#Ling: time to run an entire country

[clonerightsagenda]

While I judge his youthful naivete in going 'wait, the military killed people???' I support Edward Elric sapping government resources for years and then immediately leaving when he got what he wanted. Same energy as the guy who took a job at a software company, fixed one bug, and then quit.

[smalltowncryptidfucker]

Thinking about how Edward and Ling are probably just as touch starved as each other, but in like, vastly different ways.

With Edward- based off what I can tell- the only people he knew he could be physically affectionate with in any way, was his mother and Alphonse.

(Not to say Winry and Pinako aren’t affectionate with the boys, but I feel like being physically affectionate isn’t something that comes naturally to either of them. They seem like they prefer acts of service as a way of showing how much they care more than anything, and I think that’s wonderful! Even after the Elric brothers pretty much decided to kiss their hometown goodbye, the relationship they have with the Rockbells is still strong enough to where they know they can rely on them for anything, which is very important.)

But it really sucks, because their mom is long gone, and Alphonse, while he’s still around, no longer has a body. He’s a soul bound to a suit of armor, and he can’t feel anything. And I’m sure that Alphonse is still as physically affectionate with Edward as he can be with the body he has, but the unfortunate truth of the matter is, that if he isn’t careful, he might accidentally injure Edward. And I’m sure that terrifies him more than anything. Alphonse is so kind, gentle and loving, and the idea of hurting his brother by accident, or otherwise would devastate him. So he keeps Edward at arms’ length, just so he doesn’t get hurt.

Whereas with Ling, there isn’t much about his background that we know canonically (that I can recall- if any of you know something, feel free to add on), but considering the fact that he was conceived by the emperor and a noblewoman for the sole purpose of being a potential heir to the throne, and nothing else, I don’t think his childhood was filled with much genuine affection.

I’m sure he was treated well, but there’s a difference between actual love and care for a child, and the pretty much forced respect for the potential heir to a throne. His days were filled with constant training and education to prepare him to run a country, and typically with characters like him, they usually are fed some sort of BS akin to “showing/receiving affection is a form of weakness,” and “don’t get attached to anyone, or you’ll lose everything”. Stuff like that. And not to project headcanons onto a character that no one has seen in canon, but I’m sure Ling’s mother saw her son as more of a way to get more power, than an actual family member. Again, could be wrong, but considering the fact that the emperor produces heirs by just… going to the “best” noble families of each clan in his kingdom to ensure his bloodline is “pure” or some shit, that blatant disregard for family is probably the norm for anyone in power in Xing.

And I know that Lan Fan and Fu do genuinely love and care for Ling, but at the end of the day, they’re his bodyguards. Their relationship is purely professional, and they all know that if they overstep those boundaries, that could spell the end for them. They have to keep him at arms’ length to ensure their survival.

Basically, what I’m saying is, Ling has probably never received a sincere hug his entire god damn life.

So, I’m just thinking that the first time they hug or hold hands or some shit, they’re both so nervous, because Edward hasn’t been held in so long, and Ling doesn’t know what to expect, but then they both just melt into each other.

TL;DR: Ed and Ling share the same amount of touch-starvation, but physical affection was ripped away from Edward, and Ling was never provided any to begin with. They should clearly join forces.

[sngchngs]

Modern mdzs character headcanons

The Lans

Lan Qiren absolutely keeps a Burn Book. He uses it to keep records of every misdemeanour. Of every transgression. He has an entire chapter dedicated to Wei Wuxian.

Lan Xichen keeps a hidden stash of hard candies in his room. He likes to suck on them when he meditates.

Lan Wangji records his guqin playing and listens to it on his airpods when he's practising his sword techniques.

Lan Sizhui likes to sketch people. When he has a few free moments, he will find a spot, either in a park or a bench on a street, and will pull out his sketch pad and pencils and discreetly sketch people's expressions.

Lan Jingyi is a gamer. He plays games like Horizon: Zero Dawn; Yakuza; Minecraft; Kingdom Hearts. All his games (including his ps4 console) are hand-me-downs from an older cousin. He has a page or two in Lan Qiren's Burn Book.

Other sects under the cut ⬇️

The Jins

Jin Guangyao is a philanthropist. When he's not busy being the Chief Cultivator, he likes to (anonymously) donate huge swathes of money to various humanitarian and environmental causes. The only people who know he does this are Lan Xichen and Jin Ling.

An unfortunate accident (involving Wei Wuxian) left Jin Zixuan paralysed from the waist down. He competed in Para canoe in two Paralympics. He is now an editor of a publishing company.

Qin Su did not marry Jin Guangyao. (From an early age, she knew that their relationship was that of siblings.) She owns and manages a law firm that helps victims of sexual assault. Her firm has a high success rate.

A few times a month, Jin Ling helps out at a local dog shelter. He takes Fairy, and together, they help socialise some of the more timid dogs. Jin Ling prefers animals over people.

The Jiangs

Jiang Cheng is a bit of a tea connoisseur. When he's not busy managing his Sect, he likes to unwind with a pot of tea. He has sampled teas from all over the world and has a pantry full of jars of all sorts of teas.

Jiang Yanli is a successful cook/chef who owns her own restaurant and who has her own TV show and cookbook. Her husband, Jin Zixuan, edited and helped fast track the publication of her book.

Wei Wuxian loves eating chilli chocolate. To the point where he makes his own and experiments with the heat of the chilli.

The Wens

Wen Qing owns three cats. One munchkin and two rescues. Her house has been decked out with shelves, ladders, platforms, and scratching trees. She has an entire room dedicated to the cats with an indoor jungle gym.

Wen Ning likes travelling. He's been to over a dozen or so countries and plans to go to more. It was Wei Wuxian who got him into travelling.

The Nies

Nie Huaisang runs an art blog (as well as a few social media pages). As well as his art, he posts pictures of his pet birds as well as any wild birds he sees. His artworks are phenomenal, with a nod to more traditional styles. He has thousands of followers.

Despite his tough exterior, Nie Mingjue has sensitive taste buds and can't handle food that is too spicy, too sweet, or too hot in temperature.

~~

[ilovepannacotta]

Yeah, the entirety of dublith comes off way more differently in fmab than in the manga, and greed and Izumi are definitely the ones who suffered for that.

That scene you’re talking about is a good one! It really made no sense that the entire fight with ling and lan fan vs envy and gluttony was cut? Like, it’s kind of a big deal for them and their quest, but it’s also important for the homunculi because they’re encountering strong foreign warriors getting in the way of their plans to the point that they couldn’t back up lust which led to her dying? I think the thing about that fight I think the most about is when ling is running from gluttony and asking lan fan to toss him his sword. Something about that image is great to me. I do agree though with the whole visible sag of relief that the big bad homunculi are gone and the sort of “what the heck have I really gotten myself into” kinda mood from the usual chill vibe ling.

My favorite scene though is a bit earlier than that. They had a few more scenes in rush valley than just the fight, but the manga also had part of the train ride from rush valley to central and that’s where ling explains fu and lan fan are from a family that’s served his clan for generations. Edward tries to tease him in that whole “oh you’re too chicken to go traveling without your personal retainers” kind of way and there’s just something about ling responding that it’s dangerous for a kid to travel alone and that he’s fifteen that gets me every time. On a more serious note, another scene of ling’s I like from rush valley is after he has his whole “I can’t afford to be worried about appearances” chat with fu and lan fan, he actually has a few panels where he’s internally thinking that something definitely senses off about the country of amestris. Also feels like that was important and shouldn’t have been cut but. Studio bones.

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THEY DID SO WRONG GREED IN BROTHERHOOD. I'm waiting to read the Dublith arc!! I bought that volume but it will arrive in one or two more weeks, and I need to see what they did to my love. It's a shame that original Greed just appeared in two episodes in fmab, so I hope the manga does him justice 😔

AND YESS!! I love how badass Lan Fan was in that fight while Ling was so confused and crying for help HAJAHDJAHAHA. It's sad how Bones treated the Xing gang so badly (because they also removed all May Chang's first apparition!!!)

I know which scene you are talking!!! Ling being aware he is just a child is so important to me because it makes this contrast with Edward, who always acts like he is a grown-up and can do all by himself. Idk, I love his dynamic, and how Ed is furious because Ling is younger and taller than him.

Bones needs to make another anime adaptation because I'm unsatisfied 😠

[female-malice]

(Anon only please) I'm so glad you also think that Al should remain a boy in the Elric siblings AU. As brother and sister they'd subvert the usual hot blooded male hero and nurturing female sidekick dynamic of shounen manga. Winry is a lesbian in this AU btw. Ed is bi because EdLing is a fun ship.

Oh lmao I could almost follow you that whole way but then I couldn't take that last step with you. I don't ship non-canon straight couples so I just can't ship straight EdLing.

I think GreedLing is perfect because they're both self-obsessed. So they can only truly get to know another soul by becoming each other. Ling will never be as close to anyone else as he was with Greed. And he will feel the loss of Greed for the rest of his life.

Ed is a tiny lesbian soldier with an eldest daughter complex and a spiky moody personality. Winry loves Ed. But she ends up with Paninya because Ed is not emotionally available or emotionally intelligent. She's just too fucked up. Ed is super in love with Winry the entire time. Winry cares about Ed but Winry has abandonment issues. She lost her selfless parents in the war when she was very young. So she can't settle down with a woman who constantly risks her own life for others. Paninya is a survivor who puts herself first while Ed has no sense of self-preservation. This is why Ed and Winry are constantly arguing and constantly frustrated with each other throughout the series.

After the drama of the main story, the relationship drama does not instantly resolve. It takes Ed a long time to figure out why Winry moved on from her. And it takes her a long time to stop trying to sacrifice herself for every cause. She travels the country trying to fix all the broken things. And she runs into Rose again. And they end up together.

Ed and Winry remain close but also frustrated with each other but also obsessed with each other. They just happen to find healthy relationships outside of that.

So in the end, Al and Mei get married and have a few kids. And those kids have 4 lesbian aunts.

And that's the lesbian Ed alternate universe.

[solardick]

Right on script. America arms alleged neo-nazi extremists to fight russia. Again, none of their business. Saying fuck you Russia. Like a bunch of femmes. Russia runs nuclear tactic drills. Love how they’re playing me to this script. You can feel the ltgbcq vibe in it. Lol. An unevolved dark moon vibe.

Anyway. On to another card wence i get to it. Somfar the chariot, to the field, to the saint-Geirge card tun beautifully together. The tower belongs in position two. A is still the blind fool, Bv i’m not sure still maybe the high priestess. Maybe not. It’ll take a ling time.

A novel clean slate with supportive motives and room to play even though the entire known world is running everything in their power to detain such an endeavour. Preffering to keep to their satanic antics of slavery to the perverse megalomaniacal motives of superiority.

The russian basically and single handedly ended war world 2 after the world sat back and watch them lose over 20 million civilians. And now these bs news plots saying that their arming the brigade founded by neo-nazies…. Ok. Whatever. Maybe if any of this is true. They’ll slowly and persistently keep crossing all the lines they boid not to cross until the rest of the eastern world says ok. Your done. Feels awefully personal. Though missing the “annexation”. While being beaten and manipulated into states of dellirience and belligerence, though it all being olanned a long time before hand. While your own family pushed every button and treated like a pathetic low life woman. Delighting in emasculation. Of course they would it runs in the family. Generationally soeaking there has always been a family outcast treated like shit. They need it. An dit’ll probbaly be bred again in the next generation. Plus sonce theh all have hars squares on me and pluto opositions on me. Cant say any of it is my fault. I tried. They dodnt want anynof it.

Soeakign of the last several years of them playing with me. And setting me up with relations with woman beating me down while in most of the cases i dis nothing wrong. Did the right honest thing in good conscious and got punished for it regardless. Trying to make it feel like it was my fault. Cherry the exception but, i wasnt in a right mind either. So and she played her role well enough to manipulate outcomes. If it was wven her at all. While they set up and framed me into position to rape my spyche. And drug me up and beat me down when ever i started coming to again.

Wonder if my sex drive is ever coming back along with any motivation to di anything. Like pick up after myself and exersice. Not that i know whya sex is like anymore. Im pretty much the equilavent of a virgin again. And the interpersonal retardation doesnt help. But 40 years of being neglected, beaten in and owned. Doesnt leave much room for development does it. The only tiem that feelign goes away is when i take a shit and it only lasts a fee minutes. I prefee the physical violence, druggings and neglect over the psychological violence and sexual abuse. Of be like my mother, neglect and over control and the beatings, and the the phone calls after i get removed, saying i love you. Suck my balls. Inpay good money for coggarrets least you acn do is sell clean packs. Or good money on a language learning game app, and then incade it with your sickness and abuse me on that too. Calling me stupid and a woman.

Да, ты глупый. My granmar is probably wrong. But whatever. That fucken language is impossible.

So what was said? Fuck you america right back. We got nukes. We’re a hunch of bullies too. Bring it bitch. We got more nukes than you. Bigger nukes than you. But, we font eant to use them unnecesarilty unlike you have done in the past. If your arming our enemies. Why shouldnn’t we think the same. But your enemies are far worse than we’re willing on aiding without caution. We’re just mirroring back yournown bs.

Previously paraphrased “ keep your butt loving bs out of our country.”

Тhough still have to make a deck thats still attractive to westerners. Replacing the lion with a bear on the love card. Soubds promising but, i dont know.

But if i do make card Bv into as the high priestess card. It becomes merged with the star card. And as the proestess card works is that of memory and mind. It gives you the blueprints. And fitted puzzle pieces together. And my image made already fits nicely as Bv. And as a start of a journey. But, will have to go over the fictionary and see if it fits.

See, russia couls easily arm nations already hostile to the americas and they could invade and fire upon them andvrussia will still be in the right. And able to bs back. Protected by the world laws.

But, besides takign a sympathetic view what whatnis taught to be a hostile sovereign nation is the language learning. Alot of these beginner words decontaminate alot of the curse and disdainful garbage words that have been taught by proximity and experience. Words that sounds so much like shit for example when forst heard by the russian dialect mean something else. Have significance, not negative, but ordinary everyday sounds that aren’t perversed by the negative degenerate bs of the mother tongue. Thise words lose strength in that connection and its liberating

On this account according tonthe history books. In the time frame of the tarot. The 14-15th centuries. Roughly. Maybe off. Russia went on and chnaged slightly the theological beleifs and went on saying that they are the new Jerusalem. God’s chosen people. This of course stared some nifty controversy and havoc not only inside the boarders but by many outside as well. The dialogue putin is going on about is nothing new. This dates back hundreds of years. The other connecting symbol here is the errection of a certain statue outside the walls of the kremlin. A warrior monk holding a cross and a sword. Its not by ignorance that what is being said is being said.

если какой-нибудь иностранец, как я. Comes across a history book, then a man competent enough to serve has the nations spokesperson, would know even better than i do. What reaction would result. And as for a hostile nation, this war “against ukraine” is the first time russia has deployed any military action to any significant measure since WW2. Not counting on the cold wars. And so far it seems just child play. Precision strikes aimed at the least amount of casualties while crippling infrastructure. Maybe even select people. But what doni know. Thisnis “america” the land of bs, perversion and glamour. The largest producers of fiction and make beleive on the planet. No? Who was the lasted voted president? Trump. Named after a card game? Aa telvision actor? Didn’t terminator try and run for it too? Funny. I know. That fact thatbits easier to say fiction than non-fiction… well….f

Fiction is most of my life experience. Should put it to use somehow. Tv was my parenting. My only guidance. My only source of communication. Maybe why im so perfectly in sync with whatever.

Think i found a source of thr discomfort and pain. Its my tailbbone digging into the flesh. A change in posture leading into the onset. Medsage and pushing the area away and slreping with a pollow undet my butt sermed to aoded a bit. So three different problems all in the same area symultaneousy. Probably because of the mock reality overlayering my own. That eases of the depression some.

Learning pronounciation and language by memorizing short stories.

[kyubinning]

Title: Caelum Pairing: 97 line (Jacob/Younghoon/Hyunjae) Rating: M Warning(s): Royalty, Polyamory Summary:

They’ve known each other for what seems like the beginning of time. There wasn’t a moment that Younghoon could recall were Jaehyun and Joonyoung weren’t in his life, and there most likely wouldn’t be one after. 

Some might say that they were attached at the hip, moving like a singular unit to accomplish whatever tasks they set out to do. Others might say that mixing two commoner children with the crown prince was a recipe for disaster and wondered why they were able to even get that close in the first place, but they never left each other’s side--no matter what the circumstance. They never cared about what people had to say about them and they don’t think they ever will—even in the present, where Younghoon’s commencement ceremony will begin in two weeks; even in the present, where Prince Younghoon will commence to King Younghoon, and the entire kingdom will look to him for guidance and advice. 

He was heir to the throne, after all.

Chapter One

They’ve known each other for what seems like the beginning of time. There wasn’t a moment that Younghoon could recall were Jaehyun and Joonyoung weren’t in his life, and there most likely wouldn’t be one after. 

Some might say that they were attached at the hip, moving like a singular unit to accomplish whatever tasks they set out to do. Others might say that mixing two commoner children with the crown prince was�� a recipe for disaster and wondered why they were able to even get that close in the first place, but they never left each other’s side--no matter what the circumstance.  They never cared about what people had to say about them and they don’t think they ever will—even in the present, where Younghoon’s commencement ceremony will begin in two weeks; even in the present, where Prince Younghoon will commence to King Younghoon, and the entire kingdom will look to him for guidance and advice. 

He was heir to the throne, after all. 

+

Younghoon supposes everything starts with Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun’s story is the easiest one to tell because it was the only one where Younghoon knew he had actual input in how everything ended up playing out in the ling run.

You see, Jaehyun’s father is a scary looking man. He towers at exactly six foot, with broad strong shoulders. The look in his eye had always been stern, and his voice more so. The intimidation factor was doubled by the fact that he was missing an eye, hidden from the world by an eye patch. On first glance, he looked like he belonged to a crew of pirates with how scarred he was from constant battle. But he upheld the law. He fought valliantly to protect his country from threats and invasions. 

In fact, the fact that they are current experiencing Caelum’s most peaceful years is because of Jaehyun’s father and the Royal Guild. It wasn’t always like this. 

How did it relate to Jaehyun? Well, we’ll get there shortly. 

For now, we must set the scene: it starts, like most things do, when Jaehyun’s mother passes away. For a large portion of his life, up until he was eight years old to be exact, he was under the care of his mother and strictly so—on orders from his father. His father never wanted the idea of knighthood to get into Jaehyun’s head. He never wanted the expectation of is career being pushed onto his son; he refused to make knighthood a legacy position. He never wanted even the slightest of inkling to bleed through, partially because he knew how dangerous it was.

It was not as glamourous and as nice as commonfolk made it out to be. 

It was true pain decorated with the colors of Caelum’s cerulean blue crest, it was watching helplessly as your friends perish around you—it was feeling survivor’s guilt from being the only one left alive when everyone else you loved and cared about died around you and you could nothing to stop it other than defend yourself. You train and train and train, put your life on the line, and it still isn’t enough to save everyone. It still wasn’t enough to save his brothers in arms from twisted fates. 

It was pain. It was a sacrifice. It was uncertain and dangerous and he wouldn’t watch his son—with eyes as kind as his mother’s and an attitude to match it, the only one left to remind him of his wife—fall victim to the bloody promises knighthood made for him. 

He knew the pain and the bloodshed and the misery war brought upon people. He lived his entire life protecting and shielding his son from that. 

So, when Jaehyun asks, his father says no. He pushes Jaehyun more towards academics and less towards anything related to the sword or combat. He always said it was to give Jaehyun the opportunity he never had—to give Jaehyun a chance to thrive and live knowing that his life wasn’t on the line, but Jaehyun took after his father in many ways. He was stubborn, refused to hear the word impossible and strong willed. 

Whatever Jaehyun set his mind to, he accomplished, a trait instilled in his by his father. 

But regardless of all of that, the answer is still no. The answer is “never in a million years will I let you suffer through what I’ve suffered through” and no matter how much Jaehyun tried to protest, it would always be that way. 

Jaehyun gets into taking care of the royal animals for the time being—the horses specifically needed someone to care for them, since their last caretaker had fallen ill and the position was vacant. 

+

“No,” Younghoon remebers Jaehyun telling him, sitting in caligraphy class one day, “He said for me to not even think about it.” There’s ink all over his hands, all the way up to his upper arm. The brush he’d been using was dripping on the the paper, leaving dots of ink everywhere. “I don’t want to be a caligrapher. Or a historian, or whatever boring thing he wants of me. I want to do something that will make him proud of me—being a caligrapher will not make my father proud of me.” 

That made absolutely no sense to Younghoon at the time. “But you’re his son? I don’t think there’s anyone else more qualified,” Younghoon replies. “Strong genetic tie ins and experiences, who else could live up to the legacy?” 

“I know, Your Highness—” 

“Why can’t you do both?” Younghoon questions, 

And really, Younghoon knows he shouldn’t have sparked the idea in Jaehyun’s head. Well, he knows that now. Back then, he couldn’t comprehend why someone who had the capability to learn and the strength to fight was denied what he wanted. Back then, all he wanted was for Jaehyun to do something that made him happy.

And if training in the sword was that call to happiness, then so be it. 

So, he did both. He trained in the way of the sword at night and went to school in the day, passed everything with flying colors and thinks he can make it. But his father finds out. Of course his father finds out, his father knows every swordsman in the entire kingdom. 

All it took was for one of those swordsmen to brag about training the son of Sir Lee of Caelum, Lee Jaehyun for his entire plan to be thrown off course. Which is exactly what happened. 

One night, while practicing his technique, his father comes into the training hall. From the looks of it, he is furious, and Jaehyun would tell you that his father’s fury and his rage doesn’t manifest itself in the way that it would in most people: his fury and rage manifested itself in an eerily calm demeanor. 

“Lee Jaehyun,” he says sternly, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“D-dad,” he replies, “What are you doing here? I thought you doing something at the palace—“

“Put the sword down,” he says, “Do you enjoy not listening to me, child?” 

“I-"

"No excuses, Jaehyun," his father says, "I strictly forbade you to do this and yet you are here." 

“How about this then? I’ll only do bodyguarding,” Jaehyun says, “I’ll only work with the prince. No going out with the guild, or going outside the country borders. I’ll just be in the castle with the prince.” 

“Jaehyun—.”

“Dad, please. I just want you to be proud of me.”

“Do you not understand, Jaehyun? If any of this—bodyguarding or knighthood—were pleasant and easy, then I wouldn’t be so upset about it. These things are hard,” he sighs, “I’m already proud of you, Jaehyun, for being able to live a life less stressful and more fruitful than mine. I’m proud that the sacrifices I’ve made have left you in safety, that there would be no need for you to fight tooth and bone in war like I have.”  The man, pinching the bridge of his nose, beckons Jaehyun to sit beside him just for a moment. He says to him with a sigh, “No matter what you do, what you become, I will always be proud of you, Jaehyun. Knight or not. I just wanted to spare you from heartbreak. Having to make split decisions and determining who lives or dies? It’s hard to do. But, if you’re going to do this, train hard. Be confident in your skills and in your judgment, Jaehyun.”

After that moment, things were calm. Jaehyun’s father didn’t protest as much. 

+

Joonyoung’s story was harder to explain, painful even, so Younghoon tried not to bring it up as much as he could—but still, people would ask, so Younghoon would put it simply: Joonyoung was brought here because of The War of the Sun and Moon; without it they would have never met. 

Everyone in Caelum heard stories of the War of the Sun and Moon, but no one truly understood what it meant to be a part of it. 

Joonyoung’s family came to Caelum from a different kingdom entirely, from a relatively small kingdom compared to Caelum—Terra. The land that Terra sat on was extremely valuable; it was the only other place, other than Caelum, that had direct access to the coast, making it a valuable port kingdom that both Solis and Luna wanted. Terra’s army was relatively weaker than that of Luna and Solis, so each kingdom 

So they began to fight for it. And that fighting lasted for decades. 

In the decades of war, Joonyoung and his brother would be born—they’d live a relatively sheltered life, due in part to their mother —but it would only be a matter of time before they have to flee. 

And that time came sooner rather than later. 

Fleeing the terrible war and fighting of the kingdoms of the Solis and Luna that had been raging on for decades—decades of death and destruction over greed—was difficult. There was hardly a way out that wasn’t guarded heavily by Solis soldiers.

 That terrible fighting, that terrible pillaging and destruction, burned the western most portion of the Kingdom of Terra down to the ground; no one had anywhere to go, or any home to come back to. 

Joonyoung was one of those people. West Terra had been his home for eight years. Although he was a child, he knew that everything he’d ever loved had been taken with the fire that raged on. He could sense it, even if at the time he couldn’t put the right words to it. 

After the Burning of Western Terra, Solis soldiers began to occupy the land. They demanded the sons of every family in town, even went as far as to break into houses and kidnap them. Any able bodied male—regardless of age—was able to fight in this war. 

And that included Joonyoung, who was only eight at the time. 

His mother, in a fit of panic, decided to pack up what remained of their small abode—a few letters, a map, some gold pieces and some spare bread rations—and head north to Caelum with hope that she could change the fate of the only son she had left. 

She had already lost one son to sickness, she was not about to lose another to war. 

So, with resolve in her mind and love in her heart, they trekked. They trekked through countless forests, hiding from Luna and Solis soldiers alike, to get to the Conlis mountains, the mountain range that circled Caelum—protected it from threats of that magnitude—and sought refuge in the kingdom who welcomed them with open arms. 

It was a long journey to take, but one that was necessary for her to protect her son. 

In the time that they spend setting their lives back on course, Joonyoung’s mother takes her remaining five gold and starts up the tailor’s shop of her dreams—she had always been good with fabric, even had her own shop in West Terra before everything was taken from her. 

And when that tailor’s shop gets big, it isn’t that long before the royal family would come to check it out—and check it out they did. They commissioned ceremonial garments from Joonyoung’s mother, each at fifty gold a piece. That’s when Joonyoung and Younghoon meet for the first time. 

“Hi, I’m Younghoon,” he says, standing as still as possible. 

“Joonyoung,” the other responds. He has a measuring tape in his hands, carefully wrapping it around Younghoon’s waist. “I hear you like blue.”

+

And then, there was Younghoon. 

There isn’t much to say about Younghoon, really. His father, the King, ruled Caelum. His mother, the Queen, ruled alongside him. He was the first in line to inherit the throne and his coronation was a mere few weeks away. His best friends, and lovers in the end, became his personal bodyguards and he’s living in a stone castle trying not to rot away due to boredom from the time his coronation starts to when it ends. 

He wasn’t nearly as interesting as those two, he could tell you that. Not even his royalty status saved him from being uninteresting

next chapter

[makiswirl]

!!!!! i would LOVE to talk abt fma but idk a good question to ask hmmm..... uhm! tell me abt a favourite detail of yours or smth u think not enough ppl appreciate!!!! can be from 2003 or fmab :] but jsyk so far ive only seen fmab (i do plan on watching fma 2003 in the future tho!!! ^_^)

OUUGHGHH OK! :0 i'll probably avoid talking about 03 beyond the tiny filler stuff then for spoilers' sake.. here's macchi's random deets they enjoy about fma (mangahood edition):

an fma japan-equivalent is mentioned in the manga, as amestris is certain countries from europe, drachma is from russia, and xing is from china! it's mentioned as a tiny island that made a form of chess i think in one of the chapters grumman and roy play it together? too lazy to go get the chapter though someone please tell me if you know where this is

ed isn't the only one who visibly ages in brotherhood! he does it in the manga too but it's more noticeable in the anime (and he does it in 03 as well). winry gets more square and ling gets Fucking Ripped™️, and we even see al get even MORE broadened out but i'm not sure if that's age or filling out after being malnourished after so long. either way he inherited hohenheim's chad jawline in the end.

dublith was a town with a bunch of running factories from when ed and al trained at the curtises', but we see that when they're older they've shut down (again mostly manga only)

automail only prospers as a result of the wars in amestris (again mentioned in the manga a few times), and probably heavily dies out after its government is reformed

ed and al seemingly knowing everyone in resembool! (this is specifically about the parts where ed greets the resembool train conductor in the manga and talks to a bunch of people in resembool in i Think every canon? might be only 03 though)? also in 2003 where winry begins talking about how they played with other resembool kids to al i just like knowing that the teens used to be normal

xingese being in square, rectangular bubbles instead of more circular or angled ones per-manga (+ there being 50 clans but only 43 living children in xing)

ROY ACTUALLY FUCKING UP REALLY BAD DURING THE MARIA ROSS INCIDENT NOT KNOWING ED WOULD SHOW UP AND DECKING HIM IN THE FACE OUT OF PURE PANIC AND CONFUSION LMAO

ed in the manga counting how many limbs he would have to lose to bring al's body back after realizing he's likely starving in the gate

(once again, manga only) izumi saying that ed can likely beat the truth and talking about the irony of the cost of their human transmutations before father mansplained it! i love me some foreshadowing!

ed putting things in his mouth and just letting them stay there for some reason (e.g. toothpick in rush valley, fork in manga, etc.) also just spacing out entirely when he focuses to the point he can't even hear others or keep track of time! mostly manga only though.. again. why were we so robbed :-(

03's depiction of liore being more accurate geographically (being smack dab in the desert that goes off into xing like ishval, given they're in the same sector and entirely parallel from each other on the map)

ED AND ELICIA'S B-DAY BEING THE SAME DAY IN 03... 😭😭 I LOVE THAT EPISODE SO MUCH.......

[wangxianficrecs]

Follower Recs

Stories I haven’t read yet, but clearly need to put on my ever-expanding List.

~*~

Welcome back queen [Thank you, it’s so lovely to be back!] if ur still doing follower recs I gotta recommend I would wait for a thousand years by bleuett it’s soooooooo good

[This one was actually recced to me by two different people, the other of whom said, “ Maybe I'm crying a little so I feel like a should recommend ‘I would wait for a thousand years’ by bleuett on ao3.”]... it’s def. on my List!

I would wait for a thousand years

by bleuett (T, 10k, wangxian)

Summary:  During the worst of winter, a traveler comes to stay at Lan Wangji's inn. He wears a red ribbon in his hair.

“Do you see the rabbit?” Wei Ying asks and points at the moon. “That’s the moon rabbit, he helps make Chang’e more immortality elixir. He keeps Chang’e company.”

“I do not wish the rabbit for company,” Lan Wangji says tightly. “You are the one I want by my side.”

“And I’m here, Lan Zhan. If you go to the moon, I’ll follow you, I’ll always be here now.”

~*~

I just read a great fic by aisthuu "every love story is a ghost story", didn't see it in your recs so wanted to recommend it! LWJ is a guqin composer and teacher, buys a cheap guqin off eBay which ends up being attached to WWX's spirit from canon era. It's bittersweet, LWJ deals with Lan's homophobia (implicit in a Lan way) and his feelings towards the ghost. This is author's only ao3 fic and honestly I don't remember how I stumbled upon it, but I'm happy I did and hope you will enjoy it too!  [I’ve recently read this one, and loved it!]

every love story is a ghost story

by aisthuu (M, 59k, wangxian, my bookmark)

Summary:  The man is in Lan Zhan’s bed. Did they—he begins to wonder, eyes trailing to where the man’s body lies under the blanket. Had Lan Zhan—?

Then the sleep-fog clears and Lan Zhan realizes that the young man isn’t quite opaque around the edges.

“You’re a spirit.”

The spirit narrows its eyes. “I’m so much more than that.”

(Lan Zhan buys a guqin off eBay for a suspiciously low price, only to find that it’s haunted. And now there’s a ghost in his bed.)

~*~

Ok so I absolutely have to rec "see you yesterday" by glyphic. It's a wip, but it's currently at 101k so there's a whole lot there, and it's terrible and wonderful and beautiful all at once. The way the backstory of canon events is adapted to the modern-with-cultivation setting is brilliant, and then there's the amnesia, and then there's the time loop. This fic lives permanently rent-free in my brain.

see you yesterday

by glyphic (M, 101k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  

Wei Ying 21:09 hey lan zhan what’s the weirdest way youve died

Lan Zhan 21:11 Falling encyclopedias.

Wei Ying 21:12 omg no way that’s so rude turning books against you???

Lan Zhan 21:13 A betrayal I will never forget.

On Halloween night, an exiled demonic cultivator and a Lan disciple get stuck in a time-loop, find each other, and try to figure it all out.

~*~

If you are looking for recs for yourself I absolutely love (the complete!) story Just as the Snow Melts by draechali on AO3. It's a canon divergence where everyone lives, even WWX! ~ @airmidcelt

Just as the Snow Melts

by draechaeli (T, 67k, wangxian)

Summary:  Like a snowy mountain top in spring the residents of the Burial Mounds trickled down the mountain and joined the flow of society.

“I went to the Burial Mounds,” Lan WangJi said.

“Ah, yeah… I’m sorry Lan Zhan,” replied Wei WuXian, “I hadn’t thought anyone would come to visit. I am still not sure how it happened; I brought A-Yuan to Yiling to play by the river and then ended up somehow teaching a bunch of children swimming and writing along with him.”

~*~

Hello! It's come to my attention that you have not as yet read Grandmaster of Meme-onic Cultivation! Please do! It's the only thing that gave me joy during 2020 😆 like proper belly laughs and disney villain style cackling. It is a wip, and it is long but so so worth it!! The author has reworked the entire canon through these message crystals and still conveys complex characters despite the tricky format. It's just so good!! Highly highly recommend it! ❤ ~ @theladypeartree  [Oh!  I’ve been subscribed to this one, and know that @swaglexander-the-great is a reliable provider of Hilarity, so I’m excited for it to be finished!]

Grandmaster of Meme-onic Cultivation 

by Hades_the_Blingking (T, 49k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  The Untamed universe is exactly the same, except everybody has magical crystals that have a suspiciously familiar messaging system. The story is pretty much the same as the show, except everyone lives!! (so minor changes).

or in which Wei WuXian tries his darndest to date Lan Zhan, Jiang Cheng possibly has a aneurysm, Jin ZiXuan is still the most awkward human alive, and Xue Yang makes me write some VERY cursed things. Written in chatfic format! :3

~*~

Chomrafy on AO3 deserves love and encouragement; she’s written a body of compact, poetic, and eloquent shortfics each of which can stand alone, but that comprise an intricately cross-referential and mostly internally-consistent universe. They’re grouped as chapters in works according to theme; for example, “in cupped hands” focuses upon Jin Ling and his second-generation baggage; “Departure in Autumn” portrays the last years of WWX’s first life. Follow the tag “Chomrafy’s MDZS shortfics.” [I don’t see this tag?]

in cupped hands

by chomrafy (G, 2k, wangxian)

Summary:  Of secrets, of futures, of love. A Jin Ling-centric collection of 200-word fics.

Ch.1: Jin Ling repays a debt (JL, JC, & WWX). Ch.2: Jin Ling and a ghost in the mirror. (JL & JYL) Ch.3: A matter of friends (JL & the other kids) Ch.4: In this house we don't keep dogs (JC & WWX) Ch.5: In the end, he remains silent (JL & uncles) Ch.6: A first night hunt, of sorts (JL & the other kids) Ch.7: Jin Ling, forgiving, forgetting (JL & LXC & JGY) Ch.8: Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling argue (JL, JC, & WWX) Ch.9: Jin Ling and his father (JL & JC) Ch.10: Jin Ling speaks up (JL, JC, & WWX) Ch.11: Jin Ling and a piece of home (JL, JC, & WWX)

Departure in Autumn

by chomrafy (not rated, 6k)

Summary:  Four perspectives. A steady march to the end.

Ch.1: Because if anything happens to them, Wen Qing would never be able to heal with these hands again. Ch.2: As long as this is still home, Jiang Yanli will wait as long as she needs to. Ch.3: Five times Jiang Cheng reaches for Wei Wuxian, one time he turns away. Ch.4: Whether the road is broad or narrow, bright or dark, they would have to keep walking. Wei Wuxian digs Wen Qing's grave.

~*~

Hello, hope all is going well. I don't have an ask, by I do have a recommendation. I read this fic a while ago and found it again. I just wanted to recommend this for everyone. Let me know what you think please. Thank you. [Oh!  This one’s in my To Read list, but  I’d forgotten about it.  Mmmm, fox!wwx and dragon!lwj.]

Ten miles of Lotus Flowers

by Yukirin_Snow

M, 274k, wangxian

Summary:  He was a mischievous fox spirit, wreaking havoc where he went, about to depart on a journey that would span centuries.

He was a heavenly prince, a proud dragon destined to ascend the throne to become emperor.

Neither expected their paths to collide over the span of three lives.

~*~

I forgot if it was your blog 😥 that recommended “Bestseller” (when Wei Wuxian writes the Xianxia cut-sleeve equivalent of Fifty Shades of Grey, based entirely on his experiences with Lan Wangji, he doesn’t expect it to become the next big hit) (https://archiveofourown.org/works/21528316/chapters/51318766)

But OMG IT WAS HILARIOUS!!! I LOVED IT!! And if it wasn’t your blog, I’m so sorry for how weird this sounds 😭😭😭😭 I just loved this fic so much that I have to tell it to someone 😢 [It’s on my List, but I haven’t read it yet!]

Bestseller

by pupeez4eva

M, 8k, wangxian

Summary:  He had written the book to prove a point. It was never supposed to be a big thing, and he certainly never intended for everyone — Jiang Cheng, Zewu-Jun, the Juniors, literally everyone— to be reading about his sex life.

Oh God, he definitely needed to make sure Lan Zhan didn’t find out about this.

(Or, when Wei Wuxian writes the Xianxia cut-sleeve equivalent of Fifty Shades of Grey, based entirely on his experiences with Lan Wangji, he doesn’t expect it to become the next big hit).

~*~

I’d like to rec On Your Marks, Get Set, Bake! by @blackwiresgrowonherhead

It’s one of my absolute favorites and I laughed out loud so many times when reading it

on your marks, get set, bake!

by BlackWiresOnHerHead

G, 41k, wei wuxian & juniors

Summary:  Jin Ling resumes thumping on the door to room 721, and the small collection of freshmen starts chanting “Senior Wei! Senior Wei! Senior Wei!” with increasing volume until finally Wei Wuxian opens the door.

“Yes?” he says with his widest, most innocent eyes.

“Senior Wei!” demands Lan Jingyi, shoving himself to the front of the group. “Why didn’t you tell us you’re a contestant on this year’s season of The Great Gusu Bake Off?!?”

--

Several months ago, college student Wei Wuxian secretly competed in the most popular reality show in the country. The show starts airing in the fall. The freshmen in his dorm collectively lose their minds.

~*~

If you're in the mood for v. short ridiculous fun fic, may I suggest My chain hits my chest/When I'm bangin' on the radio by x_los It's 2k modern cultivators AU, featuring WWX calling LWJ's sword Bitchin' [omg I’m laughing so hard] and I think it's more fun going in blind?

My chain hits my chest/When I'm bangin' on the radio

by x_los

T, 2k, wangxian

Summary:  Lan Wangji finds he doesn't even need to call for help for Wei Wuxian to come running.

[amedetoiles]

@suibian-chenqing​ ME TOOOO!!! It is my ultimate endgame in any version of cql/mdzs. Just Lotus Pier in some way, shape, or form being the home where everyone returns to.

So please consider a universe where everyone makes better choices, has healthier conflict resolution skills à la conversations over soup, and lives happily ever after. Hear me out:

We all know that the chaotic Jiang disciples are the unsung heroes of the story, always merrily dragging their grumpy grape sect leader from danger and picking up after his dramatically discarded capes across various parts of the country.

What if after that staged fight while Jiang Cheng angrily copes with brozilla wedding planning (they hear him crying yelling multiple times at all the notebooks full of wedding ideas Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng have jotted down over the years), they decide that this is just not conducive to the happiness of their two favorite Young Masters?

Or equally important, the continuation of their beloved tradition of monthly Lotus Pier lake parties. A Jiang pool party without their resident chaos king and undisputed champion for the highest caliber splash swan dives? This Will Not Stand!

Obviously it is their Duty and their Right as the protectors and purveyors of Jiang culture for a few of them to secretly stow away while Jiang Cheng is having an epic meltdown over fabric.

“800 thread count? Are you out of your goddamn minds? My only sister, and you expect us to throw her a wedding with disgraceful eight hundred thread count fabric?! Do we Jiangs look like barbarians to you?!”

The Jiang disciples go to Yiling, rush up the Burial Mounds, and shout very convincingly, “Da-shixiong! Da-shixiong! Zongzhu, he – he –”

Wei Wuxian, war-torn, living with ten thousand ghosts, and constantly on edge, panics immediately, jumps to the absolute worst conclusion, and doesn’t even clarify before he rushes down the mountain because oh god, oh god, no, not again, didn’t he leave so his siblings would be safe, didn’t he promise to keep Jiang Cheng safe?????

Wen Qing warily agrees to come along because they clearly now have this well-established ongoing unspoken agreement to constantly save each other’s little brothers.

If the Jiang disciples have caught Jiang Cheng brooding over a pretty redwood comb wrapped in a silk handkerchief more than once, then they don’t say anything. Just share silent looks of glee when no one is watching.

By the time they reach Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian has worked himself up into such a state of frenzy that he bursts through the doors of Lotus Pier like a black thundercloud of overprotective fury and worry, screaming, “JIANG CHENG! JIANG CHENG!”

.... Jiang Cheng is sitting on the floor of the Sword Hall, surrounded by a mountain of square fabric samples, with bits of thread stuck in his hair, totally gobsmacked at the sight of his windswept big brother.

Wei Wuxian, still panicked, falls to the floor in front of him, grabs Jiang Cheng by the arms before he can even react, and frantically checks him over. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened – I thought –”

Jiang Cheng stares at him. Wei Wuxian blinks. The Jiang disciples have all conveniently disappeared.

Behind them, Wen Qing heaves a big sigh, slow and long through pursed lips. She bows respectfully, says “I will be outside,” and gets the fuck out of there.

There is a tense silence. Wei Wuxian realizes he’s been tricked, but he is so overcome with relief after all that soul-crushing fear that he doesn’t even get mad, just sags forward with his face in Jiang Cheng’s chest as the adrenaline leaves him all at once. He pretends he’s not shaking.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t know if he wants to shove Wei Wuxian away, hug him back, or wrap him in as many blankets as he can possibly find until a-jie comes home. He does none of those, just demands, half-strangled, half-something-like-worry, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“They said – I thought you were in trouble or – or –”

[long pause] “You – came all the way here shouting like a possessed lunatic because you thought I was in trouble?”

Wei Wuxian hunches a little defensively and starts to move away. “Of course I did.” He makes sure to add, with emphasis, “Idiot.”

It doesn’t matter if Jiang Cheng can’t make up his mind because apparently his hands can, and they grip both of Wei Wuxian’s elbows to keep his brother from pulling away. They stare at one another.

”You said you didn’t want anything to do with the Jiang sect.”

Wei Wuxian looks away, grumbling. “How else was I supposed to keep you and shijie safe? Besides, you’re the one who stabbed me.” He is very pouty about this.

Jiang Cheng, immediately incensed and indignant, shouts, “You broke my arm! I had to be in a cast for a whole month!”

An almost smile flashes over Wei Wuxian’s face. “Hey, it was only your left arm. You were still able to write.”

Jiang Cheng glares at him and shoves his shoulder. Wei Wuxian instinctively shoves him back. They stare. Wei Wuxian scrubs his face tiredly with his hands. Jiang Cheng has to push away the urge to motherhen with blankets again.

He says, “I never asked you to protect me.”

Wei Wuxian gives him a look. “I don’t need to be asked.”

Jiang Cheng grits his teeth. “I don’t want you to protect me, idiot.”

Wei Wuxian heaves a very resigned sigh. “Then what do you want?”

Several answers come up, all too serious and too revealing without the support of a-jie’s soup and copious amount of alcohol. So Jiang Cheng just throws a handful of fabric samples at Wei Wuxian’s face. “Help me pick through these until a-jie comes home. You should have fucking heard Jin Zixuan’s suggestions last week. If we let the peacock plan a-jie’s wedding, it’s going to be an absolute disaster.”

Wei Wuxian’s smile this time is real and genuine and lasts the entire afternoon of bickering over fabric squares until Jiang Yanli rushes into the pavilion with many Jiang disciples in tow and hugs both her brothers for the first time in months. They manage to not horribly cry all over each other.

Jiang Yanli insists Wen Qing has dinner with them. There’s plenty of soup after all. Jiang Cheng is awkwardly stiff and doesn’t look Wen Qing in the eye the entire time, and Wei Wuxian pokes him repeatedly with silent  what the hell is wrong with you.

They talk about growing turnips, purifying rice wine, that the scariest thing about Wen Ning is his ability to create a disturbingly large variety of dishes from turnips, and how Wei Wuxian has essentially adopted baby A-Yuan as his own.

Later, Jiang Yanli tells Wen Qing, with a smile, her eyes alight like a flame, that she will take care of it. Wen Qing has no idea what this means. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian share a look as only little brothers with intimate knowledge of their big sister’s stubbornness could and wisely choose to remain silent.

Jiang Yanli enlists the help of both Jin Zixuan and Madam Jin and somehow does indeed take care of it.

Many back door conversations occur between Jiang, Jin, Lan, and Nie sects. Jin Zixuan is the sole Jin representative. Nie Mingjue is initially leery but comes at the behest of Huaisang and Xichen.

At some point, Wen Ning tells Wei Wuxian that if they are going to do this, then it’s best if they have no more secrets. Wei Wuxian glares and tries to pretend that he has no idea what he is talking about, but neither Jiang Yanli nor Jiang Cheng allow Wei Wuxian to run away this time.

There is an emotional golden core reveal, followed by an equally emotional I didn’t go back for their bodies, with lots of shouting, shoving, crying, and clinging. In the aftermath, the Jiang siblings form an even stronger co-dependent unit around each other.

Jiang Yanli coordinates with Lan Xichen (and a begrudgingly cooperative Jiang Cheng) to bring Lan Wangji to Lotus Pier to help Wei Wuxian control his powers. Wangxian are desperately cute, and Jiang Cheng makes pointed gagging sounds whenever he’s around them that leads to several incidents of lake shoving, an excitable gaggle of Jiang disciples swan diving into the water after them, and a very, very confused Lan.

In the end, Wei Wuxian refuses to hand over the Stygian Tiger Seal to any of the sects, but he does agree to destroy it if Wen Qing, Wen Ning, and the remaining Wens are granted clemency and allowed to live freely without persecution. Jiang, Lan, and Nie sects agree.

Jin Guangshan tries to make an uproar, but in a surprising turn of events, Jin Guangyao (grateful for Jiang Yanli’s non-judgmental kindness over the past year) reveals all of his father’s treacherous secrets, including ordering the slaughter of Wen civilians, pardoning and releasing Xue Yang, and purposefully fueling the mob against Wei Wuxian to acquire the seal for himself. Jin Guangshan is shamed, sentenced, and dies imprisoned some months later.

Jin Zixuan formally recognizes his newly renamed brother Jin Ziyao.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian decide that their sister is even scarier than they had believed.

The Wens leave the Burial Mounds and build a small village together in Yiling where they branch into farming non-turnip crops much to the delight of Wei Wuxian. Jiang disciples are dispatched to help with the construction of several buildings, including one extremely beautiful apothecary. Jiang Cheng is seen in Yiling fairly regularly.

Jin Zixun, the most vocal opponent against the pardons for Wei Wuxian and the Wens, tragically falls off a cliff one day. Sect Leader Yao tries to pin it on Wei Wuxian, but Jiang Cheng shuts him down with scathing ferocity.

Someone also puts a Silencing Spell on Sect Leader Yao and keeps it going. Every Lan swears it was not them and thus cannot remove the spell. It lasts for two glorious months. Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji get along disturbingly well from that point on.

Wei Wuxian is there when Jiang Yanli gets married in a magnificent splendor of red and gold. He is there to see Jin Ling born, to watch Jiang Cheng tie a purple bell to their nephew’s robes, and to gift little A-Ling a bracelet on his first month birthday. He is there to watch Jiang Cheng rebuild their sect with unending grit, respect, and loyalty. He is there to see Jin Ling and A-Yuan grow up underneath a sky he helped clear, loved and adored by all the different parts of their family. And some years after he and Lan Wangji are happily married, Wei Wuxian is there when his little brother dons red robes and bows to the heavens, to the earth, and to a woman with a redwood comb in her hair whose life became entwined with theirs so very long ago.

[cloverandstuff]

Episode 27:

The recap episode!!

Holheheim viewing Pinako as the person who represents what he fucked up and how he should have done things if he wanted to be more human.

And he viewed Trisha as his reason to try and change. He was so stubborn on the idea that he could never change what or who he was, but Trisha had faith in him and that was enough

God, i forgot how insufferable Father was. That guy was annoying in the recap video and I know he gets more so in the future.

Episode 28:

They have returned to the normak world, and Al is so very happy his brother is back. Good. They needed that hug, the both of them.

Father, the annoying fuckward. I dont like his apthetic attitude at all. He frustrates me so much.

Meanwhile, May and Scar are being such a wonderful duo as per usual.

Greeling, the best sin/human duo to ever exist. Look at them, they both are perfectly alike. They know greed and seek immortality. One for selfish reasons while the other for selfless reasons. I love them.

Episode 29:

This entire episode was somehow both intense but calm. Fuhrer Bradley has plans set in place but either is so confident that he can handle anything they mught throw his way, or does not like this plan enough to do everything he can to make sure it goes perfectly.

But I am happy to see that there's some part of Ling still left in there. He will fight back and gain back control over his body. And Greed feels like he might grow fond of the brat.

Episode 30:

This arc always hurts to see. It was a brutal genocide and its rreated as such. The people involved are never absolved of their guilt.

Armstrong is such a good character, because he directly reflects such a deep conscience but also cowardice in the face of the wrong the poeple he works for order.

And now, he took that experience and wants to become a better person. He wants to fight back, not run away. He is a good character.

Episode 33:

Kimbilee is more...pathetic than I thought. Mam you really built youseld up just to easily get a pipe stuck in you.

He is more smart than I thought. A lot more philosophical and very obsessed with death, both for others and himself.

Oh but Marcoh's face...that poor man. But he knows he deserves it, for the pain and siffering he participated in.

OH OLIVIER MY FUCKING BELOVED BADASS MAJOR, YOU ARE FINALLY HERE. YOU CAN GLARE AT ME ALL DAY LONG, YOU BEAUTIFUL WOMAN

Episode 34:

Skith is finally here and the brothers are understandably unwilling to sshare secrets, in fear of pissing off the wrong people.

But as always, Miss Armstrong is a badass motherfucker who will order and get shit done.

Miles is someone I'm fond of. And although the way they talked about racism was cliche, jts still something well-handled for its time. But besides thay, Miles is just a lovable guy who I got attached to.

Episode 35:

WE FINALLY FOUND OUT THAT THE COUNTRY IS BEING MADE INTO A GIANT TRANSMUTATION CIRCLE AND THAT THE COUNTRY WAS MADE ONLY FOR THIS PURPOSE! WE ALSO REALISED THAT HUGHES WAS A FUCKING LEGEND FOR FIGURING THIS ALL OUT SO EARLY ON!

Beat him up, Miles. No one will blame you, just beat up his ass. Even if the officers he killed deserve it, the others did not, get his ass.

Also, Raven is a fucking creep. Burn him alive or something, I just want him gone. I feel for Olivier right now

Episode 36:

Holheheim is somehow the most tragic man I have ever seen. Not the character with the most tragic past, just him being tragic in and of itself.

Anyway, this made me cry. He knows every name of every soul that his blood carries. He apologises to them. He crued when they took a photo cause he loved them. And nearly cried again when he left. Trisha couldn't keep her promise. He was left a burnt down house, a grave of his love, and the anger of his blood.

I totally forgot about Pride being a bunch of shadows with several eyes and mouths. This was the thing of nightmares, fucking hell.

GET HIS ASS OLIVIER!! STAB HKM, KILL HIM OFF, BURY HIM ALIVE, MAKE SURE HE NEVER SEES THE LIGHT OF DAY!! HE FUCKING DESERVES IT

Episode 37:

FUCKING PRIDE IS SELIM, THIS TOOK WAY TOO LONG TO REACH

but dammit, I did it. I reached one of the best plot twists Ive ever seen. They gave us so many plot twists already that we thought were done with them, and had everything figured out. I watched fullmetal alchemist 2003 and thought Selim was totally normal. Thos twist had me in a chokehold. I loved this twist so damn much.

I'm rewatching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood cause it's been literally a decade since I've watched it.

So cheers, I have a reaction thread (because I'm a sentimental bitch)

Episode 1:

God, I've forgotten how it immediately just got to the action in the first episode. Like, it set up everything and gave a glimpse of nearly all important character.

Poor Isaac, was probably manipulated, but ultimately led himself to his own demise. Very bold though.

And god, I think I was too depressed at the time of watching it, but the Eldric brother's backstory was so painful with that small glimpse.

Episode 2:

I cannot for the life of me understand why this shit didn't affect me as much as it should've as a kid. It might've depression that numbed my emotions, but I guess we'll never know.

Anyway, my point is, this is is traumatizing, and that's me saying this as an adult. The backstory and the short glimpses of the mom, as well as the clear love and dedication they had for her? The way that Ed didn't even hesitate to try and find more truth? The way he dragged himself, bleeding leg and all, to the armor to shove it down, and connect his brothers soul to it???

And god, the way I just kept whisper-shouting when they came to recruit him, cause I didn't remember shit, going-

But man, as someone is is now so much older than Ed is in the anime, they make him act a kid. A very smart, powerful and purposeful kid, but a kid nonetheless. He's so young and you can just feel it in the little things he does. He does not have his shit together and is still figuring some shit out.

Episode 3:

I love the comedy this anime has. It has the funny little pauses and the interuption of what should be serious moments without ruining the actual serious moments.

It is exactly my cup of tea, with a silly joke that just poked fun at a kid or being, well. A kid. He's small, and that joke may remind He's small but I can also remind you that he is so much younger than his peers.

I am an atheist so I do have the same kinda mindset about God that Edward has. Rose has this sort of annoying mindset of God and his priests being this answer to all suffering and anyone who disagrees will suffer divine Punishment. It is frustrating at the start.

But I can fully understand where she's coming from by the end. She clung onto this hope, this prayer that someone she loved so much will eventually be revived. Rose then meets the brothers who lost someone they loved, and tried to being back as well. She saw the consequences and felt terrified. But she spent so long just clinging onto this hope that she desperately wants it to be true. So she argues, trying to convince herself that Cornella was telling the truth and she didn't waste so long praying for something that didn't exist.

People can find comfort in the idea of God(s). The idea that there is someone looking after everyone and offering guidance is reassuring for some.

That was not Rose's situation.

Rose's situation is more akin to having a loved one suffering from a terminal disease and convincing yourself that prayers and God will be able to do what science could not. You can not pray for the impossible. You can pray for hope, for guidance or for even a fast recovery. But you need to understand that even if you wish for something impossible, you cannot spend your life wasting away on these prayers and refuse to do anything else.

Rose needed to stop clinging in general because she was clinging on to something impossible that compelled her to try and attempt awful things. She needed to learn to stand on her own. Maybe she could one day find hope in God again, but it wouldn't be anytime soon.

Man, I went on a rant there.

Anyway, I just wanted to type all that put because my mind just felt like analysing for a bit.

I forgot what the philosopher stone even did until now. I remembered that it was powerful but I that was about it. Now I remember, it was shit about defying the rule of absolute equivalence.

I am kinda happy I forgot majority of the lore of this anime, it makes it fun to put all the pieces together again as an adult who can process things and analyse better.

Episode 4:

This hurts.

This hurts so much. They were so happy, and acting like actual kids. They played all sorts of games with Nina and Alexander. It was so bright. They were so bright.

But Tucker, the motherfucker, only saw what he was bound to lose instead of what he had. He tried to work his way through it, but eventually just gave up.

My heart sank when I heard him ask Nina to play the next day. It broke even more when heard Nina say, in that voice that doesn't belong to a kid, "onii-chan".

He sacrificed everything just to save his title pf State Alchemist. He gave up his wife and then his daughter and the respect of these kids.

God, I hate him. I understand him and his desperation and I hate him.

Scar is back though. We love scar man. He's weird but core to the story and has every right to hate State Alchemists.

Again, when I was a kid, I didn't feel much. This episode never hit me as hard as it does now. Back then, I though the Eldric brothers were being dramatic about the whole thing.

Now it just strikes me so hard how fucked up it wad to be willing to experiment on your own kid for a stupid title. To mutate her into an existence that was nothing like her human one.

Brotherhood didn't make it blatantly, but it was mentioned time and again, just how painful it was to be a chimera in the original. Nina was in pain and Tucker knew this.

I fully understand why this hurt the Eldric brothers so much now. That was horrid. And to be able to even see a semblance of yourself in that was painful.

[hunxi-guilai]

Got anything to say about the LWJ and LXC interaction in ep 47. Where LWJ and WWX first enter the temple courtyard and LWJ looks so shocked and betrayed by LXC. Cause that scene hit me stronger than I thought it would.

if you’re wondering, we’re hitting episode 47 hard tonight

hi anon, thanks for reminding me that the Twin Jades own my entire heart and soul, let’s go on some face journeys together, shall we

so first? Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji creep over the wall and survey the courtyard, and when they see Lan Xichen emerge, we see Wei Wuxian narrow his eyes, trying to put together Lan Xichen and the situation and manipulate the pieces until they fit, but then he realizes that this isn’t just Zewu-jun, just another chess piece on this complex game Jin Guangyao is playing -- this is Lan Wangji’s brother, and he immediately glances over to check in on Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji is... not taking it well, to put it mildly.

Remember -- the last wangxian had heard of Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao, Lan Xichen was supposedly tending to Jin Guangyao’s wounds after an assassination attempt supposedly sent by Yiling Laozu himself. Wangxian knows that this is a blatant lie, but that continues to beg the question -- what is Lan Xichen doing here?

(side note: Liu Haikuan does an INCREDIBLE job here of conveying Lan Xichen’s perturbation and concern. You can tell that Lan Xichen’s not actively panicking -- yet -- not in immediate fear for his life, but he is DISTURBED by what’s going on. Of course, wangxian can’t see this from their vantage point)

Jin Ling shows up; Wei Wuxian destroys his flute in the process of protecting him; wangxian stand up from where they’ve been hidden behind the slope of the wall, and we get this split-second look from Lan Xichen:

fuck me UP, Lan Xichen -- you can see that clear mix of warring emotions right on his face. There’s hope -- hope that he didn’t know he could have, since as far as he knows, Jin Guangyao is still the renowned and respected Chief Cultivator, that no one suspects or even realizes that Lan Xichen’s disappearance is not a coincidence but an abduction. At the same time, there’s despair and concern in equal measure -- there’s an entire squad of Lanling Jin archers, plus the monks inside the temple, and Jin Guangyao himself. He knows his brother is good, but is he that good? Lan Xichen doesn’t care to find out -- he’d rather Wangji safe.

Wangxian storm the courtyard; Jin Guangyao takes Wei Wuxian hostage; Lan Wangji briefly lowers Bichen, and Lan Xichen steps forward, unable to contain himself.

Wangji, he says, and it’s thank you, are you all right, why did you come, you shouldn’t have come, I’m glad you’re here all rolled into one.

Lan Wangji, however, turns around and says xiongzhang, and it’s why are you here, how could you, explain yourself.

Lan Xichen belatedly realizes what this looks like to wangxian, and explains himself. I should have listened to you, he doesn’t say. You were right.

I trusted him, and I trusted wrong.

That’s all it takes; a few sentences, and the world falls back into place for Lan Wangji from where it was thrown off-kilter at the sight of his brother in the courtyard. He hears Lan Xichen’s explanation, and that death glare is unleashed in its full wrath on Jin Guangyao.

I... have a lot of unanswered questions about Jin Guangyao near the end here; he receives a letter threatening to expose him, orchestrates the siege on the Burial Mounds, and makes preparations to flee the country. He comes to the temple, ostensibly (? drawing on audiodrama MDZS for this part) to retrieve his mother’s corpse, buried beneath the temple, and take it with him when he runs. What I don’t understand is why he takes Lan Xichen as well; we can explain Lan Xichen’s absence from the siege of the Burial Mounds with Jin Guangyao’s desire to keep Lan Xichen from harm since, without the intervention of wangxian, the Burial Mounds would have turned into another massacre. But to take Lan Xichen captive? To drag him along on this roadtrip? With Wei Wuxian’s life (and Lan Wangji’s) in his hand, Jin Guangyao says don’t worry -- so long as all of you listen and behave, I won’t do anything to you. Later in the temple, over Nie Huaisang’s unconscious body, he says when the time comes, I will let you all go without harming a hair on your heads.

Should I believe you? Lan Xichen responds.

Whatever you like, Jin Guangyao says. Believe, or don’t believe -- it’s not like er-ge has any other choice.

I know the fandom gives Lan Xichen a lot of shit for being so completely, thoroughly deceived by Jin Guangyao, for being a himbo, for being the fool that this shakespearean tragedy demands he play, but these final episodes really tore Lan Xichen down to his lowest point, of frustration and fury and betrayal and sorrow, until he closes his eyes and amidst the dust and clangor of an era ending and embraces his own death. Lan Xichen comes dangerously, dangerously close to making the same choice that Xiao Xingchen does, but should that surprise us?There is the despair, of discovering that his past actions were in fact grave mistakes; the knife-twist betrayal, of realizing that someone he trusted and cherished and befriended had been the orchestrator, the mastermind of his pain all along; and in the end, Lan Xichen, like Xiao Xingchen, drives his sword through the heart of the person he would die for, almost did die for.

The difference, then, is that Xue Yang doesn’t move fast enough to stop Xiao Xingchen from opening his own throat with Shuanghua. In the ruins of a falling temple, over the charred remains of his childhood, Jin Guangyao draws Lan Xichen with him towards death, testing, always testing, and marvelling at how much Lan Xichen does care for him. And in the end, Jin Guangyao pushes him away, preserving his life but ensuring that Lan Xichen will never forget, will never be able to separate the A-Yao he loved from the Jin Guangyao he hated, because in those last moments, his hands are stained with the blood of both.

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

A collection of fics I’ve read (/reread) and thoroughly enjoyed in the past week-ish from all kinds of fandoms and genres.

ATLA

the thing about dancing by anodymalion

The first time a attendant spills Zuko’s tea and doesn’t immediately fall to her knees, begging the Fire Lord’s forgiveness, it is not anger but a resounding warmth that fills his chest.

you're all that i want by aurora_chiroptera

Zuko's advisors decide that it would be best for the Fire Lord to be entered into a political arranged marriage.

Zuko might be suspiciously fine with this.

promises like ashes by Adrianna99

Jet looks desperately to Katara.  “He admitted it!” he exclaims.  “War or not, Lee’s a firebender!  He’s from the Fire Nation.”

Katara frowns at him.  “Jet, we know.” 

Jet gapes at her.  “You—?” 

The blind earthbender hops down from her perch at the counter, wanders over to join her friends and Lee.  “’Course we know,” she says with a wide grin, and punches Lee on the arm.  He glares at her.  The earthbender’s grin somehow widens further.  “It’d be kinda hard for him to be the Firelord if he wasn’t from the Fire Nation.” 

There’s a moment of silence, and then Jet wheezes, “He's the what?”

[Every morning Jet wakes up alive in a free Ba Sing Se, and he doesn’t quite know what to do with himself]

Question Marks by azenki

Zuko pulls away first. He stares at Sokka and raises his one brow. “You do realise,” he says dryly, “that you just instigated a major international incident?”

Or: Sokka is impulsive. This is a problem. Especially when he ends up kissing the Fire Lord and immediately running away.

FMA/HP Crossovers

✩ snipers solve 99% of all problems by silentwalrus

 (Note: I don’t think I’ve read a HP/FMA crossover since high school, but oh man, I am so glad I was recced this)

Ed had thought, after the whole Promised Day, homunculus, entire country harvested for alchemical batteries thing, the batshit quotient of his life would have settled down some. He really ought to have topped out the meter with that one. But no. The bullshit is just getting started.

“Are you fucking kidding me,” Ed demands. “The wizards?”

TMA

The Timeline of Theseus by Applea

Jon tries to force the Spiral to send him back, but the Sprial's corridors never twist things quite the way you want them to. Back in 1996, Elias has no idea why or how the Eye made such a powerful Avatar out of an 8 year old, especially when said 8 year old doesn't actually know he has any powers at all. Clearly such a child cannot be left outside the Institute's care.

Untamed

✩ the rites of a widower by SixStepsAway

When Wei Wuxian died, Lan Wangji was rendered a widower. It turns out, he's the only one who realized that — including his oblivious, clueless husband, who deigns to ask one day if his husband found anyone romantically while he was dead.

From there, everything unravels: after all, it's one thing for Wei Wuxian to convince himself he had sex with Wen Chao willingly when he didn't know he was married, and another thing entirely to think he did it when he WAS—

Lan Wangji is not impressed by Wei Wuxian's misplaced guilt and is fully resolved to helping him through his trauma.

Cotton Wool by incendir

4 times someone protected the yiling patriarch's virtue, and 1 time he did it himself.

this storm that should not be by TheDameJudiWench

When Wei Wuxian is trapped during a night hunt, Sizhui goes to Lotus Pier for help.

Or, a story about the homes we make for ourselves.

climbing up that coastal shelf by Sour_Idealist

Jin Ling had begun to suspect years ago that there were parts of his family history that had been crossed out; long streaks of black where Wei Wuxian had been. The truth is more like whole books being brought up from their hiding places again.

Or: Jin Ling tries to figure out what family means, now.

[hinamoria]

Hitsuhina Week 2021 : Day 1

Hitsuhina Week 2021 : Day 1- Nickname / Hot and cold

Rating: K

Synopsis: Momo remembers the origin of her nickname: Bed wetter Momo

Word Count: 1801 words

Author’s Note: Hi everyone! My first participation at the Hitsuhina week is here. I hope you like it! I had fun writing it \(^.^)/

English isn’t my first language so excuse myself for any typos <3

----

“Shiro-chan!” Hinamori greeted cheerfully as she walked through the doors of the Tenth Division office. “We're going to eat yakitoris with Matsumoto-san and other lieutenants. Are you joining us? "

Hitsugaya, sitting at his desk, frowned at the famous nickname his childhood friend refused to forget, and declined the invitation.

"I have a lot of work to finish," he complained, putting an extra sheet of paper on the already tall pile of his desk. "Maybe next time," he added, afraid to upset his friend. "And Hinamori, for the umpteenth time, it's captain Hitsugaya."

"But Hitsugaya-kun, that nickname is perfect for you!" she replied, keeping her smile.

A perfect nickname from Hinamori's point of view. In harmony with the white and shiny hair like snow of her friend.

"Do you hear me calling you by your childhood nickname yet?” Sighed the captain.

Momo laughed lightly as she thought about it. "Bed Wetter Momo" was much less flattering than “Shiro chan”. Especially since it was referring to a single accident and therefore absolutely no more relevant today.

And yet, even though she wouldn’t like to be called that way again today, she still had a certain melancholy as she remembered the event where it’s from. Somehow, that night, Shiro-chan had for the first time given her a kind gesture.

It happened soon after arriving in Rukongai, when she was eight years old.

She still remembered the hustle and bustle, the lost people trying to get information about what was happening to them, and her in the middle desperately looking for her mom or her plush that she must have dropped something. It must be here. She remembered holding it during her last moments of life. So it couldn't be very far.

It was the end of her old life on Earth. Nowadays, it was just a vague memory. The faces of her biological family had gradually faded. She remembered that her mother had brown hair, often tied up in a bun. Momo may have subconsciously imitated her while growing up. But had she hazel eyes like her or were they a different color? She could no longer remember it.

A cholera epidemic had hit the country, killing thousands of people. Antibiotics did not exist at the time, so the chances of escaping it, especially for a child, were almost nil. Momo didn't end up in pain for long.

At the entrance to Rukongai, men and women dressed in black kimonos, whom she later knew as shinigamis, gave instructions to people around her. They were divided into groups. She was going to go to district number one, "Junrinan". She didn't know this place, but thought she heard the term "lucky" from a shinigami.

Looking back 100 years after, she understood how true it was. Especially after hearing Abarai-kun's stories.

Each person was taken to a different dwelling. Very little explanation was given. Sometimes locals sighed when they saw a new arrival, but others greeted them with a big smile. Her journey ended in front of a wooden house with a small earthen courtyard in front and two imposing shoji-style doors at the entrance.

A lady with gray hair tied in a bun opened the door and smiled at Momo.

"Is that the little new one?" She asked in a voice marked by time.

The shinigami nodded and left the area without another word. His behaviour may have seemed rude, but the little lady ignored it. Momo watched him go with slight fear, but returned her attention to the stranger who began to speak to him.

"Welcome my dear. What's your name? "

"Momo…" the child replied after a brief hesitation.

“Very well Momo. From today you will live here. Come home, I'll explain everything to you"

The lady held out her hand, which Momo took, and together they entered the girl's new home.

-------------

To say that the first few days in her new home were easy would have been a lie. Momo was missing her family. And she kept looking through the portal to see if her mother was going to cross the threshold and come to get her.

Her new grandmother was a sweet and warm woman. She gave Momo time to acclimatize without rushing her. She even offered her a small dog-shaped plush toy to replace her previous one. Momo appreciated the little attention and hugged the plush tightly against her at night.

However, living with Toshiro was more difficult. The little boy already had a strong character and did not seem delighted by the arrival of a new child in his home. He often spoke harshly to her, when he just wasn't ignoring her. Momo, luckily, didn't seem to take offense and came back to meet him all the more, determined to make him her new friend.

He didn't looked to be appreciated by the other children, who seemed afraid of his particular hair. Momo, on the other hand, was fascinated by their color and had repeatedly tried to touch them - usually receiving insults and yelling in return - which didn't stop her from doing it again a few days later. He reminded him of the old cat that resided in her neighbourhood on Earth. He had hissed on her each time she approached. But after a few months, he had accepted her affection. Toshiro would be the same, she could tell.

One night, about two weeks after her arrival, Momo had a terrible nightmare. The pain of her last moments on Earth came back to her. She heard her mom cry and pray, but she couldn't see her. She was terribly thirsty and hungry, but the nausea tugged at her so much that she couldn't take anything. It was the end. She felt death coming to seek her. When a new wave of pain pierced her body, Momo woke up abruptly, breathing heavy.

The pain was gone. But she still couldn't see anything. After a few seconds, a growl to her left signaled the presence of the white haired boy and reminded her where she was. Her grandmother must have been somewhere to her right. They used to stick their futons together and sleep three side by side.

She was safe, everything was fine.

Catching her breath, however, she noticed a new unusual detail. Her clothes looked wet.

She straightened up and inspected her bed with the palm of her hand. A stain of moisture permeated the futon, a small part of the blanket and the entire bottom of her kimono. She was taken aback for a few moments, then realized with dread that she had wet the bed!

It hadn't happened since she was three, how could she have done that now? She wondered ashamed.

Discreetly, she got out of the futon, holding her breath as she saw Toshiro move around in the futon right next to her. Luckily, he didn't seem to wake up.

Would Grandma be mad if she saw this? Was she going to be kicked out of the house? Who would want a messy child?

Trying to swallow back tears, Momo took the blanket and left the room discreetly.

With any luck, she would manage to hide her mistake and they would let her stay here.

First she needed clean clothes, then she would go and wash it all in the basin outside. As a final step, she would take care of the futon in the same way. And when asked tomorrow, she could pretend she spilled a glass of milk on the bed. If no one saw the stain, her excuse would be plausible.

After grabbing some new clothes, Momo went down the stairs of the house to go outside.

Luckily, the moon lit up the courtyard a little and allowed herself to orient without too much trouble. Momo found the basin and put the blanket in it. The cold water made the child shiver, who could now feel the tears running down her cheeks.

Looking back 100 years later, she realized how dumb she could have been to feel so bad for a trivial accident like this, but at this moment, the world was falling apart for her.

She changed, taking a little water to clean herself, then tossed the soiled clothes in the water as well. As she began to rub the whole thing vigorously, a voice startled her.

"What are you doing?” Toshiro surprised her from the doorway.

She turned in his direction, speechless. He kept his arms crossed against his chest, obviously waiting for an answer that took a particularly long time to arrive.

"I ..." stammered the little brunette. “I spilled a glass of milk?"

Her voice had risen in high pitch with a sobbing hiccup, making her assertion closer to questioning. Toshiro certainly wouldn't be fooled by the situation. He was young in appearance, but he was significantly older than her in age. And she realized her excuse was completely incoherent when said out loud.

But strangely, she heard neither reproach nor mockery from the boy who was looking at her seriously. On the contrary, his answer surprised her.

"I'm going to get your futon to have it cleaned too…" He said with a sigh.

And he disappeared for a good minute.

On his return, ditto, he remained silent. He helped her clean up and spread the ling. And when they returned to bed afterwards, he even gave her a bit of room in his own futon for Momo. The rest of the night ended without further accident.

The next day, she said with more confidence her story to her grandmother, who absolutely did not believe a word of it, but who accepted it nonetheless, afraid to embarrass her. When she went out to do some shopping, Momo turned to Toshiro who was finishing lunch.

"Thank you Hitsugaya-kun," Hinamori said in a small voice. "For keeping my secret."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied with his mouth full.

Then as he swallowed, he looked at the girl and let go with a smirk, "Bed Wetter Momo".

Momo froze in her seat upon hearing the new nickname.

"How did you call me?” She asked scandalized.

"You called me Shiro-chan a few days ago, remember? From today you will be "Bed wetter Momo" if you keep using that nickname ". He treated her, pretending to be interested in his bowl of rice. But the smirk he kept showing indicated the pride he felt right now in torturing her.

It was the start of a new friendship.

And he kept his word: he used that nickname for many years, and she kept on calling him Shiro-chan. It almost became a game between them.

And if today she was no longer "Bed wetter Momo", she treasured the memory of the first step Toshiro had taken towards her.

[littlemisswonton]

How Shanghai is losing its mother tongue

In the past 20 years, Shanghai has surged to become an international commercial, cultural and transport hub with eye-opening speed. While gaining worldwide attention with its fast-growing economy and skyscrapers, the megacity is quickly - and silently - losing a precious part of its own: its mother tongue.

The Shanghai dialect is a part of an ancient language family, Wu Chinese, which originated in eastern China some 2,500 years ago and is spoken by roughly 80million people today.

Known for its soft and elegant sound, Wu Chinese is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, which is based on the Beijing dialect. And because Wu Chinese has preserved some ancient pronunciations non-existent in Mandarin, classic Chinese literature from hundreds of years ago - such as popular poems from Tang and Ming dynasties - would sound more authentic and rhythmical when being read in it.

The Shanghai dialect, also known as Shanghainese, is a young but prominent member of Wu Chinese due to Shanghai’s prosperity as a colonial trading port between the mid 19th and 20th century. It was a fashionable tongue in the pre-Communist China and introduced many then-trendy Western items to Chinese people’s life through phonetic translation, for example “vez lin” for Vaseline, “fa le niong” for flannel and “kes mi” for cashmere.

It was associated with intellectual, entertainment and political icons, such as novelist Eileen Chang, singer Zhou Xuan and “the mother of modern China” Soong Ching-ling. It also spawned opera, comedy and entertainment productions enjoyed by generations of Shanghai dwellers.

But the distinct lingo, which could be heard in the city’s every nook and cranny up until three decades ago, is struggling to survive the rapid modernisation that has propelled Shanghai to its global status today.

(Soong Ching-ling, the wife of Sun Yat-Sen, was born in Shanghai and spoke the Shanghai dialect all her life. The above picture of her, via Wikimedia, was taken by British photographer Sir Cecil Beaton during the Second World War in China’s wartime capital, Chungking.)

A 2016 survey showed that only 30 per cent of Shanghai residents would use the Shanghai dialect in their daily conversation, while more than half of the locals preferred to speak Mandarin, China’s official language. Another study from 2017 found that nearly 80 per cent of local youngsters between the ages of six and 20 could not speak their mother tongue fluently, highlighting a sombre cultural crisis.

The dialect’s popularity was dealt with a sudden blow in 1992 when the central government launched a hard-hitting campaign to “promote Mandarin”. Aimed to establish a lingua franca for the country, the language movement, however, imposed heavy restrictions on the use of Shanghainese in Shanghai.

Among a list of mandatory rules, school children must receive lessons in Mandarin and were banned from speaking dialect in class and during breaks. Besides, public servants and service industry staff must stick to Mandarin at work. A few years later in 2001, Shanghainese programmes, beloved by the locals at the time, were pulled from TV and radio stations by a language law.  Only a few opera and comedy shows were permitted to be run in dialect.

Propaganda slogans, such as “Learn Mandarin, be a civilised person” and “Speak Mandarin is the symbol of civilisation”, appeared ubiquitously in Shanghai during the 1990s and early 2000s, leaving many youngsters feeling ashamed of using dialect.

Some of those compulsory policies were in place for more than a decade, others still remain effective.

(The above photo, via Vmenkov/Wikimedia, shows a ‘Mandarin-promoting’ slogan outside a kindergarten in Shanghai. It reads: ‘Everybody, please speak Mandarin, and standardise the language and writing.)

Qian Nairong, a Chinese language professor at Shanghai University, views the school ban a major cause of the dialect’s decline. He notes that the city’s primary school pupils were prohibited from speaking the Shanghai dialect on campus from the 1990s for over 10 years. As a result, several generations of Shanghai children grew up unable to express themselves well in their mother tongue.

“The inheritance of Shanghainese has met a rift when it comes to people born after 1985,” lamented Prof Qian during an interview with China News.

The ardent Shanghainese promoter authored a comprehensive dictionary in 2007 in a bid to romanise the dialect and standardise its written form. Five years later, he penned a petition with 81 other scholars, calling authorities to set up systematic regulations to protect Shanghainese.

Unfortunately, these grass-rooted efforts are yet to yield substantial changes in the government’s directives. Moreover, they might have come a little too late to alter millennials’ communication style.

Wang Kanyu, a 30-year-old Shanghai author, admits that it is difficult for her to hold a conversation purely in the Shanghai dialect because she talks to her friends and colleagues mostly in Mandarin.

Born in 1990 to a local family, Ms Wang began her primary school education in 1997 and was strictly forbidden from speaking the dialect by her teachers.

“I remember we promoted the using of Mandarin in my primary school. We had rankings with stars for pupils in our class. If anyone spoke Shanghainese, they would have a star taken away from them,” Ms Wang explains slowly using the Shanghai dialect.

“In middle and high school, all of my classmates were from Shanghai, but few of them would talk to each other in Shanghainese because most had got used to using Mandarin.”

She says as she grew up, she rarely conversed in Shanghainese with anyone outside her family. “Therefore, I am not accustomed to speaking it now. Besides, I feel that I cannot speak it well,” adds Ms Wang.

(I was among the very last generation of Shanghai children to be taught predominantly in my mother tongue throughout my school years. Above is my kindergarten graduation photo taken in the summer of 1989. I am in the front row, the fifth to the left.)

Apart from the tough Mandarin mandate, Shanghai’s swiftly shifting demographics pose as a challenge.

The city’s population ballooned by a third between 1998 and 2018, largely due to an influx of migrants from around the nation in search for work and better life. In other words, more than eight million out of Shanghai’s current 24million citizens did not grow up speaking the Shanghai dialect and rely on Mandarin to communicate in their daily life.

Huang Peide, a 37-year-old native, considers this a primary factor that prevents many Shanghai locals from using dialect.

“It is not that Shanghai people don’t speak Shanghainese any more. The fact is they have fewer and fewer people to speak it with,” Mr Huang points out using a mixture of the Shanghai dialect and Mandarin.

He says: “Environment can change people. For example, for people born after the 1980s, many of their friends, colleagues and clients are not from Shanghai. If they talk in Shanghainese, the listeners can’t understand. So what can you do?”

Mr Huang and his wife, both born in Shanghai, are encouraging their eight-year-old son to communicate with them in Shanghainese at home, “but he sometimes uses it, sometimes doesn’t”.

The father notes that around a third of his son’s classmates are from non-Shanghai-native families, and some 30 per cent of the teachers are non-Shanghainese speakers. Therefore it would not be practical for his son to speak the tongue while in school.

“In daily life, I insist teaching him the dialect, but he doesn’t have the environment to use it outside our home,” Mr Huang admits.

(The Shanghai dialect, or Shanghainese, could be heard in every nook and cranny of the city up until three decades ago. This picture, circulating on social media and believed to be taken in the early 1990s, shows pedestrians and cyclists on Nanjing Xi Road near the Jing’an Temple.)

Prof Qian believes it has become “urgent” to protect Shanghainese and the “key” is to encourage Shanghai youngsters to converse in it.

“The inheritance of a language relies on people, especially children,” the 75-year-old urged in a recent column. “We must let Shanghai pupils bring Shanghainese, which they have spoken with their parents since infancy, to their schools freely and allow it (the dialect) to be used after class. This is the key to passing forward Shanghainese.”

The academic, who has also developed a Shanghainese input method for computer users, stresses that promotion of Shanghainese is not aimed at marginalising Mandarin, but to build a society where the two can co-exist in a “harmonious” way.

“‘Bilingual people’ who can switch between Shanghainese and Mandarin can, for sure, have a more smooth, natural and free life in Shanghai. Furthermore, there are more and more occasions for [people to use] English. Therefore, Shanghai will certainly become a ‘multi-lingual’ society,” Prof Qian writes. “… In a diverse society, we need to build a harmonious, ‘multi-lingual’ life. Mandarin and Shanghainese can achieve a ‘win-win’ situation in Shanghai.”

Prof Qian’s comments echo the social stigma Shanghai locals face while talking to strangers in dialect. Out of fear that the addressees would not understand Shanghainese, and thus they would be regarded as “discriminating against migrants” - a sensitive topic in today’s Chinese society – many have now abandoned Shanghainese entirely in public and at work.

Mandy Chen, an analyst for a Fortune 500 firm in Shanghai, considers the discrimination topic “an interesting social discussion”.

“Normally, if we go to a less-fortunate place and hear the locals talk in their dialect, you won’t think they are discriminating against you. But if we go to a more developed area and hear the local use their dialect, you might feel that they are excluding you,” says the 36-year-old “new Shanghai citizen”, who can understand Shanghainese but has not actively learnt it.

(The Shanghai dialect spawned opera, comedy and entertainment productions enjoyed by generations of Shanghai dwellers. This picture shows Shanghainese stand-up comedy legends Yao Mushuang, right, and Zhou Baichun, left.)

Ms Chen grew up in northern China’s Inner Mongolia and has lived in Shanghai for 10 years on and off after moving to the city for university. She says she doesn’t mind - sometimes even prefers – her friends and colleagues speaking Shanghainese to her. But she acknowledges that some non-natives would, indeed, feel being looked down upon if spoken to in Shanghainese.

“This is more a psychological issue of the listener than a language issue. Often, the speaker doesn’t have any intention to show prejudice against the listener. It could be that they sound cold naturally,” she explains.

While the lingo-in-crisis is yet to be officially allowed in school or added into the curriculum, many of the city’s community schools have set up Shanghainese courses intended for “new Shanghai citizens” who moved to the city from other places.

“To pay more attention to teaching Shanghainese to new Shanghai citizens would be very beneficial to their children’s adoption of Shanghainese,” Prof Qian pens.

Ms Chen confesses that if she has a child in Shanghai, she would be happy to learn Shanghainese and the Shanghainese culture together with her son or daughter, so “my child can somehow relate to Shanghai as their hometown”.

She says that due to her family background, she grew up speaking only Mandarin. Still, she supports the idea of protecting Shanghainese because dialect is “a symbol of a region” and “a bridge between a person and their native culture”.

“I don’t wish to see Shanghai children unable to understand Shanghainese one day. It would be very unfortunate. For one thing, many cultural nuances and household gossips can only be expressed thoroughly through dialect,” Ms Chen points out in Mandarin. “In this regard, I am a sad example. If you ask me to talk, I can only use Mandarin.”

[vyther16]

wip wednesday

I know i’ve posted three times more than normal today, but I had thoughts that needed to be freed. Anyway, as promised, here’s some self-indulgent Word of Honor/Shan He Ling fic

snippets and notes under the cut

The basic premise of this au is the following post copy-pasted from my liveblog (x)

Okay crazy thought but how about a really out there au where Princess Jing An doesn’t die and runs away with Zhou Zishu?

I dunno what this would do except give us more than one woman hanging out with the leads and make Wen Kexing jealous but I think it'd be fun.

I’ve watched her death twice and decided she was my favorite character with less than ten minutes of screentime. (My JoL followers know I have one for every fandom)

This is the kick-off for the au, so no jealous!wkz yet. please ignore how the set-up requires zzs to be slightly ooc for how early in the show it is

“Zhou-shixiong,” Li Jiaxing says, standing as her door opens.

Zhou Zishu turns to look at her, eyes cold. “Princess Jing An.”

She looks outside, sees the Tian Chuang members lined up in the courtyard, her father’s guards dead on the ground, and understands. “This is...” she starts, trailing off.

Zhou Zishu finishes with the story Jin-wang has concocted, staring straight ahead. “Li-daren conspired with corrupt officials in an attempt to revolt. He has been killed.”

Li Jiaxing doesn’t believe it for a second. “Impossible,” she says, then repeats it because it bears repeating. “Impossible. My father gave everything to the country!” she screams.

“It’s a pity,” Zhou Zishu starts before the words finish leaving her mouth. “But his actions must be punished.”

Li Jiaxing stares at him, chest heaving, incredulous. Qin Jiuxiao looked up to this man. Jiuxiao loved this man.

He wouldn’t recognize him now.

Zhou Zishu walks to the table set in the back. “I came to visit today to give you a choice,” he says. “I want to thank you for bringing back Qin Jiuxiao’s body to me in the chaotic circumstances. I will never forget your kindness.”

You’re not worthy of saying his name anymore, she wants to snarl, but she knows where he is taking this conversation. Now that her father is killed as a traitor, no matter how false the accusations may be, she will be ridiculed and scorned. If he wants to offer her a way out of that, he’ll have poison.

“Your highness, you have high status,” Zhou Zishu says, pulling out two vials from his robes. “Committing suicide will save you from humiliation.” He sets the white one down on the table. 

“Am I supposed to thank you?” she snaps, turning towards him again. “You killed my entire family, and you’re letting me die with dignity.” She wipes away the tears falling, stalking forward. 

Zhou Zishu’s hand catches her before she can snatch up the vial. “There is another option,” he says, holding forth the second vial, this one identical but for the blue stopper. 

“What, allow myself to be sold off?” She yanks her hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

He takes a breath, shoulders slumping. “I am leaving Tian Chuang in two days. For good. It would be disrespectful to Jiuxiao’s memory to not offer his wife a way to keep living as well. You would have to put up with me for three years, but you would be free of Tian Chuang and the fickleness of court.”

“Why?” she asks, setting her shoulders. “Do you wish to take me instead?”

And she actually gets a reaction out of him at that. He steps back, eyes flashing. “I have no desire to bed you, Princess, nor will I ever. I am offering to take you with me in honor of Qin Jiuxiao. If you would rather join him in the netherworld now, you may go ahead.”

“And if I decide to take the blue vial?”

“Then you will be put into a coma for a day and a half. Long enough to fake your death and sneak you out of the city, where I will meet with you and we will hide together.”

She looks between the two bottles, then at Zhou Zishu’s face, looking for any sign of a lie. 

Then, before Zhou Zishu can rescind his offer, she snatches up the blue vial from his hand, popping out he stopper and downing it in one gulp.

It’s fast acting; her grip falters immediately, the vial slipping to thud onto the floor. She clutches at her stomach, sinking to the floor. 

She rubs her fingers over the hairpin Jiuxiao gave her, the wood worn smooth in places from her worrying.

“Where did you bury,” she starts, breaking off with a cough, “my husband?” she asks, looking up at Zhou Zishu.

He’s staring at the door, and for a moment, Li Jiaxing thinks he’ll ignore her. But then he takes a breath. “Four Seasons Manor,” he says. “He lays next to shifu.”

Li Jiaxing smiles through the poison eating it’s way through her stomach. She knows he said this would only make her comatose, but it feels like it could kill her just as easily. 

“The flowers blossom in all four seasons,” she recites, forcing the words out through the radiating pain. “Knowing everything in the world.” She lifts the hairpin up one last time to look at it, tracing a finger along the delicate carving. “He told me... that after he retired from his position, he would... live with me there.”

The words come out stilted, forced, and as soon as she finishes them she coughs, hard, then knows no more.

Anyway, if you read that entire self-indulgent beginning to my Jing An Lives au, congrats! (For a three minute scene, it’s really rather long lol)

Shout-out to Raina on the Word of Honor Brainrot Hours discord for helping me with Jiaxing’s name! I did some digging again tonight, and I think Li would be their family name, not Wei, but I’m still not 100% sure.