#Did you notice the symbolism of Mei's dress?

[elysiaheaven]

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐤𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬?-𝟕 (The Fox's Wedding)

Words:2366

You hopped down the stairs with a newfound lightness, the traditional kimono flowing elegantly with each step. The soft fabric brushed against your skin, and a rare smile played on your lips as you headed toward the courtyard where Jiaoqiu and Moze were engaged in conversation.

You approached, you saw Jiaoqiu and Moze deep in discussion. Moze's gaze was cold, his eyes flickering with a mix of suspicion and resignation as he glanced at you. You met his stare with an innocent expression, trying to appear as unassuming as possible.

Jiaoqiu, noticing your approach, turned to you with a brief nod. "I have a mission to attend to," he said, his voice as detached as ever. "I'll be leaving now."

Moze eyed you warily, his expression softening just a fraction before he turned his attention back to Jiaoqiu. "I apologize for my previous behavior," Moze said, his tone begrudgingly respectful. "But if she causes any trouble, I will make sure she is dealt with."

Jiaoqiu's gaze hardened slightly as he met Moze's eyes. "If she crosses any lines, her fate will be in my hands," he replied firmly, his voice carrying an edge of finality.

You watched the exchange with a bemused smile, trying to maintain your innocent façade. However, the underlying tension between the two men was palpable. Moze's warning and Jiaoqiu's resolute response painted a clear picture of the precarious situation you were in.

Jiaoqiu turned to leave, he paused for a moment, his eyes lingering on you. "I expect you to behave yourself," he said coldly before walking away, 

You looked at Moze with a sweet, almost childlike innocence. "I promise, I'll be on my best behavior," you said, your voice dripping with feigned sincerity.

Moze's gaze remained icy, his suspicion not fully abated. "You can't fool me with that act," he said, his tone sharp. "I know your true nature. Don't think I'm going to let my guard down just because you're dressed up."

You tilted your head slightly, the corners of your mouth twitching into a smirk. "Oh, but I'm not pretending to be someone I'm not," you said softly. "I'm just trying to fit in, just like everyone else."

Moze's eyes narrowed, clearly unimpressed with your response. "Act all you want," he said, his voice low and threatening. "But remember, if you cross the line, I won't hesitate to end you."

 Moze walked away, you laughed quietly to yourself, the sound echoing eerily in the empty courtyard. "If I die, Jiaoqiu dies too," you whispered mockingly, as if trying to remind yourself of the only leverage you had left. But as the words left your lips, the weight of it all crashed down on you, and the laughter quickly turned hollow.

Once they were out of sight, your legs gave way beneath you, and you collapsed to the ground. Your chest tightened, and tears welled up in your eyes, streaming down your face as you sobbed uncontrollably. The kimono, once a symbol of fleeting happiness, now felt heavy, suffocating almost, as you clutched at the fabric.

"Mei... Mei... you were right," you cried out, your voice choked and broken. "I should have never left. Why did I think I could... I could ever find peace? I was so foolish, so naive..."

Your mind spiraled, thoughts of the past flooding back to you. Mei, the one person who had warned you, had tried to keep you safe. And yet, you had left her behind, thinking that you could find a new path, that maybe, just maybe, you could change your fate.

But here you were, trapped in this half-life, not fully human, not fully spirit. And until you became human again, there was no way out. You couldn't leave Jiaoqiu, you couldn't escape this cursed existence.

You curled up on the cold ground, the sobs wracking your body until exhaustion took over. The last tear slipped from your eye as your body grew still, and slowly, you drifted into an uneasy sleep.

In your dreams, you saw Mei's face—calm, kind, but filled with disappointment. And all you could do was cry out to her, reaching for her hand, but never quite able to grasp it. The echoes of your cries lingered in the dark, pulling you deeper into restless slumber.

Raiden bosenmori Mei..That was her name, Remember it..

You woke up slowly, the dull ache of yesterday's tears still lingering in your chest. Sitting up in the unfamiliar bed, you blinked, trying to gather your thoughts, only to see Jiaoqiu standing by your side, holding a bowl of soup. His expression was unreadable as he handed it to you, and you took it without a word.

The warmth of the soup spread through your body as you drank it in silence, but the tension between the two of you remained thick. You could feel his eyes on you, analyzing, judging, as if trying to pull apart every layer of your existence.

After a few moments, he broke the silence. "Why did you sleep on the ground?" His voice was calm but edged with curiosity, maybe even concern, though he masked it well. "You miss someone?"

The question hung in the air like a sharp blade, cutting into you in ways he couldn't have known. You swallowed the soup and placed the bowl aside, not meeting his gaze. His words had struck a nerve, and he didn't even realize it. Or maybe he did.

"Even you had someone you care about?" Jiaoqiu's voice grew colder, more pointed, as if he couldn't help but dig deeper. "Did you betray them too?"

Your head snapped up, and you stared at him, the mockery in your eyes sharp enough to wound. The old wounds resurfaced, but you weren't going to let him know that. You weren't going to let anyone see that weakness.

Insults, betrayals, it was all the same, wasn't it?

You laughed, a bitter, sardonic sound that echoed in the room. "Insulting me will get you nowhere, Jiaoqiu." You leaned in closer, the mocking smile never leaving your face. "You think you're so noble, so righteous? But you're no different than the rest of them. You hold onto your judgments like they'll save you, like they mean anything. But they don't."

You could see his jaw tighten, the flash of something—anger? frustration?—crossing his face. But he stayed silent, letting your words sink in.

"I've been betrayed, I've done the betraying," you continued coldly. "That's life, isn't it? People like you wouldn't understand what it's like to claw your way out of a place so dark it swallows you whole."

 You hated this, hated that he saw through you even a little bit. Because no matter how much you mocked, no matter how much you pushed him away, he had still helped you. And that, perhaps, was the most painful part.

He was too good.....

Jiaoqiu's voice interrupted the heavy silence between you two. "General Feixiao asked for you," he said, his tone distant. "She wants you to work with me."

You raised an eyebrow, the idea of being summoned to "work" catching you off guard. "And why would she want that? I'm not exactly the ideal candidate for... cooperation."

Jiaoqiu shrugged, but there was a sharpness to his gaze, one that told you this wasn't a request you could easily brush off. "If you want to make it to being human, you need to start acting like one. It'll be a way to teach you some discipline."

The words stung, more than they should have. It wasn't just the command, but the implication behind it. He was challenging you to change. To prove that you could. A human... you wanted that, but at what cost?

You sneered, standing up from the bed. "So this is some sort of punishment?" Your eyes narrowed as you added, mockingly, "You think helping you with your pathetic tasks will make me 'human'? Will it teach me a lesson?"

He remained calm, brushing off your harshness like it didn't affect him. "Consider it whatever you want. But if you don't start acting like someone who's capable of living among people, you'll never get what you want."

You were silent for a moment, weighing his words. He was right, in a way. You hated it, but he was right.

"And," he continued, giving you a cold smile, "you'll need to buy me mirrors. A lot of them."

You laughed, the bitterness returning. "Of course. It all comes down to the mirrors."

"Mirrors can be replaced. People can't." He walked toward the door, throwing one last look at you over his shoulder. "General Feixiao will be waiting. Don't make her wait too long. You don't want to make things worse for yourself."

With that, he left, leaving you alone in the room again.

You stared at the empty doorway, the weight of his words sinking in. There was a part of you that hated the idea of bending to anyone's will, but if this was your way to becoming human... if this was the only path, you had no choice but to follow it.

Your fists clenched, and you took a deep breath, whispering to yourself, "Fine. I'll play your little game."

For now.

Well, It was morning stupid. Wake up!

"We need to go," he said in a flat voice.

You looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Go where?"

"Feixiao has requested to meet with us," he replied, his tone giving nothing away. "Something important."

You stared at him for a moment, unsure of his motives. You hadn't interacted much with Feixiao since the events that had transpired between the two of you, Jiaoqiu, and Moze. Still, the idea of seeing Feixiao piqued your interest.

"What could Feixiao possibly want from us?" you asked, smirking slightly.

Jiaoqiu shrugged. "It doesn't matter. You need to come with me."

You stood up, brushing off your kimono. "Fine," you said, your voice laced with mild amusement. "Let's see what this is all about."

The tension in the air was palpable as Jiaoqiu led you to meet with General Feixiao. You could feel his discomfort, his usual cold demeanor cracking ever so slightly. It wasn't surprising; after all, you had long suspected that something larger was at play with his involvement in your life. But as you stepped into the meeting room, your thoughts sharpened.

Feixiao greeted you both, her expression neutral but her eyes hard as she turned to you. "How many days do you think it will take for you to become human?" she asked, cutting straight to the point.

You tilted your head, flashing a cold smile. "It can take as long as you want," you said, your voice devoid of warmth. Feixiao raised an eyebrow at your tone but said nothing as you continued, "If it's going to take time, then I assume you want me to be useful in the meantime?"

Feixiao exchanged a glance with Jiaoqiu, who remained silent. She cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes, precisely. We need help dealing with the Borisin creatures. You know, the ones that have plagued Luofu. The very same ones you helped destroy an entire part of this land. So... it would only be fitting for you to fix what you once broke, don't you think?"

You smiled, a chilling, saccharine expression. "Of course. I hate those creatures as much as anyone. But, you know, people here love their stories. They believe whatever makes them feel comfortable, even if the truth is far from what they think." You let out a soft, mocking laugh. "So why not act the part? Be the sad, broken creature they think I am... while I hunt those monsters down for them."

Feixiao didn't flinch, her gaze remaining as sharp as ever. "I see," she said, her tone cool. "So, you're willing to kill the Borisin creatures for us now? What's your angle in all this? I doubt you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart."

You leaned back in your seat, feigning innocence. "I've got nothing against getting rid of those pests," you said lightly. "They've been a thorn in everyone's side, including mine. But don't mistake me for some kind of hero, General. I'm not about to betray anyone; that's so dull and predictable. Loyalty isn't something I give or take lightly... it's just that betrayal is far too boring for me."

Feixiao crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "You've supported the most powerful sides before, and I doubt that's going to change. Power is what you seek, isn't it? It's easy for someone like you to switch allegiances without hesitation."

You giggled, leaning forward with a twisted smile. "Support the powerful? Maybe. But betrayal? No, General. It's far too boring. Why betray someone when you can keep them exactly where you want them? It's much more fun that way."

Jiaoqiu, who had remained silent through the conversation, finally spoke up, his voice unusually strained. "Enough. She's agreed to help, and that's all that matters for now." His eyes met yours, and for a brief moment, there was something unreadable in his gaze—frustration, perhaps, or something more.

Feixiao remained quiet for a moment, clearly still skeptical. "Fine," she said after a pause. "But remember, the moment you step out of line, we won't hesitate to act. Borisin creatures or not, this alliance is fragile."

You smiled sweetly, giving her a mocking bow. "I wouldn't dream of stepping out of line," you said, your voice dripping with sarcasm. "Besides, I'm more useful to you alive and helping, aren't I?"

Feixiao's eyes narrowed but she didn't respond, turning instead to Jiaoqiu. "Make sure she understands what's at stake."

As the two of you left the room, you couldn't help but laugh quietly to yourself. "They really believe the worst of me, don't they?" you mused aloud. "How predictable."

Jiaoqiu shot you a look, his coldness returning in full force. "Don't get too comfortable," he muttered. "You've got more to prove than you think."

You smiled, leaning closer to him as you walked. "Oh, Jiaoqiu," you whispered mockingly, "I'm always proving something. The question is, to whom?"

[astoldbyaja]

The Blossom surrounded by Fire - Ch. 5 (Warrior AU- HBO MAX)

I could tell this man didn’t fully trust me, but since I could understand him, and told him each item I was using on him, he wasn’t as tense or cautious. I didn’t bother asking what happened to him. I didn't bother to even make small talk. I was doubtful he would tell me anyways. A lot of people in Chinatown didn’t want to speak to me, even if they requested my help. Some of the doctors here weren’t too fond of me either, since I was once used as a last resort when their medicine didn’t work. It was only a matter of time before maybe they come for me demanding I leave or share my products with them. They would have to kill me first.

Once the man was sewn up, he gave me a brief nod before walking off. I sighed gently watching him leave. I couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be an infection since I hadn’t cleaned my hands at all. Guess we will see. I had medicines to treat wound infections. I felt exhausted now and I continued my way to Chao’s. For now, things seemed moderately okay in Chinatown. On occasion, I would help Chao around the shop and tidy up to keep the place nice looking. When he did business, I stayed out of the way, mostly staying hidden.

As weeks passed, I was starting to venture out more on my own during the day, using a small map Chao made me so I knew what territories not to go into. He warned me heavily to stay away from Fung Hai territory.  I kept my head down and made sure my ears were covered. I had a little money on me from helping the tongs and so I decided I should do something nice for Chao. He liked to read and enjoyed nice clothes. I couldn’t afford nice clothes. Maybe something of value, he would treasure only from me. As I walked, I noticed red and black suits strolling across the way from me. Hop Wei. I wasn’t familiar with all the faces, but of course one stood out. Bolo. He found me immediately and smirked, a cigarette pursed between his lips. I noticed the shirts of other Hop Wei were white, where his was black. It was obviously a status symbol amongst the tong. My head was fuzzy, and I didn’t feel I could even form a nice enough smile. So, I just nodded and kept walking.

He and I would get together on the occasion I went to the brothels with Chao. I found a stand lined with clothes and I began to look around at them for a moment. The owner, an elderly woman, Mei, saw me and smiled.

“Maka how you!” she asked happily in broken English. She never said my name right, but I smiled and bowed at her.

“I am well how are you?” I asked in English. She nodded.

“Very well. You look to buy dress?” she asked. I shook my head speaking Cantonese now.

“I am just looking to look today.” I replied. She waved me off.

“I give you for free. Least I do for you healing granddaughter.” she replied. I tried to politely refuse but after further insistence I nodded and agreed. There were many outfits of blues and greens. Some were dresses, others were pants. I knew each outfit signified status here, but to me, an outsider, they were all so different and beautiful. These people knew where their roots started. I was never allowed that kind of honor. I moved to part to dresses and saw a man glaring at me. I gasped noticing his hair was fashioned in a queue and he wore a brown buttoned up shirt and pants with a darker coat over it. I looked around and immediately was surrounded by more of these men. Long Zii. What did they want? My heart was pounding hard in my chest, the fear rising in me as I stepped back. But I didn’t get anywhere for more men were around me. But slowly, the men in front of me parted and slowly, a man walked through them, his demeanor calm. His hands were placed behind his back, and he was wearing the same outfit as the other men.

But his hair was not in a queue, but short and combed forward. I had never been this close to Long Zii before and so I only knew of their leader, Long Zii and his wife Mai Ling, and from what Chao told me, Long Zii isn’t a young man. I moved my hand to my satchel thinking of grabbing my knife, but the man held a hand up.

“Do not be afraid.” he said, calmly. I just watched him carefully as he lowered his hand. “I am Li Yong, Long Zii’s lieutenant. You are Chao’s woman who has been healing many of Chinatown’s citizens?”

Although his energy was reading calm, I knew this man had to be very dangerous to be a lieutenant in a tong especially one as powerful as Long Zii. I bit my bottom lip to bring some feeling in me other than fear so I could answer.

“I am not his woman, but his associate and I help when I can.” I replied carefully. I didn’t know what the right answer was and what was the wrong answer here. Li Yong nodded and tilted his head some.

“What is your name?” he asked. I looked him over some trying to get a read on him, to gauge further if I was in danger or not.

“Amaka.” I replied. He nodded slowly, a small smile creeping on his lips before he stepped back raising his arm out to the distance.

“I need you to come with me, Amaka.” he said gently. I looked at him with fear again my eyes and he must have saw this, for he smiled politely and shook his head. “You will not be harmed. My boss, Long Zii is ill. Our doctors have done all they can. His wife, Mai Ling, would be in your debt if you came and looked at him as well.”

I thought of my options of if he was lying or not. But any member of a tong has no need to lie. If they want something they will demand it. I had no other choice. I nodded.

“Alright.” I replied and began to move toward him, not wanting to stand too close to him or any of these men. He walked beside me, of course because he would have to lead me into Long Zii territory. I was tense and just kept my eyes down as I walked, keeping my hand on my satchel.

“How long have you been in Chinatown?” Li Yong asked. I looked up at him and shrugged.

“A few months.” I replied. He nodded.

“Why here?” he asked. Gathering information for his leader I see. I looked ahead now taking note of the people who walked around us.

“I was not expecting to be here… I was a slave in Tennessee.” I replied. Li Yong arched a brow, looking at me now, his hands still clasped behind his back.

“You are very far from there.” he noted. I nodded.

“My owner was a violent scientist who did all kinds of horrible things to his slaves in the name of science. He traveled the states showing off the things he did to us. He was killed in San Jose and the men who killed him, dropped us off in different locations in California. I was dropped off here in Chinatown.” I replied. I realized I had never told anyone except Chao. It feels odd to speak about it again. Li Yong nodded and pointed his forehead at me.

“Is that why your ears are the way they are?” he asked. I nodded silently. I knew they were covered by my hair, and out of the corner of my eyes I could see Li Yong still staring at me. I glanced at him.

“Would you like to see them?” I asked. He looked forward quickly.

“Forgive my staring.” he said. I shook my head.

“It’s okay. I’m used to it.” I replied and slowly raised up the hair on the right side of my head. He tried to glance, but instead looked my way again. I could tell he was curious of the outer shape and stretched skin. After a few seconds he looked ahead, and I put my hair down.

“I am sorry you were mutilated.” he said sympathetically. I looked at him confused as to why he would apologize. When I told Chao he just said, damn that’s fucked up. But then again, he didn’t really know me well back then. I just nodded and we walked on.

I started to see more men with queue hairstyles and brown on. We must have been in Long Zii territory. The home I was led to was big and fancy Once more it felt like I was walking into a museum. I looked around at the beautiful furniture and paintings. Now it was just Li Yong and I. He seemed to be watching me look around the place.

“Have you ever seen a Chinese home before?” he asked. I looked at him and shook his head.

“No. Being in Chinatown for me is like being in another world not surrounded by white faces looking at me like an animal.” I replied before looking around some more.

“Well here you will not get such treatment.” A silky voice caught my attention and I looked to see a woman in red and gold. I looked her over taking in her slender form. “You are the healer I have heard so much about.” She must be Mai Ling. She is gorgeous just like Ah Toy, but just like the brothel owner, I could sense a dangerous in them. I nodded and bowed at her.

“I am just a woman who has some knowledge on remedies. I am Amaka.” I replied leaning up. She smiled warmly.

“Amaka, a beautiful name to match a beautiful face. I am Mai Ling, Long Zii’s wife. I’m very grateful that you came here. My husband is fighting a fever and a bad stomach virus. Please.” she explained motioning me to follow her. I did and Li Yong followed me.

“He’s been sick for three days with vomiting and diarrhea for the past three days.” she said. I nodded.

“Has he been drinking water to remain hydrated?” I asked. She nodded.

“Yes. But his fever remains.” she said. I nodded and followed her down the long hall.

“Well drinking water can flush out the ickiness in his system. Has he had any Phenacetin for the fever?” I asked. She winced and shook her head.

“No. We must get that from a doctor out in the pond and as you can imagine they will not give us any. Anything to make us die quicker. Our doctors can’t even get the ingredients to make it.” she said pausing at a room and sliding the door open. Inside I could see a bed and an elderly man lying propped up against the wall. Mai Ling led me inside and I looked around at the room before moving to him. Mai Ling took the man’s hand. “Darling, I found the African doctor to you.”

African doctor. That can only be said in places where only outsiders lived. The man peaked his eyes open and looked my way. He looked weak and he looked exhausted. He looked at me and took some even breaths.

“You are the doctor? You are so young.” he said. I bowed to him. So this was Long Zii.

“Hello. I am Amaka. I have been taught by white and black healers alike. You are fighting a fever and a stomach virus I hear.” I replied. He let out a light sigh and nodded. I nodded and noticed Li Yong standing beside the door, still and quiet. I can imagine he didn’t trust me here with his boss. But he didn’t look at me with hostility like the other tongs did, so that was good. I looked at Long Zii and moved over to him. I gently raised the back of my hand to his forehead. He wasn’t too warm, but still pretty warm. I looked at Mai Ling.

“He’s warm, but not too warm that I am concerned. Was he hotter than this?” I asked. She moved to touch the man’s forehead and nodded.

“Very. His fever must be going down.” she said. I nodded and looked at the man.

“Long Zii, have you been given any medicine already for the virus?” I asked. He nodded.

“Just some herbs from the doctor. But this fever has me shaking like I’m freezing at one point then I’m sweating the next.” he said. I nodded and checked his throat, and his nostrils and eyes. I gently pressed on his stomach of which he said was hurting days ago, but the pain has subsided sice then. He hasn’t been able to keep much down. I wrote down his symptoms and looked at Mai Ling motioning for us to move back from the bed. There wasn’t too much I could do here. He hasn’t been sick for very long, and it seems his body is fighting the infection since he has his fever. I turned to her with a calm stare.

“His body is fighting the virus. I have Phenacetin with me. I can give you a few pills for his fever.” I said. Her eyes widened with relief, and I reached into my satchel. I noticed Li Yong moved closer as I did this. I pulled out the bottle, but the label was scratched off it. Mai Ling noticed this and looked at me with suspicion. I nodded at her. “I purposely scratch the names off my medicines. If the police get their hands on it, they are least likely to confiscate it if I just tell them they’re drugs. What’s one dead negro from an overdose, right?” Her eyes softened at my words, and I opened the bottle and poured some of the pills into my hand and even threw one back into my mouth and swallowed before looking at her.

I could tell she was impressed by my actions. This man was the head of a tong. There was no way she would take this medicine from me until I proved it wasn’t dangerous. What did I have to gain from poisoning him anyways? I looked at Li Yong who seemed to accept what I had done. Mai Ling held her hand out and I gave her the pills.

“All we can do is treat his symptoms. Let’s give the other doctor’s medicine a chance to work. If his fever doesn’t break tomorrow, give him one of the pills, but not too many, every six hours or so should be okay. It can damage his kidneys if he takes too much. Let’s give his body time to fight the infection.” I replied. She seemed taken aback by my kidney explanation, but she nodded.

“I understand. Thank you for at least coming here and agreeing to look at my husband.” she said. I nodded.

“Of course. If he isn’t better let me know. I will do all I can to help.” I replied. She smiled and gave a respectful bow herself.

“Li Yong will escort you back to Chao’s.” she said. I nodded and looked at the man who calmly walked from the room. I followed after him and we walked in silence to the front of the home. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of coins. He held it out to me.

“For your services.” he replied, and I shook my head.

“Keep it.” I replied. He looked confused.

“You helped our tong. This is the least we can do to show our gratitude.” he said. I looked at the bag and shook my head.

“He shouldn’t have to pay to feel better, even if he is the head of a strong tong.” I replied. He seemed genuinely taken back by my words and he nodded before moving to walk in the direction we originally came from. The sun would be setting in a few hours. I knew this by the shop keepers closing their stores. Everything was looking familiar to me, and I knew I was in a somewhat safer spot than earlier.

What surprised me, was Chao standing out in front of the shop and looking around worried and anxious. Had something happened? He seemed to be looking for someone. When he looked our way, I saw relief wash over his face, his shoulders falling as if he had been tensed. He sped up to us.

“There are you. Are you alright?” he asked moving up to take hold of my shoulders. I nodded.

“I’m fine. I was just helping Li Yong with a sick patient.” I replied looking at the silent man who just nodded in agreement.

“The Long Zii tong appreciates her help.” he said moving to take Chao’s hand and placing the bag of money in his hand. I guess he had to give the money to someone on my behalf. Chao looked at me and then Li Yong confused before nodding.

“Well… let’s not make a habit of this huh?” he asked. Li Yong nodded once before looking at me with a gentle stare.

“Goodbye, Amaka.” he said. I noticed the softness of how he said my name. But he seemed like a genuinely calm and soft-spoken person, so I thought nothing of it.

“Goodbye, Li Yong.” I replied tenderly. He dipped his head at me and turned and began his walk back, hands still calmly behind his back. I watched him leave thinking he was not like the other tong members I had seen. The Hope Wei are cocky and walk around with their chests puffed out. The Fung Hai are feral and brutal. Their presence makes me want to shrink up inside my own skin. But the Long Zii, they are the calm before a storm.

[fourseasonsfigs]

Fifth Sister

We're going to hang out a bit longer in the Junzhe Extended Universe - why wouldn't we, when the figs are just this cute?

Here we have Gong Jun as Prince Zhong Wumei from the TV show Unique Lady 2. The scene where Wumei dresses up as a lady to trap marauding bandits is so good we now have two figures to celebrate it! You may recall I posted about the first figure here.

As a recap, Prince Wumei makes a strikingly beautiful woman:

This is so cute. I love his face when he decks the bandit!

The prince arrived all dressed up in his finery, with a very special orange gardenia fan! This is, of course, not the fan he has in the show, which is decorated by two other beautiful ladies:

But, the fan has our fandom symbols on it, so I love it!

Here he is, all cute and smiley and being absolutely adorable. I love these figs! I want tons of Wumei-dressed-to-lure-bandits figs!

He's so fancy, with the golden earrings and the gilded hairpieces! I like how they accentuated his eyes at the corner with makeup here too.

This is an even better shot of the jewelry, and of the back side of the double-sided fan.

This hairstyle is super intricate...you can tell by the photo and video.

I really love all the swaying motion the fig maker put into the robes and the hair. Very cute and flirty luring bandits! They had it coming.

The part in the video where he pretends to trip and fall is fantastic. I don't think his hand waving up here is from that, but it still makes me giggle!

Ah, Zhong Wumei, so enchanting!

He stands great - no issues with him falling over at all.

I just love him! Did you notice he has his pinky finger very elegantly stuck out there on the hand holding the fan. If you take a look back at the video, you'll see that is actually the case!

No flirty knickers like we saw in the other Wumei figure!

I love this ornate hairstyle they put him in - very pretty with the piled coils of hair and the golden hair ornaments.

I had to laugh since my extremely rudimentary Chinese language learning skills actually paid off on this box card! The characters are wu (five), and mei (little sister), for a play on Wumei's name. I can't express the delight in realizing that laboriously working through my first two units in Duolingo and Hello Chinese worked out here! Numbers 1-10 and learning how to describe family members came through for me 😅

That's the last one in this 4-figure series of figs! Happy to have finally finished posting about each of these. I really love the JZEU...I think it's so much fun.

Material: PVC

Fig Count: 325

Scene Count: 24

Rating: The lady has some strength!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

[elianaroselight]

@winterpower98 I hope you are ready to kick off your new year with this final snipe from me. (At least for 2021 😉)

The Finale!

DATE PT 3

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As Bai and Beng near the festival area, Beng pulls them to the side of a building, out of everyone's veiw. "Forgive me, princess. I almost forgot to transform?" Bai looks at her father confused as he closes his eyes to focus. "Transform? Oh!" She gasps as she watches him change into his human form. She could easily see the resemblances between herself and her Baba. There was no doubt in her mind about that now.

He grins at her surprised face. "No worries. It is still me, lily." She giggles. "I know. I just wasn't expecting it. Now I understand the boots." Beng laughs. "Yeah. Didn't think I should walk around barefoot as a human." He holds his arm out for her to grab before they made their way into the festival. There were fathers and their daughters dancing in the dance area, getting food or already eating from different stands and even some standing to the sides laughing as they drink their alcoholic beverages. Bai He was a little overwhelmed.

Nearby, Macaque, disguised as a human while dressed in a deep reddish purple tangzhuang suit with silver designs of the Moon and monkies on the top, turned his head towards Beng and Bai He. Just enough to see them in his peripheral, but not enough to give him away. He takes a deep and drinks more of his coffee, (which had notes of hazelnut and mango). Next to him, Mei peeks over his shoulder to watch the new arrivals.

She was wearing a Jade green cheongsam with a black, long and flowy underskirt. Embroidered on it were a silver dragon and underneath was a peach tree holding two monkeys. One monkie was golden and the other a rich purple. There were also silver trimmings detailing the edges. Her hair was pulled up into a bun with two decorative hair pins, one with a peach design the other with a mango. Macaque had gotten flustered when he had seen the outfit and refused to say anything about it outside of 'Its beautiful.'

"Wow. They really knew someone who can sew." Mac hears Mei say softly and he chuckles. "Finish your tea, Jade. We have a job to do, remember?" She pouts slightly. "Fine. But we are going to have fun, too." She says in a very final manner that tells him he has no way of getting out of it. He was starting to regret asking her for help with this.

Beng decided to walk the stands with his daughter first, buying her dinner. When they went to sit down, he made sure to pull the chair out for his little girl. He meant it when he said he wanted to treat her like a princess. Bai He was giggling and smiling widely. She truly felt special and Beng couldn't be more pleased. They laughed and joked as they ate, which gave plenty of opportunities for Mei and Mac to discreetly snap some photos before getting some food themselves.

As Beng and Bai were finishing, Beng reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny satchel. He sets it in front of Bai to open. She looks at him curiously. "Is this for me?" Beng nods a soft smile on his face. She delicately opens it and reaches in to pull out a necklace. Attached to the soft twine was a wooden carving with a red bead on one side and a blue on the other side. As she looked closer, she realized it was a carving of a gibbon holding a pear. The pear was painted with liquid gold and there was a painted heart on the chest of the Monkie. Tucked in the ear of the wooden gibbon had been carved a lily. As if the gibbon had tucked it to protect it as it gathered the pear.

She gasps softly and looks at her Baba. She knew he carved; she had been told about the wooden monkie statue already. Beng chuckled softly. "Baba? Did... Did you carve this?" He nods. "Yes, my sweet lily. I did. For you. It is symbolic of who you are, what you are and what you like. But also a way of connecting you to your mother and I. Just as I have carved and painted gold the courting jewelry your mama and I wear, so too, have I carved and painted gold the necklace that you now hold. No matter where we are in the world. In this one, in Heaven or in Yama's Domain. No matter what we look like and whether we remember it or not, we are connected to each other. Okay?"

Bai nods, wiping away tears that had slipped from her eyes. He smiles softly and pulls her into his lap, holding her close while she gathers herself. Bai leans in and hold the necklace close while listening to her Baba's soft purrs. After a few minutes, she has collected herself enough to sit up and kiss her Baba on the cheek. Beng grins and hugs her close, purrs growing in intensity for a moment, leading to Bai He giggling. Finally he let's go and ties the necklace on for her. She grins happily. "Come on, Baba. Let's go dance." "Gladly, my little lily."

He helps her up and gets pulled to the dance floor by his daughter. He can't help but laugh. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened to her. That she had always been with him and it was good to see her come into her old self a little more. When they arrive, he takes her in his arms and they start to dance to the music. He could stay like this forever. Only way to make it even more perfect, was his amazing wife dancing with them.

Less than 2 minutes later, a large shadow covers the two of them and they look up to see a group of 4 burley demons looking down at them. The one in the front, the leader looks at Bai He in particular. "You. You are that Bone Demon's girl aren't you!?" He growls loudly, causing Bai He to gasp. She looked ready to run in absolute terror, but was pulled close to someone. It took her a moment to realize she was in her baba's arms and he was growling loudly. She clings to him and looks up at his face.

His eyes, normally full of softness, love and joy, were hard. Almost steely. Even the blue of his iris had someone how hardened and looked deadly. She could see his teeth slowly reverting back to his fangs as he bared them threateningly at the four. He was holding her so gently and yet could feel the tenseness and strength he held. He was like a bow string. Ready to snap at a moments notice. He was watching all four of them and yet held the eyes of the leader, challenging him.

"Don't you DARE! Touch my daughter. If you try, I promise you will not be the ones to come out of this alive." The leader laughs. "Oh yeah? And why should we believe that, Little Man?" Beng mouth quirks up a slight bit. "Mess around and you'll find out exactly why Sun Wukong made me one of his generals." That got the demons to stop. They did not want to mess with the infamous Monkie King. Let alone anyone tied to him. So the fact that this demon transformed human was claiming to be one of his generals, which not many actually tried to do, said alot about the power of the the demon. The leader growled and turned around, leaving the party behind. His posse follows suit, watching their backs to make sure the demon wasn't following them.

Beng watched them leave for a minute or two before taking a deep breath and nuzzling his daughter's head to comfort them both. Bai He nuzzles back, a soft purr eminating from her. She chirps softly, without realizing at first, too concerned about feeling safe. Beng pauses before breaking out into a wide grin, chirping back. This was what led to Bai realizing what she was doing as she immediately chirped back at his call. She grins happily, remembering the conversations about chirping she had with MK and Mei.

Beng sways them gently to the music, chirping and purring happily with his daughter in his arms. Bai He was so glad he baba was there. She hadn't felt so safe in public as she had right then and there. She didn't have to be afraid of being attacked ever again. Not if her mama and baba had anything to say about it, (not including the rest of her family, of course).

Macaque looked at Mei. After watching (and filming) that whole interaction, he was glad Bai He was in safe hands and couldn't help but feel the desire to protect his own daughter. He listens to his brother and niece purring and chirping at one another and before he could stop it, a soft chirp of his own came out of his mouth. Mei looks at him surprised as she responds softly herself. After a moment of looking at each other, Mei pulls her grumpy old man into a hug, smiling happily and enjoying his warmth. Mac sighs and let's himself smile softly especially as Mei wasn't able to see it.

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Ba stood in the doorway of the house, clutching her heart. She had heard Beng and Bai walking towards the house and went to go meet them. She wasn't expecting (but honestly, probably should've) to see her husband gently carrying their precious daughter in his arms with smiles on their faces and Bai He clutching the necklace Beng had worked so hard to make whole trying to not fall asleep. Ba could hear purrs coming from them both and could help but join them.

Beng grins at his wife and kisses her gently before handing Bai over. Ba takes Bai He to her room and helps her change while Beng worked to remove the shoes he wore all evening. By the time Beng walked into his daughter's room, Ba had already laid their baby girl down and was tucking her in. Bai He looks towards the doorway and sees her baba standing there. She chirps for him and reaches out. Ba blinks away the surprise and watches as Beng comes closer, still looking human. He bends down and kisses his daughter's forehead.

"Sleep well, my little lily." She nods slightly with a soft smile and gives a noise of affirmation. She looks at her mama. "Mama?" "Yes, sweet pea?" "Do you have a human form too?" Ba nods her head, a bit confused as to the question. "Yes I do, why do you ask?" Bai He yawns, snuggling into her pillow more. "I wanna see it sometime. To see.... How much I look like you..." Bai He falls asleep as she finishes talking.

Ba looks at Beng shocked. She hadn't even thought about how Bai He hadn't seen her human form yet or even the possibility of her wanting to see their relation physically. She had to admit, it was tough to when one was in their constant human form and the other wasn't. She had some things to think about now. But, before that. She looks at Beng, smiling softly as she receives one back. They lean in and give each other a sweet kiss, happy to be reunited as a family.

[ootahime]

what is utahime’s role in the future? — a prediction (manga spoilers)

part 2 (unedited)

part 1 is here!

let’s continue answering the question: is utahime weak?

chapter 135

what preparations is utahime making? like i’ve mentioned before, i theorize that she needs to charge up in order to use her technique. since momo and the other kyoto students are fighting on the front line to buy time for utahime, i believe that they trust that their teacher’s ability can help turn the situation around.

what do the students think of her? do they think she’s weak?

chapter 128

mechamaru manipulates the circumstances in a way that allow him to keep the kyoto people away from danger. this has more to do with how much he cares about his classmates and his teacher rather than seeing them as incompetent sorcerers who can’t hold their own. notice how he says “EVEN utahime”.

chapter 128

kamo thinks mechamaru doesn’t have that much faith in the Kyoto students—but this isn’t true at all! he knows who the enemy is and has a grasp of how dangerous they are. he just wants to keep his friends safe. besides, kamo is a semi-grade 1 sorcerer which means he’s more than capable of defending himself against curses. but since he’s being kept safe too, it suggests that this is not a matter of keeping weak people away from fighting :)

chapter 41

this seems a bit off topic but let’s talk about the misogyny in jujutsu society. momo points out to nobara that the women from the zenin clan are expected to be perfect. the misogyny runs so deep to the point where some women aren’t allowed to even fight. you may think that this is just about the zenin clan but it’s about society as a whole. that’s why nobara responds to momo in a more personal sense. she doesn’t care about the boys versus girls issue because she embraces all aspects of herself. she loves herself when she’s strong, and she loves herself when she’s dressed up and beautiful. if it only applied to the zenin family then nobara wouldn’t have responded the way she did.

in the chapter before, nishimiya explains, “even if a girl has skills, if she’s not cute, she’s looked down upon. of course, if she’s only cute with no skill, it’s the same. women sorcerers aren’t expected to be skilled, they’re expected to be perfect.”

some of the female characters in jujutsu kaisen apply to this. for example, maki and mai. they’re looked down upon because one can’t use a cursed technique or see curses, while the other’s cursed technique is weak. in chapter 148(?) naoya says the only thing maki had going for her was her face, but it’s ruined now so she’s nothing. the zenin twins fall under the “cute but not skilled” category in jujutsu society. before we can put utahime into a category, let’s examine mei.

i promise this will all connect so please bear with me LOLLL let’s move on to mei. we find out that mei has the ability to control crows. she deems this ability as weak because it’s simple and doesn’t have much attack or defense power.

she convinces herself that a sorcerer’s worth doesn’t revolve around their CT. by following this ideal, she soon found herself at her limit because you can only hone your physical abilities to an extent. she said she was crushed because she thought that her weak CT would forever stunt her ability to grow as a sorcerer. but because of all the training she did in order to not rely on her CT, she was able to combine her physical prowess with her technique to make what’s best of her ability to control crows.

mei is an example of a perfect woman based on the standards the jujutsu world has established for women. although she has a weak technique, she makes up for it with adept use of weapons and physical prowess. she found a way to incorporate this “weak” ability to make it something strong. she’s beautiful and powerful so therefore, she was promoted to be a grade 1 sorcerer. she is what a woman is expected to be in order to be acknowledged by others.

what about utahime? why couldn’t she follow the same footsteps as mei?

i can’t answer that because we don’t really know much about utahime so far. i can only speculate why. being a grade 2 sorcerer at 20 is not bad at all. but why is she stuck as a semi-grade 1 sorcerer at 31? that surely proves she’s just weak, right?

semi-grade 1 sorcerers are sorcerers who have performed well on missions with a person accompanying them. i feel like when utahime was on a mission to exorcise a grade 1 curse on her own (the final step of the grade 1 promotion process), something happened that gave her her scar and made her unable to fulfill the mission. it’s either that or she did complete the mission but her appearance is too unsatisfactory. can you recall what nishimiya said? if you’re cute and not skilled, you’re not good enough. if you’re not cute and skilled, you’re still not good enough.

in men, scars are a symbol of honor and strength. on the other hand, scars on a woman’s face are seen as an imperfection. as a result, those who are scarred are deemed imperfect and unsuitable for marriage.

gojo hates the way things are run because the higher ups are so close-minded. they make decisions on a whim and have no compassion for sorcerers who are breaking their backs on their orders. he wants to change jujutsu society for the better by raising the next generation of sorcerers to be as strong as him. the old-fashioned and narrow-minded attitude of the higher ups leads me to believe that utahime is stuck as a semi-grade 1 sorcerer because she is viewed as imperfect. utahime’s scar is most likely the reason contributing to her being held back. who would want to promote a woman who isn’t beautiful enough to be a grade 1 sorcerer?

she obviously has a lot to offer because she’s a teacher at Kyoto. todo, a grade 1 sorcerer, has never shown any sign of disrespect towards utahime despite the fact that he surpassed her in rankings. he trusts in her and believes she has some things she can teach him.

can we additionally address the fact that gojo respects mei? he refers to her as mei-san and says that there’s no way she’d cry because she’s strong. mei has a weak technique though? 🤔🤔🤔 controlling crows?!?!?! nah im jk, mei is strong with and without her technique, of course. since gojo respects someone like mei, a person who doesn’t have an out-of-this-world technique, i believe his view of someone strong isn’t solely based on their technique. when he calls utahime weak, he may not be insulting her CT. it’s just all jokes because in chapter 65, geto and mei join in on the fun too and pick on her. mr. hot shot knows that utahime is a valuable asset to his plans so he entrusts her with the task of unearthing the traitor(s). if she was so incapable of such a thing, why did he pay mei to do the same job? 🤔

*a lot of people think mei was actually paid by gojo to promote his students but that’s incorrect. it goes against everything gojo advocates for. he wants his kids to enjoy their youth because his was taken away. being a sorcerer is not a smooth job and no matter how many years you’re in the profession, it never gets easier. he doesn’t wish for his students to be thrust in a world full of hardship and loss, which is why he was so against yuuji and yuta’s execution. he works hard to preserve the innocence of his students. he doesn’t want yuji’s heart to break, not even once. why would he pay mei to promote his students to grade 1? that would automatically strip them of their innocence and youth and push them into a world full of burden and pain.

PHEW that was long. how does this all tie back to utahime’s future role in the story?

her CT will probably come in clutch in an important battle

she might be the one to help get gojo out the box (A REACH i know)

she will help gojo with his plan to overthrow and change jujutsu society as a whole

i don’t really have to dive into the first bullet point. as for the second one, look at what i found!

in the second opening, utahime is seen searching for something in a dim forest.

*i read an analysis about opening 2 and apparently this just symbolizes her looking for the traitors. that makes sense too.

in chapter 144, this scenery pops up right before they enter master tengen’s base(?) the branches are thicker than in the opening but it gives the same vibes to me. i think utahime will be the one to break gojo out.

why utahime? well, gojo is their best shot at stabilizing whatever the fuck is going on right now. she knows it’s a crime to unseal him, but she wants her students to be safe so she’ll probably risk it. plus, gojo’s flashback starts with him breaking utahime and mei out of a building with a barrier.  i think utahime breaking gojo out of the prison realm will make a perfect parallel :3

that theory is a massive ass pull I KNOW. it’s just fun to think about. it’s likely that kurusu hana will be the one helping yuuji and megumi out with that.

if utahime isn’t the one freeing gojo, she will definitely come face to face with the other traitors.

ive read numerous Reddit threads and tons of users think she’ll play a small role in the story—nothing too significant. i’m perfectly content with that as well. i never expected her to be gojo level or anything like that LMAOO. as long as we get to see her technique in action, i will be satisfied 😮‍💨

——

i feel like there may be a few things i missed but i tried to include everything i could think of. the organization of this post is quite off but im too lazy to rearrange it in a way that makes it more coherent LOL. thank you so much for reading. ill probably analyze gojo and utahime’s interactions in the manga and anime next :-)

[ficstoreadagain]

Prayer in Hell

Sebastian is my current hyper fixation so like here’s this

Summary: Reader is a Phantomhive servant escaping a dark past, but being back in London threatens to open old wounds. 

______________________

You were a “servant” that Sebastian had hired when he showed up that day- following Lord Phantomhive like a shadow. You, along with Mei-Ren, Finny, and Bard, began work as if you had been a maid every single day of your life. It was a comfortable life; you had been hired-not for your laundry skills (though you were even better than Sebastian at getting blood stains out of clothes)- for your family business, you had come from a family of hunters. This was a strategic move on Sebastian’s part, there were certain things- rituals, spells, sigils- that as a Demon, he couldn’t do. (And, while he was very capable of protecting the young master on his own, not spending his days chasing off lesser demons and beasts certainly saved him a good amount of time.) Besides, of all the Phantomhive Staff, you were definitely his favorite. In his opinion, you were quite interesting- clever, competent, resilient, tenacious, and it didn’t hurt that you were quite easy on the eyes. 

Though love and affection were very human, whatever he felt for you was as close to those as humanly demonly possible. It took him a long time to win you over, you had been apprehensive of him for weeks, months even. But once he convinced you he only had a taste for Ciel’s soul (and once you realized that the young Lord kept the demon on a tight leash), you began to relax around Sebastian-even falling for that suave charm and devilish allure. For awhile you shamed yourself- he was a high-caste demon, physically you couldn’t fight him off if you tried, and as a demon, he was supposed to be your sworn enemy.  He was the forbidden fruit, and you kept him on his toes. It was unavoidable, so you stopped trying to avoid it. 

It was an odd “relationship”. Sebastian was a passionate lover, protective, territorial, charming. He took every chance he got to fluster you: sweeping you off your feet, whispering the most enticing things, tightening your corset more sensually than anyone else ever did, flashing ruby eyes at you when no one else could see, dancing with at all the balls and parties, startling you whenever possible, and of course always dashing in to save you when you were in over your head (or at least when he thought you were). Yes, Sebastian was quite fond of you- almost as possessive of you as he was Ciel. 

So like many days, you started your morning by going around the estate and strengthening your wards and sigils to keep any unwelcome guests off the property. After all, you were going with Lord Phantomhive and Sebastian to London- and these sigils had to last until the three of you returned. As you drew symbols on trees in both your blood and ash, you breathed a slight laugh at the idea of Mei-Ren, Bard, and Finny trying to fight off a stubborn spirit or lesser demon. 

“Something funny, my love?” A familiar baritone voice sounded right beside your ear. You were used to this- both to startling things and to him sneaking up to you. So an untrained eye wouldn’t have noticed your slight jump- but Sebastian’s eyes always caught it- as evident by the slightest smirk gracing his lips. 

“Are you ever going to stop sneaking up on me?” You asked, pretending to be indifferent as you went back to smudging ash and blood onto the tree trunk in front of you. 

“Oh, but you make it so fun. Like a startled deer. Like prey.” He growled, darkly and smoothly. Your heart fluttered for a moment, catching the glow of his ruby eyes. You took a shuddering breath, leaning back into his chest before replacing the flushed look with an unamused deadpan. 

“Sebastian, you know I’m not afraid of you.” Pushing yourself off of him and moving to the next tree. The demon butler strode confidently behind you. 

“Yes, and that’s what makes you so much more-magnetic.” He purred, watching as you dipped your fingers into the pouch of ashes before smearing another sigil onto a tree. 

“Don’t you have other prey to attend to?” You teased, squeezing your fist to produce more blood from the cut on your hand. 

“The young master needn’t be awake for another hour,” Sebastian explained, watching in disdain as your blood dripped to the ground while you set to work fortifying your work. “So, in the meantime, my dear, I’m all yours.” 

“Hhmm...” You hummed with a smirk as you finsihed. “There, all done. Try to cross the boundary.” 

Wordlessly, the demon moved towards the border. You watched as his foot came to the boundary, before being met with invisible resistance. He strained against it for only a moment, before making his way through with the slightest grimace on his face.  From across your perimeter line, he smirked proudly before forcing himself back through to you. 

“Impressive, but not quite meant for me, my love.” He praised, leaning down to kiss your forehead. You exhaled slowly, leaning into the touch. Looking up at his through your lashes, you shivered in the morning air. 

“Yes, well, you higher caste demons are a tricky lot. Anything stronger than a crossroad’s demon is being delegated to you.” You shrugged, pausing before looking down at your still bleeding hand. 

“Well, If I couldn’t defend my master’s estate from soldiers of hell... what kind of butler would I be.” Sebastian mused before his eyes lowered to your wounded hand. You had slit your palm many times for sigils and spells, but it still hurt as it oozed- blood beginning to drip down your wrist. “Tsk, Tsk, How do you expect to accompany me and the young master to London if you're bleeding out.”

Sebastian scolded you as he took a pristine pocket square from his suit and gingerly wrapped it around the wound. You rolled your eyes but didn’t try to stop him, “Oh, don’t fuss, You’ve seen me do this a hundred times.”

“When it’s something as precious as your blood, I would kill.” The demon declared, voice low and sincere. A scarlet blush crept up your neck as he tied off the ends of the cloth. Suddenly his voice was chipper as he took your arm in his, “Now, back to the manor. There is much to do today.”

________

Once back in the manor, Sebastian refused to part with you until he had properly cleaned the wound on your hand and rewrapped it with clean gauze. But, with a final nod, the demon hungrily caught your lips for a passionate kiss. Pressed up against the stone counters in the kitchen, his body folded around yours before easily lifting you up to sit on the counter. Right as things were about to get heated- like the hellish tease he is- he pulled away, straightened his tailcoat, and brushed a hand through that ebony hair. With a mockingly curt nod, he picked up a tray with the young lord’s tea and whisked out of the kitchen with nothing but a smirk in your direction. 

“Damn demon.” You muttered, breathing heavily as the door shut. Without Sebastian to distract you, you begrudgingly went back to your quarters to ready yourself for the day. Quickly, you discarded your ‘hunting’ attire- this ensemble was considered radically inappropriate by any ‘respectable’ person in England, but you refused to hunt in a corset, hoop skirt, and heels, so when you were on the job you settled for sturdy trousers, white button-up shirt, comfortable boots, and an overcoat with plenty of pockets. If it wasn’t for the complicated updo that kept your hair out of the way, some would confuse you for a man. 

But, for a Phantomhive maid, that was unacceptable. So you donned a less extreme version of Mei-Ren’s uniform. This was after an intense debate with Sebastian on your first day on the job. You had argued that you needed to be able to move swiftly, and not have the restrictions of a corset and heels- but the skirt was non-negotiable. 

Both of your trunks had already been packed. One small one of clothes (an extra uniforms, two outfits for hunting, three nightgowns, and one silk dressing gown that had been a gift from Sebastian), and then one much larger trunk full of hunting supplies (salt, holy water, knives of all shapes, sizes, metals, two pistols, an assortment of special bullets, a couple of field journals that had been passed down in your family, holy oil, three cartons of matches, and plenty of other fun items.)

A knock sounded at the door, and you were quick to invite them in. The door opened to reveal Finny who smiled brightly at you, “Good Morning, Miss (Y/N), I came to carry your trunk down to the carriage.”

His happiness was infectious, earning him a warm smile in return, “Thank you Finny, be careful they’re-”

You were cut off by him easily scooping them up, carrying both effortlessly, The childlike charm made it so easy to forget the inhuman amount of strength he possessed. Sighing, you called out a thanks to him as he turned a corner.  

Outside your window, you watched as Sebastian carried the young master’s trunks to the awaiting carriage and easily heaving them up to secure them to the back of the carriage. Wiping imaginary dust off his hands, he appeared to feel your eyes on him- smirking as he lifted his head to stare at your window. 

You shook your head with a small smile as you backed away from the window to leave the room. While you would miss the manor, with its beautiful interiors, sprawling lawns, and comforts of home, you were excited to be back in the city. After all, you spent most of your time before Sebastian hunting down demons, ghosts, and monsters in the heart of London- the grimy streets and dark alleys would almost be a comfort to you. 

It took a few minutes to get from your quarters to the front lawn (after taking a detour through the kitchen to steal a few sugar cubes). Upon arriving, you saw Bard toeing a put-out cigarette into the ground while Mei-Ren fussed over him and Tanaka sipped his tea. Finnie was chasing a butterfly around the fountain, so you quietly strode to the two horses to sneak them the aforementioned sugar cubes.  

Both chocolate-colored mares nickered happily at the treat, and content with your good deed you joined the other Phantomhive servants in a line to wait for the young master. Moments later, Sebastian held the door open for the young lord, waiting for only a second before descending the steps behind him like a tall shadow. 

Ciel passed the row of servants without so much as a second glance, blue overcoat fluttering behind him and polished shoes clicking against the cobblestone. Sebastian stopped in front of the other four servants, giving extremely harsh orders to keep the manor intact. Then just as quickly, he turned back towards the carriage to help open the door for the young Lord. You softly smiled at the other four servants as you followed behind. 

Finnie, Mey-Rin, and Bard’s farewells and waves sent you off until you could no longer see the mansion. Sent you back to London for the first time in three years. 

Part two

[fierce-little-miana]

Hello^^ Since I am now totally consumed by Marco Polo thanks to you, I wanted to ask you what you think of the female characters in the series and who is your favourite? Only if you don't mind of course :)

I absolutely do not mind at all. It is always a pleasure to talk about Marco Polo and especially to talk about the female character that I love with a great passion. I find them to be generally interesting and well written. 

So, since I have a real weekend in really long time, I am going to explain what I think of every significant female character in Marco Polo! Buckle Up!

Empress Chabi:

Chabi is my favorite female character in the show. Actually, she is my favorite character in Marco Polo. Frankly Chabi is one of my general favorite characters even outside of Marco Polo. She is the political consort done right. 

Often in TV-shows or period dramas when they say political savvy woman they mean woman who uses her sexuality to manipulate men. It’s true that women did reach powerful position by using their sexuality but not only and writers of period drama don’t seem to have the slightest idea on how to write a political savvy woman if there is no sex involved. 

That’s not the case with Chabi. Yes she has a sex life and the she manages Kublai’s harem but her power doesn’t come for her sexuality. Her political strength relies on the complete trust that exists between her and her husband (which seems to be an historical truth by the way). She is his most trusted advisor. She is also the one in charge of managing and assuring his dynasty. She also takes care of the public depiction of the dynasty and she does it very well. She is deeply ambitious for her family, and an excellent judge of character that makes sure that people who have talent are put in positions where they can express them (for the empire), and generally brillant.

However that doesn’t make Chabi a good person. She is ruthless and doesn’t hesitate to hurt and manipulate the people around her for the sake of her family, her dynasty and the empire. In short she is a mongol queen, an actual political player who is here to win. I love her. Also the actress that portrays her, Joan Chen (love her too), was 53 during the first season and there are no reason to believe that Chabi was supposed to be much younger. Having one of the main female character be a woman in her fifties presented as extremely important, clever, and beautiful isn’t that usual (Lena Headey and Indira Varma that are I think the two oldest actresses that are supposed to interpret beautiful/desirable women in GoT are 45 this year, Katheryn Winnick from Vikings is 41) so double Yeah for Chabi!   

Khutulun:

Khutulun is the kind of historical character that are too big for any artistical representation of them. I mean a wrestling princess that refused to marry any man that can’t defeat her in a wrestling match and stayed undefeated (even if she did marry in the end). The favorite child of her father and one of his generals… Khutulun is an exception even in Mongol History. She straight up escaped from a a legend.

I also really like her character in Marco Polo. She has bravado but it never makes her disagreeable. She is just proud of herself because well she is a great warrior and she should be proud of herself. She is also generally a great character to be around that cares about her loved ones and is distraught by having to do dishonorable things in order to win.

Her moral conflict is really interesting and her relationship with Byamba allows her to show fragility and doubt without undermining her warrior status. I also really like the low key conflict she has with her brother which is not her fault and that she doesn’t want but that she has to live with. Khutulun in Marco Polo isn’t a political player like Chabi is but she has to navigate this political context and she tries to do it while not disappointing her father, not losing her brother and her lover but more importantly not losing herself.  

Kokachin/Nergui:    

Kokachin is a very nicely done tragic character. It is someone divided between the lie she said to save her life and what she wants from her life. She knows she can’t get it and she does her best to survive but it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want it. This fondamental dichotomy is slowly destroying her. Even more when she ends up completely in Chabi’s claws.

Her sanity slowly slips away. But she tries, she tries so hard to do what is expected of her to become someone worthy of who she is pretending to be. She is so brave. She is clever and political too. But she fails. Of course she fails because that is the point of a tragedy but she sure makes an impact on the audience. Everyone wanted Kokachin to succeed, to become the next Chabi. Maybe a better kinder Chabi. Everyone knew she was going to fail. It didn’t mean that we weren’t completely wrecked by her ending.

Mei Lin:

Okay before starting on Mei Lin I wanted to say that her back story makes no logical sens. There are no scenario that explains how a child so poor she ends up in prostitution (and not the ‘classy’ kind of prostitution), learns to fight like an art martial master and read like it is expected of imperial concubines in China, and then becomes one of the high ranking concubines of the Emperor. Don’t get me wrong I see scenarios where three of this points could work together (Ching Shih) but never the four at the same time. Especially in a society as codified and rigid as Song China.

That being said Mei Lin is still a good character. Even if there are plot holes in her backstory it actually still does the job of explaining her character, and her brother’s character, pretty well. She doesn’t care about the big picture, after all the big picture never cared about her, and she is out there for herself. And for her daughter. I can see how someone who has been used and abused would be particularly protective of their child and also could love them unconditionally, since the child isn’t trying to use them. Mei Lin keeps her goal in mind for both seasons of the show and works toward it with the little margin she is granted.

She is angry, maybe a bit too impulsive, unimpressed by power structure and symbolic representation of power (because she knows what they are for) and that makes an extremely compelling character.  

The Dowager Empress of the Song Empire:

It’s probably going to sound weird but I really like her. I think the Dowager Empress of the Song Empire was a really interesting character to have on the show. Once again we follow a woman in her fifties wielding power. She is chancellor Sidao main political opponent. While he wants to go for broke and try to shake the mongol yoke once and for all she is trying for conciliation. 

She does everything in her power to push her political agenda and her main weapon his honor and decency. In a way she is a model of Dowager Empress, a person without moral fault doing her best for the survival of the dynasty and her people. And she tries to do that by upholding moral virtue. No one can look at this woman telling chancellor Sidao «It is a powerful man who injures little children» and not stanning her forever. I wish her end was closer to her historical end but I guess I can’t have everything.

Also she was Chabi’s greatest rival for killer head-dresses/headpieces. I love overly complicated headpieces.

Jing Fei:

Jing Fei is a less important character than the ones above but I also have a soft spot for her. Here we have Mei Lin best friend. I mean how many show would have given a best friend to the bad ass girl who uses her sexuality to advance her goal? It’s even better because Jing Fei and Mei Lin were in the same harem but no cat fight occurred. They sticked together. 

Jing Fei is a clever and ingenious woman who always privileges her relationship with other women. She puts herself in danger for Mei Lin and the Dowager Empress. A woman always choosing to stay by another woman’s side? Starz and Emma Frost are chocked!  

Shabkana:

Probably my favorite character introduce in season 2, Shabkana is Kaidu’s mother and Khutulun’s grandmother. She is our link to the violence that took place during the Toluid revolution. She makes the ideological conflict between Kaidu and Kublai personal and intimate. Her monologue on how she tried to save her sister by swearing fealty to the Tolui line, laying her honor and loyalty down, just for her sister to die in horrible pain while believing Shabkana had betrayed her is incredible.  

She wants the Ogedei line to be back in power. She is angry and out for blood. But she is also a shrouded politician and a ruthless manipulator. She is our only glimpse at the type of power widows could wield in the Mongol Empire and she is such a great antagonist. Really I love her.

Bonus point Lotus:

Lotus is the only female character that didn’t left an impact on me in Marco Polo so I guess she is my least favorite character. I don’t have a lot to say about her I don’t remember her very well (which is always a bad sign). But I remember being delighted to see Michelle Yeoh plays an unstoppable fighter that no-one wanted to face in duel. 

Super Bonus point: You will notice that 4 out the 8 main female characters of Marco Polo are older than 50. Hurray!    

[lessonsfrommadamexmas]

The Moon Festival

This story was written for a fic challenge on the theme of celebrations, and I was sorted the Chinese Moon Festival, so I adapted it to Xing. This is also the first time I write about Almay and Xing. :) 

Summary: Alphonse, Jerso and Zampano travel to Xing and their first stop is the Chang clan. 2.4k words. Link to AO3.

- - - - - 

i. Moon shaped

 The scent of baking cake and nuts decorated the little house where May lived, nestling in every corner and chasing noses curious for the delights they would have a chance to experience in a few hours. Jerso, Alphonse and Zampano followed the princess of the Chang clan to the kitchen while she told exciting stories about the dish she had chosen to make for Mid-Autumn Festival.

 Al had to admit that upon arriving in Xing, he was surprised by the life she was carrying, for little had changed from what he knew about the princess. May lived alone in a comfortable but not luxurious home and worked side by side with her people. Everyone treated her like a princess and a hero who had conquered a voice for her clan before the new emperor and brought better days for them, yet May wanted nothing more for herself than what the others had.  

 – The festival takes place on a full moon, so we also call it the Moon Festival. Pay close attention and you’ll see goddess Chang’e on the surface of the moon.

– Goddess Chang? Like your clan? – asked Jerso sitting by the table.

 – Chang'e. – she repeated, emphasizing the "e" with a sound similar to an "a". – Legend goes that we once had ten suns in the sky. They were brothers and every day one of them traveled the planet, bringing heat and energy. However, they preferred each other's company and one day decided to travel together. With that, the soil was ruined, the waters began to disappear and the animals to die. But the brothers no longer wanted to stay apart, so emperor Yao sent his most powerful archer to defeat them.

 – Yao? Like Ling? – it was Al's turn to interrupt.

 – Exactly! – May replied, heading for the oven to check the small lunar cakes, round and stuffed with a paste rich in spices.

 – I wonder how the emperor of Xing is celebrating the Moon Festival. – Zampano asked, peering anxiously at May’s exquisite dish.

 – Certainly with a party even larger than this one. – Jerso commented.

 – Undoubtedly, it's an important celebration to all of us.

 – But, please, continue the story of the goddess Chang'e, May.

 – Hou Yi, the archer, was married to Chang'e. He killed nine of the suns, forcing the last one to follow its routine alone. This left their father, Emperor Di Jun, furious, so Hou Yi asked the Queen Mother immortality for himself and his wife. She granted him two doses of elixir for helping Earth and restoring life and fertility, but there was one problem: his apprentice saw when Hou Yi gave the elixir for Chang'e to hide, and decided to approach her alone to steal immortality for himself.

 – They should have taken it at once. – Zampano pointed it out what he considered plot hole.

 – Yes, but Hou Yi liked his life as it was and only wanted it for an emergency. Without being able to defend herself, Chang'e drank all the elixir, which was a big mistake. It was for two, and whoever consumed all of it would become a god. Hou Yi arrived in time to see her beloved rising to the skies to inhabit the moon. Desolate, Hou Yi had to live the rest of his days alone, staring at the image of Chang'e on the surface of the moon. He turned her into a symbol of his struggle to bring prosperity to his people, and offered her a feast with her favorite food.

 ii. Common sense

The sky embraced them in its dark blue cloak and Alphonse waited with the lanterns as May, Jerso and Zampano collected the cookies they would bring to the party. Leaning over the window of the living room, Al struggled to see the outline of a woman in a long dress on the round satellite. He did not want to disappoint May, but he'd decided it was best to let her show him than to lie about what he could see.

 The girl's light and hurried footsteps vibrated the floor toward him, and the Amestrian turned his head toward the hallway.

 – I’ll carry the lanterns with you, they're on their way. – she announced entering the room.

 May wore purple and blue, and had Xiao-mei lodged on her shoulder. It was the first time the boy had seen her wear her hair in a single bun, with only two braids running down her back.

 When Al wrote to May to inform his itinerary and the time they would spend with her clan, she made him promise to stay until the Moon Festival. As she didn’t give much explanation, he understood that the princess wanted it to be a surprise. Now, the more he saw and heard, the more Alphonse realized the importance of the party to the Changs. The clan was once among the poorest of Xing, withering away, but with Ling’s promised assistance – who gave them the peripheral land for cultivation – this was their first year of great prosperity in a long time. The first year they had much more to thank than to ask for on the festival.

 – I was here observing the sky. – he said as May approached. – I'm not sure if I can see the goddess Chang'e, although I think I can see the skirt of her dress in that ... – Al tried to raise his arm to point at the window, but was prevented by May.

 – Mr. Alphonse, do not point to the moon! – the girl shouted in astonishment, holding his hand in the air, and Xiao-mei shook her head in disappointment.

 – Oh, sorry, is anything bad gonna happen? – Al asked nervously.

 – Who knows! But I think I stopped you in time, why would you do that? – May's expression of disbelief was replaced by heroically arched eyebrows. – Luckily, I was here.

 – Yes, thank you very much for letting me know.

 If his brother was there, he would say that that was a huge nonsense and would point to the moon only for the pleasure of defying superstitions. But for Al that was the best part of immersing himself in a different culture: the surprises of little gestures, as well as the replacement of an instant of worry by the relief of having escaped a wave of bad luck.

 iii. Reflections the night brings.

 The party took place everywhere, and all the doors were open turning the village into one single home, with large outdoor tables, lanterns scattered on the floor and music splashed in the air.

 The group of tourists was finally delighting themselves with the lunar cakes. The delicacy had a thin crust and a perfect note of sweetness, but also a heavy filling that challenged them to eat anything else offered on the banquet. Jerso and Zampano looked ready for any food they could place their eyes on while Al drank his tea and began to calculate the space available in his stomach when May invited them to join a conversation.

 Sitting on the floor with colorful lanterns around, the group admired the moon and shared their detailed impressions of it. The cold breeze of fall dissipated in the warmth of that gathering. One by one, Alphonse was attentive to everything they said in search of recognizable words, while May added precise translation at the end of each comment. Then, the ancient lady extended her palm invitingly towards the blond boy.

 – Mr. Alphonse, it's your turn. – the princess informed, seeing that he was caught off guard.

 – May, but I'm not good enough with descriptions yet, I won’t know what to say.

 – Don’t worry, just talk and I’ll translate. – she encouraged him. – The important thing is to participate. So how does the moon make you feel?

 Alphonse rested his hands on the grass and looked up. He allowed himself to be enveloped in the night, mesmerized by the golden glow emanating from the full moon, and soon found a place that was familiar to him, although the opposite of the present moment.

 – For a few years, the night was a constant reminder of how dark life was. I was empty and sleep didn’t come, so I watched the moon either from the window or on outdoor walks, so often that I would get tired of the skies. I didn’t know that goddess Chang'e was there with me, so I couldn’t feel less lonely while everyone slept. – the boy spoke slowly without taking his eyes off his object of study, and heard as May repeated his words in Xingese. – I knew I was surrounded by life, but I could’t feel it as my footsteps touched the grass and the cats felt my touch. As unreachable as the moon. But today, here with you, the night has never been so alive, and the moon has never been so close. It’s gained flavor and texture reflected in our meal, and thanks to you, I can now associate the moon with hospitality, tenderness and festivity. Thank you.

 Still distracted, the boy waited for the last words of the princess, but was surprised by a sob in her voice.

 – May, you're crying!

 – Mr. Alphonse, that was so beautiful. – She covered her face with her hands and Xiao May buried her nose in her shoulder.

 She was not the only one. Around him, the other Xinguese seemed touched by his story, and Al saw Jerso and Zampano discreetly wiping their eyes.

 – Thank you for sharing the wisdom of your experience, my dear. – Al was able to comprehend the old woman's words, who smiled at him. – You made our night more special.

 iv. What the tongue has yet to learn

 A couple of miles away from May's house, the strange quartet formed by a tiny girl with her little panda and three tall guys watched the street theater perform the story of Chang’e. Alphonse noticed that the dialogue was scarce but too flourished for their comprehension, so he was glad to have learned the story earlier and dismiss translation now. May’s Xingese lessons had focused on communication and efficiency instead of poetry, and the four of them built together a small dictionary of technical terms that could be important in their research. For their journey, that would be enough.

 The play was visually rich like everything else in that night, but the tourists were yet to be surprised by a parade. Dancing dragons invaded the streets along with more lanterns in various formats. Colored birds flew around them as they advanced and the lake multiplied the lights of swimming fishes. Looking down the mountainous terrain, Al could see the pastures and plantations that brightened the days of the Chang clan.

 Jerso and Zampano abandoned the parade to visit yet another table, while May and Alphonse promised to join them later. Not long after they left, May was spotted by a girl in red dress who Al believed to be her cousin. She took the princess by the arm and talked in her ear, then shot a giggling look at the Amestrian boy. May shouted her an annoyed "take care of your life!" in their mother language and she left grinning.

 Al was invaded by self-awareness. He always felt comfortable and happy in Xingese attire, but wearing it wasn’t enough to make him belong. Did he look ridiculous trying to fit in with his blond hair and blue eyes and taller stature?

 – So what did she say?

 – Err, it wasn’t anything important. – the princess waved her hands in an attempt to shove off the question, a gesture mimicked by Xiao-mei.

 – May! How will I learn Xingese if you don’t teach me? She looked at me, I know she was talking about me. Was it anything bad?

 – It was nothing like that! I'm sure she was not looking at you. She just said that the Moon Festival is also a time to try your luck in love ... You know, it’s a time of prosperity, so for some people it’s a time to plan life and find a pair.

 – Oh, really? – it was all he could say as he acknowledged the real meaning of the girl’s comment.

 – See? I said it was no big deal! Look, if you stayed longer, I could teach you more Xingese, so do not complain to me.

 – I'm sorry, May. But I'm not on this journey alone. Jerso and Zampano, we have so much to do. Besides, I need to be there when my brother returns, to discuss what we learned on our first trip.

 – Yes. I know you have to go. – she smiled, but it did not look as lively as her other smiles. – Tomorrow morning ... And that this is not the best route on your way back to Amestris.

 – I don’t want to be unfair to you. I cannot ask you to wait for me without knowing when I'll be back ...

 – What are you talking about?

 The parade had come to an end and people around them were getting disperse. The two of them had to walk to the nearest tree to escape from the chaotic crowd.

 – I’m saying that I like you, May. I like you so much, but I see how you belong in this place. How you fought for Xing, to enjoy with your people the life you have today. And I, I have to go back to my home, so I can’t just kiss you and ask you to compromise ...

– Kiss? – her eyes glittered at that word, stealing from him a line of thought.

 – Did I say kiss?

 Al felt his cheeks burn, but he could not quite understand why shame invaded his confession. What he felt for May made him happy, and he was under the impression she shared the same feeling.

 – Alphonse. – she used only his name for the first time, abandoning formal treatments like he’d asked of her many times in the past. – I waited two years to see you again. And I can wait two more to kiss you again if so needed. Two, not four. – She put her hands on his shoulders and locked her lips on his, tenderly and discreetly, not letting herself be noticed in the crowd.

 Al grinned, and Xiao-mei jumped to his neck giving the boy her version of a kiss on the chin.

 – So you do wanna date me?

 – Of course, yes. I heard you're an excellent fighter, not very temperamental, and a gentleman.

 – I'll be back. – Al promised, holding her hands. – As soon as I can.

 – Or I'll go visit you. Who said I don’t feel like traveling as well?

- - - -

[winryofresembool]

Love Can Melt the Ice, ch. 19

Summary: Figure skating time! Part 2.

A/N: I’m not gonna say much this time. I just... really hope you guys will enjoy this one. It’s important. Thank you ♥

Previous chapters:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 pt 1, pt 2, 16, 17, 18

Next chapter: x

Companion pieces (note: these are all post Olympics happenings so reading the main fic first is recommended): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Words:4543 (yup. A monster)

Genre: hmmm.

Warnings: pls have your tooth brushes nearby.

Winry closed her eyes for a moment and peeked through the glass door again. Was she really seeing correctly? Ed? Talking with Mei Chang? Alone, without Al? What was he doing with her? There was no mistaking him, though; she could clearly see his long golden mane, the crutches in his hands and the cast in his left leg.

She knew they hadn’t seen her yet and tried to figure out how to get out of the arena without being noticed. If she just marched out there and asked what was going on, she would probably get to hear a bunch of lies, making the situation even worse. Still, she couldn’t stand behind the door either; people were coming in and out, and she’d get caught staring. She decided to use another exit on the other side of the arena, casting one last look towards the door before biting her lip and turning away.

Had Winry stayed 10 seconds longer, she would have seen Al joining Ed and Mei, giving Mei something as he arrived. Not long after, the group separated, Ed leaving towards the hotel, Al and Mei towards a restaurant. But she didn’t see any of that, so her mind was racing 120 km/hour as she took the longer route to another exit.

One, a small part of her was yelling extremely loud curses in her head, but the rational part of her tried to convince her that what she had just seen meant nothing. Maybe Ed had just been waiting to see her and accidentally bumped into Mei. Winry knew Mei well enough to know she was very familiar with hockey, so maybe she had recognized Ed and wanted to introduce herself. Besides, after the sweet, private moments in her room, would Ed really just ignore all that? That didn’t seem like something he would do.

Winry realized that if she was going to make this, what could be a beginning of a meaningful relationship, work, she had to trust him. And in the end, nothing about the meeting she had witnessed had suggested anything more than a friendly encounter. But still, where had Al been? And why had she smiled so widely at him? And why did all of this have to happen now that she was supposed to focus on her competition and they were going to leave to their home country in only a few days?

When Winry got back into her hotel room, she decided to do what best calmed down her mind; drawing blueprints for her next mechanical project. When she began drawing, she had no idea what she wanted to make, but soon the sketch started to become clearer; it resembled an arm. At first she thought she was unconsciously drawing the exact copy of Ed’s automail arm, but at closer inspection she realized it looked different. It looked more like the person whom she was imagining using it; a flame symbol decorated the top plate, reminding her of his fierce nature. Even though the material she wanted to use for this automail was lighter than the one he was now using, the layers it had made it stronger. She had to admit, she quite liked how it ended up looking.

Just when she was putting away her pencils and erasers, her phone started ringing.

“Granny! Hi! How are you doing?” Winry had been thinking about her grandmother quite a lot for the past few days, so hearing her familiar voice made her feel better.

“I’m doing just fine, dear. But I must say, I am slightly surprised you haven’t called me since the team event. I hope everything’s fine there, though, because it’s not like you to ignore your grandmother.”

“E-everything’s alright! I hope you saw my performance today. Only 0,10 points from the lead!”

“I saw it! You looked wonderful out there. But you don’t sound very convincing, I hope it really is alright.”

“It’s… a long story. Granny, I… like someone.”

“Really? Now that’s a surprise. I thought you are so into your sport you don’t have time for anything else.”

“Yeah… I kinda thought so too. So, do you remember Edward Elric from Resembool? Our ex neighbor?”

“Of course I do! You guys were always at it, fighting with each other all the time, but if someone dared to say a bad word about you, he was always there to defend you.” Pinako smiled at her memory. “Have you seen him there? Doesn’t he play hockey these days?”

“Yes, I have, and he does… You see… He’s kinda the person I like. And I think he likes me too.”

“Oh! Well, if he’s anything like his parents, I’m sure he’s a decent person.”

“He is… Only, today I saw him talking with my rival and… I don’t know what to think about it. I mean, it probably was nothing, but… I got jealous.”

“If he is in his right mind, he doesn’t even look at anyone else when he could have my granddaughter. Don’t worry, Winry. If that bothers you, why don’t you just ask him?”

“I already had one opportunity, but I chickened… And I can’t ask him now because I said we should keep some distance between us until my competition is over.”

“You have put yourself in quite a situation. But my advice is that just talk with him. That way you’ll know what exactly happened.”

“Right. Thanks, granny.”

“No problem.”

After saying her worries aloud, Winry realized how silly they must have sounded. After all, it wasn’t like Ed wasn’t allowed to talk with other girls. That’s why she decided to change the topic: “Hey, listen! I just drew some blueprints for an automail and I’d like you to take a look at it. I’ll send you a photo and you can then tell me your opinion on it!”

The grandmother and granddaughter spent the rest of the evening discussing Winry’s automail, Pinako giving Winry some advice and improvement suggestions and Winry doing the necessary changes. By the end of the evening, she was feeling like herself again, and was already imagining how Ed would react when she’d show him the blueprints.

 …

 “Next up, performing her free program, Winry Rockbell!”

Winry inhaled and exhaled deeply and shook her limbs to warm the muscles up before finally stepping on the ice. She had thought the previous performances would have calmed her nerves a bit, but as she was waiting for the music to start playing, she realized that this was every bit as hard as it had been earlier. Maybe even harder in a certain sense. The reason for that was sitting in the stands, or at least she assumed he did. For some reason, knowing that he was watching, made this performance more personal.

When Garfiel, who usually made Winry’s choreographies, had suggested her free program would have a romantic theme, Winry hadn’t liked the idea. Romantic love had always been a foreign area to her, and she had never even officially dated anyone even though the reason for that wasn’t the lack of interested people. It was the lack of interesting people. The few times she had been on dates, she had noticed the other person was on a totally different wave length from her, not caring about the same things she did, or asking her out simply because they had recognized her from TV. Sometimes she had wondered if there was something wrong with her, or if she was simply an a-sexual, but she hadn’t gotten answers to her questions until she arrived in the Olympic venue.

Was it love she was feeling towards Ed? Winry had always been one to think that real love didn’t strike anyone that fast, but when she had told Ed she was falling for him, she had meant it. She might not be quite there yet, but she was on her way. The thought of getting to spend more time with him and learn to know him even better excited her. On the other hand, she had felt jealous when she saw Ed with Mei, which was an emotion only familiar to her from her childhood when she had seen her classmates getting hugs and kisses from their parents, and she had only had her grandmother. She knew Ed could be a tough person to handle on his worst days, but somehow, she believed the good days would win them 100-0. If he gave her a chance…

Because of all this, she felt she understood the character she was acting in her performance a lot better now. Earlier, she had often gotten critique for performing the elements cleanly but lacking in the emotion department. The audience would see a robot doing what she was supposed to do, not having any emotional connection with the performance. Now, she wished that she could use her recent experiences to build a believable story that did move something in the audience’s hearts.

She quickly tested that her hair and the bright red dress with a lot of glitter on it (Garfiel’s idea) were where they were supposed to be and finally heard the first sounds of the romantic song starting to play, meaning it was go-time.

The first element in her free program was a triple Lutz – triple toe loop combination. She managed to land it cleanly, but was worried her body language was screaming she didn’t know what to do… If only she’d get the three first jump elements out of the way, then she could breathe a bit. The step sequences and spins had always been more of her thing.

Double Axel. Done! And she felt she would have had enough speed to keep on rotating but decided to not risk it this time. There would be a time and place for a surprise factor later on…

Then came the final jumps of the first half of her performance, a triple Salchow – triple toe loop combination. Unfortunately, Winry had gotten a bit too confident after the double Axel, and she slipped a bit between the jumps, having to cut the rotation short and making it only double toe loop. Not a big loss, considering she still hadn’t fallen or otherwise failed, but it still bummed her for a moment.

She didn’t have time to get stuck on that one slight slip, though, because she already needed to start focusing on the first spin. It was successful, and finally she managed to make herself smile a bit as she moved onto the step sequence. Even though step sequences had always been her favorite part of her programs, she found this particular one challenging because she was supposed to express the happiness of having met someone special. Now she understood that emotion better, though, and the audience oohed and aahed with excitement as they watched her move swiftly, the smile coming from her heart instead of being forced.

…

“How the hell did she do that?” Ed asked as Al and he were watching Winry performing a triple flip – double toe loop – double loop combination. To Ed even one jump was amazing, to perform 3 of them in a row was beyond his understanding.

“It’s called routine, brother, she has practiced that for years,” Al stated. It was really amusing to watch how into Ed could get into this sport he knew nothing about, all because of that young woman who was currently gliding on the ice. If he was honest, Ed was the last person he would have expected to see in such a situation, but it was a nice change, and he could see it was doing good to his brother.

Ed yelled proudly when he saw Winry perform another jump, triple Lutz this time, then turned to look at Al briefly:

“Do you think she has a chance of winning this?”

“It is going well, I don’t see why not. But the competition is tough.”

“Right.”

“Hold on a sec.” Al held his breath for a moment when Winry was in the air again. “That isn’t… yup, it is! Triple Axel!”

Ed didn’t really know what a triple Axel was, or how it differed from the other jumps (he made a mental note to learn more about it later), but it must have been something awesome because the entire audience around him was roaring with excitement.

“W-what?” he asked.

“Brother, you really should do some studying on figure skating… Only a few female skaters have managed to land it successfully in a competition. She did it in the team event here, but I believe that’s when she got hurt… But based on her reactions there were no issues this time! Now she REALLY has a chance of winning!”

Ed focused his attention on Winry’s facial expressions and noticed that she really did seem like a huge weight had fallen from her shoulders as she was performing a choreographic sequence. In fact, her expression looked a lot like the one he had only seen on her face when they had been alone in her room. But why would she…

“Uh, Al? What do you think this performance is about?” he asked suddenly.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s a love story, she meets someone and shows her love for that person.”

“Really?”

“Definitely.”

Ed felt a blush spreading on his face as he took Al’s words in. Suddenly focusing on the performance felt a bit harder. He did see her jump one last time (Al did say the jump’s name but he missed it) and do the spin combination that finished the routine, but his mind was elsewhere. He would have to tell her about his decision soon.

…

“Congratulations, dear, that was a fantastic performance! I am so proud of you! And that triple Axel? Only you would have had guts to do that again after what happened the last time! But the risk was worth it!”

“Thank you, Garfiel!” Winry said as she hugged her coach. “I felt… I needed to prove myself I could do it even though I would have probably done just fine even with a double Axel… “

“To me it looked like you also did a lot better job portraying the emotions of your character… Is there any specific reason for that?”

“Uhh… nothing you need to know right now… I’ll tell you some other time,” Winry answered awkwardly.

Winry barely had time to take a breath after pulling away from Garfiel when two new sets of arms surrounded her.

“If that isn’t a gold winning performance, I don’t know what is!” Paninya squeeled and Rosé agreed with her.

“Oh, come on, guys, you are not here to celebrate me, you are my rivals!” Winry scolded them. “Now, if you don’t go back to your preparations, I’m gonna kick your asses. And Garfiel, we need to go, they are gonna announce the points any minute now.”

They sat down on their seats, and sure enough, only a few moments later the announcer yelled:

“And Winry Rockbell’s points are… 150,15! Together with the short program, that makes 232,10 points! What an astounding performance! That is her personal best!”

“Wow…” was all Winry could say.

“Winry, my dear… I think a new champion has risen.” Garfiel said next to her.

…

Paninya and Rosé’s turn was soon after, and both succeeded well with their performances. Paninya got her personal best score and Rosé got her seasonal best as well. The two of them were already ready to celebrate Winry’s victory when it was Mei Chang’s turn, and they held their breaths (probably more nervous than Winry herself) as she performed. The audience reacted loudly to her elements and it was clear everything was going according to Mei’s plan.

A few minutes later, her points were announced: 148,5. Together with the short program, that wasn’t enough to top Winry. She couldn’t help but smile a bit, remembering what she had seen the day before. This also Winry really had a chance of winning the entire competition.

The last skater of the night, and Winry’s biggest challenger, was Lan Fan from Xing. She had gotten just slightly better points than Winry in the short program, but she was known to shine in her free programs, so despite Winry’s amazing points, nothing had been decided yet.

As expected, she performed her elements flawlessly, but her jumps were slightly easier than Winry’s, and at least in Garfiel’s opinion she seemed to lack the charm Winry had had on the ice. Winry watched the performance in the dressing room with the other girls, but when she met with Garfiel afterwards, she found him biting his fingernails nervously.

Winry wasn’t sure what she was feeling at that moment. The biggest part of her was relieved it was over; no matter what would happen, she already knew she had done her best and would go home with a medal. However, there was a reason why she was a professional athlete; she did have the competitive side in her, and that side tried to argue with the rational side that said she could be proud of herself, either way. A silver would be a disappointment after such a performance.

Winry’s heart was beating fast when Garfiel took her hand as the announcer started to speak.

“Lan Fan’s points are: 149,10! That means she wins the silver medal, winning her country woman Mei Chang by a point. Our Olympic gold medal winner is… Winry Rockbell from Amestris!!!”

…

“Ed, you gotta go!” Al tried to get him to leave the arena before the rest of the audience would.

“What, I want to congratulate her! Dammit, Al! This is the biggest moment of her career so far and you are telling me to leave?!”

“I mean, she’s gonna have a party, and you can’t go there looking like that! Brother, please!”

“Fine. But if you see her, you’ll tell her that I’ll see her soon, right?”

“Of course! Just go now.”

…

 She really was the Olympic champion. When the information sunk in, it seemed like her brain just turned off and she could remember only bits and pieces of what happened afterwards.

There were a lot of hugs. Garfiel, waiting for the points next to her, was obviously the first one to hug her. Rosé, Paninya and Gracia were all waiting for her by the rinkside, giving her quick, tight hugs before she had to go back to the ice to accept her reward. When she joined the other medalists on the ice, they hugged her too, and especially Mei seemed really enthusiastic and happy for her, making Winry a bit confused. Was there something going on she didn’t know about? In that moment, she only wished she could find the person she wanted to hug the most, but scanning the audience with her eyes, she couldn’t find him. One would have thought it would be easy to spot the two golden haired men in the audience, and she knew for fact they had promised to be there, but for some reason she couldn’t find them.

She accepted the flowers and the plush she was given (the actual medal would be given later that day in a special ceremony outside the arena) and after skating a few rounds and thanking the audience, she tried to get into the dressing room to change into something more comfortable. That turned out to be difficult though, with all the passing people wanting to congratulate her and get her first comments, and it took her at least 15 minutes to finally get into her destination.

“You haven’t possibly seen Ed and his brother anywhere?” Winry asked her figure skating team that was already starting the party in the dressing room, popping a bottle of champagne that someone had hidden into the locker.

“No, not a glimpse,” Paninya and Rose answered in unison. Winry started getting anxious. This was such a huge moment for her, and she really wanted all her favorite people to be around.

It took a while before she could leave anywhere because glasses needed to be emptied, speeches given and songs sung. Paninya even threatened to throw Winry into the cold shower like was the habit in the hockey world, but fortunately for Winry, she managed to talk her out of it. Eventually, she managed to sneak out with the excuse that she needed to go back into her hotel room because she had left her party dress there.

Before she would do that, though, she would find out where the hell Edward was. He hadn’t even answered her calls while the other girls had taken Garfiel into the cold shower instead of her. Briefly, she wondered if that meeting with Mei had something to do with this, but quickly pushed that thought aside. Now was not the time for that.

When she got into the hotel hallway that Amestris’ athletes shared, she debated for a long while if she should go and change like she was supposed to, or if she should just march into Ed’s room and let him hear it if he happened to be there. She chose the latter.

“Edward Elric! If you are there, get your ass out right now!” she nearly yelled as she banged his door. She wasn’t actually expecting anyone to be there, so when she heard the sound of the crutches from inside the room, her eyes widened in embarrassment.

“Hi?” Ed opened the door, revealing the black suit and a red tie he was wearing. Winry looked at his outfit with confusion.

“Are you going somewhere?”

She guessed it was too much to ask him to spend this important night with her.

“Aren’t you?” Ed took in the tiny red figure skating dress she was still wearing. Why did she have to look so good in it, he growled in his mind. “I’m not sure that dress is the most appropriate one for a formal party.”

“What are you talking about?” Winry felt she understood less and less about what was going on.

“That you and I are gonna go to your party, what else would I be talking about?”

“I thought… I thought…” Winry couldn’t form a full sentence. He had been thinking about her after all.

“What?” Ed asked, equally confused.

“That you had forgotten. Or didn’t want to go. Or had other plans…”

“And why would you think that?” Ed frowned. He didn’t understand why Winry was acting so weirdly all of a sudden.

“Because I didn’t see you at the arena! And you didn’t answer to my call! And I saw you hanging out with Mei Chang the other day!” she blurted without thinking.

“Again: what? Winry, there’s a good explanation to all of those things. I left the arena early because when it became clear you would win, Al forced me to come back here to clean up because apparently I couldn’t look like an emo at your party. I wouldn’t have wanted to leave. He also promised to let you know I would be waiting here. Which clearly he didn’t. And I didn’t hear your phone call because I was in the shower. And I definitely wasn’t with Mei because I wanted to, but because Al told me to wait with her while he was getting her some flowers or chocolate or who knows what unnecessary… They were gonna go out for a dinner, you see.”

“So… you’re saying all of that was just an unfortunate misunderstanding?”

“Yes, you silly.”

“Great. Of course I would ruin my own party by overthinking things.” Winry sat down on Ed’s bed and covered her face with her hand with embarrassment.

“Hey, don’t be mad at yourself. You couldn’t have known.” Ed sat down next to Winry, setting his crutches down, and took her chin between his thumb and index finger and lifted it, so she was staring right in his eyes.

“But I…” She couldn’t finish her sentence because she noticed the expression on Ed’s face, and it nearly made her knees go weak. She had seen that fierce, determined look a couple of times before, all of them right before they had almost…

Only this time there wasn’t “almost”. Ed hesitated only one moment, deciding this was a now or never situation, and with his free hand he pulled her closer. He moved the hand that had been holding her chin behind her neck, while he was wondering how she would react to what he was about to do. Winry didn’t have time to close her eyes before he pressed his lips against hers, a bit sloppily but firmly, soon finding the right angle to get best access to her lips. Winry couldn’t help but smile into the kiss when her brain finally registered what was happening. He really was kissing her.

All too fast, he pulled away, his heart pounding faster than in a hockey game and his cheeks adorably red. Winry thought she couldn’t have looked much calmer herself. She had imagined this situation so many times in her head, but now that it finally happened, she couldn’t nearly believe it. From that little preview she knew she wanted that to happen again. And last a lot longer.

Finally, her brain recovered enough to be able to form full sentences:

“Hold on. Ed, would you care to explain what this means? Didn’t you say the other day you had promised…”

“Shhh, just listen. I can’t… I can’t promise it’s always gonna be an easy road, but… I want to try.” Winry looked at him expectantly, so he continued: “You have made me see I don’t have to do this alone, and I really owe you a lot for that. You have made me feel happy even though normally I wouldn’t even be able to get out of my bed in this situation.” Winry knew he was referring to his broken leg and the tournament that had ended too early for him. “So that’s really amazing. You just seem to have that weird power. You know, you deserve to be happy, and I… I want to be someone who makes you happy. Equivalent exchange, right?”

“Ed!” she squealed and hugged him so forcefully he almost fell from the bed.

“So, what do you say? Do you want to give me a shot?” he asked nervously.

“Yes, you idiot!”

This time it was her turn to initiate the kiss. It was much longer than the first one, and Ed even allowed his hand to wander on the backside of Winry’s thin dress, feeling the smooth material and causing chills in Winry’s core.

“By the way… Congratulations,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

“For what?” Winry had nearly forgotten what had happened only a little while ago.

“For winning the Olympic gold, dummy. My girlfriend is world’s best figure skater!” Ed exclaimed proudly.

“Oh… thank you.” Winry blushed and pecked his lips once more.

“So… Will you get your dress changed?” Ed asked with much more confidence when they pulled apart.

“Yes… But if you think I’ll let you watch just because you’re my boyfriend now… well, I dare you to try.”

“You’re feisty. I like that.” Ed snorted and Winry threw a pillow at him.

Ed stayed nicely in his room while Winry went to change, but the whole time both of them had huge smiles on their faces. Somehow, Winry had a feeling she had just won something far more valuable than an Olympic gold.

[fineillsignup]

Taking Chakra Nature to 11: some headcanons

Buckle up because it’s gonna be a long ride.

So one of the things that makes Naruto so attractive as a fandom (as opposed to as a franchise) is that there’s all this tantalizing potential that was never realized, just waiting for someone to pick it up and expand on it. In particular, some writers are worldbuilders by nature and some are just not. (Tolkien would be an example of a extremely worldbuilding-focused writer.) Kishimoto is in the “just not” category.

Chakra nature is a great example of a part of the Naruto world that could be taken up to eleven. Why? Well, there’s the good old “why not” reason, which is sufficient in itself, but also, people just love categorization. There’s a reason why people always want to sort themselves for Hogwarts houses, endlessly prattle about zodiac signs, and why the Naruto databooks include bloodtype. But they don’t! Include! Chakra nature!!!!

That’s frankly ludicrous. The chakra natures in the corner merely indicate which chakra natures that person can utilize, not which is their own nature; this isn’t very helpful because some people like Kakashi can use all five. Moreover, one of the very major characters of the franchise--the anti-hero, Sasuke--is shown to be fire natured yet to largely prefer lightning techniques, making it clear that chakra nature is not 1-to-1 correlated with someone’s most frequent jutsu.

And it’s not like Kishimoto would have had to do a huge amount of work coming up with chakra nature connections to personality and society, because these five elements already exist as a powerful Japanese cultural concept. 

He simply needed to connect that to the Naruto world and its characters.

But I guess I need to do all the work around here! :3c

Regarding kekkei genkai--I headcanon that even people with kekkei genkai have a primary nature, but you could also combine two natures instead.

Earth Nature (Earth, Dirt, Stone) 地 and 土

Examples of Canon Characters: ??? (I don’t think we’re ever explicitly told that a character is earth nature, although many characters use earth release) Examples of Headcanon Characters: Haruno Sakura, Oonoki, Deidara, Suigetsu, Sasori Personality Traits (not all found in each person obviously): Stable, stubborn, inflexible, endurance, short-tempered, wise, reliable, responsible, sense of perspective, patient, centred, literal Common Body Types: Mesomorphic (muscular); may be lean or broad; shorter than average (closer to hell); blunt fingers (but often surprisingly deft and precise) Climate Interactions: Earth natured people tolerate both heat and cold pretty well. When it’s cold they dress warmly and when it’s hot they dress for that too. Sensible. Japanese symbol: square; Naruto uses the kanji 土 rather than 地 for some reason; they both mean earth and the differences are too subtle to go into briefly Why does earth dominate water/water enhance earth? Earth stops the flow of water and can control its shape. Water can imbue earth with more weight and power, including fertile power. What does this mean for the Land of Earth? “That’s the way we’re going to do it. We’ve always done it that way.” The Land of Earth in my headcanon was the last and slowest great nation to centralize/organize, however, slow and steady may win the race as it has had very little internal conflict. Other Notes: Earth nature? In my Sakura? It’s more likely than you think.

Kakashi did the chakra nature test when Sakura wasn’t around and then, as far as we can tell, never even bothered to find out what hers was???? LOLsob. Tertiary materials like games usually make Sakura water natured, but I prefer earth nature for her. She definitely can use earth jutsu. Her personality, strengths and flaws, seems to fall along earth lines rather than water lines. In addition, I just like the balance of Team 7 when Sasuke and Naruto are fire-wind and Sakura is across the circle at earth; most of my headcanon teams follow that kind of pattern.

“Okay, but Suigetsu? Earth nature? Now you’re just fucking with us.” Not at all; I’m going after one of Kishimoto’s own weird choice to constantly remind us that Suigetsu is weak to lightning. Now I’m sure that Kishimoto just meant “if lightning strikes water you’re in for a bad time” and nothing deeper than that, but in the five elements pattern of domination, it’s earth that is weak against lightning jutsu.

There’s no reason Suigetsu can’t be an earth natured person who specializes in water jutsu, anymore than Sasuke’s fire nature stops him from specializing in electric jutsu. Perhaps, and this is all headcanon but it’s fun so just try and stop me, it is Suigetsu’s earth chakra nature that helps keep his body from completely falling apart and dissipating while he’s performing his unique ability to turn into water?

Water Nature 水

Examples of Canon Characters: Tobirama Examples of Headcanon Characters: Sai, Kisame, Hashirama, Kabuto, Personality Traits: Adaptable, flexible, progressive, curious, reactive, emotional, mutable, gullible, empathic, unstable, resilient, morose, sensitive Common Body Types: Endomorphic (soft, higher in body fat); taller than average; long-limbed with flexible joints; larger hands and feet with tapered digits Climate Interactions: Poor water nature people. They hate heat. They hate cold. They hate humidity. They hate super dry environments. Basically, they are volatile and easily bothered by all kinds of things, including temperature and climate. Japanese symbol: Circle Why does water dominate fire/fire enhance water? Water douses flame, obviously. Fire can turn water into steam, expanding its range and potential. What does this mean for the Land of Water? Oh my God, is the Land of Water ever volatile in canon! This can be bad obviously (hello, kekkei genkai genocide) but it doesn’t necessarily have to be so. The Land of Water went within about a dozen years from mass genocide of kekkei genkai to having a leader with two kekkei genkai (the criminally underused Terumi Mei). There’s no inertia here. You can’t ever relax, but you can potentially really change things, including people’s hearts and minds. Other Notes: none at the moment

Fire Nature 火

Examples of Canon Characters: Sasuke, Madara, Itachi, Obito, THE UCHIHA Examples of Headcanon Characters: Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Hiruzen (aka gee I wonder if drama will happen here); Guy Personality Traits: Passionate, reforming, self-righteous, ambitious, driven, creative, focused, confident, fragile, extreme, energetic, motivated, tenacious, greedy, proud, idealistic, resentful Common Body Types: Ectomorphic (lean); high metabolism; average height; great skin and hair (because of their great circulation); either super healthy or near death, no in-between Climate Interactions: Fire people are always hot. They are the people who wear shorts all year round and start a revolution with their tiddies out (yes I’m looking at you Sasuke). They are not particularly bothered by external weather. Japanese symbol: Triangle Why does fire dominate wind/wind enhance fire? Fire consumes air and becomes stronger, like canon tells us. What does this mean for the Land of Fire? I headcanon that because of its central location on the map and prosperity, the Land of Fire has the most diverse population in terms of chakra natures, so while fire nature is the majority there are still a larger number of other natures than most countries. (From a meta perspective, this also makes it more fun to write a Konoha-centric story.) However, the Will of Fire and Konoha’s idealism is a definite Big Mood and something that other nations notice. Other Notes: I imagine that this element is most likely to be the chakra nature of those whose bloodline abilities are strongly connected with Yang Release.

Wind Nature (Wind, Air) 風

Examples of Canon Characters: Y’already know who it is!!! (blaring air horn) Oh and Asuma. Examples of Headcanon Characters: Temari, Baki, Gaara, Chiyo Personality Traits: Free-spirited, distractible, innovative, unorthodox, open, relaxed, compassionate, empathetic, benevolent, charitable, loving, evasive, passive-aggressive, impulsive, withdrawn, avoidant, penetrating Common Body Types: Lean or muscular, average to short Climate Interactions: Throw on a shirt, and then a sweatshirt over the shirt and a cloak around the sweatshirt because wind people are always cold. “Cold hands, warm heart” often applies to them. They like heat and aren’t bothered by humidity or dryness. Japanese symbol: Crescent Why does wind dominate lightning/lightning enhance wind? Well, it doesn’t, because lightning as an element makes no sense. But void, on the other hand, does. Void is a vacuum, and air rushes to fill a vacuum without itself being harmed by the vacuum. What does this mean for the Land of Wind? Wind people have a lot of openness and caring but also voted Most Likely to Sulk for a Hundred Years When Things Go Wrong. The Land of Wind in canon appears to be the least naturally rich in the essentials of life (water, food, etc), and to have the most dickish daimyo, so it’s kind of unsurprising that the Wind leadership collectively got hella depressed after their one bad idea after another failed. Other Notes: They say in canon that the wind chakra nature is “rare” but I’m headcanoning that this just means “rare in the Land of Fire”.

Lightning (Electricity, Void, Vacuum, Nothingness) 雷 or 空

Examples of Canon Characters: Kakashi Examples of Headcanon Characters: Hinata, Neji, Shikamaru, Darui, Sakumo, Killer Bee Personality Traits: Mysterious, thoughtful, reflective, fatalistic, imperturbable,  spontaneous, quick, detached, aware, intuitive, selfless, passive, negative, wise, analytical, elegant, eccentric Common Body Types: Most diversity in body type Climate Interactions: The least bothered by external temperatures. Aware of them, but probably dresses however regardless. Japanese symbol: Jewel-shape Why does lightning dominate earth/earth enhance lightning? Again, it only makes sense if the element is void or vacuum. While air filling a vacuum is essentially unharmed, earth-y substances don’t handle decompression well. (Imagine if Lightning Release could be used for explosive decompression based jutsu... now that’s scary.) What does this mean for the Land of Lightning? “We’re talking about the issues but we’re keeping it funky” is a line from Flight of the Conchords, but it is also how I imagine a culture that is majority Lightning-nature people best functioning. Other Notes: none at the moment

All of the above is just some ideas to play with! And of course there’s the pondering about how chakra nature is passed on--is it genetic? Epigenetic (traits that can be switched on or off by environmental factors)? Do two people who have children together pass on the more dominant nature? Is that perhaps why Wind nature is rarest in the Land of Fire (because Fire and Wind parents will always pass on Fire)? What are the chakra nature patterns in the little countries?

Feel free to play with my ideas, expand, change them, whatever! No need for credit if you do.

[xiaobaemoon]

Key chains~ A Doyoung Soulmate Au: Part 9

A/N: Please remember that this is all fiction. I do not believe it would really happen like this. The next part will be the last one,just sayin. I had a lot of fun writing this story. Please tell me if you think there will be a happy end or what you think the story will end like. I’m really curious!Have wonderful easter holidays

Word Count: 1.121 Words

Part 1/Part 8

„Y/N, you have to wake up! We need to dress you up for your special day“ a familiar voice shouted into your ear. The voice belonged to your best friend, who was not only the person to bring you the rings, but also the one who decided to help you with your styling. Both of you had a sleepover at your familys house, just like everyone does it before their wedding. You yawned and slowly made you way out of bed. Of course, it was the day of your wedding, the day you had dreamt of since you were a child, but you were not and probably never would be a moring person, not even today. A bit annoyed you stood up and walked inside the bathroom to wash your face.

However, as soon as you put on your beautiful dress a never known feeling of motivation and hope filled your body. The dress fitted peerfectly, like it was handmade for you. The huge mirror in front of you was not lying, you really looked like a goddess. „Wow“ your friend gasped as she walked inside the room to style your hair. This was the first time she saw you dressed up like this.Before she could do anything with your hair you have her a big hug. It is needless to say that your best friend was one of the most important human beings to you. She always comforted you when you were feeling hopeless or when you had a break up and you had did the same for her. You remembered the day of her wedding, how you helped her with everything and how touched you were hearing the vow she wrote for her soulmate. You wanted to think about those memories longer, but time was running out and you had to be at the wedding room in less than half an hour.

The hairstyle for the wedding was prescribed, the hair should be wavey. This style was not only suitable for every length of hair, but if you believed what the goverment said, the waves should symbolize the ups and downs of a relationship. How romantic. A few days ago you had watched a documentary about weddings before the govermant had changed. There were a lot of bridal shops and every dress looked different. Most people married inside churches and they sung many songs to celebrate. The father of the bride would walk her down the aisle and the bride would wear a veil which the groom had to lift. You were really fascinated by it. Now everything was different. A wedding was not something to celebrate anymore, it was a necessity and the goverment made you feel it.

Perfectly on time you  stepped inside the huge white room which was used for wedding ceremonys. On the walls were banners made out of green fabric, which on one hand symbolized the color of balance and unity, but on the other hand it was also the color of the leading party, always creeping up on you. Both of your families were there and seated on small white chairs. Everyone was chatting , not allowed to look at you until Doyoung walked in.

When he finally arrived through a door at the other side of the aisle a loud music started playing. Your heart was beating faster than ever before as you walked in his direction. With every step you took you could see how his eyes got wider and wider. It appeared as if his face was only consisting of huge eyes and a smile,  a wonderful smile. When you arrived next to him you took his hand and both of turned around, facing now the wall. He looked stunning too, stunning was probably an undertsatement. Doyoung was wearing a perfectly fitting suit with a white button -up and his hair was also styled wavey. Like the tradition said you turned around a second time and were now facing your relatives, who all seemed happy about your apperance. YOur best friend stood up and gave you the rings. It were the rings of your key chains, pressed into the right size. You nodded and put it onto Doyoungs slim finger while calmy saying your vows:

„Kim Doyoung, do you remember how we first met? You fell asleep leaning against my shoulder. I was really annoyed by you and at first I did not like you. The thought of you being my soulmate made me sick, but now I could not think of a life without you. I promise to protect you and to show you new interesting sides of life. I promise to support you and to comfort you whenever you need it. I promise to be by your side and to help you grow. I love you more than I could describe in words.I promise to love you till I can  not breath anymore and till my world collapses.“

The ring fitted perfectly. Doyoung had tears in his eyes. WIth one hand he put your ring on your finger and with the other hand he reached inside the pocket of his suit to grab a piece of paper. He started to read out loud:

„My beloved Y/N, yes, yes I remember the day we met at the convention. I was searching for my place, it was my first conventaion after all. I saw you sleeping on the floor. You looked so calm and pretty. I forgot how to breat for a second. Seeing you now in front of me, looking even prettier, I feel incredibly blessed to have you. How did a boy like me ever deserve someone as intelligent, funny and compassionate as you? I will never understand it. I will promise you to never leave you alone or to make you feel any less than you are. To me you are my whole happiness. I did a few stupid things in the past but I realized that you are the one. You deserve something better than the old me and I hope I can become the man that is perfect for the wonderful woman you are.“

Now you were also crying.His words touched you. For a split second you asked yourself what he meant with ‚stupid things of his past‘ but you did not care. Hiw words were to beautiful to ever harm you. „Now“ you cried like it was tradition„ is there someone against this marriage? If not I will kiss Kim Doyoung now and we shall be a married couple until the world colapses.“ You looked around the room. Everything was quiet, if you did not pay attention to the relatives crying out of joy. You nodded happily and leaned yourself in, ready to take the last step.

Suddenly the door opened and a woman with blue eyes, long black hair and a red dress run inside the room. She was out of breath, her way must have been long. As she calmed herself and stood up staright you noticed who she was. It was Mei, the woman who helped you at the bridal shop. Was she lost? Was she maybe running away from someone?

„You bastard!“ she shouted , walking up in your direction. Confused you looked at your fiancée who was now pale as snow. With a strong movement she pushed you away and started to hit against Doyoung chest, tears were streaming down her face. The people in the room started to talk loudly. What was happening? Why did she know him? „You said you would marry me“ she cried. „You said we would find a way to trick the goverment, remember?“

Was she insane? Did she had too much to drink? You looked back to Doyoung, his hands were now on her shoulders. He was whispering something to her. „What is going on?“ you asked. This situation was really strange and it made you feel more than uncomfortable. „Y/N,it‘s..“Doyung started to explain. However, Mei was faster. „He promised me to marry me. He said he would break up with you. Is that right, Doyoungie?“ With a pleading look she watched Doyoung. What was she saying? This could not be true! Not on your wedding day. You remembered how you said in your wedding vow that you would love him until your world collapses, but you did not imagine this moment to come so soon.

Part 10 (End)

[smxmuffinpeddling]

the Soulmate AU

One day they just started appearing. Yuzu woke up one morning and noticed a string coming out of her mother’s chest, right over her heart. It was a clear string, dangling limply as if it had been cut. “What’s that?” Yuzu asked, pointing to her mother’s heart.

When her mother asked what she was talking about, the string had disappeared and Yuzu wondered if she was imagining things.

She had heard inklings of people being able to see the strings, but it was considered a myth for the most part. That a person could be connected to their soulmate was a romantic notion that Yuzu herself would fantasize about in her loneliest moments.

It was just before high school when they would appear in the corner of her eyes. When she started to focus on them, willing them appear, it was as if the entire world changed. All sorts of strings in a myriad of colors tied to people and connecting them together. She stood in a crowded street, awed by the beautiful interconnections of fate at work. And nobody seemed to notice them except her. She took immediate delight in her new senses, and was overwhelmed with wanting to know more about them.

Blue was tricky. Not everyone had one, and the connections seemed a little random. She had one herself tied to her index finger, though unfortunately whoever was on the other end wasn’t within walking distance even when she tried to follow it in curiosity. Through observation she concluded that blue simply meant an important person.

Green strings were easy to figure out. The green string was tied around her pinky finger and connected Yuzu to her mother. There were adults with many little green strings around their fingers linking them to their numerous children, and many still with none at all. Some even with strings that were cut. The fate of a clear cut string wasn’t too hard to figure out either, and she cherished her green string all the more, knowing she was her mother’s last existing connection.

Which brought her to the most prominent string on any person- the red string linking people’s hearts together. Some were bright red and strong, some were frayed, and others still seemed to be rotting away. Very rarely did she see people near their other ends, red strings mostly led into the distance never to be found. But when she did see them together-- an old couple here, a lucky pair of young lovers there-- they were clearly meant to be together. It was as if right out of a book of fairytales! Soulmates existed!

Which was why Yuzu laid awake at night in a cold fear, clutching her hand over her chest where her string was supposed to be. Hoping one day she would see and feel her own string. But no matter how hard she focused it never appeared.

---

The day Yuzu ran into the other end of her blue string was truly a joyous occasion. She had just transferred schools and had not expected such a meeting. Her and Harumi clicked together right away, like a couple of peas in a pod. The blue string between them glowed happily as they laughed together, and Yuzu felt a bit better about lacking a soulmate string. Ever the optimist, Yuzu had decided to enjoy the connections she did have and try not to focus on her missing red string. She was so happy to be united with someone who was surely to be important in her life that she almost didn’t notice something odd about another one of her classmates. The girl who immediately called her out for breaking the dress code that morning, the student council president, did not have a red soulmate string either.

Yuzu found herself staring until the other girl turned her head to stare back and Yuzu hurriedly looked away with a blush of embarrassment.

---

The girl was her new stepsister and she turned out to be a very vexing person indeed, even without Yuzu’s curiosity concerning her lack of a string. ‘A fellow comrade’ Yuzu thought at first, taking a little comfort in the fact that she wasn’t alone in being stringless. The notion quickly dissipated when Mei never treated her like a comrade at all. Even still, Yuzu developed a fascination and wanted to know more about her. Maybe she wanted to know some clues or similarities between them to figure out what made a person stringless, but she just couldn’t figure the girl out. She was a mystery, a black hole that sucked up all of Yuzu’s attention and she found herself falling into it hard and fast.

When she realized she was in love she cried tears of joy. She was so afraid she wouldn’t be capable of loving another person, or even if she did that they would be forever connected to someone else. Then one day she noticed something truly amazing. A new green string had grown between her mother and Mei, neatly tied as her mother claimed Mei as her own daughter. She was so happy for them both, and filled with hope that she and Mei were perhaps able to form new connections. Not that it mattered to Yuzu at this point. Her heart tugged towards Mei even if nothing tethered them together.

---

When Yuzu got the idea to buy rings for them both, it felt like a stroke of genius. A tangible symbol of her love for Mei felt like the perfect anchor between them. Fate be damned, she wanted to be linked to Mei forever. She wanted to let Mei know that she was all in and ready to commit even if she was afraid. Scared that their relationship wouldn’t last or that they were too taboo, of the consequences they would face in society. As long as they were together she didn’t need a string to tell her how she felt. She was willing to put the work in to forge their path with her own hands.

She had never felt more vulnerable than now, presenting the ring to Mei with trembling hands, hoping that she felt the same way. And to both of their surprise tears sprung unbidden to Mei’s eyes as she stared at the ring. Yuzu internally panicked at the reaction, stammering over her words in fret. However, she was instantly silenced when Mei slipped the ring onto her finger, eyes shining with wonder. She had never seen the other girl more open and beautiful than that moment when she accepted Yuzu’s feelings. Gathering Mei into her arms, she kissed the tears away with a heart overflowing with love and affection.

When they separated, Mei gasped in a curious way that brought summoned all of Yuzu’s attention. Something was shimmering between them. Mei’s newly ringed hand grasped at the beginnings of a tentative pink string tied at their chests with awkward little bows.

Yuzu’s eyes widened and her breath escaped her. “You can see them too?”  

Mei’s eyes were swimming once more as their gazes met in amazement and Yuzu could feel her own tears spilling over but she was smiling. She was smiling so hard right now and she didn’t think she was capable of stopping.

“It’s perfect,” Mei whispered. Their connection was discolored, thin and a little worse for wear, but it was indeed beautiful and perfect in every way. With patience, care, and love, there was only room to grow and make it stronger.   

Mei tugged at the string to bring Yuzu ever closer, hearts pulsing in sync for once.