#in this house we appreciate yang xiao

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 39 part 2

(Masterpost) (Pinboard)  (whole thing on AO3)    

Warning! Spoilers for all 50 Episodes!

Tumblr's godawful new editor has a hard limit of 30 images in a post, so I'm splitting this episode into 3 posts instead of 2. There's a lot of important gazing in this part of the episode and 30 images isn't going to cut it. (To be fair, the old editor would start to die after about 35 images)

Funeral Time

We start off at A-Qing's funeral. The gang has found a spot right next to the road to bury her, and has managed to pull together an impressive set of funeral accoutrements.

A well-prepared cultivator always travels with apples, oranges, peaches, ceramic bowls, incense sticks, sand for holding the incense sticks, candles, a sanded & finished board for carving names into, and paper money.

It's nice of them to make sure A-Qing has a proper grave with proper offerings. You know who they don't bury properly? Shishu Xiao Fucking Xingchen, that's who. Do better, Wei Wuxian.

Jingyi and Ouyang Zichen ugly-cry while Jin Ling threatens the already-dead Xue Yang with being bitten by his dog, to Wei Wuxian's discomfort.

The three adults on the scene don't cry at the grave or even look distressed, really; after the shit they've been through, they probably don't have a lot of feelings to spare for a stranger, even Wei Wuxian, who feels for everybody.

And Lan Wangji is busy with some important gazing.

Lan Wangji is having feelings; feelings about how it's a lot better to be Lan Wangji than it is to be Song Lan. He looks earnestly and intensely at Wei Wuxian and says "fortunately" or "how fortunate" (幸好, xìnghǎo), and then gazes even more earnestly at him.

(More after the cut!)

Wei Wuxian can be forgiven for not getting what Lan Wangji is saying here, because Lan Wangji isn't actually saying most of it. From WWX's perspective, a fresh grave is probably an unlikely place for a confession of love or anything like it, although by Lan Wangji's standards this is a romantic idyll compared to the various caves where they've had most of their dates.

Wei Wuxian asks him to explain, but the qiankun bag of cock blocking suddenly distracts Lan Wangji, and that's the end of that conversation. They tell everyone to wait while they go back to the coffin house.

Wen Ning watches them go, wondering what the fuck it is going to take for these guys to get together, for fuck's sake.

It's a Sad Sad Situation

Back at the coffin house, Song Lan is dejectedly caressing Xiao Xingchen's coffin.

This scene is poignant but it's also a reminder of what nice hands everybody in this show has.

It's also an opportunity to appreciate the details of Song Lan's costume. All the costumes have such variety in the fabrics, even an all black or black/grey outfit like this has a lot of textural variation.

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian each have something important to return to Song Lan. Wei Wuxian gives him the spirit trapping bag that contains what's left of Xiao Xingchen's consciousness.

Xiao Zhan and Li Bowen each make a valiant attempt to pretend this bag is not empty and about to collapse if they hold it too firmly.

Lan Wangi watches him receiving it, with a deep and painful understanding of Song Lan's feelings in this moment.

So, I assume that Lan Wangji is probably mainly feeling grateful that he has all of Wei Wuxian (well, minus his old body, which doesn't really matter to LWJ) returned to him. But I also can't help thinking about what the Lan Wangji of ~10 years ago would have given to have a scrap of Wei Wuxian's soul that he could carry with him. I wonder if Lan Wangji is thinking about that too.

Song Lan tells them, by writing in the dirt with his sword, that he plans to travel the world to fight evil in company with what's left of Xiao Xingchen. Essentially returning to the life journey that they shared, all those years ago. Lan Wangji responds by presenting Xiao Xingchen's sword to him.

Song Lan hits the road with both swords on his back, while Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji watch him go.

We don't hear Lan Wangji's thoughts, but his expression is, I think, a reflection of the grief he carried for so many years.

We do hear Wei Wuxian's thoughts, wondering if Song Lan and Xiao Xichen will ever meet again.

I'm not sure how reincarnation works when one of you has part of his soul trapped in a bag and one of you is a possibly-immortal walking corpse, but maybe they'll manage to be reborn together in spite of all that.

When WWX and LWJ are done contemplating how shitty the world can be, they reboot by having an intense gaze at each other.

Then it's back to mystery solving.

Wei Wuxian smacks the lid off of Xiao Xingchen's coffin....which is now empty?

Maybe they buried him between this scene and the last one. Without using his coffin. *shrug*

Lan Wangji lets the sword spirit out of the bag, and watches it sink through the open coffin and down underneath it. He shoves the coffin out of the way and finds another underneath it. Bunk coffins!

This one is covered with magic shit, which Wei Wuxian uncovers so we can see the heap of talismans on top of it.

Hand enthusiasts, this really is the episode for you.

Lan Wangji, who never does anything halfway, splits the lid in half with Bichen rather than, like, opening the lid in some normal way.

The sword spirit turns into Baxia, which is a big clue that the headless corpse in the coffin is Nie Mingjue.

Note that in traditional Chinese death...stuff, it's important to have a complete corpse, so separating a corpse into parts and keeping its head in your linen closet is a big fuckyou to the dead person in question.

Side note: Wei Wuxian continues to sense resentful energy directly, in his new body; once you open the doors of perception there is no going back, I guess.

Lan Wangji still seems to depend on his eyeballs and the presence of black smoke to tell him what's up, despite probably being pretty familiar with the feel of it, by now.

Additional side note since I can fit one more image into this post before Tumblr stops me: Lan Wangji continues to be impossibly pretty.

Continued in part 3!

Soundtrack: Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word by Elton John

[sawrinwrites]

The Fan Fic Collection - August 2024

I was going to try and do these more regularly but some stuff happened (bought a house, work/life drama, the entire month of July

Anyway...

Multi-Chapter Fics:

I See Myself In Reflections of You

At your request, a long-fic inspired Bumbleby Week day 2: I See You.

What's it about?

It's about the connections we form with people who recognise our pain and what it means to be truly seen.

What's the vibe?

Angst with a happy ending. Everyone's hurting but they're working on getting better.

What's different about this fic?

The key traumatic events for Blake and Yang aren't described by them but by the people closest to them. They only ever describe their feelings and treatments after the fact, the details are provided by someone else.

How much can I read?

The first 4 chapters are already out, providing the introductions to the arcs for Blake, Yang, Weiss, and Ruby.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/57775144

Shattered Divinity

Soulmates / Deities AU which explores a number of dark and unpleasant themes. Reader discretion is advised.

What's it about?

The life Yang Xiao Long, Goddess of the Sun, as she seeks penance for her part in the breaking of the world.

What's the vibe?

Dark and angsty. This story explores a number of difficult themes and prospective readers are strongly advised to consider the tags before reading. This isn't for everyone.

How much can I read?

The first 4 chapters are already available and make up the "introduction" portion of the story. There is also an appendix for those wishing to know more about the divine pantheon and how it works.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52062352

The Monsters At My Side And In My Shadow

A fic that asks the question: What would happen if instead of leaving the White Fang, Blake chose to stay and get revenge on Adam?

Featuring Yang as a weregrimm.

What's it about?

Blake and Yang form a dangerous partnership in order to achieve their own bloody goals and end up having to navigate their attractions to one another.

What's the vibe?

Light angst. This one touches on a few darker concepts but it is intended as an easy read.

How Much Can I Read?

The first three chapters are already available.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53138140

Anthology Works:

As Told By Ember

A collection of one-shots following Blake and Yang's relationship but told from the perspective of Yang's best friend, a golden retriever named Ember. These are intended to be light, fluffy stories with sprinklings of angst.

There are currently 2 works available with more planned:

Best Laid Plans: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53848393

Expecting: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54719149

Bumbleby Week 2024

8 prompts, 8 one-shots. There's something for everyone here.

Day 1 - Bumblebaby - Expecting:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54719149

Day 2 - Jock / Nerd - I See You:

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Bumbleby_Week_2024_Sawrin/works/54744832

Day 3 - Soulmates - And Every Time I'll Find You:

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Bumbleby_Week_2024_Sawrin/works/54808465

Day 4 - Farm Girl / Nomad - Maybe This Year:

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Bumbleby_Week_2024_Sawrin/works/55004965

Day 5 - Evil Yang / Evil Blake - A Weak And Foolish Heart:

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Bumbleby_Week_2024_Sawrin/works/54845104

Day 6 - Comfort - The Way It Feels:

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Bumbleby_Week_2024_Sawrin/works/54830038

Day 7 - AU Day (Fake Dating) - Double Date:

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Bumbleby_Week_2024_Sawrin/works/54880969

Day 8 - Bonus / VA Appreciation - Downtime:

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Bumbleby_Week_2024_Sawrin/works/55028764

One-Shots:

The Hunt

This one is for the monster fuckers. Werewolf Yang and human Blake and a lot of defiled furniture.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52811635

[enemies-to-lovers-bracket]

What are the new current submissions?

Right now this is the list. But i might have to remove some IF we end up going over 64 (unless we get so much we can make the bracket even bigger)

Akko and Diana (Little Witch Academia)

C!Wilbur and c!Quackity (Dsmp)

Alex Claremon and Prince Henry (Red, White and Royal Blue)

Keefe Sencen, Tam Song, and fitz vacker (Keepers of the Lost City)

Catra and Adora (She-ra and the Princesses of Power)

Sun Wukong and Macaque (Lego Monkey Kid)

The Oncler x The Lorax (the Lorax)

Gilgamesh and Enkidu (Sumerian mythology)

Jude Duarte and Cardan Greenbriar (The Folk of the Air trilogy)

Shadow and Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)

DJ Octavio and Cap'n Cuttlefish (Splatoon)

Lace and Hornet (Hollowknight: Silksong)

Rey and Kylo Ren (Star Wars)

Sam Winchester and Gabriel (Supernatural)

Han Solo and Leia Organa (Star Wars)

Dazai Osamu and Chuuya Nakahara (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Luz and Amity (the Owl House)

Zuko and Sokka (Avatar the Legend of Aang)

L x Light (Death Note)

Janai and Amaya (the Dragon Prince)

Ballister Boldheart and Ambrosius Goldenloin (Nimona)

Daniela Vargas and Carmen Santos (We Set the Dark on Fire)

Akira Kurusu and Goro Akechi (Persona 5)

Tim Te Maro and Elliott Parker (Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues)

Red and Blue (This Is How You Lose the Time War)

Kyoko Sakura and Sayaka Miki (Madoka Magica)

Victoria and Camille (Reinaeiry)

Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten (All for the game)

Sniper and Spy (Team Fortress 2)

BLUE Soldier and RED Demoman (Team Fortress 2)

Lightning McQueen and Jackson Storm (Cars)

Arthur Kirkland and Alfred F jones (Hetalia)

Fluttershy and Discord (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)

Red and Green (Pokemon)

Kaito and Stacy (Zenkaiger)

Spike and Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Pat and Pran (Bad Buddy)

Ankh and Eiji (Kamen Reider 000)

Ren and Shinji (Kamen Reider Ryuki)

Kairi and Keiichiro (Lupinranger VS Patranger)

Sound and Win (My School President)

Tarou and Sonoi (Avataro Sentai Donbrothers)

Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang (the Untamed)

The Conductor and DJ Grooves (a Hat in Time)

Vegas and Pete (Kinnporche: the Series)

Keith and Lance (Voltron)

Sean and White (Not Me: the Series)

Ringo and Easy (Unter Uns)

Porsche Kittisawat and Kinn Theerapanyakul (Kinnporche) Jae Young and Sang Woo (Semantic Error) Akk and Aye (the Eclipse) I don't know a lot of these ships, so if someone would let me know if there aren't any weird incest or paedophilia ships or smth, it would be appreciated lol!

[ardenrabbit]

Thanks for answering my ask.....if you don't mind me asking (again), who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Please don't apologize! These are fun :D I hope you can find something you like in my replies! 💜💖💜

I'm realizing that I don't ship a whole lot of things, but I get really invested in a handful. I deeply want more involving women, but I sadly just haven't found a lot in media that I relate to or find compelling?? :( I have more women in relationships in my OCs, but all of the following are m/m.

1. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, from MXTX's Mo Dao Zu Shi, canon: These guys are individually such fundamentally good and selfless people and express it with wildly different impacts to their reputations. Extremely different personalities while alike in all the right ways. The longing. The gentle care and appreciation for one another. Also unfathomably horny. They have a cute house and pet rabbits.

2. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, from MXTX's Tian Guan Ci Fu, canon: So. SOFT. Just. The gentlest and most unrelenting devotion. Eight hundred years of longing. It is unfair to compare any other slow burn to these guys. Hua Cheng is batshit insane but we forgive him for being a stalker and a zealot because he is so unhealthy levels of in love, and I am such a sucker for it. They are unfailingly so kind to one another and it murders me.

3. Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang, from MXTX's Mo Dao Zu Shi, possibly one-sided canon? Def not requited: Okay so this isn't a ship I'd go down with by any means, but I just enjoy how fucked up it is. Xue Yang is a psychopath, liar, and literal serial killer and Xiao Xingchen is a saint who deserved better than what happened. I'm just fascinated by Xue Yang's horrible little brain getting attached to the one person who ever showed him real kindness, and how he was never going to be able to redeem himself or even acknowledge his mistakes in a way that they could ever be together. Xue Yang is a bad person and the narrative neither forbids you from caring about him nor tries to absolve him. Just really well-written tragedy.

4. Keith and Shiro, from Voltron, not canon but we all agree that canon shafted everyone: Okay yeah I still love them. The anti thing was new and spooky to me when I first joined the fan community, so I was a secret sheith fan for a while, but these two are just special to me. They never give up on each other. That's a whole Thing. They actually get each other's dumb adrenaline junkie hobbies and their deep senses of justice, and they complement and support each other in the mature ways they need to grow as people. The stupid, unwavering devotion thing. The Eyes. The soft way they say each other's names??? Kills me. For me, canon feels like it was truly built on the foundation of their relationship.

5. Keith and Lance, from Voltron, not canon but we all agree that canon shafted everyone: I started out only posting Keith/Lance on AO3 because I was new to like, Talking to People and didn't want to get jumped by antis, and klance was the anointed, schoolboard-approved ship at the time. These two are sweet in that competitive boys way, and they gradually grow and become friends who actually support each other. It takes them a minute, and canon doesn't do it justice and then kind of uncomfortably forces it, but they get there.

6. Fenris and Hawke, from Dragon Age, canon depending on playthrough: Wow. Again, the Devotion. Fenris is a character that Hawke can really help heal from his past. They actually make a profound difference in each other's lives. The puppy eyes. Fenris's very real and nuanced trust issues and his efforts to navigate them. Hawke having opportunities to truly Support him. They can have great conversations and affect each other's perspectives on important issues. Love them.

7. Kvothe and Bast, from Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles, unconfirmed as of yet but at least one-sided canon as far as I'm concerned: A pair of fucked-up people. One is an unreliable narrator with possibly a case of megalomania + self-loathing, and the other is an unhinged Fae prince with a hero-worshiping crush on him that is dangerous for everyone else in the vicinity. Bast is scary. I am obsessed with him.

8. Lu Qingyun and Liu Jianghe, from Saved the Public Enemy by Mistake, canon: Please please please read this manhua. It's ongoing and incredible. It has six fics on AO3 and I want to talk to people about it. Dark wuxia story with spooky cultivation, a surly doctor, and an unpredictable genius maniac who isn't really the bad guy. These guys are ridiculous, and it's confirmed that they get together in the future and have a soft, happy ending, but for now their relationship is delightfully strange?? They have deep trust and respect for each other, and it's THERE once you see it, but the narrative does a great job of not showing it too much on the surface. Very cleverly written. I have a feeling that Liu Jianghe has been in love with Lu Qingyun from before the start.

9. Shion and Nezumi, from Atsuko Asano's No. 6, canon: Chaotic revolutionaries in a post-nuclear fallout dystopian utopia. Both simultaneously very intelligent and so stupid. Melodramatic bastards. Shion is the idealist and Nezumi is the one who just wants to burn it all down (he doesn't). They open each other's eyes to a lot of things, emotionally and existentially. My favorite blend of very different people with ultimately similar values, but different ways of going about them. They also can call each other out on their bullshit, which is important.

Having trouble thinking of anyone else 😂 All of these are ones I've cared enough to dabble in fic about, whether I've posted it or not, which I think is a decent metric. I'm nice to myself so I tend to lean toward canon stuff.

Thank you again for asking! Have a great day! 💕💐✨

[mxtxdiaspora-may]

Diaspora story rec: 爱屋及乌 | love the house and its crow by swordsainted

Locked to AO3 users

Teen+, no archive warnings, 9K

He doesn’t know why he’s doing this.

He doesn’t know why it almost makes him nervous.

But it is weird, isn’t it, to go to his not-boyfriend’s mother’s home? It feels weird, and yet here he is, crammed into Song Lan’s meticulously clean car and suffering.

We do family get-togethers once every month or so, Xiao Xingchen had said. The food is nice. There’s always too much. Do you want to come?

And because Xue Yang still hasn’t learned how to say no to Xiao Xingchen, he’d agreed.

This fic rec is part of our reclist, stories that spoke to us: MDZS fics & the Chinese diaspora experience. Reblogs are always appreciated.

[tiramisiyu]

【未定事件簿】  Tears of Themis: Xia Yan Personal Story 4-14 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Xia Yan Masterlist | Video

Chapter 4: 4-1 / 4-2 / 4-4 / 4-5 / 4-6 / 4-7 / 4-9 / 4-10 / 4-11 / 4-12 / 4-13 / 4-14 / 4-16

Sickroom

When I woke up again, I was in a sickroom at the Stellis Municipal Hospital.

MC: Ugh…

Xia Yan: You’re awake!

What first popped into my vision was Xia Yan’s face.

And my hand was being held tightly in his.

Xia Yan: How does it feel? Does it hurt anywhere? I’ll call a doctor over!

There was nothing disguised in his eyes that shone with joy as he looked at me.

MC: I’m pretty alright…

MC: You asked so much all at once, so how do I answer it all…

Xia Yan: Sorry, I just got too happy when I saw you wake…

Xia Yan: You’ve been sleeping for a whole day – are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll buy it for you!

Xia Yan’s hair was an utter mess, and there were black circles under his eyes.

I reached out in concern, patting his hair gently.

MC: Have you been by my side the whole time without sleeping? You’ve even got dark circles.

Xia Yan: Silly… don’t worry about that. This is no big deal – you’re the sick patient here.

There was a bit of self-blame and concern in his voice.

He looked at me without shifting his gaze away, as if scared that I would disappear in the next second.

A long moment after, Xia Yan suddenly came back to his senses.

Xia Yan: Oh right, I’ll go call a doctor over to give you a checkup.

He was just preparing to press the signal bell when I subconsciously grabbed his hand.

MC: No need to rush that much…

Xia Yan’s warm body heat transmitted to me through our interlaced fingers and linked hands.

It took so much for me to hold this hand again. I didn’t want to let go.

I just wanted to stay with him like this for a while.

MC: I meant… there are some things I wanted to ask you.

Xia Yan: The case stuff, right? Don’t worry – Ji Xiaoyu, Sergeant Li, and the others are all doing well.

Xia Yan: The police also caught Song Heng. They’re currently interrogating him.

MC: Is Ji Xiaoyu also at this hospital?

Xia Yan: Yeah. Though she got closer to drowning than you, she wasn’t in too much trouble, and her injured hand is also being treated.

Xia Yan: She woke a little earlier than you. A few hours ago, when the nurse brought her for an examination, she came to see you.

MC: Then let’s go see her when she has time.

Xia Yan: Sure.

MC: Right, how did you find me?

Xia Yan: After dealing with the event hall parking lot issue, I rushed to where you and Song Heng had agreed to meet.

Xia Yan: After Sphinx heard from the hidden earbud that you had been hit from the mountain road into the river, he immediately contacted the nearby water rescue staff.

Xia Yan: So when I got there, I immediately got on a rescue boat to save you.

MC: So that’s what happened.

MC: Speaking of which, I wonder if Sphinx is willing to meet us in person.

MC: If I can meet him, I want to thank him myself.

Xia Yan: About that… I’ll give him a call and ask. I think that he’ll probably be willing.

MC: Okay!

As we were almost done talking about serious business, another question quietly but quickly occupied my whole mind, urging me to probe Xia Yan.

--

[Flashback]

Xia Yan: What do you want to say? Does it hurt anywhere? What can I do to help you…

MC: Xia… Yan…

These two words took all the strength I had to say.

Xia Yan: I’m here! I’m right here!

MC: I… like you… the most…

Xia Yan: Don’t say that! Don’t say that sort of thing at this sort of time…

[Flashback end]

--

MC: …

What did Xia Yan think about what I said…

⊳ Ask Xia Yan ⊳ Wait and see

MC: Uh… Xia Yan…

Xia Yan: What?

MC: Back then, on the boat…

Xia Yan: …

I hadn’t even finished speaking when Xia Yan’s face turned red instantly.

 ⊳ Ask Xia Yan ⊳ Wait and see

I really wanted to ask him, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

For a moment, Xia Yan and I sank into silence.

Due to nervousness, my hand trembled unconsciously, as if caressing Xia Yan’s palm.

 --

Xia Yan: Uh, I… actually…

Xia Yan spoke quietly, and I didn’t dare raise my head. His face in my periphery kept getting redder.

???: Miss Lawyer, you’re awake!

Two doctors pushed open the door and walked in, probably because it was time to check the rooms.

The slightly older doctor between the two glanced ambiguously at Xia Yan’s and my tightly clasped hands, then laughed proudly at the colleague beside him.

???: I win, Little Xu. You’re paying for lunch today.

Doctor Xu: Hah, if room-checking were later by 10 minutes, I would’ve won.

MC: ???

???: Sorry about that… I know we came at a bad time, but room-checking happens at set times. I can’t do anything about it.

???: Don’t worry, we’ll just ask a few questions, and then we’ll leave immediately!

Xia Yan: …

MC: …

This teasing tone sounded familiar for some reason.

MC: (This tone with its subtle hints is really familiar, but I don’t remember meeting him before…)

MC: May I ask who you are?

Yang Xiao: I’m Yang Xiao. You could consider me as… an old friend of Xia Yan’s.

MC: Old friends? How did you two meet? I didn’t know Xia Yan had a doctor friend.

Yang Xiao: That’s all his fault. He never brings me up.

Xia Yan: Bro Yang… be serious.

Xia Yan glared at him.

Yang Xiao: I met Xia Yan at his antiques shop. My significant other likes cleaning antiques a lot, so I go to his place a lot to buy stuff.

Yang Xiao: And then we ended up getting more familiar.

MC: So that’s how it was.

MC: Uh, it might be a bit weird if I ask this… but I keep feeling like I’ve heard your voice before. Have we met?

Yang Xiao: Uh… I’m guessing that it’s because I was also there during the river rescue.

Yang Xiao: I was the one who went rescuing with Xia Yan and pulled Ji Xiaoyu onto the boat.

MC: So that’s what happened! Thank you so much!

MC: Although, why were you there back then?

Yang Xiao: Uh, just coincidence.

Yang Xiao jabbed at Doctor Xu beside him with his arm.

Doctor Xu: Right, we heard that you faced off the criminals directly to save someone, which is why you fell into the river.

Doctor Xu: The situation back then must have been very dangerous, right?

Doctor Xu: Your boyfriend was beside himself when he brought you in.

I snuck a glance at Xia Yan. The blush on his face had extended down to his neck.

MC: Is that so…

MC: (Xia Yan didn’t deny it, so is he acquiescing…)

Xia Yan: Alright alright, you just woke, so don’t talk so much – you’ll get tired.

Yang Xiao: Yes yes yes, Miss Lawyer, you just need to concern yourself with listening.

Yang Xiao: Little Xu, keep going. Give her a good recount on what happened before.

Xia Yan glared furiously at Yang Xiao, while Yang Xiao fearlessly stuffed a water kettle into Xia Yan’s hands.

Yang Xiao: Xia Yan, I know you don’t want to hear people recount the scene of your social death.

Yang Xiao: Here’s an opportunity for you – go get some water in here.

Xia Yan: Yang Xiao, you—

Yang Xiao grinned at me, his voice full of suggestion.

Yang Xiao: Miss Lawyer must want to know about what happened, right?

MC: I…

Yang Xiao: I can tell by your expression that you really want to know.

Yang Xiao: Xia Yan, aren’t you going to go get the water?

Yang Xiao spoke as he pushed Xia Yan out of the sickroom.

After, he and Doctor Xu spoke, one at a time, as they recounted what had happened before.

--

[Flashback]

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, I was immediately sent to the emergency room.

Doctor Xu: Where’s her family?

Xia Yan: That’s me!

Doctor Xu: The first aid measures may require some emergency operations. Please sign your name.

Doctor Xu: What is your relationship with the patient? Husband and wife or siblings?

Xia Yan: We… have no legal relation…

Doctor Xu: Then I’m sorry, but you do not have the power to sign. Please contact her other family members.

Xia Yan: …

Yang Xiao: Little Xu, the situation’s urgent. Focus on the emergency treatment first.

[Flashback end]

--

Doctor Xu: Two hours later, when I got out of the emergency room, he was still sitting by the room door.

Doctor Xu: When we pushed you back onto the sickbed, he also stayed by your bedside, refusing to take a single step away.

Doctor Xu: Doctor Yang and I explained to him several times that you were alright and would wake soon.

Doctor Xu: He could eat something and rest a bit – but he refused.

Doctor Xu: When Doctor Yang said, “when she wakes and sees that you haven’t even changed out of your drenched clothes, she’ll definitely feel sad”, he finally changed clothes.

My heart was a mix of emotions – embarrassed, emotional, concerned… but I felt even more apologetic.

I suddenly understand why Xia Yan was always saying “sorry” to me after being injured.

He had to face danger, but this way, I would often be worried and sad. But there was nothing else he could do…

Doctor Xu: So, Doctor Yang and I made a bet earlier – what was he going to do when you woke up?

Doctor Xu: Doctor Yang said that he’d disappoint us and would just be holding your hand at most. But I thought, well, young people…

MC: !!!

Yang Xiao finally cut in.

Yang Xiao: Little Xu, I’d like to speak to her in private for a bit.

Doctor Xu: No wonder you asked me to play along with you and recount what happened before we came in. Looks like you’ve got a lot of objectives going on.

Doctor Xu: Sure, then I’ll go check the rooms.

Doctor Xu smiled at me, then left.

Yang Xiao: Sorry for using these methods to speak to you alone.

MC: No problem. Although, Doctor Yang, what did you want to say to me?

Yang Xiao: I just want to ask you a few questions. Of course, I’m just asking out of my own curiosity – it has nothing to do with Xia Yan.

MC: Feel free.

Yang Xiao: As a doctor, I’ve long learned to not put too much weight on life and death.

Yang Xiao: But this must be the first time you’ve experienced this sort of thing, right?

Yang Xiao: Actually, professions like lawyer or… uh, police are all somewhat high risk, correct?

Yang Xiao: Have you thought about changing occupations? Otherwise, wouldn’t your other half be too pitiful, having a significant other who might be in life-threatening danger at any given moment?

MC: …

MC: Doctor Yang, thank you for asking me these questions.

MC: The fact that you took the initiative to ask these shows that you really do see Xia Yan as a good friend, which is why you’re thinking for him.

Yang Xiao: … I’m not as good as you say.

MC: But I won’t change occupations, and I won’t make my other half change occupations.

MC: I know that some occupations require one to face various dangers at any point in time, but I respect their decision.

MC: As for potentially encountering life-threatening danger anytime…

MC: Even if one is a healthy, normal person, it’s hard to guarantee what their next day will be like.

MC: Which is why the life promise oath is “for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part”.

MC: Plus, because of what happened this time, I’ve learned even more to treasure what I have right now.

Yang Xiao: Treasure?

MC: Yep! To treasure everyone around me, as well as every minute spent with them.

--

Xia Yan carried the kettle with one hand and carried several bottles of mineral water in the other, standing silently outside the door.

The conversation between the girl and Yang Xiao transmitted clearly to his ears, falling into his heart.

“For richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part”.

“Treasure everyone around me, as well as every minute spent with them.”

Xia Yan: …

Xia Yan: MC, you…

Xia Yan quietly called the girl’s name. Right then, it felt like the air around him had warmed up.

Xia Yan: You’re a lot more courageous than me…

[remedyhunger]

I redid it....lmao I am an obsessed person

[incorrect-rwbyquotes]

Yang or Ruby: *breathes*

Taiyang, tearing up: you're doing AMAZING sweetie!

[tauremornalome]

so, while it's obviously not 100% true to the mandarin original, i counted how many times the word "fuck" appears in the ExiledRebels translation of MDZS (which i think most of the anglophone fandom is familiar with, and bases their takes on characters upon) and here are the results:

1. wei wuxian: 17 fucks said aloud + 3 "thought to himself" = record 20 fucks

2. the narrator: 11 fucks (9 of them to describe sexual acts)

tied for the third place:

3. jiang cheng: 9 fucks (way less than i expected of him tbh)

3. xue yang: 9 fucks (establishing the record of fucks per chapter in the extra "villainous friends")

4. wen chao: 2 fucks (surprisingly this is shouting at wang lingjiao and his servants)

characters who said fuck once: a-qing, nie huaisang, jin ling, anxin (a prostitute from meng shi's brothel), jin guangyao, two random cultivators in a tavern, he su, yunmeng jiang shidis

which all sums up to 59 f-words in the translation of the novel

some of my favourite fucks under the cut

starting with wei wuxian in chapter 2, commenting on mo xuanyu's situation (he's right):

The words on the paper were small and compact, which hurt Wei WuXian's eyes. He thought to himself, "How fucked up is this person's life?"

11/10 this use of the f-word is very much justified, poor mo xuanyu :(

next on the list: xue yang in chapter 40, upon meeting song lan:

"For once I actually wanted to shop for food, and here you fucking are, spoiling my mood!"

understandable, 9/10 (this doesn't get full notes because i like song lan and this is not fucking ideal for him either :c)

next we have this gem, nie huaisang in chapter 49:

Nie HuaiSang roared at Nie MingJue, "Saber, saber, saber! Who the fuck wants to practice the damn thing?!"

100/10 holy shit!! nie huaisang is braver than any u.s. marine, roaring at his easily irritable jock brother the famous chifeng-zun about not giving a damn about their family legacy

this cute fragment from chapter 55, wangxian in the xuanwu cave:

"And now, we finally have it dead, and the son-of-a-bitch made the hole collapse. Fuck!"

Hearing the 'fuck', Lan WangJi's brows twitched. He wanted to say something, but held it in.

8/10, kudos for calling the xuanwu of slaughter 'son of a bitch'

shoutout to jiang cheng's first use of the word fuck, which appears in chapter 73 (burial mounds flashback):

"I'm the one who fucking wants to give you a thrashing!"

directed obviously at wei wuxian. 5/10, i'm slightly disappointed, please support your brother through his necromancy phase

next, jin ling in chapter 98, must have been picking up bad words from his jiujiu:

"Fairy! Come back! Fuck!"

6/10 you're your uncle's nephew i guess but that's not how a 13 year old should talk to his dog >:(

coming next jiang cheng with his heartbreaking rhetorical question (chapter 102 - he really is having a rough time):

"Why do I have to feel like I'm a fucking clown all these years?!"

12/10, i think this is the only place in the novel where a character acknowledges the general clownery happening around them

followed by jc in chapter 104:

[JGY talking to WWX] "Someone like you is destined to have a short life. You see? Doesn't it feel a lot better if you think about it this way?"

Jiang Cheng raged, "You're the one who's got a fucking short life!"

10/10, a great sentence to say + he's defending his shixiong!!

jin guangyao's last words, as presented in chapter 108:

"Fuck you, Nie MingJue! You think I'm really scared of you?! I..."

and then he died. 3/10

wei wuxian being mean to lan zhan about the phoenix mountain incident (or rather about the fact that lwj thought wwx had plenty of ~experience~) in 111:

"Are you an idiot, Lan Zhan?! You fucking believed all that nonsense!"

4/10 i would say he's hurting lwj's innocent ears with swearing but next chapters are full of wwx begging lan zhan to fuck him, sooo...

xue yang making an epic come back in chapter 118, starting with critique of jin guangyao's interior design:

[about Suibian] "What's the use of keeping a fucking piece of decoration?"

6/10 i know xiao xingchen is blind but i'm sure he would appreciate some decorations in your cosy little house in yi city, not everything has to serve a purpose my dude

aaand in the same chapter dragging jin guangyao,

"You should've gotten a mirror and looked at your face. That smile was nasty. It was so fucking fake I could throw up."

15/10 accurate assesment

aaaaaand we're finishing with this slice of everyday life at lotus pier, yunmeng jiang shidis in chapter 125 reacting to wwx and jc arguing:

The shidi all complained, "Fight outside if you have to!" Please fuck off together, won't you? We're begging you!"

13/10 this is why i love the jiang sect. show me ONE lan disciple who would tell their sect heir and first disciple to fuck off. su she doesn't count

Thank you for your attention, I love science, while writing fic remember to have wwx swear like a sailor, also remember nie huaisang shouting "fuck sabres!" to nmj's face

[lady-of-the-lotus]

Drink, No Drink

xuexiao - M for violence - 4.9k - AO3!

In which Xiao Xingchen drunkely flirts with an oblivious Xue Yang ____________________________

They come by once a month on average, sometimes twice. Once, about eleven months after Xue Yang came to Yi City, three come at once, but that's a group and Xue Yang, always fair, counts them as one.

Still three times the fun to kill, of course.

The men step into the Coffin House courtyard at noon, just ten minutes after Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing had left to buy groceries.

Xue Yang is busy dumping fresh dirt into a raised bed. He and Xiao Xingchen have built raised beds throughout the courtyard to plant vegetables in. Xiao Xingchen had wanted flowers, but Xue Yang had vetoed the idea, flowers being useless, and the daozhang isn’t one to argue.

He looks up as the men step into the courtyard. “Who are you?”

The leader of the group, a tall, brutish-looking man with a cauliflower ear and broken nose, seems almost angry at the question. “Where is he?”

Xue Yang dusts his hands off. And here he thought he’d be bored until the daozhang returned. “Who is this ‘he’?”

“The blind cultivator in white! Xiao Xingchen! We know he lives here!”

Xue Yang taps his chin. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

The musclebound man on the right steps forward, seconds away from grabbing Xue Yang by the collar and losing a hand. “We were told there’s a blind cultivator living here!”

“Ohhh, I thought you meant the other blind cultivator in white. I lose track. What do you want from him?”

“To take a strip out of his hide!”

Xue Yang rolls his eyes. “Let me guess, you committed some crime once upon a time, and he got you in trouble for it, and now that he’s blind you want your revenge.”

“How did—”

“It’s all very original.” Xue Yang’s knife is in his hand. He tosses in the air, catching it deftly. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

The skinny little man on the left shrugs. “Not reall—”

He never finishes his sentence. A flash of silver blade, and Xue Yang’s knife is sprouting from his eye. Shrieking, he falls backwards into a vegetable bed, yanking the knife out of his face.

Xue Yang shakes his head. “Don’t you know not to pull a knife out of a wound? Trust me on that one, I should know. Look, now you’re bleeding all over the place.” He produces a second knife and turns to face the other two men, who stand gaping at him in slack-jawed shock. “How about you two? Up for some first aid practice?”

“You—you—”

“Got any weapons? Get them out. It’s more fun that way.”

Still looking confused, the leader draws his own knife out and stands there, blinking, while the other man drops to his knees beside his companion, who’s writhing in the dirt and shrieking like a wounded fox.

Xue Yang makes a face. “Can you shut him up? He’s going to give me a headache at this rate.”

“He—he—”

Xue Yang floats over and slices the man’s tongue out with a practiced twist of his blade, but the man continues to emit bone-chilling scream from deep inside his throat.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake—” Another twist of the blade, and the man falls silent. Permanently. “You’d think he’d never been stabbed in the eyeball before.”

“You killed him—”

“Like you were going to do to the daozhang?” Xue Yang flies back over near the leader. “And for what, arresting you? You clearly escaped whatever the charges are. Grow up and let it go.”

The leader’s hand tightens on his knife. “The magistrate beat me so badly I couldn’t get honest work again as a porter—”

“Your back, your arms, your legs, what was the problem?”

“My left leg was broken so badly it—”

Xue Yang jams his heel into the man’s left kneecap, shattering it. Howling, the man collapses, knife falling from his spasming fingers. “Like I want your life’s story?” He hauls the man up by his collar and flies him over to one of the raised beds, dumping him in the dirt. Dislocates the man’s shoulder, just to be safe, and nicks the side of the man’s throat so that he bleed out into the soil.

Best kind of fertilizer, or so he’d been given to believe.

Then he turns to the third man, who’s cowering on his knees, forehead pressed to the dirt. “How about you? Going to put up more of a fight, I hope? I mean, what were you three arrested for, anyway? Couldn’t have been anything requiring actual fighting skills. Tax fraud?”

“Forgive me—forgive me—I won’t harm Xiao Xingchen! I swear I’ll leave here, I’ll never speak of this—”

“A bit late for that, I’d think.” Xue Yang tilts his head down at him. He likes seeing the man grovel. Kowtow, really. A trembling heap of peasant clothes and greasy hair, not half as good as if it had been the daozhang or one of the self-righteous cultivators who’d dogged him half his life, but it still fills him with heady tingling pleasure. “You should never have come here.”

“It wasn’t my idea—I swear it wasn’t!”

“Great, a spineless lackey. Even better. Now, the question is how to kill you.” He crouches before the man, patting his trembling cheek with his knife while he thinks. “I usually go for something more creative, but we need to wrap this up before the daozhang gets home, and more than two beds needs fertilizing, so here we go.”

The man makes a feeble effort to resist, taking an easily-dodged swing at Xue Yang's jaw. A flick of his hand, and Xue Yang’s knife is suddenly plunged deep into the man’s throat. Grabbing him by the hair, he hauls the man into the neighboring vegetable bed and gives the knife an experimental jiggle, then wiggles it a bit farther up his throat. A delicate balance, this—he needs the man alive to pump out as much blood as possible, but can't resist playing with him a bit. Of course Xue Yang could always rip out his intestines and bury them in the dirt, but that would be messy, and Xue Yang hasn't time to clean up.

A sigh, and the man bleeding out from his eye socket expires.

Xue Yang hesitates, then removes his outer robes and flies the man over the back wall of the courtyard, dumping him in the forest outside the city.

The second man has died by the time he returns. Xue Yang flies him out, then the third man when he too dies.

He stands beneath the trees, eying his handiwork.

Not a bad day’s work.

If only the daozhang knew that Xue Yang, his worst enemy, had been saving his life for the past eleven months. Knew how deeply indebted he is to the delinquent from Kuizhou.

But the daozhang can’t know.

Not just yet.

He’d probably make me stop, Xue Yang thinks, no matter what the personal risk. He’d insist on arresting all these opportunistic degenerates and bringing them to justice, as if such a thing exists.

The idiot. Xue Yang finds himself smiling at the thought. The sanctimonious idiot, blind in more ways than one. For all Xue Yang knows, he might even hear the men out—“Oh, your leg was broken? The scoundrels!” and embark on a journey to track down the magistrate who’d wronged the criminal degenerates—

A vulture approaches, drawn by the scent of blood, startling Xue Yang out of his thoughts.

“Wait your turn,” he tells the bird. “It’s first come, first serve around here.” Chuckles to himself—too bad the daozhang is completely unsuited for the day’s activities. He knows Xiao Xingchen would have appreciated the afternoon’s humor—maybe even relished the irony of watching Xue Yang, the man who was going to one day kill the daozhang, protect him—

Well, perhaps not that. But he could have gotten a few laughs, at least.

Xue Yang cuts a lock of hair from each of the men, just as he has for the last thirteen criminals who’d come after Xiao Xingchen, removes their tongues, and flies back over the wall.

He can take care of the bodies later, if the vultures don’t handle them for him.

He places the tongues in jars he sets inside a coffin painted with preservation sigils. Then, grabbing a rake, he begins mixing the blood-soaked earth, evenly dividing it among the dozen raised beds that take up half the courtyard and patting the soil down in preparation for tomorrow’s sowing. He’s just finishing up when Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing return.

The first thing out of the daozhang’s mouth is, “What’s that smell?”

“What smell?”

“Smells like blood,” says A-Qing, who can always be counted on to say the wrong thing.

Xue Yang fights the urge to tell the daozhang the truth, see the look on his face. “I got bored without you, and went for a walk in the woods, and found a fierce corpse.”

Xiao Xingchen’s face softens at the words without you. Xue Yang is still at a loss to explain how readily Xiao Xingchen displays his feelings. Surely letting another person know that you value their companionship is a dangerous show of weakness?

Xue Yang has learned to reveal nothing that can be used against him in the future.

What Chengmei says to the daozhang is different. His esteem for the blind white fool is all an act, and there is no way a lie might harm him.

“I have the beds all ready for planting,” he tells Xiao Xingchen.

Xiao Xingchen moves towards him as A-Qing runs inside with the groceries. “Were you wounded?”

“By what, tripping and falling on the rake?”

“The blood smells fresh. Did the fierce corpse manage to hurt you? That’s unlike you, Chengmei.” He lays a hand on Xue Yang’s chest, eyebrows rising slightly at the feel of Xue Yang’s thin, silky inner robe beneath his hand instead of his textured outer robes. “I know you, Chengmei. You wouldn’t tell me you were hurt, even if you were.” Slowly, he runs his hands over Xue Yang’s chest, pats his arms, feels his waist.

Xue Yang swallows hard, freezing.

From the touching, he tells himself. Not from the display of concern. It’s hard not to tense up when touched, given how often past touch has been something bad.

Truly it means nothing, the daozhang’s concern. Xue Yang knows this. Has always known it.

What good is the compassion of a man who only cares because he doesn’t know the truth?

Xiao Xingchen rests his hand briefly on his hip, but seems unwilling to go any lower and check Xue Yang’s legs. “You’d tell me if you were hurt, right?”

Xue Yang’s heart is pounding. “….I wouldn’t lie to you…”

“I know you wouldn’t.” Seeming to realize how close they're standing, Xiao Xingchen moves away. “I’ll go help A-Qing make dinner. We'll keep the seeds from tonight’s vegetables, we can plant tomorrow…”

Xue Yang slips his outer robes back on but doesn’t head back into the house. He’s cursing himself for having lost his composure for even a second, especially in front of Xiao Xingchen, of all people.

It’s not like he noticed. You sounded normal, and he’s blind, for fuck’s sake.

The reddish gold sun has sunk beneath the courtyard walls when Xiao Xingchen comes out onto the porch. He looks blue in the twilight, slender and beautiful and somehow soft despite the boniness of his long slim body.

“Chengmei? Dinner’s ready.”

Hesitating, though he’s not sure why, Xue Yang heads inside. Xiao Xingchen hands out the bowls and chopsticks while A-Qing serves.

Xue Yang is silent during dinner, mechanically shoveling rice into his mouth.

Xiao Xingchen does most of the talking, as if sensing Xue Yang is in a strange mood. He talks about the past, places he’s seen, people he’s met. He’s a poor storyteller, with a laughable memory of details, but his tendency to ramble from one story to the next without finishing any of them is amusing in its own way, and A-Qing's interjections of her own more colorful experiences keep any heavy silence at bay.

After the meal, Xue Yang removes Xiao Xingchen’s horsetail whisk from where he keeps it on a shelf in the corner.

“Just combing it,” he says when A-Qing, who has even better hearing than the daozhang and an uncanny knack for getting in his way, asks him what the hell he thinks he’s doing. “It’s getting tangled.”

“Tangled. Right.”

Normally Xue Yang would bicker back, but he doesn’t have the energy tonight. He sits on the steps, the horsetail whisk in his lap, while A-Qing lies on a blanket, staring up at the dazzling carpet of stars as if she can see, and Xiao Xingchen polishes his sword beside him.

Xue Yang knots the locks of hair he’d taken from the three convicts into the flowing mane of the whisk, streaks of black staining the pure white.

A little ritual he’d developed after the first would-be murderer had come to Yi City. Watching the daozhang parade around with a murder trophy tucked under thin white arm was endlessly entertaining.

Now…

It’s still a good joke, Xue Yang tells himself. Still good fun to see the streaks of black against the white. But it’s become a symbol of something else, now, too.

Of what, Xue Yang isn’t entirely sure.

But of something.

The eggplant is starting to sprout when, five weeks later, another convict comes to the Coffin House searching for Xiao Xingchen.

Xiao Xingchen is inside the house making dinner with A-Qing. Xue Yang had just stepped outside to fetch more water when he sees a shadow detach itself from behind a coffin and slither across the courtyard, a flash of silver in its hand.

Jiangzai is out before Xue Yang can even think.

Footsteps.

Xue Yang flies across the courtyard and grabs the shadow by the throat. “Who are you and what do you want?”

“Xiao Xing—”

Xue Yang cuts his throat before the man can finish, flying him over the wall before so much as a drop of blood can splash onto the stones of the courtyard.

A shame to waste the fertilizer on the trees of the forest, but Xiao Xingchen is expecting him back any second now.

He’ll fetch the tongue later.

“Thank you, Chengmei,” Xiao Xingchen says when he returns, accepting the bucket of water. “Do you mind chopping the potatoes? The oil should be hot enough any minute now.”

“Fried potato? Not boiled? Do my ears deceive me?” His pulse is reverberating through his skull, so that’s very possible. The quickness of the kill had done nothing to diminish the euphoria that always accompanies it. If anything, it had heightened it, a half-hour’s torture compressed into an intense dose of power and pleasure and blood.

“I figured I would fry it, as a treat. It’s been a year since…well, it’s been a year since we all came to the Coffin House.” Xiao Xingchen turns to the stove, blushing slightly, as if almost ashamed to have kept track of the anniversary, as if he doesn’t think it's as important to Xue Yang as it is to him.

Xue Yang doesn’t speak. A-Qing is glancing at the floor, looking uncharacteristically solemn.

“I know it’s foolish—” Xiao Xingchen begins again, but Xue Yang shakes his head, forgetting for a moment that he can’t see him.

“It’s never foolish to fry potatoes,” he says emphatically. “That boiled stuff is for the dogs. Anything else?”

Xiao Xingchen smiles. “I bought nian gao at the market today.”

“Now you have my attention.” He slices the potatoes swiftly, hand shaking slightly. Lingering euphoria from his recent kill, most likely. “The sweet cake kind, right? Not that vegetable stuff.”

Xiao Xingchen affects chagrin. “Do you take me for an amateur?”

Xue Yang discovers that he’s grinning.

Still from the murder, no doubt. It’s been a while since he’d killed anything larger than the rats that sneak into the Coffin House.

It’s not that he needs to kill. Enjoys it, yes. Who wouldn’t enjoy holding complete and utter power over another human being? Being the most important thing in their world, if only for those final moments? The pleasant exercise of the fight, the witty banter, the desperation in the victim’s eyes as they bleed out?

But, if he’s being entirely honest, he hasn’t thought about it much these past few weeks.

A-Qing turns in early that night, having eaten too much fried food and nian gao, leaving Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang alone on the porch. Xue Yang plays with the dead man’s hair in the horsetail whisk while Xiao Xingchen sits beside him, just a little too close, knee almost touching his, having misjudged the distance. It’s odd, how the daozhang can spin through the forest to sever a fierce corpse’s throat without disturbing a single leaf or blade of grass, but he’s rather clumsy around Xue Yang, stumbling into him at times, brushing his hand with his while handing him something, mistakenly letting his shoulder touch his as he passes.

“I have a surprise,” says Xiao Xingchen.

“We’re getting a puppy.”

“We can, if you want."

“Just joking.” Briefly, Xue Yang wonders what a dog would make of the corpses popping up around the Coffin House.

Well, it would be one way to dispose of the bodies, and save on buying dog food.

He grins to himself at the idea. It's a real shame he can’t share some of his best thoughts with Xiao Xingchen.

Who’s tilting his head at him expectantly. “Chengmei?”

“You’re buying us a new house. A-Qing found a husband. We have an invitation to Jinlintai.”

Xiao Xingchen smiles. “I feel quite inadequate, now. I bought some of this.” He draws two wine jars from his sleeve. “Or rather, traded some protection talismans for it with the local weaver.”

“Is the daozhang a secret wino?” Xue Yang accepts the small white jar. He’s not one for drinking, but he can’t turn Xiao Xingchen down. “Is that what you’re really doing during your private meditation sessions?”

Instead of being offended, Xiao Xingchen smiles. “Given how many great poets were drunks—going by their poetry—I could do well to follow their example.

‘Life in the world is but a big dream;

I will not spoil it by any labor or care.

So saying, I was drunk all the day,

Lying helpless at the porch in front of my door—’ ”

“A tripping hazard for A-Qing.”

“ ‘When I awoke, I blinked at the garden-lawn;

A lonely bird was singing amid the flowers.

I asked myself,

Had the day been wet or fine? ’ ”

Xue Yang struggles to keep a straight face despite the fact that Xaio Xingcheng can’t see him. “Baoshan Sanren teaches cultivating by way of winemaking? No wonder she has to hide on her mountain. Every cultivator for miles around would be trying to sign on with her.”

Xiao Xingchen laughs. “Given how many classic poems are about drinking wine, I wouldn’t be surprised if such a thing existed...at least the poems in Shifu’s collection. She didn’t focus much on classical poetry.” He pulls the stopper from his jar, sniffing it. “So…I just…drink it? Is there some kind of…I don’t know…”

“A wine-drinking ritual? Like you walk in a circle three times, flapping your arms—”

“…do you think we can forgo it, just this once?”

Xue Yang is the one to laugh this time, though he’s not sure if Xiao Xingchen is joking. “You just drink, from what I’ve seen.”

“From what you’ve seen?”

“I don’t drink.” He instantly regrets his words at the look on Xiao Xingchen’s face. “I mean…”

“It’s fine. I wouldn’t want to make—”

“I mean—” And suddenly he hears himself saying, “I could never afford to be…impaired in any way. For…my own safety, I mean. I was just never…look, it’s…” And then, just as suddenly, he’s uncorking his jar and taking a deep draft.

It burns unpleasantly in his throat, but it’s worth it for the smile on Xiao Xingchen’s face at the silent admission that he feels safe here.

That Chengemi does, at any rate.

“How does it taste?”

“Good, I think,”Xue Yang lies.

Xiao Xingchen sips delicately at his jar, then wrinkles his nose. “The poems made me think it would be a lot more like drinking moonbeams and lotus blossoms.”

“More poems about passing out on the lawn?” Xue Yang asks. Poetry is just as useless as he’s always imagined it to be, but it sounds nice coming from Xiao Xingchen. Melodic. Kind of like singing...

...Must be the wine, that idiotic thought.

" 'A cup of wine, under the flowering trees;

I drink alone, for no friend is near.

Raising my cup I beckon the bright moon,

For he, with my shadow, will make three men.’ ”

Xue Yang frowns slightly. “I’m sitting right here, daozhang.”

Xiao Xingchen smiles. “So you are.”

Xue Yang shakes his momentary pique away. “Four men, then. Five, counting my shadow. You know, I don’t think those poets knew what the hell they were talking about, like with anything.”

“That’s not true…well, not entirely…there are some very pretty poems about nature…”

“How about a drinking game: I say something untrue, and if you correctly guess that it’s a lie, then I have to drink.”

“Alright.” By Xiao Xingchen’s amused smile, it’s clear he doesn’t think Xue Yang can successfully lie to him.

“I’m ugly. Hideous. Ladies pull their skirts away from me in the street and I frighten children and old people.”

Xiao Xingchen laughs, misjudging the distance between them again and touching his arm by mistake. “Not going by what I’ve heard.”

Smirking, Xue Yang takes a drink. “Your turn.”

“I…I have two heads.”

Xue Yang rolls his eyes. “That the best you can do?”

“I’m not accustomed to falsehoods!”

The pretentious way he put that should have made Xue Yang roll his eyes again, but the strong wine has mellowed him. “Drink. I hate candy.”

“Drink!”

“See, it’s not fun if it’s something too obvious.”

“Fine. I want that puppy you mentioned.”

“…drink?”

Xiao Xingchen raises his jar. “No drink! I wouldn't mind a puppy."

“You seem more like a cat person.”

“I like all animals. Would you rather a cat? You seem like a cat person. Like…” Xiao Xingchen hesitates. “Takes a while to warm up, independent, but loyal once you know you can tru…” He trails off, as if sensing he’s gone too far.

Biting his lip, Xue Yang looks out over the beds of budding vegetables, silver in the starlight. He’s never imagined anyone examining him in any way other than to evaluate him as a threat. Certainly not to comment on any traits in a tone Xue Yang tells himself is definitely not one of fondness, no matter how much it sounds that way. “Well, I have always liked cats better.”

“My favorite food is congee.”

“No drink, for reasons I’ll never understand.”

“You can add anything to it, and you have a nice warm meal!”

Xue Yang shakes his head. “I killed a man today for trespassing.”

“Oh, that’s terrible, Chengmei! Drink….”

It’s late when Xiao Xingchen's wine jars are empty. He'd had another two tucked away in his long white sleeve, and grown melancholy as the night wore on.

“I did everything I could to ruin my friend’s life,” he says, raising the last of his wine to the moon.

Xue Yang glances at him sharply. He’s kept his head better than Xiao Xingchen, only pretending to drink most of the time. “You what?”

“Song Lan. Zichen. The destruction of his temple was all my fault…” Head drooping, he slides sideways, cheek resting on Xue Yang’s shoulder. “All my fault, his eyes, all me…”

Xue Yang sits very still. Xiao Xingchen is warm against him, his breath soft on his neck. Then, very delicately, he pries Xiao Xingchen’s fingers from the wine jar and sets it beside them on the step.

“That was not your fault,” he says, and feels a thrill at his own words, because of course it was Xiao Xingchen’s fault, it was all his fault, and one day Xue Yang will get to throw it all in his face—

But not tonight.

“You did more than most would,” he says instead. “You gave him your eyes.” And he took them, the fucker! he wants to add. You do-gooding moron, mutilating yourself in service of that plodding lump of self-righteousness—

“My fault, my fault…”

“For what, doing your duty?” Xue Yang’s throat is beginning to tighten. He’s not sure why Xiao Xingchen would be telling him something so personal. For all his friendly, open nature, Xiao Xingchen is guarded when it comes to anything too revealing, to the point that Xue Yang sometimes feels as if he only half knows him. “You’re not responsible for that madman’s actions.”

Xiao Xingchen moves slightly, eyelashes brushing Xue Yang’s throat. “You really think so?”

“I know so,” says Xue Yang, and then, mentally, Drink!

And suddenly Xiao Xingchen is all smiles again, straightening up. “You always know just what to say to cheer me up. You—you wouldn’t leave me like Zichen did, would you? Not even if…I…” He hiccups. “I’d…I’d miss you too much…”

“Drink,” Xue Yang says automatically.

“No drink.”

Xue Yang glances away. Xiao Xingchen chooses this moment to pitch forward, to be caught by Xue Yang moments before he sprawls forward onto the stairs.

“I might be a little tipsy,” he mumbles into the hollow of Xue Yang’s throat.

Xue Yang tightens his grip. It feels…it feels wrong to be holding a person that isn’t a corpse.

A warm, living person, who seems to want to be in his arms.

Not hate being there, at least.

Or so he thinks. Xue Yang has never embraced another person before and isn’t quite sure how people are supposed to behave. Surely Xiao Xingchen would have pushed him away if he found his touch detestable—?

“You really can’t hold your liquor, can you,” he says before he can think into it too much. Gently, he scoops up Xiao Xingchen and half-carries him into the house. He weighs almost nothing, and Xue Yang thinks, I should get him to eat more, then chases the ridiculous thought away and bleaches the spot it had rested.

Xiao Xingchen grips the front of his robe as Xue Yang lays him down on the Coffin House's single bed. “Stay with me. Talk to me.”

Xue Yang hesitates, glancing over at his coffin in the corner of the room. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Xiao Xingchen almost pouts. Drunk daozhang is a petulant daozhang, it seems. “Just for a little while.”

The feeling of wrongness increases as Xue Yang crawls into bed beside Xiao Xingchen, keeping on top of the covers.

It shouldn’t be like this.

It’s not as if he hasn’t pictured sharing a bed with the daozhang. Who wouldn’t, if they had only a claustrophobic coffin to sleep in? But he’s never imagined an inebriated Xiao Xingchen curling into him, picking up his good hand, playing with it. Tracing the scars, running his fingertip between his fingers, brushing the palm with his thumb.

Soft, harmless touch that makes Xue Yang freeze, every nerve in his body screaming at him to snatch up Jiangzai.

“You have nice hands,” says Xiao Xingchen, voice thick with alcohol, almost giddy, and Xue Yang, focusing on the familiar voice, feels himself relaxing.

He’s safe, here. Safe with the daozhang.

The daozhang would never hurt Chengmei. And Xue Yang is Chengmei, for now.

The daozhang cares about Chengmei.

And in turn—

And in turn, the daozhang belongs to him.

Xiao Xingchen, the man who despises Xue Yang more than anyone else, now owes him more than he can ever repay in a single lifetime. He has saved Xiao Xingchen’s life a dozen times over without him having so much as suspected his life was ever in danger.

True, Chengmei could have killed the unsuspecting daozhang hundreds of times over the past year.

But this is different somehow.

Better.

Xue Yang is the guardian of the man he hates most in this world. Has held his life in the palm of his hand and chosen not only to let him live, but to actively destroy his enemies.

A delicious perversion of what he knows will come on the day he tears off his mask and reveals everything to Xiao Xingchen.

Finally takes his life, after preserving it for so long.

Xiao Xingchen rolls over, soft black hair in Xue Yang’s face, still holding Xue Yang’s hand in his.

Xue Yang wonders what Xiao Xingchen will say in the morning. If he’ll be embarrassed or realize that this was all simply the wine. If Xue Yang should pretend to have been too drunk to remember, or if he should say something, maybe crawl under the covers tomorrow night before Xiao Xingchen gets into bed, see what happens…

The bed is far more comfortable than the coffin, after all.

Will be warmer in winter, too…

He winces at the thought. He should go back to his coffin, stop whatever this is.

"You don't really want me here," he says.

“Drink,” Xiao Xingchen mumbles, and drops off into slumber.

Xue Yang takes a deep breath. He wants to free his hand but is afraid of waking the daozhang. As if sensing this even in sleep, Xiao Xingchen tightens his grip on his hand.

Xue Yang stares up at the ceiling, mind settling, the last of his tension fading.

He thinks he’ll go into town tomorrow and buy some flower seeds.

_______________________

thanks for reading! Spare a reblog? AO3

[blackteaaddict]

I forgot how condensed the yi city arc is in the novel, everything happens so fast compared to cql, xue yang slaughters chang clan then baixue temple and then not so long after xiao xingchen finds him in a ditch by the road and they start living together in yi city and they’re so fucking young, like what? 18? 19?

but I honestly somehow like cql version better, when everything is more stretched in time. they meet for the first time when they are ??? around 17-18-19 and then there’s this 6 year gap... actually 6+ year gap??? 6 years after wwx death is the yi city arc right? and then we have these unspecified amount of years between the start of flashback 16 years ago and wwx’s death also 16 years ago? oh my goddddd.......

anyway what I wanted to say is that I appreciate that xue yang got himself these 6+ more years spent on happily murdering ppl and fucking around in jinlintai, he deserved this, my good murder boy. and then when xiao xingchen and xue yang meet again they are like in their mid-20s and in completely different points in their lives and they still remember their fist meeting but so much time has passed that the emotions are not that fresh and I guess it’s a better foundation for their new beginning? also the fact that xue yang is older now, not a teenage shithead anymore and had some time to have a lot of murdery fun, makes him more ready to settle down as a good house husband?

idk... it just feels better for me personally?

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain: Chapter 806: Clear the Air:  Part I / III

Ciel Soleil stood in front of General Ironwood's desk and saluted. Ironwood returned her salute. "At ease." he stated, and she stood at the parade position At-Ease. "First off all, this meeting is classified as Top Secret. You are not to share anything covered in this meeting with anyone other than myself, Specialist Winter Schnee, Doctor Pietro Polendina, Team RWBY, the remnants of Team JNPR, Professors Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long. Is that understood?"

"Understood!" Ciel loudly affirmed.

"Second," General said, softer this time, "while I appreciate you are on track to become an Atlas Special Operations Command Operative, you are not yet part of the military. This is not a comment on your abilities, as you have proven quite loyal and exceptional."

"Yes, Sir!" Ciel loudly affirmed.

"My point being that any requests I make of you here are not orders, but requests, and you will have the full right to refuse without penalty. If you refuse, you will head right back to the track you were on."

"Understood, Sir." Ciel stated, "I do not see why I would refuse your request, Sir."

Ironwood breathed in deep before continuing. "Penny Polendina was the first robots capable of using Aura." He paused, and while Ciel seemed shocked, she was doing her best to hide it. "This is why you were selected to aid her, as we were not sure how well she could socialize. But, it turns out it was surprisingly well. At least if she met the right people. Now, PENNY's frame has been rebuilt, and the new unit refers to herself as Penthesilea. Her first act was to return to her friends, in a classified location. All communication with this location, and movement to and from are classified on the same lines as this meeting, understood?"

"Understood, Sir." Ciel.

"My request, and remember it is a request, not an order or a demand, is to proceed to this location and aid Penthesilea as much as you can. Reminder that is a request, and that refusal will in no way affect your path to becoming an Atlas Specialist."

"I am honoured, Sir." Ciel replied. "If I follow this request, how will my studies be affected?"

"You are already near graduation." Ironwood stated, "Professor Xiao Long is at the location, and Team RWBY and Team JNR are certified huntsmen. If you fulfill my request, I will take this as fulfilling all remaining graduation requirements. You will graduate with your current grade, which, I must say, is one of the best in the academy. You will, however, not receive any additional public honours for fulfilling this request, as it is secret."

"I would have your respect, Sir." Ciel stated, and Ironwood developed a weak smile, leaning forward.

"You would."

Ciel then stood to attention and saluted, "Then I accept, Sir."

"Thank you." Ironwood stated, "Prepare your things to depart for an unknown duration."

"Yes, Sir." Ciel stated, and saluted, and Ironwood returned her salute.

* * *

Winter Schnee walked into General Ironwood's office. She saluted and he returned the salute. "At-ease." he stated, and she stood At-Ease. "I would like to thank you for your prompt report."

"Of course, Sir."

"From now on, all communication, or reference to that location will remain classified at the highest level."

"Of course, Sir."

Ironwood then let out a smile, "And you still have leave to finish."

"But, Sir?" she asked.

"The investigation is still undergoing for your previous assignment. Once it's complete, I will need you to lead the assault. Until then, you are still on leave, and I recommend you spend time with your sister. At the very least, you can be there if something else happens."

"Yes... sir." she said.

"If you are returning there, I would ask you to take Ciel Soleil along with you."

"Yes, Sir." she eagerly replied.

* * *

Winter sat in the pilot seat with Ciel beside her. "So?" Winter asked her, "You are on tract to becoming a Specialist?"

"Yes." Ciel succinctly but eagerly replied.

"From what I understand?" Winter asked, "Your grades have been exemplary, and have been approached by General Ironwood before for assignments."

"Indeed." Ciel stated. "Though at the time I did not understand the full scope of what was being expected of me. I do hope I had not disappointed the general."

Winter let out a momentary smile followed by a quick, light blue flush that she was quickly able to quash. "General Ironwood is incredibly rational." Winter stated, "He will take everything into account, and the simple fact is that if he was disappointed, he would not have given you your assignment."

"Request." Ciel simply stated.

"Pardon?" Winter asked.

"General Ironwood repeatedly referred to it as a request, and explicitly stated my entry into the Atlas Special Operations Command Unit would not be affected. Ciel looked over to find Winter in the middle of a light blue flush that she once again quickly quashed. "Specialist?" Ciel asked.

"Sorry, just impressed by the General's acumen."

"Of course." Ciel stated.

* * *

Aurora walked up to the bed that Jaune was laying with, with Ruby and Blake by his sides. "Sir?" she asked.

"And I'm still a Sir." Jaune grumbled, "Yes, Aurora?"

"I have family news." she stated.

"Then?" Jaune asked, "If our in-laws don't mind watching the prisoner, let's get everyone together."

"Are you sure you're up for it? Blake asked.

"It's not like I have anywhere else to be." Jaune grumbled.

* * *

"Friend-Jaune?" Penthesilea asked, "Oh, Friend-Ruby, is it your turn to cuddle Friend-Jaune?"

"Yep." Ruby stated, "And if Jaune's staying in bed for the meeting, so am I."

"Will Friend-Jaune be?.." Penthesilea asked.

"He's staying." Blake stated, "I'm not giving up my bed warmer."

"Plus," Ruby added, "I'm pretty sure he still should stay in bed."

"There is that." Blake said with playfulness.

"Pen?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, yes, Friend-Jaune, we have all collected."

Jaune grumbled as he pulled himself up to the sitting, and the and sheet slid off of them. He pulled it up as Ruby and Blake sat up and snuggled into him. "So, what's up? I mean, report? Report."

"Yes, Sir." Aurora said with a bright smile. "For first item, radar can reasonably purchased for around $2,000 Lien. I have a shortlist of reputable suppliers and models."

"Uh-huh?" Jaune asked, "You pick." Aurora just stared at him with a blank expression of her tree-frog coloured face. Jaune looked between the others, with everyone deferring to him. He then looked back to Aurora, "I would trust you choice a lot more than mine."

"Oh, yeah, definitely." Ruby stated.

"Your acumen is excellent." Weiss stated.

"Unless Pen knows anything about it." Ruby stated.

"I am afraid that my and PENNY's collective runtime is currently under two years."

"Wait, what?" Yang asked.

"I was created to be Father's daughter." Penthesilea stated.

"But?" Ruby asked, and pushed the blanket away to make robotic movements, "Beep-bop-boop."

"I am not the one who designed my hardware." Penthesilea stated, "Nor did PENNY fully understand the full operation of her hardware."

"They're different?" Nora asked. "I mean, Penthesilea LOOKS different from Penny, but?.."

"My current frame was designed to reconfigure as the demands of combat change." Penthesilea stated.

"And, perchance, what exactly does that mean?" Weiss asked.

Well, for one." Penthesilea stated, and the wings reappeared, "I can have wings, gravitic and reaction-thrusters in my feet." she said, as the jets in her feet lit up, pushing her in to the air, "and I can summon weapons as I please." she stated, and he spear and shield appeared. They all disapperaed and she quickly dropped to the ground, not seeming to react to he impact.

"Please don't break our house?" Blake asked, causing Yang to snicker.

"Anyways?" Jaune asked.

"For the second, unfortunately it seems you can only have one llama with a herd, and they do not cooperate with guard dogs."

"WHAT?!" Nora asked.

"I did say unfortunately." Aurora replied.

"So?" Weiss asked, "We have to pick between guard dogs and a guard llama."

"It seems," Aurora continued, and everyone turned to her, "that if llamas lack a herd of their own, they will form one with whatever is white and fluffy around them."

"Sheep!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Indeed, Ms. Rose." Aurora stated.

"Wait?" Ruby asked, "Jaune gets Sir, but I get Ms.?"

"My mistress is also my mistress." Aurora simply stated.

"And wouldn't it be Misses Rose?" Yang asked, "I kind of want to be a Misses."

"If she was a Misses," Aurora replied, "It would be Misses Arc, and that would lead to extensive confusion."

"You could just call us by our names." Jaune stated.

"The effrontery?" Aurora asked.

"I think she likes being beneath us." Blake stated, and Yang started to snicker, but when she looked at Blake, Blake was giving her a more serious look.

"Wait, you're serious?" Yang asked.

"She did kind of tell us the thing." Ruby stated.

"For the record?" Aurora asked, and everyone looked at her, "I did."

"Isn't the equivalent?" Ren asked, "Madame?"

"It is." Weiss stated. "Following everyone's concerns, Aurora can refer to as Madame and then our given names."

"I guess that kind of puts a peg in it." Yang stated, "I kind of forgot what we were talking about. Wasn't it llamas, or something?"

"Super guard llamas!" Ruby exclaimed.

"We can't guarantee we'll get one with Aura, Darling." Weiss said to her.

"Llamas are surprsingly intelligent." Aurora stated, "If they trained with Aura users, they have been known to pick up Aura."

"Like Zwei, that adorable thing?" Weiss asked.

"SWEET!" Nora exclaimed.

"They do live for up to 30 years in captivity, giving individual guard llamas a a productive life of over 20 years, dramatically increasing the chances of it learning to use Aura."

"I think that settles it." Blake stated, and everyone looked at her, "It seems we would all like to see a guard llama."

"SSWWEEEETT!" Nora exclaimed. "Can I wrestle with it?"

"Yeah?" Jaune asked, "Just make sure you don't go overboard." He then turned to Ren.

"Of course." he said in reply.

[rwbyremnants]

WARNING: This chapter contains use of a couple of racist terms for Italian-Americans and Chinese-Americans by a particularly bigoted character; no offense is intended toward the readers and the words used do not reflect the views of the author, but rather the historically accurate attitudes of the 1950s era in the USA. Please be advised that you may wish to skip this chapter if you prefer to avoid terms like those.

Well I knew writing would take up most of last month... sorry about that. I'm gonna try to do better about posting from now on. Hope you guys are having a fun hot girl summer~

=Chapter 38

Before long, Kali did come by to wake them up, and was almost alarmed that the girls were already up and chattering with each other. Though they quieted quickly at being commanded to get ready for school, knowing doing anything else would probably get them in even hotter water than before.

But Kali's eyes remained shrewd on Blake the entire morning, and seemed to be reading Weiss like a book. She knew. That would have surprised her before the past month of insanity, but by now she fully appreciated that Kali Belladonna was nobody's fool. She just had to hope the woman would leave the situation up to them instead of butting in.

And she did… sort of.

“Weiss,” she said as they moved toward Blake's motorcycle to head to class. She stayed back.

“Yes, Kali?”

“I trust you… slept well.” Her eyes were still discerning, stabbing into her as if she had x-ray vision.

“I did. Thank you for asking.” When the silence was growing stale, Weiss prayed that her cheeks weren’t pinkening as she asked, “Was there something else?

Kali shook her head, a half-smile hitched into place. “No. Just be careful. As you've been learning, this world of ours… has a lot of hidden pitfalls. Don't make a mistake that you'll wind up regretting. But I'm probably worried about nothing, right? You're a smart girl. Just don't forget to be smart.”

With those ominous parting words, Blake's mother went back inside and Weiss went back to Blake herself.

“What was that about?” she asked while handing over her spare helmet.

“Oh, nothing, I suppose. But I think your mother was trying to warn me not to make out with you.”

“Mm.” Only after their helmets were on and they were both seated on the bike did she burst out, “WHAT?!”

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

That day at school was very strange for Weiss. As if she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed - which, in a manner of speaking, she did.

As had become usual, Yang spent a lot of time making eyes at her in the hallway, finding excuses to touch her. They didn’t have actual classes together, but the rest of the day found her slipping a hand down below the hem of her skirt and teasing her thighs before drawing it away, making sure nobody would notice. That was normal - though it had lessened during certain points where one or neither of them were in the mood, or were in the hospital. After their fun on the lakeshore, Yang was back at the top of her game, and it was almost more relief than exhilarating.

Now, however… it wasn’t just Yang. Though she didn’t get nearly so bold, Blake was also winking at her occasionally, finding an excuse to whisper something into her ear that probably could have been said out loud without anyone caring. She never did it in front of Yang, but it still happened. Weiss didn’t respond as favourably to her, but neither could she seem to completely ignore this new attention.

She felt like a cheap floozy. It wasn’t fair to herself, and she knew it mentally, but her emotions were another story. So what if Blake let off a little steam? Technically, she didn’t even help her directly; just encouraged her to take care of herself. But she knew her more prudish friends might not see it that way, even if it was all that had transpired.

After classes, Yang took her to their spot at the abandoned depot. They did kiss for a little while, but it wasn’t quite the same; Weiss felt that morning hanging over her like a dark cloud, threatening to crack open and pour down on the whole situation.

“I’m sorry.”

To Weiss’s surprise, she hadn’t been the one to say it. She pulled back to ask, “For what?”

“There’s just so much happening, y’know? With your dad, and…” Yang sighed and reached up to caress over Weiss’s neck. “It’s dumb, but I keep thinking about Ruby and Qrow.”

“No, it’s not dumb. But what have you been thinking about them?”

“That it’s all my fault we got so… so- I mean, I shoulda known they didn’t hate me. Seems pretty obvious now. But I let myself get all wrapped up in my mom’s anger, and…”

Her girlfriend looked so stricken that Weiss couldn’t help leaning up to kiss her forehead. “You didn’t know. Weren’t you a little girl when this all happened? It is dumb to expect a child to understand what’s going on when she’s already dealing with losing her mom. Or step-mom.”

“Yeah.” She nodded very faintly at first, then a little stronger. “You’re right. I only wish I knew then what I know now, I guess.”

“Mmhmm. Was there something else? You still seem…”

“Well, yeah, there are a couple of things. Like your dad, and you and your mom having to shack up with Mrs. B., and Cinder still not being back in class… it’s just so much. Feels like we can’t catch a break lately.”

Guilt fluttered in her stomach. And here she had been about to add to Yang’s worries by asking about that “free pass” to try making out with a few other girls. As if she even needed to, really! “I’m sorry. So much of that is my fault, in a way. Your life just got more complicated when I came along.”

“Complicated in good ways, too,” she said with a half-smile. But Weiss didn’t return it, so she tilted her head a little. “Hey.”

“Huh?”

“Something’s off with you. Did you and Blake have a fight? She’s been acting weird, too. Pretty much… all day. And I saw you two whispering a lot.” Weiss didn’t even have to answer; the way she looked away biting her lip was enough. “Nnnnnot a fight. Got it.”

“Yang-”

“It’s okay, everything’s boss. I’m hep.” But she didn’t look it. Weiss didn’t think she had ever seen Yang so confused and out of sorts before. She wasn’t angry, or scared; just highly confused and maybe a little sad.

“This isn’t what you think,” she tried, knowing that only made it sound worse. “Blake… she just has been really lonely lately. Nothing happened between us, exactly. But I did…” She felt like she would be sick. “I did help her a little.” Her face was burning, definitely, and maybe even her ears and neck. “Mostly I just watched… and told her she didn’t have to stop. Th-that was all.”

Yang forced a smile that only hurt both of them. “Didn’t I just say I’m fine? And… I never said you had to pin me, and I haven’t pinned you. Neither of us is wearing handcuffs, neither of us is committed. You can do whatever you want with her.”

“But I don’t! I want to be with you, Yang! She just… like I said, she’s been so lonely, and I helped her out a tiny bit. That all. And trust me, I’m not the one she wants to be with - but I can’t go into detail.” Yang didn’t answer. “Do you trust me?”

She still didn’t answer - right away. But when she glanced up and saw Weiss looking as if she had just been shot, she relented. “Of course I trust you! Sorry, I'm sorry, Princess. I just… haven't had to think about…” She swallowed hard and reached up to grasp Weiss's shoulders hard. “I've never had a steady girl before. Ever. So this is all brand new! But I think… maybe I really would be alright if you and Blake-”

Weiss's hand came up and pressed very gently into Yang's mouth. “Don't say that right now. Okay? Just, um, just think about it for a while and get back to me later. You have a lot on your plate, and… I didn't even know how to bring this up to you. It seems cruel when you're already dealing with so much. But it's way less important to me than making sure you and I are hunky dory.”

Before Yang even nodded, she was already kissing the fingertips. Weiss felt her knees go weak and was glad for the old couch they were seated on. The lips kneaded more and more against her fingers until they ran up to take the middle one inside, tongue swirling around it teasingly. It didn't completely distract her from their conversation… but went a long way toward doing so.

“We're hunky dory all the time,” the Dragon finally told her without a hint of hesitation. “And… I know how we feel about each other. I've just never had something I could lose like this before.”

“The only way you'll lose me is if you don't want me around anymore. That's it. Even if things get rough, and my father tries to take me away, and a million other girls want to turn my head, I promise I will find my way back to you. Bet on it, Xiao Long.”

Nothing could have kept the two apart after that.

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

A little while later and they were heading back to the Belladonna house, physically sated even if they were still a little emotionally frayed. Once they parked and started to dismount Yang's motorcycle, she reached out to stall Weiss from heading up to the house.

“This thing that Blake's dealing with… whatever it's about. Or whoever. Should I tease her to make it seem less big, or is it too big even for teasing? Just don't want to make the wrong move here.”

Weiss had to fight down a surge of panic. “Nooooo, no, don't bring that up, at all! Please? You're her best friend and she would be really embarrassed if you found out from somebody else. And if you hint that you know part of it, she might accidentally say the rest and then we’ll all feel awful.”

“Right, okay: I don't know anything. I'll be cool.” A little grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. “But I'm glad you're looking out for her, even if it's frustrating not knowing what the hell is going on. She's a good friend.”

Privately, Weiss cringed on Blake's behalf at that last line. And because they were slightly dancing around the notion of opening their relationship up to outside parties. But there was no time to lament such things - especially with Yang standing right there, focused on the situation.

The instant Blake looked up from setting the dining room table and saw the two of them there, her face went through a few quick transformations. Anger, annoyance, sadness, embarrassment. Jealousy in spades. But there was a more pure form of longing there, as well. And that quickly, it all vanished, replaced with an honest gratitude to see her two friends.

“Hey, girls. Mom says it’s almost ready - cacciatore tonight.”

“Great!” Yang glanced at Weiss, her eyes full of an intense question: ‘What is going on with her?!’ Clearly, now that she knew to look for it, she had seen the same transformations Weiss had. But she kept the question in her eyes only, and even that faded away before she turned back to Blake. “Um… so… what’s new?”

Weiss wanted to groan, but it would have been a dead giveaway. Blake blinked and said, “Huh?”

“Seems like I haven’t talked to you much lately is all.”

“Nothing, really. I mean, my news is the same news as your news. By now, you know about Weiss’s dad, right?”

“Yeah! Ain’t that kooky?!”

The rest of the dinner was taken up with chatting about Weiss’s father, and other Dragons goings-on. Kali turned out to have one or two ideas for a new base of operations, even if they weren’t currently workable; she had been ruminating on the problem. The solution just might take time.

“Blake, finish your beets. They’re good for you.”

“Mom, I’m enjoying the chicken,” she sighed weakly. “Don’t ruin it with those red tiddlywinks.”

Weiss may have been the only one to catch the knowing glint in Kali’s eyes as she said in the same casual, matronly tone, “You looked a bit flushed this morning. I’m worried about your blood pressure.”

Instantly, Blake was choking on the bit of beet she had reluctantly nibbled. Yang was quick to go pound her on the back, even though Kali was there nearly as quickly. Weiss was at the far end of the table with her mother, so though they both rose to their feet that was as far as they got before Blake was breathing normally again.

“You aren’t supposed to breathe them!” Kali was chuckling gently, still rubbing up and down her daughter’s back. “Calm down, I only said you looked like you were a bit… strained.”

“MOM!” Blake gagged in annoyance. Everyone laughed, and she looked even more mortified.

“Alright, alright,” Weiss finally said with a wave of her hand. “Lay off her.”

“You laughed, too, Princess!”

Yang smirked and folded her arms over her chest. “Hey, I thought I was the only one that got to call her that.”

“Since when?” Weiss asked.

“Since forever!” When both Blake and Weiss looked at her curiously, Yang laughed again, going back to her chair. “I'm kidding; I don't actually mind, you know.”

“Oh…” Plopping back down, Weiss picked up her fork again. “Good. But don't worry, I still like hearing it from you the best.”

This time, the retching sounds from Blake were feigned, but her mother still turned back to her as if it were a real crisis. That started the laughter again, especially from Willow who saw much of her own parenting reflected in the other mother - even if she had taken an extended leave of absence, thanks to her husband and hundreds of bottles of wine.

Following dinner and dessert, they were relaxing in the living room in front of the TV when they heard a car pull into the drive. “I’m not expecting anyone,” Kali said.

“Me, either.” Blake glanced around at everyone else, then back to her mother. “Is Salem back? Already?”

It certainly wasn’t Salem. When they gathered on the porch to see what was going on, they found themselves staring at none other than Jacques Schnee, leaning on a diamond-topped cane that he had certainly never needed before with his hair and mustache a little too perfect. He was standing in front of an actual squad car, with two actual policemen in the front.

“Porco cane!” Kali hissed under her breath, eyes narrowed. But she made no other sudden movement.

“So this is where you two have squirreled yourselves away,” he sighed in a disinterested voice. “How very… pedestrian. Is it even up to code? I wonder if I could have it condemned…”

“What do you want here, Jacques?” Willow said in as even a tone as she could manage. It wasn’t fiery, and it wasn’t firm. She was terrified that he had found them - as was Weiss. Though she was content to stay in the background of the encounter for as long as possible.

“Why, honey, I thought that would be obvious. I wish to reunite my family.” His smile was genial, like he thought he was Santa Claus. “Whitley misses the both of you.”

While she was trying to come up with a reply for that, Weiss found her voice. “We have a family. Right here.”

“Oh, is that what you call this? Such a random collection of rabble - a couple of black-haired dago greasers and some chink girl? That passes for family to you now? My, my… how the mighty have fallen.”

Kali nearly lost it. In fact, she took a single step forward, but Blake managed to hold her back at the last second. The gentle pressure on her arms reminded her of their situation, of the cop car waiting just behind the enemy, and she brought her temper back under control.

“You see?” he laughed harshly, gesturing with a hand. “Animals that can scarcely control themselves. Come home, Willow. We’ll sort this out later.”

By now, the Schnee matriarch’s anger was starting to overtake her fear, even if marginally. “Come home? So… s-so you can spank me as if I were a spoiled little girl? We have had this discussion, Jacques. I will never sleep under the same roof as you again.”

He only wasted a few seconds digesting her words, glaring daggers at the woman he had claimed to love when he married her. Then he grinned darkly. “Never say never, my dear.” His fingers snapped toward the car, and one of the officers exited to stand next to him. “Fetch the bitch.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Yang drawled out, cracking her knuckles. “She ain’t done anything wrong. You can’t just go sticking people in handcuffs for no reason.”

“Ah, but they can, and they will. Who’s going to stop us? You? If you resist, we will claim that you were shot in ‘self defense’ - and who will the judge believe?” His hand pressed into the center of his chest. “A respected pillar of this community, running for the office of mayor? Or an unfaithful wife who runs away from her problems and into the waiting arms of a handful of thugs? None of you have a leg to stand on.”

“You’re right,” Kali announced, eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. “But first, you would all have to make it back to the station in one piece.”

Then her gun was aimed at Jacques. Weiss hadn’t even noticed her produce it - and neither officer had theirs out yet. The one already out of the car went for his piece-

BANG! His hat went flying from atop his head, spinning off over the car and toward the ditch that lay between the Belladonna’s front yard and the street.

“Ah, ah, ah,” she said in a dangerous tone. “I actually don’t want to kill a police officer. But that doesn’t mean I won’t if given no alternative.”

“You are committing a serious error in judgement, miss,” the officer said, speaking for the first time. “We could have you locked up on counts of-”

“Spare me. What you are doing is immoral and illegal, even if no one else ever finds out about it. And you will have to live with that for the rest of your life. Now…” Her eyebrow rose as she lowered the barrel, just enough to be noticeable from a distance. “Do you want to spend the rest of that life being able to make love to your wife, or not?”

That definitely got him to gulp, and he raised his hands up over his head. By this time, Blake reappeared - when had she left?! - and had another pistol aimed at the two men, sliding along to the end of the porch. Jacques rolled his eyes skyward.

“You expect me to believe this pipsqueak knows how to use that? We ought to run you all in for harbouring too many dangerous weapons and putting them into the hands of children.”

“I’m not as good as my mom,” Blake admitted easily. “I might miss the cop and hit you instead. Now, take out that piece nice and slow - two fingers. That’s it… toss it on the grass. Cock it before you do and I’ll take you off here and now.”

She hated to admit it, but Weiss was impressed. The Belladonnas didn’t mess around. Once he had disposed of the gun, she nodded sideways at Yang, who dropped down and crawled over to pick it up by the trigger guard with her pinky. Once backed out of firing range of the two women packing heat, she stood again, holding the gun the same way.

“Isn’t she a great shot, too?” Jacques teased irritably.

“I don’t believe in guns,” Yang snapped. “I’d rather have a clean, honest fight any day. The other guy - he can toss us his gun, too. And the keys.”

They obeyed. Jacques looked hopping mad, but he didn’t protest as Yang caught two guns with the same pinky, then circled around the squad car with a wide berth before she unlocked the trunk. At this point, Jacques tensed as if he was going to try something stupid, but Blake cocked her gun and he went still.

“You wouldn’t. You might hit the blonde.”

“We’ve all been shot before,” Yang answered for her. “Or stabbed. But you know all about that, right?” She locked the trunk again with the guns inside, then circled around to the passenger’s side. “Pop that glove box, will ya?” He did, and she tossed the bullets inside. “Good boy.”

“Now,” Kali announced as Yang rejoined the others, tossing the keys in through the driver’s side window. “You’re going to get back into that car, and vacate my property. And don’t bother seeing if this firearm is licensed; it is. I have a legal right to bear arms under the constitution. You don’t want anyone to know what you were doing here any more than we wanted it to happen, so you won’t push this matter. Get back in that car and go away. And if you ever set foot on my property again without a warrant, or an actual legitimate police reason, I won’t be so welcoming.”

“Listen to them!” Jacques snarled. “As if they have the right of w-”

“And if you ever come here again, you will meet your death, future Mayor,” she snarled, and Weiss felt her blood run cold at the level of fury she had reached - especially considering she was smiling, fierce and vicious. “I told you that you shouldn’t thank me. But I doubt you even remember that now.”

His white eyebrows twitched together. “Remember what?”

“GO.”

“What about my hat?” the officer asked.

“You’ll get a new one.”

That seemed to be that. However, Jacques couldn’t seem to resist a parting comment. “You’ll regret this, Willow. Mark my words. You’ll rue the day you ever crossed me. I made you, and I can unmake you. Watch your back.” Then he sneered at Weiss. “That goes for you, too, Junior Hooker.”

Yang pounded one fist into her open palm to emphasise that they were wearing out their welcome yet further. They sped away.

“I can’t believe that,” Willow breathed in shock. “What he called my Weiss… his daughter…”

But Weiss could barely spare any thought for that. She was still shaking from having heard a gun go off so close to her ears, and aimed in the general direction of a family member - no matter how terrible he turned out to be. It had taken a lot of concentration to keep from wetting herself again. Maybe she had some kind of bladder problem. Passing a hand over her eyes, she turned to blink at the others, seeing her shock only truly reflected in her mother’s face.

“You’re not a hooker,” Blake provided instantly, and Yang nodded firmly. Kali merely looked drained from the confrontation, but satisfied with the results.

“I… I know I’m not.”

“Yang,” Kali finally said with a sigh, “would you… be a dear and fetch that hat for us? We’ll need to burn the evidence that they were ever here, and I fired at an officer of the law. Then we need to hide Blake’s piece again; just because my gun is licensed doesn’t mean the other one is.”

They got to work. As they went about trying to erase all indication that their pleasant evening had been interrupted, Weiss reflected that her father had accomplished exactly what he meant to do: he had brought a family closer together. Now, all five of them acted and moved as one, making sure to occasionally touch each other on the shoulders or flash a smile of reassurance.

Her real family was stronger than any illusion of one.

[mollyringle]

My husband watches The Untamed, vol. 20: eps. 37 and 38

Episode 37:

Every time Fairy barked (to indicate the leaving-dead-cats-on-doors person was lurking around), our dog barked in response. Dork. Us to our dog: “Dude, that dog’s barking in Chinese. You couldn’t possibly understand him.”

(Sidenote: I’m almost certain the Netflix subtitles have been inconsistent on Fairy’s gender, using “him” sometimes and “her” other times. So I have no idea if Fairy’s a he or a she.)

I still really want to know if my husband has guessed that Sizhui is Yuan, but I can’t ask any leading questions without giving it away. He hasn’t said anything about it, not even with the stronger hints starting in this episode, like Sizhui thinking the bad cooking is “déjà vu” and that he strangely feels safe when WWX is around. (Which is so sweet!)

Us paraphrasing Sizhui when Jin Ling accuses him of playing the spirit inquiry song wrong: “Hey man, I studied Ouija Board Song with Hanguang Jun, and I got an A.” That’s such a deliciously creepy scene too. At the answer “The one behind you,” we said, “The call is coming from inside the house!!” (Old urban legend scary story in the US and possibly elsewhere, from the age of land lines. Anyway…)

Husband gave me a flatly amused “are you kidding me” kind of look when Ouyang Zizhen says that the girl (Qing) would actually be very lovely with some grooming. Then laughed when Wei Wuxian says, “Kid, you’re going to be the sentimental type when you grow up.”

This whole twisted, complex situation with Xiao Xingchen, Song Lan, Xue Yang, and A-Qing is making more sense to me this time around. The first time I was really confused. And also I mostly wanted to get back to Sweet Fluffy Times with Wangxian. (They’d only just gotten back together! I needed more!) But I’m appreciating the complicated, bittersweet tragedy of this Coffin Town interlude more now. Proud of my husband, too, because he actually remembered who they all were from however many episodes ago, and didn’t need me to remind him.

Oh, A-Qing. I’m already so sad for her. I wish they could have saved her (and maybe Ouyang Zizhen could’ve married her, or at least had a shot at it).

Episode 38:

My husband when we first get a good look at Jing all cleaned up: “You didn’t tell me Björk was in this.” THAT’s who she reminds me of!

Subtitles are spelling her name “Jing,” not “Qing,” so, okay. I’ll say Jing.

He LOL’d when she called Xiao Xingchen “my friend in white,” when she’s supposed to be blind. So sweet of XXC to pretend not to notice.

Xue Yang pulling the blade on Jing, and the way she bravely keeps up the blind act anyway; and then the way he’s looking at her—it all creeps me out so much. I’m glad she has the sense to be suspicious of him. (PLEASE DON’T GO OFF IN THE COMMENTS, Xue Yang fans; I know many of you adore him, and I do think he’s fascinating, but his character is ALSO a gaslighter and a serial killer. I’ve fallen under the sway of a gaslighter before and, um, it isn’t romantic. At all. Please be kind in discussion; thank you.)

We didn’t have a lot of comments while watching the sad story play out. It’s bizarre and compelling, almost like a Shakespeare tragedy. Song Lan’s pain upon hearing Xue Yang tease XXC, that tear running down his cheek, just kills me. And I got choked up at Wei Wuxian saying his kind words to Jing after seeing all of that in Empathy.

That’s all this time, but I expect we’ll have more to say next episode!

[real-jaune-isms]

White Rose Week Day 3: Secret Relationship AU

There were many things in this world that Weiss Schnee did not enjoy, and the current situation involved several of them. “Remind me again why we’re going through with this ridiculous plan? Or why we have to make this trip at all?” She asked her partner, who was dragging her by the hand down a dirt road in the middle of the woods. “I told you, my dad really wants you guys to come visit over summer break! He knows how close a team becomes and he already considers you and Blake to be part of the family.” Ruby replied with an enthusiastic smile. “I figured it would probably be more fun than having to go see your dad, and you’re the one who agreed when I asked a week ago!” Then again, Weiss had to admit there were some things about this long walk she liked too.

Weiss sighed and had to admit she appreciated how thoughtful the redhead was to give her a happy alternative to facing her father’s criticisms like this. “Thank you, I’m sure this will be quite enjoyable. But why do we have to walk several miles of unpaved road to get there? Did Yang and Blake have to do this too?” The pair in question had decided to make the trip to Patch a few days earlier, leaving their red and white counterparts to finish the exam Ruby still had to do, though they had brought the suitcases full of clothes everyone would need with them. Rather than immediately answer the questions Ruby just slowed her eager walk down to a stop and turned around to face her white haired partner. Taking both of the older girl’s hands in her’s, silver eyes stared wordlessly into crystalline blue. And the blue eyes softly stared back. Finally, the sly answer came. “I wanted to give us a little quality time to enjoy Patch. Is it so wrong to want that from my girlfriend?” She squeaked out the last word, still not used to using it.

Weiss couldn’t help but give a small smile, and pulled her adorable dolt in a bit closer for a kiss. “How romantic of you. But that does bring me to my other question. Are we really not going to tell anyone you and I are together? It was hard enough trying to keep this a secret from Blake and your sister, but your father as well? It feels more like something I would try to do, not that I’m not proud of our relationship.” She had seen a photo of Ruby and Yang’s dad, and he looked like a rather friendly man. A bit similar to Jaune if she had to be honest, but she tried not to think about that. He certainly didn’t have an imposing or domineering air to him like her own father, so she failed to understand why this secrecy was so important. Ruby looked away shamefully before responding. “Just... trust me, it’s better for all of us that he doesn’t find out just yet. You wouldn’t like he would act.” Weiss just nodded solemnly. “I’ll take your word for it. Whatever makes you feel safe, darling. But does that mean we have to be kept separated the entire time?” Ruby regained her smile and shook her head. “Nah, there are only so many bedrooms. I can convince my dad to let us stay in the same room so that’ll be something”

With that reassurance, the two continued to walk hand in hand towards the Rose/Xiao Long house.

*One hour later*

In hindsight, they probably should have guessed that their teammates had absolutely figured it days ago. But for Yang to blatantly call them out on it as soon as they had both sat down on the couch together? The red on their faces could give the hue of Ruby’s cloak a run for its money. Weiss was silently dreading the outrage, the disbelief and screaming, the utter lack of approval. 

“The Ice Princess of Atlas, dating my daughter? Guess I should start calling you my daughter-in-thaw!!!”

She was not prepared for dad jokes.

[dearestpartnerofgreatness]

give me your top ten couples in the dramas you've watched and why they're so great

Okay this is gonna be super in depth + full of spoilers so details below the cut to spare y’all scrolling on your phones haha. 

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

Chen Qing Qing x Situ Feng (Accidentally in Love, Cdrama) - I love both of these characters so much. Qing Qing is such a bad*ss, and Situ Feng is such a lovable dork. I love how well-matched they are in wit and humor. They are also the best example of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers I’ve seen on any drama so far. The way their bond developed was so natural. I also LOVE how obsessed they are with each other while also remaining independent. They are physically affectionate in a believable way that you don’t see often in dramas. 

Nam See Hee x Yoon Ji Ho (Because This Is My First Life, Kdrama) - This couple is just so soft. They’re also so dang compatible--they genuinely enjoy each other’s company/habits and support each other without jealousy or drama. I appreciate how they subvert traditional drama stereotypes-- See Hee is blunt + honest without being mean, and Ji Ho prioritizes her work + friendships just as much as her relationship. Also, they have one of the most beautiful, sexy, realistic first kisses in any drama ever!!! THEY ACTUALLY  MOVE THEIR LIPS AND EVERYTHING.

Woo Soo-Ji x Ma Sang-Goo (Because This Is My First Life, Kdrama) - What do we love more than a cool, confident, feminist heroine? A man who adores and supports a cool, confident, feminist heroine. Their scenes together range from sexy, to sweet, to tender, to comedic. Both actors bring so much depth and range to their individual characters, thereby creating what is one of the most interesting and shippable beta romances (imo).

Wang Qiang Wei x Wang Qiang Da (Lion Pride, Tdrama) - THESE TWO. The jokes, the eye contact, the mystery solving--everything about the way they interact is just so CUTE. The scene right after they’ve kissed and are hugging in the street (when Si De tries to prevent Tsiao Tie from seeing them) is just bursting with intimacy and affection. They strike the perfect balance between a youthful, innocent romance and a more domestic, mature romance. 

Lian Si De x Tie Bu Fan (Lion Pride, Tdrama) - What I love most about these two is how similar they are. On the outside, they’re confident, stars of their workplaces, and popular in the dating world. But at their core, they are loyal, selfless, hard on themselves when they make mistakes, and the two best friends anyone could have. Watching them fall for each other amongst the crazy circumstances of the mystery plotline endeared them to me so much. Also, that scene with the umbrella is A+ ROMANCE. Still mad they never got to kiss. 

Pi Yanuo x Du Zifeng (Bromance, Tdrama) - If you want a couple with red-hot passion, you don’t need to look further than these two. The sexual tension between them had me screaming “JUST KISS!” at my TV practically every episode. Beyond that, the level of trust + loyalty was beautiful--they really were equal partners in the relationship. Also, I LOVE that the show explicitly stated that Du Zifeng’s attraction for Yanuo went beyond her gender, and he would love her the same no matter how she identified. (Also, that final scene in the hotel hallway is, to this day, the hottest scene I’ve ever witnessed in a drama.) 

Liao Guang Chao x Zi Han (Bromance, Tdrama) - At first, this couple felt more like a “pair the spares” situation for me. But the more time they spent together, the more I appreciated the humor of their moments. By the show’s end, I fell in love with how they bring out the best in one another + help each other grow. A-Chao challenges Zi Han to rethink her assumptions, manage her temper, and be less selfish. Zi Han emboldens A-Chao and inspires him to be more hard-working, brave, and determined. The actors are also comedic gold individually and as a pair, so that helps them slip into the top 10. 

Lu Yang x Lin Jingxiao (A Love So Beautiful, Cdrama) - These two were the real otp of ALSB, lemma tell ya. First of all, Jingxiao’s super cool: feisty, intelligent, and ambitious, but also a little too aggressive sometimes. Lu Yang’s obvious adoration of her, as well as his charming, loyal, humorous, and slightly scaredy-cat personality, made them such a fun and lively pair. I also appreciated their “you exasperate me but also I would die for you” dynamic and how that continued after they became official--I can’t stand when a drama has a couple get together and then changes one of their personalities to hide the fact that they just wouldn’t work (*cough* *cough* like they did with the main couple for this show). 

Oh Dong-baek x Hwang Yong-sik (When the Camellia Blooms, Kdrama) -  I am 100% on board with this pair!!! I ADORE their honesty and communication. So many dramas are exasperating bc their leads constantly misunderstand each other or can’t explain what they want, but not these angels! They excel at compromising to suit the other’s needs/wants and find ways to show love through meaningful actions. The level of care and nurturing is so lovely. Also, the actors have amazing chemistry--they genuinely look so happy together! (Where can I get me a Yong-sik???)

Fei Fei x Wen Li (Well-Intended Love 2, Cdrama) - The only thing that got me through season 1 of this show, tbh. I will say that I liked the development of their relationship in season 2 a lot more. Unlike a lot of other couples, the awkward moments in their relationship came off as comedic rather than cringey. Their meet-cute at the bar and the scene where Wen Li cleans Fei Fei’s house while she sleeps showed how sweet and genuine their connection was. I’m glad they gave them that shift where Fei Fei realized she had to go after him and put her all in the relationship too--Wen Li was such an angel, so I'm glad he got to be the one who was romanced after spending so much time romancing her. 

LET IT BE KNOWN that I wanted to include Ji Jia Wei x Xiao Tong from the Tdrama Murphy’s Law of Love on this list, because Jia Wei is my favorite male lead of all the dramas I’ve watched so far. Unfortunately, the consistent wishy-washy-ness of Xiao Tong prevents me from doing so. I still can’t get over how she constantly misinterpreted what was happening in their relationship and refused to communicate DESPITE LITERALLY BEING A DATING EXPERT. 

Also honorable mention to Cha Soo-hyun x Park Hae-young (Signal, Kdrama) because although they aren’t a canon couple, they clearly have intense chemistry considering how much they invade each other’s space, and their intense emotional connection coupled with what a dream team they are as crime-solvers just gets me, y’know? If the season 2 rumors are true, I’ve got my fingers crossed for them to go canon!!