#ao making me feel seen

[whatsacrush]

Georgia Warr is aegosexual.

You cannot convince me otherwise. Here's my proof:

Signed, an aroace aegosexual (just like Georgia)

(edit) forgot to add one pic:

[trek-tracks]

The sad part is that this could have been written by anyone on senior crew

[if-loki-was-a-fox]

Can't sleep at 4am so instead I've ended up having revelations about how I conceptualize my aromanticism

[orphiicheartd]

Genuinely I think my X|ao's just,,,mostly-Trave||er inclined jdfrfkgd

[valyrianvibranium]

HEAVY IS THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN.

Daemon Targaryen x niece!Reader

WARNINGS: SEXUAL CONTENT - MINORS DNI; canon typical incest/targcest (uncle and niece), kinda non/dub con, p in v, semi public sex, doggy style, degrading, slapping, possessiveness, jealousy

WORDS: 1.5 K

NOTES: This is something I had written and posted on another blog when I (rightfully so) didn't feel accepted and wanted in fandom. So, if any of you remembers this, it was written by me. This is Lingo Jam High Valyrian (it is what it is).

❗️𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭!

It’s way past the Hour of the Owl as you stand in the Throne Room all by yourself, all the tables for the guests of your coronation feast having already been cleared and stored away by the keep’s staff, leaving the room to be eerily quiet and empty. 

You stand in front of the intimidating Iron Throne, looming in the dim light of the candles around you, your fingertips barely brushing the sharp swords that were used to forge it by your ancestors, reminiscing about all the times you’ve seen your father sitting on it. 

Unlike your grandsire and father before you, you chose to wear the Conqueror's Crown and wield his sword, the big, square-cut rubies complimenting the red and gold gown you wear. 

The heavy doors leading to the intimidating chambers open behind you, but you don’t turn around, knowing all too well who intrudes the silence and serenity. His footsteps are heavy, bouncing off the thick columns and walls on his way. 

“Skoros iksis ziry ao jeldan naejot ȳdragon naejot nyke nūmāzma?” you ask, but before you’re able to turn around, the weight of your husband’s chest against your back pushes you forward, the ostentatious crown on your head toppling to the ground at the impact. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?

Both your hands immediately seize the armrests of the Iron Throne for support, more so when Daemon’s hand falls to the place between your shoulders to keep you exactly like you are, bowed forward with no chance to move. 

“Hm,” he hums, applying just a bit of pressure to your back. “How about the wanton farce you put up for that cunt of a Lannister?” he growls, and it’s clear it is not a question but an accusation. 

There is not one breath wasted when he rucks up the skirts of your gown and bunches it around your waist, fisting it with one of his large paws. The matter clearly is serious, and has occupied him for quite some time now, considering he prefers to answer you in the Common Tongue rather than High Valyrian. 

But it’s not like you have much time to really process the meaning behind it, considering he has the skirt of your dress in his hand in one moment, and your small clothes pulled down to your knees in the next. Your cunt is exposed to the chilly air of the Red Keep, and to anyone that chooses to intrude on such an intimate and disgraceful scene, and much to your husband’s surprise, you’re soaked with anticipation, which earns you a condescending scoff from him. 

He has quickly figured that there isn't going to come any reply from you, too caught up in the heat of the moment and the little predicament you’ve found yourself in, and forces a gasp from your lips as his hand not-so-gently collides with your bare rear. 

Your body slightly lulls forwards to escape the stinging pain that blooms on your skin, but to now avail. “I–I don’t know what you’re talking about!” you press with despair audible in your voice. 

But he just scoffs again. “Oh, I’m certain you don’t,” his voice is sharp, and the words underlined by another slap to your arse. “Need I remind Your Grace who they belong to?” The title is spoken in a way to make a mock display of his courtesy, displaying how little care he holds over your status at this moment.

You’re not quite sure what he is up to when you feel and hear him shifting and fumbling behind you, although you have a mild guess, until you feel the tip of his hard cock pressing against your soaked cunt. He pushes in even before you can answer, any words or pathetic protests dying on your tongue and replaced by a moan. 

“That’s what I thought,” he says more to himself, his tone suddenly taking on an air of smugness. His words are followed by a groan that flows into a heedless sigh as he bottoms out completely, his heavy stones pressing against your pearl. 

It’s a side to Daemon you haven’t seen or experienced before, despite growing up around him, his several liaisons and wives. There has never been something akin to jealousy coursing through his veins before. Yes, Daemon has always been a little too rough, too impatient and resolving matters by force rather than diplomacy, but you’ve never seen his blood run this hot. 

His upper body slightly bends forward and towers over yours as he rests one hand on the backrest of the Throne, the other still on your hip with your skirts tightly secured.

“What–” the words catch in your throat, replaced by a whimper. “What if anyone sees us?” 

“Jaelan zirȳ naejot ūndegon,” he growls. “Jaelan zirȳ naejot gīmigon bona iksā ñuhon.” I want them to see. I want them to know that you’re mine. 

The whine you release at that is nothing short of desperate. While the thought of anyone catching you two frightens you to the core, you enjoy the possessive side of him, reveling in his desire just for you since you’ve shared it most of your life with your younger sister. 

Pulling out of you almost completely, the tip of his cock is the only thing that remains buried inside of you. While the feeling of the sudden loss makes you whine and push your hips back to force him inside again, it also earns you another harsh slap that’s served to your arse. 

“Ao sagon ñuhon se mazemā skoros nyke tepagon ao, iksis bona shifang?” You're mine and you take what I give you, is that understood?

Daemon then slams his hips into yours as a warning, filling you up in a swift thrust that has you gasping, and knocks the air straight from your lungs. “Gaomagon daor mazverdagon nyke ivestragon ziry arlī,” he snarls. “Gaomagon. Ao. Shifang?” Each word is punctuated with a harsh snap of his hips.  Don’t make me say it again. Do. You. Understand?

“K… kessa,” you hiccup. Yes. 

The pace of his thrusts is nothing short of ruthless, and he uses the grip on your hip to pull you back onto his cock for your bodies to meet halfway, the most obscene sounds of skin slapping on skin echoing off the walls of the Throne Room.

His stones are heavy and the fleshy pouch they sit in slightly sagged, hitting your pearl perfectly each time he fills you to the brim, and sending shivers to the soles of your feet. 

Daemon forces your hips higher until you’re standing on your tiptoes for him, your body barely supported by his fingers digging into your hip. The angle changes with that, allowing him to shove his cock into you even deeper than before – a change that has him groaning and grunting over and over again. 

Your eyes lull into the back of your head, and the heat in your belly doesn’t diminish, causing a renewed wave of arousal to leak out of your core. 

Not caring if the skirts of your gown are riding down again, he grips the back of your neck firmly enough so you can’t turn your head, fucking you as if his life depends on it and knocking every breath clean out of your lungs. 

Daemon forces his hips into yours with such determination, he is close to shoving you up against the Iron Throne with the force of his need, your arms almost buckling under the weight he puts onto you. You can tell he’s racing for completion, effectively pulling you with him in the process. 

With the pace of his hips not faltering once, your peak washes over you in an ambush. The pleasure in your body gets intense enough for your legs to tremble, his hand that rests on the Iron Throne coming down to seize your hip to support you. Your walls clench around his cock tight enough for him to draw in a sharp breath, but the assault on your cunt doesn’t cease. 

“Qilōni gaomagon ao sytilībagon naejot?” Daemon groans, pulling you back onto his cock and fucking you through your peak. Who do you belong to? It’s almost as if he’s asking for your reassurance, wanting to be sure of your feelings for him. 

“A… ao,” you hiccup. “Ik… iksan aōhon.” You. I’m yours.

His peak crashes over him with your reassurance, his throbbing cock spending itself deep inside of your cunt. His hands trail up and down your sides in nothing else than pure bliss, and when it’s all over, he releases a sigh of relief, almost as if the pressure has fallen off his shoulders. 

He cups your arse with both hands, and squeezes your flesh. When he doesn’t make any move to pull out of you, however, it’s clear that he is relishing the way your drenched cunt embraces his flaccid cock.

“No one will make you feel as good as I do, dōna ābrazȳrys, and certainly no Lannister,” he rasps. “He would not know how to handle the Blood of the Dragon. You were made for me, and you belong to me. Always have, always will.” Sweet wife. 

Daemon Taglist: @hypocritic-trash-baby @schniiipsel @avalyaaa @baizzhu @yn-jackson

[sillysoliloquyshits]

I watched a few movie reviews on Nezha 2 and one of them on two white guys (iirc) doing a podcast on their surface thoughts on the movie kinda threw me off as one of them said 'one thing that was off-putting to me was a lot of onscreen crying' or something like that. Which is super off-putting to me actually.

I mean what do you mean? Your little brother or mother or wife just died in front of your eyes what do you mean you should not cry and it's not a natural response? Ao Bing cried into his dad at the start as he felt so awful for letting his dad down and his buddy nearly died if he didn't intervene. Ne Zha cried so hard when he saw his parents again because he really thought they were gone. Both kids are three years old for the love of God. And Shen Gong Bao is a literal family man he has a soft spot for his little brother of course when he died trying to escape he had to cry so much and to be honest, I've watched videos of how the animation team spent a long time animating and planning the crying scene for him to ensure it's perfect. The creative team has spent so long to ensure every detail to actually ensure the whole story and every shot and scene will have a lasting emotional impact to touch the audience.

And another thing that's also respectable is how the team and the story in general is very committed to fleshing out the characters and ensuring they are all very relevant to the plot and have their own personal stories in a sequel, which is not often seen nowadays given how hard it is to make a better sequel (but that's another story and post I digress, but anyway-)

What I'm trying to say is that we all need more stories of boys openly crying. The only other movies off the top of my head I can think that has boys openly crying are maybe Coco, or Luca and maybe HTTYD, and I feel Nezha 2 has done a great job in showing the different sides of healthy masculinity, in how it's okay for boys to ugly cry and for dads to be tough on the exterior while also being very caring and gentle to their own sons, and for close brotherhood bonds being a soft side of characters. And it also dispels a stereotype in how Asians are often stoic and not as emotional as westerners, as while a lot of Chinese and Asians are quite stoic, there are plenty of people who see themselves in Ao Bing and Ne Zha and etc.

And I also saw a post earlier on how Ne Zha and Ao Bing defy societal rules and societal expectations respectively, with Ao Bing doing so by being outwardly feminine in looks and being elegant while precise and aggressive in his attacks and still being able to be confident in his self, while Ne Zha has been insecure in his own looks until the end. And personally I feel the movie is a great place for kids and boys especially to learn that masculinity can be anything they can define, like how one can be more confident like Ao Bing even when he's not traditionally masculine, while knowing it's okay to be insecure and that they can overcome judgements in society.

And with their friendship and loyalty to each other (and possibly *cough* *gay* *it's ok if you don't ship them*), it also teaches boys that male friendships can be very close knit where they can be vulnerable to one another, like how Nezha soon learnt to be vulnerable around Ao Bing and how Ao Bing learnt to follow his heart through Ne Zha's influence. Boys can learn from one another and become emotionally stronger together like it's not just a girls thing yay-

So yeah this is another long ramble but tldr again:

Nezha 2 is a fantastic movie on healthy masculinity and we need more movies like this for boys especially to learn that expressing strong emotions are very healthy and essential in being a person. And we need to punch toxic masculinity to death the way Lu Tong and He Tong did at the end to the bald bitch so-

[yunsound]

The Third Installment to the Oubing Saga- Yunbing

PRIOR EXPERIENCE NEEDED!

Entry ticket: reading this post and acknowledging that the following is about to be 18+. No, I'm not writing anything explicit, but it's going to be some mentions of sex. Move on.

After finishing Ne Zha 2025 (or the 2019 version if you're a real one), did you feel overcome by the gayness? Did you wonder why the fuck anyone would ever look at their best friend like that? Did shoujo anime music start playing in the back of your head?

...yeah you're not alone.

As previously mentioned, Oubing is currently China's biggest fandom ship (I stay hopeful that this wave of hype will last longer than it did in 2019). I also trust that you all understand why that is.

Seriously, I've never seen any piece of Chinese media except for straight up BL THIS gay.

Let's count on one hand how many BL tropes these movies include.

Red/blue

Soulmates

Only friend

Enemies to lovers

Friends to lovers

Oh oops, we ran out of fingers! Next hand.

Friends to enemies to friends to lovers

Forbidden romance

Demon x angel

Two halves of one... thing

...bondage? I suppose? If you know you know THE scene.

Oh wow look at that we ran out of fingers again. MOVING ON TO THE NEXT HAND-

Okay, I'll stop here. All of this makes Oubing technically a very vanilla ship (ignore the bondage that's mostly a joke. Though you WILL see a lot of art involving Ne Zha's red sash in... different usages) and very sweet. Pure love, I suppose.

Do you know about Shangmei Oubing, a variation on Oubing featuring different adaptations of Ne Zha and Ao Bing? Well now you do. Read this post to figure out what I'm talking about.

If there's a spectrum of the wholesome-ness of Oubing ships, Shangmei Oubing is in the middle. Yes, it's very toxic, but technically Ne Zha does really love Ao Bing a lot, just in the wrong ways.

On the OPPOSITE end of that spectrum, we have Yunbing.

Yunbing is the ship between Ne Zha and Ao Bing from the 2021 movie New Gods Reborn: Ne Zha. The movie itself is on Netflix- it's kind of a mid movie, I'm NGL, but the animation is pretty good.

I haven't watched the whole movie (how do I know it's mid? Because I saw some clips and they made me sigh out loud) so I'm maybe not the most reliable critic, but it's just not peak storytelling, okay?

Yunbing is 80% made TF up (headcanon ships are the best ships) because in the movies they hate each other, like TRUE hate, not gay hate. I'm talking GENERATIONAL hating.

If you ignore canon, though, (my favourite thing to do), you are left with Yunbing, which is honestly really fucking yummy.

Here's a quick overview of the background and dynamic of the ship/movie/characters without spoiling the plot of the movie.

The main character of the movie is called Li Yunxiang (remember that Ne Zha's dad is Li Jing, so technically his full name is Li Nezha prior to him fucking himself up via sashimi-ing his flesh from his bones).

Li Yunxiang is the reincarnation of Ne Zha in a modern setting in the fictional East Sea City (Donghai City). He doesn't know or remember being Ne Zha. He works as a deliveryman I think, or a smuggler or something low-paying and dangerous I think.

In East Sea City, water is in shortage due to the Dragon Clan (now a rich family business) hoarding it. The third son of this Dragon Clan (his name is De San) is, you guessed it, the reincarnated Ao Bing.

Actually I'm not sure if he's reincarnated or if he's just been here the whole time hating.

De San, unlike our polite nice Ao Bing from Ne Zha 2019/2025, or the terrified victim Ao Bing from Shangmei, is a huge bitch. He's also a girlfailure. He's not some mass-murdering psychopath, but he's a spoiled rich brat who lives and breathes capitalism and privilege.

Look at his stupid face. Isn't he punchable? No, despite the blonde hair, the director has confirmed he isn't mixed or foreign, he's just an idiot who bleached his hair.

He was supposed to be some sort of dominant playboy daddy character but the entire nation of China just immediately saw the potential for girlfailure brat bottom and I guess that's where my brain went too.

After Ne Zha pulled his tendons out, his dad paid some SERIOUS money to make him a mechanical tendon. Let me tell you I don't know why but this shot of his metal spine is SO fucking sexy

Sorry for thirsting on main, IDK what it is but it's getting to me.

De San still wants revenge on Ne Zha for pulling his fucking tendons out so he spends like 10000 hours trying his very best to kick Li Yunxiang's (confused) ass and never manages to get there, it's so funny.

See, the main reason this ship is so delicious is the dynamic, not their interactions because this is ACTUAL hate, I'm talking they'd kill each other in an instant with NO hesitation. The sexual tension is through the roof. Okay, they're both straight, but you DON'T HAVE TO BELIEVE IN THAT DOCTRINE.

Mild spoiler alert!

There's a scene in which Li Yunxiang gets one over De San by making him crash his car. As De San goes flying out of the car in intense pain, he glances over at Yunxiang, who's looking back at him.

Instead of giving him a middle finger or a thumbs down, Yunxiang fucking gives him a finger heart. IK it's supposed to be mocking but it's so funny, especially the BLATANT rage on De San's face afterwards.

The appeal of this ship is just the hate sex. This is a ship 100% meant for gooners, if you'd prefer sweet vanilla hand-holding and blushing you probably want to go back to regular Oubing.

Why does De San have such pillow princess potential? First of all, look at him. What the fuck is that waist to shoulder to leg ratio?

Second, in the Cantonese dub, he calls his father (Ao Guang) "daddy" (in English btw). Sorry, what? You are a twenty-something year old fully grown man. It is fairly common for rich Cantonese people to call their father daddy (according to my rich Cantonese friend) but it's a little much.

Third, he's such a failure it's hilarious. Spoiler alert: there's a whole scene in which his father calls him a failure and he's like "wait what". He's kind of dumb and pathetic despite being arrogant and proud.

Very princess-like. Chinese version of Drarry, basically. They also both really like cars! TBH if they weren't Ao Bing and Ne Zha's reincarnations they'd probably be really good friends.

Generations of hating each other is such gay behaviour, WHY is that other man on your mind over thousands of years??

Some of the popular headcanons for Yunbing:

Yunxiang calls De San "third princess" or "princess" because he's such a... princess

In the middle of like, fistfighting each other they somehow transition to having sex without knowing how

De San slaps Yunxiang in the face and he's like "on the other side too"

"Only I can be the one to kill him, fuck off!" *surprised look* "No that's not what I meant-"

Inappropriate usage of the metal spine (which is probably more sensitive and delicate...?)

I recommend, if you're looking for Oubing content (of the decidedly not workplace friendly variety) and if you like ENEMIES to lovers (emphasis on the enemies part) that you go through the AO3 Yunbing tag (云冰, I'll link the AO3 tag here directly).

If you want recs please ask me, I am so passionate about all three iterations of Oubing.

To quote a XHS user:

Oubing: Pure love

Shangmei Oubing: Pure fear

Yunbing: Pure hate

[sapphiresandferrari]

Sweet encounters

Pairing: Eddie Munson x oc!reader

Summary: Eddie meets the new student, and he inevitably falls for her

Warnings: none, pure fluff and slightly simp Eddie

A/N: hi, I finally wrote a new fic, about Eddie Munson this time.

I hope you will like it and, as always, comments, likes and reblogs are highly appreciated, let me know your thoughts, please, it helps me improve

Also English is not my first language, so I'm sorry if I made some mistakes or typos

Enjoy 🫶🏻

Eddie hated early mornings, he absolutely hated them.

The only occasions he woke up early without a groan and a big instinct to kill the first person in front of him, were when he had to drive to go to a concert or to shop for new records and band shirts.

Other than that, he utterly disliked waking up early, his brain doesn’t start to function until 11 am.

However, this year Eddie was focused and determined: he wanted to graduate, so he could finally leave this town for good and try to make it to the music scene.

He knew his band was good enough to make it, sure they need way more practice, and definitely a bigger crowd than the 5 drunks at the Hideout, but they could make it, he knew it in his bones.

In order to graduate tho, he had to put lots of effort this year, so that means waking up on time and actually show up for classes even if they were boring, do all the assignments (possibly on time too) and most importantly, try to get at least all D.

That's why every morning he woke up with a living will up to 0 but he was stubborn: he wanted to graduate and he will.

After drinking the biggest cup if coffee known to mankind, he hopped on his van and drove to school.

He checked his schedule and headed to the chemistry lab.

He arrived surprisingly early, so he could sit alone and doodle in peace, until he heard the chair beside him moving.

He turned his head and saw a girl, curly hair, all pink and laces, never seen before, she looked at him, her eyes wide, scared "is this seat taken? Can i sit here?".

He couldn't belive his ears, was she aware of his reputation? Did she know anything, honestly?

He couldn't tell, so he simply told her that yes, the seat was free and she could stay there, turning back to his doodles.

"Oh thank you, I'm new you know? Ao i don't know anyone and everyone here seems to be pretty close to each other and i saw you alone so i thought i could sit here but then I thought it was better to ask cause what if you were waiting for someone, and...maybe is better if i shut up"

Jeez she talked a lot, but Eddie found it somehow cute, she looked like a lost kitty, he didn't know if he should try to be friendly or keep staying silent and let her go.

She didn't seem to have things in common with him so he didn't see the point into trying to be friends, but she also looked scared and he could help her, at least at the beginning.

"Hey calm down, is fine, i wasn't waiting for anyone, the seat is all yours", she nodded at his words but he could see in her eyes that she was worried, on edge.

He felt bad for her, maybe he sounded too harsh than he wanted to, the poor thing was already scared to death, he definitely didn't make it better

He decided to try again "so first day...you must be nervous" she looked at him, breathing heavy "I'm more than nervous, I'm terrified, i was actually excited to start school even if I don't know anyone here, and yes, Hawkins isn't Chicago, but i thought maybe i could make some new friends but then as soon as i entered school everyone looked at me like i have three heads and...I'm rambling again, I'm sorry, I talk a lot when I'm nervous...but also when I'm not nervous...to be honest i just talk a lot, 'm sorry"

Eddie definitely never met someone like her, she was the cutest thing he even seen.

He smiled, she was so different from the other girls in Hawkins, he wondered if they had anything in common "is okay really, i get it, i moved to Hawkins too, few years ago, so i know how you're feeling, I'mEddie by the way" he could see her eyes glowing at his words, her breath steadying "yeah being the new student sucks, but it seems i already made a friend, I'm y/n, nice to meet you Eddie" she smiled back at him, before focusing on Mr Ripley, ready to start his chemistry lesson.

Eddie didn't see her for the rest of the day after first period, so he couldn't wait to see her during lunch break, he hoped to spot her so he could invite her to his table

She didn't show up at the cafeteria, leaving him disappointed, wondering where she was.

He met her again for Mrs O'donnell class, during last period, she was sit alone writing on her notebook.

Eddie immediately sat besides her, he couldn't believe that they were together for this class.

"Hi, i didn't see you all day, you disappeared or something?" She jumped when she heard his voice "oh hiiii, I'm so happy to see you again, I was hoping we could share more classes together but i didn't see you in history and spanish, oh and then i got lost on my way to the cafeteria and ended up in the library so i ate there instead while i read my book" Eddie laughed, her excitement over literally everything made his heart flutter "sweetie i'm sorry you got lost and I'm sorry i couldn't help you, did you ask anyone for help?" Hearing this, her smile faded a little "i did actually, i met a small group and asked them where the cafeteria was, but the indications they gave me were for the library"

Eddie couldn't believe it, it was her first day, why were they this mean with her already? He can't wait to graduate and stop seeing these jocks faces again "oh sweetheart, those are idiots, gimme your schedule, i will walk you to every classes from now on"

Y/N tried to tell him it wasn't necessary but he didn't want to listen to it, he decided in that moment that he wanted to protect her, no matter what.

And Eddie kept his words, he would walk her to every class the next morning and for lunch he straightly led her to his table.

He couldn't wait to introduce her to the hellfire and maybe, if he was lucky, she would want to know more about DnD.

But his sweet, sweet Y/N surprised him once more: turned out that not only she knew DnD, but she used to play with her friends back in Chicago, she had a character of high class and level.

"I'm so excited that you guys play too, i was worried i had to stop playing but I'm so happy i found you, can i join the next session? If you're okay with that of course, i don't want to intrude, you know...if you're already far along on your campaign" everyone at the table started shouting "if we are okay? You must join us, our fair maid, is been a while since a cutie like you joined us and to be fair, I'm tired of always do the female voices" Gareth reassured Y/N and Eddie didn't like his flirty tone.

He knew he just wanted to make her feel comfortable, and he also knew that if he told him about his interest for y/n, Gareth would back off immediately, but Eddie still couldn't help but feel jealous at their small interaction.

He quickly noticed how she nice she was to everyone, so he wasn't surprised that she got along with the Hellfire club as soon as she sat down on their table.

"I really can't wait for you to join our sadistic campaign, but I'm afraid we might have to postpone this Friday, the drama club needs the room, so I will keep you posted on this guys, milady" Eddie informed his little sheep

"Oh well if you have an issue with that, we might do the session at my place, both my parents work the night shift so is just me and Pluto at home" Eddie grinned at her words "Aw sweetie, that's nice of you to offer you castle for our session, and Pluto? You named your dog after Mickey's dog?"

"Dog? Pluto isn't a dog, is my black cat, I named him after the Poe's short story, especially since my baby is also missing one eye, like in the story"

"That's sick baby, you have a one eyed cat? And I didn't think you liked Poe, I thought you were more of a Austen girl"

Y/N giggled, she was totally expecting this reaction "yes Austen is amazing but I love Poe's work a lot, I try to not stick to one genre only but to keep my books collection varied, currently I'm reading Salem's lot and The hobbit"

"The hobbit? Girl, please, you have to stop, or I'll fall for you more than I'm already doing"

Y/N blushed, she wasn't used to men flirting with her, and whenever it happened, she just got embarrassed and they gave up in the end, but Eddie seemed to be obsessed with her since they met and she couldn't help but wonder if he was actually interested or if he was having pity of the new girl.

Either way y/n couldn't believe she found new friends so early and that also played DnD, she was so excited.

Friday evening couldn't come sooner, y/m spent the afternoon baking brownies amd cookies, she wanted to make them feel comfortable and what's better than something sweet to fuel the brain?

Besides all these boys definitely were hungry.

Eddie's mouth watered at the sight, he doesn't remember the last time he ate something sweet that weren't candies or chocolate bars, and definitely didn't remember the last time he ate something homemade.

The session went incredibly well, they all had fun and y/n was a big addiction to Eddie's club, he felt truly happy after a long time.

He finally found a girl who wasn't afraid to be herself, and mostly, that seemed to like him a lot and wasn't afraid to show it.

He couldn't wait more, he needed to tell her that he liked her back, he needed to show her how much.

That's why he stayed after the session, he said he wanted to help her clean everything, when he actually wanted to be alone with her.

"So, how did you find everything? I hope you will join us for the next session" Eddie asked her while he was taking the plates away

"Oh, I thought I was part of the club already, of course I will join you for the next session, I had so much fun, you're an amazing dungeon master, Eddie the banished" and with that Eddie couldn't help himself anymore "do you want to go on a date with me? Tomorrow or whenever you want?" He blurted out, he planned to ask her in a smoother way but he genuinely couldn't wait anymore

Y/N blushed at the question, she thought he would never ask, and she answered with way too much eagerness "oh yes, I would love to, we could go to the drive in or the movies or the arcade, whatever you want really, I like everything and I know I will have fun because I love spending time with you, sorry I didn't mean love I meant like, yes I like..."

Eddie loved listening to her rambling, she was so cute when she was nervous like this, so he decided to put her out of her misery and simply do what he thought was the best way to calm her nerves: he leaned and gently pressed his lips on hers.

When they separate, y/n whispered "you kissed me" still in shock "yeah, sorry maybe I should've ask is you were okay with that or wait for our first date" Eddie replied

Hearing this, y/n chuckled and kissed him again, this time with more confidence, and in that moment, Eddie understood that she wasn't planning to go anywhere, and neither did he.

[im-a-ramblr]

Some random thoughts on Nezha 2.

I might post a more comprehensive review/piece later. Putting it under read more

Love how literally no one reacted to Nezha jumping his teacher, shaking him down and demanding he find a solution.

Nezha still just wants to play and be a kid. The townspeople's reactions to him asking were heartbreaking. His parents stepping up was sweet, though I will admit I spent the whole time going 'guys you are on a time limit'

The solution to the dual souls in control of a body cracked me up.

I loved Xiaobao, and it broke my heart that he died. I also just loved all the emphasis put on the relationship between older and younger brothers

Ao Bing trying to reassure Nezha went he was about to meet his brothers was sweet but also cringy. Like please, never try to give a pep talk again.

Nezha just, casually takes out the pills and downs them on his second trial and Deero (which is.... a choice. Can I please get his actual name? I've seen Lu Tong, but I'm not sure if that's right.) didn't notice?

The sheer grief and rage Nezha felt at learning his parents and his family were dead was heartbreaking.

The mirror scene was pretty funny. As was Taiyi trying to cover for Nezha's obvious demon aura.

Ao Guang's complete and total focus on Ao Bing being safe was very sweet. Even if it led to him making horrible decisions.

Ao Bing and Nezha care about each other so much, it makes me feel a lot of things. Like, Nezha didn't even hesitate to body share with Ao Bing, to let him fully possess him. Ao Bing had to be locked up to keep himself from chasing after Nezha, even if going killed him. He was hurt by Nezha's reaction to learning the dragons attacked, but he never blamed him or made excuses.

Nezha 1V1 Ao Guang was incredible.

Love how much of a role the water demon from the first movie played. Like, good for him.

The scene where the boys took on the uncles was great. 100/10, no notes. Just two powerful toddlers having fun while fighting.

Lady Yin's death made me cry for real. I have no idea if they can bring her back after everything but I hope they can. If they can't then... okay this might sound weird, but I hope they treat the pill she became like it's a pearl and make either a necklace or bracelet with it. So that no one can ever try and use it.

Nezha literally ripping his soul and body from each other and reforging in the cauldron was awesome. But uhh, Nezha seems to have a lot of conflicting feelings about being the demon pill. He swings between being fine, insecure about it, hating to, to embracing it.

What was the pillar they knocked down at the end of the final fight? If it was explained I missed it. (Edit: Got confirmation it was the as of now unnamed Ruyi Jingu Bang, I had a hunch it was. I just also missed it getting all the gunk scrubbed off it)

Love that after the final battle, the boys are scuffed up. Ao Bing has a cut on his cheek, Nezha has dirt/ash on his face. It was a nice touch.

We don't talk about the mid-credit scene enough. It was amazing. I was so scared at first, thinking Wuliang was going to put a spell on Jinzha and Muzha, but he couldn't because he straight up couldn't get out of the cell.

Deero and Crana get some points for enjoying beating him up. I hope they stay trapped in there, just ragging on him 'trying to get a match' for a long long time.

Also the way Muzha walked in the ending scene. Bud, what were you doing?

[emelinstriker]

{Eternal Servants AU} Ao Lie ♡ Adoration

Art drawn by me + the AU itself is mine.

Took way longer than the previous ones cuz my brain did not wanna stick to tryna finish this until recently fhgndfghnfhgd

[TL;DR] A dragon joins the team.

♡ ~ Fluff ~ ♡

A man in a green robe groggily woke up. He raised his head slightly from his position on the floor to take in his surroundings. He was in between two rows of large wooden shelves. There was text in bold reading "Interdimensional Geographics" on either side.

Was he... in a library? But why? Did he fall asleep while reading a book?

He sat up, groaning a bit as he held the back of his neck in pain, before he glanced at one row of bookshelves in confusion. He did hear talking coming from somewhere past all the bookshelves, but he was unsure whether or not he could trust those voices. He also wasn't sure why his neck was throbbing in pain. Given the way we was lying on the floor, he brushed it off as simply pain from his previous position.

While trying to stand up, he noticed a little note on the floor. All it had written on it was: "Find Master."

Raising an eyebrow at it, the man in green picked it up, turning the piece of paper and verifying that those were the only words written on it. Weird. He couldn't remember writing that down. Actually, now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember much in general. And it all just confused him even more, making him feel a slight bit of panic at his lack of memory.

The man in green had to think about what he did manage to recollect... He had more than one name, but he could only recall being called Ao Lie. He remembered traveling with what he believed were his friends, although he could only specifically remember a monkey's face from that group... Besides that, he could only faintly remember two people talking in a language he did not understand, followed up by a crow's caw. Every other memory seemed to have been pushed aside or blurred.

And assuming he wrote that note to himself... who was this supposed 'Master' to him if he had no recollection of them? Was he their disciple? Either way, since he had no idea on what else to do, he decided to try find this supposed 'Master'. Maybe they knew why he had been knocked out in the library.

Suddenly, Ao Lie had the urge to rush towards the voices he heard earlier. It was like some strong pull when he felt some form of internal panic. He didn't know why. He clearly wasn't in any danger, after all. But it felt like someone else was. Someone important to him. He dropped the note and decided to hesitantly answer to the call, moving around the many bookshelves. However, this sudden feeling of urgency left him as quickly as it came... But why?

Upon turning at another bookshelf, he stopped.

While he did take notice of the tall lion and the man on wheels, his eyes were mostly focused on the person who had their back turned to him, with a tiny black silhouette of a blob on their shoulder.

Mink already took notice of Ao Lie in return, letting out a groan. "You can't be fucking serious."

You hummed in confusion at the curse's comment. "What's wrong, Mink?"

Then your two other champions took note of this green stranger. Nezha was quick to take on a more defensive position behind you, his fire-tipped spear at the ready. Azure on the other hand simply looked intrigued by this guy across from them. Because the first thing he noticed were his void-black eyes. The exact same ones all of your champions had...

After realizing they were all looking behind you, you turned around to see the man with the long, white hair. You didn't recognize him at all since you've never seen him in the palace before. But he did seem to recognize you. Or, well, at least your title.

He moved a bit closer to you and the others as Nezha kept his guard up. Just in case this was another Celestial Hunter pulling some illusion trick again. Once the white-haired man reached Nezha, who was pointing his fire-tipped spear at the newcomer's chest, he looked over to you, past your pink champion... and he kneeled.

"You... You must be my Master", Ao Lie stated more to himself than you, his voice sounding like he was in awe at your presence. He then lowered his head a bit in respect, which made some of his hair move from his back to his front.

Blinking in surprise, you awkwardly scratched your head. Nezha hummed, seemingly contemplating still poking Ao Lie with a bit of fire. After all, he couldn't be too sure about him being another Celestial Hunter or not. But before he could hold his spear closer to the white-haired man, you stopped him by gently tugging on his cape.

"He seems to be real. I don't think you need to check", you commented as you raised an eyebrow at him, knowing full well of his and MK's stabbing tendencies. Your pink champion reluctantly lowered his weapon and gave you a little bow, muttering out a "Yes, Master" behind his mask.

You then turned back towards your apparently new champion, who was still kneeling. "Uh... You may rise- Uh- Wait- What's your name? And how did you get here?" At your questions, the white-haired man happily stood up as he gestured with his hands... or rather sleeves, because both of his arms were fully covered by his green robe's long sleeves.

"My name is Ao Lie! And I, uh, honestly have no idea. I just... kind of woke up on the floor here a couple of minutes ago, hehe", he confessed awkwardly. You knew almost all of your champions also didn't know how they ended up in the palace, but this was the first time you encountered one just after his arrival yourself.

Azure finally decided to speak up as he examines the newcomer. "Ao Lie, if I may ask. Do you remember anything from before waking up?"

The man in green opened his mouth happily to answer him, but then he realized... Why could he barely remember anything?

You couldn't help but watch in sadness as his smile turned into a frown as he spoke. "I... Well, I remember that I'm from a family of dragons... I turned into a horse, though I can't remember why... Oh! And I was carrying a guy around as a horse while being accompanied by... I think friends?" His eyebrows furrowed as he tried  his hardest to remember his past. But much like the others, he only seemed to recall specific aspects of it.

And knowing how pointless it was for them to force out out some kind of memory, Azure sighed in disappointment. "That's enough, thank you. No need to try to force your way into any potential memories, it'll just give you a headache."

Nezha grinned beneath his mask as he leaned against his spear, holding back a chuckle. "Yeah, we've tried. Especially MK. I feel like that just made his memory even worse than it already was. He only keeps doing it because he keeps forgetting that he already tried forcing his memories back."

You gave him a confused and baffled look, to which the celestial simply shrugged in response. MK having the worst memory of them all wasn't new to you, but you didn't know about his attempts to force his memories back. Though in order to ease your worries by just a bit, Nezha added, "He's fine. It's just more of an endless cycle of that short-term memory he has to deal with. And him trying to forcefully remember things just adds to all his confusion." Your pink champion then waved his hand dismissively. It wasn't a big deal to MK after all, just a confusing point about his own lack of memory.

You grimaced a bit at him, not exactly trusting his sudden dismissal of the topic. However, you also didn't want to pry further, knowing about how well your champions could dance around concerning things happening in the palace. They did avoid talking in-depth about their brandmarks, and they did seem to hide many other secrets you were curious about. Such as blood stains on them when they hadn't been on any battle missions.

"Um.. Anyway. Ao Lie was it, right? I... Uh... I'm... assuming you're one of my champions..?" You said, hesitantly trailing off towards the end as you weren't sure how you would be able to confirm such a statement. Because void-black eyes weren't exactly an accurate way of confirmation. It merely meant they were infected.

Ao Lie tilted his head a bit in confusion. "Champion? Does that mean I have to fight in an arena?"

"I mean we don't have an arena, but-" "No, no, no- No fighting in an arena-" You quickly cut Nezha off before he could suggest anything brutal.

Mink, still boredly sitting on your shoulder as a tiny blob, decided that it'd be a good idea to torment-check the green newcomer. Just to take a jab at him and see how much he can take before breaking. Because judging by his current looks, he really did not look like he could be of any use to Mink. He snickered as he grinned at Ao Lie. "So, you're a dragon, right? How about a test of wits and strength? You know... Just to prove to our dear Master that you're actually worthy of even calling them your Master." You gave Mink a little bit of a baffled look, not knowing what he was planning. But he did weaponize your title a lot, even when you clearly disapproved.

The man in green perked up at your black champion's words. He seemed oddly excited about the idea of doing something to show off what he can do. "What do I have to do?"

However, before Mink could say anything that would end up in some catastrophe, you quickly used a finger to bonk his small ken-doll-looking form on the head. It didn't hurt him, but it did catch him off-guard. "Ah- What the- Hey-"

You glared at him, unamused. "Could you maybe like, not trick the others into doing evil or concerning deeds for like five minutes?"

The small ink demon huffed as he shoved your finger away from him. "Oh please. Your definitions of evil and concerning are so simple-mindedly black and white, it's pathetic. I would've actually suggested that he duels me in the scroll. Take it as more of a test of his strength."

It was indeed true that a duel in the scroll was more of a psychological test. If Ao Lie managed to beat the ink demon, he would most certainly be accepted by your other champions as one of their own. But perhaps it was too soon to- "Alright, I'm down! Let's do it! That sounds like fun!"

You grimaced at the dragon's eagerness to duel the ink demon curse. Azure seemed more surprised that the man in green would happily jump into battle without any knowledge or questions regarding Mink's powers. Meanwhile Nezha was rather amused at the offer. After all, if he could get a front row seat of seeing someone else having a shot at eliminating the inky pest, that'd be great.

"Okay, how about we don't have you beat up the new guy? He literally just got here", you quickly intervened as you stepped closer to the white-haired man. It was odd to you how the others had a little bit of white in their hair, except for this one. He seemed to have fully white hair. So perhaps it wasn't actually a signifier that labeled one your champion?

"Anyway, Ao Lie was it? If you don't have your memories right now, you could stay with us and we can try figure things out with the others", you offered as you held out your hand to shake his hand. The white-haired man gave you a puzzled look for a moment before reaching out with a smile, shaking your hand rather strongly. Though, his hand felt rather sharp...

"That's so nice of you! Thank you, Master!" He had barely just met you and it already seemed like calling you 'Master' came naturally to him. Which was surprising, considering that Nezha told you it took him and Azure at least a little while to get used to addressing their personally first Master as such. The others also seemed rather hesitant at first. Though, he couldn't talk for the two simians as they were the first ones to pledge their allegiance and servitude. And Mink just plainly refused to call you his Master, unless it was to sway the others.

Just to make sure the newcomer was actually unharmed upon arrival, you decided to have him visit the medical bay first. You didn't have the tools or knowledge to do a full check-up, but you asked him for permission to check if he had any of those black wounds the others had. And he did. Right on the back of his neck. He then realized that must've been why his neck had been hurting a bit since he woke up. He just thought he must've been unconscious at an uncomfortable angle for too long.

While Azure went looking for the others to tell them about the new champion, Nezha decided to stick around in case the newcomer tried anything. He knew you were safe with Mink, but he couldn't take any risks. Not when he didn't know the full capabilities of the man in green.

And as you were assessing Ao Lie's neck situation, the pink champion's sight landed on the table next to him. Something caught his attention. It was one of those zip-up bags with a familiar black substance inside. Apparently it hadn't been picked up by an Overseer yet. The Oracle must've been busy.

His gaze then turned back and locked onto the green champion, watching you hand him new clothes to try out later.

"Tell me or a servant if you need a different size or want something different in general, alright?" The celestial heard you tell the dragon, to which the man nodded happily.

However, something else that caught Nezha's attention were Ao Lie's hands. He only noticed the way they were somewhat sharp claws and practically fully black when he held onto the neatly folded clothes... His hands looked suspiciously similar to a certain crow's hands... The pink champion furrowed his eyebrows. He wasn't the only one who noticed as Mink crossed his arms, eyeing the white-haired man suspiciously.

You then turned towards Nezha, "Could you show him around, please? We would still need to figure out where he's gonna sleep, so just show him where everything necessary is." While it was technically a command, you couldn't help but make it sound like a gentle request. The celestial bowed his head before leading Ao Lie away, keeping an eye on him at all times.

Sighing, you rubbed your temple. So much was happening at the same time again. You also had to make sure the others were okay since there still were some Celestial Hunters they were disposing of.

"Hmpf. Are you done collecting immortals like trading cards now?" You heard Mink ask in annoyance as he still sat on your shoulder. Rolling your eyes at him, you gently bonked him with your finger again, making him whine once more.

"I don't even know how they end up like this in the first place, Mink. For all we know, the servants could have been going through a trial before ending up here-" "They didn't. None of us did", Mink said with a slight hint of annoyance, cutting you off. You raised an eyebrow at him in response.

The ink demon looked you dead in the eye. "Be happy they don't remember the infection process. Or you would have a bunch of immortals traumatized at the feeling of their body having been altered to a point of no return." He crossed his arms before adding, "And be happy I can't feel pain. Or I wouldn't be on 'friendly terms' with either one of you."

"What are you talking about?"

He was about to add to his rant, but then stopped himself. "...Ugh, nevermind." You already knew he was hiding a lot from you, but his responses just gave you more questions than answers. However, you knew better than to try get more out of him, considering he would just end up toying with you, dangling the answers in front of you, yet still too far out of your reach.

But for now you had to deal with your new champion.

Perhaps asking Mink another time would be more appropriate.

[ Masterlist ]

[whatsacrush]

I always see people talking about the bi/pan/otherwise mspec to aspec pipeline, but can we talk about the:

to aspec pipeline

I haven’t felt this seen since Georgia Warr basically confirmed she’s aegosexual

Image description: a zoomed in picture of a page from I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman. The passage reads

“'So ... wait ... you're gay, or ...?' he asks.

I laugh. He couldn't even keep up with what I was saying.

'Well, no, I say, even though I probably would go out with a girl, but I don't really ever get crushes on anyone, so I just don't know what I am right now, to be honest. 'I'm just saying there's”

[starship21zedna9]

The thing about Spock is that HE'S ALLOWED TO FALL IN LOVE WITH WOMEN!!!

Strange New Worlds has in NO WAY turned Spock into a womanizer and I can't believe I had to read that with my own two eyeballs.

First of all, Spock has had two love interests. TWO. And neither of them have been flings or one night stands or meaningless. For Surak's sake, that hardly makes him a womanizer.

Second of all, bisexuality and pansexuality are things. This is a prequel. He is still going to love Kirk (and Bones) eventually. His relationships with T'Pring or Chapel do not take away from that.

Let's start with T'Pring. If you want to be mad that they totally changed their relationship from what it was in Amok Time then I get that. They absolutely went against canon with them. Totally fair to be annoyed by that. For me, Trek contradicts itself all the time. I just kind of roll with it unless it's something very important and to me, T'Pring and Spock's relationship is not very important. They keep giving him secret siblings so I can live with his relationship with T'Pring being different.

I think exploring Spock's relationship with a fellow Vulcan who loves him enough to propose to him is interesting. More interesting than an arranged wife he's had since childhood and hasn't seen since.

It's just another way to explore his human vs. vulcan side. He could easily stay on Vulcan, work for the Science Academy, marry T'Pring and have little Vulcans. She loves him and she goes out of her way to try and understand his human side and meet him halfway. It would be easy for him. But, he feels the pull of something else. His life is with Starfleet. He can't let go of that. As much as he chooses to embrace his Vulcan half and wants to be the most Vulcan he can be, he can't. And he struggles with that and often considers it a failing.

I think he cares for her and perhaps thought he was in love with her but it wasn't until he began letting himself feel his emotions that he's realized that he's not.

Now, onto Chapel. I already made a post about how I don't think having them be canon necessarily goes against their dynamic in TOS so I won't get into that.

The show took the time and the steps to build this relationship up. Maybe not as much time as they could have but with 10 episodes a season, what could they do unless they made the show all Spapel all the time.

She flirted with him right away and he didn't even register it until Uhura pointed it out. Chapel reached out to him as a friend, giving him relationship advice. Advice which he followed and even though that went sideways, he felt comfortable enough to seek her out again for the same thing.

Their first kiss was a ruse but they both felt something. Still, it wasn't until Spock let his emotions loose in episode 9 that he really started to fall for her. She helped him through that. She told him he wasn't weak for feeling. She held him through his storm of emotions.

And after Broken Circle, he tried to suppress them again. In Charades, when he became fully human, those emotions were going to come free again. And then he decided to try. He wanted to feel and try embracing his human side. He wanted to give into his feelings for Chapel and be with her.

And he was enjoying it until he was promptly dumped, lol. I don't know what happens to him and his relationships from here (well, in the long run I do but not in the time frame of SNW) but I would imagine he tries to put his feelings away again and screw embracing his human side because trying that ended up hurting him. At least in terms of romance.

Anyway, Spock was never canonically gay. He can be interpreted that way, sure. But, it's not against canon or 'forcing Spock to be straight' to have him love a woman.

Again, it's two. Two whole woman who he has complicated feelings for. He's not a womanizer. The show is just exploring a new side to him.

And one note on AOS, because that's been argued to death for over a decade now. I'll just say that Spirk didn't suck in AOS because Spock was with Uhura. It sucked because the filmmakers decided to give them an antagonistic relationship. At least until Beyond where they spent most of the movie apart.

Let. Spock. Love. Women.

[buniibloom]

time will go by (ao bing x reader)

inspired by this tiktok / crossposted on ao3

content warnings: female reader, switches between third pov (ao bing's) and second pov (yours), time travel events, mild angst/hurt and comfort, implied oubing (ao bing implied to have feelings for nezha), memory loss, reader's personality is similar to nezha, mild spoilers for nezha 2, mild suggestive content

author's notes: nezha and bingbing coping without the other by finding a partner who is an exact copy (personality wise)

Ao Bing remembers someone.

It's hard to put an exact face to him, and if you asked him for a name, he can't answer. It's difficult, trying to remember, but he knows that he's real. The person from a distant memory. The warmth that starts in his chest and spreads at the distant laugh, a distant smile.

He tells his daughter stories, of him. The stranger from his memories. The boy he swears he once knew, someone he swears once existed.

“We used to play jianzi,” he would say, a distant look in his eyes. “And he used to bite me. A lot.”

“Papa,” his sweet girl would say. “I bite you all the time too!”

And he would smile, gentle and affectionate, and pinch her chin affectionately.

“You do,” he would say. “You would've liked him.”

“If he existed,” she would correct, and Ao Bing would, yet again, sigh.

“If he existed,” he agrees.

***

His first memory of this world is your face.

He remembers waking up. The blinding sunlight makes his eyes hurt―he flinches, a sleeve covering his hand as he lays on the cold dirt. The scent of wet grass hits him. He realizes with vague clarity that it's been raining, the dirt moist against his fingertips, and a faint drizzle that cools his warm cheeks and sticks his robes onto his body.

It'll be a pain to clean from his hair, he realizes as he forces himself up. And oh, look. His new robes are dirty, the white fabric soiled with the grass stains and….

He squints.

Is that blood? He asks himself, holding his sleeve to what little light is visible from the sun, hidden behind angry, grey clouds. Why would there be blood on my―

“Hey.”

The faint drizzle ceases. Ao Bing lowers his arm, following the shadow that suddenly crosses him.

It's a parasol, faint pink and covered in strange patterns he's not sure he can decipher. Someone is holding it (obviously), and he follows the wrist connected to an arm, and that arm to a shoulder, higher and higher, until his gaze meets yours.

The other thing, Ao Bing was amused to admit, is that your smile felt familiar. As if he should have known, should have been able to put a finger to the way your lips curved and a dimple appears on one cheek, the gleam in your eyes that feels familiar.

Where have I seen you before?

“You lost, big guy?” Your voice cuts through the confusion that clouds his mind. “Listen, guy. I know I'm amazingly beautiful, but you barely know my name. Though if you ask….”

You trail off, or maybe Ao Bing loses focus. It's hard to pinpoint when there's a sudden pain in his head, a sharp, stabbing sensation that makes him flinch, two cold fingers pressed into his temple. He's acutely aware of the fact his fingers are digging into the soil (gross), and his body aches with a phantom pain he can't quite put a finger on.

Something wet seeps through his robes. It takes a second to realize it's blood (oh dear), and it's so red, and so much. Is he meant to be bleeding that much? It's a lot….

“Are you bleeding?” Ao Bing doesn't point out that your question is not helping. “Jesus― fuck. Um. Don't die―”

Yes, because I can control that apparently.

“I heard that.” Oh. “Come on, big guy. Gotta get you back….”

Someone, he assumes it's you, is wrapping their arms around him, and he's pulled to his feet. His head spins, or maybe the world spins, and he just can not keep track of heads or trails of his situation.

The last thing he hears, briefly, is a flurry of curses that escapes your mouth. He doesn't find the time to tell you cursing is improper, especially for a young lady.

When he wakes up again, he's lying on a cozy bed. There's no gentle pitter-patter of raindrops falling against his skin, unfortunately, but there is the gentle warmth of a fire that relaxes the ache in his joints for a moment or two, and a soft bed, he prefers, over the feeling of solid ground against his back.

He still flinches, though, at the blinding light that is again, the first thing he sees. It takes a moment to adjust, his eyes watering from the faint smoke that curls in spirals around the room. As he sits, he notices the red checkered blanket that falls onto his lap, and a fireplace where he finds himself lying.

It's…quite homely, he realizes. Not familiar, but also reminiscent of a memory he can't place.

As he stares and ogles (shameless, he knows), he fails to notice when the door to the room opens, and the click-clacking of heels echoes through the room. It's not until your hand, so warm, is pressed against his forehead, and your frowning face appears in his sights, that he snaps his gaze away from the seashells he recognizes on top of your fireplace to you.

“You're alive,” you grumbled, shoving him back against the futon. He complies, surprisingly, becoming obediently still as you tuck him back under the covers.

Of course, he only chooses to obey because of the faint pain wracking through his body. Oh, right. I'm injured.

“You saved me,” he says. Not a question, and not much of a remark, but more of a factual statement. Who else had saved him if not you, the stranger with an attitude that feels familiar? “Thank you.”

“Mnh.” His eyes are glued to your back as you stand. First, to the fireplace, adding another log and poking at the ashes. Then, to the opposite side, where a table is, he finally notices. You hold what seem to be a glass bottle biege in color, and a metal spoon.

Ao Bing internally grimaces.

“Well. Last thing I need right now is for someone to think I committed a murder.” You sit on the edge of the futon, bottle and spoon tucked away while helping him into a more comfortable position. Additional pillows are propped behind his back, of which he finds comfortable enough to try and relax against. “Open up, pretty boy.”

He stares at the spoon, filled with a strange liquid that resembles mucus.

“I must decline,” he says politely.

You raise a brow, that familiar glint in your eyes. “Oh, but I must insist,” you say, your tone riddled with amusement that feels like mockery. “For if you don't take this medicine, you'll probably die.”

He thinks through his options, then nods. “I will die with dignity, then.”

Your eye twitches at his tone. Ao Bing hopes it is from irritation―he doesn't know why, but he thinks your reaction would be much more funnier, somehow.

And of course, you don't seem to care. You're grabbing the front of his lapels, shoving that metal spoon with mucus liquid down his throat, and ugh, it tastes just as he expects it would. Disgusting.

How he manages to keep a straight face is nothing short of a mystery.

He turns to glare at you in an attempt to express his displeasure, naturally, but you're smiling, looking as pleased as a plum, and how can he bring himself to glare when it feels so familiar?

“So, pretty boy,” you say while standing to cover that started mucus medicine. “Do you have a name?”

What a silly question. “Ao Bing.”

You snort at him. Or, more specifically, at his sarcastic tone. “Alright, relax tough guy. No need to be hostile.” You spare him a glance. “I'm (Name).”

He repeats your name, once. It rolls of his tongue pleasantly, and he almost wants to repeat it. Perhaps if he says it enough time, he would be able to remember that thing at the back of his mind, a soft droning voice that he knows he should remember properly, that he knows he ought to listen too.

But thinking too hard makes his head ache. He stops, rubbing his temples as you re-approach him, this time with a silver tray. Hopefully, it's not anything that tastes or resembles mucus.

(It isn't, thank the heavens.)

“Ao Bing,” you repeat, setting the tray on his lap. “So, pretty boy―” Again with the nickname. “Why the hell were you lying on the ground? Especially in this weather?”

Ao Bing shrugs.

“Alright.” You nudge his cheek with another spoon. It's soup (thank the heavens, again), so he has no problem opening his mouth this time to take a mouthful. It tastes better too. And he finds himself staring at the spoon and your hand. “Then do you know why you were injured?”

This time, he glances at himself, noticing the white linen cloth wrapped around his mid-section, and a loose white robe covering his body. He picks at the cloth out of habit, frowning.

He was in a fight. He knows he was in a fight, because how else could he have gotten this injured?

….

But he can't remember why. It was important, that he knew. He was fighting for someone dear to him, wasn't he? To protect someone else? For…for his…family? Friends?

Ao Bing shakes his head in silent response to you. “I don't remember.”

He sees you frown, your brows furrowing, and your lips parted. You must've wanted to say something, but just like that, you falter and shake your head.

“Finish your food,” you say, holding another mouthful of soup to his lips. “Then rest.”

***

You had no idea what you were doing.

No, really. The one time you chose to leave your cabin for some groceries, you just had to run into some gorgeous stranger lying on the ground like he was some love interest from those weird shoujo manga you used to read. And of course, because your luck was utter shit, the guy was also injured.

Fuck, fuck fuckity fuck fuck. You run your hands through your hair, pacing the room back and forth, over and over.

The guy, er, Ao Bing, was fine. Ish. When you half-dragged, half-carried him back to your little cottage on the seaside, and stripped him from his heavy ass robes, you discovered the source of the bloodstains. The wounds though, weren't severe enough that you'd need to waste your time calling an ambulance, so you used what medical knowledge you knew from your dear old dad, wrapped him up and then prayed that he wouldn't die in your hands.

And he didn't, hallejuah. The gods listened to your prayers for once.

“I don't remember.”

To a degree, anyway. Because now, instead of getting rid of him once he felt better, you had to keep him around. If you didn't, you'd feel awful knowing you kicked some guy with no memory and possibly no family out on the streets.

“Maybe he's from a rich family?” Your dad comments from his end on your call, his voice light and warm. You can see him in the middle of cooking, stirring a pot of some awful concunction he came up with. “Have you looked for any missing person posters?”

You shake your head. Though you swear you didn't mean to stare, closer inspection of your “pretty boy” had you admiring how soft and delicate his skin is compared yours. He clearly had never worked a day in his life.

Also, the hair….you'd be better off believing the ghost in your wardrobe exists than that light blue color being that guy's natural hair.

“Checked. No one's missing their delicate little flower,” you comment, leaning against the armchair with a groan. “Ugh. Now what do I do? He's got no memory of anything.”

“Then why don't you just keep him?” Your dad, bless his soul, ignores your glare. He's probably too preoccupied with also ignoring the fire that blazes on the stove behind him. In about a few seconds, you know that your brothers will come rushing in, and another meal will end in disaster because your dad persists on trying to burn the house down.

And he still has the audacity to wonder why you're an arsonist.

“You can use the company,” he continues on. “And he seems like a decent fellow. He's nice―”

“We've barely spoken much.”

“―he's pretty―”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“―and I'm sure he'll appreciate you helping him.” He gives you a look. “Your kindness won't go to waste. And even if it does, it's better to waste your kindness than to show none at all, right?”

You shrug. “We'll see then. Good night, Dad. And your pot’s on fire.”

“Oh.”

***

Ao Bing recovers exceptionally fast. It takes at least a week, and by then, he’s restless. You can't count the number of times you've had to run after him trying to escape through your backdoor, itching to explore.

It worsens when he discovers you live near a sea. You have to promise him you'll take him yourself once you're certain he no longer needs to wear bandages.

It's like watching a child. Ao Bing runs through the sand, looking ridiculous in the clothing you lent him, and he tries to walk too far into the sea. You have to pull him back by the collar, pleading with him not to kill himself and worsen your reputation with the police.

“I like the sea,” he says to you, staring out the window that overlooks the beach. “It feels familiar to me. Like it's where I belong.”

You munch on a sandwich. “Did you grow up near it, then?”

He shakes his head, a finger tracing the rim of his porcelain teacup. There's a distant look to his eyes as he stares at the waves crashing on the sandy seashore, the scent of sea-salt that had grown on you, and the familiarity of the murky clouds always lurking in the distance.

He still doesn't remember.

He's trying, believe him, he's trying. There's a gnawing ache in his heart, a yearning for someone. Something.

Sometimes, he'll dream of faces ― a rough voice that stutters, a scary face that gentles when they see him. An angry, chubby face screaming his name.

“Maybe because you're my only friend?”

He glances at you, still chewing on something, sandwiches finished. If he looks hard enough, he'd notice it's a piece of fruit, a strawberry maybe, and you're snarfing them down like you haven't had a meal in forever, juices dripping down your chin and dribbling on your fingers.

It's cute, and he smiles slightly when you choke and stop to take a breather. You're cute, and Ao Bing has to look away as he recalls what little you had told him in the past week, a sorry attempt at keeping him from roaming off.

“I was too violent as a kid. People didn't like me much. But it's fine. I didn't need friends anyway.”

It's not fine to Ao Bing. Even one friend should be enough ― and he knows what he's saying! He has a friend too!

…

Well. Had a friend. He can't remember his face, but he remembers his voice, giggling and filled with mischief. He remembers that they used to play jianzi together, and there's still a faint scar from when he bit him on their first meeting.

Why had they met again? Oh, bother. He can't remember either.

“You're my friend,” he says to you, out loud, and he smiles faintly when you look at him, messy face and all. “Just so you know.”

“Oh.” You blink. Your eyes dart back and forth, at his face and gentle smile, and at your strawberry covered hands. “Um. Thank you?”

He chuckles and takes a sip of his tea, pretending not to notice your huffing at his amusement, especially at your expense.

However, a minute later, you clear your throat and respond ever so softly,

“You're…my only friend. Too…”

***

“You're my friend. Just so you know that.”

Um. What the flying flipping fuck!?

When had you ever heard those words? And, most importantly, why the fuck did they have such an affect on you!?

You didn't know what to think! Since he spoke those words, Ao Bing's been so, so weird. He's been smiling more, all pretty and delicate, and his cheeks are always so fucking red when he looks at you, and, and…

And what the fuck!?

You wanted to dig a hole and bury yourself in it. Maybe throw yourself into the sea and drown too. That would help the fire (not literally) burning through your fucking veins!!!

It's so stupid. This feeling in your chest is stupid.

He's just being nice, that's all. He's indebted to you, as one normally would in his situation. He's grateful you saved his life and gave him a home, so why else would he think to consider you his ‘friend’? He's only being polite.

So it doesn't matter if you genuinely feel the same, and you like that he's here, and you like that the loneliness that haunts you is no longer present because he's here, with you. He makes you feel less lonely, and you like that feeling….

But he's only being polite. You stare up at the ceiling, pretending the occasional firefly is a spark of flame. He's being nice because he has nowhere else to go. He doesn't actually mean it.

You sigh and turn on your side. It's pointless worrying, and it's even more pointless complaining. What's done is done anyway ― you can't hate Ao Bing for lying in an attempt to stay. The most important thing is that he's safe.

And lying in bed with you, his skin cold and soothing compared to yours. You almost want to snuggle into his chest, and you do, and his arms are wrapped around you.

So cold….wait …

Your eyes snap open, and in your hastiness to move, the back of your head knocks him on the chin. He yelps, and you yelp, and then you're pushing off the bed, falling flat on your back on the unwelcoming wooden floor.

The bedside lamp is flicked on. Ao Bing peers down at you ― there's bruising already on his delicate skin, and wisps of pale blue hair are falling from the ponytail you've tied for him. It frames his face perfectly, given him a welcoming appearance that makes your heart race.

“Are you alright?” He asks sweetly, offering you a hand. You're not aware you've accepted it until he's already pulled you up back on the bed, cold hands cupping your slowly burning face, angling your head to meet his gaze. “You fell pretty hard. I'm sorry, did I startle you?”

You gape. Why is he touching you, and why is he being so nice?

And most importantly, why the fuck was he on your bed!?

“Um….” You try to place your thoughts into words. “Bed. You're in my bed.”

Ao Bing looks down at your rumpled covers and nods. “Yes. Is that a problem? It's big enough, no? And you've complained about feeling warm so often, and my skin is cold, so I decided it would help you sleep better.”

You gulp. “You're in my bed.”

“Yes? Haven't we already established this?”

Sometimes you wonder if memory loss wasn't the only problem he had.

“Ao Bing. You're in my bed.” You squirm out of his hold, slapping his hands away. “Without an invitation might I add! You can't just. Fucking pull up on me like that! At least warn me!”

God. You had just cuddled into him. Your fucking reputation was ruined….wait. No one else speaks to him ― nevermind, it's probably safe for the time.

“But. You like me, don't you?” Ao Bing insists, his hands now neatly sitting on his lap instead of trying to touch you. “And normally, couples should share a bed.”

“We aren't a couple.”

“We aren't?”

“No!!” What the fuck is he yapping about!?

Ao Bing's mouth makes an ‘o’ shape. His delicately trimmed brows furrow, and he holds his chin as he thinks. You'd like nothing more than to flick his forehead, if only you weren't currently reeling from shock, surprise and trying your best not to pass out or beat him to death with a pillow.

He looks up at you again and smiles.

“I forgot. Miss (Name), will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

“...”

You beat him with the pillow then fainted right after.

***

Ao Bing wants to sulk.

He's spent weeks, weeks, looking through the books, magazines and even your laptop for advice and ideas. Weeks trying to discover what he should do, how he should express his fondness for you. In the back of his mind, there would've been someone he would've naturally gone too, a father figure or a friend, but thinking about it hurts his head (and heart), so he looks for other things.

But not only do you chase him with your pillow for half the night, but you reject him!

Well, not really….but “marriage is too early for a relationship like this” does count as a rejection.

And it makes him so unhappy, because being around you makes him forget that he yearns for people he can't recall. Being around you makes him forget the fact he might possibly be without friend or family, with no one else but a stranger who saved his life and he's now completely in love with.

He holds onto your jacket, allowing you to lead him through different aisles, picking up different things to place in a grocery cart. Sometimes, just to piss you off, he'll grab something unconventional, like a bag of fish chips that you don't need, but you only throw it into your cart and keep walking.

“We should start slow, Ao Bing.”

He's not aware why you said that. He's not aware you want to give him an option to find someone else, to pick someone else, and rushing headfirst would make both sides hurt.

All he knows is you're being insufferable, like a friend he once knew. And thinking of that friend makes his heart hurt again, so he throws another box of cereal into your cart and sulks at you.

You pinch his cheek this time. “Cut that out. Aren't you supposed to be an adult?”

Ao Bing sniffs, but he can't say he minds it. It's the first time you've touched him in days, and your touch is comforting.

“Don't care,” he says in an ever so perceptive tone, watching you roll your eyes and shift away from him. “The cereal looks good.”

You glanced at the box he's chosen. “Lucky charms huh? Alright, fine. We'll have it.”

He expects you to pull away, to leave after you've said your piece.

But no. Your hand withdraws from his cheek but you're holding his hand, pulling him behind you.

It's better than nothing, at least. Ao Bing stops sulking and trails along behind you, his expression pleased as ever.

And if someone calls him a lovesick puppy while talking to you, well. Who cares.

You did, just so we're clear. You cared a lot when someone called Ao Bing trailing behind you a lovesick puppy, and you absolutely did fucking care when they called him your boyfriend.

It's not…like that! You brought him out to find new options, not let everyone think you two were solid!

Perfect. You sigh in your hands as he unpacks the groceries, placing them where they needed to be. Just fucking perfect. How the fuck is he supposed to get a girlfriend now!?

You dare to raise your head. He's still walking back and forth, a pleased smile on his expression. You notice that he'll glance at you, his cheeks turning a cute shade of red, and he'll dart off to the kitchen, leaving you feeling all hot and bothered.

Stupid fucking…. You curse and pinch the bridge of your nose. Ao Bing….come on my guy…

It takes a while, but the groceries are packed, and he sits with you on the sofa, staring at you, or at the tablet in your hands. You're hoping it's the latter as you shift in place, pretending to be focused on the blurry pictures on the screen.

Except you can't. You're more than aware of the gentle sounds of his breathing, and the brief skin contact that reminds you just how cold he really is. You're more than aware that he isn't staring at the device in your hand, but at you, at your face. You're made more aware of his presence as he closes the space to tuck a strand of fallen hair behind your ear once more, his fingertips brushing against your cheeks.

You close your eyes and sigh.

“Ao Bing?” You ask softly, raising your head to him. He tilts his head to show that he's listening, waiting for your response. “Why do you like me?”

The question has bothered you since his first confession. What was there to like about you? Being friends was one thing, but to like, like romance?

It's…odd.

Ao Bing blinks at you. His lashes are soft and full, and you want to desperately touch them.

You don't, of course. You have more proprietary than that.

“You remind me of someone I once knew,” he says, reigning you back to reality.

“What were they like?”

“I don't remember.” The smile he wears is nothing if not mournful. His gaze drifts to the fireplace, the crackle of wood burning in the background. You can see him fidgeting, his nails digging into his skin. Not hard enough to bleed, but with his skin so pale, it'd be difficult to miss the crescent marks. “All I remember…was that we were close. He was one of my first friends, you know.”

His tone is gentle, nostalgic. If you didn't know better, you'd even say there's something else. Something that tells you he felt more for this person than just ‘friends.’

“....I miss him. But I don't even remember his name.” Ao Bing glances at you. “But you remind me of him. Your smile, your attitude―” He reaches out, his thumb and index finger cold against your cheek as he squeezes. “When I'm with you, I feel like I'm with him.”

You don't know what to think. So you like me because I remind you of your friend you don't even remember!?

Maybe your expression is too obvious. Ao Bing laughs, a sweet sound that makes you feel warm within. He leans closer, your thighs pressing, and he gently pokes at your forehead.

“No. I like you because you're you.” He explains ever-so-nicely. “The memory is merely an added factor.”

“I feel offended still,” you complain, and he laughs. His arms wrap around you in turn, his face pressed into your shoulder.

“No need. I love you as I loved him. You're as different as you are similar.”

His arms squeeze you, just slightly. You can almost feel his smile against your skin as he continues, “But…I'm more than willing to show you myself, if you will let me.”

***

Ao Bing's hands are cold, as he is rough. Sweet words fall from his lips, even as they're pressed everywhere ― your pulse, chest, thighs…

Your hands leave blaring red marks on his skin. He doesn't seem to mind though, as his do the same.

His cheeks are flushed pink, his eyes halfclosed. His hair, loose, falls, perfectly draping his face.

“You're pretty,” he murmurs, and kisses you, hard. His teeth, sharp, nips at your lower lip, and he pulls back. “I love you.”

You can't bring yourself to answer.

But it's fine. He knows by the scrunch of your nose, and the angry pout you wear as you angle your head away, that you feel the same.

And he doesn't mind, not really.

Because he likes you too much to care.

***

Ao Bing's daughter looks nothing like you. She has her father's eyes, deep and almost knowing, and his pale skin. Her hair is a much darker shade of blue, but even so, it's impossible to miss.

You remember your elder brothers giggling at you, joking that there was no way the bloodline would continue with such genes. They even remark that they were surprised their little sister could even have children, that the possibilities of you capable of procreating was almost zero to none. If it hadn't been your father, bless him, shooing them out of the room while you recovered from labour, you would've most likely jumped out of the bed to show them what for.

Ao Bing was a good father. He sat with you for the few days you were in the hospital, never leaving your side unless it was to check your baby.

“What do you think we should name her?” Ao Bing had asked, his hand fitting nicely with yours. “Perhaps..maybe…”

“Lánxī.”

Ao Bing had spared you a glance. During the months since you discovered you were pregnant, you had insisted and pestered that everything be up to Ao Bing's decision. Though you weren't determined to be an absent mother, it wasn't like you really knew what the hell it meant to be one. You were the last child of your family, practically babied!

To his memory, Ao Bing had a feeling that he was a last child too. Though the memory was still foggy, all but a blur in his mind, he knew somewhere that he was a last child too. The third born, maybe.

Still, he never was one to deny you. He did as you ordered and asked, and so to hear you at that moment was a surprise.

“Lánxī,” he repeated, his thumb brushing against your knuckles. “Do you want it?”

“Mhm.” You smiled tiredly at him. “Do you want it?”

He smiled. Nodding his head as he kissed your knuckles. “I want it,” he said, bringing his chair closer to yours. “As long as you do.”

“A temple?” You looked up from where you had little Lánxī sitting, wiping the smudge of porridge from her chubby cheek. “You want to visit a temple?”

Ao Bing nodded. He flashed his sweet girl a smile, his heart melting at the sight of her cooing, small fists waving wildly. She giggled and cooed, stuffing that fist in her mouth while you fussed over her.

“Your father says…that your family has been longtime worshippers of Nezha.” Something about that name felt heavy on his tongue.

In the time that he spent getting to know your family, he had learnt and discovered a few things. One of them that had stuck out to him was the fact they were religious. He remembered, you had mentioned it, hadn't you? That you barely had time to pay a visit to a temple, though you missed going?

“Would you want too?” He remembered asking, watching your expression nervously. “I won't force you, of course.”

“Eh.” You had shrugged, offering another spoonful to little Lánxī. “Sure. Why not?”

So here he is now. Lánxī sits in the little carrier he wears, sleepily peacefully against his chest. She always seems to sleep easier with him than you. Though you always sulked about it, Ao Bing always assured you that it wasn't a case of favoritism. His daughter simply preferred the coolness of his body compared to yours.

He stares at the statue before him, his head tilted. Something about it feels familiar, the wavy hair carved from stone, the painted red crescents on its cheekbones.

“Nezha,” he repeats to himself, a soft murmur. As if he has to remind himself something.

He glances at you, your hands clasped together before the statue. A warmth spreads ― side by side, a statue and his partner. There's something on the tip of his tongue, a desire to express something. That, perhaps, if he says it, he can remember.

He glances at the statue again, and swears, for a second, that he remembers.

Nezha…

Lánxī stirs. He's distracted, glancing down at the big blue eyes that blinked up at him, and Ao Bing smiles.

Maybe he'll remember, at one point. But right now, he's happy as he is.

Content.

***

“Lánxī! Don't run!”

“I'm not running, Papa!”

Nezha crosses his arms and smiles. Two familiar figures step through the threshold that leads to his temple. They could be twins, with their stances and smiles, but one of them is a girl, for a start, and is less reserved. More hyper, for lack of a better term.

He props a hand under his chin, making himself comfortable where he sits on his statue, carved for him, and watches as both kneel, offering incense and snacks that he quite enjoys.

It's been years. Decades, centuries, since he last saw him. His best friend. His only friend, really.

To see him here, in the flesh, in person. Nezha had initially thought he'd been dreaming, that this wasn't real….

But no. He was here. His Ao Bing was here, and alive.

And had a family…of his own…

Nezha almost laughs as he recalls Taiyi’s words―that Ao Bing's wife, bless her, was an almost exact copy of him. He hadn't want to believe it, at first, but the more that she had visited his temple, the more he found it harder to deny.

At least he's happy. That's what Nezha cares about. That his friend is alive, and well. Though he bares no memory and no recognition of him, Nezha doesn't care. Doesn't even mind.

Because of all else, Ao Bing is here. He visits daily, every chance he has, with his daughter Lánxī. Sometimes his wife comes, and Nezha gets to meet his family.

Time will eventually go by, was Taiyi’s words to him. On that faithful day, when Ao Bing had disappeared. And you'll forget all that was between you and him.

He hasn't. And he won't.

He'll cherish their memory. Ao Bing's, forever.

Because he loves him, and adores him. And whatever else, Ao Bing is happy.

And that's what matters.

@buniibloom , 22.03.2025, all rights reserved. do not copy, repost or translate my works without permission. comments, reblogs and likes are appreciated!

[soniclozdplove]

I want to express my thanks to @quitealotofsodapop for helping me out by beta reading this part for me!!

Wukong glowered, eyes boring into the darker furred that was smirking, all teeth as he crossed his arms.

"And what are you doing here!?" Wukong growled, fur now standing twice his size, giving the impression that the creature in front of them were a lion and not a monkey. Despite this, the black furred monkey was unconcerned, grinning at Wukong, all teeth and eyes shining in amusement and something almost soft?

"Oh, nothing much. Just watching you." The Macaque taunted, moving with the grace of a panther as he approached the irate king. With every step closer, Wukong took two back and his fur puffed up in anger even moreso. Tripitaka gripped his staff tightly as his eyes began to glow red, a sure sign that Wukong was truly angry. Why, he had no idea, but he had a feeling he may have misjudged his earlier belief that Wukong and the shadow monkey may have been close.

"Will you back off!?" Wukong eventually barked, tail slamming against the ground in frustration as he tried to darting around the shadow monkey, Macaque following behind st a leasurely pace, "I've told you to get lost!"

"Now, why would I do that!?" Macaque actually purred, clearly amused by the King's outrage, "This mountain belongs to me as much as it does you, remember?"

"If you're just here to taunt and mock me, you can go! I have more important things to deal with than your nonsense right now, Macaque!"

"Oh? Like what?" Macaque chuckled, pointing a thumb towards where the pilgrims were standing, "You mean these losers who got themselves lost in time!?"

"That and also a bunch of... of other stuff! Important... Monkey King... stuff!" Wukong snapped back, aounding entireky unconvincing. "So it would GREATLY please me if you can get lost!"

"Hmm... I don't think so." The Macaque disappeared into his shadow, appearing from Wukong's own, leaning on an elbow on the slightly smaller monkey, looking rather smug at finally ending his game of cst and mouse with the king, "We need to talk about what your doing!"

"What!? No! We are not going to- not while my Master and brothers are right there!" Wukong growled back, pushing him off, only for Macaque grabbed at Wukongs wrist, pulling the other demon close, glowing purple eyes meeting red and gold.

"Fine! Then we'll go somewhere else, then. I'm sure your 'precious Master' can manage to get to your house without getting himself kidnapped!"

"What!? Mac... don't you dare- MACAQUE!!"

Whatever Wukong was going to say next suddenly tapered off as a shadowy portal appeared beneath their feet, pulling both monkies through. The remaining pilgrims glanced uneasily at one another. Eventually Wujing broke the silence with a cough.

"Should we... go after them?"

"Nah." Baije snorted, quite thrilled with himself as he snickered, "Wukong's got it handled. 'Sides, I make a point to stay outta lover's quarrels. Never know what sort of mess you'd walk into!"

"L-lover!?" Tripitaka choked at his student's words, looking at the pig in a mix of horror as Ao Lie simply seemed to consider the words before nodding sagely.

"A fair point, Brother Baije." The dragon prince complimented, "Best to leave the monkies to their courting. Based on Brother Wukong's reactions they're still quite early into it."

"A-Ao Lie!?" Tripitaka questioned his youngest apprentice, scandalized. The dragon looked unapologetically as he simply stared his master in the eye.

"Is it not obvious, Master?" The prince questioned, "The Six-Eared Macaque was clearly approaching Brother Wukong with the intent to rile him up. That's quite clear courtship behavior I've seen amongst demons."

"Oh yeah!" Baije crowed in mirth, "That was a courting dance if I've ever seen one! No doubt the two are off somewhere rolling in the grass!"

"I imagine it'd be difficult, being a pig and all, Zu Baije..." Ao Lie sniffed, "But don't be so boorish! Proper courtship is more than just physical desire!"

"C-can we not discuss this!?" Tripitaka stammered, "What on earth makes you think that Sun Wukong and that monkey are... are..."

He couldn't bring himself to say it. He had never even considered such a thing between men possible, but to learn his own pupil is being courted like that. And by a monkey who had threatened him not long ago!

"Surely it can't be so... you're fellow pupil had been far too irritated by his companions presence for such feelings." Tripitaka said, moreso to convince himself than anything. Baije actually gave another snort of laughter, shaking his head at that.

"Hate to burst your bubble, Master..." the pig explained, "But thay sorta reaction is normal in courting, especially early on."

Wujing, bless his soul, looked just as confused as Tripitaka at ther sibling's words as Ao Lie continued to giggle incessantly. Seeing their blank expressions Baije shrugged.

"It's a demon courtship thing. Demons are attracted to power and tend to take what they want, so fighting and bickering to rile each other up is a common thing, especially for higher powered demons. Never imagined Wukong would be the one getting courted, but I can see why someone might want to steal him as their mate. He's a very strong demon." The pig explained, "Curious 'bout why the dragon knows, though."

"There were a few small water demons who lived in my riverbed with me." Ao Lie shrugged, "Plus dragon customs aren't too different outside of the royal family. And like I said, I already knew the two had been close. Our Wukong had told me about Macaque, remember?"

"Why would he tell you?" Wujing asked, relaxing a bit at the reminder that this figure is someone known to Wukong even back then.

"I spend the majority of my time as a horse." Ao Lie simply said, "Wukong has a tendency to forget that I'm not a real horse and sometimes rambles to me about his troubles because horses are good listeners."

"Huh." Now that Tripitaka thought about it, it truly was easy to forget the white steeds who carried him was a dragon. Ao Lie was very good at acting in character for his role. A gale blew past, reminding Tripitaka that they were on an impossibly high clifftop, "Perhaps we can continue this conversation later. Ao Lie, do you think if you transformed into your true self, you could carry us down to Wukong's home?"

"I'd be glad to!" The dragon preened, transforming into his much larger, more powerful form that has the benefit of being able to fly, something sorely needed, "I should be able to fit all of you on my back if you hold on."

"Don't strain yourself, my friend." Tripitaka scolded lightly, "Although you and Wukong are the strongest of our numbers, I haven't forgotten that you are still considered young amongst dragons. Best to make multiple trips."

With the ease of a flying dragon, they were indeed able to make it to Wukong's hut in short order, only to find that the two monkeys were already there. Apparently "somewhere else" had been the tree next front of Wukong's hut, as when they approached it they found the two beneath the boughs of the tree, or rather, Wukong asleep beneath them with his darker counterpart guarding the king's rest with a fond, exasperated air about him that only faded when he noticed their approach. MK was also present, loudly snoring as he leaned against Wukong's other side.

"'Bout time you made it." Macaque quietly scoffed when the Pilgrims reached them, eyes still locked on the golden monkey who only let out a small squeak and nuzzled closer at the disturbance, soundly asleep. "Have a good gossip session?"

"You-" Baije exclaimed, only to freeze as the Macaque pinned an icy glare at him, gesturing towards the king and his apprentice. The message was clear, if they woke either of them, there would be hell to pay. Baije cleared his throat before repeating himself in a whisper, "How did you know we were talking!?"

"They don't call me the Six-Eared Macaque for nothing." Macaque replied as the fur near his ears seemed to shimmer and suddenly where one pair of ears were now rested three pairs of brightly colored petal like ears, "Sensitive hearing is kinda my thing. By the way, what me and Wukong do or don't do when we're together is really none of your business."

Baije paled as he realized that the monkey had heard everything they had spoken about, including his crude comments about the pair. While the pig demon was stammering excuses, Tripitaka took the time to simply settle in near the pair and meditate, taking stock of his student. The injury on Wukong's face was cleaned and bandaged, he was relieved to see, and the monkey looked far more relaxed than he could ever recall the demon ever being. On top of that his fur looked much more neat and silky, as though he'd recently cleaned it. MK too was wearing a cleaner outfit and his his face and hair free of dust and debris.

"How was your conversation?" Tripitaka asked, curious about the events that transpired after the two monkies left.

"Same as usual." Macaque scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I told Wukong he was being an idiot, we argued, so on and so forth."

"You two fought?" Tripitaka blinked, not so surprised considering Wukong's reactions to the other monkey earlier. "Whatever for?"

"MK, as usual." Macaque grunted, "I think you taught him a little too well about peace and kindness or whatever it is you buddhists preach. Wukong's gone soft, and it's affecting his training with MK."

"Is... is kindness really a bad thing in this case?" Tripitaka stammered, shocked at the venom with which that Macaque spoke of his religion, "I watched Wukong training his student and it seemed that MK was very receptive to it."

"Yeah, you think so?" Macaque questioned in return, "The moment MK realized Wukong was still holding back even after everything that's happened and saving the world on several occasions, he got frustrated and lost control! Wukong's holding back and hesitating to push MK further in his training. If he doesn't start doing better as a mentor, start taking MK's training seriously, it's going end up either giving MK a complex or hurting him! Probably both!"

"Why would you tell me about all this?" Tripitaka finally inquired, "I am quite certain Wukong would not like you talking about this to me."

"Because you need to know!" Macaque told him, exasperation bursting through, "You're the reason he's like this! You and your teachings turned him into this... weakling who's so scared of confrontation that he chose to hide away for hundreds of years rather than face someone head on! When I came back into Wukong's life, I had to trick him into coming out by threatening MK because he was holed up in his tiny hut behind some magic barrier!"

Stunned by his outburst, Tripitaka could not find the words to address what the dark monkey said. Instead, Wujing asked to his defense.

"That's no fair." Wujing explained, "It's been thousands of years, how could Wukong's changes be solely our master's responsibility? Wukong is his own person, making his own choices."

"YEAH!" Baije nodded along, "This Buddhism stuff is about peace, love, and pacifism... but just because Master took a vow not to bring harm to anyone doesn't mean Wukong has to follow it!"

"You... you think you haven't hurt anyone?" Macaque's voice became cold, the quiet now turning dangerous as his eyes began to take on a violet tint, "That you're innocent!?"

Ao Lie, Wujing, and Baije positioned themselves protectively around the monk, sensing Macaque's rage beginning to reach a boiling point.

"Macaque... please let us be try to under-" Ao Lie reached a pleading hand out, hoping to calm the monkey down."

"No! You need to listen to me and listen close!" Macaque snapped, fangs bared as his magic sparked around him, the shadows begining to exend around him towards them like the claws of a great beast, only to retreat back to him when he glanced down. A golden tail and pair of arms had wrapped around his wrist and waist, Wukong having shifted in his sleep, curling closer to the other monkey. The anger seemed to flow from Macaque like water as he took a deep breath, calming in the face of the Monkey King's unconcious affection. When he met Tripitaka's eyes, he still held anger in his eyes, but now thay anger was tempered by a deep heartbreaking sadness.

"Do you know he has a scar under that glamour he wears?" The words hit Tripitaka like a slap in the face, the Macaque's voice rough and emotional, full of so much rage he struggled he wa visibly shaking and Tripitaka was certain that had Wukong not been using him as a pillow, tail and arms curled around the larger monkey, the demon would have attacked, "That you used that mantra you claim to only be in the defense of yourself and others so much and so often that you placed a permanent scar on him that's still not healed thousands of years later!? Does that sound like 'not bringing harm' to you!?"

As if to prove a point, the Macaque waved a hand across Wukong's still sleeping face, and the golden monkey changed right in front of him. His fur became more wild and had white streaks through it, his hands rougher with sharper claws, and Tripitaka was certain that had Wukong's eyes been opened, they'd be a burning red and gold. Most damning of all, however, wete the scars! They littered his students body from top to bottom, with the msot gruesome one of all being a circular one across his forehead in a horrifying familiar shape, as though someone had tightened band around his head in an attempt to crush his head for so long it left an permanent mark.

Tripitaka was speechless.

[abagaby]

Bucky as a Congressman

Lowk it frustrates me when people are like "Bucky being a congressman doesn't make any sense!! Let him retire!!!" What is he going to do when he retires? Drink margs on a beach????

After all that he's gone through as TWS w/Shieldra and in CW and the lessons he's learned from TFATWS, does it not make sense for him to step up and represent/speak up for others? I don't think he's the kind of person to let injustice go by without taking action against it. And as the WS, he probably is intimately familiar with people in power exploiting it to maintain a status quo or gain more privilege. TFATWS only emphasizes this with the Grand Repatriation Council and the US Senators doing whatever they please with the shield. I wouldn't trust the government after any of this, which is exactly the arc we see Steve go through in TWS and CW. If Steve could tell the government "Fuck you I don't trust you," then Bucky can decide to do something about it instead of feeling powerless against it. I seriously don't think he could "retire" easy knowing that people like that exist. Maybe I'm missing something?

I welcome this new Bucky and I'm extremely excited to see him do work that fulfills HIM. I would love to see him do some reparative and restorative work though I'm sure Marvel will likely go a superhumans route with him similar to how She-Hulk became a lawyer representing superhumans and AOS had Shield help inhumans adjust to their powers. Maybe this is the arc in Thunderbolts? I actually haven't seen Secret Invasion or BNW and don't follow comics. Thoughts?

[itsabouttimex2]

I've seen people say that Mei's samadhi fire arc was rushed, I never really thought about it that much, but I wanted to ask more LMK fans about their opinion on it. I can't stop pondering about it sometimes.

The Samadhi Fire Arc

Honestly, in my opinion? The Samadhi Fire plot is probably the least rushed arc in all of Monkie Kid.

Season Four to me is rushed because they try to squeeze in lore about the Pilgrims, MK’s heritage, Pigsy’s feelings on being an adoptive father, the Monkie Crew’s feeling on their ancestors/forebearers, the Brotherhood, the Ink Scroll, and then try to set up for Season Five while they’re at it.

Season Five to me is rushed because they try to squeeze in Xiangliu, Nüwa, and Li Jing and flesh all three out with very little time to spread between another fetch quest (this makes four in total through only five seasons) while also trying to give attention to Mei, Tang, Pigsy, Sandy, Red Son and MK while not even having a special to help take some burden off of the 100-minute crunch the writing team unfortunately has to deal with.

However…

Because the writers set up the Lady Bone Demon beforehand, she’s not given too much direct attention in this season until near the end, instead getting occasional appearances throughout by interacting with Macaque and then Wukong and to some degree infecting both with her power.

Which means that we get a full ten episodes plus a special for essentially only two things- the Samadhi Fire foremost, with the Lady Bone Demon in the background until about the special, from my recollection.

This means Mei does get her fair share of character development throughout Season Three, which you would think might allow us to see her perspective and thoughts on the world around her. We do get to see a little more of her desire to “live up” to her ancestors very early on, but it’s addressed quickly and then entirely dropped.

Like, this was a heavily Mei-centric season! We should’ve gotten some thoughts and backstory and personal views and whatnot, but the Samadhi Fire basically took full control over any narrative that could’ve allowed the story to delve deeper into, well, Mei.

But it feels kinda like Mei herself is… secondary to the power inside of her at times, where she’s very much just an unlucky and draconic vessel.

Now this wouldn’t have been such a big deal if we had gotten something beyond the already seen “Mei wants to live up to her family’s expectations without comprising her moral values and self-identity”, but, uh… they dealt with that in the first season and resolved it pretty neatly. Her conflict with Ao Guang is just retreading water in the same way, when it would’ve been nice to have a deviation of some kind.

On a more positive note, one of the best things the season gives us is learning how she’s come to view Sun Wukong in the form of a tearful rant about his actions and the impact they’ve had on her and her friends.

That only matters to her for a few minutes, unfortunately, but it’s a highlight of the season, and I wish it hadn’t been dropped so quickly.

Now, her not being allowed to interact with him or Macaque past the third season in regards to the ways they’ve continuously endangered and hurt her is a horrible letdown that severely undermines the character growth of all three, which is part of the reason I think some people call it rushed.

Mei’s possession of the Samadhi Fire is dropped until season five, so it feels ultimately unimportant. Red Son; in spite of being fundamental to Mei’s mastery of his power, gets shelved from season four the next time we see him. Sun Wukong’s recklessness and threadbare “planning” is essentially forgotten about, because the next two seasons just find new shit for people to scream at him about. All of Macaque’s… everything, really, goes entirely ignored by the characters, narrative, and story.

And obviously that’s not exactly satisfying from a watcher’s perspective, because it feels like everything just has a strangely neat bow tied onto it in spite of there being lots of messy business in the past that still needs to be addressed, but just isn’t because there’s they’ve decided to write another “the world is going to end plot” instead of taking a breath and working through existing issues instead of circumventing older ones as irrelevant.

I think people are disappointed when they look backwards that these plot points or emotional beats were dropped and left unaddressed or only resolved with a heavy dose of “secretly all alongs”. For example…

Red Son somehow tracks Mei down without any real explanation. (No biggie, probably some kind of tech or magic. Him getting there isn’t as important as what he’s doing, so it can be ignored.) He decides to train her. For some reason he's good at teaching people to control themselves, even though he was barely able to control himself in seasons prior? Off-screen character development is never exactly satisfying, at least to me.

Throughout all of this interaction, he never once expresses the slightest of desire to reclaim or recreate the Fire for himself, and is content with Mei having it. Red even openly declares that the power is “hers” at the climax of the story.

(I could get into how fans treat Red Son + Samadhi Fire ((plus pandering from the writers)) in comparison to Mei, but that’s a rant for some other time…)

With his encouragement, Mei harnesses the Samadhi Fire and helps defeat LBD! This has a lot of longstanding implications for her place in the story and her role as a parallel force to MK! How exciting!

Sike! The Samadhi Fire is fucking gone, only one mention of it in the season, where an omniscient old man inside a hell scroll tells us that it’s gone.

Sike! Mei secretly all along still has the Samadhi Fire and also secretly all along has an insecurity complex over thinking she lost it but all of this is handled in about a minute.

Red Son secretly all along wanted to learn where the Samadhi Fire came from and is trying to recreate it...? When he's seen and felt how dangerous and uncontrollable it is and home of this was established before??

So, when you build up all these things for a full season and then drop most of them the fourth and wait until the fifth to resolve them, I think it left a very jarring impact on viewers who came to view the season as “rushed”… but only in hindsight.

It’s not a flaw I would attribute until I’m on the fifth season and thinking “this should’ve been addressed in an earlier season.”

Now, personally, there are some plot points I’m not really a fan of, like, again, the “macguffin fetch quest” nature of the Samadhi Fire rings. Normally I wouldn’t mind but again, this is Monkie Kid’s third macguffin hunt in total, and we get a fourth in Season Five. (Spider Venom Cure ingredients, LBD’s Mech Building, Samadhi Fire Rings, Power Stones)

Though I think the City of Lanterns is a cute bit of worldbuilding, like with most Monkie Kid worldbuilding it’s basically “Look at this cool thing! Enjoy it now, because we’re never coming back or addressing it again!” like they did with the Team Hideout, the Cloud and the Weather Station. “Look at this cool place! Okay we’re done showcasing a potential Lego set, change the backdrop!”

Or another is Sun Wukong just being… magically immune to it once he gets possessed?

Like, the whole reason he had to set out on this fetch quest was because the Lady Bone Demon was distinctly NOT immune to it? And he also was NOT immune to it? Because the Samadhi Fire is a wildly dangerous all-consuming fire that could destroy all of existence, but apparently all it takes to be totally unaffected by it is powerful person + possession by another powerful person? But again I guess the world-building and power systems of Monkie Kid have always been patchy and thin but it’s still frustrating AUGHHH

But I personally don’t think it’s “rushed” until it’s revealed later on that actually, “There’s more to the story!” when a lot of the story we have is just kinda… left hanging.

TLDR for anyone who skipped down here: It’s only rushed in hindsight. If someone theoretically stopped watching after Season Three I don’t think it would be called “rushed”.