#mq: and you keep saving me

[sweepingboy]

you know he can’t get a concussion right

[absolutesilly]

Another fun question to answer when you’re in the mood, what trope does FengQing fit in? A lot of people like to say rival to lovers but the thing is… these two can’t stand each other 😭 I feel like the fandom keeps forgetting these two seriously don’t like each other before the XL and MQ reconciliation (YES I SAID MQ AND XL ONLY, I just don’t think the f-f-friends part is directed to fx lol) For example, you know matchablossom from sk8infinity, those two bicker a lot but they’re genuinely best friends since young. Fengqing is nothing like that of the sort ☠️☠️☠️

fx has stated he doesn’t like mq because he’s a moody overthinker and looks down on him lol. And mq doesn’t like fx because he feels attacked by him all the time and his unwavering blind loyalty to royals. Anyways, they’ve said awful mean things to each other throughout the story and to see the fandom go “OMG HES SO MEAN TO HIM! Why would you ship them????!” “THEY HATE EACH OTHER”

like…. Duh? That’s the appeal 🙄 hear me out, hence why I believe they’re “almost” the perfect example of enemies to lovers lol.

hi hi!!! this is SUCH a good question!! these two are a bit hard to place! i’ve often called them rivals to lovers, but they definitely have more animosity than your usual rivals to lovers ship! (especially matchablossom, who as you mentioned are best friends despite their bickering… i think any similarities between the two ships are mostly aesthetic lmao, they’re verrrrrry different when it comes down to it)

there’s definitely a rivalry between them—as we see with the competition between them and their followers every year in the lantern battle—but most normal rivals can meet in public without trying to physically attack each other lmao. i think many people are too quick to gloss over the fact that they REALLY do have a LOT of genuine bad blood for most of their history! they’re not just in competition with each other, they hate each other!

i think that my own hesitancy to call them outright enemies to lovers is the fact that in spite of all this animosity, they are generally fighting on the same side of things! working under prince xie lian, serving as the two gods of the south, and joining forces to try to protect xl after his third ascension—they’re ALWAYS forced to team up! i generally associate true “enemies to lovers” with being on opposite sides of some big conflict.

in addition to working together, it’s clear that they don’t view each other as their “greatest enemy”—ie. they easily join forces when they believe there is a bigger or more pressing threat. hua cheng is the greatest example of this; it’s clear their distaste for him far outweighs their dislike for each other.

a lot of this may come down to my own personal definition of “enemy.” but i think what really makes me pause is the fact that it’s obvious neither of them has ever actually wanted the other one dead! whether they’d like to admit it or not, they cannot live without each other. we repeatedly see them save (or at least try to save) each other from danger, and in spite of all the hatred between them, they ran the south together for 800 years without either one ever genuinely trying to get rid of the other. (contrast this with yin yu and quan yizhen, who were tasked with running the west together… that didn’t work out!)

rivals to lovers doesn’t feel quite like an apt description to me, but neither does enemies to lovers. the more i think about it, the more i want to make up a category of my own, which is:

coworkers (derogatory) to lovers!

the enmity that can exist between two coworkers is something that is so sacred. sometimes you work with people who you really fucking hate! but my god. you work with them anyway, because you have to. and sometimes you accidentally work REALLY well together, in spite of everything. and sometimes, you get a new, even worse coworker that makes you realize the coworker you thought you hated actually isn’t so bad. maybe you like them. maybe you even love them.

[confusedgoldenflower]

“Yeah, killing men in battle is difficult. A real task….”

Mu Qing stood and began slowly pacing the room. He spoke as slowly as he walked, like trekking through deep mud.

“Have you ever killed a child to save them from a worse death? Have you ever taken a stake—from tanghulu. A tanghulu stake? The very one of the last pleasure they’ll ever have in this life? Still wet from sugar and spit, and taken it, placing it between their ribs on one side of their breastbone and thrust it into their heart? Sung a lullaby-,” his voice caught and he closed his eyes. “Sung a lullaby as you held them in your arms whilst their blood poured and poured?…

“Snapped the neck of the child ruthlessly stabbed in the stomach by criminals, who somehow see the only way they can live through harsh reality is by culling the population themselves, so that their tiny soul didn’t have to suffer such a painful, long ending? Promising them a better reincarnation despite not being able to see the smallest shred of hope? Saved a babe from dying to the elements only for them to pass that same night held so closely that they felt warmer than yourself? Showed mercy on abandoned wives and daughters who’s only recourse was everything they never wanted to do?”

His eyes opened and though still glazed, he made searing eye contact, “but no, keep explaining to me how killing an armed man fully prepared to kill and be killed is so difficult every single time. Your life is just so pitying.”

My headcannons for some of what he had to do between leaving XL and crawling back to heaven, during the time he went back to his mother just to watch her die and grieve whilst everything was still so shit. I’ll never consider death by exposure, drowning or starvation to be anywhere near “merciful.”

I feel it would be more PM trying to stroke himself and MQ entirely done with everything especially the sex obsessed weirdo.

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien Mind Quest: Slow Motion Fireworks translation

do⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for a date that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

I staggered and stumbled into Lucien's chest, my hands haphazardly pulling his already loose tie, causing his slightly open shirt to spread open completely.

I couldn't help but be captured by the charming bareness in front of me. His muscle tightened and then relaxed following our rhythm.

Like a vague provocative tease.

As if falling into his silent trap, my fingers were drawn to caress his bare skin, feeling the hard, clear lines beneath it.

My fingertips were tinged by the burning heat, and I slowly traced from the hard abdomen to his chest.

Translation under the cut!

(T/N:!! uploaded the full SP MQ on youtube with subtitle because I simply love how the bgm and voice add to the tension)

[Chapter 1]

MC: Hmm… A little more to the left, up a bit…Yes, yes, that's it! Now it's symmetrical!

MC: Lucien, what do you think?

While talking, I pulled Lucien back to the corridor, "appreciating" the New Year's arrangement that we had worked hard on all afternoon with satisfaction.

There are still a few days until New Year's Eve. We plan to keep everything simple and celebrate the New Year at home. So these days, the time after work has been reserved for our tacit project.

I took Lucien's arm and approached him.

MC: Do you think the new look is perfect~?

Lucien: I think it's hard not to be perfect with the Great Producer herself being in charge.

MC: Hmph, sooner or later, I will steal "The Art of Speaking: The Encyclopedia of Praising People" written by the Great Professor Lucien and study it carefully.

Lucien: Then, the next time I say something from my heart, I'll remember to write it down before I say it. So this curious student won't be disappointed.

He smiled with curved eyebrows and a serious tone as if he was simply stating a matter of fact.

MC: I-I can't beat you! Quick, put the stool away and go inside.

While Lucien put the footstool into the storage room, I put the holly into the vase in the entrance and hung a few small red lanterns on the fortune tree.

Just as I was happily taking out my phone to take pictures and record them, an alert popped up on the screen at an untimely moment-

"Unable to Save, Insufficient Storage Available"

MC: ...

Lucien: Looks like another big project will take place tonight.

Lucien: I wonder which unfortunate photos will be deleted by MC this time.

MC: There may also be unlucky app that will turn into dust.

Hearing Lucien's joking words, I couldn't help sticking out my tongue. I dragged him to sit on the sofa and nestled my whole body into his arms.

His familiar warmth gave me a sense of relief, and I couldn't resist nuzzling into the nook of his neck.

Then I skillfully opened the album, emptied the "recently deleted", and slid my finger to enter the thumbnail mode. A colorful mosaic instantly came into view.

I clicked on the last deleted section and went through the photos from that time one by one.

MC: Hahaha, this sticker pack is too funny. How did I save so much?

Lucien: Judging from the saving time at 02:28, this question should be easily answered.

MC: Hehe, Professor Lucien's eyes shouldn't be so sharp~

MC: Check out this barbecue… Is it the one near the institute?

Lucien: I think so. And if I remember correctly, we wanted to eat hot pot on that day, but we accidentally walked into this barbecue restaurant and got a delicious surprise.

MC: So, should we go and relive this delicacy tomorrow after work?

We had a little chat. Lucien raised his hand to stroke my bangs and suddenly changed the subject.

Lucien: Actually, I found something interesting.

MC: Hmm?

Lucien: Each time you clear your phone's memory, you seem to enjoy the process of flipping through your albums more than cleaning it.

MC: ...Yes, that's true. Perhaps "recalling" is the most important thing for me when it comes to organizing albums.

MC: You can save your photos in the cloud to solve the trouble of deleting them whenever you don't have enough memory.

MC: But I'd rather have the hassle and see these memories whenever I click on the album.

MC: After all, since I don't have a super brain like Professor Lucien, I can only use some stupid methods~

As I was talking, my fingertips passed over a beautiful landscape photo. I thought about it for a second and then prepared to press delete.

Lucien: Hold on a second.

I looked at Lucien with some confusion.

Lucien: I remember that this photo is lucky enough to have "survived" last week's session.

Lucien: At that time, the Great Producer said that the composition and light of this landscape were worth studying, so she wanted to keep it as a template for us to follow in our travels.

MC: It seems to be the case…

MC: But surprisingly, I could still feel the same feeling it used to give me when I saw it last week... Is it the visual impact?

MC: But today, I don't seem to feel it at all. It's just a simple and beautiful landscape picture.

Lucien: Is that so?

Lucien paused and faintly lowered his eyes.

Lucien: I think it may be because human emotions are very sensitive.

Lucien: It brings you pleasure for a fixed moment, and the emotion associated with it only stays in that moment.

Lucien: So when it is not "stimulating" enough for you to respond in the present, the brain receives a signal that allows you to conclude that it is "not important".

MC: It sounds like a somewhat cruel process...

MC: But both the phone memory and the brain are limited. I just want my limited memory to record what I want to remember.

Lucien softly laughed, his eyes twinkling as he looked at me.

Lucien: It seems that things that are not "exciting" enough can't have a place to MC.

Lucien: Even if they only existed for a short time, it is difficult to escape the possibility of being forgotten or abandoned.

Seeing that he was talking about it in a serious way, I couldn't refrain from reaching out and hooking my arm around his neck, slightly narrowing the distance between us.

MC: Isn't it because Professor Lucien is by my side?

MC: I wouldn't worry about losing the "excitement" in my life. Because I have someone who can always keep my life fresh.

Lucien: Then, in order to live up to this expectation...

He lowered his head and dropped a gentle, light kiss on my lips as he said that.

Lucien: (whisper) I have to work harder than I imagined.

[Interlude- Lucien's Exclusive Radio: On a Whim]

Pete: Professor, the results of today's experiment are expected to be available tomorrow afternoon.

Pete: Do I need to call you after the results are out?

Lucien: No need. I won't be in Loveland City tomorrow.

Pete: Are you going on a business trip tomorrow?

Lucien: Pete, do I seem like a workaholic to you?

Pete: …You misunderstood, Professor. I had just never heard about your vacation before.

Pete: Then I will compile the experiment's results into a report and send it to your email address.

Lucien: Thanks for the hard work.

Pete: Professor, since I am curious, I would like to ask you a question… Are you going to travel on vacation?

Lucien: Well, not really. Just an unplanned decision to sail on a cruise.

Pete: So sudden? Oh, I see, it must be the idea of your family member.

Lucien: It is my idea.

Lucien: With New Year's Eve just a few days away, it's the perfect time to take a short cruise.

Pete: I see~ So, Professor, which route are you going to choose? It's almost New Year's Eve. I want to take my family out to have fun too.

Lucien: It's still undecided.

Lucien: Because I was just about to book a ticket.

Pete: Oh, oh! I will not bother you.

(Lucien calling someone)

Customer Service: Hello, this is the special line for the cruise ticket purchase. How can I help you?

Lucien: Hello, I saw on the internet that tomorrow there is a trip to the neighboring sea. Are there any tickets left?

Customer Service: Please wait for a moment.

Customer Service: Are you talking about the two-day, two-night trip that leaves tomorrow in the early evening?

Lucien: Yes.

Customer Service: Yes, there are some. What should I call you?

Lucien: Doctor X.

Customer Service: Doctor X, let me confirm with you that we have a special feature on our cruise-

Customer Service: In order to provide a more pure enjoyable experience, the signal is completely blocked once the ship is sailing.

Customer Service: WiFi service is still provided, but it is an additional purchase. Is this acceptable to you?

Lucien: Of course, I chose this cruise because of this feature.

Customer Service: Okay, how many tickets do you need?

Lucien: Two.

Customer Service: Do you share a room?

Lucien: Book me two rooms that are next to each other.

Lucien: If possible, please try to arrange a quiet floor for us.

Customer Service: Okay. I will send the ticket information to your phone later.

Lucien: Just send me my ticket information.

Lucien: The other ticket information can be sent directly to this lady. I will read out her number.

[Chapter 2]

The receding scenery outside the car window passed me by, and I was still in a trance when I looked at the cruise ticket information on my phone screen.

MC: ...Lucien.

MC: Are you sure we're not going shopping for New Year's Eve but going to the pier for a cruise?

Lucien: I think I already answered this question when you received your ticket information.

Lucien's voice came from the end of the receiver.

Lucien: It's not a scam, nor is it a prank.

Lucien: We indeed have a two-day, two-night cruise waiting for us.

MC: But you didn't mention this trip at all until now, and… Why don't we go together?

Lucien: If I were to say that I was trying to copy a certain Miss Kidnapper, would you accept that as a reason?

(a reference to Devotion Date :")

His soft voice is wrapped in a smile, and when I listen closely, I can hear the sound of the waves lapping against the rocks.

MC: Then I now seriously suspect that this "kidnapping" was premeditated!

Lucien: You wronged me. It's really just a "whim".

MC: Are you going to say, "No matter how rigorous a scientist is, there are times when he doesn't plan"?

Lucien: (chuckle) Here's the thing. Just allow this guy to get hotheaded and self-indulgent for once.

Lucien chuckled very shallowly, which led me to raise my eyebrows. He slowly opened his mouth as if guessing what else I wanted to say.

Lucien: I chose this cruise because it will return to Loveland City before New Year's Eve.

Lucien: I don’t think it’ll affect our planned New Year’s Eve dinner.

Lucien: So, for the rest of the trip, Miss MC just needs to enjoy this unexpected trip. I'll see you on the cruise.

After successfully checking in, the staff led me to my room.

The warm sunlight poured in from the terrace, and the sea breeze carrying the water vapor gave a light gold coating to the scenery in front of us.

The large room is neat and bright, but there is no trace of luggage, let alone a person.

Strange, where is Lucien? He should have boarded the ship before me.

MC: Excuse me, is there another gentleman in this room who hasn't checked in yet?

Staff: The only guest information shown here is that of Miss MC.

MC: ...?

I was stunned for a moment. After thinking about it, I took out my mobile phone but found that there was no signal. I hurriedly walked outside with my mobile phone in hand, but the signal was only restored to one bar.

Staff: Miss MC, I'd like to introduce you again. Our cruise's special feature is blocking the signal after we go to sea.

Staff: The goal is to provide cruise guests with the ultimate experience and to enjoy a cruise that is not dominated by the information age but rather to focus on themselves.

Staff: If you have special circumstances, you can contact the service desk for a WiFi purchase.

MC: …Okay, thank you.

After sending off the enthusiastic staff, I couldn't help but sigh. How do I get in touch with Lucien?

I circled the room. Perhaps because of my sixth sense, I vaguely feel that I can find something

Finally, I found a crumpled post-it note on the floor of the entrance door, which appeared to have slipped through the door.

I leaned down to pick it up and saw familiar handwriting.

MC: "Looking forward to meeting you by chance."

For a moment, I felt as if I could see the expression on his face as he wrote this line.

The corners of his lips are drawn up, and he probably curved his eyes.

Although I couldn't guess what this Great Professor was thinking, I couldn't let him down if he was waiting for me to find him.

Without hesitation, I picked up the cruise brochure on the table and left the room.

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

20 minutes later.

The red sunset has been swallowed by the ocean, and the sea breeze is gently blowing, but it does not dispel the anxiety in my heart.

I looked in almost every place I thought Lucien would go, from the library to the screening room and coffee shop, but I still couldn't find him.

MC: Where on earth did this guy run off to….

I pursed my lips and wondered if I was going in the wrong direction.

If Lucien is not where he might be, then maybe he's where I don't think he'll be?

With this in mind, I went to the nearest bar to try my luck.

As my vision becomes dim, the sound of loud music rushes into my ears. The air is filled with the scent of alcohol, and the ambiguous atmosphere corrupts the senses.

Within the mottled light and shadow, the whole world seems to be tinted with a hazy sense of unreality.

I saw the figure my heart longed for almost at a glance.

Lucien wore slim-fitting strappy pants, and his collar was wide open. He combed up almost all of his bangs. The light refracted beneath his eyes, making those eyes appear even brighter.

He slightly narrowed his eyes at the countless expectant eyes and raised his hand to throw the dart in his hand.

In the next second, the dart landed squarely in the bullseye.

Crowd: Whoa-

Bartender: Congratulations to the gentleman who scored another 50 points and succeeded in securing the victory!

Lucien: Thanks, I appreciate it. It's just good luck.

Amidst the cheers surrounded by the crowd, Lucien nodded in appreciation. The smile on his face was always mild.

I seemed to be completely nailed to the spot, unable to take my eyes off the person in front of me.

He moved in a way that I am familiar with, yet it was as though everything was different.

For a moment, I couldn't even tell what the cause of this restlessness was.

Lucien cast his gaze over and bumped into me.

My heart inexplicably beat a bit faster. I was about to walk towards him, but Lucien naturally averted his eyes and turned his head to joke with the people beside him.

MC: Eh?

Didn't he see me? I vaguely felt that this person must have done it on purpose, so I pretended to walk back and forth naturally in his peripheral vision, secretly observing.

But Lucien remained calm as if he didn't care about my existence at all.

It was as if I was isolated in a small world, separated from all the noise around me, filled with only one person in my heart and eyes.

Bartender: Anyone else wants to challenge our Mr. Challenger?

MC: I... I want to challenge him!

I didn't expect my voice to be so loud that the atmosphere seemed to be silent for half a second.

When I came to my senses, all eyes fell on me, along with the person I had been looking at.

[Interlude- Lucien's Memory Silhouette: Special Game]

People are coming and going in the corridor of the cruise ship, and the tourists are confirming their room numbers one by one.

Lucien stood in front of the door of one of the rooms, bent down a little, and slipped a sticky note through the door's crack.

The passing tourists just looked at him and smiled politely when they saw his elegant manner without asking further questions.

Lucien stood up, lifted his hand to confirm the time, then turned around and left the corridor.

He wanted to play a little word game with her to kick off the cruise trip with some special "excitement".

As smart as she is, she will not fail to discover this little hidden secret.

But he still hoped she would find the clues he left behind as soon as possible and then find him.

Lucien aimlessly came to the front of the deck, watching people enter one after another from the boarding gate, and his gaze unconsciously lingered for a while longer.

He has to admit that he was looking forward to her familiar figure.

But now is not the right time.

There is still a lot to do before they "reunite".

Lucien looked away, walked to the cruise ship's bar, and ordered a non-alcoholic mojito from the bar.

This was probably the last place she would have thought of, at least not so early.

But it's enough to show that meeting here will bring them something different.

Waiter: Your Mojito.

Lucien: Thank you.

Lucien lowered his head and took a sip, the refreshing and stimulating taste smeared between his lips and teeth. He couldn't wait to recommend this drink to the girl.

With that in mind, he turned on his phone and habitually tried to check if a call had come in, but the space in the upper right corner reminded him that there was no signal there.

So he scrolled the screen twice and unconsciously opened his photo album.

The photos on the screen were so well organized that he couldn't resist recalling the thumbnails of her albums.

Not only are the colors rich, but sometimes there are even several remarkably similar photos in a row.

When compared to her photo album, his own album seems to be quite monotonous.

But all of them are related to her.

It is like when you plant a flower, you record it from when it is still a seed until the moment it blooms.

Lucien recalled the girl's slightly distressed expression due to the lack of memory on her phone and unconsciously smiled softly.

He always planned and arranged everything, so he never encountered the problem she was struggling with.

But her look as if she is facing the world's problems is very cute, which makes him feel much happier when he thinks about it these days.

In this happy mood, Lucien quickly finished drinking the mojito in his hand.

The bar gradually becomes more and more lively, with people's desire for the festival and the wonder of exploring the cruise ship showing in their expression.

What will her expression look like when she sees him here?

Will her eyes widen slightly, or will she purse her lips in puzzlement?

Lucien again admitted that he had added a few more expectations for her appearance.

To be precise, he was looking forward to seeing her with each passing second.

He glanced down at the time again. It would take some time to get from home to the pier. She should still be on her way.

Even he who had been able to spend several years waiting for an experimental result peacefully, now began to feel a little impatient because of this expectation.

He even opened 3 match game by accident, and after absent-mindedly playing a few levels, he suddenly heard a round of applause from behind him.

Lucien followed the sound and found a group of tourists playing darts, seemingly playing in some kind of competition.

He observed for a moment as if realizing something and looked in the direction of the bar entrance.

From the entrance, the darts game is right in the middle of the bar, the most visible part of the entire bar.

Lucien slowly stood up and walked towards the lively crowd.

He wanted her to see him at a glance.

[Chapter 3]

The crowd tacitly dispersed to two sides, and suddenly a narrow road leading to Lucien was spread out in front of me.

I belatedly took a deep breath and walked towards him. Faced with my probing eyes, Lucien calmly looked back.

Lucien: I accept this lady's challenge.

.....Still pretending not to know me? All right, then I will play along with you.

I suppressed the complex emotions in my heart, turned my gaze to the bartender, cleared my throat, and slightly lifted my chin.

MC: What are the rules of the challenge? Or…

I deliberately stretched out the end of my sentence and turned my gaze to Lucien, putting on a polite smile.

MC: Are the rules set by this Mr. Challenger?

Lucien leisurely looked at me and raised his eyebrows as if he didn't expect me to say that.

Lucien: Is it true that no matter what my rules are, this lady will definitely obey them?

MC: Absolutely. Since I'm challenging you, of course I will respect your requirements.

Lucien: [chuckle] Okay.

He didn't hesitate to speak and even curved his lips in a good mood. I suddenly felt diffident and quickly spoke up before he could propose any unreasonable rules

MC: …But I have one small request.

MC: Actually, I was a little nervous because Mr. Challenger seemed to be very good at this kind of game.

MC: I'm also sincere about the challenge, so please don't make it difficult for me. I hope your rules are simple and easy to understand.

Lucien: I've always admired girls with a lot of courage, so naturally, I won't intentionally make things difficult.

Humph, you better be.

He ignored my stabbing glare and pretended to think seriously for a moment.

Lucien: My rules are simple.

Lucien: You have three chances to throw. If the cumulative points of those three chances are more than 50, you will win the challenge.

Lucien: What do you think, brave lady?

His words stirred up a lot of discussion among the crowd, as if everyone didn't expect Lucien's rules to be so simple, and there was even some suspicion that he was throwing the game.

MC: Since Mr. Challenger is so "generous", I can't disappoint this kindness.

Looking at the taunting look at the corner of Lucien's mouth, I gritted my teeth and picked up a dart, carefully gauging the angle. I can't let him underestimate me!

But the result of "careful calculation" is that one miss, one 25 points.

MC: ...

A thin layer of sweat seeped out of my palms as I looked at the dartboard in front of me. I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

I still have a chance, as long as I get double points on the last try…

Lucien: [chuckle]...

The familiar soft laugh came to my ears and instantly disturbed my thoughts. I looked at the perpetrator with some annoyance. He was facing the bar and slightly raised his fingertips.

Lucien: One non-alcoholic mojito please.

Lucien: For the lady.

After he finished speaking, he looked at me with a meaningful smile on the corner of his mouth.

Lucien: I think you might need a little more time. While I don't mind waiting, the outcome of this challenge now seems to have attracted too much attention.

Lucien: Maybe it's time to let the curtain fall.

Following Lucien's gaze, I realized that twice as many people had surrounded the surrounding area as earlier.

My cheeks felt a little hot, I lowered my head and rubbed the dart repeatedly, but I was still not ready to throw it.

At that moment, a brightly colored drink slowly appeared in my view. I raised my eyes, and my gaze collided with Lucien's.

Lucien: But if this lady would like to be friends with me...

Lucien: I'll voluntarily admit defeat in this challenge.

His low and deep voice was tainted with an inexplicable flirtation, and my heart suddenly missed half a beat.

The light cast an obscure shadow on Lucien's face, adding a bit of unpredictable danger to those smiling eyes.

He looked like he was expecting an answer or simply admiring the object's reaction in his hand.

I reached out and gently placed my fingers on the bottom of the glass to push it towards Lucien, my fingertips inadvertently brushing against his fingers.

In this challenge that I knew I didn't have much chance of winning, I chose to outsmart him.

MC: Thank you sir, for your kindness, but I still want to try again.

MC: Why don't you teach me by hand? Is that okay?

Lucien's eyes moved slightly as if he were a little surprised. Amidst the booing, he quietly walked behind me and slightly bowed his body.

My back instantly felt warm, and his breath fluttered against my ear, tickling it.

Lucien: Then I'd like to ask for your cooperation.

As he said that, he gently took my hand and led me to bend my arm as he did.

His broad palm wrapped tightly around the back of my hand, and his fingertips suddenly tickled my palm twice in a restless manner.

MC: (blush) You...

Lucien: Don't be distracted. Focus.

His righteous tone was as if he was not the one who did the little action.

Before I could react, he held my wrist with a slight force-

In a smooth parabola, the dart hit the one he had left on the target earlier, firmly striking into the bullseye.

My eyes widened in surprise, and I instantly thought of a perverse idea.

MC: This should be considered as my third chance.

MC: Does that mean I've won the challenge, Mr. Challenger?

I slightly distanced myself from him and winked slyly at Lucien. He sighed in feigned regret and extended his hand toward me in a friendly manner.

Lucien: Mm, you won.

Lucien: It's a pleasure to meet you, this brave, beautiful and clever lady.

Lucien: Now, can we sit down and have a drink?

MC: Of course we can. It would be my pleasure.

I cocked my head pretentiously, gently shook his finger, and withdrew my hand. I looked down and took a sip of my mojito.

The refreshing taste washed away the warmth that had been in my chest since earlier, making my whole body much more comfortable.

The misty light passing through the wine glasses cast colorful light spots on the wall. As the light dimmed, the joyful music changed into a lingering dance song.

(Cue his 5th birthday bgm 🥺)

Scattered people walk onto the dance floor, hugging and clinging to sway along to the melody.

I raised my head and found Lucien's eyes waiting for a long time.

MC: As a thank you for the mojito, may I ask you to dance, sir?

Lucien: It was my negligence to let the lady ask first. I don't think I have any reason to refuse you.

In the lazy melody, Lucien stepped on the beat and took a small step to the left, elegantly extending his hand as if in invitation.

But the moment I approached him, an irresistible force wrapped around my waist and guided me to spin around.

My mind went blank for a moment, and I instinctively clung to Lucien's shoulders, trying to clutch the only fulcrum among the imbalance.

MC: …Y-you, wait a minute!

He didn't give me time to catch my breath. His broad palm slowly moved up to my back, causing a tingling feeling, and then powerfully swept me into his arms.

The scorching breath swept over the tip of my nose, and there seemed to be some kind of emotion swirling in those deep eyes.

Lucien: (whisper) What if I say I don't want to wait anymore?

Lucien: (chuckle, then continuing his whisper) We have wasted some time, so we should hurry now.

MC: You… You are simply unreasonable! You're the one who left a message with no clue, so I had to spend a long time looking for you.

MC: It's hard to find you, but then you pretend to be a stranger, playing some kind of chance encounter game with me…

Looking at my feigned angry pout, Lucien raised his eyebrows with interest and took advantage of the change in the melodic beat to tug my wrist and embrace me from behind.

Lucien: But you played along very well, didn't you? I think you're having fun with it.

MC: And that's not because of you!

Lucien: Oh? What's wrong with me?

His earnest voice is wrapped in bright and bold confidence, so I can't resist lightly pinching the palm of his hand, breaking away from this somewhat flirtatious embrace.

Lucien smoothly hooked my little finger, and with a little force, he made me mess up my steps to go toward him again.

Lucien: Not going to answer?

He looked at me persistently, his deep eyes like a pool of water that would engulf me at any moment.

The strange emotion in my heart stirred and clamored quietly, making me raise my head unconsciously and look straight into his eyes.

MC: Do you want a straightforward answer or a tactful one?

Lucien: (chuckle) I want both.

MC: Aren't you being too cheeky?

Lucien: Mm, I'll admit that.

I couldn't stop my smile, and by some mysterious chance, I put my arms around his neck and let him lead me through the melody.

MC: Now that you are like this, you look like the Lucien I am familiar with.

Lucien: What kind of Lucien are you familiar with?

MC: He's just like you now, righteously rogue, openly wicked, a complete big bad villain.

Lucien: He sounds so bad.

I nod my head in agreement.

MC: But I like this kind of him very much.

The melodic rhythm suddenly became more passionate, and the intense tempo drowned out my pounding heart.

Lucien's eyes flickered. His dance steps suddenly accelerated, making me subconsciously catch up and tighten my arms around him,

Lucien: Do you only like this kind of him?

MC: Of course not… cough.

MC: You, why do you have so many questions! I have a bunch of questions that I haven't even asked yet.

I changed the subject awkwardly, secretly annoyed at my disobedient mouth. Fortunately, Lucien didn't chase the question. He raised his eyebrows, showing a look of listening attentively.

Only then did I realize that the distance between us had unknowingly become too close. I could clearly see his eyelashes fluttering as he breathed.

I don't know if it's because he slicked back his bangs, but today his subtle expressions seem to have become more vivid, or even more…

Alluring.

Lucien: Is your question in my face?

MC: …That is true as well.

MC: After all, I've hardly ever seen Professor Lucien put on hair wax. I don't know how good you are at bar games and…

MC: ..how good you are at dancing.

I said as I slipped my fingers through his straps, sliding them slowly down his collarbone to his chest, and with a wicked hook, I used the force to move away.

The music ends at this moment.

Lucien didn't let go of my hand; instead, he gently lifted my hand and bent down. A gentle kiss fell on the back of my hand, tickling the edge of my heart.

Lucien: When it comes to the first meeting, it is necessary to create a deep impression.

Lucien: It seems that my purpose has been achieved.

Lucien: I hope you'll have good dreams tonight. Beautiful lady, I'll see you tomorrow.

[Chapter 4]

I didn't sleep well all night.

I don't know how many times I rolled over, the thin sunlight squeezed through the cracks in the curtains, and it was finally dawn.

Last night, Lucien turned around and left after saying a few words without glancing back at me.

I returned to my room in a daze, and after a series of emotional struggles, I decided to wait and see what would happen.

But I didn't expect that the person who disturbed my thoughts all night would be staying in the room next to mine.

Perhaps while I was up all night thinking about him, he continued to plan things beyond my imagination wickedly.

And, of course it is also possible that he waited leisurely and calmly for my various reactions to appear.

I gritted my teeth and turned my gaze to the terrace next door.

Is he still up at this hour?

...Damn it, don't think about it anymore! I quickly shook my head, hoping my brain would recover, at least for a short time to enjoy the moment of relaxation.

??: Good morning, Miss Next Door. Did you sleep well last night?

MC: ....

A familiar voice sounded behind me, tinged with a lazy chuckle.

For a moment, I wondered if Lucien had some kind of superpower to listen to my inner voice.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to be quiet for ten seconds before turning back, and changed to an unperturbed expression the moment I turned around.

The light swayed on his body and slipped into his eyes, creating gentle ripples.

Like yesterday, he slicked back his bangs, making the eyes looking at me look even more bewitching.

My heart beat faster than it should. I blinked at him and looked around in mock confusion.

MC: Are you talking to me?

MC: Sorry, I don't think I know you.

Lucien: Really?

Lucien: We had a dance last night. It breaks my heart if the lady forgets it so soon.

MC: Really?

I imitated his voice and pretended to look up and down at him.

MC: Oh~ I have a little impression.

MC: I'm sorry, I have a poor memory. The lights were too dim last night, and the dance was too short, so it's hard to remember.

He nodded thoughtfully and then changed the conversation.

Lucien: The lady seems to travel alone?

MC: …Yes, just, alone.

Hearing the undisguised teasing in his words, I maliciously popped out a few words, showing a flattering smile.

MC: You also seem to be alone too, sir. You are interesting, traveling on a cruise by yourself~

Lucien: Maybe it's because I want to meet someone who coincides with me.

MC: And, have you met them?

Lucien: Mm. But she didn't seem impressed with me.

Lucien: I'm also a little hesitant now. Not sure if I should take the initiative again….

MC: Of course, you should!

I subconsciously blurted out. Lucien's lips raised an inch of smile.

Lucien: What if she refuses?

MC: ...You should try it first.

Lucien: Then...

Lucien: Would you like to give me the opportunity to deepen your impression of me, the lady with poor memory?

His voice was soft as if it was melting with all the sunlight of a warm winter.

Looking at the neatly folded bathrobe on the sofa, I felt my ears getting a little hot.

Staff: Doctor X, your reservation for the ice sauna room is at 3:30 pm. You can change your clothes in the lounge and sit for a while.

Doctor.X? I looked at Lucien questioningly but found him nodding a little.

Perhaps feeling my persistent puzzled gaze, Lucien solemnly stretched out his hand towards me.

Lucien: I was in too much of a hurry last night and didn't have time to introduce myself.

Lucien: What's your name, Miss?

MC: ....

MC: Producer.MC.

As if he didn't expect me to say that, Lucien was stunned for a moment and then couldn't help laughing.

He lowered his head and came close to me, his overflowing breath brushing against my ear.

Lucien: (chuckle then whisper) The Great Producer can always do something beyond my imagination.

Lucien: (whisper) It's surprising, delightful… and joyful.

Without waiting for my reply, he turned around and naturally took off his coat as if he was planning to change.

It's as if the whisper was just a secret no one knew about.

Seeing that I didn't move, Lucien turned his head back, but his hands kept moving.

Lucien: Aren't you going to change?

He spoke in a sincere and honest tone, which in turn gave me nowhere to hide my secret little thoughts.

I sheepishly turned my attention to the inner ice sauna room, just a curtain away, where the staff was preparing for the sauna.

MC: I was thinking that…

MC: We just met last night, and now you are asking me to "lay ourselves bare"*. Isn't it seem to be a bad idea?

(T/N: 坦诚相见 is an idiom that means that two people treat each other sincerely and tell each other what they think without reservation.)

I deliberately spoke measuredly, secretly observing Lucien's expression, trying to get back in this "role-playing" game.

Lucien squinted his eyes and raised a smile.

Lucien: So, things seem to be moving a little fast.

Lucien: How about we make up for the steps we skipped?

MC: What do you mean?

Lucien did not answer. Under the dense light, his fingertips slowly slid down to the front of his waist, seemingly rubbing a circle.

Lucien: Can you help me?

Lucien: I can't seem to do it alone.

He said it sincerely, and his tone had a hint of grievance. It seems to be a request, but it is irresistible.

As if compelled, I instinctively walked towards him.

MC: What do you need me to do?

Lucien: Give me your hand.

Instead of turning around, he took my hand and made me approach him from behind.

My view was blocked entirely, and I could only feel my fingertips being moved past the scorching heat and to the side.

Lucien's movements were unusually slow as if tracing. Our hands finally ended up on his strap, and he let go of my hand.

Lucien: Help me unbuckle this. It's hard to do it myself.

Compared to the soft and silky shirt, the slightly stiffer texture allowed my fingertips to find their place instantly, but this is not where the buckle is.

MC: I can't see you this way…

Lucien: This buckle is special. It is more convenient to unbuckle from the back.

He spoke with a great conviction that I had no choice but to close my eyes and grope down for the strap buckle.

I held the strap and slipped my fingers between it and his shirt.

His body heat is quietly burning through the shirt. I moved down, and my fingertips trembled when they touched the cold metal.

Lucien: (whisper) You've found the right location.

His voice was a little low, drifting in my ears, and seemed to burrow into my heart from the other side of my chest.

I fumbled with the buckle's position and moved it down vigorously the way I used to unbuckle the strap.

But the buckle seemed stuck, and I couldn't release the strap from the buckle even after going up and down for a while.

Lucien: (chuckle) ....

MC: I...can't seem to find the right place.

MC: Help me out… Wait, no. You're the one who wants me to help you from behind...

As I said that, I felt a little irritated and wanted to let it go, but in the next moment, I was firmly restrained in place.

Lucien: It is very elastic. You have to hold it tightly, don't let go easily.

Lucien: Last night, I was hurt for a long time because of a certain "unintentional act" by Miss MC.

MC: …What kind of nonsense are you talking about!

I want to reach out and cover Lucien's mouth, but I don't dare to let go of my grip on the strap buckle.

At a loss, I had no choice but to use my eyes to hint him that there were other people in the room.

But Lucien obviously ignored me, or rather, he did it on purpose.

Lucien: (whisper) Don't you remember what you did to me last night? Are you so irresponsible?

MC: ...!

I subconsciously pinched his waist, causing the person in front of me to utter a muffled grunt.

As if he was finally done playing, he tugged my fingertips and moved them up and down a bit.

"Click"

Lucien: It seems that I get caught in my own trap.

He let go of my burning hand and turned his face sideways to cast a somewhat deep glance at me, and with his other hand, he pulled down the other strap that had not been unbuckled.

Lucien: I'll take care of the rest myself.

MC: Hmph, you'll have to do it yourself this time.

I was a little dismayed by his mischief. So I stood on my tiptoes and tugged the strap down, intending to buckle it back up.

MC: Didn't you say that you can't do it alone?

MC: I'll buckle it back for you, and you can unbuckle it yourself.

Lucien turned around and grabbed my wrist, my center of gravity was unsteady, and I crashed straight into his arms.

In the next second, an unexpected kiss landed.

The tip of his tongue gently and overbearingly pried open my lips, and his hot breath fluttered on my face.

MC: Lu...

He completely swallowed my whispered words, and his breath was overwhelming.

Instinctively, I closed my eyes and felt his grip on my chin, forcing me to tilt my head up and completely surrender myself to him.

Our hot breaths rose and fell, and my brain became dizzy from the rising heat. I tightened my arms around him, responding to his eager demand.

Until a rustling sound came from the room separated by a curtain.

[Interlude- Memory Silhouette: Terrace Trap]

The lights in the bar gradually became darker, and the music confused my thoughts. I stood blankly by the bar counter, somewhat at a loss.

Lucien left the bar after kissing my hand, leaving me with a racing heart and chaotic thoughts.

Bartender: Miss, do you want to order?

MC: No, thank you.

No matter how lively the bar atmosphere is, without Lucien's presence, there is only dull noise left for me.

I walked out of the bar, through the ornate lobby, the crowded deck, and the long hallway, and returned to my room in one breath.

After closing the door, I realized that I was looking around intentionally or unintentionally all the way just now, looking for that familiar figure. My heart was inexplicably a little blocked.

This Lucien… Why didn't he come to see me?

I took out my phone and confirmed the signal. After thinking for a moment, I went to the bedside and picked up the phone in my room. I wanted to ask the reception desk about buying the WiFi.

But as soon as I put my fingertips on the button, I couldn't help but see those sly and determined eyes in front of me.

MC: ....

I rubbed my face with slight annoyance and put the phone down.

Well, then let's see what you really want to do.

I forced myself to stop dwelling on it and simply changed into a comfortable set of loungewear, pulled open the terrace door, and went outside the room to the terrace.

The sea at night is like wrinkled blue silk, spreading deeply in front of me.

The room I was in seemed to be quiet, with only the sea breeze blowing away some of the mixed emotions in my mind.

It wasn't until I took two steps forward that I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure on the terrace next door.

MC: Lucien?

Lucien: Good evening, Miss Next Door.

Lucien: I didn't expect to see you again so soon.

The man who greeted me was sitting calmly on a cushioned chair on the terrace, holding a foreign-language novel in his hands.

A bathrobe casually wrapped around his slim body, his hair falling in front of his forehead, swaying slightly with the sea breeze.

So much for a leisurely and relaxing vacation time!

When I thought I was distracted by this "culprit" five minutes ago, I felt a hot current rising in my chest.

I wish I could take a big stride and bite him right now, then ask him exactly what he wants to do.

But to deal with such "cunning" people, I must use a more clever way.

For example, treat others the same way they treat you.

Since you want to indulge in this encounter game, I will accompany you to the end!

So I grunted softly, resisted the urge to peek at him, forced myself to look out to sea, and then turned back to my room without a second glance.

Lucien couldn't help smiling when he saw the girl leave the terrace and pull the curtains.

He did show up here on purpose.

In the most direct and somewhat mischievous way, he told her he was in the closest place.

And from a selfish point of view, he also wanted to see her one more time. So he made a little bet with himself that she would show up.

It's like finding an outlet for his own anxious mood.

But looking at her back as she left in a huff, that strange feeling returned again.

Lucien put away the novel he hadn't read and stood up.

It turns out that a flower takes such a long time to bloom.

[Chapter 5]

My brain instantly regained its discarded sanity. I snapped open my eyes and saw the unhurried smile in the corner of Lucien's eyes.

He pressed his palm on the back of my head with a slight force, and his fingertips dug into my hair, cutting off my room to retreat.

Steady footsteps sounded in the inner room, and I quickly blinked at Lucien, but he remained indifferent.

He even pressed me step by step against the wall and closed my eyes, not giving me a chance to breathe.

MC: ...Uh!

My lips and tongue were repeatedly nibbled on, causing a slight twinge of pain, and soon only a tingling sensation remained.

Staff: The room is ready. Now we will give you a brief instructions on how to use the ice sauna room.

Staff: Before entering the room, please…

The sudden unfamiliar voice made me tremble subconsciously but was quickly eliminated by the scorching heat surrounding me.

Behind the thin curtain, I could see the vague silhouette of a person, and I felt as if my heart was about to pop out.

My hands were clutching Lucien's shirt and the unbuckled straps. My ears were buzzing, and I couldn't hear what the other side was saying.

Lucien: MC.

Lucien softly called my name, finally distancing ourselves a little. His breath landed on the corner of my lips, and the end of his voice was wrapped in an ambiguous tone.

Lucien: The ice sauna room has another exit reserved for the staff.

Lucien: (whisper) So, he won't come over.

I blinked and slowly understood what he meant.

MC: Did you already know that? Then why are you telling me just now…

Lucien: Maybe it's because... I'm what you call a big bad villain.

His fingers slowly brushed the side of my neck, the corners of my lips, the tip of my nose, and then he tenderly and lovingly cupped my face.

Lucien: Now that there are no more worries, can I continue?

The kiss that fell again was tender and lingering, like a gentle rain, making people fall deep into it.

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

After a very long time, Lucien finally let me go. His arm naturally slid to my lower back while still wrapping me in his embrace.

Then he just quietly looked at me without saying anything.

The air still seemed to be dense with vapor; I was a bit shy from his stare, so I poked him in the face.

MC: You, why do you keep looking at me.

Lucien: Because I want to look at you.

MC: That's an invalid answer.

Lucien: But that's my answer.

Lucien: Because I want to look at you, and I want to kiss you. So when my brain gives these signals, I follow the instructions.

He said it bluntly and frankly, but it made my heart ripple.

Lucien: In my calculation, an unexpected encounter takes a certain amount of time to develop.

Lucien: 48 hours is enough for a relationship to grow from unfamiliar to familiar, with different emotional stimuli.

Lucien: That was my original plan.

Lucien reached out and tucked the strands of loose hair into my ears. He spoke in riddles, but I seemed to understand something.

A sudden softness in my heart enticed me to ask the question I knew the answer to.

MC: So Professor Lucien's carefully planned chance encounter was disrupted by me, right?

Lucien: The subjective factor is you, but the objective factor…

Lucien paused for a moment.

Lucien: It's me who is greedy.

Lucien: I didn't want the things related to me to become boring and ordinary after a long period of time. So I impulsively carried out this somewhat wilful plan.

Lucien: After you appeared, every expression and every movement of yours was beyond my plan.

Lucien: I was left to follow my brain's instructions and impulsively disrupt my own rhythm.

His voice was very soft, but it landed heavily on my heart.

MC: Lucien, have you noticed that your frankness is becoming more and more frequent?

Lucien: Isn't that good?

I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a peck on the corner of his lips.

MC: In fact, I'm also very greedy.

MC: I like this frank and honest you, but I also like the wicked you. I like the occasionally distant you, but also like the rogue you.

MC: The way your bangs are scattered between your eyebrows, and the way your bangs are all slicked back. Familiar or unfamiliar.

MC: No matter what kind of you, I really like it all.

In a trance, I felt like I heard something blooming in my heart.

Lucien looked at me deeply, and after a moment of silence, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

Lucien: We might need to reschedule this ice sauna for another time.

MC: What a coincidence. I thought so too.

The afterglow of warm colors falls into the sea, creating a gentle luster on the pink-purple sky.

(from the afternoon at 3.30 pm until twilight…. can you guess how long were they stuck in that room-)

Lucien and I intertwined our fingers. We walked non-stop, started running as we walked, and ran all the way from the deck into the cabin.

The sea breeze blew our hair into a mess, and our clasped hands were seeping with warm heat, but we didn't care at all and still held hands.

It's like two people who have thrown away all shackles, just want to hold the hand of the person they like, and move freely to the same destination.

A huge crystal chandelier hangs above the lobby, refracting the light that looks like falling stardust.

There was a constant flow of tourists coming down the staircase and heading opposite us towards the deck.

I subconsciously looked back at the crowd going against us and felt my hand being squeezed.

Lucien: Do you want to check it out? I heard there's a celebration at sea tonight. There should be a fireworks show.

I shook my head.

MC: Fireworks are not as good as the person in front of me.

MC: I just need to look at you. As long as I look at you, there will be fireworks in my heart.

Lucien: Compared with MC's frankness, my performance can only be said to be unsatisfactory.

Lucien: I would like to ask my teacher to give me more advice, preferably by giving me a small lesson.

His eyes are bent, but he looks humble and sincerely asks for advice.

The sound of melodious music gradually plays and enveloped the whole hall.

The sentimental melody evokes my memory. It was the song that Lucien and I danced with in the bar yesterday.

I looked at Lucien and found that his gaze was already waiting for me.

His tie was loosely tied around his chest, and his collar was slightly open. His clear eyes were particularly bright between the hair that had scattered when we ran.

I couldn't help but laugh and raised my hand to ruffle his scattered bangs.

MC: Mr. Lucien is not as refined as Doctor.X now.

Lucien: Then can I ask you to dance?

MC: You should know very well that there is something else I want to do right now more than dance.

Lucien: And that's precisely why it is more necessary to "warm up" properly.

With that, he took my hand and led me through the dance steps

As the music flowed, we gave each other our warmth against the flow of people.

His familiar body heat seemed to bring me a new experience this time, and I felt Lucien guiding me closer in the gentle beat, stretching my body in a natural and lingering way.

Lucien: Do you know the name of the dance we did last night?

MC: Isn't it ballroom dancing? I don't really know much about dance.

Lucien: It is known as Rumba, the dance of love. It's one kind of Latin dance.

His fingertips entwined seductively around the ribbon of my skirt, gently pushing me away and pulling me back the moment the next note leaped out.

The melody gradually surged and accelerated. The air was filled with a scorching breath.

Lucien: Scientific studies have shown that the waist can be twisted up to 180 times per dance, and the highest heart rate can reach 200 beats per minute.

As he spoke, he led me to rotate and walk with his rhythm, pushing me out and pulling me back according to the inertia of the strength in his hand.

Slowly moving, swaying, spinning…

My heartbeat involuntarily accelerated, as if it had been incorporated into the rhythm of the tempo, rising and falling one after another.

Boom-

There was a sound of fireworks exploding in the distance, and the cruise ship seemed to shake for a moment amidst the crowd's cheers.

I staggered and stumbled into Lucien's chest, my hands haphazardly pulling his already loose tie, causing his slightly open shirt to spread open completely.

A reassuring hand was placed on the back of my neck, holding me steadily in place.

I couldn't help but be captured by the charming bareness in front of me. His muscle tightened and then relaxed following our rhythm.

Like a vague provocative tease.

As if falling into his silent trap, my fingers were drawn to caress his bare skin, feeling the hard, clear lines beneath it.

My fingertips were tinged by the burning heat, and I slowly traced from the hard abdomen to his chest.

A steady, strong heartbeat rose up, and even my heart trembled along with it.

Lucien: I think this dance should be impressive enough now.

MC: How can you still hold a grudge?

He didn't say a word. He just strongly swept me up and dropped a feathery kiss on my forehead.

My whole heart surged like a wave, and I felt inexplicably dizzy.

Everything was spinning. Only his close face was clear, effortlessly occupying all of my vision.

We danced our way from the hall to the room.

My vision was suddenly dimmed, but a brighter light broke through the sky and blossomed in the night with a warm color.

The pouring fireworks dragged a long trajectory, depicting a star curtain.

I eagerly kicked off the shoes on my feet and stepped on the ground with bare feet.

Suddenly, a warm sensation replaces the cold floor and settles beneath my foot.

Seeing myself stepping on Lucien's instep, I raised my head in a daze and met his smiling eyes.

Without words, we just looked at each other. I smiled knowingly and then stepped gently on the other foot.

MC: I always seem to fall into Professor Lucien's trap unconsciously.

Lucien: Rather than saying it was a trap, it was better to say it was a silent and open invitation.

He took a step to the right, and I took a step away with it.

Lucien: Besides constantly creating freshness in life, I always want more.

Lucien: I want our experiences to be exciting enough for them to be engraved into your memory.

Lucien: (whisper) And what I want, only you can give me.

MC: I'll give it all to you without reservation.

The night is long and lit up with fireworks.

In that moment, we seem to meld into one.

[T/N: Those fireworks in the end aren't actual fireworks if you get what I mean- But anyway, what a great MQ :" D. I genuinely enjoy it from start to finish. This one has made me cry, laugh, and h-word at the same time asksks. The game between these two is always enjoyable to read lol.

There's no big sad here, but if you think about it, the whole plan is caused by his insecurity,, the way he overthinks stuff that MC said to him, worrying if things related to him will feel boring to her, and ends up devising a whole plan to bring more 'excitement' to their life. The memory silhouette hits you with the fact that although this person seems calm and indifferent, he also suffers as much as her when they're separated. Guess it's a good thing that although his plan got wrecked, at least they did find excitement in this date huh-

I am currently translating Top Up SSR, which I think complements this SP MQ that covers the same 'theme'. So, I hope y'all will look forward to it? Thank you for reading!]

[hualianff]

Tiny Xianle Quartet

Just imagine you’re walking around with tiny dianxia nestled in your front shirt pocket. He would wave “hello!” to anyone passing by with the friendliest smile! Just tiny dianxia with his mini bamboo hat and simple, white robes happily nestled near your chest. 

Then, as you continue your stroll, you see a lone dandelion with the stem still attached floating nearby.

“Huh, that’s weird,” you think, then blow the dandelion away.

The distant sound of a high-pitched “Gegeeeee” can be heard. It turns out to be tiny HC who was using the dandelion to catch the wind and bring him to dianxia, but his plans are thwarted by the giant human who decided to blow him in the opposite direction :(

(XL: 😳😳 “I thought I heard-“

HC: 😭😭😭)

HC crash-lands in the grass, tumbling over himself a couple times. Once he’s right-side-up, he can only watch as the big human continues walking forward with tiny XL in tow.

HC resorts to scurrying after the big human, smacking away the large blades of grass that dare stand in his way. When you finally notices a little creature trailing behind, they scoop HC up in one hand.

“GYAHH- UNHAND ME, MORTAL,” HC demands, banging his little fists on the hand.

XL lets out a surprised squeak. “San Lang!”

“Gegeee! I’m here! I’m here to save you!” HC exclaims, still struggling in his entrapment.

“It’s okay! I’m not in any danger!” XL replies. “But I’m glad you’re here anyway!”

XL turns to you, and places his hands together in a pleading gesture: “Can you just put him in the pocket with me? I promise he won’t cause you any trouble.”

You nod in understanding. With one last indulgent squeeze of the tiny creature, the human drops HC into their shirt pocket.

Twin grunts of “oofs!” are heard, along with a small shuffling inside the pocket.

Immediately, two smol heads pop out from inside the pocket.

“Thank you for accommodating him. Between you and me, San Lang loves walks. He’s secretly very grateful to tag along,” XL says.

(HC, at the human: 🥊🥊

XL: “San Lang, stop being rude!”)

Even as tiny fists poke harmlessly against your chest, you can’t help but laugh whole-heartedly. Tiny dianxia just has that effect on you. 

“It’s my pleasure,” you say. “The more, the merrier.”

(HC: “did u just call me merry-“ 😡

XL quickly covers HC’s mouth.)

The trio continues their walk, passing many flowers and a stream that shimmers aqua blue.

When you walk under a cherry tree, you suddenly feel two thumps on the top of your head. Pairs of tiny feet seem to be padding along your hairline. You lift a hand up to rub your head, but the tiny feet keep evading their reach.

HC and XL are too busy whispering among themselves to pay attention to the commotion upstairs.

A heavy sigh escapes your lips. An itch is developing on their scalp that really needs to be scratched. You decide to shake your head side-to-side, and using both hands, grab hold of two more smol bodies in your clutch.

MQ: “you idiot, why’d you jump down too? You gave us away!”

FX: “it wasn’t me! That bird shook the branch and caused our cherry to fall”

XL pauses his story: “oh heyy guys! What brings you here?”

You look at XL with a raised eyebrow.  “More of your…friends?”

HC: “hey I’m not just a-“

XL: “Yes, more friends! Though I could’ve sworn they were busy doing something else…” 🤔

MQ huffs while FX glares at the rascal in red clinging to XL like sticky tape.

“What should I do with them?” You ask XL. 

To FX and MQ’s horror, HC leans close to whisper in XL’s ear. 

XL: “Hmm, it’s a little tight in here, so maybe-“

Cut to the next scene where FX and MQ are unceremoniously shoved into the human’s back pockets.

[okaythisone]

Just finished book 1 of tgcf and some favorite points are:

- Xie Lian <3

- All the characters! MXTX makes some damn compelling characters.

- Mu Qing and Feng Xin following XL around in disguise. Like, it's so obviously them, right? And they're so annoyed about it. Nobody is making you do this lol. Does XL know it's them? Can't wait to find out what their deal is.

-Xiao-Ling. Poor girl deserved so much better. She just wanted to take care of the kid(that's HC right? I know I've seen fanart of him as a kid with bandages on his face). I'm horribly weak to the found family trope. Also, she gives awesome makeovers.

- FX trying to parent XL. Like stopping XL from eating the ground bun(lol), and worrying HC has "ulterior motives." It's adorable, but, my guy, XL is 800 years old. He has absolutely done and been through worse.

- the way XL has found entirely new ways to embarrass himself around HC. "Xie Lian hadn't felt this embarrassed in centuries," the horrors one can acclimate to, but being awkward is an unending torment.

- how XL kept making old person comments in the chat(array, whatever) and had to be stopped. "Xie Lian felt a little depressed. He wasn't even that old," you are 800! Who's old then!?

- XL making his own shrine. " If no one worships me, I'll worship myself!" Yeah, believe in yourself! I guess...

Then in the village, "Who's that?" "Um... I don't know either?" Bruh...

" What does he do?" "Probably watches over you and keeps you safe." Do you not know? I love him.

- HC's perfect human disguise and garbage acting skills.

- the way HC keeps messing with FX and MQ. Lmao, bully them. All three of them are being so unnecessarily dramatic.

- it was XL's tomb! Lmao, can't even save face by not saying how he 'died' because HC might question it, and still getting outed later. I thought it sounded suspiciously like him when they found it, but then it actually was! Poor guy.

-Banyue(girl, not country). Really paving that road to hell with her good intentions, damn. She's just so sweet? Gotta love a sweet character with a resting bitch face. She clearly cares so deeply about XL and wanted to grow up to be like him. Still shares the same dream he did and wants his advice 200 awful years later. I want to cry.

- XL taking her in (as much as he could) in the first place. Giving her the last of his rations, playing with her and the other kids in his free time. "Xie Lian didn't know where she came from. But she was a random wandering child, so he randomly took her in. When he was free, sometimes he'd teach her songs, sometimes wrestle, sometimes show off his busker move... and they got along quite well." (T-T) family... I want to see them grow closer.

- the dude XL told to live for him was totally HC huh. Man, you can't just say that. You gotta take responsibility for that XL.

- RING! That's the ashes right?! I saw something about that(ugh), but this soon? HC does not mess around... with XL. He exclusively messes around otherwise.

[cl0ckworkpuppet]

i have been playing magiquest for 13 years, and i think you all should do so as well!

thus, i have made a pros and cons list for playing! overall i think the pros massively outweigh the cons, but if you or your child are in any way interested, i highly encourage you to give it a shot!

~

pros

(location dependent, but usually, especially for Legacy locations) very good theming with a nice atmosphere

very very cool wands and toppers to use in the game, continue to keep as a cool souvenir, and use later if you ever decide to go again, saving your progress!

if you like rpgs, it's basically that, but in real life

people there are always very polite

you like dressing up in nerd wizard clothes? do it. not only will no one judge you, people will think you're really cool! they even sell capes and cloaks (sometimes in adult sizes)!!

i cannot stress this enough. this game has a lot of physical activity, but EVERY opportunity to take a break, and you can easily pace yourself! you can walk, you can jog, and if you know what you're doing, you can probably (lightly. slowly. especially in crowds.) run!

(location dependent) the quests are pretty diverse, and many of them, ESPECIALLY the boss fights, are super cool!

(location dependent) you usually don't need to be a guest of the resort to play!

it, and i cannot stress this enough, is not harry potter nor is it owned by an antisemitic terf! (as far as i know)

neutral (?)

there's a lot of kids there. great if you're a kid, but if you're an adult and that makes you uncomfortable, that's totally fine. i will let you know though i've never EVER gotten judged as a 20 year old guy going to play magiquest in full wizard outfit with custom wands lol, if anything they're happy to see someone so dedicated, and they'd also be happy to see someone new step out of their comfort zone

(location dependent) 2.0 and MQ+ are pretty clearly aimed towards younger demographics, while Legacy is aimed towards all audiences. not necessarily a problem, just something to note

the basic quests are pretty much mainly fetch quests? not the worst problem ever if you're like me who doesn't mind fetch quests, and they are all pretty diverse, but it's definitely something to keep in mind

there's a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes less of a big deal, and many people can help you out

cons

there is a very limited number of locations, all of which are US exclusive. i have a list and map of them here, made by acidpurewarrior. if you absolutely must, go to a 2.0 or MQ+ location. but if possible, Legacy locations-- which are scarce-- are really the best option.

currently, Great Wolf Lodge has ownership over magiquest, headed by creative director jordan itkowitz. he's a shitty person in the sense that he's done everything in his power to make magiquest worse. i do not personally like 2.0 or MQ+ (but i know many do, and more power to you! but they are a direct result of this company taking this game in an awful direction)

the new wands are quite fragile and, while not EASILY broken, are known to be prone to breaking

~

obviously, this game is not going to be for everyone. and that's okay!

depending on the wand you get and if you choose to get a topper, pricing for play is about $20-25 per wand, somewhere below $20 for a topper (which is NOT NECESSARY), and i forgot the exact price but about $15 to activate your wand for play. if you're a brand new player without a wand buying brand new, you're looking at about $40 with no add ons. that may not be doable for some people-- and that's totally okay!

i just want to share my autism with the world <3

[sdwolfpup]

ao3 wrapped [writer's edition]

People are apparently doing this as an ask game, but I want to answer all of them so I'm gonna. 😄 But I'll save your dash and put it under a cut.

How many words have you written this year? I'm not sure honestly. Mostly because I worked a lot on two different WIPs, and wrote a LOT of words that either got deleted or are in unfinished stories that will never see the light of day. But doing a quick estimate based on what chapters I posted this year, POSTED amount of words is roughly 130,000.

How many works did you publish this year? I finished one WIP, worked on another, and posted 6 other shorter fics.

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? Gosh, I don't know. Tweets and Treats took a surprising amount of work, and I was really happy with how it turned out. And I'm really grateful I managed to land 2 Hot 2 Horny (with Brynn's invaluable help!).

What work of yours has the most hits? This year? 2 Hot 2 Horny, which makes sense. For fics only posted this year, All I Have To Offer You (Is Me).

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? The beauty of this mess (is that it brings me close to you). This was my first (and probably only) foray into HOTD fic fandom, and it was for Alicent/Rhaenyra which is not a super popular ship as far as I can tell (though I don't know why!!! HAVE YOU SEEN THEM INTERACT??). Anyway. People were very nice about it.

Favorite title you used: Even though it went way beyond what I first envisioned it as, I still think 2 Hot 2 Horny is funny. For fics posted this year only, probably All I Have To Offer You (Is Me), because its from a song forbiddenfantasies likes and is very appropriate for the story.

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? I am an equal opportunity lyrics user.

Pairing you wrote the most for this year? Jaime/Brienne, naturally.

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? JB are always my favorite, but I also really enjoyed writing my two Ian/Poppy fics.

What work was the quickest to write? speak now (or forever hold your peace). I was possessed when I wrote that. It took a day. That's the fastest I've written something since 2020.

What work took you the longest to write? Considering I am still working on Our souls lie down in the grass, I'm gonna go with that one, heh.

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year? Whew. Too many. Our souls is the only one I'm currently posting, but fics I've started that I really want to finish? 6 or 7 at least.

What’s your longest work of the year? 2 Hot 2 Horny was 115k; for fics posted just this year, All I Have to Offer You is 27.5k.

What’s your shortest work of the year? Technically Tweets and Treats is only 8 words but there's a lot more than that in the images. :D Looks like Snack Drawer is it at 2615 words.

What WIP are you taking into next year with you? Our souls lie down in the grass. I've got a whole chapter written! I'm halfway through the next chapter! I'm gonna write at least one more and then start posting again.

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag? Across ALL my works it's Alternate Universe - Modern Setting. Which fits.

Your favorite character to write this year? I really enjoyed writing Ygritte in 2h2h, and Jaime in Tweets and Treats, and Poppy in both MQ fics.

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year? Genna in All I Have To Offer You. I wanted to make sure she was riding a very fine line between cruelty and kindness.

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? I want to keep writing JB, and I'd really like to write another Poppy/Ian fic.

Which work of yours have you reread the most? From this year? Probably Tweets and Treats.

How many kudos in total did you get this year? Statistics say 3,627, but again that includes 2h2h and Our souls (and also A Job Lot of Junk since I posted a couple fics to that collection) which throws it all off. If I just do the ones posted this year, 1648.

Which work has the most comments? Again, 2h2h but if I take that one out, Tweets and Treats.

Did you do any collaborative works this year? Sadly I did not. Though I talked to Brynn about 2h2h enough that she sort of helped me write it metaphorically.

Did you write any gifts this year? Yes! All I Have to Offer You was a birthday gift for forbiddenfantasies. 2h2h was from the summer exchange in 2021 for Naomignomie, and Our souls was from the festive exchange in 2020 for auntiesocial.

Did you receive any gifts this year? Yes. Pretty-thief wrote a Poppy/Ian fic for me and slips, someone made a cover for HFOG, and trelkez made a Poppy/Ian vid and dedicated it to me.

What’s your most common category? M/F

What do you listen to while writing? Whatever Spotify playlist I have put together for the fic, or the Study LoFi playlist.

Favorite work you wrote this year? Ooh...I honestly don't know. I really can't pick a favorite. They're my children!!

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? I have a couple, heh. I loved "I shouldn't kiss you in the winter when I'm leaving in the spring," from Our souls. And this bit from Poppy in Snack Drawer honestly makes me laugh every time: She pulled out one of his organic, non-GMO, soy yogurt cups. “You eat like an old man. Plain isn't a flavor, Ian. It's a cry for help." But for how difficult I found writing this year, I'm actually pretty happy with what I produced.

Biggest surprise while writing this year? How damned difficult it was? Heh. I'd been struggling in late 2021, too, but this year was (for me) a struggle. Every word feels like I had to carve it out of my skull slowly and meticulously, when for the first two years of JB fandom it flowed so quickly. Adjusting to my new normal has taken me all year, but I think I've found a slightly better rhythm and I've been able to write more regularly. (It helps that work has also slowed down in the last two weeks; work has eaten up a tremendous amount of my life this year in a way it had not the two years before.) I'm also surprised that I wrote a House of the Dragon fic! Did NOT see that coming. I wasn't even gonna watch the show at the beginning of the year.

[nine-blessed-hero]

No Knight in Shining Armour, Xe

Universe: TES IV: Oblivion CW: Canonical Major Character Death, light angst Words: 4,780 Context: I wanted to explore more of Rowan's bastardisation arc by showing xir reactions to Martin's death and the end of the MQ. Directly links up to Accepting an Invitation (Tumblr | AO3). Read on AO3

Rowan pulls Martin to xir, covering his head as the white marble, glittering with refracted red like drops of blood, falls down around them. They part enough to look up, still clinging to the other's arms as Dagon roars, framed against the crimson sky. Martin drops his gaze to meet Rowan's. "It's time, then." His face has lost all colour, xe can feel his fingers grip through the chinks in xir armour. Just because they both know what comes next doesn't make it any easier to bear. "Martin-!" Xir desperation bubbles over through xir voice. "Rowan." His voice is warm, his smile tender; his eyes filled with sorrow. "Look after them for me?" he says, as if he's only talking about a few sheep. Rowan jerkily nods. "Of course," xe says, as if he'll only be a few days away. He cups xir face. "Thank you. You've been a good friend." Rowan pulls him in for one last embrace. When they draw apart, kisses of farewell are bestowed on each cheek, as if he's only going to the next village over. Martin's head jerks, as if someone has called his name, and when he turns back, he ducks his chin. "I'm sorry. I have to go." He squeezes xir hands. "The Dragon awaits." Xe squeezes back, fingers trailing on his for as long as they can. Then Martin is gone.

~~~

When the High Chancellor finds Rowan, xir eyes are raw but dry. Xe explains what happened in calm, dispassionate tones. "What are your orders, sir?" Rowan asks when Ocato has absorbed xir words. Ocato fumbles – an unprecedented situation, the bodies, the Temple roof- Rowan cuts him off. "If I may, sir?" Ocato nods and xe strides from the Temple, never looking back.

Outside, the sun pushes through the storm clouds, sending warm-fingered rays onto the wrecked plaza. The petrichor air is filled with laughter and cheering – Dagon is defeated! – yet too many lie unmoving on the floor.

Rowan takes a breath as xe looks around, then with a bellow, calls out, "Blades! To me!" In an instant, xe is surrounded by fierce warriors in Akavir armour. Xe runs xir gaze over them. "Where is Captain Steffan?" Caroline steps forward. "I'm sorry, zr. He didn't make it." Rowan purses xir lips, xir tone arctic, "Understood. Achille, Belisarius, come here." The two wounded Blades step forward, and xe heals them as best xe can. Xir voice detached, Rowan briefs them about the Emperor's absence. Xe points, gaze still on the Blades, through the open door, at the marble statue where the lingering raindrops refract the sun, gold like scales. "I want a perimeter around the statue. Organise yourselves into a watch. There'll be looky-loos, and I don't want anyone touching him until we're sure it's safe." "'Him', zr?" Caroline says. "It," Rowan corrects xirself sharply. "Dismissed." Armour clatters as the Blades leave to do as bid.

Another in-sucking of breath and Rowan bellows again, this time for the Guard Captains. "I want you to gather any able-bodied men and split into two groups-" xe begins, but one of the men holds up a hand. "Commander Phillida," he introduces himself, then looks past Rowan, to Ocato. "Your Excellency, who is this urchin to order us?" Ocato steps up. "This is Rowan, Champion of Cyrodiil. They have saved the city and ended the Oblivion Crisis. You would do well to keep a civil tongue around them." Rowan lifts xir chin, gaze steely. Now is not the time, xe thinks, to correct Ocato. "Two teams, Commander," xe says, obdurate. "One to sweep the City – dispose of any remaining daedra and deal with looters. One to gather the dead for burial and the wounded for healing. "I need runners too. To the University, for healers and for Wizard Delmar to attend me here. To the guild of Masons, to assess the damage and ensure the Temple doesn't crumble further. To find the Arch-Primate – I have questions for her. To the Palace, again for healers and," xe glances at Ocato, "to assemble the Elder Council. I'm sure the High Chancellor will want to apprise them of the situation." Ocato nods his approval. "Another runner too, if you please," he adds, "to the Mortuary, to deal with the dead." The guard captains clasp a fist to their chests, bowing in turn to Ocato and Rowan. Then they are gone, shouting to their men. Rowan and Ocato are soon the eye in a storm of movement. "Sir." A breton woman with a warhammer steps up to Ocato. "We should get you back to the Palace." Ocato holds up a hand. "Not yet, Beanique. It will take a while for the Council to assemble, and I am still needed here." He looks at Rowan. "Emperor Martin made the right choice when selecting his champion. I shall deal with the masons and the moth-priests." "Yes, sir. I'll start assisting with the wounded."

~~~

The day wears on. The air is soon foetid, the close quarters of the plaza filling with the stench of death and sickness. Rowan helps where xe can, but xe is a field healer; xir magic is not as finessed as those from the University, and xe quickly runs out of potions. Stantus Varrid has opened his home to treat the wounded. The sun has not yet passed its zenith when the old priest leads xir to a corner piled with burlap sacks and tells xir to sit down before xe falls down. A cloak is laid over xir in lieu of a blanket, and xe is asleep before xe can begin to let thoughts swirl around xir head.

Rowan is woken by a soft hand on xir cheek; for a moment, xe dreams Martin is there, but when xir eyes open, it is Wizard Delmar crouched beside xir. "Are you well, Arch-Mage?" he asks. Rowan blinks in bemusement before xe is scrambling to xir feet. "Master Wizard. Yes. Thank you. I am… as well as can be, for the circumstance." Delmar squints a little but inclines his head. The bustle of the sick-room continues around them, the moans of the wounded, the flash of healing magic. "You requested my expertise, zr?" Delmar prods. "To examine some kind of artefact?" Rowan squeezes xir eyes closed. Xe opens them again, pulling xirself straighter and fixing Delmar with a smile. "Apologies, Delmar. Yes. If you would follow me, please?"

They leave Varrid's house, and Rowan leads them to the Temple of the One. Arch-Primate Tandilwe is waiting for them outside. "Are you," she asks, an edge to her usually soft voice, "responsible for the overbearing, armoured individuals inside my Temple?" "Marm," Rowan says, "I apologise. Yes – I instructed them to keep the curious away until you and Wizard Delmar here were able to examine the statue." The priest and the mage share a glance, and Rowan once more details the aspect of xir Emperor's transformation. "I need to understand if it's dangerous in any way, if the masons are at risk working around it. Or- Or if- If he might be changed back." Xe looks between the two of them. Xir eyes sting, but xe straightens, tone returning to level – xe cannot afford to show weakness – and gestures to the door. "Ask for Caroline. Tell her the Hero of Kvatch has-" "Champion of Cyrodiil." Behind them, Ocato breaks off from a discussion with a mason to interject. "It is the Champion of Cyrodiil who has requested your presence, Primate Tandilwe, Master Wizard Delmar."

It is a dizzying sensation, to be elevated to such a station. Tandilwe and Delmar again share a glance, inclining their heads in deference to Ocato. Ocato returns to his conversation, and Rowan again gestures towards the door. Tandilwe goes in ahead and Delmar makes to follow but pauses, his hand on the door. "You aren't coming, Arch-Mage?" "I have… other duties," Rowan says. Delmar raises an eyebrow, but before xe can be made a liar, a runner comes puffing up. "High Chancellor, the Elder Council has convened." "Very good. Champion?" "Yes, sir." Rowan turns, but Delmar catches xir arm. "Zr, I have a feeling you will need this more than I," he says and hands xir a slim purple vial labelled 'anti-fatigue'. "Thank you," Rowan says, hurrying after Ocato.

~~~

In the Council Chambers, Rowan stands at Ocato's side and once again details the events from the Temple of the One in calm and measured tones. There is uproar – accusations disguised as queries, toadying disguised as sympathy, questions disguised as blatant statements. Each comment directed towards xir is met with a calm, thoughtful response; now is not the time to rail at the nature of politicians.

They ask xir what his last words were. Xe glances at the court scribe, poised with his pen, and makes up something poetic: a new age now is beginning, Tamriel to be rebuilt and shaped according to the council's will; his instruction for them to scribe a new destiny for the Empire; how willingly Martin went to his sacrifice, to ascend into Aetherius to be with his forebears.

The Council does not need to know how scared he was, only of his courage. They do not need to know his true words – for xir, and xir alone – they need only know of the inspiration within. Perhaps it's selfish of xir, not to share. But Martin Septim was a great man. He told xir to look after his people, and his people need a hero, so xe will paint him as such to anyone who'll listen.

~~~

A week passes.

Master Wizards Tar-Meena and Delmar, Arch-Primate Tandilwe, and Foremason gra-Baroth declare that the statue is simply a statue. Whatever divine providence brought it into the world is now absent. Tests have been done – mundane, metaphysical, theological, and thaumaturgical – and it's deemed to be no harm to anyone (except, perhaps, to the last fraying ends of Rowan's sanity).

Rowan sits in on Council meetings, offering xir thoughts. Xe corresponds with the Fighter's Guild houses to support the Imperial Legion and visits the house of Daleroth for intelligence on the real effects of the crisis.

A report reaches xir – the strange door in Niben Bay has closed. It's with a pang that Rowan realises xe never said a final goodbye to Cutter.

~~~

Another week passes.

The masons and carpenters have started work fixing the Temple district. Alms have been distributed where needed based on Rowan's recommendations. The Elder Council continues to bicker, but Rowan finds that charming smiles and well-placed comments in the corridors of the Palace do more to move affairs of state along than any demand in the Chamber.

The Blades keep their vigil of the statue, and Jena tells xir the tributes piling at its feet from the people are very moving. Baragon – respectfully, tentatively – suggests Rowan might like to see for xirself? Rowan is too busy, alas; their descriptions suffice. But– a stern chin is jutted, a dry unflinching gaze regards them –it is no less than he deserves.

~~~

Two weeks flash by.

The temple plaza is coming along nicely. Word from Kvatch says the city's rebuilding efforts are continuing apace; Rowan sends mages and strong warriors alike to assist and pave the way for new guild houses.

Across the countryside, the Fighter's Guild and Imperial Foresters tackle small pockets of stranded daedra and aid ravaged farms. People from all corners of the country – those affected by the Crisis and those whose lives have been improved by the Champion's alms – continue to pour into the Imperial City to pay their respects to the departed.

High Chancellor Ocato summons Rowan to his office. Xe is admitted by Evangeline Beanique, Ocato's warhammer-toting bodyguard, into the plush room with its view of the City. "High Chancellor. You wanted to see me?" "Champion." Ocato smiles, taps a missive, sealed with the Imperial sigil, which lies on his desk. "The smiths have finished your armour." He hesitates. "You are free to collect it whenever you wish…" "However?" Ocato sighs, giving xir a half-smile. "Did Emperor Martin ever complain about your astuteness?" He huffs out a laugh. "'However' indeed. I should like you to be formally inducted into the Order of the Dragon in a ceremony." "Where?" "I thought perhaps in front of the Temple of the One." Without, the wind whistles down the corridor, reaches under the door and sends a tapestry rattling on the wall. "You believe this is something the people need to see?" "I do, yes. It will bolster their spirits at a critical point in the rebuilding process. Holding it outside the Temple will remind them of our success against the forces of chaos, remind them to keep their hope as we go forward." Rowan purses xir lips. The bitter wind seems to reach into xir chest, leaving a chill and empty space behind it. Xe nods once, the movement abrupt. "Very well. Will that be all?" Ocato frowns. Rowan lifts an eyebrow. Ocato sighs again. "Yes, Champion. That will be all."

~~~

The armour is a work of art. The gold inlay glitters, the red enamel lies bold and proud. It fits beautifully, moves smoothly. The tingle of enchantments runs up xir arms like goosebumps. The armourer is offended when xe asks how strong it is, but Ocato puts a stop to them proving its mettle before the ceremony.

~~~

The day of the ceremony dawns overcast, dry but bitterly cold. At least, that is what Rowan blames for the chill that seeps into xir chest as xe stands on the stage in front of the Temple of the One. The plaza is packed, despite the cold. Smoke from the braziers plume like towers into the sky. Rowan picks out faces xe knows in the crowd – Modryn Oreyn, Methredhel, Maelona and Gogan. They've come to see xir honoured. They believe in xir actions. Why doesn't it give xir strength?

Ocato greets the crowd and launches into a speech – honour, courage, sacrifice. He weeps for the people of Kvatch, praises the Blades and the Legions at Bruma, and lauds Martin's name.

Rowan doesn't want to be here, not really, in xir heart of hearts. Xe is resplendent in the armour – everyone has said so; xe is every inch the hero the people are expecting. But with the statue at xir back and three Akaviri katanas hanging fresh over the hearth of Cloud Ruler, Rowan feels like a fraud. The Dragon's gaze itches between xir shoulder blades; he gave xir an order, though, so xe will fulfil it the best xe can.

Ocato is now talking about Rowan, introducing xir to the crowd and running through a litany of xir accomplishments, the services xe has performed for the country – nay!, all of Tamriel. He announces, based on these accomplishments, his intent to induct xir into the Order of the Dragon. "-and if there are any who should find fault with this appointment, let them speak now, else leave their tongue silenced forever."

On the city walls, the rooks croak. A breeze springs up, gusting from behind as if the dragon has flapped its mighty wings. The braziers flame and growl in response. Rowan finds it amazing how so many people can be so resolutely silent. 

Ocato scans the faces in the crowd. "Very well then. Rowan?" Xe swallows. Xir neck twitches, as if xe would look at the Dragon for guidance. Instead, xe steps forward, and Ocato moves back.

Primate Tandilwe approaches carrying a ceramic saucer of red paint. "Hero, please kneel," she says. 

Rowan obeys, and Tandilwe begins a prayer as she daubes the paint in the shape of a diamond on Rowan's forehead, invoking the Eight and One with each stroke. Above, the clouds crack open, shafts of sunlight reaching down and playing along the stage. Tandilwe completes her prayer and steps back. A moth Prelate from the Imperial Library, clutching a large wooden box, is led forward by his aides. Rowan holds xirself stiffly, forcing xir breathing to be regular and untroubled.

"Fear not, Child of Prophecy," the Prelate says, his voice sing-songy, as his aides step away. "I have read your scroll. You are smiled upon." He raises his voice. "For each Event, a Hero; for each Hero, a Reward." The Prelate's hands shuffle around the box, sliding the lid open. He hums and out crawl two moths in shades of tawny brown, testing their wings. They flutter up, around the Prelate. One ventures out over the crowd, the other investigates the temple wall. The Prelate hums again, a different tone, and the moths flutter back, circling Rowan.

The Ancestor Moths settle on xir shoulders. A ray of sunlight bursts forth. Rowan is blinded. 

Xir vision fills with snippets: an imperial woman with the shadow of a crested mer; a redguard with a blank face and a noose around his neck; Baurus in the snow – Rowan screams, the heat of a Xivilai blade sliding through xir gut as Baurus falls; Martin's pale face, his fingers trailing in xir's. The golden dragon becomes one of brown and grey, titanic plates upon its back. His name wells in xir chest, channelled from the roots of the world, and Rowan screams it as xe should have done before.

The sunlight fades. Xe is panting, staring at the boards of the stage, supporting xirself with one arm, the other clamped across xir stomach. The moths alight from xir shoulders and return to the Prelate.

"For every Hero, an Event," he lilts. Rowan lifts xir head to look at him. He's smiling. "The moths like you." His voice grows. "Rise! Champion of Cyrodiil. Rise! Champion of the Dragon. Take your place in the entangled paths of fate and time." The moths crawl into their box, and the lid slides shut with a snap.

Rowan rises, wondering what would have happened if the moths did not like xir.

The plaza is quiet as xe makes xir way, shaking, to the edge of the stage. Rowan takes a moment to compose xirself, scanning the sea of people.

"My friends," xe says, hands spread, as if to encompass the whole of Cryodiil, "I thank you for this appointment. I thank you for the trust and faith you've shown me here today. And though it may have been my hand which has aided our late Emperor, thought it may have been his actions which cast Mehrunes Dagon for our lands – indeed, from the whole of Mundus, if I have understood even half his lessons on planar geometry – it has been you, my friends, who've made it possible. You who have tilled the fields and fed us, the smiths who've armed and armoured us, those who've clothed and supported us." Rowan pauses for breath, swallowing past the lump forming in xir throat. "The success at Bruma, the end of Dagon... None of this would have been possible without your support, and here, now, in this hour, I recognise that.

"Emperor Martin was a man of the people. He was raised by a farmer, grew to be a priest. He knew what it was to serve his community. Short through his reign was, he served you, his people, with aplomb and grace. He was benevolence made flesh, and I was proud to have known him. I am honoured to call him friend; privileged to have served him as my emperor. And I know, that were he with us today, he would agree with everything I've said about you all, here today." Xe raises a fist. "Hail, people of Cyrodiil!"

The crowd roars back in response. There is a collective pause, and they cry back to xir, many voices made one: "Hail, Champion! Hail Emperor Martin! Hail! Hail!"

Ocato is back at Rowan's side, lifting xir arm aloft in triumph. The crowd are cheering, calling xir name. The Dragon's gaze still itches between xir shoulders.

There's a party after, of course – Ocato was right when he said the people needed this. There is dancing in the street, musicians on every corner, ale and sweetcakes passed between neighbours and strangers alike.

As they process back to the Palace, Rowan is cheered and waved at, even propositioned. Jena walks by Briar's head, her hand on his bridle. As they wait for the gates between the Temple District and Green Emperor Way to open, she touches Rowan's leg. "Rowan, look." Rowan twists in the saddle to see where Jena is pointing, back towards the plaza and the delighted crowds. "Look at them. Look how happy they are." Rowan frowns. "Yes?" Jena looks up at xir, eyes shining, smile as blinding as the sun. "You did this. Ro', you made all this possible." The reins bite into Rowan's hands, the chill digging into xir chest. "Yes."

~~~

Another week passes. Rowan finds xir voice is needed less and less in the Council Chambers. Ocato has a handle on things again, and xir bolshy drive towards the betterment of the country is now a movement of its own.

Caroline stops by Rowan's room late one night. "Thought you could do with a nightcap," Caroline says, holding up a cerise bottle. Rowan reads the label and frowns at her. "Where did you get this?" "A friend in the University hooked me up," Caroline says, making herself comfortable on Rowan's sofa. "I don't need a sleeping tonic." "Do you not? It's three in the morning. I've just come off shift. What's your excuse?" Rowan pinches the bridge of xir nose. "Fighter's Guild paperwork. Oreyn sent everything he's been holding onto for the past few months while I've been busy. I thought I might catch the morning courier…" Xe throws up xir hands. Caroline shifts. "I've come at a bad time…?" Rowan shakes xir head. "The only way I'll make the morning courier now is if I stay up to meet it."

Xe closes the bureau, pulls a chair across and settles in front of Caroline. "What's bothering you?" Caroline laughs. "I can't drop by and see a friend?" "As you pointed out, it's three in the morning. Hardly 'dropping by' hours." "Ah, alright, fine. You're right." She hunches forward. "Rowan, you know we have the utmost respect for you. Your leadership dragged us out of a dark place after Grandmaster Jauffre passed. And again, after Captain Steffan and his Majesty. But it's been over a month now. The statue is just a statue. Some of the lads are wondering why we're still guarding it." Rowan has no good answer for that, beyond the knee-jerk need to see Martin protected. But Martin isn't there. Xe has yet to visit it for xirself, but the eminent minds have all told xir the same thing: the statue is just a statue. A line from a poem springs to mind: Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there, I do not sleep.

Rowan sighs. "People are still visiting?" "Yes. But we've had no trouble." "Very well. Reduce the watch over the next few weeks before stopping it. For surety's sake." Caroline nods. "Yes, zr."

Rowan settles back in xir chair, regarding Caroline for a moment. "How would you suggest the remaining Blades are deployed? They can't very well be allowed to just sit around." Caroline at least gives the pretence of considering the question. Still, the completeness of her answer belies the fact she's given it a lot of thought. "Some of the men have expressed a desire to stay in the City, either as master trainers to the Legion or bodyguards for the councillors. I am inclined to let them. There seems little point in letting their talents go to waste. That being said, I'd like to take the remainder back to Cloud Ruler. It is still an asset of the Empire, and it requires upkeep. There may yet come a day when it's needed again. "I have also considered its use as a staging ground for sending agents into Skyrim, Hammerfell, and High Rock." Caroline looks at her hands. "I suspect we will be heading into a period of unrest. Intelligence will be needed to keep us apprised of the situation in the other provinces. It would be wise to keep a place where our agents from those provinces can rest in safety before continuing their missions."

Rowan gives Caroline a level gaze as the latter raises her head. With a thoughtful hum, xe rises, crossing back to the bureau. Rowan's pen scritches as it passes over a fresh sheet of parchment. As the ink dries, xe heats a stick of wax and presses a seal into the corner of the document. "Caroline?" "Yes, zr?" Rowan gestures for her to stand, then hands her the sheet of parchment. "Congratulations, Grandmaster, on your promotion." "W-what?" Caroline reads the page she's been handed. "With this writ, I do declare Caroline to be placed in the esteemed position of Grandmaster of the Blades. Signed Rowan, Champion of Cyrodiil, on this day Turdas 27th Hearthfire, 4th Era 1." Caroline looks up with wild eyes. "Are you allowed to do this?" Rowan gives a laconic shrug. "If anyone argues it, send them to me." "No, but-" "Caroline," xir voice softens, "someone has to be in charge of the Blades, such as they remain. I stepped in after Jauffre only out of necessity. And now Steffan is gone too… You're the most senior Blade left, the only one who's stepped up to offer any kind of leadership. It can't be me. You know the procedures and contacts, you understand the job. You've already got your eye on the future. If you're worried about acceptance from higher up, I'll talk to Ocato. But I don't expect any resistance from him." Rowan rests xir hands on Caroline's shoulders, the picture of seriousness. "We can give you your own little ceremony, if you like." That draws a barking laugh out of the shocked Blade. "I think there might be some precedent there," Caroline says with a half grin. It fades as quickly as it comes, replaced with a sigh. "Rowan, are you really sure?" "Absolutely. I can't think of anyone better suited." Rowan pats her on the shoulder and steps away. "Go get some rest." Caroline raises a sardonic eyebrow, such a perfect replica of Jauffre that it makes Rowan's heart sting. "I think you'll find, Blade Sister, that as your superior, it should be I giving you that order. Your paperwork can wait. Get some sleep." Rowan blinks, then grins. "Yes, marm."

~~~

Rowan ends up taking the paperwork back to Chorrol xirself. Xe's not needed in the Imperial City any longer; Caroline has the Blades in order, Ocato has the Council firmly in hand, and Armand is keeping tabs on the City's underbelly.

Modryn has missed xir – Rowan can tell from the way he barks and threatens to demote xir from Guildmaster, claiming a sheep would do a better job. Xe laughs and hugs him in response.

Xe spends a week in Chorrol speaking to the practitioners and associates in both Guild Halls, ironing out procedures and setting the Fighter's Guild to rights.

From Chorrol, Rowan takes a tour of Cyrodiil's guild houses, partly to get xir Guilds in order, partly as an excuse to take the lay of the land.

It feels good to be back on the road again, despite the turn in the weather. Rowan has become accustomed to being on the move, and the past couple of months in the Imperial City has been the longest xe has been in one place since crossing the border. Now it is just xir and Briar, the pinching wind and the calling rooks, the smokey air and the sense of the world settling down for the Long Sleep. 

Cyrodiil, Rowan discovers, is quiet. 

Empty frames of Gates dot the countryside, a dark reminder but no longer a threat. There are the usual minor spats between neighbours. A few niggles with goblins and bandits. But nothing troubling. Nothing that would concern the Champion of Cyrodiil.

Xe winds up two months later in Bruma, eight tankards down at Olav's, feeling... Rowan isn't sure what xe's feeling, if xe's honest. Empty. Detached. The Oblivion Crisis is yesterday's news, its troubles already being swept away by the winds of time. The world is moving on.  He asked xir to take care of them, and xe did, but they're doing fine now. There seems no reason for xir not to retire.

Rowan pens a letter to Modryn and Raminus with xir findings and recommendations, letting them know xe'll stay in Bruma until spring.

Xe takes xirself up to Frostcrag Spire to practise xir alchemy, and everything is fine.

Until it's not.

[puns-parce]

YOOOO I just listened to Happier Than Ever for once (instead of just that one clip) and the ending of of it just makes me think of how Xie Lian and Hua Cheng wronged my favorite Xian Le trio. aka, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and Qi Rong.

Side note - I do like Xie Lian's character and I like a lot of Hua Cheng's lines but this will be sorta critical and riddled with some headcanons and inferences since the book is obviously centered on the main characters and sometimes doesn't fully explain side characters' emotions and what not!

MQ and QR haters probably won't like this one but to explain-

You scared me to death but I'm wasting my breath / 'Cause you only listen to your fucking friends

I see this as all 3 of them. For Mu Qing and Feng Xin, it's obvious. They worry frequently about their friend because he's hanging around a ghost king who is...frankly, pretty unpredictable to others and capable of horrible, horrible things. with and without cause. and xie lian listens to HC more than them at this point, which obviously stings since they want to be his friends and try to help him as much as they can. For Qi Rong, I see it as him trying to hold Xie Lian accountable for leaving him behind and letting him die in Xian Le at the hands of...anyone really (which was ofc a scary experience for a young man) but he knows it's a waste. Xie Lian already doesn't like him and anything Hua Cheng says Xie Lian will generally trust and HC hates QR.

I don't relate to you no / 'Cause I'd never treat me this sh-tty / You made me hate this city

THIS i see as Qi Rong finally, as a ghost, coming to the realization that he finds no relation to his cousin anymore. Any closeness, any love is gone. Xie Lian abandoned him, kept him in the dark, berated him. He'd never do that to himself, much less to Xie Lian. And now? Now he doesn't even have his home - he hates Xian Le. It's a reminder of all he had and all he lost - it's a reminder of what his cousin did to him. Or, more accurately, what his cousin never cared enough to do for him.

And I don't talk sh-t about you on the internet / Never told anyone anything bad / 'Cause that sh-t's embarrassing, you were my everything / And all that you did was make me f-cking sad

First off the number of swear's in this is totally on brand for FX who swears when he gets worked up. Second off, it's so PERFECT. Hua Cheng essentially accuses Feng Xin of abandoning XL when XL told him to leave. FX was trying to be loyal, and he never talked bad about the crown prince. Sure, he might have had moments of frustration but he'd never talk bad about Xie Lian. Meanwhile, Xie Lian wallows and it begins to seem more like FX abandoned him - which wasn't the case. That's such a depressing thing to know when XL was his everything, he was ready to serve XL to the bitter end. Endlessly loyal to the prince, even if it hurt.

So don't waste time I don't have / Don't try to make me feel bad

Mu Qing, sure he wanted to be Xie Lian's friend. But if Xie Lian is going to keep let Hua Cheng spoon feed him any words and say it's the truth, then he's too busy. He's suffered too - Xie Lian is not the only one who was hurt. Mu Qing is too mature to keep being guilt tripped or have his time wasted by a person that values the opinion of someone that sees him as an irredeemable traitor over a centuries old mistake over the opinion of someone they claim is their close friend

I could talk about every time that you showed up on time / But I'd have an empty line / 'Cause you never did

Another Qi Rong part! I see this as young Rong'er literally waiting for Xie Lian to come visit or talk to him and growing more bitter as he realizes he just doesn't matter. And probably also young Rong'er being beaten, tortured, or killed in the downfall of Xian Le and waiting for his cousin to show up and save him. But he never does.

Never paid any mind to my mother or friends so I / Shut 'em all out for you 'cause I was a kid

Mu Qing's frustration as a human at sticking around to help Xie Lian and his family (longer than he should have tbh) when he could be taking care of his own blind mother, who was also likely impacted by the fall of Xian Le. He was endlessly patient with Xie Lian and so generous in giving his time to Xie Lian, but reflecting back on it he realizes how selfish the crown prince really was, creating that silent sense that he expected Mu Qing to stick around and help (even if he didn't mean to)

You ruined everything good / Always said you were misunderstood / Made all my moments your own

Feng Xin and Mu Qing reflecting on how Xie Lian more or less threw away the kingdom of Xian Le pretty much in an attempt to prove his philosophy correct and, while well intentioned, it was heavily warned against by many. And afterwards it seems like Xie Lian is so misunderstood, so hated by fate...when, in a way...he brought it upon himself. He had received warning from the Guoshi, from Mu Qing, from everyone but he still chose to go through with it out of youthful arrogance and stubbornness and dragged everyone down with him. He made their moments - their futures - his own. He dragged them down with him (but luckily Mu Qing had the guts to take his future, his moment back and Feng Xin was lucky enough to stay to a point where Xie Lian simply dismissed him) and took the path they were supposed to walk together, fracturing it in his attempts to change fate even when many told him it would only cause more harm than good

Just f-cking leave me alone

ever notice how most of the times qi rong has an appearance it's because hc or xl are seeking him out or dragging him along? sure he's troublesome but so is hc. but no one tries to challenge him or force him to change course or try to hurt him. and aside from the issue with xuan ji and him stealing the farmers from Rain Master, we don't really see a point in time where he...creates a large mess meant to hurt many? he just wants to function on his own, walk his own path. but hualian come and regularly f-ck sh-t up for him.

[absolutesilly]

Thank you so much for the fast response. I really could just read about your thoughts and opinions about anything! They’re always well thought out and constructed, it’s so pleasing to read 🫡. And that answer, I absolutely agree 100%! I do feel like with the undeserving hate mq gets, it also brings out people who romanticize him a lot and it’s like…wait that’s not our mean but kind mq we all know. But I get why that happens though.

Mq “selfishness” has always fascinated me. Because like you said, he really isn’t imo. I see him as someone who is big on saving himself FIRST, because then he can save others easily. Everything he does is very calculated with weighing out what’s the best outcome for everyone AND with the most minimal damage. Which is what I managed to interpret during the 33 gods scene. We even see that during the fire breakout and him knocking out fx head LOOOOOL. Speaking of feng xin…. Fengqing is…. Mxtx greatest potential of what if. That’s all I got to say ….

ah, i’m so happy you enjoyed reading my many many thoughts!!! :’) i love talking about this stuff.

i also agree that a lot of people tend to over-correct due to the mq hate! i have the same amount of side eye for people who try to act like he’s perfect as i do for the people who try to act like he’s evil. let him be mean but kind!!! let him be self-interested!!! let that little weirdo keep his complexity!

i also absolutely agree with your take on him saving himself first, to help others later. considering his background, i think he’s well aware that you can’t help anybody long-term if your own basic needs aren’t being met. and yessssss, that’s my take on the 33 gods incident too!

it’s a terrible moment for the both of them, but i think his behavior in that scene completely reflects his pragmatism! while xie lian’s hurt at mq not sticking up for him is completely understandable, let’s look at it realistically: he stands up for him… and then what? mu qing potentially loses all the progress he’s made trying to climb the ranks in heaven, and he’s right back where he started with nothing to show for it and no way to help xl, fx, or the royal family. there’s sooooo much more that i could say on this moment (maybe i’ll make a post??) but the point is! pragmatic choices are sometimes the best but ouch. they can really hurt you and the people you love!

i also agree that fengqing are such a delicious what if! the novel leaves them on SUCH an interesting note—finally so much of the misunderstanding between them has finally been cleared. what now! they’re on the precipice of great change! i think that’s why i love writing post-canon fengqing so much, there’s so much to explore now that they’re not completely at each other’s throats anymore! i sooooo wish they’d had an extra written about them. but alas! here we are

[ocdhuacheng]

Imagine writing an AU where MQ catches HC when thematically within the story, MQ is intended to be the opposite of XL. He is a literal mirror of XL’s character; where XL is benevolent and idealist MQ is a scruffy survivalist street cat who wants to protect himself and his status. In AUs where MQ catches HC you are just turning him into XL; he doesn’t give a shit about kid!HC in canon or saving kids like he is a survivalist and tries to keep his hands clean lol… character assassination in every sense of the word and by writing this type of huaqing au you’re just writing Hualian but spray-painted with cat urine

You had me going yeah uh huh right so true until the last sentence like. You’re RIGHT and I AGREE it’s just I was not expecting that imagery brb screaming wjdjsjcjdjsjdjdnfj

[confusedgoldenflower]

SURVEY: I have about five other wips I haven't posted yet, and can’t decide which to do next.

1-- Another Calamity!Mu Qing AU. Mu Qing dies tragically just after Xianle's fall. He gets to the Kiln before Hua Cheng (yes I'm making it open more often). He and HC work things out, but when it comes to Xie Lian, he works in the shadows. But over the centuries, he develops a habit of annoying a certain southern god. His calamity name is Silver Sun Xuan Zhen. And he torments the sinful via dreams; that's also his "realm." Touching reveal.

I have about 10k words for it so far. No smut.

2-- Now, bear with me (I blame exhaustion sleepy brain for this). Xianle Quartet AU. Mpreg--non-mpreg. Xie Lian doesn't tell the Demon of Mei Niang Bridge to LiveLaughLove, and XL convinces them to let him keep Hong Hong-Er around. It's roughly ten years post his ascension, MQ, FX and HC are his officials and it's real nice. This is all thrown into a tailspin when through god-stuff and canonically being both genders (it is there), XL winds up pregnant. He gets "morning" sickness super duper bad and when he's complaining about it, Mu Qing says, "fine, I'll do it." So then Fem!MQ to be self sacrificial--I mean to save the day.

I'm doing so shit at summaries rn holy shit. 9k words thus far. No smut.

3-- Exhaustion sleepy brain: 2, Me: 0. Omegaverse--WAIT--because it'd be HILARIOUS to see them all in a tizzy because some drunk idiots thought it would be a funny idea and it spread like wildfire. Slight PQ and very jealous FX. FQ fic, as usual. No smut.

Don't ask how this became a thing, just accept it lmao. 2.2k words thus far. No smut. Non-traditional ABO.

4-- Mu Qing and Hua Cheng bro AU. Mu Qing doesn't save Hong Hong-Er from the fall, but he does in a different way and since then, the boy won't leave the stressed, working teen alone.

Very big bro MQ. 2k words thus far.

5-- Another C!MQ. God Rabies. Feng Xin kills Mu Qing. All the angsty feels from FX. He wears a cat mask. FX secretly ghost marries him but not in like a ghost-wedding way. Mostly FX point of veiw so far. Touching reveal.

4.8k words thus far. No smut.

Two Dark!Feng Xin (NOT in a non-con way) ideas. FX can't let MQ's "betrayal" go.

6- FX sabatages MQ’s goodhood to keep a torture fodder. MQ ain’t about to let him have his way. (Incorporates prompts 171. "You don't even know how lucky you are. I protect you and provide for you. Don't act so ungrateful. 170. "Do you think I like hurting you? Because I fucking love it.' 177. "I imagined my life without you and it was better. I was happier" 182. "Stick a knife in my chest, it would hurt less." 80. "i think i might be in some kind of love with you? 34. why are you so cold? 129. "This world doesn't deserve an angel like you.") Sorta leaning Wrath!MQ if not Calamity.

7- FX sees an opportunity to let MQ die during a mission and keep his hands clean and he takes it. He’s a real POS as he lets him die. MQ grows into an esp resentful ghost. FX eventually sees he was very much in the wrong and is terrified when MQ finally confronts him bc he’s an idiot and assumed after a while that MQ moved on. Sorta leaning Wrath!MQ if not Calamity.

No don’t just like this post pls I need guidance

[jianqzai]

So, I saw this amazing post by @telepathdestiel​ (I hope you don’t mind that I randomly continued your idea but it really inspired me, lol) and I couldn’t stop thinking about a High School au. 

Xie Lian is the football captain and a Senior, Hua Cheng is 2 years younger (I aged him up because otherwise their canon age gap wouldn’t work) and the photographer for the student newspaper

His crush started when he was a Freshman and Xie Lian saved him from some bullies that were hitting him (this was before his growth spurt so he was still a small baby)

Hua Cheng cooks/bakes things he think he will like and leave the packages on Xie Lian’s desk

You can’t convince me he wouldn’t join the cheerleading team, because he gets to watch all of Xie Lian’s games AND cheer for him, that’s basically a dream come true (I know I also said he’s the newspaper photographer, I don’t know if it’s possible to be both but is my au so I say it is)

He starts to leave notes in XL’s locker but because his writing is so goddamn awful, Xie Lian thinks someone is leaving trash.    - Feng Xin: “more papers today?”    - Xie Lian: “yeah, I have no idea why someone is leaving trash in my locker”    - Mu Qing: “.....you do realize the notes are heart-shaped yeah?” Cue Xie Lian finally realizing he has a secret admirer (he thought all this time that Qingxuan was the one leaving the food packages)

Shi Qingxuan is the cheerleader team captain and also part of the newspaper team. Xie Lian’s friend

He also goes to football practices to draw XL or just to moon over him. There are other people who go as well, so it’s not that obvious (he tries to act like he just likes to spend time in the bleachers and coincidentally happens to be practice time. Always)

Hua Cheng doodles hearts in the back of his notebooks with his and Xie Lian’s names. He also makes doodles of them holding hands.

He keeps a diary as well (what inspired this post). He writes every small interaction he has with XL, any good photos he takes of him or the amazing stuff he saw him do that day (like helping someone with their homework or saving another poor kid from bullies). It’s disgustingly sweet

He Xuan is the president of the newspaper, and knows that Hua Cheng has a big ass crush, so as a good friend he always give the assignments that involve Xie Lian to him (yes, they are begrudging friends in this au)

Hua Cheng finally realizes that it is not that Xie Lian hates him but that he cannot understand anything that he writes (he had a sobbing session about that, listening to sad music, being the extra drama queen he is because he truly thought Xie Lian was ignoring him on purpose). Instead, he starts to leave drawings of random stuff he thinks Xie Lian will like (one amazing portrait that XL ends up keeping in one of his notebooks to FX and MQ dismay), or prints of poetry/book quotes he found interesting

 - FX and MQ: They are stalking you Xie Lian, why do you keep entertaining their gifts??  - XL: *blushing* I think it’s sweet

Xie Lian is really interested now and wants to find out who is behind all these gifts

Xie Lian gets sick (idk it’s the best I could come up with okay) and messes up an important game which also leads to him losing his scholarship offers. People think he did this on purpose so they start to talk shit behind his back. 

Hua Cheng gets in a fight because of this, defending XL honor, and this makes XL finally notice him

They start to hang out and HC starts to investigate along with the news paper team what really happened, so XL can recover his reputation and the scholarship that he lost

They discover that it was Jun Wu’s fault (his coach, I was thinking he drugged him or something) so he goes to jail and HC finally confesses that he is the one who has been sending him all those gifts for the past year

Once they get together, even though Xie Lian’s jacket doesn’t completely fit Hua Cheng because he is a bit taller, he still wears it over his shoulders everywhere

This turned out to be longer than I expected, and I might or might not write a fic about it but in the meantime, have this stupidly cute au

[mousehole5000]

okay im rewriting tgcf (only in my head im lazy) here are my notes on hua/lian specifically this is long bc fuck it. major spoilers obviously and same trigger warnings as the content of the book

disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer that i dont know anything about the cultural background of anything in tgcf or story tropes etc etc this is just I Think It Would Be Neat If..

there’s not really any reason to keep hc as a kid in the backstory BUT in the story in the intro (which i like narratively) it still says that it was a child who xie lian caught. it’s one of those things that got added to the legend to make xie lian seem even more noble, there are also probably a few other inaccuracies in the intro that get found out as the story progresses. in actuality hc was kind of a known troublemaker to the city guards or whatever or had been in the past. maybe his mother just passed after a long illness and his tumble off the wall was intentional. either way he’s kind of pissed at xie lian for saving him. xie lian is concerned about his health so he has to stay at the palace for a while he recovers and only interacts with xie lian a few times. there is a point where he says out loud all the things about the divide between the rich and the poor that have been illustrated by the scenes with mu qing. feng xin tells him to shut up but mq goes dead silent bc he kind of agrees but can’t say and does have his loyalty to xie lian (its a whole thing) and the resentment begins

also i think young hc’s personality is similar to his personality in the present but a bit more reserved and he’s got like this plucky streak or something. also he is unquestionably gay

anyway hc sneaks out of the palace and xie lian catches him obviously but they have a brief little heart to heart where xie lian is like “look you can go if you want here take this money food” etc and demonstrates that he has actually listened to what hc has to say and hc is like “wow no one other than my mom has ever listened to me in my life so thats what that feels like i kind of like it” and he probably is a bit awestruck by xie lian in different ways and after that is like “okay this kingdom sucks but.. that guys not so bad”

sad ironic sense that if xie lian hadnt ascended until he was older he may have actually be able to do something about the problems in the kindgom but alas we have a cycle to perpetuate

the “take me as the meaning of your life” scene still happens p much the same but xl doesnt recognize hc who is actually now at his lowest point. hc tried to find ways to make things better for people like him but he simply did not succeed (maybe his were efforts quashed by the corrupt authorities? its implied probably) and he’s more disillusioned with the kingdom and life than ever but still is holding on to those memories of xie lian as proof that it doesnt have to be like this but that thread is slipping until!! whose fucking voice is that??? thats right its the one person you ever believed was truly good and went and proved you right by ascending to the heavens at age 17!!! guess its time to stan him forever

anyway hc joins the army but legally or whatever and tbh i would have hated the flower cave scene regardless of anything i just hate any sort of s*x pollen trope or anything so thats gone (they can have a wound tending scene or something tho thats the good shit) and instead we have HL getting overwhelmed by some other demons or something together and xie lian protects hc and they both get injured very badly (maybe hc would lose a limb but im not sure how that would work once hes a ghost so thats on hold for now until i figure it out) and xl is fine but this situation ends up being part of why mq kicks hc out of the army but yes hc still ends up dying on the battlefield anyway </3

the wuming stuff is the same i think but also at some point xl is despairing and says something about that guy he saved from falling and wonders what happened to him and fire ghost wuming is like !!!!! (wait does this happen in canon? honestly it should)

in mount tong’lu i was tempted to actually have hc have a similar moment to the bamboo hat scene with the humans who are trapped in there but im not sure if i just want it to be the same as xie lian’s story... also i like the idea of hc needing to hang onto his devotion to get through his first few centuries of being a ghost so maybe he’s just inspired by xie lian’s sacrifice with the sword and the souls and thats why he claws his own eye out as a sacrifice

so this can go one of two ways from here!!! both are me projecting hardcore so take them with a grain of salt im not saying im right about the way relationships should be these a re just my thoughts <3

1. (the not fun one but it still has a happy ending) the story more or less continues the same as canon. pure and simple devotion is what carries hc through the centuries. we get to see some ghost city antics and its fun but there is nothing complicated about the devotion hc just wants to find xl and protect him. hualian eventually meet. they get along pretty well!! eventually there are cracks. when you hold someone in your mind for so long you have expectations for them that no person can meet consistently. hc thinks that since he’s seen xl during the worst time in his life that he can handle anything but it turns out that as amazing as xl is, he is also just a person and sometimes he is wrong or irrational or annoying. xl is so happy to have someone who will listen to him talk that he kind of neglects to really get to know who hc is as a person and hc is kind of like “huh i didnt expect this but im kind of hurt. i genuinely thought that i just wanted to serve and protect you but actually im my own person and this is weird” but he doesnt say anything he thinks he has to stick to his promise and it gets kind of uncomfortable!! maybe his luck goes haywire bc his faith gets rocked for the first time ever and they end up having to talk it out but their relationship is stronger for it <3

2. (i think this one is fun) hc struggles with waiting. he does it but its hard. he has doubts and when all his efforts to find xl are fruitless he starts to grow bitter and curses the day that xl saved him. his faith burns low but doesnt go out. then ghost city!! hc realizes that he can finally help people like him, even if theyre ghosts now and hes grateful for the chance to do this and grateful to xl and resigns himself to waiting. but its still hard!! he realizes that his luck is tied to his devotion and gets kind of pissed about it!!! he tries to remember all the good things about xl but its hard!!! his search becomes more about repaying a debt so he can be free than anything else, he just wants to help the common people spirits with no strings attached (this actually allows him to keep his luck bc he has the same wish as xl and thats what makes him a true believer!! is this corny? does it make sense? i dont care) and so eventually when he finds xl he’s like okay how quickly can i repay this debt/how can i keep my powers but then xie lian is... so good... and hc actually really likes him he remembers why he swore his devotion in the first place. now hes conflicted!!! dont worry they fall in love tho <3

wow this was really long if you read this hiiiii. anyway when i reread ill try to pay more attention to yin yu and he xuan for hc’s 800 years. hua cheng we’re gonna get you some friends and lore i swear to god

[hamliet]

Your Fate Is Up to You

“I WILL CHANGE FATE I DON’T POSSESS. MY FATE IS UP TO ME AND NOT THE HEAVENS!”

So said Shi Wu Du right before he died. In doing so he directly stated TGCF’s existentialist themes on deciding your own fate.

On the most obvious level, within TGCF the roles of god, demon, human don’t dictate whether or not someone is a good or righteous person. I mean, the worst demonic calamity in Bai WuXiang and the head god Jun Wu are the same person.

To start with I might as well just state it outright that my thoughts on Jun Wu are probably a lot harsher than most of the fandom’s. That said the narrative definitely has empathy for him and his ending was perfect and objectively beautiful.

Like most of MXTX’s antagonists, Jun Wu is attempting to force empathy because he feels lonely. It’s the same motivation that drives Shen Jiu, Xue Yang, Jin GuangYao, He Xuan, Qi Rong even, etc, etc, etc. It’s also what drives many of our protagonists (Wei WuXian, Luo BingHe, Hua Cheng, etc.) Yet in the end, Jun Wu is not actually forcing people to empathize with him, but instead dragging them down with him, and he needs to realize this.

The scene where Mu Qing is poised to fall into the lava (a symbol of the hell that started it all) tells us:

Many small broken threads of flames were also singing Mu Qing’s robes, and the hilt was scorching hot, yet he still gripped on hard, afraid to let go, and afraid to look down.

If he was to let go then it was nothing but blazing flames and lava waiting for him down below. There was also the hungry wailing of countless spirits of the deceased, their cries resounding and echoing, as if they were calling for the one struggling, hanging on for dear life above to hurry and join them in companionship.

Jun Wu really just wants someone to hurry and join him in despair. But it’s also symbolic in showing the difference in Xie Lian, because instead of sacrificing parts of himself (aka his three friends: Hua Cheng, Feng Xin, and Mu Qing, plus Mei Nian Qing again), he’s determined to save them even though some might not necessarily deserve it. Feng Xin and Mu Qing haven’t treated him particularly well, but they’re a part of each other. Mu Qing is the part of Xie Lian that others tried to shame, the part of him willing to do whatever it took to accomplish his goals (usually saving people), the part of him that almost led him into becoming Bai WuXiang himself. Xie Lian needs to reconcile that part of him, the choices he made that were both good and bad in these traits, with his animus (Hua Cheng) and with his princely side in all its strengths and flaws too (Feng Xin).

Anyways, all that to say it’s fitting Mu Qing is the one dangling, about to be burned. Because especially after Jun Wu has taken so much from Xie Lian, it’d be fitting for him to deny that part of himself and any risk that he would be like Jun Wu. But he doesn’t do this, because he is similar in some sense, and because he knows it. And even if Mu Qing had sided with Jun Wu by then (and he hadn’t), Xie Lian decides to save him. It works with the theme of rebirth, in which the butterflies cannot fly over, but Xie Lian himself can because he’s strong enough to do it on his own:

Hua Cheng casually let loose a silver butterfly. That silver butterfly fluttered its wings, flying out for a few hundred feet, but before it reached even one third of the way to Mu Qing, it dissipated into silver smoke and vanished in the air.

Xie Lian knew that he was demonstrating that the wraith butterflies could not help; it was a dead end, not worth dying for. 

Mu Qing also witnessed the vanishing process of that silver butterfly, his expression gradually turning into one of despair.

He understood. Right now, one, there was no one who had the ability to save him, second, no one believed him, and on the grounds of his triggering, there was no reason at all for Xie Lian to come pull him up at the risk of his own life.

But, while despairing, he still refused to yield, and he was unwilling to give up. Mu Qing gritted his teeth, shouting, “IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME THAT’S FINE TOO, BUT I WILL NEVER FALL THAT EASILY!” 

(It’s also why during the final physical fight, MQ and FX are yet again dangling over a pit.) Xie Lian chooses to reconcile with himself, with his shadow self and with what he could have (and almost did) become, with the friends he’d driven away. In saving his loved ones, he saves himself.

Therefore, it’s fitting Jun Wu didn’t die. He could not make Xie Lian into anything close to what he became because of his choices. It tells Jun Wu that yes, Xie Lian and him are alike, but that doesn’t mean they’re destined to walk the same path. It was his choices that led him here. And because Xie Lian reconciled, there’s hope for him to reconcile with himself too.

His being forced to remain alive even after having done so much evil, and Mei Nian Qing choosing to stay with him as well, ultimately disproves Jun Wu’s cynical view of the world. It offers him another chance. Someone can always choose to do better, and he is left with MNQ who chose to do better just like he needs to.

He didn’t intend to get up at all, and Xie Lian asked, “Master, are you not coming?” 

Head Priest shook his head, “I’ll keep his highness company. After all, in the past, I didn’t stay by his side.” 

The rain was coming down harder, scouring Jun Wu’s resting face, washing away the life and blood flowing from his wounds.

As the rain washed, Xie Lian felt the three human faces on his face seemed to have gradually faded somewhat. Maybe it was his imagination.

After a moment of silence, Xie Lian took off the bamboo hat carried on his back, and tossed it from his hand, covering it over Jun Wu’s face.

Not only that, but there is a part of Xie Lian and a part of Jun Wu that are similar, that are good. And that’s the desire to save people and an understanding of hypocrisy. Though Jun Wu completely forsook the whole saving people thing for awhile, it’s not like his actions are entirely useless. The dichotomy between the righteousness of the gods and evils of demons has been completely ripped into shreds, and people on both sides have to make choices to make better.

Like, it’s pretty telling that the three gods we see who are the kindest and most benevolent are Shi Qing Xuan, whose brother cheated to get him an ascension, Xie Lian, who got kicked out twice, Yu Shi Huang, who was scorned by all during her life, and then also there’s Hua Cheng who outright refused to ascend. Everyone else who was expected to ascend and then did is a complete disaster. (Though again, Shi Wu Du outright gave us this existentialist theme with his last words: “I decide my fate!”)

Even among these disasters, we see improvements. Mu Qing is honest with Xie Lian about how he wanted to be his friend. Pei Ming tells a demon whom he wronged who has now stalked him for years to love herself, to do better, that she can choose to be better. 

And among the demons, Hua Cheng saves the day with his love for Xie Lian. Qi Rong dies saving a human child, a callback to the same act that started all of this (when Xie Lian chose to save Hua Cheng instead of continuing a festival to the gods). And He Xuan helps save the gods he betrayed, in particular returning Shi Qing Xuan a reminder of who he is. He may not have earned his ascension, but he’s the one in the end protecting the people with spiritual powers, because he is strong enough even without his brother’s help. Instead of defining Shi Qing Xuan by who his brother is, He Xuan defines him by who Shi Qing Xuan is.

When he saw a “Hua Cheng” come by, he quickly called out, “CRIMSON RAIN SOUGHT FLOWER!!! You’ve finally come back! What the heck were you doing leaving for so long, have you thought of a way to connect with his highness? No no no you best think of a way to help me deal with the situation here first, do you see all those fiery rocks coming down from the sky? Think, fast! Blow a breath or make those endless little butterflies go up and chase them away or something, otherwise we’ll die....”

“Hua Cheng” didn’t speak a word, coldly allowing Shi Qing Xuan say that giant pile of words in one breath, and finally, as if he was growing impatient listening, he cut him off directly, “Deal with it yourself.” 

Shi Qing Xuan exclaimed, “Deal with it myself? Don’t joke at a time like this, I’m not his highness, I can’t understand your jokes. How do I deal with those rocks on my own…” Before he finished his sentence, “Hua Cheng” seized his back collar, and yanked him out of the human array directly.

...Yet unexpectedly, after “Hua Cheng” had pulled him out he wasn’t done, and a hand came swinging, smacked him and sent him flying out.

...“It’s fine it’s fine, I didn’t die! He didn’t really hit me, he was just lending spiritual powers!” ...

Shi Qing Xuan examined his hands, then looked at his own body, emitting spiritual light from head to toe...

Just then, “Hua Cheng” flung his right hand, and tossed something at him. Without thinking, Shi Qing Xuan raised his hand to catch, but when he saw what it was he caught, his entire face blanched.

That object was the Wind Master fan!...

Shi Qing Xuan was clutching that dearly familiar fan, his neck stiff, and slowly turned to that “Hua Cheng”.“Hua Cheng” then repeated again coldly, “Deal with it yourself.” 

He Xuan, someone who had no faith in justice or the gods or anyone, has faith in this one former god, now a beggar. And because of the return of his fan, because of who He Xuan is, Shi Qing Xuan remembers who he is and who he could be as a god, and saves people.

You only need one person to believe in you, to remind you that you can be better, in the end.  For Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, for Shi Qing Xuan and He Xuan, for Gu Zi and Qi Rong, for Xuan Ji and Pei Ming, and even for Jun Wu and Mei Nian Qing.