#lin lovers unite

[guzhufuren]

China 🇨🇳 A Guide to Some of the Best Queer Asian Shows

Full list here.

Most chinese shows are adapted from explicitly queer novels, the shows are undeniably and obviously queer, but nevertheless the queer romance part is censured. The only exception is number 4 on the list, it is not censored.

1. The Untamed period drama; fantasy

An epic fantasy led by a problem child who comes back from the dead 16 years later in order to fix the broken world he left behind — and finally unite with his soulmate.

YouTube

2. Word of Honor period drama; fantasy

The leader of assassin organisation Zhou Zishu quits his position in pursuit of freedom with drastic measures. In his travels, he meets Wen Kexing, the leader of Ghost Valley who wants nothing but revenge. The two become entangled in various machinations within the martial arts world, and eventually become soulmates instrumental in each other's redemption.

YouTube & Special Episode on Tumblr or DailyMotion

3. Couple of Mirrors wlw; period drama; socialite/assassin

You Yi is a kind-hearted socialite and a successful author. Her perfect life is turned upside-down when she discovers a betrayal by the two most trusted people in her life. With no one left to turn to, she finds refuge in the friendship and support of Yan Wei, a lonely female killer disguised as the owner of a photo studio.

YouTube. the show doesn’t have a happy ending, but it can be a happy ending for you if you stop watching at episode 12 timestamp 28:02.

4. Stay With Me enemies to lovers; high school setting; unconventional families; slow burn

Su Yu is a high school student who lives with his single poor father. Su Yu gets a new classmate Wu Bi. The two clash right from the start, and after getting off on the wrong foot, their explosive relationship takes a turn.

YouTube or GagaOOLala. the show doesn’t have a happy ending, but it can be a happy ending for you if you stop watching at episode 24 timestamp 05:00. OR watch the full thing and look at this post after

5. The Spirealm inside of a video game; mystery; fantasy; horror-ish; hopeful ending

A game designer Lin Qiushi is transported inside of a game he recently played, and now he must go through 12 horrifying survivor game doors to survive in the real world. Inside his first door he meets Ruan Nanzhu, a mysterious man who offers him to team up.

The show was taken down from streaming, download files here and subtitles here.

Various WLW mini web-dramas here.

Various WLW short films here.

[flurrys-creativity]

Imponderable

Imponderable (n.) - something that is impossible to judge or calculate exactly

Pairing: Sohn Eric (The Boyz) x GN!Reader (with a surname); Genre: angst, fantasy, crime, implied smut, hybrid au, detective au, villain au, strangers to lovers; Rating: NSFW, 21+, MDNI; Warnings: oh boi, where do I begin... abductions, crime fighting, mentions of neglect, malnourishment, bruises, wounds, blood, death, graphic descriptions of torture, humiliation, smuggling, auctioning hybrids, more graphic descriptions of torture, nudity, more death, kissing, making out, hinting towards riding... and hopefully that's it.. if I missed smth please let me know; Wordcount: 13.718

Summary: In the case of increasing hybrid abductions your unit was stuck until you received a distressed call by another hybrid. At that moment everything spiraled out of your control and nothing seemed to be what it was.

Collab: YOTV: Year of The Snake by @sanjoongie

A/N: I know this is quite the long fic... and I honestly struggled a lot writing it, only being able to make significant progress the past few days... so I truly hope to get some feedback on this.

“There’s been an increase of hybrid abduction in the past few weeks”, the leading commander of the task unit announced loudly, his voice carrying the heaviness of the situation.

Everyone inside the room stared with serious expressions at the presentation, the graphic showing the spike of abductions.

“There have been leads those are connected to a large hybrid smuggling ring. While we stopped a few transports, we still need to find the head of the organisation. So take all the leads we have and find that godforsaken bastard. That’s all for today! Dismissed!” The commander waved with his hand, watching how his subordinates left the room.

You stared at the pictures in your open folder with a crease between your brows. The unit had known about the abductions and the smuggling ring for a while now but nothing seemed to work. Every lead you received was too late. Every time you arrived at the scene only remnants of the ring were left. Scattered clothes, dead and heavily malnourished hybrids that didn’t make it. 

A shiver ran down your spine. You knew too well what they had gone through. Sometimes you considered the found bodies to be the lucky ones. Their suffering and fear had finally ended, while the remaining ones still had to deal with torture and more unfathomable things and survivors were plagued with trauma, nightmares and anxiety.

“Detective Lin.”

You looked up, snapping out of your thoughts when you heard the voice of your superior. “I’m sorry, sir.”

He sighed deeply and rubbed over his tired looking face. Over the few years you had worked under this unit, he had aged immensely. His once dark brown hair had now streaks of grey in them, his sun kissed face had deep lines all over it and his eyes - once full of life - seemed to dread every second of his existence. “Are you alright?”

You blinked a few times before a soft smile appeared on your lips. “Still the dad of the unit”, you snickered and shook your head playfully. “I’m alright, sir. You should take more care about yourself, if I may say so.”

The commander laughed dryly, knowing full well you were right. “Not until I know everyone in this community is where they belong.”

Now you were the one to sigh. “This unit needs you. Don’t overwork yourself.”

“I could tell you to do the same.” The commander tilted his head as he stared at you with a playful twinkle in his eyes. “I know this case is getting to you on a personal level. If I could I would remove you from this case but we need your senses to have at least a small break-through.”

You grabbed the pages and neatly stacked them inside the folder again before you stood up, your expression tense from anger. “I would ignore your command and work on it either way. I don’t need your permission to help my kind.”

He stood up as well and rounded the corner of the table, joining your side as you two made your way to leave the meeting room. “I know, I know. That’s the only reason you’re still on it. You’d go rogue otherwise and put yourself and probably others in danger.”

You relaxed again, turning your head with a bright grin. “You know me too well.”

He laughed in amused defeat and patted your shoulder, as if he was telling you to stay in line and not do something reckless. With that he left for his work space and you followed his back with your eyes until he was out of your sight.

You made your way to your own desk, nodding at your colleagues who you passed. Technically this was the last meeting for today and you were free to leave. Yet you, and most other colleagues too, decided to stay after hours working on the case. Once you reached your desk, you placed the folder on the surface and sat down on your spinning chair. 

“Time to find a new lead.” You sighed deeply and started the computer, quickly typing away on your keyboard. Your eyes flitted across the screen, the pictures and headlines of articles reflecting in your eyes.

At one point your thoughts drifted away from the case and got mixed with your own memories:

You shivered from the cold, having sat down in the farthest corner of the cage. You had wrapped your arms around your legs, which were pulled against your chest, trying to preserve any warmth left. The thin clothes on your body hung loose and were mostly torn to shreds as well.

Your skin was covered in bruises and scars, some better healed than others. You received at least half of them during the rough transport. They had picked you up and thrown you into a transporter with no isolation nor security. After they reached their destination, they dragged you out and threw you in this cage in the basement. 

While you stayed there one man came down every morning and threw some moldy bread and stale water in a bottle towards you. When he wanted to get the empty bottle back, he used an electric stick to keep you in one corner of the cage while coming inside.

Sometimes that man enjoyed your yelps of pain when he electrocuted you just for his own enjoyment. 

You were nothing but a child back then. You barely understood what happened around you or why they even kept you in a cage. 

You snapped out of your thoughts again, staring at your screen with distant eyes for a moment longer. Even though years had passed since that incident, the memories felt like it only happened a few days ago. You rubbed over your arm, the phantom pain of your bruises haunting your body. 

It had been a miracle back then that you were found by authorities before anything worse could have happened to you. Even now you struggled to believe there was a fate worse than what you had experienced. 

Only the pictures in your folder told you differently.  

With one last glance at the pictures on your computer screen you decided to leave it for the day. You closed all the files and turned the pc off, cleaning your desk afterwards. 

Right as you were about to turn off the little lamp on your desk, the red light of your telephone started blinking. 

Your hand halted mid air as you stared at the light of the phone station. You had the sound turned off since the ringing hurt your sensitive ears. Instead the light would blink whenever you got a call. Which rarely happened. And never after working hours.

“Detective Lin?” You said questioningly into the receiver after picking up the phone. 

“Thank goodness, you’re still there”, someone on the other side of the line breathed in relief. “Can you come to the emergency call centre on the first floor? We got a situation that could use your help.”

You didn’t ask what situation it could have been. The second you heard they wanted you at the emergency call centre, you already had grabbed all your belongings. “I’ll be there in three.” 

With that you slammed the phone back on its station and rushed away from your workplace. Instead of using the elevator from the fourth floor, you pushed through the doors of the staircase. 

Your steps steadily echoed through the air with every step you took. It was rare for your colleagues to ask for your help. While all of you were equals and worked for the same cause, they kept their distance from you. Simply because you were a hybrid and your hardened scales that covered parts of your skin seemed to freak a lot of people out. 

Or they thought of you as something dangerous. It was well known that hybrids tended to be stronger than humans - even if they were the weakest kind of hybrid like a hamster or a mouse. You yourself weren’t considered a dangerous species as well. Just a very desired one on the black market, same as your animal counterpart. 

The pangolin was probably the most traded animal on the black market. Their scales of hardened keratin were supposed to have some special healing abilities in several ancient medicinal practices. Some rich assholes even liked to have them as pets since they looked rather adorable despite their large claws.

The biggest difference to your animal counterpart was the fact you as a hybrid were able to regrow lost scales like normal strands of hairs. A fact that made you as a hybrid way more valuable than the animal itself.

You skipped the last step and jumped to the ground, running to the door towards the first floor. You rushed along the hallway and pushed through the last door without knocking, finally reaching the emergency call centre.

“Over here”, someone called out.

You quickly followed their voice and hurried over to them, only stopping right behind their chair. With a short glance at the screen, you saw they had an ongoing call. You furrowed your brows, wondering why you were called now.

“I don’t have much. He seemed frightened and confused but he confirmed being a hybrid. I thought maybe you could get through to him.” The operator explained to you shortly, getting up and offering you their chair.

You nodded hesitantly and sat down, grabbing the headset and putting it on. “Hello?” You heard rapid breathing but nothing else. “If you’re not able to speak right now, please tap the phone twice.” You waited for any sound but except for the rapid breathing there was nothing else. 

“My name is detective Lin and I’m here to help you, okay? I heard from my colleague that you’re a hybrid? I’m one myself, can you tell me what kind of hybrid you are?” You tried to sound as reassuring and kind as possible, wishing to calm the hybrid as much as possible so they would answer you.

“Eric.” His voice sounded hoarse as if he hadn't had something to drink for a while now.

“Eric? That’s your name? Okay Eric, can you tell me where you are?” You pressed gently, needing the information so you could actually help him.

“At a gas station. I don’t know where exactly. I’m hiding in the forest nearby.” His breathing had slowed down considerably, though he still only spoke in a whisper.

You turned to your colleague and mouthed to them that they should track the phone call, hoping to get the exact location that way.

“Alright, can you tell me what happened? Why are you hiding?”

His breathing hitched momentarily and if you hadn’t your sensitive hybrid hearing you probably would have missed it. “They kidnapped a hybrid. They grabbed them inside the toilet rooms of the gas station and dragged them away to a transporter. I’m hiding so they won’t get me too.”

“Are they still there?”

“I don’t know, maybe.” He whimpered softly, making your heart ache.

You knew what kind of terror he must be experiencing right now. At that moment your colleague placed a sticky note with the address in front of you, silently telling you they had sent a police car to check the situation.

“Hey, there are some colleagues on their way to your location. Do you think you can hold on until then?”

“Are they hybrids too?”

You sighed softly and shook your head: “No, probably not. Most hybrids aren’t in the active field, so I’m afraid the two will be humans.”

“Can’t you come?”

“Me?” 

Your eyes widened in surprise at the request. For a moment you were too stunned to speak and simply turned to the operator with a questioning look in your gaze. 

They nodded and waved one of the technicians over to you. With a few adjustments on your phone, which they had asked for quietly, they transferred the emergency call to your mobile phone. That way you were able to keep in contact with Eric while you made your way to the location.

“Alright, I’m on my way.” You replaced the headset with your phone, relieved you heard his breathing and whimpers. With a short gesture of your hand you bid your goodbye and left for your car. On your way down to the garage you also texted your commander, informing him of the situation.

During the ride to the gas station you kept Eric talking, needing the reassurance he was still with you. For some reason you feared the smugglers were still around and would get him before you could reach him.

Though when you reached the remote gas station you only saw the car of your colleagues parked to the side. You parked beside them and got out of the car, looking around with narrowed eyes. 

You colleagues just exited the gas station, heading towards the toilets at the back. You hurried towards them, joining them with a short nod. 

Technically you were there to get Eric and make sure he was alright, but you remembered what he told you about another hybrid being kidnapped on the toilets. You had to see the crime scene, you needed to make your own picture of it, hoping to see a clue or connection to the other cases.

“Hey Eric? I’m here now. I’ll just check the toilets before I’m going to look for you, yeah? My colleagues are with me in case something happens. But don’t you worry, okay?”

He didn’t answer you this time. You only heard some rustling and the sound of his breathing. Therefore you focused on your surroundings for a moment.

As your colleagues opened the doors, you immediately wrinkled your nose in disgust. The smell of urine and other unspeakable liquids invaded your nostrils against your will. You quickly raised your hand and pressed the sleeve of your jacket against your mouth and nose. Even though every fibre of your body was against it, you stepped inside the toilets and looked around. Trash and used paper towels littered the ground, the walls and doors to the toilets were covered in stickers and tags. 

You made a face, knowing there was no way of finding any kind of useful forensic evidence. There was simply too much of everything around. “Guess that won’t do”, you sighed as you turned around your own axis. 

You came to a halt when you noticed someone standing in the entrance. At the same time the connection of the phone call ended with a click. Confused, you turned to look at your phone in your hand and then back up at the person. 

The colleagues, who had checked the stalls just now, came back out and were about to shoo him away, when you stopped them with one word. 

The person had stepped back, as if he was afraid of your colleagues. He held a phone in his hand and his eyes flitted back to your form.

You tilted your head and dropped your hand as you took one step closer towards him. “Eric?” Even though his sweet honey scent barely managed to overpower the gross smell surrounding you, you picked up the hybrid in the air.

He nodded slowly, staring at you with his mouth slightly agape. Eric moved further into the room, rounding you slowly. 

Your colleagues told you they’d leave again since there was no sign of a crime. You nodded, barely paying them any attention anymore. Something about Eric pulled you in and you couldn’t avoid your eyes for even a moment. 

“Detective Lin”, he breathed out, his eyes roaming over your form. He reached the mirror and leaned against the wall, tilting his head in wonder. 

You nearly missed how he wiped something away from the mirror and froze the second you realised what he did. “Wait!” You leaped forward and pushed him aside, staring at the remnants of some letters. “What was that?” You turned your head to look at him, demanding an answer.

“What was what?” 

“Don’t play around! You just wiped over this message! What was written on the mirror?” You hit the sink with your hands and turned around fully, glaring at the other hybrid with annoyance.

His eyes widened in surprise. “I did? Shoot, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to wipe something away. Do you think that’s from the smugglers?”

You crossed your arms over your chest. Something about him rang your alarm bells inside your head, yet you couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was. Still, you decided to keep your guard up. You sighed deeply, reminding yourself of the disgusting smell surrounding you. “Let us go outside, please.”

Eric nodded and stepped outside, holding the door open for you. 

“How come you don’t seem as scared as you sounded on the phone?”

He stopped at the edge of the parking lot, contemplating your question for a moment. After a while he shrugged with his shoulders, slowly turning towards you. His eyes implored yours when he said: “I guess, I just feel safe with another hybrid around. Especially a hybrid detective.”

You snorted and shook your head, avoiding looking him in the eyes. You felt the heat creep up your neck and onto your cheeks. Before he could notice something, you turned around and brushed your hair out of your face, keeping your hand on the top of your head. “Alright, let us go somewhere to eat something and then you can tell me what you saw.” You motioned for Eric to get inside of your car and shortly followed after him.

The ride itself almost felt stuffed, despite the air conditioner running on full power. Neither of you said anything, and while you tried focusing on the road you couldn't ignore his presence at all. 

Your instincts told you something wasn't adding up but you had absolutely no evidence to know what it was exactly. Additionally your head refused to even consider another hybrid being the reason for all the recent abductions of hybrids.

Though your instincts rarely betrayed you.

The interrogation with Eric over some dull fast food brought no new leads. You had noted down every minuscule detail but when you compared them to the information you already got, nothing added up.

You sat at your desk again and stared at the open files thrown over the surface. The desperation to find something gnawed at your insides and slowly suffocated you. 

Before you could despair completely, the leading commander called for an emergency meeting. Within seconds everyone jumped up and rushed to the meeting room, eager to know what the commander had to say.

“We got a new lead”, he announced as he walked into the room. The few conversations immediately died down. “Someone noticed a suspicious looking truck standing in the parking lot of a school.”

“How is it connected to the abductions”, you asked with a raised eyebrow. Sometimes truckers use parking lots to rest there for a while before continuing their long routes across countries and states. 

The commander nodded shortly, thankful one of his detectives questioned the intel they got. “According to the caller the truck has been standing there for several days now and he claims to have heard voices from inside.”

You nearly jumped up from your seat, ready to bolt and get to that truck in an instant. 

“I need two officers, who are willing to check out the situation. I don’t want to send a whole squad for a possible prank”, he explained with a grim expression, “still everyone, who isn't going, has to stay on standby in case it's real.”

Your arm shot into the air. “I volunteer.”

“I had hoped you'd say that”, the commander chuckled with a soft smile. “I need your keen senses to check this out.” 

When you arrived at the parking lot with one of your colleagues, you hesitated to step out of the car. Your eyes were glued towards the parked truck. You tried to mentally note down every little detail you could see before you’d use your other senses for intel.

The second you stepped out of the car and moved towards the truck, your pulse spiked. Nervousness creeped up your back and had a tight grip on your neck. It controlled your every movement.

Your colleague checked the front cabin, silently motioning to you that it was empty. He gave you a sign to walk around the truck and meet with him at the back again.

You nodded once and cautiously started walking. You moved forward while keeping somewhat close to the ground, checking underneath the truck as well. Though you didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

At the back of the truck you stepped several feet away and raised your weapon, pointing it at the closed door. You nodded towards your colleague, who stood at the door and waited for your signal to open it.

He pulled it open with force and immediately got out of your shooting line, backing away as well and pointing his weapon at the open entrance too.

Nothing happened and both of you quickly realised the truck was actually empty. 

You secured your weapon again and walked towards the open doors. Though as soon as you reached the edge of the truck, you held your breath and hurriedly stepped back again. 

“What’s wrong?”

Your colleague looked at you with a raised eyebrow. He took over and walked to the truck, checking the empty inside. 

“It reeks of death”, you told him with your arm pressed over your nose and mouth. Ever so slowly you dared to move closer again. Your eyes wandered over the floor and walls, seeing remnants of blood.

“There are no bodies here though.” Your colleague jumped on the platform and walked into the area. Even he wrinkled his nose in disgust, but you were sure he only smelled the stench of blood and maybe a mixture of excrements in there as well. “Are you sure someone died inside of this?”

You shook your head. “I don’t think someone actually died. But those, who were trapped in here, were on the verge of death before they got out.” You hesitantly took one more whiff and stepped back again. “I smell several hybrid breeds, though the scent is faint and I can’t pinpoint what kind they were nor how many.” Your throat suddenly closed up, the urge to throw up overwhelming you. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes as you fought against the tension inside of you.

Still, you had to run a few metres away from the truck so you could pull your arm away and greedily suck in fresh air through your mouth and nose. Your chest still constricted for several minutes, urging you to throw up but you pulled through.

With a large distance you walked back around the truck to the front, deciding to investigate the driver cabin. To your surprise it wasn’t locked and you easily pulled open the door. You smelled sweat, old fast food and something that made your skin crawl.

You climbed up the steps and looked over the seats, noticing a memo pad next to the driver’s seat. You leaned over, noticing his sweet honey scent even stronger now. Your thoughts raced inside your head, questioning why you smelled Eric’s scent inside this truck. Most importantly you were sure he wasn’t hurt but that would make only one other option the possible outcome - and you still didn’t want to believe he could be part of the smuggling.

You grabbed the memo pad and the pencil next to it, gently scribbling over the surface and revealing a message.

“Abandoned opera out of town, auction starts 11pm”

At the bottom of the note you even saw a date and your jaw clenched. Almost automatically you pulled out your phone and dialed the number of the commander.

You told him about the message and the bloodied back of the truck, but you kept secret about having smelled Eric. The commander promised to send an investigation team and that you should return the second they took over. In the meantime he would prepare for another emergency meeting.

You shortly updated your colleague about the situation, before you walked back to the car and sat down on the passenger seat again. You kept the door open and stared out into the distance, deep in thought.

To be honest with yourself, you liked Eric. When you spent time with him at the fast food restaurant, he definitely made an impression. He was funny, kind, a little bit silly but still incredibly charming. You would lie if you said you didn’t have fun spending time with him. You would also lie to yourself and anyone else, if you said you hadn’t thought of texting him at all since then.

Your fingertips twitched, the idea of simply messaging him now twirling around in your mind. You watched your hands move around as if they didn’t belong to your body, seeing how they turned on your phone and dialed the number you somehow had memorised already. Your thumb hovered above the call button and before you knew it, you had pressed it.

It only rang once before you heard his distant voice from the speaker. You ever so slowly raised your hand with the phone to your ear, hearing him call out again.

“Hello?”

“Eric?”

Silence. For a moment you heard nothing but his breathing and your own loud heartbeat. 

“I was wondering when you’d call me, Detective Lin.”

A small grin tugged at the corners of your lips upon hearing his cheeky statement. “So you missed being interrogated already?” Somehow flirting came naturally to you when you talked with him. You leaned against the seat and pulled your legs up to the edge of the car. “Why did you wait for my call though?”

Eric laughed and you could picture him shaking his head. “Didn’t your boss tell you I was the one calling because of the truck?”

Almost instantly you sat up straight again, barely missing bumping your head on the roof of the car. “What?”

His laugh stopped and his tone suddenly became serious. “I pass that parking lot every day on my way to work. I thought it was suspicious, that’s why I called.”

You stepped out of the car again, turning around your own axis. For some reason you felt being watched all of a sudden and you couldn’t shake that feeling off. “I haven’t said a word about the truck”, you whispered, unconsciously holding your breath right after.

“Isn’t that the reason you called?” Eric kept quiet for a few heartbeats. “That would have been the only logical connection in my book, unless-”

“Unless?” You exhaled shakily, somehow fearing what other conclusion he came up with.

“Unless you want a second date.”

You snorted in disbelief, shaking your head as you started to relax again. “That wasn’t a date back then.”

“So you’re asking me on a first date.”

“I’m not”, you laughed, hearing him snicker cheekily as well. 

“It was worth a try”, he told you after a while, almost sounding woefully. His tone quickly switched with his next question. “Anyway, why’d you call then?”

You weren’t able to dwell on the change as the investigation team arrived at the parking lot. “To be honest, you already answered the question I had. I gotta go back to work, talk to you soon.”

You cut the call and concentrated on your job again, making sure the team was aware of the things you had noticed before you and your colleague drove back to the headquarters.

The second the two of you stepped out of the elevators at headquarters you got ushered to the second emergency meeting that day.

The meeting dragged on for hours and you felt how your energy and motivation level sunk lower and lower. 

All of you knew what had to be done but for some reason some of your colleagues were opposed to the idea - including your commander. 

“Can we stop talking around the issue at hand?” You groaned and dragged one hand over your face before you straightened yourself again. “I will go undercover on the side of a hybrid and while I know it will be dangerous, I won’t be alone with some of you going undercover as buyers. And if push comes to shove, I trust you will save me.”

They shared a few glances with each other before your commander sighed in defeat. “Fine, but the second something doesn’t go according to plan you’ll get pulled out there.”

You bowed to him. “Understood.” 

He still didn’t seem convinced but instead of voicing his concerns he continued with the meeting, going over every minute detail for the new undercover mission.

A few days after the emergency meeting you walked through the town at night. The commander had pointed out an area with the highest abduction rate and you strolled around that place in hopes of getting caught.

While you had to pretend of being unaware of your surroundings, you couldn’t help but notice the eerie silence around the street. Most of the lanterns weren’t lit and the few that shared some light, casted distorted shadows along the ground and walls.

You nearly jumped when your phone suddenly rang. You looked at the caller ID, immediately recognising the number. For a moment longer you stared at your display before accepting the call and raising the phone to your ear. “Eric?”

“Get out of there! Now!”

You stopped, rooted to the ground. “What?” Your thoughts tumbled over each other and you struggled to form anything coherent. 

“I told you to get out of there immediately!”

Ever so slowly you turned around, looking behind you and to every dark corner of the street. “How do you know where I am?” A shiver ran down your spine.

“That’s beside the point! I need you to run now!” Eric frantically yelled into his phone.

His panic swept over to you and you felt your heartbeat increasing as adrenalin got pumped through your veins. Your body automatically prepared for whatever was coming, even before you knew what it was.

“Eric, I’m not leaving”, you tried your best to sound as nonchalant as possible. “I’m on a mission here.”

“For the love of everything that is dear to me”, he whispered exasperated, “this is not a joke, Detective Lin. You have to run! NOW!”

Right as his command ended, screeching tires stopped right next to you on the street. You barely managed to turn your head before you saw how the sliding door of a dark grey transporter opened and two bulky men jumped out. 

You stared at them with wide eyes, frozen to the spot. Old memories flashed before your eyes as they grabbed your upper arms. 

One of them snatched the phone out of your hand, grinning evilly as he slammed it to the ground, silencing Eric’s calls in the process, and stepping on it to destroy it completely.

They pulled you into the transporter like you were nothing but a ragdoll. You got thrown in the back, groaning from the pain and knowing your skin would bruise from that alone.

The men closed the doors behind them and told the driver to take off before they turned back to look at you.

“This looks like a feisty one”, the taller one said with the same evil grin on his lips.

“Whatever, we’re not testing”, the other cut in with a stern look in his eyes, “deal with this quickly.”

You barely even comprehend what he meant by that, before the taller one got closer and knocked you out with one punch to your jaw. 

You woke up with a splitting headache and a dull throbbing of your jaw. A quiet groan escaped your lips while your eyelids fluttered open. 

Even though there was only spare and dim lighting, you noticed the metal bars around you. Despite being awake now, you stayed in your position and assessed your surroundings.

You heard hectic bustling further down the hall, quiet sniffles, clattering teeth and shallow breaths closer to you. Ever so slowly you pushed yourself up, noticing you were barely able to sit properly in the small cage you were in. Carefully, you turned around, taking everything in, that you could make out in the dim light.

There were dozens of cages in various sizes lined up around you. Most of them were occupied with other hybrids - all of them in bad shape. The smaller ones looked severely beaten up while the bigger ones were heavily malnourished and all of them appeared to have broken spirits.

You scooted to the side of your cage, leaning against the cold metal bars. “Hey”, you whispered silently, catching the attention of a deer hybrid next to you. “Do you know where we are?”

They looked at you with utter horror, shaking their head violently and refusing to give you any sort of verbal answer.

“If I were you, kid, I wouldn’t talk so much.”

You turned and saw a feline hybrid sitting in the cage across from you. “Why?” You crawled closer to the male, curious about his intel. 

He scoffed mirthlessly before he came closer himself, emerging from the shadows and showing his scar littered body.

You gasped and stared at him with wide eyes. “Did they do this to you?”

“That’s what happens when you defy humans.” His voice was laced with regret and his dark, sad eyes finally met yours. “There’s only one last hope, most of us cling to that now.”

“The police saving you?” You asked, knowing your colleagues would be at the auction. Though you didn’t want to crush his hope, fully aware the police didn’t have enough money to bid on every hybrid and while they could raid the place, your commander decided they would only do so if the head of the organisation would show their face at the event. Even if they would raid the opera there was no guarantee they would catch everyone and free every hybrid.

The hybrid in front of you laughed dryly. “As if the police ever cared about us hybrids.” He spat on the ground, showing you clearly how much he hated them. “I’m talking about TBZ.” He leaned back again, hiding his face in the shadows once more. A soft chuckle escaped his lungs. “Though it will be quite hard for hybrids to join the auction as buyers.”

You tilted your head in confusion. “What do you mean? Who are TBZ?”

Before he could answer a loud metal clang made you jump in surprise and let all the other hybrids cower in fear. “Shut your mouth, dirty scum”, a human with an electric stick shouted, glaring at you and the tiger hybrid.

He crouched down and turned to the tiger, tapping the metal cage with the stick. “I would have thought you had learned your lesson, Mr. New. Guess, I was wrong.” He pressed the button on his electric stick, letting little white lights spark the metal of the cage and jolting the tiger hybrid.

“Stop it!” You called out, reaching your hand through the metal bars in a fruitless attempt to stop the human. “I said, STOP IT!”

This time the human looked over his shoulder, still pressing the button and electrocuting the tiger. He raised an eyebrow as his eyes wandered over your form. “Who do we have here”, he mused with a sick grin on his face, finally turning around completely and letting off of the hybrid. “Did our royalty finally decide to wake up from their deep slumber?”

You gritted your teeth but did everything to keep your face neutral and emotionless.

He laughed out loud, his eyes crazed as he waddled over to you in his crouched position. “You are a feisty one! So Tango and Whiskey were right! Oh, it will be such a joy to break you like all the others.” Without even blinking he tapped the electric stick against your cage and pressed the button.

The pain immediately surged through your body, your muscles tensing uncontrollably from it. Yet, you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of making a sound.

When he turned off the stick, you slumped down to the ground, unable to move. “I know it’s just a short time between us two but it will mean so much more”, he giggled and turned the stick on again. He watched you flap on the ground like a fish out of water, waiting with bated breath for you to make a sound. “Oh, darling, I will make you scream sooner rather than later.”

“Delta! Stop torturing the beasts and help us prepare the fucking auction!”

The man with the codename Delta turned off the electric stick with a loud whine - as if his parents just told him to do laundry instead of playing his video game. Still, he turned to you one more time, pressing his face between two metal bars. “We’re seeing each other again in no time, darling.”

“DELTA! Don’t make me come back there!”

Delta stood up with an annoyed growl. “I’m fucking coming already, Charlie. Get off my dick, man.” With that he left and moved back to the front of the hall.

“Are you alright, kid?” The tiger hybrid whispered in the lowest voice he could muster. 

“I had worse”, you simply told him, turning your head and giving him a half assed smile. While your statement technically wasn’t a lie, this was a first and you already knew should you experience being electrocuted again you’d rather wish to die.

“That was quite brave of you, kid. And incredibly stupid.”

“Weird form of saying ‘thank you’, Mr. New.” 

“Call me Chan-hee”, he told you, hesitating momentarily, “and thank you.”

You introduced yourself as well, still lying on the ground. You used the moment of peace to mull over the intel you got from this short and painful interaction. 

Those jerks used the NATO phonetic alphabet for their code names and with Delta following the orders of a man called Charlie, you assumed each name had a specific rank to them as well. Therefore the guys kidnapping you must have been quite low in rank, while Charlie and Delta should be in the third and fourth position of the ranking. That would mean there were only three more above them in rank and the one at the top must be called Alpha.

You startled awake again from the loud sound of metal scratching over concrete. With a groan you pushed yourself up, groggily realising you must have passed out while lying on the floor.

“Wakey, wakey you bastards! It’s time to shine! The auction begins in a few hours!” Delta stopped next to your cage again. “Look, who is awake again”, he lowered his voice to speak with you, grinning like a maniac, “I’ll take especially good care of you, darling.”

You wanted to hurl right this instant but you kept your face passive and forced your body to stay neutral. Whatever that meant, you would endure it. For the sake of the mission, for the sake of the other hybrids, for the sake of your sanity.

The cages got moved to the front of the hall, people pulled the hybrids out of their confinements and dragged them away. Others returned with them, chaining them up along the walls. You noticed how they had a change of clothes and seemed to have bathed in some way.

You silently watched how dozens of hybrids were dragged away and brought back. Meanwhile you stayed in your cage until the very end. Even when the deer hybrid behind you and Chan-hee next to you got dragged away, you got left behind.

Until Delta came up to your cage again. “It’s your time to shine, darling.” He threw a collar into the cage and ordered you to put it on, tapping his electric stick against the bars when you weren’t fast enough. He then grabbed the leash that was attached to the collar, opened the cage and harshly pulled you out. 

You stumbled forward, falling on your knees and hands. The yanking on the leash tightened the collar around your throat, making it hard to breathe.

Delta laughed again. “You wanna go on all four? Like the animal you are? Sure, be my guest!” 

“Pangolins are bipedal”, you grunted and pushed yourself up on your feet. 

“And I couldn’t care less”, he told you, his face only inches from yours, before he moved back and kicked you in your stomach, making you fall to the ground again. “So now, crawl.”

You ignored the humiliation and silently followed him out of the hall. Your knees hurt from the bare concrete floor and you knew, you scraped them already.

Not soon enough you reached something that looked like the showers of a football stadium. Grimy tiles and six shower heads on each side of the room.

“Undress.”

You looked at the man, waiting for him to turn around or at least leave the room. Though the second he pulled on the leash and made you come closer to his face again, telling you the same command through gritted teeth, you knew you had to strip in front of him.

With glares that could kill, you started undressing yourself. You let your clothes drop to the ground where you stood, not even trying to cover your nakedness. You were too damn proud to give in to his humiliation tactics. 

His eyes roamed over your body, a sneer marking his face. He looked at your scale like plates covering your sides, shoulders, upper arms and hips. “You’re an abomination of nature”, he stated after a while. “Disgusting.” Delta then motioned you to go to one of the shower heads, telling you to get clean.

You froze in place, the gasp stuck in your throat when the ice cold water descended on your body. You waited a moment longer, hoping the water would turn warm against all odds. With trembling hands you started scrubbing your body.

Once you were done, you stepped away from the water and back to Delta. You tried to keep your body from shivering with the cold wetness clinging to your skin and hair, staring at the man and waiting for a command.

He threw a moldy smelling towel at you and told you to dry yourself, calling for someone with fresh clothes. Delta watched you intently as you got dressed again, grinning at the outfit he picked for you.

On one hand you were quite surprised how nice the clothes were to the touch. On the other hand you knew better looking merchandise got a higher price. Additionally his choice barely covered the intimate parts of your body, showing the hybrid traits that you owned.

You noticed everyone got clothes that highlighted their traits when Delta brought you back to the others, chaining you up at the very front of the line. “Remember to look pleasantly to the eye when on stage”, he told you with a smirk, zapping you one last time before he got called somewhere else.

Soon enough someone else unchained you again and dragged you towards a heavy curtain. He pushed you into a cage again, this one appearing to be made out of silver with an intricate design. Once the door of the cage got shut, some sort of mechanism pulled you upwards. 

You grabbed the bars to your sides, trying to stabilise yourself from the sudden swaying.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to welcome you to a night of wonders and exclusiveness.”

Your attention got pulled to the voice beyond the curtain.

“I’ll guarantee for a show that you’ll remember. The first few options for you to buy are already among us.” The voice laughed and seemingly walked around the stage. “All of our cute little waiters and waitresses can be bought tonight. You’ll recognise them from their maid outfits.”

You made a grimace from just imagining the sick and twisted mind behind that sort of display.

“Obviously that is not all! Tonight we offer you 37 hybrids, ranging from prey to predator, from common to extremely rare. While we won’t bid on this one until the very end, let me introduce you to the highlight of our night!”

With that the curtain opened and the cage moved forward into the bright light. 

You squinted your eyes, slightly turning your head to the side from the brightness alone. You heard the audience murmur and whisper, until the auctioneer told them what breed you were, additionally with your age, weight, height and other measurements. You stared at him in bewilderment, a shiver running down your back at the thought someone must have taken all these while you were unconscious.

The cage lowered slowly and the lights didn’t blind you anymore. Your eyes trailed over the audience. The bright lights on the stage compared to the dim light in the audience made it hard for you to see any details. 

Still, you were able to make out that every person wore a mask that covered at least half of their face. Women fanned themselves with feathered fans, men smoked cigars and all of them chattered joyfully like this was just another charity event.

“Now, let us begin with our first hybrid”, the auctioneer called out, waving his hand for the henchmen bringing the hybrids in.

Again the auctioneer told the audience what they saw in front of them and finished his introduction with the lowest price accepted.

Buyers rapidly raised their number cards, the price jumping higher and higher in steps of one thousand. 

“Sold to the man with the number 24!”

You saw how one of the henchmen hurried over to a man with a silver mask sitting at a table far to the left. They had a short interaction, you assumed a check got signed, before the sold hybrid got dragged towards the man.

Your attention got pulled back to the stage with the next auction. With each new hybrid the starting price got higher and higher. When it was finally Chan-hee’s turn you noticed a change in his behaviour. 

He almost appeared indifferent, confident even on stage. His eyes flitted to the number cards in the air and the corner of his mouth always twitched upwards when certain numbers were called out.

Confused, you turned your attention to the audience again. To your surprise you suddenly realised how the bought hybrids weren’t in the audience anymore, while their buyers still sat at their tables. 

The number 30 with a yellow mask had bought the scared deer hybrid, number 19 with a purple mask bought a dog hybrid, number 2 in white currently grinned mischievously as he battled for the buy with number 82 with a red mask. 

Your eyes flitted around the room. You could have facepalmed yourself upon realising all those numbers had the same kind of mask just in varying colours. You saw someone in a sky blue mask with the number 67, number 16 with a golden mask, also a black mask with the number 39, number 9 in orange and number 11 in blue.

The last one you saw was a man with a pink mask, holding the 22 as their number card. To your surprise he already stared at you, not even interested in the auction of the other hybrids. 

You tilted your head, feeling some sort of pull towards him, as if you should be knowing him.

“The tiger goes to number 82!” The auctioneer cheered, catching your attention again.

You looked at Chan-hee, who barely contained the grin on his face as he got pulled to his new owner. As the next auction began, you decided to focus on Chan-hee and the buyer instead. You narrowed your eyes, seeing how he patted Chan-hee’s shoulder almost like an older brother, hugging him shortly. You also noticed how relaxed Chan-hee appeared and it slowly dawned on you.

“TBZ”, you mumbled, eyes immediately jumping back to the man with the pink mask. Your heartbeat quickened as you realised that all hybrids had been bought by these people so far and you slowly started to wonder who they were.

“It’s finally time for the highlight of the night”, the auctioneer announced and your cage moved again towards the middle of the stage. He repeated your details once more, remembering everyone how rare and valuable you actually were.

The man with the pink mask pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning against the whole time, moving to the front. Others followed him, wanting a good look at you. 

You barely acknowledged the presence of the others, completely transfixed on him. He tapped his chin with his number card as if he was thinking about something but the simple movement let his sweet honey scent waft over to you. 

A knowing smirk pulled at the corner of his lips when your eyes widened in realisation.

Your mind reeled, questions tumbled over one another as you stared at Eric. Why was he here? Was he part of that group Chan-hee mentioned? Who were they? Were all of them hybrids? Why would they bid on other hybrids? What was their goal? Were they the reason for all the hybrid abductions or are they a whole different group to deal with? What if they were part of this smuggling ring and this whole auction was just a farce. What if this was a setup for the police?

Your attention drifted from Eric as your eyes searched the large crowd. The commander had ordered several masks and showed them to you, so you would recognise your colleagues even in the crowd.

You noticed some of them, seeing how they chatted with other buyers and barely paid you any attention. 

For a second you were relieved to see your colleagues but something didn’t sit right with you. A bad feeling gnawed at your insides, a thought you couldn’t fathom just yet emerging from the back of your mind.

“50.000!” 

Your attention got pulled back to Eric, who just yelled an incredibly large sum and raised his number card. You blinked several times, wondering for a split second if he actually got that much.

“60.000!”

You tensed, hearing the voice of Delta ring through the audience. You glanced at the auctioneer, who only raised an eyebrow questioningly but shrugged it off quickly to entertain the crowd. 

You looked at your colleagues, confused why they weren’t bidding for you. Sure, 60.000 was quite a lot but there were undercover missions that were way more expensive.

“70.000!”

Eric yelled again, his jaw tense as he glared towards Delta. 

“80.000.”

You looked at the man, seeing a lazy grin on his lips. He wasn’t concerned in the least, as if he was certain he’d win this battle.

“One million!”

Once again you checked for your colleagues and your mind raced all over again. Why wouldn’t they be bidding for you? Was there an order they followed that you hadn’t received yet? You tried to reason, mulling over every possibility there was. You glanced towards Delta. What if the commander hoped Delta would bring you to the head of this organisation?

In that case Eric would ruin the plan if he won the auction. You looked at Eric with worry in your eyes, seeing how determined he was to buy you.

“Five million”, Delta said, rolling his shoulders and twisting his neck. “I can do this the whole night, boy. Give up now before you seem too desperate.”

“Ten million.” He hissed through gritted teeth. Fear pooled in Eric’s eyes, seeing how Delta didn’t even flinch at that offer. He turned to look at you and you saw how he desperately tried to come up with something.

“I’ll be fine”, you mouthed at him, trusting the police had a superior plan in mind.

“Fifty million.” Delta waited a second before he called out again. “Wait, let me double that offer, one hundred million.” He leaned forward, silently challenging Eric to make a better offer.

Eric visibly deflated, shaking his head in defeat. 

The voice of the auctioneer rang in your ears like a gunshot, telling the crowd Delta won and bought you for one hundred million. 

You wished you could have talked to Eric for a moment but your cage got pulled behind the stage again. The curtain closed before your eyes, drowning you in darkness again. 

When they opened for a split second and light pooled over your cage, your heart jumped with hope Eric had decided to barge through. Though your hope immediately got crushed when you realised it was Delta, who walked towards you now.

He threw that same collar at you and waited for you to put it on. “Did you hope that loser in pink would buy you?” He sneered as he pulled you out of the cage. “That guy never stood a chance. I told you we would see more of each other. After all, I still have to break you, darling. And until then you’re my little play toy.”

You silently followed him for the sake of the mission, even when everything inside of you screamed at you to run away.

The second you stepped into his car everything became a blur of pain and suffering. Every waking moment you had was filled with Delta ‘playing’ with you.

His interpretation of playing was torture. Some days he chained you against a wall, others he hung you head down for hours. One time he wrapped a plastic bag over your head and gave you a tube to breathe through, before he buried you naked in his garden - cutting off the air supply whenever it pleased him.

The first few days you still had hope nestling inside of you - hope, he would lead you to alpha; hope, the commander or a group of detectives would raid this place and save you. But with each passing hour where nothing happened that hope dwindled like the flame of a candle becoming smaller and smaller as it neared its end.

Delta tried to hurt you as much as possible without killing you, wishing for you to finally scream in agony. He got increasingly frustrated with your lack of reactions, not knowing you had lived through torture once.

He scoffed and shoved your naked body away, watching you stumble backwards until you fell down. Delta stared at you silently before he stood up and flipped the cigarette he had used to burn you into the tiled room and moved to the door. “Alpha told me you were a tough one”, he told you casually, “but I already know how to break you.”

You didn’t even manage to lift your head, simply watching him with your eyes as he walked further away.

“You scream the loudest when I hurt someone else.”

Your heart dropped into your stomach and your eyes widened in panic.

“THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO SEE”, Delta cheered loudly, clapping his hands as he saw the mortified expression on your face. He grabbed his phone and called someone. “Foxtrot, bring the mouse hybrid.”

“No”, you exhaled in a weak attempt to stop him but it was too late already.

Minutes later the door opened again and a woman brought a tiny girl into the room, shoving her inside before she left again without saying a word. 

The mouse hybrid trembled like a leaf in the wind, nervously looking around until her eyes landed on Delta and your bruised form on the ground. 

In an instant Delta shot up and crossed the room with a few steps. He grabbed the mouse hybrid by the throat and lifted her into the air. “The only way you’ll survive is when that abomination over there complies.”

“Let her go”, you croaked out. You tried pushing yourself up but your arms buckled underneath your weight and you dropped back to the ground.

“What was that?” Delta mocked you, knowing full well you wouldn’t be able to speak louder than that since he barely gave you enough liquid to survive.

“Please”, you whispered, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes as you watched the mouse hybrid struggle in his hold, clawing at his grip and silently begging for air. “Please, I’ll do anything. Just let her go.”

Delta huffed in annoyance. “I already took everything you had to offer. Everything except your agonised screams. You know what I want.”

“Please beat me, please. I promise I will scream.” By now you started sobbing. You weakly pulled yourself across the tiled floor, trying to get closer to Delta. When you reached him the mouse hybrid already stopped moving in his hold. You clawed at his pants, begging him to release the girl before it was too late.

With another huff he let go and the mouse hybrid dropped to the floor. She turned to her side and started coughing violently.

Again you tried pushing yourself up, succeeding this time. You gently rubbed the back of the girl, pulling her into a reassuring embrace when she calmed down enough. You cupped her cheeks, whispering to her that you would do everything to protect her.

She smiled at you weakly, nodding and blinking away her tears while you pushed strands of her grey hair out of her face.

Suddenly Delta cupped your hands and snapped her neck. “Her death is on you.”

You saw the light die in her eyes right before she lifelessly dropped to the ground. 

You screamed. 

You cried.

You tried pulling her back into your arms with trembling fingers, screaming even more when she didn’t move or react to anything you did.

Delta just stood in front of you, his expression showing you he just experienced complete and pure bliss. 

“You monster”, you screamed at him, rocking the dead body like a mother would with her child. You sobbed as you caressed her face, silently asking her to forgive you.

You barely acknowledged Delta’s presence and became quieter and quieter. You gave him what he wanted and for nothing, you weren’t able to save that girl.

Delta stepped closer and ripped her body out of your hold, before he kicked you in the stomach - propelling you backwards until you slammed against the wall behind you. 

You couldn’t even recover from the blow. Delta immediately got to you and chained you to the wall. “Don’t even think we’re done here.” With that he stepped back and towards the corpse of the mouse hybrid.

You stared at him with horror, already shaking your head because you didn’t want to believe it. “No”, you breathed out, “you wouldn’t.” You didn’t even hear your own cries and screams as you watched him defile the corpse. You pulled at your restraints, ignoring how the shackles cut into your wrists and drew blood already. 

“You bastard! Monster! Let go of her! I will kill you!”

As your last curse escaped your lips the door got kicked in and several men in colourful masks filed into the room. 

The one with the red mask knocked out Delta and watched him drop to the ground. Another with a golden mask checked the pulse of the mouse hybrid and sadly shook his head. 

Only after the pink mask came into the room and rushed straight towards you, did you recognise it was the same group from the auction. 

Eric unchained you and immediately caught your body as you simply slumped down. “Shit”, he cursed and quickly pulled you against his chest. He grabbed his jacket and wrapped it around you. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”

You inhaled deeply, your eyes fluttering shut as his sweet honey scent engulfed you. “It wasn’t your fault”, you whispered weakly. 

“Let us get out of here.”

You nodded and got on your feet with his help, slowly walking through the room. You stopped when you reached the mouse hybrid and Delta’s unconscious body. You gently tucked on Eric’s shirt. “We need to take them with us.”

The men looked at each other, sharing a silent conversation that you didn’t understand. Only after the one with the red mask sighed and motioned for his comrades to grab these two, did they gather around them.

“Be careful with her”, you asked them before you turned your eyes to Delta. “And just make sure he survives.”

They grinned, some even snickered at your statement. 

You watched how they gently picked up the girl and carried her outside, while two of them each grabbed an arm of Delta and pulled him along, uncaring how he bumped against steps and corners.

You turned to look at Eric. The energy keeping you up slowly died down and you noticed how the edges of your vision darkened. You wanted to warn Eric but all you could manage was a softly whispered ‘sorry’ before you passed out.

When you woke up again you found yourself in a soft bed. You didn’t know how much time passed while you were unconscious but it definitely wasn’t enough since the dull throbbing of pain radiated from each corner of your body.

“You shouldn’t move too much just yet”, the voice of Eric interrupted your thoughts. He walked into the room with a small tray in one of his hands, closing the door quietly behind him. “I’m glad to see you’re awake again.”

“Are you sure? This feels like a dream, seeing you serving me.”

Eric snickered and shook his head. “Good to see nothing has changed either.”

You made a grimace at the thought of what had happened. “On the contrary. Everything has changed”, you mumbled and sat up on the bed, leaning against the headrest. “How long was I out?” You looked around, trying to find a clue of what time or date it was.

Though the room was barely decorated and definitely didn’t have a clock hanging around. Additionally with the drawn curtains you only assumed it was daytime, not knowing for certain.

“A few days”, Eric told you and sat the tray with food on your lap before he sat down on the edge of the bed. “You sustained a lot of wounds, most of them only healed superficially.”

You hummed and nodded in agreement, sensing the throbbing within your body. 

“Q said to give you a few more days and then the pain should be gone.” Eric looked at you, his eyes holding a sadness and pain you couldn’t fathom. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect you.”

This time you shook your head, leaning forward despite the pain increasing, and patted his hand softly. “It wasn’t your fault. I had a mission to fulfil.”

Eric winced at your words. “No mission should require for you to live through torture”, he growled and pulled away from you, standing up and marching from one side of the room to the other and back again. “You could have died in the hand of that monster.”

You bit on your lower lip, secretly knowing he was right but you still didn’t want to admit it to yourself. You grabbed the tray and placed it next to you, slowly getting up and walking over to Eric.

He stopped his pacing, his hand shooting forward to stabilise you and hold you. His eyes roamed over your face, while a storm of emotions and questions plagued his features. “How can you be so calm about this?”

You shrugged with your shoulders. “Not my first rodeo.”

Eric closed his eyes, his face twisting in pain. He gently pulled you even closer to him, engulfing you in a tight hug. 

For a moment you didn’t know what to do, but his sweet scent wrapped around you like a warm blanket and you melted into his touch. You hugged him back, having your arms wrapped around his hips and leaning your face against his collarbone.

At that moment the door opened and you saw Chan-hee walk into the room with another guy. “Oh, did the badger finally find his honey?” He teased, snickering with Chan-hee at his joke.

“My honey?” Eric questioned with knitted eyebrows. He looked from his friends to you and back again, before the realisation dawned on him and he desperately tried to hide his blushing.

You stepped away from Eric, surprised to see Chan-hee again.

“Good to see you again, kid.”

You huffed but smiled nonetheless. “What are you even doing here?” You walked over to him and hugged him shortly, thankful he seemed alright.

“Like I told you. TBZ.”

“Technically you only said their name and nothing else”, you countered with a roll of your eyes. “So would anyone be kind enough to enlighten me? The police force has no record about a group called TBZ.”

“I’m not surprised you didn’t get the records about us, Detective Lin”, Eric half teased and half grunted. “As a hybrid you would have been a danger for their mission to eradicate us.”

You frowned at him and then looked at the other two men, hoping to receive an answer to all your questions.

Eric gently grabbed your elbow and guided you back to the bed, motioning for you to sit down and eat while they would explain all they could to you.

“TBZ is a group of hybrids, fighting for the safety of other hybrids. We started this when we noticed the officials and the police barely did anything against the discrimination we received”, Eric told you with a solemn expression.

“We try to stay under the radar of the police but they have connections everywhere”, the man, whose name you didn’t get explained.

“Even in the smuggling ring.”

You turned to Chan-hee, looking at him for a moment as if you wanted to argue with him but scenes of the auction resurfaced in your mind and you decided to keep silent for now.

“We fight to get all hybrids from the smuggling ring before they leave town and transport them to safety. There are hybrid communities all across the globe and more and more hybrids and sometimes even humans joined our cause. Still, there are too many we cannot save.”

All of you looked down at the blanket, possibly remembering the faces of all the victims you had lost.

“Right now our biggest enemy and issue are the police.”

“But why?” You frowned, shaking your head softly. “We have a special unit that’s solely tasked to track down the smuggling ring and prevent more hybrid abductions.”

“And yet there was an increase in abductions”, Eric growled, looking away from you.

“Up until Eric showed up, how successful were you with your unit?” Chan-hee asked you with a raised eyebrow. 

You blinked several times, recalling all the months you had been on that task force. Either the leads were flukes or your unit arrived too late at the scene. You grimaced at the realisation. “Not really good.”

The silence following your words was almost deafening. You knew their trust towards the police or the government couldn’t be restored like that anymore. Not until the last rotten egg was discovered and dealt with.

After you ate the food Eric had brought you, the men left the room again, telling you to rest some more.

You hadn’t even noticed how exhausted you were from this minimal interaction, though you knew most of your energy was used to heal your wounds. 

Even with your hybrid genes it took a few more days before you were able to move around without feeling any sort of pain. Once Eric gave his okay as well, not wanting to put any sort of strain on you, you were allowed to do smaller tasks around the house again.

Though you didn’t really care about the opportunity to work out again. You wanted to do something else entirely.

So when you sat down with all the men, you immediately blurted out your request: “I want to interrogate Delta.”

All of them stared at you like you grew a second head. Before you could even explain yourself they started discussing the topic with each other, saying pros and cons as if you weren’t sitting right next to them.

“Not on your own. One of us has to be with you. For safety reasons.”

You turned to look at Eric, silently asking him if he would accompany you. While you got to know all the other men, you still felt the most comfortable with him.

“I’ll bring you there tomorrow morning”, he promised, ending the discussion at that point.

Though when he accompanied you to your room, Eric was far from convinced. “Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked and closed the door of the room behind the both of you.

“He knows who the head of the smuggling ring is. I need to find that person.” ‘And make them pay.’ The last part you only thought, unsure whether Eric or the others condoned revenge.

“Then let me do the interrogation. You don’t need to see that scumbag ever again.” Eric walked over to you, pulling you into his embrace from behind. He leaned his chin on your shoulder, gently nosing along your neck and jawline.

You slightly turned to look at his face with straight lips. “Don’t tell me you haven’t tried before.”

Eric chuckled softly and hugged you even tighter. “Fine, we did try and he wouldn’t talk at all.”

Now you turned completely and wrapped your arms around his neck, giving him a soft peck on the cheek. “I know how to break him, please don’t worry about me.”

“You know I can’t help but worry about you, honey.” Eric gently pushed you towards the bed, grinning when both of you fell on the mattress. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

You hummed softly, stroking his hair while he laid on top of you with his head resting on your chest. “What if I have to hurt that man to get the information I want?”

Eric contemplated your question for a moment, before he shrugged with his shoulders. “He had it coming then.”

“And you won’t think differently of me? No matter what I’ll do tomorrow?”

This time Eric pushed himself up to look at you, tilting his head with a frown on his face. “While I think I know what you’re capable of, I feel like I shouldn’t ask what you’re planning to do tomorrow.”

You turned your head away, not wanting to meet his eyes. “I’m not really planning anything”, you mumbled with a small pout on your lips, “it’s just that I learned a lot of ways to extract information the hard way.”

Eric gently grabbed your chin and made you look at him again. His eyes were so soft and you could have sworn his gaze alone turned you into a puddle. “No matter what you’ll be doing tomorrow, I’ll have your back. I’ll still call you honey and still hold you in my arms at night.”

You mouthed your thanks and leaned upwards, pecking his lips before dropping back on the mattress.

“That’s all I get?” Eric asked in mock offense, falling back on top of you. He grinned brightly when you started to laugh and tried pushing him off of you. Playing along, he grabbed your side and turned both of you around, so you straddled him now. 

You raised an eyebrow teasingly, trying hard not to grin. Before you failed, you quickly leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss.

Soon enough one kiss turned into several and the kissing turned into making out. His hands roamed over your sides and yours over his chest. Both of you tucked at the clothes, pulling them off between kissing and throwing them somewhere into the room.

You spent the whole night together, connecting with one another even more intimately.

You had needed a night like that, needed Eric as your life buoy preventing you from drowning in the darkness that surely spread inside of you. 

When the next morning came, you momentarily wished to turn back the time not wanting to leave his arms just yet. Not wanting to become the monster for the sake of getting the information you needed.

Yet, you still got up and Eric silently followed you, sensing your inner turmoil but giving you the space to deal with it the way you wanted to.

He drove you to an abandoned house a few miles outside of the town. Eric guided you inside and into the basement, where Delta sat on the ground - chained to the wall he leaned against.

“What a surprise to see you, darling.”

Eric growled at him, already getting into a stance to attack him. 

You on the other hand kept your expression passive. With a simple hand gesture you calmed Eric down as well. “I need a chair and a desk”, you quietly told him, waiting for him to nod and search for the furniture.

For a few moments you had Delta for yourself, staring at him with a cold distance in your eyes. “You know there are two reasons for someone to use torture”, you told him, your voice void of any emotion, “one is to extract information and the other is simply for joy.”

“Why are you telling me this?” He spat, getting restless and tugging at the chains that held him.

“I mainly want one information from you. But believe me when I tell you I will torture you for my own twisted entertainment and nothing more.”

“You think I’d give you any information without torture?”

You didn’t answer him, hearing how Eric came back with a round wooden table and a folding chair on top of it. He placed the things in the middle of the room and looked at you expectantly.

“Could you put him on the seat while I get a few things?”

This time you didn’t even wait for Eric to answer you, walking out of the basement room and to the old kitchen. You heard how Delta fought and screamed but with his weakened state he had no chance against a hybrid - and definitely not against a honey badger hybrid. Though you paid them no mind, collecting what you deemed helpful in your cause: a few rusty knives, a lighter and matches, old cigarettes, a candle, some towels and a jug of water.

When you got back to the basement, Delta begrudgingly sat on the folding chair. His chained hands rested on the table in front of him, while another chain was wrapped around his torso, ankles and chair.

You placed the items on the surface of the desk in a calm manner, not saying a word as you did.

Eric stepped back to one wall, giving you the room you needed.

After everything was placed down, you sat on the edge of the table and grabbed one of the knives. You twirled it between your fingers a few times and then grabbed one of Delta’s hands. 

“You know, my species is hunted for their plates. Yet they are nothing more than hardened hair. Just like fingernails.” You looked up, passively staring at Delta’s confused expression. “Do you know how they extract those plates?”

When he shook his head no, you slammed the knife right underneath the fingernail of his pinky, twisting it and therefore dislocating the nail until it dropped to the ground.

Delta screamed in pain, trying to pull his hand away from you but your grip with your own claws prevented him from even moving a bit. 

You repeated the action on two more fingers, watching him writhe in pain with an almost bored expression. 

“I can’t believe it was that easy to make you scream”, you taunted him as you let go of his hand.

“I wasn’t that brutal towards you”, Delta exclaimed in anger. 

“No”, you shook your head, “you were worse.” You grabbed the lighter and the cigarettes, lighting one and pressing it down on random spots of his body - no matter whether it was covered with clothes or not. 

After the sixth mark, Delta cried out: “What do you even want to know? You haven’t even told me what information you need from me!”

You hopped onto the table and crossed one leg over the other, tilting your head as you watched the mess in front of you. You still held the cigarette between two fingers, silently contemplating to just continue and ignore his outburst. Yet, you flipped the cigarette away and placed both hands on the table, leaning back on them a little. “And I told you, I’ll only torture you for my own twisted entertainment.”

You grabbed the matches and lit one of them, staring at the dancing flame in front of you. “Did you know that burning human flesh technically smells like any other burnt flesh? The only reason humans find it repulsive is the fact they know it is human flesh.” With that you moved your hand with the burning match to the hem of his shirt.

Delta tried leaning away from you again, but it was too late and the fabric already caught on fire. 

You dropped the match to the concrete floor and calmly grabbed a towel to drench it with water, while more and more of Delta’s shirt started burning. 

He screamed in agony, pleading with you to put out the fire.

You placed the towel over the flames before they reached his shoulder, making him cry out in pain yet again from the rapid change between heat and cold. 

When he had calmed down again, you lit another match. You barely contained the wicked smile on your lips as you watched the dancing flame and the writhing body of Delta. 

This time though you didn’t set him on fire but simply lit the candle on the table. Again, you threw the match to the floor, gently pushing the candle towards Delta. 

“Tell me, who is the person behind the title Alpha.”

Delta trembled on his seat, tears streaming down his face. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him.”

You hummed, staring at the flame of the candle, seeing how more and more wax turned into liquid. “I don’t believe you.”

“NO!” Delta tried freeing himself again. “I’m telling the truth. I’ve never seen him!”

“Yet you said to me Alpha told you I was a feisty one. How can you not know someone when you spoke with them?” You jumped from the table, grabbed the candle with one hand and the hair on his neck with the other, pulling his head back so he was forced to stare at the ceiling.

“It was a phone call. All our interactions were only via phone calls!” 

You looked up at Eric, seeing his face seemingly sculpted out of stone. “Do you have his phone?” While you asked him you tilted your hand with the candle, letting the molten wax drop into Delta’s right eye. You ignored his struggling and cries of pain, waiting for Eric’s answer calmly.

Eric nodded and walked to a shelf on the other side of the room, pulling a phone from it. “We turned it off before we brought him here so we couldn’t get tracked.”

You thanked him softly and turned your attention back to Delta. “Is Alpha’s contact saved on your phone?”

“Yes, yes, yes, it is. Please, please let me go. Please show mercy.” 

You let go of Delta and placed the candle back on the table, instead you grabbed a larger knife. “No.” With that you turned around and slammed it into his throat.

Delta’s eyes widened as he made gurgling sounds and blood started pouring out of the wound and his mouth.

“He hasn’t told you who the head of the organisation is”, Eric stated, a hint of confusion in his voice. 

You looked at him, tears brimming at the corners of your eyes as your lips formed a pathetic version of a smile. “I never needed him to tell me.”

Eric immediately crossed the distance between you two and pulled you into his arms, shushing you and rubbing your back in an attempt to calm you.

You let him hold you until you heard Delta’s last heartbeat. Then you stepped away from Eric and grabbed the phone he had placed on the table. You turned it back on and unlocked it with Delta’s still warm fingerprint. Within seconds you found the contact name Alpha.

With one last shared look with Eric, you pressed the call button and put it on speaker. It rang a few times, before someone picked up.

“Yes?”

“Commander, I secured one of the men belonging to the smuggling ring.”

“Detective Lin? You made it out alive! I’m so glad! Where are you? I will come and get you.”

You motioned for Eric to write down the address, telling the location to the commander, who promised to be there as soon as possible and asked you to stay put.

When the call got cut, you dropped the phone to the ground. You looked at Eric, stepping towards him and cupping his cheek with one hand. You leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “This is going to be ugly. More than what you’ve already seen.”

He leaned his forehead against your, cupping your face with his hands. “I’ll be by your side the whole time.”

You exhaled shakily, a soft smile playing over your lips. “Let us cut off the electricity. The only source of light should be that candle.”

Eric nodded and was about to go, when he stopped and kissed you more passionately this time. “You’re saving a lot of hybrids this way.”

“I know.”

You watched him leave and retreated to a corner of the basement, hiding in the shadow. Eric would join you soon, so you could wait for the commander to arrive.

“I’m ready to become the monster”, you whispered and closed your eyes, knowing there was no going back from the path you had chosen the second you had called the Alpha.

© all rights reserved

Taglist: @xavi-in-kpopland​ 

[blackmoonlightexpress]

Easter Eggs from Till the End of the Moon🎁(Part 1)

Now that everyone's had a chance to watch and rewatch, here's a list of easter eggs or hidden details from the show that I jotted down. A lot of spoilers below, obviously.

Throwaway lines that foreshadowed the end:

(1) At the end of ep 1, Susu asks her servant what is Tantai Jin (TTJ)'s Achilles Heel, and Chuntao responds it is Ye Xiwu (YXW). We all think this is funny because YXW is a bullying wife, but this is actually foreshadowing for the ending (Susu is TTJ's Achilles Heel after all)

(2) Pang Yizhi seems like a joke but is actually right on critical things:

When he first meets TTJ, he predicts that TTJ would be rich and powerful, which Susu thought was indication that Xiaoyou Sect’s standards have declined. Pang is actually correct as TTJ did end up reuniting the Jing and Sheng kingdoms.

In episode 6, he predicts the person who will unite the kingdoms and bring lasting peace is in his presence (Xiao Lin & Ye Qingyu). Everyone assumes he is referring to Xiao Lin, who is in line to be king, but in fact it is Ye Qingyu who takes over from TTJ in ruling for 500 years

In episode 8, he predicts that YXW would come into contact with water and the danger would be resolved. This ends up being true as YXW survives jumping ship. He then says YXW might even become queen of the Jing kingdom, which did end up happening.

(3) In episode 7, Ye Xiwu's dad was so excited that Ye Qingyu stayed overnight at a lady's place that he says he would accept this daughter-in-law even if she were a "widow or even a demon". Pianran is in fact a fox demon who's had a previous lover.

(4) In episode 19, when Pianran gives YXW the suggestion that she should cook for TTJ, she joking wishes that TTJ would be poisoned by YXW. He was indeed poisoned by YXW later.

(5) The entire sequence in the festival where YXW is chosen to play the goddess and TTJ is chosen to play the demon god is foreshadowing for what happens in the end. The demon god willingly allows the goddess to kill him. In fact, there's a fan theory that the "ancient tale" is left by the prophets as instructions for what must happen in the end.

Connections between the Dream Arc and the rest of the Story:

(6) Time God Jize says to Sangjiu that they have a special connection, a connection that "you [TTJ] know, she [LSS] knows, but Sangjiu and Mingye do not know", hinting he is aware that she is Susu is playing Sangjiu and that she would experience the dream of wisdom (Bo're Dream).

(7) Chuhuang also says she feels a strange sense of familiarity with Sangjiu. Susu is actually her daughter. She doesn't know because, unlike Jize, she doesn't have prophetic powers.

(8) You can think of the ancient gods continuing to fight a proxy war 10,000 years later through the next generation of characters:

Jize waits in the Abyss for 10,000 years to tell Susu the prophecy i.e. how to defeat the demon god and pass on the Mirror of the Past. He also leaves behind his student Pang Yizhi to provide continued guidance in his holographic form.

Mingye leaves his dream behind to educate the reincarnated demon god. He lures TTJ in, recognizing who he is as he's seen the Ancient Demon God without his mask on.

Chuhuang leaves behind her daughter LSS, the last goddess on earth and only person who can defeat the demon god. Upon her death she becomes the Chongyu harp, LSS's godly weapon, which is able to harm the Demon God as we see in Episode 1.

(9) TTJ didn't trust Dimian because he's the only one aware that he betrayed the Ancient Demon God

(10) The little boy that Jize pushes off the podium is Pang Yizhi (as indicated by the birth mark on his hand.) That explains why Pang has prophetic powers and helps move the story forward even in his virtual form - he's a student of the Time God

(11) The drama very clearly explains what happens to the three weapons of the Demon God after the ADG falls 10,000 years ago:

During the fight, the God-Piercing Bow (屠神弩) is cast into the Weak Sea by Mingye. 10,000 years later, it is absorbed by TTJ while searching for YXW’s soul

The Marrow Cleansing Seal (洗髓印) creates the Buzhao Mountains and was later collected by Mingye, who tries to repurpose it into a tool that can cleanse Sangjiu’s demon bone into an immortal bone. After Sangjiu dies, he uses his remaining powers to lock it under the water mirror in the Upper Immortal Realm. It remains there for 10,000 years until Siying attempts to steal it.

The Heaven-slaying Sword (斩天剑) is stolen by Dimian to stab the ADG in the back. It later resurfaces when a power-hungry Dimian uses it to kill Susu's adoptive father and steal LSS’s extracted demon bone

(12) Mingye and Li Susu experience mirroring life events: They both lose their sight, give up their immortal bone, become a True God, kill the Demon God, and lose the love of their lives at the end of their story.

Special Relationships between Objects and Characters:

(13) TTJ has a special connection with the Dragonheart Shield (护心鳞) �� it comes from Mingye and is later refined by Cang Jiumin:

The Dragonheart Shield originally comes from the dragon scale protecting Mingye’s heart, which he gave up in order to retrieve the Marrow Cleansing Seal at the Buzhao Mountain, hence it was left with the Xiaoyao Sect. This happens 10,000 years ago in Mingye’s dream

The Shield is then offered as a wedding gift to Xiao Lin (perhaps to protect him from future events?) from the Xiaoyao Sect. (This is its first appearance to the audience.) XL then gifted it to TTJ as a gesture of goodwill in order to secure protection for Ye Bingtang.

The Shield protects TTJ from YXW's three final nails, suggesting some protection from Mingye and his faith that TTJ is still salvageable

After TTJ disappears, it was safeguarded by Ye Qingyu (as masked Jin emperor) for 500 years. In the draft screenplay, Cang Jiumin and Li Susu were supposed to collect it from YQY (that was why they had to fight the nightmare demon - YQY wasn't willing to give it up because the demon was impersonating Pianran).

CJM then distils the shield’s powers to form a protective boundary for the cultivation world and was given the shield for safekeeping

Later it's suggested he left a fragment of himself in the Shield. Some fan theories state that he would eventually be able to take physical form after years healing in the Shield

(14) Similarly, LSS has a connection with the Jade of Doom (倾世之玉) – it is created by Sangjiu and later absorbed by YXW, connecting and symbolizing tragedy in the two characters

The Jade of Death is created by Sangjiu with the fallen bodies of the Snake Clan in order to resurrect her family. As this is a violation of natural order, SJ invites a divine trial of purple thunders, which she does not pass, even with Mingye’s immortal bone, due to her lack of a physical body.

The Jade is then left at the bottom of the Mo River, which is later collected by YXW when she falls into the river. YXW has a dialogue with the jade’s unseen creator. The jade is later absorbed by YXW to divert it away from TTJ and prevent him from gaining its powers but suffering a cursed fate

Later YXW uses the Jade in her body to rapidly cultivate an immortal bone, which she successful swaps with TTJ’s demon bone, giving him cultivation powers. This also attracts purple thunders that serves as YXW’s divine trial, which she passes and travels back to 500 years later as LSS

(15) Similarly, the Ice Crystal Casket (冰晶盏) has a connection with TTJ, Xiao Lin, and Ye Bingchang – it is used twice to resurrect XL using powers of TTJ and YBC, symbolizing rebirth and redress:

It is first created by Mingye from a 10,000 year old ice crystal guarded by the Snake Clan (Tianhuan’s clan) in order to resurrect the Clam Clan, specifically Sangyou. Sangjiu breaks the box in front of Mingye and says she will find another way to resurrect her brother

After Xiao Lin dies, Pang Yizhi repairs it to resurrect XT, using TTJ’s blood and YBC’s tears as ingredients to rebuild him into a new character, GZJW.

(16) LSS uses the Mirror of the Past (过去镜), a sacred object safeguarded by the Xiaoyao Sect, to travel back 500 years, which is where she meets the Time God Jize. When Jize dies, his powers form the Mirror of the Past, which LSS collects and entrusts with Pang Yizhi to be brought back to Xiaoyao Sect for safekeeping, thus completing the time loop.

[rightwheretheyleftme]

hi hello apologies for sending an ask but,,,, do u like bumizumi,,,,,

Don’t apologize, diva 🙏🏻 I’m on the fence. I wish that we knew more about Bumi as a person, who is he apart from a funny guy with daddy issues? The show doesn’t seem interested in exploring that.

Izumi, in her short screentime, seemed to be a professional, headstrong, and intelligent woman. I can see the appeal of her having an ‘opposites attract’ relationship with Bumi, maybe he’d get her to relax and have some fun.

Having said all that, my favorite ships for Izumi are Lin Beifong, Kuvira, and Tonraq in that order. Lin and her actually share screentime and they have similar personalities, Kuvira and ‘Zumi could have a ~spicy enemies to lovers romance, and Tonraq for the fire and water aesthetic.

Anyway, we all need to unite to bring more Izumi content into the world regardless of our ships 🫂

[wishingforatypewriter]

Bumi/Izumi: Heartbreak and positions/locations?

10. (SFW) Heartbreak headcanon

Bumi and Izumi never stopped yearning for each other, and it affected both of their lives in pretty sad ways.

After Izumi entered a political marriage for the sake of stability within the Fire Nation, her romantic self was entirely placed on hold. She maintained a cordial relationship with her husband and produced the required heirs, but her approach to marriage and family life was largely an extension of her work as crown princess (and later as Fire Lord). While she was always kind and gentle with her children, they sensed a distance in her and always felt like there were parts of their mother—like the joyful princess in their grandfather's stories—that they never got to see.

Meanwhile, Bumi earned a reputation as a rake in his youth. After watching his great love marry someone else (and getting so drunk at the wedding party that Lin and Tenzin had to escort him out), he dated a lot of women but never became serious with any of them. He never got married because he knew no one could compare to her. After a while, even the dating stopped. So he cultivated his other identities—as a warrior and a commander and an uncle. But his lover's heart was always for Izumi alone.

Over the years when they saw each other, there were a few...indiscretions. But the guilt that followed only made them avoid each other for longer and longer stretches, which only made the indiscretions more likely when they finally saw each other again.

In short, it was not a good situation for anyone involved.

(NSFW) Positions/locations headcanon

During the summer before she started her official duties as crown princess, Izumi and Bumi were intimate all over Ember Island. They did it on beaches, on boats, at the playhouse. But I think their most daring intimate moments would have taken place on Bumi's United Forces ship (while he was supposed to be on watch duty).

[comradeocean]

The Secret of Why the Dinosaurs Went Extinct

Prologue: It was the winter of 1993… [non-fiction]

Naturally, the K Literature Award was instituted for the commemoration of 'K's. The prize money is not much, but people all say that with the K Literary Award in hand, the Nobel is not far off.

Why K? Because K is the signpost of literary genius for our time: Kafka, Kawabata, Koestler, Kundera, Kureishi, Krasznahorkai, Kraus… The time of 'K' is Kommunistische Zeit, and the time of Kapital. Ke Xiangying is surnamed 柯, Kay E. He really was blessed by the ancestors.

In order to retrieve the award, Ke Xiangying had to cross the Atlantic Ocean, from the East Coast of the United States to Europe. After picking up the trophy (and not much prize money), the publishing house, anxious to sell books, did not let him go. Instead, he was taken on a grand tour of the developed capitalist nations of the West, giving readings, interviews, guest lectures, seminars. Paris was their last stop.

One afternoon after the signing, Ke Xiangying emerged from a bookstore rotating his sore wrists and saw that the streets from the Luxembourg Gardens to the Pantheon were packed with people.

"What's this about?" Ke Xiangying asked the on-site interpreter.

The interpreter hired by the bookstore was a young international student. He shook his head and said that it could be anything since people in France were always protesting. It was the French translator of Ke Xiangying's novel who answered in halting Mandarin: "These are workers from several state-owned enterprises opposing privatization reforms. The ones at the front, yes, under the red CGT balloons, those are railway workers. They're the most militant. How do you say this in Chinese again? '砸了铁饭碗' — smashing the iron rice bowl. I actually learned the phrase from Ke's book."

The young international student was quite shocked. "There are still state-owned enterprises in France?"

The French translator was also surprised. "Which country doesn't have nationalized industries? Water, electricity, the post, automotive manufacturing… Of course the state has to be the controlling shareholder."

"Then are you also opposed to privatization?"

The young French man laughed. "Well, take the SNCF, it was probably nationalized long before I was born."

Ke Xiangying stood at the door of the bookstore, and watched the people with red flags walking past in waves. He suddenly remembered when he was very young, Chinese people could still take to the streets in demonstrations, carrying Chairman Mao's portrait (he had never seen any with portraits of Lin Biao; Ke Xiangying was only one year old when the plane crashed in Öndörkhaan). During the National Day parade, there were floats, and the ones featuring ranks of the working class [brothers] were particularly eye-catching. It was beyond glorious, all the workers of The Big Four gallantly marching by.

When he was young, he had a boyfriend named Jiang Ming who was a worker. That's right, Ke Xiangying was a homosexual. This was expected. Why else would a jury give the award to someone from China? Just because his last name began with K? There must always be something else beyond the writing: being a sexual minority, of color, anti-Communist, a Commie-lover, anti-Unification, pro-Unification, a Croat, a Serb, a Jew, a Tutsi, a Native American … Third-World literature cannot avoid politics.

As a matter of fact, Ke Xiangying really didn't want to talk about all that. He always said in interviews, "I'm not a liberal. How can you discern ideology from a love story?" The academics in the Faculty of Arts just laughed and kept on writing their papers — "Although Ke refuses to acknowledge the political orientation of his novels, we see that in his writings, the authoritarian regime…" And if Ke Xiangying only had cock in mind when he picked up a pen? That was not their purview.

But the cock was not Jiang Ming's. He didn't dare recall it. Ke Xiangying pressed the Jiang Ming who was unlike anyone else in all of existence into the deepest little box in his heart. Even through the hard days of New York City when he only had the free Chinese church meals to eat, or when his manuscript was rejected by the 17th publisher, or when a Mexican gigolo robbed him of all his money, he didn't dare to take the lid off the box and think about Jiang Ming. He was afraid that his thoughts would make the memories fade, like sugar that melted away more and more with every lick.

Ke Xiangying knew that he had never loved anyone in his life the way he loved Jiang Ming. Only when he looked at Jiang Ming did his soul tickle as Plato said, become warm and moist, and grow the fine feathers that carried people into the sky. But now he no longer had wings, and he didn't dare try to remember Jiang Ming like it had been a previous life.

In this moment though, everything had to come rushing back in. He couldn't stop staring at the ranks of trade unionists in the demonstration. Some of them wore blue overalls. Some took off their shirts, revealing the slightly-tanned inverted triangles of their muscular bodies, just like Jiang Ming used to do. In the summer, he didn't bother wearing an undershirt, just walked around the house with his upper body bare. Ke Xiangying couldn't stand it anymore. He announced to the publisher with the self-righteous impulse prone to middle-aged men that he will return to China soon. The publisher nodded, as if to demonstrate his knowingness about the matter at hand — that of a triumphant return and all.

Ke Xiangying's brother, Ke Xianghai, drove to Beijing International Airport for the pick-up. In recent years, after a long period of estrangement, they had started contact each other more frequently again because Ke Xianghai's son was studying in the United States.

Sitting in the car, other than the grey-blue sky, Tianjin seemed very different from when he had left. Ke Xiangying made a sound of surprise when the car drove over the Hai River. He had never seen any of these skyscrapers and reconstructions of the foreign concessions that filled the night sky with light pollution. And the chimneys he was so familiar with, there was no trace left at all. Back then, the Tianjin Radio and Television Tower had not been built yet, and the tallest building in the city was that big chimney. Day and night, white smoke had floated out of it, like little white dragons bound for the high sky of the North China Plain, crossing en-route the Hai river, which had seemed much wider than it was now.

Having made an appearance at his brother's drinking party and fulfilled the role of hometown kid made good, Ke Xiangying could hardly wait to ask his brother to help him find and contact old friends.

Before going abroad, Ke Xiangying and Jiang Ming's family, or more precisely, his two sisters, were almost at each other's throats. And after Jiang Ming's family discovered Jiang Ming had unexpectedly titled the deed of his apartment to Ke Xiangying, he became the sworn enemy of the Jiang parents.

Now, with the passage of time, Ke Xiangying can even be in the inconceivable position of sitting in a cafe with Jiang Ming's little sister. Her name was Jiang Liang, and she was a senior engineer at the design institute. They sat there for about half an hour. Ke Xiangying had the distinct realization that as their conversation drew on, Jiang Liang's hatred for him was growing with every second. By the end, this middle-aged, middle class woman no longer cared to put up with the notion of respectable conduct. That rough and tumble childhood spent in the alleys of Tianjin was once again revived in her body. "You intellectuals…" she said. "I've figured it out now. You intellectuals are the most selfish and misanthropic people of all. It was my brother's curse to have met you. So jot this down: other people have the right to say whatever they want about my brother. But not you.

No one would be talking to him about Jiang Ming.

That night at home, Ke Xiangying tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Finally, he got up and turned on the computer. You all refuse to talk about him with me? Fine. I'll do it myself. He opened a new document, and the screen was as empty as the memories he now had. His fingers fell into the familiar shapes of typing on the keyboard.

"It was the winter of 1993…"

translated author's notes

[1] This work is named in honour of Antonia Pennacchi's debut novel "Mammut" or Mammoth. ["L’egemonia operaia? Ma per piacere… Siamo una classe estinta… Come il bisonte d’Europa. Come i mammut" — Workers' hegemony? Please… We are an extinct class… Like the buffalos of Europe, like the woolly mammoths.]

[2] The Big Four, or literally the "Four Heavens" refers to the four big enterprises in Tianjin that once 'built all of China' - the Tianjin tractor plant, the Tianjin heavy machinery plant, the Tianjin machinery plant, and the Tianjin engine plant.

[whatsonmedia]

Thursday Thrill: Unmissable Global Events for Every Music Lover

Get ready for an epic May 2024 with a lineup of unforgettable music festivals around the world! From the serene vibes of South Korea's Air House to the electrifying beats of Colombia's Baum Festival, London's eclectic GALA, Detroit's legendary Movement, and the intense Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore—there's something for everyone. Explore our guide and start planning your ultimate musical journey! The Air House Festival Gangwon, South Korea   24 to 26 May In the heart of Gangwon, South Korea, the Air House Festival offers a serene escape from the country's famously rapid "ppali ppali" culture, which emphasizes speed and efficiency. Since its inception in 2018, this three-day festival has become a beloved biannual event, attracting around 10,000 attendees, mostly locals. The founders encapsulate the festival's essence with three words: "respect, love, environment." The 2024 edition promises performances from festival regulars DJ Sin, Aphrodite, and Xanexx, alongside international talents such as Craig Richards from fabric, Berghain's Efdemin, and the emerging Belgian DJ Emily Jeanne. Official Website Baum Festival Bogotá, Colombia 24 to 25 May Colombia's premier electronic music event, the Baum Festival, returns to the sprawling Bogotá convention center, Corferias. From Friday afternoon to Sunday morning, festival-goers can immerse themselves in the beats of Colombian DJs like Funk Tribu, Nosssia, and j-roux, alongside international stars such as Jeff Mills, Seth Troxler, and Sama' Abdulhadi. The Berlin-based label Live From Earth, featured on RA's latest cover, will also be performing, bringing a fresh perspective to the techno scene. Official Website GALA Festival London, United Kingdom 24 to 26 May Since its launch in 2016, GALA has established itself as a cornerstone of London's festival landscape. The three-day event, set over the bank holiday weekend, is known for its eclectic and dependable lineup, featuring artists like Job Jobse, Novelist, CARISTA, Peach, and John Gómez. GALA's success is also attributed to its high-quality production and strong collaboration with the local community, ensuring its continued growth and popularity in the bustling capital. Official Website Movement Festival Detroit, United States 25 to 27 May Detroit, the birthplace of techno and ghettotech, hosts the renowned Movement Festival, a must-visit for electronic music enthusiasts. Celebrating its 24th year, this iconic festival is a hub for techno devotees and curious newcomers alike. The festival, alongside numerous off-site parties, showcases diverse sets and Detroit's signature fast mixing and unique dance style, the Jit. Known for its friendly Midwestern crowd, Movement offers an unparalleled sense of community and world-class music, making it a true celebration of Detroit's musical heritage. Official Website Maryland Deathfest 2024 Baltimore, MD 23 to 26 May Prepare for an intense weekend of extreme music at the Maryland Deathfest (MDF) 2024 in Baltimore. From May 23 to 26, this legendary festival will host a lineup of the most brutal and innovative acts in the underground metal scene. Highlights include Norwegian black metal legends 1349, the infamous Abbath with his solo project, and the nautically-themed technical death metal of Ahab. The roster also features: - Archgoat, delivering unrelenting aural blasphemy. - Arcturus, pioneers of Norwegian progressive black metal. - Bloodbath, featuring former members of Paradise Lost and Cannibal Corpse. - Broken Hope, exemplifying old-school American death metal. With dozens of bands representing every facet of extreme metal, MDF 2024 promises a relentless auditory onslaught. Whether you're a seasoned metalhead or new to the scene, MDF offers a unique opportunity to experience the raw power and creativity of underground extreme music. Get ready for a weekend of unforgettable performances in Baltimore. For more details and the full lineup, visit the official MDF Official Website Check out WhatsOn guide for more update on festival and events! Read the full article

[sxdfcxe1485]

Title: What is Bubble Tea and How to Make Boba Tea at Home

Introduction

Bubble tea, also known as boba tea, is a popular and refreshing drink that has taken the world by storm. If you're someone who's been wondering,bubble tea ingredients "Where can I find bubble tea near me?" or "How can I make boba tea at home?" then you've come to the right place.boba milk tea near me In this article, we will delve into the fascinating world of bubble tea, explore its history, ingredients, and provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to make this delicious beverage in the comfort of your own home. boba tea near me

The Origins of Bubble Tea

Bubble tea, or boba tea, originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. Its creation is credited to Lin Hsiu Hui, who added tapioca starch balls to her iced tea, creating a delightful sensation of chewy "bubbles" or "pearls" at the bottom of the cup. tea and boba near me  The trend quickly spread across Asia and eventually made its way to the United States and other parts of the world.tea boba near me

The Bubble Tea Phenomenon

The popularity of bubble tea can be attributed to its unique combination of flavors, textures, and customizable options. bubble tea drinks near me typically   consists of a sweetened tea base, milk (often, but not always), and chewy tapioca pearls. It's not just a beverage; it's an experience that appeals to a wide range of taste preferences.boba bubble tea near me

"Where can I find bubble tea near me?" is a common question among enthusiasts, and with its widespread popularity, you're likely to find a variety of bubble tea shops nearby.bubble tea stores near me  Many people appreciate the myriad of flavor options, including classic black tea, green tea, fruit flavors, and even dessert-inspired variations like chocolate and taro.near me bubble tea

Types of Bubble Tea

Bubble tea comes in various forms, but some of the most popular types include:

Boba Milk Tea: This is the classic and most widely recognized form of bubble tea.how to make boba milk tea   It combines black tea (or other tea variants) with milk and chewy tapioca pearls.how do you make boba

Fruit Tea with Boba: A refreshing twist on the classic, this version uses fruit-infused tea and can be made with or without milk.tea with boba near me

Taro Bubble Tea: Taro root provides a unique, creamy, and slightly nutty flavor to this version of boba tea.boba tea nearby me

Matcha Green Tea: Matcha lovers can enjoy this vibrant green tea variation with or without milk.boba shops near me

Thai Iced Tea: Thai tea is renowned for its sweet and spiced flavor profile, making it a perfect base for boba tea.boba drinks near me

How to Make Boba Tea at Home

If you're unable to find a bubble tea shop near you or simply want to create your own custom flavors, making boba tea at home is a fun and rewarding process. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of tapioca starch balls (boba pearls)

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of black tea leaves or tea bags

1 cup of hot water

2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk

Ice cubes

Your choice of flavorings (fruit syrups, matcha powder, taro powder, etc.)

Instructions:

Prepare the Tapioca Pearls: Boil water and cook the tapioca pearls according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain and stir in brown sugar while the pearls are still warm. Set them aside.

Brew the Tea: Steep the black tea leaves or tea bags in hot water for about 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags or strain the leaves, then allow the tea to cool.how do you make boba tea

Prepare the Flavor: Depending on your chosen flavor, mix the tea with your desired sweeteners or flavorings. For example, add sweetened condensed milk for classic boba milk tea or fruit syrups for fruit tea variations.how do you make bubble tea

Assemble the Drink: Fill a glass with ice cubes and pour in your flavored tea mixture. Add the cooked tapioca pearls to the glass.boba drink recipe

Serve and Enjoy: Insert a wide straw (commonly used for bubble tea) into your glass to enjoy the combination of tea, milk, or fruit flavors with the chewy tapioca pearls.

Conclusion

Bubble tea, or boba tea, is a delightful and customizable beverage that has captured the hearts and taste buds of people worldwide. Whether you're searching for "bubble tea near me" or want to experiment with making boba tea at home, this unique drink offers endless possibilities for flavors and combinations. With the right ingredients and a little creativity, you can enjoy the refreshing taste of bubble tea wherever you are. So go ahead, satisfy your cravings, and explore the world of bubble tea today!

[chiefbeifongcanrailme]

When all the different Lin ships unite to cry about the Linzin break-up.

Check out this post for visuals and this fic for the feels.

[geekinator]

I’m thinking of starting a Beifong Addicts Anonymous. But then I’d have to stop being obsessed with them and that’s not gonna happen. I’ll call it Beifong Lovers United instead.

BEIFONG LOVERS UNITED

[omgkalyppso]

Linhardt?

Linhardt von Hevring!

Thank you for the ask!

brotp: Lysithea I don't mind them romantically, but I also think that he would endeavor to help her regardless of paired ending and I like them as good friends. I've depicted Lysithea, Linhardt, and my My Unit oc Fae as chronically ill in at least two modern au's where they've been friends + Caspar who support each other (not only, but also) through their medical needs.

otp: Caspar Another "they're popular for a reason" ship. Friends to lovers is so good. I've written them once but it wasn't to my satisfaction. I'll try again someday.

2nd choice: Byleth Linhardt's honesty with (most characters and) Byleth is so funny, and Byleth's sleepiness suits the slow / "lazy" intimacy that Linhardt brings to a relationship.

fluff: Flayn I thought Linhardt expressing his affection through his research was very sweet. I know there's lots of jokes about him being insensitive / their supports making people uncomfortable, but I did enjoy them.

angst: Caspar For when people take these two Do Not Separate boys and separate them.

polyship: Caspar, Ashe, Linhardt I've only read one or two fics. I kind of need more convincing on this polyship, but I see why people like it.

weird: Olivia awakening Another pairing I didn't consider until right now, but he'd be so gentle on her nerves. I'm thinking of her poetry and socially distanced dance practices and her letters and fdghgfdhdfg I think Lin would find her fascinating. And Linhardt!Inigo is SUCH a concept.

bonus: Marianne They're just so nice together. He'd strive to help her too, regardless of romance.

[animationforce]

21 Animated Projects We’re Anticipating in 2021

1) Arlo the Alligator Boy (Netflix/Titmouse)

This 2D musical feature film for the streaming service will set up a series (”I Heart Arlo”) about an alligator looking for family in a “Regular Show”-type world. The music blew us away during the preview at 2020′s CTN Expo.

2) Bob’s Burgers: The Movie (Disney/20th Century/Bento Box)

While the Fox show is loved for its humor and heart and not really for its animation, this feature film from the show creator Loren Bouchard will have a glossier look, as Bento Box animates on a feature budget and timeline. Expected in theaters on April 9, 2021.

3) The Boss Baby 2: Family Business (DreamWorks/Universal)

This March, DreamWorks Animation brings the brothers back together — to deal with the new cutthroat boss (baby) in the family.

4) Connected (Sony Animation) 

Producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Spider-Verse, The Lego Movie) support Gravity Falls alum Mike Rianda in his feature directorial debut. Rianda’s brand of wacky humor sets this humans vs. robots film up for a great time, if the company can set a release date.

5) Encanto (Disney) 

Zootopia’s Byron Howard leads director team Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith in this musical super power story set in Colombia, coming this fall.

6) Earwig and the Witch (Studio Ghibli/GKIDS)

Goro Miyazaki, son of legendary Hayao Miyazaki and director in his own right, brings Ghibli magic to theaters for the first time in six years. This film differs from its predecessors with stylized cg animation, but the story — an orphaned girl learns she’s the daughter of a witch — promises much of the wonder that one expects of any Ghibli film. 

7) Luca (Pixar) 

Director Enrico Casarosa debuts with Pixar’s Italian Riviera-set story of friendship between a boy and a boy-shaped sea monster, which arrives this June.

8) Minions 2: Rise of Gru (Illumination/Universal)

We’ve seen Gru’s future and his yellow minions’ past, but finally Illumination highlights the in-between in a villain origin story we hope will be as fun as the first three Despicable Me films.

9) My Father’s Dragon (Cartoon Saloon/Netflix)

It’s a great year for dragon-lovers, with Cartoon Saloon supplying the first of three feature films about these awesome creatures. Director Nora Twomey brings to life a Newberry-winning book, with help from “Inside Out” scribe Meg LeFauve and writer John Morgan. A boy who runs away to Wild Island finds much more than the captive dragon he sought.

10) Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix/Jim Henson)

Another ambition animated feature from Netflix, Pinocchio sets itself apart from other versions of the folk tale in its look — stop-motion by Jim Henson’s studio — and feel, with Guillermo del Toro’s signature dark brilliance under veteran director Robert Zemeckis’ helm. This will not be very family friendly.

11) Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney) 

A warrior seeks the legendary last dragon hundreds of years after those mythical creatures saved her world from the same evil threat they now face. Coming to theaters and Disney+ (for a fee) in March.

12) Robin Robin (Netflix/Aardman)

This animated musical holiday special comes from the minds behind Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. It may be a long way from December now, but we’re ready for some stop-motion Christmas fun, especially when the story follows a bird raised by mice. 

13) Ron’s Gone Wrong (Disney/20th Century/Locksmith)

Female-led production company Locksmith brings its first animated feature to life under Disney-owned 20th Century (Fox), “Ron’s Gone Wrong.” Set in a world where every child has its own robot assistant, a boy tries to fix his faulty robot this April.

14) Rumble (Paramount/ReelFX)

Based on a graphic novel by Rob Harrell, this film explores the challenges of a world where humans coach monsters in pro wrestling. Yes, really. We’ll see where it goes in May.

15) Sing 2 (Illumination/Universal)

Buster and his band of musical animals return with visions of stardom, or at least attempts to persuade a certain rockstar to join them in this sequel to the Animals’ve Got Talent film, expected in December.

16) Space Jam: A New Legacy (Warner Bros/WAG)

LeBron James joins the Looney Tunes in this not-quite-sequel to the 1990s classic live-action hybrid film. We’re especially looking forward to prolific voice actor Eric Bauza’s performance as Bugs Bunny, among other Looney favorites! 

17) The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (Nickelodeon/Paramount)

After teasing us with seemingly infinite ads for this film, we’ve been waiting some time for the newest SpongeBob feature film in the United States, which arrives on CBS All-Access and video-on-demand services in February. The story of SpongeBob and Patrick’s journey to save the snail-napped Gary has already premiered in Canadian theaters and in other countries on Netflix.

18) Tom and Jerry (Warner Bros/WAG)

The live-action/CG hybrid film bring Tom and Jerry to the big screen and HBO Max this February. When Jerry accidentally crashes “the wedding of the century,” Tom is hired to get rid of the mouse, reigniting the famous rivalry and uncovering a secret plot in the process.

19) Vivo (Sony Animation)

Lin-Manuel Miranda delivers Sony’s first animated musical, about a capuchin monkey with big dreams, this June.

20) Wendell and Wild (Netflix)

“Nightmare Before Christmas’” own Henry Selick returns to stop-motion to direct Netflix’s adventure story of two demon brothers (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele) who escape the Underworld.

21) Wish Dragon (Sony Animation)

An old teapot transforms college student Din’s meager life into something fantastic when he discovers Long, a Wish Dragon, inside. 

- Courtney

[stitch1830]

sukka endgame. I don't understand tokka shippers. Toph is clearly not good enough for him and Suki clearly outshines her in everything. Beauty, kindness, character, etc. Sokka probably meant to give the space rock to Suki, and he also dressed up as a kyoshi warrior for her. How much proof do you need. No man would want to be with her. No wonder Lin and Su don't know their fathers. I've heard rumors that Suyin is a sukka kid and Toph just stole her. tokka is the worst sokka ship ever

Hi Anon, I hope all is well with you!

You bring up some interesting points about shipping Sukka over Tokka! I must say that as a Sukka shipper and a Tokka shipper, I see both sides of the coin and there are aspects to each ship that I enjoy, but it's totally valid if you just don't care for Tokka and the whole best friends to lovers arc that some, if not most, Tokka shippers look at! I also must say that I absolutely adore Toph Beifong's character and personally think she could be in a relationship with just about anyone, but that's probably just my 'favorite character' bias showing LMAO.

And while I find value and merit in both ships, I would say my reasons for shipping either ship differs a little bit from yours. But if you care to elaborate more, feel free to do so!

Beauty and value are in the eye of the beholder, so if you feel that Toph is not pretty enough or not good enough for Sokka, then that's okay. When it comes to Sokka's character, I can see him finding a great deal of beauty and value in Toph Beifong, whether it's platonic or romantic is up in the air! That's part of the mystery of what happened between ATLA and LOK haha. Suki, while she is a fabulous character and a badass, doesn't have as much depth to her story as Toph does for me, so it's hard for me to personally say whether or not Suki really is way better for Sokka than Toph.

As for the space rock, he very well could have given it to Suki haha! Low key that would be funny. He gives the space rock to Toph, but then is like "Hey Toph, I actually want to give this to Suki. Think I can have it back?" She'd probably flick the rock (in it's rock form) at his face LMAO.

When it comes to proof for Sokka and Sukka being OTP, I like to think that their similar personalities and values are what make them compatible and the reason I enjoy them together. They're both warriors and stepped up into leadership roles as young kids, and they value strategy and plans for things. That's where I see great value in their relationship.

As a big fan of Toph Beifong, I must admit I ship her with a handful of different men haha! My personal favorites are Kanto and Toph and Aang and Toph, but Tokka was the first ship for Toph I fell in love with! I'm a sucker for best friends to lovers trope and the typical slow burn that comes with it ;)

And Toph's arc as a single mother is one of my favorite pieces of her character to explore! I think the whole exploration of it is just interesting. Granted, I have my own canon divergent takes on how she was as a mother, but I think that in general, her journey as a mother to two girls can be a beautiful story of resilience and affection, even in a non traditional family unit.

LMAO I kind of love that rumor. Where did you hear that? Would be quite the story HAHA!

Sokka: "Toph, have you seen my baby?"

Toph, sliding baby behind her back: "Nope..."

Those would also be very awkward reunion dinners as well lol.

Sokka and Suki just staring at Suyin, while Suyin just acts as if nothing is wrong when her aunt and uncle stare at her like she's a long lost child of theirs...

Wait a minute...

Lol I mean that would certainly be something if that were the case!

But yeah, as a fan of both Sukka and Tokka, I see the appeal to both! It's nice to explore both ships, but if you find that the Tokka shippers are not the crowd you particularly like, that's okay! We're a pretty small and mellow group now, I'd enjoy all the lovely Sukka content instead. Anyway, thanks for stopping by, Anon! Hope you have a great day :)

......

Send me asks about ATLA, or anything, really! :D

[melzula]

hi ! i don’t know if this counts as a whole prompt, but could i request some iroh ii ? maybe their reunion when kya’s daughter went back with bumi to the fire nation and their whole reunion to wedding story ?

a/n: I just did the reunion part of this because it would be hard to cram the whole timeline into one piece aha but nonetheless enjoy!

*based off of these hc’s

The cool breeze of the ocean air does little to calm your nerves as you fidget with the beads that wrap themselves neatly around your wrist and stare out into the open water. The Fire Nation docks are fast approaching, and you foolishly wonder if everything will be the same as it was when you left it behind all those years ago. You wonder if he is still the same, fearing for a moment that perhaps he has forgotten you after being apart for so long, but you don’t have time to dwell on your anxieties when a firm clap on your shoulder breaks you from your thoughts.

“Why the long face, kiddo?” Your Uncle Bumi grins. “I thought you’d be happier to be back here.”

“I am,” you reassure him, “it’s just I’m a little nervous is all. I haven’t been here in so long...”

“Well I’m sure the royals will be happy to see you,” he says. “You were Lord Zuko’s star student after all, and General Iroh is always asking about you.”

“He is?” You gasp, doing your best to quell the excitement that bubbles up inside of you at the news. You always brushed off your infatuation with the General as a silly childhood crush, but if that were the case then the mere mention of him shouldn’t have made you as cheerful as it did.

“Of course! Why do you think I brought you out here with me? Some good old nostalgia would be perfect for you!”

“Uncle,” you say with a pointed look. Bumi grins sheepishly.

“You could use a friend, y/n. And so could Iroh.”

You don’t get the chance to argue or insist that you’re fine, that you’re perfectly okay with the fact that your best friend is your Gran Gran, as the ship pulls into the docks and Fire Nation guards arrive to escort you to the palace. None of them are familiar to you, most of the men you’d known as a child having retired by now, but they still greet you with the same kindness as always, a perk of being the Avatar’s granddaughter and the Commander’s niece.

“I have to prepare for the meeting,” your uncle says as you reach the front gates and are permitted entry to the palace, “but if you want to head off and look for some old friends or even just explore your old playing grounds go right ahead.”

“Good look with the meeting, Uncle Bumi,” you reply before gifting the man a kiss on the cheek and parting ways with him for now.

You find yourself wandering into the gardens, admiring the blooming fire lilies and enjoying the refreshing breeze that blows cooly against your face as you reminisce on the memories you hold in this very spot. If you look hard enough you can almost see yourself sitting underneath the shade of the tree with Zuko and his grandson studying fire bending scrolls and enjoying cups of tea. Life had been so quiet and simple then, so peaceful. Maybe Bumi was right about needing a friend; you’d never felt lonelier in your entire life than you did now looking upon old childhood memories.

“Y/n?” A voice calls almost hesitantly, void of the confidence he’d always held, and despite the fact that your heart catches in your throat at the sound of his voice you will yourself to turn around and face the man you never stopped thinking about.

You can’t help the way your mouth hangs agape at the sight of him; he’d always been a good looking boy, but over the years Iroh had grown into the handsomest man you’d ever seen. He was beautiful with his strong jaw and shimmering gold irises, and despite how much he’d changed over the years he still held that same boyish grin you’d taken comfort in many times before.

“Iroh,” you finally say, heat crawling up your neck as you smile shyly. He’s rushing towards you in an instant, pulling you into his chest for a tight hug and laughing with pure unadulterated joy.

“I almost didn’t recognize you,” he admits with a sheepish grin, hands resting on your shoulders as he pulls away and looks you in the eyes. You don’t know it, but he’s just as taken back by your beauty. He was used to seeing you running around in your pigtails with your wide smile and a few teeth missing; you were absolutely radiant, your features maturing with the time that had passed, but your eyes still held that same twinkle they always did.

“It’s so good to you, old friend,” you say, smiling fondly as you rest a hand upon his cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

“So have I,” he replies, and you don’t miss the way he seems to melt into your touch. “I have a meeting to attend to, but perhaps you’d like to accompany me to dinner tonight? I want to hear about all of your adventures.”

“Dinner sounds lovely.”

“Perfect,” Iroh grins, “I’ll see you then.”

He parts from you then with a kiss on the cheek, leaving you with a dazed smile alone in the gardens as you watch him walk into the palace.

“We’re having dinner,” you murmur quietly to yourself, an excited smile pulling at your lips as you rush towards your assigned quarters to prepare.

~~~

“A date with the General, huh?”

“It’s not a date, Uncle Bumi,” you remind him as you sit before the vanity and slip on your favorite pair of earrings, a pair your mother had bought for you once during your travels, “it’s just dinner.”

“Sounds like a date to me,” he teases with a knowing grin. “You know, I always had a feeling about you two.”

“You said the same thing about Uncle Tenzin and Aunt Lin,” you retort only for Bumi to grimace.

“I never said it was a good feeling.”

“It’s not a big deal,” you shrug nonchalantly. “We’re just two old friends who want to catch up with each other.”

Oh, but it actually is a very big deal for you. You can’t remember the last time anyone has taken you out to dinner or the last time you had actually dressed yourself up for someone else, and frankly you don’t know why you’re so nervous. It’s Iroh, after all, your childhood friend, why should you be nervous?

“Oh, I’ll walk you out!” Your Uncle exclaims excitedly once you put the finishing touches on your ensamble, and before you can even get up from your chair Bumi is yanking you onto your feet and dragging you out of the room towards the front gates where Iroh is presumably waiting for you. “I only wish your mother were here to see this!”

“Uncle,” you groan in quiet embarrassment, “you seem more excited than I am.”

“What? That’s nonsense!” Bumi scoffs. “Can’t I just appreciate the romanticism that comes with seeing old friends?”

“I see you’re a poet much like your father,” a third voice intrudes, a smiling Iroh startling both you and your uncle. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“No, not at all!” Bumi says before you can so much as open your mouth to reply. “In fact I was just leaving. You kids have fun! Oh, and uh, bring her back home safe and sound and all that protective Uncle junk I’m supposed to say.”

“Of course, Commander,” he says with a slight laugh before turning to you. “Are you ready?”

“I am,” you smile, making sure to give your Uncle a chaste kiss to the cheek before taking Iroh’s outstretched and following him out the front gates. Your Uncle watches your retreating forms with a faint smile and a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Phase one of my matchmaking plan is complete.”

~~~

The royal plaza is beautiful at night. Lanterns hang from the skies and bathe the streets in their golden hue. The restaurants and shops are bustling with customers as lovers, families, and friends all spend their evenings out on the town. No one seems to notice your presence— Iroh had insisted that no guards were needed to escort you both— and for that you are grateful.

“Hungry for anything in particular? I know you were especially fond of dumplings when we were children,” Iroh notes with a chuckle.

“I’d love anything spicy. As much as I enjoy sea prunes and seal jerky, nothing in the south really has that same kick to it that Fire Nation food has.”

“I know the perfect place,” Iroh says, and you have to fight against the way your stomach seems to summersault when he takes your hand in his own and weaves you through the streets.

You end up in a quiet little restaurant together where the food is fresh and the hostess is the sweetest little old lady you’ve ever met, though she brings you way more food than you ordered. You’re eager to scarf down the spicy noodles and steaming buns, so eager in fact that you don’t notice the love stricken way in which Iroh watches you practically inhale your food.

“How’s your family?” He asks behind his cup of tea.

“Good. Gran Gran has been training the new Avatar and my mother helps where she can. My Uncle Tenzin and Aunt Pema just had a new baby not too long ago, a son named Meelo.”

“That’s amazing,” Iroh smiles, “congratulations on your new cousin.”

“Thank you. Our family is certainly growing,” you say with a slight laugh. “And how are things with you and your family?”

“I have to admit, I haven’t really been home much to know,” Iroh chuckles. “This visit is also my first time back in a while. Mother is a gracious ruler and the people love her, my sister is still living her quiet life with her husband out on the farm, and my grandfather comes back and forth all the time. Everyone seems to be happy.”

“And are you happy?”

“I like to think so. I’m the youngest General in the United Forces which is a great accomplishment, and I’m having dinner with a friend I thought I’d never see again, so yes, I’m very happy,” he notes with a wink. You can’t help but roll your eyes at his slyness, a small huff blowing past your nose.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” you tease.

“Really, y/n,” Iroh says, all features void of his previous humor as they morph into a more tender nature. He reaches across the table and rests a hand across your own, a faint smile on his lips. “I’ve missed you, and I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Me too,” you admit with a tiny smile. “It’s been hard without you, friend.”

“Friend,” Iroh repeats with a small sigh, but his smile never falters. He pays for your meal and offers you his arm to guide you back to the palace; you talk about old memories and new ones, your adventures during your time apart, and your excitement to create new ones together. You’ve never been happier, and for the first time in a long time the loneliness that normally gnaws at your spirit is nowhere to be found.

“Can you find your room okay?” Iroh asks as you reach the front doors of the palace.

“I can,” you nod with a smile. “I’m actually staying in the room I had when I was a kid.”

“Go figure,” he laughs softly before gracing you with a sweet smile. “Thank you for accompanying me to dinner tonight. Will I see you tomorrow?”

“You will.”

“Good. I look forward to it,” Iroh says. “Sleep well, y/n.”

“Goodnight, Iroh,” you utter with a small smile, making sure to gift him a kiss on the cheek before disappearing inside. Stunned, the General stands frozen in place with a dazed smile on his face. He hasn’t felt this way about anyone in such a long time, hadn’t felt such genuine excitement and joy, and he had to admit that it somewhat intimidated him. He’d always seen you as the girl he’d grown up with, the one he’d spent his time with stealing desserts from the kitchen and running through the hallways, but now...

“Spirits,” Iroh exclaims with a breathless laugh. “I think I’m in love.”

In the gardens sits the trio of adults who watch the scene unfold before them, knowing looks exchanged among them as they sip their tea and watch Iroh disappear into the palace.

“They make a handsome pair, don’t they?” Zuko notes offhandedly to his daughter. “I give them a month.”

“A month?” Bumi snorts. “No way! Three weeks maybe, but not a month.”

“I have more faith in my son than that,” Izumi says with the shake of her head. “One week.”

“One week?!” The Commander exclaims with a laugh. “Oh, you’re on!”

“Betting over the love life of my grandson and my former student was not how I pictured spending my retirement,” Zuko sighs, but there’s a smile on his face as he considers his grandson courting the granddaughter of his best friend. Life has a funny way of working out sometimes.

And it was going to work out for you and Iroh.

| iroh/atla tags: @nataliahaslosthershit @zukh03s @rainteslerrrr @simpinforsukka |

[hotpinkrathian]

Comfort

(Kyalin)

Lin left the office late, again, and she was almost certain that she would hear it from Kya when she got home. She picked up a bag of macaroons in hopes it would at least lighten her chew out. She slipped her key in the door, pushing it open with her shoulder.

"Kya! I'm home! I know I'm late, I brought Macaroons! From that store you like." She set the bag on the counter, looking around. Kya wasn't responding. She frowned, it seemed like she got the silent treatment this time.

"Kya,' she said softly, pushing open their bedroom door. The bed was still neatly made, the lights were off, except from the bathroom. She checked her watch at the sound of the shower.

"Kya its almost midnight why are you-" she paused when she pushed open the bathroom door.

"Kya!" She gasped when she saw the waterbender on the floor of the shower, her knees pulled to her chest.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Lin ran her hand over Kya's legs, checking for injuries. The waterbender didn't move, she shivered, not from the cold as the water was hot.

"Lin I...' she paused, taking a deep breath.

"I lost him." She finished. Lin's eyes softened. Kya had come home more than a few times, upset about the on goings of a hospital, but Lin had never seen her this distressed.

"What happened?" Lin asked again, softly stroking her lovers cheek.

"He was fine! He was completely healthy yesterday. I was telling him all about the fire nation, he's a firebender you know, he wanted to see it, the place his father grew up." Lin nodded, listening.

"He had stage three cancer in his lungs. We thought... I thought he beat it. But I was wrong. I lied to him, Lin."

"No you didn't..."

"Yes I did! I told him he was going to be fine, that he might actually get to go home. I told him he'd see the fire nation royal palace and the hot springs and everything and I... I lied." Lin kissed her softly on the head.

"Kya, you didn't mean to."

"I had to tell his family. His father is one of the construction workers on the new housing units. He builds things, for people, is what he used to say." Lin pressed her forhead against Kya's.

"Its going to be okay."

"Its so sad, Lin. Why did it have to be him? Why now?" Lin saw tears mascarading as shower water stream down Kya's face as she broke into painful sobs. She cried into Lin's chest, and Lin soothed her, rubbing her back and running a finger through her hair. Her uniform was getting wet, but she didn't care.

"Kya," she whispered after a while.

"Yeah?" The waterbender sniffled.

"Can you move?" Kya nodded, and Lin helped her stand up, handing her a towel as they made their way out of the bathroom. Kya put on a loose silk nightgown, crawling into bed. Lin shut off the shower, and tidied the bathroom, watching as Kya stared blankly at the ceiling. Lin got herself changed, and crawled into bed next to her. She kept her distance, unsure if Kya wanted more company. It didn't last long, because Lin felt Kya's fingers linger at her wrist, her sign that she wanted Lin to come closer. Lin shuffled over, wrapping an arm around her wife. Kya laid her head in the crook of Lin's arm, resting slightly on Lin's chest. Lin watched as Kya's tormented eyes finally gave into sleep. She kissed her on the top of her head, brushing her arm with her hand.

"I love you," she whispered. She closed her eyes, sleeping enough to feel well rested, but maintaining enough consciousness to soothe Kya when she woke again.

"It'll be alright," she whispered, drifting into a light sleep.

Thanks @cherrychonk for the idea!