#lu jinge x reader

[revasserium]

Hello, Rain! Congrats on the 2k followers! 🎉💖 Hope your day is going well!! For the event, may I request Marius and butterfly lovers? ☺️

prompt list reqs are: temporarily closed

14. butterfly lovers

marius von hagen; 5,103 words; fluff, no "y/n", slightly canon-divergent, highschool sweethearts to lovers, marius being the simp he is, mentions of dif socioeconomic backgrounds, verbal bullying from other students

summary: marius does not have many friends at starhigh; you see fit to change that fact.

a/n: this is loosely based on both his "precious mornings" ssr and also his "world of glitz" ssr so vague spoilers for both and you'll understand this more if you kinda sorta know those but otherwise it's just a cute lil fic to feed my marius obsession (ㅅ´ ˘ `)

001. want and need

“I don’t want anything from you.”

Those are the first ever words you say to Marius von Hagen.

It is, by all accounts, a strange kind of meet-cute (if you can even call it that, years later, with his arms curled around your middle, his chin hooked over your shoulder — the pair of you reminiscing on your school days, marveling on the passage of time, how quick things flash by. But back then, time had seemed an infinite thing, ticking solidly through from morning till night, Monday to Friday and onwards), but even then, Marius had an alarming amount of charm and self-awareness, a shockingly prurient view on the world.

Rich and spoiled as he may be, no one could say that he wasn’t brilliant.

“Sorry?” he says, blinking over the stack of notes he’d been going over in the library as you slump down in the seat opposite, tossing your bag onto the table and propping your cheek on your hand.

You shrug, “Just wanted you to know that… I don’t want anything from you. So, yeah,” you repeat, pulling out your own set of notebooks. They’re a bit battered but full of multi-colored tabs that bulge out the sides and top, your textbooks, clearly secondhand. Marius blinks for a second but doesn’t comment, leaning back slightly to look you over.

“Then, senpai…” an easy, self-serving smirk twists the corner of his lips, “why’re you here?”

You pause, fingers hovering over a pink gel pen, your shoulders tensing.

“All the other tables were full.”

It’s a bold-faced lie, but Marius makes a show of turning to look at the tables around you both — sure, they’ve all got one or two people but none are full. You could’ve chosen to sit at any of the other tables, with any of the other students. And yet.

“And,” you add, rather sniffily, “how’d you know I’m not in your year?”

Marius considers his answer — because Payton had presented him with a roster of everyone in his class (with headshots) the week before his first day and asked in that smooth gentle way of his for Marius to “make sure he’s done his homework”, because since then, almost every single person in his grade has tried to come up and introduce themselves, toppling over each other to try and make an impression, to stake their claim on his friendship and by proxy, Pax Group.

Because he wouldn’t have forgotten a face like your’s.

“Cause…. I know all the pretty girls in my year already.” He winks.

Easier to play up the foppish, rich fuckboy facade than admit any of those other things which are infinitely more true, but no less harrowing for a growing teenage boy to try and admit.

Predictably, you roll your eyes and continue on your journey of emptying the entire contents of your schoolbag onto the remaining space of the table.

“Right.” Your tone is disbelieving and Marius feels a thread of intrigue twang in his chest against the initial shock of your blunt appearance. You don’t believe him, and yet you’re still here. You claim that you don’t want anything from him, and yet.

“So? Are you gonna introduce yourself? Seems kinda rude to sit down at someone else’s table and not even tell them your name.” Marius taps the heel of a pen to his cheek, the intrigue slowly festering into curiosity. It itches inside his chest and he finds himself leaning in as you slate him a long, piercing look.

“Fine.” You say, and then you tell him your name — first and last, with no title, no frills, no mention of a family dynasty or some kind of foreign conglomerate empire. In fact, Marius realizes as he runs through his quick mental list of all the who’s who of society, he has no clue who you are or who you might be related to. It’s a difficult thing to achieve at Starhigh. And then he remembers —

“I’m on scholarship,” you say, dropping your eyes back to your now open notebook, twirling your pen once before setting in to scribbling along some sort of complicated looking diagram. Your voice is flat, almost curt, cut short by the implication of those three words.

Scholarship.

Marius knows that the prestigious academy accepts a handful of scholarship students a year, mostly as marketing fodder to pander to the masses — look at us, opening our gold-gilded doors, our marble-foyered halls, peeling back our velvet curtains to accept commoners who are driven enough, who are brilliant enough to shine amongst the ready-born stars.

“Well, guess someone’s gotta keep the test scores up,” Marius says, now entirely taken with the task of watching you take notes. You pause again, glancing up. There’s a spark behind your eyes that makes his heart stutter.

“Ah… so you do know about us.”

Us. You say the word so casually but it still makes Marius flinch inwardly. An “us” precludes a “them” — one group, and the other. Somehow, Marius doesn’t like the thought of you and him being othered from each other so obviously by your respective social circles, even though he knows it’s unavoidable.

“Sure I do — I mean, none of us study hard enough to make the numbers we post every year,” he says, with a stab at casual nonchalance, putting an extra emphasis on his use of “us” just to be a tad more self-deprecating. That should be the tactic here — people like to feel superior, so debasing himself a little from time to time is necessary.

So he tells himself.

You, however, don’t seem to be buying it.

“I’ve seen you in here every afternoon for the past two months.”

Marius leans back, stretching his arms over his head and yawning hugely.

“Nowhere else to be, so…” but even he hears the strained edge to his voice, the flatness that drops at the end of his would-be cheery tone. You hike an imperious eyebrow and Marius feels heat cresting up the back of his neck.

“Nowhere else?” you echo the words back at him, but in your voice, they sound softer, more wistful.

He slumps back forward, making an exaggerated face.

“Yeah, my brother’s busy with the company and my dad’s… off somewhere in Europe doing whatever he does in Europe,” he waves a would-be careless hand and sighs dramatically, “what’s a guy to do with all that time but —” he motions around the gorgeous library reading room with it’s floor to ceiling windows and endless stacks of priceless reference books and first editions.

“But to study,” you finish for him, amusement dangling off the end of your words like a comma, hinged there, waiting for the rest of the sentence, the remainder of the story.

Marius chews on the inside of his cheek and doubles down with a light laugh and another good-natured wink. Meanwhile, he can’t help the way his mind is racing. Why would a scholarship student randomly come up to him in the library, loudly declare that she “doesn’t want anything from him” and then proceed to invade his personal space?

It reminds him, outlandishly, of the story of a man who’d struck gold, and then, terrified that someone would come steal it from him, proceeded to bury it all back with the sign “NO GOLD BURIED HERE” tacked up over the mound of freshly dug earth. The denial so egregious that it rebounds back into confirmation instead.

Were you really trying to get closer to him by telling him to his face that you had no such intentions?

His chases down the line of thought, the speculations spiraling wilder and wilder until your voice snaps him sharply back into focus.

“Oi! Are you okay?”

Marius blinks, jerking back as you click your fingers in front of his face.

“Huh? Oh yeah sorry —”

You cock your head, that strange, knowing spark still flickering behind your eyes.

“Where’d you go off to, hm?”

Marius opens his mouth before shutting it again, shaking his head.

“Just… never mind.”

“You do that a lot, don’t you?” you ask, cocking your head to one side, birdlike.

“Do what?”

“Keep things to yourself.”

And this time, Marius feels himself being caught off-guard — there’s a skip to his already arhythmic heartbeat, a skid in his breath, a click-shuffle-snap in his mind’s eye as he tries to refocus his attention on what you’d just said. And when he does, heat and heat and heat claws its way up his skin, bleeding into his cheeks before he can force it back down.

“I - I don’t know what you mean.” There — that quaver in his voice. He curses himself for it. The vulnerability of it all.

“I’ve seen it, y’know —” you say, sighing as you drop your eyes back onto your notes, now highlighting something in a bright, blinding chartreuse, “the way people flock to you. But I mean, everyone titters over everyone else here, don’t they?”

Marius stares, nearly open-mouthed at the casual, almost bland way you’re laying it all out, as if he weren’t the storm-center around which all of this social grandstanding spins.

“What do they ask you about first? Oh, lemme guess — is it the fact that you’re confirmed to be Pax’s next CEO or whether you like girls with short hair? I guess the short-hair thing is a bit less on the nose, right?”

You flip a page in your notebook and methodically tab it with a pink sticky note.

“What do you want?” the words are out of his mouth before he can stop himself, and Marius realizes too late that he’s staring, wide-eyed and desperate, his heart now pounding inside him like some angry, caged thing, thudding so hard against the back of his throat that he actually feels like it might leap right out of his mouth.

Placidly, you raise your eyes back to look at him, meeting his wild, bewildered gaze with the steady, solid one of your own.

“Like I said… I don’t want anything from you.” Your voice is calm, your words sure.

Disbelief roils inside him like sickness and he swallows hard as he realizes his hands had clenched into white-knuckled fists on the table between you.

“Then why —” his voice isn’t light anymore, instead it's jagged around the edges, raw and torn and bleeding.

He feels naked, exposed, stripped in a way that he hadn’t felt since the first time his father had taken him to visit the family shrine.

You purse your lips and sigh, and this time, you look just as tired as he feels as you slowly start to gather up your things.

“Because… you just looked a bit lonely and I thought you might like some company.”

You tuck your last gel-pen back into your bag before hoisting it onto your shoulder, turning and walking away.

002. oh bully you

“Senpai… you know it was super mean of you to just leave me like that yesterday.”

You jump nearly a foot in the air as Marius drops into the empty desk directly in front of you, straddling the chair back with his legs on either side, crossing his arms over top of your opened textbook and peering up at you from beneath his damnably long lashes.

He bats them at you as you blink down at him, trying to reconcile the sight of him with the space of your classroom — which is not his classroom, because — right, of course, you’re not in the same grade. So, why —

“Oh~ reading even during lunch period? You’re so studious — hey d’you think you can help me with the history homework? I suck at names and dates.”

You stare at him for two whole seconds longer before narrowing your eyes.

“What’re you doing here? This isn’t your classroom.”

Marius pouts, feigning hurt, “But senpai… it’s lunchtime! Didn’t you say you wanted to keep me company yesterday?”

“Yester — “ you break off, understanding finally settling over your confused expression as you soften in your chair. casting him a reproachful look.

“Well you didn’t seem like you wanted the company so I thought —”

“Wha — I never said that! You just caught me off guard! I was just asking what you wanted to do for the rest of the afternoon, but you stormed off. Ah… I thought you were angry with me — you’re not angry with me, are you senpai?”

You let out an exasperated sigh at his antics, but a smile still breaks across your lips.

“Did I say I was angry?”

Marius’s grin widens by degrees.

All around you, people are beginning to stare. What is Marius von Hagen, society’s most elite golden child doing with a no-name scholarship student like you? And acting all chummy when no one had ever seen you two together before? Whispers gather like a rising tide but Marius doesn’t seem to notice as he casually reaches over your textbooks to peer into your bento.

“Whoa! That looks so delicious! Did you make it all yourself? Can I have some? I’ve always wanted to try home-cooked food from someone my age!”

You smack his hand lightly and click your tongue.

“Manners! And if you wait patiently, I’ll let you have half.”

Marius smiles cheekily, looking all too pleased with himself as the whispers and murmurs gather in strength and volume. And by the end of the day, there’s not a soul in school who doesn’t know about the strange new friendship between you and Marius von Hagen.

003. rumors

“Did you hear?”

“Yeah — and with Marius —“

“Everyone says he’s nice but hard to get close to, so how the hell —“

“Maybe it’s some kind of… arrangement?”

“But why would a von Hagen need any kind of arrangement?”

“Dunno, but maybe it’s a charity project?”

“What? Adopt-a-pleb? Ha!”

“I’ve seen them around campus — he’s always following her around —“

“Ugh, so weird! Unless they’re dating? But god, he’s so out of her league it’s not even funny.”

“Hey do you know anyone who knows her?”

“Ew, no! Who would any of us know who knows her? She’s scholarship!”

“Maybe that’s why he’s so into her? Like… y’know those kids who grow up in the desert and have never seen snow?”

“What, like he’s never seen a poor person before?”

“Up close? Have you?”

“Ugh, it’s just so… weird. I bet he’ll lose interest in her by the end of the month. There’s no way they’re actually friends.”

“Yeah, that or… they’re…”

“Oh… that.”

“You don’t think…”

“Well… if she’s really that good… I guess a guy could overlook anything, right?”

004. in place

He has always been quiet when he paints, but there’s something in the thick, churning silence today that makes you pause, looking up from the book of sewing patterns in your lap. The sun’s long since set, and there’s only the two you left in the arts classroom.

Marius frowns as he leans back, a streak of dark blue paint smearing his cheek.

You glance at the canvas, pressing your lips.

“Okay. What’s wrong?”

“Hm?” he sounds distracted as he picks another brush and leans in to carve a thick slab of black through the heart of the already dark and chaotic painting.

“You’re stewing. What’s wrong?”

“How do you know I’m stewing? I’m not stewing,” Marius huffs, tossing the paintbrushes into a can, his lips pursed into a pout as he turns towards you.

You snap your book shut and sigh, “Because. I just do. And you just admitted it.”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Did too — now spill it.”

“I —” Marius lets out another loud sigh before knitting his arms across his chest, turning back toward the canvas and picking up his brushes. He squints at the painting as if it’s done him some grievous personal harm, and then jams his brush into the middle, his strokes going wide and harsh.

“Have you heard the rumors?”

You scoff, “What, about us?”

“Yeah…” his voice drops, and you almost laugh at how childish he sounds before you realize that you’re both still children. You wonder if things will change when you grow up — the thought of it seems so far away. Like this, in the fluorescent brightness of the empty art classroom, the night outside stretches like an uncertain future, unfurling into impenetrable darkness.

“Sure I have,” you say, watching him as he pulls back to examine the dark blob on the canvas.

“You’re not mad?” He doesn’t look at you and you don’t make to look away.

“Why would I be mad?” You open your book again to mark your page before tucking it away in your bag. Marius pauses as you start to pack.

“Because it’s horrible! The things they’re saying — I mean, I’m used to it because I’ve grown up around people like this but you’re —” he cuts himself off as you whip around, eyebrows raised.

“I’m what? Different?”

Marius gapes, scrambling for words that do not come.

You pack up the rest of your things in a terse silence, then you push out of your chair with a loud scrape.

“But y’know, the people who talk behind your back? They’re right where they should be.”

Marius frowns.

Your lips pull into a wide smirk as you shoulder your bag, “Behind you.”

You’re barely out the door before Marius lets out an incredulous laugh and topples back into his chair. He lets a second pass and then he’s launching out of the chair, grabbing his own bag and slinging it over his back.

“Senpai! Wait for me! Hey, you wanna go to that really cute restaurant that just opened last week? It’s got a Michelin Star but I’m sure I can get us seats!”

005. be-friend

“Marius! You’re so funny!”

“Wow, Marius — that’s incredible! You’re so smart!”

Marius laughs, carding a hand through his hair, his expression bright and open and unassuming, but the group of people around him all inch in closer, as sunflowers might strain towards the sun.

“Hey.”

You lean against the doorframe with an amused grin.

Marius looks up, his eyes visibly brightening as he sees you.

“Senpai! I was waiting for you!”

“Bullshit. We’re gonna be late for the show.” You tap at your wrist where a watch might be as Marius bounds out of his chair, shaking off his hoard of simpering admirers.

“W-wait! Marius! We’re all gonna head to the Ace Club later — you know, the super exclusive one? Don’t you wanna come with us?” one of the girls asks hopefully.

Marius turns, smiling as if he doesn’t hear the strained desperation in her voice, the flash of annoyance in her eyes as she looks you over.

“Sorry! Maybe next time — I’ve got a theater date I can’t miss. Bye!”

“You know if you keep calling them dates, people are going to get the wrong idea, right?” you ask breezily, sounding less concerned and more amused.

“So? Let them get the wrong idea.”

You cast him a mischievous grin, “Ah… the prince in love with the pauper. Tale as old as time.”

At this, Marius pouts, “Senpai… so mean to me… and you were the one who wanted to be my friend first.”

You wave him off with a flap of your hands, “Sure, but you’re the one who stuck around.”

“Hmph, maybe after tonight’s show, we’ll go our separate ways then,” Marius makes a show of harumphing and stomping off in front of you as you laugh and jog to catch up, swatting him in the side with your bag.

“So you’re just hanging out with me for the theater perks?”

“Yep! Well, I knew you’d find me out eventually,” Marius smiles, teasing as the pair of you make your way off campus and turn towards the community theater.

After a while, Marius bumps you with his elbow, “You really are super good at costume design… are you sure you don’t wanna —”

“I don’t want a handout, Marius.” Your voice has gone cold and clipped, and Marius bites his lip, shoulders shrugging up as you continue to walk.

“I wasn’t offering one. It’s just… there’s a Pax program for young aspiring artists to study abroad in Europe and…”

“And you’re offering to get me in? That’s literally the definition of a handout.”

“No! I’m just telling you about it. I swear I won’t say a word about your application — if you even apply, that is…” he sounds eager in a way that you haven’t heard in a long time. Not since he’d entered the school fine arts contest under a pseudonym.

You give him a sidelong look before sighing, “I’ll… think about it.”

“Okay! That’s —” he reigns himself in as he skips out in front of you, looking not unlike an over-excited puppy, “that’s… good! Wah — I’m so excited for tonight’s play! Hamlet, right?”

You laugh as you hurry to catch up to him, “Yeah. But it’s not like you haven’t seen it before — didn’t you say that you dad took you to see it in London or something?”

“Yeah, but that’s different.”

“How?”

Marius rolls his eyes, smiling cheekily down at you, but when you catch his eyes you see them go soft, the light in them somehow molten as he looks and looks and looks at you.

“Obviously, because Ophelia’s dress wouldn’t have been made by you!”

006. stay and leave

“I got in!”

Marius blinks at the flat beige of his bedroom ceiling as your voice rings out from across the phone line. The bed beneath him is perfectly made, the silken sheets freshly pressed from this morning.

“A-ah! Congrats, senpai!” he tries to sound like his usual cheery self but he’s not sure how successful it is.

A beat.

“Marius?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

Another beat. Marius shifts, curling onto his side, cradling the phone to his ear as he stares at the halo of light cast by his artisan bedside lamp.

“For… telling me about the program. And… for not pulling any strings on the back end.”

Marius grins, flipping onto his back again, “How’dyou know I didn’t?”

Your laugh comes through the line, soft and sweet.

“Because. I know you.”

Something inside Marius squeezes; he fists his fingers into the soft silk of his nightshirt. Warmth spreads from the base of his spine up through the rest of his body till he’s tingling from his toes to his nose. He wrinkles it, feeling abashed as he scratches at his cheek, even though he knows you can’t see the gesture.

“R-right — so! When do you leave?”

“End of the summer — so…”

“So?”

You sound hesitant in a way that he’s not used to.

“I’ll miss you.”

He almost misses the words, they’re so soft, so quiet that he almost thinks he might’ve imagined them. But he knows your voice almost better than he knows his own, knows the color and shape, the weight and temperature. Knows how it gets pitched when you’re excited, and flat when you get mad. Knows the giddiness that fills it like sweet champagne bubbles when you know something and want to share. Knows the dull coolness of it when you’re done or tired or annoyed.

“Senpai…” Marius presses his cheek ever closer to the face of the phone, “if you keep saying that, I might ask them to rescind your acceptance letter just so you can’t go.”

He smiles, bracing for the sharp bite of your reprimand, but it doesn’t come. Instead, he hears you sigh.

“Just promise you’ll come visit, okay?”

“Sure! I’ll come every weekend if you want! My dad’s old jet’s been sitting in the hanger anyway.”

“Mm, maybe not every weekend.”

“Aw… senpai, I thought you’d want to see me!”

“I do! Just… you know what I mean.”

Marius chuckles, throwing his free arm over his eyes, reveling in the temporary darkness. A strange, hot tightness gathers at the back of his throat as he sighs. He feels the tickle of words on his tongue — and what is it about the nighttime that makes it so much easier to say the things he might never have the courage to in daylight?

“Senpai… if I asked you to stay… what would you say?”

“Hm?”

“If I — I mean… if I told you, right now, that… that I didn’t want you to go…”

You hum as if contemplating his question. Marius squeezes his eyes shut.

“I’d tell you you were being a spoiled brat and very selfish,” you say, but there’s a lightness to your tone that makes Marius smile.

“Well… I’ll never escape allegations of either of those things,” Marius replies.

“And then, I’d tell you that you’re being stupid because — why ask me to stay, when you can just come with me?”

Marius sits up, “Ha?”

“I’ve seen your art, Marius. You’re brilliant. You’d be the first to get in, even without being the next CEO of Pax.”

Marius stares at his own hand, now lying limply in his lap. He’d never considered entering the program himself — it’d be a huge conflict of interest. But… if he didn’t apply as himself then…

“Aren’t you being a little selfish too, senpai? Asking a guy to move across the entire world with you.”

“I never said I wasn’t.”

Marius drags his hand down his face, feeling his heart thudding right beneath this throat, a strong, startling hoofbeat that thrums through him. It beats behind his ears, rushes blood to his fingertips. He squeezes at the bridge of his nose, a recklessness filling him like helium to a balloon and suddenly, he’s weightless as he lets himself fall back onto this too-big mattress.

Later, long after he’s hung up the phone, your voice still echoing in the recesses of his half-asleep mind. He smiles to himself, pressing a palm to his chest to feel the rhythmic, certain beating of his own heart.

That, he thinks, is the girl I’m going to marry someday.

007. want and need (redux)

Years later, long after he kisses you for the first time at the airport in Florence, when you’d come to meet him for his first year in the young artists program, Marius flies you back under the guise of an anniversary trip.

You have a feeling you know what he’s going to do, and he knows you well enough to know that you do too.

Still, when he gets down on one knee, your eyes are gleaming with unshed tears.

“Remember when you told me you didn’t want anything from me the first time we met?” he asks, grinning up at you, a velvet box in the palm of his hands.

“Well… I can’t the same because… the truth is, ever since that first meeting in the library I’ve wanted so many things from you — I wanted to hear you laugh, to watch you when you designed your clothes, to listen to your voice every night on the phone till I fell asleep…”

There are flowers everywhere, and the sunlight is magnificent on Marius’s white tux. He looks like a prince stepped right out of the pages of all your favorite fairy tales; he looks like a daydream. You briefly wonder if this is a dream, but Marius charges on, and amongst all the tittering guests that surround you in the gallery, you’re the only one who notices the slight tremor in Marius’s voice, way his breath is just a tad more shallow than it usually is.

You reach down to pull him up, and you shake your head.

“Y’know, I lied to you — that first time, when I told you I didn’t want anything.” Your voice is scratchy from the tears, but Marius grins.

“Oh? Then… you did want something from me?”

You press your hand to his chest, the steady beat of his heart thudding beneath your palm.

“Yeah. I wanted… this.”

It’s a horrible, cheesy line, but all things considered, you think it feels right.

Marius laughs, leaning forward to press his forehead to yours, cupping your cheeks.

His smile is radiance itself.

“Good… because I want this too,” and he reaches down to open the lid of the tiny velvet box. You barely notice the ring for the feel of it as he slips it around your finger.

“But… I want so much more than that too — I want your everything — your body, your mind, your soul, your life — I want you to spend it with me, because even though you never wanted anything from me… all I’ve ever wanted to do was give my everything to you.”

You swallow, wiping at your eyes with an exasperated laugh.

“Dummy, you’ve always had it,” you hiccup as Marius tips your chin up with a finger, his eyes going soft as he looks over the planes and contours of your face — ever an artist, his gaze always both hungry and admiring. As if he could never get enough, but that won’t ever stop him from trying — from wanting.

“I’ve always been yours,” you say, and time itself is caught in the negative space between your lips.

Marius nods, reaching down to thumb at the solidness of the ring now circling your finger.

“Then… that’s the only thing I’ll ever want or need.”

[lone-trailblazer]

imagine waking Jing Yuan up by sucking him off or riding him. alternatively he wakes you up by fucking you so hard you just might need to go to sleep again.

Please excuse the late answer,,

NOW!!! Omfg Daddy Jing is such a sucker for cnc, especially waking you up with his huge cock balls deep inside you 😩😩 BUT! He also loves it just as much when ne wakes up to you going down on him, mouth too small to fit his giant dick fully inside 🫣🫣

[materlux]

The Priestess and The Swordsman - Chapter 2: "Will you help me?"

This took longer to finish, honestly it's not favorite work and is more like a filler chapter to tie the previous to the last.

I added Yanqing, learnt I have absolutly no idea how that boy acts, and improvised, sort of.

I still hope you enjoy!

CW: Mentions of: Curses, blood, death, chronic illness? It's angst/fluff, JIng Yuan being a worried dad, and Mimi, found family. 2.6k

Bog-rosemary represents; to be bound by fate.

Honkai Star Rail | Main Masterlist

It’s been a week, you think, you have been losing track of time these past days. Since you were bedridden, you spent most hours of the day asleep or half conscious, under the watchful eyes of various healers from the alchemy commission, courtesy of Lady Bailu and Jing Yuan.

   Lady Bailu comes to see you at least once this week, to replenish the bandages and the ointment for your arm, and check on you herself.

   Jing Yuan is here at least once a day, you get the feeling he’s using you to skip work, but you like the company so you don’t question him.

   Aside from the healers who come and go, your best company has been Jing Yuan’s 400 something pound ‘cat’, Mimi, who he clearly trusts greatly. When he first brought it with him, you thought he had gone mad, but Mimi has proven to be great company. 

   He lays himself out on the bed by your side, no one would be foolish enough to do anything to you with a lion as your bodyguard. He’s very warm and his fur is soft, he keeps quiet and lets you sleep as you please; and on the days when you get up to wander the small room, he follows you around and lets you use him for support. All around a good roommate.

   Today is the first day you have felt more alive, energy is practically exploding out of you, but you are under strict rules: No moving from your bed when you are alone. For once no healers are walking back and forth, Lady Bailu isn’t here to see to you herself, you’re alone. 

   Well, not entirely alone, Mimi lays stretched out on the wood floor before a window, sunlight bathing his light fur. He’s been asleep since the moment he walked into the light, what careless behaviour, you wish you could indulge in the same careless behaviour.

   An idea, Mimi is a surprisingly great caretaker, it’s like he knows you're sick. With him around you aren’t alone, so technically you can get out of bed, it’s not like anyone is here to see you break the rule.

   So you get out of bed and instantly Mimi is by your side, as you walk he stays pressed up against your side. You rest your hand on his back, his fur is still warm from the sun. You walk around the small room, it quickly gets boring, you have seen everything in this room at least a dozen times now. The door leading out to the small seating area and kitchen is right there, unlocked and easy to open.

   It’s been awhile since you’ve seen the seating area or kitchen, it’s cosy; with a couch covered in pillows and blankets, a coffee table with dark coffee stains, and walls covered in picture frames of people you don’t know. The kitchen is stocked with food and drinks, the counters are clear and light shines in over the sink. Outside the window, the garden stretches seemingly endlessly.

   You stand before the front door, it’s made of dark wood with raised details. If it was a rule that you had to stay in bed, it was basically law that you stay in the house, but you long to see the flowers, feel the breeze and the sun, touch the running water. One step outside wouldn’t kill you, plus Mimi won’t leave your side.

   The stone pathway is warm under your feet, the breeze caresses your hair, the flowers are soft on your skin. You slowly make your way around the garden, you intend to stay close to the house, only wandering around the first couple of beds, but the sound of running water and the desire to feel it on your skin lures you away.

   The small stream of water leads into a pond filled with lilies, the pump under the water is slightly clogged with algae, so parts of the surrounding area have turned swampy or boggy. Small pink bell-like flowers bloom from low growing plants, you kneel down to look closer to them, bog-rosemary you conclude. The water is cold as it runs over your hand, it sends a shock through your nerves.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

   You don’t know how long you spend out in the garden, Mimi stays by your side like you expected. What you don’t expect is to see the General of the Luofu looking so frazzled, he looks around frantically, until he spots you.

   Jing Yuan walks down the pathway in quick steps, out of instinct you take a step back, he looks upset. He stands before you and for the first time he seems to be at a loss for words, he looks down at you wide eyed like you just insulted his entire bloodline.

   “What are you doing!?” He asks in a raised voice, his tone makes you wince. “You’re supposed to stay in bed!” You feel so small before him now, you take another step back and avoid his eyes. “Look at me! What are you doing?” He demands, you glance up.

   His eyes are fierce, hot molten gold full of anger, your mouth dries up and your throat closes. You know he won’t hurt you, your whole body and mind knows he won’t lay a finger on you. So then why do you suddenly feel so threatened? Why do you want to run away and hide? Why is he making you feel like this, he’s never done anything to warrant this reaction.

   But as you look into his eyes, molten gold gives way to cold silver, they look down at you with disgust, something so foreign in the gold but all too familiar here. The priest drinks from his cup of wine, dark and red, but seems too thick to be just wine, what is it? The room closes in around you, the doors vanish and he leans in, it’s too much it’s all too much.

   Something soft and warm brushes against your leg, Mimi’s standing between you and the General, the tuft of fur at the end of his tail brushes against your leg with every swing. He lets out a low growl, he must have sensed your distress and come to your aid, defending you from his owner.

   Jing Yuan looks taken aback by the display, and yet he doesn’t seem upset about it, almost proud. He takes a deep breath, and much more softly beckons you to look at him. You do, the formerly molten gold full of anger, gives way to something underlying, concern.

   “Why are you out here?” He asks more calmly this time, there’s no malice in his tone. “I- I just wanted to see the garden…” you answer quietly, you look down at your feet and study the gaps in the stone.

   He speaks your name so softly you might have mistaken it as the wind, but the wind wouldn’t be able to mimic even half the affection in his tone. You look up at him, and with a gentle hand gesture he beckons you over, with small steps you move to stand before him. A warm hand grazes your skin, rubbing at tears you didn’t notice were falling.

   “Next time you want to go out, wait for me.” He smiles gently down at you, and you nod. “Okay,” he nearly whispers. “But I am glad to see you feeling better.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

   From then on, on the days you feel well, you wait for him on the couch, Mimi resting by your feet. He guides you around the garden, and holds you steady when the curse makes the world spin. In return you tell him about the flowers in the garden, about all their hidden meanings and useful abilities.

   On days when you can’t leave the bed, he sits by your side and rests, you wonder if the position is even comfortable. You ask him about his day, and he opts to tell you about the fun stuff, the happenings of the Luofu, and how diviner Fu is ‘oh so cruel’ for making him do paperwork on such a fine day. Much like Mimi, the lion-like general also makes for good company, he keeps your days interesting and less quiet.

   On bad days he holds your hand as healers attend you, people you barely know asking questions and treating your arm, he helps keep you grounded and he even answers some questions when you can’t. A rough but warm thumb running over your knuckles, as the healer rubs ointment over your darkening skin.

   The black tendrils have started creeping past your shoulder, over your collarbone and up the side of your neck. Areas near the beginning are cracking open, they burn terribly, they keep you awake through all hours of the day and night.

  ��Lady Bailu comes by and does her own examination of the damage, she offers you some painkillers and soothing tea to ease your mind, a good night's rest is important for your health, she says as she bandages your arm and helps you back into your shirt.

   She leaves your room, she and Jing Yuan speak just beyond the door, you can’t hear what they say but you recognize their voices. It must have been bad news, because when Jing Yuan returns with Mimi hot on his heels, he has a solemn and almost distant look to him.

   Mimi joins you on the bed as you adjust yourself, you weave your fingers into his mane, untangling knots as you go. Jing Yuan takes his place by your side, the old chair creaks in protest, he stares at the wall across the room, clearly in deep thought.

   “What’s wrong?” You ask, you’re looking down at Mimi, he looks back at you and rumbles. Jing Yuan stays quiet, he must be deep in thought.

   “Yuan, what’s wrong?” Your hand escapes Mimi’s mane to poke at Jing Yuan’s arm, he snaps out of his stupor and looks at you. “What’s wrong?” You repeat the question again, but he only looks at you, with something akin to pity.

   “Nothing,” he says, but he sounds distant, you aren’t convinced.

   “If it’s about me, shouldn’t I also know?” It may be phrased like a question, but it’s meant as a statement, because you should know. The room grows quiet as he looks into your eyes, you hold eye contact and he relents with a sigh.

   “The healers and Lady Bailu theorise that once the tendrils reach your head, well…” The words die on his tongue, but you get it.

   “I die,” you finish, he winces and his eyes seem to go glassy.

   “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

   “What for? There was nothing you could do, only the aeons can undo this.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

   It’s like the air around you has grown heavy with a sort of sadness, and frankly you’re kind of tired of it, all this grieving over you when you’re right here. Sure more of the tendrils have started cracking open, and your bedsheets need to be changed almost everyday because of the blood, and yeah your skin is more lifeless now, but still.

   Mimi is the only one who seems unbothered by the heavy air, he sleeps in your lap, as you tease his mane into weird hairdos. Lady Bailu comes to see you more often now, you get the feeling Jing Yuan would like the same freedom, but he has important duties to fulfil.

   One day you offer a solution to this problem, one that would also satiate a certain curious itch of yours, he could take you to his office. That way he can feel more at ease and you get to see the General of the Luofu’s office, how cool wouldn’t that be.

   You already asked Lady Bailu, and she agrees under some conditions: You must stay seated, covered by a blanket for warmth, and Lady Bailu and other chosen healers must be allowed entrance at all times. You nod along to it all, it suits you just fine, you even add your own condition: Mimi must be allowed to accompany you as well.

   You shush Jing Yuan and lay out the conditions, a solemn smile grazes his features, it makes you happy in return to see him a little less dreadful. He agrees to try it for just one day, and you take the offer.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

   The General of the Luofu’s office is massive, it dwarfs the priest’s old office and the atmosphere in this room is far more comfortable, despite the walls being lined with weaponry.

   You sit in the corner of the General’s chair, which is more like a bench, with a blanket and a lion’s head in your lap. The General in question walks back and forth before the desk while looking through documents. 

   It was odd at first to hear people call him General, when you are used to calling him by name. He is still adamant you only call by name, or the nickname you have taken to, it’s really just a shortening of his name: Yuan.

   A warm cup of tea is held between your cold palms, it’s a soothing herbal tea, recommended by Lady Bailu. It soothes your mind and nerves, and warms your body at the same time. Mimi doesn’t mind when you rest the cup and your hands on his head, when your arms become tired.

   A young boy, maybe your age, walks with purpose and confidence up the collection of stairs before the General’s desk. He goes to exchange words with Jing Yuan, but his eyes spot you on the chair, the two of you stare at each other for a moment.

   The boy looks back at Jing Yuan clearly confused, the General bears an ever relaxed disposition, and calmly explains the situation. The boy introduces himself as Yanqing, the General’s retainer and a lieutenant in the cloud knights. You introduce yourself, but leave out the part about your origin.

   The Lieutenant quickly goes back to his duties and reports to the General, after which he takes his leave. You see the boy again later in the evening, you slept from a little over midday to now, the sun is setting and you’ll be going back to your room soon.

   You expect the Lieutenant to leave after he gives, what you guess is his last report of the day, but he stays. As the General organises his documents and cleans his desk, the Lieutenant joins you behind the desk, at first you just look at each other.

   “Hello,” he says, somewhat awkwardly.

   “Hi,” you respond, your voice is laced with sleep.

   The General adjusts one last pile of papers, before he rounds the desk to stand by your side, he ushers Mimi from your lap and places the cup formerly in your hands, on the desk.

   “Yanqing,” he starts, gathering the blanket and wrapping it around your shoulders. “If you’d like to join me as I bring them back to their room, you’re welcome,” Jing Yuan offers, the young boy perks up and mulls over the option.

   “I’ll take you up on that offer, general.” He sounds so formel, especially compared to your ‘Yuan’.

   “Good.” The General smiles.

   The General bends down and gathers you in his arms, blanket and all, and stands with ease. Yanqing follows behind the General, but Mimi keeps pace by his side.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

   You fade in and out consciousness the entire walk, the voices of Yanqing and Jing Yuan bleed in and out of existence, like whispers on the wind. At some point, warmth and soft sheets envelop your body, distantly you feel a hand gently smooth over your hair, before the world goes quiet.

[sharararararara]

MASTER LIST★

AVATAR

NETEYAM:

All I wanted was you...( Yandere Neteyam x Metkayina reader)

Neteyam HCS( Neteyam x reader)

Husband Neteyam x reader( AGED UP) (NO SMUT)

Not all stories end with a happy ending( Neteyam x Metkayina reader) (ANGST)

AO'NUNG:

Ao'nung HCS( AO NUNG X READER)

Yandere Ao'nung HCS

TSIREYA:

I see you...( Tsireya x Fem Metkayina reader) (Angst turns into fluff)

Tsu'tey:

Nga yawns lu oer...(Tsu'tey x Omaticaya reader) (angst turns into fluff)

YANDERE AVATAR THE WAY OF WATER FAN FICTION:

INTRO

CHAPTER 1

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

AEMOND TARGARYEN:

RIGHT PERSON WRONG TIME( Aemond x reader ANGST)

Fire and blood( Dark Aemond Targaryen x reader) ( Coming soon)

Yandere Aemond x Older sister reader (Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3 )

Aemond Smut Imagine

Jacaerys Velaryon:

Yandere Jacaerys Velaryon x reader HCS

Harry Potter

CEDRIC DIGGORY:

ALMOST LOOSING YOU- DARK CEDRIC DIGGORY X READER

VICTOR KRUM:

My swan( Yandere Victor Krum x reader)

DRACO MALFOY:

Yandere Draco Malfoy x reader( coming soon)

HARRY POTTER:

Coming soon

NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM:

Coming soon

HUNGER GAMES

FINNICK ODAIR:

Never letting you go- Finnick Odair( Dark Finnick x reader)

CATO HADLEY:

Blood in my hands- DarkCato Hadley x reader( coming soon)

CORIOLANUS SNOW:

Cold as snow( Dark Coriolanus Snow x reader)

PEETA MELLARK

Coming soon

HONKAI STAR RAIL

JING YUAN:

Yandere Jing Yuan x reader HCS

DAN HANG

coming soon

BLADE

Coming soon

ONE PIECE

ZORO:

Yandere Zoro x reader HCS

SANJI:

WILL POST SOON

BUGGY:

WILL POST SOON

LORD OF THE RINGS/ THE HOBBIT

LEGOLAS:

WILL POST SOON

THRANDUIL:

Letter from Dark Thranduil

Dark Thranduil HCS

FRODO:

WILL POST SOON

PIPPY:

WILL POST SOON

MERRY:

WILL POST SOON

SAMWISE:

WILL POST SOON

ARAGORN:

WILL POST SOON

Game Of Thrones

Daenerys

Coming soon

Jon Snow

Coming soon

Sansa Stark

Coming soon

Rob Stark

Coming soon

Oberyn Martel

Coming soon

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS

LUKE CASTELLAN

Dark Luke Castellan x reader HCS

The sun shines brighter when I'm with you.

Wrapped in a deadly embrace

PERCY JACKSON

Finding you

ANNABETH CHASE

COMING SOON

GROVER UNDERWOOD

COMING SOON

CLARISSE LA RUE

WAR AND BEAUTY

Outer Banks

RAFE CAMERON

Sick.

[enihk-writes]

[forget-me-not]

pairing: jing yuan x gn!reader

summary: he likes to meditate a lot, to calm himself and keep himself sane from all the sorrows he has been through thus far. and it seems the general has never been one to remember personal tragedies.

word count: 0.89k

author's note: i saw that one tweet about him forgetting snowmoon supposedly if you ask him about it,,, i went crazy and also lost my consciousness. bone apple teeth yall.... this was made in 30 minutes.

═══════════════

jing yuan has known you since you were both in diapers. studying together, playing together, falling asleep under the tree in his parent's garden, tired from running away from your teachers to skip class together —

anything you could think of, the two children have experienced it together.

so when he announced to his family that he would be joining the cloud knights, and faced the harsh opposition, it only made sense that you would pack your things alongside him and leave with him during the night.

training was harsh and he'd often come back to the small room you both shared tired and exhausted. you were not fit for the military like he was, and frustrated with the circumstances, he had a fight and fell out with you. for the first time in his life thus far, he woke up and you weren't there.

he tells himself that he was fine, that he didn't need you to be him all the time. he wan't a baby anymore, he was a cloud knight! and cloud knights were cool and strong and capable and independent...

he wasn't really fine, spending days that turned to months and then years without you around. with no sight, no sound of you. he was wondering if you were just a figment of his imagination.

but things took a turn when his mentor, jing lu, took him to meet her friends. not really registering what she was saying about the kid her friend had taken in around his age until he was face-to-face with the person he'd thought he'd never see again.

baiheng, who had been eagerly watching this exchange chuckled gleefully, her hand slapping his back to snap him out of his daze.

ah-yuan, do you like the suprise?

he looks at her, stupified.

the foxian flashes him a lopsided grin, mentally cheering at her victory. you see, she had picked a certain lost child roaming on the streets with nothing but the clothes on their back and a small sack across their back, many years ago. the child was crying, still upset over an argument they had earlier with their best friend, and even more distraught over the overwhelming feelings of uselessness they had been feeling for a while.

baiheng's heart had ached for the little one, taking them under her wing and bringing them along her journeys as a nameless. you, who was once this lost child had now seen worlds past your skies and had long outgrown the juvenile skin you used to wear.

you stood before him, with the same face he had always remembered, but now carrying the aura of galaxies beyond his comprehension. despite this, you were still you, after all. and he talked to you like you had never left his side before.

somewhere along the way, your awkward reunion and cracked relationship was mended. the ground stood fertile for something new to bloom between the two of you. and as the vines of this new feeling wrapped around his heart, with tendrils sinking into the soft flesh, he feels that things have changed but stayed the same yet felt uncertain all at once at every turn of his relationship with you.

you looked at him a little differently too these days. and as you two toed the line of what you both were, the unasked question that hung in the air — will we or won't we cross over that line together?

jing yuan wasn't a patient man and was the first to step over the edge, falling into your space, filling your mind with his presence and taking your heart in his hands. he was yours, and maybe that was the fate that was set in stone all along, with you being the first one he chose as a baby as opposed to that sword he always told others he had picked.

your death was as sudden as it could have come. and it hurt more that you died not from age as a short-life species but from a freak accident. something, something about baiheng being turned into some chimera beast and mortally wounding you as you desperately called to whatever remnants of the woman you grew to love like a mother were left in the abomination.

when jing lu came back, a casket in tow, he could not bear to look inside it. a funeral was held for you and baiheng, and he didn't go. no one blamed him, no one looked for him either.

years pass, and more tragedies struck what was once the proud heroes of the high cloud quintet, from five to four to two and finally, it was just him that was left behind, yet again.

he's taken up to meditation, choosing to focus on better memories no matter how mundane so as to rest his heart from all that it's been through. every year as the memories mold and morph into each other, he picks out the bad ones like black spots in a bin of rice, and casts them out of his mind.

these days, there is a rumor of the general's old flame. someone found pages of a tattered exchange diary with the man in question and a nameless. though when march and the trailblazer asks him about it, he only hums and shrugs. not really knowing what they mean.

[rrrrinmaru]

one who is loved by all (marius x mc, birthday fic)

wc: 1.4k rating: T

As the prince of the kingdom, it was expected that his birthday will be a grand event. Fireworks, grand gifts, maybe three elephants and five carriages worth of jewellery; Marius was a loved prince, after all. You weren't surprised at the extravagance, or the extent to which the kingdom would go to in order to make Marius know he was loved.

"Jiejie," he murmured, rolling his shoulders back as he adjusted the way his clothes fell on his shoulder, making sure each button was turned just right. "I'm tired."

"I'm not surprised," you told him, eyeing his reflection in the mirror. "This is your third outfit of the day, and it's barely lunch."

"That painting was entirely unnecessary," he groaned, checking his arm braces. "They paint it every year. I don't change that much, do I? One painting every, say, three years, is good enough. I look exactly the same as I did last year, just in a different outfit."

Well. You couldn't say you agreed. You didn't personally know Marius last year, but you knew of him--who could live in this country and not know of his existence? The enigmatic prince, the most desirable bachelor, the man who made dames and gents alike swoon whenever he gave them a faint smile; Marius had made a name for himself ever since he stepped out into the limelight, and that bright light never stopped shining on him.

And the Marius of last year, compared to the Marius of the current year--there was a slight difference. Imperceptible, perhaps, to the man himself, but you could tell. There was a different air about him. A gravitas that the old Marius didn't have. He used to be confident in a brash sort of manner, a reckless child who demanded respect because he thought himself worthy of it. 

Now, he'd mellowed out. He'd honed his craft, tongue as silver as the moon, and the way he carried himself is different. You thought it could be the burden of becoming the heir after the disappearance of his brother, the late nights and long hours, spiralling into a force that pushed him to mature faster; he simply felt different, different from his old self. 

"At least the day is almost over," you said encouragingly. "Just the coronation, then the parade, and the dinner, before you're done for the day."

"You say that like it's easy," he replied, giving you a side glance. "The coronation is, well, if needs must, but the parade? The glitz and the glamour and the crowd cheering?"

"You like the crowd cheering."

"But I'm tired today." Marius turned fully, lips pulling down into a pout as he leaned towards you. "I don't want to ride a horse through the streets and listen to them sing my praises. Not today, at least. Maybe tomorrow."

Laughter always came easily to you when you were with him. "The crown can't reschedule your birthday parade, Marius."

"It's my birthday. They should make a few exceptions." He sighed, and your hand instinctively lifted to his head, wanting to pet his hair. 

You paused. His hair was done by a stylist just a few minutes prior, and you couldn't mess it up. Not even a single strand could be out of place or you would feel incredibly guilty. 

Marius, on the other hand, seemed to have his own opinion. He pressed closer, as if trying to push his head into the curve of your palm. 

It was a difficult fight, but you resisted. You pulled your hand away, giving him an admonishing look. 

"I have to go for the parade, sit upright and look presentable, and you won't even pat my head." He shook his head dramatically, giving you an incredibly forlorn look. "Jiejie, this doesn't even feel like my birthday. Maybe a torture day."

You tried to think of something to cheer him up with, but came up short.

"You can do it," you said lightly, patting him on the back. "It'll be over in a flash!"

"Lies and slander, jiejie. Lies and slander." 

You watched him fiddle around with his appearance a while longer. Then, out of nowhere, the thought hit you.

"Do you want my present now, then?" You asked, mouth moving faster than your mind. "Or do you want it at the end of the day?"

Marius froze. A series of emotions quickly flashed over his face, and you could barely hold back your laughter at how torn he looked. He opened his mouth after a while, as if determined and certain about his decision, then closed his mouth just as fast, thinking twice.

"I don't know," he muttered, pouting as he looked at you. "That decision's too hard to make. Can't you give me half now, and half later?"

You can't really split your present into half like that. But with the look that he was giving you--you thought it over, trying to see if you can somehow stretch it out. 

"Okay," you said slowly, moving to the door. "I'll give you… the bigger half now. You can have the smaller half… tonight."

He blinked at you. "The bigger half…?"

Before he could ask anything, you dart into the corridor, rushing to the room where all the presents were kept. Yours was squirrelled away into a corner, sitting in an unobtrusive manner, away from the gigantic pyramid of carefully wrapped presents.

Yours… couldn't really be wrapped.

You hurry back with the larger present, hoping there was still enough buffer time before Marius had to show up in the main hall for his coronation ceremony. It would be fast--you just had to hand it over to Marius, wish him a hasty happy birthday as was the typical birthday procedure, and then he'd be off. 

You stop in front of his door. With one free hand, you pat your cheek, trying to get rid of the flush that settled in on your way here. You can do this! A few simple steps and it would be over; you had to stay cool and calm, and not give Marius any ammunition! He'd never let you live it down if he saw you this red!

As you tried to give yourself a pep talk, the door flew open.

"Jiejie, you were just standing outside--"

He cut himself off, staring at you with wide eyes. 

"Here," you said roughly, shoving the bouquet at him while pointedly looking elsewhere. "For you. Happy birthday, Marius.”

He didn't take the bouquet so much as it fell into his arms. Marius held it gingerly, eyes huge from shock as he looked it over, carefully peering at every handcrafted rose.

"Did you make this?"

You're tempted to say something sarcastic, like lying that you bought it off the blacksmith, but then you see the glimmer of affection in his eyes and the urge to pass it off as a joke dies in your chest. You swallow, gathering all the courage you have left in your gut.

"I made it. With help, of course, from Kiki's friend."

Marius looked at you with a childlike wonder in his eyes, lips curving in a brilliant smile. "For me?"

You huff, turning your head to the side. "Who else?"

He held the bouquet up, admiring it in the light. The roses were crafted from metal, fine wire twisted into the shape of a rose. The very first rose took you over five hours to make, and you managed to shave your time down into a flat two hours after the twentieth rose. 

"I love it," he said quietly. "Thank you."

"I thought you would like something handmade--handcrafted, because I know you like creating. This isn't, well, you can get better quality ones if you commissioned it and paid extravagantly, and I know I messed up a little here, right there on this rose, and--"

Marius leaned in, eyes soft as he cupped your cheek. He was close, close enough that you feel the way his breath felt across your lips, and you felt the urge to look away but his gaze was simply too captivating. He drew you in, holding you in place, and you stood there dumbly.

"I love it," he repeated, voice barely a whisper. "It's the most thoughtful thing anyone's ever given me. Thank you, princess."

"I'm not a princess," you said, the words coming out of your mouth in a dazed breath, instinct pushing the familiar retort from your chest. 

Marius gave you a smile, one of those cheeky ones that meant he knew something you didn't, and then--

Before you could resist, he pressed his lips to yours lightly, just a brief brush that made your nerves spark, and then he pulled back.

"Cherry lipstick," Marius said, brows lifting. "I can't say I'm against it."

==

© rrrrinmaru 2022 | no unauthorised publication or reproduction allowed

[dangermousie]

2020 End of Year Post - cdrama edition

This is only going to cover cdramas that aired in 2020; if I had to make a post about all the cdramas I watched this year, I would still be doing it in three months...

Overall it’s been a fairly decent cdrama year (certainly better than the very lacklustre kdrama year.) It’s no miracle that 2019 was (so many excellent dramas!) but overall pretty solid.

DRAMAS WATCHED

(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

44 The Legend of Jing Yan - the worst cdrama I have seen this year, and possibly the worst drama of 2020, period. The hero and heroine were both uncharismatic, incapable of acting and saddled with such shrilly moronic characters, the only suspense was how they haven’t both perished long since from forgetting to breathe. Nor was anyone in the rest of the cast much better; the screenplay was written by a lower mammal and the cinematography was the best a third-rate wedding cinematographer could offer. Stay the HELL away from this one.

43 Unicorn Girl - the only unicorn about this bland yet irritating piece of pap was the fact that I was supposed to believe the leads are hockey players.

42 Autumn Cicada - I like spy stories, Allen Ren, and Republican Era settings. I can tune out Communist propaganda with the best of them. Yet, the propaganda ate the story to such a degree that there was nothing left; pre magic change Pinocchio was less wooden then this narrative.

41 You Complete Me - no you do not.

40 Skate into Love - the only positive thing I can say about this is that at least it’s better than Unicorn Girl, if for no other reason that only one of them is supposed to be a hockey player.

39 Irreplaceable Love - how do you make a story about fake siblings with a mad mother falling for each other boring? I don’t know, ask the makers of this.

38 Eternal Love Rain - I hate to rain on their parade, but these two actors cannot act, have about as much chemistry as a piece of bread, and are trapped in a story perfect for entertaining the mental abilities of the leads of Jin Yan.

37 For Married Doctoress - ummmm, you could do worse I guess. It only made me break out in mild hives. The sadistic ending did make me laugh though.

36 Dance of the Sky Empire - why you get Xu Kai and waste him in this insipid mess of a story is beyond me.

35 Love Designer - it’s inoffensive except to my sense of entertainment. There is nothing wrong with it but oh God is it bland.

34 Love a Lifetime - It felt like a lifetime watching this, but I didn’t love it. The story is incoherent, the actors have no chemistry and it’s all an epic waste of time.

33 Love is Sweet - so sweet it gave me diabetes. I like Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu, but there is literally no plot. I don’t need to sink into a plotless morass to watch pretty people engage in PG-rated make-outs. I am an adult with access to stronger stuff if I am thus inclined, though to be fair they could get x-rated and I still wouldn’t be able to sit through so many episodes of plotlessness for that.

32 Fake Princess - I love Zhao Yi Qin, but the guy needs to pick better projects. The female lead in this one has the voice and personality that can strip paint but the story is also doing nobody any favors.

31 The Changan Youth - I lost my brain checking this out. I had to go and read a dense treatise on medieval coinage or Mayan farming to try to recover it.

30 My Dear Destiny - kinda cheesy fun. It honestly shouldn’t be as low except it really feels like community theater.

29 Handsome Siblings - why is the Nic Tse version so good and this one so bad? True mystery for the ages. Chen Zhe Yuan is the sole reason this isn’t lower, because that kid tries SO HARD to make this drama bearable and almost succeeds. I can’t wait to see him in Sha Po Lang which actually will give him something to do.

28 In a Class of Her Own - see my comment on The Changan Youth. But at least Song Weilong is gorgeous to look at.

27 General’s Lady - inoffensive, pretty and so utterly pointless.

26 The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion - those two leading actors are a no go to me but at least they considerately acted with each other instead of ruining two dramas for me. It’s very pretty though.

25 Jiu Liu Overlord - it’s a mess and I bailed, but I placed it this high merely due to the fact that Lai Yi finally gets a leading role and he’s sexy as fuck and I am shallow. Whoever styled Bai Lu should never work again except at a circus, however.

24 Cross Fire - not my genre and Luhan will always look too much like my cousin for comfort, but it’s a surprisingly gripping and dark drama. I liked it!

23 God of Lost Fantasy - if you want to watch a mediocre wuxia/xianxia, this is not a bad choice. Probably better than Legend of Fei actually, because at least it doesn’t have an A-list cast to waste and gives us Sheng Yilun himbo and shirtless.

22 Renascence - the insane cuts (it went from 70 eps to 36!!!) made a fairly cheesy story into a total mess. But I had a good time until I finally bailed mainly because of the male lead (Chen Zhe Yuan yet again carrying a not-good 2020 drama on his shoulders; the guy should be nicknamed Atlas) and the insane but in a fun way story. The female lead (both the character and the actress) were not up to par but oh well.

21 Legend of Fei - only this high because objectively there is nothing I disliked it. But there is nothing I liked either. The most uninspired drama on the list. If you could eat cardboard, this is what it would taste like.

20 Ever Night 2 - compared to EN1, it’s a waste of film. On its own merits, it’s not very good (the cast replacements are uniformly inferior and Dylan Wang is so wrong for Ning Que I cannot even put it into words; the script is useless.) But it had some parts I loved so very VERY much (all the shippy stuff was perfection) so I don’t feel too bitter.

19 Castle in the Sky 2 - a lovely if not too complex fairy tale. It is inferior to its prequel because it doesn’t have Zhang Ruo Yun who elevated it, but it’s still a solid bit of fun.

18 The Great Ruler - it’s very high fantasy, very pretty, and surprisingly involving.

17 (tie) Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos - the secondary couple steals the show but the rest is not too bad if not too involving.

17 Legend of Awakening - a solid bit of fun with a seriously BDSM streak (theme this year apparently - but come on, the lead’s powers only activate when he’s in extreme pain!) It’s a bit generic and the costuming is done by a blind person, not to mention the OTP is a NOTP, but the rest of relationships (romantic and platonic) are wonderful (I live for the found siblings story in this one) and I like most of the characters.

16 Consummation - a rare modern cdrama I liked; a sweet coming of age story (and love story) even if wrapped in a pretty weird virtual reality concept.

15 Oops the King is in Love - this is how you do a low budget, sweet, silly piece of fluff. Our heroine pretends to be a eunuch and crosses paths with a powerless young king and they are adorable, even more so than the drama.

14 Song of Glory - pretty solid, though draggy and I didn’t love the toothpaste filter. But A+ cast, excellent leading couple chemistry, Li Qin being a BAMF and a leading man (Qin Hao) who is actually an adult.

13 And the Winner is love - objectively kind of a mess (and the heroine has the brainpower of a gnat), but the OTP chemistry is excellent and Luo Yunxi fighting and flirting with a fan as finally a leading man is worth the price of admission.

12 Miss S - snazzy and snappy and stylish and whatever else starts with S.

11 Eternal Love of Dream - I don’t know if it would work for you as well if you weren’t a hardcore shipper for this OTP in Three Lives but I was and this was such a darling, wonderful, shippy delight; plus I love this type of high fantasy.

10 (tie) Maiden Holmes - solid and sweet and a wonderful OTP. Proves that functional doesn’t have to mean boring. If you watch one cross-dressing drama this year make it this one.

10 Qin Dynasty Epic - srs bsns history epic. I am not far into it but it’s so good and smart and visually stunning (if you love battles, this one is for you.)

9 Love Lasts Two Minds - I adored this so much more than I should objectively have, but it’s so beautiful (and no I am not just referring to Alan Yu’s face) and the OTP has wonderful chemistry and the story is solid, and the whole trope of her memory being wiped but falling for him all over again while he’s constantly and utterly devoted is a fave; plus he’s in pain and semi-dyng for most of it so sluuuurp (happy ending, don’t worry)

8 To Love - yes, a modern drama is this high! But it involves intensity, tragedy, genuine adults and sexiness that is Lin Gengxin. And there is an actual plot and darkness OMG!

7 Legend of Xiao Chuo - so beautiful, so fun, so full of gorgeousness of Shawn Dou. Plus, Liao is a rare setting for a cdrama and there are a lot of characters and stories I liked a LOT. Less ship content than I wanted but more than I expected.

6 The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so so delightful. I was literally laughing out loud. I have no idea if it will work as well if one isn’t a seasoned watcher of period cdrama/reader of web novels, with bonus for watching/reading Goodbye My Princess, but it was a complete delight for me (and yes, I shipped for real, as well. Best of both worlds.)

5 Twisted Fate of Love - Jin Han gets a leading period drama role! And he’s enjoying it to the hilt, excellent as a smart, twisty bastard who is also charming and so madly in love with heroine. Sun Yi is beautiful and tough and her chemistry with JH is on fire, the story never drags, and it’s so twisty and fun and just awesome.

4 Love In Between - the most underrated drama on this list. It has no big names or big budget, but it’s wuxia that’s clever, driven, tragic, hopeful and so beautifully shot. Three separate (amazing) OTPs, a leading man who is so not typical (a doctor who cannot fight and who never acquires this ability) and who is intense and smart and damaged, a heroine who puts her quest ahead of her emotions, an unhealthy degree of involvement by yours truly. This is a drama Fei should have been.

3 Love and Redemption - such a lovely, addictive, utterly romantic fairy tale. I was obsessed with it for a reason. All the tropes you love and some you didn’t know you did, a star-crossed OTP to the nth power (and a secondary OTP I hardcore love), a twisty yet coherent plot, some insane chemistry and so much whump and hurt/comfort they must have bought blood packets in bulk.

2 Go Ahead - yes, I can’t believe it either. A contemporary slice of life cdrama made it this high on my list. But the way it feels so real, the found family perfection, the characters I love and loathe, the perfect cherry of a wonderful OTP that hits my narrative kinks on top, and just a perfect storm of loveliness all around with this one.

1 The Wolf - is that any surprise to anyone who’s checked out this tumblr for the last couple of months? Tragic, intense and gorgeous; so romantic and angsty and passionate it made me lose my mind (though some of it was gone the moment the camera panned to Darren Wang) - all my favorite tropes and then some; this is a drama that may not be perfect but it is 100% and then beyond perfect for ME.

FAVORITE DRAMA

The Wolf - I have seen objectively better cdramas; even this year. But it has been literal years since I have been this hardcore obsessed, this utterly pleased, this emotionally catered to and devastated at once. A beautiful dark fairy tale that manages to own me despite the storytelling gaps due to censorship, it took me for one of the biggest emotional roller coaster rides of my drama watching career. Visually gorgeous, poetic, intense, and so romantic it took my breath away, this is not just my favorite cdrama of 2020, it’s my favorite drama this year period, and the one cdrama this year to make it into my permanent Top 10 cdramas list.

WORST DRAMA

Legend of Jin Yan - see my write up for it for why as I refuse to waste more time on this stupid mess.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Wolfie, The Wolf - he is such a haunted, tormented, complex, dark mess; loving and violent, severely damaged and with a hidden yearning softness, longing and aloof. And the amount of charisma and sheer masculine sex appeal Darren Wang brings to the role is insane and not something I see much of in a cdrama. Plus, that character arc with its rapid fall and slow painful redemption is A++++

Runner Up:  Sifeng, Love and Redemption - has a male lead ever loved more utterly and selflessly, suffered more thoroughly and beautifully, and managed to have such chemistry with both his leading lady and his leading man (that his leading lady temporarily turned into) at once? The answer is no.

Almost made the cut - Feng Xi, Twisted Fate of Love, Han Shuo, The Romance of Tiger and Rose, Qing Ci, Love in Between.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Xiao Qian, The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so funny, so much the reason this drama was such a delight. I adore her beyond words.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

Murder Daddy, The Wolf - I am sad the censors robbed us of seeing him die on screen. He was fully human but nonetheless managed to be the worst monster in a drama full of literal ones.

Ling Xiao’s Mom, Go Ahead - I hate her so much I don’t want to look up her name. She abused the kid, the disappeared and came back to abuse him some more. I mean she literally gave her child mental health issues. She is the WORST.

FAVORITE SHIP

Xing’er x Wolfie, The Wolf - are you kidding me? Who else could it ever be for me? They destroyed each other and saved each other, sworn enemies and childhood lovers, soulmates and epic messes, they couldn’t live with or without each other. The longing, the passion, the intensity, the angst, the epicness. LIKE THERE ARE NO WORDS!!!!

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Si Yuan, Shen Manqing, Love in Between - I loved them as much and often more than the main OTP. So much angst and passion and a happy ending! She is a seeming sect darling (except the sect is horrible and also sexist so her only worth is as a marriage candidate) and he’s an information broker who is actually one of the members of a destroyed sect that’s blamed for the massacre of her family. That chemistry and yearning is insane. The scene where she touches his face when he’s unconscious was in serious running for my favorite scene of 2020.

NOTP

Legend of Awakening - I have never seen a couple that didn’t just have no chemistry but exhibited actual revulsion towards each other before watching Chen Feiyu and Cheng Xiao try to act as lovers in this one. It was almost entertaining to be honest.

FAVORITE SCENE

It’s a tie and both are from The Wolf. One is a sequence where Wolfie marches to the walls alone, seeking death at Xing’er’s hands and the whole sequence with the battle and rescue follows. The other is the intercut between Xing’er going to her wedding and Wolfie going to his execution, and the auto-da-fe being intercut with her wedding.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Wolfie, The Wolf - Ummm have you seen this tumblr lately, it’s basically a drool shrine to the man.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Yelü Yansage, The Legend of Xiao Chuo - I have loved this actor since The Myth and he continued to competently steal every scene he was in.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

To Love - come out of the coma, dammit!!!!!!!

NEEDS A DIRECTOR’S CUT

The Wolf - duh. It started out as 59 eps and got cut to 49. I reaiize some stuff is never gonna get put in due to censorship, but some of the stuff that got cut got for time reasons because they were deluded and hoping to get a TV broadcast so ep count had to be under 50. I mean I doubt the censors would care if they kept scenes of Wolfie building her a swing or whatever. I really really want a director’s cut the way Goodbye My Princess did even if like with GMP it’s only three extra eps. Hell, I will take extra three minutes, as long as those three minutes are Darren Wang shirtless or with a sword. Ahem.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

The Song of Glory - it’s a fairly solid drama but honestly it didn’t need to be as long as it was and kind of got draggy and I got lost interest. (I could have gotten snarky and said all the dramas I didn’t like needed scissors taken to them in their entirety but decided to play nice.)

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

There are a number of dramas I could complain about with regard to this (hi there, darling The Wolf!) but this award goes to Renascence - poor Renascence was never going to be a masterpiece, but it had the potential to be a bit of good cheesy fun until it had its run time cut by more than half and became an incoherent piece of insanity.

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Dumb shrill innocent heroine who can’t tie her shoes - see basically all the cdramas I didn’t like this year.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Male lead torture - I mean it’s always open season on that in cdramas, but between Love and Redemption, The Wolf, Love Lasts Two Minds, Love in Between and so on, it was a banner year!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Legend of Fei - what a waste of that cast; what a waste of our finite time on this Earth. What a waste of my intelligence to hope for something better and stick with it for a dozen eps. I have had stale wonderbread that had more personality than this drama.There is absolutely nothing that stands out about this drama in any way,  from half-dimensional characters, to actors who are sleepwalking, to a plot that moves at the speed of an arthritic snail, to uninspired cinematography and direction, to lack of any chemistry between anyone in the cast. If paint-by-numbers was done by a group of particularly linear robots, it might come across the same way as this drama.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

The Wolf - honestly, I did not expect it to come out AT ALL EVER let alone to become my favorite drama of 2020. I was not familiar with the leading man (hahah), I liked Li Qin but wasn’t yet obsessed with her, and Xiao Zhan was excellent in The Untamed but I was hardly going to follow him from drama to drama (and I don’t do SLS any way.) And the trailer was enjoyable but unlike seemingly everyone, I didn’t think it was going to be some epic masterpiece. And then it came out and while it wasn’t objectively an epic masterpiece, it pulled out all the favorite tropes, shippy and narrative kinks from the deepest darkest recesses of my id. And I fell harder than I have in years. 

2020 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

None. Covid Year gave me PLENTY of time

BEST NON-2020 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2020

Novoland Eagle Flag and Joy of Life - they are in my Top 10 dramas from anywhere now. They are quite different except being smart and giving me protagonists to obsess over.

ETA: Also The Untamed because @idlewilds3 pointed out I actually watched it in 2020 even though I didn’t think so because this hellyear has lasted about three decades.

MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2021

I am gonna limit it to dozen and leaving out ones that aren’t necesarily supposed to air next year (Joy of Life 2, Love in Flames of War, Novoland Princess from Plateau.)

Monarch Industry, Novoland Pearl Eclipse, Silk Washing Stream, Dream of Changan, Sword Snow Stride, Wu Xing Shi Jia, Ancient Love Poetry, Immortality, The Long Ballad, Mirror Twin Cities, The Imperial Age, Fall In Love

[thecheapotakufangirl]

Lan Chi by Xu Lu Ako

I temporary dedicate this blog for this Manhua Lan Chi in English Blue Wings. I am not completely sure, if their was an English blog about this in tumblr, so I decided that maybe I should give it a go. I have never done a blog before, probably this is going to be the first! If you think my blog isn’t really a blog.. well I don’t know how it works but I’ll do this blog thing in my own way~ 

Also I’m not at good (or bad) at analyzing things even when it comes in reading manga. I’m not really good at finding clues in manga knowing that this small drawing actually has a meaning behind it. So please bear with me. And WARNING! I’m going to spoil in this blog. Even though I don’t like spoilers. (hypocrite) 

Alright! Lets all start!

Lan Chi by Xu Lu Ako Ming Lan was adopted into a new family, but her foster mother Nan Xi treated her as a replacement for her dead daughter. However, her two new brothers, Ming Qing and Ming Jing did not welcome her. Ming Lan's quiet life under this new roof was disturbed by pranks and false smiles…. 

Lan Chi is a manhua I discover from searching new comic to read due to boredom. I think the year I found this manhua is 2015 and it made sense because it was release around 2015. Anyway this manhua give a huge impact on me! I don’t know what feelings I feel from reading this manhua but this one is Gold. 

The plot of the story, the art, the color, the characters. Everything is AMAZING!!! I really want to explain this manhua by myself but I think Foxy’s Manga Review is much more better plus its the same thing as I thought, however she’s so good at explaining details, so I’ll copy paste her article. And here’s her article site. 

http://www.foxymanga.com/lan-chi/ 

Manhua Review: Lan Chi, Chapters 1 – 25 by FoxFire July 21, 2015

Artwork

The first thing that comes to mind about this manhua is that the artwork is absolutely breathtaking. Not only is it in full color, but the way the lighting and tone are blended with watercolor give it a very artistic, surreal feeling that the typical webtoon does not have. Typical webtoons like DICE and Kubera tend to have stronger contrasting colors and a flatter, two-dimensional feeling to the coloring which more closely match the idea of a “comic”. The softness of the colors in Lan Chi are somewhat reminiscent of the more toned-down shades in ReLife, but the watercolor adds another layer of artwork to the mix which ReLife does not have. I would venture to say that the only artwork I have seen that is more beautiful than this is the art from The Pale Horse by Choo Hae-yun, a true masterpiece.

One other thing I like about the colors also is that they seem fairly consistent with the characters’ actual appearance in real life. I read a lot of colored webtoons and it starts to get old when characters randomly have blue, green or red eyes for no apparent reason

In Lan Chi, the characters have Chinese names but their mother is named Nancy, and it’s pretty clear that the three main characters are mixed-race (half-Asian, half-white) and that their mother is the Westerner. It is implied that Ming-lan herself was adopted precisely because she had the blue eyes of their deceased sister, and when she first attends school, the children at school excitedly ask whether she is a “halfie”. Aside from the three main characters, all the other children at school appear to be Asian aside from Bai Ting-ting, who may also be mixed race.

The other interesting thing about this manhua is that it is, in fact, not in a webtoon format, nor is it Korean. Korean webtoons from sites such as Naver and DAUM have been becoming more popular lately thanks to their full-color illustrations, but Lan Chi is from an independent manhua artist publication called U17, which seems to be solely dedicated to Chinese artists, and also does not follow the typical long-scroll format that the Korean webtoons do.

This and sites such as Tapastic indicate to me that online, full-color comic art styles are gaining traction worldwide, which is very exciting. As of late the traditional Japanese manga art style, especially shoujo with the sparkly eyes, have been getting to be just too much for me.

Story

The story is still in its early stages, but so far it’s not your typical run-of-the-mill shoujo manga where the main girl gets adopted, is picked on/bullied by a guy who likes her, and then begins falling in love with him. Contrary to that, Ming-lan is picked on and bullied by the jealous younger brother, but he’s not doing it because he likes her, he genuinely hates her. She is also not the typical shoujo heroine with lots of internal monologues who tries hard to be cheerful and get along with everyone. It’s pretty serious stuff, but the humorous moments between the siblings and the occasional chibi moments balance out the dark aspects well.

The author has hinted from the beginning panels that this is going to be a sibling romance, so I’m guessing down the line one (or both) of the siblings are going to fall in love with Ming-lan. Whether or not this turns out well, to me, depends purely on execution. So far the author has not disappointed me. I believe if we keep going at the current pace, with the subtle attention to detail and consistent characterizations, even the most cliche plot may turn out to be very enjoyable.

Characters

Each of the kids are very directed in their own way with their own hidden agendas, and overall there is a dark, almost sinister tone sometimes to the way the story plays out. Each one of the main characters is seriously messed up in some way.

Ming Lan

Main character. You know she’s going to be messed up to begin with from the very first page, when Nancy brings her home and treats her as though she were her dead daughter, making references to how her room hasn’t changed and showing her clothes that she’s bought for her over the years. We don’t know what her real name is, but we do find out, in later chapters, that she has a blue wing tattooed on her back, which indicates that her past is going to be more complicated than we think.

Ming Qing

This kid takes the cake. He and Ming-lan are such strong personalities, I really look forward to seeing their future interactions. We don’t know for sure what his purposes are either, but he is clearly manipulating Bai Ting-Ting’s affection for him and using it to get close to her father. He definitely cares for his family, and outwardly is the model son and student, but his actions (treating Ming-lan kindly and then throwing the handkerchief away, sending Ting-ting’s father poisoned wine) show that he’s got a much more sinister side to him, and on top of that he is likely highly intelligent and calculative.

Ming Jing

Probably the most normal one of the bunch. If anyone had the potential to become a Shinji, it would be him. Looks like he’s been babied by the family since youth due to being the youngest and his heart condition, and he’s suffered quite a bit due to his illness and past history with Tang-yuan leaving him frail and generally with a weaker spirit than the other two.  

Tang Yuan

We don’t have her full backstory yet, but we know that Tang-yuan is cheerful and popular on the outside, but also has a heart condition. She feels isolated from her friends at school and tells Jing that the two of them live in a different world from the others, because everyone else lives in a world where they can run freely without worry. I’m guessing she also feels a certain sense of falseness that Jing wouldn’t feel, because she did not tell any of her “friends” about her condition and has to work constantly to maintain a false front.

Scanlation Quality

Having read the English translations, they are pretty good. The translator also does a good job of annotating jokes and hard-to-translate idioms at the end of each chapter so readers have a better understanding of what is going on.

The fonts and editing from the editor are also pretty well-done, and the fonts match well with the original manhua. That said, this is my personal bias, but I think Chinese names translate less well into English than Japanese or Korean names and for that reason I would still strongly prefer the original. Not to mention there are some Chinese-only jokes which play on the pronunciation of certain Chinese words, which would be literally impossible to translate to English.

Sound effects are edited directly in, which I personally find easier on the reader. In this case, the sound effects in the original are not an integral part of the artwork, so the reader isn’t losing much. I did notice that in some frames, colored sound effects seemed duller than the original which I think is a pity and wouldn’t be that hard of a change on the part of the editor.

Similar Works

The Pale Horse is definitely the most similar story to this one that I can think of, in both mood/tone and art style.

Crepuscule by Muchi is a good one as well. It got rebooted later on into Crepuscule by Yamchi, but IMO the earlier drawings by Muchi are better and it’s worth it to read the Muchi version and switch over to the Yamchi version where the plot picks up.

Clover by CLAMP is also a good one, although it is not in color and the abstract art style and artistic storytelling means it may take a few reads to understand what is going on.

The author Xu Lu AKO has several other works, including Prince Bubble which I read and found to be OK. If you like the art it’s worth a read, but Lan Chi overall has a more gripping story IMO.

One last recommendation I have that is not a manga would be the Mystery Otome Game X-note by Zeiva. That one goes a little more down the creepy and borderline horror route, but otherwise I was reminded strongly of it as I was reading Lan Chi.

Summary

Great start to a potentially amazing manhua. Would recommend. Read if you are in the mood for:

beautiful full-color artwork

something with dark undertones

something mysterious/subtle

Do not read if you are in the mood for:

a completed manhua (there’s barely any out!)

something very intense, direct, or fast-paced

violence or shounen

Well that’s her review~

I’ll start reading it again starting from Chapter 1: Little Sister

[lone-trailblazer]

Pulling Daddy Jing's hair just for fun because you just know he's so into it when you do..... just the right amount of pain to get his cock hard and ready~

[lone-trailblazer]

Them with a non-binary s/o

Caelus ->

imo he also has enby tendencies, so he 100% gets you and supports you

tries his best to accommodate your preferred way of addressing and anything else important

"look how great my partner looks today~" he makes sure you know he loves you just how you are

gets very defensive when someone doesn't respect you; and vice versa

Jing Yuan ->

is comfortably cis, but open-mindedly listens to your explanation of your identity

accepted you straight away without question and made sure to always respect your wishes

takes a bit to get used to the new vocabulary adjustments, but he tries his best for you

always asks how you feel today and if there's anything he should know about in concerns of pronouns

does not allow anyone to misgender or ridicule your way of identification

Dan Heng ->

he already figured out that you're non-binary from superficial factors and therefore had no issue to address you to your liking

is very open to you explaining your thought processes and how it works so he can get a better grasp of your situation

at the same time, he also realizes that he's comfortable with neutral pronouns as well

enby couple 2.0 <3

Gepard ->

is super confused about it all and requires lots of explanation; his lack of knowledge due to him always being deployed at the front lines

but nevertheless, he listens intently and carefully and does his best to adjust to the changes of addressing someone (especially his partner)

sometimes, he slips up but apologizes immediately and corrects himself; he's trying his best at this new thing :(

over all, he adapts very well, though, and even teaches some of his higher ranking guards about being non-binary and how to address them

[lone-trailblazer]

hrrrg I want jing yuan to fold me in half

*moans*

No because Daddy loves teasing his little slut and wants u to act out just so he can rail you into oblivion later in mating press 😩

[lone-trailblazer]

Omfl can someone be horny about Daddy Jing or horny gremlin Caelus with me I need to talk about them so bad

[lone-trailblazer]

JING. YUAN.