#ahh i finally did jc!

[llycaons]

ep50 (4/4): super special extra reunion post time

I've said this already but for the uninitiated: I was a dumb idiot watching this for the first time and when this shot appeared I got all excited because for a split second I thought. I thought wwx was on one knee. like to propose 😭 obviously for several reasons that was not what was happening but I always think of it when they cut to this shot

ahh they're in the green of summer. growing things, life. not going towards winter. maybe the colors and season was why I think of jc and wwx's relationship as ending, but wwx and lwj's as persisting. that color symbolism is powerful

oh god those mountains are so gorgeous behind them

see he's wearing that patchy blue-black robe set from before! this could not have POSSIBLY been all in the same day.

anyway, bittersweet but ultimately for the best. not just wwx leaving to find some equilibrium in this world he's come back to, but lwj feeling the full force of his own affection and parting with wwx anyway. not exactly the same situation as lwj's parents were in, but significant all the same. wwx needs to be loved and cherished, but he also needs to be free. commitment (a collar) was something he feared in his previous life, and I don't think it's a stretch to say even now he's jumpy about it. after years of persecution and violence, letting him feel everything he needs to, establish himself in the world, and then come back when he's ready is one of the best things he can do for himself. staying in CR for a few weeks to rest and get ready to go back on the road made sense, but several things in cql point to CR not being wwx's preferred permanent home, especially the way this finale played out

lwj looks so beautiful in these shots my goodness. and he's not wearing all white anymore :)

wwx and lwj (and this shot) are SO dramatic I'm sure they didn't need to do All That. and yet they did. and I'm happy for it

ah but he'll still miss lwj. he plays the song as he goes - don't forget, I'll be back to ask about this. I still care about you. I won't forget either. I'll see you again

this must be a fragment of conversation from the walk up. I think wwx does know - he's teasing, and lwj is reassuring - yes, I know it. I've known it for a long time. I'll tell you, when you come back

one of the most formative pieces of meta I've read described the name of the song as lwj's confession piece, which is why I always find it odd that postcanon fics don't often incorporate it. I guess if you're not worried about censorship, you can just have them make out. but it's such an elegant and thematically appropriate mechanism of confession, and the deep significance it holds to the characters make it especially suitable. that's how I envision the confession happening

back to wwx after an unspecified amount of time, but definitely not the same day unless wwx very quickly and without stopping his music changed clothes. I think, minimum three months, max 12 . probably more like 6-8

reading get-togethers, I always get nervous about him standing right near the cliff edge. what if he falls! but he's easily 10 ft away from the edge so I guess I can rest my heart

on that topic, there's not much cover for them. if they wanna fuck it's going to be right out in the open. unless they pitch a tent or something ig

but honestly, if they never so much as kissed before this, they're probably going to take their time getting closer. they jumped right into intimacy in the book but even with their more consistent relationship here I think it would take a while. if they DID kiss in ep43, maybe not quite so long, but it's not like there's a rush. they're together, they'll go at their own pace. I feel like a lot of fics rush it, but sometimes the journey fun and exciting all on its own

ah this is so beautiful

HERE IT IS!!!

oh and he FREEZES. I always assumed they planned to meet, but he seems genuinely shocked here, so maybe not

aw I always liked this smile. a secret little thing, private and excited. anticipatory

and there he is with the 🥺 vibes. before he breaks out into the big smile, he just turns with that look like this is the most important thing he's ever looked upon

and there's that smile. he's okay, he's okay. we've come full circle, right down to a cliffside meeting. he's happy, and healthy, and ready. he made it! and now the next chapter of their lives can begin

man I don't even know what to say. it's the end! what a journey. what a performance from everyone. what a lot to digest. what a lot to love. what a lot of grieve. this story will be with me for the rest of my life no matter what. wei wuxian and lan wangji, always in my heart. I love you all

personal highlights:

when I picked up that jgy was giving lxc a test, that was neat

lqr, running up, yelling "running is prohibited! loud voices are prohibited!"

jin ling looking over for wwx with such a yearning expression on his face...

the entire scene in the autumn courtyard. TAKE CARE 😭

wwx being happy and playful with chenqing 😊

wwx happy crying!!! as is his right!

waving bye with his dizi like he did when he was young!

wwx's mid-forest crying really did hit me ugh xz was so good in this episode as he always is

lwj playing in the springs and wwx walking down to join him on dizi...what was happening there 👀

remembering their shared vow and 'you deserve to be wei ying' are like two of the highest points in the SERIES for me

wwx quoting the 'do not associate with evil' line to nhs lmao

I really do love the entire cliffside separation scene AND the reunion scene of course but of particular note

them being dramatic and going in opposite directions of a massive mountain

"When I return, you better have a name for this song"/"I have long known it."

wwx freezing when he hears his name in lwj's voice, the tiny smile, the slow turn, the big relieved grin. my god. my god. all of it.

everything is just so beautiful 😊🥰♥🎉🎇❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍 and love is real!!! thank you the untamed!!!!

[yibo-wang]

The Untamed x IG series 

Picture Captions from left to right (newest post first)

jiangcheng: clearly I’m a-Ling’s favorite uncle

jiangcheng: a man’s bestfriend  🐕

jiangcheng: he’s bearable sometimes i guess

jiangcheng: tb to jie’s last visit ❤ (ˆ ⌣ ˆc) #bejealousweiwuxian #youmissedthis(¬‿¬ )

jiangcheng: Peacock in law 🦚 

jiangcheng: double yunmeng death glare

| Lan Wangji’s IG | Wei Wuxian’s IG |

[trensu]

Episode 20: The One where WangXiantics becomes W(angst)Xiantics

So we start the episode on a high note by watching wc and jj suffer a mental breakdown

We won’t go into detail bc we don’t actually care about them

We are, however, gonna take the time to admire the cut of wwx’s silhouette as he stands on the rooftop playing his demon flute

For real tho, he’s killin it here (on a rooftop! did i mention that? bc all great scenes happen on rooftops)

Enshrouded in shadow with wisps of resentful energy flowing around his flute as he plays

And the only light on him frames just his eyes, emphasizing his cold focus as he rains terror on the two who hurt his family and destroyed his home

Chills...this is not a guy you want to cross

Okay Plot Stuff happens and wwx is gone by the time JC and LWJ show up at the scene of the crime

More plot stuff

Plot plot, wen qing and jc have a moment and there’s a comb, plot plot

Jc and lwj are hunting down wc and wen zhuliu 

Plot plot plot

They finally find them holed up somewhere, idk where, it doesn’t matter

Jc is about to rush in but lwj, being sensible, stops him and tells him they should observe first

So they sneak onto the roof and watch shit go down through a missing tile

Wc and wzl are there doing stuff that doesn’t matter

But then an ominous breeze picks up and we see black boots slowly start climbing a staircase leading to where wc and wzl are

This kind of echoes lwj’s scene in the last episode, which is GREAT

The steps are not hurried in any way. There’s no rush bc wc and wzl are right where he wants them to be

The “he’ here is revealed to be WWX!!! 

YOU LOOKIN FINEEEE IN THOSE ROBES WWX

(tbh, all of our boys are looking pretty dashing)

(@theuntamednarrator​ and i decided that lwj and jc were probs trying to one up each other in the fashion department bc they wanted to look ESPECIALLY handsome and heroic when they finally find wwx. And no, you cannot change our minds. This is definitely what happened.)

There’s some banter between wzl and wwx that doesn’t really matter except for this gem of a line that is just SO GREAT i can’t NOT include it

Wen zhuliu says something about repaying his debts to wen ruohan

Wwx: why do other people have to pay for your gratitude?

DAAAAAMN BOY

LOOK AT YOU DROPPING THE MIC

WWX whips out his flute and starts to play

Lwj sees all the resentful energy wwx is summoning and his eyes widen (by like, a lot) in shock

A pause here to mention that the lady in red that wwx summons is by far the COOLEST THING EVER (the special effects here are actually special for once lol)

i am very upset we didn’t get to see more of her. 

What the heck wwx, she’s so effective and awesome?? 

And she matches your color scheme perfectly???

And you choose never to summon her again????

What is the matter with you

Do it for the aesthetic if nothing else!

So lwj and jc are just chillin on the roof watching all this go down but then suddenly wen zhuliu attacks wwx and is about to land a hit on him

ofc that’s when lwj chooses to intervene

Our boy straight up punches through the roof so that he and jc land between wzl and wwx

We get to watch jc choke out wen zhuliu with his zidian which is pretty cool

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, once this happens, LWJ TURNS AROUND AND FACES WWX FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS

HE JUST GAZES AT HIM??? 

And jc goes in and has a brotherly reunion with wwx and it’s all sentimental

THE YUNMENG BRO HUG HERE, AHH, MY PRECIOUS YUNMENG BOYS

(Why didn't you return the hug properly wwx why)

The look on LWJ’s face at their reunion is so full of yearning!! 

HE WANTS TO HUG WEI YING TOO. HE’S MISSED HIM SO MUCH, HE NEEDS A HUG FROM WEI YING RIGHT NOW

Ofc that doesn’t happen, and actually after a moment, lwj looks away from the scene as if he realizes he’s intruding on an emotional moment

And here we get some fun Q&A time with wwx!! (and by fun, i mean frustrating and emotionally trying)

Jc: were you really thrown into the burial mounds??

Wwx: if i had been thrown in there, would i be here now? Nobody survives that place

WAY TO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION

Jc: where did they take you? How’d you escape? Why do you look different??

Wwx: *pointedly does not answer the first two questions* have i really changed??

And then, to further distract from the other questions that he totally ignored...

Wwx: if i told you that i found a special book in a secret cave written by a genius recluse, and then studied it to become super powerful, would you believe me?

Ofc jc just rolls his eyes and starts scolding him which makes wwx grin

Wwx: see, you won’t believe me even if i told you. I’ll tell you more later when we get home

Jc looks at lwj here, who up until now had been silently watching them talk, and then turns his attention back to wwx

Jc: fine, we’ll talk later

THEY’RE PURPOSELY EXCLUDING LWJ AS THOUGH HE HASN’T SPENT THE LAST THREE MONTHS FRANTICALLY SEARCHING FOR WWX TOO, I'M SO UPSET

And here’s where it starts to get super heartbreaking bc this is when lan wangji decides to chime in

Lwj: Wei Ying

Wwx: Lan er-gongzi, or should i say Hanguang-jun

WWX IS ADDRESSING HIM FORMALLY AND I DON’T LIKE IT

SINCE WHEN DO YOU CALL HIM ANYTHING OTHER THAN LAN ZHAN???

LIKE, WWX EVEN DID A LITTLE RESPECTFUL BOW AND EVERYTHING

HE IS DISTANCING HIMSELF FROM LWJ

STOP THAT WWX, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW

LWJ: were you the one that hunted all those wens?

Wwx: so what if i was?

Lwj: why did you give up the sword? Answer me.

Wwx: what if i refuse to answer?

AND HE SAYS THAT WITH A SMIRK, A COLD CURL OF HIS LIPS WHERE IT USED TO BE SO TEASING AND FLIRTY

SOMEONE STAB ME IN THE FACE

Lwj reaches out to grab him in response but wwx completely sidesteps him and even places his demon flute between them!!! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

WWX: lan zhan (oh so NOW you want to call him by his name), we just reunited after so long and you’re interrogating me? That’s not very nice.

YOU’RE BEING MEAN ON PURPOSE WWX

STOP HURTING LWJ’S FEELINGS

Wwx: it’s been months since the Murder Turtle cave...even if you didn’t cherish our relationship as classmates, you shouldn’t be so mean

HE SAYS THIS WITH A MOCKING SMILE

STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT

HE’S NOT THE ONE BEING MEAN WWX

Lwj does not rise to the bait: Answer me.

Wwx: I did already and you didn’t believe me! I can’t explain so much in so few words

Lwj: Then come to Gusu with me and explain it there.

LWJ ASKS HIM TO COME HOME WITH HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME

IT WON’T BE THE LAST

AND IT HURTS EVERY TIME. 

IT DOESN’T GET BETTER

EVERY INVITATION IS SUPER PAINFUL

Wwx: Gusu? With the 3000 rules? No, i refuse! I prefer yunmeng

I HATE THIS

THIS IS ALL AWFUL

Like, wwx is all pouty when he says this? And before it would’ve been all teasing and cute but instead it’s all cold and mocking aND IT HURTS

Lwj: wei ying, don’t joke around

And he angrily steps towards wwx but jc blocks him with his sheathed sword

With jc between them, wwx asks him, “lan zhan, what do you really want?

HE WANTS TO TAKE YOU HOME AND KEEP YOU SAFE AND LOVE YOU FOREVER

THAT’S WHAT HE WANTS

HE JUST WANTS YOU WITH HIM

GOD DAMN IT

But lwj is bad with words so instead of saying ANY of that he goes

Lwj: wei ying, there will be a price for learning wicked tricks; there’s been no exception in all of history. They will harm your body and mind.

HE’S SO WORRIED FOR WWX

STOP DANCING AROUND THE TOPIC LWJ AND JUST SAY YOU'RE WORRIED

Wwx: i didn’t snatch any souls for my tricks so they’re not wicked. I use talismans and play music, how is that wicked?

WWX YOU’RE COMPLETELY MISSING THE POINT

Wwx: and even if they were wicked tricks, i know myself and my limits

AND HE’S SAYING ALL THIS WITH HIS BACK TURNED TO LWJ

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

Wwx: as for my temperament...i’m in charge of my own mind and i know what i’m doing

Lwj: there are some things you can’t decide on your own!

Lwj is so so worried, he’s snapping at wwx here. It comes off as angry but it’s not anger, he’s scared for wei ying, he’s distressed!!

Now wwx finally walks back to lwj and faces him head on

Oh man, the way they shoot this scene is intense

They only let you see half of wwx’s face bc the other half is obscured by lwj

Wwx: how do others know my temperament? And why should it be their concern?

Just...those words paired with how we can’t see wwx straight on...it hits you in the gut

bc what he really means is “what do you know about me, outsider?”

Lwj: Wei Wuxian (he snaps at him!!)

NOOO DON’T CALL HIM THAT!! DON'T SAY WUXIAN!! YOU ALWAYS CALL HIM WEI YING!!!

Wwx: Lan Wangji (he replies coolly)

STOP ADDRESSING EACH OTHER SO FORMALLY WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME

Wwx: why do you oppose me now? Who do you think you are? What does the lan clan think they are? That you believed i wouldn’t protest?

STAAAAHP

HE’S YOUR SOULMATE!! THAT’S WHAT HE IS!!!

HE LOVES YOU!!! HE WANTS YOU SAFE!!!

And here wen chao regains consciousness (oh yeah, wen zhuliu is def dead but wc was just knocked out until now…)

Oh shit wwx just kicked wc as he starts begging for his life

That was cold. I mean, wc definitely deserved it but wwx is not normally this cruel

WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT LWJ, WWX JUST KICKS HIM OUT

Wwx: this is a domestic affair of the jiang clan of yunmeng. Please leave it to us

Lwj looks at him for just a moment before lowering his gaze and walking out solemnly

WHYYYYYY

STOP BEING MEAN TO EACH OTHER

Oh god, and the expression on wwx’s face after lwj’s gone??

HE LOOKS SO TIRED AND DEFEATED

Like it was taking every ounce of effort to maintain that cold distance from lwj this whole time

And to make it MORE heartbreaking--

When the camera zooms in on wwx’s face as he watches lwj leave (again with that empty, defeated expression) we hear wc in the background begging “forgive me, forgive me”

!!!!!!!!

That begging superimposed over wwx’s expression??

IT’S ALMOST LIKE WEI YING HIMSELF IS ASKING LWJ TO FORGIVE HIM FOR WHAT HE’S DOING RIGHT NOW

Idk if the showrunners did that on purpose BUT OW, MY HEART, MY HEART, IT HURTS

And now I’M SOBBING

LWJ is at the gates of wherever it is they found wc, and he stops in his tracks when he hears wc scream

Then he’s just remembering the words wwx said to him

Lan wangji why are you at odds with me now

Who do you think you are

What do you lan clan think you are?

AND HE JUST LOOKS HEARTBROKEN

EVERYTHING HURTS SO MUCH

Then we cut to lotus pier and watch wwx and jc pay their respects to jfm and m-yu

Wwx: you asked me to take good care of jc and jyl, and i did. Rest in peace now.

*UGLY CRYING* JUST STAB ME IN THE HEART WITH A RUSTY KNIFE

IT WOULD HURT LESS

that’s all the wangxiantics for this episode so only one question remains:

WILL I EVER EXPERIENCE JOY AGAIN???

Return to Masterpost

[gravitydefyingtears]

MDZS Audio Drama S3 Ep 13

Hanguang-jun, you weathered through thirteen long and lonely years. Finally, your wait has ended.

💕💕💕😭😭😭💕💕💕

Fill in the blank:

Lan Zhan! Lan Wangji! Hanguang-jun!! Before, I truly wanted to _________ with you!

Bruh, these are real tears in my eyes, not gonna lie.

Lan Zhan, look at me.

I legit forgot (just like WangXian, probably) that the nephew and the older brother were also in the room smh.

Last night on Weibo, thousands were waiting on this episode till the last second lol. The studio had posted that the ep would be released in the evening of the 13th (episode 13 on the 13th, how fitting!), but till the last minute still nothing. Pretty sure the website actually crashed because I saw the ep 13 cover but no upload. Probably too many people waiting for this episode hahahaaaaa!

But anyway, what is a little wait for this glorious content? And honestly, it was quite appropriate, given that our wait was barely a taste of LWJ’s...orz.

Ep 14 Preview:

WWX: Sect Leader Nie, you’re awake?

NHS: Ahh...uh, just now.

JC: If Gusu has its Twin Jades, then Yunmeng has its Twin Heroes! Whose words were those?! Did you fucking eat them?!

JGY: Sect Leader Jiang. Back then, if only you had presented a better attitude towards your Shixiong, things wouldn’t have turned out that way. Besieging the Burial Mounds...you were part of the main force.

... ... ...

Drop everything and go listen to some true love! Perfection!

[enbyleighlines]

Thank you for your stories. I would like read about: wn & lwj - jeaulosy, yanli & lwj - friendship, jc & nhs - flowers. Again thank you for sharing those small ficlet.

You’re welcome! And thank you, anonymous friend, for all the requests. I’m going to be splitting this up into three separate posts, because I want to fill all of them.

Without further ado: Lan Wangji & Wen Ning: Jealousy

—

Lan Wangji has a bad feeling. He’s sitting at one of the window booths at a locally owned coffee shop. Wen Ning texted him last week, and asked to meet up.

This is unusual, to put it lightly. Despite having an overlapping friend group, Lan Wangji and Wen Ning rarely interact one on one. In fact, Wen Ning tends to actively avoid Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji doesn’t have to wonder why Wen Ning avoids him like the plague. For years, Lan Wangji has been cold to Wen Ning, if not outright hostile. So Lan Wangji does not blame Wen Ning for wanting to stay out of his hair. On the contrary, that’s exactly what Lan Wangji had wanted, once upon a time.

The thing is, Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian are best friends. And Lan Wangji has envied that, ever since high school.

Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning’s friendship began in Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s second year of high school. Lan Wangji was still deep in denial about his feelings, rejecting all of Wei Wuxian’s desperate attempts to befriend him.

Wen Ning was a freshman, a year behind them, and new to the school. Quiet and baby-faced, he drew bullies to him like moths to a flame. After Wei Wuxian stood up for him the first time, making a grand scene in the cafeteria, the two became inseparable. Suddenly, all the teasing usually directed at Lan Wangji went to Wen Ning instead.

It was unfair for Lan Wangji to feel cheated. After all, he had been trying to get Wei Wuxian off his back for over a year. He was like a dog, selfishly coveting a toy he had once ignored. But envy has always been the hardest sin for Lan Wangji to ditch.

His jealousy only intensified with time. Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian went to the same college. They became roommates. They even went into business together.

It was petty, true, to resent Wen Ning merely for receiving the attention that Lan Wangji was too cowardly to admit that he wanted. But it was hard not to feel the burn of acid in his throat, whenever he saw the way Wen Ning tucked himself under Wei Wuxian’s arm, hanging off his side like a bur.

Of course, Wei Wuxian had many friends. It was the way that Wen Ning looked at Wei Wuxian that bothered Lan Wangji the most. Adoring, like Wei Wuxian was the center of the universe. It was like looking into a mirror. Lan Wangji would catch a glimpse of Wen Ning’s shimmering, lovestruck moon eyes, and see his own crush reflected back at him.

Except, for all his cowardice, Wen Ning was not afraid to let himself get close to Wei Wuxian.

But that was then. This is now.

Now Lan Wangji is twenty-six years old. Wei Wuxian is his boyfriend. They live together. They’re raising a child together.

Jealousy should be a thing of the past.

And yet.

Lan Wangji takes a sip of his hot green tea and waits.

He doesn’t wait too much longer. Wen Ning jogs up to the cafe, waving to Lan Wangji through the window before heading inside.

Lan Wangji bites back a scowl. Once, he could reassure himself with the thought that their crushes were equally doomed. After all, Wei Wuxian wasn’t interested in men. Neither of them stood a chance.

Obviously, now Lan Wangji knows that isn’t the case.

Wen Ning orders something at the counter and then comes to join Lan Wangji. He’s holding a cup of some sugary caffeinated concoction with whipped cream on top. It looks like the type of thing Wei Wuxian would like. Wen Ning sits, not so subtly avoiding eye contact.

“Hey,” Wen Ning says.

“Hey.” Lan Wangji doesn’t grant him more than that. The bad feeling in his gut begins to grow.

“How... are you?” Wen Ning asks.

Lan Wangji narrows his eyes. He does not appreciate all this tip-toeing around whatever Wen Ning wishes to say. So he answers, “I’m confused. Why did you ask me to meet you?”

“Ah,” Wen Ning sighs. He finally meets Lan Wangji’s gaze. “Right. Well, I wanted to discuss something with you.”

“Then discuss.”

Wen Ning winces. “This isn’t easy for me to explain,” he says, “I’d appreciate it if you’d hear me out.”

Lan Wangji feels a bit bad for being so aggressive. So he mutely nods.

“I don’t know if you already know this about me or not,” Wen Ning begins, “but I’m asexual. Aromantic, too, most likely.”

Lan Wangji blinks. He was not aware of that. He’s not sure what he’s supposed to do with this new information. Should Lan Wangji congratulate him on coming out? Or would that seem patronizing?

Thankfully, Wen Ning doesn’t seem to be waiting for a response. “I bring this up,” he continues, “because I feel— I think— Correct me if I’m wrong, but I always got the sense that you thought I was in love with Wei Wuxian?”

Wen Ning isn’t wrong, so Lan Wangji doesn’t correct him.

Wen Ning nods at Lan Wangji’s silence. “That’s what I thought,” he says, “So I want you to know that, however I feel about Wei Wuxian, it’s not romantic.”

Shame burns in Lan Wangji’s chest. Here he was, wasting his time being jealous of a man who was never even interested in Wei Wuxian. He wants to apologize, but he doesn’t know how to do so in a way that won’t make him sound petty.

“To be fair,” Wen Ning goes on, “I used to think it was a romantic crush myself. And I do love him, in a platonic way.”

Lan Wangji can do nothing but nod.

“That said,” Wen Ning says, “The main reason I’m here, is because I wanted to be completely honest with you.” He pauses, and his eyes dart to the side. “Do you know anything about queerplatonic relationships?”

Lan Wangji does not. He thinks he might have heard the term before, but that’s the extent of his knowledge. “No.”

“Well, they’re kind of what they say on the tin,” Wen Ning explains, in a nervous twitter, “They’re like platonic relationships, but a little different.”

That doesn’t clarify anything. Lan Wangji blinks. “What?”

“Ah, I’m not that good at explaining the concept,” Wen Ning says, “They’re kind of like a third option, for people who are aro/ace, and who want to be in a romantic relationship without the romance.”

Lan Wangji is trying to understand. He truly is. But he is still confused.

Wen Ning sighs. “Here’s how I think of it... it’s got the structure of a romantic relationship, but with the content of a platonic relationship. It’s a way for us to experience the companionship of a life partner without all the romance stuff.”

“Friendship?” Lan Wangji asks.

Wen Ning’s shoulders slump. “It’s like that, but more... structured. I’m sorry, that’s the only way I can describe it. Anyway, I’m trying to explain this because... I want to be in a queerplatonic relationship with Wei Wuxian!”

The rancid taste of vinegar rises in Lan Wangji’s throat. He tries his best to swallow it back down. He’s twenty-six. He can be an adult about this.

“I know it probably sounds weird to you,” Wen Ning starts to babble, “I don’t fully understand it myself. All I know is that I read a book about queerplatonic relationships and now I can’t stop thinking about asking Wei Wuxian to be in one with me!”

Lan Wangji feels the smallest tug of pity in his heart. “If you were in a queerplatonic relationship with Wei Ying,” he says to Wen Ning, “Would you... go on dates?”

Wen Ning flushes and fidgets. “Ah, maybe,” he answers.

“Kiss?”

Wen Ning goes pale at that. He shakes his head quickly. “Oh, no,” he says, “I’ve tried kissing someone before. It wasn’t for me. No offense, but... I don’t understand the appeal of kissing someone.”

Some of the acid in Lan Wangji’s larynx begins to subside. “Then no sex, either?” He guesses.

“Nope! Definitely none of that!”

“Holding hands?”

“Ahh... hopefully, yes.”

“Cuddling?”

Wen Ning squirms, but his small smile betrays him. “If he wants to...”

Lan Wangji stops his interrogation. “So far,” he says, “it does not sound like anything would change between you two.”

It’s true. Wei Wuxian has always been a tactile friend. He has had no qualms about hugging and cuddling with his friends in the past.

“That... might be the case,” Wen Ning admits, “It’s not that I want to do anything new with him. I just want... the label, I guess. I want to tell people that he’s my partner. And that I’m his.”

Lan Wangji raises an eyebrow. The way Wen Ning said that, it almost sounded... possessive.

“I know this is a lot,” Wen Ning says, “but I needed to tell somebody.”

Lan Wangji wants to leave this conversation. Even if what Wen Ning feels for Wei Wuxian isn’t romantic, it’s still... Well, Lan Wangji doesn’t know how to put it into words. And neither does Wen Ning, apparently.

The two men sit in silence for a moment. It’s clear to both of them that they keep misunderstanding each other, but neither knows how to fix that.

“I think... I’m just jealous,” Wen Ning speaks up, unexpectedly, “Everyone around me seems to be in a serious relationship right now. It’s like everyone is paired up, and I’m the eternal third wheel. And maybe I shouldn’t be complaining. I mean, I don’t experience romantic attraction, so it makes sense that I’m single. And there isn’t anything wrong with being single. But when I think about being single for the rest of my life... I feel lonely. Ever since Wei Wuxian moved in with you, I’ve felt...” Wen Ning trails off, and bites his lip, as if to keep himself from finishing the sentence.

“Ah.” Now Lan Wangji understands. It’s like a ray of sunshine piercing through a break in the clouds. He remembers how he felt, learning that Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning had rented an apartment together: Jealous. Lonely. Abandoned. “You miss him.”

“It’s stupid,” Wen Ning says, speaking with his eyes scrunched up, “We still hang out all the time. But I miss living with him. I miss eating our meals together, and I miss running errands together...”

Lan Wangji watches Wen Ning, and feels true empathy blossom within him. “It’s not stupid,” he argues, “Wei Ying... has a loud presence. He is easy to miss.”

Wen Ning’s eyes fly open. “Yes, you’re exactly right! The apartment feels so quiet now. It feels empty.”

Lan Wangji nods. Now they are speaking the same language. Though the flavor of their love for Wei Wuxian is different, the essence is the same. Wen Ning’s love is not the same as Lan Wangji’s love, nor is it the same as Jiang Yanli’s familial love for Wei Wuxian. But all of them feel the same depth of emotion.

“Give me time,” Lan Wangji says, “I need to... research queerplatonic relationships. But I will not stop you, should you bring it up with Wei Ying.”

Wen Ning’s eyes widen. “You’re— you’re serious? You think I should tell him?”

“Wei Ying would want to know,” Lan Wangji tells him. That much he can guarantee. “I don’t know if he will agree to be your queerplatonic partner. I don’t know what that would look like. But you may ask. I will respect whatever decision he makes.”

Wen Ning looks speechless with shock. To be fair, Lan Wangji has surprised himself, too.

“Thank you,” Wen Ning finally says.

Lan Wangji simply nods.

Both of them fall silent once more. The space between them is a little less tense, though. For the first time, Wen Ning and Lan Wangji are able to enjoy a comfortable silence together.

[edierone]

26 and 77 for the mash up list

Five Miles Is a Long Way to Walk In Florsheims

She really did it. 

She — she just pulled over, told me to get out, and — kept on driving. 

I know I was pissing her off this entire case (but especially today), I know I probably (definitely) pushed it too far when I did the vehicular version of Dutch-ovening her just now, a little juvenile humor to lighten the mood … ok, honestly, with the heat on, it was really kind of nauseating, even for me. 

She’s threatened to dump me out before, like a dad yelling at the kids to pipe down or he’ll make ‘em walk home. 

But — this time, she really did it. And here I am, by the side of a two-lane road in the far yonder of cow country, in a cold drizzling rain, in my suit (minus the jacket, which is … still in the car) and cheap dumb dress shoes from JC Penney — thank god I left my Nunn Bush oxfords at home, I guess? — watching the rented Ford’s taillights recede in the far distance.  

I’ll wait a few minutes. She’ll come back. 

Nope. It’s been fifteen already. New plan: Walk till I’m just over that next rise — probably she’s sitting there, waiting for me to catch up, parked on the narrow shoulder with the radio on one of her channels (theory: might’ve been the fourth airing of “Livin’ Lovin’ Maid” that pushed her over the edge; note to self, that’s enough classic rock for today). I’ll show up, she’ll forgive me, and we’ll get back to finding the Phantom Murderin’ Cowboy of BFE. 

*************

Nope. Fox and his tired old dogs are walkin back to Cowburg. 

*************

Five miles is a long way to walk in Florsheims, especially when the seams start to give and your socks are soaked and your hair is in your face and even your belt is ruined. It’s enough time to get titanically self-righteously angry, then run out of steam on that and rethink your position, then feel like utter dogshit for the way you’ve treated the most important person in your life, then script and rehearse your most abject apology speech dozens of times, refining it to remove all traces of self-pity and accusation and adding a few jokey lines so she knows it’s you and not some shapeshifting asshole wearing you as a skin suit or something. 

I’m — I’m properly chastened, is what I’m saying, and all I want is to get back in her good graces. And maybe get some dry clothes on; my balls are rubbed pretty raw at this point. 

Room 27, adjoining room 28, the last two on the end farthest from the road. I start to feel just how bad off I am as I cross the parking lot: I’m freezing, my left knee hurts like a bastard, my ankles feel swollen to the point of sloshiness, my back is killing me, and my feet — oh god, my feet … I limp to good old 27, then realize with a wave of despair that my key is in the pocket of my suit jacket, which I can see crumpled on the floor of the Taurus’s backseat. 

Shit. 

Rather than add “broken rental car window” to my list of crimes and expense items, I gather what’s left of my dignity — there ain’t much — and shuffle over to 28. 

“Knock knock, it’s the bog monster of Black Rock Creek, I’m here to —”

The door swings open so fast I almost fall through it. 

There she is, keys in hand and coat on — that determined/worried little furrow between her eyes quickly smoothing out and hiking skyward as she takes in my bedraggled state. I don’t get a chance to give my apology speech, because she’s already launched into hers: “Jesus, Mulder, you look like a drowned rat! I’m so sorry — I thought it was only a mile or so, but it took you so long, I got worried — you — I was so angry, I guess I just didn’t realize how far it was — oh, look at your shoes! I was coming to get you — god you must be so cold —”

The whole time, she’s dragging me inside, running to the bathroom to grab towels which she tosses at me, bending to help me shuck the worthless bits of leather that used to be size 11 Fed footwear, checking through my sopping-wet hair for head trauma — at least I think that’s what she’s doing, but I don’t really care cause it feels pretty good. 

But I can’t let her do all the apologizing, so all the while, I’m trying to interject with my own mea culpa — about how it’s OK, I’m OK, I was being a dumbass and I deserved it and I’m sorry for questioning her take on the third vic’s cause of death (she was right, I was reaching, and being a dick about it besides), if she wants to Dutch-oven me as revenge, I’ll take it like a man … 

That one finally makes her stop fussing and laugh, her big surprising Scully-laugh that makes me feel like a god for bringing it forth. 

“Mulder …” she finally says, looking me up and down with a mixture of pity and amusement that kinda makes me tingle. “I’ll save that idea for another time. Why don’t you go get a hot shower and I’ll — try to find something to eat. I’m already dressed to go out anyway.” 

I agree to this plan, and in less than an hour, we’re side by side in comfy warm sweatpants on the surprisingly decent couch, eating some of the best tortilla soup I’ve ever tasted. She brought icy cold glass bottles of Coke, too — “Hecho in Mexico, oh man, Scully, that’s the stuff!”

She puts hers down and hops up, going to dig something out of her trench pocket. “I almost forgot! I found something else to warm you up.” She holds it out to me — a pint bottle of Jameson’s. 

“Heyyyyyy!” I reach for it, cracking it open and smelling it. “Where’d you get this? I thought this was a dry county.” 

“It is,” she smiles, with an arch aren’t-I-clever look. “I bought it off the front desk clerk — smelled something on her breath and took the big investigative leap. She charged me a pretty big markup, but I thought it was worth it, under the circumstances.” 

I agree, and ask if we have glasses — but this isn’t the kind of place that furnishes barware, so I guess we’ll have to swig it like a couple of winos under a bridge. 

“I don’t mind swapping spit with you, Scully, if you’re ok with mine,” I say, landing a pretty ill-timed glance at her lips that I hope she doesn’t notice. 

She does. It makes her blush a little, which she brazens through with a big manly belt of the Jameson’s. She hands the bottle to me and dares me with her eyes to do better. 

I can’t, of course, but I try, and as the first gulp slides down my throat, warming me from the inside, I have one of those hot pulses of the deepest kind of affection for her — the kind that just shouts in my head, iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou, so loud that I almost give it voice for real. 

But, of course, I don’t; we finish our dinner, taking occasional nips of whiskey, calling out increasingly sloppy answers at Jeopardy! and then Wheel of Fortune on the crummy motel TV. 

The news is next and neither of us is in the mood, so I click through the five working channels and get lucky: North By Northwest is just starting. I scooch around to get comfortable, but I must’ve stiffened up — both of my hip joints and something up high in my back crack audibly, and the girly scream whistling out of me at the way my calf just seized would be funny if it didn’t hurt so much. 

Well, I guess it’s funny to Scully — she laughs, but apologizes. Then laughs again. She’s ruthless, not to mention mean. I tell her so. She laughs harder. I pout dramatically, and eventually she relents.

“All right, all right — you’ll be useless in the morning if I don’t get you fixed up, and I don’t plan on carrying your bag through DFW airport. Get up on that bed, I’ll massage the kinks out.” 

I swear I do not even have time to open my mouth before she warns, deadly serious: “And if you say one word about this is how some of your favorite movies start —”

Ahh, she knows me, doesn’t she? 

I make like a totally innocent man — pure of heart, mind, and deed — and lie down on my stomach with my feet toward the headboard, propping my chin up on a pillow so I can keep watching the movie. Scully gets to work. 

And she’s good. Got those doctor hands. Whoever’s in 26 must think we’re making the world’s weirdest sex tape in here, or else that we’ve kidnapped a moose that sometimes converses with Cary Grant. 

By the time she gets to my feet, I feel like a melted marshmallow.  

Scully says dreamily, “I remember watching this once somewhere when I was about twelve, and thinking Eve Kendall was the coolest thing I’d ever seen.” I make an inquiring noise. “You know — this scene —”

They’re on the train. Eva Marie Saint’s lookin ol’ Archibald in the eye, telling him she’s twenty-six and unmarried and likes his face, how it’s gonna be a long night, and

“And I don't particularly like the book I've started,” Scully murmurs along. I crane my neck to look back at her; her lips curve upward in the most delicious-looking arc, her eyes twinkling with that sort of mischievous/impressed look she gets toward me sometimes. 

I love it, but it makes me a little jealous, so I tell her so. She just giggles and says, “Oh, don’t be jealous of old crushes!” I want to ask her who’s the crush, Eva Marie or Cary, but she grabs the other pillow and flops down on her stomach beside me and suddenly I can’t talk — I just lie there, grinning like a fool. 

She passes me the one-third-full Jameson’s — one more sip each before she caps it for the night. We watch for awhile longer. During the next commercial break, she turns to me, studying me with a gentle smile.  

“You look a little dopey,” she says fondly, and I laugh. 

“I’m also happy, sleepy, and tipsy — wonder where the other three dwarfs are?”

Her eyes are on the TV again. “Doc … Bashful … Horny …” 

Suddenly my heart is thumping way too hard. When I talk, it comes out softer than I meant it to. “I don’t think ‘Horny’ is one of the original septet, Doc …”

She shifts a little. She’s smiling but she won’t look at me. “Neither is ‘Tipsy,’ but I spotted you that one — fair’s fair, Mulder.”

“Oh, we’re being honest?” Where did this voice come from, the one that makes her shiver? There — just then — she did, she did shiver. I saw it. “Well, maybe there was a Horny. And a Woody, and a — Smitten, and a —”

“I think you better stop there, Prince Charming,” she interrupts, finally half-turning her face toward me. She still won’t make eye contact; maybe she knows, like I do, that if she does that, we don’t stand a chance of keeping this from happening. 

The thing is, I want it to. I have for a long, long time, and I think — so does she, so has she. 

That’s the source of so much of the tension between us; that’s really why we fought earlier, why there’ve been so many of these little flareups lately, embers dropped into dry grass and then stomped out with such vigor. We’ve been careful not to get into situations like this one, where the space separating us is so small that we can feel the other’s exhales on our own skin. 

I drop down from my elbows to lie flat, facing her. I can see her eyelashes silhouetted against the washed-out lights of 1959 onscreen. “Scully,” I say, barely above a whisper. 

It’s a long moment before she finally whispers back, “Not here.”

I know what she means, of course I do. Not on a case, not in a janky motel, not even a little bit under the influence. 

“Then where?” 

She shakes her head, a tiny movement that makes her hair fall forward, obscuring any part of her I could read. 

She doesn’t know? Or she doesn’t want to say? I can’t tell, so I try another question.

“Soon, do you think?”

She tenses, and for a second I think she’s going to get up, or order me out of here. But then she drops her head to the pillow, facing me. Her eyes are huge, serious, full of something unnameable that I nonetheless understand. 

“Soon,” she agrees. 

I nod, nearly overwhelmed by my love for her, the tremendous weight of this moment, the desire that’s been there for so long I don’t remember a time when it wasn’t. 

She reaches to touch my face, skimming lightly along one side, barely barely barely there on my eyelid, so softly; I close my eyes as she traces where she likes. 

Her hand falls eventually, coming to rest in the little valley between us. I take hold of it, gently, risking a glimpse at her. Her eyes are shut now, but I’m not sure she’s asleep. 

“I love you,” I say, but silently, the coward’s way. “So much.” 

If she hears me, it’s only subliminally; that’s all the daring I have tonight. Sweet dreams, Scully, I think as I drift off. Sweet dreams. 

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

[Thanks for the long-ago prompt, anon -- from the Fic Trope Mashup list, Massage Fic and In Vino Veritas]

[nongbabe]

Watermelon - Roomate Mark Lee

this scenario is entirely based off of this gif not going to lie

Scenario: Mark Lee just really likes watermelon and also you 

okay so you’ve been roommates with make lee since the beginning of sophomore year

you wanted to live off campus to save some money 

and mark was sick of living with a swarm of guys who never seemed to do dishes

and hey less people less mess

also you’re pretty tidy yourself so it was extra good

anyway you guys had a few mutual friends and they  ended setting you two up not actually but also kinda actaully lmao they ship it roommate wise

your both juniors now, it nearing the end of first semester so you guys have gotten pretty comfortable with each 

like really comfortable you tell each other everything

everything excluding one maybe significant factor in your guys relationship...

and somewhere down the time line of living in such a small apartment together that factor became more and more signifigant

maybe it was from him constantly walking around the apartment with just a towel on after a shower or him not wearing a shirt during the early fall and late spring because your ac doesn’t work right

maybe it was the time he made you breakfast when you were sick in bed 

and by made i mean he attempted to fry and egg and it didn’t work

so he put a bagel in the toaster bc even he cant mess that up he almost did though good thing you don’t mind extra crispy

maybe it was simply his smile or his sense of humor or his laugh

ah but no matter what or when it was 

you had fallen for him. hard. and probably more quickly than you cared to admit

and hed done the same just neither of you were sure enough of each others feeling or confident enough to let the other know

but it doesn’t matter not that much any way

you were happy enough just spending lazy days in with him watching movies or just chatting sometimes when it was raining sometimes when it was perfectly sunny out

you were happy just having him drag you out of the apartment to go on adventures kayaking, squirrel chasing, trying out fencing club even if you both really suck

or sometimes he’d even bring his own adventures home like board games or a random diy project 

never let him convince you to paint the ceiling again ever he looked hella cute with paint all over his face tho

or sometimes he would just bring home random things from the store?

like one day he brought home a watermelon and youre not really sure why bc its the middle of winter and watermelons aren’t in season?? he fckn love watermelon thats why look at his smile in the watermelon gif i wish i was a watermelon

“It was on sale y/n I had to get it. There were only 5 left. What if someone else bought all of them” 

“Someone must really love watermelon to buy 5 at once, crazy man”

“…..”

“hey remember when you bought 7 and couldn’t figure out how to get them home because you rode your bike to the mart an-” and he deadass covered your mouth with his hand boi

“shhhhhh, we don’t need to talk abt that right now y/n just help me cut it up okay”

You guys, with a lot of difficulty and some very dull knives finally cut the watermelon into slices 

hes a full slice kind of lad not a cube dude

if it was already pre-cubed like at a party though he would sill eat it

its watermelon

and then you would cut up the watermelon

and mark would be so !!! so excited

be really love watermelon

its just so sweet!! and watery!! and melony!!!!

and you and him would bite into it and...

ehhhhhh 

and it would kinda be flavorless

like not sweet at all

“it’s not that bad, Mark.. okay? you did your best picking one out”

and Mark would do that thing

that sad Mark thing

the :c the sad pouty disappointed look 

Nobody wants a sad :c mark

so you kinda run your fingers through his hair and push a few loose strands

Its starting to get long. You like it though. It gives you more of an excuse to run your fingers through it

You pulled him into a tight hug, one of those really really squeezing the air out of your lungs tight warm ones, one of those hugs that you could easily play off as friendly, silly even

But wow was your heart beating fast and your palms shaking

Mark would freeze at first out of surprise but the pout would go away!!

He would just be a bit caught off guard. That’s why he’d go a bit stiff initially. You weren’t really the type to hug him so out of the blue You were more of a cuddle when sleepy, or intoxicated, kind of human, a lot lett straight forward

He really liked it though really really

So much that he would relax and rest his hands on the small of your back rather than just stand there like a statue. Which is what he ‘claims’ he usually does when people hug him just like he ‘claims’ he doesn’t like skinship bloody liar

but the whole time his heart is going crazy and hes so concerned youre gonna notice but also he really likes hugging you

your skin feel cool and nice against him especially because he feels like hes on fire but

wow are you pretty and wow does he like you 

but you don’t need to know that bc that would make living together awkward but it wouldnt be bc u like him too otherwise we wouldn’t be reading this now would we jc

And finally concerned mark would take over and he would suddenly pull away and ‘cough’

“??”

“Ahh I just remembered I have to finish that chem lab report is all”

“we finished that together a week ago Mark?”

“…i meant essay”

“but didn’t yo-”

but he would already be running away and locking himself in his room

well as best he could bc he still doesn’t have a door 

he broke it off of its hinge they day you guys moved in mark you cute disaster 

but you still try and not bother him if he goes in his room

privacy and such

and you’d be confused but also freaking out

oh my god what did you just do what if you pushed the bounds what if things are weird now what if mark doesnt talk to you anymore and stressssssssssss 

A few minutes later you would hear his shower turn on

like this kid

i thought you said you had an essay lying hoe

anyways hed come out of the shower like 15 minutes later 

hes not fast at showering bc boi needs time to shampoo after all those wackado hair syles he gotta keep from getting bald ya know

also he needs time to think bc wow do you make him crazy

and hed walk out into your little ‘living room’ and sits on the floor because you guys still havent gotten a couch even though its over a year since the two of you have lived together

and you finally threw away that makeshift cardboard furniture from removing in earlier this semester because mark didn’t just fall through them one he kEPT breaking and getting stuck in them

so to save the boy anymore embarrassment you threw them out together

anyway so he sat on the floor looking all cute mark like in typical mark attire

“hey y/n can you come here. I gotta talk to you for a sec”

but youre already talking??

but you wouldn’t question it

mark’s tone of voice was pretty serious tone to his voice which didn’t happen frequently

so you walked over by him and briefly sat on the floor before laying your head on his thigh

bc he in much more comfortable than the carpet and you werent really a criss cross apple sauce kind of gal at least not when mark was around bc as;doije;dfihw;erio

hed reach down and stoke your hair and close your eyes and hum slightly

“y/n” You’d hum again keeping your eyes closed and enjoying his close proximity

and youd kinda lay like that for a few minutes

and just as you were about to drift off to sleep he stopped playing with your hair

youre eyes open slowly, confused

and then Mark leaned down and before you could process what was happening he was kissing you

and you would have to fight to not break into a giant smile

because finally you were starting to think that maybe you were just a friend to him

but nope bc now ur making out lol not really tho its just a sweet kiss and not super long or agressive

he pulled away, scratching the back of his neck while give you that side smile of his almost sheepish one, but more flirty than sheepish 

he kinda mumbled almost what sounded like an apology, but he really didn’t look that sorry and he certainly didn’t feel it i mean neither did you cute boy mark lee just kissed you

“you taste like watermelon” you roll your eyes

his smile spread into a full blown grin and his lil nose scrunched up. he kissed your nose.

he chuckled and semi-jokingly licked his lips “but tastier than the one we just had”  You cupped his cheeks and pull his face towards yours.

!!!!!

[canmom]

ahh this glorious final sequence!!!!

key animation that i can credit:

takufumi hori did the cars dodging debris at the start

chiharo sato did Machine Head activating his steamlight

katsuya yamada and sushio did the sequence where JC's car is torn open by the grappling hook

koike himself did the cut (not in this post, but right after) where they hit the finish line

it's not known who did the main duo overtaking Machine Had, and i can't find the cut of the spaceship-ramp coming out of the ground

Redline Director: Takeshi Koike | Studio: Madhouse | Japan, 2009

[georgeinamerc]

i keep forgetting time zones lol. My monday/tuesday were good (im house sitting atm and I'm only taking one class so I'm kinda bored out of my mind) but yes it was a study blog and I ended up explaining (they laughed about it) but OH MY GOD im scrolling through my feed and im like why is this study person posting about...f1...oh dear god that was me.

N E WAY are you a law student did i miss that somewhere (I was a law student, figured out that wasn't for me, so now I'm applying to different grad degrees) that prof was rude! -JC

BESTIE I HATE TIME ZONES. They're the worst!! OHH I definitely get the "bored" part. Even though I have quite a few classes I'm very much in a mood to just stay in bed all day, but most of my classes are morning ones rip. What class are u taking??💞 Hahahaha at least you explained it to them lmaoo I would've been so confused too if i got that question on a study blog😂 NOO I'M SCREAMING JDCKHEWFKE that's how you realised??

YESS i am!! Dear, you are lucky if u weren't following me last year. It was a mess. I had my national exams to get into uni this summer and i made it everyone's problem here😭 But now we're in, so people have finally found peace lmao

Glad you got out of this hell early! (jk but also not bc it's v hard💀). Ohh do let me know if you want to which degrees interest you at the moment!! Ahh he is very good at his job normally and his notes are literally the summary of the book so now it's gonna be difficult to understand it on our own :/ ANYWAYS yes he was very rude idk why he was so upset about it, personal problems maybe 😭😭

[carter-sg-1]

Curiosity killed the tribble

Why do these things always happen to me? Short JC piece.

Rated: Fiction K+ , Humor -

Chakotay, K. Janeway 

Words: 1,199

It’s been posted before, originally in 2007 :)

Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager was not a happy camper."How do we get into these situations?"

"And how come I am the only one here freezing!?"

She levelled another death glare at her first officer. The effect was somewhat spoilt by the wild chattering of her teeth. Having spent better part of an hour in the freezing cave Commander Chakotay was by now immune to the glare. The teeth chatter, of course, was entirely different matter. He sighed. Loudly. This only earned him another glare which he ignored. His lack of reaction only made her angrier.

Suddenly, a blood curling scream spread through the cave.

Chakotay had been expecting it. Rationally, he knew she had to get it out of her system; still, when it came his heart skipped a couple of beats. Had it been anyone else, cardiac arrest would have been unavoidable. Finally exhausted Janeway sank down on the floor. She didn't quite manage to suppress the shiver that accompanied the movement.

"There are times I really hate you Chakotay!"

He choose not to comment. The cold was not getting to Chakotay, for one simple reason, he had arrived prepared for the weather. The same, unfortunately, was not true for Janeway. The thin jacket she wore over her uniform offered little protection from the freezing air.

Chakotay allowed himself a moment to thank the spirits for keeping him safe from her wrath before unzipping his jacket and the thermo insulating micro fleece shirt. He handed it over wordlessly.  Janeway did her best to ignore him and the peace offering.

A minute or so of chatter later her self preservation instincts kicked in and she snatched the proffered article of clothing from his unresisting hand.

Damn the cold. It was getting to her.

Chakotay sealed his jacket and studiously ignored her attempts to zip up the shirt with her frost numbed fingers. Offering any form of assistance at this point would have been suicidal.

5 minutes later and no closer to zipping up Janeway finally gave up and just wrapped the several sizes too big shirt around her slim torso. The chatter diminished somewhat.  She untangled her hands from the shirt and started blowing warm air to warm her frost numbed fingers only to have a pair of mittens land squarely in her lap. Kathryn tuned her head to look at Chakotay but he was still studiously ignoring her and staring at the wall of ice in front of them. His hands were conspicuously hidden in his jacket pockets.

"Chakotay", Janeway started conversationally while pulling on the warm mittens.

"Hmm?"

She remained quiet until he finally turned to look at her, question in his eyes.

“Why are we still here?" Her voice had lost some of its edge with the heat permeating her body.

Chakotay considered his answer carefully.

"Because the transporters are offline." he said finally.

"Yes, but why? Everything was ok when I left the ship this morning?"

Evasion was the best course of action at present.

"That is true."

Janeway sighed when she realised nothing else was forthcoming. He was being evasive. That could only mean bad news. She gritted her teeth and ploughed on.

"Chakotay, exactly why is it that the transporters are offline?"

Her question was met by a wall of silence.

"COMMANDER!"

Nothing.  It seemed he had developed resistance to her "obey or die" tone of voice somewhere along with the body heat.

She had to stay calm. Frustration was not the answer.

Calm.

That was the key. Don't bite his head off until you have all the facts.

Calm.  Janeway forced herself to calm down.  She decided a change of tactics was in order.

/Ahh Chooooooooo/  

That got his attention. His head snapped, worry evident in his eyes.

"Kathryn?"

Two could play the game. She ignored him. Just when he thought no further comment was forthcoming her teeth started chattering again. Chakotay scrambled to his knees and moved to face her. He took hold of her hands, rubbing some heat into them. The chattering continued unabated. He was beginning to worry.

"Kathryn? Are you still cold?"

Nothing.

He started to take off his jacket when she put hand on his chest to stop him. He looked up into her eyes.

Big mistake.

She had adopted the kicked puppy look, even adding a slight tremble to her lip to enhance the effect.  Basically, that meant he was screwed.

Janeway had to restrain herself from braking into a huge grin. It wouldn't do. Not at the moment. She had to find out what was going on with  her ship and knew he would now tell her whatever she wanted to know.

"Chakotay, why are the transporters off line." She repeated quietly.

Sighing once more he surrendered to the inevitable and settled down next to her.

"Because the ship is running on auxiliary power."

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"It's not as bad as it sounds." he hurried to explain. "B'elanna was running a level one diagnostic on primary systems when we ran into a bit of trouble."

"A bit of trouble?! What do you mean ..." Chakotay raised his hand to interrupt.

"Bethard rigged the aft turbo-lift to get stuck once he and Megan got in. It seems they've hit a bit of a rough patch and he thought this was the best way to straighten things out. Unfortunately he didn't count on B'elanna running a diagnostic and in turn overlooked the possibility of a cascade failure of  ..."

"The Primary systems. Oh Gawd, again!" she clutched her head in her hands.

"Why do these things always have to happen on my ship.... when I'm away? Am I such a bad captain Chakotay?"

Chakotay made crooning noises and enveloped her in his arms.

"Don't I deserve one single away mission where nothing goes wrong with my ship?"

Kathryn rested her head against his shoulder sniffing.  "Other Starfleet captains don't have to deal with this sort of lunacy."

"I know, I know, but look on the bright side - at least we have auxiliary power this time."

Janeway managed to turn in his arms just enough to level him with another glare. She then used her gloved hand to point his face towards the cave mouth, which offered a spectacular vista of a burning wreckage amidst a raging snow storm.

Chakotay cringed "OK, so I should have added another crushed shuttle to the tally."

Kathryn burrowed further in his lap "Bright side indeed!" she huffed.

Chakotay grinned - she was safe and warm in his arms - and off the captain's hook for a few hours. Things were starting to look up.

If only he had not crashed the shuttle - again - B'elanna would never let him live it down.

Oh well.

[llycaons]

28, 2/2

oh right, duel. I thought it was kind of dumb? this is one of the things that’s boring on a rewatch because you know it’s a ruse. still, jc totally stabbed wwx and that sucks because it’s not like wwx needs to convince anyone they’re fighting, jc just felt like being hurtful. wwx was hurt worse than jc anticipated bc jc didn’t know wwx had no core to help him recover, but it sucks anyway. wwx was mad coming down, he didn’t expect it

the blood looks so realistic here damn

wwx was looking so so hot and righteous and cool and jc was just looking overdressed and tacky with a giant forehead, days after getting rejected by a girl whos persecuted family he refused to help whatsoever despite being one of the only people with real political power in their world...cringe

like I know he’s in a tight situation but when he asked her “why didn’t you ask me for help” and she was like “would YOU have dropped everything and broken into a prison camp for me? would YOU have revived my dying brother and brought my family to a safe place and made a home there? huh? let’s not kid ourselves” it was so ajsdkdfdsf

wait wwx doesn’t even touch jc how does his arm break? did the spirits break his arm? why is he coughing up blood?

did jc give wwx money? is that how he could buy meat? I’m pretty sure lwj gave wq money but it’s not really even strongly hinted at for jc

I cannot fucking believe wwx lost his toddler in a crowded market. like the first time I saw this I was in actual denial. I was like ‘there is NO WAY an adult would be so irresponsible with a child’. wwx is a good parental figure later but not here lol he’s a mediocre babysitter at best. losing a child

maybe this is my older sister brain but HOW DO YOU LOSE A CHILD. HOW. HE’S THE CLINGY TYPE EVEN.

if yanli had less patience for bullshit maybe wwx and jc would have had better communication. love her, she’s an angel, but if my brothers treated each other that way I would give them a very serious talk at the VERY least

anyway. lan wangji is here finally I missed him so bad. he has such beautiful eyes. so does jzx. we get a lot of eye closeups in this episode actually. dark brown eyes...spectacular

lwj in the marketplace is so ajksdfsfkhf he’s terrified and these old guys are giving him advice so earnestly and all he can do is softly whisper he’s not the dad. perfect example of “not knowing how to do something, lwj just doesn’t do anything” PERFECTIONIST. meanwhile wwx is losing his shit on the sidelines

I’m actually very proud of lwj learning how to properly show care to a child, having zero experience and being terrified of failure. but to not try to be a good caretaker is unthinkable. so he gives it his best shot and gets better at it and learns how to interact with kids...love that for him. and I think he remembers the advice from the elders too.

ahh the slo-mo reunion shots with long tender gazes...missed these

wwx calling lwj pretty but mean-looking lksdskjdksf

once I saw a post like “wwx would NEVER tease a child with a toy! he’s an angel, he totally knew lwj would buy it for him and was benevolently offering him the opportunity” it’s not that deep, wwx was poor and has rules about spending money and was looking for a quick way to cheer up a-yuan. distractions work really well for that, even if denying him the toy makes me upset

but the very straightforward mindset lwj has of just giving kids what they want must be so out of line with lan practices I feel like? such restraint and humility emphasized, and he wants to give this kid the entire toy store. principles out the window as soon as you see a crying kid, huh hanguang-jun

not to overanalyze a very quick shot but when he looks at wwx and visibly swallows I mean. he wants to raise kids with wwx so bad he wants to be a dad with him and have a family and stay together with him he wants that so bad. this word is overused but yearning

postcanon! adoption! I am a passionate advocate for postcanon wx kids! after maybe like, a year or two. honeymoon phase. wen ning and SL can babysit

I’ve seen postcanon stuff where the kids are how jc and wwx reconcile and I don’t see that. children are not a tool to use to emotionally reconnect with your estranged brother, that’s not fair on anyone. (this includes jin ling. also lsz. adults using children/juniors as crutches to deal with their emotional problems had devastating consequences on wwx’s family and I don’t see him or lwj doing that to anyone else)

it kills me that wwx never got to see a-yuan grow up AND that the audience never sees lwj and lsz together during his youth. hearing about it secondhand is cute but it’s hard to really pinpoint how a serious, stoic, very literal, grieving 20-something who speaks like he’s talking out of a textbook is able to connect with an eight-year old, or inspire such love and trust and reverence in the juniors, or even how he is with a-yuan after he leaves the cold pond cave. we don’t even get to see their farewell discussion! robbed! we were robbed!

[solongiondons]

Year in Review: goodbye 23, hello 24!!

Year in Review: And another year will come to a close at 12am tonight and I am still standing here shocked (or shall I say shooketh HA!) over that. I remember sitting in the car, on the way to a family dinner, rushing to write last years "year in review". While I'm still sitting in a car I'm currently killing time before I head into work, while Harry Styles "Sign of the Times" comes to a close in the background. A sign? This year has been filled with their downs, as always; but while they were filled with their downs they were also filled with finding peace and closure, filling goals and accomplishments, and making the world a more happy and positive place. There was one big negative chapter I closed in my life this year. One that needed to be closed with someone who brought me down constantly. And while it broke my heart for it to come to an end, it made me realize what a strong person I am. I grew up with this person and had wonderful memories with them, but it was time. And so life moved on. Friendships that I mentioned previously had come to an end. Some of them causing more of a broken heart then others. However, not all negative things end badly. Through those horrible times I had wonderful people by my side to aid me with wonderful words and advice; and the most comforting words "it's going to be okay." Gram scared us a couple times this year, going to the hospital and such. But once again, the positive weighs out the negative and she came out a stronger person, as well as bringing the family even closer. Lets get 100% into the positive, shall we? One of my favorite moments of this year was when Laura came to visit! An online friend from across the ocean came to visit me! And let me tell you, we had a blast. From listening to Hamilton, Moana, and Book of Mormon in the car (to which she knew every word!) to exploring The Big Apple every moment was so wonderful. Just thinking of it is making me smile so big my cheeks hurt! Gram, Bree, Liv and I took our Disney cruise and trip. Lets just say that was a whirlwind of a time. Between Gram being sick, everyone being exhausted, and yes even me being stressed about plans we made it out alive. Definitely a trip I will remember for the rest of my life. And believe it or not.... we are begging for us girls to trip once again! College graduate. Goodness, I remember my middle school graduation! However this time I didn't walk, thank goodness. I will say that it was one hell of a cat walk out. All the hard work and stress came to an end. I will admit I will miss going to school but it's time to be an adult! And while this hasn't happened yet, I planned it this year to I got to say it! I'm going to Disney World yet again! And guess who's going to be there! Renee! Ahh! Just thinking about it is making me scream internally with excitement! We currently have 60 days to go as I'm writing this (with "how far I'll go" playing now, irony?!) and I am far more than excited. Renee has always played such an important role in my life. And getting to see her again just makes every bad day worth the while! It's making me excited to turn 25 so I can write about our adventures! As for JC and I? Still two peas in a pod filled with jokes, nerd stuff, and Shrek. He came to visit for the holidays this year and we took a trip to NYC. Which was cold, wet, and hilarious all in one. Damn I'm so blessed to have that nerd boy in my life. And turns out passed self was right, people still liked me despite me being 23! Dear Future Self, Happy 24th Birthday! Finally on the even side of things again. Though when you read this you could be 91. Although you accomplished so much this year, as always there's things that I want you to remember. Remember goals are never far from reach if you work for them. Just like you did for that college degree. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there. In the work field, and yes even when it comes to boys. You have a bright and shimmering personality that anyone CAN cherish. Also, past you often forgot but please don't forget that you're beautiful in so many ways. Your laugh is like a cool breeze on a summer day and your smile as bright as the stars on a clear night. Always remember that the good outweighs the bad. That despite there being bad people in the world you're good. Remember that being alone and broken hearts are only temporary. Also, never let go of your childish, adventurous, fun loving, caring, amazing ways. Continue to support those who deserve it and continue to achieve your goals. Open up your mind and heart to life and learning... especially to people who want to get inside your heart; not everyone is there to break it. I know you'll continue to spread happiness and positivity this year and many more years to come. Keep shooting for the stars, princess! Much love, Your Past Self