither alone. Of course the sect needs heirs.

Jiang Fengmian’s son, that gentle, mild-mannered boy who dotes on his family, a good match, they suggest – but he is bound by love to Lanling’s Golden Peony. (And anyway, all Lan Xichen can see is Meng Shi’s dandelion daughter and her clever, calloused hands washing Lan Xichen’s singed clothes.)

Perhaps an alliance through one of the Nie sect’s sons, they exclaim, surely it makes the most sense to temper Nie strength, and to bolster the Lan. (But all Lan Xichen can think of is the sharp, sweet smell of pine and the way the Nie Sect Leader’s grin deepened as her saber Baxia sang steel-bright against Lan Xichen’s Shuoyue.)

In time, she says.

Every dawn is followed by another, she says, and gazes through the morning mist toward Lanling’s golden roofs and Qinghe’s towering pines. *****

As for the second daughter…

They say that if any of this generation reaches immortality, it will be Lan Wangji. They say she is like the moon, luminous and beautiful, and commend her for remaining unattached to worldly matters – but behind honeyed praises of her moon-like beauty are muttered barbs about her frostiness, and her distance.

Untouchable, they cry, and take offense that any woman can be described as such – as though any of them would ever be worthy of the light that shines through, impossible to contain in her mortal form.

Icy and unfeeling and untouched by the earth, they mutter, and keep their distance. This, she knows to be false, when her light, shining softly for those in need, reflects back to her in the eyes of the humble, earth-bound people.

(Untouchable – Oh, but they do not know, Lan Wangji herself did not know – when the wolf cries for the moon, the moon will yearn right back. And how lovely a wolf she is, that fierce Wei Wuxian, whirling around with twigs in her hair, as though she has just rolled through all the wild places of the world, snapping and snarling and playing carefree with her siblings. A far cry from the distant moon, with dirt in her clothes, and lake water dripping into her laughing eyes, claimed thoroughly by this world – but she reaches out to touch the untouchable anyway, and the moonlight reaches right back. Oh, but Lan Wangji coveted her almost immediately.) *****

Twin Jades, they are called, the daughters of the Lan Sect. The dawn and the moon – and in time, it is known that Gusu Lan has never shone brighter. -----

(From a Mostly Everything is Fine, Almost Nothing Hurts, entirely self-indulgent AU where all Sect Leaders and second-in-commands for the four great sects are women. Gusu Lan’s Twin Jades, Qinghe Nie’s Warrior and Spymistress, Lanling’s Three Peonies (the First married to Yumeng Jiang’s son, who happily abdicated his post to his little sister; the Second, incredibly manipulative but devoted to those who welcomed her; and the Third, cherished, protected, and an aspiring disciple of a certain inventor/demonic cultivator), and Yunmeng’s Twin Prides, the Violet Lotus and the Demon of Yunmeng.)

#mdzs fic #otitb au #Twin Jades of Lan #Lan Xichen #Lan Wangji #my writing #gdc #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation

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vespertineflora · 3 years

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Title: as the sun will rise

Rating: Explicit Summary: For centuries, the villagers surrounding the Qianlian Forest have been beholden to a fearsome creature. A once loved Prince was long ago cursed into a monstrous form, and ever since has required the sacrifice of maidens to ensure the safety of the forest and the people living around it. This forlorn tradition might have continued for centuries longer... but when it comes time for Lotus Pier to send a maiden as tribute, Jiang Yanli is chosen, and Wei Wuxian won't stand for it. His plan is simple; he'll send Jiang Yanli off to live the long life she deserves with her fiancé, and offer himself as a sacrifice to the Prince instead. (Ch. 1: 3.2k, minor xuanli, wwx being a shijie-loving softie)

And so it begins! I’m embarking on an ambitious wangxian journey :) It’s a fairy-tale au, with a nice slow romance and lots of sexy vine action (think tentacles, but with plants). Check out the AO3 tags and subscribe if you’re interested!

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Many centuries ago, deep in the Qianlian Forest, there lived a Prince. He was a handsome and noble man, soft-spoken and righteous. He was loved and admired by the people for showing himself wherever there was danger and swiftly thwarting it, his arrival in a troubled town like the first rays of light on the horizon after a long, dark night.

But this Prince was not without his own troubles. Despite being loved by so many, he was very often alone. He traveled without companions, without servants, without friends. He showed no interest in romance, in marriage, or in producing an heir. Suitors came from all over the land, hoping to capture the heart of the beautiful Prince, but none succeeded. Each one would be hosted politely in the castle for several days before they accepted the Prince’s disinterest and returned to their homes.

Continue reading Chapter 1 on AO3 or below the cut

Everything changed for the Prince on the day that a new suitor arrived, presenting herself as a princess from far away in the south. However, it was all a ruse; the princess was actually a huli jing in the form of a beautiful young maiden who had entered the palace in order to seduce the Prince.

That night, the huli jing snuck into the Prince’s bedchambers, and climbed into bed with him, but her advances were swiftly thwarted. With her identity and intentions revealed, guards quickly removed her from his room and returned her to her own, where she remained heavily guarded the rest of the evening. At the sign of the first light the following morning, she was escorted hastily from the palace.

The huli jing was infuriated by the rejection and offended by the withdrawal of hospitality. As she was removed from the grounds, an awful curse spewed from her lips in retaliation: “May the Prince live by the means he’s denied me until he’s unrooted from his frigid ways!”

Nothing happened right away. The palace seemed to remain as it always was, and after the murmurs of gossip passed that morning, everything returned to normal for the day.

And then the sun set.

The Prince was stepping down from his throne and crossing the grand room when... suddenly, his foot caught on something and he stopped in his tracks. A sharp tug removed it from whatever it had been stuck on, only for his other foot to suddenly get caught as well and when he shifted his robes and glanced down, he immediately discovered why; tendrils of roots had sprouted from the the soles of his feet, tearing out through the sides of his boots and burying themselves between the grooves of the stone floor.

He tried to move his other foot, but it was already buried too deep in the stone to lift. Disciples tried to cut the roots away only to find them invulnerable to their swords as the hard, unmoving bark seemed to slowly climb up the Prince’s legs. The best doctor in the palace arrived swiftly, but none of his potions or balms seemed to do any thing to prevent the progression of the curse, and by midnight, the Prince was the Prince no more.

Appeals were made all across the land for the best doctors and apothecaries, for anyone who might have some way to return their Prince to his human form, but not a single attempt was fruitful, and eventually, the Prince and his palace were abandoned.

The Prince, however, in spite of his new form, never slacked in his duties to protect his people. Ever since the curse fell upon him, the forest remained a safe place to travel through, and the soil in the lands surrounding the forest was rich and fertile, perfect for growing, allowing the people living nearby to prosper from the plentiful food and trade they were granted.

The only catch was that, every so often, the Prince would need to feed... and the Prince had a very specific appetite.

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That was the legend anyway. Wei Wuxian couldn’t say any more than anyone else how much truth there was to it. He only knew what their reality was now.

The abandoned ruins of the palace in the forest contained something; something living, something that seemed to keep people from ever getting lost in the forest, something that seemed to make sure that the crops growing on the lands around the forest were always healthy and robust and only suffered occasionally because of extreme weather.

Something that claimed a young woman from one of their villages every few months.

The tradition itself was one that had been going on for centuries as well, one that the elders of the towns and villages surrounding the forest didn’t question anymore. The ancestors had laid it out clearly; the cursed Prince in the forest was indeed a blessing, until he started getting hungry. And this was a problem because the Prince, or whatever it was in the forest, didn’t eat in the traditional sense, so much as he... absorbed the qi of whatever was around him. According to all the texts, healthy crops would start to wither, the wildlife began to die off, and even foraging in the woods for food would become a more fruitless task, until... a sacrifice was made.

How their ancestors figured this out was unclear, but the instructions were anything but. Once the health of the lands appeared to wane, a young maiden was to be chosen. The two dozen or so towns in and around the Qianlian Forest were to take turns shouldering this burden, and each town could make their own decision on how the maiden was to be selected, but when the time came, the chosen maiden was to be taken to the palace ruins in the forest and left there as a sacrifice to the Prince.

What happened to these maidens? Well, no one exactly knew. None of the women ever returned home, so there were no first hand accounts of what happened once they were left at the palace, though... rumors were rampant about the sort of agonizing qi-draining deaths these maidens would experience.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes swept across the tree line, looking hopefully for any movement, and he held Jiang Yanli’s arm a bit closer to his side. They had left their home in Lotus Pier just before sunrise, and even now the sun was only just over the horizon, the first rays of pinkish golden light were filtering through the dense trees surrounding them on the narrow forest path. It was soon enough in the spring season that the air this early in the morning was damp and chilly and had left a light frost on the grass and trees as they walked slowly towards their destination.

This spring, it had been Lotus Pier’s turn to select a tribute, and Lotus Pier had decided long ago that in order to maximize fairness, each family with an unmarried daughter would draw a lot; whichever family received the marked lot would select one of their daughters to send into the forest.

The Jiang family, the closest thing Wei Wuxian had to his own family since the long ago passing of his parents, had drawn the marked lot this year, and they only had one daughter.

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng had issued their protests, and both Jing Fengmian and Madam Yu looked troubled by the outcome... but there were no arguments to be made. Either their sacrifice was made, or their family would be run from their home and their residence and possessions burned before they were exiled from the town. The decision was final... so Wei Wuxian immediately started putting together a haphazard plan.

When the time came just a couple days later, Wei Wuxian offered to escort Jiang Yanli into the forest, and the town elders agreed.

Now he walked beside her along the forest path in the misty morning. The mood between them was quiet and serious, though from the moment the lot had been drawn, Jiang Yanli had seemed resigned, ready to accept the fate handed down to her. The expression on her face was thoughtful and open and Wei Wuxian had seen the way she was looking around at the early spring foliage, taking everything in as if this would be her last time to do so.

It was enough to break Wei Wuxian’s heart, but he wasn’t sure he could tell her the truth until the right moment came, until...

The rustle of branches in the distance caught his ear and Wei Wuxian immediately perked up, his eyes darting in the direction of the sound, watching carefully until he could spot the movement in the trees. He slowed his pace down just a bit and was ready to reach for his sword if the person ahead of them wasn’t who he expected it to be.

A moment later, a little ways ahead of them, Jin Zixuan and some cousin of his made their way out of the tree line and onto the path.

Wei Wuxian felt a wave of relief (it was the first time that seeing Jin Zixuan had made him feel anything other than annoyance) that lasted for about as long as it took for him to feel the sudden way Jiang Yanli’s feet froze on the path beside him.

“Jin-gongzi, what...” she asked, sounding shocked, “what are you doing here?”

Jin Zixuan, who somehow managed to look both lovestruck and overwhelmed all at once as he slowly approached them, replied, “Wei-gongzi wrote to me. He told me what happened and asked me to meet you here.”

“A-Xian?” Her gaze quickly darted to Wei Wuxian, the most bittersweet smile imaginable flickering onto her lips. She knew as well as anyone did how Wei Wuxian felt about Jin Zixuan; that he’d write to Jin Zixuan, even for her sake, must surely have been a surprise. “Did you do this for me?”

Wei Wuxian nodded stiffly, already knowing the direction her thoughts were heading, knowing that she wouldn’t immediately realize what he intended to do.

“Thank you,” she said sweetly, her warm hand reaching up to cup Wei Wuxian’s cheek. “This was hard enough without being able to say goodbye.” Her thumb stroked his cheek, the look on her face making Wei Wuxian feel soft inside, before she turned and took a step towards Jin Zixuan to close the gap between them. She bowed her head solemnly to him, before saying, “Jin-gongzi, I’m so glad A-Xian wrote to you. I’m... sorry that we won’t have the life we’d planned together, but... I’m happy I get to see you one last time.”

Confusion scrawled itself across Jin Zixuan’s face as Jiang Yanli spoke, his gaze darting between her and Wei Wuxian, full of questions that Wei Wuxian’s mouth felt too dry to answer... but he swallowed hard and pulled in a breath as he gathered his courage.

“Shijie...” he said, finally finding his voice, “it’s not Jin-gongzi you need to say goodbye to.”

She froze for a second, before turning slowly to look back at him, her brow furrowed as she asked cautiously, “A-Xian, what... what are you saying?”

His head fell a little more, trying to think how he could best inform her of what his plan all along had been... but it turned out that he didn’t need to say it himself, as the realization dawned on her just a few seconds later and she asked with abject fear, “You aren’t planning on taking my place, are you?”

He’d say he thought long and hard about this decision, but the truth was that it’d come to him in an instant. Within moments of realizing that she’d be sacrificed and that her parents would do nothing to stop it, he’d already known that he wouldn’t let it happen. Jiang Yanli was the closest thing he had to a sister, her and Jiang Cheng were his family, and Lotus Pier would hardly feel like home without her there... and when it came down to it, he’d had only two choices: he could live on knowing she’d given her life in order for everyone else to continue surviving in comfort, or he could give up his own life knowing that Jiang Yanli could have the happily ever after with her betrothed that she most certainly deserved.

And ultimately, that wasn’t really a choice at all for him. Wei Wuxian would sacrifice himself a thousand times over if it meant saving Jiang Yanli.

Of course, he’d known almost as quickly that he wouldn’t be able to make this plan work on his own. Jiang Yanli wouldn’t willingly accept Wei Wuxian taking her place on the chopping block, she’d fight him tooth and nail to protect someone even as unworthy of it as him, because that was who she was. Wei Wuxian knew that he would need someone else would need to help him, to keep her restrained while he went on without her, someone that could whisk her far away to somewhere safe so that no one would know what he’d done until it was too late to stop him...

Luckily, she had a fiancé who was willing to be just as selfish in their love of Jiang Yanli as he was.

“Jin-gongzi, came here to take you home with him,” he said, putting on a smile because it was what he did best as he avoided her question entirely. “You’ll be able to marry him, just like you’ve wanted.”

“A-Xian,” she said pleadingly as she stepped back towards him. She took his hands into her own and squeezed them tight, looking up at him with worry and desperation, “Please, you can’t do this. This is my duty, you can’t do it for me.”

He knew she might be right. He’d done as much research as he could, and the sacrifices always seemed to be young virgin women, though there never seemed to be any justification for why this was the case--which was enough for him to be willing, despite only filling half of the maiden requirement, to at least make an attempt. He didn’t know if the Prince would even consider him a suitable replacement, but... he wouldn’t know for sure unless he tried, and he was most certainly going to try.

“Well, we don’t technically know whether or not that’s true,” he said in an attempt at a light-hearted tone.

It only made Jiang Yanli frown harder, look even more fretful. “XianXian... you have your whole life ahead of you, you...”

“I could say the same for you, Shijie,” Wei Wuxian countered with a reluctant nod towards Jin Zixuan. “You’re already engaged. You’re going to be a bride and have the family you’ve always dreamed of.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t have that, didn’t have such lofty goals for himself. He’d been sure he was going to die young ever since he’d lost his parents, and the only family he had were the Jiangs. He wasn’t so naïve to think that no one would miss him, but... dying now, dying to save Jiang Yanli... that would probably give his life more meaning than anything he would create for himself anyway.

“But what about A-Cheng? He’ll miss you. Who will look out for him if we’re both gone?” she asked urgently.

Wei Wuxian felt the sting of that, but... there was nothing to be done about it now. Despite fighting all the time, he and Jiang Cheng were close--though there was always part of Wei Wuxian that wondered if Jiang Cheng wouldn’t have been better off if Jiang Fengmian had never brought Wei Wuxian to come live with them. Nothing could undo the past, but Jiang Cheng was an adult now, and Wei Wuxian imagined he would be able to live with Wei Wuxian’s absence, especially once he learned his sister was still alive.

“Jiang Cheng will be fine,” he told her. “In a few weeks, we’ll know whether or not this worked and you’ll be able to tell him you’re safe. That’ll mean the world to him.”

“A-Xian, stop!” she said, the volume of her voice rising, becoming more determined. She was hardly a confrontational person, and Wei Wuxian was almost taken aback by the passion in her tone. “I’m not going to let you do this! I’m your senior, you have to listen to me, don’t you? I’m ordering you to--”

Quite suddenly, Jiang Yanli stopped mid-sentence, a dizzy look falling over her face--a second later, her body started to go limp. Between Wei Wuxian and Jin Zixuan’s quick reflexes, they each managed to reach out for her, catching her before she collapsed to the ground.

Both Jin Zixuan and Wei Wuxian’s eyes snapped to the young man that had arrived with Jin Zixuan, and they shouted, “Zixun!” and “What did you do?” respectively.

Jin Zixun threw his hands up defensively, a talisman in one making it more obvious what he’d done, and he snapped right back, “You heard her, she wasn’t going to just go along with this! I was just trying to make this easier!”

If Wei Wuxian wasn’t supporting some of Jiang Yanli’s weight between them, he almost certainly would have brushed right past Jin Zixuan to punch his oaf of a cousin--but instead, after a sharp glare, he forced himself to huff out a breath, and helped adjust Jiang Yanli more securely into Jin Zixuan’s arms.

His hands held hers for a moment longer though, lingering because he couldn’t help himself. This wasn’t exactly the goodbye he’d wanted, but... it was for the best. Anything that got Jiang Yanli out of here safely was good enough for him, even if this was far from what he’d expected of their last words to each other.

He took a moment more to look down at her now-relaxed face, his expression soft and sad... but there was no denying the inevitable. After pulling her hand to his mouth and pressing a soft kiss to the back of it, her gently lowered them and stepped away.

With a faint sigh, he took hold of Suibian and said a quiet goodbye to it before handing it over reluctantly to Jin Zixuan’s cousin (only because Jin Zixuan’s hands were full). He wouldn’t need it where he was going, after all.

He aimed a sharp and somewhat desperate look at Jin Zixuan and told him, “Take care of her.”

“I will,” Jin Zixuan agreed without hesitation.

The tension between them evaporated for a moment, and... Wei Wuxian found himself trusting Jin Zixuan. For all the trouble between them over the years, for all that Wei Wuxian had hated Jin Zixuan at first... he could see now just how much Jin Zixuan had come to love Jiang Yanli, and on that, if nothing else, they could find some common ground.

“Yeah,” Wei Wuxian replied, tone turning stern, “you better. Because if you don’t, I’m gonna come back and haunt you, you hear me?”

“I hear you,” he said, a weighted smile flickering at the corner of Jin Zixuan’s mouth. Their eyes remained locked for another moment and a hundred unspoken words exchanged between their gazes in the silence, before Jin Zixuan added with almost heart-wrenching sincerity, “Thank you, Wei Wuxian.”

With a final nod, Wei Wuxian forced himself to tear his eyes away from them, from Jiang Yanli, and continued along the forest path.

The Prince was waiting.

#vesper posts #wangxian #mdzs #mdzs fic #cql #cql fic #the untamed #the untamed fanfic #mo dao zu shi #wei wuxian #lan wangji #fairy tale au

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