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magician-kitty · 8 months

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The End is Here

"Wow, today has been a...helluva day. Okay, let's take a recap of the things i've learned...."

1) Monkey King is married to Liu Ér Mihou aka The Six-Eared Macaque. Who I have to admit is a pretty cool dude, not because he's hot, but he's married to Monkey King! We both had much in common, we both loved the theater, likes to sing, and other stuff, but that's for later.

2) Apparently the reason why Macaque was absent was because that bitch Jade-Face Princess had stolen an artifact of his, A Shadow Lantern, and he had to track her down to get it back.

3) The two of them have a child, well...children together. The little girl I met last episode is their daughter, adopted daughter. And lastly....The two most cutest monkey twins I've ever seen!!

Their like major cuteness!

The Twins, Rumble and Savage are twin clone Monkeys that were supposedly created by Macaque himself.

The little male monkey, Savage, was dark furred with grey skinned, short shaggy hair, had red face markings, yellow eyes, wearing a red qipao vest and black pants.

His twin sister, Rumble, had the same markings, color scheme as Savage, but with longer hair tied with a Fire lily hair clip, wears prince-nez glasses, a short sleeve hanfu dress with yellow clippings and black pants.

Aw man, I definitely can't wait to tell Tang and Mei all about this..."

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

MK was driving back to the city after having stayed at Flower Fruit Mountain for the past week. After the whole mess with The Jade-Face Princess, Monkey King and Macaque wanted to make sure her wounds were completely healed.

"Are you sure you're well enough, bud?" Monkey King asked in concern, looking over MK for any injuries.

"I'm okay now, Monkey King. I'm all better now." She reassured him, he sighed in worry. Macaque came over to him and rubbed his back. "Ease up, Peaches. I checked her over myself, the kid is in tip-top shape."

Bai He, Rumble and Savage ran past the two monkeys gave MK a big hug. "See you later, Monkey Princess!" MK smiled and hugged them back, "You too!" She ruffled their hair making them laugh. "Bye guys! I'll see you next week!" MK waved goodbye before leaving.

"Man, after all the crap that's happened. I just can't wait to get back home to the sweet smell of Noodles and Tranquility."

MK hummed a beat to a song on her phone, as she made her way back home from Flower Fruit Mountain. MK had sent a clone to the city at the beginning of the week to help out the gang in case something happened. For some reason she hadn't gotten any calls so she hoped everything was all right.

She returns to the noodle shop, not noticing the cracked sign above him as she hops out of the cart. "Guys! Guess who's back from training with Monkey ki-"

Her eyes widened, now noticing the army of bull clones in front of her. They were groaning, eyes glowing a light blue. one of the bull clones jumped down, roaring, as the others jumped forward. MK gasped, holding an order of noodles as she backed away, screaming.

But before the bull clones could even attack her, they are knocked back, as Pigsy's truck appears out of nowhere. MK gasps as her friends step out of the truck.

Tang noticed MK and immediately bolting over and tackling her into a hug, crying out in relief "My baby girl, Thank Buddha you're alright!!" Tang cried out in relief.

"Guys! What's going on? whoa-ho-ho! You look so awesome!" She compliments on their wardrobe, almost a Mad Max kinda vibe.

"Yeah, so uh, some stuff happened while you were away, got really kind of intense." Mei informed, rubbing her head.

"Bu-but I left you with one of my clones!"

"Oh, yes...she's been super helpful.." Tang said in a deadpanned voice. The clone in question, who stood beside Tang blinks in confusion when noticing the stares she was given.

"I don't know what to tell ya, guy." With that, the clone exploded, leaving behind a pile of hair.

"What's going on? What's with all the clones acting so strangely?" MK asked confused and shocked at what was happening.

"After you left-" but Mei was interrupted by Tang "Ahem, If you'll allow me" Tang said with a smirk, Mei groans "Go ahead, Mr. Tang" Mei said rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"Well, after you left, the Bull Clones attacked, but they were more powerful than before, we believe it's all tied back, to the Demon Bull King himself....he's conquered everything" Tang said finishing explaining "We tried calling you, but they brought down the power lines." Pigsy said.

MK's eyes were filled with worry, slowly replaced with anger as she gritted her teeth and clutched her fists tight making her knuckles white.

"Where is he? Where's DBK?" MK growls out.

"We're not sure. But there's pretty scary noises coming from the mountain." Sandy said with a frown and pointed to a far off point in the city, an area which had been abandoned for a long time.

MK frowned, then had a look of determination.

"Everyone, Get in." the teen said, everyone turns to her in confusion, MK only grins with determination, punching her fist into her hand.

"We're gonna stop him and bring back our city" MK said with a determined smirk, everyone smiled at her filled with their own determination as they piled into the truck, heading for the mountain.

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

At the Flaming Foundry, Demon Bull King cackles, watching his bull clones wreak havoc on the city. "Look at them cower and run! With this power, even the great sage could not stop me!" Demon Bull King said with a sinister smile, Princess Iron Fan only frowns, her eyes laid on the glowing blue canister attached to her husband's back.

"Yes father we have finally taken our rightful place as the rulers of this city!" Red Son said looking at the screen, but suddenly the alarms sounded, as an image appeared on the hologram. Upon further inspection, they noticed it was a truck with MK and her friends inside.

'Noodle Girl.' Red Son thought happily to see her again. Whispers echo within Demon Bull King's mind, the image of MK distorting, replaced with the image of Monkey King. "Monkey King!? Come to take me? bind me? I will not let that simian triumph again!" He shouted in anger.

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

On their way to the mountain, the gang passed the construction site, screeching to a stop, before them stood the remains of a destroyed road, bent into a walkway, leading up towards bull shaped rubble.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Sandy asked turning towards the teen, everyone following the water spirits gaze.

"There's obviously going to be lots of clones waiting for us inside, so we have to go in as fast as possible without one of us getting captured or harm" MK said looking at the damage.

"Sounds great. Let's go!" Sandy shouted, grinning. "Yeah!" Mei cheered.

MK looked at them with a worried expression, "What? No, I didn't mean you guys too."

Tang chuckled. "You thought that you were going without us?" He questioned, making MK sheepishly nod.

Pigsy chuckled. "We get it. You're the Monkie Kid, eh? It's your job to go fight the bad guys." He told her.

Sandy put a hand on her shoulder smiling. "But we're your team, little lady. It's our job to get you there." The Water Demon reminded her, earning a smile from MK.

Pigsy steps on the gas pedal, charging at the base right as Mei used her sword to blast a hole through the front entrance, allowing the truck to drive straight through, landing on a built in road, hidden in the ditch that surrounded the base.

The sound of another engine roars behind them. Pigsy peered at the side view mirror to see bull clones driving up behind them. "We've got company!" He shouts looking back at the front, the bull clones swerve, hitting the truck and causing everyone to bounce out of their seats, Tang falling on Pigsy. But after a few quick maneuvers from the pig demon, he managed to loose the opposing truck.

MK looked around through the window and spotted something. "look there! DBK's throne room!" She calls out looking out the window.

"it's gotta be somewhere down...there!" The teen said, Tang screams in fear as the bull clones come closer, colliding their vehicles together, Sandy was quick to grab Mei, and MK and hopped out of the truck, the two teens clinging onto his back MK screamed while Mei laughed in excitement.

Sandy jumped into the air, punching the vehicle, smashing it into pieces Mei and Mk jumped off Sandy's back and ran towards the hole.

"Come on, MK! Let's go!" Mei called out and jumped into the hole with MK behind her not knowing how deep it was until they were falling.

Mei and MK latching onto each other as they screamed, Mei quickly took out her sword, stabbing it into the wall, stopping the two from falling just as MK latched onto Mei's waist. "Now what?" Mei asked looking at their predicament.

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

"They are coming for you," cold, ghostly whisper continues to echo in DBK's head. "The Power" The cold voice said.

Red Son smiled seeing this as a chance to prove himself, "Father, let me go up there and destroy those-"

But was cut off by Demon Bull King, who laughed, "You? Why would I trust you?!" Demon Bull King turned to his son. "You have brought me nothing but failure! Time and time again, nothing but disappointment!" Demon Bull King shouted. His harsh words strike deeply within Red Son, making his fists tighten and his lips quiver, fighting back his tears threatening to fall down his face.

Princess Iron Fan watched, anger rising before shock overtook her face. Her husband would never call their son a failure, this was not her husband at all.

"Traitor, He's a traitor! Kill him!" The voice screamed in his head.

"Traitor..?" DBK growled, eyes shining blue. "Yes, perhaps."

Red Son sputters, eyes filled with worry and slight fear. "What? N-no, father! I would never-"

"You thought you could deceive me?!" Demon bull king shouts, enraged and back hands the fire demon making Red Son hit the wall making the fire demon groan in pain. "Stand against me?!" Demon Bull King shouted raising his fist, Red Son couldn't help but flinch covering his face with his arms as Demon Bull King raised his fist until Princess Iron Fan ran in front of him to block it with her fan.

"Come to your senses! This power has clearly poisoned your mind!" She yelled at him. She then paused when she heard something whispers 'traitor'.

"Another traitor in my midst!" Demon Bull King yelled, snarling at the two. "I do not want to hurt you," Princess Iron Fan said and Demon Bull King laughed, "As if you could." He then lunged at her and the two started fighting.

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

"So, about getting down..." Mei laughed nervously. "Monkey King wouldn't have happened to...I don't know taught you his cloud trick by any chance?"

"Uh, that's still a work in progress," MK chuckled nervously, thinking back to the few times she tried summoning the Somersault Cloud, only to end up sneezing mini clouds.

"What are we gonna do?!" MK hissed, shaking to make things worse, someone's phone went off. The two stopped moving and froze, The ringing bounced off the walls, awakening the bull clones.

"Mei! Your phone, shut it off!" MK yelled at the dragon girl was quick to pull out her phone, but it fell from her grasp as she let go of the sword, trying to catch it. "Mei!" MK cried.

The teen screamed, letting go of Mei's waist and started swimming in the air towards the sword. MK quickly grabs it while grabbing Mei's ankle before she could fall They groaned and grunted MK sighed as Mei stopped the ringing.

“Seriously, at a time like this?” MK hissed.

Clones scuttled across the rock wall, their metal creaking and clanking, as they got closer to the two. "Yeah! Now's a great time to download the latest version of Monkey Mech-" Mei let out a gasp in realization.

"MK, you remember that cool mech you made, when we first fought DBK?" Mei said looking up at MK "Uh, yeah? But I don--" MK cut herself off with a gasp, as she realized where her bestie was going with this, and took out her staff in her spare hand.

"Give me hand Mei?" MK said. Mei nodded with a smirk, swinging both herself and the MK before launching them up into the air, allowing MK to slam the staff into the rock face, the earth crumbled upon impact, as golden light spewed out, the staff magically forming a Monkey Mech out of the loose earth, with the hero two inside.

Upon seeing the gigantic mech, the corrupted clones launched themselves at it, ready to tear the enemy bot apart, though a quick swing of the mech's staff, destroyed them, and giving MK enough time to make a plan.

"Alright, new plan, you hold off the zombie bull clones, I'll get down there and finish this" MK said looking down at the hole "Think you can handle this on your own?" MK asked with a smirk "I've always dreamed of piloting a blood thirsty mech!" Mei squeals with excitement but with a hint of bloodlust. The dragon girl begins pressing random buttons.

"On no, maybe putting Mei in charge of the mech isn't such a good idea—AAAAAAHH!!!' MK's thoughts were cut short when Mei pulled a leaver and the teen began falling straight down a hole as she was thrown out the mech, the teen screamed in fear and quickly whistled for her somersault cloud , the cloud flies down the hole and under MK slowing down the fall a little bit while Mei fought the hoard of zombie bull clones.

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

Princess Iron Fan grunts, landing on her feet and sliding back a good distance from her previous attack Red Son, however, was not so lucky, he tumbles backwards with a grunt, straining and hissing as he grips his hurt arm, Iron Fan wipes the blood from her lips, Demon Bull King laughs, stomping towards the two but stops, hearing shrieking All three look up to see MK on a cloud falling down towards them landing with a thud as she rolls on the ground, her cloud dissolving away from the impact.

"Noodle Girl?" Red Son yelled, surprised.

"The Little Thief," Demon Bull King's voice sneered another more sinister one, overlapping his.

The teen then put Red Son down before stretching her back, which gave a sickening crack, making Red Son winch at the sound as MK fell back, "Gimme' a minute..."

Demon Bull King then started growling in pain before looking at MK as she got back to his feet and did a couple of stretches that he'd learned from Wukong, Demon Bull King's vision split her into two turned into Sun Wukong.

As MK finished her stretches she turned to the possessed DBK, "Alright, I'm ready to fight now. Let's go!"

"Sun Wukong! Come to lock me away again?!" The Demon Bull's voice roared, making all of them turn to him in confusion. "I'll crush you where you stand!!"

MK blinked, then looked around to see if there was someone else there. "Uhm, I think you have the idea sir," MK said, leaning down to grab her staff. Whatever was going on with Demon Bull King and causing the whispers and delusions in his head.

Just then the earth shook, making MK look up just in time to see Demon Bull King charging at her. She yelped as she had to dodge several attacks from the raging bull, she finally got to put some distance between the two of them as Princess Iron Fan flung two blades of wind at the Demon, causing him to be trapped for a second.

When MK landed next to Princess Iron Fan she turned to her and asked, "So how do we free him?"

"Canisters on his back contain the ancient power that we needed the key to unlock. Its power has driven him mad," The Wind Demoness explained, motioning with her fan, to the blue tubes on Demon Bull King's back, who was currently breaking free from the rubble that'd trapped him.

"Okay then," MK said, uneasy before twirling the staff around, tensing up when Demon Bull King roared again, his roar shaking the cavern they were in. "Time for round two."

"No," Red Son told her, standing in front of her protectively. "This time, we fight with you."

The Fire Demon was determined to not let anything happen to his future girlfriend, flames surrounding his hands as he and his mother stood in front of MK.

"You'll only have one shot. Make it count." Princess Iron Fan tells her as she shoots forwards, letting out a cyclone of wind, which encompasses the snarling Demon Bull King, "You will all meet your fate together!!"

Both Demons were pushed back. Princess Iron Fan's fan had been chucked away somewhere in the room. The earth started to shake as Demon Bull King walked up to finish off his own family.

Demon Bull King lifts a claw to hit them, only to get hit in the head by a rock, everyone looking over at where MK stood smirking, another rock in his hand, "Yeah! I've got more rocks where that one came from!"

The Demon Bull King slams MK into the cave wall, his fist tightening around her body, snarling. "You have been an utter disappointment! I had hoped you would have learnt more of the Great Sage's little tricks!"

"I don't know what to tell you, man," MK shrugged, seemingly uncaring about her current dangerous situation, only panicking when Demon Bull King went to squash her with a thumb. "No wait!"

In a puff of golden smoke and hair, the now-revealed clone disappeared, angering the now-surprised Demon Bull King, "What?! A copy?!"

"Ha! turns out I actually did learn some of his tricks," MK called from above, making the large Demon look up in surprise as clones spawned. MK used several of them to spring herself further and faster, readying to hit him with the staff.

"Here...comes...Monkie Kid!" MK slammed down on Demon Bull King with her army of clones, managing to get a solid hit on the canisters and knocking them loose, causing them to crash and break on the stone flooring, releasing whatever was inside.

The ground shook, causing MK to yelp as she looked around. The Demon Bull King got up with a groan, looking around confused.

"What? W-What...happened?" He questioned, as Princess Iron Fan stopped her son from coming near him, just in case. Bull King looked at his wife and son, seeing their defensive looks, and frowned, concerned.

Princess Iron Fan went over to him, gently cupping his snout and placing her forehead against it. "You came back to me." That was all she said, resting against her husband as she wrapped the family in wind.

Red Son looked at MK, who looked back at him. "Thank you, and take care.." The Fire Demon told her, before disappearing with his family.

The mech stood at the edge of the battlefield, the group sitting on its shoulders, eating a bowl of noodles. "Well, ya did it, kid." Pigsy said as he ate his noodles.

"You beat DBK! again!" Sandy exclaimed.

"Thanks guys, but... I'm not sure I did." MK sighed, looking down at her noodles. "Whatever was powering him up, it made him...different, uncontrollable."

But we won, right?" Mei grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm sure it's fine. You were done with this, hmm?" Tang asked, taking a piece of food from Pigsy.

"Hey! get your mitts off my bowl, Tang!" Pigsy yelled at Tang, making the group laugh.

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

MK headed back to Flower Fruit Mountain to tell all about what happened today. "Monkey King! Macaque?" She called out to the simian husbands, looking around for them. "You'll never guess what...Happened?" She trailed off, She found them in front of their house, but...Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Macaque held Monkey King in a comforting hug, while he was crying his eyes out. Rumble and Savage were by his side, also trying to comfort him.

"Monkey King? Macaque? W-What happened?" MK asked, with a worried look on her face. Macaque glanced over towards the girl, not saying anything.

"What wrong!? Did something happened!?" She asked again.

Macaque sighed, went over to MK, putting a hand on her shoulder. "MK...It's..It's Bai-He."

"Bai-He?" She looked around to see the little apprentice wasn't anywhere in sight. "What happened, where is she?" She yelled, really concerned.

"She's...She's gone, MK..." Was all he said.

MK gasped, covered her hand over her mouth. "W-What?"

"And Just when things got better, it got worse. Really...Really...Worse."

To be Continued.

#lego monkie kid #tales of the monkey princess #monkie kid mk #lmk red son #lmk macaque #genderbend #mei monkie kid #lmk princess iron fan

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skellebonez · 3 years

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The prompt you wrote with baby MK was extremely cute, but it also gave me an idea that wouldn't leave my brain: Imagine that same situation, but with Mei and Macaque. This is an open prompt, you can do with this whatever you like!

MK isn’t the only one who gets to have this kind of curse/ailment anymore! And I can’t resist putting this in the Cursed AU specifically, simply because I love the idea of this Macaque being confronted face first with the fact he actually cares. Even if it happens 200 times.

"What in the absolute hell are we supposed to do now?" Macaque groaned out, looking around the both of them for any indication of an escape that didn't involve him leaving Mei behind. Which was looking slimmer and slimmer if he didn’t want her to be in more physical danger than she already was. So. Stranded it was.

"I can still help!" Mei insisted, crossing her arms and standing her ground with a wide smirk. "I'm not powerless you know!"

"Never said you were, Jade," Macaque acknowledged instantly, tensing for a half moment when he realized how much he had to be attached to say something like that so fast. He forced himself to relax once again, no point in adding more fuel to the fire of worry that laid between them. "This just makes things complicated."

Oh yeah... complicated, that was one way to put it, definitely. If Macaque was being generous. And ignoring the fact that Mei wasn’t even 4 feet tall... and 4 years old. Physically.

Macaque was supposed to be on official mystic monkey business alone. Or at least that’s what he told Mei and MK to hopefully keep them out of his fur, but apparently Mei had other ideas. Like sneaking onto the private boat he had paid for to be taken to this secluded island far out into the ocean undetected, much farther than Mount Huaguo was. How she managed to sneak past security he may never know, now would he know how she managed to stay hidden for their 7 hour journey, and he would never admit that he was genuinely impressed.

He genuinely had not known she joined him until after the boat left, leaving them both stranded for at least the next 24 hours.

Horray.

Things had actually been going pretty ok, for the most part, after she had made herself known. In actuality Macaque was here to hunt down a specific item of his he had left behind on the island years ago, nothing really world shattering just... important to him. He knew that it would be safe here when he left it, the island as uninhabited and out of the way for humans to come to as it was.

But he also knew many powerful demons occasionally used this island as a hiding ground for when they were injured or planning something, against the owner’s wishes. And unfortunately one such demon just happened to be there on the one day of the while year he planned on coming.

That demon was deader than anything else on this island at the moment. Macaque hadn’t tried to kill him, not really, but they had lobbed something at him that Mei jumped in front of and he reacted on instinct.

If the thing had hit him in the first place they would probably be just fine. A decade and a half off his life span was nothing, unless it was set to a specific age in which... well, he was already able to do most of what he could do as a child so they still probably would have been ok. And hopefully she would be, if his memory served this particular demon was talented only in making temporary cursed and potions... mostly.

He hoped.

“Are you certain using your powers won’t hurt you?” Macaque asked, staring down at the short girl before him.

“I don’t think so?” Mei said with a shrug. “I mean, I’ve kinda had them for as long as I remember so... probably not.”

“Let’s not take that chance,” Macaque said with a sigh, looking around the beach. There was nothing for him to use, no emergency radio or boat. The best they had found on their entire search was a dinky little shelter. “It looks like our best bet would be to hunker down in that building and wait until mid day tomorrow for the boat to return. Provided there aren’t any more demons around we should be fine...”

“I can build a fire!” Mei proclaimed, running off before Macaque could even hope to catch her.

Something pulled in his chest, a protective thrum that he hadn’t felt since... since his journey with MK, but was becoming increasingly common the more time he spent training Mei. And he hadn’t felt that for so long he had forgotten what it felt like when it happened then, so unfamiliar with the desire to protect his old home and monkey friends of Mount Huaguo.

He would never admit even to himself that that feeling was “caring”. At least not yet.

“Jade, get back here!” Macaque yelled, moving to rush off after her before she came barreling back herself with armfuls of sticks and pine cones.

“I got everything we need!” She laughed and threw everything down in front of the building, looking around. “Did you see any rocks?”

“I know how to build a fire,” Macaque said softly, crossing his arms and shaking his head. “We probably don’t even need one.”

“Aw, but this is like a camping trip now!” Mei said, flailing her arms in the direction of the sticks. “I’ve even got marshmallows in my backpack!”

“Why did you bring m-never mind,” Macaque groaned, rubbing his face and sighing deeply. “OK. We’ll build a fire.”

It had gone better than hoped, actually. Macaque was able to start the fire with ease and Mei had apparently thought ahead enough that she’s brought the ingredients to make something called s’mores. Macaque had never seen them before, either they were new or they were a foreign treat, but MK had mentioned them to him on their journey and he had to admit... they were nice.

He just wished the gooey marshmallow didn’t stick to his fur so bad.

“And then MK did something that made the clone glow gold and explode into a bazillion pieces of hair!” Mei said, sweeping her arms out as she finisher her story. “And that’s how MK created and saved me from Porty Clone.”

“Sound like MK’s clones had quite the variety to them,” Macaque said with a smile. He’d relaxed over the evening, the normal sounds of the island confirming to him that it was just the two of them now and that at the very least they were safe from attack for the moment. “No wonder he’s careful not to overuse them.”

“Yeah, but Porty was pretty fun until he went overboard,” Mei replied, words cutting off with a yawn and a shiver as the wind picked up. “What time is it?”

Macaque looked up, watching the moon and the stars. “Late enough that it would be best to get some rest. We don’t want to miss the boat after all.”

“Hey, you only paid them half so they better come looking for you if you don’t show up!” She laughed out, making her way into the building as Macaque dumped sand on the fire to douse it. Just in case, don’t need the island catching fire with the wind. “ So uh... what are you going to tell them about... me?”

“That I came here looking for you,” he said plainly, shutting the door behind them. The moonlight shone through the windows of the shelter, giving them just enough light to see the one sad little cot it housed, right next to the massive stock of canned food they had also raided for dinner. He pulled the blanket on the cot back, grimacing at the dust on the blanket but satisfied with the condition of everything under it. He went outside to shake it out and make it usable again. “They know I was looking for something and that’s all they need to know.”

“What were you looking for anyway, Hot Topic?” Mei asked after a moment, watching Macaque make the bed again. “And how do you... know about this place?”

“... it’s mine, actually,” he said quietly, looking around the sad shelter. Unfurnished, cold and empty, with only the island itself and non-perishable food for survival. “I haven’t been back in a long time and most know to stay away, but sometimes demons don’t care. I was looking for something... unimportant.”

“It must have been important if you came all this way to find it,” Mei said, yawning again and rubbing her eyes.

“Ok, that’s enough of that!” Macaque exclaimed, hoping his glamor was hiding the embarrassed flush of his ears at her accusation. “Time for sleep!”

Without giving her a second to protest Macaque grabbed her around the waist with his tail and deposited her under the now clean enough blanket before forcibly tucking her in.

“Hey!” She protested, scowling at him once her arms were free. “I can’t sleep yet!”

“Why not?” Macaque chanced, wondering if he was going to regret this.

“You never told me a story.”

“... huh?”

“At the camp fire!” Mei insisted, leaning over the bed to grab her backpack and hold it to herself like it was a stuffed animal (which wasn’t hard since it was... basically a hollow stuffed dragon anyway). “I told you a bunch of stories about me and MK and Piggy and Tangy and Sandy and you didn’t tell me anything about you and the Monkey King! So spill one, I’m not going to sleep until you do!”

Macaque wanted to say no, wanted to glare at Mei until she just went to sleep through sheer exhaustion, wanted to walk out of the building and just stand guard at the door instead... but he kept looking into her teeny tiny 4 year old glower and he couldn’t help but sigh in defeat.

“Fine...” He said after a moment, moving to sit at the head of the bed. He watched as Mei smiled widely, making herself comfortable. “Let’s see... where should we begin... How about the time Wukong thought it would be a good idea to challenge the whole island to 1 on 1 combat for the title of king because he was bored, long before his proper training?”

“That sounds like him,” Mei said, smiling into her backpack with another yawn as she closed her eyes. “Yeah... tell that one.”

“OK, so this was only a little while after he jumped through the waterfall...”

And Macaque went on and on, giving much more detail than necessary, watching as Mei slowly relaxed until she eventually nodded off before the story even got close to the ending.

Which was... probably good for Macaque, to be honest.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the item he had come here to find. It was simple, all things considered. A little carved crown, made from wood and preserved carefully through the years, far too small for his head and more of a bracelet. Wukong had made it for him when their own duel, the final one of the whole island, ended in a draw all those centuries ago. A show of how they could, maybe, rule the mountain together one day. He’d left it here so long ago that he worried it would have been destroyed or fallen apart over time.

Apparently Wukong knew a little something about what he was doing back then after all.

Macaque smiled, slipping it back into his pocket as he slid off the bed to sit against it, all six ears fluttering out to listen to the island around them. Just in case.

Mei slept mostly soundly behind him and if she started to whine in the beginnings of a nightmare and he turned around to soothe her and whisper that he was there and she was alright well... that would be something to talk about if she remembered it.

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #gen fic #deage fic #six eared macaque #mei #long xiaojiao #cursed au #dad macaque #i couldn't help adding in a little idea i had with him and wukong at the end #since this is pretty much non-canon to the au anyway

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nct-krown · 2 years

Text

❝ 𝐉 𝐀 𝐃 𝐄 ❞

ⓘ BASICS ¡!

STAGE NAME jade ˒ 제이드

BIRTH NAME jade-bella li

CHINESE NAME li ming mei ˒ 里明媚

KOREAN NAME lee bitna ˒ 이 빛나

REPRESENTATIVE GEM jade / emerald

BIRTHDAY 05 aug 2002

ZODIAC leo ˒ ♌︎

PLACE OF BIRTH paris ˒ france

HOMETOWN paris ˒ france / shenzhen ˒ china

ETHNICITY chinese

NATIONALITY french

LANGUAGES english ˒ french ˒ korean ˒ mandarin ˒ cantonese ˒ japanese ❪ basic ❫

ⓘ PHYSIQUE ¡!

FACE CLAIM ning yi zhou

HEIGHT 163 ˒ 5'4

BLOOD TYPE A+

ⓘ CAREER ¡!

OCCUPATION idol ˒ music core mc ❪ 2019 - 2021 ❫

LABEL sm ent.

GROUP nct ❪ 2019 - ❫ ˒ seraph ❪ 2021 - 2023 ❫

SUB-UNIT nct krown ❪ 2019 - ❫ ˒ nct u ❪ 2020 - ❫

POSITION main vocalist ˒ face of group

TRAINING 10 months @ sm ent

DEBUT 20 may 2019 ❪ nct krown ❫ ˒ 19 oct 2020 ❪ nct u ❫ ˒ 26 june 2021 ❪ seraph ❫

SURVIVAL SHOW seraph ❪ 3rd ❫

ⓘ FAMILY ¡!

MOTHER wong mei ling

FATHER aaron li

ⓘ PERSONALITY ¡!

MBTI estp

POSITIVE fun ˒ charismatic ˒ passionate ˒ ambitious

NEGATIVE manipulative ˒ dramatic ˒ selfish ˒ bitchy

ⓘ HISTORY ¡!

jade-bella li is the only child of mei ling and aaron li. she was born on the 5th of august 2002 in paris , france. the 3 of them moved to shen zen , china for 2 years when jade was 8 to look after her ill grandmother. after her grandmother’s passing they moved back to paris. despite moving around a lot jade found it easy to make friends and was queen b no matter where she was.

she is her parents princess and has been spoilt rotten her entire life. being told no is a foreign concept to her because she is the definition of daddy’s little princess her mom is her best friend she can talk to her about anything and everything , nothing is off limits. her parents showered her with love and praise making her an extremely confident person since she was a baby. as a kid she wanted to be just like hannah montana so her parents enrolled her in singing classes at the age of 10 and it soon became her passion which she showed insane talent for from a young age. every decision she made was fully supported by her parents including moving to korea to be an idol.

jade sent in her cover of chandelier by sia in the summer of 2018 to sm and got accepted almost immediately. she got one of the fasted acceptances into sm entertainment in history. she started training immediately and debuted 10 months later on the 20th of may 2019 as the main vocalist of nct and a member of the all female subunit, nct krown. her love for languages and natural charisma made her a fan favourite and appeared on many variety shows in both korea and china. months after her debut she was announced as the new music core mc alongside sf9’s chanhee and stray kids hyunjin. she was an active mc from 2019 to 2021. in march 2021 jade auditioned for the survival show seraph that aimed to create the next super group. she placed 3rd debuting in the final lineup as the main vocalist and maknae.

#╰ ♕ // 제이드 ┊ always on top !! . 「 profile ! 」#aes!ocnet #deluxeocnet #fictional idol community #idolverse #nct addition #nct subunit #kpop idol!au #idol!oc #fake kpop idol #kpop addition

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the-night-writer1 · 3 years

Note

Hey can I submit my 1st request to you for Son of Six Eared Monkey King. Could you maybe write something for pregnant Macaque and Shanyao are having a moment and his son is protective when Wukong is near.

It was a early Saturday morning as Macaque stretched after he got out bed. Wukong's snoring made him chuckle softly as he walked over to the dresser. Macaque pulled out the purple maternity shirt that Red son had gotten for him along with some sweat pants.

"let's go check on your brother little one" Macaque said after he finished changing," he's been a little defensive lately."

Macaque left the bedroom and went to see where Shanyao was on Pigsy's ship. He could understand why his son was defensive a lot was going on and there were a lot of changes happening.

---

"hey take it easy Shanny" Red said with a chuckle as he finished the Jade tea," Wukong seems pretty chill right now."

"he stole you, Tang and Sandy's souls before! Excuse me for being a little on edge" Shanyao scoffed as he crossed his arms. Red poured them both a cup of fresh tea as Tang flipped some eggs," plus if he decides he changed his mind I can't stop him and neither can Macaque because of the baby!"

"I'm just saying give him a chance like you did Mei" Red said as he gave Shanyao his cup of tea. Shanyao getting flustered as he mentioned Mei.

"he's got a point kiddo" Tang said as he put the finished eggs on a plate," You shouldn't be hard on Wukong if you're easy on Mei"

"Mei's different she was just trying to impress her parents. Wukong has no one he feels the need to impress. He wanted Monkey king dead last year!" Shanyao said as he slipped his tea and Red threw an arm around him reassuringly.

"listen if Wukong tries anything I'll burn him this time I promise" Red said cheerfully as he downed his first cup of tea. Shanyao sighed softly as he set his head on the table

"Fine" Shanyao mumbled softly as he drank more of his tea. He was still uneasy about the entire situation with Wukong traveling with them.

"what are you talking about noodle boy?" Mei asked as she walked in to the kitchen. Her hair unusual undone as she walked over to the table and sat down on the other side of Shanyao. It was early so she wasn't dressed up yet. Shanyao chuckled softly at seeing her hair messy.

"a certain red eyed monkey" Shanyao said with a sigh as he looked at the food put infront of him by Tang.

"I see he worries you doesn't he?" Mei asked and Shanyao nodded. Tang set a plate in front of her as well," well it's only natural to be unnerved but don't worry if he becomes an issue we'll handle it"

"thanks" Shanyao said as he started to eat his eggs and toast. A few minutes past quietly before Macaque entered the kitchen.

"looking good monkey king! Also good morning I made tea" Red said as he got up and went to help the monkey to the table,"here I gotta go show Mei something take my chair"

"oh good morning to you too Red and thank you" Macaque said as he slowly sat down next to Shanyao as Red dragged Mei out of the kitchen,"how are you feeling today? I know all these changes are a bit stressful."

"I'm just worried you'll get hurt" Shanyao said as he rubbed his shoulder," I'm mean I know you can still protect yourself but-"

"Shh cub it's alright. There's no need to worry about me"Macaque said as he pulled Shanyao in to a hug. Shanyao hugged him back. It was a sweet moment until Shanyao heard Wukong's yawn and sighed.

"what's up sugar plum, kid okay?" Wukong asked as he walked past them to get a coffee. Shanyao fighting off glaring at him before letting go of Macaque.

"just easing some concerns" Macaque said cheerfully as Wukong grabbed a cup and poured himself some coffee.

#son of the six eared monkey king #lego monkie kid #monkie kid #lego monkie kid au #lmk shanyao #lmk macaque #lmk wukong #lmk red son #lmk tang #lmk mei #shadowpeach

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nevaryadl · 4 years

Text

Jacqui and Takeda take their daughter around to practice saying names, part 1, part 2, [part 3] cw: long post/, happy crying, mildly implied strykabal

"When in Outworld..."

"Ba... ba-rock-gah?"

Baraka did not even seem to care that his name was getting butchered, just looking at the little one in his lap with his eye slits blown wide and purring deep and loud as he seemed to happily let her feel his arm. Thankfully she knew that 'points' were usually bad to touch and avoiding the tips of the spines on his arms, but feeling along the toughened Tarkatan hide and the base of the spines and feeling the different structure of his arm that came with the arm blades.

Rain and Skarlet seemed to be just as enamored by their little girl. Though while Skarlet was openly enthralled, Rain was merely watching her and clearly ready to welcome her if she wanted to come see him next. However, for the moment, the little one seemed utterly enthralled with Baraka's arms and Baraka seemed too happy to indulge her.

"She's gotten so big!" Skarlet beamed.

"Yeah, she's human so she's gonna grow fast compared to kids from your guys' races," Jacqui said, trying to not be anxious about her little girl around a sharpy and pointy Tarakatan. Baraka being careful or not, it just made her antsy.

"Even so young, you can tell she has marvelous bone structure. She is going to grow up to be stunning," Rain hummed.

"Just like her mom," Takeda said, grinning when Jacqui gave him a playful little shove.

Deciding to be his usual petty self, Rain formed a water ball in mid air and that drew the little girl's attention, climbing out of Baraka's lap to come see Rain and the water ball. Baraka pouted, growling low and his throat as Rain looked oh so smug for getting a two year old's attention. Rain was able to easily scoop her up and hold her as she made grabbing motions at the ball of water that he kept hovering before her.

"Hey, can you say 'rain'?" Takeda tried.

"Rain," The little one said, reaching for the orb and giggling as her fingers hit water and came back soaked.

"Can you say 'Skarlet'?" Jacqui tried.

"Scar-met," The little one said sounded out.

Despite the mispronunciation, Skarlet still cooed at the sweet child and Jacqui and Takeda still beamed.

~*~

"Oh but you are precious," Jade cooed as she held the little one in her arms.

"What a little dear," Li Mei smiled.

They had, regrettably missed Jade when they had come around to meet the Edenians. Thankfully the had finally managed to get her before they left Outworld, along with Li Mei. The two were more than happy to meet the little one, both hopelessly enamored with her when she stood at Jade's knees, lifted up her soft little hands and asked 'up! up!'.

"We're doing the rounds, trying to get her saying peoples' names now that she's starting to talk more, also she's got a lot of found family she's going to see at one point or another," Jacqui offered. "Speaking of which... baby girl can you say 'Jade'?"

"Jaaa-de," She said, drawing on the 'a' a little too long, but grinning regardless when Jade beamed.

"One more, can we get two for two? Can you say 'Li-Mei'?" Takeda asked her.

"Lee... May," The little one said.

"Very good!" Li-Mei beamed, making the little one giggle happily.

"Our girl is gonna be eloquent like no one's business," Jacqui grinned.

~*~

"Let's see... Commander Blade, Mister Cage, Ermac, Kitana, Mileena, Sindel, Grandmaster Hasashi, Grandmaster Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, Baraka, Rain and Skarlet," Takeda rattled off as they took a break back on Special Forces base. It was lunch time and their little girl needed to eat, to which she was eagerly doing, having had a full day already.

"Kotal Kahn, Erron Black, I don't think we can count Ferra and Torr but honestly babe... I really don't want them near our kid again..."

"No, no. Not again," Takeda agreed before handing an apple slice to an eager little hand. "Jesus that was scary."

"Yeah... let's see... the White Lotus lads next? Probably also Nightwolf since he's always over there now that things are calm."

"Yeah, we can grab Jin too, since he's been training more there recently. And Kai. That means we still need to make time for... Cassie, Frost, Kabal, Stryker--"

"What about us?"

They both turned to look and then offer smiles and greetings to the two older men, inviting them to sit with them. Of course both men were happy to see the little one, the little one forgetting her lunch at the prospect of new people. Something that Jacqui and Takeda figured was fine for a few moments, especially when she eagerly went over to Kabal, who seemed rather shy under the attention, even if the little one hardly blinked twice at the extensive burn scars on his exposed skin.

"We're taking our little girl around, doing evil things," Jacqui beamed as her little girl bullied her way into Kabal's lap, who seemed very emotionally wrecked already that this little girl was not one bit but off by his appearance. "Huh, ain't that right baby girl? Took down Scorpion AND Sub-Zero, all by her little self."

"Oh jeez," Stryker laughed.

The little one pointed at Kabal.

"Oh boy, honey--" Stryker started, always ready to direct questions away from Kabal's skin.

"No, no. This is the evil thing we've been doing all day," Takeda grinned, before ducking his head down a bit to address his daughter. "Uncle Kabal."

"Uncle Kah-ka-ball!" The little one chimed happily.

Kabal croaked, eyes watering as the little girl just beamed happily. He put a hand to his mouth as Stryker 'd'aww'ed at the adorable sight.

"No so fast, former cop," Jacqui smirked, before getting her little girl's attention and pointing at Stryker. "Uncle Curtis."

"Uncle Curt-us!"

"Oh god," Stryker croaked out, eyes watering and putting his face in his hands.

"Baby girl gets two more kills to the count!" Takeda laughed.

"Stone cold, aintcha princess?" Jacqui grinned, leaning over to give her girl a peck on top of her cute little head.

#mk #Mortal Kombat #Jacqui Briggs/Takahashi Takeda #jacqui briggs #Takahashi Takeda #Baraka #Rain (Mortal Kombat)#skarlet (mortal kombat)#jade (mortal kombat)#li mei (mortal kombat)#curtis stryker #Kabal (Mortal Kombat)#implied strykabal #long post/

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writing-frenzy · 4 years

Text

I Wouldn’t Risk It (SVSSS Fic)

Summery: In which one annoyed Shang Huan does not know why he puts up with a certain Demonic Cultivator- “I owe you.” ah, that’s right.

Warning: some Violence and blood, and cursing. All good things to be found in svsss canon~

(In which @hamelin-born is a terrible, wonderful enabler, thus this is how it came about.)

EDIT: Part of Wager verse, first Part HERE

----

“Welcome to- oh wait it’s you.” Shang Huan started to greet some incoming customers, only to give the pair that came in a flat look instead.

“Greetings Uncle Shang!” Cao Mei, an actually adorable raven haired girl, her purple eyes so dark one could almost think they were black if it weren’t for certain lighting here and there. Puberty was obviously treating her well, seeing she must have been 19 at least, was developing some curves, her baby fat also finally melted off. But despite this, Shang Huan was unmoved, as for one, he wasn’t a fucking pedo, and two, he could easily see that same matching intelligence and calculation she inherited from her grandfather’s own dark purple eyes.

As expected of Wife #45; not only a knock out beauty in the making, but even had more IQ points then most, along with a more developed character and backstory then a lot of his later wife plots.

Though, he could admit he was taken off guard with her story then most; the cause of that being one certain person-

“I see the place hasn’t burnt down yet; congratulations for that.” was huffed by said anomaly, making Shang Huan focus his deadpan face on the other.

“Thanks, my kitchen staff is always trying though.” and no sooner were the words spoken, then what sounded like multiple firecrackers going off in said kitchen... He could even swear he saw what looked like a blue firework of a bird fly out from there, before one of his handy golems ate it as it passed...

Closing his eyes, Shang Huan counted to three, before opening them once more; he would never be able to count as high as he really wanted, but time was rarely on his side, so three it was. Hazel eyes once more opening, Shang Huan was able to look at a source of many headaches, one Dark Poison Sect Leader, Cao Xiaowen, a true doting grandfather who still looked like he was only in his late 20s, his blood red hair peppered with black from all the resentful energy surrounding him, and greys from stress of life actually catching up with him.

And a character that was never in Proud Immortal Demon Way, but yet again from one of his other stories; a Demonic Sect Leader that had just been a random background character, just to flesh out that world a bit more. He had only named because while he could get away without naming the Sect the guy made, it wouldn’t make sense to have Cao Xiaowen be nameless, seeing as he had bullshited a whole bunch of techniques this infamous and well known demonic cultivator was supposed to have made...

Making a face at that smiling face before him, Shang Huan felt some regrets; just some more to add to his pile stashed in his closet and under his floorboards, but what can one do? Especially with a story that seems to make sure he can never forget any of them, always seeming to push willing to push cheery, willful mistakes into his face.

i.e. the Demonic Sect Leader before him.

But then again, to see these two characters, Cao Xiaowen and Cao Mei connect here, in this living world of PIDW and other mash ups, was honestly rather amazing, just with Demonic Cultivation and the same last names... It was as fascinating as it was paranoia inducing. Cao Mei had been just another revenge wife plot, the young woman wanting vengeance against her Mother for killing her loved family members along with trying to kill her... as well as to save her young baby brother, who their Mother was trying to mold into her perfect image of Sect Leader. The girl had only been able to survive for as long as she did because one of her dying relatives had sacrificed themselves, turning themselves into her Spirit Familiar and protecting her...

.... And as for Cao Xiaowen, when he had mentioned how he went down in his end in his own story verse, Airplane had only said that it was due to betrayal and sacrifice, that being the only ending he gave the character...

(How many other fucking throwaway lines does he have to worry about ohmygodwhyisthishislife-)

“...So, why do you choose now to darken my doorway?” Shang Huan asked, the unspoken ‘I-know-you-hate-this-place-much-less-willing-to-bring-your-beloved-granddaughter-with-you.’ not said, but easily heard.

“... You would be glad to know, but I must now introduce you to Sect Leader of the Dark Poison Sect, Cao Meihui.” Cao Xiaowen introduced as he motioned to the young girl. Shang Huan stared for but a moment before closing his eyes once more, even as whispers broke out all around them in his place, from the gambling tables to even the bar and restaurant.

This time he allowed himself to count to 10, as a treat.

“Follow me this way, Elder Cao, Sect Leader Cao.” and with a simple hand motion, a few of his workers already getting things done, the Ruby Room already to entertain his ‘guests’. It didn’t take to long after all, with his standards and staff precision, but he needed to make sure there was nothing to spy on in this conversation.

Because oh, does he have a lot to say right now.

Once the door was closed and all the silences spells and talismans in place, Shang Huan rounded on the now sitting pair, letting his hands slam on the service table before him.

“Can you not?!” Shang Huan seethed, even as Cao Xiaowen grinned, his heir now leader beside him shifting ever so slightly beside him, smartly making some space between them.

“Why, Shang Huan, what ever do you mean?”

“You politic in my place again and I will make sure to show the world just how much I can beat you into the ground.” was practically growled, Cao Xiaowen smartly raising his hands in surrender as he did. “Why the hell did you even need to do that, didn’t you already get the stalker bitch killed and dispersed last year? I distinctly remember being there for the mad ramblings.”

-Urgh- he never wanted that much TMI into someone’s deluded sexual fantasies, especially rounding around this who-me? Demonic Cultivator! Body stealing and marrying the guy’s son just to get a possible chance at him, and then killing him and half his family when she still couldn’t get what she wanted to spite him?

Shang Huan doesn’t move, but that still doesn’t mean he’s not fighting a shiver of repulsion at the thought. Seeing the way Cao Xiaowen grimaced at the reminder, Shang Huan was actually starting to feel in a better mood.

“While she and most of her supporters are now gone, traces of those who still hold sympathies for her and her ideals still remain.” the man scowled, even as he took out a small sachet, handing the small plain back over as he did.

Hmmm, spicy roasted melon seeds; say what you will about the man, he did know his bribes at least.

“They’re also trying to push my little didi to be the next Sect Leader, even though he never wanted it in the first place!” Cao Meihui scowled in turn, taking out a beautiful, yet still deadly battle fan to fan herself. “Really, he has suffered enough under that woman’s ‘care’, he should be able to choose however he wishes to live in life!”

Shang Huan doesn’t even wince at those words, even as he thinks on the poor fate of canon fodder Cao Yun, a young boy desperate to leave his harsh home circumstances, even joining a certain Righteous Sect set to be doomed and destroyed, loosing his home once again and setting him in turn on a doomed quest to stop Luo Binghe...

Well, considering the boy had left home at 15, and had only just turned that this year, maybe that path could be prevented; there were still plenty of other Sects still up and running when his protagonist came into power, maybe he could join one of those?

Still though, maybe he should give the kid a transportation talisman for his birthday; you can never have too many of those after all.

“That still does not explain why you had to announce Young Mei right in front of my store.”

“Please, it’s the perfect place too; not many completely neutral places around anymore, what with Hua Hua Palace trying to police everyone and dragging the other Righteous Sects into it... Speaking of which, they haven’t bothered you after last time, have they?” Cao Xiaowen asks, with what looks like could be actual concern in his eyes.... Ha-

“I’m pretty sure they won’t forget my warding anytime soon; not to mention the rest of the towns folk’s farewells.” Shang Huan replies dryly, remembering just how all those golden pricks were beautifully thrown from his store, some of his staff even joining in on the beatdown the protection brought forth. If he remembers right, it soon became a whole town wide event to run them all out.

And when you have a whole town seemingly a melting pot filled with Spiritual beings, humans, and demons, they definitely are going to have their wounds to lick.

“But again, my place is, as you said Neutral; so why are you bringing in politics here? Announcements of a new Sect Leader should be only at official events or places that one is already allied with after all.” The Owner of the Gilded Plane asks lightly, those hazel eyes taking on a deadly touch, like molten liquid gold is taking over bronze, a sunset of colors being the last of the sky you will ever see, easily to see it all reflected in the blade at his side.

(Ah, how terrifying, seeing the threat of Fortune’s Favored all out to bare, Dujin Xue at his side, the spirit weapon willing and bloodthirsty to take out any threat to its master.)

For a moment, all is silent, before finally, the red haired cultivator takes from his sleeves, a few boxes simple in their decorations and yet obviously of the finest Jade.

“I almost forgot; I have with me some of the finest of Blight and Poison Talismans with me, not to mention my newest creations; a Pipa made with Blood Drain White Wood and using heart strings of an abyssal creature, painted with curse residue.” Cao Xiaowen motions to an opened box with said black and purple instrument with white accents, truly a work of art and power, even unbound as it is, no master to really work those deadly strings just yet.

Another box is soon opened as well, revealing a twin pair of daggers, their blades white with a beautiful red handle for a hilt. “Not to mention these Ancient Necromancer’s Bone Daggers, recently uncovered in an old tomb, plenty of resentful energy and dark desires just waiting to be unveiled in any upcoming battle, madness in but a cut to be delivered...” the former Sect Leader says, a bit of sweat coming from his brow, those dark eyes uneasy even as he hides behind his bluster and charm. His granddaughter, Cao Meihui watches intently, her own dark eyes worried even as she is awed by her beloved grandfather’s work, and the man who can make him so nervous.

The one Fortune’s Favored watches and listens, and waits, even as he is showcased all the wares most people would die to get their hands on, each item worth more then most lives to some.

“... I will give you a warning and you will be Marked for it; there will be no next time if you try and pull this stunt again, you hear me Xiaowen?” Shang Huan allows, eyes turning back into that warm and soft hazel, even as he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he does. Well, at least he now has more good things in store for his gambling patrons, who will no doubt go crazy for these goods.

(Never noticing how the familial pair relax, a breath of relief taken for their own that this gambit actually worked, even if they are now Marked by all the staff.

Best behavior is a must for now at least.)

-----+-----

~15 Years ago~

Cao Xiaowen, once just regular Cao Xiao, was a man most would never dare cross; as a Demonic Cultivator, you wouldn’t even be able to escape through death. He had cultivated carefully along his chosen path, having no talent for what was Righteous roads, so turned down to darker paths and alleys to get what he wanted. He had been smart about it, and equally talented for Demonic Cultivation, becoming a Bounty Hunter to be able to hide just what practices he used.

Not only did it get him much needed gold, but the resentful energy and blood of the wicked were quiet useful on his path. Unlike other Demonic Cultivators that sought to take in the energies as fast as possible to form their Obsidian Cores, killing innocents, and eventually needing Cauldrons in the end to balance themselves and to go farther in their Cultivation, Cao Xiaowen went for a more steadfast pace.

He first started with crafting items of Resentful energy, talismans and amulets to get a better feel for the delicacies of the energy he chose to work with. With time and effort, along with plenty of meditation and blood on his hands, he found a cultivation path that suited him rather well, untraditional as it was for the usual brutal force most Demonic Cultivators usually went. His path was like a slow acting poison, letting the wicked energies ever so carefully, ever so gently gather into his meridians, building up a steady foundation before he ever focused on building his Core.

And the results for it were astounding; when compared to traditional Demonic Cultivators, not only could Cao Xiaowen hold his own with those stages above his own, he could beat even those whose Cultivation that was said to be an entire level above him. Not to mention just how devastating his spells and attacks were against those of the Righteous Sects.

It was no surprise that when he founded his own Sect, he had plenty of disciples to chose and pick from...But he wasn’t stupid.

He knew he had plenty of enemies all around him, some just jealous of his power, others hateful of just how he got it, being a Demonic Cultivator was a sin for some even if he only went after criminals. That he was a rather attractive even as his red hair was peppered black and grey, and even a few tigers acting like pigs to be fatten all came for him in the end. He knows people were waiting in the shadows, eager to take him down and steal everything he worked for, salivating over his abilities and life work...

Though despite it all, he never expected the betrayal to come so close to home.

“P-papa.” was stuttered out by his honestly rather adorable Granddaughter, the young four year old sobbing as she reached for him; his daughter in law smiling all the while even as she held one of his crafted knives to the little girl’s throat. He had to give it to her, not many women could still look so devastatingly beautiful, covered as they were in their husband’s blood. He never expected the raven haired woman to be so ruthless, honestly sure the woman loved his son.

Looks like he still has errors in his judgement, even at his age; taken off guard on what he though would be a simple material gathering mission, only to be crippled and threatened by a woman he thought he could trust even as she slit his beloved child’s throat before his eyes.

“You really shouldn’t have refused me all those years ago; this all could have been avoided if you had just agreed to be mine... oh well, too late for regrets.” The woman mourns softly, making Cao Xiaowen feel his brow crinkle, dark eyes confused.

But trying to parse the words of the mad woman was not something he had time for, seeing as his lovely little granddaughter was suddenly in his arms, the both of them finding themselves being pushed off a cliff, and into the Broken Jaw Ravine.

Using what remained of his spiritual energy in his blighted Obsidian Core, Cao Xiaowen was fully prepared to become his dear granddaughter’s Familiar Spirit to protect her...

When in the end, it turned out unnecessary; they ended up landing in a Spirit Capture Net. And judging by the pure color and Qi he could feel running through it, a high quality one at that. Feeling how it blocked him from using any of his spiritual energy and Qi, he looked to his darling dear grandchild, the (forcibly) retired Sect Leader couldn’t help but feel so relieved to see her shaken, but well at least in body.

And then he heard the cursing.

“What in the fuck you soggy old vulture of a corpse! Curses on your fucking clothing to never be nice and pristine, to always stub your toe on the corner, to be miserable even when you have your favorite food! Do you know how long it took to make that net?! Could you have fallen somewhere else? No, of course the skies would decide to shit on me with some young man in my beautifully crafted net! Probably jumped off for the heck of it knowing how fucking dumb most Demonic Cultivators are! ARRRHGGGG YOU DAMN WALNUT!” was practically ranted below them, a young brunet man yelling up at him, who couldn’t be more then in his 20′s. (Though rather impressively at the Peak of Core Formation from what he could sense.)

As it was, two pairs of dark eyes could only give the ranting rouge a wide eyed stare, even when, in the end, the young man let them down, hazel eyes narrowed in on them. He raised one brow at his child that was with him, but easily narrowed them back onto Cao Xiaowen’s own.

Ah, he could probably sense his power (use his weakness).

“So, this is how it is going to go down. I’ll help heal you and your kid, won’t even leave her in debt... tho your ass is mine; I say jump, you better do it and ask if this is high enough. You will owe me till the end of your day and then some, and in return I will benevolently help you out. You agree or should I leave you and the kid here for any unpleasant fates?” was the rather grumpy, if smartly given offer, Cao Xiaowen finding he can’t help but respect it, even as crudely as it was put. Looking down to his innocent little Cao Mei, the grandfather could only nod at the offer, no other recourse that could ensure his little gem a better chance at life.

And thus marked the first meeting between the terrible and powerful Dark Poison Sect Leader Cao Xiaowen, and the Rogue Cultivator Shang Huan, who would one day have a title even greater then his own.

Amazing really, how some things start (and others end).

-----

:D Here we are, another story from this verse; it was really fun! (even if I actually had to create a damn timeline to make sure everything was straight TTxTT)

Anyways, here is an ally of Airplane! Their relationship can be described as.

Shang Huan: Why do I put up with you again?

Cao Xiaowen: Because I have the best gifts bitch. *Inwardly sweaty*

But Also-

Cao Xiaowen: So... Demonic Cultivating involves a lot of... Dual Cultivating huh... And are those innocents being brutally murdered over there?

Rando: Yeah, ain’t it great? :D

Cao Xiaowen: ... *proceeds to make a cultivation path that involves as little Dual Cultivation as needed while also being one of the nicest ironically* Ah, that is better, better get more wicked blood~

These two were really fun to write together, and with PIDW, I can make as many ocs as I want~ So much to do, so much to play with~

Oh yeah, Shang Hua’s blade, Dujin Xue means Gilded Blood :3

Cao I picked for being a common last name, while Xiaowen means red skies. Mei means red gem, but for Meihui I liked the meaning of monstrous/demonic beauty~ As you can see, I had fun~

#SVSSS #Scum Villain Self Saving System #Scum Villain Self-Saving System #Shang Qinghua #Wager (SVSSS) Verse #Airplane Shooting Toward the Sky

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starrosefics-archive · 4 years

Text

Demon Customs, Chapter 9

Summary: Plans are made before the weakness is realized.

Notes: AO3 link here. @purble-turble, @blitzswolf, @roxyray28

-_-

They ended up in a small courtyard. Red Son had chosen it as the best place since it hadn’t been tended to for a bit and seemed like the safest place so the rest of the complex didn’t get blown up if something got blown up. "Right, so what exactly do you want to learn?" Red said, flipping through the book. (There were so many introduction chapters on theory. Why were there so many introduction chapters on theory?)

"I want to learn how to control the full range of Monkey King's powers so I don't…" MK made a gesture. "You know, get thrown out a window? Again." Red blinked before remembering the Weather Station. (Which had been an embarrassing story to tell his parents.)

"Makes sense." Red flipped past more pages on theory before he finally found the chapter he was looking for. "Right…Let's begin."

The dojo was silent as Macaque ran through his katas. His ear flicked at the sound of the back door quietly creaking. He kept going, making sure to keep up a show of not noticing. There were another few quiet creaks, these coming from footsteps.

Macaque exhaled…

And dodged the blow aimed at his head.

He turned on his heel, grinning at the surprised Chandini. “Hey Baby Silver,” he said almost fondly. There was another creak from behind him and he dodged another blow. This one came from MK’s little friend and the sword she held. “Well, this is a surprise. I didn’t think Langur let you out of his-”

Chandini didn’t let him continued, launching at him. Macaque blocked the blow with his foot and grabbed the green girl’s wrist when she launched herself at him. He had intended on slamming them together, but Chandini dodged the blow and pulled away. She slammed herself against the wall and scrambled up it, disappearing into the darkness of the ceiling above. The green girl was dazed, so Macaque seized the moment to generate two clones. He sent them up to find her-

He grunted as a kick sent him tripping. He glanced back to see a blue-tinted clone of Chandini glare at him before the green girl burst through the clone. Unable to do anything else, Macaque raised his wrists in a defensive position, stopping the jade blade from hitting him in the face. Before he could break the block…

Something hit him in the head.

Macaque grunted as he toppled over.

He was unaware of Chandini giving him a cautious poke with her staff. When she was sure he was good and unconscious, she gave Mei a thumbs up. “Great!” Mei said brightly, heading to the hallway they had entered through. She grabbed the magic rope Chandini had grabbed before they left Langur’s temple entirely, giving the mirror Chandini had used to create her clone a fond pat. “Are you sure this rope will work?”

Chandini nodded as she took the rope and quickly bound up Macaque’s wrists, following that by tying him to one of the dojo’s support pillars. When she was done, she signed “Now all we have to do is wait.”

Mei nodded before a thought occurred to her.

“How...are Wukong and Langur gonna realize we’re here?”

Chandini moved to sign...before the realization struck her. They stared at each other before she finally signed. “Langur is smart.”

“Yeah!”

“Yes.”

Things...weren’t going well in the lesson.

“Well…” Red Son said as he examined the courtyard. When they had entered it this afternoon, it had been slightly dusty with a few weeds overgrowing it. Now, there was a small fire and it looked like an explosion had gone off. Which was why they were using this courtyard, but still. “It wasn’t...that bad?”

“Yes it was.”

He sighed. “Yes it was.”

MK sat on the steps that led into the courtyard, hiding his face. “Okay.” he finally said. “I should’ve considered the fact that Monkey King sealed away most of my power before we started this.” Red nodded as he sat next to him. “Right. So, what now?”

“I could...teach you what I know? At least some fire repellent spells.”

“You know those?” MK said, looking up. “Were you planning on making that offer when we started?”

Red shrugged. “The thought occurred to me when we accidentally blew up half of the courtyard. And of course I know those.” He huffed, brushing off his shirt. “Why do you think my mother isn’t scarred from burns?”

MK blinked, thinking it over. “Oh.”

“Yes, oh.” Red scooted and turned to be facing his beloved. “Come on.” MK followed his pose, leaving them staring at each other. The fire demon swallowed back the heat that wanted to rush up at those pretty eyes. Instead, he held out a hand. Again, swallowing back the heat as MK placed his hands in his, palms up. “This is the one I can remember off the top of my head.”

“Okay.”

“Breathe in, breath out.” Red demostrated, watching as MK’s eyes slid close as he mirrored his breathing. The two kept up the steady, even pace before he stopped, leaving the younger to it. “Now, I’m going to summon a flame. Just so you’re aware, okay?” MK nodded.

Red mauvered their hands so they were cupped before summoning a small flame. The mortal’s breathing quickened for a moment before MK forced it back to the steady, even pace. “Now, can you feel the heat?”

There was a nod.

“Imagine it spreading out, across your hands.” He watched MK’s hands carefully. “Spread it out.” A golden glow was starting to form across his hands. “There we go… You’re doing great!”

“I am?” MK cracked an eye open. His breathing went off-kilter when he saw the flame before, once again, he forced it back. He stared when the flame was just...there. Red knew he didn’t feel the pain or the overwhelming heat. “Wow.”

“I told you. You’re doing great.” He couldn’t help but be entranced by MK’s happ smile as he stared in awe at the flame.

There was a mumble. “I am.”

After another minute, Red flicked the flame away. MK pulled his hands away when it was gone and he couldn’t help the disappointment that rose up. It disappeared when there was a peck to his cheek. “Thanks Red!” Before he could say a word, MK was already heading inside. “See you at dinner!”

A weak “Bye…” escaped him before he couldn’t help his hair flaming up or him excitedly squealing into his palms.

#Monkie Kid #Lego Monkie Kid #Demon Customs #Spicynoodleshipping #Red Son #MK #Macaque #Mei

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egelantier · 4 years

Text

Yuletide Recs

Having had two days of more or less nothing but reading fics, I come bearing recs!

First of all, my amazing gifts:

The Goblin Emperor

For Thy Principles

The nohecharei of Edrehasivar VII were unparalleled in their defense of his person, but there were limits to even their prowess. When Maia first developed the fever, Cala quickly determined that it was not the end result of a magically-based assassination attempt – and from there it had to be left to the court physicians.

Maia falls ill, and Csethiro protects him as best she can.

Beautifully gentle Maia sickfic, with Csethiro holding him together. For me all for meeee.

Benjamin January Mysteries

Dry as a Bone

“Oh. Well, I’ve been better, maestro, been a hell of a lot better to tell truth.” Shaw stared at him for a long moment, and he was stunned to see honest to God grief in his eyes. Even when Shaw had just lost his brother he had been so much more himself than this lost man currently standing before him. “Not that I mean to put anything extra on your shoulders, I’m sure you’ve got enough of your own shit going on at present moment, but it seems like I’ve just lost my job.”

Shaw loses his job, and finally confronts Ben about trust (and lack thereof) between them. It’s GREAT.

The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards

A Distraction Worth Losing

They may never be together, but the gods would have to move heaven and earth to split Rune and Brand apart.

Brand, Rune and The Kiss incident. (Poor messed up babies, somebody save them.)

And fics of the collection:

17776, Astreiant, Raksura, Frederica, The Gentlemen, The Goblin Emperor, Hades, Innkeeper Chronicles, Jeeves, Kate Daniels, King Arthur the movie, My Next Life as a Villainess, Nirvana in Fire, No. 6, Psmith, The Secret Garden, The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, Swordspoint, The Tarot Sequence, Teixcalaan Series, The Temple of the White Rat verse

17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future

so far, so fast

When Manny gets a craving for some fancy meal he had once, over ten thousand years ago, Nick decides he’s gonna fulfill that craving, no matter how hard it is. Because real romance is about making the impossible happen for his husband.

Goddamn transcendental.

Go Get It

Sometimes you start out just planning to get some groceries with your husband, and next thing you know, you’re committing to join the most hopeless team in college football.

Nick and Manny decide to play. It’s perfect.

Afterlife

A young man dies six months before the end of human death; his loss saves five lives, which end up much longer than anyone expects. (A series of worldbuilding vignettes about original characters in the 17776 setting.)

Made me cry, in a very cathartic way.

Astreiant Series - Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett

April dressed in all his trim

A quiet evening in spring.

Sweet little slice-of-life with lovely sensory details.

Books of the Raksura

The Second Consort

“When Glow arrives, be friendly and welcoming,” Ember said. “Not scary.”

“Why does everyone think I’m going to scare him?”

Chime said, “They can see your face when you look at him.” He paused, glancing over at Moon. “That face, that’s the one.”

Ember sighed. “I remember being in his position. It’s pretty nerve-wracking coming to a new court and not knowing what’s going to happen to you there - whether they’re going to welcome you or shun you, whether you’ll make new friends, whether a queen is going to claim you…” He came and put a sympathetic hand on Moon’s shoulder. “Glow is probably worried about all of those things, and missing his home and clutchmates, and it’s our job to try and help him relax.” For a moment Moon thought he was just being soft-hearted, until Ember added, “He won’t open up and tell us what’s really going on unless he’s relaxed.”

Jade takes in a new consort, on Moon’s permission, and everybody is delightfully adult about it.

Frederica

Lady Alverstoke

Frederica commences her first Season as a married woman by planning a ball, promising most straitly that her husband will have nothing whatsoever to do …

Sweet and funny slice-of-life post-happy-ending for canon.

**The Gentlemen (2019) **

Even

The week after he intercepts Fletcher, that squirrelly little cunt, outside the London Miramax office, Raymond reluctantly ventures down to Brixton.

Under normal circumstances, Raymond tends to give this part of Brixton a wide berth, but he has unfinished business that needs attending to. Of course, that doesn’t mean he has to like being accosted by the overwhelming smell of greasy fish and chips when he pushes the car door open, doesn’t mean he has to be pleased about stepping into a piece of chewed-up gum the moment he sets a foot on the kerb.

But then, he can always take a shower after an errand in Brixton. The deep-seated discomfort of unfinished business doesn’t wash off that easily.

Raymond tries to pay Coach back for saving his life, and it doesn’t quite go as planned :D

The Goblin Emperor

The Archduke’s Discovery

Prince Nemolis goes on a journey, and learns a bit more than he wanted to know.

Really great point of canon divergence, and true and precise character voices.

Hades

all the spaces between us

For a place full of the dead, crammed with ghostly shades and nothing but the endless lull of eternity unchanging, gossip sure travelled fast in the Underworld.

Or, Zagreus mulls over his relationship with Thanatos while the rest of the Underworld get overly invested.

Slow, slow, slowest of burns.

Innkeeper Chronicles - Ilona Andrews

A Quick Trip

“It’ll be a quick trip,” Maud said, more to herself than to Arland. “No one will even notice we’re gone.”

Pirates are plaguing an ally, just outside of vampire space. Maud and Arland don some aesthetically beat-up armor and try to get more information from the pirates themselves. Of course, plans only last until you meet your enemy. Or your enemy’s giant alien attack boar.

Excellent canon voice, action/adventure sprinkled with badassery and hilarity.

Jeeves & Wooster

August Thirteenth

Discovering that this is not the first August thirteenth that he’s lived through, that certainly was a head scratcher. Luckily Bertie has the stalwart presence of his man’s man, Jeeves.

Very, very great and satisfying use of the time loop.

Kate Daniels - Ilona Andrews

lookin’ like a snack (cake)

It took Barabas a while to figure it out, because he wasn’t used to not being taken seriously.

Barabas considered several ways to phrase it, and finally settled upon, “Do you have a thing for twinks?” Christopher knocked his head back against the headrest: once, then again. “Is that a yes?”

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

When Goosefat Bill finds himself in a difficult situation, the last thing he wants is the King to show up and “help”, in his own unique and unexpected way.

Goosefat Bill does not need to be rescued by his King. But he might just enjoy it a little.

My Next Life as a Villainess (Anime)

All I Have To Bring Today

Catarina and Sophia had been discussing the latest in the Devilish Count series, and Sophia had mentioned how romantic the surprise picnic the count had planned for his lover was and how she wished for someone to surprise her like that.

“What about you, Catarina? Have you ever wished for someone to sweep you off your feet?” Sophia had asked.

Catarina makes a choice! As sweet and as hilarious as the canon.

Nirvana in Fire

Adverse Event

What a pitiful man must he have become, if the only thing he could provoke in bed was a monologue on his character flaws.

: or, the famous strategist mei changsu plays xanatos speed chess against truth serum: the fic.

Mei Changsu gets hit with an accidental truth serum; it doesn’t stop him from lying to himself, but it does buy Jingyan a clue.

Records of the Land of Xiang

There was something of Xiao Jingyan there, in the firmness of his jaw, the unforgiving slash of his brows, and most clearly in the eyes that neither saw nor conveyed deception. But Long Zhan was not Jingyan, could never be, no matter how much Changsu might wish otherwise, because Jingyan was dead.

In service to a very-much-alive Prince Qi, Jingyan dons a Jianghu-typical disguise and infiltrates the Jiangzuo Alliance to suss out this Mei Changsu fellow and see if he might be useful in helping them re-open the Chiyan conspiracy case. Basically, a slightly ridiculous premise where everyone is running around the Jianghu with masks, multiple identities, and secret agendas.

Fascinating and fun AU scenario that delves, among other things, into Mei Changsu the jianghu chef, not Sir Su the court schemer.

suffering as I suffer you

The first time Jingyan stays the night at Su Manor, he discovers an uncomfortable truth about Mei Changsu.

Excellent extrapolation of Mei Changsu’s illness into his nightly routine - with Jingyan watching…

Here, In Our Arms

With the world put to rights, however briefly, Xiao Jingyan and Mu Nihuang take the opportunity to make a fuss over their beloved Lin Shu, and will not take no for an answer.

Sweet moment of comfort.

Find the Coals Amid the Ashes

Despite Changsu’s assertions, Lin Chen is a well brought up person. He would never violate his host’s privacy during a social call. It would be inexcusable, for example, to break into a marquis’s private alchemy lab in the middle of said marquis’s birthday party, in order to search said alchemy lab for certain hard to find medicinal herbs, which one has reason to believe can be found therein. These would be the actions of a man without honour, of a man who has only desperation to his name.

Lin Chen crashes a party and makes a new friend.

The best team up ever :D

Dead Letters

Mei Changsu isn’t the only schemer in Da Liang.

Fei Liu fixes things, in the most Fei Liu way imaginable, and it’s great.

No. 6

All Good Things

In the midst of a crisis for No. 6, Nezumi returns to Shion’s side.

A reunion! And cuddling.

Psmith

The Psky Is The Limit

“As this ship’s Orator, my mission is still as it was in the beginning and shall ever be, world without end. It is to hail any message sent by comrades from outer space and pass it on to you verbatim. Well! The hour, I say, has come. The Word has come into being. Here comes Psmith, bearing news of great mirth: the intercom has spoken.”

(A Mike and Psmith Space AU)

Psmith in space! Hysterically funny Psmith in Pspace, at that.

Psmith Pops In

Psmith reached over and solicitously loosened Mike’s scarf, his fingers brushing the skin of Mike’s neck, and that young man, to his horror, felt heat creeping up from where gloved fingers brushed his bare skin. Really, this blushing nonsense was getting out of hand. Ever since Psmith had tried to take the blame in the case of the painted dog, Mike had developed an inexplicable habit of turning hot and cold around him, and these odd responses had become more and more frequent.

Very funny! And then very tragique! And then jussssst right.

The Secret Garden

The Space Garden

When Meri La Nix was sent from the Mars colony to live with her aunt at Missiles Wait Manor, nobody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. But some of them thought it.

Beautifully inventive space retelling - with gardens, still.

The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty

The sky spinning above him

In which there’s a jewellery thief on the loose, Tang Fan plays dress up, gets a mild concussion and also a boyfriend.

Frothy, sweet, well-grounded and hot. Also hilarious (check the end note!)

truth in fiction

Three days after Wang Zhi leaves the capital, bits and pieces of his extensive library begin arriving at Sui Zhou’s house.

Sui Zhou is really committed to research and accuracy in Tang Fan’s porn. It’s delightful.

Time don’t fool me no more

“The electrician is a Tang dynasty spy,” he says, dumping some of his eggs in Tang Fan’s bowl.

Tang Fan nods, shovels more food in his mouth, and starts talking again.

Past or future, Tang Fan has Priorities. And Sui Zhou is weak.

Meeting at the End

Sui Zhou knew he never should have let Tang Fan go alone. He knew he should have gone with him.

Really, really great and desperate whump. Super satisfying.

clever boy

Tang Fan never spares a smile for any of the girls at Wang Zhi’s establishment, he’s noticed. That’s alright, though. It means Wang Zhi gets his attention for himself.

Wang Zhi falling, falling hard; it’s delightful.

a bold and brilliant sun

“You’re sure you didn’t do something to it? They don’t usually stall out,” Sui Zhou says. He looks away from Tang Fan, out the windshield at the endless rust-red of the planet.

Tang Fan pouts at this, and slumps down on the edge of the console, feet propped up at an absurd angle against the pilot’s seat. “You think I’d fake a mechanical issue just so that they’d send a sexy Fleet crewman out here to rescue me?” As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he giggles. “Okay, I would do that, but I promise that this time the problem is real.”

Space AU! Most excellent space AU condensing all there is to love about the canon in one perfect package.

Blind Taste Test

Wang Zhi invites Tang Fan to evaluate Joyous Brothel’s chefs — but it’s Tang Fan and Sui Zhou who are really being tested.

Wang Zhi, ever helpful :)

Authorial Intent

Sui Zhou and Tang Fan end up in hot water yet again. Kinky sex ensues.

Hilarious, kinky, heartfelt, and in character.

Swordspoint Series - Ellen Kushner

Chrysopoeia

It struck Alec that this would have been much easier if their positions were reversed. Richard would have known what to do if he’d been dragged back here with a hole in his gut. He was quite simply not supposed to be the one on this end of the equation. In fact, it was possible he had done something very bad to deserve this.

Richard is wounded, and Alex is coping. Excellent h/c and excellent bloodplay and sharp, painful slice of Alex’ POV, excellently rendered.

At first — this was just like him — he thought he was hearing god. But it was only the man in the bed, whose face had turned toward him on the ragged pillow.

The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards

Third’s a Charm

Addam asks a favor of Brand.

Addam asks Brand for help, which ends up being exactly what Brand and Rune need.

Pretty good

Five times Brand crawls into Rune’s bed and one time Rune crawls into Brand’s.

Brand and Rune, through the years.

Teixcalaan Series - Arkady Martine

Also in the Act of Reaching

When Three Seagrass arrived at Lsel Station, she was, officially at least, traveling as a private personage. She had missed Mahit and the possibilities they’d both chosen to turn away from. She also had– would always have– a gaping hole in her life where Petal had once stood.

It was simply that, left on her own, Three Seagrass wouldn’t have let either absence drag her to the ass-end of beyond.

Reunion, metaphors and realigment. Subtle and clever and just right.

The (concept of the) World Was Wide Enough

Yskandr Aghavn comes to the world like a drowning man comes to shore, but he is living on borrowed time. Teixcalaan has so many wonderful things to choke on.

Teixcalaan has had his heart for all of his life, has elevated him, corrupted him, and discarded him.

It is Lsel that he thinks of as he dies.

Temple of the White Rat Universe - T. Kingfisher

If Grace Is Too Much

Zale is given a case by Bishop Beartongue which turns out to be more complicated and personal than a holy advocate-priest would prefer.

Clever and sweet and carefully shocking, but in a very right way.

Outreach

“We don’t generally assess the… cursédness… of objects, trees or otherwise,” Beartongue said.

Utterly delightful.

#17776 #astreiant #books of the raksura #sleuth of the ming dynasty #nirvana in fire #white rat universe #telxcalaan series #the tarot sequence #swordspoint #the goblin emperor #psmith #the secret garden #benjamin january mysteries #yuletide recs

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bl-danmei-yaoi · 5 years

Text

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20050420

If Meng Shi gained powers from the worship she received in the Guanyin temple and used it to help Meng Yao reincarnate.

As Jin Guangyao is dragged into the coffin by Nie Mingjue’s corpse, he thinks, that’s it. Everything ends here. His ambitions, his desires, his foolishness, his ruthlessness, his pain, his sufferings. Everything ends here. Jin Guangyao feels mostly relief. Because he’s grown tired of the life he’s made for himself. But at the same time, he felt regretful. Because he can never make up to the people he’d let down. The only people in his life who ever truly loved and cared for him, he had let them down.

Darkness embraces Jin Guangyao. He does not know for how long. But then, he suddenly hears a familiar voice that would bring tears to his eyes if he was still alive.

“A-Yao”, the voice calls, gently, sweetly.

“Mother…” Jin Guangyao, no, Meng Yao, replies. “Mother… I’m sorry… I’ve let you down.”

“No, A-Yao, it was Mother who was wrong. Mother was foolish. I thought that by following your father, you will be happier. With Mother, you have always been looked down own. It hurt my heart but there was little I could do to protect you. I thought that your father would have treated you even a little bit well, considering blood relations, but I was wrong. Instead of helping you gain happiness, I was the one who pushed you into hell.” Meng Shi’s voice echoes solemnly.

“No, Mother. It is all my fault.”

“A-Yao… You are a good boy. This temple you have built for me is the very evidence. Because of that, the worship I have gotten has given me some powers. I could not help you before, but now, Mother can repent for her mistakes.” With that, Meng Yao feels his soul being pulled by an invisible force.

“A-Yao, Mother has given you life again. Mother wants to tell you to live happily and carefree. But this time, all I want is for you to follow your heart. Don’t force yourself to be someone you are not. Mother gives you all her blessings…”

Then, Meng Yao takes the first breath he has taken since Jin Guangyao died.

“Wahhhhhh!” The sound of a baby cries out.

“He’s born! He’s born! Quick! Give the child to me!” A man happily asks the midwife for the child. Then, gently carrying the child, he walks over to show his wife. “Look! Our little son! He looks just like you!”

The wife looks helplessly at her husband. The newborn baby is all red and wrinkled. How can he possibly tell who the child looks like?

“What shall we name our son?” The husband asks his wife excitedly.

Without a thought, the wife suddenly says, “Yao. His name is Meng Yao. Our precious jade.”

The husband smiles, nodding happily. “Welcome to the family, A-Yao.”

Hearing this, the baby cries even harder, heart-wrenchingly so.

“Aiyah! What’s wrong, darling? Don’t cry!” The husband panics, looking at the midwife for help.

Just then, the door opens, and in comes a little boy, of about nine. “Is that my little brother? Why is he crying so badly?”

“Don’t worry. It’s normal for newborn babies to cry. He seems to have a healthy set of lungs.” The midwife laughs.

“Let me hold my baby brother!” The young boy says, stretching out his hands.

“Be careful,” The husband reminds his elder son. Carefully, he passes his youngest son to the boy. “Your hands must be like this. Remember to support his head. Here.”

“Hello, baby brother. Big brother will protect you, so don’t cry.”

That night, Meng Yao is reborn. To a normal but loving family. His new father, Meng Guo, is Meng Shi’s distant cousin’s son. Hence, Meng Yao’s new body has much resemblance to his old one. His new mother is called Mei Yu, while his new older brother is called Meng Hu. And although they are just normal people who cannot cultivate, Meng Yao is happy.

In the next sixteen years that passed, Meng Yao grew to accept his past. At first, he wanted to avoid it altogether. His new family is so warm, everything he has ever wanted in a family. But Meng Yao could not be so heartless as to forget his mother, Meng Shi, who helped to give him this. Meng Yao knows that Meng Shi must have suffered severe consequences for helping him to reincarnate without going through the proper channels. Meng Yao had felt guilty at first, hence encouraging him to forget his past and to just drown in the happiness of his new life. Slowly, as his new family healed the wounds in his soul, Meng Yao is able to look back on his past calmly. And then, more often than not, Meng Yao is often reminded of Lan Xichen.

Meng Yao had resented Lan Xichen for stabbing him. But Meng Yao also understands that he could not blame Lan Xichen for that. Although he claimed to never have intended to hurt Lan Xichen, Meng Yao knows that he has. He’d broken Lan Xichen’s trust and did terrible things. And so, he learns to forgive Lan Xichen for stabbing him. After all, there is nothing to forgive.

Meng Yao knows that Meng Shi wanted him to forget his past, so that he could live happy and carefree in this new life. But how can Meng Yao forget? Meng Shi and Lan Xichen are both very important people in his past life, and he had learned many lessons as well. Hence, Meng Yao does not forget, but he does not let them become his demons either. Instead, he used them as a reminder to better appreciate what he has now.

It is just an ordinary day, when Meng Yao hears his brother, Meng Hu, shouting frantically. “A-Yao! Help get a doctor! Quick!”

The words scare Meng Yao into action, running quickly outside the house to see Meng Hu supporting a man with blood-soaked white robes. Meng Yao sees the familiar embroidery on the white robes. They belonged to the Lan Sect. Upon hearing Meng Hu call out “A-Yao”, the injured man had looked up, eyes meeting Meng Yao’s.

“Er-Ge,” Meng Yao whispers under his breath, rooted to the spot when he recognises the injured man.

“A-Yao? Why are you just standing there? Quickly get a doctor!” Meng Hu calls out, breaking Meng Yao out from his trance.

Worry quickly engulfs Meng Yao’s heart as he ran off to find a doctor. Why is Er-Ge here? Why is Er-Ge injured? Is he okay? Will he be okay? When Meng Yao finds the doctor, he takes the tools from the doctor’s hands, running back off himself.

“Hey! Wait for me!” The doctor calls out.

“I will go back first to do first aid!” Meng Yao shouts back, not pausing in his steps.

When Meng Yao returns, Lan Xichen is lying on the floor, unconscious. Without a word, Meng Yao tries to carry Lan Xichen to his bed.

“Aiyah! A-Yao! Don’t move him anymore.” Meng Hu says.

“I’ll bring him to my bed. I can’t just let him lie on the floor!” Meng Yao says, struggling but failing to move Lan Xichen.

“It will be difficult to wash the blood out,” Meng Hu says.

“I know how to, so it's not a problem. Brother. Help me move him.” Meng Yao replies. Seeing Meng Hu’s hesitance, Meng Yao runs over to softly tug at his brother’s sleeves. He knew that his brother was weak to that. “Please, Brother?”

Sighing, Meng Hu pats the top of Meng Yao’s head. As he goes over to carry Lan Xichen again, he does not forget to say, “Then A-Yao must do something for me.”

“What does Brother want?” Meng Yao asks, bringing the doctor’s tools with him to his room.

“Hmm… A-Yao must make me dessert every day until Mother and Father return from their trip.” Meng Hu says. In their family, Meng Yao had the best cooking, and everyone loved Meng Yao’s desserts. However, their mother, Mei Yu, did not let Meng Yao make desserts often because she believed it was unhealthy. Hence, Meng Yao’s desserts were reserved only for special occasions.

“Okay,” Meng Yao replies easily. “But you must make sure Mother does not find out.”

When the doctor arrives, Meng Yao has already stopped the blood.

“Not bad,” The doctor praises Meng Yao’s first aid. “Interested to be my apprentice?”

Meng Yao smiles. He had a lot of experience wrapping up his own wounds in his past life. Meng Yao had not found what he wanted to do in this life yet, thinking that maybe he could open up a dessert shop or something. But hearing the doctor’s words, Meng Yao thinks that maybe he should be a doctor. In his past life, he had taken many lives. To make up for that, he could help save lives instead. “I will be honoured.”

The next few days, as Lan Xichen remains unconscious, Meng Yao begins learning from the doctor. Meng Yao is wiping down Lan Xichen with a wet towel when he hears a familiar voice.

“A-Yao…”

Looking up, Meng Yao sees that Lan Xichen is awake. Meng Yao greets Lan Xichen calmly, as if they are strangers.

“A-Yao… It’s you, right? You’re my A-Yao…” Lan Xichen says, voice deep with sorrow. “I’m sorry, A-Yao. Please forgive your Er-Ge.”

Meng Yao feels tears prick at the back of his eyes but he resists the urge to cry into Lan Xichen’s chest. Looking back down, Meng Yao says. “There is nothing to be sorry for.”

“There is. It’s my fault for not noticing. For not being there and helping you when you needed help.”

“It’s not Er-Ge’s responsibility.”

“It is. Not only am I your Er-Ge, but as someone who loves you, I should not have been so blind to your needs. Wangji could tell when Wei gongzi needed help. Yet, I could not.”

The words cause Meng Yao’s heart to skip a beat. Calming himself down, Meng Yao says, “How can our relationship be compared to theirs?”

“Because I also love you, A-Yao. I realised I loved you when it was already too late.”

Meng Yao looks up again, eyes wide in surprise. “You love me? Like Wangji loves Wei Wuxian?”

“Yes… A-Yao… Can you give me a chance? Please? All these years, I’ve missed you.” Lan Xichen says. Then, without giving Meng Yao a chance to reply, he embraces the other.

“Er-Ge…”

“Call me by my name… Please…”

“A-Huan… I… But I… I’m just a normal person. I cannot cultivate. And I have a new family now. I must be filial to my new parents. They treat me so well… And my brother. I don’t want to leave this place.”

“It’s okay. I will stay here with you.” Lan Xichen promises.

“But what about the Lan Sect? And you’re not even going to ask how I’m alive when my soul is supposed to be trapped in the coffin?”

“A-Yao… How you’re still alive is not important to me. The fact that you’re alive is more than enough for me. As for the Lan Sect… I am no longer the sect leader. The Sect Elders have decided that I’m too unstable. After you died, I stayed in seclusion for the first ten years. Then, I tried to return to my duties as Sect Leader, but I didn’t think I was suitable. I’m too naïve and foolish. And I couldn’t find any meaning in cultivating… I started going on Night Hunts alone, going for all sorts of dangerous creatures. If I could eliminate them, great. But if I couldn’t and they killed me instead, that’s fine too.”

“Er-Ge! How could you…”

“My name,” Lan Xichen reminds Meng Yao.

“A-Huan… You…”

“Every day, I thought of you. I thought of all the things I’ve done wrong. I couldn’t even protect the person I loved. How can I lead and protect a whole sect? A-Yao… I only have you left. Maybe I’m being shameless and selfish, trying to use this to guilt you into accepting me. But A-Yao… All my life, I’ve lived doing what is expected of me. Doing what’s considered right. But never have I been selfish and did what I wanted. After you died, I questioned the skies, why did I lose the person I love even though I’ve only done what is right? Where is the justice in that? And then, I realised that being selfless and benevolent will not give me you. So let me be selfish, and have you instead… Please… A-Yao.”

Hearing Lan Xichen’s words, Meng Yao feels his heart clenching painfully. If Lan Xichen loves him and wants to be with him, and Meng Yao returns the feelings, then why should he reject? Follow your heart, Meng Shi had said. And so, Meng Yao does.

Meng Hu realises that there is something strange with the way his little brother treats their guest. Meng Hu had been walking through the forest that day when he had found the injured man. Having been taught to be a good Samaritan by his parents, Meng Hu had brought the injured man home. Although he has never brought an injured stranger home before, Meng Hu is sure that the way Meng Yao reacts is strange. Who would let an injured stranger, still dripping blood, onto their beds? And every day, Meng Yao would religiously clean the stranger’s body with a wet cloth. When Meng Hu had asked, Meng Yao had replied that the stranger would not like to be dirty. Meng Hu had been confused. The stranger was unconscious, so how could he be upset at being unclean?

It got even worse when the stranger woke up. His cute little brother began spending even more time with the stranger. Meng Hu learns that the stranger is called Lan Huan. And instead of calling the man “Lan Huan”, his little brother called the man “A-Huan”, as if they were very close. Before the man woke, Meng Yao had slept on his bed while Meng Hu himself slept on the floor. But after the man awoke, Meng Yao began sleeping back in his bed with the man. And then, whenever Meng Yao makes the dessert he owed Meng Hu, Meng Yao had also made the man a share. In fact, Meng Yao often made the man all sorts of food and desserts, and Meng Hu himself only got a small portion if he was lucky.

Meng Hu crosses his arms as he stares across at the table. Meng Yao and that strange man were helping each other add food into each other’s bowls. Meng Hu only got this treatment rarely. Narrowing his eyes, a thought suddenly comes to Meng Hu’s head. That strange man was trying to steal his brother! Immediately, Meng Hu slams his chopsticks onto the table, startling the other two people who look at him questioningly.

“Brother? What’s wrong?” Meng Yao asks.

“A-Yao. Can you wait outside for a moment? I have something I want to say to Lan gongzi.” Meng Hu says. Although confused, Meng Yao listens. There was no way Meng Hu could hurt Lan Xichen and vice versa anyway.

When Meng Yao leaves, Meng Hu immediately says, “Stay away from my little brother.”

For a moment, Lan Xichen thinks that Meng Hu knows about their relationship.

But then, Meng Hu continues, “A-Yao is my brother. Not yours. Don’t even think about stealing him. You want a little brother? Go somewhere else to steal one.”

Lan Xichen smiles, trying not to laugh. “Don’t worry. I don’t see A-Yao as a little brother.”

Of course not, Lan Xichen thinks. Meng Yao is his love.

“Good,” Meng Hu sighs in relief. Then, voice deepening, he adds, “You better not be lying.”

Unlike Meng Hu who saw Lan Xichen as a rival for his little brother’s affection, Meng Guo and Mei Yu happily accept Lan Xichen into the family. When the two finally returned from their little “honeymoon” trip, Lan Xichen was already mostly healed. Meng Yao never really had any friends, so the two were very happy to see the way Meng Yao interacted with Lan Xichen, thinking that their son has finally found a friend. And when they find out that Lan Xichen had nowhere else to go, they easily welcomed him to stay.

A year after Lan Xichen and Meng Yao’s reunion, they finally come out to the Meng parents, thinking that enough time has passed for them to not feel that their relationship is too sudden. Furthermore, over the year, they never really hid their relationship.

Meng Guo and Mei Yu had been surprised initially, but they saw the way the two interacted and believed that Lan Xichen will treat their son well. On the other hand, Meng Hu hates himself for having brought the injured Lan Xichen back in the first place. He had unknowingly brought a wolf into his home, and now the wolf has stolen is precious little brother. However, Meng Hu also acknowledges that Lan Xichen and Meng Yao are a perfect match. And so, threatening Lan Xichen to treat Meng Yao well or else, he begrudgingly gives them his blessings as well.

And so, there came the stories of a travelling doctor and his knight. The doctor would help anybody, and for free, and his knight would stay beside him to protect him. When the two had died of old age, the villagers who had received their help wanted to do their funeral. However, another legendary couple had appeared and taken the dead bodies away.

Burying the two together, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian had told the departed souls, “Farewell, brother, brother-in-law.”

#xiyao #fanfic #XiYaoWeek2019

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master-thief-gray-shadow · 5 years

Text

I Used to Wonder What Friendship Could Be

Summary: Akira allows Shiori to share with her something she loves. Even if it doesn't quite fit her image as Frau Platin.

Notes: As far as I’m concerned this is canon

The halls of Seigfeld Institute of Music were still and quiet, so it was only natural then that Akira’s footsteps seemed almost as loud as thunder claps as she strode through them. Normally she would wait for Michiru before going off to work in the student council room, but something or other seemed to have her occupied this afternoon. And there were a few things that really needed to get done, so it seemed silly to wait around for her. Akira couldn’t plan her life around Michiru all the time, sometimes things had to be done of her own accord.

As she approached the doors of the student council room she paused. Some kind of sound, other than her own footsteps. She listened carefully. It was quiet, but it almost sounded like...voices. Akira took a few tentative steps forward, placing her ear against the door. Voices coming from within the student council room, and they didn’t sound like any of the other Edels...what was going on? As president she was obviously supposed to be the first to know about any kind of developments, so this required immediate investigation. With flair suited only for the one given the title of Frau Platin, she flung open the doors, prepared to deal with whatever matter was placed in front of her.

And what she found was a very startled-looking Shiori seated on one of the couches, a tablet computer sitting in her lap. And nobody else.

“Y-Yukishiro-senpai!” Shiori said, her posture stiffening considerably.

“At ease,” Akira said as she approached. Shiori did relax a little, but she still seemed somewhat pensive. “Why do you have that out?” She pointed to the tablet, which, as it turned out, had been the source of the voices she had heard earlier and was still playing. On the screen was some kind of colorfully animated cartoon.

“I...well, I finished all of my work early and I decided I wanted to watch my favorite show,” Shiori said, looking bashful. Akira gave a small smile before moving over to the other side of the couch.

“The student council room is not normally a place of leisure,” She said as she took a seat next to Shiori, “but seeing as you performed your duties beforehand you have done nothing wrong.” Shiori smiled warmly back at her, and Akira’s own smile grew slightly larger. Her attention then shifted to the cartoon that was playing. Currently a very pink cartoon horse was excitedly talking to a much less enthused-looking purple one. “What is this that you are watching?”

Shiori’s eyes lit up like lanterns, shimmering as she looked up at Akira excitedly. “It’s my favorite show ever! It’s about magic and adventures and the power of friendship!” She began to gush enthusiastically about the show, and while Akira couldn’t even begin to take in everything that she was saying she listened. For about five minutes Shiori explained every minute detail about the show, all while it continued to play. She was only brought out of her spiel when the ending credits music reached her ears. “Oh, the episode is over…”

“Is it possible to watch the next one?” Akira asked. She was still somewhat confused and had no idea what to make of anything Shiori had just said, but she was in the mood to humor her. After all, seeing Shiori happy was a good sign.

“Actually I can just go back and watch it again, since I’m streaming it,” Shiori said as she did something with the touchscreen.

“Ah, how useful,” Akira said, despite having not understood that last comment either. Still, she moved in slightly closer. “Do you mind if I join you? I’m curious to see what it is about this show that inspires such passion in you.”

Akira swore she saw tears welling up in Shiori’s eyes. “Y-Yukishiro-senpai…” She said, her voice quavering. “That would make me so happy! Of course you can!”

“Just one episode, however,” Akira said, suddenly stern. “There is business I need to attend to soon. Once we finish I suggest you find a place to practice.”

“Of course Yukishiro-senpai.” Shiori nodded in affirmation.

“Very good. Now, shall we begin watching?”

One episode became two. Two became three. Before either of them knew it they were halfway through the first season. This was surprisingly gripping. The bonds between the main characters, the suspense of both their perilous adventures and their day-to-day lives, and the surprisingly catchy songs all came together to create something both funny and emotionally stirring. And Akira was hooked. It was only with great reluctance that she looked up at the windows to see that the sky had turned orange, signaling that much more time had passed than she had intended.

“It would seem to be getting late,” She said, standing up. “I have put off my work for too long. Go down to dinner, I don’t want my Frau Jade skipping meals.” Shiori nodded and stowed the tablet in her bag before making her way toward the exit. “Oh, and Shiori…”

Shiori turned around. “Yes?”

Akira smiled as she took a seat at her desk. “This was highly enjoyable. I would be willing to do this again sometime. Perhaps tomorrow?”

Shiori lit up again. “Yes, of course Yukishiro-senpai, you can ask anytime!”

“I will, thank you,” She said before Shiori smiled at her one last time before leaving. Pulling out the paperwork that she had been putting off, Akira caught herself thinking about how cool it would be to have a baby purple dragon for a secretary.

Well, Mei Fan wasn’t a dragon, but her hair was purple and she did have a youthful exuberance about her. Close enough.

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Days later, all five Edels were gathered in the student council room. Nothing of any particular grave importance had brought them there, this was just a routine meeting for them. As was standard for such meetings, Akira started off.

“Now, everypony, on today’s agenda…” She trailed off, having noticed that odd, somewhat confused looks had fallen over everyone’s faces. Everyone except Shiori, curiously, who still seemed to be paying rapt attention. “Is there something on my uniform?”

There was a very long and very awkward silence before Yachiyo spoke up.

“Akira-senpai,” she said, seeming to struggle to hold in laughter, “‘everypony?’”

As the realization of what had just happened set in it took a great deal of willpower for Akira to maintain her composure. She had watched more of that show with Shiori and it had been on her mind quite a bit, this she knew, but she hadn’t been prepared for something to slip out like that. Reflexively her eyes darted to where Michiru was sitting.

Having known Michiru for as long as she had, Akira knew that behind her small stature and cheerful demeanor there was a fearsome temper. And seeing the way that her jaw was clenched, her eyes had darkened, and there was practically steam coming out of her ears, that temper had come to the surface. As the council devolved into chaos over her little slip up, all Akira could think about was the terrible tongue-lashing she was no doubt in for.

#akira yukishiro #shiori yumeoji #revue starlight #gray writes

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symphoniofficial · 5 years

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[ARTICLE] X-ENTERTAINMENT HOLDS DEBUT SHOWCASE FOR GIRL GROUP, SYMPHONi

X-Entertainment’s SYMPHONi held their debut showcase on November 15 at YES24 Live Hall in Gwangjang-dong.

SYMPHONi kicked off the showcase by performing their B-side “Moon”, an upbeat EDM song co-written by the group’s rapper, MiMi. Immediately following the performance came their introductions; the members introduced themselves individually.

EV: I’m EV of the fresh-faced group, SYMPHONi! I'm the leader who also works on our choreography. Please love and support us in the future!

Jade: Hello. I’m SYMPHONi’s lead vocalist and lyricist, Jade. Please look after us.

Mimi: Hello, SYMPHONi’s cute main rapper Mimi here! Thank you all for meeting us~

Mei: Hello, I am SYMPHONi’s visual and lead dancer, Mei! We’ve worked really hard on our debut, so please watch carefully!

Serah: Hello! SYMPHONi's sunshine maknae, Serah, here. I hold the main vocalist title and compose for the group. Look at my unnis, aren't they beautiful? Please watch us well; we have a lot to show you!

When asked about the group’s meaning, the leader described SYMPHONi as the group that’s capable of filling up an entire venue through their charisma alone; combined with their talent, the five girls can put on a powerful performance.

“Our talent will speak for itself.”

What’s unique about SYMPHONi are the members’ experiences before debut.

EV is the daughter of a famous dancer and producer, Jade was a former contestant on an MNET survival show, and Mimi and Serah were previously introduced as DALBIT. Each of the members expressed their feelings on the expectations the public has and being a member of a girl group.

EV: Before we had officially debuted, I felt overwhelmed and unsure of if I was capable of being the member that these talented girls looked up to. As the leader of an upcoming group, there’s already pressure to do well, especially in such a competitive market. I don’t feel my parents gave me any advantages here; they never even crossed my mind. My and my members talents’ will be the reason we go far, so you’ll have to watch us closely.

Jade: [Being in front of the cameras] was a little uncomfortable at first. I’ve never performed onstage before, so I wanted to make sure that I did well for our members. I focused so much on making sure I didn’t make any mistakes, that I think my expressions were a little… [She laughs.] But with the members by my side, it became comfortable and fun.

Mimi: We have a strong team of girls here, and the company does its best to give us everything that we need. I think SYMPHONi can go far in the industry, and I look forward to growing as an idol group, but as well as close friends. I hold them dear to me.

Serah: You can expect to see many colors of myself. I don’t want to be known as just cute Serah, but attractive and cool Serah, too. I want to show all aspects of myself. "LADY" will start show a cooler side, so please look out for it. I want to be as cool as MIMI and EV unni. They're so powerful on stage; maybe I could be like that some day. I also have a hand in composing more, I hope our projects lead me to showcase even more writing talents. You’ll see WRITERSEO here soon enough!

One member, Mei, didn’t have any experience before SYMPHONi. However, she didn’t have any worries about debuting.

Mei: Truthfully, I am no longer nervous about debuting. While we were getting the EP ready and practicing the choreography I would get nervous, but after expressing my feelings to the members, they calmed my worries and I now feel confident to debut.

Mimi and Serah’s relationship is particularly special; they’ve followed each other loyally since their first encounter under Royal Crown, a now-defunct company.

Mimi: Serah and I have known each other for a while and we’ve been through a lot over the years, so this debut means a lot to both of us. Debuting is always exciting, but doing it with someone who is your best friend makes it more special and meaningful. I’ll never forget it.

Serah: Mimi is the love of my life, honestly. Everyone has that person that speaks to your soul, who is not a lover romantically but platonically. She supports me-- everything I've put out or written she's supported. When dealing with boys and family issues, Mimi has always been there. She's everything to me and I cherish her so much.

Mimi: Serah isn’t only like a sister to me, but one of my closest friends. I really value the friendship she gave me. Ever since I met her, she’s always been there for me and shown how supportive she can be. She’s like a cute little baby. I feel like I have to protect and love her endlessly.

Love is the central theme of “LADY”. When asked about the meaning of “Moon”, Mimi described it as a song that describes wanting to become closer to someone.

Mimi: “Moon” is a song about wanting to get to know someone on a deeper level, but part of them is always hidden from you despite your efforts of learning more about them.

The explanation led to a similar B-side called “Goodnight Like Yesterday”. Albeit slower in tempo, Jade described a different one-sided longing.

Jade: “Goodnight Like Yesterday” is the opposite of “Lady”. It’s about someone who laments a relationship that is on the verge of falling apart. The melody is light and bittersweet, reflecting the thoughts of the person who’s in denial of losing the person they love.

Who is SYMPHONi?

After their second performance, SYMPHONi took the opportunity to acquaint themselves with their fans by playing games and answering fan questions, including showcasing their individual charms.

EV: Gymnastics! I can do the splits, backflips, and a backbend.

Jade: Acrostic poems [using the letter of each word to create a line of poetry].

Mimi: I...can do cheeseburger aegyo!

Mei: Like EV unni, I’m very flexible. I can turn my hands around in a full circle.

Serah: I can play the guitar and make unnis fall for my charms!

When Mimi showed off her cheeseburger aegyo, the fans reacted positively. The members had different responses, much to the amusement of everyone else; the older members were embarrassed, while the younger members were supportive of Mimi’s aegyo.

The next question also showcased the girls’ creativity. A fan asked each member what they’d do if given a pencil and piece of paper.

EV: I’m not much of a writer, nor am I great at drawing, but my initial thought is that I’d write a letter to my parents. Since I’ve been training, it’s hard to see them or even call them, but I want them to know that I’m doing well and that I’m thinking of them.

Jade: It depends on how I’m feeling at that moment. I’ve really been into origami lately, so I might try and make something out of it; I’d use the pencil to add details once I finished.

Mimi: I would probably do some cute little doodles. If I don’t have anything to do, I just sit and draw what ever may come to mind.

Mei: Right now? Ah…I’d write notes to the fans that came here today, and I’d fold the paper into an airplane and throw it into the crowd. [She smiles and nods, making a heart with her hands.]

Serah: I would tear it nicely and write sweet notes to each of my members with cute little drawings! They deserve cute messages. I might even give one to my older sister and brother.

Next, the girls began to choose questions that were handwritten by the audience.

Q. Which member(s) do you feel the closest with and why?

EV: I feel protective over all of them, and I don’t say this to spare anyone’s feelings. I make a conscious effort to make sure everyone’s included in our activities. They bring out an instinct in me to make sure they’re happy and healthy, even if I don’t say it forwardly. I want to take care of them.

Q. If you could switch bodies with any member for a day, who would you choose and why?

Jade: My answer might seem a little unexpected, but… [She looks at Mimi.] I’d like to switch with Mimi. Mimi is known for being our vitamin in the group. She also has a lot of aegyo. Compared to her, I have neither the energy nor the ability to act cute, so I’d like to experience it for a day.

Q. You previously starred in a rap survival show, but were eliminated rather quickly. What were your thoughts and feelings as you prepared to be on the show, and how did you deal with the elimination?

Mimi: I was only eighteen when I was cast to join [a rap survival show]. I’d never really rapped prior to this, so I didn’t know a lot since I had only ever done it when I was alone. I thought if I tried hard enough, I’d be able to last a few rounds, but sadly I lost in the first round. It was rough. I felt so disappointed in myself for it and I was a little depressed after I went home. Since then, I think my rapping has improved greatly and I look forward to showing everyone what I can do.

Q. Your Korean is really good! Do you think your Korean is the best out of all the members? Who do you think has the hardest time with foreign languages?

Mei: [She smiles awkwardly at the compliment before collecting herself.] Coming from a foreign country while knowing only a little of the language, even after learning a lot, I don’t think my Korean could ever surpass the rest of the members. Sometimes in the dorm, I mix up my languages still-- it’s a steady process and I think once you start learning a different language, you never stop. I don’t think any of the members have a harder time with foreign languages; we’re all trying our best to learn for our foreign fans and there are all parts we struggle with, but we’re getting better each day. We hope our foreign fans watch out for us, we’ll make you proud!

Q. You’re very affectionate towards the members. Who receives the most and least affection from you?

Serah: I think it's pretty obvious Mimi unni receives the most love. She's had the most time to obtain it. It's been almost seven years since we've met; that's almost half my life. I see her as a big sister, so she gets a lot of love.

That's not saying I don't love on my other members. Mei unni receives lots of love because she's so pretty, cute, and talented. EV unni receives a lot of love because she's our beautiful leader who takes care of us; if I ever need anything, I can go to EV unni. I give her love afterwards. I can learn a lot from Jade unni-- I have already. She's so smart and gorgeous. I trust her a lot and love on her differently; I enjoy sitting and talking with her, and creating with her.

Each of the members receive love in their own way. I love all of my members and I hope you will too. They're so talented and precious...please treasure them like the jewels they are.

Their final question came from the MC, who asked the girls about their thoughts on their debut EP and how they participated in “LADY”.

EV: There were late nights where all of us would stay up and write tirelessly. This EP meant the world to us, and we wanted to pour our hearts out into it. I worked hardest on our song “Don't Text Me”. While I've never properly been in a relationship, I wrote my feelings into this song with the help of Jade. Yeah… [She chuckles.]

Jade: The theme in “LADY” was unique to me because I don’t have any experience with love. While I was writing with EV, I felt a little nervous about portraying these thoughts appropriately. I received encouragement and help from the people around me, so I think the song came out well. We [the members] really came together to showcase our colors.

Mimi: I was really excited! It was nice to know that after our hard work, we were finally making it happen. I think I cried when we were told we’d debut. I wrote my own raps for the EP with the help of not only my members, but the producer too.

Mei: Ah…our debut EP was already in production when I joined SYMPHONi, so there wasn’t much left for me to do. Our members worked really hard, and I’m very proud; I think it came out very well. I want to return the favor and make everyone proud with our performances!

Serah: It was very exciting, writing with my talented members. I remember back in Royal Crown, I couldn't write very well. Mimi and I experienced a lot before our EP release, writing music we enjoy and love with other talented women. It's a dream come true. I really hope our fans really enjoy our music and listen well. We put a lot of work and heart into this release!

After the interactive segment of the showcase, the SYMPHONi members introduced the last three songs of their EP: “LADY”, “Don’t Text Me”, and “Sweet and Easy”.

EV: Our title track, “LADY”, is a cool song about being with someone who doesn’t share your feelings anymore. Even if they don’t feel the same way about you, you still want them to tell you how they truly feel. The song has a retro, nostalgic vibe that makes you want to dance and sing along.

Mei: “Don’t Text Me” is about a relationship that has ended, and wanting to move on but the other person won’t let go. It expresses frustrated feelings, but does so with a sweet melody.

Serah: “Sweet and Easy” is a callout to longing for a loving and carefree relationship, something I hope to have when I age.

“We wouldn’t be here without your love and support.”

After their final performance, SYMPHONi spent the last thirty minutes of the showcase with the audience relaying their final thoughts and expressing gratitude to everyone who came to support them.

They also thanked their family and fans in four different languages-- Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, English-- and KSL, to the surprise of many.

EV: All of us have worked especially hard to be here today-- not just on this stage, but in our lives. We have everyone here and our families to thank. I’m very grateful for all the attention we’ve garnered in such a short time, and the amount of love our fans gave us without falter. I couldn’t be more thankful. I wish to bring you more great music in the future. Please continue to watch us.

Jade: “LADY” is not only our first EP, but our first work as SYMPHONi. Though we’re still lacking, we hope that you enjoy our songs and continue looking after us. I’m extremely thankful that I get to debut with five members who’ve become like family to me; let’s continue working hard and moving forward together.

Mimi: First, I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has helped not only myself, but my other members over the years. I’ve had a rough journey to become a member of SYMPHONi. I also have to prove my spot among these talented ladies. My family has always supported me and I want to make them proud. Thank you to everyone who joined us today.

Mei: I want to thank my family for encouraging me to travel all this way and continue my dreams. It helped me grow out of my shell more. My fans are so supportive...you're a pillar of strength for me, and I’ve found light and support in you all, including the members. I’m so happy to be a part of SYMPHONi, and wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my friends, family, and fans. I hope you enjoy our first EP, and that you’ll watch out and be excited for more.

Serah: My whole family is here today, on and offstage. I'd like to thank everyone who helped me get this far. The road was hard and painful, and there were moments when I thought of giving up. I had a few heroes during those times. My big brother Jung-min supported me through my hardships and really believed in me. He supported me financially and emotionally through so much. [She starts to tear up.] Even now, he's here watching this showcase to support. I know now that wherever I go I have my own personal cheerleader and hero. Thank you for helping me get to this point. I hope all our fans, family, and friends enjoy this EP. We've worked so hard, look after us well. The music always speaks what the heart cannot.

Please continue to show love and support for SYMPHONi as they embark on their new journey!

#SYMPHONi_debut #ERA!LADY

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flourchildwrites · 6 years

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Fullmetal Alchemist Headcanon

#5 - Heart, Mind, Soul & Hand

The Amestrian custom concerning the giving and exchanging of rings perplexed Mei Chang. Rings made of fine metal and precious gems were pretty, no doubt, but expensive and cumbersome when practicing Alkahestry. As far as the seventeenth royal princess was concerned, she had nothing to prove to anyone regarding her marriage to Alphonse Elric, the foreigner as some of the Xingese aristocrats still liked to call him. Owing to her status within Xingese society, the couple struggled with acceptance even after her brother, Emperor Ling Yao, had publicly recommended the union and touted the political benefits of such an alliance.

But Alphonse refused to kowtow on this singular issue. He vowed that he would give Mei something meaningful to commemorate their union, and despite Mei’s assurance that she neither needed nor wanted anything, Al continued his search for the perfect piece of jewelry, confident that he would succeed before their big fat Xingese wedding day. However, the blushing bride flatly rejected a necklace adorned with indigenous Xingese jade and haughtily scoffed at a traditional Amestrian engagement ring containing a 2-carat brilliant cut diamond.

Deflated, but not defeated, Alphonse asked for advice. Unsurprisingly, the Emperor preferred to stay out of it, but Lan Fan was uncharacteristically quick to recommend a new set of kunai. Al enthusiastically took to the suggestion to heart but tasted something bitter in his mouth less than a week later when Mei gushed about her half-brother’s latest gift to Lan Fan, a set of ornamental kunai encrusted with pearls and rubies.

On his last trip to Amestris before the wedding, the young alchemist also consulted the soon-to-be Führer and his most loyal subordinate. While Hawkeye plainly indicated that, indeed, Mei was right (rings were not necessary), Mustang was quick to pull him aside and fervently swear that buying his future wife a ring was nothing short of a divine calling, even if she never wore it. By the time Al reached Rush Valley, his knees had begun to buckle under the weight of such a seemingly simple endeavor.

Then, one evening after the children were fast asleep and the lady of the house opened a bottle of warm sake to share, the young man confessed his predicament to his brother and sister-in-law. Winry, clearly sympathetic, quickly offered her brother-in-law one of her heirlooms rings. Not having the heart to ask her to part ways with anything she inherited from Pinako, Al politely declined, giving Winry’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

Ed, however, was not as gracious a hostess as his wife. With cherry red cheeks and a boisterous laugh that threatened to wake the baby, Ed clapped Al hard on the back and said, “You know we’ve still got your old suit of armor in a crate out back. Bet I could dig out that metallic jock strap looking thing since Mei’s clearly got you whipped.”

No one was amused.

Nevertheless, as Al settled down for a good night’s rest in the guest room that evening, comforted by the sounds of Ed tossing and turning on his living room couch, he began to turn the idea over in his mind. A few hours later, the talented alchemist strode toward the old storage shed clad in a mismatched pair of pajamas and boots with an alchemy textbook tucked under his arm. He reemerged the next morning with tired hands and a ring that brought tears to Winry’s eyes.

“I made this from my old suit of armor,” Al explained as he offered a small ring to Mei upon his return to Xing. It was dull silver and plain with the smallest hint of copper blush. The only unique adornment was a white filament twisted around the band. “I transmuted pieces of armor from my breastplate, my hand and the place where Ed put the blood seal to make the ring. The white strand is what was left of my old hair.”

“Why those parts?” Mei asked as regarded the simple piece of jewelry, holding it up the light. “Surely, that armor was precious to you.”

Al smiled. His reply was well-rehearsed, but sincere all the same. “You’ve given me a place in your heart, a piece for your mind, an insight into your soul and you’re about to give me your hand in marriage. I thought I should return the favor. It’s equivalent exchange.”

#fullmetal alchemist headcanon #fma headcanons #mei chang #may chang #alphonse elric #almei #subtle royai #subtle lingfan #subtle edwin #wedding rings #equivalent exchange #see this one isn't sad #flourchildwrites

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shenmeizhuang-blog · 7 years

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Do you have any cdrama suggestions for a baby beginner? I think Empress of China is the most famous one I’ve heard of but I’m curious about others too!

B-baby beginner? No, my friend, when it comes to cdrama, we simply throw you into the pit…

Just kidding! Although, for a myriad of reasons, being a Chinese drama fan outside of Asia without a hold of the language is admittedly rather difficult (so to the “international” cdrama fandom: you guys rock!).

Unfortunately, your answer did not really help me narrow down my answer after all. I believe Moonlight Drawn By Clouds, your recent fave, is very romance-centric, but I feel like everyone tends to vacillate in their mood, preferring super romantic escapism one minute and demanding tight storytelling the next. Anyway, I’ll stop rambling and actually get to the point:

personal recs, in general*

I just couldn’t really “categorize” these?

peace hotel (2018): currently in the midst of watching this still, but I’m really enjoying this! honestly. especially with how the female chars (most of the chars are written.) it’s this mix between super suspenseful espionage and really cathartic humor. the plot twists are also so !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

let’s shake it! (2017): alien crashlands to the tang dynasty! it’s super cute and quirky, but there’s also a strong, coherent plot and some angst in the latter parts. definitely one of my faves of last year, though it’s punny sense of humor doesn’t always get through. it’s also very appreciatively meta ;) the subs apparently aren’t complete, as my friend complained to me, but I personally find the language real simple

medical examiner dr. qin (2016): the interactions between the crime-solving trio are gold. also, like the only modern show here?? (as you can tell, I am really mostly a period show watcher.)

go princess go (2015-16): it’s really low-budget and cracky, but trust me, there’s a reason it went viral. zhang tian ai does feel like the saving grace a lot of the time though, and I didn’t exactly give it a high score, but it just might be your thing. who knows?

nirvana in fire (2015): i don’t think it’s the best c-drama ever, unlike a lot of people on this site, but it’s still a very solid show. I also find it a lot more shoujo than most fans—it’s really not just a revenge-political drama—but when it was emotionally gripping, boy, it was emotionally gripping.

wuxin: the monster killer (2015): technically only season 1—I have yet to see s2—but weirdly enough, I found the poignant ending especially fitting. just assume from the title? yue qiluo is one of the more interesting villains out there, and gosh I just adore yueya so much

bu bu jing xin (2011): extremely poignant, complex look into polymagy/patriarchy during the qing dynasty from the lens of time-traveller zhang xiao who takes the identity of court lady ruoxi. even if you don’t ship any of the romances, it is so worth it for pretty much everything else. but if you do, obviously also an extremely heart-wrenching watch. a lot of people’s first cdrama.

schemes of a beauty (2010): lots of spying, secret chambers, poison, women control the men.

*I would want to recommend The Legend of Zhen Huan and The Glory Of Tang Dynasty, but they’re 76 episodes and 92 episodes long, respectively. Content-wise, it’s also stuff that requires lots of trigger warnings, and overall just not for the “baby beginner”. Battle of Changsha is definitely shorter, and a definite recommendation, but also just not for the “baby beginner.”

no dubbing

(Peace Hotel, Battle of Changsha, NiF, Medical Examiner Dr. Qin)

the advisors’ alliance (2017) + growling tiger, roaring dragon (2017-18): a mix of no dubbing and some dubbing. it’s a pretty creative to take the viewpoint of sima yi in this three kingdoms historical piece. I feel that it’s rather accessible to viewers, honestly, and the production values are great on this one.

nothing gold can stay (2017): only 4 eps in—it’s very solid so far (74 eps though, but I would say quite mainstream and easy to watch)

ten miles of spring wind can’t compare to you (2017): do I really want to rec this though? in the end, I really did wish I had someone to vent about this to and discuss with about, because in a lot of ways this really did give lots of food for thought. let’s just say that our three main chars are deliberately rather fatally flawed…and I still feel rather ambivalent about how to feel about this. (the first 10-15 eps are super cute, meta, adorable but also with great sexual tension and then it sort of goes to melodrama but anyway…) you could at least practice your chinese? it is harder than the average modern cdrama, given how pretentious qiu shui can get

shoujo period romances

We all have a soft spot for these :’)

sound of the desert (2014): just yesterday, there was quite a lot of discourse on this show on my dash, interestingly. female lead xin yue (liu shi shi) is raised by a wolf pack, though she eventually enters the capital city sometime during the han dynasty. she does at first fall for a crippled, broody flute player played by hu ge (imo one of his more lackluster roles) but it’s her chemistry with HAWT general wei wuji (eddie peng

female prime minister/legend of lu zhen (2013): again, freakishly sizzling chemistry. it focuses more on lu zhen rising up the ranks as lower-level female ministers, but mostly still very very romance-centric. (the otp falling-out in the last 10 eps or so was kind of stupid, I will admit, and also 200% all on gao zhan but it had such a strong addictive quality to it.)

gong/jade palace lockheart (2011): I haven’t seen Boys Over Flowers/the Japanese original/any official remakes of whatever that is, but a lot of people have called it Boys Over Flowers + modern girl time travels to the Qing Dynasty + 9-prince succession conflict during Kangxi’s reign. it was rather stupid and petty at times, but it’s more comedic and the romance is super addicting. I don’t care about the half-bald Qing queues at all, and this is actually one of the only roles that I’ve found Feng Shaofeng attractive in. (yes, it is possible to love bbjx and enjoy this)

Oh yeah, and all these end all happily and fairytale-like. None of the above would qualify as my “faves” at all, but all are very accessible to someone unfamiliar with cdrama and love the Romance and the Pretty.

others (I found rather lackluster or dropped): Perfect Couple, The Eternal Love (very popular among international audiences, but not for me), General and I, Oh My General

wuxias/xianxias

This is just going to be an embarrassing amount of childhood nostalgia. Like, literally, with the exception of the first one, I watched all of these in elementary school, with varying amounts of rewatching in between. The recent wuxias and xianxias just haven’t been to my liking. (I could get into how NiF takes lots of wuxia elements but I would just confuse you a lot so, strictly on the more fantasy/action side of things here.) I simply haven’t watched Eternal Love/Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms (very, very popular) at all. I’m sorry.

vigilantes in masks/strange hero yi zhi mei (2011): I believe the international equivalent is “Iljimae”? It’s like Robin Hood, sort of, but mostly Liu Shi Shi’s Yan Sanniang is so amazing here.

chinese paladin 3 (2009)

return of the condor heroes (2006)

chinese paladin (2005)

lotus lantern (2005)

also 武林外传, which is 80 eps, but kind of more like a wuxia sitcom way back in the day. there’s in-show ppls, tons of modern references, etc. and also like lots of satire/social commentary. I did a rewatch (of brief clips ofc, I don’t have that much time) recently, and realized I missed so much when I watched it with the family back then. (I’m kind of embarrassed about the more lewd references…lol…)

*line break*

Whew! Anyway, the takeaway is, there is a lot of stuff to choose from, and I definitely left out a lot of stuff. There’s also a lot of modern cdramas. This answer might clarify about those shows.

(that being said, I really personally would not recommend empress of china. I mean, aside from 96 eps, just 2 eps in I could tell it was going to be an unsubstantial mess >_

#cdrama #recs #answers #replies #next time i'll just link this or smth

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