#i have DAO but I’m not ready to move on yet

[imageingrunge]

ill be honest guys I dont think i have it in me to get into another video game for the rest of the year after bg3 lkke I do have things to do before January 😭 (<-- i have no concept of time management)

[animanganerd]

Everything Annoys Me And I’m (Too) Hot - Chapter 34

The Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi Fanfic

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47881336/chapters/136159984

All chapters: here x

Chapter 34 ❖ Progress and punishment (Part 1)

Lan Xiaoli landed on the floor with a crash.

It took him a moment to get his bearings, because his surroundings were dark and quiet – right, it was night time. He was in his room and… had fallen out of bed.

He rubbed his head as he sat up. This was infuriating!

The night he’d spent in the forest with Mu Chun had once more left him in a state of turmoil. The nature of their relationship seemed obvious to everyone else, but to Lan Xiaoli, nothing was clear at all. He still hadn’t sorted out his feelings.

He’d thought once he knew of Mu Chun’s feelings, he could finally put it behind himself, but he couldn’t. Then, after Mu Chun’s betrayal, he’d thought it was all over and done, but it wasn’t.

Despite the back and forth, Lan Xiaoli had never officially rejected Mu Chun. Instead, his answer was still up in the air.

Of course he could do them both a favour and put an end to their misery, but it wasn’t that simple. His feelings weren’t only a mystery to Mu Chun, but to Lan Xiaoli as well. How was he supposed to respond when he himself wasn’t able to decipher the chaotic mess in his heart?

Maybe if Mu Chun continued to be as insufferable as he’d been before, it would help Lan Xiaoli to place his feelings, but Mu Chun hadn’t attempted to kiss Lan Xiaoli once ever since their night in the forest.

There had been plenty of situations in which Mu Chun could’ve made a move on Lan Xiaoli, but unexpectedly held back. Running through the countless scenarios in his head, Lan Xiaoli started to long for an actual kiss – even if he’d never admit to it.

What’s worse: After days of involuntary abstinence, Lan Xiaoli’s desires had taken over his dreams. Before his rude awakening Lan Xiaoli had been this close to receiving a kiss from Mu Chun.

“Are you still mad at him?”

Lan Xiaoli startled. He was outside, leaning against the inn’s wall with crossed arms. He looked at Zhang Chengling, a little perplexed. “Huh? No, why?”

“You’ve been scowling at him since forever,” Zhang Chengling replied.

“Ah…” It was true that Lan Xiaoli had been watching Mu Chun while he was deep in thought.

Mu Chun, who was sitting at a table outside, idly enjoying breakfast. Mu Chun, who suddenly understood the concept of personal space. Mu Chun, who once again pretended like nothing had happened.

Lan Xiaoli sighed at last, shaking his head. “I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“He said he had a plan to take down Murong Zheng, but he still has not given any details…”

Enough is enough, Lan Xiaoli thought. Zhang Chengling said something else, but Lan Xiaoli had already walked away. It was time to turn the tables!

Lan Xiaoli sat next to Mu Chun, so close that there was no room for air between them. He propped one elbow on the table, his chin resting on his hand, and leaned toward Mu Chun with a suggestive smirk.

His strategy was to go full-on Mu Chun mode – invading personal space with no sense of propriety. Being utterly shameless!

“So, about your plan…”

Mu Chun didn’t even flinch at Lan Xiaoli’s attempt at seduction. He just smiled and continued to happily chew away. “It’s not ready yet.”

Lan Xiaoli’s face dropped, but he didn’t back away. “...I am starting to believe it was a scam to pacify me.”

“It wasn’t. You just have to trust me.”

Lan Xiaoli snorted. “Bold of you to assume I would ever trust you again.”

Mu Chun chuckled. “It’ll pay off. Anyway,” he gave Lan Xiaoli’s back a few pats, “we shouldn’t delay any further. Let’s go.”

⬩ ❖ ⬩ ❖ ⬩ ❖ ⬩

Trying the bold approach seemed to have no effect on Mu Chun – in fact, it backfired. While Mu Chun appeared unfazed, Lan Xiaoli became painfully aware of the other’s presence. As if it had oozed into every last inch of his body.

Before, his heart would beat a little faster whenever Mu Chun was close to him. But now, excitement filled his chest and the faint hope that Mu Chun would use one of his dirty tricks as a meagre excuse to be even closer.

However, he suddenly kept a respectful distance.

Lan Xiaoli couldn’t bear this any longer. He had to calm his mind and settle his heart. Return to his old self. Just be cool.

“A-Li?” Mu Chun called.

Lan Xiaoli whipped around with a little too much enthusiasm. “Yeah?!”

…Not cool at all.

Mu Chun chuckled in amusement. “I want to show you something.”

Lan Xiaoli pressed a hand to his forehead in embarrassment and followed him without protest. Mu Chun led him to a spot further away from the others.

While they headed straight back to Linguang with no detours, it would still take them a few weeks to return. Hence, they still had to take a break every now and then, which currently was the case.

As they walked away from the group, Lan Xiaoli randomly stumbled and lost his balance. He’d been so lost in thought that he’d failed to see the taunting stone on the ground. The stone stuck out just far enough to be a hidden, but guaranteed tripping hazard.

Lan Xiaoli cursed the vile stone for its atrocity on his way to the ground, but Mu Chun caught him before he could fall.

Pressed tightly against Mu Chun’s chest, Lan Xiaoli immediately forgot about the stone. His heart pumped frantically and his cheeks flushed a bright red.

Their faces were so close, Lan Xiaoli could feel Mu Chun’s breath on his skin. This was the perfect moment, the perfect opportunity to steal a kiss from Lan Xiaoli!

And yet, Mu Chun didn’t take advantage of the situation, but simply helped Lan Xiaoli back to his feet before clasping his hands behind his back and even taking a step back.

Lan Xiaoli was completely at a loss, his brow deeply furrowed in confusion. Just what was wrong with him?? When did he learn to be so well-behaved and reserved??

“Close your eyes and turn around,” Mu Chun said.

Lan Xiaoli straightened his expression and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Why?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Not a big fan of surprises.”

Mu Chun blinked at him. “...I promise it won’t hurt.”

That surely was true, but Lan Xiaoli still refused.

“Fine, no surprise then,” Mu Chun said and held out his open palm.

Lan Xiaoli cautiously peered at it. Then, his eyes widened as he recognised the shiny oval object that lay in Mu Chun’s hand.

It was the pendant.

Lan Xiaoli picked it up and his sharp features softened, his lips forming into a small smile. “You replaced the chain?”

“It was my fault it broke.”

Lan Xiaoli didn’t know what to say. Mu Chun wasn’t quite wrong – his interference had caused Lan Xiaoli’s emotional outburst in the first place. But if he hadn’t intercepted, who knew what the outcome would’ve been?

Even if Mu Chun had stopped him, it wasn’t a good enough reason to break something this precious. Lan Xiaoli’s smile faded into a sombre expression. Sudden regret for his rash actions weighed on his heart.

“You really did not have to…”

“Well, if you wish to compensate me, I could think of a way or two,” Mu Chun said, wriggling with his eyebrows.

Flustered, Lan Xiaoli clutched the pendant in his hand. The regret dissipated in an instant. “No!”

Mu Chun’s cheeky grin dropped. “Why not?”

“...”

It was a good and fair question. It’s not like they’d never kissed before. And Lan Xiaoli secretly liked it so much that he craved a kiss after all.

But he simply couldn’t initiate it. It had to be Mu Chun! However, it appeared that Mu Chun expected him to take the initiative as well, so the two were effectively locked in a stalemate.

Instead of responding, Lan Xiaoli just averted his eyes.

Mu Chun sighed. “If this was the end of the world, if it was just you and me, would you kiss me?”

Lan Xiaoli was stumped for a moment, then shook his head. “The stakes do not have to be that high…”

“Then what are the stakes?”

Lan Xiaoli met Mu Chun’s gaze, firm and earnest. “There are none.”

He sighed, lowering his eyes again. “I was always convinced that romantic feelings would have no effect on me. It was easy to build strong and sturdy walls around my heart to protect myself, but then you came and tore these walls down as if they were made of paper,” he explained, his expression somewhat pained.

Mu Chun was silent for a moment. “Does that mean you like me back?”

Lan Xiaoli shrugged. “I do not know. It does not mean you have reached my heart yet. At least not in the way you want. Quite the contrary actually. As soon as I let my guard down, you ripped my heart apart. And yet, I cannot find myself to hate you. I do not know how I feel about you, but I am willing to think about it.”

Mu Chun smiled. “Fine. You know I won’t force you, but I won’t stop asking either. As long as you haven’t given me a proper response, I'll keep on pursuing you.”

Lan Xiaoli couldn’t help but smile in return. He nodded. “Okay.”

Mu Chun’s face fell in surprise. He had expected all kinds of responses, but not that. “...Did you just give me permission?”

Lan Xiaoli crossed his arms and averted his gaze once more. “I said what I said, I am not going to repeat it.”

In the corner of his eye, Lan Xiaoli saw Mu Chun take a step forward. Lan Xiaoli’s eyes widened. Was he finally making a move? Was this all it took? Had he only waited for permission??

He uncrossed his arms and looked at Mu Chun, who was holding out a hand. “Let me help you put it on,” he said.

“...” Lan Xiaoli just stared at him with a blank expression. Still nothing?! He’d even given his permission!! 

Disappointed and somewhat irritated, Lan Xiaoli turned around and let Mu Chun fasten the pendant around his neck.

⬩ ❖ ⬩ ❖ ⬩ ❖ ⬩

Lan Xiaoli was at his wit’s end. He could as well build a sign that said “kiss here” and point it to his mouth, Mu Chun still wouldn’t do it. The latter remained an uncrackable wall. When did he learn to be so self-restrained? Why was it so easy for him to resist all of a sudden?

As he mulled over this in his room, he was struck by a grave epiphany.

Could it be…

Lan Xiaoli slapped his hand over his mouth.

Was he a bad kisser?!

Lan Xiaoli bit his nails, pacing back and forth on the spot. 

How could he find out if this was true? There was no way he could ask Mu Chun, certain he wouldn’t be able to handle the answer and the subsequent guffaw. The same was true for his dad, and never mind his father.

He came to an abrupt halt. Of course there was someone he could ask – his uncles!

After a quick search through the inn, he found Zhou Zishu enjoying some wine by himself in the inn’s main hall. Lan Xiaoli sat next to him in a flash. Skipping the courtesy of a greeting, he got straight to the point.

“How does a person know that they are bad at kissing?”

Startled by the boy’s sudden presence, Zhou Zishu spilled a bit of wine. After the brief shock had passed, he rubbed his forehead. This boy…

“Have you kissed anyone?” he asked.

Instead of answering this simple yes or no question, Lan Xiaoli averted his eyes and rubbed his nose.

“Do you want to kiss anyone?”

“No! It has to be him, but he is not doing it!”

“Did you tell him?”

“...”

Now this was a whole different problem. There was this thing called pride which prevented Lan Xiaoli from openly communicating his wants and needs.

There was again no answer, so Zhou Zishu continued, “Does he know you want a kiss? Does he know you like him?”

Lan Xiaoli’s face flushed red. “Wha- li- tha- who said-?!” he paused, then mumbled, “…How do I know I like someone?”

Zhou Zishu couldn’t help but smile. “Can you imagine a different person kissing you?”

Lan Xiaoli frowned. “Like who?”

“Well, let’s assume Mu Chun is the one you like, the only other person would be Chengling.”

The image of Zhang Chengling kissing him had quite the contrary effect. Lan Xiaoli’s face pulled into a grimace. He immediately regretted making that expression in front of Zhang Chengling’s shifu.

“Sorry.“

Zhou Zishu chuckled. “It’s fine. You like who you like.”

“Is wanting to kiss someone already enough to know you like them?”

“Ahh, let me think. Do you feel comfortable around him? Do you crave his presence when he’s gone? Does he make you smile? Do your thoughts wander to him when your mind is idle? I could go on, but it seems you have already come to a conclusion.”

Lan Xiaoli’s eyes had widened more and more with each question. The answer to all of them was yes.

He was hit by a sudden realisation. The ache in his chest when they were apart, the longing for a kiss, all of this wasn’t just because he wanted Mu Chun to like him.

It was because he liked him too.

Lan Xiaoli jumped to his feet and bowed to Zhou Zishu in thanks. He hurried off to find Mu Chun, his footfalls quickening with each step.

…He had to tell him!

Since they currently weren’t working on a case, everyone was lounging around somewhere in the establishment.

After a long while, Lan Xiaoli spotted Mu Chun in the courtyard of the inn, enjoying the spring sun. He was lying in the small garden, propped up on one of his elbows and playing with a blade of grass between his fingers.

“Chun-ge!”

At the sound of his voice, Mu Chun looked up at him with a beaming face. “What’s up?”

“I…”

The moment Lan Xiaoli finally wanted to give Mu Chun an answer, he froze. His mouth was open with his voice was stuck in his throat.

He couldn’t.

He couldn’t say it. His throat tightened in spite of himself. Mu Chun made it look so easy, but standing in front of the person his heart desired, proclaiming his feelings was much harder than expected. The burst of courage had died in his chest. The words just wouldn’t come out.

Mu Chun regarded him with equal measures of patience and anticipation.

Lan Xiaoli quickly changed course, “I am to let you know that we are leaving tomorrow, so today is your last chance to take a bath.”

He then turned on his heel and walked away with quick steps, leaving behind a perplexed Mu Chun.

They were currently staying at an inn with a public bath. Since they were already close to Linguang, this would be the final occasion on their journey where they could enjoy this kind of luxury. And today was their last day.

But Mu Chun had been present when they had decided this, so it wasn’t really news to him.

Lan Xiaoli ran until he found a spot to cool his head. Why wouldn’t his stupid mouth obey him? Mu Chun already liked him, so confessing his own feelings would be a relief to both of them!

Just how could he show Mu Chun that the feelings were mutual? If he couldn’t come up with a solution himself, maybe it was time for more drastic measures. Maybe it was time to ask an expert!

Wen Kexing was idling on a sedan in his room, leisurely fanning himself, when Lan Xiaoli entered his chamber. He did this purely for aesthetic reasons; the temperatures were not yet high enough to warrant a fan.

But Lan Xiaoli wasn’t one to judge; he had more pressing matters on his mind anyway.

He dropped down on his knees right away and blurted, “Uncle Wen, I need your help! I am facing a quandary and I think you are the only one who can give me proper advice.”

Wen Kexing straightened up, a faint furrow on his brow. “What’s the problem?”

“How do you show someone that you like them?” Lan Xiaoli asked, his face earnest.

Wen Kexing was a tad puzzled by that question. “Show them? Why not tell them?”

“I tried. But it is impossible.”

“Hmm… Then how about a kiss?”

Lan Xiaoli averted his gaze. “That is… also something I cannot do. I hoped there was another way. I want him to understand that I want him. I want him to know that I like it when he kisses me. But he has stopped touching me. I think I messed up and I want to make it up to him.”

“Have you considered pleasing him?”

Lan Xiaoli frowned in confusion. “Pleasing him?” As he said that, it dawned on him and he blushed violently. “As in… uhm… uh…”

“Sexually?” Wen Kexing chuckled. “Yes."

Embarrassed, Lan Xiaoli still avoided eye contact with Wen Kexing. It took a lot of strength to resist the urge to bolt. “…I have not. Can… Can you teach me ways?”

He knew a way or two from Peng Xiang and the others, but back then he’d been too shy to look at the pictures, so he’d only listened to their tellings.

Now, he couldn’t remember which were the best techniques for beginners, or which were for the same, and which were for the opposite sex.

 He quickly added, “O-Other than…”

“Sex?”

Lan Xiaoli drilled holes into the ground, mortified by Wen Kexing’s bluntness. His fingers dug into his robes. He only managed a stiff nod in response.

Thrilled, Wen Kexing snapped his fan shut. “My boy, you have come to the right person! There are plenty of ways, but let’s focus on two for now. The hands and the mouth!”

He pinned a sheet of white paper to the wall and drew some scribbles of the various ways he could think of. Lan Xiaoli’s mind was torn between rapt attention and an ingrained sense of awkwardness. He only dared to steal glances at the images.

“I’d go with the hand first, though, it’s easier. Especially for beginners,” Wen Kexing concluded. “There’s not much you can do wrong. I’m sure you’ve laid hands on yourself before?”

“...” Lan Xiaoli bit his bottom lip and shook his head.

Wen Kexing gaped at him in disbelief. “Oh boy… okay.” He rubbed his forehead, then continued, “Just… gently stroke it first. Once it’s hard, put it in a firm grip and start rubbing.” As he explained this, he simultaneously demonstrated it in the air. “I got a banana here. Want to try it?”

Lan Xiaoli’s face was as red as a tomato by now. He frantically shook his head. “No thanks, I think I got it!”

He quickly jumped up and fled out of the room. Dashing down the hallway, he ran straight into the guy he was looking for: Mu Chun.

“Chun-ge!” Lan Xiaoli called out, surprised. “Where are you going?”

Mu Chun held up a towel and a change of clothes he was carrying in his arms. “Bath.”

Lan Xiaoli’s face lit up. Taking a bath meant he would be… They would be… This was perfect!

Mu Chun ripped Lan Xiaoli out of his thoughts. “Why are you grinning?”

“I will join you!”

The shared bathing space of the inn was a huge, quadratic tub. Mu Chun leaned back against the wooden frame, his arms draped over the edge. His head was tilted back and his eyes were shut in rest.

He didn’t know what to make of Lan Xiaoli suddenly paying so much attention to him, but complaining was the last thing on his mind. What use was it to needlessly rack his brains when he could just enjoy the other’s company?

After almost losing Lan Xiaoli once, he’d decided to take things slow. There was no rush – and he was afraid that if he continued to overstep, he might push Lan Xiaoli further away. That was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. In fact, ever since he’d curbed his advances, it seemed Lan Xiaoli approached him more.

As Mu Chun pursued this train of thought, he suddenly felt a clumsy hand reaching for his crotch.

Lan Xiaoli had slowly and silently scooted closer to Mu Chun while he’d been absorbed in his thoughts, trying to apply what he had learned (in theory) from Wen Kexing.

Mu Chun’s eyes snapped open. “Wha-?!”

Lan Xiaoli immediately pulled his hand back, “Not good?”

“Very good!” was all Mu Chun could produce, his tone a mix of surprise and excitement. He quickly caught Lan Xiaoli’s wrist before he could fully retract his hand and guided it back.

Relieved, Lan Xiaoli continued. The insecurity on his face eased into an expression of utmost concentration. He put a firm grip around Mu Chun and started rubbing, just as Wen Kexing had taught him.

However, after two rubs his thoughts caught up with his actions.

Was he doing this correctly? He had no point of reference. Maybe he shouldn’t have jumped right into it. Maybe he should’ve practised on himself first. Now he wasn’t sure if he was applying too much pressure or not enough, was he moving too fast or too slow? Should the strokes be short or long?

His movements were unsteady and uncertain. He was so focused that he unconsciously stuck out the tip of his tongue, intent on properly pleasing Mu Chun.

It was an endearing sight for Mu Chun. He gently brushed a few strands of hair from Lan Xiaoli’s face behind his ear. He didn’t mind how unskilled Lan Xiaoli was in that area; he was too distracted and overwhelmed by the warm and fuzzy feeling spreading through his stomach.

In a sudden surge of unbridled passion, Mu Chun grabbed Lan Xiaoli’s neck and pressed their lips together.

When Lan Xiaoli finally, finally received the kiss he’d desired for so long, a delightful firework exploded in his mind, and his heart swelled with inexplicable joy.

He closed his eyes, the fingers of his free hand curling as the other slowed and lost its rhythm.

Mu Chun cupped Lan Xiaoli’s hand to steady its movements and pick up the pace, faster and faster until his pleasure reached its peak. Once the deed was done, the two of them lingered in their intimate embrace for a moment.

Lan Xiaoli had completely lost himself in the kiss. It was only when Mu Chun slightly pulled away that Lan Xiaoli regained a fraction of his senses. Mu Chun rested his forehead against Lan Xiaoli’s, both of them gasping for air, their hot breaths mingling between them.

Mu Chun gazed deep into Lan Xiaoli’s eyes and breathed in a raspy voice, “I love you.”

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Honey Lemon (Part 5)

Azula finds that she is quite a natural at this glass blowing thing it comes to her much more easily than baking and gardening had. She thinks that it does her well to make the daily walk from Miwu to Senlin. She and Kei Lo can truly focus on each other without the hum of bees to distract the. She feels like she has found out more about him during these walks that she had when they had been trying to push each other for information. And when she is alone it gives her time to think and to process. 

Sometimes she finds herself thinking of nothing at all. 

Sometimes it is just warm sunlight on her skin and the smell of the plains grasses. She likes this most of all. 

Today Kei Lo hadn’t come with her, but he is waiting for her at their little shop. It isn’t anything fancy by any means, it is more or less a closet at the end of an alleyway but it is a shop no less. It is better than just selling honey straight from the ostrich-horse cart. It is more professional, more concrete. 

She arranges her newest jars onto the shelves. Today she has come back with six bright orange ones spotted with flakes of red and chips of gold–phoenix jars is what she has decided to name them. And the honey looks incredible, held within. 

She also has a new style, one that she has yet to name. These jars are a touch more adventurous, where the phoenix jars are smooth all around, these jars have little bumps like the undulation of waves. Perhaps that is what she will call them, the ocean jars. When filled with honey the blue glass appears almost green. 

“What do you think?”

“They’re great, Azula.” Kei Lo smiles. 

And she returns it, thoroughly pleased with her work. She arranges a few empty jars on the shelf to be purchased without the honey alongside a few jars of honey in traditional clear glass. “I was thinking of perhaps selling blown glass creations, Dao-Yan and I are working on teaching me how to make shapes like cubes and flowers…” 

“I think that, that would be great.” Kei Lo replies. “Maybe I can sell some of my sketches.” He passes his sketch pad to her and she riffles through the pages. Mostly he has been honeycombs and bees but he is still sketching and labeling his flowers.

“You want to sell these?” She furrows her brows. 

“Not these ones but maybe copies of them. I’d redraw a few and sell those. Make some new art.” 

“Perhaps we could use some of your sketches as labels or tags on a few of the honey jars.” She ponders. 

“That’s an idea.” He agrees. 

“I was thinking of investing in an at home glass blowing studio.” She finally says. “I feel like it would be a more immersive experience. To see how the jars are made, to show authenticity.” And to give Miwu a taste of Fire Nation culture. 

The culture that she finds herself missing every now and again. 

“That sounds like a really good plan.” He finally looks up from his sketch pad and frowns. “What’s wrong?” 

She shrugs. She thinks that she might be a little homesick. “Do you ever think about going back to the Fire Nation?” She finds herself fidgeting with the strings on her apron. “Not staying there but visiting.” For as much as she finds herself toying with the idea, she also finds it hard to consider it realistically. She isn’t sure that she is ready to see how it has changed–how it has moved on without her. 

How it might be doing better now that she is gone. 

“Yeah, I’ve thought about it.” He replies. “Why?”

Azula exhales. “Perhaps once we get settled into this new shop we can take a vacation.” The word is foreign on her tongue. It almost seems silly–compared to her life in the Fire Nation this, all of this, is a vacation. 

“Did you make these?”

Kei Lo jumps and Azula chuckles. “You didn’t see her walk in?”

Kei Lo rubs the back of his head. “I tend to miss a lot of things…” his face lights up with a mischievous smirk. “It’s a little  hard to pay attention to anything else when I’m looking at you.”

She puffs her flushed cheeks up and gives him a little swat. “Stop goofing around, we have customers.” 

“A customer.” Kei Lo corrects. 

Azula heaves herself away from the counter she had propped herself up against. “I did make those, yes.” She declares with a notable degree of pride. 

“They’re very pretty.” 

“Thank you. I heat the glass by hand, I like to think that it sets my work apart from other glasswork.” She hopes that she isn’t off-puttingly overselling herself.

The woman runs her fingers over the glass. “How much?”

“That depends on the size you’d like. And do you want a jar of honey or just the jar?”

.oOo.

Azula wipes down the last of the counters and finds herself a seat on one of several stools. She gives a little yawn and rests her cheek against her hand. She grows tired at around nine at night, he knows this about her. “I’m not going to have to carry you home again, am I?” Kei Lo tosses a look over his shoulder as he flips the sign on the door, declaring once and for all that they are closed. 

He feels the doorknob twist in his grasp. And it, much to the alarmed discontent of Azula, is yanked open.

“Apologies.” The man grins. “I meant to stop in a bit earlier. But it would seem that the both of us close shop at around the same time.”

Azula, tiredness, at least for the moment, shaken from her stare and posture rises from the stool. “Then you should have an understanding of what a closed sign indicates. Of course, anyone with any degree of sense could probably deduce…”

“I’m sorry!” Kei Lo cuts in. “She starts to get a little cranky at the end of the day.”

“I get a little cranky when people lack respect.” 

He watches the man prowl about the shop, running his fingers over the newly polished and cleaned glass of the windows and jars. His eyes scan the shop with what Kei Lo can only call dissatisfaction.

“Can we get you anything? We just got some new…”

“We shouldn’t.” She crosses her arms over her chest. 

“Well actually I was just hoping to introduce myself to the both of you.”

“Yes.” Azula drawls, her voice dripping with thinly veiled annoyance. “Please tell me who you think you are.”

Kei Lo squeezes her arm. But the man before them looks entirely nonplussed. “My name is Michiaki”

“Right. Well, Michiaki, I suggest that you leave my shop.”

“Come on, be nice.” 

“Nice!? He saw that we were closing and he rudely…” She trails off. “I just cleaned all of that and now I’m going to have to do it again.” 

“Apologies.” Michiaki chuckles. “I should be more mindful of people who work hard. I wouldn’t want to make things harder for people who are already dealing with trying times.”

“Trying times?” Kei Lo scrunches his brows. “We’re actually doing quite well. We just…”

“Oh, I know.” The man says. “It’s a nice little space that you’ve managed to get yourselves.” He pauses. “I was under the impression that landowners only sold to Earth Kingdom business owners.” His careless hand pushes a jar from the shelf with just enough of a response to make Kei Lo wonder if it truly had been on purpose. Azula catches it before it can hit the floor. “But then we live in a changing world. A lot of the people who helped divide the four nations have been put in their places.” 

“Indeed.” Azula mutters. She rubs the jar clean and puts it back in place. 

“You don’t think that we have a right to this store?” Kei Lo guesses.

“Oh no!” Michiaki sputters. “No, don’t misunderstand. It was but a simple observation. It is refreshing to see the nations beginning to come together.” He rubs his hands over his face. “I suppose that I was being rather cryptic.” 

Azula sniffs. 

“Truthfully, I am here to check out my competition. I visited this old lady during my lunch break. Whacky character, that one.” He snickers. 

“Old Lady Yoi makes fine honey.” Azula finishes re-washing the last glass. 

“I never said that she didn’t. Just that she is a little bizarre.” He shrugs. “I’ve never met a beekeeper who was also a glassblower. Very interesting choice.” 

“People can have several hobbies.” Azula gestures towards the door. “Perhaps if you found another, you would have less time to impede on my time.”

“What she means to say is, ‘thanks for stopping in, but can we talk when I’m not trying to close’. She’s still working on the whole be nice to people thing.” 

“I can tell.” Michiaki laughs. “Look, I’m sorry to have intruded. I should have waited until morning but I was…intrigued.”

“That’s alright.” Kei Lo smiles. “Feel free to stop by tomorrow morning. You can sample our honey.”

The man nods. “Tomorrow morning then.” 

He waits until the door closes to turn to Azula. “Azula, what was that? The man was…”

“Suspicious. I don’t like him.” Azula cuts in. “I…I’ve seen his type around the palace. He didn’t come here just to be friendly. And you’re naive if you think so.” 

“Or maybe you’re still not used to getting so much attention.” Kei Lo suggests softly. “We’ve only just started getting a larger influx of buyers. Lots of new faces.”

“I’m not crazy, Kei Lo!” 

“I didn’t say that.”

“I know what I’m talking about. I’m not being paranoid, I’m not overthinking.”

Kei Lo sighs. When she is in this mood, there’s really no arguing. 

She speaks up again, “I…I think that I know him. I just can’t recall where from.”

[reinerispretty]

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) pt21

hello and welcome back! i hope you are having a very good day :)

pt1

pt20

pt22

It was a rainy day at the palace when Mai had interrupted (Y/N’s) meeting with the newer war generals. They were young, but had moved up in the Fire Nation army rather quickly and were more open to change than their older counterparts. (Y/N) paused her speech to stare at me. “Oh, hello,” She said. 

“What happened?” Zuko demanded as they sat with the doctor. The poor man was wearing a nightcap and gown, but whatever the Fire Lord needed, he got. (Y/N) was very appreciative of the old man who was currently stitching up the cut on her arm and she gave him a smile before turning to Zuko and narrowing her eyes. 

“What do you mean, ‘What happened?’ I couldn’t exactly ask the details while I was fighting for my life!” Zuko opened his mouth to speak, then shut it and turned his head away from her. (Y/N) sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m still on edge. They didn’t tell me who they were or what they wanted. They just said that they were sent to punish me for crimes against the Fire Nation.” 

“What crimes?” Zuko asked. (Y/N) shrugged, wincing as the doctor stitched into her skin. 

“None that I can think of, unless trying to right your country’s wrongs is considered a crime.” 

“That has to be it. The people who are still loyal to my father...they must have sent someone after you.” Zuko turned to the guards standing watch at the door. “I want guards permanently placed outside of her rooms at all times. I want every inch of this palace watched.” 

“Yes sir,” One of the guards said, bowing and then leaving to go inform the others. 

“It’s not me they should be protecting,” (Y/N) said. “They’ll start coming for you next.” 

And (Y/N) was right, as she tended to be. Over the course of the next year, as she and Zuko tried their hardest to bring peace back into the world and make up for the hundred years of war their nation had caused, five attempts on both of their lives had been made. (Y/N) tried her best to remain strong, but she feared going to sleep at night, not knowing if she would wake up the next morning. 

Zuko’s seventeenth birthday came and went. Their friends could not pull away from their work of helping those who had been affected by the war and Uncle Iroh’s tea shop was taking off, leaving him little time to do much else. They all still sent Zuko gifts to show how much they cared, but she wasn’t sure if that was enough. (Y/N) had proposed the idea of a birthday dinner for Zuko, but he dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. “We’re far too busy to worry about my birthday this year,” he had said as he signed scrolls at his desk. “I might just go to Mai’s house and have a small dinner with her.” 

“If that’s what you want,” (Y/N) said with a smile, but it really felt like a punch to the gut. The last birthday she had spent with Zuko was his thirteenth. It was so many years ago that she was looking forward to doing something special with him. But she supposed she couldn’t blame him for wanting to spend his birthday with his girlfriend. (Y/N) was the one who distanced herself from him, after all. Still, she gave him the best birthday present she could come up with: a portrait of him and his mother. It had sat in the catacombs of the palace, untouched for years. Ozai had probably ordered it thrown out after Ursa’s banishment. She left it in front of his bedroom while he was out with Mai. 

(Y/N) expected her sixteenth birthday to go somewhat similarly. She was pleasantly surprised to wake up that morning to find that her friends had sent her birthday gifts from areas they had traveled. Sokka sent her a whale-bone comb from the water tribe. Aang and Katara sent her a lovely portrait of her and her friends, complete with big smiles and goofy faces. Toph had sent a letter (with Katara’s help) stating that when they reunited, she’d buy her a birthday gift that (Y/N) picked out, since Toph was blind. (Y/N) giggled as she read that. From Iroh, she received dried tea leaves that made “the best tea in all of Ba Sing Se!” as his letter said. 

Each of her gifts made her smile widely, but Zuko’s gifts had surprised her the most. A warm fruit tart was left outside of her door, along with a servant informing her that she had the day off to do what she liked and that all the costs would be covered by the Fire Lord. Then, she and Zuko would have a private dinner that night. (Y/N) thought it was a pretty sweet gift from the busiest person in the entire Fire Nation. 

Her day had gone great. She bought all of the things she had had her eye on in the market for a while, and even bought the servants and guards who accompanied her a few things that she had noticed them looking at. The royal family was beyond beyond wealthy, so (Y/N) thought a few hundred gold pieces spent on the people who made their lives easier was a manageable expense. 

When she returned to the palace, she readied herself for dinner and joined Zuko in the dining room. A feast had been prepared for the two of them, complete with all of their favorite things they used to eat as children. (Y/N) and Zuko dug into the meal, leaving little time for conversation, but they enjoyed each other’s company just the same. For the first time in a while, (Y/N) felt like she was just spending time with her old friend again. 

That was, until a guard came in and whispered into Zuko’s ear. He looked at (Y/N) apologetically. “Fire Lord stuff, I have to go. I’m so sorry, (Y/N), it’s very urgent.” 

“Oh,” She said, swallowing her noodles. “Do you need me to come?” 

“No, no, I gave you the day off. Enjoy it.” He walked to her seat and bent down, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “Happy birthday, (Y/N).” 

“Thanks,” she mumbled, before watching him be led away by the guards. (Y/N) had known for her entire life that Zuko would become Fire Lord, yet there was nothing she could do to prepare herself for it. She ate the rest of her birthday dinner alone, and then retired to bed at an early hour. 

---

The sixth assassination attempt was the final straw for Zuko. He kept the assassin prisoner and interrogated them for information. This interrogation led him out of the Fire Nation and to the Earth Kingdom colony of Yu Dao. All of his decisions were made in a split second, including the one where he left (Y/N) in charge of the entire Fire Nation. 

“You can’t possibly be serious,” One of his other advisors said, “Leaving this girl in charge of your country while you are gone.” 

“This girl helped save the entire world from destruction, so I suggest you start listening to her. Besides, as soon as I walk out these doors, she might choose to fire you, and I’d absolutely back her up, no questions asks.” Zuko raised his eyebrow at the advisor, who immediately kept his words to himself. 

(Y/N) approached Zuko and tugged on his robes. “If I’m interim Fire Lord, do I get to wear the thing?” 

“The thing?” Zuko asked. She put her hand behind her topknot and waved her fingers around like a flame. “You mean the Fire Lord crown?” Zuko laughed heartily for the first time in a while. “Yeah, you can wear the Fire Lord crown.” 

“Yes!” (Y/N) said quietly to herself. It wasn’t so much that she wanted the power of being temporary Fire Lord, but she had always thought the crown looked really cool. 

Zuko took the crown from his own topknot and placed it in hers. “There. Don’t go burning the city down.” (Y/N) scoffed. 

“That runs in your family, not mine.” She walked away with her head held high, already giving her fellow advisors briefings about what decisions she and Zuko had come up with for the nation. Zuko watched as the old men begrudgingly listened to the young girl’s orders before departing to the Earth Kingdom. 

Zuko made some very questionable decisions while he was away. He had sent a messenger hawk to (Y/N) informing her that the Fire Nation was now pulling out of the Harmony Restoration Movement. He had learned that some of the families within the colonies where blended mixtures of fire and earthbenders. He explained to her how he didn’t feel right separating families or making people leave their homes, so that was why he no longer wanted to back the movement. (Y/N) was nervous about this decision, because everyone else in the world was for the movement, but Zuko had essentially given an order. He was the Fire Lord and he was trying to do what was best for his nation. She had to remind that little voice in the back of her head that Zuko was not Ozai. He was not the person he was before. So, she informed the advisors of the order and planned for the repercussions accordingly. 

It was a rainy day at the palace when Mai had interrupted (Y/N’s) meeting with the newer war generals. They were young, but had moved up in the Fire Nation army rather quickly and were more open to change than their older counterparts. (Y/N) paused her speech to stare at her. “Oh, hello,” She said. 

“Could I speak to you for a moment?” Mai asked. (Y/N) nodded and left the table, promising that she would return shortly. She and Mai stepped outside the room. 

“What’s up?” She asked. 

“I’ve been worried about you and Zuko.” 

“Me and Zuko? Why?” 

“Because of all the assassination attempts?” (Y/N) nodded. 

“Right, those. Forgot about those.” 

“Listen, I asked Ty Lee if she and the Kyoshi Warriors would mind keeping an eye on the place, since the guards obviously aren’t doing great. I wanted to double check that it was okay with you.” 

That honestly surprised (Y/N). She had never had anything against Mai, except that she had tried to kill her on multiple occasions (but at this point, very few of her friends hadn’t) and was dating the boy she loved. They had grown up together but she had never really considered themselves to be friends; moreso acquaintances who had a lot of mutual friends. So, the fact that Mai was asking for her permission to bring in the Kyoshi Warriors because she was worried about her meant a lot. 

“That’s completely fine by me,” (Y/N) said with a smile. “Thanks for thinking of it.” 

Mai shrugged. “Both you and Zuko are way too busy to have to worry about keeping yourselves alive.” She leaned in close to (Y/N). “By the way, I’m pretty sure all of those boys in there are completely in love with you.” 

(Y/N) laughed. “Makes my job of getting them to do what I want easier.” Mai gave her a small, very Mai-like smile before walking away. (Y/N) wondered if maybe Mai was soft on the inside like she was. 

---

Tag List!

@mdgrdians , @soft4kei , @bubblebars , @pleasantfankingdom , @vintageroses1014516 , @celamoon , @fangirlanotherjust , @gliderbudgie , @haylaansmi , @jada-cleo , @boxofteenageideas , @disgruntled-gay , @lie-ana , @jasmine-the-amazing , @svsoftie , @buckysfeet , @anime-simp , @imcravingyou , @rosetheshapeshifter , @alrightberries , @izzieserra , @hstott , @random-stupid-stuffs , @jackbamexpress , @jainaixo , @thefoxskinwalker , @kryptidkova , @bigbuckyenergy , @omgwhattheeven , @ohmigooosh , @snapchatisoverrated , @inlove-maze , @harapirena , @sooske , @sweeetteaa , @selenvx , @ilovespideyyy , @saaaasib , @mochminnie , @agentsofblinks , @happyariesbabey , @slytherky , @uglipotata72829 , @og-disaster-bi , @animeluver23 

[robininthelabyrinth]

For a prompt how about a scenario where against all odds Nie Huaisang is able to inherit Baxia (maybe it wants revenge for NMJ too?)

After all the funeral necessities are done, Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao reluctantly depart – each one having pledged their full support in helping Nie Huaisang hold off any threat to his inheritance of his brother’s position, and in helping him run his sect afterwards, and all of that, but of course they have their own sects to tend to; they can’t stay at the Unclean Realm all the time.

Nie Huaisang remained.

He wasn’t alone – no sect leader, presumptive or otherwise, ever was, surrounded by disciples and retainers and petitioners – but it very much felt as though he was, as if there was a window between him and the world that couldn’t be broken no matter what.

There wasn’t a scratch on him, but everyone in Qinghe treated him like he was walking wounded.

It was better that way, he thought numbly, better than Jin Guangyao’s poisonous smiles, meant to comfort, or Lan Xichen’s self-centered attempts to ease Nie Huaisang’s grief by taking steps to ease his own, suggesting seclusion and meditation and gentle music as if Nie Huaisang had ever cared about any of that. If he had to hear one more thing about how his brother’s too-early demise was just the way things sometimes happened, the mysterious ways of the heavenly dao, and out of the mouths of the men that murdered him –

He’d do nothing, of course. He couldn’t do anything about it – he was too useless, a good-for-nothing just like his brother always worried he’d be; his brother who had always wanted the best for him, who’d warned him that if he didn’t take care and make himself strong, he might one day be lack the ability to do what he wanted…

Nie Huaisang had scoffed at the thought, back then. Back then, as far as he was concerned, his only desires were for a bit of peace and quiet, some pretty things, fans and paintings, brushes and books, and absent a complete collapse of the Nie sect, he’d always be able to get those. And if that was the case, why did he have to be strong? What could he possibly want that he’d need strength to get?

It’d never occurred to him that what he’d want was revenge.

Revenge needed strength.

He didn’t have strength, so he’d have to substitute it with time. His brother had once tried to explain saber training to him that way: yes, it was repetitive, yes, it seemed pointless, yes, all yes, but it was a trade with the future. Each minute of training was capital, built up from your sweat and exertion, and with that capital you could in the future afford that little extra burst of strength, that extra hour of endurance, that might mean the difference between life and death.

The cost of strength was time. He’d spent his younger years living free and easy, thinking his brother would always be there for him, leaving him without the strength he needed to avenge him, and the cost of his youthful arrogance would be the next ten years of his life, if not more.

It would take at least that, if he wanted to destroy the men who killed his brother.

And he would. All of them, without fail.

Jin Guangshan, who’d instigated it, would be easy enough to bring down. Nie Huaisang had money, if nothing else, and Qinghe had plenty of prostitutes who wanted better lives for their bastard sons – it’d be a matter of nothing to pay one of them to pack up and move to Lanling, to get Jin Guangshan’s attention, to get him talking on the matter of children…to instigate him to say something unforgivable about Meng Yao’s mother, who had always been his reverse scale; after that, he could just step back and wait for the consequences to fall where they would, to let Jin Guangyao do the dirty work for him the way he’d done it for Jin Guangshan.

(The prostitute’s child would be given a new name and a position as a Nie sect disciple, very prestigious, a proper young master. Every day, Nie Huaisang would look at him and he would think of Meng Yao trapped in the brothel dreaming of exactly that sort of rescue and he would smile, because the man who murdered his brother deserved nothing from him, not even sympathy for the unfortunate child he’d once been.)

But Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao – that would take time.

Jin Guangyao had a tongue made of silver, capable of turning every situation to his benefit by saying exactly the right thing; Nie Huaisang would need to find solid evidence of his wrongdoing if he was to destroy his life. That would take time, time and patience, years of needing to pretend that nothing was the matter, that he relied on him, that he needed him, that he didn’t see the way Jin Guangyao’s lips curled with sick smug satisfaction as he played the role of older brother that should have been Nie Mingjue’s.

He didn’t need to worry about bringing down Lan Xichen, who valued righteousness but couldn’t recognize it when it stood before him; destroying Jin Guangyao would destroy him, too, and all the better if he realized too late that he would be one of the hands that pushed Jin Guangyao to his demise, just as he’d pushed Nie Mingjue to his.

They would see if all of his seclusion and meditation and gentle music helped him with his grief then.

It would be long and it would be painful and it would have to be that way because he wasn’t strong enough.

Thinking grim thoughts, he walked to his brother’s bedroom, thinking only of seeking some comfort on his sheets before they, too, forgot the smell and weight of him, and that’s when he saw her.

Baxia.

Nie Huaisang’s hand automatically fell to his waist, where his little-used saber still hung in some belated attempt to appease his brother’s spirit – not that Aituan was ever going to be any protection against Baxia. Especially now: she should be safely in his brother’s tomb, placed there like all the other sabers that had lost their masters to fight against fierce corpses for the rest of eternity instead of finding her way out into the world where she would fight against evil no matter what its form. Saber spirits didn’t discriminate: living or dead, evil petty or major, it was all the same to them, and that was what made them so dangerous.

As sect leader, it was Nie Huaisang’s duty to tend to the masterless sabers, something Jin Guangyao foolishly thought meant tomb maintenance and which Nie Huaisang knew meant keeping them from hurting people. That had been the duty the other Nie sect disciples had worried that Nie Huaisang would be unable to perform, and in his heart he’d doubted it, too, but he’d thought it didn’t matter – the masterless sabers hadn’t gotten out in years.

Baxia –

Baxia shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t be floating in the center of Nie Mingjue’s bedroom, her blade having a dull red shine from all the blood she’d drunk over the years in his hand; she shouldn’t look as if she were keeping a vigil, waiting for her master to return when he never would.

Aituan vibrated under Nie Huaisang’s hand. It wasn’t lust for a battle (Aituan wasn’t the type), but rather almost – an echo.

Sympathy.

Family lore said that saber spirits didn’t understand compassion. And yet, Nie Huaisang would swear that that was what it was: an echo of pain made in understanding, a sharing of loss.

His fingers released Aituan’s hilt.

“Baxia,” he said, his voice breaking – too raspy from all the tears he’d wept, pained from the rage he’d swallowed down. Heedless of his own safety, he stepped forward. “Baxia…they killed him.”

Baxia didn’t attack him, which was already something: Nie Huaisang knew very well that he counted as evil by her standards. He who sees injustice and does nothing to prevent it – he who closes his eyes to truth and refuses to help the helpless, preferring to waste time on indulging himself instead –

“They killed da-ge,” he said, his eyes fixed on Baxia. “Your master, my brother…they killed him, and I’m not strong enough to get them back. Not yet. It’ll take time. But I swear to you, I’ll do it. I’ll avenge him, no matter the cost. I swear it.”

Baxia finally responded, floating over towards him – blade pointed down the ground rather than at his throat, which he appreciated.

Moved by some instinct he didn’t understand, Nie Huaisang reached out and pressed his fingers to the flat of Baxia’s blade. He hadn’t touched Baxia in years, not since he was a child, and suddenly there was a spark of energy that he could feel and –

He shouldn’t be able to feel that.

He shouldn’t be able to – that was the way he felt when he finally mastered Aituan, his soul fluctuating as he became one with his saber, and that was impossible; everyone knew sabers only had one master. At first he thought somehow Baxia had stolen his link to Aituan, but no, he could still fell him there, grumbling a little but not overly worried (nothing worried Aituan, Nie Mingjue had once said, with great displeasure, that Aituan was the capybara of sabers), but Nie Huaisang could still feel her.

Not just her.

The spark didn’t stop at his fingers but flowed inwards, running through his meridians in a sudden cycle that took Nie Huaisang by surprise: he was cultivating, somehow. Without doing anything, he was inexplicably growing stronger, filling up with power from –

From Baxia.

From his brother.

No wonder Baxia had come here to wait for him. She’d come to give him his inheritance, his brother’s last gift to him – his brother must have planned this long ago, wanting his little brother to have at least a little of the power he’d never bothered to earn for himself.

Nie Huaisang’s eyes filled with tears.

It wouldn’t make that much of a difference to his plans – he still wasn’t anywhere near ready to challenge someone like Lan Xichen – but he wouldn’t have to worry, now, about any further assassination attempts by Jin Guangyao: he had enough strength, now, to defend himself.

To raise a saber, if necessary.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I’ll do him proud – I’ll do you both proud. I promise.”

This time, it was a promise he’d keep.

[thedinanshiral]

My personal DA4 wishlist + thoughts

I’ve been teasing this post for a couple of weeks over at Twitter, i’m the worst! But anyway, since game journalism has decided to confirm, once again, that the next Dragon Age game will be set in Tevinter like that’s breaking news, now’s as good a time as ever to write all this down.

Locations: Tevinter, clearly. It’s been pretty much a given since the end of Trespasser in 2015, with that scene where the Inquisitor stabs a map on a table directly on Tevinter as they promise to go after Solas to stop him. But also concept art and several stories from Tevinter Nights heavily imply Antiva, Nevarra, the Anderfells, and maybe Rivain. For those of you who don’t know your Thedosian Geography 101, that’s basically Northern Thedas. And it makes sense, since so far for three games straight we’ve been first stuck in Ferelden, then the coast of the Free Marches, and later the rest of Southern Thedas. We’ve never been North, only heard of it. So in DA4 i’m sure we will finally be able to visit.

Characters: If we’re going to Tevinter, we must meet Dorian again, maybe meet Maevaris Tilani as well (previously only seen in comics), judging from the latest comics series, i’m hoping for Fenris too. And going by the latest teaser trailer, we might see Varric again. As for characters that so far we have no news of, i’d like to see Cole, the Iron Bull, and if by any chance BioWare feels like blessing us with a Hawke/Fenris reunion i might just die happy.  I’d also very much like to see the Inquisitor, but more on that later.

Companions: considering concept art and the latest teaser trailer, plus Tevinter Nights stories and new characters, we have an interesting repertoire of new potential companions. A Tevinter mage, an ancient elf (like a temple guardian) or a dalish elf (like Strife), a Nevarran mortalitasi or spirit, Antivan Crows, Lords of Fortune (new faction, kind of like treasure hunters), Qunari lady, maybe an alchemist or shapeshifter, Grey Wardens (possibly a dwarf), a liberated or escaped slave, a Siccari (Tevinter spies/assassins)..even past agents of the Inquisition could return. 

Plot: We know Solas wants to take down the Veil. We know there’s two archdemons left, and Grey Wardens are regaining some spotlight in concept art lately. We might have to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously and be strategic about it. Solas might even unleash a double Blight just to keep us distracted while he focus on his own goal, who knows. But many other things are happenig in the margins and all over the place. The Qunari Antaam is having a crisis with some of its members supposedly going rogue, the order they’re so proud of is breaking up, and the whole of Northern Thedas is facing an imminent threat of invasion. Tevinter is still dealing with remnants of the Venatori and might soon be dealing with a slaves rebellion and/or a political and social reform (Magisters Dorian and Maeveris have been working wirh the Lucerni, a group aiming to restore and redeem Tevinter). The Antivan Crows -the de facto rulers of Antiva - may be dealing with a succession crisis, as their First Talon, a powerful feared and respected but old lady, might not be around for much longer and seems her chosen heir has died before his time. Meanwhile in the Anderfells nobody’s heard anything from the Grey Wardens’ HQ at Weisshaupt since the end of Inquisition, and as told in the novel Last Flight, the sudden reappearance of griffons may have had something to do with that radio silence. So you see, get ready for another +100 hours long game because BW has plenty of stuff to keep us busy with. But in short, DA4 seems will be about primarily searching, finding, and dealing with Solas. Regardless of what you decided at the Exalted Council in Trespasser, the Inquisition or what’s left of it is most likely the group orchestrating that mission. As it was so clearly stated then, they need new people Solas doesn’t know so he can’t foresee their actions, so it’s possible the DA4 protagonist is a new agent or a third party hired to do what the Inner circle can’t due to their familiarity with Solas in the past. But at the same time -and this is assuming we get to find Solas in this game - i definitely think the Inquisitor could easily show up again. No, losing an arm doens’t mean they’ve retired forever, prosthetics do exist in Thedas, a world where you can combine dwarven craftmanship with enchantments, seriously, i don’t ever want to hear ���but they lost an arm” ever again as an excuse to write them out. And no, marrying Cullen or joining the Red Jennys is no impediment to join the “Stop Solas” Squad; the end of Trespasser means something, mainly that this is personal. Be it they loved them as lovers, as friends or ended up hating his guts for using and betraying them, the Inquisitor’s relationship with Solas makes this very personal, and so having any other character do that face off would cheapen all of it, all that bittersweet angsty development and expectations of either revenge or closure. That moment should happen between those two. It adds a ton of motivation due to their past historyas well, something a new protagonist would lack entirely.  My personal best hope is for a sort of dual protagonist thing, say we play new protagonist for most of the game but a selected missions or scenes where we play as the Inquisitor once again and take over for key and heart-wrenching dialogue options. My second best hope is for the Inquisitor to show up as playable for the moment we catch up with Solas. My third and final best hope is for the inquisitor to be a sort of advisor but more like new protagonist’s boss/employer to whom they report back to and get new missions from. The Inquisitor can be stuck in meetings for the most part of it, i just want to know they’re there, behind a door, super busy but there. A cameo like Hawke’s in Inquisition is the bare miminum i can take, anyhting less than that like a mention in a sidequest description or a footnote in a codex entry would be a total  injustice. 

Romances: I’m open for pretty much anything, as any good BW fan would be. But i’d like romances to feel more alive in the sense that they don’t abruptly get stuck once you exhaust all related quests and dialogue options. As much as my Adaar liked that spank from the Iron Bull, that it was the only thing they could share after their romance was locked was a bit..meh. I liked Dorian’s tho, because his gave one the option to talk a bit, go for a walk, gossip, and sure, it all happened off-screen, and there were limited possibilities, but it was nice and made their relationship feel a bit more real, like they had more to it than kissing and stuff. It happens in most games, once you secure a romanceable companion suddenly you run out of things to do and share with them, and you get stuck with the same 3 lines of dialogue over and over again. There should be a way of solving that.

Side quests: i’m ok with fetch quests initially as it is a good way of forcing the player to go out and explore huge maps, but i’d also like the fetching to have some meaning other than checking things off a list. I want to explore many ruins, and -can’t believe i’m actually saying this- i want a Fade quest. Wait! I know what you’re thinking but don’t kill me just yet, here’s my idea: what if we could visit the Fade at certain locations to witness memories or meet with spirits and recollect information on Solas, his past, his present? Both to understand him better (keep in mind we’ll most likely get a new protagonist who isn’t familiar with him like we are as players) and try to locate him or predict his next move. It would be i think i great way of having visions of Arlathan in its golden age, maybe seeing some of the other Evanuris, how they interacted with each other and with the elves in their service, what really happened ...i just want that sweet, sweet lore, i need it.

Technical stuff: ok, graphics will be amazing for sure, but i also would really really like: better, more varied and longer hairstyles, PLEASE. Body sliders, it’s damn time we get them. Mounts that actually make a difference! Let staves blades make damage in combat, I’M BEGGING HERE. Combined classes, MAGICAL ROGUES! A homebase we can fix up/build on/redecorate as fully as possible (Skyhold was great and i love it to pieces but why were those walls NEVER repaired????) . More casual outfit options, idk i love to dress up my characters, maybe some transmog? A day/night cycle and please i would love to see Thedas’ second moon, also weather variations depending on the region. Yes, i’m ambitious.

Gameplay: i’d like more AI options for companions, but not quite like in DAO, that was too much and i rarely used it. I’m curious how they’ll do combat this time but i know for sure i don’t want the kind of combat that has me going almost frame by frame pausing at every second, it’s annoying for me. I want large areas like in DAI but with a bit more stuff to see and do although one of my favourite maps is the Hissing Wastes so i won’t complain if we get a literal desert but i’d also like it to have secrets hidden around, make me work to find and solve them, i love exploring, i jump and click on EVERYTHING like i’m still a kid playing Monkey Island. A companion in concept art seems to be holding what looks like some form of rifle, so i’m curious how they’d incorporate that in the game. I know Tevinter has the magics and dwarves have the skill, a firearm is totally within the possibilities in-game without breaking any lore; also super curious what sort of skill trees Crows or Lords of Fortune could have, are they rogues, or warriors, or both??

So far, that’s what i got in my head.Well, most of it anyways, i may have missed something but this post has to end somewhere lol

What’s in your head? Feel free to share! Have you been thinking on how you’ll create your next protagonist? All i can think of is magical rogues and that  glowing bow was all the hype i needed.

[occasionally-writing]

A Day At Pha Pun Dao Cliff

A/N: I am on a roll! I wanted to write for these two again, so here’s another fanfic! I miss PhuTian XD it hasn’t been long but I already miss them XD anyways, I hope you enjoy the fanfic! :D

Summary: Making the trek up to Pha Pun Dao Cliff, Phu and Tian spend the late afternoon together, watching the sunset and just enjoying each other’s company. 

Word Count: 1715

“Tian. Wake up. You said you wanted to go to the waterfall today.” Scrunching his eyes tightly as a voice reached his ears, Tian grumbled and moved to turn over, ignoring the voice until a hand shook his shoulder, not allowing him to go back to sleep. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Tian grunted and let them flutter open, the sight of the sun shining making him aware that it was morning. Turning around so he was on his back again, Tian yawned and gave his attention to the person who woke him up, Phu’s smile creating butterflies in Tian’s chest. Letting out a hum when he felt Phupha’s fingers thread through his hair, Tian sighed and squirmed closer, nuzzling his face into his boyfriend’s neck as Phu’s arm wrapped around his waist and rubbed at his back. “Come on, get up. Let’s take a shower and get going.”

“Do we have to go now? It feels like it’s still early,” Tian whined, his voice sounding like gravel from not being awake yet. Chuckling as Tian practically molded into his body, Phu nodded and nuzzled his face into his boyfriend’s hair, hugging him tight before he gently pulled away, maneuvering them both until they were sitting up in bed and Tian was giving him a tired glare. Cupping Tian’s face, Phu traced his thumb under Tian’s eye and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Letting out a sound that sounded almost like a purr, Tian sighed and pouted when Phupha pulled back, an amused grin on his face. “Fine...get the towels and stuff. You can collect everything since you so rudely woke me up.”

Snorting but nodding anyways, Phu watched as Tian got some fresh clothes together and laid them across the bed. Meeting Phupha’s eyes, Tian stuck his tongue out playfully before he jogged out of the cabin, the door swinging just behind him as he headed towards the showers. Shaking his head with a fond sigh, Phu pushed himself off the messy bed and chose his clothes for the day as well, strewing them beside Tian’s. Gathering some body wash, shampoo and a couple of towels, Phupha tossed the towels over his shoulders and stepped out of the cabin.

“Chief! Hurry up!” Rolling his eyes, Phu made an attempt to walk slower, snickering when it caused Tian to give him the finger. Throwing the towels over the bamboo walls, Phu opened the shower gate and stepped in, crowding into Tian’s space. Removing their shirts and pajama bottoms and tossing them on the wall as well, Tian swallowed the lump in his throat and turned, his back facing his boyfriend. Stepping closer, Phupha reached out and filled some of the buckets with semi-warm water, his chest pressed up against Tian’s back. Leaning back against Phu, Tian sighed when the warm water was slowly poured over him, Phu’s hand following as he rubbed the skin of Tian’s stomach. “You got the body wash?”

“Of course. Nope, I’ll wash you, no touching the bottle,” Phupha warned, lifting the bottle of body wash out of Tian’s reach, grinning when his boyfriend sputtered and huffed, placing his hands on his hips. Arching a brow as he waited for Tian’s answer, Phu poured some in his hand when Tian gave the okay, his ears flushed red. Rubbing it across Tian’s back, Phupha kept his touch light as he washed Tian’s body. Letting himself relax, Tian sighed and laid his head against Phu’s shoulder, his eyes fluttering closed as the soft touch of his boyfriend swept across his body. Pressing a kiss to his temple, Phu put the bottle back down and grabbed another bucket. “I’m going to rinse you now.”

Letting out a hum to tell Phupha he heard him, Tian sighed when the warm water washed over him, rinsing away the bubbles from the body wash. Soaking Tian’s hair carefully with another bucket, Phu poured some shampoo on his boyfriend’s hair and gently scrubbed, sudsing up the soap until Tian’s soft hair was covered completely in bubbles. Rinsing his hand, Phupha placed his hand over Tian’s eyes and began to rinse his hair, running his fingers through it to make sure he got all the soap out. Opening his eyes when Phu’s hand moved away from his face, Tian turned around and met his boyfriend’s gaze, giving him a small smile. 

“Okay, it’s your turn. Let me do it for you too!” Tian ordered, squirming around Phupha so he could push him closer to the front. Filling up the buckets again since Phu used them all on him, Tian poured the water over Phu’s body, his eyes following the droplets as they rolled down Phupha’s chest. Clearing his throat, Tian shook the thought from his head and continued on, lathering Phu’s body with the body wash. Going through everything that Phupha did for him, it wasn’t long until they were both clean and the excess water was dumped in the drain. “Here’s your towel.”

Wrapping the towels around their waists, the two stepped out of the shower stall, Tian darting towards the cabin while Phupha took his time. Closing the door behind him, Phupha leaned against it to watch his boyfriend, who removed the towel from his waist and was drying himself off. Feeling eyes sizing him up, Tian turned and fumbled when Phupha met his gaze, an amused smirk on the chief’s face. Glaring at him playfully, Tian rolled his eyes and turned his back to him, drying his hair as he grabbed his boxers and slid them on. It’s not like Phupha hasn’t seen everything on his body already. Slipping on a pair of sweatpants, Tian finished up drying his hair and tossed the damp towel in the laundry basket Phupha kept near their closet. 

“Don’t just stand there. Get ready,” Tian huffed, his voice telling Phupha that he wasn’t annoyed. Chuckling, Phupha did a mock salute and crossed the room, beginning to pull on his clothes while it was Tian’s turn to observe his boyfriend. Wiggling his eyebrows and grinning when it made Tian snort, Phu finished getting dressed and tossed the towel with Tian’s. Fixing his hair quickly, Phupha turned and stayed silent as Tian slipped on his shirt, the shirt being the army one that Phu had given him a while ago. “Do you think I’ll need a jacket? Pha Pun Dao cliff may be chilly…”

“Hmm...maybe. Just tie it around your waist and if you get cold during the hike, you can slip it on,” Phupha thought out, slipping on his boots while Tian did as he said, tying the army jacket around his waist. It was big on him but that was the best part in Tian’s opinion. Pulling on a pair of his own boots, Tian made sure they were tight before he stood up and smiled at Phu, telling him that he was ready without even saying a word. Putting his hand out, Phupha smiled fondly when Tian looked at it before it seemed to connect. Sliding his fingers through Phu’s, Tian smiled when Phupha tightened his hold on his hand as they stepped out of the cabin. “The walk is going to be long. You sure you’re up for it?”

Knowing Phupha was teasing him, Tian nudged him playfully and started following the trail, pulling Phu with him as their hands swung between them. Not quite knowing how long the hike up the mountain was, Tian was thankful he listened to his boyfriend, the air becoming chilly the higher they went. Pausing so that Tian could slip on the jacket, zipping it up all the way, Phu smiled when Tian laced their fingers together once more. Finally reaching the top as the sun began to set, Phupha gently led Tian towards the rock they always sat on. Taking in a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, Tian sighed and leaned back against the rock, taking in the beautiful hues of orange, purple and pink of the sunset. 

“The stars may be beautiful up here, but the sunsets and sunrises are just as amazing,” Phu hummed out, settling himself next to Tian, bumping their shoulders together as Tian nodded, leaning against his boyfriend and placing his head on Phupha’s shoulder. Wrapping his arm around Tian’s shoulder, Phu held him close as they remained silent, just observing the sky in awe. Staying on the rock, even as the sun finally set and the sky grew dark, the stars twinkling above them, Phu blew out a breath and glanced at Tian, who had dozed off against his shoulder. “Tian. Come on, we should probably head back down now. I’m sure Yod, Rang and Nam are looking for us.”

“Hmph...don’t want to…” Tian mumbled, leaning fully on Phupha as the warmth of his boyfriend’s body soaked into his own. Letting out a fond sigh, Phu stood up, carefully holding onto Tian before he maneuvered him onto his back, heaving him further on his back in a piggyback hold. Wrapping his arms around Phupha’s neck, Tian buried his face in the back of Phu’s neck, pressing a sleepy kiss to the sensitive skin. Tightening his hold on his boyfriend, Phu trekked down the mountain, not even having to use a flashlight since he knew the path by heart. Nuzzling his face into Phupha’s shoulder, Tian smiled softly, his eyes trying so hard to stay open as he observed the sky above them. “Sorry if I’m heavy, Chief.”

“You’re not heavy. You feel like you weigh less than a feather,” Phupha chuckled softly, rubbing his thumb in circles on Tian’s thighs. Letting out a snort of his own, Tian sighed and quietly thanked Phu for carrying him, which caused Phu to dismiss his thanks, not minding at all. “We’re almost to the village. I’ll wake you up when we’re at the cabin, so feel free to doze.”

Nodding slightly, Tian finally let his eyes flutter shut, snuggling further into Phupha’s back as the sounds of nature and the steady breathing of his boyfriend lulled him into a light slumber. Feeling Tian’s breathing even out against his back, Phupha smiled and stayed as quiet as he could, keeping his steps light as he continued his trek towards the village.

[gloves94]

Sunburn [Prince Zuko] 39

Warnings: Cursing Rating: PG-13  Pairings: Zuko/OC  

Sunburn Chapter M A S T E R L I S T My fan fiction M A S T E R L I S T

It had been three days since the end of the One Hundred Year War.

Parts of the Fire Nation Capital had been burnt to ash during the sibling’s conflict for the Nation’s crown. Traditional red roofs had been turned into charcoal black and were missing walls and tiles.

Regardless of it all it was a beautiful morning and the Fire Nation people seemed eager to welcome their new Fire Lord and for the war in which they gained yet lost so much to be over.

Tsai stood on the Capital’s entry docks, her arms crossed over her chest. Wind swaying her hair lightly. She held her arms lightly embracing the comfort of her recovered hidden blade gauntlets. Who would’ve thought Azula had kept them as some type of sick trophy all this time?

The warship approached and she stood with her back straight ready to welcome her guests into the nation. The ship docked and after several moments two figures emerged from behind a several escorts.

“Welcome to the Mainland- the Capital- I mean- the Fire Nation? I still can’t get used to these terms.” She said nervously holding the back of her neck awkwardly.

“Home will do,” one of the emerging figures said dully.

“How do you jail birds feel?” She laughed nervously unsure of how to interact with Mai and Ty Lee.

She was taken aback when she was engulfed in a tight hug. She looked down at Ty Lee uncomfortably.

“Tsai, your aura is golden! Oh! It just makes me want to hug you!” The brunette cried out dramatically. “Yeah,” the other dead panned. “It’s because I’m the sun.” She explained awkwardly slowly leeching her hands from around her.

“Is it true?” Mai asked, her pose mirroring Tsai’s proper one. “About Azula?”

“Yeah…” She trailed off. “Physicians said she had some type of schizophrenic meltdown. She was also badly burnt. Most of the right side of her body suffered second to third degree burns.” She paused for a brief moment and a shiver went up her spine as she remembered Azula’s horrifying screeches. “She’s been committed to a mental health ward where hopefully she’ll get the help she needs.” She offered the princess’ ex-friends a small sad smile.

“And Fire Lord Ozai?” Ty Lee asked bringing a hand to her chin in a pensive pose.

“He’s alive as well. Imprisoned. The Avatar succeeded and took his bending away, so he won’t be able to hurt anyone any time soon.” Her smiled widened slightly.

“That is not going to go well. I can assure you my father is not happy about that. I’m assuming yours won’t be either.” Mai sighed sounding irritated. “I wouldn’t count on the Fire Lord to sit pretty and still on his cell…” She trailed of.

“Yeah,” her tone lowered enough to match Mai’s. From what she had heard Ba Sing Se had been taken back by the Earth Kingdom with the help of the White Lotus. The Fire Lord had been defeated by the Avatar and Yu Dao had been taken by her brother who was rumored to sit as the new Vice Royal Governor of the colony. “I’m still waiting to hear back from my brother. It sounds like things went… well as well as they could go.”

It was then that a lightbulb went off in her head as she remembered something she had been pending.

“Speaking of-,” She said reaching for a scroll she kept tucked in the back of her sash. “My brother asked me to give this to you Mai. I’d more than understand if you want nothing to do with it, or him.” She rolled her eyes lightly and handed the girl the scroll just as she had promised.

Mai starred at the scroll with a dead expression that was first natured to her. She had no reaction to this. Man, she really was hard to read. Ty Lee on the other hand bounced eagerly and snatched the scroll from her best friend’s hand excitedly opening it, breaking the seal.

“Mai! Is that the dreamy rugged boy with the body scars and the green eyes you were telling me about? Wait- he’s your brother?” She gaped for a moment. Tsai’s sighed lightly irritated. “’Mai, I just wanted to say-’” Ty Lee began reading and slowly her face grew from pink to red to marron.  

“Woah,” She fanned her face. She turned to Mai with a sheepish expression. The other girl simply took the scroll with a stoic expression and hid it inside her sleeves without much enthusiasm. “You colonials are something else,” Ty Lee giggled.

“We all know the stereotype,” she shrugged with a lazy smile. “Also, we’re going to the Earth Kingdom tomorrow. To Ba Sing Se for King Kuei’s coronation and to regroup with Uncle Iroh, my brother and everybody else. You two should come. You’re more than invited.”

“Really?” Ty Lee clapped her hands together, eyes shinning in excitement. Mai quirked an arched eyebrow as if testing her.

“Of course,” she responded timidly. “You’re both Zuko’s oldest friends. I know he’d want you both to be there.” She paused and looked at the onyx haired girl. “And Mai you’ve been a friend to me too, so I want you to come as well. I also never thanked you for saving my brother and my friends at the Boiling Rock. It must’ve been a hard decision to make. Considering your dad’s political post and your uncle’s... So, because of that I thank you. She stretched out her hands and reached for the other girls which she gave a light squeeze.

Mai simply nodded averting her eyes away from the girl. Maybe she didn’t smile back but the gesture might as well have been the same.

Regardless, it was an accepting one.

Xxx

The former banished prince stood on a parlor room. The massive balcony windows allowed him to the city. His city. The nation that he was now responsible for, his empire. Ha gazed at it lost in thought as he attempted to dress in his ceremonial robes.

The room was traditional with a red carpet that sprawled out across from one wall to the other. Giant lanterns hung at the top from the ceiling. The entrance doors were carved with golden arches. Four story, red, velvet curtains adorned the large windows.

He let out a low hiss when he picked up his robe and attempted to slip it on. He grimaced slightly at the slight pain he felt on his chest. Struggling he managed to get one arm through one sleeve. The other proving to be more challenging.

“Need a hand?”

He turned excited a rare smile on his features. The smile stretched as he drank up her ceremonial appearance. She wore a golden ochre long-sleeved traditional dress with a golden trim. Both of her hands were hidden inside of her sleeves just like she wore when they first met. Her hair was clean and parted to the side, worn half up. She wore a small diadem composed of thin golden rods which resembled a sun’s halo.

“You look… nice,” he struggled to find his words.

She approached him and walked around him helping him put his robe over his arm and tied his robe. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Better than nice,” he added gawkily.

“You look…” He said tenderly really struggling to find the perfect word.

She accepted the unsaid compliment and interrupted him by placing a deep kiss on his lips, both smiling through it. “Thanks.” She knew he meant well.

“How do you feel? Your Lordness,” She joked resting her hands on the neck of his robe lightly stroking the fabric.

“I still can’t believe it. A year ago, my whole purpose in life was to hunt Aang down and now it’s like I’m in a completely different place.”

“We both are.” She agreed. “A year ago, my purpose was to unite the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. My grandfather was still alive…” She sighed. “But now that I think about it, we probably wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for the funeral.” His uninjured arm snaked around her shoulders bringing her close. “Do you remember? The same funeral in which you were extremely rude to my family?” She poked.

He rolled his eyes slightly. She was never going to let that go was she?

“You didn’t even say anything when I introduced myself to you! You just walked away!”

“I didn’t say anything because I was nervous,” he admitted sheepishly. “You’re an awful liar.” She laughed pushing away. Who did he think he was fooling? He had been simply and plainly terribly rude.

“So, what are we going to do now?” He asked her as she walked back to him holding a different part of his Fire Lord armor. “You could… move here?” He suggested brashly. “You could have your own room. Your own everything,” he added apprehensively, swallowing a nervous knot that had formed in his throat.

“About that… I actually wanted to talk to you and Aang.

Xxx

Aang was sitting against one of the walls outside of a Royal Balcony, the one which lead to the Royal Plaza just where Zuko and Azula had had their face down Agni Kai a couple of days ago. He sat with his legs crossed underneath, a solemn expression on his face as he meditated on the events that had transpired the last couple of days. Despite the time he felt as if his trek from Ember Island to this moment had been one very, very long day.

He heard light laughing from the distance and looked up to see Zuko dressed in his new Fire Lord armor. His hair was combed and pulled back in a traditional Fire Nation topknot and he seemed genuinely happy as he made his way down the hall that lead to the coronation temple. His girlfriend walked next to him laughing at some comment he had just said. He wondered just what he could’ve said to make her laugh like that. Let’s be real, Zuko was known for a lot of things and being funny wasn’t one of them. Both looked regal as they walked down the hall together standing tall in their elegant robes.

Aang felt a pang of jealousy hit him. If the war was over then why- why couldn’t him and Katara be like them? ‘Ugh…’ He thought irritated.

The couple stopped walking and stood before Aang. Zuko smiled faintly at him and paused before the curtain that lead to the balcony.

“We were just talking about where we were a year ago. I still can’t believe a year ago my purpose in life was hunting you down." Zuko commented with small shake of his head, "And now..."

Aang opened his eyes and looked over at his friend with a smile, "And now we're friends."

"Yeah." The Fire Nation prince agreed with his own smile, still kind of amazed at all the growth and development they had accomplished. "We are friends."

"Well," Aang pushed himself to his feet and stood in front of the couple. He shrugged and smirked slightly, "I can't believe a year ago I was still frozen in a block of ice. The world's so different now."

Zuko walked towards Aang and put his hand on his shoulder, "And it's gonna be even more different. We'll rebuild it together."

Aang smiled and hugged his friend warmly, Zuko easily returning the embrace before they separated.

“That’s actually something I wanted to talk to you two about…” Tsai stood at a close distance both hands hidden inside of her sleeves. “But it’ll have to be some other time.” She smiled at the two.

“Good luck Aang.” She turned and gave Aang a hug. “Good luck handsome,” she kissed her boyfriend’s face.  

She walked away, making her way to meet the others on the Royal Plaza. Aang noted the lovesick expression the Fire Lord wore on his face. Toph was right those two, they were just way too much sometimes… ‘Fire Nationers.’ He shrugged to himself.

“Uh, shall we go?” Aang interrupted Zuko’s lost train of thought.

“Y-Yeah!” He said his cheeks turning slightly pink in embarrassment of being caught distracted.

The Fire Lord cleared his throat composing himself and brushed the curtains aside stepping through them, Aang following in a moment later.

Xxx

Tsai made her way outside, wavering through the heavy crowds sticking her head up trying to find any familiar face in the crowd.

“You’re that girl,” a burly man in the crowd suddenly said looking down at her. She looked at him oddly. “The Blue Spirit, the one that freed the Avatar and took down the Pohuai Stronghold.” He stated his expression blank. She was about to respond when his expression shifted into an angry one. “You’re the one that costs us the siege of the North!” He accused pointing a finger at her. “My brother died because of you!”

She gave a small step back feeling unsafe wanting to create as much distance possible between her and the threatening man.

“Tsai! There you are!” She turned just in time to see Suki reaching out to her from the crowds. She exchanged a look with the man who made a vulgar gesture to her with his hand before spitting at the floor. Without another word she parted with an uneasy feeling taking Suki’s hand.

“Hey!” She greeted with a cheesy grin. “Everyone ready?” She asked excitedly.

Everybody was there: Sokka, Katara, their father, Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, the Kyoshi Warriors, Mai, some of the people that had been with them during the in the Western Air Temple and even some swamp people and others she had never seen before.

Just in time.

All eyes turned towards the Royal Balcony when a Fire Sage stepped forward and struck a gong three times. She smiled proudly as she watched Zuko cross to the front of the stairs. The crowd loudly cheering and applauding to their new Fire Lord. The only person that was missing was Iroh. She still couldn’t believe he was missing his nephew’s coronation.

“Please,” Zuko spoke to his people raising an arm. The noise diminished as the people quieted hoping to hear their Lord speak. “The real hero is the Avatar.” He said stepping to the side. Aang stepped from behind him wearing a pair of elegant robes which were shaded in the traditional colors of Air Nomad fashion.

"Today, this war is finally over." Zuko declared. Again, the crowd went wild in cheer and applause. The people in the plaza raising up their arms in pomp. "I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will," He continued with a serious expression. "The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided." Zuko looked over at Aang who was looking back at him. "But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right back, and begin a new era of love and peace."

The crowds cheered in applause once again and Zuko inclined his head bowing to his people and others. Aang stepped to the side. A Fire Sage stepped forward holding up the Fire Lord’s headpiece crowning artefact in his hands.

He lowered his body coming down on one knee. The crowds held their breaths waiting for the coronation. Tsai watched with her eyes peeled holding onto Suki’s arm tightly with emotion. She hid her proud smile behind a half-closed hand she had brought to her lips.  

"All hail, Fire Lord Zuko!" The Fire Sage said loudly, his voice carrying across the entire Royal Plaza. He lowered the headpiece officially crowning the banished prince.

The crowd went wild. The Fire Nation specially. It was obvious that his own people loved him. The girl from the colonies cheered loudly raising both hands up in the air proudly. Suki grimaced and lightly clapped, just happy to feel the circulation in her arm once again.

The Fire Lord rose to his step and walked towards the stairs that lead down to the Royal Plaza. He paused for a moment and looked over at his friend, the Avatar, motioning him forward to join by his side. Aang returned the smile and came to a stop behind him also marveling at the cheering crowd.

“So, how does it feel to have your boyfriend he the new Fire Lord?” Sokka teased a certain red head in the crowd nudging her side. “Ha!” She said to him giving him a flat look. “You should ask him what it’s like having me as a girlfriend.” She said with an arrogant chuckle.

Xxx

Sometime after the coronation ceremony, Zuko somehow managed to slip away from his friends and girlfriend and snuck out of the palace grounds. He took a path that was much too familiar to him, the one that lead to the Fire Nation’s Prison Tower. He walked alone; his brow twisted as he was determined to get answers to questions he had had for years.

Guards opened the metal doors of the cells and he walked inside the narrow, humid hallway, coming to a halt before bars at the end of the room in the secluded isolation corridor.

All of his life Zuko had been tormented by the sight of his father, but now. Looking at him down and disheveled with his hair loose, oily and tangled around his face, he looked like a completely different person. He looked like a slimy, small man. Not the terrifying man he had once feared.

His father’s golden eyes narrowed as they flickered towards him. "I should count myself lucky. The new Fire Lord has graced me with his presence in my lonely prison cell." Ozai grimaced.

"You should count yourself lucky that the Avatar spared your life." Zuko replied coolly, standing his ground. He ignored his father's scornful sarcasm.

"Hmp." His father scoffed looking away from him.

"Banishing me was the best think you could have done for my life." Zuko admitted after a moment. "It put me on the right path. Perhaps your time in here can do the same for you."

Perhaps there was some redemption in his father’s future. Ozai glanced over at his son in disinterested and asked in an almost weary voice. "Why are you really here?"

His scarred son certainly hadn’t come to grace him with his lordy presence on the day of his coronation.

"Because you're going to tell me something." Zuko said and leaned closer to the cell bars continuing in a low, unforgiving tone.

"Where. Is. My. Mother?"

Ozai remained silent. He simply glowered at his son. The man had nothing else to lose. Why would he surrender the last clutch of power he had over his son?

“Ran your tongue out?” Zuko pressed.

An evil smirked graced Ozai’s gaunt features. “Tell me Fire Lord, do you still keep that filthy half-blood around for entertainment?”

“That’s none of your business.” Zuko snapped defensively. He never wanted to hear mentioning of her or her name coming from his father’s tongue. It unnerved him and made him feel ill. As if it was something was his and only his, something private. His father let out a low malicious chuckle as if holding back a cruel inside joke with himself. His laughter mocking, almost haunting.

“What’s so damn funny?” The young Fire Lord snapped.

“Your forefathers are probably rolling in their tombstones. As if you couldn’t bring enough shame and dishonor to the crown. To your name. The one thing you could’ve done to redeem yourself and this nation... You don’t. A colonial…” He scoffed. “Let alone a mudblood with tainted Earth Kingdom blood sitting on the throne! This… Her… You… It’s the worst thing that could’ve happened to our nation.”

“Worse things have happened.” Again, he responded cooly in his best attempt to maintain his cold composure.

Again, the man began to cackle.

“Enjoy it while you can…” He threatened his words ominous.

“What are you going to do about it? Nothing-bend at her? You better watch yourself or she’ll break your nose again.”

His smirked edged further to the sides of his face. It was vile, evil, threating and heavily filled with menace.

“I wouldn’t be so careless if I were you or your blushing moll Fire Lord Zuko.”

Struck, he faltered his emotions betraying him. “Guards!” He called. “Take him to the dungeons! Where he’ll be placed in isolation. I don’t want this man to see the light of day every again!”

Zuko excited the prison his mind racing with violent thoughts as he made his way back to the palace. His mind now corrupted flooded with concern at his father’s empty threat. He told himself it was most likely a mind game the man was playing, that there was nothing he could do to bring any actual harm to him or his – what had he called her again? Moll. Whatever the fuck that was it didn’t sound complimentary. But- today was not the day for that. He forced himself to push those thoughts to the back of his head.

After all, today was a day of celebration.

The war was over.

Xxx

Team Avatar found themselves enjoying lunch in the Royal Dinning room. The friends laughed and shared roast duck, apple tarts and pork dumplings toasting with cranberry juice and others with some fine wine.

They had been here for a while and the Fire Lord himself was nowhere to be found.

Tsai was currently sitting in between Sokka and Toph. The three currently bickering if a duck’s quack actually had an echo or not.

“Lady Tsai!” A courier suddenly stormed in making quite a dramatic entrance. Everybody froze, stopping in their celebrating, looking up to see the panting man holding his rising chest with one hand, on the other he held a sealed scroll.

“Urgent message, from the colonies,” he said breathlessly. “News from my brother!” She clapped her hands before excusing herself from the room with a poker face. ‘Finally, a word from the man…’

Once outside the room she took the scroll from the courier’s hands and as if it were on fire, she ripped the Vice Royal Colonial wax seal open and read her brother’s messy handwriting.

‘Tsai,

Word of Zuko’s and the Avatar’s triumphs over the Fire Lord and the Nation have reached Yu Dao. And I have to tell you. It has not been well received. The colonies, not just Yu Dao, are in turmoil. People are protesting in the streets revolting in uprisings.  The news of Ozai’s fall has not been well received by most and people are scared of the uncertainties the future brings.

Our people, some don’t know if to embrace a Fire Nation identity, others want the territory to be reclaimed by the Earth Kingdom. I know mom does... Mom is well, I’m with her. She wants you to come home as soon as possible. She’s not even mad anymore, she just wants you home. Dad on the other hand well… It’s best if I explain in person.

I wish I knew what to do, but you’re the diplomatic genius. I am simply the muscle. I feel so lost. I know I told you to go back to the Mainland, but I need you here. Your city needs you. Now more than ever.

Be well and travel safe, things are about to get very ugly.

I’ll see you on the other side of the pond. - Mecha’

You knew it was serious when he didn’t even mention Mai or the scroll, he had asked her to give to her. She guessed going to King Kuei’s coronation was out of the question too…

She took in a deep breath and rolled the note up tightly, squeezing it, hugging it against her chest still holding that deep breath.

Of course, it wasn’t over.

“Lady?” She blinked back the tears that had welled in her eyes and looked at the courier with a frightful look. “Oh, um...” She fished out a coin from her back pocket and thanked him quietly dismissing him.

She would take care of this tomorrow. Today was not the day for this. She forced herself to push all thoughts of fear and concern to the back of her head.

After all, today was a day of celebration.

The war was over.

Xxx

The celebrations continued well into the night.

Presently the Fire Nation’s people gathered outside in the streets of the capital toasting, cheering and celebrating the end of the war and the coronation of their new monarch.

Fire Nation Dragon costumes composed of rows of people underneath filled the streets in celebration. Children ran around laughing loudly holding sparklers. Fireworks set off continuously dazzling the skies with sparkles of red and gold. From all the celebration you’d think the Fire Nation had won the war…

The group was currently gathered in the Royal Plaza. Paper lanterns were about to be released into the night skies. A celebratory tradition in which people wrote and burned notes with their good wishes and hopes that were supposed to elevate the paper lanterns into the skies. Tsai looked around concerned. She hadn’t seen Zuko since the crowning ceremony at noon. She guessed he was busy with his new Fire Lord duties, but she was beginning to grow concerned. She looked at Aang, Toph and Katara who were getting ready to light their own lantern. Then at Sokka and Suki who were also nearby.

‘Where on Earth was he?’ She shook her head lightly and ascended to the top of the stairs that lead to the temple above the plaza where the crowning ceremony had taken place earlier. She hoped she’d be able to gain a better look at the mingling crowds and spot him somewhere in between.

“Sorry I’m late,” she heard a mumble next to her. She turned to see Zuko descending from the steps. “There you are.” She let out a worried breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. The stress from the news she had received earlier getting the best of her.

“Do you have your wish?” He placed a hand on her waist, and they stepped forward standing directly under the skies as the fireworks ceased once again painting the skies black, ready for the lanterns to float. “Yeah,” She smiled slightly holding the folded note up between her fingers.

“What did you wish for?” She nudged nosily.

“You can’t say what you wished for. Then your wish won’t come true.” He shot back defensively. “I’ll tell you what I wished for if you tell me,” She again nudged his side a sly look on her features. “No,” he responded irately.

“Well, I wished for-“He removed his hand from her and covered his ears. “Don’t say it Tsai.”

“I know, I love you too,” she reached for his arm affectionately lowering it slightly. She couldn’t help but laugh a little at their inside joke about not saying certain things. “I wished for times of peace to come and here we are. So, in a way it already came true, right?”

He couldn’t help but look back at her with a dumbfound expression. “That’s what you wished for? World peace?” The irritated expression becoming more pronounced, almost laughable.

“Yeah?” She raised a brow. “Now, are you going to tell me what you’re wishing for?”

He remained silent for a second and turned away from her hiding his folded paper in a hand behind his back. “No,” he said self-consciously. “Fine,” She rolled her eyes lightly with a small smile caving in, accepting he wasn’t sharing and that it was okay. She walked towards the closest balcony railing placing the paper lantern on it as she got ready to light it.

He looked at her and then at the small paper he was holding his hand and sighed in defeat. He approached her and without saying another word held it up in front of her between his index and middle fingers.

He looked away from her sheepishly. He would never admit it to her, but he had spent hours pondering on what to write and then actually writing it. It was one of those things he felt he just had to do right. She took the note from him and a moment later upon hearing weak sniffling turned to see her struck expression. Her eyes were wide and pooling with a cocktail of emotions.

“Y-You can’t burn this,” she managed weakly starring at the seven words that were written on the small paper with large, watery eyes.

“Are you… crying?” He asked confused. How had he royally managed to fuck this up now? He knew that words weren’t his forte, but he wasn’t expecting her to react in such a way. She wiped away a handful of fat tears and shook her head lightly. “I’m keeping this,” she said holding it against her chest.

“No. You have to burn it,” he insisted.

“This isn’t even a wish!” She exclaimed her voice cracking with emotion.

“It-It’s not the words. It’s the intent behind them,” he argued back.

She opened the note again and quickly glanced at the words that had shook her to her core savoring the sentiment in them.

‘Tsai, My heart burns for you. Always.’

Again, for somebody that was terrible at communication and overall painfully awkward Zuko still managed to surprise her.

“I’m keeping it.” She said in defiance turning away from him. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever given me.” She said tucking the paper inside one of her sleeves for it to be hidden away forever.

He was about to protest but was interrupted as she turned back just as quickly. “I have an idea.” She said a wide smile stretching across her features. She reached into her pockets and pulled out a small charcoal twine. What else did she keep hidden under those sleeves? She unwrapped her paper and leaned on the railing to write.

“Why don’t we share our wish?” She smiled at him brightly. He couldn’t help but smile back. They were late. Everybody else had already let go of their paper lanterns which currently hovered in the air illuminating the night sky and their surroundings with hundreds of warm lights.

“Together, we wish for a new era of prosperity, peace and love.” She read out loud holding the wish in her hands.

“It’s perfect,” he said taking her hands in his. Both holding on to their wish. He firebended a small flame and both held it, together, in their hands. The flame was small and beat like two heartbeats as one as it slowly consumed the parchment paper.

They placed it inside the paper lantern making it lightly glow with a heartening warm light. Together the two released it.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into his body resting the back of her head on his shoulder. She held onto his arm tenderly. Both looked up content enjoying the moment, enjoying each other as their hopes, dreams and wishes elevated into illuminated sky of the night.

The End?

xxx

Here’s the link to the short Sequel: Kingdom of the Sun MASTERLIST

Xxx

Sunburn Chapter

M A S T E R L I S T

PREV https://gloves94.tumblr.com/post/623698183927758848/sunburn-prince-zuko-38

AN: AHHHH!!!! I am so emotional. I can’t believe we have reached our ending. I know what some of you are thinking. WHAT is this the end----?

Yes. It is the end of Sunburn. However, the people have spoken, and I read what you guys wanted to see/read so here’s what’s going to happen. I felt like I couldn’t make a lot of things happen because let’s be real they’ve known each other for less than a year and they are both 16 (17, at the most.)

Soooooooo I’m making a short sequel 10-15 chapters at the most called Kingdom of the Sun.

In the sequel both of these dorks will be in their 20’s. And we will have: - A very awkward proposal - A Who-dun-it type of murder of a main character - And a Zutsai mission field trip (yay) - A revolution - Plenty of NSFW activities *clears throat*

I’m really excited for what’s to come and thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

Love,

-       G

[inraindrawz]

Devil in the Details 6/? - Mo Dao Zu Shi (again)

Peace and Quiet (little ficlet under the cut)

insta // coffee

on ao3

It had been easy to uphold her duty until now – she had some years of experience behind her, it wasn't hard to scare away eager disciples, whining intendants and gossiping maid. But as she watched the newcomer strode the terrace in longs stride, Yaya took a fortifying breath – this one would be another challenge.

"This one" was Yu Zhanyan, the captain of the guard here in Lotus Pier. A tall, brooding man who was the most serious contender to their Sect Leader’s spot at the top of the "scariest looking men in Yunmeng" list. Under normal circumstances, Yaya would never dream of getting in his way – but those were not normal circumstances.

And thus when the man reached the end of the terrace and made to walk by the young maid without as much as a glance, she gathered all her courage and stepped in front of him.

He raised a surprised eyebrow, but probably thought it a misstep, and tried to move around her.

She blocked him again.

"I'm very sorry, Captain, but Sect Leader Jiang cannot be disturbed at the moment."

She held his gaze just long enough to talk before looking back at her feet, scared by his stormy expression.

"I need to speak to him now, it is of the utmost importance."

She didn't move.

"What is he doing then? What were his instructions? Surely he didn't ask you to stand guard against everyone in Lotus Pier."

"That's not… well, he didn't…"

She trailed off, but he caught the gist of it, his annoyance upping to anger.

"What is it then, if not his orders? Do you enjoy wasting my time?"

"No, no, of course not, but…"

"Then let me pass."

"You can't!"

"Oh really?"

"He's… he's with Young Master Jin."

"Well even then, I'm sure…"

"They're asleep!"

She slapped a hand on her mouth, cursing herself for letting it slip. She had been standing there for the better part of an hour just so that no one would stumble upon what their master was sure to deem a tragic show of weakness and lack of common sense. If words got around, there would never ever be a chance of it happening again, and she couldn't have that.

She was ready to beg the man, or even fight him if she had to, but when she glanced up to assess his intentions, she found him gaping, dumbstruck.

"They're… asleep?"

"Yes."

"Both of them?"

"Yes."

"Sect Leader Jiang too?"

"Yes!"

It was exasperating, but she could understand his bewilderment. Hadn't she felt exactly the same earlier when she had brought tea to the master and his nephew, only to find the boy fast asleep on his uncle's chest and, more astonishing yet, the man dozing off too? She had managed to put the tray down without waking them and ran away as quickly as possible. She could have left it at that, but she knew there was always someone to bother the Sect Leader at any time of the day, and today would surely be no exception.

She had to do something about it.

"I need to…" Yu Zhanyan said, starting to walk again. Before she could think about how stupid she was acting today, she grabbed his arm.

"You can't wake them!"

"I'm not going to wake them."

He sounded horrified, as if she had uttered a great offense.

"I just want to… make sure."

She reluctantly let him go, but she followed him along the open corridor, to the secluded pond that was the center of the Sect Leader's quarters. They walked along the pond instead of turning in – they could see just fine from there.

They hadn't moved, still sprawled on the chair, the young dog that followed the little master everywhere lately lodged against them. The master's sword was on the floor, still within reach but not clutched in his hand at least, next to the mock wooden one the little master used to practice his sword fighting. Funnily enough, they were both frowning, even in their sleep. The effect was slightly jarring on the little master's young face. Like this, tightly wound-up despite being asleep and sharing the same troubled expression, their resemblance was uncanny. It upset Yaya that Sect Leader Jiang couldn't truly relax, even like this, asleep in his own home.

But at least he was sleeping.

"Did you… hum, did you check if they were…"

She had never seen Yu Zhanyan looking so utterly awkward and out of his depth before. He was far less scary like this. She rolled her eyes.

"They're not dead."

She did check.

"Good. That's good."

They backed off slowly, as if too quick a motion would break the spell and wake the trio. Once at a safe distance they exhaled slowly like they had just barely escaped a great danger.

"Don't let anyone in," Yu Zhanyan said, his strict demeanor back in place but whatever he had come here to tell their master completely forgotten. "Tell them it's on my orders. Even better, I'll send someone to stand guard. Zinzhu should be free."

Yaya nodded, grateful that the man took this as seriously as she had, that he too recognized the importance of protecting this tiny little moment in their busy lives. She smiled at him warmly – he blushed and almost tripped on his feet on his way back.

He had lost like, a dozen spots on the list.

Then again, Sect Leader Jiang had too, sleeping like this in the open with an adorable child and his equally adorable puppy. How she wished they had some way of immortalizing that moment forever.

Zinzhu arrived minutes later looking quite puzzled, but she was devoted enough to the Captain that she followed his orders without question. Yaya had to share this with someone though, someone she could actually talk to, so she gestured at the young woman to take a peek. She returned with her eyebrow reaching her hairlines.

"Okay. I get it."

For the next few hours they fended off everyone trying to get an audience with Sect Leader Jiang, with such aplomb that no one insisted for long. As the sun was setting on the calm waters of Lotus Pier, they heard the little master's voice carry across the pond. Zhinzu disappeared with a wink just as Sect Leader Jiang joined Yaya at the entrance of his quarters.

"Do you need anything, Sect Leader Jiang?" she asked with her most polite, pleasing smile. He looked a little disoriented, searching for his words like he rarely did.

"No, no. Did anyone ask after me?"

"No, no one came," she lied to the best of her ability, meeting his eyes and willing him to run with it, even if there had not been a day since she had started working in Lotus Pier where Sect Leader Jiang wasn't requested to deal with one crisis or another. He narrowed his eyes, suspicious, but he didn't have time to press the issue – the little master called their attention to him, as he was prone to do if ignored more than a few minutes.

"Uncle, I'm hungry!"

"I'll take him to have dinner, if it's alright with you, Sect Leader Jiang," Yaya said, as it looked like the man needed a few more minutes to come back to himself.

"Right. Yes. I'll be in my office. Thank you, Yaya."

She bowed and pulled the little master to the dinner hall, the boy still groggy enough that he didn't make too much of a fuss. It would be a pain to get him to sleep later, and the master would surely stay up all night yet again. But he had slept the afternoon away, undisturbed – that was victory enough.

[twodaysintojune]

Lans Only Love Once

The Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi / The Grandmaster of Diabolic Cultivation

Lan Sizhui/Lan JingYi 

Find me on AO3

People say that Lans only love once. It was not a rule written on stone but the sect history had given itself to make an unofficial rule out of it.

It has not really been something that SiZhui had really cared about before but it has been three years since JingYi had been appointed Head Disciple and for some reason the elders had decided it would be a good thing that he starts going to matchmaking dates now of all times.

And granted, they're not kids anymore. Compared to many of their contemporaries, they were well behind. ZiZhen himself had been married for those same three years and was already father of one and Jin Ling was well into his courtship with a nice girl from the Nie sect that apparently came from Nie HuaiSang mother's side of the family. 

As always, people were talking about whether that had been a union strategized by the Chief Cultivator himself but having been witness to her straightforward behaviour, SiZhui was sure that the fact that this girl was a Nie was only a coincidence.

Since he himself was not a Lan by blood, nobody has cared about whether he was interested in marriage or not. Which was a good thing indeed, up until the moment JingYi began going to these dates.

It's been five days already and he's still not back from his last trip. It's well past seven and SiZhui knows that if JingYi didn't arrive by the time the doors closed he must definitely have stayed in an inn along the road.

He knows and yet, he waits. 

He sighs, looking at the candle slowly flickering over the table. He sighs and puts his head on his friend's pillow, trying to catch a glimpse of his scent but he can't. He can't because it's his own scent as well. 

Once JingYi was of age, he took back the small cottage that belonged to his parents, a part of his relatively decent inheritance as part of the main Lan branch. He took his cottage and immediately moved himself and SiZhui in it.

SiZhui couldn't even say a thing about it. That night, coming right after a night hunt two towns away, he was walked by JingYi towards the small cottage while JingYi talked a lot as always about everything and anything. About how good the sweet bean soup Lu XiWan had done the day before and how much he had hoped they could have eaten it together and how the new place was incredibly nice but was still missing the most important part.

When SiZhui excused himself to go back to the dormitories JingYi looked at him surprised for a second before laughing out loud.

"What are you talking about? You cannot sleep there anymore!"

He grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the small place he had finally called his own and showed SiZhui his bed and the few possessions he had that JingYi had carefully packed in a trunk.

"I didn't know where you were going to put everything so I left it over there. Your share of the shelves is this one, I left all our books and writing stuff here by the low table and your robes are in this other trunk. Anyways, I'm glad you're finally here! It's already time for sleep so don't worry, we can sort your stuff tomorrow. Oh! I also need to show you the bathtub! We have an actual bathtub now! Can you believe it? We don't have to fight for getting to the baths first anymore!"

SiZhui had been overwhelmed and overjoyed. Enough to not be able to say a thing at all but nod here and there to show JingYi he was still paying attention to him. He had been listening to JingYi for weeks now about how complicated it was to process all the possessions his parents had left him and how excited he was to finally get out of the dorms. And, when he finally told him he was ready to start moving everything before he left for the night hunt, SiZhui honestly thought he would have to go back to the dormitories alone. With no JingYi by his side.

And yet there he had been, speechless, looking at the bed JingYi had ordered for him, with his own money. Because yes, it had to be made since JingYi's own bed, a large one meant for a couple was the only one there before and it would be improper for them to sleep together just like that but he couldn't really steal SiZhui's old one considering it technically belonged to the dorms.

SiZhui had felt tears go down his cheeks and suddenly JingYi was all over him, worried and fretting because he was not sure what he had done to make SiZhui upset with him.

"I'm not upset. JingYi. I'm not upset."

He hugged him tight. Tighter than ever before and whispered.

"Thank you."

JingYi laughed nervously.

"What are you thanking me for? This is the right thing to do."

SiZhui shook his head softly, as much as he could, still holding tight to his friend. Then he moved away with a smile on his lips.

"Let's get ready for sleep."

JingYi saw that his smile was real and so he also mirrored SiZhui with a larger grin.

"Sure!"

When SiZhui woke up the following day, he was surrounded by a calming warmth that reminded him of a very early age when he would be allowed to sleep by Zewu-Jun because he had been screaming and having nightmares once more.

He shuffled a little between the arms surrounding him and lifted up his head while he felt someone shuffle by his side. After a moment, he finally opened his eyes, still foggy with sleep, not truly processing what was really going on.

JingYi was looking at him, smiling warmly.

"Good morning."

"... Morning."

"You tried to steal my bed. Do you always sleep in it when I'm away? Do you miss me that much?"

SiZhui frowned confused "Why are you here? It was well past nine when I fell asleep."

JingYi snickered. "I was held back with the elders. I wanted to talk about stopping the dates already."

"Oh."

JingYi nodded and proceeded to move away a small lock of hair from SiZhui's face.

SiZhui felt his stomach sink. This was the eleventh matchmaking date JingYi had and SiZhui hated it. He hated it because he realized that even if he had not been able to find a decent candidate for a cultivation partner before, the more girls he met, the more chances there would be for him to leave him alone.

Because he was his friend, but friends are not at the same level as a cultivation partner. And if JingYi ever fell in love, he would love wholeheartedly, like all the Lan's. And where would SiZhui be left if he suddenly stopped being at the center of his friend's attention?

And in the end he had his fathers, and his uncle, and his other friends. But none of them would be able to fill a JingYi sized hole in his heart if he was ever forced to try to forget about him.

And for what he could discern right now, JingYi had finally come to a decision on this, the eleventh date.

And he hated it.

"... How did it go?"

"As well as the others I guess."

"I heard this lady Feng is really pretty."

"Yeah, she is. But not as pretty as you."

SiZhui frowned and pushed JingYi softly. 

"JingYi… I'm trying to have a serious talk."

"What? Am I not allowed to speak my mind now?"

"JingYi…"

JingYi stopped snickering and turned into a more serious expression. 

"I guess you're right. We should have a serious talk."

SiZhui felt his stomach sink. Here it was, the moment of truth, the moment when he would have to face a life without having JingYi constantly by his side.

JingYi sighed.

"I didn't arrive earlier last night because Zewu-Jun and I met with all the elders to talk about the whole marriage thing. It was a huge mess but in the end we finally managed to convince them about the fact that my decision was final but I still need to discuss the arrangement they proposed with you because I'm not sure if you're gonna like this."

SiZhui felt a little confused, why would JingYi need his opinion on anything related to his marriage arrangements? Why would he care whether he liked something or not about them?

"...Okay?"

JingYi nodded and then took a breath. SiZhui could tell he was trying to be more brave than what he really felt.

"They said that they would only accept me having you as my cultivation partner if I took in a concubine to give birth to an heir."

SiZhui looked at his friend's serious face and felt his head go dizzy for a moment.

"What?"

JingYi sighed dejected. "I know. But even if it's not normal for us Lans to have but the one fated person, it is fairly normal for nobility and sect leaders to have concubines so they decided the most reasonable thing to do was that. I told them that it would all depend on your last word though, this decision is way too important to be made one-sidedly."

SiZhui had stopped trying to process all that JingYi was saying long ago, he was stuck on just a couple of the words his friend had been saying so far.

"You… You want me as your cultivation partner?"

JingYi looked at him concerned.

"Well, yeah? Unless…" JingYi's voice began to crack and dim "Unless you no longer want me?"

SiZhui looked at him, at the way JingYi's frown gave in to a tinge of sadness and he felt so much guilt when he realized he was the one causing this expression on his friend's face and then he realized something that had always been in front of him but he had never realized before. All the loneliness, all the sadness and all the jealousy that he had felt all these days had not been because he was afraid of losing JingYi's friendship, but because he was deeply in love. He quickly held onto the lapels of JingYi's sleeping robe.

"What!? No! I don't, I mean, I DO want you! I've always wanted you! I…" SiZhui looked down, suddenly unable to meet JingYi's eyes. "I just thought that you would eventually leave me once you met a nice girl."

SiZhui saw JingYi's mouth open, and then he took one of his hands and held it tight.

"I'm sorry. I should've talked with you earlier. I thought that it was obvious I was doing this out of consideration to the elders and it never passed through my mind that you'd think I would eventually leave you. I've made a terrible mistake. Would you forgive me, SiZhui?"

SiZhui looked at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about? It was my own fault for not realizing that you cared for me like this before…"

JingYi fell silent for a moment long enough to have SiZhui turn his gaze upwards once more.

"... JingYi?"

JingYi gulped down a bit of saliva. "SiZhui, could it be… could it be that you forgot the promise I made you?"

"The promise…?"

Cloud Recesses, several years ago. 

A tall, elegant figure dressed in red with a delicate veil covering their face was walking through the main hallway towards the celebrations hall surrounded by a group of maidens.

Lan SiZhui and Lan JingYi hiding behind a bush. And a fairly amused Lan XiChen standing right behind.

"What are you doing here, children?"

Both children turned surprised.

"Bóbo!" Squealed a very excited JingYi "Bóbo, have you seen that? They're all dressed in red! So pretty! Who is that person? Why are they dressed like that?"

"Ah, did nobody tell you? Lan XiLian is getting married today, that girl over there is his bride. They will marry today and then they will be cultivation partners until the end of their days."

"What is a cultivation partner?"

Lan XiChen kneeled to hug both kids and carry them, one in each arm.

"A cultivation partner is one of the most important persons in life, it is the person that will walk by your side forever and will be there to help you cultivate and you will be there to help them as well and together you will be able to discover many amazing things together."

Both kids looked at Lan XiChen in awe. He turned to look at JingYi.

"One day, when you marry, you’ll see your partner with a beautiful red robe just like that as well."

JingYi looked pleased but SiZhui's eyes dimmed. 

"Does that mean JingYi is going to leave me?"

Lan XiChen stammered for a second, trying to find an answer but JingYi barged in.

"Of course not silly! I will never leave you because I will make you my cultivation partner! We will marry and be together forever and we will cultivate together and we will be happy forever!"

SiZhui beamed and gave JingYi a happy hum of agreement. Lan XiChen laughed apologetically.

"Well that is nice and all JingYi but forever does mean forever, you have to deeply love the person you marry."

"It's okay. I love SiZhui. I will always love him. I will be with him forever. I will be with SiZhui forever starting right now!"

SiZhui laughed filled with happiness and took JingYi's hand and JingYi beamed at him. Lan XiChen simply sighed, there was no point in trying to explain more to the kids, he was sure they would eventually forget about this.

Turns out they didn't. Or at least the one who had made the promise didn't. SiZhui felt his cheeks blush in embarrassment while JingYi snorted.

"You forgot about it!"

"I…! It's not my fault! We were just kids back then!"

"And yet I still remembered."

"So… That time you brought my things here by yourself..."

JingYi puffed his chest proudly.

"Of course I had to keep you by my side! How else can I make sure I fulfill my promise? Besides, I wouldn't want you falling for anyone else while you're away from me!"

SiZhui felt his cheeks burn, he hid himself on his friend's chest.

"You dummy."

JingYi laughed heartily and moved to hug him back. He gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you SiZhui, I've always loved you. Is it that hard to believe?"

SiZhui felt his cheeks burn and pressed himself harder against JingYi’s chest.

"...You Lans are the worst sometimes."

"Oh, so you’re dissing us Lans and going back to being a Wen? Should I go ask for your hand to senior Wen instead of Hanguang-Jun? Does that mean I get to keep your forehead ribbon with me forever?"

SiZhui snickered, still hiding between his friend's arms.

“I’m still a Lan. And you’re not getting my forehead ribbon until after we marry.”

JingYi snickered along with him but paused after a while.

"So, uhm, about the concubine…?"

SiZhui sighed. "I don't know JingYi, I'm so happy to know I can be by your side forever right now that I don't really care whether there's a concubine or not."

"Well yes but I'm going to have to, uh, you know. I'm gonna have to do it at least once with them in order to get an heir."

SiZhui finally looked up to him and saw his worry and his concern. And then he remembered his own childhood. He remembered mountains of dirt and sweet bean soup and toy butterflies and white fluffy tails and ears covering him like a blanket and so much laughter and warmth despite all the tribulations and SiZhui came to a clear conclusion in his heart.

"It's okay. I'm okay with that. JingYi, I would love to help you raise your child."

SiZhui was no fool. There would be people who would talk but even if JingYi had to take a concubine to give birth to an heir, there was no need to fret or be afraid about being left behind. After all, people say that Lans only love once. And SiZhui knew for a fact that JingYi's heart was already in his hands. 

And his was in JingYi's forever.

[cherrylining]

Kakuriyo Light Novel Volume 5:  Chapter 9- Where The Truth Is (PT 2.)

PT 1. 

This work was translated from this website. All credits go to 友麻碧 and 深夜读书会. I do not own anything.

Note: I literally couldn’t think of a better way to translate it, but when a character says, “hehe” it’s not “hee hee.”. It’s more like a deep chuckle. Kind of like a sound of “her her”, but less brutish. I hope y’all get what I mean lol

After this, we recouped with Ranmaru and the twins, leaving the island of Chang Dao where the ceremony had successfully taken place, returning back to Orio-ya. The time was about 7 in the morning…….

“Wow! So many living ayakashi corpses!”

Stepping into the big hall of Orio-ya, we were shocked by the strange situation.

The staff of Orio-ya were still busy with the aftermath of last night’s fireworks display, each of them basically like a corpse, dragging their wobbly feet around, with half of them falling on the ground like dead bodies. 

“Woi, you should all go rest. Wasn’t it decided that the aftermath work was given to the other bunch to help?”

“Ah…...Ranmaru-sama……”

Among them was a living monkey corpse (that was Hideyoshi) that was roaming everywhere, his eyes seemingly showing a sign of blood loss. Ranmaru strongly caught the living corpse…...no, Hideyoshi’s shoulders, making him stop in his steps. 

Hideyoshi’s brain crashed for a while, before his face slowly started to regain some life, loudly yelling: “Ranmaru-sama!”  

“The ceremony successfully ended right!”

“Yes, all was successful. You guys…...seems like you also lasted until the end.”

“Yes! This year's turnover far exceeds previous years' results! Although the sudden increase in the number of visitors has also led to various unexpected situations, but the employees of Tenjin-ya helped us out, overcoming its difficulty. However, as you can see, everyone has burned out, and all have been killed."

“Ha! This is good work!”

Ranmaru showed an expression of joy from the success.

“Hideyoshi, you led well, as expected of Orio-ya’s young master.”

“Ranmaru-sama……”

Hideyoshi looked like he was about to cry at any second, the tears swimming in his eyes, the corner of his lips trembling like waves. 

Nene once said, Hideyoshi felt like he couldn’t measure up to Ginji-san. 

But his sense of accomplishment from all his strength, and being personally recognized by Ranmaru as Orio-ya’s "young master", moved him too much to say a word.

Standing a little further away, Nene looked at Hideyoshi, and she seemed to show a relieved expression and smiled gently.

"Ah! Miss, and Ginji! Why do the both of you look like you just got out of the hot spring bath. What a good life!"

Under such a situation, front desk manager Hatori-san, still energetically asked.

I knew immediately why he was so energetic, because I saw Akatsuki falling on the inside of the counter, no difference from being dead…... probably completely enslaved by this guy.

"I was swept away by the big waves after the ceremony, but Ginji-san saved me."

"There was a simple bathhouse in the flying ship on the return trip, so we washed away the sea water there, and changed into dry clothes.”

Ginji-san wore his usual clothes.

I changed from Moonflower’s kimono back to the blue one. 

“Eh? Eh? Could it be a couple’s bath together?”

“How could that be.”

“Obviously we took turns.”

Ginji-san and I looked at each other, reciprocating: “Right?” Our every movement as if this was obvious. 

Hatori-san sighed, what was this guy even hoping for……

“Ah, right, Speaking of bathhouse, Tokihiko twisted his waist, it’s really tossing him, but it’s okay.”

“No, no matter how you say it, there’s a problem.”

So we hastened our steps towards the bathhouse. But after arriving, we realised that it had already been cleaned until not even a speck remained, with the young workers also energetically preparing the morning baths, which puzzled me. 

Then I realised, after walking towards the resting room next door……

“Woooo…...Sorry, Shizuna. To let you see this ugly side…...Wooooo!”

“Master worked too hard, and since your waist has been twisted, you must now take a good rest.”

“Wooo, sorry, sorry, Shizuna. I am too ugly……”

“Master, you have already repeated this twice.”

From the resting room came familiar voices.

Opening the door, I could see Tokihiko-san lying on the bed, and Tenjin-ya’s bathhouse master Shizuna, who was in charge of taking care of him. 

“Shizuna? So you came too.”

“Aoi-san, it’s great to see you safe and unharmed.”

Shizuna seemed to have come here as Tenjin-ya’s bathhouse master to help out. 

According to her, Tenjin-ya’s female bath was handed over to the capable assistant, Haruka.

“Shizuna……”

Not long ago, she too worked at Orio-ya.

Ranmaru looked at the ex-employee, and slightly squinted. 

Shizuna, however, stood and silently bowed her head. 

“Ranmaru-sama also looks to be unharmed. Both the bathhouse and hot springs in Orio-ya are completely renovated. It seems that both Tokihiko-san and the hot spring teachers here have worked hard to create the best environment.”

“I heard that you were also given the important job of researching the medicine spring in Tenjin-ya, Shizuran.”

“Yes, so I have prepared the medicine and patches for the master who twisted his waist…...I left a bit more, please feel free to use it at this time.”

Just as Shizuna decided to silently leave the scene, she was stopped by Tokihiko-san who called her. 

“Shizuna, are you leaving?”

“Master, we will meet again soon.”

Tokihiko-san stretched out his arm from the blanket and Shizuna sat down once again, tightly gripping the other’s hand.

The feeling that the pair of master and disciple gave out, was just like a grandfather and a daughter separating. 

At the same time, also like a pair of lovers.

“Tenjinmaru is ready to set sail.”

Shizuna only left us with this, and then first returned aboard the ship.

Tenjinmaru was stopped by the coast, which was also Orio-ya’s parking space for ships. 

The customers who came to watch the fireworks display were already leaving in the air, and it was now quiet, as if yesterday’s hustle and bustle never happened.  

“Ah, Odanna-sama.”

In front of Tenjinmaru, he stood still and stared at the ocean, his black clothes fluttering in the wind.

Odanna-sama……

I firmly pressed my hand against my chest.

I have some important questions, and I must confirm them with the Odanna.

“Hm?”

Weird, the Odanna seemed to be hugging Nobunaga in his arms. 

Nobunaga also had a handkerchief tied around his neck, with a ‘Tang’ umbrella printed on it. 

Speaking of which, I clearly remembered that the Odanna hated dogs? Or did he just get familiar with Nobunaga?

“Aoi, welcome back.”

“I, I’m back.”

“Your face looks so tired. You should go ahead and rest on the boat.”

“Uh, okay.”

I acted at quite a loss.

The Odanna seemed a little surprised... but I couldn't help staring at him with a bit of suspicion. It's all because of the facts that I had learned from Ginji-san this morning. 

“What happened, Aoi? Staring at me so seriously, bloodshot eyes are very scary.”

“So, so rude!”

It’s because I didn’t sleep all night! It’s hard to not have bloodshot eyes. 

However, with an elusive attitude, the Odanna turned towards Ginji-san. 

“Ginji, you also seemed to have done your best this time…...can you keep the agreement between us?”

“......Odanna-sama.”

With a face full of determination, Ginji-san lowered his head to the Odanna.

“Odanna-sama, thank you for your care.”

This opening statement shocked me. 

Ginji-san he, wouldn’t be considering staying at Orio-ya right……

“I hope that I can once again return to Tenjin-ya, even if I am unable to return to the position of the young master, and hope to continue to work for Tenjin-ya in the future……”

However, the request that Ginji-san made was to return to work at Tenjin-ya.

Having said that, Ginji-san’s expression was quite cheerful, just like he used to be. 

The Odanna also nodded his head with content. 

“There was no need for that. So far, the only person who can bear the position of the young master is you. Therefore, I would like to once again ask you to take up the position.”

“Odanna-sama…...but how could this be, my acts has caused a lot of problems for Tenjin-ya. How could I take up the mantle of the young master again? The employees…...will not be satisfied.”

“Really? All of Tenjin-ya has been relentlessly begging me though, wanting me to hurry up and take you back. As it should be; there are too many subordinates and too much work under your management.”

“......”

“Besides, the most important part is- that this is the ending that Aoi likes to see. Moonflower is under the jurisdiction of the young master, and she will be able to work with you in the future. Speaking of which, her staying here and refusing to go back, was because she also wanted to take you back together to Tenjin-ya. It really troubled me…...I even came over to meet her, yet she completely refused to listen to me.”

“Ah, Odanna-sama, you really dare to say that. You yourself clearly disguised yourself as a fish peddler, and then also became a tea clerk, seriously pushing it.”

“Ahahahah! Oops, it was such a pleasant time, and there really was a feeling of deepening my connection with my newlywed wife.” 

“That was an illusion, not a feeling.”

“Ahahahaha.”

Watching the Odanna laugh so happily, I instead squeaked with rage, and Ginji-san finally softly laughed. Seeing everyone smile, I couldn’t help but laugh too. 

“Ah!”

In an atmosphere like this, Nobunaga, who was originally sitting in the Odanna’s arms obediently, suddenly lithely jumped down and ran towards Ranmaru, who was watching us from afar. 

“......this dog seems to have been taken care of by you, Odanna of Tenjin-ya.”

“What kind of person can glare at someone with a dog in their arms, while at the same time thank them.”

“Don’t be bothered, because I won’t say it a second time, hurry up and take these two back with you. But I should be picking a day and visiting again in the future.”

“Hehe, I see, also……”

The Odanna walked with joy in front of Ranmaru. To be correct, he walked in front of Nobunaga, and scratched his chin. 

“It’s time to say goodbye, Nobunaga. You really are different from the other dogs, making even me, a dog-hater, fascinated by you. This handkerchief with a “Tang’ umbrella pattern, take it as a gift.”

"Ha! Even the Oni-god of Tenjinya can't parry Nobunaga's cuteness, right. As expected of our family's store dog, it's really no lie…... speaking of, this scarf is also too cute."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~~"

Nobunaga also put on a "really, don’t know what to do with you" face, shaking his curled up tail and melting their hearts.

This scene…...how on earth……

Ginji-san and I dazedly looked at this scene for a while, and finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud. We laughed and discussed how strange this scene was. 

“Ranmaru……is it convenient to speak?”

In the moment of a calm atmosphere, Ginji-san walked in front of Ranmaru. 

At the same time, the Odanna walked over and lightly patted my shoulder, gently urging: “Board the ship.”

He probably wanted to give Ginji-san and Ranmaru some brother bonding time. 

“Hey, Odanna-sama.”

“......hm?”

“......”

As soon as I stepped onto the deck, I stared at the Odanna’s face again. 

I always felt…… that this face was familiar. 

The first time I saw him in that photograph, I already felt that way.  

That intuition then, I already completely forgot. But…...in the end, what is he……

“Being stared at by Aoi, really isn’t good for the heart.”

“What do you mean, because my eyes are bloodshot? I’m already craving sleep so much, Odanna-sama’s face looks half blurred in my eyes.”

Involuntarily, I lied. 

Actually, I could see very clearly. 

But I don’t know why, with this appearance close by my side, I felt quite at ease.

Before, I used to feel that he was scary and hard to get close to……

“Probably because I saw him as a fish peddler?”

“Hm?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself.”

The Odanna froze for a moment. I continued to think with my arms crossed.

“Hey~~ Hey~~”

A shout came from the bottom of the ship. 

I looked down from the deck, and found the twins jumping. 

“Tsubaki Aoi, are you going back?”

“You’re not going to stay for a little longer?”

“Ahaha, this won’t work, because Moonflower hasn’t opened in a while.”

The twins stared at each other for a while. 

“Will we be able to meet again?”

“Would you cook with us again?”

They both looked a little disappointed, and asked with a slightly tilted head. 

They are two innocent, straightforward and lovely chefs. 

At the same time, they had great strength in their cooking skills. The words that they gave me before will have an equally great meaning on my culinary journey.

“Of course! Orio-ya and Tenjin-ya might be rivals, but they also have a deep fate that cannot be severed. The next time we meet, let me properly taste both of your cooking. I not only like cooking, but also really like being entertained!”

“Okay!”

“Of course!”

The twins opened their arms and waved vigorously at me.

So I waved back to them too, the two cute kids……

“Hey! Twins! What are the both of you doing, hurry up and return to take a good nap and rest!”

Not long after, the both of them were called back by Hideyoshi who was not far behind, and quickly fled the scene. 

Hideyoshi scolded and scolded, but in the end he was just worried about their bodies. This is really like his style. 

“I was really worried…...but it seems like you get along well with the staff of Orio-ya.”

The Odanna also saw everything just now. 

“Yeah. Although I initially thought they were a bunch of nasty guys, I realised that everyone was actually very kind ayakashi after understanding them better, holding a firm belief to devote their lives to this inn. Ha ha, just like everyone at Tenjin-ya.”

But this inn in this southern land bore a completely different fate from Tenjin-ya.  

“I see. Then Tenjin-ya too cannot grow soft now, or else there will be a day where our positions will be reversed. After all, they have a very keen eye and found many new selling points.”

“Hehe, it would be nice to maintain a healthy competitive relationship too. I think…...Ranmaru will not act like he did before now.”

After all, he also……

He is also just an ayakashi who loves this southern land from the bottom of his heart, and only wants to protect it. 

“Aoi.”

“Hm? What? Odanna-sama.”

“You worked hard, Aoi.”

“......”

“Even in this unfamiliar land, you still continued to persevere.”

These words riding on the sea breeze were soft like whispers, and I was touched by surprise. 

I looked up at the Odanna’s face next to me, speechless for a while. 

How do I describe this…...This feeling of being tightly gripped deep inside. 

“Aoi, what’s wrong? Are you sleepy? I’ve already prepared a guest room for you if you would like to sleep.”

“No, no! Always taking care of me like a granddaughter!”

“What’s wrong? Your face is really red, are you sick?”

The Odanna touched my forehead in a panic, leaving me unhappy with how he was treating me like a kid. 

But…...I was still very happy. Regarding his “you worked hard”.

And also towards that sentence that praised my efforts. 

For these last two weeks, I have been doing all I could within the realms of my capabilities. 

There has not been a moment where I have relaxed.

“I feel a little fever, Aoi!”

The Odanna paled like a fool. 

Because he was starting to get nervous, I pulled on his black outer coat and said, “Odanna-sama, calm down.”

“It was just pressure being released in an instant. I’m fine. I will have a good sleep later on, don’t worry about it. After all…...After two weeks, I can finally return to Tenjin-ya. I’m at ease.”

I can finally go back to Tenjin-ya. Back to the Tenjin-ya where the Odanna is, and back to the Moonflower that I created with Ginji-san.

That place has completely become a destination that can give me a peace of mind. 

“Hey, Odanna-sama…...I…...maybe owe you some kindness that I cannot not pay back.”

Even though he was probed with intriguing words, the Odanna just touched his chin and said to me, “Huh?”

“Did I do something?”

“You really know how to act stupid…...speaking of, Odanna-sama, what’s your favorite food?”

“Well, this…… it is…...just kidding, I won’t tell you, Aoi.”

“Huh! I thought I could use this atmosphere to get you to accidentally blurt it out.”

But alright, that didn’t work.

I put the truth that I had learned here in my heart. The other parts that were still hidden, I will have to unravel it by myself. No matter what will be found in the end……

“Excuse me, Odanna-sama. I spent a bit too long.”

“Ginji, have you reconciled with your brother?”

“Huh? Ahhaha, probably…...I guess. I think it should be fine now.”

Ginji-san scratched his cheek with a shy smile.

They must have had a good chat.

Ginji-san had already embarked on the ship, so the airship opened its sails leisurely. 

“Then let’s set sail, we’re going back to Tenjin-ya.”

And just like that, Tenjinmaru began to move. 

We’ve all worked hard.

Also, thank you to you all.

I’ll see you again. 

In the presence of many respectable rivals, I am finally returning to the most important place for me.

“......ah.”

The other side of the southern sea. 

Pressing between the slits of the clouds, countless rays shone down. 

The scene was so stunningly beautiful, yet brought a mysterious atmosphere at the same time……

Finally, content, I took a deep breath of this land’s scent. 

May this southern sea and all living beings in it, live in happiness. 

[the-mic-drop]

Shonen Jump Rap Cypher by Rustage

Lyrics below the cut

If anyone wants to break down some lines that you think not everyone will get, please feel free!

Monkey D. Luffy- One Piece (Performed by Rustage)

Starting with the number one, hey

How’d a pirate get this long, hey

‘Cause I eat the gum-gum, see them run run

when I hit that gun, hey

Sailin’ I’m taking no breaks when my crew’s on the move as we pillage the grand line

Looting the treasure we can find

I’m blowing up like a landmine

Going gear second, I reckon that I’m a weapon

I’m wrecking up those who threaten in messing with my own brethren

Stay reppin’ look where I’m headin’

No question the Yonkos sweatin’

I’m bettin’ in words I’m yellin’

I’m the king and there’s no forgettin’, UH

Gon Freecss- Hunter x Hunter (Performed by Fabvl)

I’ll jump the competition, really there’s no contest

Channeled future Nen and most of y’all ain’t even bomb yet

It’s nonsense

Pro exams completed as a child

Hisoka, I think these clowns are living in denial

So don’t make me power up, I’ll call the thunder at my right hand

If you want the strongest Shonen, then you called the right man

They might stan

Treat you all like Pitou, it won’t take long

Name is Gon and this time, I’mma make sure that you stay gone

Naruto Uzumaki- Naruto (Performed by None Like Joshua)

Oh, better believe it’s Naruto

Who’s the best hero? All of you know

My legacy is happening, I got a type of running named after me

while you’re slow

Can’t keep up with my chakra flow

Except Hinata, I’m her Ho

Kage

All I did was call her and I told her to come over ‘cause my parents are not home

Out of these ninjas, you can watch my dub

Even all my filler is so far above

When it comes to Boruto, why y’all givin’ up

like I did with simpin’ on Sakura?

Killer B’s rapping, but I get the encore

With the power that I bring, I don’t really want yours

‘Cause I came from the swing, everybody shunned more

Now you’re looking at the king of this Jump Force

Yami Yugi- Yu-Gi-Oh! (Performed by Connor Quest!)

I’mma master, you be

practice newbies

That’s a doozy

for Yami Yugi

Puzzle did something like a hadron tunnel

‘cause now I got Atem through me

Champ of the match see fans fawn, no matter what hand’s drawn

I’m kicking up dust, metal tanks in land form

When we d-d-d-d-duel there’s sandstorms

Cards are flippin’ I need an answer quick

and I might find my Dark Magician

If I wish, and believe hard enough in the heart that’s in ‘em

(Heart of the cards)

I see Seto’s fear

Pull the fifth part of Exodia

Guess it’s all came to a head, so clear

that your deck’s gonna get X’d, oh dear!

Asta- Black Clover (Performed by Eddie Rath)

Welcome to the magic

It’s a tale that’s tragic

Filled with a pain that’s harder than plastic

especially when you discover you don’t have it

When I started I was less than amazing

But now that I’ve been chosen by the Grimoir, I’m rising to the occasion in a blazing flame of

Magic

Ain’t no Hocus Pocus and Abracadabra

Not a wizard you joke with

This is not Gandalf the Grey, but you shall not pass hopeless

Better be ferocious

Was the poorest orphan living in darkness

but now that I’m focused, I be thanking all my hardships

Ichigo Kurosaki- Bleach (Performed by IBDL)

Uh, hittin’ back with that Bankai

Got that power like I came out of the Dangai

Pops passed the torch; now I’m the fam’s Don guy

Think you Aizen, but you lookin’ like that Don guy

Y’all like Soifon, your raps barely sting

My bars are Getsuga Tensho, got that masterful swing

They say, it ain’t over til the fat lady sings

But you’ll know it’s really over when that black lady sings

Koro-sensei- Assassination Classrom (Performed by CDawgVA)

Mach speed

Blow up the moon and now I’m making these children write essays

Comin with tentacles teach you a lesson in why you don’t mess with the sensei

I amaze

Used to be the Reaper, now I run this class

I can turn a loser to assassin, do it real fast

Light Yagami- Death Note (Performed by Zach Boucher)

I think I’ve been out of my head

Gift was given, made some poor decisions, that I wish I didn’t, but I’d do it again

Feeling different, I was on a mission to achieve my vision with a page and a pen

Sit and listen to the words I’ve written

I ain’t even finished ‘til I see that they’re dead

Don’t even try to pretend

There’s no malicious intent

Stay in my thoughts, stick to the morals I’ve got,

and kill everyone who is not

Just never get caught, ‘til every criminal rots

They’ll consider me as a god

At whatever cost, that’s how I excel

Cannot be stopped, even if I fell

I’m taking them off if you couldn’t tell

I gave up a lot to give you this L

Shoyo Hinata- Haikyuu!! (Performed by Shwabadi)

Yah, here comes Hinata

When I’m on the court the enemy has got their guard up

Never gonna fall off, bet I’m gonna pop off

Way short, but I’m packing punches like a sawnoff

Hot like a sauna, this ball of fire don’t know nada

but I’m gonna chase desire to go farther

every jump will take me higher

They put walls up, so I had to learn to fly

Putting up points, spiking it, or clearing the way

Best decoy, got a little something to say

to anyone that doubts that I’m here to stay

Only got one goal, that’s to play the game

Underestimated, I’m the ace, you just wait

when I spike it past the net, you might take it to the face

Izuku “Deku” Midoriya- My Hero Academia (Performed by Divide Music)

Coming in with 100% of me

I got you all trembling

Oh just with a flick of a finger

put you back where you’re supposed to be

I’m not, holding back

I got you so calculated. I’m

one step ahead, One for All gon’ be demonstrated

Get it? Got it? Good.

Nothing better and you should know

Started at the bottom

but I made it to the top so

Step aside, I’m climbing to great heights

with All-Might by my side

Reppin’ U.A. with pride, oh

Yusuke Urameshi- Yu Yu Hakusho (Performed by GameBoyJones)

Giving you the finger, Spirit Gun

Send you off with Botan, then you done

Hit you with the stick, and I didn’t need a grip when I’m pulling from the hip, then click!

Because I’m, locked loaded, the clip is ready to go

Got a, shotgun in my hand that’s ‘bout to blow

Cause I’m hittin’ you quick fast

givin’ you whiplash

wearing these Spirit Cuffs

You could be human or demon, cause honestly, I just don’t give a fuck

If you’re looking for the best, just know there’s no other

‘cause I’m flexing out here like I’m the youngest Toguro brother

Gintoki Sakata- Gintama (Perfomed by Shao Dao)

They call me, Gintoki, slim not stocky

Lemme Shonen Jump on your leg and your body

Odd Job Gin, don’t mess with my possee

If you touch my hair, then you will be sorry

Ne, boge (Hey, bloke)

Nanikore, uruseena (what is this? Not good.)

Cause you’re way too sloppy

Got a silver soul, Shiroyasha

Swing my sword and Amanto scatter

Gintama, not Kintama

Tell Shinpachi we need money

If Kagura or Katsura bring more trouble, we keep running

Pay rent? That’s a waste of time

That weather girl, I will make her mine

You can beat me up and that’s fair and fine

But if you hurt my friends, then prepare to die

Tanjiro Kamado- Demon Slayer (Performed by DizzyEight)

Look, slayin’ demons that’s what we do

If you filled with evil, then my blade is highly lethal

If you comin’ at my people, pray to god I never meet you

Ever mess with Nez, you KO’d when I see you

I’ve grown stronger from that fateful day they found me

I trained hard to hone the skill, the progression so astounding

My style like breathing water, that mean you can never drown me

Whirlpool, that mean I’m slicin’ everything around me

Emma- The Promised Neverland (Performed by FrivolousShara)

E-M-M-A 63194

Listen to what I’ve gotta say

The others walked, seems now we’ve gotta run away

Don’t you talk, adults are the enemy

You can break every bone in my body, I won’t falter

and if the plan fails, the idea simply alters

Ah, these demons scheming, but they ain’t the only monsters

Our combined IQ breaks the safe, strength in numbers

Now we’ve woken from the slumber

Never ending perfect Summers

Across the farm, you can’t help but wonder

Soma Yukihira- Food Wars! (Performed by DiggzDaProphecy)

See I’m the anime Raekwon

The chef baby, stay calm

You can’t stand the heat

Stay out the kitchen, get a day job

Word, and the finale’s superb

I take a sec, put on my band, an’ I’ll be happy to serve, uh

So ma, tell me what you like and I can hook it up

Ya boy’s got them recipes the best couldn’t cook it up

And she gon’ bust from the taste of my meat

Chef, boy are these boys always cookin’ up heat

Jotaro Kujo- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (Performed by Dreaded Yasuke)

It’s my go, they call me Jotaro

Don’t get me mad, I’mma go fat only with jabs you go through silos

Got that drip from Cairo, girls will simp my silhouette

I know think it’s a typo fighting with a platinum psycho

None of y’all is a threat

What you gotta say in your breath

Better speak with a bigger chest

Now you lyin’ down with my pet,

while Iggy piss on your neck

All types of disrespect, what you expect?

Go against a vet, better get your techs

wanna get swept through the complex,

now who is next?

Bobobo- Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (Performed by BassedOlaf w/ ThighHighSenpai)

Bobobo making the foes stare

Call me the master of nose hair

Look at the hair on the heads of these anime characters,

brother, it’s no fair

But I’m better than these guys, don’t you understand?

I came second place at screaming face-to-face with desk fans

Afro is full of surprises, look at my power’s immense

Leaving beauty screaming-

(Bobobo, that makes no sense!)

Hunting hair hunters, Saitama, I’m coming for you

Don Patch a better Super Saiyan God than Goku

Son Goku- Dragon Ball (Performed by DaddyPhatSnaps)

Oh they went and called Kakarot

had to be danger

Leave em flat-footed like they in the gravity chamber

I’m just looking for a challenge, can you battle me stranger?

Shonen legend in the saddle and the power is major

Level up on the track, flow Ultra Instinct

Bye bye bye fusion dance is always in sync

Wink

And they wonder why I’m last on the song

‘Cause when all of y’all were talking

I just formed a Spirit Bomb

[animanganerd]

Everything Annoys Me And I’m (Too) Hot - Chapter 23

The Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi Fanfic

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47881336/chapters/131294068

All chapters: here x

Chapter 23 ❖ Awakened feelings

Lan Xiaoli straightened his back and slowly turned around. There, hidden in the shadows of the building was Mu Chun. He was leaning against the wall, arms folded in front of his chest. Lan Xiaoli had completely failed to notice his presence.

He groaned. “Please do not tell anyone.”

Mu Chun sauntered into the moonlight. “I won’t. I’ll join you.”

Lan Xiaoli frowned. “Why?”

Mu Chun just smirked at him. “Aren’t I your servant, Young Lord?”

“Young–?!” Lan Xiaoli took a deep breath. There was no time to get worked up about this, so he sighed in resignation and nodded. “Sure, fine. Whatever.”

Even at night, two guards were stationed at the front gates, but they didn’t pose too much of a hindrance. Lan Xiaoli and Mu Chun had no intention of breaking in through the main entrance. Instead, they skulked around the outer wall until they reached the other end of the mansion, where the main house was located.

“You saw it too, right?” Lan Xiaoli inquired quietly.

Mu Chun nodded. When they had toured the estate, they had noticed an easily accessible window in the main house that could be reached from the roof of a smaller utility room. But they had to get up on that roof first.

Mu Chun put his hands on his hips and looked up the wall. “How did you plan on getting up there by yourself?”

Lan Xiaoli looked up as well. “...I would have thought of something,” he mumbled.

Mu Chun chuckled and got into position to help Lan Xiaoli climb up the wall. Once on top of it, Lan Xiaoli crouched down, steadying himself with one hand while reaching down with the other to pull Mu Chun up.

Together, they crept noiselessly from the top of the wall onto the roof of the small utility room, stealthily making their way towards the window in question. Standing before it, Lan Xiaoli readied a fist to punch a hole through the paper covering the window, but just as he was about to strike, Mu Chun caught his wrist mid-air.

“What are you doing?”

Lan Xiaoli blinked at him. “Opening it?”

Mu Chun shook his head in disbelief. “You really didn’t think this through, huh?” He gently pushed the window open. “I unlocked it before we left.”

“...” Lan Xiaoli wanted to slip through the window right away, but was held back once again. Mu Chun grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.

Lan Xiaoli looked at him in confusion. “What now?”

“You can’t just jump in like that, you have to make sure the coast is clear first. Seriously, you’ll be the death of us,” Mu Chun admonished in a low but stern voice. He huffed a sigh before scanning the dark, empty corridor that stretched before them. Once he was confident it was safe, he turned back to Lan Xiaoli. “I’ll go first.”

And with that, Mu Chun climbed through the window and landed softly on the ground. 

Though he’d never admit it to his face, Lan Xiaoli greatly appreciated Mu Chun’s help. His own break-in experience was limited to breaking into his uncle Lan Xichen’s room a few years ago. It was rather ironic that his next break-in involved the house of yet another uncle.

As Lan Xiaoli squatted there and wondered why Mu Chun was so experienced, the latter returned. “It’s all clear. You can come down now.” Then he spread his arms with a smirk, as if ready to catch Lan Xiaoli.

Lan Xiaoli responded with a deadpan expression and said, “I am fine. Thanks.”

Mu Chun just shrugged and dropped his arms. “Meet you back here in two hours,” he said in a hushed voice. Since they didn’t have much time, they had previously agreed to split up. They hoped this increased their chance of finding something that might bring them closer to locating Murong Zheng.

Lan Xiaoli gave him a thumbs up before they parted and silently scurried to the first room. Murong Zheng’s private chambers were not limited to his bedroom. As Lan Xiaoli quietly moved from room to room, he also found some sort of reading room, a study, a treasure room and what appeared to be a small dining room.

When he stepped into the reading room, he was greeted by numerous shelves that stretched from top to bottom. It was practically a library. The sight was a little intimidating, knowing that there would be countless books to examine. But going through them all in the hope of stumbling upon hidden clues within their pages, was an impossible task in the limited time he had. So he dismissed the room and moved on.

The small dining room, on the other hand, seemed rather empty. It contained a simple table with a single chair and a small counter, probably where meals would be served. There was nothing of interest or relevance to their investigation in this room.

The treasure room was the only one that was locked, so Lan Xiaoli skipped it for the time being. But if neither he nor Mu Chun found any useful clues, he’d ask Mu Chun to help him unlock the door.

With each room Lan Xiaoli searched, his optimism dwindled. Most of the items Murong Zheng possessed were useless trash in Lan Xiaoli’s eyes. They served no practical purpose other than flaunting the owner’s riches and status.

Lan Xiaoli entered the final room allotted to him with little hope. The room, which seemed to be a study, was decorated with a soft carpet and beautifully framed calligraphy. Similar to the dining room, the study featured a table and a chair. Behind the chair, on the wall opposite to the entrance, were two cabinets for keeping valuables.

When Lan Xiaoli rummaged through them, he finally found something useful. The cabinet’s drawers contained several letters, and after skimming through them, Lan Xiaoli deemed their contents to be quite promising. He forcefully stifled a euphoric cry and snatched the letters. Eager to share his discovery with Mu Chun, he hurried back to their meeting spot with muffled steps.

Mu Chun already stood by the window with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for Lan Xiaoli to return. He was gazing up at the night sky, his face bathed in the soft moonlight. When he heard Lan Xiaoli’s approaching footsteps, he turned toward him and smiled. Holding up some papers, he whispered, “Found something.”

“Me too!” Lan Xiaoli replied in an equally low voice, his face beaming with delight.

“Great, let’s get out of here.”

Just as they were about to leave the same way they had entered, they were spotted by a few guards. The plan had worked smoothly so far, and yet they wouldn’t be able to get out without a fight. They had both been smart enough to memorise the layout of the residence, but neither had considered the guards’ night routines.

To make matters worse, the guards patrolled in pairs, and fate had positioned Lan Xiaoli and Mu Chun right where the patrols crossed paths.

Lan Xiaoli’s fight-or-flight instincts immediately kicked in, drenching his back in cold sweat. However, to prevent the guards from alerting others, he knew a quick fight was the better, and probably safer, option.

Mu Chun seemed to think the same. They had both intuitively gotten into their fighting stances, standing back to back, ready to battle.

Mu Chun clicked his tongue. “Only because you were so loud.”

“Me?!” Lan Xiaoli blurted, not bothering to keep his voice down anymore.

“Shut up and fight,” Mu Chun said, gently pushing Lan Xiaoli towards one pair of guards, while he was taking on the other.

Thanks to the martial art skills Lan Xiaoli had learned from Zhou Zishu and Zhang Chengling, and the sword skills his father had taught him, he was able to fend for himself with ease. He effortlessly finished off one of the guards with a few deft blows, while keeping another at bay with his sword.

The guard who was still standing squinted. “Wait… aren’t you from Gusu Lan??”

Lan Xiaoli raised an eyebrow, then moved his eyes up. Upon realising he was wearing his forehead ribbon, he quickly slapped his hand to his forehead in an attempt to cover it up, internally cursing himself. This would’ve been his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go out without wearing his forehead ribbon, and he’d missed it.

“You are mistaken!” he retorted.

Mu Chun, who overheard their conversation, rolled his eyes. “Stop chatting and finish him!” he hissed.

“Ah, right…” Lan Xiaoli said, dodging the guard’s attack and using the momentum to successfully knock him out with the targeted press on one of his acupoints.

As the guard fell to the ground, Lan Xiaoli witnessed Mu Chun skillfully throwing another guard over his shoulder, rendering the poor man unconscious in an instant.

Lan Xiaoli stood there, fascinated by Mu Chun’s swift moves. He turned out to be more and more skilled. When Mu Chun caught him staring, Lan Xiaoli’s cheeks flushed red and he tried to disguise it as just a glance. Yet, against all expectations, Mu Chun didn’t return his stare with a smug grin.

Instead, his pupils shrank and he exclaimed, “Watch out!!”

Before Lan Xiaoli could react, Mu Chun had already rushed over and blocked the strike of a guard who had used Lan Xiaoli’s moment of distraction to sneak up on him.

Mu Chun directed an icy glare at the guard, and his tone brimmed with killing intent as he warned through gritted teeth, “Don’t touch him.” He then used the same move as before and methodically threw the guard to the ground so hard that his skull cracked.

Both Mu Chun and Lan Xiaoli slightly bent over the man on the ground, their breaths heavy from the fight. Lan Xiaoli looked at the attacker with a worried expression. “Did you just…?” He didn’t dare finish the sentence, but that crack sounded fatal.

Mu Chun straightened up. “He’s gonna be fine.” With the last guard defeated, he brushed off his hands and sighed. “What the hell, man?”

“I was just…” Lan Xiaoli started to explain, but was cut off by Mu Chun.

“Mesmerised by my breath-taking, jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, heart-stopping beauty?” he said with a smirk, back to his complacent self. “Yes, I noticed.”

Lan Xiaoli gaped at him, but quickly regained his composure. He pretended to scowl, but the smile that played around the corners of his mouth gave him away. He lightly jabbed Mu Chun in the ribs, who in turn dramatically bent over as if in terrible pain.

But the real fight was far from over. Apparently they hadn’t succeeded in “quickly” finishing off the guards, as a second wave was coming in. Although the guards outnumbered them, they posed no real threat. What Lan Xiaoli and Mu Chun lacked in numbers, they made up for in skill.

With heightened spirits, the two youths went into the fight as a team, their movements flowing in perfect harmony.

“You did not have to protect me,” Lan Xiaoli remarked in the middle of the fight.

Mu Chun side-eyed him with a cocked eyebrow. “And return with the message of their precious son’s demise? Yeah, right. Your father would kill me on the spot.”

Lan Xiaoli frowned pensively. “Fair enough.”

Mu Chun removed his gaze and added, “Besides… I’ll make sure you stay alive until I get my apology.”

Lan Xiaoli groaned. “You’re still on about this? Ever heard of forgive and forget?”

“I prefer to resent and remember,” Mu Chun replied with a wink.

Lan Xiaoli was taken aback for a moment, but then just couldn’t help laughing.

As they bantered back and forth, they swiftly took down one guard after another until every last one was defeated. They didn’t delay any further and finally managed to escape.

Outside, they took a moment to catch their breaths, holding onto each other in silence. A moment later, the two of them burst out laughing. Only when their boisterous laughter had died down a little did they stroll back to their guest house.

“What did you find?” Lan Xiaoli asked, wiping away the tears he’d shed from laughter.

“A list of villages he helped rebuild and their locations,” Mu Chun replied.

Lan Xiaoli stared at him with a blank expression. “How is this helpful?”

Mu Chun feigned offence. “Excuse you? We might be able to track him with this. He might be in one of the villages, if not, they might have some information,” he explained.

“Hmm…” Lan Xiaoli wasn’t quite convinced. “I found these letters. They have some indications about his current whereabouts. Like this one, for example. It is the most recent I could find; I think he is headed there.”

Lan Xiaoli showed Mu Chun the letter, who nodded approvingly with pursed lips. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”

Lan Xiaoli beamed with pride, revelling in the satisfaction of making himself useful for once.

“I also got this,” Mu Chun said, fumbling something out of his robe. As he unfurled his palm, a small silver pendant hanging on a thin silver chain dangled from his hand.

Lan Xiaoli’s eyes widened and he came to an abrupt halt. “This…”

Mu Chun stopped his steps as well. “I thought you might want it.”

Lan Xiaoli gazed at it. The small, oval-shaped piece glistened in the moon’s gentle glow. It had intricate engravings of a dragon encircled by blossoms, as if it was soaring amidst a cloud of flowers. Within the engraving, the dragon’s eyes sparkled as two tiny green gems, adding a striking touch to the pendant’s exquisite craftsmanship.

Lan Xiaoli’s fingers hovered hesitantly over the pendant, almost as if he was too afraid to touch it. “Did we not say private rooms only?” he murmured in a low voice.

“Well, I had some time to spare, so I took a small detour,” Mu Chun replied. Since Lan Xiaoli said nothing else, he continued, “I’ll help you put it on.”

Lan Xiaoli allowed him to fasten the delicate chain around his neck. “Did you make sure it is not cursed or anything?”

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” Mu Chun said and patted the pendant now resting on Lan Xiaoli’s chest. Then, he clasped his hands behind his back. “Looks good on you.”

Lan Xiaoli let the pendant roll between his fingers and smiled at it, his gaze soft and warm. “Thanks.”

Caught off guard by the rare tenderness in Lan Xiaoli’s expression once again, Mu Chun couldn’t help but smile as well. “My pleasure. Let’s go.”

As soon as everyone was awake and had gathered around the breakfast table, the pair reported their findings from last night.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were not at all pleased to hear about their “exciting adventure”, and it took a whole lot of convincing to stop Lan Wangji from killing Mu Chun on the spot. However, there was no denying that he had made good on his word to protect Lan Xiaoli.

As a result, later that day, the two of them received a severe punishment instead.

Behind the inn, Lan Wangji made them kneel down and stretch out their arms in front of their bodies. Lan Xiaoli already knew what was coming, but Mu Chun was surprised when his arms were suddenly weighed down by an extremely heavy object.

Since Mu Chun didn’t own a sword, Lan Wangji had placed Bichen on his arms. Mu Chun immediately broke a sweat, a nervous laugh escaping his lips.

“Mu Chun, you will hold this position for thirty minutes,” Lan Wangji said, “Xiaoli, you will hold it for an hour. Every time you lower your arms, ten minutes will be added.”

Wide-eyed, Mu Chun glanced at Lan Xiaoli in disbelief, who failed to hide his amusement. 

“Am I allowed to talk?” Mu Chun asked.

Lan Wangji stared him dead in the eye. “You are supposed to reflect. How can you reflect when you talk?”

“...”

Lan Xiaoli had to bite his lower lip to stifle his laughter.

About two hours later, Mu Chun and Lan Xiaoli were still behind the inn, feeling utterly exhausted from their punishment. When Lan Wangji had left them, the two teens had been sprawled on the ground, but now they had regained enough energy to move again. Mu Chun stretched his arms in an attempt to ease the soreness, and began to complain.

“This is so not fair! I went along to protect you, why am I getting punished as well?”

Lan Xiaoli stood by the inn’s water fountain, collecting a handful of water in his palms. “I guess you were supposed to stop me,” he said with a teasing smile.

Mu Chun snorted. “And what about you? Aren’t you supposed to gain their trust?”

“They already trust me!” Lan Xiaoli retorted with a furrowed brow.

Mu Chun raised his arms in defence. “Fine, aren’t you supposed to keep their trust?”

“It was a necessary step!” Lan Xiaoli protested. Then, in a smaller voice, he added, “Maybe the execution was a bit lacking.”

Mu Chun rolled his eyes and shook his head. Apparently, reflecting didn’t do much for this boy. After a pause, he asked, “Is he always this strict?”

Lan Xiaoli laughed lightly and said, “Yes.”

He had just splashed himself with some refreshing water, which now trickled down his face in droplets. In the warm light of the inn’s lantern, his features looked particularly soft and gentle. Captivated by this sight, Mu Chun couldn’t resist the urge to touch his skin.

However, the moment he reached out, with or without ulterior motives, Lan Xiaoli was quick to react. He grabbed Mu Chun’s arm and threw him over his shoulder. Once Mu Chun was on the ground, Lan Xiaoli quickly locked one of his arms behind his back and sat on top of him.

Mu Chun coughed up the dirt he’d just inhaled and said, “How do you still have energy for this?!”

“Hahaha, you fool. I am already used to this!” Lan Xiaoli replied.

Mu Chun pressed out a laugh. Already recovered from the shock, he said in a patronising tone, “You still have to learn, you amateur.”

Being in this disadvantageous position didn’t stop him from being smug. Of course he had noticed that it was his own technique that had been used against him!

Lan Xiaoli just looked at him in confusion, but Mu Chun answered before he could ask, “In this position… I can easily take over.”

Mu Chun waved his free arm and used it to change their position before Lan Xiaoli had the chance to react. The new position, however, was a bit more… suggestive. Lan Xiaoli was on his back with Mu Chun on top of him, his hands pinned above his head.

“See?”

“You-!” Lan Xiaoli’s eyes opened so wide they almost popped out. He furiously thrashed about, raging, “You’re using dirty tricks! Get off!!”

Mu Chun didn’t move. “Dirty tricks? I’m just way more skilled than you. If you want the upper hand, you have to pin your knee between my shoulder blades and apply pressure to restrict my movements. Not just sit on me,” he explained calmly. 

But Lan Xiaoli couldn’t focus on his words. Their faces were so close now that he could feel the other’s breath brushing against his skin. He tightly closed his eyes and turned his face away, still disturbed by their last “kiss.” In their current position, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of apprehension, afraid Mu Chun might take advantage of the situation.

Mu Chun raised his eyebrows. When he realised what was going on in Lan Xiaoli’s head, he grinned and lowered his head even further, stopping right next to Lan Xiaoli’s ear. “Don’t worry, Young Lord, I would never force you,” he whispered, before getting off.

Lan Xiaoli’s eyes snapped open. Force him… to what?

He stopped himself from blurting that question, certain he wouldn’t like the answer. A crimson hue spread across his face, not only because he was angry but also because he felt embarrassed. Mu Chun had a habit of making stupid jokes, but this time he’d definitely crossed a line.

Lan Xiaoli didn’t want to think too deeply on Mu Chun’s remark, yet it kept circling in his mind for the rest of the evening. He could already imagine what Mu Chun had implied, but maybe his mind was too deep in the gutter? Maybe there was a different meaning to it?!

Despite the impropriety of the topic, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity and the desperate need for an answer. Thus, he sought out his uncles for advice. He often consulted them in matters he would find awkward to discuss with his dads, such as romance.

There were two reasons he preferred to confide in his uncles rather than his dads. Firstly, he could share ideas and deeds that his dads wouldn’t condone or permit. And secondly, after declaring he was not interested in romance and the like, he was too ashamed and proud to ask them.

Especially in the latter case, his dads weren’t particularly helpful. Lan Wangji couldn’t offer any guidance, and Wei Wuxian would only tease him with useless answers. With Uncle Wen and Uncle Zhou, he felt much more comfortable. They genuinely listened and provided honest and helpful answers, whatever the question.

Lan Xiaoli found them in their private room. His face was still flushed red, but this time from running through the entire building. Panting heavily, he stood before the pair, who looked at him in bewilderment. But before either of them could ask, Lan Xiaoli was already speaking.

“What does it mean when someone lies on top of you and says ‘I won’t force you’?” he brought out between gasps.

Zhou Zishu cast a concerned glance at Wen Kexing. It was painfully obvious who that “someone” was, yet he asked anyway, “...Did someone lie on top of you and say that?”

Lan Xiaoli rubbed the sweat from his forehead. “That is not important!”

Zhou Zishu squinted his eyes. “It kind of is, though…”

Wen Kexing, on the other hand, didn't want to leave the boy hanging and explained, “Sounds like the person likes you so much that they have lewd intentions, but won’t force you to any indecent activities. Nothing will happen without your consent.”

Lan Xiaoli’s face turned an even brighter shade of red, and he slapped his hands over his mouth.

Zhou Zishu probed again, “What happened?”

“Nothing!!” Lan Xiaoli blurted and ran off.

Back in his own room, he slammed the door shut and leaned back against it. His mouth was still covered by his hands and his knees were so weak that he was slowly sliding to the floor. With bulging eyes he stared into the air, as if trying to bore holes into it. Countless thoughts, each more complicated than the last, flashed through his mind in rapid succession.

Nononononono! Like me? Me?! How? Why? Absolutely not! This must be a mistake.

He thought of all the times Mu Chun had annoyed and pestered, teased and chaffed him. 

It couldn’t be… could it?

But he also remembered how incredibly close Mu Chun liked to be to him. How careful and protective he could be. Upon closer reflection, he realised that Mu Chun had never caused him any harm.

It wasn’t possible… was it?

With each sentiment, one more outrageous than the other, his heart pounded harder against his chest.Lan Xiaoli ruffled his own hair. Why did this stir his emotions so much anyway? Had his pure heart, untouched by romance for so many years, now been sullied after all? Were the strong feelings he harboured for Mu Chun... perhaps not aversion after all?!

[secretsfromwholecloth]

Dragon Age II, day 3.

I notice, on the quest to go after the serial killer, it’s already become apparent that the guards are a problem, especially for the city’s elves. Nice foreshadowing.

Did Gabran just reassure Lia that he’d take Kelder back to Kirkwall rather than kill him on the spot? Yeah, that was a lie. Probably shouldn’t have clicked that.

I see the DA tradition of extremely silly-looking headgear continues.

Fuck you, Petrice. Just so we’re clear.

Hello, Fenris. We’ll talk again soon.

Fenris, calling Bethany “it” and a “viper” and trying to convince Gabran that she’s a ticking time bomb is, shall we say, a career-limiting move in his circle, capisce?

Right, let’s go pick up Anders. Come to think of it, was putting Fenris in the party for this a good idea? Eh, I suppose we’re about to see.

No, no life choices regretted yet. That can come later.

Anders is going on Gabran’s “definitely hug at some point” list. Ignoring just what Anders is capable of in full Justice mode may or may not bite him in the ass.

Hello, Isabela. Whew, I was getting worried. Anyway, Isabela, meet your future boyfriend.

I kind of prefer her old face from DAO, to be honest.

“I’m always ready to help.” I’m sure you are, Gabran. Bethany, you’re going to needle your brother mercilessly for this, right?

So if Isabella is going to be in the party with Gabran, that’s it, that’s the melee squad. The warriors are going to have to wait their turn. Well, not like I haven’t done “three rogues and a healer” parties before.

*sigh* Anders, no. Wait your turn. I swear I’ll give you someone nice who won’t stab you at the end.

You know what, I’ll have Gabran take it in stride rather than shutting him down. Please, though, Anders, don’t read anything into this, this one isn’t yours.

I’m sure Isabela’s book of Andraste/Hessarian porn is glorious.

Something in the tone of Fenris’ dialogue makes him seem like he’s visiting from another, very different game.

Anders, love, I don’t think telling the dragonlings never to taunt a mage is going to accomplish very much.

Hello, Cullen. *sigh*

Tarohne, who told you that white lipstick was a good idea?

Varric, we’ve been over this, Anders hasn’t worn pauldrons since before you met him.

...so much for downplaying the blood magic angle, huh?

And more in the morning, it’s gotten late. Tomorrow can be DLC day, I’ve never done those in Act 1 before.

[darlingrutherford]

Double smut Sinful Sunday whoooo!

Ok I stg I’ve posted this before, mainly because I rarely fully finish writing something and don’t post it, and this has been completely finished in my docs for a few months at least. Anyhoo. If it has been posted, it’s been lost to the Tumblr void, so here it is again lol. I’m going to make a point to start going through my blog soon and make an archive of my writing (a lot can be found on Ao3, but there’s still a lot I haven’t moved over there yet). In the meantime, thanks to that anon who mentioned it, here’s a nice lil fic of Lana pegging Alistair in a DAO AU where Alistair becomes King and Lana doesn’t become Queen, but is most definitely still with him and all that happy stuff ;)

18+ only and all that obvious stuff :)

     It was late. The sun had set hours ago. The palace in Denerim had quieted long ago, leaving the throne room deserted. Still, Alistair felt a small tinge of guilt towards whichever guard he knew must be standing outside the shut door, forced to listen as he, the one and only King of Ferelden, stood bent over the side of his throne as his girlfriend pressed her hips to his ass. Her hands held onto the sides of his hips like handles, and a moan rang out from his mouth that echoed throughout the hall as she drove the toy into him again. It was a lovely thing, really: quite small compared to his own, but smooth, made of some kind of material he hadn't recognized but had been recommended when Lana had gone searching for something to meet the task planted in her mind. She had been so excited that day she had returned from afar, pulling it and a strap out of her bag with sparkling eyes once they were alone. Tonight had been no different. She loved wearing it for him, taking control for him, and he had a feeling that the sounds that left him were half the reason.

“Fuck! Maker, Lana, you… You're getting good at this.” Another moan left him loudly as she pushed back into him. She was going faster than usual tonight. Normally she was so gentle, as if she would break him despite the largely contrasted heights between the two of them. Tonight it was as if something had taken over her, something that made her want - no, need - to remind him that he was at her mercy just as much as she was at his. Perhaps it had been the time apart, having been away for a week on official ‘Hero of Ferelden’ business. Maker, but he was happy to have her back, and so enthusiastic.

The edge of the armrest on the throne bit into Alistair's hips with each thrust. His hands grasped desperately at the armrest on the other side, his back nearly a straight line as his head tipped forward towards the floor. It was almost uncomfortable, the way the base of his erect cock was stuck between the wood of the armrest and his abdomen, but also pleasurable in a strange way. She seemed to have that effect on him constantly - making something slightly uncomfortable seem exceptionally sinful and delicious.

“Do you like this better?” Lana asked. She slowly pulled her hips back, dragging the toy with her before filling him again with a quick thrust. Each thrust brought a moan that made her blush, but she found herself unable to contain herself when he was so animated. She slowed down slightly, giving him time to formulate a response.

“Maker, it's… different,” he groaned. He knew he was dripping precum all over the throne. How could he not? In a split second he began wondering if there was anything nearby to clean it with when they were done, but that thought was quickly wiped from his mind the second she pressed back in. “Before was perfect, but this is… Aaahh… It's so good…”

He grinned when he heard her light giggle flutter from her throat. Such a sweet, delicate sound to contrast with the dirty way she was fucking him.

“Tell me how good it is,” she whispered as she began speeding her hips again. 

“Mmm, it's - Ah! - S - So good,” he moaned. He braced himself as he felt her fingers tighten on his hips, although it didn't lessen the surprise in his voice as her thrusting extracted another series of deep moans.

“Tell me how much you like it.” Her voice was louder this time, making Alistair's spine tingle.

“Mmm, so much.”

“Tell me, your Majesty. Tell me how you like me to fuck you on your throne.” 

Alistair gasped as her hips sped until she was thrusting at a speed that could have rivaled his own when he had her in a similar position only a week ago. His knuckles whitened against the wood, his voice echoing throughout the hall as he cried out,

“Maker, Lana! Oh, I f - fucking love it when you fuck me!”

Alistair's moans were becoming raw almost, his throat dry from so much. And just when he thought he couldn't handle anymore, her hips slowed, as if she knew he had been about to burst, and he whimpered, silently begging as she nearly stopped. His chest was heaving, gasping for breath, his legs shaking from the exertion of it all only to be denied. He almost wondered if she was getting back at him for all those times he had relentlessly teased her to her breaking point, until a light whimper from behind him made everything very clear.

Lana's right hand left his side to gently slide up his back as she pressed her hips to his ass once more. Her fingers slid beneath his shirt, nails gently running along his skin soothingly as she ground her hips against him. His whimper melded with hers, and he could hear the begging in her voice when she finally spoke, breaking the spell of her control.

“Alistair, I… I need… Please, may I feel you? It's been so long, I need you.”

Alistair's body shook lightly when he laughed. He moved to stand, sighing loudly as Lana slowly and gently pulled the toy from him. Before he turned he heard it fall to the floor, then her boots and breeches followed as he kissed her deeply. Alistair blindly stepped sideways, then backwards, before Lana's hands pushed his chest until he fell onto the throne. She climbed atop him quickly, holding his face on either side as she kissed him desperately. Steady on her knees, Alistair poised himself beneath her, aiming true before he grabbed the back of her tunic and pulled her down.

There it was. The noise he had missed more than any other noise in the entire world: the high pitched, long, mewling moan that lilted from her throat when he filled her to the hilt of him. He had been ready to take over, but already her hips were moving. She quickly built up to match the same speed as before, bouncing on his cock with the same enthusiasm she had just been pegging him with. Alistair's moans were different when she wasn't penetrating him - a bit deeper, more controlled, but still with just as much glee as before. Maker, but she was perfect, whether she was riding his cock or fucking his ass - his perfect goddess, nigh five feet tall with fiery hair in a braid that bounced with her. He wished he had time to remove her tunic, to watch her breasts bounce with her, but there would be plenty of time for that later. For now, at the rate she was riding him at, after the pounding he had just received, he was barreling towards his end and there would be no stopping him now. Large hands gripping her hips, Alistair pulled her down hard and fast, and his own moans echoed with her gasping as he burst inside of her. 

Silence steadily washed over the throne room. The panting breaths of the two was the only thing to be heard, the occasional swallowing of a dry throat followed by a quiet gasp, before Alistair exclaimed, much quieter than before,

“Well, fuck me.”

Lana began laughing first, and Alistair quickly joined in. His arms snaked around her, pulling her frame tightly against him. He nuzzled his face against the crook of her neck, humming happily.

“I missed you,” he mumbled against her skin. “Next time, don't leave for so long.”

“Next time you want me to represent you, don't agree for it to be so far away,” she teased.

“Deal.”

[razberryyum]

The Guanyin Temple Event: another essay

(spoilers for episode 47 - 50 and the novel. All novel excerpts taken from the wonderful translations provided by Team Exiled Rebels Scanlations)

I didn’t read the Mo Dao Zu Shi novel until I was about a dozen episodes into The Untamed, but once I did, there were two events that I was most looking forward to seeing depicted on-screen: the Phoenix Mountain Hunt and the climax at the Guanyin Temple. The main reason for my heightened anticipation was because they were both critical and awesome events in the novel and also because I couldn’t wait to see how Team CQL was going to work around the blatant WangXian-ness present in them. Since I already wrote at length about the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, I won’t delve into that topic again, but suffice it to say I was quite pleased at what the drama team came up with in place of the blindfolded make-out session between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.  

For the Guanyin Temple event, I knew Team CQL had their work cut out for them because it wasn’t just a kiss they had to work around, but a whole ton of WangXian moments since that’s pretty much when Wei Wuxian, our completely awesome and lovable but dense AF protagonist, finally finds out that Lan Wangji has been in love with him for like…forever…and they acknowledge their feelings for each other (in front of family and foes no less). From the moment WWX finds out about Lan Zhan’s love for him until the end of the Guanyin Temple incident, it’s so loaded with WangXian cuteness that I almost died laughing while reading those passages: for me, at times their lovey-doveyness actually crossed into cringe-territory. Not that they didn’t earn the right to be completely corney, mushy puppies in love, but I still had to cover my eyes, shake my head and turn away in embarrassment a few times. I mean, I was literally suffering from a diabetic attack during some of those scenes.  

Of course I didn’t expect mushiness to that level in the show…there’s still censorship to consider after all…but I was hoping for a ghost of what happened in the novel so that once again the spirit of their love confession can still be captured on the show. Or at the very least, I was hoping for some Easter eggs that would let us know that the production team understands our pain and wishes they could’ve given us all the WangXian love too.  

Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be any of that. In fact, with much regret, I have to say that in terms of WangXian quotient, I was a rather disappointed in CQL’s adaptation of the Guanyin Temple event.  

It almost felt like in the end, Team CQL couldn’t really come up with anything to replace the abundance of WangXian love we were given in the novel, so they chose to just completely avoid any hints of it altogether. If I’m going to be honest, LWJ even seemed grumpy most of the time. I don’t blame Wang Yibo’s performance for this at all (I will never blame him for anything LWJ…he has given us such an amazing LWJ that he is blameless forever in my book. Same goes for Xiao Zhan and his WWX), I’m sure that’s the direction he was given, which makes me really scratch my head in perplexity. To jump ahead a little, a good example of this is during the scene where LWJ is protecting WWX from Fairy. In the novel, we had this exchange during that moment: (from chapter 101):

Wei WuXian, “Hug me!”

Lan WangJi, “I am hugging you!”

Wei WuXian, again, “Hug me tight!”

Lan WangJi, also, “I am hugging you tight!”

Whereas in the drama, we didn’t really have any dialogue and Lan Zhan didn’t even look too pleased about having to protect Wei Ying from the fluffy puppy. In fact, I was actually a bit bummed when he raised his arm to protect WWX: they started out with Wei Ying clinging to Lan Zhan’s body but raising his arm like that actually caused Wei Ying to move away from him, making their interaction less intimate.

Then there was that pivotal moment in the courtyard of the temple in the beginning, where WWX was being held hostage by Jin Guangyao and his guqin string: that was a scene I was especially looking forward to since that’s when Wei Ying blurts out the line that he’s always wanted to sleep with LWJ, which pretty much sets off his confession of love and devotion afterwards. I was extremely curious what dialogue Team CQL would put in place of something as blatant as that. I was hoping for something along the lines of “no matter what, you will always be my 知己” from WWX, which would’ve served as another callback to what they said on Phoenix Mountain and what they were thinking about during that snowy evening on Cloud Recesses. Just something poignant yet meaningful to capture all the love WWX has for Lan Zhan. Sadly, all we got was forgiveness from WWX about what happened during Nightless City, which, as heartfelt as the words were uttered (WWX saying it all teary-eyed got me all teary-eyed as well), they still felt almost a little unnecessary at that point. Especially since we already got that pardon when Lan Zhan was drunk and Wei Ying was telling him all of it was not his fault. Sure, Lan Zhan’s sober this time around and I did sense all the emotions in their expressions, but in terms of what was actually being said, as a replacement for “Lan Zhan! Lan WangJi! HanGuang-Jun! Back then, I-I really wanted to sleep with you!”? I’m sorry, it fell wayyyy short.  

I also didn’t like the fact that once they were inside the temple, sitting side by side, the dialogue was changed to the following:

Where’s the love in that?? Again, it’s not like I was expecting anything hot and heavy like it was in the book (from chapter 100):

Wei WuXian couldn’t let out another sound. Amidst the darkness, Lan WangJi had already embraced him tightly, stopping him with his lips.

Lan WangJi’s breaths were short and disordered. His hoarse voice whispered beside Wei WuXian’s ear, “… fancy you…”

Wei WuXian hugged him tight, “Yes!”

Lan WangJi, “… love you, want you…”

Wei WuXian raised his voice, “Yes!”

Lan WangJi, “Cannot leave you… do not want anyone but you… it cannot be anyone but you!”

But maybe just a little more affection?  In the book, there was so much love going on between WWX and LWJ at Guanyin Temple that even Jin Guangyao was nice enough to step aside and give them some alone time to talk out their feelings. Big bro Lan Xichen and Jin Ling also made sure to sit away from them so that they could hug and kiss it out. The show actually kept the seating arrangement intact, which I guess was meant as a nod to the fans, but I would’ve rather they kept the sentiments instead.  

Not that Guanyin Temple was completely devoid of WangXian moments, thankfully, we did get the following little touches:

But if you read the novel, I have to believe you’d agree with me just a bit that all of that was hardly comparable to the source material. I don’t know if Team CQL decided to change things this way so that the ending with LWJ deciding to separate from WWX (although temporarily) would make more sense, or if the censorship monster finally got to them; either way, I wish they had been just a little more…creative and generous, I guess? It pains me to say that since it sounds like I’m being rather ungrateful—they have given us so much already—but Guanyin Temple was just so important to WWX and LWJ’s relationship, I can’t help but wish it was…better? At least in terms of WangXian.  

Not to mention, strangely, there seemed to be more technical problems with the Guanyin Temple episodes than with any other consecutive batch of eps prior to them. The issues ran the gamut of bad production choices: awkward pacing (I love Wen Ning and it was cool seeming him possessed by Baxia, but it felt like it took him at least half an hour to get from the courtyard to actually inside the damn temple), very obvious editing errors (one moment WWX has his hand on LWJ’s hand, the next he doesn’t, and then he does again), clunky scene transitions, bad sound editing/mixing (why are we hearing the flute on top of Wei Ying’s whistling and the melodies aren’t even the same?), and if I’m going to be honest, the fight choreography and scene set up were kind of mediocre too.  It felt like only the actors were bringing their A-game during those scenes while the production team was already getting ready for the wrap party since the show was going to be over soon. I mean, look at this, where the hell was A-Yao running off to?  

Why couldn’t they show his death? It was so much better and creepier in the novel. Or is he even dead? Did they keep that open-ended too just in case they want to bring him back for the movie? And will LXC even get his sword back???

I know I sound rather negative, and I actually debated for a while on even sharing my feelings because I hate being so critical of this show that gave me so much joy for the most part. I also didn’t want to bum anyone out with my criticisms, however, even though I love, I can never love blindly, so I just have to get all the griping out of my system.  

On the bright side, despite being disappointed by the WangXian quotient and the technical shortcomings of these eps, I was quite pleased by some of the changes Team CQL made from the novel which, imho, I thought were actual improvements from the source material (sorry, MXTX-laozi!). First of all, I really appreciated the closure we got between Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying. I LOVED that the two Yunmeng brothers got to talk things out and really reconciled. I especially loved this look JC had as he watched WWX play his flute:

As if he was both proud and relieved that WWX found a way to be strong again even without his golden core. We didn’t get such a sweet moment in the book. There actually wasn’t much interaction between them after Wei Ying told JC to just forget about the past; in fact, there seemed to still be some residual bad feelings which made me think the Yunmeng brothers weren’t really ever going to be ok again.  WWX definitely didn’t wipe away JC’s tears or even touch him. That affectionate exchange we were given in the drama was just so precious and needed after all the pain both of them have been through, and it made me feel so much happier and reassured about their relationship. I’m glad that in both versions JC didn’t tell WWX what actually happened the day he was taken by the Wen Sect: it would’ve been just yet another heartache to burden Wei Ying who obviously was ready to move on with his new life. That little consideration made me love Jiang Cheng so much more.  

Another improvement was the resolution between Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao. I tried really hard not to ship big bro and A-Yao, but dammit, the show pretty much forced me to, especially towards the end with their last scenes together.  Before I say anything else, I must really commend Liu Haikuan and Zhu Zanjin, the actors who brought LXC and JGY to life respectively: they really delivered during their scenes in Guanyin Temple. Zhu Zanjin is always on the verge of overacting and sometimes actually crosses the line, but all of his choices really worked for me within those scenes. I completely felt the hurt and anger from JGY when he thought LXC never trusted him, just as much as I felt the same emotions from LXC when his A-Yao revealed his true colors.  They made my heart hurt for both of them and wish for a happy ending for them, which is just crazy because JGY is not a good person. As WWX pointed out, JGY really is a lot like Xue Yang, but he probably didn’t realize just how alike they are: they’re both technically monsters but still somehow capable of love…or a twisted form of it at least that passed for normal for them. One of my favorite pieces of dialogue in the entire novel was actually JGY’s (chapter 108):

“In this life, I’ve lied countless times, killed countless times. Like you said, I killed my father, my brother, my wife, my son, my teacher, my friend—of all the evil in the world, what haven’t I done?!” He took in a breath, rasping, “But I’ve never even thought of harming you!”

That moved me so much, and I actually teared up when JGY uttered basically those same words in the show because I believed he meant them, it wasn’t just a ploy to manipulate LXC again. And then, at the very last minute when JGY was about to pull LXC into the coffin so that the two of them could die together, in the book, JGY just suddenly pushed LXC away. I loved that in the show, we are shown LXC’s acceptance to the fate JGY intended for them…

…and that is why he pushes his second brother away. It was enough for him to know LXC didn’t regard him the same way that Nie Mingjue did after all, that he did genuinely care for JGY all these years. Although JGY probably didn’t deserve such satisfaction before his death considering all the people he‘s killed and harmed (except for Jin Guangshan…that asshole deserved everything he got…I’d count that as a PLUS on JGY’s karma scale, even if that was his dad), I still couldn‘t help feeling a bit happy that he attained it. I can‘t help it, JGY reminds me of a Puss-in-boots half of the time.

Finally, as heart-breaking as it was, I appreciated how much more affected Wei Ying was by the revelation that he had just been an unwitting pawn and victim in JGY’s schemes all this time. In the novel, the truth seemed to mostly rolled off his back, probably because he was too busy cuddling with LWJ to even care anymore, but in The Untamed, WWX seemed downright devastated. I have to say, Xiao Zhan really has mastered the laughing-while-crying combo-hit so damn well that he never fails to make my eyes well up every time he delivers that killer move.  

I really felt his pain and anger at how much he suffered because of what JGY and Su She did, and how wronged he was by them, even if JGY tried to partially lay the blame on him and Jiang Cheng. What made JGY’s words especially hurtful was the modicum of truth to them, because WWX was being incendiary and arrogant during that time, and JC really didn’t have his back at all. He definitely never stood up for him like Shijie did at Phoenix Mountain. Again, I should hate JGY for hurting them with such painful truths and hell, I should hate him solely for all that he has done to WWX, whether it was purposeful or happenstance, but I simply don’t. I might feel differently if Wei Ying wasn’t given a second chance at life and happiness, but thankfully he was and that does make all difference in the world. I don’t even hate Su She…I just think he’s really pathetic and I’m glad he died the way he did.

So, do all of these positive factors balance out what I thought were definite missteps in the drama’s version of what happened at Guanyin Temple? If we had another 10 episodes of Wei Ying and Lan Zhan interactions to look forward to, the answer would probably be yes. OR, if we were given a bona fide, neat as a bow, unquestionably happy ending for them, the answer would also be yes. However, because this was the last couple of episodes we would ever get in the series before its conclusion and the ending was not quite as neat as I wish it would’ve been, then the answer is, sadly, no. I feel we were simply deprived too much of WangXian–I think they spent half the time just spectating at what was going on–and therefore for me, the execution of the Guanyin Temple events by Team CQL unfortunately leaned more on the side of being a disappointment overall.  

Thank you once again for reading my second thesis. I have no idea if I will ever be able to earn my doctorate in MDZS/The Untamed, but I will continue to work hard at it. At the very least, I hope all this blabbering has granted me the privilege of being a somewhat worthy disciple-in-training.