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sanddusted-wisteria · 11 months

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How to Send Letters to a Star [Oneshot]

GN!Builder/Qi; heavy angst

Warnings: Major character death, grief/mourning over a spouse

Edit 11/23/23: Now with a playlist, for extra sad

Summary: An extension to Empty Skies, Hazy Skyboxes, set after Chapter 4.

The builder is gone, and so is their virtual double. Left without his guiding starlight, Qi sets out to navigate the treacherous waters of recovery with nothing but pen and paper. But this time, he isn't alone.

Also on AO3

A/N: I've had the idea of extending ES, HS for several months now. I originally planned it as a fairly long multichapter fic, but I couldn't really find a way to make it click. But just recently, I came up with this! It reuses some of the ideas I had in that original outline, but it brings them together in a way I feel is much more cohesive.

Just like ES, HS, this fic won't take into account any of the canon main story after The Goat, nor any of the implications of what's happening in Sandrock in the background at this point of the story. Pretend that these two fics exist in a "main story stasis" of sorts. Enjoy!

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Qi sat at his usual seat outside the saloon, waiting for his order to arrive. He idly sipped at a cup of tea as he watched the golden light of the evening fall over Main Street. He wished the frycook would hurry up a little. He wanted to be back before dark.

“Evenin’, Director.”

From the street below came Hugo’s voice. He leaned over in his chair to see him coming up the road, returning home for the night.

“Oh. Hello. Productive day for you, I assume?” Qi said.

“Yeah, not bad,” Hugo replied as he stretched his shoulder out. “Got a couple nice swords finished. Best ones this week. How ‘bout you, holdin’ up?”

“Nothing of particular note today. Though that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I suppose.”

Hugo hummed. “Sometimes a borin’ day’s better than a bad one.”

Qi nodded. It was silent. He took another sip of tea. Hugo scratched his head.

After a minute, Hugo started walking again. Qi thought that he would head back to his house, but to his surprise, he walked over and took the seat opposite Qi.

“Um…?” Qi looked over, confused.

Hugo let out a light sigh. “I know that look.”

Qi frowned. “What look?”

“You’re thinkin’ about ‘em again, ain’t ya?”

“N…no. I was just thinking about how I wanted to return to the Research Center before nightfall—”

“—So you don’t get reminded of ‘em again.”

Qi looked away. “…Yes.”

Just then, the door to the saloon opened, and Grace appeared. “Hey, sorry. Had a bit of a fire to deal with… Um. Not with your stuff, though.” She set the tray down on the table next to Qi.

“Mm. Thank you,” Qi said, mind elsewhere.

Grace suddenly noticed Hugo. “Hey, anything for you?”

Hugo shook his head. “Naw. Jus’ talkin’ with the director here.”

Grace’s eyes flickered between the two of them. “Gotcha. More tea?” she asked Qi.

“Oh…no. That’s fine.” He handed Grace the money for the meal. She had no snarky comment this time. Not even a smirk.

“Cool. Enjoy, then.” She turned to head back into the saloon. Halfway into the door, she paused and looked back at Qi. “And take care, okay?” Then she disappeared.

Qi took the spoon from the tray and began drinking his tea porridge. Hugo stared out across the street, lost in thought.

“How you feelin’?” Hugo suddenly said. His voice was quiet, but it was the loudest thing on the silent street.

“I…” Qi set the spoon down. “I…don’t know. I don’t know to describe it, at least.”

Hugo nodded sagely. “Somehow…I know. There really ain’t a word in any language to describe it.”

Qi let out a quiet hum. “How…else did you deal with it?”

“Hrrrmm…” Hugo brought a hand to his chin, frowning at the ground. “Well…I remember soon after it happened, we all wrote letters to Rhonda. Me, Heidi, and Mama.”

Qi frowned. “Letters? To a…nonexistent recipient?”

“Well, we never put ‘em in the mailbox or anythin’. We’d jus’ slip ‘em into envelopes and seal ‘em up, and we’d put ‘em away with the rest of the mail, like she really got ‘em.”

“And this…helped?”

“A lil bit, yeah. Anythin’ we ever wanted to say to her…but never could… We could put it in a letter. Get it out of our system, y’know?”

“That does seem logically cathartic,” Qi muttered, mulling it over. “Do you…still do it?”

“Not as much anymore. Started with one every few days, but as we all got a bit better, we did it less and less. Nowadays I only do it about once every year or so. Jus’ to remind her I still love her. And that we’re doin’ alright.”

Qi slowly nodded. “I see. I suppose there’s no harm in trying it.”

“Yeah, give it a shot. You’re still young. You must have plenty left you wanna say.” He shrugged with a sad look in his eye. “It’s the best we got. Least until the Light reunites us.”

Normally, Qi would have scoffed at that last comment about the Light. But the emotions of it bled through the unscientific idea. He let it slide.

Hugo stood up. “Let me know how it goes…if you want. I understand if that’s somethin’ you wanna keep to yourself.”

“I’ll see,” Qi said. “Regardless…thank you. For all of your guidance.”

Hugo let out a low chuckle. “Don’ mention it. You know where to find us if you need any more help.”

“Of course. Good night, then.”

“Good night. You take care, now.”

Qi watched as Hugo left the saloon’s deck and disappeared into the warm light of his house.

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

Dear Starlight,

Hello??? I’m…not sure what to write here. Hugo has suggested that I try writing letters as if you could receive them. Apparently this has some emotional benefits to it. I could see it from the way he explained it, but actually doing it myself feels so strange. I know for a fact that you will never read these words, yet I write like I can. I think I will experiment with this further…but perhaps when I think of more topics to write about.

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

Qi ripped the last piece of duct tape and slapped it onto the box. He heaved a sigh as he looked it over. Hopefully the relic wouldn’t get damaged in transit. Not that it made any difference if it did. He just needed this thing out of his Research Center. Out of his sight.

He grabbed a marker and wrote down the address on the top of the box.

Old World Computing Technologies Lab

University of Vega 5

Vega 5

Alliance of Free Cities

No return address.

He felt his stomach churn as he shoved it out onto his doorstep.

That wasn’t them, he silently told himself.

They weren’t in there.

They weren’t anywhere.

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

Dear Starlight,

I got rid of the virtual reality relic. I had it shipped off to a lab in Vega 5. Maybe they can get some use out of it. Maybe they won’t make the same mistake I made. Or maybe they will. It’s not really my problem anymore. I just couldn’t stand knowing it was in my Research Center. I reset everything, of course. No traces of the virtual Sandrock project remain. With luck, no one will even know that I was the one who sent it.

I’ll try not to write about this again, since I really do want to move past it, but…it still sits very clearly in my mind. Sometimes my mind still conflates you and your virtual double as being one in the same. Is that an indicator of the quality of my work? Or a sign of my own mental weakness?

The last thing I want to do is to delude myself again into believing that clone was really you, but even so…I felt like I did the right thing by you. I really, truly felt that you would have wanted me to erase all the progress I had made.

In that moment…it seemed like you were really talking to me again.

There I go again. High quality work, or my emotions taking advantage of me?

Now. Let’s put this all behind me. For good. I still don’t know exactly what to do without you, but anything is better than this.

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

Qi was busy running the statistical analysis for his last experiment when someone suddenly grabbed his shoulders. He yelped and angrily whirled around to find Mint standing there, snickering.

“Sleepyhead! Why?!”

“Come on, Spacecase. When was the last time you saw the sun? ANOVA can wait.”

“Well, it can wait, but you just made me lose track of my calculations. Now I have to start over,” Qi grumbled.

“Exactly. So put it down for a bit and take a break, Spacecase. That’s why I’m here.”

“And I don’t suppose you’ll leave unless I comply?”

“Nope!”

Qi groaned, but set his notebook down. “Fine. What do you suggest we do, then?”

“What else?” Mint shrugged. “I haven’t seen you in ages. We catch up.”

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

Dear Starlight,

Mint decided to visit recently. Apparently he had some time off and thought to come here. Despite all the letters and telegrams he’s been sending, he wanted to come talk to me in person. I assume it’s to reduce the chance of me obscuring the truth when I answer any questions he asks.

I admit…he was right. When I started working on recreating you virtually, he was concerned about how the project would affect my well-being. That I would grow too attached to this artificial version of you.

When I told him this, he just shook his head and told me that he was just glad I managed to survive it and admit my mistakes. Even when he had left, he was still worried. He told some of the other townsfolk to keep supplying me with food and water and other necessities, since he knew I wouldn’t bring myself to do it without coercion. Once again, he was right. I never really paid attention to all the food being left outside my door while I was in the depths of that project. I only had one objective in mind. It hardly mattered if my body wasted away while pursuing it.

All the letters and telegrams were also a form of…insurance, if we want to call it that. Not only did Mint want to know about my well-being, but they acted as a sort of indicator. If I didn’t respond to a telegram, he’d send one the next day. If that happened three times in a row, he would telegraph Mayor Trudy instead and have someone check on me. Same thing for letters, though with a week in between each one instead.

I was surprised to hear this. Mint is far from stupid, but this amount of planning…it’s unusual for him. I asked him why he would go this far.

All he said was, “Why wouldn’t I?”

Now I worry if I’ve taken him for granted all these years.

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

Qi was staring a hole into his lab’s front door. He’d stood there for what felt like an hour, half of him urging him to walk out, and the other half begging to fall back. Neither could persuade his feet to move.

He made sure to work a little later than usual today, so he’d still be at the research center after dark. Today, he thought, was the day that he would summon the courage to stargaze again. At least, that’s what he thought this morning. He figured that if he could force himself to stay out later, the probability of him cowering away again would be lower, since he would have no excuse to not just go up the stairs to the roof and do it.

…He could always just sleep here tonight…

Qi grit his teeth and furiously shook his head. With both arms, he shoved the doors open as hard as he could, the resulting BANG rattling across the empty street and through his skull. The chilly air and the dark of night greeted him. He stared out a little longer. Then his impulses took hold, propelling him forward into the darkness before he could shrink away. He stiffly walked up the stairs, stumbling and almost tripping in some places.

And finally, he was on the roof. The cold, hard, metal, empty roof. The telescope stood still in the center, keeping its watchful eye on the stars like always. Qi plodded over to his old spot, his legs no longer familiar with the roof’s incline. He sat down with his knees hugged to his chest, trying to let the cool air push the nausea back down.

The familiarity of the scene in front of him made his heart ache. The rock formations blocking the sky in all those particular spots, the moon peeking out from behind the mesa, the side street far below, and of course, the sky, that grand span of darkness dappled with boundless amounts of magnificent, luminous…

“…Starlight…”

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

Starlight…

It’s still strange, isn’t it? Someone like me calling you that. I never thought I would be one for such saccharine…nonsense. But with you, it all just seemed to happen of its own accord. You made me feel and act in ways I’d scoff at several years ago. I’d get excited at the prospect of a distraction from my work, if only to spend some time with you. I’d never get tired of talking to you. I’d be glad to explain even the most basic scientific concepts to you. You awoke so many new emotions in me.

Even after you’re gone…you’re still doing it.

I always thought

You never

You were always

When I think of the stars

I still

You still

I can’t

Why do I

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

Starlight,

Yesterday was the Day of Memories. I had to run out to refill my water tank, and I opened the door to find some lanterns left outside. I have no idea who left them there. But they at least had the foresight to just leave them there without a word.

For the first time…I participated in a town festival. Of my own accord. I wonder what you’d say to that. Actually, strictly speaking…I participated in my own way. Separate from everyone else. Your judgment call on whether that counts or not.

I released the lanterns from the rooftop, of course. I waited until I saw the crowd release theirs…hopefully no one noticed mine separate from the rest.

Did you see them

It’s strange. I’ve never felt compelled to do something like this before. But as I watched the lanterns and the stars…the sensation that I felt… I think I have a new yearly routine.

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

Qi sighed as he started his next diagram. Some ho-hum cattle feeding device for the ranch man. Nothing engaging. Just like the last one. And the one before that. And the last 11 of them.

The pencil fell out of his loose hand, only halfway done with the first line. He stared at the point where the line wobbled and stopped.

…

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Qi jolted back up. What was it with people insisting on knocking on his unlocked door? Can’t they just come in? He huffed another sigh and went to answer it.

He opened the door, letting the hot noontime air in. He found himself looking down at the concerned face of…

“Mayor Trudy?”

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

Qi stepped off the boat, legs still a bit unsteady from riding on the ocean. It smelled like salt and fish and seaweed. He glanced up at the familiar metallic walls, and around at the other boats in the harbor.

A familiar fishing vessel was docked at port 6.

Looks like they were home already. Qi moved on, handing his paperwork to the immigration officer, a tired-looking woman who probably wasn’t paid very much. She took a brief look and gave his forms a stamp.

“Welcome to Vega 5,” she droned.

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

It wasn’t far to his parents’ house. They lived close to the harbor. He stood frozen in front of the door, unable to bring himself to knock. He pressed his ear up to the door, faintly hearing some murmurs of conversation. They were probably having dinner now.

He raised his hand up to the door. It didn’t move. As he stared at his knuckles, he felt a sudden urge to run back to the harbor and get the next boat back to the mainland. But he pressed it down and knocked.

Inside, something was shuffled around. Qi felt his stomach churn. After a moment of silence, the knob finally turned.

“Hello, can I help—” It was his mother. As their eyes met, she froze. “Heng?!”

Qi tried to say something. An explanation. An apology. Even just a greeting. But nothing came out.

His mother gave him a once over. “Come in, come in!” She opened the door all the way. “We can talk later,” she murmured, a sad smile on her face.

Qi slowly stepped through the doorway and took off his shoes. He looked around at the familiar wallpaper and all the same pictures on the walls, the simple but homely furniture, all the books that he and his grandpa filled countless shelves with.

“Heng? When did you get here?” His father and his grandpa had suddenly appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen, staring with just as much shock as his mother did.

“First things first,” his mother said, putting a gentle hand on his back. “Let’s get him dinner.”

“...I…already ate,” Qi lied. “I’d just like to rest now, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, that’s nonsense,” his grandpa piped up. “It’s only 6. You told us you always have your dinner at 6:30 on Thursdays,” he chuckled.

Qi sighed. “Alright. Fine.”

Everyone sat back down at the table, and a bowl and chopsticks appeared in front of Qi. He blankly took them up and served himself a meager portion. His family, meanwhile, started up their conversation again. Simple, light talk about their days. He could tell they were trying to pique his interest, but still wanted to give him some room to breathe. Never did they ask him anything, or try to rope him in. They let him just listen. He felt a pang in his chest. They knew what he was feeling. And he was grateful.

After slowly making his way through his food, he set his chopsticks down and stood up.

“Finished?” His mother gave him a soft smile.

Qi nodded. “I think I’ll turn in early tonight.”

“Alright. Sleep well.”

“Take it easy, Heng,” his father said.

“Don’t strain yourself,” his grandpa added. “Sleep tight!”

Qi nodded mutely and left the table, hearing the others start talking again, only quieter this time.

He walked upstairs to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. That was all he had energy for.

Right across the hall was his old room. He carefully opened the door. The last time he saw this place was before he left for Sandrock. Everything was still in its place. All his old notes and journals, all his Gungam relic figures, all the books he couldn’t carry with him, all the stains from past experiments. Everything. Coated in a thick layer of dust, but the same nonetheless.

He flopped onto his old bed, which barely fit him now, staring up at the off-white ceiling, dotted with star mappings he drew himself. His eyes grew heavy.

It still smelled like fish.

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

Starlight,

I’m writing this from Vega 5, believe it or not. The mayor insisted that I “take a vacation” for a week or two. When I refused, she informed me that she told the rest of the townsfolk to not submit any research requests for two weeks. When I continued to refuse, she threatened to suspend my budget allocation unless I used it for paid time off.

I didn’t exactly know where to go, so I went to the only place I could think of. Back to my parents’ house. How did I think of it? I still don’t know. Some irrational instinct, I suppose. Regardless, here I am.

I didn’t tell my family that I was coming. It was so spur of the moment that I didn’t have the time. They haven’t seen me in person for years. And yet…when I showed up and interrupted their dinner…they didn’t ask any questions. They just sat me down at the table and let me rest right afterwards.

After that first night was when they really started talking. Both my parents took a day off from work. Which never happens. With the exception of weekends, they’re always up early in the morning to head out on the water to fish, or to prepare their stand at the market. But that day, they just wanted to stay with me. It almost felt like them staying home to care for me whenever I was ill in elementary school.

We talked for a long time. Meandered around the neighborhood. Visited some familiar places from the past. Not all of our conversation was about me or you or the…circumstances. But when it was, they had nothing but kind words to say. They recalled all the times I had written about you in my correspondence. They knew how much you enriched my life. They would have loved to meet you. And…they’ll always keep my room free whenever spontaneous visits like these would ever occur. Despite not returning to Vega 5 for nearly a decade…they still kept it the same way as it always was. Just in case I would ever show up the same way I did a few days ago.

It felt…a bit overwhelming.

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

Heng, my little astronaut,

Care to meet me at 10 tonight? You know the place.

Grandpa

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Qi finally climbed the last step, stopping to catch his breath with his hands on his knees. He looked up at the vast night sky above his head. A rare sight to see in Vega 5. He was lucky to grow up so close to the harbor, pretty much the only other place in the city that was completely out in the open. But even so, the smell and the spray and the massive hull of the rest of the city covering one half of the sky didn’t make it anywhere as good as this.

Peach Park. The highest point in the city.

He looked down around the barren terrace. Near the railing overlooking the city below, sitting patiently on a bench and looking out at the sky, was his grandpa.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to be making this trek all by yourself?” Qi asked as he approached the bench.

His grandpa chuckled. “I’m still fit as ever. The real question is, why is someone as young as you having trouble with it?”

“Not acclimated with it,” Qi grumbled. “I only have to climb one flight of stairs at a time on a daily basis, not fifteen with steep slopes in between.”

His grandpa just laughed, echoing off the metal panels of the terrace. Qi just let out a huff.

Eventually his grandpa fell quiet again, gazing serenely once more at the stars. “Good view of Mars tonight.”

“Indeed.”

Silence.

Qi felt his hand twitch. What was he here for?

“So…” Qi muttered. “Did you…have anything in particular to discuss?”

His grandpa closed his eyes, a soft smile just barely visible in the fading moonlight.

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

Starlight,

I never met my paternal grandmother. She died shortly before I was born. For as long as I’ve known him, my grandpa has always been a widower. Yet somehow, it never crossed my mind to think of him in that kind of capacity. He was always my mentor more than anything else. My very first research advisor.

He called me up to the highest point in the city, just like all those years ago when he brought me up there and ignited my passion for the sciences. This time, though, there was nothing scientific about what we discussed.

He told me more about my grandmother. I had heard some things about her before, from stories that both my grandpa and my father told me, but hearing about her like this was completely different.

They met in university. Studying different fields, but their mutual hatred of their calculus professor brought them together. They spent so much time together studying at the library, then in cafes and restaurants, then in each other’s dorms and labs, then in the home they shared.

One day, she caught a cold. Then it got worse. Then she developed pneumonia. Then she was gone. And my grandpa was left alone.

And now, his own grandson is going through the same. If either of us were any less scientifically-minded, perhaps we’d call it a curse. An omen, maybe. But it’s neither. Just identical tragedies that happened to two people that happen to be genetically related. That’s all.

That’s…all.

He told me not to let myself get consumed by work as my only way to cope. And this was the part that really got me thinking: he told me that successes from work and the happiness that comes with them are a different kind of happiness than I can get from other people. People like you and Mint and my family. No matter how much work I do, it can never fill the void your passing left behind.

All of a sudden, the stint with the virtual reality relic makes a lot more sense.

At first I misunderstood him. I thought he was trying to get me to completely stop my work. But he quickly corrected me. I can and should work whenever possible. It’s just that it cannot be my only way of responding to the situation.

When you died, I had nothing else I could do. There was no longer anyone in Sandrock I was obligated to. Nothing left…but my work. And work I did.

My grandpa…he made the same mistake, it seems. He would hole himself up in his laboratory for days on end, never returning home unless my father came and dragged him there. The first time that happened, he was infuriated with my father. He had never truly lost his temper with him before, but he exploded, trying to shame him for not caring enough about his own mother. My father was terrified and ran off. But almost the second after he disappeared, my grandpa felt terribly ashamed.

My father returned an hour later, long after his anger had cooled, and my grandpa went along willingly this time. They were silent on the way back, except when my father spoke up to remind him about his future grandchild. I was due in several months.

From then on, whenever my father appeared at his laboratory, he would let himself be dragged away from work, no matter how begrudgingly.

Whenever my parents were away at work, my grandpa took care of me. Even if it meant having to leave me partially unsupervised in a lab full of hazardous tools and chemicals. He shared all of his books with me, no matter how advanced, and would always tell me the definitions of any words I didn’t know. He showed me a relic spacesuit in his lab that was found in Sandrock. When I moved to Sandrock, he gave it to me.

His little astronaut.

He is arguably the reason we met.

And the reason I find myself here.

…I don’t know how I should feel about this.

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

“You’re sure you’ll be okay?”

Qi looked up from the surf hitting the dock to the worried look on his mother’s face.

“Y—” He froze. “I…I don’t know.”

His grandpa nodded. “It’s normal to feel like that.”

“And it’s okay to never know,” his father chimed in with a warm smile. “You’ll feel okay eventually, whether you know it or not.”

The ferry tooted its horn.

Before Qi could even think, his mother wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His grandpa did the same on his other side, and finally his father pulled all four of them in close together.

“You can always come home, Heng. Don’t forget,” murmured his mother.

Qi could only let out a hum. Anything more and he’d risk the itchy feeling in his nose spilling over.

They all let go eventually. He gave them one last look as he stepped onto the gangway. They were waving with a smile on their faces. Not making too big of a fuss. He gave them one last wave before stepping onto the boat.

He couldn’t bring himself to look back.

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

Starlight,

Recently, I’ve been wondering about the sociological concept of “home”. I know. Me, thinking about sociology. Utterly daft. But given the circumstances, I hope you’ll forgive some non-scientific studies for just a little bit.

Why do we differentiate a “home” from a “house”? What does a home have that a house does not? To me, both are simply buildings or other dwellings of permanent residence. It seems that a home is a subjective descriptor, one that holds the invoker’s sentiments towards their place of living.

To make matters even more confusing, I see in a lot of literature that people describe other people as their “home”. Most often in their romantic partners, but also their family members (independent of the place they live in) and friends. So is a home a person or place? Or just some nebulous sentiment?

I ask because…I’m trying to figure out what it means in relation to me. Before I left, my parents told me that I could always return “home”. But Vega 5…was it ever my home? Of course, I was born and raised there. My family has always lived there. But I never had any qualms leaving it. Forever, if I had to. When I stepped foot into the city limits for the first time in ages…there was no sense of nostalgia. No urge to move back.

It’d be inaccurate to say that my home was in Sandrock, either. My Research Center was my workplace. The epicenter of all my efforts and achievements. I just happened to reside in the same building. And your workshop was never mine. That was your land. You designed the house yourself. You built all the machines in the yard. I only was fortunate enough to share that space with you, to have my designs be put to use there.

Were you…my home?

Whatever we did, wherever we were…I always felt at ease with you. Safe. Invigorated. Comfortable.

…Where is my home now that you’re gone?

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

Qi sat back down at his desk. Several townsfolk had already written up some requests for him now that his…sabbatical had ended. He skimmed through them, finding the most interesting one to tackle first. His eyes glazed over as he realized all of them were equally simple and dull.

He sighed and picked one at random. The ranch man demanded another, more powerful cattle feeder. He tossed it aside and grabbed another one. Heidi needed some crane lifts. He shrugged. It would have to do.

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

Starlight,

Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can really write about this time. I’ve just been catching up with diagram requests ever since I returned from Vega 5. None of them are interesting in the slightest. Maybe next time.

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

Starlight,

My work is…droll. I’d never thought I’d be saying that about science, but it’s just not the same. My hypothesis: lack of engagement. No one here appreciates the sciences as much as I do. The only people who come close are Fang and Zeke, and I can’t engage either of them for obvious reasons. Everyday I toil away in the Research Center, experiment after experiment, hypothesis to conclusion and all over again. And then I send my results back to someone I can’t see, to a committee of people I’ve never met, and then maybe, just maybe, someone can engage with my work. Over letters and telegrams. It’s like

It’s just like before I met you. You were the only one who I could speak truly to. The only one who ever seemed to see value in my work without hesitation, even if you didn’t fully understand everything. And now you’re not here. Everything’s the same as it once was, all that time ago.

So why does it feel so much more…meaningless? And why does everything from before you came feel so meaningless in retrospect?

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

Starlight,

Sometimes I see this whole letter-writing exercise as completely useless. A feeble appeal to sentiment, that’s all this is. I talk like a madman to someone who no longer exists. And yet this is considered an acceptable way of dealing with the situation.

You are dead. Your body has long decayed by now and the sands have likely buried your bones already. Everything that consists of you, physically and conceptually, no longer exists. There is no scientific evidence of souls or afterlives or spirits or any of the ridiculous things that humans have made up for the sake of appealing to their emotions and shielding themselves from the truth.

There is nothing after death. Nothing that could be empirically shown, anyway. That is a scientific truth.

So why do I feel so disillusioned by it…? Why do I feel this cloying desire to deny it? Why isn’t there a scientifically plausible way for me to just pretend you’re still here

Why

Why d

I am the most ignorant person to ever exist.

I’m sorry.

Everything that I’ve done ever since you passed away was just to do that. To pretend like you’re still here. With me. Happy.

I suppose articulating my thoughts seems much more unimpressive when compared to trying to recreate you using an artificial intelligence. Easier to write it off as mawkish sentiment. But…it’s all one in the same. Self-indulgence.

…Is that necessarily bad?

I don’t have the answer. I don’t believe I’ll ever have the answer. I don’t have any answers. You aren’t here to help me find them.

…I suppose the only thing I can do now is what I’ve always done: be a scientist. To face the unknown and attempt to illuminate even a fraction of that darkness. To ask questions about everything and to constantly seek answers, no longer how long it takes.

Perhaps one day, I will be able to find the answers I seek. Perhaps not. But no matter what the outcome will be or how arduous the process is, I know that you will be in my thoughts the whole way. You always have been, ever since we met.

And who knows? Perhaps one day, I will be able to write to you and tell you all about my journey. I’ll be sure to brew plenty of tea to last the whole story.

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

Qi sat on the roof of the research center. He kept his eye out towards the station, seeing the crowd gathering and milling about. The first lights started appearing as they lit their lanterns. He turned back to the lantern in his lap, checking one more time that the envelope on top was secure.

One by one, warm glowing lights rose up into the sky just outside the city. Qi stared at the hypnotic cloud of light as it expanded and twisted up towards the highest heavens.

He grabbed the matchbox and carefully lit the lantern in his hands. The glow from the fire warmed him ever so slightly. He took one last look at the letter, and carefully let the lantern go.

Up and up it rose, a little unsteady with the extra weight, but it never stopped rising.

Qi’s eyes followed it for as long as he could keep track of it, before it became another light in the cloud.

Another star in the sky.

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

Starlight,

Hello.

Good morning.

Have a productive day.

Be safe.

Does the furnace need servicing?

Do you want some tea?

Read anything interesting?

How was work?

I’m sorry.

I forgive you.

Thank you.

You’re welcome.

Don’t mention it.

Of course.

Don’t touch that sample, please.

Remember to keep hydrated.

Let me show you my latest experiment.

Fascinating.

Wonderful.

Excellent work.

Tell me.

Show me.

You should rest.

Don’t overwork yourself.

You’re very warm.

Are you comfortable?

Good night.

Goodbye.

I love you.

#i got teary eyes writing es hs. this? full on tears #why yes i was inspired by the fourth eva movie thank u for noticinggg #its my birthday today and the best gift you could ever give me is your tears :>#my only regret is that i didn't get to use the idea i had where qi bitchslaps yan #ah well #my time at sandrock #mtas fanfic #shady's fics #mtas qi

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ausetkmt · 3 months

Video

youtube

Chappelle's Show - R. Kelly's trial

I wouldn’t have remembered how funny this was if I didn’t see it again. Damn Dave..

Everything he says in on point. ain’t no way that you can murder a person and not go to jail unless you.. well got that QI. He’s right. They can do all kinda things today to make evidence and create tapes. Prolly Like You, I am not sure who was peein on that woman in court, and clearly she wasn’t either. This is absolutely how they play Black Defendants.

and yeah Fuck You Arra Kells

#youtube #Chappelle's Show - R. Kelly's trial .R Kelly.#Piss On Me #Dave Chappelle

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mxtxfanatic · 2 years

Text

Alright, another character breakdown! Keep in mind that as long as this list is, this definitely is not all of the major players in the book. Because there are just sooooooo many characters, I’m choosing to highlight the ones I remember and care about the most (SPOILERS AHEAD for character deaths):

Xiao Fangxu: great dad, damn his death hurt me

Xiao Jiming: still cannot believe he guessed his brother had a crush based on his BLINKING PATTERNS LMAOOOOOO

Gu Jin: hope he got that girl he got ratted out about, cause after all this, he deserves the rest

Ding Tao: baby boy 🥺

Chen Yang: glad he got it together and stopped with the petty shit

Tantai Hu: there were a few moments I thought he was gonna fall from grace, but a true testament to the idea that honesty pays

Li Xiong: BABY 🥺🥺🥺

Qi Huilian (Grand Mentor Qi): did not realize how important he would become and when I did, did not realize that he’d be KILLED; honestly, a completely unexpected death for me

Ji Gang: man’s been through so much but STILL is dedicated to fathering all these orphaned sons. Best dad award right here

Fei Sheng: finally got a life and sense of self-worth, but at what cost?

Qiao Tianya: never thought being told you could be a monk could be considered a threat

Yao Wenyu: i hate the emotions he’s made me (and Qiao Tianya) feel, knowing he’s already come to terms with death and ain’t feeling the shit himself

Kong Ling: you worked so hard not to be the personal advisor of a conquerer just to end up the personal advisor of an emperor LOL

Yin Chang: genius af, funny as hell, how you a grown man afraid of baths??? His death hurt

Qi Zhuyin: BIG QUEER ENERGY

Hua Xiangyi (Third Missy/Hua the Third): surprise high femme queen sneak attack!

Lu Guangbai: reminds me of the pets from Homeward Bound, never doubted him for a second

Lei Jingzhe: he really had me there for a second; epic death

Hasen: alright, we get it! The bad guys have families too! They’re also human! Stop beating me with it—! (another painful death even as I knew it was inevitable)

Duo’erlan: ok coming in clutch at the last second to steal a spot as one of the most badass characters! Was praying HARD they didn’t kill her…

Xue Xiuzhuo: good longterm adversary, i wish him a very fuck you, asshole

Fengquan: massive security oversight: man worked under a man who plotted the emperor’s assassination, his “sister” assassinated the succeeding emperor, and y’all bring him back AGAIN to work under the third emperor??? But you’re surprised he’s the hidden assassin????

Ling Ting/Li Jianting: poor girl

Jiran: cute last minute baby addition!

Xiao Chiye: best soldier, best uncle, best brother, best son, best partner, best—

Shen Zechuan: nobody deserves the throne more than him, fucking fight me Xue Xiuzhou

Xiao Chiye x Shen Zechuan: fan-fucking-tastic power couple, round of applause for their resounding success and the fantastic sex!

Overall a great book if you love political intrigue mixed with a little bit of war action. Violence isn’t too gratuitous, and there are trigger warnings for the worst of it. The characters are characters, and there is never a dull moment in this book. I did find it weird, though, that everything was trigger warned for except the two moments of noncon and dubcon between the major couples, but that may have been a translator thing? Either way, I’d watch any drama adaptation of this.

#human reads qiang jin jiu #qiang jin jiu #this is all i can think of at the moment #the list of folks is exhaustive actually

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yeehawbvby · 2 years

Text

Falling Away With You | Ch. 32

Sebastian x F!Reader and M. Rasmodius x F!Reader

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: Shane informs you about Qi beans, you have a weird dream, and you and Seb decorate for Spirit's Eve!

Author’s Note: Can’t remember if I’ve specified this before, but Mooncrest Farm is based on the forest farm layout from the game! As far as the forest goes, when y/n and Robin cleared the trees, it was meant to mean the trees you can chop down from that farm; not the little bushes or the irremovable stuff outlining the land or anything.

Just figured this might be helpful to know, given you’re getting some slightly in-depth farming action here ^^

Enjoy and take care! x

Table of Contents + Work Summary

Check it out on ao3!

Prev | Next

“I wouldn’t buy those, if I were you.”

“Ack!” I flip around to from my spot facing the seeds at Pierre’s to meet the spooky voice talking to me over my shoulder.

I-it’s… it’s Shane?!

I’ve maybe said, like, 10 words tops to this dude ever, and he’s only been sorta mean.

I don’t like this.

“O-oh,” I mutter.

I look down at the seeds in my hand – they’re something called Qi beans. 85% off, making them only a few coins each. The packaging has an ominous aura to it, and it’s disgustingly bright blue – almost Joja levels. I wasn’t considering buying them, more so trying to figure out what the fuck they are.

“Why not?” I add out of curiosity, my view drawing up to the greenish eyes of the brooding man before me.

Huh. It’s only now that he’s not being a total prick that I’m noticing how handsome he is.

“My aunt got ‘em once.” My eyes follow his hand as he reaches directly above me, grabbing a handful of amaranth seed packets. After plopping them in his basket, he repeats the action. “Those mothercluckers ain’t edible.” Mothercluckers? “Practically sentient.”

My eyes widen. “What are they, then?” I take another glance at the packet before placing it back on the shelf. My hand gravitates to take some corn seeds in its place, and then a few pumpkin ones.

“Some creepy melons. But they were like…” I look up and next to me to see him wincing, looking kinda off into the distance. “Like weird little heads. Had glasses and noses and stuff.”

“What?!”

Seeming perturbed by me asking questions in the conversation that he started, Shane rolls his eyes.

Fuck it, he’s not handsome anymore! He’s ugly! He’s an ugly little bastard and I hate him!

...Ugh. No he’s not, and no I don’t, who am I kidding? I’m sure there’s a reason he’s so grumpy all the time.

“If you’re so curious, grow ‘em yourself.” He makes his way to the soft drink and alcohol coolers against the wall, only a few feet away. “Or Google it, I dunno,” he calls over his shoulder.

I roll my eyes before returning my view to those Qi thingies.

I don’t wanna grow them, given that description, but I can’t help but feel curious.

…Maybe some other time.

_______________

After grabbing what I need and having some snacks, I finally get started on farming for the season. I’d already had some brown overalls, a lightweight sweater, and my rubber boots on before leaving the house, so I’m able to get started pretty quickly.

As I’m hoeing the land, I decide that I’ll try my hand at planting more this season. I made a decent amount of berries on a fairly large plot in the summer; with two crops to have at this time, why not, right?

Using the old, worn-down bloobs plot as an outline, I neatly prepare some new rows for the corn to reside. Then, a little further west and closer to the cave and peach saplings, I till space for a small pumpkin patch.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve really put thought into my farm’s layout, but now that I’m out here working — like, really experiencing it, and doing what I’m supposed to be doing with what’s been handed down to me and all — I’m not sure if I wanna be limited by pathing and stuff. I like farming more than I thought I would, and if I’m able to really take off with this stuff, I’ll need all the space I can have for grass so that my future-animals have something to graze on. Maybe just some stepping stones scattered here and there to get around easier will suffice.

I get lost in thought of how to make my farm less neat, and more of a whimsical, naturey, cottagecore paradise as I hook up new sprinklers, fertilize all the dirt I just prepped, and plant my new seeds. Probably gonna wanna replant some trees, but I’m okay with that. More space for critters to live is always a good thing!

It’s cold and dark out by the time I finish working. Between the music in my earbuds and the dreams I daydreamt, time fuckin’ flew by.

I remove my gloves and boots with a deep huff as I enter the house, my exhaustion catching up to me quick. After tending to Cannoli, I take a nice bath; after the bath, I change into cozy clothes, whip up a quick dinner, and hop into a Discord call with the emos and Vic; and after that, I cozy up in bed, hoping for a restful sleep.

I’m awoken earlier than I would’ve liked by a deafening crash outside the cabin. My first instinct is to yelp and jump out of my skin while I groggily gather my bearings.

“The fuck…?!”

I scooch out of bed, Cannoli freaking out over the noise just as much as I am, and take a peek outside the window. Settled atop the snow-coated ground is a huge, purple orb.

What the fuck is that?!

Ignoring that I’m about to freeze my ass off by wearing nothing but a giant tee and some briefs, I toss on my farming boots, grab my phone in case of an emergency, and rush outside to see what gives. My curious gray buddy is in tow, meowing the whole way over.

It seems like a meteor… albeit a real fucked up one, that’s for sure. Dunno how else a huge thing like this would show up, plus the ground is slightly burnt around it.

In the past when I’ve thought of meteors, I’ve pictured rocks. Ya know… like, dull blobs with some little craters and shit. Not this.

I frickin’ knew all these low-atmosphere, highly visible meteor showers in the valley weren’t alright. I so called that shit!

As I get closer to the object, I hear a buzz like that of electricity radiating off of it. Once I’m within a few feet, I realize it’s even brighter than it appeared from the house, and there’s shards of pinkish purple diamonds hanging out of it in all directions. Maybe they’re iridium? I’ve never seen that in person... It’s also, like, perfectly round, save for those gem thingies.

As I’m about to make a move to try and push it, I notice Cannoli licking the damn thing.

“Bro, stop!”

The creature loudly protests as I scoop him into my arms, softly scolding him for trying to eat unidentified space matter and jogging him back to the house. I’m sure to lock up his cat door once he’s inside so he can’t escape. While I make my way back over to the meteor, I hear him yelling at me from the nearest windowsill. Sorry bud, better safe than sorry.

I finally try to push this dumb rock (??). I move in its stead. Guess this thing ain’t going away anytime soon… Hopefully Clint will have something I can chip away at it with.

Starting to feel panicked, I pace a little, picking at the corner of the screen protector on my cell. Why is this thing this color? And why is it making noise? Is it dangerous? Is it radioactive? I hold up my phone with the camera open to see if it picks up any weird particles. When it comes up clean, I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m not sure if phones are accurate geiger counters or if it’s just an internet myth, but it’ll do for now.

For the first time, I walk around the whole thing to investigate further. It’s probably about as tall — maybe a little taller — than I am, and a foot or two wider than that in width.

There’s… there’s a fucking note attached to the opposite side from my house. The paper is light blue, and the lettering is in deeper blue ink.

“Keep it up, kid,” I quietly read out loud, “I think you’re gonna be a—”

What?!

“A STAR?!”

I fully screeched the last word. I’ve never been so infuriated by a bad pun in my life.

S-somehow, someone put this fucking thing here themself, and then had the balls to write me a note about it, like it’s some cheeky little joke?!

What kind of sick bullshit is that?!

In the bottom corner of the letter is a small doodle — a man with a big nose, a big hat, and… moderately sized sunglasses. That’s the only hint I have at who might’ve been the culprit.

The description feels familiar, but I can’t put my finger on where I’ve seen or heard of this guy before.

When I wake up, my head is throbbing. I got plenty of sleep — about 9 hours — but it must’ve been shitty.

I reach for the cup of water on my nightstand and sit up to drink some, petting Cannoli as he stretches his way closer to me. When he begins kneading the blanket over my thigh, I give my compliments to the little chef.

“You’re doing great, mister.”

“Brrrr.”

What a good boy.

As I watch him work, I try to recall what I’d just dreamt of… I can’t remember it fully. Only bits and pieces, like being scared and Cannoli freaking the hell out. I just get the feeling it was a trip.

I relax in bed a little longer before getting started with my day. With all that farming out of the way, all that’s left to do for now is put up a few scarecrows and maybe decorate the place for ~spooky season.~

I take the morning slowly, as a little treat for yesterday’s hard work, and also to recoup from the rough slumber. And honestly? It’s perfect. I make some hot cocoa with breakfast since it’s starting to actually feel cold outside now. I also light a fire and spend some time cozied up by it, catching up on some reading.

Now that I’ve learned Seb is a sucker for pumpkin soup, I make some alongside little grilled cheeses and invite him over. He’d mentioned wanting to celebrate the colder weather together, somehow, so I figured an autumny meal, some decorating, and a few scary movies or games could be perfect for him.

While I wait for Seb to arrive, I remember that I haven’t spoken to Magnus since our whole thing. I hope he’s okay.

Using the little bit of magical knowledge I have, I do something I’ve only done once: I try to talk to Magnus telepathically.

He’s almost definitely in his tower, so from my spot on the kitchen counter, I start my thinking from there. My eyes are shut and I cross my legs to see if it’ll actually do anything, or if it’s just something Magnus does for comfort.

I can’t see anything visually, but I don’t think I’m supposed to…? I’ve just, like… gotta concentrate my energy on him… or whatever.

As if trying to phone someone with low reception, I think a few different greetings. Eventually, one of them works!

“Wha— (Y/n)?!”

I silently cheer myself on and answer, “Oh shit, it worked again! Hi!!”

A deep chuckle sounds in my head. “You’re brilliant, my dear!” Oh, there goes my cheeks, getting all warm again… I put my chilly hands on them to cool myself. “What’s going on? Are you nearby?”

“No, I’m at home, actually! Holy fuck, I didn’t think this would work.”

“I’d expect no less from such an adept mind.” Stop complimenting meee— “So then, what do you need?”

“Nothing. I just, uh… I wanted to make sure you’re doing alright.”

As I “speak,” I open my eyes. Not seeming to have lost the connection, or however the fuck it works, I hop down from the counter to stir and test the soup, as well as get the sandwiches ready for frying up later.

“I don’t need as much space as you’ve given me honestly,” I continue, “I’ve just been really busy. I feel kinda bad for not checking back in with you sooner.”

“No need to worry about it. That’s… that’s truly wonderful to hear,” he replies, a soft and hopeful tone in his ”voice.” I really missed his smooth, expressive voice. “Farm work, I presume?” he asks, cutting off my swooning.

I nod, before realizing he can’t hear that, and then mentally hum my affirmation. While I pace around, as if on the phone, we proceed to fill each other in on the few weeks we’ve spent apart.

We probably talk for about 15 minutes before a text from Sebastian pops up on my phone. He must be on his way.

“Sorry to cut things short, but I’ve gotta go.”

“It’s alright. It is probably for the best — I’ve gotten a bit distracted from my own work.”

“Are you calling me a bad influence?” I tease.

“A welcomed vessel of procrastination, more or less.”

What a polite way of saying “Yeah, totally.”

As we say our goodbyes and agree to continue my studies — and maybe just hang out — sometime soon, I finally unlock my phone screen. Wasn’t sure I’d be able to talk to Magnus without mixing my brain-words up.

Just as I read the message from Seb saying he’s almost here, I hear his knocks at the door. “Oh, neat!” I whisper to myself.

Cannoli, who must’ve recognized my boyfriend’s footsteps, hops down from the nearby countertop and runs to the door. Before I can catch up, he leaps out of his own entrance and aggressively welcomes our visitor.

“Chill dude!” I hear Seb’s muffled laughter through the wood. When I open it, he’s in the midst of scooping Cannoli up into his arms. His head whips up right away. “Hey fucker.”

I flip him the bird. “Welcome, bitch.”

As he walks inside, the worst words I’ve ever heard from an adult man leave his mouth: “Y’know, darling…” He continues the rest with a nasally voice, slinging his backpack off of his body and putting it on the shelf where I keep my gloves and shit. “A bitch is a female dog, and dogs bark, and bar–”

After shutting the door, I roll my sleeves over my hands and smack Seb’s arm around a bit with the loose fabric. “Sebastian Oliver Byrne, don’t you dare finish that.”

He snorts and grabs one of my sleeves, tugging my closer, and dipping down to kiss me. Almost smooshes Cannoli.

“Mm–” I pull away, putting my hand on the little man’s head. “Careful with the merchandise, bud!”

He looks down at the cat, who he’s cradling like a baby. He grabs one of the little paws and shakes it a bit. “Sorry, Master,” he murmurs to the Old Master himself.

Cannoli meows, then wriggles a bit to leave Seb’s grasp, so Seb obliges. While this exchange happens, I just watch and giggle like an idiot.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” I mutter. “That was just cute to see…”

“Speak for yourself,” he quips back with a wink. I roll my eyes, unable to stop my smile from widening.

“So, you want the soup and stuff now or for dinner?”

Seb suggests, “We should save it for the movies.”

“Ooo good idea. I’ll get the decorations then!”

I turn around and walk the whole, like, three feet to my bed, kneeling and bending beside it to retrieve the box with my older string lights and whatnot. It’s gotten pushed further back towards the wall over time, so I have to really get in there to pull it out.

When it’s just out of my reach, I hear a groan from behind me. I abandon my current project to look over my shoulder, and see Seb blatantly checking me out. One arm is crossed over his tummy, while the other’s knuckles are up at his mouth, being bitten down on. Heheh. I give my butt a little sway.

Seb bites his bottom lip and rolls his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. Contemplating his life choices. As I inspect him, he walks over and kneels down beside me. Seb then takes my chin in his hand and lifts it to meet his gaze better.

“Do you wanna decorate, or not, (y/l/n)?”

That sure sounds like a sexy threat.

Taking advantage of his thumb being close to my mouth, and feeling like a little shit, I wrap my lips around it, swirling my tongue around the digit before releasing it with a pop. All the while, I watch Seb’s eyes grow murkier. Heat pools between my legs at the sight.

Mmmm. Fuck. I want him.

I do wanna decorate, though…

I move on from the situation before I can give in to both of our desires. “Yeah, I wanna decorate.” I stick out my tongue as Seb shakes his head and laughs through the pain.

“You’re such a fucking tease.”

“That’s the point, mister.” I laugh like a gremlin as I finally grasp the bin I was reaching for and slide it out. Right away, I pop the lid off. “Hopefully these puppies still light up.”

“We can always go grab some more if they don’t.” I groan. “So much work though…”

Seb grabs a bundle of purple lights and gets up, plugging ‘em in nearby. Most of them turn on, but a few bulbs are out. Luckily I have some spares. “Yesss,” I whisper to myself as I fish out just enough for this to succeed.

Wanting my house to look more spooky on the outside than the inside, we head outdoors. While I wrap the fence lining my porch in black sparkly garland, Seb follows closely behind, twirling the lights around it. Next, we toss some fake spiderwebs on the windows, and hang up a prop bloody hand onto the door. A makeshift wreath, of sorts.

For a final touch, using a witch hat (god it feels weird being a real witch now and having one of these) I got a few Spirit’s Eves ago, I accessorize the scarecrow by my corn-to-be.

I don’t have anything for the Pumpkin Protector™, so I just use a spare piece of garland and fashion it like a nice boa around his neck. Seb suggested using some rope to tie a noose around him, but it felt too cruel. He made sure to make fun of me for my emotional attachment to the hay man.

This isn’t much, but it’s about as good as it’s gonna get, considering how bare the property is for now. When I have barns and stuff, it’ll be super fun to make those all fancy for the holidays!

Sitting on my stoop with some mugs of chamomile, Seb and I just sorta absorb the ambience we’ve created for a bit.

“Nice work, big guy.” Without lifting my gaze from the land, I toss up a fist to my right side for Seb to bump. He just engulfs my hand in his instead.

I bite his knuckles as he replies, “Could say the same for you, little lady.”

I release my hand from his fingers and lean on his shoulder, taking a deep breath. Inhaling the fresh, crisp air and the manly mix of Seb’s cigarette smoke and deodorant. Listening to the owls and whatnot hidden amongst the trees in the backwoods. Looking up to see that, above the pink and orange sunset, there are more fucking shooting stars.

I shouldn’t be surprised at this point… But still, they never fail to amaze me, in a freaky sorta way.

A weird aura of pure dread looms over me for a moment as I keep watching them. The fuck…?

Feeling the warmth of his lips on my forehead, I shift my gaze to my partner, pushing the unwanted negative feelings aside. He’s so goddamn gorgeous.

“Wanna get started on those movies?” he murmurs.

I bask in his face just a little longer before nodding. “Yeah, let’s get in there.”

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chidoroki · 1 year

Text

Hell’s Paradise EP12

aka: let’s go ladies! and senta

Damn dude, did ya have to stop Yuzuriha like that?

Oh? Maybe Hoko ain’t completely dead yet if he’s still talking with his head detached..?

“This island is a place for conduction experiments on life. You and all the others are simply prototypes produced as part of experiments. And the humans who come to this island are research materials.” Yeah, nope, we all gotta leave this place NOW.

“Tan is essential to us, but if an ordinary human consumes it, they turn into a tree.” I can’t be sure if he’s lying or not with this.

If there really is no elixir on this island, then Gabimaru is gonna lose his mind.

Okay, fairly impressed that we’re finally seeing some of Yuzuriha’s abilities like a substitution jutsu and her quick reflexes with kunai, but sadly I don’t think chopping off Mu Dan’s head is gonna kill him sweetie..

Hold up, Yuzuriha could see tao this whole time? Or qi as she calls it.

Oohh Senta finally drawing his sword, and to protect a criminal too.

Humans can’t learn this “distant strike” huh? Mu Dan needs a closer look at Chobei then.

Yuzuriha’s slime/poison ninjutsu was pretty lethal but still not good enough to fatally wound this guy.

Both are attacking Mu Dan in a rapid succession yet he’s dodging every single sword slash and slime whip that comes his way.

“The legends says tao comes from our tanden, travels through the body, and returns to the tanden once more. If you sever his tanden...” So Chobei was pretty accurate when he realized their weakness was in the stomach.

Sagiri might not have been strong enough to make that last slash count but the cut to Mu Dan’s face didn’t regenerate?

Yo these three are quite an interesting team and I’m impressed with how much they’re learning so quickly.

Oooh Yuzuriha tanking those hits and putting so much trust into Sagiri to finish off this monster.

“It was a gamble.” “But the two of us won.” If they actually managed to kill Mu Dan I’m gonna fangirl so hard. Also, I love both these women so much regardless.

Damn, Senta wanted to be an artist but due to family traditions he had to be a sword tester instead.

“I can hardly call myself an Asaemon when I admire a criminal.” “Not at all. I kind of.. It’s really only a little, but I kind of understand how you feel.” Ohhh my, the way the anime cut to Gabimaru in the middle of Sagiri’s response like that though.

Um, I think our boy pushed himself too hard last ep if he suddenly passed out.

Shit! I knew Mu Dan couldn’t have been dead! Aahh and Senta took the hit for Yuzuriha!

Wait a fucking minute, he’s sprouting flowers? He’s dead just like that??? Oh my god, we just got his backstory! That should’ve prepared me yet I was caught up in happy feelings!! Damnit!

SHION!!! Sweet lord I am so damn relieved see you step in and help our girls!

I dunno man, it’s a combination of many things but that could’ve been one of my favorite episodes yet.

#hell's paradise #episode reaction

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randomleafoflove · 2 years

Text

Wuxian is there under orders! He ain’t gonna intimidate the other sects’ disciples on purpose!

Zhuliu-shixiong crushed the core of the Nie cultivator who refused to hand in his saber.

“Obey Wēn Chao’s orders as long as they don’t endanger you,” had been shijie’s reluctant orders that morning.

Wuxian had been ordered to stand around and guard Wēn Chao and his latest mistress Wang Lingjiao, his wife’s maid. Apparently it had been encouraged by said wife, to deflect Wēn Chao’s attentions away from herself. Not that Wuxian blamed her. And it wasn’t like Wēn Ruohan would allow an official marriage or concubinage, meaning any children would be bastards, even less than shu-children and no competition for the one she was currently pregnant with.

But watching them was preferable to poor Zhuliu-shixiong’s fate, being used like an attack dog. And to not even get to be praised by shijie for doing a good job… Wēn Chao really was the worst.

He was doing his best to ignore Wēn Chao. He had to be present enough to respond to orders, nothing more. He didn’t have to appear threatening, he didn’t have to mock the hostage disciples, he hadn’t even strung his bow. And most of them knew what he could do with one after winning the mock hunt at the conference nearly a year earlier. Shénme was in its sheath by his waist tied closed with a peace knot* (that he could break with a simple slice of qi, but it was the symbolism of the thing, the meaning behind the message). He was friendly, even sympathetic to the captive disciples, and only there because of orders.

As the morning passed, Wuxian got bored and sat down on the edge, still keeping an eye on the other disciples. Wēn Chao tried to start something about it, but shut up quickly enough when Wuxian flicked one of the roasted melon seeds meant for snacking at his guan and told him the next one would aim for his eye. Then Wuxian was free to fiddle with the standard bow he’d been given. No way was he bringing his personal bow to something like this, it didn’t deserve the indignity.

The bow string was of rather poor quality and hadn’t been taken care of properly. Given that it was generally the cheapest part of the bow, Wuxian deduced that its care had been tactfully neglected to save time. It wasn’t even like it’d snap next month, but if not addressed, it’d be a nasty surprise to someone in the future.

Having experience with the spiritual thread needed to embroider qiankun pouches and protective arrays on cloth, he tried to feed qi to the string to no avail. But then, the thread had been silk, while the bow string was made of some other, coarser fiber, probably hemp? In the silk thread, one could pick out any number of individual strands and feed them qi, making sure that if one of the strands broke, there were still backups in place, while in the bow string, there were no long individual fibers. Every fiber would have to be fed qi individually, and that wasn’t something any sane person would do.

The higher quality bows did have bow strings made of silk, or even rawhide and sinew. All made with long, continuous fibers rather than the shorter fibers that compose hemp, linen and wool.

But… did the bow need a string? Or could he string it with pure qi?

Before he could examine the thought further, Wēn Chao had lunch brought out for himself and Wang Lingjiao. Time to get the sect heirs to shijie.

*I don’t know if peace knots/ties were a thing in ancient China, but neither were potatoes!

Wuxian is easily distracted!

#mo dao zu shi #grand master of demonic cultivation #wei wuxian #wen wuxian #wen chao #wen zhuliu #owe it all 'verse

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canary3d-obsessed · 4 years

Text

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 19, part one

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff) (Previous Post)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Chilling in Yiling

We start off with Wei Wuxian hanging out in a busy area of Yiling, which is a really dumb place to pick for a fugitive rendezvous.

He's wearing a fashionably distressed brown robe, and a woven disguise hat, that makes him invisible to his enemies until the moment he takes it off, kinda like the mask he wears in his second life. Unfortunately he is a polite boi so he takes off the disguise hat when he goes indoors to get a bite to eat, and promptly gets smacked down by Wen Zhuliu.

Xiao Zhan's stunt double is really good at this wire-pull+table-smash move; this is the second time Wei Wuxian goes crashing through a table (the first one being when Yu Ziyuan was beating him). This time he clutches his now core-less abdomen, in a move we're going to be seeing a lot of, going forward. Abdominal surgery is a bitch. OP can personally attest to this.

Wen Zhuliu provides some comic relief by looking at his hand in puzzlement; he clearly can tell Wei Wuxian has no golden core, but he isn't going to bother telling Wen Chao that.

Wen Chao gloats and steps on Wei Wuxian's hand while Wei Wuxian stares at his shoe and OP wonders, not for the first time, how they make rubberized zig-zag treads in Ancient Fantasy China.

(more after the cut)

This is all happening in the Yiling Wine house where Wei Wuxian will later share the most important meal of his life, the one in which A-Yuan lays claim to Lan Wangji, ultimately giving LWJ a reason to live long enough for Wei Wuxian to be resurrected. If that doesn’t deserve a good Yelp review, nothing does.

Dream a Little Dream of Me

While Wei Wuxian gets ready for his big whump scene, Jiang Cheng is dreaming, and looking absolutely breathtaking in this deceptively simple robe, that's made of a really complex fabric, that catches the light all over its surface. The lighting here is warm and romantic, giving everything a nostalgic glow.

He looks around the courtyard in his dream, and sees Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian come running in the gate carrying kites.

A child fetching a kite was the first casualty of the Wen attack on Lotus Pier, so this image may already be a little fraught for Jiang Cheng. In this initial image of his family, Jiang Cheng isn't present as a child, but then his junior self comes running up, to be warmly greeted by his mother.

Jiang Cheng's reaction to the scene playing out in front of him is not a simple one. We've seen him externally expressing his trauma at the fate of Lotus Pier and his family - his anger and his despair - and this dream shows us his private, interior trauma.

His body has been repaired by Wei Wuxian and the Wens, but his psyche has not.

This family interaction can't possibly be one that ever happened. It's too lively, too affectionate, too comfortable. The family he was part of as a young adult was cold, angry, cracked. Families don't change that much in 10 years, unless there's a major trauma that alters things in a fundamental way.

Even the glimpses we got of his childhood contradict this image. This warm group is not the family of "I sent your dogs away" or "wait in the cold until Jiang Cheng lets you in" or "I won't tell Clan Leader Jiang what happened" or "I'm only 11 but I'm in charge of soup and bedtime already"

Jiang Cheng smiles at the affection he sees enacted in front of him, but quickly moves to grief. When a toxic person dies, you don't just lose the relationship you had with them; you lose the hope for a better relationship. Perhaps Jiang Cheng has always imagined this version of his family; now nothing like it can ever come to be.

The pleasant scene vanishes into nightmare, as his mother starts bleeding from her eyes, ew. This is like Nie Mingjue when he qi deviates, but dream Yu Ziyuan is perfectly chill about it.

Jiang Cheng is not perfectly chill about it.

He turns around to see Lotus Pier burning. When he turns back, his family has been replaced with Wen Zhuliu, who is particularly gleeful as he reaches into Jiang Cheng's chest and melts his core.

Jiang Cheng wakes up on the mountain, alone (as far as he knows), and quickly stands and boots up his new golden core.

It's purple, because of course it is. King. The nightmare is gone and he smiles, maybe for the first time since the attack on the pier.

In a moment that is probably going to feel really embarrassing in hindsight, he kneels and bows toward the mountaintops to thank Baoshan Sanren, who is totally not there.

Wen Ning, on the other hand, is there, although we only see a little bit of his belt and robe as Jiang Cheng walks off to Yiling to meet his brother. This entire plotline walks a very weird line in which the audience is told just enough about what’s really happening to be confused, but not surprised.

Do the Whumpty Whump

After some initial roughing up, Wen Chao has his dudes stand Wei Wuxian up so he can question him without actually getting any information out of him at all. They take turns calling each other dogs, with Wei Wuxian saying that when Wen Chao talks he just hears a dog barking. (Of course if he really heard a dog barking he'd be terrified)

Then he says "isn't that right" to Wang Lingjiao, and Wen Chao gets super pissed; don't disrespect me to my woman.

He has his minions do a Nancy Kerrigan to Wei Wuxian's knee and then kick him for a while.

Then they kick the shit out of the camera operator.

Wen Chao is really not about fighting his own fights. He also keeps threatening to have Wen Zhuliu melt Wei Wuxian's core, and Wen Zhuliu keeps popping up his hand and then putting it back when Wen Chao changes his mind, which gets more hilarious every time I watch it. Feng Mingjing’s physical embodiment of Wen Zhuliu is endlessly entertaining, even in scenes where he has literally no lines.

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost

Wei Wuxian continues to goad Wen Chao, telling him that more torture is good because then he'll die with loads of resentment. He says that after he dies, he will come back as a ferocious ghost, which is...almost exactly what happens, except he stays alive for the ferocious part.

They go back and forth about the feasibility of this whole haunting plan. Wang Lingjiao is the voice of reason, for once, arguing the "ghosts aren't real and anyway fuck this guy" position.

Wen Chao thinks that he can’t haunt them because of cultivator security hardening procedures soul-calming rituals, but Wei Wuxian wasn't born into a gentry family so didn't have the anti-fierce-ghost treatment that other cultivators get.

This is the only time in the whole of the show when Wei Wuxian says, himself, that he's the son of a servant. He's using his reputation as a commoner to bolster his threats.

Wei Wuxian is working hard to put on a scary-guy persona, which works pretty well on Wang Lingjiao but not as much on the rest of the group. Three months from this time, however, he will have become the scary, vengeful creature he's currently spitballing about. He will also become way, way better at torture than the people who are currently mistreating him.

Wang Lingjiao and Wen Chao go through a whole sequence of ideas about what to do with him. For whatever reason Wang Lingjiao doesn't insist on chopping his arm off even though she's been craving it for ages.

She does gleefully burn his burn some more, causing it to bleed directly into the giant obvious bag he has hanging from his belt leaking resentful energy. Which the Wens do not take away or search.

Wen Chao, incidentally, starts calling him Wei Ying during this encounter, which is rude of him. Tch. Finally Wen Chao decides on a plan, which involves sword-flying effects so terrible that no soul can survive them.

Jiang Cheng is looking for Wei Wuxian in town, wearing a woven hat like Wei Wuxian’s. This...is not a disguise. If you want to be inconspicuous, maybe take that giant piece of silver off of your head.

He hears random people talking about the Wens being in town, and then he apparently looks up at the sky and sees the Wen dudes flying on their swords with Wei Wuxian, but it looks so ridiculous that Jiang Cheng's mind cannot process what he is seeing.

While they "fly," Wen Chao delivers a massive brick of exposition about the burial mounds, while Wei Wuxian looks genuinely frightened. The VFX of random, undifferentiated mountaintops and clouds do nothing to sell this menace, but the exposition is actually pretty good, creating a real sense of disturbance and threat.

Then they toss him in, and we go from the terrible VFX of sword flying to a visual effect that they mercifully did really well throughout the show - the black resentment smoke. This time it catches Wei Wuxian and holds him for a few moments, before dropping him the rest of the way to the ground. It also apparently pulls the turtle sword out of his belt bag, but we don't see that part.

They Say That Every Man Must Fall

Having seen Wei Wuxian at his lowest point (so far) and dream Jiang Cheng also in deep distress, we go to the Dafan Wen sibs, who have also reached a breaking point. Because they helped Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, they are traitors to their clan - unquestionably so - and are being punished for it, with Wen Ning having been tortured in addition to being locked up.

I see my light come shining From the west down to the east Any day now, any day now I shall be released

You know how Lan Xichen successfully argued for Wen-Clan-Member Meng Yao's life and status, because Meng Yao betrayed Wen Ruohan to help them? Even though Meng Yao killed a bunch of Nie guys? Wen Ning and Wen Qing also betrayed Wen Ruohan and helped the Sunshot Campaign, without killing a bunch of guys. They should have been treated as allies by the four other clans, but they got diddly.

I’ve Been Dead Once

We return to Wei Wuxian in the burial grounds, where he's lying on the ground surrounded by resentful energy and by strained, desperate voices calling his name. This whole sequence is remarkable, since it effectively communicates the horror he's experiencing, through little more than Xiao Zhan's face and good sound design.

I hang around dying to be tortured You'll never be alone in the bone orchard

The voices call four versions of his name. A variety of voices call him Wei Wuxian, Wei Gongzi, and Shixiong, which (I think) is what the young Jiang disciples would have called him. And in the midst of those voices, Lan Wangji's voice, low and calm, saying "Wei Ying." Upon hearing that Wei Wuxian starts to drag himself up.

For a show with definitely no zombies in it, they sure do use the visual language of zombie films for Wei Wuxian's first motions after hitting the ground. Starting with twitching fingers, then gradually pulling himself halfway up and crawling, lurching across the ground. Wei Wuxian comes slowly back to life, the very first member of his army of the dead.

He makes his way across the ground toward the floating turtle sword. Along the way he accidentally grabs the world's most bowlegged thigh bone; the lack of sunshine in the burial mounds puts the skeletons at risk for rickets. All of the skeletons in the show are exactly what you would expect from the practical effects team that made the demon hand and the animatronic dog.

The turtle sword is roiling with resentful energy, and is talking to Wei Wuxian as he crawls toward it, asking if he wants revenge. And what a coincidence, he DOES want revenge.

He grabs the sword and plunges it into the ground in an explosion of resentful energy. (Ground: why you gotta take it out on me?)

The sequence ends with the most compelling, ominous shot of Wei Wuxian's face...a new man.

Soundtrack: 1. I Shall Be Released by Bob Dylan 2. Beyond Belief by Elvis Costello

Writing Prompt: The Day Wei Wuxian arrived, from the POV of a Burial Mounds ghost.

#fytheuntamed #the untamed #the untamed gifs #the untamed meta #cql #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs #wei wuxian #burial mounds #jiang cheng

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worstloki · 4 years

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Wait...ATLA AU with Waterbender!Loki, and FireNation!Asgard. Mayhaps the spirits are more relevant in this AU, so people especially blessed by non-main/non-elemental spirits (so anyone other than La, Tui, Agni, uhhh Guain and Shu are the earth kingdom ones I think, and The Autumn Lord or air) can have some manipulation of Qi, but it works differently and is very, very rare, depending on the power level of the spirit, a bending blessing can last 1 generation without renewing it through more bending blood, or like 20 generations but it skips a few. So you can have Non-bender (but actually water bender Loki), or Insert Cannon Spirt that can give him some shape shifting blessed and maybe still Water bender but figures that that out waay later Loki. This ask is a little bit of a mess, but just Water Tribe Loki (who’s stuffed full of ‘water Tribe’s are barbaric’ propaganda) Living in Fire Nation Asgard.

because Loki, like me, simply must be the center of the universe:

- Asgard is the fire nation, obviously, and Odin has 3 kids: the fire-bending lightning-bending prodigy daughter, the spare fire-bender who is good but not as good who will strive to do what his father asks because Father simply must be right (even if he’ll realize later and switch sides), the non-bender who is the dishonorable family disgrace who freaks out and makes a run from home when he realizes he can water bend and neither of his parents can and realizes he was adopted? stolen?? and is maybe the avatar and oh frick Odin’s razing the other nations trying to find the avatar and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

- The “air nation” can be four temples/realms (svartalfheim, alfheim, vanaheim, muspelheim) which were wiped out on by the last Sozin’s comet, so the cycle moved on to the water nation (southern water tribe/jotunheim) (northern water tribe/nifleheim) and there ain’t no way he’s going there those people are barbaric monsters... aren’t they?

- he joins a Midgardian (earth-kingdom) circus road-trip that’s touring across the realms (yes, he juggles) that’s actually just the Avengers and maybe they’re all non-benders? maybe some of them are? None of them are too flashy but Loki’s trying to observe the mix of bending styles and pick up on bending techniques without making it too obvious that he’s not a non-bender

- cue Loki getting in touch with the Earth spirit and getting some neat blessing gifts with bending and now he can Earth bend too and suddenly BAM Thor attacks the circus and Loki water bends to defend his circus friends from his fire and they make eye contact and Loki is so scared/devastated at having to go up against Thor who is angry at Loki for leaving home and has been tasked to retrieve Loki - the water bending throws Thor off and in his confusion Loki freezes him to the ground and apologizes and runs for it.

- now the circus folks are all “um, dude??? the prince of the fire nation just attacked us and you didn’t tell us you could bend?? what’s up with that???” so he tells them he may or may not be Fire Nation Prince Loki and they all feel betrayed because “those colonialist jerks??” but Loki explains how he’s actually a water bender... and may also be an earth bender... and they’re all totally on-board with the avatar returning because it’s about time and the earth kingdom is on thin ice with them (ba sing se is Svartalfheim btw) and yes the reason we’re a mix of benders is because this circus is actually the white lotus the avengers and were touring the realms to low-key try finding the avatar who is supposed to be the saving grace and end of this war please

- now the circus folks are helping Loki meet all the other nation spirits (yes they venture into the terrifying Jotunheim and Nifleheim while searching for the spirit (”what do you mean you don’t know where the spirit is?? how’d you find the last ones??” “I only met one!! and it came to me!!” “well I guess we’re stuck searching everywhere in this frozen wasteland then”) and additionally he only gets to meet the spirit who grants him the bending after he accepts parts of himself and others (for example, the water bending was a result of him finally realizing that he didn’t stand a chance at the throne and it wasn’t until every shred of hope that Odin could one day be proud of him was gone that he was messing with the turtleduck pool and maybe saw the water spirit in the reflection and bent water) (the earth spirit comes to him when he accepts that there are people that will still be proud of him and he can move on with life because the circus folk like him for who he is and were excited when he successfully landed a bunch of throwing knives on targets and decided on that as an act he can do)

- The circus folk are also trying to teach Loki what little they know about bending btw since he’s admitted to copying and mixing their techniques together (he does all the bending in one style and yes it’s as chaotic for the opponent as that sounds because you can never tell what he’s going to bend) but there 100% has to be an episode where he steals the water-scroll

- Thor chases them down and Loki can bend water now?? and he’s just trying to bring Loki back like Odin asked him too and then one time he catches up to them and Loki panics and bends Earth too and Thor realizes and stops fighting and tells Loki to just go. Thor goes back to the Fire Nation and argues with Odin and calls him out because Loki is the avatar?? he’s from the water tribe?? and he feels betrayed and does the Zuko-Ozai-Black-Sun-Speech-Without-The-Black-Sun about how neither Loki nor Thor need to prove themselves and he won’t tear this family apart any further (Frigga is in fact an absent mother here btw) and then Thor goes and chases Loki down over weeks and saves him (blue mask hero?? except... feathered-helmet hero??) from Fire Nation soldiers who got their hands on him and the circus folk are NOT happy to have him around (air bending comes to Loki when he finally forgives Thor for being an arrogant self-righteous meanie to him for years because Hela is attacking them now and this is so much worse and Thor gets his eye burnt by Hela and Bruce isn’t that good but he can water-bend and heal a bit so it’s not too bad and he takes a moment to breathe and goes for a walk and BAM air spirit)

- they get attacked a few more times, loki tries getting over the trauma that is realizing the harm that the fire nation has done to all the other realms (and thor is learning this too by the way so when hela attacks you bet they try mentioning the damage and loss of culture the fire nation is resposible for even if she doesn’t care because she’s the heir she needs to be perfect because her two brothers weren’t and look what happened to them they were exiled and live with a blasphemous blend of peasants (and rich-kid-metal-bending-earth-nation-runaway-royalty tony (”WHAT?! SO THAT’S WHERE YOU GET THE MONEY?? I thought you were scamming people not selling cool metal toys and what are we doing that attracts all these royal snobs to us??”))

- Loki has a dream where the fire spirit tells him to keep searching and then one day Hela goes to burn Thor again and Loki just goes ahead and fire bends right back at her and hoo boy his fire isn’t blue but it sure is a lot and Thor does the “........YES!!!” thing and Hela gets stuck in a ring of fire while everyone else laughs and leaves and she can’t lose so watch as her “close friends” end up not being ty lee and mai but the valkyries (the kyoshi warriors are the Red Room Assassins in this AU and no it’s not a childhood torture house it’s just a mostly-women midgardian protection group (maybe Nat trained there so if the circus ever bumps into them she’ll know them? Jane should get to be one of them too even if she’s more into inventing... she and tony should Talk... maybe she and Pepper can beat him up and give him some Respect Women Juice the same way Sokka got his?))

- epic chase across the realms since Loki can bend all the elements now he just needs to figure out how the Avatar state works but until then the gaang is struggling to stay ahead of the Valkyries and get Loki trained up to take down Odin (Thor teaches Loki fire bending so that’s covered but no one else except Tony who is a metal-bending expert really learnt properly and Loki isn’t even a metal-bender)

- eventually Hela snaps from all the losses and as she becomes more unhinged Brun jumps sides and Hela kills off (or fires, if we’re staying PG) the rest of the Valkyries and now Brun is super guilty but she’s fighting to avenge them now

- blah blah blah Sozin’s comet day and Loki goes up against Odin with the help of the Avengers (maybe Thor can take down Hela with the help of Brun and Nat?) etc. etc.

- so anyways Loki takes Odin’s fire bending and that was the first time he’s entered the Avatar state and when everyone asks how it felt Loki goes “oh i’m not the avatar”

- “you’re WHAT” “not it” “but you JUST went into the avatar state and everything” “yeah and kyoshi gives good head pats but I’m not it” “but-- you mastered ALL THE ELEMENTS?!” “yeah because I was gifted them by the spirits” “but you needed to renew the cycle after it was gone from the world for so long--” “nah I think the spirits just liked me and wanted me to have it” “they... just... like... you...??” “yeah” “so you actually ARE a non-bender Brother??” “oh yeah definitely I was, but not anymore :)” “so you ARE the avatar”

- [twenty minutes later] “I just went into the avatar state and they just told me i’m not it” “...this happened while you were in the avatar state though???” *shrugs* “eh” “don’t SHRUG this off is there an actual avatar out there or no???” “maybe the real avatar was the friends we made along the way” “shouldn’t we go find them???” *cue everyone setting out on another grand quest to find the ~actual~ Avatar*

#ThisPostIsLongerThanMyLifeSpan #TPILTMLS #okay so Avatar!Loki AU but also not #just because #I hope you didn't expect a short response #I may have gone overboard #just a bit #just a small tad teensy weensy bit #now if only someone would write this #I love the idea of Loki being a water bender living in Fire Nation Asgard though #like... the drama #Loki would have a Thor-1-worthy breakdown upon finding out #he'd jump to conclusions and be right #and then when he actually meets another water bender it'll be BRUCE and he's NICE #loki's going to be getting whiplash #the entire show is going to be like Zuko ALone with the learning except Loki isn't alone

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oh-boy-me · 4 years

Text

Obey Me Devilgram Posts and Comments: Theme Park Thrills/Spooky Happenings

Realizing I can work on these while I watch the students do their work has rendered me unstoppable. What else am I going to do from 7:30 to 12:05 Tuesday through Friday? Work on fanfictions? No.

Finally we can TRULY catch up. Y’all remember this came out in like... July? Lmao.

日本語は私の第三言語ので、時々間違えます。日本語話者、間違いを見たら教えてください。 (Japanese is my third language, so I make mistakes sometimes. Japanese speakers, if you see a mistake, please tell me!)

And as always, we have the #devilgram rush tag and there’s a full transcript below the cut.

Are You There? Is Someone There?

Levi: Let go of your fear

Solomon: It’s a weakness of Mammon’s

Simeon: It’s a surprisingly classic trick

Luke: If it were me I wouldn’t be surprised!

#Ghosts #MidHunt

Jiangshi(1) Panic!?

Barbatos: Is there really something there, or not?

Levi: Uhh? I feel like I’m about to get an unreasonable request

Mammon: I ain’t scared!

Solomon: You’re looking interesting

#Ghosts #Jiangshi

A Test of Courage in the House of Lamentation!

Belphie: What a pain

Lucifer: Mammon’s too loud

Asmo: It looks fun over there

Barbatos: This is weighing on my mind

#Ghosts #ScareActors

Devil’s Coast Together With You

Diavolo: I’m looking forward to the souvenir

Beel: If Devilcat is there everyone will have a smile on their face

Simeon: This is a precious photo

Solomon: You(2) were able to see something rare

#DevilsCoast #CatEars

Beel’s Surprising Tastes?

Luke: It’s kind of cute?

Belphie: You’re buying merch again

Levi: Your oshis(3) together, I get it

Asmo: The steps are nice and simple too

#DevilCat #DevilsCoast

Water Panic!?(4)

Levi: As a shut-in this event has nothing to do with me

Lucifer: Don’t catch a cold

Belphie: What’s so fun about just getting wet?

Barbatos: Please return after drying off

#Soaked #DevilsCoast

1. A jiangshi is a Chinese hopping zombie, or sometimes hopping vampire. They have super stiff limbs that require them to hop since they can no longer bend them, and are usually shown wearing Qing garments with a sealing spell talisman stuck to their forehead. Some more modern depictions have them sucking blood, but it seems that they traditionally feed off of your qi. 2. In truth I don’t know who was able to see something rare lol. Maybe it was him. Maybe it was you. Maybe it was Asmo. Who knows. Not me. 3. So I THINK I got the jist of what 推しと推しか would mean (I scavenged the twitter tag a little bit), but the important thing is that he uses 推し (oshi), as in like “who’s your Obey Me oshi,” your favorite, your bias. I was going to actually translate it as “bias”, but I think that might be more kpop exclusive than I initially thought. Maybe I’m just out of touch with the otaku young’uns. 4. Why is everyone panic!?-ing

Masterpost

いる？いない？

レヴィ：びびりは放っておこうっとソロモン：マモンの弱みだなシメオン：意外と古典的な仕掛けだねルーク：ぼくなら驚かないし！＃幽霊　＃探索中

キョンシーパニック！？

バルバトス：本当にいるのか、いないのかレヴィ：む？無茶振りの予感がしたマモン：ビビってねぇ！ソロモン：面白い恰好をしているね＃幽霊　＃キョンシー

嘆きの館で肝試し！

ベルフェ：めんどくさいなルシファー：マモンがうるさいアスモ：そっち楽しそうバルバトス：これは気になりますね＃幽霊　＃脅かし役

あなたと一緒にデビルズコースト

ディアボロ：お土産楽しみにしているよベール：デビネコがいればみんな笑顔シメオン：これは貴重な写真ソロモン：珍しいものが見れたな＃デビルズコースト　＃猫耳

ベールの意外な趣味？

ルーク：まあまあ可愛いじゃないかベルフェ：またグッズ買ってるよレヴィ：推しと推しか、わかるアスモ：ステップも簡単でいいね＃デビネコ　＃デビルズコースト

ウォーターパニック！？

レヴィ：ひきこもりは無縁のイベントルシファー：風邪をひくなよベルフェ：濡れるだけでなにが楽しいの？バルバトス：乾いてから帰ってきてくださいね＃びしょ濡れ　＃デビルズコースト

でもポストを早い出せばこのコメントも考えなきゃ、あームリムリ

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sidecharactersdomatter · 29 days

Text

Thoughts I had during TGCF S2 EP 10

*furiously whispering* This was the most intense one of the season!

Previously on TGCF…

-The Gilded Banquet…

-An Le was its host

-Yong’An Palace

-The guards!

-That’s right it was Qianqiu’s birthday

-Those prejudiced Yong’An royals

-That explains the massacre, An Le faced a lot of discrimination from the kingdom’s nobility

-Qianqiu had a cousin

-Qianqiu’s mother

-Even Qianqiu’s dad was disappointed in his nephew

-He had loving parents

-The king and queen were the ones that were nice to him

-Those shady guards

-It’s all going down…

-Mengyou!

-With a red box!

-He hid it! I wonder why?

-Dang political troubles

-It reminded him of the banquet with his parents

-Oh no!

-It tied to the last episode

-Discussing the future of both people

-Qianqiu’s dad sounds a little like Macbeth from Gargoyles, which is weird since I got back into said fandom for this autumn

-Even Qianqiu’s dad had hidden prejudice

-There he is!

-Qianqiu, his mother, and An Le

-He smiled again

-End of flashback

-That cape swish!

-This isn’t as vibrant when I go up with my fam to visit relatives

-This also isn’t like that Ba Sing Se banquet from Atla book 2 Earth

-The green veins!

-There goes their disguises

-Oh no and a child was there!

-Qianqiu still hasn’t appeared

-The music stopped

-Qi Rong’s lackeys!

-Mengyou’s still looking

-He found him!

-I freaking love their dynamic

-Qianqiu wanted to give his mother a gift!

-Oh the jewelry artist was voiced by Jill Harris

-Aw man, they still have their great bond

-Look at all that verdant carnage!

-Oh no the mother noble and her son!

-Qianqiu’s dad had the same large sword!

-An Le’s crazed look

-He has a knife!

-Qianqiu’s mother was so selfless!

-That explains it!

-Both King and Queen were slain!

-He really was allied with Qi Rong

-Because no one’s breathing now!

-More trauma

-This donghua still doesn’t mess around with the body count

-You can even hear Qi Rong’s laughter through An Le

-There go the lackeys

-It’s too late Fang Xin

-He wanted revenge as his last breath

-He ended Qianqiu’s father!

-Unpopular opinion, the Fang Xin arc was basically the “Avatar Day” episode, but done respectfully and came out compelling

-Even the noblewoman’s son

-That explained it

-Damn Qi Rong still rubbed salt in the wound

-Technically it was both of your lives

-Qi Rong’s offensive gesture

-QR was responsible for failing to kidnap Qianqiu

-That revelation

-Dang Brandon Loera delivered!

-He confessed!

-He got sliced in Twain

-And he survived!

-Dragging him by the braid

-That ain’t curry and I don’t even want any of it

-He has melted

-That’s going to be tedious

-There goes the cauldron and emptied for good

-LQQ stills wants round 2

-This reaction’s a wrap ‘cause Oh my Gods Howard Wang freaking ate it up like a 5 star full Dim Sum Course and left! No! Crumbs!

Only 2 episodes left to go! This ep shot me in the feels!

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vroomian · 4 years

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okay so i had the thought: what would my non-yrz ocs be doing in the mdzs universe? and then the idea just kinda ate my brain for a while.

Hana - youngest child of wen ruohan, the only daughter, and the heir. she’s wrh’s pride and joy, the child everyone has to measure up to. she surpassed wen xu by age ten. wen chao wasn’t even an afterthought. she’s as stupidly competent at cultivation as she is at everything else. ambivalent to her family and sect, doesn’t even care enough to hate them. super fucking detached, because she didn’t even have kise to ground her in this life. instead, she has i wzl. even though she doesn’t need protection, she’s still the heir, the future of the wen. wzl is hana’s only human connection among the wens. yikes. stabs wrh to death when he starts going evil overlord. feels nothing about it -- she just thought a war would be annoying. wzl says nothing, because -- what can he say? she’s the sect leader now. almost certainly ends up with wen qing, as the only one who’s not high keyed terrified of her. low key terrified, sure! hana will take what she can get. (then time passes and -- it’s hard to be terrified when you’re furious at your stupid sect leader b/c hana is just the fucking worst patient)(hana worries wen qing. it’s like she doesn’t care if she lives or dies). Name: Wen Hui (to destroy by fire, lol subtle wrh), courtesy name Ronghua (glory and splendor, also hua is the same character for flower!)(she gets a courtesy name because she’s not a Disappointment like her brothers)

Masae - he’s Jiang (possibly younger brother of Jfm??) for five minuets before he gets bored and wanders off. hailed as a divine healer. possibly a demonic cultivator? really fucking good at talismans. Ue is a cursed blade, or a spirit parasite that attached masae and got attached emotionally masae never bothered to like. get rid of it. possibly they still eat people? maybe a venom type situation?? anyway, i know that one day masae trips over xue yang and is charmed when nine year old xue yang threatens to stab him to death in increasingly creative ways. adorable. he basically kidnaps xue yang to be his son/disciple (does xue yang end up more well adjusted or less??? i’ll leave that up to you). also very fond of meng yao when they meet, b/c of course he is. still marries this world version of aizen perhaps??? Name: Jiang Zhen (blessing), courtesy name Baituo (to cast off (old ideas))

Oc!Kiba - Jin!!!!! Not main line, but i feel like he’d be related to jin zixun b/c kiba can’t catch a break tbh. adjusts slightly better to being among the snakes of koi tower than the dogs of the inuzuka. he’s an orphan. a nobody. there’s like, three people who know his name among the jin. He’s a master of anything related to going unnoticed or information gathering. by the time he’s twelve madame jin has payed him to slip impotence drugs into jin guangshan’s cup for a year straight and he never gets caught. he hears and sees pretty much everything, because he’s so low-key. has dirt on e v e r y o n e. yes, even you. blackmail is a beautiful thing. sometime in the future, he might defect? or take over the sect via puppet master strings?? honor is for suckers. very nervous and quiet as a kid, but grows into the living version of that one song line ‘if your boyfriend says he’s got beef, tell him i’m a vegitarian and i ain’t fucking scared of him’ real quick. it takes meng yao three full years to even notice that kiba is not what he seems. probably assassinates jqs and doesn’t feel bad about it.(you know what? yrz would kill to have kiba’s super power of invisibility. the world is so unfair) Name: Jin Wu (fog/mist/vapor), courtesy name Yinmo (to vanish gradually/ to disappear/ to fade out). (doesn’t get the zi character b/c he’s not mainline jin)

Jeong - tbh, i had a tough time with this one. I think they probably started off with Baoshan Sanren, but came down the mountain, and joined the Nie after a rough few years among the common people. the Nie creed of facing evil and protecting the innocent would appeal to them the most. They joined the sect a few years before Papa Nie qi deviated. when he did deviate, they killed him so nmj wouldn’t have too. nmj is grateful, but it also takes him years to fully forgive them. in ‘penance’ jeong became nhs’s personal guard because they had previous experience body guarding (the whole king killer thing still, uh. it happened). also it takes a burden off nmj’s shoulders to know that one of the most powerful people in the sect is watching over his little brother. (there may have been a few attempts on nhs’s life before this by the wen). nhs is thrilled by this, b/c jeong is notoriously easy going when they’re not in training mode, and all children naturally love jeong. really fucking sturdy, even for a cultivator. might actually be immortal by this point. not quite human? might’ve known cangse sanren, depending how long they were on the mountain. Name: Chénfú (ebb and flow, or rise and fall, or sinking and floating) Sanren (b/c if wwx’s mom can use the name so can jeong).(nhs and all the nie kids call them Renren lol).

#yall mind if i just #word vomit #vrrm vrrm #vrrm writes #bbp #fuf #idwtlotm #hh #crossover town #too many ideas!!

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jiang-xinfei · 3 years

Text

Ok new fanfic Idea because of tumbler and honestly my mind is filled with nothing but plot but I cant write them😀cause I have no fcking motivation which sucks but anyways

So it nie huaisang cause why not? Ok first of all no one knew this but nie huaisang was studying demonic cultivation under Wei wuixian after and during the war while his dage wasn't there cause he kinda? Accidentally found it while he was being a sneaky little bitch and went to go and look for there sect scripts in his brothers room and found the secret about there sects saber. He knew smt was wrong with there sabers ever since he was a kid and saw them qi devitate and there strong but he didn't expect it to be this bad!!! Really! So when he found it he was determined to find a way to make it safe cause his pretty sure his dage wouldn't want to even change or bend down there Cultivation so he tries to learn and find a way using his knowledge in cloud recess he might not look like it but really his a genius his mind works the same as Meng Yao when it comes to absorbing knowledge but more he'll just glance at it once and he'll remember it not to mention once he learns/read smt he can master it in a few mins but he lies and puts up a facade as an idle young master who loves arts I mean cmon! Ik his throwing away his talent and all and he doesn't deserve it but who would want to put effort on smt he clearly doesn't need to?? No Offense on those who puts effort tho but really? If he can work smart and not hard he'd gladly take it and be idle and if push comes to serve then he'll be competent and use it only in the shadows tho like his mom did i mean cmon if he can't use his information net work that covers there whole continent to his wants then that's just stupid after all his mother only gave him 1/3 of what has to come in there info net works now but yea anyways so he looks for a way but couldn't find one unless he learns demonic cultivation he was scared at first ofc but after hearing through his information net work about wei-xiong he does it I mean what worse couldve happen? And besides his almost the same like Wei wuixian anyways just more practical and logical and also not a sacrificing idiot so he learns until he got caught by Wei wuixian really the only one who can see through his facade is Wei wuixian but his ok with it since he trusts him there like brothers so he knows so he tells Wei wuixian about it and why his learning demonic cultivation with some scolding on him and the next Wei wuixian said that he'll help and teach him to be safe and that's a command cause of he doesn't he'll tell his dage which is really scary especially when it comes through Wei xiongs mouth and say he will do it he will actually do it and if his learning under the famous yilling patriarch then it's a win win situation and a credit for his dear teacher saying he can't use the saber ever but at the same time is needed smt to protect himself his wonderful beloved teacher went and made a battle fan just for him and he adored it and there a lot of battle fans including the full and detailed blue print of each just incase they can't see each other anymore cause knowing the cultivation world being hypocrites it's only a matter of time so Wei wuixian made other battle fans but his favorite are the 7 element ones really he fcking loved those one was a powerful resentment battle fan that has literally everything about evil and bad it also converts resentment and use it as he pleases without getting hurt and that's his main weapon on using demonic arts

Next was a spiritual or light battle fan that can reshape it self and mask itself so no one knows it's there just incase to protect himself and converts spiritual energy into pure light/spiritual energy and he can release and use it to his will

Next were the wind/green water/blue fire/red and earth/brown fans that he can use to simply fcking control the elements like wtf?? That epic!!!!

And lastly his most favorite his spatial fan or that's what he calls it can use all elements spiritual and resentment energy to bend to his will honestly it's a mix of all his favorite six fans into one and he loved it not to mention it's also like a giquin pouch with endless storage so its better😙 and his core got rapidly fast and since he was already surrounded by resentment of dead animals he was pretty much adapt to it and it was fast but since he didn't want anyone to know masked his golden core to feel and look like the same golden core he had before with the help of Wei Xiong ofc until he mastered it,

and yea fast forward he learns demonic cultivation until Wei wuixian was deemed as a villain and he couldn't see him so instead he goes to him secretly and helps the only problem is that when everything turns upside down and Wei xiongs dead and they scavaged his cave really it broked his heart Into shatters especially when he couldn't stop his brother who lied to him and he only knew that the deed was done after and when he went there? It was everything after they took everything... That's what they thought tho he saw lan wangji had gone down with the kid and he was actually relieved that the kid ayuan who calls him. San-ge was alive and was taken care of the person who loved Wei Xiong so concluding that a yuan was fine and was gone he went to the cave that looked empty really tho it wasn't he went through there secret door where if only u use demonic cultivation and has been recognized as one of the owners of it can go in and open it so he went in took all the notes battle fans talismans arrays manuals everything that Wei Xiong created for him and other lessons that he couldn't take under him because of Circumancetances and put it into the fan cause his pretty sure ever since his brother came back he wasn't his brother anymore and his sure sooner or later he'd be trap inside of there sect so got everything and broke the door to never be open again

Fast forward about him learning about lan wangjis punishment he really lost all hope of the cultivation world at that and then his brother died by the hands of his sworn brother he lost all of it after knowing about it took all the yin iron shard they ever had every last piece of it including the one Jin guangyao was making(because of Wei Xiongs lessons his the only other one besides wwx that can control this damned thing)killed Jin guangyao burst into lan wangjis seclusion in secret told him about everything and that they can have a chance of going back to where everything started because he finished the time travelling array that Wei Xiong created and said " lan wangji Xiong I'll give u time to think about this until tmr at 10pm if u don't come then I'll go alone ik this hard on u but really if u don't want to then I won't force u and if ur asking whether Wei Xiong will be there? I'm not quite sure but I'm pretty sure I could bring back his memories but I'd rather not especially after everything he suffered I'm not gonna bring the person who was like a brother to me if it prevents him from ever to know of his suffering unless smt happened to force it..."

He left and waited for lan wangji and lan wangji came and they went to burial Mounds placed all the Stygian iron and draw the array they were allowed to bring one thing each so lan wangji brought his guqin the one they found on lan yis cave while masking it as wangji cause really it was also wangji at the same time cause fortunately huaisang to his surprised finished the invention Wei Ying made on merging spiritual weapons so he merge it before they got here nie huaisang bought his spatial fan who has almost everything inside it really and then one by one the Stygian iron broke and the array lighted up they went inside and everything went black... Then they woke up on there rooms

Nie huaisang in his room in Qing he and lan wangji in jingshi in there teenage bodies...

End!

Welp u guys can take this idea cause I'm pretty sure I ain't finishing this up so u guys can continue this if u want😝😘😘

#nie huaisang

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edgeofmyniall · 4 years

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nine: take you home

storypage | playlist | taglist | thoughts

“I wanna take you home and I ain't talkin' about a two mile ride back to my place. Oh, this ain't the same old song about two hearts hooking up one and done, on a Friday. No boy, I'm talking about a map-dot town, nobody knows that'll tell you everything you need to know about me and why I talk like I do and why I'm falling for you and why I take it slow. I wanna take you home...”

A/N: thank you so much for following me on this journey of telling Ginger’s and Niall’s story! i’m glad they are bringing you joy and hopefully making realize to have courage to follow your heart. big love to everyone who comments, asks, reblogs, and likes each chapter. i see you. thank you.

TWO WEEKS LATER

GInger was mad.

After two weeks, things had gone back to normal...sort of.

Stella was still hoarding Ginger’s house and phone. Ginger was still working from home due to “cutbacks” at the office. In reality, the higher ups liked the fact that Ginger could get her job done from outside the brick and mortar building. And if Ginger was being honest, it was a little freeing, but she desperately missed Sheila and had set up a meeting with her manager for a bit of negotiation.

But in this moment, Ginger was pissed. She was currently losing to Niall at her all-time favorite game: Scrabble.

Niall had just scored thirty-one points for a two letter word and Ginger was not having it.

“QI is not a word, damnit!” She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and let her anger stew.

“Says it right here in your dictionary,” Niall held up the thick pocket dictionary and pointed to the word QI. “Just playing by the rules.” He was smiling, trying to contain his fit of laughter bubbling in his abdomen.

“Well…” Ginger was thinking of anyway for that word not to be on the board because it wasn’t fair. It was cheating. “Well… your placement is bullshit. It’s wrong,” Ginger leaned up to the table and rearranged her seven letters once again. She couldn’t believe she was losing.

“It’s totally fair, Gin! Triple letter!” Niall picks up the Q letter once again to show Ginger that it was in fact still there and his word was in fact legal. “You’re just a sore loser.” If steam coming out of ears was a thing, Ginger would be a steamboat. Her face and neck were red and he knew she was flustered. Ginger could not lose, they both knew this, and yet, Niall kept smiling at his losing girlfriend and couldn’t wait for the imaginative argument to ensue.

“Shut your face, Horan.” Ginger mumbled before putting down “U-I-Z” next to Niall’s Q. She began counting on her fingers how many points she had just scored.

“Twenty-two,” Niall looks up at Ginger, his brow scrunched as his smile is still plastered on his face.

“How do you do that?” Ginger asks as she adds the new number to her total answer. She was in charge of keeping up with both and currently, she was losing by a total of twelve points. The new sums made Ginger want to quit the game and go to bed. She never loses.

“I dunno, I just do. Kinda like how you never lose?” Ginger looked up at Niall with murder written in her eyes. If she could reach across the dinner table and wrap her hands around that arrogant neck of Niall’s and apply slight pressure- just enough to make him see black spots and to get him to listen- she would be fine. But that’s called premeditated murder and Ginger didn’t not want to go to prison over a Scrabble game.

“Also like how you’re not getting any tonight…” Ginger casually says as Niall is leaned over the board. He pauses before placing an unknown tile on the board and Ginger is trying to see what he’s trying to spell. “Please use American spelling…”

“You wouldn’t…” Niall breathes. He hasn’t moved a muscle since Ginger’s threat left her mouth.

“Play your word or forfeit, Niall.”

“Ginger…”

“You’re fucking with me…” Niall places the tile, but his eyes are still on Ginger. She hasn’t broken character and he’s praying he is calling her bluff.

“Not tonight I’m not…” She wanted to laugh, but she wasn’t going to lose at this game too. Niall pushes the board off the table causing Ginger to scream and he sits back into his chair and pouts.

“You’re a fuckin’ sore loser. Remind me to never play you again.” Niall huffs before standing up. He looks down at Ginger who is laughing into her hand. “You made me make a mess. You’re a...butthead.”

Ginger smiled as she crouched down to pick up the game board and wooden letters. She had won in a way, and when asked, she could say that she had never been beaten at Scrabble.

“So…” Niall is leaning against the wall of the dining room. He carefully looks at his nails before speaking again. “Remember in Hawaii when you said you wanted to go home?”

“Yeah,” Ginger answers, still not looking up from the few tiles left to pick up.

“You weren’t talkin’ ‘bout LA, were ya?” Niall quirks a brow up as he feels his heart beat faster.

“Um, not exactly,” Ginger straightens up and places the game back on the table. Niall was up to something...again. “What are you up to?”

“I got Tara to book me jet to Atlanta in three days, I think.” Ginger, while she wasn’t doing anything, stopped where she was. Her body was in shock. She was going home? With Niall? After all these years of school and work, Ginger may have gone back to Georgia once or twice a year. Travel was bad around the holidays and while she enjoyed spending the much needed time together, it was the plane ride to and from that kept her from visiting as much.

“I want to meet your parents, Gin.”

She had gone into complete shock. No guy wanted to meet Ginger’s parents. They usually had already ran by the time Ginger had gotten that far into the relationship, and yet here with Niall, he had made all the arrangements to do so.

“Are you sure?” Ginger asks, finally able to speak. She steps towards Niall and a smile plasters across his face. “They’ll love you….but what about-”

“Don’t worry about it, petal. I’m boyishly charming, remember?” The excitement of going home finally hit Ginger. She wraps her arms around Niall’s neck and kisses him, deep and long. Their tongues roll against one another and she feels butterflies floating around her stomach.

“You never cease to amaze me, Ni. I’ve got to call my mom,” Ginger pulls away and grabs her phone off the table. Her fingers begin to tap the number in, but she stops as she notices Niall walking away.

“Hey, butthead!” Ginger calls out. Niall’s head pops around the corner.

“If you’re renting a vehicle, make sure it’s a four-wheel drive.”

Niall nods as Ginger puts the phone up to her ear, a smile painted across her freckled face. He did that. He made her happy. He finally heads to the bathroom when he hears “Hey mama, guess what…”

Niall is a simple man. He likes what he likes and he dislikes what annoys him, and at this very moment what was truly annoying him was Ginger’s stuff scattered around the bathroom. He keeps his bathroom neat, everything in its place or he used to until Ginger temporarily moved in. Now instead of a neat and organized sink, there was red hair on the floor, toothpaste stains on Ginger’s toothbrush, and face washes that never worked on her. The toilet now had a decoration of tampons on the tank lid and the shower was overrun by shampoos and conditioners alike. And even though it gave him the slightest bit of anxiety, he was happy.

~~~~~~~

“You ready?” Niall asks as the jet takes off. His stomach always did a thing when the plane first took off and one would be used to it by now seeing how he’s flown across the world multiple times, but it hadn’t and he squeezes the arm rest until the stewardess peeks her head out and lets them know they’re safe for unbuckling.

“You know…” Ginger says, pulling Niall out of his flight panic. She’s on her knees in front of him. There’s a twinkle in her eyes and seduction in her voice. “I never really thanked you for doing this.” Her fingers walk up his leg and his heart stops as he swallows hard. He rest his head in between his thumb and forefinger as he looks down at the woman drives him crazy in lust.

Ginger’s fingers stop at the brim of his pants. She pops the button through the hole and giggles to herself as she slowly unzips the zipper of Niall’s pants. She looks up at him, slightly biting her lip, as her hand trails up his torso only to grab a fist full of brown locks to pull him down to meet her eager lips.

They were soft and plump and tasted like watermelon. Her tongue overpowered his and he let the moan he had been building up collapse into her mouth, and she moaned back. She wanted him to touch her, to flick her nipples with his tongue, to have his calloused fingers rub against her clit. But what she wanted more than ever was to take Niall deep into her mouth. Her free hand slipped under the elastic of Niall’s briefs and began to tug against the semi-harden dick.

Ginger let go of their kiss and let the grasp go from Niall’s hardened cock long enough to pull his pants down. Ginger smiled as she thought of Niall grasping the back of her head to push her down further inside her mouth and like the thought had floated through the air, Niall’s dick twitched.

Ginger’s tongue slid up the shaft, teasing the frenulum with the flicking of her tongue, only to hear the raspy “oh fuck” come from Niall. Her lips engulf his tip and the wet, warm sensation drove Niall crazy. He wanted to fuck her mouth, to cum down her throat. The extra saliva that fell from her mouth was used a makeshift lubricant for her hand. Ginger pushed her mouth down Niall’s stiffened dick, her tongue wagging against the skin. She bobbed her head up and down creating her own rhythm, nice and slow, along with her hand. Niall’s hand rested against the back of her head as she continuously licked his dick.

Her warm mouth hollowed out as she took in the wrinkled skin of his balls. Flicking her tongue between the two testicles, she began to slightly suck one of them and playfully flicked both of them with her wet tongue. She herself felt herself become wet at the raspy voice calling out her name. She wanted to ride him until they landed. She wanted him inside her until they couldn’t take it anymore.

Niall’s dick twitched again and Ginger found her jaw hurting slightly. Her hand continuously pumped the soft pink skin. Ginger, after the several weeks of being together, had not gotten used to his thickness. She stretched her mouth and began to suck harder against his cock. Her tongue worked feverishly along the shaft and as she dipped her head up and down, Niall began to swear in Galeic.

Ginger pushed her mouth down further and felt the tip of Niall’s cock hit the back of her throat. She gagged and tears came to her eyes as she pumped her mouth against him. His dick was wet from her mouth and he felt his body become heavy as his stomach wind up, like spring coiling tightly as Ginger looked up at him.

Her pussy ached to be touched when she saw Niall breathless. His eyes were screwed shut and his brow furrowed. He was on the verge of coming undone. He raked his fingers in Ginger’s hair and thrusted his hips in her face, pushing his dick further inside her mouth. “Jesus Christ...fuck….Ginger…” The small tears stained her face as Niall came in her mouth. The small spurts tasted salty and it made Ginger gag further. She wanted to swallow just to get the taste out her mouth. Letting Niall fall out of her mouth, Ginger smiled as she swallowed down his undoing.

“You’re welcome.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Niall, have you ever driven on a dirt road before?” Ginger sat in the passenger seat of the jeep as Niall drove down the interstate. “The irrigation systems will be going by the time we get there.”

“Yes,” Niall answers, not quite sure if he had or hasn’t. He couldn’t really remember any dirt roads in his life.

“Dirt driveways don’t count.” Ginger laughs and Niall begins to thumb the steerwheel. “At least let me drive when we get to town.”

~~~~~

Laurel Springs hadn’t changed in the eight years since Ginger left. It still had the mom and pop shops downtown along with the theatre that had been built in the early thirties to help the local economy while the war was going on. The cobblestone streets that surround the library still needed replacing, but the one thing that Ginger could point out that changed was the amount of churches had grown.

“We’re in the Bible belt, what do you expect?” Ginger said as Niall sighed after the fifth church she pointed out.

“I could spit and hit two…” Ginger rolled her eyes and followed the four lane state road that led out to her family’s farm. It was at a stoplight on the edge of town that Ginger was honked at. Niall, confused, turned around to see nothing in his rear view mirror. “What the-”

“Hey Ginger!” a southern drawl pulled Niall to the driver side. It was a small framed brunette woman frantically waving at the two of them. “When did you get to town?”

“Just now,” Ginger called out over the window. It was Alex, Ginger’s high school best friend. They had grown apart their senior year of high school, but Ginger still very much cared for Alex. “Going to visit my parents.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Is that your boyfriend?” Niall was leaning over and he found himself waving at the woman.

“He seems to think so.” Ginger and Alex laugh as the light turns green.

“Love to catch up while you’re in town. Love you, baby girl.” Alex speeds off and when Ginger rolls the window up, Niall is beyond confused. Ginger hits the gas and answers all of Niall’s unspoken questions.

“That was Alex. My best friend from school. Also my ex-girlfriend.” Ginger side eyes Niall as he nearly chokes on his own spit.

“Ex-girlfriend? I didn’t…”

“It was a one time thing. Most girls experiment in college, but I had already been there when I was in high school. She was after John Doe…” Niall shakes his head like he understands, but the further south they drive, the little he knows about Ginger.

“Why do people keep waving? Do you know everyone in this town?” Niall asks as the fifth person that passes them waves.

“No,” Ginger giggles, “it’s just something us southern people do.”

The dirt road that leads to the Blake Farm was just off the state road. It was a narrow red road that was walled by fields on either side. The overhanging metal irrigation system was currently watering both sides of the fields and the cold water had hit the vehicle.

The overgrown grass the ditches sprang to life as Ginger drove down the road. She was humming to the music that was playing and Niall knew this was Ginger’s happiness. The red barn at the end of the road had come into sight causing Ginger to brake.

“My parents… can be a little overbearing, but they come from a good place. Just let me do the talking.”

“You mean word vomiting?”

“Shut up.”

~~~~~~

The two story brick home was a lot smaller than Niall imagined, but the smell of fresh cut grass was exactly how Ginger described their farm. Penny’s bright colored flowers were planted in her small garden in the front, and the vegetable garden that Jack insisted on having was in the back. The small front porch was white with a large dog barking in the glass door.

“It’s Texas, our German shepherd.” Ginger smiled as Niall unloaded the car. He somehow felt like he was in hillbilly hell.

When the two had gotten their luggage from the Jeep, the glass door swung open and Texas bolted to the missing family member. Texas whined and cried as she found her best friend home again. Ginger let the dog lick her face and jump on her as she tried to hug and pet her companion. It was oblivious to Texas that there was a stranger standing next to Ginger.

“Texas, get in here. Stop harassing the neighborhood,” Jack called out, but Texas didn’t listen. It was when Ginger told her to sit that she finally submitted.

“Hold your hand out, and tell her that she’s a good girl,” Ginger coaxed Niall. He was half afraid that the dog would reject him and he would no longer be able to play guitar, but when the soft words came from his mouth and when he brushed the soft brown and black fur, Texas was his friend.

“Well, it’s about time you showed up,” Jack was wrapping his arms around his daughter when Niall straightened up. “Haven’t seen you since two Christmases ago. Your mother she’s…”

“Worried sick,” the pair said together. They began to chat to make up for old times, as if they hardly speak to each other. It was the small clearing of Niall’s throat that broke their conversation.

“This is Niall, dad. He’s…” Ginger lost her words and the awkward silence of judgement felt heavy on her shoulders.

“Aren’t you that boy who was in the English band? The one that Ginger was obsessed with? What were they called? One Direction?”

“Obsessed?” Niall quirked a brow up at Ginger before offering his hand to the aging man. “Niall Horan sir, and yes that’s me.”

“You don’t sound English. I’ll tell you what those news people always lie.”

“Dad, he’s Irish,but can we go inside? We’ve been traveling all day and I want to see mom before supper.” Jack laughed and took Ginger’s luggage. She stepped inside her childhood home and felt the happiest she had been since before leaving.

Niall felt a small slap on the back as Jack and Niall were walking up the stairs. “I hope you feel like you’re home. Ginger’s a good girl, she’s been through a lot, and-”

“Sir,” Niall cut off Jack, his shoulder aching from Ginger’s bag. “Your daughter is the best person I’ve ever met.”

“Did you rehearse that?” Jack points a finger at Niall with a toothy grin.

“Yes sir, I did,” And the two laugh before walking inside of the house. The anxiety he had built up on the way over washed away as he saw Penny and Ginger hugging in the living room.

~~~~~~~ “Your parents,” Niall started to say as he closed the door behind him. They had spent the last two hours talking about Niall’s career and getting to know the man that had swept their little girl off their feet. “Are amazing. They really care about you.” It was the first time that Niall had felt anxiety free. But when he closed the door, he had a chance to get to know the Ginger he never knew.

Trophies of rec softball and soccer lined the walls on shelves and pictures taped on the far right side of the room. A single poster of Niall’s former band mates was taped on the side of Ginger’s dresser. And he smiled at the thought of a seventeen year old Ginger listening to their debut album.

“So who was your favorite?” Niall asks as he looks at himself in the poster. He had grown up since that picture was taken in 2011.

“Don’t even…” Ginger sighed from embarrassment. “I was not obsessed.”

“You’re living every fanfiction dream right now. Lucky you…” Niall turned with a devilish look on his face. Black eyes lingering on GInger make a shiver drop through her spine.

“Lucky me,” Ginger breathes in. The aroma of Niall’s familiar scent takes over her. She wants him more than she did on the plane. Niall takes Ginger’s chin in between his fingers and whispers Ginger’s wish.

“Sit on my face.”

~~~~~

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