#which. was also probably a bad choice

[kipperlillyforpresident]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dimension20/s/w3Hs9AWn5d to y'all

this is THE funniest anon hate i could ever receive. you can't even be bothered to write your own message...? you're just linking a reddit post...? one has to laugh.

[lazylittledragon]

so uhhhhhhhh. not to be cryptic and bitchy on main but congratulations to everyone in my messages for like 5 months on being right i guess

[broareweabouttoviberightnow]

ok. I'm about halfway through my first watch of the boot (MY ANGEL GODSENDS FOR THE FOLKS THAT SENT SOME ALONG THANK YOU) n I have some soda related thoughts. I know I've seen a couple posts unhappy with sodas portrayal in the musical n I can definitely. see that. I ain't done yet so I'll probably be circlin back round to this. but I think there's somethin real interestin with the fact that. often. it feels like soda is intentionally choosin the dumbest thing to say. not the actor. the character. leanin into what everyone expects from him. it always feels like there's a brief moment. a pause. a big sloppy grin. n then the intention to live exactly up to his expectations. he's the easy brother. the stupid one. the one no one has to worry about. God the scene where him n pony are layin in bed? there's a brief moment where pony incidentally runs across a deeper part of his brother. 'poor boy in love with a rich girl? poor sonofabitch' 'you know you sometimes say her name in your sleep?' n Soda gets this. deer in the headlights look. like he's said the wrong thing. let on somethin actually gets to him. n he's gotta redirect by reenforcin the 'naw I'm just stupid shtick' (544 fuckin pages!) n he does it so effectively even we as the audience fall for it. ough. anyways.

[revvethasmythh]

So I went and watched all the possible endings, and it confirmed something I had been thinking, which is that the redemption ending choice is, perhaps, the most immediately regretful one--but that they all come with some form of regret. In the redemption ending, Rook has to knowingly deny themselves the catharsis of retribution (should they desire it, which, at least for me it felt difficult not to) in order to offer Solas one last, painful chance to do the right thing. That willful denial of your own catharsis feels like an immediate regret. Giving Solas the opportunity to pursue atonement might very well be the best choice all around, but it is also incredibly painful to offer that to someone who has done so many terrible things (not a small amount to you personally). Why does he deserve another chance? Especially when so many dead (including a beloved mentor) lie in his wake? Which, I suppose, is the point: he doesn't. But you offer it anyway and it SUCKS ASS, because how could it not?

I don't know how this plays with other story choices (a sacrificed Davrin or a Harding who embraced her anger, for example), but within the context of my own choices, I can imagine an immediate satisfaction to either tricking or fighting him--especially the trick ending, where you can actively name drop Varric--but it feels like the sort of thing that would feel worse as more time passes. Once you've calmed down and are able to ask yourself if that's what the people you've lost really wanted. Varric, in Regret Superhell, didn't want vengeance. He just wanted his friend to walk a better path. And Harding always believed there was another chance for anyone, so long as you kept reaching a hand out for them--even when it sucked ass. So the redemption ending feels like a sort of indignance, an instant regret for not doing worse, for not getting comeuppance, for being forced to eschew satisfaction (related: I wonder if the Inquisitor feels those things as well coming out of this ending, considering how long they've lived under the shadow of Solas' actions). Conversely, the other two endings feel like an immediate satisfaction, because you got to trick the trickster with all the wits Varric taught you, or because you finally got to punch him in the face and it felt really good. But I feel like those endings would come with a creeping regret, something that sneaks up on you later, especially when remembering the fallen and what they would have wanted you to do. Ultimately, because of that, it feels like no ending is devoid of regret. Which I suppose, is rather thematic.

[skrunksthatwunk]

did my first ever used car browsing online and there's a car that's like really good on basically every aspect but the color is fucking NASTY. but ive been evolving a bit around it. and so now im like thinking "okay the bit's funny now but would it be funny in like seven years" kinda stuff

[princema-k]

i would actually love to hear your thoughts on when layton would emote the ways you've drawn him! if you want! no pressure if not!

OH B OY HERE WE GO!!!!! again take everything with a grain of salt bc i Forgor bits of the series

BLANKET SPOILER FOR UNWOUND FUTURE/MIRACLE MASK MAYBE??/AZRAN LEGACY

(for reference we are talking abt this post)

SURPRISE: As we know in the PL series, it's very very hard to catch the professor off-guard in any way. Most of the things you would think would surprise him, he's already known for a long time and was just keeping quiet about it so that he could use that information at the right time.

With that being said, the times where he does seem to get somewhat surprised (or taken aback. he's so goddamn emotionally constipated) seem to be when the shocker in question has personal relation to him. Though in the series proper, none of the shocking personal factoids are ever presented in a way to make him jump. So theoretically, if any twists like Claire or Descole's reveal were presented much more aggressively, he might emote like how I've drawn him (though I kinda doubt it). Or just jumpscare him lmao

SADNESS: Obviously we know that Layton can feel sadness and cry, though even at the end of Unwound Future it's clear that he's still holding back with his crying. I'd wager that it's because he's out in public and around an impressionable individual (Luke) that he's not letting himself fully express his grief. After all, a true gentleman never makes a scene in public.

I'd say, if he were to cry like the way I've drawn him (that is, bawling his eyes out), it'd probably be at the end of UF when Luke leaves for America, and he'd have to be alone. And I mean completely alone. He'd be very careful about having anyone even remotely near him before he breaks down sobbing; he'd wait for Luke to go home, and wait a while to make sure that he hears no other footsteps around who could potentially walk in on him, before crying. And even then, he'd still repress it - trying to choke back sobs to make sure he isn't heard, pulling the brim of his hat over his eyes and covering his eyes with his hand, the works. Because sadness/crying is weakness to him, and a true gentleman can never show weakness.

ANGER: Frankly, I feel like this is one of the emotions I've drawn that I actually could see him showing in the series proper. We've seen him in Unwound Future just barely holding back his anger at Clive when he endangered Flora/started wrecking havoc on London (obviously still restrained- yadda yadda yadda "true gentleman" blah blah blah).

To get him to unrestrain it, I'd say you would have to put a lot of people he cares about (particularly his wards - Luke and Flora would likely be excellent choices) in direct danger, as well as taunt him to a personal degree enough times. Because even the Professor has limits to how much mental strain he can take, and all limits can be broken. It's just a matter of pushing the right (or wrong!) buttons on him.

FEAR: This one's tough I think. As an adult who's seen a lot (including his own death), it's pretty hard to find something that would really scare him to that degree. Throughout the series the most he seems to show in terms of fear is either: a) surprise that he quickly recovers from, or b) the end of Unwound Future when he realizes that Claire can't stay with him.

I say that theoretically (and REALLY emphasize on the "theoretically"), you might be able to get him to emote the way I've drawn him... if you subject him to anything akin to his recently unrepressed memories of his childhood, and he's rendered helpless to do anything to help but watch. But like I said, only theoretically. I'd wager that he'd probably just be angry too.

LAUGHTER: ...I honestly have no good clue to how or when he'd emote like this. For him to laugh so heartily, he'd have to be in a state of extreme emotional vulnerability, which isn't often.

I'd say it'd be at a time where he's feeling very relieved, or elated (and they'd both have to be situations that connect to him personally too; outside events won't phase him). How he'd laugh to such an extent I'm not actually sure, BUT I could paint a bit of a scenario: It's the end of UF, but Claire could actually stay without dying, and she makes a sort of lighthearted joke in light of the events. Would he laugh wholeheartedly? I dunno. But judging on what we've seen of him, it's a maybe.

It's a shame we never get to see him emote so colourfully in the hexalogy proper, but as I've stated before in another long-winded half-legible ramble character analysis, he's SEVERELY repressing his emotions due to Claire's last words/"gentleman" values/positive reinforcements from his peers and environments for successfully hiding his emotions. Poor guy.

[strohller27]

Yes Hello to all my fellow Miss Lemon fans out there:

If you love her as much as I do, then 6.2 Hickory Dickory Dock is the episode for you

Now let us all just take a moment out of our busy day to bask in her glory:

That coat with those hats?? ICONIC she has such a flawless style

and this little scene where she's like 'this is just a quirk of Mr. Poirot's, don't worry about it' fellas help she's so cute

also HELP lads she took Poirot's comment about Inspector Japp's 'healthy appetite' way too literally!! LEMON SOLE! she's so funny aagh

Also she looks really damn good in burgundy wow

Also you know I hate the trope where guys tell ladies to take their glasses off and let their hair flow in the wind because they'd somehow be 'sexier' or whatever. That is just simply not true. Case in point: Look at how cute Miss Lemon is in her glasses!!

Just. Everyone just. Look at my favourite girl. Look at her!!! Her filing system is perfect! Her filing system could kick your ass!!!

[wardingshout]

you have tegaki e?? there is tegaki e?!!! I'm gonna cry aaaaa I can't even remember but there are so many memories flooding back. T^T

also Lou stole my heart! :O

lately I think I'm active enough I'll be on the front page most days but hehehe hell yeah I do !!! I was never all that active on the old site but even so there are still artists here I recognize which feels so cool! ;v;

and I'm so glad you like them !!!!

not to play favs with my own kids but they're def my fav dfshudhfs

[goodluckclove]

Saw a post complaining about longform texts on Tumblr. It was sort of dunking on people who post without a read more - which I agree is handy just for like practical purposes, even if people have shorten posts on. But there was a vibe in the notes that long-form texts on Tumblr inherently went against the point of the website.

And I think it's interesting from a social media and branding standpoint. Tumblr has, for as long as I can remember (so like maybe 12 years?) been pretty vague about it's intended use. It calls itself a "microblogging" platform at times, which I agree with since it clearly doesn't lean towards longform text.

At the same time, most other outlets will call it a social media and blogging platform. Since 2019 it's been owned by the same company that owns WordPress, a content management system more commonly associated with longform text, so in my mind it isn't shocking that some people would assume Tumblr can be used for the same purposes.

I know it usually isn't, but I do it anyway. A website like this is a big network that really has no one culture if you think of it objectively. Whumplr interacts with each other very differently from aesthetic lifestyle blogs, or people who use their Tumblr as a way to just reblog and comment vaguely on softcore porn. It's just kind of fascinating to think about.

[aroaessidhe]

2025 reads / storygraph

The Subtweet

contemporary novella

two South Asian Canadian musicians begin a complicated friendship when one covers one of the other’s songs

while her career skyrockets due to the cover and an uncovered album she made in uni, the other’s career stagnates and her jealousy and insecurity increases

when a frustrated tweet goes viral, their friendship implodes and they become the centre of an out of control viral discussion about colourism and racism in the music industry

[corellianhounds]

Idk why everyone thinks Crosshair was the chaotic misbehaving brother as a cadet. Mr. “Good soldiers follow orders” even without the chip? Mr. “Loyal to the Empire” even after they destroyed all Kaminoan cities and facilities and didn’t care enough to come back and see if there were any survivors? Mr. “Not immediately swayed by emotional convictions” even when they belong to those closest to him who he should trust above unseen authorities?

Even if you think obedience and compliance was hammered into him by those in charge and he had to learn to keep his head down or face the consequences, that doesn’t explain why it takes him so long to eventually accept the truth, despite the mounting empirical evidence he receives after the most dire possible circumstances that should show him that those in charge are wrong. It isn’t until Mayday’s death that Crosshair finally accepts the truth because it’s then that he’s being directly told by the people in charge that he and everyone like him is expendable and unnecessary.

Somebody with a rebellious youth is much more critical of authority figures even if they’re presently obeying them, and they’re much more ready to drop said authorities the second it’s a viable option and they physically can. Crosshair doesn’t behave like a dog that’s been beaten its whole life, he’s constantly making active decisions not only to follow the Empire but to enforce what the Empire dictates, even when he’s the one reaping the direct consequences of pushback on the ground for it. Because that’s what good soldiers do.

This guy was the kid following the rules by choice and getting mad at the others for finding loopholes or accomplishing things the ‘wrong’ way, especially if and when it got all of them in trouble (because they were kids and wouldn’t have always been right). Rules and structure are there for a reason. We’ve been here less than ten years, what on earth makes you think we know more than the people in charge? Why do I have to be punished because you guys couldn’t do as you were told?

To me the four of them (and Echo later) are a sliding scale when it comes to decision-making based on head vs heart. Crosshair and Tech are on one side, using logic and reason over emotion as their basis for decision-making and how they see the world, and Echo and Wrecker are more on the heart/instinct side of reasoning, putting people and ideals ahead of simply accomplishing objectives despite what the odds might be against them. Hunter’s the balance in the middle, being able to see both sides and weigh what the best option is based on the evidence and the context within which it’s being given. All of them have different fluctuating percentages of what’s going to motivate or drive them day by day, just based on the context of their circumstances, but that’s the general scale.

I think Hunter as a kid probably realized if he could get all of them to learn the rules as quickly as they could, then they’d know how to break them effectively with the least amount of repercussions and collateral damage. They were an experimental group for a reason and were likely given a modicum of wiggle room when it came to problem-solving, the Kaminoans not just allowing but pushing them to be more creative, flexible, and adaptable. They all know the hard rules of structure, chain of command, and behavioral compliance, but after that they’re given more freedom of choice. Their personal convictions inform both the why and how of following orders.

Wrecker is easier to figure out because he wears every thought and emotion on his sleeve and sees no reason not to. He’s more of a follower— Thinking is for other people, he’s a busy guy and man of action, give him something concrete with actionable directions and he’ll accomplish it with aplomb.

Tech, as a kid, likely knew both the spirit and letter of the law, which means he could see problems and solutions objectively regardless of his personal feelings/opinions and knew that rules are there to be guidelines: No structure is perfect and always following rules exactly was never going to always be the right decision. He would choose whichever seemed like the most logical, obvious route to success, finding loopholes and workarounds where he could as a means of balancing the consequences or fallout of said decision.

Hunter also knew both the spirit and letter of the law, but he was able to read situations and people better than Tech was, relying more on his gut instinct to tell him what the best course of action would be, even if that choice wasn’t the most logical. He’s a mediator and the best choice of leader because of his ability to get people working together by knowing how to convince each of them in their own way that this plan will accomplish their objective AND lead to the most amount of people being satisfied/happy in the end, them included. Despite the fact Hunter’s more reserved, he’s still a people person. It just happens to come from empathy, observation, and instinct, the latter two being qualities he was designed to specialize in.

Crosshair obeyed the letter of the law because structure exists for a reason and if that structure has yielded the best results and most success for the longest amount of time, then it’s obvious it must be the right one in place. Loopholes can be taken advantage of, but only when there isn’t an explicit wording against it or there is clear and mounting evidence that the rule doesn’t apply to him. To deviate from the majority in matters of how something is achieved is acceptable; to do so in matters of why is not.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

i still haven’t written out my 261 metapost but i can’t stop thinking about the stsg subtext in that chapter . the parallels between geto slaughtering the village and gojo slaughtering the higher ups…. the fact that gojo does it right after declaring that he has to “catch up” to geto

[b-blushes]

thursday quest - no physical therapy today - make and eat lunch sooooo early but i can do it!!!!! - get ready for wedding - attend wedding! yay! (: - decompress well when i get home <3

[kuiinncedes]

damn

[stinkrascal]

you know what though i am gonna change elisen’s vallaslin color

[thegoldenavenger]

Hello! Here's day one for the BingLiu ship week. I don't know why I decided to set these in a roleswap AU, but that's where we are. It should become obvious in text but Luo Binghe, Liu Qingge, and Shen Qingqiu have all swapped roles in this AU. As such, Luo Binghe needed a Qing- generation name and Liu Qingge needed a personal name, I went with Luo Qingleng and Liu Mingyu respectively. More notes at the end!

As always, this isn't beta'd.

Day 1. wifeplots | on the Bai Zhan training grounds

"Shen-Shidi," Luo Qingleng says, as honeyed as he can, "If Bai Zhan keeps insisting on its raids, then at least we should cooperate to create a training opportunity for both of our peaks."

Shen Qingqiu scoffs. "The raids were fine when we were disciples, they're fine now. More importantly, we should be cooperating in regards to your intelligence on—"

"I don't have any intelligence—"

"It's good of you to admit as such, Shixiong."

"—regarding the demonic realm." Luo Qingleng finishes, hiding the clench of his fist in his sleeves. Oh, but Shen Qingqiu can be so annoying. "Zhangman-Shixiong has already ruled in this matter."

Shen Qingqiu rolls his eyes. His hands are exceedingly graceful as he pours tea into Luo Qingleng's cup; the tea is perfectly made.

"You let that brat pull the wool over your eyes too many times to count. There are demons gathering in the south, increased raids are being reported past the border towns. Your little demon lord should know what is happening in his own territory, should he not? Why should we not know the reason so many demons are pushing their way further into the human realm?"

"Shen-Shidi," he reproaches. "If there's anything to be concerned about, it will come up at the next meeting, as agreed upon."

"Meeting." Shen Qingqiu says the word like a curse, before breathing in the steam of his tea. The pavilion shades both of them, the light wood a compliment to the twisted pine and rough rockfaces that make up Bai Zhan. His sharp black eyes glance up at Luo Qingleng from beneath his lashes, cold gaze calculating. "Fine. It seems Shixiong does not wish to speak to this Shidi at all. It seems Shixiong would prefer all talk to be done through ten layers of proxy and circumstance."

Now it was Luo Qingleng's turn to roll his eyes. As if Luo Qingleng hadn't been the one to reach out for this meeting. "This Shixiong would be gratified to talk about the Bai Zhan raids he came here to discuss initially."

"What about a game, Shixiong?"

"Oh no."

"We'll duel, and if you win we can talk about team effort and interpeak cohesion or whatever you want."

"No deal."

"Okay. Fine, if you win I'll agree to your silly little rules. We'll make the Bai Zhan raids a formal training tool."

"For both peaks?"

"Yes, for both peaks. A set of engagement rules can be agreed upon, and even safe zones for those delicate young masters to hide in if they must." With the amount of bitterness in his tone, Luo Qingleng wonders if Shen Qingqiu has forgotten that he was once one of those young masters from Qing Jing Peak.

"And if you win?" He asks, reluctantly.

"Then you take me to Liu Mingyu's palace."

"What?"

Shen Qingqiu smirks, leaning back in his seat. "I'd like to enjoy Liu Mingyu's hospitality, Shixiong."

Luo Qingleng takes a moment to think this over. On one hand, it's obvious Shen Qingqiu just wants to snoop around the demon realm himself. For as obvious a ploy it is, and the possibility of the damage Shen Qingqiu can wreck when he wants to, it is... fairly benign. Liu Mingyu is no slavering demon lord planning on conquering the human realm, he has no secret armies or evil intentions.

As smart as Shen Qingqiu is, perhaps seeing this first hand is what it will take for the man to accept that peace is possible between the demon and human realms and reconcile his hostility.

"Okay," he agrees, and Shen Qingqiu actually blinks at him in shock.

"Agreed, then." He says quickly, recovering. "Blades and qi, first to yield?"

"Pin or knock out." Luo Qingleng counters.

Shen Qingqiu rolls his eyes. "Very well." He places his tea cup down and stands abruptly, glaring down at the various disciples half-heartedly training. "Move it." He calls out, "Scram. Get gone."

The Bai Zhan kids back away from the training grounds but don't leave. They hover, eager to see the fight between two Peak Lords. Better that it is the Qing Jing Peak Lord, that many of the Bai Zhan disciples disdain on principal no matter how hard Luo Qingleng has tried to win their good favor. At least they are equally as eager to see Shen Qingqiu lose as they are for Luo Qingleng.

Shen Qingqiu wants to win at all costs. Even in a spar he targets soft points like eyes and belly and rarely does he pull his punches. He doesn't yield gracefully, and as a disciple he broke his own arm before he conceded a fight. Now, Luo Qingleng always makes a point to establish hard physical rules to winning, even if Shen Qingqiu manages to trick him into stepping out of the ring more often than Luo Qingleng can manage to pin the slippery man down.

Despite this, Luo Qingleng does enjoy sparring with Shen Qingqiu. Shen Qingqiu demands that all your attention lie upon him or else risk the loss of something vital. He is straightforward in a way he so often isn't with his words, in that his goal is to win as quickly and decisively as possible. Luo Qingleng often thinks that he understands Shen Qingqiu better when they fight.

It helps that Shen Qingqiu's foundation is half rooted in the Qing Jing Peak style, and the familiar moves are nostalgic. After a decent amount of time spent sparring against his particular brand of Bai Zhan cultivation techniques, Luo Qingleng can almost find sparring meditative.

Just almost, though. Shen Qingqiu likes throwing fistfuls of sand too often to completely relax.

The Bai Zhan disciples jeer at the sidelines, alternatively cheering when Luo Qingleng takes an unfortunate hit and heckling when Shen Qingqiu loses his advantage. It always makes Shen Qingqiu's pale face flush with anger. Well, it's not as if there isn't a decently sized population of Qing Jing that still thinks Luo Qingleng doesn't deserve his name. He's learned to act like it doesn't affect him.

Shen Qingqiu lets it get to him everytime.

Harried by precision qi darts, Luo Qingleng focuses on keeping his footing in the arena so much so that when Shen Qingqiu steps in close and grips the collar of his robes Luo Qingleng is completely unprepared to counter a grapple. Shen Qingqiu really prefers mid or long range combat to close quarters.

Still, Luo Qingleng is taller and heavier and digs in so that Shen Qingqiu has to commit fully to leverage him into a throw for a pin, opening holes in his own stance. Luo Qingleng takes advantage of the openings and sweeps Shen Qingqiu's leg, twisting his body to topple Shen Qingqiu.

Like he was waiting for that, Shen Qingqiu pivots, tucking his other leg close to him completely shifting his weight. Luo Qingleng overbalances and Shen Qingqiu neatly rolls them over into a pin with a smug look on his face.

"Too busy caught up with your novels to train, Shixiong?" The smug grin on his face is a stark departure from his normally placid expression. Still, the remark makes Luo Qingleng bristle.

Before he can retort however, a commotion interrupts them and their onlookers.

"Where's your shifu?" A clear voice demands through Bai Zhan's thin air.

"Mingyu?"

"What are you doing on my peak, you beast?" Shen Qingqiu sits back on Luo Qingleng's waist, the grin wiped away in favor of a truly nasty glare. Liu Mingyu parts through the crowd of disciples as easily as shears through rice paper, dragging behind him the crying body of a young man.

Luo Qingleng watches as Liu Mingyu glares at Shen Qingqiu, registers Luo Qingleng's presence, softens at the sight, then bristle again as he realises the pin Shen Qingqiu is still holding. He jerks the young man forward and throws him at Shen Qingqiu's feet.

"Haven't you taught your disciples not to bring suspicious things home?" Liu Mingyu says harshly.

"I didn't know what they were!" The young man wails. Liu Mingyu kicks half-heartedly at the Bai Zhan junior, sending him into an even more pathetic ball of tears.

"Hey!" The crowd of disciples finally catch their wits and start yelling. "You can't treat our shidi like that, you demon!"

Shen Qingqiu, cornered by his own pride and the expectations of his students, flashes to his feet. "What has possessed you into thinking you have the right to treat my disciples this way?" He flips open his fan, the thwack of the heavy silk opening inflicting an almost instinctual shudder upon those gathered.

"Your disciple brought a bagful of Sticking Spring Seeds to Cang Qiong and spilt half of them over Qing Jing Peak!"

"Sticking Spring Seeds?" Luo Qingleng and Shen Qingqiu ask together, Luo Qingleng rising to his feet at the news.

"How many are affected on Qing Jing?" Luo Qingleng asks.

Liu Mingyu shrugs, half apologetically in answer. "Qian Cao and Qiong Ding are already dealing with that." He says, evidently having washed his hands of that response task in favor of rushing to confront Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu had shifted his attention towards the hapless disciple, storm clouds brewing on his face. His disposition has turned so dark, the other Bai Zhan disciples step away. He opens his mouth once, then closes it, at a loss for words. After a moment he closes his fan with a whack against the palm of his hand, the disciple flinching at the noise.

Even Liu Mingyu twitches, disguised at it is by striding forward to greet Luo Qingleng properly.

"I will save my words as you no doubt are clearly and intimately aware of your wrongdoing." Shen Qingqiu finally hisses, words forced throught his gritted teeth.

"Shifu, I didn't know that they were dangerous—"

"Ah..." Luo Qingleng sighs, wincing at the boy's instinctual desire to defend himself. Luo Qingleng knows clearly and intimately himself how little Shen Qingqiu tolerates excuses, especially when the boy really should know better.

"You—" unfortunately, Shen Qingqiu doesn't get to finish his outraged admonishing. The moment he pulls the disciple by his robes, unfurling him from his shrimp-curl, several loud pops burst from him alongside several puffs of downy fluff.

"Shizun!" Liu Mingyu yells, frustratingly stepping in front of Luo Qingleng.

Sticking Spring Seeds come from the Iridescent Ever Blooming Lotus, a plant with large qi cleansing properties that can be refined into very helpful medicine. The seeds are half palm sized and have a tough shell. When they encounter a trauma, such as falling from a height, or being jostled violently, they explode bursting with fine fluff that carry small seeds on the wind for dispersion.

The seeds all have an abundance of chaotic spiritual energy imbued in them, which is interesting from an ecological point of view. Luo Qingleng is not currently interested in the plant's ecological niche, and is instead concerned with the disturbance the seed's energy causes in cultivators.

All of that concentrated energy, introduced into a cultivator's meridians, overwhelmingly causes qi deviation. Shen Qingqiu—already with a weak cultivation base and prone to deviation, just recieved a faceful of the seed's explosion. Further more, despite Liu Mingyu trying to block Luo Qingleng, fine seed-fluff clings to his own face. Not to mention the rest of the Bai Zhan disciples.

"You had more?!" Liu Mingyu shouts, whirling around. He stops short and Luo Qingleng leans around him to see Shen Qingqiu's white robes in a pile on the ground before the Bai Zhan disciple. Liu Mingyu goes an interesting shade of pale and green. "Did he explode?"

"Mingyu," Luo Qingleng says, "The emergency fireworks..." he moves his hand but misjudges the distance and gracelessly paws at the air. "Oh," he breathes as vertigo rises in him.

He cradles his head as his vision swims, suddenly feeling light headed and nauseous. His spiritual veins buzz in discontent, the onset of a qi deviation he's sure. He stumbles into Liu Mingyu, who tries to steady him.

"Shi— shizun?" His voice sounds both loud and muffled. Luo Qingleng presses his face into Liu Mingyu's shoulder blocking out the stinging light even as his head swims.

Liu Mingyu shouts something at someone and distantly the explosion of fireworks sound. Liu Mingyu's hands don't leave Luo Qingleng, holding him firm and solid. Though he feels like he's falling, Mingyu has him safe. Of course Mingyu would know how to deal with falling... Luo Qingleng makes a discontented noise. His body feels stretched thin and weak and he lurches, like a foal, and Mingyu's arms slip under him entirely, cradling him.

His spiritual network twists in knots, painfully, and he knows that he can't stay conscious for much longer. Luo Qingleng pries open his eyes to look at Mingyu. As black edges in, he watches Liu Mingyu's sharp brows carve a furrow in the perfect angle of his forhead. His dark eyes are uncharacteristically wide and worried. Luo Qingleng tries to raise his hand to soothe the little enchanting mole under Mingyu's eye, but lacks the coordination to do so.

He blacks out when his hand borders his vision and his last thought is that his hand looks smaller.

Luo Binghe wakes up in a bed too large for him. The light is bright, filtering through a paper window next to him. He blinks sleepily, his head hurting in the way that means he hasn't had anything to drink in a long time. Cautiously, he puts his hand on his chest but his heart beat is calm under his palm and there is nothing taped to his wrist.

Satisfied, he squirms until he's sitting up, with his back against the pillows. He wants to look around at the room, but his focus is immediately drawn to a man shifting at the edge of his bed.

It looks like he was sleeping, head pillowed on his elbows, one hand reaching lightly out. His hair is long and pulled back in a high ponytail, and it spills in inky strings over his shoulders and the bed covers. Luo Binghe must have woken him with his shifting.

The man abruptly sits up, fast enough Luo Binghe flinches a little.

"Shizun!" The man exclaims.

He's idol handsome, with pretty eyes and soft looking skin. He has a red smear on his forehead, and a little dot under his eye. He stares at Luo Binghe like he should recognize him.

"Luo Qingleng?" He tries instead, voice soft.

Luo Binghe scrunches his nose, suddenly wary. The man isn't a nurse or aid, obviously, so Luo Binghe was thinking perhaps he was a friend of his mom? She works a lot so sometimes she would have a neighbor sit with him. But if the man was a family friend, he'd at least know Binghe's name.

The man looks briefly disappointed, before his face firms. He looks kind of angry. It's a little scary.

"My name is Liu Mingyu." He introduces himself. "You—I'll get Mu Qingfang." He stands and leaves the little room.

Luo Binghe blinks. Mu Qingfang is another name Luo Binghe doesn't recognize, but he supposes it's probably a doctor? That is usually who people rush out of rooms to get in a...

Luo Binghe looks around the room. It doesn't really look like any doctor's office he's seen before. The paper window, for one. And there's no row of utilitarian cabinets or sink. There's a pretty table and shelves, some pouches and incense. The floor isn't tile but wood. It kind of looks way too fancy for a doctor's office.

He pulls back the covers—he's wearing some kind of white gown—and hops off the bed. It takes a moment for him to get his balance, he's a little dizzy, but he goes to investigate the table. There's a cup and a jar of water so he pours himself some and takes a drink.

Holding the cup he wonders if he could look a little more. He'd like to see some of the glass bottles on the shelves, they're very pretty. But his mother had taught him to be respectful and he feels like he's already doing something a little wrong. The man obviously expected him to stay put, and patients aren't supposed to get up and walk around unsupervised, right?

Pouting, he goes back to the bed and sits on it, holding the cup.

It gets a little boring before he hears footsteps and the door to the room opens. A tall man with glasses enters the room, but Luo Binghe barely notices the glasses. Or the little mustache. The man is wearing floor length fancy robes, the kind you'd see on the TV.

He sweeps into the room and pulls a stool close to Luo Binghe's bed, sitting on it. He feels professional, even without wearing the scrubs Luo Binghe is used to doctors wearing, and he's smiling gently.

The man from before lurks at the doorway.

"My name is Mu Qingfang." The doctor says. "You were sick, so I've been taking care of you. You're looking better now. Can I take your pulse?" He holds a hand out gently.

Luo Binghe nods and puts his hand in Mu Qingfang's. Mu Qingfang presses to fingers to the pulse point in Luo Binghe's wrist. As he does so he smiles at Luo Binghe again.

"Thank you. You do seem to have stabilized and it's likely you'll recover completely on your own."

Luo Binghe doesn't remember being sick, but with how thirsty he had been it makes sense. He nods. "Thank you, Mu-Xiangsheng."

"And how should I give my welcome?" Mu-Xiangsheng asks.

"Oh!" Binghe flushes, embarrassed. He should've introduced himself right away, probably. He glances warily at Liu Mingyu at the doorway, but the man doesn't seem to be paying much attention. "I'm called Luo Binghe." He says.

"Xiao Binghe then," Mu-Xiansheng smiles gently. "Do you have any questions, Xiao Binghe?"

"Where's my mom?" He asks first. Then, after a pause, "And what was I sick with? And where am I?" And why are you wearing those clothes! Upon closer inspection, Liu Mingyu is also wearing fancy robes, though in shades of black and white. Luo Binghe thinks asking might be rude, or possibly stupid since it everyone is wearing them. He doesn't want to be rude or stupid.

"Well," Mu-Xiansheng starts, "I'm not sure where your mom is right now. Liu Mingyu found you and brought you here. You're on Qian Cao, of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. Do you know where that is?"

Luo Binghe frowns. "No." He says, but he's more concerned about his mom.

"That's okay. You had a qi deviation, so it was best to bring you to a cultivation sect instead of a mortal doctor."

Luo Binghe blinks.

"Cultivation?" Like the TV dramas? Was he in a TV drama? Did he get so sick he ended up in the tv? Is that even possible? His mom must be so worried!

He pauses. Usually in stories no one really notices that you're missing when you go on an adventure. Like time pauses or something. So his mom probably hasn't noticed that he's gone. That's good. And Mu-Xiangsheng says that he'll get better on his own, that probably means he'll go back to the real world sooner or later. So it's probably fine.

If he doesn't have to worry about his mom (and he doesn't, because time is paused so she won't be worrying about him) then that means he's free to be excited about the rest of it.

"I had a qi... deviation?" He asks and gets a nod back. "So I have qi?" Superpowers, basically? He doesn't really feel any different, but maybe that's because he's new to all this?

"Well, you have young spirit veins. They're undeveloped, so you don't have access to the reserves or refinement you normally would. It seems, along with your memories, you core has regressed as well as your physicial age. It's quite interesting, really, most reports of this kind of qi deviation don't include memory regression as a symptom—"

The doctor rambles on, and Luo Binghe doesn't really think he's being talked to anymore so he takes to looking at his hands. He doesn't feel different from normal, just tired. He finishes his water and holds the cup awkwardly while Mu-Xiangsheng talks, eyes drifting towards Liu Mingyu again.

The man has his arms crossed, and he's leaning against the doorway like he's holding it up. Liu Mingyu found him, Mu-Xiangsheng said. So, however Luo Binghe got here, Liu Mingyu picked him up and took him to a doctor to get help! Maybe he even flew? That's really cool.

At that moment Liu Mingyu stops glaring at nothing and catches Luo Binghe staring. Luo Binghe startles, and looks back at Mu-Xiangsheng. Does Liu Mingyu always look angry?

"So he's fine." Liu Mingyu interrupts Mu-Xiangsheng's rambling sharply.

"Yes, yes, like I said, Xiao Binghe is recovering well and his body will heal naturally."

"Good." Liu Mingyu crosses his arms. "Does—should he stay here?"

"I suppose it doesn't matter." Mu-Xiangsheng has turned, so Luo Binghe can't see his face, but he sounds considering. "He'll recover just as well here as anywhere else. Or anywhere else as here."

Luo Binghe grips the glass cup. He likes Mu-Xiangsheng, so he wouldn't mind staying here. But, it was boring when he was waiting. Probably, Mu-Xiangsheng doesn't have a lot of time to spend with Binghe, being a doctor and all.

"Should he go back to Qing Jing?" Liu Mingyu asks.

Mu-Xiangsheng sighs, before turning back to Luo Binghe. "Xiao Binghe, would you like a tour of Cang Qiong? Getting out would be healthy for you and you can decide whether you'd like to stay here on Qian Cao, or somewhere else while you recover. Of course, you'll still have check ups with me, either way."

"Yes, please!" Luo Binghe exclaims. "Uhm, will Mu-Xiangsheng take me?"

"Unfortunately, I don't really have the time." Luo Binghe can't help his pout, even though he already knows Mu-Xiangsheng is busy.

"Oh." Luo Binghe glances quickly at Liu Mingyu before looking away. He still looks a little angry but since Mu-Xiangsheng said he was the one who helped Binghe he can't really be scary. "Can... would it trouble Liu-Gongzi to take me instead?" He asks.

Over Mu-Xiangsheng's shoulder, Liu Mingyu looks startled. Mu-Xiangsheng smiles. "Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't mind at all. Shizi?"

Liu Mingyu straightens from the wall and edges closer to Luo Binghe's bed. The way he moves reminds Binghe of one of the alley cats he tries to pet sometimes.

"You want me to take you?" Liu Mingyu clarifies when he comes closer.

Luo Binghe eyes the sword hilt he can see at Liu Mingyu's hip and nods. "Can you fly?" He asks, eagerly, just the slightest bit embarrassed in case he has misunderstood.

"Of course I can." He answers quickly, sounding one part confused, one part pricked pride.

"Can I fly with you?"

Liu Mingyu tilts his head studying Luo Binghe, which makes his face burn a little. Maybe he was wrong and Liu Mingyu is actually as mean and scary as he looks. And then Liu Mingyu grins, startlingly wide and easy. His whole face transforms with it and Luo Binghe reflexively smiles back.

"Of course you can."

----

Okay, quick note on the names!

I discussed it with a friend who suggested Luo Qingleng (Qīnglěng | chilly / deserted / desolate) which I thought was thematically a good fit for Binghe!

He gave a very convincing argument for lqg's name:

"ok for Liu Qingge, calling him Liu Mingyu would be extremely funny- the correct characters would be 溟譽 (ming2yu4), which isn't an existing word but is pronounced exactly like 名譽

which relates to fame and honor

HOWEVER, it also sounds very very close to ming2yu2 (Stupid and obstinate)"

Which I indeed thought was very funny so I kept that. Rest assured, he suffered so much bullying. That being said, I'm not an expert with Chinese names or cultures, and though this is meant to be light hearted and fun, please let me know if these are outside the realm of even Airplane's naming conventions, as well as the terms of address binghe uses! I did some research, but I really don't know what a kid would call a fantasy doctor and a fantasy hero who saved him =n=