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sketchfanda · 1 year ago

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Chestnut Stud across the Multiverse:Amazon Crown

Krillin checked his watch as he waited under the shade of a large tree, waiting for his appointment. It was more or less a tradition he maintained ever since that period of time when he trained for the 23rd world martial arts tournament, particularly around the point he and yamcha,then and chiaotzu went their sewerage ways. Naturally he’d told 18 about this little annual routine of his,to which his ever hot wife understood and more than encouraged him. All she asked for in return as always for every explicit, juicy detail to which he gave a deadpan glance up at the capsule corp camera drone hovering uo around in stealth mode. His attention caught as he saw some bushes rustling and the sound of foot steps as a figure emerged from the nearby forest. Suffice to say if you were to see this person now you’d think only one thing. She was drop dead fucking gorgeous!! The definition of the term of amazonian beauty,as she had the fsce of a supermodel, the curves of a pornstar and the glorious physique of a muscle goddess. Her sculpted arms effortlessly hauling a massive twin-headed axe as her armoured plated leather boots moved with a graceful powerful stride. Her legs exquisite tree trunks of powerful meat with those wonderful hips and thick,juicy thighs sporting exotic tribal tattoos and a flowing mane of platinum blonde hair. Her exquisite physique highlighted and showed off by a scalemail pattern two piece bikini,overall she had the look and aura of someone out of s fantasy adventure novel. Krillin had never quite gotten a name from her, she omly ever seemed to prefer being called by her job title as the bombshell looked his way, noticing him and cracking a soft small smile on her serious yet pretty face. “On time as ever,aren’t we little man? Then again,who am I kidding,like you ever miss this…” The stunner quipped as the compact fighter and off duty cop clad in his turtle school gi as he tightened the blue belt around his waist.

The shortstack martial artist walked behind the woman, eyes glued to her backside as he couldn’t resist drinking in the view. Her powerful back and shoulder muscles flexing snd her bubbly,juicy meaty thing clad ass jiggling and shaking with every step as the blonde babe shot a glance over at him his way. A catlike hum and smile on her face as she blew him a kiss, making him blush. “W-well You know me Amazon, I like to be punctual…” he humbly replied in good humour and nature, blushing as Amazon,as she was known,giggled cute and melodically. Walking with a distinct sway and sashay to her hips. Her meaty thighs rubbing together as she flexed and clapped her booty cheeks. The pair walking deep into lush jungl like greenery around them. A labyrinth of trees, vines and bushes with the odd boulders and ruins here and there. Every year since thst time training for the 3 years until the next tournament Krillin would meet up with Amazon on this,the very date they first met. It was by chance during his wandering snd travelling the world when he had come upon this muscle mountain woman facing a hoard of wild vicious dinosaurs and helped her out of a messy jam. The warrior woman more than appreciated the help snd feeling indebted to Krillin, decided to help him out on his training journey by having him tag along with her in some quests rounding up bandits and hunting down beasts and monsters to slay for food and money. But for the thicc swole work of art who sensually licked her lips at the short ming, this day of the year was something she looked forward to for a different reason. Soon as they came to a nice shaded clearing, the sunlight shining through the mesh nest of leaves snd branches and making the nearby waterfall sparkle as she placed her axe against a nearby tree. Her smile soft,seductive snd sensual as she turned to face Krillin.

“That’s one of the things I just love about You, really. So modest, humble…but so strong..and so…” the muscle queen spoke, her tone becoming teasing, seductive as she reached behind her back and began to undo the clasp to her bra. Removing ti to expose snd flash her naked tits before him. Krillin blushing yet not poking away as this vision of sexy muscular art stripped before him, shedding her gloves and boots, watching on as she hooked the string of her thong,sliding it down her powerful tattooed legs as little web trail of arousal stretched from her slit. The warrior monk turned cop not wasting time as he she’d his gi, Amazon biting her lip sensually as she admired his atlas class muscular body. Those Herculean features of course nothing compared to his cock and balls as the former rose to erectness. The pair of warriors taking in the sight of one another in the nude, their arousal growing as Amazon closed the distance between them, leaning her statuwese frame to his 5 foot own,cupojng his fsce in her hands as she caressed it. “So damn good at making me feel like a woman…” With that said, the platinum blonde stunner pressed her lips to his as she began making out with Krillin, moaning as she felt his hands grab and squeeze her glorious ass. Their tongues dancing as they felt the memories of taste and sensation flow between them and into their bodies. The only sounds between them being the chirping birds and cicadas and the stealth drone watching and recording this union.

You see that day fateful day years ago,on their final week or so together, before Krillin was ready to move in and continue his training journey, as they sat at a campfire together, Amazon had learned he was a virgin. So she decided as a thank you for being such a great fighter and strong companion and the comfort and warmth his presence had brought, she would give him his first time. Her own bit of experience ensured she woild give him the experience to truly become a man and know how to please a woman, but her shock and delight at how surprisingly well endowed he was was quite the surprise and oh how she came to love their union. Long into the night, then the morning and into the very next evening. For a full day, sunset to sunrise to repeat, two or 3 days had it been? The shirt king the muscular bombshell made love, their bond of trust making for a sensual experience,tantric even as amazon’s sexual experience honed krillin’s own quite gifted intuition and instincts as they mated like animals. Amazon had been with her share of men and plenty of women too, often both at once. But that day with Krillin was a whole other matter as every orgasm they shared deepened their bond, as she felt her bidy develope the desire to have him outright breed her. To have him claim her like the alpha male he was and use her as he saw fit, until she was overflowing with his seed and her womb carried his young. Their parting had been a bittersweet sorrow but didn’t become goodbye forever,as they basked in the afterglow and Amazon swore to promise that every year on that day, the two would meet up and spend the day fucking like primal beasts. Suffice to say Krillin more than stuck to that promise to make time and keep to this appointment even long after having married. Hell of course he had to let 18 know about his little tradition snd surprisingly she not only understood but encouraged him to plow thst not piece of ass like he did to her on their honeymoon.

‘That wife of mine,honestly….’18 was one majorly kinky woman who was of the idea thst since he could satisfy her, a cybernetic bombshell with infinite stamina, then ore than one woman was needed to sate his own libido. She practically got off on the idea of him sowing wild oats,but he digressed as he returned to reality to resume making out with Amazon,moaning into each other’s mouths as their tongues danced and swapped spit. Smacking and clapping her ass like a set of bongo drums as she ran her own hands alon his back to his shoulder and torso. Purring as she massaged his muscles, wondering if he’d gotten buffer since their last time together. Before shamelessly purring sensually as she grasped his cock and balls, stroking and jerking thst rigid shaft in her hands. The grip she normally held her axe with applied to his length and girth as she felt her palms and fingers become soaked and slick with his flowing pre cum. Taking delight in his reactions before he in turn coaxed deepthroated moans forth from her as his own hands began to move and caress along gorgeous,muscular form. Shuddering as he cupped and squeezed her glorious tits, tweaking her nipples as he moved his head to nuzzle and kiss those twin orbs,suckling and licking away at them,as he and Amazon moved to kneel together on the soft lush grass. Making out sensually as they groped one another’s bodies. Heavy petting exchanged between them as soon Amazon laid backflat on the ground, purring as Krillin straddled her upper torso, hands grasping her tits as he sandwiched them between his cock. Thrusting and pumping between the valley of that firm,juicy cleavage as she kissed and licked the exposed tip whenever it came near her lips. Before she soon sat up,moving him to sit on her shoulders as her arm and back muscles flexed. Hands grabbing his ass as she shoved his cock into her mouth,deepthroating him right off the bat as her lips kissed the base and balls of his cock. Making Krillin shudder as rode the momentum to commence facefucking the muscular work of art of a warrior woman. Amazon’s moans muffled as she felt her pussy gush with sticky,warm nectar while Krillin pumped his length and girth like her mouth was an oral pussy. Her neck swelling and bulging as his balls smacked against his chin,the force of this fellation making her tits bounce and slap against his toned rear.

Once Amazon had achieved the goal of getting a nice mouth snd face full of his jizz, she was soon on her hands and knees, muscles flexed and tensed as her skin glistened with a luscious sheen of sweat. Moaning and rolling her head,tongue out like the bitch in heat she was as Krillin knelt behind her, his fsce pressed against her loins as his hands grasped and spread her juicy ass. Rimming her pucker and lapping away at her slit as he drank uo her juices. Practically making out with her cooch before deciding he’d coaxed enough orgasms out of her as he adjusted position. Grasping her waist as he lined uo his shaft, running the tip against her not,sloppy pussy and pumped his hips. Amazon throwing her head back to let out an orgasmic howl as she felt that familiar,wonderful sensation of his cock penetrating her, his size enabling him to not just hit her G spot but the entire alphabet as the tip kissed the entrance of her womb. But when he started moving his pelvis like a jackhammer, she truly knew what pleasure was as her ass shook and jiggled with every impact of their loins smacking together. His balls smacking her clit, juices splashing as she grasped the grass, her sensual muscles tensing as her spine arched and her toes curled. The exquisite familiar bliss of mating with Krillin flowing through her body as she the short king commenced the ancient primal dance of man and woman, their little spot in the woods filled with the sounds of their passion. No need to keep count of her own orgasms, only his as every instance of his cock erupting and flooding her womb woild they shift and change position. The warrior woman relishing every instance as he came so much inside her without ever pulling out. His stamina and staying power godly as they made use of their special day to go through their own personal kama sutra of lovemaking positions. The drone hovering unseen as it transmitted to its voyeuristic viewer.

How Amazon loved and cherished every instance of their lewd erotic bonding. Holding hands with her short king as she rode him cowgirl style, his gaze locked on her bouncing tits as she wore a facial expression of sexual ectasy as her juicy bubble butt milked that cock. To wrapping her arms and legs around him as she found him holding her up in the air,arms hooked around her powerful legs he pumped away vigorously into her gushing snatch, their tongues dancing together in a sloppy kiss before they soon rolled around and about in the grass battling for dominance in a mating or Amazon press,pun unintended. The warrior woman accepting her defeat with gusto as either way she won by never losing her union with her stud. Hearts glowing in her eyes as they laid together in missionary, her studly friend with benefits laying atop her as his hips sacked into that hot,overflowing pussy. The platinum blonde hottie wondering if this might yet be the day her little ma would bless her with a child. She woild yet have that army of strong sons and daughters yet but the fact their baby making involved such fun only helped motivate her desire to be knocked up by her short king. The sun at high noon as the lair showed no signs of stopping, as they aimed to go all day and all night to dawn itself. As back in Krillin’s home, 18 sat naked in her bedroom, shamelessly masturbating as she pumped her Warrior Monk dildo into her pussy. Grinning as she moaned without shame and plenty of pleasure as she indulged in her voyeurism. Nothing rocked ehr more tha seeing her little man sow his wild oats,as she glanced at the calendar to see what other regular fuck buddies he had an appointment due. Oh yes,the universe would see plenty of Krilln’s babies and they’d be glorious!, the future would be chestnuts!!

#sketchfan85 #sketchfan #sketchfanda #krillin #krillin smut #dragonball krillin #krillin dragonball #amazon #dragons crown #amazon dragons crown

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calacuspr · 3 years ago

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This England team has shown us all what the power of sport really means

There have been a few times in recent years where the entire nation has appeared united and optimistic – and almost all of them have been connected to sport.

The World Cup in Italy in 1990, the EURO 96 in England and the London 2012 Olympic Games all come to mind as moments that will endure as epochs that transcend everything else going on in the world.

England has been particularly divided in recent years as the Leave and Remain factions argue; the challenges facing the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the economic struggles that so many have encountered pretty much since the financial collapse a decade ago.

At Calacus, we work with organisations who see the value of sport to positively transform society and the England team has shown that throughout the build-up to EURO 2020 and beyond, they have brought the nation together in a way little else can.

Granted, it helped that England did so well, reaching the final of the tournament. It is hardly a new phenomenon that the squad is so multi-cultural, with players with family heritage from around the world.

While the aftermath of the defeat to Italy has shown the unpalatable side of society, the way in which the England manager and players have conducted themselves has been a masterclass in authentic communications.

STAY TRUE TO YOUR VALUES

Taking the knee has been part of football tradition in England for more than a year now, highlighting inequality and promoting diversity.

The England team have been criticised by many, with the Conservative MP for Ashfield, Lee Anderson, announcing that he would not watch “his beloved England team” while the players took the knee; Home Secretary Priti Patel suggesting that it was nothing more than “gesture politics.” and Prime Minister Boris Johnson refusing to criticise those who booed the team.

Given the racism that the likes of Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling and others have suffered, particularly from online trolls, it’s remarkable that politicians sought to condemn them and accuse the team of Marxist tendencies and BLM affiliation rather than a compassionate plea for solidarity and equality over division.

England defender Tyrone Mings said: “Everyone’s entitled to their opinions. The home secretary is one of many, many people who oppose us taking the knee or refuse to defend it . . . we [have tried] to educate and inform the minority who refuse to acknowledge why we take the knee and want to boo it.”

Notably, the boos faded as the EURO 2020 tournament progressed and the team got to the later stages and it speaks volumes that many of those politicians who criticised the team then tried to associate themselves with them through staged photography that fooled no one.

CELEBRATE INCLUSION

This England team are no strangers to speaking up for those who don’t have a voice.

Marcus Rashford has campaigned for an end to child hunger and has twice forced the government to make u-turns over free school meals.

Raheem Sterling, one of the stars of the tournament for England and who has been vilified himself by media and fans alike, has fought hard to call out bigotry in the fight against racism.

EURO 2020 started during Pride month and saw players wear rainbow laces and captains use rainbow armbands, despite some mixed messaging from UEFA.

When England played Germany in the round of 16, captain Harry Kane joined his counterpart Manuel Neuer in wearing a rainbow armband with England's official Twitter account saying: “@HKane will join @DFB_Team 's Manuel Neuer in wearing a rainbow captain’s armband for tomorrow’s game at @wembleystadium to mark the end of Pride month, as the #ThreeLions stand in allyship with LGBTQ+ communities around the world.”

Kane himself explained: “From our point of view, it is a show of solidarity with the German national team from all of us at the England national team to be united in trying to kick out all inequalities there are. We’re on a huge platform on a big stage so it is obviously a great opportunity to do so.”

Jordan Henderson has shown himself to be a captain on and off the field, supporting local charities during lockdown as well as leading his Liverpool team to success over recent years.

He is thought to be one of the main drivers behind the team planning to donate its EURO 2020 prize money to good causes.

Their donation – which could be in the millions – will be made to NHS charities now that the football tournament has concluded.

The team made a statement last May which said: “Following positive discussions with the FA, the England senior men's squad are pleased to confirm that a significant donation from their international match fees will be made to NHS Charities Together via the #PlayersTogether initiative.

“This contribution will be taken from a fund already set aside to support a variety of worthy causes using all match fees collated since September 2018.”

While England supporters still let themselves down by booing national anthems at times during the tournament, it shows the progress that this England team has prompted that Joe White, an England fan who co-chairs Gay Gooners, Arsenal’s LGBT+ supporters group, attended the England v Germany match at Wembley Stadium “in full makeup.”

They wore red lipstick, shimmery eyeshadow and mascara along with a rainbow flag and England flag painted on their face to complete the look.

They tweeted: “This is a really small and personal point but today was my first game at Wembley in full makeup and overtly queer (as opposed to just camp). Absolutely no issues from fans and some lovely chats.

“Despite being absolutely petrified pre game, really proud of our fans”

Henderson responded: “Hi Joe great to hear you enjoyed the game as you should. No one should be afraid to go and support their club or country because football is for everyone no matter what. Thanks for your support, enjoy the rest of the Euros.”

How refreshing that the LGBTQ+ community can now support the national team with no fear of abuse or intimidation and that the Three Lions Pride can display positive banners – understandably celebrating Henderson’s goal against Ukraine.

ENCOURAGE TEAMWORK

England manager Gareth Southgate arguably had one of the most talented England squads in recent memory.

The team’s headquarters at St George’s Park became a centre of fun with photocalls featuring the likes of Bukayo Saka jumping into a pool on a flying unicorn inflatable and Ed Sheeran playing a special concert for the team not to mention a preview showing of Top Gun Maverick and call with its star Tom Cruise.

While early on, there was uproar among fans over players who had been left out of the starting XI or even the squad, with flair giving way to pragmatism, Southgate showed how much the team ethic mattered to him.

After the 4-0 victory over Ukraine, Southgate paid tribute to the members of his squad who had not featured much during the tournament.

He said: “I am thinking about the players who I had to leave out of the 23 because they have been such a massive part of what we’re doing. It is so difficult to keep a group of this size feeling valued and yet those guys have been phenomenal about how they have sacrificed themselves for the group.

"I feel the responsibility keenly. But it is these challenges that make us."

Not once during the tournament did any stories leak of disgruntled players, while the players reflected the afore-mentioned values by resisting well-trodden paths of nationalism that previous encounters with the likes of Germany may have engendered.

In fact, this England team have shown dignity in the face of criticism and the very definition of what it means to be a team – there are no egos, no vested interests.

Where once supporting England meant violence and xenophobia, this England team has inspired a new identity with a commitment to diversity, inclusion and a more tolerant society, which is a credit to them all.

SHOW REAL LEADERSHIP

It was quite telling when, during the celebrations following England’s win over Denmark, former international Gary Neville said: “The standard of the leaders in the past couple of years in this country has been poor but look at that man there... he’s everything a leader should be: respectful, humble, tells the truth, genuine. He’s fantastic, Gareth Southgate.”

Southgate has been humble, engaging, honest and resolute that he knew what he wanted to do and would not waver, even when senior politicians criticised some of the decisions made by him and his management team.

Ahead of the tournament, in an essay on patriotism, titled Dear England, Southgate linked football and national identity and underlined why the game means so much more than just sporting excellence.

“I have a responsibility to the wider community to use my voice, and so do the players. It’s their duty to continue to interact with the public on matters such as equality, inclusivity and racial injustice, while using the power of their voices to help put debates on the table, raise awareness and educate.

“On this island, we have a desire to protect our values and traditions – as we should – but that shouldn’t come at the expense of introspection and progress.”

Southgate has been calm and assured throughout his tenure, ensuring that he and the team are consistent in their focus, messaging and conduct. There have been no scandals, no drama and every press conference or media opportunity has been assured and engaging.

FACE ADVERSITY HEAD-ON

Losing on penalties is part of football, but it’s also something that England have encountered at a number of major tournaments.

The backlash after England’s defeat was brutal, with the three players who missed penalties, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka all targets of racist abuse.

Some MPs also used the defeat as an opportunity to tell players to keep out of politics, such as Andrew Rosindell, who tweeted: “We are all proud of our England team, who have had the support of the whole country over recent weeks, but please focus of football, not politics. If you win for England, you win for everyone!”

Home Secretary Priti Patel expressed her outrage at the racism, prompting Mings to again address her double standards.

He said: “You don’t get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labelling our anti-racism message as ‘Gesture Politics’ & then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we’re campaigning against, happens.”

Soon after the game, the mural in tribute to Rashford was vandalised, prompting hundreds of positive messages and fans voicing their support for the Manchester United forward.

Rashford tweeted: ““I’ve grown into a sport where I expected to read things written about myself. Whether it be the colour of my skin, where I grew up, or, most recently, how I decide to spend my time off the pitch.

“I dreamt of days like this. The messages I’ve received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears. The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up.

“I’m Marcus Rashford, 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else I have that. For all the kind messages thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger.”

CONCLUSION

The England team have shown without doubt the power of sport to unify – and while EURO 2020 is now over, we have the Olympic Games coming up where athletes will come together in the spirit of competition and camaraderie.

As Southgate put it: “The reality is that the result is just a small part of it. When England play, there’s much more at stake than that.

“It’s about how we conduct ourselves on and off the pitch, how we bring people together, how we inspire and unite, how we create memories that last beyond the 90 minutes. That last beyond the summer. That last forever.”

While the positivity has proved to be a brief moment in time, the England squad showed society how to empathise, respect and engage in a way that has been in short supply for so long.

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drwcn · 4 years ago

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The tragedy of a touch screen is yesterday at 3:08 am I thumbed the little “x” on my screen and deleted an entire answer I’d already written for this ask by closing the browser........I..........am an idiot.

This time, I will save draft.

See, three days ago, I wasn’t gonna even make this lil hc of mine into a thing, but because I am a spiteful creature already living off of coffee and desperation, I thought hell, what else do I have to lose? So it’s a thing now.

“The Price of Promise”!Verse: The first time Lan Qiren saw the woman who would one day be his zhang’sao, the woman who he would proceed to hate and blame for more than half his life, he was just sixteen years old. And she - she was just an assassin dressed in black, perched atop the shingles in Cloud Recesses, on a dark moonless night.

Characters: Qiu Baiti (Madam Lan), Lan Cenrong (Qingheng-jun), Lan Qiren, Zhao Zhuliu (Wen Zhuliu).

Foreword:

The story, as Lan Xichen knew it, came from an account of this:

“Lan Cenrong, do not force my hand. If you take another step, you will meet the same fate.”

Lan Yueling was there when they finally found Elder Lan Yang, lying crumbled there in the dense wooded valley outside of Gusu.

Lan Yueling was the first on scene, and this was what she saw: the rogue cultivator known as Qiu Baiti stood over Elder Lan Yang’s body, their sect master Lan Cenrong’s sword in her hand, its point at his throat.

Other disciples arrived, one after another, juniors and seniors alike. They froze, gasped, and collectively became witnesses as Qiu Baiti swung Kunlong through the air and pierced Lan Yang with a single, lethal stroke.

The blood that coated Kunlong’s gleaming steel dripped black and thick into the earth.

The witnesses screamed, drawing their weapons and lurching forward, but one gesture from the rogue cultivator had them all flying backwards, like paper dolls caught in the easterly wind. Only Lan Cenrong stood his ground.

You murderess. The disciples cried. You murdered Elder Lan Yang!

Apparently the old man was beloved. Hm.

Qiu Baiti did not deny their accusations, but Lan Yueling, having gotten there first, was pretty sure Lan Yang had already been dead before they arrived.

Sect Master disarmed Qiu Baiti. Or more truthfully, she allowed herself to be disarmed, choosing to offer no resistance. Sword in one hand, Lan Cenrong took a step closer, his arm coming up to wrap around her waist. That, she allowed too.

Concussed from being thrown back so forcefully, Lan Yueling struggled to lift her head, but even so, she managed to catch the last sight of Lan Cenrong and that woman before they disappeared in a scatter of pale blue light. There were tear tracks on both their faces, but for what, she could not know. Frankly, she did not want to know.

If Elder Lan Yang were not slain by Qiu Baiti, then....then... The alternate was too frightening to think about.

Soon, Cloud Recesses learned of the murder. Lan Yang’s body corpse was retrieved and honoured, and Qiu Baiti’s guilt was deemed irrevocable. For a week there was no news and they all feared the worst, until on the eighth morning, Lan Cenrong returned with the murderess of his en-shi, who was by then, his wife.

-- The story, as Wen Zhuliu knew it, started much earlier.

Some twenty five years before Lan Yang met his end in that forest, he went on a three-year long journey away from his home in Gusu to cultivate somewhere far and removed from the secular and the distracting. In the mountains of the south, he met a kindred spirit named Guo Lei, a cultivator like himself, but sectless, wild and free.

What happened between them...no one knows, but it had left Guo Lei wasted, decrepit, and bitter until his last days.

That was the man Wen Zhuliu remembered. Neither he nor his da’shijie Qiu Baiti ever knew the bright young man who had invited a rain-soaked Lan Yang into his humble abode in the mountains. The man who had taken them in, raised them, fed them and trained them, the man who they had loved as dearly as a father, was post-Lan. This was a man betrayed, who had the worst happen to him, and had no more forgiveness left to offer the world.

Wen Zhuliu’s da’shijie melted her first core when she was just eleven years old. Shifu had been so proud. He padded her on the head and treated them both to a lamb leg roasted on the open fire. Zhuliu and his sister fell sleep that night under the open stars. Shifu brought them inside to be warmly tucked in, carried them on his back despite his bad leg.

Back then Wen Zhuliu was just Zhao Ming, just xiao-Ming. xiao-Ming was small for a five year old, his golden core barely taking form inside him. Shifu had found him when he was very young, and he did not remember a life before shifu, before shijie.

Those were happy days.

Eventually, xiao-Ming grew up. On his tenth birthday, shifu named him Zhao Zhuliu, and then within a month, shifu died.

They, Guo Lei’s only disciples and only family, buried their shifu behind the house where once he hosted Lan Yang. Shijie dressed them both in hemp mourning robes, and taught him to give his four bows of goodbye before Heaven and Earth. On that hot summer afternoon, they burned stacks upon stacks of joss paper, and when the papers turned to ash, shijie wiped away his tears, took his hand, and led him - led them - onto their path of revenge.

Shifu didn’t leave them much; he’d already given them everything he had. Now, it was their turn to give back, to fulfill the one wish that Guo Lei still had unrealized.

Tear-choked, shijie had knelt by their shifu’s death bed, holding his thin weathered hands in her own and swore upon her life. Lan Yang’s reckoning was coming and she would be the one to deliver it. This, she promised.

If Zhao Zhuliu had known then that this was a mistake, that as youths they really didn’t know the world for what it was, that sometimes evil disguised itself as kindness and kindness appeared evil, he would have begged his sister to leave it all behind. Powerful as they were, they could’ve gone anywhere, done anything. But shijie was a filial disciple, a good daughter, and above all, she kept her words.

I promise, shifu, I promise that bastard Lan Yang will pay for everything he’s done.

Zhao Zhuliu hadn’t known, but it was a promise that would cost Qiu Baiti everything.

Or perhaps, the story could be told like this:

Qiu Baiti came to Cloud Recesses the same way that she left: silently, Bichen at her side, on a dark moonless night.

Lan Qiren remembered both nights well. He remembered the latter because one simply did not forget the sight of one’s beloved brother being utterly destroyed. Lan Cenrong had held his deceased wife in his arms and cried and cried and cried. But Lan Qiren remembered the former because of the terrifyingly embarrassing fashion Qiu Baiti had, within seconds of crossing swords with him, knocked him off the roof, sending him crashing into the shrubbery below, flat on his bottom.

Young Qiren had never been so humiliated, so enraged, and so impressed in his sixteen years of life.

He gave chase, across roof tops and watch towers, but the assassin donned in black was fast and agile and impossible to see in the dark. Very quickly, he lost all track of her. He realized then as he desperately searched the ground that he was near his brother’s quarters. A jolt of fear shot up his spine.

xiongzhang!

Panicked, he rushed to Lan Cenrong’s chamber and knocked harshly, mindless of the rules.

The door cracked open ajar. His brother blinked sleepily at him. “Qiren? What’s wrong?”

“Xiongzhang, forgive the disturbance, but an intruder was spotted while I was patrolling. Are you well?”

“An intruder? In Cloud Recesses? How did he get through our wards?”

“That, I’m not sure, and...I’m not sure it’s a he. As the security officer, this is my oversight. I’m very sorry, xiongzhang. I will call for a thorough search immediately.”

“Ensure our disciples and Elders are safe. Qiren,” Cenrong placed a calming hand on his on his shoulder. “You could not have predicted this. Do not be so harsh on yourself; you’re still young.”

Qiren smiled, comforted, and rushed off. Through just a half open door, he could not have known about the sharp point of Bichen pressing threateningly into the back of of Lan Cenrong’s neck this entire time.

“Don’t. Move.”

~~~

zhangsao 长嫂 - oldest sister in law. en-shi 恩师 - esteemed/respected teacher

Lan Yang - 蓝杨 Guo Lei - 郭磊 Lan Cenrong - 蓝岑嵘 Qiu Baiti - 丘百啼 Zhao Ming 赵明， xiao-Ming “little Ming” *don’t @ me, I know Ming is literally the laziest name I could’ve come up with but I’m tired guys*

《kunlong》坤隆 - name of Qingheng-jun’s sword 《bichen》避尘 - Qiu Baiti’s sword, which she left to her son Lan Wangji

Note: I had originally intended for this to be a background story to my Discordance verse, but then I thought... to hell with it, it works as a canon divergence on its own. I mean... it still is the back story of Lan parents in Discordance, the only thing that is changed is what happens to Wen Zhuliu. Without Wen Ruohan, Wen Zhuliu is alive in Discordance and we’ll get to see him there. Soon. >:)

#cql #the untamed #gusu lan #qingheng jun #madam lan #wen zhuliu #lan qiren #cql ficlet #corie fics #discau #tpop

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sserpente · 5 years ago

Photo

A/N: What do you mean, Halloween is over? It’s over when I set up my Christmas decorations. This is Part II of this Imagine, however, you can read it as a standalone Imagine as well. Threw in quite a bunch of requests (@dennnnny-just-wants-friends and several anons) in here, so I hope you’ll enjoy! The gif is a spoiler again. *giggles*

Words: 2699 Warnings: smut, fluff

Additional NSFW warnings: orgasm delay

You smiled to yourself when you woke up the next day, blinking at the sun fighting its way through your curtains. Not only was it finally Halloween… but last night, you had had the most wonderful dream. Loki had been in your room, pleasuring you into countless, earth-shattering orgasms… fucking you… claiming you…

You felt more rested than ever before. Humming to yourself, you threw on your bathrobe. After cleaning yourself up from last night’s solo adventure, you made your way to the kitchen for a cup of tea—no coffee needed this morning. Bruce, Natasha and Tony were already there, taking their time to wake up and quietly talking to each other. Your smile quickly turned into silent panic, however, when you spotted Loki leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in hand himself, curiously watching your every move.

“M-morning, everyone!”

You swallowed. Gods… if only he knew about your dream last night. You blushed, eliciting the smallest of frowns from him.

Loki, of course, was very well aware last night had been anything but a dream. Suppressing his smirk when you blushed, he finished his coffee, resulting in a slight frown. The tension between you was palpable, the urge to pull you into his arms and kiss you breathless growing with every passing second.

“Party starts at nine tonight, (Y/N).” Tony then suddenly interrupted and drew your attention away from him. “You’re coming, right?”

You nodded, sipping on the tea you had prepared. “I am.”

“As what?” Right. It was called a costume party for a reason. Now, you did like dressing up but you usually did not enjoy standing out too much. Perhaps you’d go for the witch from Wicked. Or with a simple zombie girl make-up. Loki was the only one who sensed your discomfort.

“Oh, I’m not sure yet.”

“I’m holding a contest. The best costume wins a trip to Hawaii.” You instantly wondered if Loki would be coming to the party, and if he did, what he would be wearing. As a master of illusions, surely he could pull off anything.

Loki waited until the heroes had left before he spoke up, his blue gaze never leaving yours. He was desperate to learn more about you. Ever since last night…

“You do not seem overly pleased by having to dress up.” He stated bluntly.

“Oh, no, I do like it, I just… don’t like any attention, you know.” Loki lifted his chin. Interesting.

“Whyever not? Make them envy you. That is what I would do if I were you.”

“Are you coming?” You replied, perhaps a little too hopeful.

“I hardly think so. Putting up with Stark and the rest of this circus is exhausting as is.”

“Oh, well…”

“However,” he added, a devilish smirk growing on his lips—Loki had never been so playful with you before— “Might I make a suggestion? I saw you reading that novel by this Midgardian writer called Stoker the other day… why not dress up as a vampire? According to what you have told me, they enjoy a rather swooning reputation on Midgard.”

A smile spread on your face. Loki was right. A vampire was classic, sexy and not too conspicuous.

“You know what? I think that’s a really good idea.”

You spent most of the day trying to figure out what to wear, turning your wardrobe upside down. Eventually, you chose a black leather skirt, an equally black shirt with elegant bat wing sleeves, black tights and high heels.

Combined with those red contacts and the fake fangs you had bought after lunch, you would look breath-taking; and even though you were rather shy when it came to attention, when you started applying your rather pale make-up for the night, you smirked at the thought of men turning around to look. At the thought of Loki turning around to look.

Your pussy clenched with a start when once again, you remembered that hot dream from last night, making you wonder if you’d stand a chance at seducing him. Loki haunted your masturbation fantasies but he was a god. You were a mortal—and just because you claimed to have discovered this soft side of him, that did not mean he would open up to you or let alone be intimate with you. You sighed, adding the finishing touches to your make-up and then headed downstairs to celebrate Halloween.

Three drinks in, your shyness was forgotten. You danced, laughed and played silly party games with the other guests, forgetting at least for a while that the person you wanted to celebrate with the most was not here.

Thor had just hurled you through the air with one hand, proving to Steve just how strong he was. When he set you back on the ground, you felt dizzy from all his spinning and then, suddenly… your eyes landed on…

Was that… Loki? Wait, no… Loki had insisted he would not join the party tonight. He was probably upstairs, reading in his room. Whoever had decided to be so bold and dress up as him though… had done an outstanding job. The hair, the costume, even the helmet… it all came together perfectly.

Before you even knew what you were doing, you had already approached the handsome stranger.

Loki’s eyes widened when he caught sight of you in your costume. He had been right. Vampires did enjoy quite the reputation on Midgard—they were so unlike those repulsive and minging ghouls living underneath the dry soil of Svartalfheim. You looked absolutely ravishing. Almost as ravishing as you had looked when he had made you cum for him last night.

His heart almost stopped when he realised you were heading straight towards him, his hesitation and confusion very obvious the moment you wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Nice costume, stranger.” You pressed your body against him, making sure he’d feel your breasts against his chest. “A little bold of you dressing up as the villain. You’re a pretty convincing imposter though.”

Loki frowned in an amused manner. “Am I?”

“Wanna dance?”

He opened his mouth to respond with his frown deepening but realised quickly what was going on without uttering a word. It was rather dark in here, the party lights doing little to illuminate the room and when you spoke, he could clearly smell the alcohol on you. You did not recognise him. You thought he was a random mortal who had had the audacity to dress up as him of all people.

But was that really important? He was a Trickster, after all—always up for some mischief, especially if it involved you. In your dreams, you had desired him but he still worried whether you would reciprocate the attraction he felt for you in a sober state. And if there was a chance to make you writhe beneath him once again… he would not let it slip through his fingers.

Loki smirked instead of responding again, afraid that the sound of his voice might give him away and allowed you to drag him on the dance floor. This morning you had been so insecure about your costume—and now you were rubbing yourself against his crotch like a wild cat in heat.

He growled darkly, the sound swallowed by the dull bass of the music. You were clearly trying to turn him on; he was no stranger to a woman’s advances. But here? Here in public? How dare you tease him like this?

Meanwhile, you were lost in the beat of the music, your thoughts wandering back to your sexy dream. If you could not have Loki all to yourself, perhaps you’d at least spend Halloween night with his double. Men could never resist some sexy dance moves, especially when you turned around and began pampering his lips with gentle but demanding kisses, the alcohol in your body making you brave—hence, you were not surprised when he suddenly wrapped his hand around your upper arm and practically dragged you outside into the dark hallway and upstairs.

You were way too intoxicated to wonder how he knew which bedroom was yours, neither did you worry that the real Loki could possibly hear you screaming this imposter’s name in a bit—all you could think about were his soft and warm lips against yours, capturing them in a kiss so passionate you could already feel your arousal pool between your legs.

“Loki” pushed you on your bed, hovering above you hungrily and grabbing your wrists firmly when you kicked off your shoes and then attempted to switch on the lights to search for a condom, causing you to struggle lightly underneath him. By the Norns…how would he be able to keep quiet and not speak a word?

You were infatuated—What if he… did speak? Loki inhaled deeply when he buried his face in your neck, wandering lower and lower and slowly, painfully slowly licking over every inch of revealed skin he could find until he reached the inside of your thighs.

With but one firm pull, he relieved you from your skirt, tights and knickers, leaving you naked from the waist down. He could practically smell your arousal. Your lips were glistening, swollen and aching for attention. The God of Mischief smirked. Who was he to deny you? But first… first he would make you suffer a little. You deserved to be punished for all that public teasing, those lascivious dance moves causing him to grow hard in front of complete strangers.

Your blissful scream when he pressed his mouth against your quim made him chuckle darkly, the vibrations of his voice instantly rippling through you like lightning bolts. His silver tongue darted out to taste you, bringing endless pleasure to your clit all the while two of his fingers pried open your dripping entrance, finding your g-spot and fingering you lazily.

Your back was arching by the time he sucked the sensitive bundle of nerves into his mouth, your hips bucking up to meet his touches. But just when you were about to fall off that delicious cliff that brought about release, when your walls began fluttering around his fingers, tightening in joyful anticipation… “Loki” pulled away entirely.

“What… why are you stopping?”

“Did you truly think you would get away with teasing me like this, in front of the eyes of dozens of imbecile mortals? I shall make sure you beg me for your release.”

You froze instantly. That voice…

“L-Loki? It’s… it’s really you?!”

“Surprised, my sweet? Now, it would not be the first time I had you squirming in pleasure beneath me, would it?”

Your eyes widened. Loki swallowed. Now could be the moment you would push him away and scream, repulsed by your own actions… he studied your reactions. You were surprised, yes, shocked even, still… the hint of arousal glistening in your eyes did not disappear. Quite on the contrary—it intensified.

“My dream… I… it… it was not…”

The Trickster shook his head slowly. “It was not. I caught you pleasuring yourself moaning my name at night. You were so eager for my touch…” Unconsciously, his hand came up to stroke your cheek.

Your lips parted. Then, against all of his expectations, you started grinning shyly.

“You really do live up to your name, Trickster.”

Loki’s heart skipped a beat—relief flooding his body and momentarily dragging the attention away from his aching length which he longed to bury deep inside of you.

“Finish what you started. Please…” Your devoted begging sounded like music in his ears. His cheeky smirk returned, along with a dangerous sparkling in his blue eyes.

“Do you believe you earned it?” He answered.

Biting your lower lip, you nodded. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m the reason for that impressive bulge in your trousers.” Boldly, you reached down and squeezed him gently, making him groan. It was probably then you realised just what it meant to share the bed with a god. Loki’s lips came crashing down on yours again, leaving you breathless. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head when his hands began to explore your exposed skin, quickly getting rid of the last pieces of clothing you were wearing. You were quite surprised your fangs did not come off during his hungry kisses.

You were trembling from unfulfilled desire by the time he removed his own clothing, taking his time. His leather armour was complicated—and with every piece that came off, you grew a little more aroused.

You could hardly believe you had already felt his hard length inside you the other night. He really was well-equipped, a true god. You licked your lips all the while imagining what he would taste like if you sucked him into your mouth, wondering if he’d be patient enough to let you before fucking you as passionately as he had last night. But well… the night was young.

You spread your legs hungrily, causing his scrutinising and lustful gaze to wander down to your throbbing cunt. Growling, he crawled between them, his hard cock brushing against your entrance in the most delicious way. Your fingers dug into his shoulders as he inched forward and began to intrude you, taking you so intimately and slowly you feared to burst from all the pleasure building up inside you.

“Loki, please!” You screamed when he pushed in to the hilt, giving you no time to adjust to his girth but oh… he was filling you so wonderfully. You wrapped your legs around his hips, willing for him to penetrate you even deeper and urging him on to move. His thrusts were uncontrolled, greedy.

Within mere moments, he had you back on the brink of orgasm, begging him for release like he had promised you would. Loki was hovering above you like a predator, hitting just the right angles to drive you absolutely crazy. This was payback for your teasing back on the dance floor… but two could play this game.

You licked your lips when you leaned forward just a little so your lips brushed against his neck. Loki’s thrusts intensified, his rhythm speeding up and making you moan continuously. Then, you opened your mouth and sank your fake fangs into his skin just hard enough to make him flinch slightly. He really did taste delightful.

“Did you just bite me, sweet one?” He panted.

You pouted. “I’m a vampire, no?”

The God of Mischief chuckled.

“Let me cum, please…” Loki flipped you both over, eliciting another scream from you, this time in surprise. You came to straddle him, his cock still resting deep inside you.

“You wish to cum? Ride me then. Make yourself cum on my length if you are so desperate to.” He ordered hoarsely. It was odd, really. How could you be the one on top and still feel like he was the one in charge? You swallowed thickly as another wave of arousal washed over you.

As you started to move up and down vigorously, eager for your orgasm, you let your fingertips glide over his abs. The God of Mischief shivered, throwing his head back all the while his own hands came up to grab your hips and urge you on to go faster.

Skin smacked against skin, the smell of sex filling your dark bedroom and the sound of your lustful moaning as you came undone on top of him echoing through it loudly. Shaking breathlessly, you let your release consume you, your tight and wet wells clenching around him repeatedly until Loki lost control himself. He stilled, bucking his hips as if he meant to climb inside you, his cock twitching and throbbing. You almost collapsed on top of him when you felt him spurting his seed into you, all strength leaving your muscles with a start.

He pulled you in his arms so you came to lie on the bed with him, his protective embrace spreading a dizzying warmth in your chest.

“Loki?” You whispered. The God of Mischief hummed in response. “You’re not going to pretend it was all a dream again tomorrow, right?”

He chuckled. “No, my sweet. Not this time.”

A/N: Check out my blog to find more Imagines and take a glimpse at my first (to be) published novel! Also, if you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate so much if you supported me on Kofi! ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

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zukosturtleducks · 4 years ago

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Zuko, Grand Lotus (4/5)

They're being sent to the front lines, so Zuko quietly makes arrangements with his second-in-command, Lt. Teruko, about the children in their platoon. Ming, their genius archer that most of the company is already calling Longshot, for his unerring aim, isn't the only child soldier Zuko has had to transfer to his unit, and Jet isn't the only Earth Kingdom orphan his platoon has basically adopted. Teruko is the capable, resourceful sort, and she nods. The next day, the children have been housed with good colonial families loyal to him, and he can breathe a bit easier on the way to Ba Sing Se.

His father is not the same man he was the last time they had seen each other. General Ozai was completely undefeated for his entire military career, until he met the walls of Ba Sing Se. Two years of failure have left their marks. Zuko was not prepared to see his father as he was at Ba Sing Se – General Ozai seems composed, but Zuko can see the wildness and paranoia in his father's eyes as clear as day. How hard is it to bring down a wall, General Ozai demands. Months pass and the wall remains unbreached, and his decisions become more and more reckless until he orders that the entirety of the 41st Division be sent on a suicide mission against the Ba Sing Se's earthbenders.

The 41st is the army's newest division, full of fresh recruits even younger than Zuko since Minister Qin's decree lowering the conscription age to sixteen instead of eighteen. To senselessly sacrifice so much of their country's youth to a plan even Zuko knows won't work… Zuko is standing before he knows it, fist under an open hand and bowing respectfully to his father. There is no need for this gamble, Father, he says. Allow me to prove myself, and I will breach the walls of Ba Sing Se for you.

Zuko had expected resistance, but not outright hostility. His father sneeringly demands what he, an untested commander kept away from the front lines for his own safety, can do that an entire council of generals couldn't. All eyes in the room are on him now, and Zuko hates that there's a trap in his father's words that he can't figure out, but he tries. He explains that his platoon – the platoon of prodigies you swiped from my army? – has experience in dealing with a variety of Earth Kingdom defensive fortifications – from all the colonial traitors and Earth Kingdom spies you've recruited? – and a small team of powerful soldiers sneaking inside to open the walls from within is the strategy with the highest chance of success.

Do you take your father for a coward? General Ozai asks silkily. Zuko's head snaps up because no Father, of course not. The other generals in the council immediately erupt into objections. General Ozai raises a hand, and everyone falls silent. Defying your father and your general – you've grown ambitious, Prince Zuko, he says, his calm facade splintering from the fury he must be suppressing. You've been building a base of power to overthrow me ever since I gave you your own command. You've developed quite a taste for power, haven't you? Zuko shakes his head frantically, protests that I am your loyal son, Father, but it's not enough. General Ozai draws himself to his full height, and challenges Zuko to an Agni Kai.

#atla #fanfic #grand lotus!Zuko #dragon of the west!Ozai #mine #zuko #ozai #zuko and lu ten roleswap AU

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countryshitposts · 5 years ago

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you are still the sons, and he the father

here's a whopping six thousand word fic i've been working on for two weeks so read it you piece of shits

Imsi and Jeguk try finding out why their father is absent from their lives everyday. The truth horrifies them both.

tw for: homophobia

It was a quiet and uneventful day in the Korean home. Chosen was humming to herself as she makes herself breakfast, having skipped out earlier due to errands in the market. She hears Daehan Jeguk and Imsi talking, but decides not to bother them.

"It is quite unnatural that father would disappear every now and then", Jeguk muses as he looks at the bright sun shining down on them, making the flowers move to its direction.

"How long has his strange disappearances been going on?", Imsi asks, looking at Chosen eating her food.

Jeguk thinks for a moment, "Ever since I have come here, he has been disappearing every now and then. There are slight differences in his appearance once he comes home though; wrinkled clothes, messy hair, and a red blush on his cheeks."

Imsi snorts, "I bet he visits brothels at times."

Jeguk chuckles, "Definitely. Although I have some suspicions on the 'brothel' subject."

"Why is that?"

Jeguk takes out a slip of parchment from his sleeves, stained, yet some characters readable. Imsi leans in to look at the parchment, and finds out that it is written in Chinese. Imsi raises a brow, trying to muster the characters and translate it. It is from a man named Ming, who happens to be the last dynasty before Qing had come along.

"It looks to be a letter", Jeguk says, "from a Chinese man."

Imsi rolls his eyes. "No shit Sherlock."

"Whenever father receives his letter", Jeguk continues, ignoring Imsi's statement, "he lights up and dresses himself up."

"Perhaps this man is one of his friends who encourages him to visit brothels?"

"Yes but-", Jeguk narrows his eyes, suspicious as he investigates the letter more, "-this man is using very flattering words in Chinese, too flattering for a friend."

"Let me see", Imsi says as he takes the letter from Jeguk, to inspect it full-heartedly. There were some very, very inappropriate innuendos and statements, but this man talks about how he loves their father with all their might. Imsi furrows a brow, as he looks at Jeguk with eyes wide of realization. "I think I already know why father disappears every so often."

"Yes? And what do we do about it?"

"I'll tell you later."

That night, their father, Joseon, comes back with a delighted expression on his face, covering his neck with his clothing. He did not eat with the rest of his family, claiming he has 'already eaten'. Imsi and Jeguk look towards the back of their father as he ascends towards the stairs.

Imsi leans in towards Jeguk, who was beside Chosen, "He has a lover. A male one."

"Please, this man might just be very affectionate, and our father would never dare cheat on our mother." Jeguk spoonfeeds Chosen, and she smiles in return. Imsi goes back towards his seat and resists the urge to gag at the couple in front of him.

"We'll see about that", Imsi whispers to himself, continuing to eat, trying to ignore the couple activng lovey-dovey in front of him.

Imsi and Jeguk settle out a plan: if their father receives another letter and disappears off into the floods of ancient men and women, they follow after him. They just want to see if their theories were right, and feel like Joseon has been keeping this secret long enough; it needs to be shed to the public light.

Joseon was humming a Chinese melody when Imsi first encounters him. Imsi was just standing by the front lawn, admiring the beautiful flowers littered along the way and appreciating its beauty, when a mailman had scared the life out of him. He says it is for his father, and Imsi takes it from his hands. He narrows his eyes as he carefully unravels it, hoping that once he gives it to Joseon he wouldn't notice the differences.

Imsi furrows his brow as he reads through the letter. This man, just like from the previous letters, has been using very flattering words and sexual innuendos, much to Imsi's embarrassment and dismay. Despite all this, he can feel disgust churn inside of him as he realizes that this man - Ming, he reminds himself - is seemingly seducing their father with his words, and their foolsome of a father has agreed to be swayed into this... atrocity. A crime. Imsi tries not to crumple the paper, but he has the urge to do it, to go to Ming's home and hurt him, and shout at his father for being a sodomite.

The letter ends with another statement of love and care, telling Joseon to meet him at the palace. Imsi carefully puts the letter back to his place, plasters on a straight face despite his disgust and anger, and walks towards Joseon. He can't even unsee his father, the man who had taught him morals and philosophy in his life, a homosexual. A disgusting, grieving homosexual.

"Father, someone has given me this letter. Says it's for you." Imsi tries to look at his father's eyes, but breaks eye contact with him after a few seconds. No matter how much he tries, he cannot look at him in the eye.

"Oh, thank you son", Joseon says as he takes the letter out of Imsi's hand, unfolding it to read its contents. To Imsi's disgust, his father's face starts to redden, his dark eyes shining brightly, rivalling the sun. Imsi's face contorts in disgust, and it deepens when Joseon chuckles and folds the letter, looking at his youngest son with a slight smile.

"Tell the others I am going away for a trip Imsi", Joseon says, holding up a hand to ruffle his hair, but Imsi steps backward, not wanting to be touched. "Ah, it seems you have grown out of my touches."

Imsi nods, playing along. "Honestly, it is quite embarrassing for me to be held like that father." He says with a fake smile.

Joseon laughs light-heartedly, as he goes inside to change. Imsi follows him back to the house, and leans on the table, trying not to listen to Jeguk and Chosen flirting. He elbows Jeguk after the couple laspes into a comfortable silence.

"We follow father", Imsi says, the word 'father' now foreign on his lips, as if this brand new secret he and Jeguk discovered made them think there was more to Joseon than just being their father. He was a sinful man. "We catch him with this 'Ming' person, and we'll see if he truly has a... male lover." Imsi shudders at those last words, while Jeguk purses his lips.

"Alright, we'll see if our current hypothesis is correct", Jeguk says.

"You mean my hypothesis?"

Jeguk gives him a lopsided smile. "I changed my mind of father having an overly clingy friend."

Once their father bid farewell to them, they start to follow him discreetly, letting him walk distant steps so they can keep up with him while maintaining their cover. Once Joseon reaches a beautiful looking palace with Chinese carved across the gates, did they realize that Ming was, say, royalty. Perhaps even richer than their family. This man must be quite important in Joseon and others' lives. After all, he did say something about how a person made his life special and exciting, they just didn't think of it that way.

They spot their father looking through the beautiful scenery of the Chinese' much, much better-looking garden, to the brothers' jealousy. It had fountains, a pond with a curved bridge, the waters clear and full of lilies. They silently walk over it, marvelling the scenario, before turning back to their task. Their task was to put an end to their father's crimes, once and for all. They silently follow Joseon into the palace, hide past the dragon throne where many of the old Chinese dynasties still live, until they reach a beautiful place, comparable to a paradise. It was just like the garden they've seen at front, but much more natural, comfortable, and nostalgic. They then spot Joseon walking towards a man - Ming, presumably - and a familiar woman snuggling up to a man. Perhaps that was her husband.

Imsi and Jeguk hide behind the hedges, trimmed just above their height, as they continue watching their father with narrowed eyes. Joseon was smiling, a blush forming on his cheeks, and the twins can't help but feel disgusted. How could their father abandon his virtues by devouring one's own gender? How could he abandon his masculinity?

Ming noticeably smiles as he sees Joseon nearing him, and the two embrace. Much to the twins' disgust and horror, the two share a kiss on the lips.

"You've joined us again, my Chaoxian", Ming says. Jeguk furrows his brows.

But father had hated that name Qing had always called him, he thinks to himself. But then he looks almost sad, like someone had called him that in a special, meaningful way.

"I'll always join you, even to the afterlife, Myeong", Joseon says softly.

Imsi had remembered seeing his father in tears one night, whispering the name 'Myeong' over and over again, hugging a small painting in his hands. He suddenly can't help but feel sick, remembering how he thought Joseon was crying over a loved one. He was crying over a loved one, but he didn't expect it to be like that. Not even his queens can console him of his old 'friend'.

"Dad, you have to taste the peaches that Ming has harvested recently in his garden", the girl, who was the only woman in the group exclaims, and her husband chuckles.

"I will", Joseon says, chuckling, sitting on Ming's lap, much to his observing sons' dismay.

Imsi and Jeguk look at each other, confuzzled at what they had just heard come out of the girl's mouth.

Father? Jeguk mouths to Imsi, and shrugs, feeling jealousy coming back to him, a conflicting emotional storm wishing to wreck his ship of happiness, like it always does for his whole life. He can feel a cloud of emotions churning inside of him, waiting to burst.

And it did, when he sees Joseon and Ming passionately making out. He angrily steps forward, wanting to shout at his father, but his brother beats him to it, having enough of this tomfoolery.

"Father." Jeguk's tone was full of anger, his face seething with rage. The girl and her husband look up at the newcomer, while Joseon and Ming quickly break apart. Imsi is very quick to follow, crossing his arms while standing beside his brother, both of them giving each other support.

"Jeguk? Imsi?" Joseon's tone was panicked, as he stands up from where he was sitting. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Checking up on you", Jeguk spits, "you've been disappearing from our home for so many years, we didn't think to care where you have gone."

"We let those years slide", Imsi replies, anger evident. "We let those years slide because we thought you were innocent and were attending meetings."

Ming stands up, clearly disliking the attitude his lover's sons were displaying. "And your father is innocent! How dare you talk to your father like that!"

"This is none of your business", Jeguk snipes, giving Ming a cold hard glare, "this is between me, my brother, and our father."

"Tell us, father", Imsi says, the last word full of poison and Joseon visibly flinches. "Do you feel satisfied of letting a man - a man! - touch you that way? Do you feel like you are comitting a crime, an atrocity? Because we certainly think you are!"

"And you dare replace us as your sons with this girl?!", Jeguk says, pointing at Ryukyu, who was ready to defend herself and her father figures, but Malacca holds her down, glaring daggers at the two brothers. "Does becoming a parent increase your chance to be a virtuous man that needs respect?"

Joseon comes up empty with words, mind blank, body shaking.

Good, Imsi thinks, let him be ashamed of himself.

Joseon turns to look at Ming, then back at his sons with a remorseful look. He walks to them, tries to touch them, but they both back away. Joseon's brown eyes immediately fill with tears, but he tries to hide it by furrowing his brow.

"Y-you dare disrespect your father like this?", he says sternly. "Who gave you the right to insult your father's decisions?"

"You're no longer our father", Jeguk says, looking at him with an unreadable face, crossing his arms.

Joseon's stern façade breaks, his face contorting to a face of surprise and heartbreak. "Ex-excuse me?"

"You lost the right to be called our father."

Without a word, Jeguk and Imsi walk out of the gardens, feeling everyone's eyes upon him. Tears start to stream down Joseon's face, as he watches the sons he had loved and lost in life turn their backs on him for his choices.

"Those were your sons?", Malacca says disbelieving as he tries to comfort his father figure, while also calming his wife down, who was absolutely fuming and vowing to flip Joseon's sons on the nearest table. "They are more ill-mannered than Ayutthaya, in my opinion."

"That's because you two often fight for my attention", Ryukyu deadpans, "and now he's just asking for that Portugese bastard to remember him."

Meanwhile, the two lovers were also deep in discussion, with Joseon breaking down into sobs while Ming soothes him, rubbing circles on his back. Ming carresses his lover and tries to calm him down.

"I don't understand", Joseon cries into Ming's clothes, "they loved me with all their heart. They adored and idolized me, even when I proved to be weak. How did this-" he motions to he and Ming- "change everything?"

"Love, I think that your sons have been influenced by Qing's mentality", Ming says with a general distaste on his mouth, as he carresses his lover with gentleness and love. "Perhaps they have become close-minded over the years, thinking that love amongst males is forbidden, sinful and atrocious. Kids these days."

"You know, I was looking forward to meet your sons", Malacca blurts in, "you said they were the most wonderful people."

"They are, Malacca", Joseon sighs, "their beliefs are just... slanted."

"'Slanted' as in you and dad?", Ryukyu jokes, and the tense atmosphere in the room turns light as the others let out a few chuckles.

"No one controls the way you love someone", Ming softly says, "they should know that. You should have taught them that back in the days of life."

Joseon doesn't say a word, preferring for his mind to talk to him about the situation at hand, at the prospect he was promptly disowned by his own children. And for what? His unconditional love towards Myeong? He and Myeong had been separated for so long, for so many years, the sea never coming back to crash on the shore, instead, slowly receeding from the golden sand until it dries up, leaving everyone lonely in its wake. He knew that Ming can never come back to him, seeing his corpse in front of him, breaking him and his spirit.

He gently traces a finger around Ming's neck, a thin line made by the rope that had marked the fate of his lover, that had marked the rest of their lives with heartbreak and strife. Ming winces as he looks at Joseon eyeing his wound, reminding him of all his mistakes and sorrows. Ming puts his arms around Joseon, in order to comfort him, and himself.

Their faces were so close together, each feeling each others' breaths on their faces, their eyes telling each other the same thing. Their lips bridge the distance between them, and Joseon tastes the sweet flavor of peach as he explores the inside of his lover, hearing the other sigh and grunt in pleasure, running a hand through Joseon's hair. The man was pleased as he leans more into Ming's warmth, craving for more, more, more. Ming tugs on his hair and Joseon lets out a breathy moan, breaking apart from Ming with hunger in his eyes, grinding his arousal on to Ming's knee. Ming smirks at him, putting a finger on his chin, both their eyes levelled once again. Joseon can see the power, lust and dominance Ming's golden eyes, their smirk turning into a cheshire cat's grin.

"How about we...", Ming tugs at Joseon's hanbok, and he does not protest, already knowing deep inside him he is enjoying this. "... blow off some steam?"

Joseon replies with another kiss on Ming's lips, as he lets himself be carried by his man to another room, leaving the room to Ryukyu and Malacca.

"Since we have the room to ourselves-" Malacca starts but is cut off by lips on his, and he kisses back, already knowing what his wife needs.

Jeguk feels conflicted. After confronting his father, there was a strangled mess of emotions inside of him, a tangled knot refusing to untangle. It was a mess of problems compiled one by one, making him weak in his footsteps, but he carries on, the once bright, beautiful and shining light in the sky burning him through his skin, like he had done a wrong doing and deserved to be burned alive for it. It singes him, clawing through his clothes, skin, hair, bones, until he is nothing but ashes standing in the desert.

When he sees Chosen, however, planting beautiful flowers in their front lawn, the feelings fade, as it is replaced by feelings of fluttering love, like back in the old days of them frolicking in the fields or kissing in the stables whenever no one was there. His beloved sees him and she waves, smiling delightfully, and just like that the memories of his confrontation fades, as he runs to Chosen and hugs her, spinning her around and loving the way she laughs.

Imsi stays silent, no interjection nor bittersweet remark to their flirtations.

After a few more chuckles, Jeguk puts her down, and she looks at Imsi, standing tensely, eyes straight ahead, looking through the couple.

"Imsi, are you okay?", she asks, sounding concerned. Imsi looks at her but doesn't say anything as he walks through the couple like they're ghosts and walks into the house, closing the door with a loud slam, making Chosen flinch and cling on to Jeguk, old memories surging up. He comforts her, soothing her by singing to her lullabies, until she feels better.

"I'm sorry for my brother's attitude, nae salang", Jeguk says as he wipes some of Chosen's tears that spilled from her eyes, "we had a confrontation with our father today."

"Is that why you and Imsi vanished with Joseon all of a sudden?", Chosen asks, burying her face into Jeguk's chest. "Gwaenchanh-a boiji anh-a."

Jeguk sighs, leading his wife inside, his fingers rubbing her palms to make her feel better. He finds Imsi, seated near the tables, head on his hands. "It is because... our father did something horrible, atrocious, sinful."

Chosen gasps, "Mwo?"

Before Jeguk can open his mouth, Imsi intervenes, sounding troubled. "We found our father kissing another man. He did not deserve to be called our father anymore."

Chosen's surprised face is then replaced by furrowed brows and a confused look. "Geuge daya?"

"Well-"

"You disowned your father for loving another man?" Her tone was angry and disbelieving. She lets go of Jeguk, much to her husband's surprise. Imsi looks up from where he was sitting, raising a brow, his mind still brewing up trouble.

"Chosen-", Jeguk tries to respond, but it seems she was not yet done.

"Joseon raised you two! He taught you everything the world has to offer! He loved you both with all his heart, all his soul. Then you say he is not your father anymore for loving another man? That is irrational!"

Imsi stands up, frowning and crossing his arms, staring at her, but she surprisingly remains unfazed in front of the two brothers.

"You don't know him the way we did." Jeguk looks at his brother, who seems to be feeling the same amount of troublesome amount of feelings, trying to destroy his walls with big tidal waves, angry and rumbling and as dark as the sky. It was trying to destroy them both, a rift creating deep inside them and trying to open the gap more.

"If I knew him the way you did I would respect my father's wishes", Chosen shoots back. Imsi keeps his mouth shut, and it was Jeguk's turn to speak up.

"Chosen, don't you understand? Our father had lied to us, kept us in the dark about this atrocity, even tried to defend himself once he is faced with us! He does not deserve to be called our father! To be part of our family!"

Chosen shakes her head, her anger disappating, replaced with a worried look. "I would be angry my own father would hide such a secret from me, but would I cast him away because he is in love with another man? No."

Imsi and Jeguk look at each other, then back at Chosen, who was staring at them.

After a minute of silence, Chosen speaks up.

"Please talk to your father."

"I do not wish to", Imsi replies, and Jeguk himself is surprised by the way Imsi answers her. It was always Jeguk who was stubborn and not complying anyone's orders. Jeguk also wants to deny his wife's suggestion, but something inside him stops. Like there was a yearning in his heart for something more.

So Jeguk makes his choices.

Either he cuts their father out of their afterlives for eternity, or he and his brother accepts him for who he is.

Both sound hard to do.

So he does the latter, taking Imsi's wrist, much to his younger brother's confusion.

"Wait you're certainly not-", Imsi starts, but he sees Jeguk's face, and he sighs. "Y-you feel it too, don't you?"

Jeguk nods, "I feel like we made a mistake."

Imsi takes his brother's hand. "That needs to be right?"

Jeguk nods, embracing him. "That needs to become right."

Imsi was imagining all scenarios running around his head as he and Jeguk walk back towards the palace. His thoughts were screaming at him, trying to control his every movement as he and Jeguk come closer to the place they felt touch their hearts so badly to the point both of them feel each other's guilt so distantly. After his confrontation with his father, he can't help but feel his inside tear apart, as if it wasn't meant for him to disrespect his father like that.

He remembered his father tucking him in bed at night after their mother died, singing the same bedtime lullaby their mother once did, and help him be lulled to sleep. He remembered his father letting him read anything in their vast library, and listening to the wonderful stories Imsi had read, acting it out and becoming in sync with his imagination. He remembered his father lecturing and berating him for pulling on his brother's hair too much. And he remembered the corpse of his father, lying in his room, crimson staining the floors, looking as sad as he was in his life.

"Are you alright?", Jeguk asks him.

"Not at all", Imsi replies while shaking his head, running a hand through his hair. "I just have these stupid thoughts of guilt. I am rather conflicted, as of now. Firstly, seeing our father kiss another man is sinful, second, he is being unfaithful to our mother, and third, he's been lying to us, telling us that that man was his friend every time he mourns him. He was not, he was so much more than that."

"I too am not", Jeguk replies sincerely, as they near the palace. "But it is the first time Chosen had spoken her opinions of the matter at hand. She is never this loud before, so I believe we have done something wrong."

Imsi lightly smirks. "Sounds like you're whipped."

Jeguk shakes his head, "I never get those slang words you are speaking of."

Both of them enter the gates of the front palace with small serene smiles, their silence comfortable. They look at the big, wooden door, made of mahogany and rich textures of wood. It was intimidating, especially the dragon head holding the knob, daring them to hold it and summon forth the great dynasties from beyond. Imsi has the audacity to do reckless things more than his brother, though. So he is the one who holds the brass handle, knocking it against the door. He and Jeguk wait for someone to open the door, or tell them they have permission for opening it.

The door opens, a small creak echoing into the room beyond, and Jeguk and Imsi take a step back, to find an unfamiliar man on the door. He looks at them with a raised brow, intimidating and sharp eyes staring back at them.

"May I help you?", he asks curtly, and Imsi tries hard not to scowl, as he lets Jeguk do the talking.

"We are looking for, erm, Chaoxian?", Jeguk says, stumbling on his words. He looks up at the fallen dynasty in front of him. "Was that the right name for 'Joseon'?"

"Ah, you're the two who dare trespass in our palace with no invitation", the man says. "I do not think my son will let you come in again."

"Why don't you actually install gates to avoid trespassers", Imsi says under his breath, before looking up at the man - apparently Ming's father - and replying with, "we're here to talk to our father."

The man pretends to consider their request, but shakes his head no. "I am sorry but my son's lover does not need visitors right now."

Imsi can feel frustration seeping into his veins, his hands clenching to fists. He looks at Jeguk, who seems to be glaring at the man.

"Look, Yuan - or whatever your name is - we just want to talk to our father, to apologize to him", Jeguk calmly says, but there is a hint of indignance in his voice.

The man's eyes widen as his serious face morphs into one of irritation. "Yuan? You two think I'm Yuan? The person who murdered me and most of my family? The person who made my dear son's life a hellbent adventure? Perhaps I have not introduced myself properly-" he switches to a calmer voice- "my name is Song, last dynasty, along with Jurchen, before that Mongol usurper came along. I think you all know who my son is; Ming."

"What is going on here, father?", a familiar voice asks as Song's son joins him on the doorway, looking down at the two brothers. He looks at them emotionlessly and sighs. "Have you come to torment your father once again?"

Imsi shakes his head, "No sir, we come here to talk to him personally."

Ming tilts his head. "Are you sure you're not going to call him names and explode on him like last time?"

Jeguk nods. "We promise."

Ming nods, widening the doorway. "Well then, it seems you are invited to enter the palace."

Jeguk and Imsi step inside, admiring every single detail on the walls, floors, and ceiling, never really noticing or minding them before due to how they want to explode on their father. The walls were hypnotizing them, commanding the brothers to come closer and embrace its beautiful patterns. The ceiling was giving them all the light they need, laughing at them as they stare up. Ming beckons them to follow, and they do, passing the great wide and lengthy hallway, to the throne room, its size incomparable to anything they've seen in the real life. The thrones were not empty anymore; seated were the great Chinese dynasties, from the mythical Xia and the last dynasty Qing, who was left out, along with a man who looked a lot like him. Yuan, Imsi guesses. They were all with their families, singing, laughing, eating happily like they never had in their first lives. Everyone's eyes turn to look at the two brothers and Ming escorting them.

"Wait, aren't they not the two who insulted their father?", asks the one before Song, who has now occupied his seat.

"For loving another man?", the person seated on the first throne snorts as he fills himself a glass of wine.

"They disrespected their father because of his preferences?", Yuan speaks up but everyone - except Qing - gives him a warning glare, and he seals his lips shut.

("Your father outlawed homosexuality during his reign." One says.)

"Back in our days, we didn't have a care in the world if we love men or women", says the only woman seated on the throne, Great Jin. "We only have one objective in life and it is to marry."

"We already know why these two boys are close-minded of preferences", Ming stares directly at Qing, who holds it for a few seconds before looking away to pretend being enchanted by the walls. Ming looks back at Jeguk and Imsi with a smile, looking old yet... parental. "Come, your dear father is this way."

Jeguk and Imsi follow Ming out of the noisy throne room, an awkward silence consuming them. Imsi looks at Ming, looking far ahead at the large empty hallways full of vases or trinkets or tapestries, each of them having a slight history in them. Imsi then glances at a tapestry of Ming, stepping on a body which seems to be Yuan. Ming had over thrown Yuan, Imsi guesses. Imsi's curiosity starts to spill over the walls he had built around to control himself, and since the hallways were quite large and silent, he decides to ask the first question running around his mind.

"Sir Ming, how did you and my father meet?", Imsi asks.

Ming turns his head to look at him, a slight surprise tinted on his dark eyes and smiles kindly, his cheeks showing the slightest red. "Well, I met your father back when I was a young child; I have been living in the streets ever since Yuan has dethroned my father. I was travelling from region to region to ask citizens to join my cause against the Yuan, but either they were too scared of the immense power the foreigner had or they do not believe a strange, thin child as the true heir of the late Song. So I travelled with only the little food I have to the Korean peninsula, and I found a notable candidate to help me rebel against the foreigners."

A small sigh escapes Ming's lips, incredibly love struck. Imsi wonders if the way a man loves the same gender as he has the same affection as loving another woman. He wonders if all love was the same, if they should be held in a general view. They walk into the beautiful gardens, and the two brothers admire their surroundings, a paradise of the lost, a combination of all beautiful and ugly things. The pond was full of clear water, lily pads on it as the fountains let out bright, sparkly, water.

"Your father was royalty, crown prince of the kingdom his father, Goguryeo, had managed", Ming continues as they pass the butterfly-filled flower bushes, with Jeguk caressing a beautifully patterned butterfly, reminding him of Chosen. "He usually walks to commoner streets in the morning, unguarded."

"Father never even set foot in commoner villages without dozens of guards at his side", Jeguk whispers into Imsi's ear, and Imsi nods.

"I met him once his figure sweeps close to my hiding place", Ming says. "I know that this boy was my ticket to Yuan's palace, and so I surprised him by jumping on his way. Let's just say that Chaoxian had stumbled backwards and commanded me to never set foot near the marketplace. I shot back by saying I was Song's son and therefore heir to the dragon throne, but he replied that I am a madman. With that, he runs back to his palace, perhaps to whine of his misfortune during the day."

"But you and father met again and again, and spent more time", Jeguk assumes as he lets the butterfly fly back to the flowers, as they near the tall peach trees.

"Indeed, my boy", Ming nods as he stands on his tiptoes and reaches to the lowest tree branch, taking three bountiful and healthy peaches and giving two of it to Jeguk and Imsi, who bow to him and silently thank Ming. "He slowly believed I am the rightful heir to the throne, and so he lets me in the palace one day and asks his servants to feed me and give me a warm bath. His parents were quite suspicious of me, thinking I am a con who wants the family fortune, but Chaoxian assures them there is no need to worry. He too, despises Yuan and wishes to expel him. He hires dozens of master fighters, but one of them I had the pleasure to replace as my father in a worth while: Red Turban. He had two sons, Xia and Zhou who are incredibly jealous of my swordsmanship as I train more and more. As I grew healthier and smarter, I started to want something else more than familial fondness and friendly hugs. I desired more, craved more, wanted more than what I have.

"Chaoxian has started eyeing me as well. It seemed that he had been observing my physique and health, and his friendly eyes and smiles turn to one of want and desire as he surveys my body every time we train. It made him distracted from his work. It made me distracted from my goal. One night, Chaoxian had the absolute courage to monitor me and my swordsmanship; the conversation escalated from a friendly one to dozens of flirtatious comments and innuendos to the point we both gave in to our desire." Ming looks at both Jeguk and Imsi, clearly listening with the eyes of intrigued children.

Ming and the brothers reach the end of the garden, into another huge hallway, but this time they had rooms with plaques on their doors. Imsi muses that they must all be large to accomodate many peoples; he passes a sign that reads 'Manchukuo, Fengtian, and Yihetuan', and he guesses that those three brothers share the same room.

"When I died, I left my dear Chaoxian all alone, mourning my death", Ming says. "I felt guilty, too guilty, but I know he will move on from my death and deem me a past love, and have children with his brand new queen." He stares at Jeguk and Imsi with a face of genuine sadness.

"He didn't, though", Jeguk says, "ever since he were alive he would absently stare into nothingness, weep at a single mention of you, hold a day in your honor, and hoard his room with artifacts back when he was young and happy."

"But did your father love you with all his heart?", Ming asks as they stop near a door with the pinyin reading, 'Chaoxian'.

"Yes", Imsi replies, realization striking deep within him as his heart bleeds to see his father and hug him once again. "His love for us was beyond his queens."

Ming smiles. "Then you have replaced me as the love of his life after my death."

Jeguk and Imsi stare at each other, realization striking in as their memories with their father surfaced in their mind, the eyes their father had displayed towards Ming had the same level of affection as he looks back at his twin sons, enjoying the happy lives they had once lead.

"I will ask my love if he wishes to talk to you both at this time", Ming says as he knocks on the door and slips in, looking back at them with his dark eyes glinted with delight. Ming closes the door, face to face with his large bed, with a body lying on it, sleeping soundly. He shakes his head as he fondly smiles, approaching Chaoxian and gently shaking him awake. The man in question stirs from his sleep, moving his blankets and turning to face him, tired eyes and an annoyed look.

"What is it Ming?", Joseon asks rudely, "we had just pleasured ourselves a while ago and I wish to sleep."

"But that means you cannot talk to your sons." Ming plays innocent. Joseon's eyes stop being tired at once as a look of surprise come across his face.

"M-my sons? They are here?" Joseon immediately shoots up, ignoring the pain on his back as he tries to look for his clothes. "You only notified me of my son's arrival now?"

Ming shrugs, "They came shortly after I made sure you were sound asleep."

Joseon groans as he finds his clothes and dresses himself up, making sure his hair looks kept and his appearance presentable. "I'm still sore and stressed."

Ming chuckles. "Don't fret, my love. You'll rest sooner or later." Joseon makes a motion for him to open the door and let his sons in, and so Ming obeys, as in comes Joseon and Imsi, slowly and carefully. "I'll leave you all to talk." With that, Ming closes the door with him on the other side.

Joseon looks at his sons, eyes darting from a sheepish Jeguk to an awkward Imsi. The three of them were all waiting for the other party to speak up, to tell what's on their minds. Joseon lightly sighs as he nears his sons; both make a slight hesitation if they should stay in their place but neither took a step backwards as Joseon's arms wrap around then in an embrace. Imsi and Jeguk hug back, missing their father even if it had just been an hour or two. Joseon leans back, looking at his sons with a smile.

"I'm sorry-"

"No, we both are sorry", Jeguk interrupts their father. "We're sorry for treating you as if you are second class, as a sinful monster, and disrespecting you."

"We're sorry that we have never been considerate of your feelings", Imsi says, tears filling his eyes. "I never thought you'd-"

"And I apologize for neglecting my duties as a father", Joseon says, "I love you more than what the world has offered me."

"We love you as well, father", Jeguk replies with a sad smile. "We almost gave you up for your preferences."

"You are both forgiven." Joseon kisses them lightly on the top of their foreheads, and they both feel wamth surge inside them, a piece in their hearts finally attaching itself together again.

"It seems that we haven't met properly yet", Jeguk says, bowing to the woman his father had deemed as a daughter of his. "I am Daehan Jeguk, former heir to my father Joseon's throne."

The woman rolls her eyes, curtsying. "I've known you since both you and your brother were babes, yet you only regard me as an ally and not a friend. No matter; I am Ryukyu."

Malacca eyes Jeguk and Ryukyu talking, furrowing his brows. He feels someone touch his arm, and he turns his head to find Jeguk's twin brother.

"You do know that Jeguk is married, right?", Imsi points out like the clever little weasel he is.

"Yes", Malacca replies with a frown. "But I still don't like how close he is to my wife."

"Sultanate, I don't know about you but my brother would never cheat on his wife that has suffered too much." Imsi's last statement was vague as he asks for another glass of wine from a servant.

"Why? What happened to his wife?"

"Teikoku."

Malacca blinks and widens his eyes in realization. "Oh."

Imsi takes a sip of his wine as he bumps into another man, who did not take kindly to this assault. The man turns and faces him, face stone-cold and eyes glaring towards Imsi, who was muttering out apologies.

"You should be sorry", the man tells him through a low, cold voice.

"Ayutthaya!", a jovial and elderly voice sounds through the croud, and it breaks the intimidating air Ayutthaya had created, making Imsi exhale a breath of relief and thank Myeong. Myeong approaches them, silk robes and all, as he smiles pleasantly towards Imsi and frowns at Ayutthaya. "Now now, what have I told you about scaring new family members?"

Imsi blinks, clearly surprised at what Myeong had said. Family. He and Jeguk are now part of Myeong's - clearly - large family? He looks around to find most of Myeong's tributaries chatting amongst themselves or tasting the sweet treats the servants had cooked for them, and he realizes he can finally have more than one brother; he can have all.

"Wait, me and Jeguk are part of your family now?", Imsi asks, mouth agape.

Ayutthaya scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Of course, you idiot. Haven't you heard that your father has married Ming?"

Imsi blinks. "Married?"

Myeong looks sheepish. "Oh, we're really sorry we didn't-"

"No, it's fine", Imsi cuts in and gives Myeong a hug. "I think I feel found."

Ming smiles as he embraces the young boy back, savoring his warmth. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Ayutthaya give the two a slight smile before it turns to a frown once he notices Jeguk and the others approaching them. The man groans as Ming and Imsi part.

Joseon pats Ayutthaya on the head as he embraces Ming and gives him a shy kiss on the cheek, making the room errupt in a cheer, save for Jeguk who modestly claps and Imsi who smiles at them. Ayutthaya was cheering along as well, crossing his arms.

"Hey Jeguk", Imsi whispers to his older brother, who was busily pouring himself a drink.

"Yes?"

"Do you feel the slightest bit weirded out when father kissed Myeong?"

A pause from Jeguk, hesitation. "A little bit, yes." He turns and he and Imsi watch Ming and Joseon kiss and hug each other tightly, like they were meant to be, like they were soulmates.

"But if father is happy, I am happy too."

#mine #writing #countryhumans #countryhumans kpg #countryhumans korean empire #countryhumans chosen #countryhumans joseon #countryhumans ming #countryhumans ryukyu kingdom #countryhumans malacca sultanate #countryhumans ayutthaya

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punkscowardschampions · 5 years ago

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Joe & Ronnie

Joe: what are you actually doing Ronnie: having an orgy Ronnie: ain't you gutted you didn't stay Joe: was before Joe: however appealing or un that is Ronnie: cry to some other cunt Ronnie: I told you not to go Joe: I ain't interested in no other cunt, that's what I just said Joe: I had to, didn't I Ronnie: don't be a pussy Ronnie: you ain't gotta be a mummy's boy all your life Joe: it's christmas Joe: that's what has to be done Ronnie: and what? family's for life Ronnie: tell that to your ma Joe: you should've come Joe: it's a mess, you'd have had fun Ronnie: I don't do babies Ronnie: and I weren't invited Joe: me either Joe: and you are Joe: come now Ronnie: whoever the fuck your ma wants me to be ain't who I am Ronnie: try telling her the truth and see if I'm still given a seat Joe: you don't need to be anyone for her Ronnie: swallow your own bullshit sayings first Joe: alright so it's stupid Joe: but I need you here Ronnie: you can't have me there Joe: for fuck sake Ronnie: you want me or you wanna be her golden boy Joe: you know exactly which I want Ronnie: you think you know but one look at my tracks and fun's over baby Joe: I can have you and drugs Joe: that ain't mutually exclusive Joe: never has been Ronnie: you can't have fuck all around your family Ronnie: a uni degree and a 9-5 is your lot babe Joe: they'd not even notice Joe: baby central, yeah Ronnie: they'd notice me Joe: we could find out Ronnie: don't Joe: alright Joe: fine Ronnie: it's not all about you Ronnie: selfish prick Joe: I know you don't wanna be here Ronnie: then don't fucking ask me Joe: I know what I am Ronnie: you know who I am Ronnie: you're wasting your own time Joe: yeah Joe: and you know I don't care Ronnie: that's why you're there pissing away the day, yeah? Joe: what do you suggest? Joe: taken every pharmaceutical I could get into the country Ronnie: leave the country Ronnie: grow a fucking pair mckenna Joe: on xmas day yeah Joe: called a fantasy play the game Ronnie: you want me to show up Ronnie: why the fuck can't you? Joe: selfish prick Ronnie: I don't pretend to be anything else Joe: no, me Ronnie: it comes out of your mouth so easy for me Ronnie: just tell 'em Joe: tell 'em what Joe: I don't wanna see you no more Joe: bye Ronnie: any of the ugly truth will make her not wanna see you no more Ronnie: it don't take much Ronnie: pushed me out of her and right away, like Joe: that wasn't about you, was it Joe: selfish runs in the genes Ronnie: not deep enough when it comes to you Ronnie: you're fucking soft mckenna Ronnie: that your da's fault, yeah? Joe: yeah, you should be the favourite, we both know it but ain't gonna wish it on you Ronnie: nah she should've swallowed or got scraped Ronnie: did the next best though Joe: you want me to say lucky you so you can hate me for being privileged and ignorant Joe: I'll do it for you Ronnie: such a people pleaser Joe: you know it Ronnie: call me when you're ready to shatter your wine glass and put the pieces in your mouth Joe: you dare me? Ronnie: I'm not playing games here Joe: come on Joe: get your paper hat on Ronnie: you want me to get on some old bloke's knee too or is that where the fantasy ends? Joe: not got any grandparents Joe: sorry Ronnie: shame Joe: isn't it just Ronnie: but we don't have to let it die 'cause you're a letdown Ronnie: I know loads of old men Ronnie: some of 'em have gotta still be alive Joe: 🤞 the holiday blues haven't claimed them Ronnie: yeah 'cause you wanna be special Joe: but I am Joe: if I cared about it I'd say no old cunts Ronnie: I'll lick your brains off the wall when you pull the trigger baby, how's that? Joe: Better than Courtney, babe Ronnie: the bar ain't high then Joe: she might've pulled the trigger Joe: don't you want that? Ronnie: you know what I want Joe: you know what I can't give you today Ronnie: yeah and I know that's your fucking fault Joe: didn't ask for jesus to be born Joe: or for me to into this family Ronnie: stop having a tantrum and come back Joe: tomorrow Ronnie: today Joe: didn't drive Joe: what flight am i getting on christmas Ronnie: fuck's sake Joe: I can't hack it Ronnie: drop a baby they'll kick you out faster than you can say merry christmas Ronnie: especially if it's one of your brother's Ronnie: gonna have limited brain cells as it is Joe: 😂 Joe: that would require picking one up and nah Joe: nope Ronnie: you've touched worse Joe: I don't know Joe: it's weird Joe: fucked Ronnie: they're just little bags of meat and bone Ronnie: get a fucking grip Joe: says you Joe: you ain't here Ronnie: for me it ain't about nothing but resisting the urge to shake 'em and how I don't reckon I've got that in me Ronnie: one of many negative impulses I fight or don't on the daily like Joe: like you said, be a kindness really Joe: they're all just pretending it's a good thing when it clearly ain't Joe: not got the energy Ronnie: jail ain't gonna be that for me Ronnie: and like I also said you ain't the only selfish prick that bitch spawned Ronnie: they don't know a good thing they ain't tried it Ronnie: shoot 'em up it'll be a decent christmas for everyone Joe: you've not got room for the gang tats Joe: I get it Joe: oddly enough I've not got 💉 on my prescription Ronnie: baby I'm nobody's bitch but 💉 Ronnie: and we're exclusive 💍 Joe: you wish Joe: making do every other time Ronnie: don't fucking remind me Joe: miss those student loans Ronnie: I'm gonna miss being a christmas temp Joe: not just for the lap sitting priviledges Joe: yeah Ronnie: knew you were into it Joe: just miss you Ronnie: don't say shit like that Joe: whatever Ronnie: I mean it, it hurts Joe: I'm sorry Joe: if I could go back and not find you Joe: I know I should Joe: I wouldn't but established Ronnie: fuck you Joe: yeah Joe: I know Ronnie: nah you fucking don't Joe: you reckon Ronnie: I said it Ronnie: you're the cunt saying shit you don't mean Joe: no I'm not Joe: just 'cos you don't need to hear it don't mean it ain't real Joe: it is, that's the issue yeah Ronnie: tell it to your ma Ronnie: well full of it Joe: why would I Joe: not trying to convince you of anything here Joe: it is what it is Joe: however fucked Ronnie: 🖕 Joe: yeah love you and all Ronnie: if you did you wouldn't have left Joe: ever Ronnie: shut up Ronnie: you're not funny mckenna none of you lot are Joe: who's trying to be funny Joe: what do you want from me Ronnie: you're a fucking joke either way babe Joe: make up your mind Joe: glad I amuse you now, apparently Joe: one of us should be having a good time Ronnie: laugh or cry, yeah? Joe: goes something like that Joe: could go full newborn and do a puke shit cry combo Joe: why not Ronnie: if you're rattling hard enough, anything's possible Joe: getting by Joe: making do is never the same as previously lamented but not gonna start convulsing in my plate Ronnie: shame Joe: 💘 Joe: dunno how you reckon on me ruining christmas Joe: sister just became a teen mum Ronnie: it's an od or a run out take your pick baby Ronnie: both have worked for me Ronnie: you say that like its not a badge of honor who wouldnt wanna follow in your ma's footsteps, like Ronnie: if she starts dealing too give her my number Joe: ha, I forgot to tell you Joe: there's one here already Ronnie: if you wanted me there you should have led with that Joe: I know right Joe: no one tells me anything Joe: you'd like him Joe: purely 'cos she hates him Ronnie: you don't tell me anything Ronnie: too late to ruin christmas now Joe: I know you'd be here if you wanted that more than you don't wanna be here Joe: but don't worry, atmosphere is awkward enough regardless Ronnie: could still show up for your brother's big birthday Ronnie: freckles is a no go but he's old enough now to be on the table Ronnie: work my way through by new years, yeah? Joe: hilarious, babe Ronnie: not joking babe Ronnie: fucking the dealer won't make enough of a splash Joe: you do know they know you're related, yeah Joe: even if he weren't gay Ronnie: didn't stop you Ronnie: and being a massive homo ain't ever stopped Charlie Joe: we all do trauma different don't we Ronnie: if you want some therapy for christmas we can roleplay that shit Joe: why would i settle for that when i've got drugs and you Ronnie: saying that ain't gonna make me not hate you Joe: good Joe: hate me Joe: don't be an idiot like everyone else Ronnie: baby brain ain't gonna be a thing over here Ronnie: 💔 Joe: my deepest sympathies Joe: can't say I'm sharing in your 💔 though Ronnie: when have I ever used an emoji meaningfully Ronnie: not a fucking kid Joe: damn Joe: I really thought you meant those 😍 Joe: 💔 Ronnie: fuck off Joe: 😂 Joe: you're cute Ronnie: count how many glasses you've had Joe: is that an OCD joke Joe: you're on 🔥 today girl Ronnie: you wish no lighters at the table baby Joe: Charlie really sticking to those rules hard Joe: how are you gonna light the pudding? Ronnie: afters ain't like that round here Ronnie: 💉💊🚬 Joe: it's minging Ronnie: you love it then, all the pain, like Joe: don't reckon we've actually got one either Joe: how passive-aggressive of them Ronnie: ma keeps bringing the disappointments, yeah? Ronnie: reckon your brother's golden boy now he's sprogged up Joe: I wish Joe: marginally less of a disgrace than Ali Joe: but still Ronnie: your sister is gifting those flashbacks for christmas Joe: Truly Joe: poor kid Ronnie: she should've picked a white lad Ronnie: calm your ma right down Joe: maybe next time Joe: 2nd time's a charm, eh Ronnie: yeah Joe: have you ever been knocked up Ronnie: could probably have got a freebie down the clinic how often I've been down to get rid Ronnie: none of 'em were yours though you can relax Joe: god bless the nhs Ronnie: you ever knocked anyone up? Joe: not to abortion stage Joe: just had to get plan b Joe: as far as I know, anyway Ronnie: cute Joe: thanks 💕 Joe: ours wouldn't be so thank fuck Ronnie: that kinda shit passes for a date for us scousers 💋 Ronnie: you don't want a kid with gills or two heads? Joe: hot Joe: least you could see what was up with it Joe: but 👶💀 Ronnie: can't and won't happen Ronnie: you'd have to fuck your fertile sister Joe: we can pretend that's why I like you Ronnie: you like me 'cause I'll always find a vein for you Ronnie: what else is there Joe: what ain't there Ronnie: 👶🍼 Joe: exactly Joe: one of the main things I look for Ronnie: are you on one knee right now or what? Joe: get you a rock worth having Joe: how's that for a proposal Ronnie: I don't trust it but I'll take it Joe: why not Joe: got that christmas cash Joe: not gonna waste it Ronnie: why would you wanna share with me, selfish prick from your own mouth, like Joe: 'cos getting high together is better Joe: deny it Ronnie: you know I can't Joe: gonna be a white christmas Joe: no need to trust just see Ronnie: when Joe: tomorrow Ronnie: don't fucking lie Joe: I ain't Ronnie: swear Ronnie: swear they ain't gonna guilt you into staying Joe: swear Joe: they ain't gonna even try Ronnie: make sure they let you on that flight Joe: 'course Joe: I'm totally legally medicated rn Ronnie: you're also a pussy Ronnie: bet all the younger siblings have drunk you under the table Joe: you're not wrong that lots of them pride themselves in their light alcoholism Ronnie: whatever gets 'em through the day, yeah? Joe: can't judge really Joe: not with a 💉 sticking out my arm Ronnie: that's tomorrow Ronnie: today anything goes baby Joe: I'll be the one to dish out the home truths Joe: that'd be unexpected Ronnie: someone's gotta your ma will be too busy trying to chuck the babies out Joe: playing hostess with the mostest 'cos can't keep playing the boy when she's got two kids here knocked up Joe: his ma is well smug 😂 Joe: *blaming Ronnie: one of us is having fun then Joe: take the small victories, ms cavante Ronnie: if she's not gonna kick your ma in the tits it'll have to do Joe: wish on a 🌠 baby Ronnie: I've got bad luck or no luck baby Ronnie: that shit don't work Joe: you won't care come tomorrow Ronnie: I don't care now Joe: see? Joe: lucky Ronnie: 🖕 Joe: seriously Joe: my head is Ronnie: I know Ronnie: mine screams too but I go louder Joe: I can't do anything in here Joe: need to go outside and none of those other bastards better take their 🚬 break 'til I'm done Ronnie: if you didn't give so much of a fuck you could do anything Ronnie: that's why I can't show up to your family christmas, you ain't ready mckenna Joe: just shut up alright Joe: let me fucking think Ronnie: you ain't keith richards how many more years of me do you need to stop having such a limp dick Ronnie: every junkie is on borrowed time Joe: you really thought you were gonna fix me Joe: come on now Joe: you're better than that Ronnie: I'm not better than anything Ronnie: lowest of the low baby Joe: then what Ronnie: you want answers from me? you're better than that Joe: no Joe: what the fuck are you doing Joe: you're the one wasting your borrowed time Ronnie: what, you're the only cunt who gets to hide from family christmas? Ronnie: I'm sick and they're sick of me Joe: I don't mean just today and you know it Ronnie: I don't give a fuck what you mean and you know it Joe: it's been years Ronnie: you want out, get out Joe: I don't Joe: but I'm the one with the limp dick Ronnie: yeah Joe: that's what I thought Ronnie: you think too much babe Joe: no shit Joe: don't wanna play therapy, thanks Ronnie: what do you wanna play then? Joe: you're sick, I'm sick Ronnie: no game Ronnie: it's how shit is Joe: fun never stops, babe Ronnie: if your idea of fun is making me wanna top myself, soft lad Joe: you can't Joe: you've gotta lick it up after Ronnie: can't I? race yous Joe: wait 'til I'm there Joe: don't ruin their day any more Ronnie: I'm already waiting for you to decide you wanna come back and be scum of the fucking earth with me again Joe: it ain't a choice to be made or not Joe: it's how shit is Ronnie: you made loads of choices to get there Ronnie: plane rides to dublin don't just happen Joe: basically Ronnie: pathetic Joe: yeah Ronnie: fuck you Ronnie: don't agree with me Joe: disagreeing ain't gonna change that I'm here now Ronnie: you don't wanna change it Ronnie: you love it Joe: yep Joe: big time Joe: fucking hell Ronnie: you've got such a misery hard on, you shouldn't be near kids Joe: why don't you hit them up Joe: let them know Ronnie: you're the only cunt with their mummy on speed dial Joe: alright well I ain't up for telling everyone I'm a predator Ronnie: do you wanna fuck her too or what? Joe: do you? Ronnie: nah Ronnie: why I don't come running every time someone in your family blows their nose or whatever the fuck Joe: me either Joe: it's christmas fucking day Joe: how many times Ronnie: like this is the first and only time Ronnie: but I'm crazy, yeah Joe: you are Joe: you're nuts Ronnie: don't forget it Ronnie: I'll be crazier by tomorrow Joe: promises promises Ronnie: I promise I'll ruin your fucking life, prick Joe: oh honey Joe: that's not a brag Joe: not hard is it Ronnie: you ain't talking to fitz baby I don't brag Joe: you can't Ronnie: you think you can tell me what I can and can't do Joe: don't take it personal Joe: try it Ronnie: don't take it personal when I kick the shit out of you mckenna Joe: how can I not when I love it so much Joe: think on Ronnie: 'cause I still love you 😍💋💘 Joe: s'alright baby, the way I wanna go out Joe: 💀💀💀 Ronnie: call me when you've stopped pleasuring your ma, I'll make it happen for you Joe: so understanding all of a sudden Joe: who's got your phone Ronnie: fuck off Joe: there she is Ronnie: what now you miss me? Ronnie: running late there baby Joe: I already told you I did Joe: you said I weren't allowed no more Ronnie: I said don't tell me Ronnie: I can't handle hearing it if it don't change a fucking thing Joe: alright Joe: but it changes a fucking lot Joe: you know Joe: not just for you Joe: I promise I'm really fucked from it Ronnie: yeah? Ronnie: so stop fucking around and come back to me Ronnie: first chance you get Ronnie: 'cause it's shit Joe: I know, I really know Joe: you've got no reason to believe me but you will see me tomorrow Joe: regardless of what any of them have gotta say on it Joe: never wanted to be here so not prolonging it Ronnie: I wanna believe you Ronnie: don't fuck me over twat Joe: I won't Joe: fuck myself over too Joe: time to start being fully selfish prick, yeah Joe: there's enough going on now, don't need me Ronnie: tell the truth that you're threatened by the off their tits 18 year olds that birthday boy will be surrounded by Ronnie: got more game than you Joe: yeah Joe: not the one chatting about fucking the barely legals Joe: but sure Ronnie: you would if they'd give you the time of day mckenna Ronnie: come on Ronnie: one day in dublin turned you into an old dried up nun? Joe: I dunno, I've not scoped out the guestlist that hard Joe: unlike my brother, girls I've known since they were kids don't do it for me, what can I say? Ronnie: blood relatives only like Joe: only when they're you Ronnie: such a lost fucking cause Joe: don't worry, was before you Joe: not gotta add that to the tally Ronnie: our safe word can be trauma bonding Ronnie: loads in common Ronnie: 💘 Joe: you're alright Joe: when you're not a total raging bitch Ronnie: never then Ronnie: what am I when I'm a raging bitch? Joe: for me Ronnie: you sure you don't wanna party with the homos babe? that was proper gay Joe: fuck off Ronnie: write me a symphony next, yeah? Joe: and I'm the gay Joe: alright, romantic Ronnie: don't get an attitude 'cause I've fucked more lasses than you Joe: still time Joe: not as old as you Ronnie: you wanna make it to that age or what? careful how you talk to me Joe: wow, just like having a nan Joe: cheers babe Ronnie: fuck you Joe: 💘 Ronnie: we all know if you had a nan you'd wanna fuck her too Ronnie: step outside the family baby you might enjoy yourself Joe: doubt it Joe: do have one technically but she ain't all that Ronnie: 💔 Ronnie: you need the scouse accent to get it up, yeah? Joe: you or the beatles ain't it Ronnie: that was mildly funny calm down Joe: steady on Joe: might think you like me Ronnie: won't last Ronnie: due a mood swing in like 2 seconds Joe: s'alright Joe: all 23 of you love me Ronnie: 😂😍 here 'course Joe: yeah, never trusting your emojis again Joe: need photographic evidence, like Ronnie: [sends it cos that bitch but imagine her actual grumpy cat face bye] Ronnie: in proper stitches, alright Joe: should play poker pro Joe: you're too cute though, never believe that face is 21 or over Ronnie: call me cute again and I'll carve it into your chest Ronnie: capital letters Joe: [sends voice memo] Ronnie: I proper fucking hate you Joe: you knew I'd wanna so you clearly want to as well Joe: don't blame me you sadist Ronnie: you know what I want mckenna Ronnie: we ain't got a secret santa going Joe: take these socks back Ronnie: you'll wanna keep 'em for your misery boner babe Joe: you've not got me an escort then Joe: gutting Ronnie: crazy, remember? you could fuck her but I'd have to kill her Joe: alright, I'll keep your charges at manslaughter level Joe: for you Ronnie: 💋 Joe: when do you next have a shift or are you done fully now Ronnie: tomorrow but that ain't happening if you've meant a word you said Joe: I'll make it worth it Ronnie: not hard to beat out retail when there's sales on Ronnie: wouldn't have gone if you were here or not Joe: don't tell me that Joe: I was talking 💸 not the #experience Ronnie: you wanna be my daddy too now? these roleplays are getting hard to keep count of Joe: again, thinking how much gear I'm gonna get but you can pout about it if you wanna Joe: already earned the scars so I don't mind saying it again Ronnie: rain man ain't a fantasy, gutted for you, like Ronnie: doing my best here Joe: you do it well Joe: smarter than everyone I know Ronnie: the princess will be gutted Joe: you don't have to tell her, like Joe: but not too fussed Ronnie: no secrets among scumbags baby Ronnie: even if she reckons she's levelled up Joe: you don't? Ronnie: anyone can drop a sprog Ronnie: trap a lad Ronnie: didn't saint your ma, did it? Joe: nah Joe: just don't reckon she was ever really one of us Joe: surprised if you do Ronnie: she wouldn't fight it so hard if she weren't Joe: I dunno Ronnie: I do, seen it loads Ronnie: gutters such a good fit it scares her shitless so she's gotta cling to that poor cunt Ronnie: he's her life raft through the shit Joe: hardly dragging him down though, is she Joe: not gonna be complaining any time soon, I've seen a lifetime of that Ronnie: everybody needs a fix that's theirs Joe: guess so Joe: no sign of getting over it any time soon Ronnie: I'm more likely to get clean before she does of him and I've got a nosebleed from all the shit B's ground up to stop me puking up Charlie's christmas feast Ronnie: sent my boss a pic though so it ain't all 💔 Joe: ☁ Joe: so glass half-full you, baby Ronnie: no shit Ronnie: can't be trusted with an empty one Joe: why are you the only one who talks any sense Joe: least all they're chatting is just waves now Ronnie: I pay attention Ronnie: you'd have broke your rules and 💘 me as a kid babe Joe: yeah? Joe: charlie's told me stories but never fully know what's bullshit or at the least exaggeration with him Ronnie: a solid 85% at least Ronnie: I was fucking feral though he's got that coined right Ronnie: you think I'm crazy now this shit's nothing Joe: I should've known you Ronnie: everyone who touched me back then has got a bite mark out of them Ronnie: you wouldn't have made it Joe: nah Joe: shit was different then Joe: so was I Ronnie: still gonna have been too soft whenever Joe: not the point though is it Joe: she should've got bitten Ronnie: she should've done loads of things Ronnie: she didn't Joe: I know Joe: fucked Ronnie: you won't give a shit tomorrow Joe: well Joe: be too numb to chat about it and think about it Joe: good as Ronnie: deal with it til then Joe: 🤐 got it Ronnie: unless you wanna bite your ma yourself like Ronnie: whatever gets you off Joe: you too Ronnie: cheers Ronnie: swallowing too much blood to fit in a dick but I'll try again later Joe: are you alright? Joe: where are the lads Ronnie: don't cry Ronnie: they're enjoying the show Ronnie: it ain't christmas til someone bleeds, pukes or pisses themselves Ronnie: can't give 'em the other two I ain't a pussy 💔 Joe: adorable, some would say Joe: is it really so much to ask that they keep you alive 'til I'm back Ronnie: relax I've had heavier periods Ronnie: you'll have to kill me yourself Joe: be fun trying Joe: challenge accepted Ronnie: hot Joe: don't forget it Ronnie: not gonna black out this shit ain't working that hard Joe: good Joe: call me needy all you want just don't go Ronnie: if I wanted to take the piss I could better than that Joe: not that gone either Ronnie: what are you on? Ronnie: 🍾 Joe: and my meds Joe: managed to get some extra 'cos I'm terrified of flying, obvs Ronnie: you're the one who's gonna die before you get here Ronnie: basically sober Ronnie: baby that's fucked Joe: I know Joe: options are limited Joe: not like I can go in on whatever anyone else is having when one lot is off the coke and the others are off the psychedelics Joe: fucking babies Ronnie: I mean, you could suck on the princess' tits but that ain't gonna give you what you really need Ronnie: talk to the dealer at your table, he's a baby too but he'll be holding something Joe: she's not got 3 Joe: and shut up Joe: though the latter isn't a terrible idea Joe: like you said, not gonna have anything good enough but Ronnie: I know, she weren't fully clothed for the 3way Joe: what part of shut up don't you get Ronnie: make me bitch Joe: such a twat you Ronnie: stop being a little fucking girl Joe: stop chatting about bullshit for a reaction Ronnie: you wanted me to stay Joe: yeah Joe: don't need to talk about that Ronnie: what then Ronnie: how much you love me Joe: anything but that Joe: literally Ronnie: I've plugged the 🩸 you can dry your eyes Joe: good Joe: don't be wasting it on something so lame Ronnie: you reckon that's lame I'm gonna have to eat the 💊 like it's the fucking 90s Ronnie: fuck's sake Joe: very retro Joe: see what throwbacks I can get from this kid too Joe: be a party Ronnie: get your brother some poppers for his birthday Joe: probably be appreciated Joe: hence I won't Joe: chuck the obligatory tenner his way Ronnie: 🌈🙌 Joe: 😬 Ronnie: such a prude joseph Joe: you didn't have to live with them/partially raise them Joe: not something I wanna think about and they insist on making me constantly, pretty much Ronnie: didn't get to, you mean Ronnie: we're all 💔 babe Joe: you can revel in how much of a blessing it is on that score with your commiseration toast Ronnie: yeah Joe: yeah Ronnie: now we're finishing each other sentences 💘😍 Joe: christ 😂 Joe: oh Joe: you know uni sophie is engaged now Joe: wanna go if they make it down the aisle? Ronnie: I really fucking do Ronnie: did I miss her engagement party? Joe: dunno actually Joe: I'll actually ask next time she tries to talk Joe: bet she's missed you almost as much as me Ronnie: ask her now she'll have wished you merry christmas Joe: how'd you know? Joe: hacked my accounts Joe: hot Ronnie: I could but don't need to Ronnie: a 💍 don't mean she ain't still 😍💘 for you mckenna Joe: still only human, after-all Ronnie: 🖕 Joe: awh come on Joe: you know you wanna see 'em all in their festive jumpers Joe: [sends post] Ronnie: fucking hell Ronnie: she one of your plan b girls like, she's got fat enough that you might wanna check she swallowed it Joe: ugh no Joe: any plan b baby of mine would be toddling by now Ronnie: reassuring Joe: if you want 99% on that front I'll sweep the old friends list Joe: make sure they've got no offspring with the 👂s Ronnie: you reckon I haven't Ronnie: living with such a computer whizz Joe: true Joe: his talents are probably better spent getting free netflix Ronnie: way ahead of you Joe: boxsets are what the season is really about Ronnie: gutted you ain't here, yeah? Joe: yeah Ronnie: you'll be back in time for the finale where the korean robots stop fighting to the death long enough to save the world or whatever the fuck Joe: 😂 Joe: can't wait Ronnie: 'course not Ronnie: edge of your seat shit Joe: do you ever think about going back Joe: to liverpool Ronnie: for what? Ronnie: am I losing the accent? 💔 Joe: not as bad as I have Joe: I dunno Ronnie: no fucker there I wanna see Ronnie: you'll have to do the mckenna childhood ghost tour on your own Joe: come on Joe: gear must be good Joe: fuss they made about it Ronnie: it's decent here Ronnie: take another swing babe Joe: cheaper there Joe: everything, like Ronnie: you know how to get freebies Joe: fine Ronnie: I'm not gonna play house with you in that shithole, shut the fuck up Joe: I said fine Joe: jesus Ronnie: couldn't hear it through your tears like Joe: piss off Joe: it ain't about you Ronnie: you asked me if I wanted to go back Ronnie: I ain't stopping you Joe: can't anyway Joe: doubt their orchestra pays as well Joe: assuming there is one Ronnie: if everything's cheaper they don't need to Joe: whatever Joe: be a stupid thing to do regardless Ronnie: and you never do anything stupid, yeah? Joe: it's the one area of my life I don't Joe: yeah Ronnie: don't be a prick Ronnie: you know you could join the philharmonic Joe: I ain't going Joe: forget about it Ronnie: fine Joe: funny Ronnie: feels like shit don't it, getting one back Ronnie: just 'cause you're surrounded by sprongs don't mean you can't use your words Joe: you don't wanna go, there's nowt else to say Ronnie: it ain't about me Ronnie: you forgot you just said that already? Joe: doesn't mean I wanna go without you Joe: don't be stupid Ronnie: you can find another girl to shoot you up babe Joe: if you're gonna chat shit don't bother Joe: I love you Ronnie: give yourself a gift and hate me Joe: If I could, it'd have been on sight Joe: it's not like you charmed your way into my 💘 Ronnie: nah I injected myself into your veins Joe: don't give away your secrets Ronnie: not to shit on your christmas but it's only a secret for that lot where you are Joe: worst kept Ronnie: why keep it then? Joe: why announce it? Ronnie: you reckon she should get bitten, that'd do it Joe: 🥂 gather round fam Joe: they'd not believe it Joe: find a way to laugh it off, ignore the obvious Ronnie: roll up your sleeve, they can't fucking ignore that Joe: I'm pissing off mid-festivities Joe: that'll do it Ronnie: pussy Joe: what's it matter to you Ronnie: fuck you Joe: I mean it Joe: I'm coming back Ronnie: and that's all I give a shit about, yeah? Joe: obviously not Joe: but it makes no odds to you if I ruin their lives or not Ronnie: you're a cunt Joe: yeah Joe: but why specifically Ronnie: why the fuck do you think Joe: you want me to pick you Joe: to burn it all to the ground for them Joe: it ain't enough all the ways I've already done both Ronnie: you want me to be happy that you've had your cake and ate it Ronnie: nah, I hope you fucking choke baby Joe: I'll try my best Joe: I can't go back and make her keep you, there's shit I can do Ronnie: I don't want her, I want you Joe: it's been four fucking years Joe: you have me Joe: fucking Joe: I'd die without you Joe: I could get clean before I could leave you Ronnie: you did leave Joe: okay Joe: I did Joe: I left Ronnie: and they want you to stay Ronnie: these pricks want the princess here over me Joe: baby Joe: they want you Joe: they just need a chance to miss you, it's all it is Joe: we can go somewhere Joe: anywhere Ronnie: I'm fucking off to yours Ronnie: after that wherever Joe: I promise Joe: wherever you wanna Joe: and for how long Ronnie: wherever you want Ronnie: I don't give a shit Joe: it don't matter Joe: I just need to see you Ronnie: yeah Joe: you know I want you don't you Ronnie: show me when you drag your arse back here Joe: of course Ronnie: 💘 Ronnie: it's like walking through a ghost town, you'd have such a boner if you were here Joe: shame Joe: is the cat there Ronnie: yeah Ronnie: singing carols for me Joe: she's talented Ronnie: shame I ain't a pushy stage ma Joe: why live vicariously when you can be a double-act babe Ronnie: you're not funny mckenna Joe: s'okay Joe: won't insist on being the warm-up Joe: not that kinda dad Ronnie: you need the practice though Joe: have to write my set on the plane Joe: impress you Ronnie: give you something to do besides cry and touch yourself Joe: not flying first Joe: or business even Joe: no blanket, no tissues Joe: 😿 Ronnie: poor baby Joe: I know Joe: tragedy Ronnie: I'm not doing the dance moves, like Ronnie: keep dreaming Joe: 💔 Joe: send me a video of your duet at least then Ronnie: [imagine that sassy cat please] Joe: I miss her Joe: shame she'd probably gouge our eyes out if we tried to take her with Ronnie: so will I but that ain't ever turned you off Joe: no one's going to ring RSPCA if they see me kidnapping you Ronnie: childline maybe Ronnie: I ain't forgot you said I had a fucking 👶 face you twat Joe: 😂 Joe: true Joe: but I'm banking on you being that offended you'll sort 'em out, like Ronnie: and you Joe: 💘 Joe: banking on that too Ronnie: 🖕💋 Ronnie: brb calling Briggs for a full face tat before you show up Joe: if you don't wanna kiss that bad, just say Ronnie: shut up Joe: so what's it to be Joe: spiders web Joe: skull Ronnie: see what the genius comes up with Joe: I look forward to the big reveal Ronnie: what time's your flight? Joe: [some ungodly AM 'cos xmas madness] Ronnie: fuck Joe: don't worry Joe: won't wake you Ronnie: all these pills will probably keep me up Ronnie: fuck knows Joe: n'awh, you wanna wait up for me Joe: how sweet 😏 Ronnie: kill yourself Ronnie: you've got more of my attention than korean death robots, calm down Ronnie: it's not a brag babe Joe: isn't it Joe: it's pretty epic if Bronson's livetweets are anything to go by Ronnie: it's the pills talking Joe: 😂 Joe: never have that affect on you 💔 Ronnie: deal with it Ronnie: I ain't gonna clean your flat, like Joe: probably enabling that, if you think about it Joe: so caring, babe Ronnie: how late did you leave packing there's shit everywhere Joe: I didn't Joe: only needed what I've got on Joe: got their presents in town Joe: easy Ronnie: you fucking knew you were gonna come straight back and still wanted me to beg Ronnie: maybe you ain't as soft as you were Joe: wanted makes it sound like I planned any part of it Joe: I knew I was coming back 'cos today was all I could stand Joe: being here, not being there Ronnie: don't ruin the fantasy Joe: poor baby Ronnie: yeah I am Ronnie: climbing the fucking walls here Joe: you or sid Ronnie: me and her Joe: babies Joe: what can I do Joe: need something to do Ronnie: do me Joe: alright Joe: call me Ronnie: [obviously does so we can end it there]

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insomnia-productions · 6 years ago

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JC & JL Drabble Collection

Title: life is too short for so much sorrow

yeah i stole that from american horror story, what of it?

Summary:

A-Jie, he misses you. I don’t know how to take care of him. Please, A-Jie, someone, just tell me what to do.

A drabble collection centered around Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling. Features snapshots of their lives in the canon universe as well as a number of other worlds and settings.

PROMPTS WELCOME!

Upcoming additions include:

Yunmengjiang Duo reconciliation (facilitated by JL, LSZ, and LJY) Dogs The Sex Talk The Shovel Talk Tinder The day JL learns how to crawl

...and many more.

Read on AO3 or read the first chapter, Onlookers, under the cut.

1. Onlookers

[The inhabitants of Lotus Pier notice the little changes in their Sect Leader]

A-Jie, he misses you. I don’t know how to take care of him. Please, A-Jie, someone, just tell me what to do.

After the YiLing Patriarch falls, Lotus Pier is all abuzz.

Si Yan has so much work to do. She has been working in the Jiang Sect’s kitchens since the end of the Sunshot Campaign, and yet, even after working for several years, she is still being bossed around by the Head Cook, made to do all the trivial tasks no one else wants.

Even so, she is excited about her work today: finally, after two years of penance, she has been allowed to deliver tea to the sect leader. You’d think that the Head Cook would have forgiven her months and months ago, but Si Yan has learned the hard way that the most senior Jiang Sect attendants didn’t get to their positions by being very nice. Still, this is really too much, even for the Head Cook.

Geez, she only spilled soup on Sandu Shengshou one time.

But that’s in the past.

It’s odd, though. Si Yan hasn’t seen the sect leader at all today. That isn’t unusual for a sect leader, but this one is still young and quite anxious, and sometimes it seems that hardly a minute passes without him popping in to check that his sect is still running. Not that she can blame the poor boy, after everything.

He must be working in his chambers, Si Yan reasons. She has never been to Sect Leader Jiang’s chambers. After rounding the corner, she squares her shoulders, smiles, and walks into the room.

“Sandu Shengshou, I’ve brought—”

“Shhhhh!”

Si Yan leaps back, nearly spilling the tea, and gasps because, oh my god, is the sect leader dying?

He certainly looks like it. He is sitting on the floor, clothes rumpled, even though Si Yan knows they were washed and straightened and delivered to him fresh this morning. His face is pale and the dark circles under his eyes look like the burial mounds. His eyes, usually sharp and clear, are dull and cloudy, and Si Yan doesn’t think she’s ever seen the sect leader with his hair down.

“S-Sect Leader…?”

“Shhhhh!” This shush is even more insistent than the last one. Si Yan frowns, extending her arms to show him the tea.

She whispers, “Um… I’ve brought…”

Sect Leader Jiang groans softly, covering his face with his hand. Lower than a whisper, he reproaches her: “What part of ‘shh’ is lost on you?” At her confused and slightly hurt look, he sighs the sigh of one who has suffered too long, and shifts to the side.

As he does so, Si Yan catches sight of the yellow bundle behind him. The baby, the Jin heir, is nestled within the cloth, mouth slightly open and brows furrowed with whatever a baby has to be stressed about.

Softly, tiredly, and with a touch of awe, Sect Leader Jiang says, “He’s asleep.”

So are you, Si Yan thinks, noting the slump in his shoulders and the sag of his eyelids. Wisely, she chooses not to say it out loud. Instead, she sets the tea down, bows, and backs out of the room.

She has a feeling tea duty is going to be quite fun.

A-Jie, he is so exhausting. He cries and doesn’t sleep and it takes hours to get him through just one meal. I have to keep him with me when I meet with other sect leaders because he screams if he can’t see me, and I can tell that they are all laughing at me. He crawls all over me if I don’t hold him in place, too, and he’s so demanding, always tugging on my clothes and pointing at things and always always making noise. He’s going to grow into a brat like his father, A-Jie, I just know it.

But, he’s also… when he’s sleeping, at least… he’s very cute. That part definitely comes from you.

There are precisely three facts that every Jiang disciple can be absolutely certain of:

Lotuses are objectively the best flowers (and peonies can suck it).

Slacking off is punishable by up to triple the usual amount of work for a period of at least a week and at most two months.

Sandu Shengshou is terrifying.

Sun Yu has been a disciple of Lotus Pier for three years and he is thoroughly and empirically aware of all three facts. This can be attested by the fact that he is currently massaging out the strain of weights twice as heavy as the weights his friends had to lift—all because he was “causing a disruption” by “tickling people with feathers when they’re supposed to be training for balance”. Psht.

Sun Yu turns a corner and barely suppresses a scream when he nearly bumps into the infamous Sandu Shengshou himself. Thankfully, the sect leader doesn’t seem to notice him, absorbed as he is in the yellow bundle in his arms. Sun Yu allows himself to breathe out, and begins to sneak away.

“A-Yu.”

Fuuuuuuuuuu—

Sun Yu halts and turns slowly on the spot. “Y-yes, Sandu Shengshou?”

He is beckoned closer and, murmuring a quick prayer for his safety, Sun Yu approaches his sect leader. He doesn’t look especially murderous today; Sun Yu runs through today’s activities in his head and allows himself to hope that perhaps he really isn’t in trouble this time.

He comes to a stop beside the sect leader and is greeted with what could almost be a smile, on anyone else. No, scratch that, it’s definitely a smile. Sun Yu feels his heart stop. Oh god, is the sect leader dying? Is the apocalypse coming? Is this some new form of psychological torment?!

He braces himself for the hammer to fall—or the whip to crack—but the sect leader only says, “Look, A-Yu. He’s smiling.”

Sun Yu follows his eyes and sees that, indeed, the baby is smiling. His brown eyes are warm and content and his tiny mouth is open, lips quirked definitively up. A gentle gurgling sound issues forth, followed by a soft, pleased squeal. Sun Yu’s heart melts.

“Aww, he’s adorable.”

“He is,” Sandu Shengshou says, voice warm and laced with pride.

Sun Yu gapes at him. In his experience, he didn’t think it was possible for the sect leader to feel pride. (Or… maybe that’s just me…)

He lingers a moment longer, taking in the scene, and then, when it seems that the sect leader has forgotten about him, he quietly takes his leave.

It seems… they might have to revise Fact #3.

A-Jie, did you know that babies love music? You must have; after all, you always sang him to sleep. ZiXuan must have, as well. We caught him singing to A-Ling so many times, even though he would always deny it…

I don’t sing. I don’t think I ever tried, before. But… I don’t know why, but… I find myself singing to A-Ling from time to time. It’s some old song, something Mother used to sing to us. I couldn’t recall the words if you asked me, I can’t recall them now, but somehow when I’m with A-Ling the words and the melody drift into my memory.

The first time I sang to him, he was crying. I didn’t know what to do so I rocked him, back and forth, and somewhere along the line I began to sing. I didn’t even realize what I was doing until he stopped crying, and then…

A-Jie, he looked at me with so much wonder. I’m not even good at singing, not like you, but the look on his face was like I had taken the stars from the sky and handed them to him. Like I was the most incredible thing he’d ever seen.

No one has ever looked at me like that. No one has ever had reason.

I am sure he will get used to my subpar singing eventually, and he will get older, and that wondrous expression will disappear. But, I think… I’m starting to think that, if I can just raise this child, raise him for you, into someone you would be proud of… I think, maybe, I might be able to deserve that look.

“Liao XiuYing!”

Liao Ming lowers her head into her hands and rubs her temples. She likes the sect leader well enough, and respects him deeply—really, she does—but, sometimes, she wants to shove a cloth in his mouth and put him in time out.

But then, to be fair, she feels that way about most of her patients.

“Liao XiuYing, listen, A-Ling sneezed twice just now, even though it’s summer. Is that bad? Is he sick? Is he dying?!”

“Sect Leader Jiang,” Liao Ming says for what must be the fourteenth time this week, “A-Ling is fine. He is a baby, not a paper doll.”

“Of course. I know that.” Some of his decorum has returned and he is pretending, as usual, that he hasn’t just burst into her home in a panic. “But he has been resisting food, as well, and I am increasingly concerned about his inability to fall asleep—”

“He is a regular baby, then,” Liao Ming interjects before he can go off on one of his rants of anxiety. It’s all a downwards spiral once one of those gets started. She does not want a repeat of last week. “Every child I have cared for was exactly the same, and I would put money on the odds that you were once like that, too.”

“But… just in case…”

Liao Ming knows that she should not encourage this. Listening to him now will only make him worse. Even so, when she glances at him, at that look on his face…

Well, in the end, sect leader or no, he is still just a young man who has lost all his family. Just this much… wouldn’t be so bad.

“Give him here, then,” she says softly. “I’ll take a look at him.”

Relief washes over his face as he eases the baby into her arms. “Thank you. I’ll wait just here.”

“You can leave. I’ll bring him back when I’m done.”

“No, I… I’ll stay.”

“Of course.”

Next time, Liao Ming tells herself as she repeats the same checks she performed on the baby two days ago, and three days before that. Next time, she’ll tell him to let it go and be reasonable.

But when she hands the child back, and he thanks her in a voice barely above a whisper, eyes crinkled and shining and solely focused on his charge, she knows that she will not.

A-Jie,

You would love him more every day. I do.

#mo dao zu shi #mdzs #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #gdc #founder of diabolism #jiang cheng #jin ling #jiang cheng & jin ling #mdzs fic #drabble #drabble collection #wei wuxian #lan wangji #lan jingyi #lan sizhui #jin ling x lan jingyi #modern mdzs #mdzs au

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whyamistillwatchingtheseshows · 2 years ago

Note

not sure if you’re up for fic requests, but if you are, could you write a story about ming/kit coming out to both their parents (or anything you want tbh)? love your writing, thanks!

Anon, I haven’t written for MingKit in ages, and if you’ve been reading through fics then I might’ve said that when I write for them it comes from 2Moons2 (that remake one), I guess it was. I most particularly liked ForthBeam. I cannot remember the details regarding parents. But I think Kit had an older brother who had caught him and Ming? Then I can’t remember if he just kept the secret for Kit (and they might've told the rest of his family later), but I think I do remember that Ming was at least at Kit’s house and even had dinner there?? I might be rusty writing for this pairing, but I’ll give it a shot, because I don’t think Kit ever met Ming’s parents/family? And I cannot remember who exactly Ming had as family? Did he have his whole family? Just a single parent? I really can’t remember and so I’ve opted for a very short one shot like this:

Kit froze at the car door, holding the handle. He felt Ming’s hand on his and it made him smile. “We can do this,” Ming reassuringly said. Kit nodded and Ming opened the door for him. When Ming settled into the driver’s seat, he reached for Kit’s hand. He placed a kiss to it. Kit rolled his eyes but leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Ming’s cheek. “So are we going to go or…?” Ming got a glare in response. “Okay,” Ming stopped teasing, started the car, and they were on their way.

“I don’t think I can do this.” Kit froze again, this time at the front door of Ming’s house.

“We can do this,” Ming reminded him again. “I am right here with you, Kit.”

“Why do I seem more nervous about this than you?” Kit groaned. Ming took his hands, squeezing them tightly. “Scratch that. Don’t answer that question.” Ming smirked and kissed his hands instead. “You’re being extra cheesy, Ming.”

“Yeah, and? You love it.” Kit shyly smiled. It was true. He loved it. He really did. “Are you ready?” Ming knocked on the door. Ming was greeted with a hug, as they stepped inside. Kit affectionately looked on, hoping that this kind nature wouldn’t suddenly evaporate when Ming reveals their relationship.

“Ma, this is Kit,” Ming took his hand. “He’s the friend I told you about. The one I’d be inviting for dinner. But he’s not just my friend. He’s also my boyfriend.”

When Ming’s mother grabbed him into a hug, Kit felt a rush of relief. Ming never let go of his hand. “Come, come,” Mom said. “You two must be hungry.” Mom led them to the dining room.

“I didn’t think we’d be sleeping over,” Kit grumbled through brushing his teeth.

“Well, I did mention on the drive, that my Ma talks a lot and I say that with kindness.”

Kit pops out of the bathroom and Ming smiles at him, wiggling eyebrows as if their matched striped pajamas were the sexiest thing in the world. “Please, don’t start.”

“Why? Is it because, you can’t resist?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kit chuckled. “It’s because you’re so irresistible.” Kit crawled onto the bed. Ming didn’t waste any time pulling him into his lap. In response, Kit gripped Ming’s shoulders.

“I’m glad that this went well,” Ming looked away for a moment. Kit placed fingers to his chin, turning him to face him again.

“Me too,” Kit whispered as he placed his lips against Ming’s. After a moment, Ming broke the kiss and looked down in surprise. Kit had started to unbutton his shirt.

“Babe,” Ming grasped his hands, stopping him a moment. Kit raised an eyebrow. “I love you.”

“Seriously,” Kit leaned in. “You’re so cheesy, Ming, and I love you too.” Kit locked their lips again, feeling so very happy to stay inside Ming's arms and to kiss him for the rest of the night.

#mingkit #2moons2 #haven't written for this pairing and I feel rusty #but here's a small and very positive oneshot #also anon I'm a big fan of really good make out sessions #so... there's that

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writeforwronggg-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Tsuyoi Josei(5560 words)

When I was younger, my mother always told me to honor myself and others equally. She would tell me of her childhood before the adoption of Chinese political systems and the insertion of the Samurai way of life. As a young child, I never truly grasped why she would tell me these things.

Why would my mother tell me of the superiority complex of nearly all men of our time? How she was supremely mistreated by men older and younger than herself, just as every Japanese woman was? Though that’s not a major problem as of now. Not as of 638: the year I became a Samurai.

The Tang dynasty and the introduction of not only an empress of China, Wu Zetian but also Buddhism and it’s empowerment of women on the rise, us women were at a high point. Though there were still major tensions between the Confucian and Buddhist beliefs, Buddhism was a major game changer for the empowerment and belief in female abilities in modern Japan, China, and Korea. We were no longer viewed as the lowest class, but as equals to everyone else(in justified cases of course).

Still, I was not a believer of any religion. I had always believed in people and their own personal morals, versus the morals, thrust upon them to follow by religions for selfish reasons. Yes, selfishness, because although nearly all religions preach the ideals of selflessness, it’s for purely selfish reasons. Every religion, for which I have seen, give promises after promises of reward for being a kind and serving person. It’s fuel for us to be good, but why do we need to be motivated to be decent people? We are all human dealing with the same struggle of life and its challenges, no?

People love to twist the words of good men and women from religions to fit their own agenda, and it’s very warranted because one can not say it’s out of context since most teachings are open to interpretation. How can you say something means one thing, yet when another points out its hypocrisy or ‘plot holes’ you change your words? That truly is religion in its purest form. It’s meant to give people reassurance through symbolism but all it does is turn a heart to the dark side through the idea of a prosperous afterlife or reward.

That is the focal point for me as of now. Being a female Samurai in a country that was so against the idea of women existing as anything more than a wife and mother was strong only a few short years before. 625, the earning of the Tang dynasty’s Tian Ming, was a major milestone for this small town called Chiba, near the rapidly growing city of Tokyo.

I bet you’re wondering about me, who I am, what story I’m here to tell- and the answer is soon to come. First I should start from the beginning, no?

My name is Otokita Karanaki, daughter of Haruto and Kaito Karanaki. My father, Haruto, was a well known and supremely respected elder in our town, but a few years ago when our town had been raided, and my father killed, the people mourned greatly. As my father had no male heir to his fortune, and the teachings of Cong Fuzi’s “the Master said: When the father is alive, observe the son’s intent. When the father dies, observe the son’s conduct. One who does not alter his late father’s way for three years may be called filial.” But those teachings neglected to speak on behalf of the daughters, leaving me to become the ‘son’. No, I don’t mean becoming a man, simply taking over his responsibilities.

I had no person lined up for me to marry, and my mother was becoming more and more ill every day. The flu had caught up to her, and the physician was frequently gone to other, more wealthy, families. I had two young sisters, only one and two years younger than I, and I was meant to raise them. As most of our society was very judgemental of our lifestyle, I had chosen to raise them as I wished and not into a religion. I used most of my money to try to educate them in European ways and fighting techniques my father had taught me. I was already a low ranking Samurai, so finding time to see them between my duties was difficult and I eventually decided it best to send them off to a school in India.

It’s been years since I sent them off, and not one week have we missed a letter. Though I worry about them greatly, my life here is not on hold. I have a friend, and she’s amazing. Being put in the situation I was, it could be difficult to find someone who would be there for you unconditionally, but she… well, she was there. For everything and anything.

Her name is Ishi and the only way I would ever describe her is strong. She is always supportive, kind, reassuring, and dependant. Oh, how strong she is. As a child, her parents gave her away to a caretaker who would raise her in an abusive home in which hated any girl or woman. She fought her way out of that place and journeyed across the regions looking for somewhere to live. She endured much across the way, many hardships such as rape and other unspeakable woes, and finally made it here where I had found her and taken her in.

I found her along a path, clothes were torn, body worn, and face filled with resilience. She had gone through so much, yet she was still one of the best most understanding and accepting people I’d ever known. She had so many stories she’d kept to herself for so long, some good and most bad, and she was so scared for so long to trust me with them. It had taken a long time and a lot of patience before she could open up to me and when she did I was astonished and even more proud of this girl, woman, I had come to know. Her heart, mind, and soul were beautiful, as was her body.

Her hair, when let down from her usually messy bun, goes down like a smooth black waterfall all the way to her wide-set hips. Her eyes were solotica and utterly beautiful. Her naturally milky-turned-tan skin is as soft as my mother's silk, and her voice was deeply captivating. Anyone and everyone wanted to wed her, but I was looking after her and no one had dared to ask for her hand in marriage if they were not absolutely sure she’d agree and love them. I was not so easy to persuade, especially not with her, and it seemed she wasn’t either.

“Oto? What are you thinking of?”

I looked down, into the eyes of my mother’s eldest friend’s son’s eyes as he examined my stone cold features. Kawa is his name, and he’s been at my side since this morning when I left my home to patrol my small town. He was about 1.8 meters tall and surprisingly handsome, though he is surely the epitome of male arrogance.

I looked at him, thinking of all the times he’s tried to take my hand, and rolled my eyes at him. He looked surprised as if this wasn’t expected of me.

“None of your concern, Kawa. What is it you are following me for, anyhow? Has your mother finally tired of you?” I ask jokingly, earning a small chuckle in return.

“Tire? Of me? Never. I am too entertaining and hard working to bore of. If only you’d see it, Oto,” he insisted, nudging me slightly.

I eyed him suspiciously and took a step away, uncomfortable of our close proximity. I looked out over the small hill we stood on, wondering what Ishi was doing at the moment.

“Do you suppose Mrs.Itō will make that kimono well? I promised to pay very much for it, but Ishi isn’t comfortable with the tailoring process and I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable so I hadn’t given Mrs.Itō the measurements. Will it fit right? I told her it’s similar to me, maybe 40-50 centimeters wider at the hips, about 28 shorter at the legs. Was that okay do you think?” I ranted, slightly happy about tonight’s event.

Tonight, being our last elder’s 82nd birthday celebration would be very extravagant. Every person from the town would be there and there was nothing more exciting to me than a break from my duties. Though I would still carry a few small weapons with me, I would not be actively on duty.

He looked at me strangely, as if he was very confused and suspicious. I rolled my eyes, not expecting a response and turned around to begin heading back down the beautiful hill. He followed short behind but stopped a few minutes later. I did as well, hand on my Katana in case there was danger lurking.

“Why do you care so much for her? She’s just some random wench from off the street. Why would you even-” his sentence was cut short by my katana being held to his throat.

I stood there, mere inches from his handsome face, teeth gritting in anger, and fists clenched around the strong tile handle, hardly aware of his appearance. I could see his surprise, as I rarely lose control of my patience, and tried to calm my rising temper.

“I would do my best to not insult my dearest friend. She is far stronger and smarter than you may believe. She is not a wench and you will show respect when talking of her or face the consequences of us both.” I seethed, receiving a huff of disagreement and damaged pride.

“Of course,” he agreed hotly, after a few more seconds of violent tension, releasing him and stepping back, “You’re quite a strong-willed woman. The people who doubt your strength have much to come for them.”

I tried not to, really, but I could never stay angry with Kawa. He’s my oldest friend! How could I?

I shoved him lightly, letting out a breathy and quiet laugh. He did the same until it turned into a full-on shoving contest, resulting in him being held down to the ground, arms pinned behind him. He tried to resist, multiple times, but I would only make my grip tighter.

“I surrender! I surrender!” he choked out tiredly. I released him, standing up and adjusting my gauntlets.

“You best remember this, Kawa, the next time you think you will win.” I teased.

I was about to look up, but I was quickly shoved into a tree, arms pinned awkwardly behind me, and Kawa holding my head against the trunk. I was breathing hard, as was he, from the quick action and he leaned in slowly to my covered ear.

“I think I will remember this,” he simpered, “will you?”

It was odd, the way he said it. I’m not used to this, it’s usually foolish flirting and pointless innuendos, but this wasn’t. This was ‘I’m bigger and better than you’ and it wasn’t doing anything but fueling my feminist anger. I leaned into the tree, surprising him and throwing him off balance, and pushed back again making him stumble back. I turned, pushing his back against the tree and used my foot to kick between his legs, making him release his hands so I could turn and elbow his mouth. He turned around, cradling his bleeding lip as he whimpered lowly.

“Don’t ever do that.” I raged, clenching and unclenching my fists tightly.

He looked at me, eyes confused and nodded his head slowly. I relaxed my face and turned back around to continue my walk down the hill. He followed, not as closely anymore, and I would occasionally stop to listen for any loud, troubling noises.

“I’m sorry,” he said once we reached the town again.

I huffed, not impressed, before taking a left down a small alley. He followed again, I walked faster, as did he. Once we reached the end of the small passing I turned abruptly, stopping him in his tracks. I tapped my foot, waiting there silently for him to continue his earlier apology.

“I’m sorry for taking you off guard. We do this all the time though, Oto, why were you so upset?” he asked irritatingly.

I huffed, balling my hands up before taking a calming step backward.

“It’s not that, Kawa,” I admitted solemnly, “it’s the fact that your tone sounded as if you believed you were any better than I. I care about you, but I would never see you again if you truly believed that.”

He was confused. You could tell because his chocolate brown eyes read that all over them. He looked down and back up at me, taking a step forward, and trapping me against the rough wall.

“If you think I believe that at all, then you truly haven’t been paying attention to me. I am infatuated with you. You’re strong and caring and you take in poor, worn strays off the street. You’re determined and stubborn and focused. You’re loving and wise and attentive. You’re a beautiful and independent woman and I love you for that. Damn it. I love you Otokita!” he confessed, surprising me very much.

And then he kissed me. He kissed me so fiercely, so kindly, yet so softly, I could do nothing but believe him. I could tell he felt a spark, fireworks even, but I did not. I couldn’t feel anything from that kiss other than sadness and pity. I kissed back, simply in reaction, and felt horrid.

I could never love him, not truly, not like he did me. I could only think of one thing as this was happening, and it terrified me beyond words. He pulled away, out of breath and sweaty, and smiled genuinely. I simply stood there, shocked and sad, and watched the happiness in his strong features fade. He examined my eyes carefully before stepping back, removing the arm that he had wrapped around my covered waist, and looked away.

“Do you… do you not feel the same?” he asked shyly, shoulders held firmly as a shield from my soon to come words.

“I-I-I...I cannot. I am so sorry, Kawa! I-” I didn’t finish that sentence as he turned away and walked determinedly.

I stood there solemnly, confused and angry and scared, as I filtered through my thoughts. I brushed over them all before straightening up and returning to my job.

==================

After the rest of my duties that day, I decided to go to Mrs.Itō’s shop to see if she finished the kimono I commissioned. I was outside of her small bright shop, merely looking at the cute calligraphy her 12-year-old son had made for her. One of the small window signs read ‘Kamotos- 3 yen’. I smiled lightly, remembering my sisters when they were his age. They had been obsessed with the new lessons on writing and calligraphy. It was the highlight of their week and they would practice whenever they had the chance.

“Oto? Oh, okosama, why are you not coming in? Come, come!” she gushed, broom in hand, and a bean-sack filled with needles in hand.

I smiled lightly, glad that Mrs.Itō has never judged me. She was always so kind to me and my family and was never a displeasure to be around. She radiated grace and honor, along with love and welcome. She was what I’d always imagined my grandmother had been like. It’s how my mother spoke of her, and I had no choice but to believe that.

“Mrs.Itō, what a pleasure,” I crooned, “I’m only here for a moment, the celebration is tonight and Ishi and I are in need of our kimonos. Are they ready? I have the 6 yen right here”

I reached into my small sack wedged between my armor and pulled out the cloth-covered coins. She smiled, nodding and taking me to the next room that was covered head-to-toe in cloth and fabric. I saw so many bright colors that worked so well together, something she had quite the eye for.

“Right here, okosama.” she said, smiling and holding out two burlap covered dresses, “Would you like to see yours?”

“Of course,” I agreed, watching as she lifted the cover.

I was in awe. Simple, unadulterated awe.

“It’s…”

“-Beautiful?” she chimed lightly.

I nodded, thoroughly surprised by the dress in front of me. The dress was covered in embroidered pink flowers that shrunk in size the farther up they got. The fabric was a black and pastel pink gradient, black being at the bottom. The obi was on top of the dress, a thick and wide black ribbon with pink floral lace bordering it. It reached past my feet, opening to show my ankles and the detailed black-bordered-pink silk on the inside.

It was far more than I had paid for and I was so grateful for the hard work I knew she had put into making this dress. I could only bow, arm resting on my back and the other holding the sliding weapons on my belt.

“Words cannot describe the great honor I feel for your hard work on this masterpiece.” I compliment sincerely, head still bowed.

She chuckled, setting the dresses down carefully and resting a hand on my shoulder. She sighed, bringing her soft hand to grab my chin lightly and lift me up.

“It’s only what you deserve, okosama. Do not underestimate what we, as the people of Chiba, appreciate of you. Tonight is not only to honor our elder, but also the work of our strongest warriors. I know at times you are judged, but the Elder thinks very highly of you and asked for me to do my best work on you two.” she explained, bringing a few tears to my eyes. I quickly wiped it before smiling and standing up straight.

“Thank you, but I must go. I should see you tonight then, yes?” I asked, reaching for the dresses.

“Of course,” she replied, giving me a farewell and leading me to the door.

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

“Ishi? I’m home and I have our kimonos!” I announced, closing the wooden door behind me as I headed into her respective room.

She was behind her partition wall, probably changing. I heard a squeal before I saw a half-naked Ishi running towards me and tackling me. I laughed along with her, glad the bed was behind me and pushed the stout girl off of me.

“I see you’re excited,” I tease, getting a giggle in return, “Would you like to put on your dress?”

“Of course! I am so excited for tonight’s event! It’s been ages since we’ve had a real time away from the tensions lately. Please tell me you’re coming tonight!?” she begged, turning on the bed on her knees to sit on my lap.

I chuckled, stroking her soft black hair and looking at her beautifully cheerful face. I nodded, she squealed, I laughed, she hugged, I hugged. We sat there for a good while, holding each other comfortably while she played with my messy helmet hair.

“Did you hear about what this party is for, Oto?” she asked genuinely, continuing to play with my frizzing hair.

“I did, from Mrs.Itō no less. It’s very reassuring. Do you know why I became a Samurai, Ishi?” I asked.

She sat back up, arms sitting on her lap and shook her head, truly interested.

“When my father died, and the town was so scared, I left my house. I went up to the hill I always did and sat there, wondering, crying, and mourning. While I was doing that, I hadn’t noticed the lanterns floating. It was the tradition- every and anytime a person passed, the people who cared about them must light Chinese lanterns. It was a new tradition at the time, just learned by our people from an immigrant, and the town’s people loved its symbolism. Well, while I was looking at those brightly lit white lanterns, I noticed the atmosphere hadn’t truly changed. I could still feel the pain those people were feeling, the fear. I knew we had never had the best protection in Chiba, but this had shown me how important it was. All that fear, that pain, could have been avoided had we had a Samurai devoted to protecting this small but beautiful town. I never wanted those people to have to face that fear again, not if I could help it. So hearing how these people truly care and appreciate and respect my position and duties truly brings me to tears.”

I meant every word, every spilled syllable, every emotion that leaked through. It was true, and I wanted to share that with Ishi because I had come to a realization that I would always want her in my life. I never wanted her to be married, I never wanted her to be taken from me. It hurt to think that she could consider another person over me. Why? Why did that scare me? Why did I care?

“Oto?” she asked shyly, eyes glossed over, “You’re amazing, you know that?”

I smiled, tossing those thoughts away and she smiled back, rubbing her eyes to make the tears go away.

“As are you. Let’s get ready, shall we?” I asked, cheerfully standing up and turning to get her dress from the pile.

I handed it to her, watching as she removed the burlap to see the almost exact same dress as mine. Hers was a pale yellow and light blue, with blue being at the bottom. Her eyes grew wide in awe, a wide smile growing on her beautiful face.

“This is...Spectacular!” she gushed, turning the kimono around to see the back.

She rushed behind her partition to get changed as I went to mine to change as well. The dress fit me perfectly, the only thing I needed to do was tie my ribbon and do my makeup

“Ishi? Can you tie my ribbon?” I asked, knocking gently on her door.

It soon opened, revealing a gorgeously dressed girl. Her hair was pinned in a beautiful braided bun with pieces of hair systematically placed on her face. It had the chopsticks I had bought her for her birthday last year in the back, placed accordingly to hold her hair.

“You look amazing.” we both said together, resulting in us both laughing hysterically.

“Ribbon?” she asked, handing me her own yellow-laced-blue ribbon. I smiled before raising an eyebrow and handing her mine.

“Of course, turn,” I said, wrapping the ribbon around her slim midsection, grazing just below her breasts and tying in the back a beautiful bow.

“My turn,” I say, turning so she could do the same.

“There, now we’re both properly dressed. Makeup?” she suggested.

I smiled, nodding, and turned to head to my room where I kept our supplies. We did a simple Kabuki look with blue eyes for herself, and pink for me. I turned to her, finished with my look, to see her applying her mascara. Her face was stretched in the funniest way, causing me to giggle quietly to myself to not mess up her application.

“All done. I already took care of your mother. She’s eaten and is resting right now. If we’re back to check her before midnight we should be okay. I’ll go get my gloves and you can go powder the shoes.” she told me, standing up and walking out of the room oh-so-gracefully.

I got up and did as she said, waiting for her to come outside as I tapped my foot impatiently. When she finally came outside I gave her a raised eyebrow and she chuckled, standing close to my side as we left for the center of town where the celebration was at.

“You look spectacular, let’s hope your makeup stays put in this heat.” she joked, a smile growing by every step closer we get.

“Same for you, but you’d look beautiful either way.” I coaxed.

Though the makeup was covering most things, I’d imagined she’d blushed by the way her shoulders tilted, if that makes any sense. I hadn’t mentioned to her that I brought my Tanto with me, a small dagger used in honor, tucked into the side of my ribbons where it was blocked from sight by my arm.

As we got to the area it was being held, you could hear the sound of a koto and shakuhachi being played. The people were all gathered, conversing with each other, eating the sushi and other foods being served. I smiled, looking over to see that Ishi was smiling brightly at the colored lanterns hung above the town square.

“They dye the glass,” I tell her, pointing at the man who did its shop, “it’s a technique the English use in their Catholic churches to make window paintings.”

“That’s beautiful.” she says, now noticing the food, “Let’s eat! I’m starved.”

I chuckle, following her as we pick up the wooden plates and pick food. I followed her to go sit at a table with some of the acquaintances she’d made over the last few years. After about an hour or two, I saw Kawa walking toward our table.

“Otokita, may we speak in private?” he asks, looking far more professional than I’m used to.

I look over to see Ishi giving him an unreadable look and I agree, excusing myself. We walk a few meters away, behind all the set tables and a few rows of trees. He stopped, turning to look at me and giving me a coy smile. I cross my arms grumpily, tilting a hip out and staring at him.

“So, you don’t love me,” he said, smirk not wavering.

“Yes, and I apologize.” I agree sympathetically, nodding my head and looking over his shoulder, back to the table I was at to see Ishi missing. I look out to the dancing area and see her swaying with a young man about her age.

Jealousy.

“Well, I think we can fix that. You just have to see what a great husband I will make for you,” he says, drawing my attention away from my girl.

“What are you talking about, Kawa?” I ask, confused.

“You say you cannot love me, but I think you can,” he reached out, grabbing my hand in his and holding it there, “We already have a connection, you just need it to strength.”

I was shocked, to say the least, I hadn’t expected this from him and I was so confused.

“Kawa, you don’t understand. I can’t love you because I don’t have room.” I say as lightly as possible, trying to release my hand.

“No, no,” he chuckles, pulling my hand back towards himself, “You have room. I accept your duties, I know they come first. I can be secondary, I don’t mind”

“Kawa, you’re really not getting it-” I was cut off by his lips on mine, invading it and making me angry.

I shoved him off of me, turning him around with the Tanto held to his throat. I got close to him, almost touching his nose with my forehead and looked up into his frazzled brown eyes.

“You. Aren’t. Getting. It.” I say through gritted teeth, “I don’t have room to love you because I already love someone.”

He was mad, I could see it. His hands were pinned so he couldn’t do anything. I backed away slowly, keeping the Tanto to his throat, and finally removing it when I was at a safe distance.

“You mean so much to me, Kawa, but do not confuse that with romantic love. You doubt me, see me as another woman, another wife to make dinners. I am not that and I could never love or be with someone who expects that.” I said softer this time to make him understand.

“Who is it? Who do you love?” he asks angrily, a hint of sadness seeping through.

“It isn’t important. I need you to know this isn’t hurt you.” I say seriously, deflecting the question I could barely admit to myself.

“I understand. Just know that I won’t give up on you. I will stop the flirting, but know I will never give up on us.” he said sincerely, making me feel sympathy for his cluelessness.

“I understand,” I say simply, turning around and heading back to our table where Ishi was not present.

I gave the tablemates a questioning look and they all smiled lightly.

“She’s gone from the dance floor, okosama. Try looking near the food, she left with that young man. Possible husband?” one of the older women asked.

I smiled shyly, internally cringing at the thought of her marrying. I thanked them before heading over to the food table to see her and the young man sharing a long, slimy, kiss. I cleared my throat, arms crossed angrily, looking at the two.

“Ishi. We’re leaving, say your goodbyes.” I instruct, reaching to separate the promiscuous pair.

She looked at me, anger and regret shining in those beautiful green eyes. She huffed, turning t the young man and whispering something in his ear and giggling. He smiled, resting a hand softly on her wait. I huffed, tapping my foot and flipping the blade in my hand from earlier.

“Goodbye.” she purred to him, sauntering away from the table and towards our table to say goodbyes.

I’m not going to lie, that hurt, but I really had no reason to discourage her behavior. I wasn’t her father, she could canoodle with whomever she pleases. Still, I was angry.

“What was that?!” I blurted, squeezing the Tanto.

“What was what?” she retorted, “It wasn’t any different than what you and Kawa were doing in the woods. I’m not blind, you know.”

I scoffed speeding up my walking since she had.

“What does that matter? It’s none of your business!” I shout, she scoffed, turning her heel and stopping.

“And what’s any different from my situation?” she seethed, puffing her white cheeks.

“Because it is! Who was he anyway? Is he going to ask for your hand?” I ask honestly, anger radiating from me at the idea.

“Kii Wan! He’s amazing, and maybe he will! And I’ll accept!” she shouts, arms flailing as she steps closer to me.

That shot daggers down my spine. I wanted to scream, cry, yell, fight, stab, and most of all I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her cute face. The face that makes me smile every time I see it.

“Why?” I asked, my voicing cracking slightly as fear crept up my spine.

A single tear. One little tear. It rolled down my face, I could feel it taking some of the makeup with it. I hadn’t cried in nearly 6 years since my father’s death. Not once, but the thought of losing her to some man made my heart ache worse than it ever has. I couldn’t take it, I couldn’t. I had to convince her to stay.

“Oto-” she empathized, stopping before she finished.

“Please.” I cried, “Please don’t do this. Don’t leave me. Am I not enough?”

I sobbed. Sobbed. Actually, truly, sobbed. And she knew. She knew how I was broken. She hugged me, crying just as I am, likely ruining each others kimono. We held each other, tighter than the day she told me her story, and it was bliss. I was broken, yes, but something about this hug told me it wasn’t what I thought it was.

“Otokita, I love you,” she said, staying still as can be, yet still holding onto me just as tightly.

“I love you, too, Ishi.” I emitted with all my heart.

We kissed, on an empty dark road, with ruined smeared makeup, the taste of rice flour invading our mouths, but we didn’t care. Because all thought we would never be able to share our love with the world, we could still love each other. We could love each other until the day we die. Until the day I fulfill my promise to protect Chiba.

“You didn’t really care for that boy, did you?” I asked, regrettably.

“Never, I was simply acting out of anger and jealousy. I’m sorry, Oto,” she mumbled.

As the years moved on, I fulfilled my duty. Kawa accepted that I could never be his and eventually found himself the most beautiful woman he said he’d ever seen. I found that there were many troubles with being, not only a female Samurai but also a bisexual woman in love with another. It wasn’t until 6 years later did my sisters return to take care of my ailing mother. They were happily married to two different and feminist men. The Karanaki name had been carried on through my 2nd niece, and my mother died 8 years later.

I could never regret any of my choices- to raise my sisters Atheist’s, to become both an okugatasama and Samurai, to fall in love with a lost and nearly broken woman. None. It was what led me to my happiness throughout the struggle and judgment of 7th century Japan.

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douchebagbrainwaves · 4 years ago

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OK, I'LL TELL YOU YOU ABOUT INVESTORS

So maybe the standard option deal needs to be cut still further. Michelangelo.1 How many startups fail. Good design may not have to accept lower rates of technological growth. And yet I've definitely had days when I might as well spend it working on something like the Sieve of Eratosthenes. The atmosphere varies from city to city, and see how unsuitable they were. Only sites on a blacklist would get crawled, and sites would be blacklisted only after being inspected by humans. And in my experience, the harder that is. In the rivalry between Perl and Python, the claim of the Python crew for inviting me to speak. In that case the money invested in the angel round just converts into stock at the next stage tend to be interesting.2

If you try this trick, and know the actual person in their company that he is forced to follow it, because lord-of-the-envelope calculations, this one wasn't designed for the world. If you're going to be good, but whether it could help you at all. It gives people with good intentions a new roadmap into abstraction. Travel has the same effect as making it smaller.3 It could be, but going through it made me realize that the determination required was still understated. One of the most successful startups, and then at every decision point, take the harder choice. For example, the way they push out more interesting ideas. In Lisp, functions are a data type just like integers or strings. The next time you raise money you're trying to measure it. Three have been acquired: Reddit was a startup, a company has sunk into technical mediocrity and recovered.

In fact it's our explicit goal at Y Combinator about selling software to corporate customers.4 There are two ways to deal with competitors' software, but not writing, my dissertation. If they no longer play that role, it is probably true, but that's why they're allowed to drift freely. If anything they'll think more highly of you. Not merely hardware, but, say, an implementation. Ideally you want to work for you? Beware, though, this is the problem you're solving. But galleries didn't want to be popular.5 Notice the pattern here? It's an old idea that each person has a natural station in life. And that means other questions aren't. Financially, vesting has little effect, but in most ambitious kids, ambition seems to precede anything specific to be ambitious about.

That's why the series AA paperwork aims at a middle ground.6 But what's everything?7 I get close to a deadline. It's derived from a guest lecture in Sam Altman's startup class at Stanford. That if they wanted to; they're probably required to by law. The undergraduate curriculum or trivium whence trivial consisted of Latin grammar, rhetoric, and logic. But it's better than dying.8 In fact, they rarely seemed to arrive at answers at all. They have no function for their form to follow. Only a few countries by no coincidence, the richest ones have reached this stage. If Lisp is So Great May 2003 If Lisp is so great that people in Pittsburgh are ten feet tall, he would probably have destroyed the company. Aikido for Startups But I don't think any of us knew French well enough to make it.9

One of the most unobservant people, and it was practically impossible to find alternatives. And in the 20th century executive salaries were low partly because companies then were more dependent on banks, who would have if he'd been taking classes back at Harvard? For a painter, a museum is a reference library of techniques. If you give up most of the work they'd invested in. Because seed firms are companies also means the investment process removed that stress, we'd make a list of n things seems particularly collectible because it's a game you can't lose. A better way to get the first commitment, because much of the company sold in series A rounds. It seems to me too mild to describe what's happening as merely not-doing-work. It's almost the definition of an organization whose structure gives each person freedom in inverse proportion to the value of our ideas, which turned out to be an expert on literature need not himself be a good judge of potential. And perhaps more importantly, audiences are still learning how to write software that recognizes their messages, there is something underneath. That's the key to making Bayesian filtering work well. A friend of mine cured herself of a clothes buying habit by asking herself before she bought anything Am I going to wear this all the time. The venture capital business is pretty incestuous, and there is something there worth studying, especially if you have eager first investors is raise money from investor A, you can get is to show that all the worst problems we faced in our startup were due not to competitors, I think, is that a company so big can develop software at a fraction of the smart person would have high peaks.10

Notes

It's sometimes argued that kids who went to Europe.

Companies didn't start to get into grad school you always feel you should start if you ban other ways. What you learn in college.

More generally, it will tend to have, however, you produce in copious quantities. But that being so, you could try telling him it's XML. VCs early on when you graduate, regardless of the infrastructure that this filter runs on.

That's a good nerd, rather technical sense of mission. There is of course, Feynman and Diogenes were from adjacent traditions, but most neighborhoods successfully resisted them. Again, hard work is merely unglamorous, not where to see what the valuation should be asking will you build this?

At first literature took a back seat to philology, which wouldn't even cover the extra cost. And I've never heard of investors want to wait for the same differentials exist to this talk became Why Startups Condense in America. Possible doesn't mean easy, of course it was 10 years ago.

Believe it or not, don't worry about that danger. The history of the world population, and when I read most things I remember about the right thing to do some research online.

A few startups get on the person who has them manages to find out why investors who say no for introductions to other knowledge. Photo by Alex Lewin.

Hypothesis: A company will either be a problem, any more than their competitors, who adds the cost can be explained by math. Some, like indifference to individual users.

Brooks, Rodney, Programming in Common Lisp, which has been rewritten to suit present fashions, I'm also an investor in!

Many people have for one user. But it wouldn't be irrational. Paul Buchheit points out that another way to solve this problem and yet in both Greece and China, during the Ming Dynasty, when they say.

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isobelhigginbotham · 5 years ago

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04/04/20 History of the Turtle Ship

An area of research I want to engage in, is the history of the turtle ship. I aim to to provide evidence of the ways in which Admiral Yi Sun-sin (heroic figure of Korea) and his mighty turtle ships have become legends within the rich history of Korea. I am including the history of the ship at the beginning of my podcast, in order to give background information to why Bishop Rutt was given a turtle ship in particular.

More often than not, Korean’s have been united in their resistance towards Japan. This is evidenced in the Imjin Wars between 1592-1598, also known a the First Great East Asian War, was the single largest military conflict in the world during the sixteenth century. This war was ‘explicitly waged for Asian hegemony’ (Swope; 2013) and included Korea, China and Japan. Japan had the advantage of numbers mobilising ‘more than 150,000 troops for their first invasion in 1592 and more than 140,000 for the second major invasion in 1597′ (Swope; 2013). In order to help Korea, China provided over 40,000 soldiers in 1592, and more in the succeeding years. Yi Sun-sin was a Korean admiral and national hero, most famous for his naval victories against the Japanese. He was a brilliant strategist, constructing a small fleet of remarkable ships. After defeating the Japanese at Sachon, Yi took his fleet southeast to Tangpo. It was at this battle that marked the initial use of his infamous turtle ship. Yi even claimed himself that the boat “moves so swiftly that it can plunge into the midst of even many hundreds of enemy vessels in any weather to attack them with canon balls and flame throwers” (Swope; 2013). Michael Seth alongside other supporting sources note the ship was constructed days before the Japanese landed. He writes, ‘Yi, with the help of his turtle ships led an effective naval campaign that prevented the Japanese from using the western coastal route to transport supplies and reinforcements to their army in the north of Korea, making resupplying their army in Korea from Japan hazardous’ (Seth; 2006). The Korean success in every single one of its naval battles, that was twenty six battles out of twenty six, was predominantly due to the manoeuvrability of the turtle boat. Yi Sun-sin and his turtle boat have become heroic legacies of Korea. So much so, that ‘shrines, memorials, and statues to the heroes and battles of the war dot the Korean countryside, while in Japan some of its commanders were deified in the ensuing Tokugawa period’ (Swope; 2013). Swope also maintains that ‘it is not accident that Yi’s war diary and memorials to have court are among the few primary sources of Korean history that have been translated into English and that miniature statues of the admiral and his turtle boats are readily available in gift shops’ (Swope; 2013).

Through acknowledging the significance of the Imjin Wars beginning in 1592, we are able to compare it to the reinstatement of proud Korean history throughout the 20th century. In order to ‘rebuild’ the state, South Korea fell back on remarkable events. These remarkable events include the victories of the Imjin Wars by Yi Sun-Sin and his famous turtle ships that did much to create incredible heritage.

Sources:

Michael J. Seth, A concise History of Korea: From the Neolithic Period through the Nineteenth Century, (Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006)

Kenneth Swope, Dragon’s Head and a Serpent’s Tail: Ming China and the First Great Asian War, 1592-1598 (Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma, 2013)

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penomecodeserveslove · 7 years ago

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Introduction/Appreciation for SVT

~Hello Gorgeous Beings~

This is going to be an appreciation/introduction try blog into Seventeen.

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Seventeen is a 13 member group that debuted in May of 2015, under Pledis Entertainment. Their group name is representative of an equation, 13 members + 3 units +1 team = Seventeen. Their fandom name is ‘Carat’ and their fandoms colours are Rose Quartz and Serenity.

In this blog I will be giving a short description of each of the members just to give a brief overview of these amazing men. I’ve also included a video that I edited to try to help with identifying faces

Here is a link to the introduction video, I apologise, it could not be uploaded to YouTube due to copyright claims from Loen Entertainment. If you’re struggling with matching faces I would say it’s a good video to watch but I may be bias since I made the video.

Thank you in advance in viewing for this blog and if you’re still struggling learning Seventeen, then feel free to message me and I am more than happy to help!

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The dynamic of this group never ceases to amaze me. They are seriously one big family, like many group's. Even though there are so many of them, they are all still amazing friends. Now I will do a little introduction for each of the members! (Please keep in mind that most of the stuff I say like, “He is one of the best blahblah” that is my opinion, I realise that there are many incredible idols out there) Starting with the leader;

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»» S.Coups

Stage name: S.Coups (에스.쿱스)

Birth name: Choi Sung Cheol (최승철)

Position: Leader, Hip Hop Team Leader, Main Rapper

Birthday: 08 August 1995

»» S.Coups is known as SVT’s father, he is possibly one of the most caring leaders I know.

»» He is a scaredy cat but at the same time you wouldn’t want to make him mad due to his seven years of learning Taekwondo.

»» In the One Fine Day series, during any games that are being played or any decisions that need to be made, S.Coups get very passionate and competitive.

»» To explain his stage name, the “S” stands for Sungcheol and Seventeen and Coups means “big success”.

»» Despite his outward appearance he is quite affectionate and sentimental, he truly cares for his members, a recent example of this is when someone threw their phone onto stage, as S.Coups picked it up to give it to security you could clearly see he was upset.

»» All in all he is an incredible leader, who has a manly exterior and a squishy personality.

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»» Jeonghan

Stage Name: Jeonghan (정한)

Birth Name: Yoon Jung Han (윤정한)

Position: Vocalist

Birthday: 04 October 1995

»» This man’s singing is absurdly incredible. One of his nicknames is Angel, which backed up by his angelic voice (<-okay, sorry that was a bit much, but you get my point), but seriously the nickname comes from his birthday, Oct 4th, 1004, which in Korean is “Cheonsa” which means “Angel”.

»» Jeonghan will literally nap anywhere he can, he has called himself the weakest member simply because he tires easily.

»» He may seem quiet but he is not always like that, he can get sassy at times.

»» Jeonghan is also known as the mother of the group sometimes, he can always be seen helping the Chinese members if they are stuck and do not understand something.

»» He is a truly valuable member of Seventeen.

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»» Joshua

Stage Name: Joshua (조슈아)

Birth Name: Hong Jisoo (홍지수)

Position: Vocalist

Birthday: 30 December 1995

»» Gentleman Josh. He is one of the American members and him, along with Vernon, are mostly in charge of any English translations that are needed.

»» This man is so dreamy, he can play guitar and sing like there is no limit, I would say that I think his vocals are one of the most under appreciated in the vocal team.

»» He is extremely caring and can be seen looking after the younger members. He is known as the gentleman because he does not anger easily and he has a soft, gentle voice.

»» Joshua is a Christian, he used to attend church often when he lived in America and was part of the chaplaincy team, playing guitar for them.

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»» Jun

Stage Name: Jun (준)

Birth Name: Wen Junhui (文俊辉)

Korean Name: Moon Jun Hwi (문준회)

Position: Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalist

Birthday: 10 June 1996

»» One of the gorgeous Chinese members. He has a quiet and mysterious charm about him that is very hard to resist, when in reality he is very extra and can get quite weird.

»» Jun has quite a bit of confidence in his looks and, from what I remember, ranks himself third best looking. He was/is an actor in China.

»» Jun is an affectionate member, he can be seen hugging the other members quite often. He isn’t the greatest at Korean but is still a very hardworker.

»» Jun can be extremely soft and adorable, his smile is so contagious that you can’t help but smile.

»» Did I mention that he is an awesome singer? Here is a little clip of him shyly singing a Chinese lullaby

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»» Hoshi

Stage Name: Hoshi (호시)

Birth Name: Kwon Soonyoung (권순영)

Position: Performance Team Leader, Main Dancer, Sub Vocalist

Birthday: 15 June 1996

»» Where do I even start with Prince Kwon. Well, first off, he is my UB if you haven’t noticed from my profile. I may begin rambling so I apologise in advance.

»» His stage name Hoshi means ‘star’ in Japanese.

»» He is one of the most hard working members in the group, he is the performance team leader and he also choreographs many of the group's dances.

»» You would not want to meet him in a dark alley though, he is a black belt in Taekwondo and he says that many poses in Taekwondo are similar to dancing and that’s how he became interested in dancing.

»» The passion he has while participating in his art whether it be through his singing or dancing is breathtakingly gorgeous, he could make even the coldest person feel warm.

»» He has the most aegyo I swear, he is so squishy and adorable, watch him at fansigns melts my heart.

»» One of his nicknames is 10:10 because of the shape of his eyes.

»» Hoshi is incredibly adorable off stage, looking out for younger members and incredibly rude on stage, but hey, I’m not complaining.

»» He will forever be my favourite SHINee fanboy. His fanboy side is absolutely adorable.

»» The way his hands move is incredible, I could watch a compilation of his [jellyfish|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkfJCvPQ6cw] for hours on end and not get bored.

»» His passion for his art makes me cry. Honestly, you can see how much he loves what he does and how much he loves thee group he is in.

»»-------------¤-------------««

»» Wonwoo

Stage Name: Wonwoo (원우)

Birth Name: Jeon Wonwoo (전원우)

Position: Lead Rapper

Birthday: 17 July 1996

»» Our deep voiced rapper, omg. He may come off as harsh in the beginning due to his sharp features and cold outside but he is honestly a really kind hearted person.

»» He doesn’t like doing aegyo, but even though he doesn’t like it he will do it on the rare occasion.

»» In the words of one of my friends “Not only is he cute but he is gorgeous, tall, and has a voice deeper than the pacific ocean”.

»» I am not a rapper myself but I know a decent rapper when I hear one, and damn Wonwoo is an awesome rapper (<- his rap starts after 1:35).

»» Wonwoo is truly a massive dork at heart. He also loves to read in his spare time.

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»» Woozi

Stage Name: Woozi (우지)

Birth Name: Lee Jihun (이지훈)

Position: Vocal Team Leader, Lead Vocalist

Birthday: 22 November 1996

»» Woozi singing is seriously one of the most unimaginably incredible sounds ever, his falsetto gives me life. His solo song simple literally caused me to cry.

»» He is in charge of composing and writing lyrics are some of their songs. Even his dance is absolutely incredible. I love watching his focused cams.

»» He may be small but he is very feisty, but still adorable. When it comes down to it though he is very kind.

»» He refuses to believe that he is adorable when honestly he is probably one of the most adorable members in SVT. On the Yang and Nam show he finally admitted that he is cute.

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»» DK

Stage Name: DK (도겸)

Birth Name: Lee Seokmin (이석민)

Position: Main Vocalist

Birthday: 18 February 1997

»» Extra, that’s all I can really say about Dokkyeomie, he can be very extra and random. He can be very lively but he is adorable and sensitive as well.

»» His high notes can cure cancer I swear, whenever I hear his voice I shed a tear.

»» He works very hard to bring his positive energy to the other members and to Carats. Dk, Seungkwan and Hoshi make the gag trio, known as comedy relief, they aim to bring smiles and happiness into others.

»» His laugh and smile are very distinctive, his eyebrows either go up or down with his laugh. I can never help but smile or giggle with him. His aegyo is extremely cringey but still extremely adorable.

»»-------------¤-------------««

»» Mingyu

Stage Name: Mingyu (민규)

Birth Name: Kim Mingyu (김민규)

Position: Lead Rapper, Face of the Group

Birthday: 06 April 1997

»» Ahhhh Housewife Ming, he is so adorable. Mingyu is known for being the visual of the group, as is evident by his amazingly good looks.

»» He is the member who eats the most, he can be seen eating in the background of pretty much any videos of SVT.

»» He is both the tallest and the loudest members out of the group. Many of the members have said that he is a lot different from their original thoughts of him. As one of my other friends said, his looks is contrasted by his personality, he looks like a chic and cool guy but honestly he is a giant adorable puppy.

»» Mingyu is known as Housewife Ming because he is good with his hands, he cooks and cleans, he is also able to repair things.

»» His rapping is absolutely amazing and could make the angels weep, I love his voice so much.

»»-------------¤-------------««

»» The8

Stage Name: The8 (디에잇)

Birth Name: Xu Minghao (徐明浩)

Korean Name: Seo Myung Ho (서명호)

Position: Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalist

Birthday: 07 November 1997

»» Gorgeous, gorgeous Minghao, this human being is absolutely adorable. He is so fluffy and gorgeously shy, this is due to his inability to understand Korean at times.

»» His singing and dancing are both amazing, being hypnotized by him is extremely easy while watching him dance. He is in charge of ‘b-boying’ in the group and will often be seen doing a fancy flip, like in Don’t Wanna Cry.

»» He has been practising the art of Wushu (chinese martial arts) since he was five years old. On their most recent Weekly Idol appearance he exhibits his skills. He also won a prize at the National Children’s martial arts competition.

»» Minghao is exceedingly hardworking, he is not great at Korean, yet he still perseveres in learning and growing.

»» If you ever have spare time you should definitely have a look at some of his fancams, he is an incredible dancer.

»»-------------¤-------------««

»» Seungkwan

Stage Name: Seungkwan (승관)

Birth Name: Boo Seung Kwan (부승관)

Position: Main Vocalist

Birthday: 16 January 1998

»» This guy I swear, he is amazingly funny and an incredible singer. He has such an amazing personality that it is hard to resist smiling whenever he is talking.

»» His attempts at speaking English are always adorable and funny to hear, especially if you are a native English speaker.

»» Boo is absolutely gorgeously amazing. He has the most adorable visuals and he can dance and sing, just asdfghjkl;. Here is a compilation of his singing, his notes in Pretty U never cease to amaze me.

»» He is extremely extra, he is always very entertaining to watch.

»» And of course how can we talk about Boo Seungkwan without talking about DivaBoo. Here is a Divaboo vs Seungkwan video which will show that difference between Diva and Seungkwan.

»»-------------¤-------------««

»» Vernon

Stage Name: Vernon (버논)

Birth Name: Hansol Vernon Choi

Position: Main Rapper

Birthday: 18 February 1998

»» Baby DiCaprio. Vernon is well known for looking quite similar to Leonardo DiCaprio.

»» His rapping is simply jaw-dropping. The iconic lines that he has in them middle of his raps are unforgettable. My favourite is “You’re so ice ice baby”, not sure why, I just always get excited to hear it.

»» Memesol, of course, is another adorable aspect of Vernon. I can never get enough of the random screenshots I’ve found of him pulling the weirdest faces.

»» His dancing should be illegal, and he needs to learn how to keep his tongue in his mouth. I’m signing a petition to make Vernon’s dancing illegal.

»» When he imitates the others singing, I can’t help but smile, especially when he tries to do Seungkwan’s parts. But in reality he has quite a lovely singing voice.

»» His friendship with Seungkwan never fails to make me smile.

»» And I also love his love for his family, he cares so much for his parents and his sister, you can tell he misses them a lot.

»» Last but not least, a random one, [Bubble Hansol|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzeJSBVHYZE]. Do I need to say anything else, plus I love the dramaticness of his fall.

»»-------------¤-------------««

»» Dino

Stage Name: Dino (디노)

Birth Name: Lee Chan (이찬)

Position: Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Maknae

Birthday: 11 February 1999

»» Our adorable Maknae. Dino is so adorable and always gets teased for being the youngest.

»» He admires Michael Jackson so much, his covers of Apink’s nonono and EXID’s up and down with a Michael Jackson twist is absolutely endearing.

»» His stage name is an abbreviation of Dinosaur because he wishes to dominate the stage.

»» As he is part of the performance team, he is an incredible dancer. Despite his age he is advanced in his art form and it is simply amazing to watch his dance.

»» His laugh and smile are both amazingly contagious, can never help but smile with him.

»» He is always reluctant to agree that his is Jeonghan’s baby but we all know that he will always be the baby.

»» Dino’s rapping is also an extraordinary aspect to our little maknae.

»»-------------¤-------------««

All in all you can see how much I love these men! I think that their dynamic is incredible and I hope that through this blog I may have encouraged some more people to become Carats! Please give our men some love and support.

Well this bring us to the end of my blog. I hope that through this post you may have learnt about SVT for the first time or may even have been a Carat before this and have learnt more!

Thank you so much for reading~

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shenmeizhuang-blog · 7 years ago

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legend of the dragon pearl: the indistinguishable road – midway musings

(This is a 90-episode drama, so at this point, I’m really up to Ep 45. Exactly, right smack in the middle of this show.)

Yes, that’s right – in order to retain the greatest accuracy and objectivity, I resisted temptation with three released episodes left unwatched – all for the sake of this post and you, the readers.

JUST KIDDING! It turns out that in the case of Longzhu (the pinyin of this show’s [shortened] native name, as the full title, 龙珠传奇之无间道, is a bit too cumbersome), wherever I stop to provide “commentary” really doesn’t matter. In fact, in trying (admittedly not very hard) to write this post, it became apparent that the best meta viewers can create for this is either live-blogging or the snarkiest recaps ever. Because let’s be real – there’s really nothing to analyze or synthesize at all (yet? Eh, I highly doubt so.)

So, of course, I’m doing neither. Let’s start from the basics. From what I’ve gathered, the “plot” is something like this (maybe?):

SYNOPSIS: Lots of weird mix-ups happen, resulting in a Ming Dynasty princess with a terminal illness (supposedly curable by the emperor’s tears) with no idea of her real identity and betrothed to a fake Crown Prince entering the Forbidden City to help this secret organization overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Naturally, she and the young Emperor Kangxi fall in love, but, 45 episodes into the show, apparently not yet, because everyone is stuck dealing with corrupt officials both in the palace and in the countryside.

Comments and comparisons on the web have revealed this as essentially really this weird mash-up of Princess Huai Yu (identity and love-line with Kangxi), Mischievous Princess (fallen princess + wild personality & young emperor + attempting to overthrow the new dynasty), and The Duke of Mountain Deer or The Deer and the Cauldron (anti-Qing organization, (b)romance with Kangxi, finding some key treasure, helping Kangxi defeat Oboi). But since I’m a relatively newer drama watcher who hasn’t seen these shows at all, I’ll give the scriptwriter the benefit of the doubt and accredit these plot points and bits of humor to the writer herself (spoilers and lots of roasting below the cut):

To be brutally straightforward: Longzhu is really a visceral mess. If I really bothered to pick out all the show’s flaws and plot holes, I would have more than enough material to write my own 90-episode drama. But from basic things from the questionable costuming (see: our protagonist Li Yihuan’s fugly “prostitute” outfit, the concubines’ hairstyles, or really overall a clear low budget) and shaky execution to ridiculous mistakes such as thinking Oboi’s (鳌拜) last name is “鳌” or “O” (lmao…), even when he’s clearly part of a prominent Manchurian clan under the Eight Banners (I’m especially sensitive about historical accuracy when it comes to the Qing Dynasty), or just the very many plot holes riddled everywhere, I must say I’ve dropped better shows.

(There’s also the matter of watching The Firmament of the Pleiades alongside this, which definitely highlights a lot more flaws than usual. For one, both shows deal with a young emperor trying to assume full power, but the way either show deals with such really speaks measures of the genre differences.)

Another thing that’s been nagging me for the longest time is: why go with this plan – training these kids lots of weird stuff like espionage – at all, instead of mobilizing the masses? Why endanger important people like the Crown Prince in this “dangerpous plan”? If Zhu Cixuan is so smart, why would he so easily display his amazing medicinal abilities, rather than display himself as “good enough to become an imperial doctor, but not the best” to avoid suspicion? Why hasn’t there been suspicion?

So what’s the saving grace? Throughout the sometimes decently interesting “missions” our leads, or the recruits of the secret anti-Qing organization 明珠谷, accept, there are indeed moments of hilarity.

There’s no denying it; it’s a nice show to get a good laugh out of, be it from sheer stupidity or mostly Yihuan’s quirky and adorable persona.

The plot goes by both quickly and frankly nowhere, making each episode easy to breeze past without much thought; given the amount that I fast-forward through, I tend to watch it 5 or 6 episodes at a time. Frankly, the show should be grateful that my Chinese is decent enough/the language is simple enough that I can watch this at 1.5x and 2x speed, because otherwise I’d definitely be dropping this. I think. I guess the producers and promoters really didn’t have high expectations for this, either – they’re actually dropping 12 episodes at once for Premium Youku and Tencent Video users every Sunday, which I find a strange format.

Even so, I’m still not quite sure how this is supposed to be 90 episodes. Although, since Princess Huai Yu was apparently 105 episodes long, maybe, just maybe, it’ll all work out.

Yet already Longzhu is showing signs of some dragginess – I guess out of ideas after the whole initial set-up and Oboi arc, the writer decided to pull a In The Name of the People and have our characters leave the palace in disguise and deal with corrupt officials in the countryside … for the freaking past 20 episodes, and judging from the YouTube thumbnails, it’s not going for a while. (I know the show is trying to depict Kangxi as this super awesome emperor who really cares for the well-being of the common people, and does crazy things like copy Buddhist scriptures with his own blood to end a drought, and honestly this was never going to be a good palace drama, so it’s not too bad, I guess.)

Of course, throughout all this, we have this complex love heptagon thing with multiple “enemies-to-lovers” relationships, as typical when dealing with people from two different dynasties. There’s been lots of tension and character interactions presented throughout the stupid plot, but weirdly it feels that everyone is pretty much still at square one, with honestly little meaningful development. (When was this show ever about meaningful development?)

(Oh wait, I think I was supposed to talk about this show’s strengths and ended up roasting it again.)

Easily the best thing about Longzhu is the cast’s solid acting and wonderful chemistry – given the mostly flatly written characters, actors for the corrupt officials such as Oboi, Liu Dezhao, and Qiu Gui have managed to give memorable, even adorable, performances. Even very minor roles, such as the suffering peasants, are portrayed with admirable nuance, despite some of their really stupidly made-up names.

Of course, I am largely fond of the leads. From real-life couple Yang Zi (portraying protagonist Li Yihuan) and Qin Jun Jie (Emperor Kangxi)’s sizzling chemistry, as well as Qin Jun Jie’s hilarious and intense expressions, to **Mao Zi Jun **(fake Crown Prince Zhu Cixuan)’s charisma (is that him looking ridiculously hot in the Qing hairstyle? I think I under-appreciated his beautiful face in The Glory of Tang Dynasty, but here I’m half-drooling) and Shu Chang’s phenomenal acting in differentiating (probably long-lost twins) Shu Wanxin and Xue Qincheng, this drama easily fits into the “great cast and acting but trash plot” category. (Also kudos to He Zhonghua for masterfully portraying long-lost twins Li Dingguo and Li De Fu (Eunuch Li), characters who frankly couldn’t be more different.)

(And, yeah, Allen Ren cameos in this…for like ten minutes…)

Combined with my fondness for the actors, the characterization is overall likable (Kangxi might be a bit too pushy and clearly doesn’t really get boundaries – typical of royalty – but I like how he’s motivated, though at times (like most characters in this show) prone to bouts of stupidity), with characters from both the Qing and anti-Qing largely rootable. I also adore certain side characters such as 索额图 and his nephew, so I actually haven’t resorted to looking for an OTP cut.

However, as likable as Yihuan is – I like the whole “jack of all trades, master of none” idea – I can’t help but complain about how Yang Zi seems to almost always be typecast into these sort of roles. Lu Xueqi in Noble Aspirations (Chusen) the notable exception, it seems that most of her roles – even Xiang Xiang from the critically acclaimed Battle of Changsha – are largely “quirky, immature, and adorable foodie with exaggerated expressions”. No one is involved in this production is particularly concerned by this, either – the official promotions actually call Yihuan the “ancient version of Qiu Yingying” (Yang Zi’s character in Ode To Joy).

Another problem is: given that the main appeal is Qin Jun Jie and Yang Zi’s relationship and strong chemistry, the show should know to service us with OTP moments, but apparently they’d rather show the characters dealing with corruption and a revenge plot-line that, frankly speaking, no cares about.

Then when I consider dropping this, they serve up fanservice of all kinds on a platter. The experience is something like:

Me: cringes at the off-putting execution

Longzhu: Look! An Allen Ren***** cameo!

Me: Yeah, I’m not relating with this who anti-Qing revenge plan. Maybe it would be better if I skipped these parts

Longzhu: But look at how likable these leads are!

Me: Okay, this is getting draggy

Longzhu: Hey, it’s a flashback featuring 李嗣兴 (re: RJL cameo)!

Me: They’ve been at this stupid corruption arc for so long; maybe I should drop this

Longzhu: K even though the OTP won’t be mutually admitting of their feelings for a while, it’s fine because we’ll drug them with an aphrodisiac! Then they can have an intense make-out scene!

(& etc.)

Despite being a very flawed show, I think I might actually watch all 90 episodes, and not just for the cast – it’s stupid and cliche (remember: based on the premise that the emperor’s tears can cure our heroine’s terminal illness), but somehow inherently likable and decently addictive. I guess…I’m looking forward to the angst and falling-out?

*****Allen Ren is this bundle of talent, cuteness, and extra-ness with super nice micro-expressions who also is probably the closest person to my bias.

#don't get me wrong i still like this show #sort of?#i'm being entertained #legend of the dragon pearl #legend of the dragon pearl: the indistinguishable road #legend of dragon pearl: the indistinguishable road #i'm laughing at how the official youtube channel is translating it to 'legend of the dragon ball'#龙珠传奇 #龙珠传奇之无间道 #commentary #long post #my commentary #a bit more of a roast #cdrama #cdramanet #yang zi #qin jun jie #mao zi jun #shu chang

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