#MOUNTAIN RESEARCH

[hoyeeyoh]

Here we go again

INTERLOPER / eye_C AW24

[grrl-beetle]

Mountain Research

[funnyzach329]

[knchr]

MTR4026: SOLOIST

[bayasfigurephotostorage]

MOUNTAIN RESEARCH

Mountainman #1〜6

[joodles98]

I have been a red enjoyer longer than I've been anything. I think

[demonslayedher]

Wind down doodle

[afsosville]

Time to over-analyze things with limited canonical information just because. Here are some of the reasons why Qing Jing may have been a hindrance to Shen Jiu's emotional development and solidified his corruption arc>>

Qing Jing was like the perfect peak to let all his mental wounds fester if you think about it.

Shen Jiu acting like nobility or an educated young master (as most disciples of Qing Jing are) is purely a coping mechanism. It literally screams masking! While the exact circumstances of how he got chosen for Qing Jing is unknown, we can assume he didn't have a choice since most disciples typically just follow their new master to wherever they take them from the selection grounds (with the exception of Bai Zhan lol). He was most likely hoisted onto the Qing Jing peak lord, as no master would've wanted him because of his fucked up meridians and late age. They acquiesced to take him anyway coz of Yue Qingyuan's/the sect leader's insistance. And because it's Shen Jiu, he would naturally do whatever it took to get to the top, and if he started acting like the very sort of people he hates, then so be it.

You can imagine how disastrous imitating his abusers is going to be (he's imitating noblemen in general, but he's definitely taking the Qiu's as a primary example). Shen Jiu clearly is trying to remove and forget everything about his past, and even accepts the rumours of him being a spoiled young master to cast away suspicion. He is coping hard. Not to mention, he was named QingQIU when he became Qing Jing's succeeding disciple. Listen I don't care if it was a bad coincidence or not but that doesn't endear me to Shen Jiu's shizun in the slightest (I'm only talking abt SJ's shizun in canon, not fics, the fics are great. But it's more than likely that SJ's shizun was negligent or abusive as well. Here's why I think that). Between all of this, there's no way he's processing any of that trauma when he's constantly forced to remember all of it. No wonder he slipped into the abuser role easily since he's literally out here actually being made to copy their behavior.

Qing Jing and even the rest of Cang Qiong were always hostile to Shen Jiu, even in his discipleship. These ppl went out of their way to run interventions on Shen Jiu when he's minding his own business. Yes I'm talking abt the whole brothel thing. There were doubtlessly so many disciples who went for the very reasons Shen Jiu was assumed of going for, so why is he the only one getting shit for it? Not only was going to brothels not even a crime worthy of conviction, it was even normalized to an extent. And it would've been so easy to figure out if he really was going for anything "lecherous" by just asking the women there. The fact that, that whole ordeal was never cleared up just shows they didn't actually care about the women or what he was supposedly doing to them. They only cared because it was Shen Jiu who was involved.

Shen Jiu being on any other peak would change things for sure even if it's marginally. Its probably just wistful thinking, but I know at least half of those peaks, even the fanon ones, would be better than Qing Jing at any rate. Again, Shen Jiu would claw his way up and try to succeed any way he can, so if he were put on another peak that would be a somewhat healthy environment for him, he would do well, regardless of the peak. Him doing well on Qing Jing doesn't mean anything other than showing off his awesome(horrible and problematic) coping skills. So really, I can't help but think Qing Jing wasn't a good fit for him, especially with Shen Jiu's specific brand of trauma.

I did a pole once asking if Shen Jiu would've done better on another peak, or if they were just curious to see him anywhere else, and I'm not surprised that the most voted for peak was Yin Hui, the fanon peak for espionage and assassins. Now I'm going to go another tangent why Yin Hui would be good for him later.

[alliluyevas]

Was engaging in my favorite hobby of Curating Lists (specifically in this case of the states I have visited and the ones I have yet to visit) and was wondering…which state would you all most like to visit that you haven’t been to yet and what city/area/site would you want to go there for?

[delusionalbitchinthehouse]

Which mario kart character do some of the ghouls use :

Dew : Princess Peach, fights with Aurora about it

Ifrit : Bowser on the tiniest pink kart he can find

Swiss : Waluigi

Phantom : Yoshi

Aurora : Princess Peach, fights with Dew about it

Aether : doesn't really care, usually ends up with Mario

Cirrus : Boo

Mountain : Toad

Sunshine : Koopa Troopa

Rain : Princess Daisy

Cumulus : Baby Bowser

Zephyr : Shy Guy

[silvantransthranduiltrash]

Hc that the Lonely Mountain wasn’t always the “Lonely” mountain, but instead was part of a mountain range that got mostly destroyed in an intense fight during the years of the trees, before the dwarves awoke, and only elves remember (specifically the silvans).

[hoyeeyoh]

Mountain Research for BEAMS Plus

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 4: Neon Cowgirl

From: Bigger Houses Series

Pairing: Mountain Ranger! Ari x Reader

Summary: Miscommunications often lend themselves to worries, but almost everything can be fixed with the right tools and the right person.

Word Count: 2,911

Content/Warnings: Miscommunication, heavy drinking, crying, vulnerability, Ari in relaxed non-work clothes (this is very much a warning), kissing

Author’s Note: Wow, just wow. That’s all I have to say, and I hope you agree. Likes, comments, reblogs, and asks are sooooo welcome and appreciated!!

Dividers by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Below is the song which served as inspiration of this part. I think it’s my favorite incorporation of the lyrics thus far.

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You had been anticipating the date with Ari all week. In your rush to leave, you didn’t even know what time to meet him. You had no idea of his shift schedule or what the true plan was, and it was putting you on edge.

Were you going to get dinner, or was it just drinks? Was there a different bar in town? You looked it up and found a bar two blocks away from that coffee shop, but was there another one? Did he say two blocks and actually mean four blocks? Could he count? Could you count?

What was the right time to go? Not everyone ate dinner at 5pm like you, what would a normal person think? Six, seven? Ugh, you couldn’t even fathom eating dinner at seven. Might as well go to bed at that time, honestly.

Living alone was great, you loved having your own schedules and routines, so branching off outside of it was difficult. You started to get annoyed, and honestly, hangry. You made the final decision that you would eat dinner, then head down to the bar and get a drink and wait. He had to show up sometime, right?

You walked into the bar to hear the jukebox playing a slow country song. Neon lights and old pictures lined the walls, evidence of a well-worn and well-loved establishment. You couldn’t see Ari anywhere, so you walked toward the back and claimed a seat in the far corner of the bar.

The bartender made his way over to you, wiping his hands on a towel he threw over his shoulder. “Hey can I get you started with anything?”

“Well, I’m here to meet someone, so probably whatever’s best to not be absolutely plastered before he’s even here.”

He laughed and nodded, placing a coaster in front of you. “I gotcha, I think I have just the thing.”

You smiled gratefully as he turned away to get started.

He returned and slid the drink over to you and you took a sip. “This is perfect, thank you so much.”

“No problem. So you said you’re meeting someone? I might know them, so I can keep a look out for when they show up.” His hands rested against the bar as he leaned forward to engage in conversation.

“Um, his name’s Ari? We got coffee earlier this week, but kinda forgot to say exactly what time we’d be meeting tonight.”

The bartender laughed and nodded his head. “Ah, yes. I’m familiar. He’s a regular around here. I’m Sammy by the way, you new to town?”

He reached out his hand and you shook it in return, introducing yourself. “Nice to meet you. Yeah, I just moved in up in the mountains. I love it so far.”

He smiled back at you. “Oh, that’s great. Real beautiful views I bet, huh?”

You grinned down into your drink. “The best. Very beautiful, and very much all mine.”

“Well, I know the guy meeting you here shares in that that opinion. The mountains are his favorite place to be.” He pushed off the counter as another customer took a seat. He slid them a coaster and took their drink order, looking back at you as he made it.

“So Ari’s in here a lot? Should I be worried?” You laughed with a hint of uncertainty.

He sighed, looking down at his feet, before he raised his head and his gaze came back up to yours with a small smile on his face. “No. Not at all. I just know he went through a rough time awhile back, but he’s a lot better now.”

You nodded, taking in anything anyone could give you about this man. “And you’re the only woman he’s asked to meet here, or at all since then, as far as I’m concerned.” He tilted his head and looked at you knowingly. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

You smiled and ran your finger around the rim of the glass. “Good to know. Thank you, Sammy.”

He gave you a curt nod, walking to check on his other customers while you leaned back in your barstool.

Come to think of it, Ari was the first one you had really put this time into since everything, too. There was just something about him and the way he made you feel appreciated and seen. There was something worth getting to know there.

Sure, you were nervous, who wouldn’t be? But you didn’t find yourself tripping over words, or trying to filter your thoughts like you usually felt you’d need to for a guy. Ari felt like the embodiment of comfort. But that’s what scared you. Because you’d been waiting here nearly an hour now. And for someone where everything meshed so perfectly, you so badly wanted it to continue. For it to be guaranteed and real. Genuine from the start. If Ari didn’t show up tonight, it would crush you, and honestly, any hope you had for men. That would be the sign to officially become a recluse, or maybe even a nun, who knows?

You were staring down at your empty drink, your eyes zoned out as these thoughts ran through your mind. Sammy grabbed your glass and replaced it with a fresh one, snapping you out of your trance. “This one’s on the house. I know Ari’s got some pretty weird shifts, so I can’t tell you what time he’ll come in, but this is one thing I can do.”

You smiled up at him, doing your best trying to make sure the sadness didn’t show through, as he grabbed a bowl of popcorn from a little further down the bar. He set down the wooden bowl before you. “You let me know if you want anything other than this.” He leaned against the bar on an elbow.

You gave him a thumbs up as you took a heavy gulp of your drink, half of it already gone. “Popcorn should be good for now, but I’m definitely gonna need another one of these.” You gasped, pointing to the drink.

Sammy nodded and got to work while throwing back over his shoulder, “I’m sure he’ll be here soon. He wouldn’t mess up something like this. He might just need a little patience.” Of course, he meant this in more ways than one.

You promised yourself that as soon as you finished your third drink, you would be gone. When you made a move to take the first sip of the fourth, you watched the door open, assuming it was just like any other time tonight, a random patron coming through.

You were wrong though, across from you stood Ari, frantically looking around and breathing heavily. Sammy caught his eye first, pointing back to you with a thumb over his shoulder. Both of their heads turned towards you, Sammy’s wearing a grin that said ‘I told you so.’

Ari’s face held a more complex range of emotion. Relief that you hadn’t left yet, remorse for not giving you more details and evidently making you wait for so long. He took long strides toward you in the bar, and that’s when you noticed he was still in his ranger uniform, carrying a duffel bag.

“Hey, I’m so sorry I’m late. I know we didn’t specify a time, but this is way after I intended to get here. I had to deal with a call.”

You stood as he reached to give you a hug and you returned it. That was the first time the two of you had hugged each other, and it was so warm and all-consuming that you never wanted it to end. You could feel the way his whole body wrapped around you and firmly squeezed, almost like the best weighted blanket.

Ari released you, letting his hands trace down your arms until you were linked only at your fingertips. “It’s no problem. Is everything okay?”

Ari nodded. “Yeah, all is good now. It was just a kid who got separated from his parents on the trail. Are you okay?”

He dipped his head down in an attempt to catch your gaze which had found its way to the floor and stuck there. “Yeah, yeah, I’m good.”

He tried again to break through, eyes still searching for yours while his callused thumbs rubbed over your knuckles. “Are you sure? Because you were kinda drinking alone, all by yourself in this corner. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I could almost see how blue you were just from your eyes alone.”

You finally gained the courage to look up at him, tears coating your lashes, making his gorgeous face too blurry to appreciate. “Yeah.” You squeaked out. “You’re not wrong. I almost thought you weren’t gonna come.”

Ari moved one of his hands to your cheek, wiping the single tear that was falling down. “I’d never do that to you, I’d never stand you up on purpose, I swear.”

You nodded, bringing up your hand and placing it over his. “I believe you. Now what’s up with the bag? Spare clothes?” You let out a small laugh and a sniffle.

Ari laughed and nodded. “Yeah, spare clothes. I rushed right here, couldn’t keep you waiting longer or risk missing you all together by stopping home first. I’m gonna go change really quick. I’ll be right back.”

You nodded and he kissed your knuckles, gaze lingering on your eyes, walking backwards until he had to turn around to make sure he didn’t bump into anything. You watched him glide past tables and into the back hallway towards the bathroom, sure to enjoy the view those shorts provided. Sammy came over to you and set down a coaster, along with a beer that must’ve been Ari’s usual. “I told you he’d make it.” You gave him a lopsided grin, to which he returned a wink.

Ari in his ranger uniform was jaw-dropping, but Ari in regular street clothes was deadly. Once he had come back to you from the bathroom, he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, his hair tucked under a ball cap.

He slid into the stool next to you and ordered some snacks from Sammy, offering to share, which was good, since you were way ahead of him alcohol-wise.

“I hope you don’t mind, it’s been a long day and I haven’t eaten since before noon. You’re welcome to have some, unless you want something of your own. Have you eaten yet?”

The corners of your lips turned up slightly at his concern. “Yeah, I ate before I came, Sammy told me you can have some weird shifts and I expected as much. But, I will definitely be stealing a few fries.”

He grinned down to you. “I wouldn’t expect any less.”

He sat there and continued to look into your eyes as your smile naturally faded before he spoke up again. “I really am sorry for being late. I should’ve given you a time, or asked to exchange numbers earlier into getting coffee when I knew I’d want to see you again.”

Your brain got caught up on what he said. He knew he wanted to see you again earlier in the coffee date? Not just because you had to leave so abruptly?

The truth was, Ari knew he had wanted to see you again way before then, even. But how do you ask a girl out when she just almost hit you with her car and it was entirely your fault? Well, he guessed he had figured it out the second time, at least.

He could see the blush start to form on your cheeks. “So could I get your number now so we don’t have to deal with that worry again?”

You simply nodded, reaching into your pocket to pull out your phone which had been happily tucked away since Ari arrived, as he did the same. There was no need for them when you were together, they were just a means to keep contact when you were apart.

After exchanging phones back, Sammy arrived with the food, and you talked with Ari for what felt like forever, but also the blink of an eye. Time passed quickly, yet stood still.

Then, you noticed a shift in his demeanor as the song on the jukebox switched to a new one.

“What? What was that, what’s going on right now?” You asked softly, gesturing to his face, as Ari looked down into his glass, running his fingers around the sides, collecting the condensation.

“It’s nothing, just been awhile since I’ve heard this song is all.” You gave a sympathetic nod.

“Does this have to do with a ‘hard time’ you were facing some months ago? Sammy told me something happened. You don’t have to go into any detail, but trust me, I can assure you that I get it.”

Ari looked up at you through his eyelashes. There was a new vulnerability in his features. It softened them, saddened them, and it killed you to see. He was so sweet with you when he first showed up, he deserved the same treatment in kind.

You shifted and hopped off your stool, holding out your hand for the man who now appeared even taller as he still sat in the chair. “Come on, ya bear. Dance with me. Make some new memories.”

He grabbed your hand and returned a smize, following you to the small section of open floor to the side of the bar. He pulled you close with a twirl, your face showing surprise at the smooth move which juxtaposed his mood just moments ago.

The two of you swayed to the music, looking deeply into each other’s eyes. Your hands crept from his waist, up his abs and chest, before they snaked around his neck. Sure, you were copping a feel discreetly, you appreciated the hardness that lied under his shirt, which hid nothing, but that wasn’t what this was about. This was about the two of you, sharing a moment together. One that was well-deserved on both ends. One that should never be shared with another.

It was like you could see the clouds breaking apart in his eyes. A storm which once raged on, thunder rolling, was getting blown away, replaced with light, a new twinkle.

You moved your hands to the sides of his face, the scruff of his beard rough against your palms as you whispered to him. “Rain stops falling. Hearts unbreak.”

You didn’t need to know his past, not unless he wanted to share with you, but what you could appreciate was being here with him now. And the fact that he was letting you in, letting you see his eyes and smile that could light up a room. What fool could ever hurt this man, tell him goodbye?

Ari was thinking the same in the shared moment. You were made to be taken dancing under these lights, he hoped you let the things that hurt you before ride away. Darkness couldn’t last forever, and he was finally, truly seeing the light.

His eyes shifted between yours as the song came to an end, and he caught a glimpse as you licked your lips. He leaned down slowly, wanting to be closer to you, just as you raised up on your toes and smashed your lips against his. The feeling was stronger than the drink in your hand before. You felt Ari’s teeth against your lips as he pulled away with a beaming smile, you doing the same, before going and sitting back down, two fresh drinks sitting there, courtesy of Sammy. He had been looking on at the two of you dancing, an approving smile on his face which you both missed.

You sat and talked for hours more until the bar was closing. By that time, you knew you were in no state to drive, so Ari offered to take you home. You gladly accepted, Ubers were scarce up here.

Ari guided you out of the bar and into the chilly mountain air, draping a jacket from his bag over your shoulders that he knew you’d need. He helped you up into the passenger side of his truck and closed the door, jogging around to the other side as you scooted over to the middle of the bench seat.

He got up in the driver’s side, smiling when he saw you had moved closer and started the truck, following your directions to climb higher in elevation. At some point in the drive, he hand crept closer to yours, his pinky reaching out, as you noticed and happily obliged him, interlacing your fingers, pulling his arm towards your chest and kissing the back of his hand.

When he pulled into your driveway finally, Ari looked over to you, your head snuggled up against his shoulder, hands still woven together. You blinked up at him through your sleepy eyelashes, blanketed in a slightly buzzed and lovesick haze. He smiled at the sight before him as he cracked a joke.

“So what do you have this house here, way up on a mountain for? What are you, royalty? You think you’re some sort of queen?”

You laughed in response. “Oh no, a queen? You give me too much credit. I think I’d consider myself more of a duchess.”

He softly smiled back at you. “Okay then, Duchess, let’s get you inside.”

Next >

Bonus A/N: (This is fitting for both my mention of neon signs early in the chapter, as well as the chapter title.) Neon signs have been around for over a century! They work by sending an electrical current through elemental neon gas (housed in a glass tube shaped into lettering and such), which excites electrons. When these electrons ‘relax,’ they emit that extra energy at a wavelength that shows up as reddish orange light. If you see a ‘neon sign’ that glows a different color, it’s not actually the element neon. It could be another gas that emits a different energy/wavelength of light. This could be argon (blue, green, yellow, or white), helium (pink/red), xenon (lavender), krypton (yellow-white), or any combination of these stable noble gases and other elements.

Series Taglist:

@patzammit

@hawkeyes-queen

[joys-of-everyday]

The more I think about it, the cultivation world and academia are similar. High drop out rates? Reverence towards the people who 'make it to the end'? Meritocracy but not really? Age old 'talent' vs 'hard work' vs 'privilege'? Possibly just side effects of being learning institutions but yeah. Anyway, headcanons for peak lords as professors.

SQQ (SY) The chill professor everyone loves. Is often absent for months at a time doing field studies but comes back with loads of cool stories. Has a tendency to veer off course and everyone's grades may suffer because of how little time is actually spent on examinable material, but at least you'll enjoy yourself. He says he's only there for the fun and doesn't do much research, but you've spied a number of very big names going to him for advice. If you manage to make him drunk, his personality does a 180 and he complains extensively about everything, including his latest webnovel obsession.

og!SQQ (SJ) The salty professor everyone hates. Obsessed with rankings and citation counts, has a constant rivalry with LQG, and does the absolute minimum when it comes to undergrad teaching because he thinks it's a waste of time. He's convinced there's an agenda against him because he didn't get funding for the third time in a row and takes it out on the students. But damn does he know what he's talking about, and you've heard he's actually a genius, albeit one with complicated background. The few phd students he has are utterly enamored with him.

SQH Everyone forgets that he's not a student, including himself. When he teaches, it feels like he's giving a presentation and waiting for feedback. He answers questions with questions. Nobody knows what research he's doing, including the other members of department. Both Shens and LQG alike think he's a waste of space. But he seems to have some mysterious connections to a very fancy research facility up north.

LQG Absent professor. Literally cannot teach. Reads off last year's notes (written by other people) and calls it a lecture. But he's got many fancy awards under his belt for his research and the rest of the department talk about him with awe in their voice. If you take work to him, he will undoubtedly rip it to shreds, but not in a mean way. Half the students hate him. Half the students make him a meme. A few of them worship him like a god.

YQY The nice one. He teaches amazingly, heads a healthy research team, and has some banging papers under his name. The students know him as the best teacher, but behind the scenes he is literally keeping the department together. Wrangles with management and does a lot of outreach stuff on top of all of this. The students are convinced he literally lives on site because they keep seeing him at weird hours of the day. This is half true.

MQF The Professor. When you say 'professor', MQF is the person who comes to mind. The students think he is actually a robot, because they've never seen him do anything other than his job. His teaching is adequate but without personality, and he is extremely mild mannered. Unbeknownst to them, he is known as the 'mad scientist' of the department - he has a bizarre attitude to safety and often goes utterly crazy with experiments which are only just toeing regulations. A pioneer of his (somewhat niche) field.

QQQ Social justice warrior. The one who actually strikes when there's a strike on, and organises all of the diversity events. The student have mixed views on her. She struggled against a very sexist department back in her day and still gets a lot of hateful feedback, so she's learnt to take zero fucks. Which is cool but also means a lot of valid criticism gets taken as personal attacks. With all the drama, everyone seems to forget that she's actually a really big name in the field, receiving some fancy awards around the same time as LQG. Her phd group is surprisingly chill.

[knchr]

Mountain man(s) 011: Mountain man(s)

[factual-flittermouse]

“When does a comet become a meteor”

But it doesn’t, for you see

A meteor’s made of rock and metal

While a comet is ice and debris

What they’re speaking of is an asteroid

What they’re speaking of is an asteroid ~