#wu and his little troublemakers

[berrythep4nda]

An AU where the elemental power isn't something commonly known and actually being framed as dark magic/curse

The power is distributed to people randomly, regardless of place, time, age, etc

It could be once every thousand years or even once every two months

Title : "Wu and his little troublemakers"

[enavstars]

These are the last things I have for the Cyberpunk au. It has been a lot of fun and I hope I pick it up again sometime in the future, but until then this is it, hope you liked it ^^

Some details about Wu and Cole:

One day the rgb decide to go beyond the danger zone and more into the Outside and they discover another city that, unlike the Cyberpunk city, is not corrupted or contaminated.

This city is located in an artificial island near the shore to protect themselves from the plants, that can't cross water. It has a Solarpunk aesthetic and the people there are in balance with nature and have a civilazed and ordered society where there is no discrimination towards demons.

However, the solarpunk city values social class and money above all so the rgb, having no money, are still discriminated.

The siblings pay no mind to discrimination and wander around exploring the city until the encounter a random old man who seems to recognize Lloyd, Wu.

Wu is one of the leaders of the city and is very respected. When he found Lloyd he tried to convince him to live with him and Misako (who also lives in the city) instead of his father, Lloyd is of course very confused but refuses, to Wu’s dismay.

The rgb learn from the conversation that Lloyd is the son of the legendary Garmadon and the nephew of this guy Wu, but they don't really care, Kai and Nya are Lloyd's family and that’s it.

However Wu is persistent with Lloyd so the rgb decide to be the usual troublemakers and cause chaos in the city here and there, achieving their objective of annoying Wu. Of course law enforcements try to catch them but with little success, afterall the siblings are used to running away (they even avoided their attempts of not letting them in)

Now they sometimes visit the solarpunk city to explore and cause troubles, making them infamous there.

There is someone else living in the city that heard of the rgb siblings, Cole. Cole is a wealthy happy kid but is very curious of how the siblings can seem to do anything they want. However Cole never approached them... until his mom died. The situation with his family took a turn for the worse, mostly his relationship with his father, so Cole decided to run away.

He waited until the rgb siblings (who aren't kids anymore) went to the city and followed them outside when they left.

Cole followed them the whole journey to the Cyberpunk city (the rbg of course noticed him but did nothing besides taking a safer route) but lost them once in the city.

Cole was amazed by the new enviroment but soon got lost. He started asking for the siblings until he found Kai in the red district. Kai recognized him so he decided to "play" with his naive nature a bit, which ended up in Kai fooling Cole to pay for him and Cole learning nothing from Kai.

After wandering around for a while, Cole found Jay and quickly became friends. Jay helped him move around and get used to the city.

In the end Cole meets the rgb and their friends through Jay, they all become friends after a while and Cole starts a new life in a tough place but with people to rely on.

(Sorry if it's confusing I did this quickly and english is not my first language)

[traineecryptid]

NPSS Weibo Q&A (20240831) Part 2

This is a Q&A session held on Weibo. People will tag their questions with the hashtag #南派三叔藏海花在线答疑# (#NPSS Zang Hai Hua Online Q&A#) and NPSS will look through the tag to pick some to answer. The event started at 1500 hours on 2024 August 31st.

Folder with screenshots and big compilation google doc is here. Part 1 is here.

1536

Q: Shu, why was the patriarch's item changed from the bronze bell to the Heavenly Staff ? Is it to match Tianshou? (T/N: Tianshou could be translated as Heavenly Orders)

A: I’ll explain it like this. If Wu Xie wanted to tell this story to someone else and this story was then retold by that someone else, it would certainly differ in certain details from the truth in his notebook. Perhaps it is to keep people from knowing the full story or perhaps it is so that others could better understand it, or perhaps [he] didn’t want to explain too much.

1539

Q: How do you manage to have both actors that fit the roles very well and actors who don’t in every show?

A: Problem with availability. 

1540

Q: Which is the most tragic character in ZHH aside from Xiaoge?

A: Wah, this is a good question. You have to keep watching yourself because this is a very hard-to answer question.

1541

Q: The dramas suck doesn’t mean that your books suck. Don’t worry at all. A: If the dramas really suck, could I have kept making one after another?

1544

Q: Sanshu, is there any way to make Wu Xie and Pangzi immortal? I can’t bear to see Wu Xie die. It would be hard for Zhang Qiling to adapt, right? A: When I was little, I also hoped to have this kind of medicine to give to my grandmothers.

1545

Q: Sanshu, Xiaoge had already inserted the Heavenly Staff and cured everyone from the Tianshou sickness. So why Xiaoge wasn’t cured?

A: Not only wasn’t he cured, all the Tianshou was borne by him alone, fragmenting his memories.  

1546

Q: Sanshu, Wu Xie’s dream house is a courtyard with a moss pond. What kind of living environment would Xiaoge and Pangzi like? A: Tianzhen still breathing when they wake up is considered heaven (ptsd) for them.

1547

Q: Sanshu, what do you think is Wu Xie’s greatest specialty? Is it his long eyelashes like Xiazi said?

A: His little boss spirit. (T/N: according to this article I skimmed, little boss refers to the kind of boss who is very lowkey, keeps themselves on the same level as everyone else and focuses on their business without prioritizing growth.)

1547

Q: In the most recent episode of ZHH, why does Zhang Jiuri and the others hate Zhang Qiling so much?

A: It will be explained right after this.

1548

Q: The universe’s man crush, I would like to ask: When Xiaoge saw Wu Xie treating him all friendly in the beginning, did he not dare to believe that there was someone who solely cherished him and wanted to protect him without any ulterior motives?

A: Zhang Qiling could see through a person’s heart with just one look. Not because he’s smart, but because he has seen a lot. People are a very simple thing for Zhang Qiling.

1550

Q: The universe’s man crush, the world’s man crush, can you tell me what Zhang Qiling would think if he knew that Wu Xie had called him “Menyouping-needing-a-thousand-cuts” before? (T/N: “needing a thousand cuts” is similar to “damned” as in “that damned troublemaker” and is apparently very rude… since i guess you’re cursing on someone to be tortured?) A: A thousand cuts? Are you a candle? You think I’ve only taken a thousand cuts on your behalf? I took your 60 million but I’ve never ever asked you for a single cent more!

1552

Q: Are there any fixed requirements when casting actors? For example, the Iron Triangle.

A: No. As long as the platform approves, the actors approves, the director approves and the original author approves, then it’ll be OK.  It’s not that difficult. 

1552

Q: I feel like ZHH is a very close reproduction of the novel and it even elaborated on some scenes. I feel like I know the characters better and understand them more now.

A: Thank you. It took very long to write.

1553

Q: Actually, Shu, I watched ZHH and I feel that it’s a close reproduction of the novel. Of course, I read the novel a few years ago and some parts have gotten blurry. But when I was watching the drama, I would suddenly remember the scene. Undeniably, some parts have changed but the majority isn’t that different. It’s really, really the best when an adaptation follows the original closely because Shu, your novels are the foundation and the novels are very well written! Although I don’t know why [people] won’t let go of the question of actors, neither were there praises for the scenes. The requirements aren’t high, it’s enough that I can recall the scenes in the novel while watching the drama. Sanshu, remember, no matter which drama it is, it has to follow your novels. The novels are really, really the best! I’ve always felt like actors were a type of feeling, they won’t be able to convince people no matter who plays the part. But the scenes would always resonate with people! A: Everyone has the right to express their own opinions. I also have the right to work hard at promoting. It’s a difficult world. It’s enough that we be ourselves and not leave regrets.

1553

Q: Sanshu, there are already changes to Wu Xie’s blood and he could deter bugs like Xiaoge and all that. Would Wu Xie live forever without aging with Xiaoge?

A: Wu Xie’s only works now and then. Maybe it has something to do with what he eats.

Here's another 15, this section seems to have a lot of longer questions. Can you believe that we're only an hour into the questions? There's like... an amount more. Thankfully NPSS has slowed down.

[alterrune]

Previously, on Ninjago...

And previously, on Altering the Outcome...

-----

AtO: The Spinjitsu Whip - EPILOGUE - THE OVERLORD'S DEMISE

-----

And so, after learning about Sarah Kelso's involvement, the ColorStreak Battalion decided to immediately chart a course to New Ninjago City's main tower.

After learning about Overlord's plan, Garmadon turned on the Overlord. He fused all the golden weapons the ColorStreak Battalion were into a golden spear, and used it to permanently destroy the Overlord for good.

However, Lord Garmadon was not left unharmed during the fight. He took a lot of damage. In response to this, Lloyd decided to use what little Golden Power he had left to revive his father.

It worked...but somehow, the great darkness that the Great Devourerer gave him had fused with his own self, turning him into a hybrid of Dark Lord and human.

While the darkness had left his mind, it was still on his body. He may still have four arms, but he now promises he will use them for good and only good.

This is an outcome I absolutely did not expect, but welcome all the same.

To Alter, Violet, Henry, Ellie and Kyle: You are no longer my pupils. You are now Masters of Spinjitsu in your own right. I am so proud of you all. Thank you.

- Sensei Wu

(KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!)

Wu! Teleporter's online! You ready?

Of course.

(I beam all of us back to the GEOGRAM base.)

-----

-🔺💜🔵💕✍🏼-

(Once I'm beamed back, I'm back in my wheelchair again. It was fun while it lasted...)

So...this is your home?

And I thought that Airship of yours was cool!

(A familiar face pops into view.)

Hello, ColorStreak Battalion! Glad to see you've returned!

Heh, yeah. For once, I agree with Slasher. Welcome back, guys.

Adam, we've been over this! It's Schaffer!

Fine, fine. Sorry, Aaron, but you know me.

Uh....why are you talking in two different voices?

Oh, my apologies, Cole, thank you for reminding me that I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Aaron Schaffer, Laurence and Lily's father, and the founder of GEOGRAM.

And I'm Adam. Sort of a split personality of Adam. I was originally a bad guy, but Adam managed to make me work with him on the side of good. Though I AM still a bit of a troublemaker.

That reminds me. You haven't put a bunch of tripwires around the base again, have you, Adam?

No. I'm sadly out of tripwire string.

Hey! Where's Garmadon?

I am right here, Kai.

(Garmadon, now wearing a four-armed black Sensei robe with purple trim, appears behind Aaron and Adam. He still has pitch-black skin, red eyes, and has four arms, but now lacks the fangs and the evil mannerisms, and has a bed of grey hair instead of the Dark Lord helmet he usually has on.)

DAD! It's you!

Indeed it is, Lloyd. I'm very glad you managed to save me.

(Garmadon walks up to Wu.)

Hello...brother. Long time, no see.

Likewise, brother. It is good to have you back.

(Nya suddenly raises her hand.)

Yes, Nya?

Sensei, this isn't a question for you, it's for Kyle.

Oh, my mistake. Kyle?

(I drive my wheelchair over to Nya.)

Whatcha need, Nya?

Why are we here?

Well, we figured that since we ended our Ninjago trip early due to Kelso's involvement, we figured we'd let you stay here for a bit.

Oh, suh-weet! Where are we staying? Please be a penthouse suite...

No. But you will be staying in our guest suite.

(I lead them to the guest suite. It looks like an empty metal room, but I hit a few buttons on the panel on the side of the room, and suddenly it changes to a luxurious hotel room that resembles one you would find in Ninjago City.)

This room is special. Thanks to some special high-tech features embedded into it, it can be changed into whatever guests residing in it would like. Mind you, the panel can only be used by trusted users like me, Lily, Aaron, and the CSB.

It's a security measure. You know how it goes.

This is more than enough. Thank you guys.

You're welcome, Lloyd. Enjoy the room.

-🔺💜🔵💕✍🏼-

(I close the door, and as soon as I do that, I get a video call from Kelso. Once we all move to my room, I accept the call and put her on my laptop screen.)

Oh, hello there, ColorStreak Battalion. I would like to ask you all a question. ARE YOU ALL FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?! I can't believe you'd just...completely ignore the others and go for it immediately like that.

Hey, we just wanted to make sure your plan to kill me didn't happen, Kelso.

How do you...oh no. That falcon...it was Zane's, wasn't it? GODDAMNIT! Can't believe I fell for that!

Have a meltdown on your own time, Kelso. Where's my goddamn mother?

Oh, right! Carol, say hi to your son and his friends!

(We all gasp. Carol looks absolutely horrible. She can take a lot, even this, but...she looks seriously hurt. The arm opposite to Carol's broken leg is now broken as well, and she now has a black eye on the eye on her right.)

Hi, son. Don't worry, all this pain is just making me more determined to fuck her up alongside you and your friends.

Mom. I will make sure you get out of there safely when we find you.

I'm very glad to hear it, son. I love you.

I love you too, Mom.

(Kelso shoves the camera away from Carol.)

Yes, yes, very touching. But I would like you all to know that regardless of such, all operations are fully ready for launch in April. This is your last chance to surrender. Especially you, flower girl.

(Violet looks at Kelso with daggers in her eyes.)

If you think we'll actually surrender to you, you madwoman, you're even dumber than we thought. Bring it the fuck on.

(Kelso sighs, shaking her head.)

I had a feeling you weren't going to surrender. Very well, you five shitheels. Consider it brought.

Especially to you, you naturalist PRICK.

(Kelso ends the call right there. Once again, it's a burner number, so it can't be traced.)

We'll take her down, Vi. It's only a matter of time.

And when we do...

...you get the first hit.

-🔺💜🔵💕✍🏼-

END OF EVENT

THE NINJA WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR ASKS UNTIL APRIL

GARMADON HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE EVENT ASKERS

[fiddler-sticks]

Really wanna write an AU where Garmadon didn't get bit and turn evil but he and Wu still grew apart so they eventually went their separate ways, and while Wu went around collecting all these chosen ones, Garm had his own little collection of outcasts. Still mostly EMs, but ones with more 'insignificant' or weird powers, or other undesirables. So you have Wu, the favorite child with his group of main Elementals and The Chosen One™, and Garmadon, the troublemaker with his gang of rag-tag ragamuffins

[mings-lore-library]

So here’s where I’ll do lore drops and some roleplays with my OCs if ya wanna. Send asks about any of them.

Real quick brief lore, we have

Ming- My main OC. She’s a demon princess, she’s got it all. She was raised by the ninja turtles and is a ninja. She’s short and can’t swim and allergic to wasps.

Victoria- Ming’s evil clone. Created by darkness and Ming’s DNA. She eats wasps for breakfast just to flex on Ming and her inferiority. She’s evil evil. Ish. Possibly redeemable?

Damien- Ming’s twin brother. He loves sex, drugs and alcohol. He’s been raised as a prince, and by that I mean spoiled as fuck. He gets his way, whether he has to use force or not.

Rex- Vampire boy. He’s a sharpshooter and he loves basketball. He likes Ming, but he’s fine just being friends if she is. Also he’s secretly a clone.

Ted- Rex’s twin brother. A werewolf. He was nearly mauled to death so his transformations hurt more than they should. Pretty smart, but mostly cares about biology. They’re both Latino.

Tweet- Ghoul. Spanish. Albino. His real name is Daniel but everybody calls him Tweet and nobody knows why. He’s a hacker. A computer whiz. He also has black tentacles that sprout from his back. He can barely control them and they scare him.

Kyle Wu- He’s a drummer he’s a rockstar! He ain’t very bright but he’s a sweet guy. His parents immigrated from China when he was nine, and his “American name” was Kyle up until he was 17, when he decided he wanted to be called his birth name, too, and combined them. He’s also a wizard. He loves his ace girlfriend.

Elsa- Tweet’s girlfriend and Kyle Wu’s twin sister. She’s a pretty girl, and she’s a witch. She’s also polyamorous and very much pansexual, so she’s flirted with Ming a few times. She loves her birds!

Hami- Kyle Wu’s girlfriend. She’s a vampire from Cuba who isn’t afraid to get in a fist-fight. Her parents enrolled her in boxing classes when she was younger to try to let out her anger issues, but now she has anger issues and can throw a punch. She’s very proud of who she is and thinks bats are for sissies. Asexual and proud of it.

Ivy- Ted’s girlfriend and Tweet’s cousin. Both her and Tweet were raised by their grandparents. She’s very sweet but very shy. She loves horses and she’s a werewolf, just like Ted.

Those are my main 10. I’ll include my other OCs under this cut (there’s a lot) (the list is probably incomplete)

My Little Pony OCs

Starblood-

Starblood can transform into a griffin, is trans, emo, Japanese, and Ming’s future wife and “father” of their future biological daughter.

May- orphan Daughter of April O’Neil and Casey Jones. She’s a hot-head and a troublemaker, with a history on the wrong side of the law. Adopted foster daughter of Raphael, and she’s on a redemption arc

Alyssa- Ex-Girlfriend to Ming, used to be Christian. Mortal.

Oak- So, technically she’s my first OC. Anything to do with dinosaurs, that’s her. She raised a T Rex by hand and several other babies that are all named after most of my other OCs lol. Because the dinosaurs were the first form of lots of my OCs.

Sky- I found a place for her. She is Ming’s current girlfriend and also a forest fairy. She’s South African and short and chubby and has bright blue hair and vampire fangs. She’s great. I love her.

Lucifer and Arianna- Ming and Damien’s parents. (Allegedly). Devil and Angel.

Mien- In some iterations, she is Ming’s mother. She was the first version of her mother.

Angennika- Ming’s daughter in Mutant Mayhem. Her middle name is Ming because Ming is currently trapped in a crystal, so her mother (Starblood) calls her Ming. But she actually prefers Angie.

Spruce- Victoria’s twin and Damien’s evil clone. He’s not evil. At all. He sucks at it.

Samar- Hami’s evil clown. She’s ACTUALLY evil, and irredeemable unlike Victoria and Spruce. I was going to make an evil clone for each of my main ten but considering Victoria is ALREADY an evil clone and Rex is a not-evil clone too, that might be hard.

Ducky- Tweet’s baby sister. He will do anything to protect her.

Pebbles- Ducky’s best friend and Rex and Ted’s little sister. Real name is Roxanne.

Razor and Martha- Rex, Ted and Pebbles’s parents. Vampires. In some iterations, Razor is Lucifer’s secret boyfriend.

Alex- Ted’s real identical twin brother. When Theodore and Alexander were young they were both kidnapped. Ted was found safely but Alex was never found. In heartache, and to give his young son his best friend back, Razor used Alex’s DNA to create Rex. Which nobody found out the truth… until Alex showed up on their doorstep 15 years later.

Angel- So in some iterations, Ming’s mother is Mien. And in a universe that Mien is her mother and Ming is raised by the turtles, Ming has a younger sister. That’s Angel. Mien’s second daughter.

Angel Draxum- So y’all know Baron Draxum? He has a daughter. Who was kidnapped and raised by Ming as her older sister.

This list is in no way complete and I will add more OCs as I remember them (or create them)

[ashersdestiny]

Lloyd breakdown

Words: 520

This is meant to be a oneshot, sorry if it's short and stuff, I just had the motivation wave to make this when I was talking to nero about Lloyd and Harumi so yeah. school was busy so I couldn't make like long fanfics and stuff, but tomorrow I'll try to start it going!

Lloyd was tucked in the corner of his bedroom, sobbing quietly. Shuffling more into the corner, making him look smaller than he's supposed to be.

Why is he like this? Jay was joking around like normal, but then he brought up Harumi's name, which made him remember Harumi. So here he is, Lloyd is trying so hard to get Harumi out of his mind, but he can't. He- just, he just can't. After her death, he has always blamed himself for her death. Everyone has told Lloyd that it's not his fault. But it always felt like they were only saying that just to make him feel better, but in the end it only made him feel worse.

He should've put his guard up, like any good ninja should. Harumi played him like a puppet and she held the strings beneath her lies she told him of. He should've at least expected it, all of his past experience had led him to this. He has been like this before. Lloyd's eyes widen as another figure suddenly appear. he's been here after the incident of Morro. He grumbled in annoyment, he just wanted to think about - well no, not think at all is better, but then Morro just HAD to appear suddenly during this, he thought bitterly.

Don't even get him started with him. He took everything from him, just because Wu made a misunderstandment. All because of that HE'S the one that took the price. He should've just stayed in Darklys, with Brad and Gene. They might act rude, but what he knows is that they aren't liars. They are cold blooded backstabbers. He hasn't met after running away from Darklys. He missed them, he missed his first ever friends.

Honestly none of this would've happened if he wasn't the green ninja, when he first got the title of the green ninja, he thought it would be fun! Being the heroes, having kids looking up to you, wanting to be you, they never told him what such a title would give, emotionality.

He caused so much trouble to the ninja, past him only brushed it off and laughed at them. Now thinking back about what he had done, all the pranks he caused, he felt guilty. He should've apologized when they weren't laughing with him. But he ignored it. He's such a bad little brother, why did they even take him in the bounty if he's nothing more than a mistake? Are they just lying to him until the time ends? Like Harumi did- why is he thinking like that? No way that they'd do that..would they? But I guess he wouldn't hold against them if they did.

He only causes trouble and nothing else. He'd never have been here if he just didn't make do anything, or hell, never born at all. If he gets an opportunity, he'd gladly take it. He doesn't even think the ninja would care if he randomly goes missing because he's just a mistake, a troublemaker. That was just chosen because of having Garmadon as his father and FSM as his grandfather.

Even destiny makes mistakes like this one.

[dream-meister-translations]

THE TALE OF FOOD

DONGPO PORK STORY #1

━

MUGWORT RICEBALL : Ah, Brother Harbin Fried Pork! Come and check on Master. She's acting all weird!

MUGWORT RICEBALL : I was going to invite Master to go on a field trip... But Master kept ignoring me and would only scribble random stuff on paper while laughing...

MUGWORT RICEBALL : Should we call Dr. Dumpling?

HARBIN FRIED PORK : Hah, what a creative way to annoy Food Souls. What are you drawing...

HARBIN FRIED PORK : I smell wine! Master, where did you get something like that?!

OPTION 1 : Push him away HARBIN FRIED PORK : Master, please pull yourself together. You smell like you only had a little bit of wine. Is that enough to make you attack your butler? OPTION 2 : Hug him HARBIN FRIED PORK : That was close. Good thing I learned how to dodge from that sparring session with Dezhou a few days ago.

MUGWORT RICEBALL : Hm? Master isn't drawing, but is writing something.. "Dongpo Pork's Welcoming Party Plan"? What's this? I don't get it.

HARBIN FRIED PORK : Are you getting ready to welcome the new Food Soul? I'm touched that you're putting in so much effort.

HARBIN FRIED PORK : But the Food Soul that you wish to welcome has been arrested by the Kongsang Office. I believe he's waiting for you to bail him out. Please come with me. And use this chance... to sober up.

━

DONGPO PORK : I didn't drink! I'm serious! Hey, I've told you this so many times. I love drinking! If I really drank, I would never deny it!

DONGPO PORK : Stop using that weird looking box to nose around my body. I'm Dongpo Pork, and my body always smell like wine!

DONGPO PORK : Plus, rather than keeping me hostage here, why don't you help me catch the wine thief?! It took me a long time to brew that jar of Luofu Brew!

GAN LING LONG : Haha, what's up with this Food Soul? He's so talkative despite being sober. Imagine what he'd be like when he drinks!

KU WU : Tape, rags, or a gag. Gan Ling Long, choose one and give us some peace and quiet.

Just as he finishes his words, the door of Kongsang Detention Center is slammed open.

MUGWORT RICEBALL : FBI! Drop your weapons and put your hands up!

MUGWORT RICEBALL : You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!

OPTION 1: We shouldn't have installed TV in Kongsang. HARBIN FRIED PORK : There are many things that you cannot do in Kongsang. One of them is charging into the Kongsang Office with the drunken Master and the troublemaker Mugwort Riceball. OPTION 2 : I'm here to save you, Dongpo Pork. DONGPO PORK : Master! I'm glad that you're here... Hm? Why is your face all flushed? You look like you’ve been drinking.

HARBIN FRIED PORK : Lords Envoy of Five Flavors, just in case you have trouble recognizing her, let me do the introduction. This red-face lady is the Master of Kongsang. She is here to bail Dongpo Pork out.

HARBIN FRIED PORK : What crimes did Dongpo Pork commit to have ended up here?

KU WU : He breached the Kongsang Prohibition Regulations.

GAN LING LONG : Since the introduction of Kongsang Prohibition, brewing, selling, or drinking wine in public are all prohibited! We found this Food Soul lying underneath a tree. He was so drunk. Even now, he still reeks of wine!

DONGPO PORK : Ever since I was born, I've been by Sir Zizhan's side. Drinking, traveling, feasting, and writing poems are normal to us. That's why I always have the fragrance of wine. This isn't enough proof to arrest me!

DONGPO PORK : As for brewing... I hid the wine jar in the cellar, and I've never publicized it in any way! Who knows which hungry kitten managed to steal a sip of it. That jar of Luofu Brew is extremely strong. One sniff, and you can stay drunk for three days!

MUGWORT RICEBALL : The cellar? Master went to check the amount of pickles we had in the cellar. And then, Master came back like this!

KU WU : ...Looks like all the evidence is here, and the culprit who stole the wine got caught by Harbin Fried Pork too. Master's salary will be deducted this month.

OPTION 1 : I'm an adult! DONGPO PORK : Hahaha, Master, I heard that in your world, you can drink as much as you want so long as you are of age! When I get out, we can "drink to our hearts' content"! OPTION 2 : I'm almost an adult! DONGPO PORK : Hm, wine may be nice, but you shouldn't over drink! Wait a few more years, Master. When the time comes, we can "celebrate the beauty of youth with poems and wine"!

The two Envoy of Five Flavors look at each other startled.

GAN LING LONG : As per the regulations of Kongsang, with our cute Master here bailing him out, he can go back to Kongsang anytime!

GAN LING LONG : However, there will still be punishments! After all, one strike might be an accident, but two strikes will be treated as a taunt!

GAN LING LONG : Here, take this. This is Mr. Dongpo Pork's list of punishments! DONGPO PORK : No drinking... for an entire month?!

[heavenhasaroad]

Heaven Has A Road - Original Characters

While the story is wholly about Xiao Xingchen, Xue Yang and Song Lan, and kept as close to canon-compliant as possible after the original divergence setting everything in motion, the disaster trio do occasionally run into a number of npcs along the way.

Here is a neat little compilation of the named extras in Heaven Has A Road, in case the text refers back to a name you’ve forgotten, or you want to read an extra tidbit or two about all the people SXX have happened to!

Ai Shenxu – the fangzhang (abbot) of the Daoist temple Yanxia Guan. A wise and mischievous old daoshi who manages to manipulate Xue Yang into meditation and spiritual growth, much to the latter's chagrin. He tells Xiao Xingchen a story of a young troublemaker who came to the temple to take advantage of the kindness of the daoshi there, but who got lulled into that peaceful life, and is still there all these years later to turn other young troublemakers' heads in the right direction.

A-Lei – a young disciple of the doctor-wives in Tanzhou.

Gao Lin – a girl of Muaishan, whose father was driven insane by the mist spirits. She tells the daoshi her story, to try to help Xiao Xingchen figure out what was done to him while he was spirited away.

Madam Hu – the old woman in charge of the inn of Aijian in Muaishan. She's vastly superstitious and terrified of all things to do with gentry, cultivators and the unnatural... But she does grow to care a lot about the strange travelers under her roof, despite her fears.

Old Hu – the innkeeper of Aijian in Muaishan. Xue Yang and Song Lan first met him when searching for Xiao Xingchen, and he set them on their way to find the spirits' lair. He and his wife later welcomed the traveling trio to stay at their inn to recuperate after fighting and vanquishing the mist spirits.

Old Luo – an old daoshi at Baixue, remembered by Tian Hao and Song Lan with a mix of fondness and trepidation. A rather fearsome teacher who took pleasure in punishing any miss-stepping pupils with the chore of sweeping the courtyard before dawn. He's mentioned by the Yanxia daoshi as a master of acupuncture techniques. In Muaishan, Song Lan uses spiritual pressure point techniques to weave Xue Yang's meridians back together, saying Xue Yang killed the man who once taught them to him.

Qian Feng – jianyuan of the Daoist temple Yanxia Guan. He’s the temple’s second in command, responsible for Night Hunts and handling the everyday affairs of the temple and the daoshi living there. Tian Hao says he's a strong cultivator – especially when it comes to the strength of fingers holding onto coin...

Tian Hao – a daoshi of Yanxia Guan. He studied as a guest cultivator at Baixue Ge for a year in his youth, and is one of the few besides Song Lan who personally remembers the people there. He calls Song Lan his shidi and gives him advice and support, and they made a promise to stay in touch through correspondence.

Wang Haifeng – a young cultivator who used demonic cultivation to raise corpses for him and his friends to fight to gain heroic reputation. Xue Yang mentally dubbed him ”unfortunate front teeth”. He showed quite great interest in Xue Yang's skills and knowledge, though he was very cowed by the telling-off they all received by Song Lan once he learned the truth. He is one of the last survivors of the Yingchuan Wang clan, which rose to prominence under the Wen thanks to Wang Lingjiao's involvement with Wen Chao.

Wang Meili – one of the elderly doctors in Tanzhou, who was born to the Yingchaun Wang clan but left to study medicine with the Dafan Wen. There she met her life partner, Wu Lian, and the two of them eventually set out as wandering cultivators to offer their gifts of healing to those in need, before finally settling down in Tanzou. She has a stern and brusque demeanour, but is a highly skilled doctor and a very loving wife.

Wang Rouqing - the ghostly widow of Wangzhuang, and Wang Haifeng’s mother. She stopped talking after the death of her husband and the massacre of her in-laws during Sunshot, and only found peace after Xue Yang helped confirm her husband’s spirit had truly moved on.

Wu Lian – one of the elderly doctors in Tanzhou. She was once a guest-disciple with the Dafan Wen, where she first met her companion Wang Meili. Together they set out as wandering cultivators upon finishing their training, to offer healing and care to those needing, and finally settled down in Tanzhou. Mild-mannered and sweet, she likes telling stories and making her stern wife smile.

Zhao Yicheng – one of the young cultivators who fought the undead at the old plague graveyard. Designated ”short boy” by Xue Yang, he was the leader of the gang, and the brains behind his and his friend Wang Haifeng's plan to use demonic cultivation to raise monsters for them to fight in order to gain glory and a good reputation. He and his cousin Zhao Yijun are from the Zhao clan, which Wen Zhuliu once belonged to before getting adopted into the Wen family.

Zhao Yijun – one of the young cultivators who fought the undead at the plague graveyard. Xue Yang called him ”the taller Zhao” or ”compass boy.” Happily unaware of his cousin's and friend's plan to raise the dead, he was trying to track fierce corpses using one of the older models of spirit compass - which strangely started malfunctioning once Song Lan joined the Night Hunt... He and his cousin Zhao Yicheng are from the Zhao clan, which Wen Zhuliu once belonged to before getting adopted into the Wen family.

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

To potentially be added to as the story progresses.

[amour393]

Au where Wu was bit by the Great Devourer instead of Garmadon:

Wu does have the courage to cross the temple wall, thank you very much

But that means he gets bit :(

So for a bunch of stuff it's switched

Ex. Wu is banished to the Underworld, trains under Chen, etc.

Garmadon gives Ray the map to the golden weapons

ALSO for all of you who are part of the Morro Deserved Better side of the fandom, here ya go!!

Garmadon trained Morro and DIDN'T lead him to believe he would become the green ninja so Morro grows up with Garmadon

Misako still chooses Garm (mostly so Lloyd can exist) so they become a happy family of big bro Morro, Misako, Garm, and eventually lil Lloyd

So in this au, Misako is still trash (sorry not sorry) and ditches them because she knew Lloyd would be the green ninja, yadda yadda yadda, knew he would have to fight Wu, etc. etc.

BUT Garm and Morro still take care of Lloyd so he actually grows up in a GOOD HOME

so Lloyd isn't a reckless little troublemaker and doesn't release the Serpentine -> doesn't unleash the Great Devourer -> no mega weapon -> a) they keep the golden weapons and b) Lloyd stays the age he was supposed to be

Wu still tries to mess up Lloyd's training, but he's a bit less...careful about making sure Lloyd stays safe

Wu still does the whole overlord thing, blah blah blah, final battle, saved Wu, yadda yadda yadda, etc. etc.

In this au Wu banishished the Serpentine generals to the cursed realm so he takes Garm's place for that whole thing

RIP Wu

Possession never happens because Morro is a GOOD HUMAN BEING who actually HAS A FAMILY and LOVES LLOYD

big bro Morro is my favorite thing about this au tbh

Anyhoo, Skybound happens, Hands of Time etc.

COLE NEVER TURNS INTO A GHOST :D

Day of the Departed never happens

So basically Morro still goes looking for the tomb because Kai bet him 40 bucks he couldn't find it

And he just couldn't turn down that challenge

Morro is threatened by Kai bc Kai is turning into Lloyd's new big brother figure and that is His Turf

So they all still learn Airjitzu, get the Sword of Sanctuary, get the Realm Crystal

Because the Great Devourer never happened, Harumi isn't a twisted little punk and we never hear from her

So no SoG, no Hunted, no March of the Oni

S11 still happens bc even though Wu is toast Aspheera figures his brother is the next best thing

Prime Empire, MoM, and the Island are still the same

Basically, Wu caused half the problems in Ninjago and if Garmadon had dealt with them instead Lloyd would be a lot less traumatized :')

[sleepy-subtitles]

"I can't believe they let us go together," Liu Sang mutters as he tramps along the underbrush behind Wu Xie.

"My hearing isn't as good as yours but it's pretty quiet out here," Wu Xie says cheerfully. "What are you complaining about? Who else were you going to be with?"

Liu Sang stumbles on a rock and sighs. Wu Xie's right: Pangzi is about to blow things up again and his ouxiang is doing things that defy gravity. Again. So unless he wanted to hide in the long grasses by himself, he had to be with Mr. Trouble. But that's not why he's - not complaining - wondering.

"It's just surprising that they let the two of us stick together."

"Why?

"The two of us, Wu Xie." Liu Sang pokes the man's back with a stick. "Unsupervised."

Wu Xie stops and turns around. "Now, see, I wasn't going to mention it. I'm more surprised that you are. I thought you considered me the troublemaker all by myself? Don't tell me you're planning on joining in."

Liu Sang drops his shoulders in exasperation. "Absolutely not. I'm on ouxiang's team, all the way. I just mean that certain events that cannot be ignored have proven neither of us can avoid trouble."

"Xiaoge's team is our team. You're on my team whether you like it or not." Wu Xie plants his walking stick and taps on it thoughtfully. "And you seem to ignore certain events just fine."

"I don't ignore things, I just move on from things."

"Except Pangzi."

"I tried ignoring Pangzi, look where it got me."

"You're part of our team!" Wu Xie sounds delighted, which is a sight more happy that Liu Sang feels he had any right to be.

He's gotten used to being included and being thought of and being wanted, but he still doesn't understand it. That will come with time, hopefully.

The earth shakes underneath them as a resounding BOOM fills the air. Liu Sang covers his ears and Wu Xie does the same. He covers Liu Sang's ears. Thirty seconds tick by. Liu Sang motions toward Wu Xie with his elbow, but the man shakes his head. Another BOOM crashes the calm air and makes the ground tremble.

When they can see that dirt has stopped falling from the sky, they both release Liu Sang's ears.

"Ow. Why didn't you cover your own ears?" Liu Sang shakes his head a little even though he knows that won't help with the ringing as his hearing comes back in full.

Wu Xie shrugs. "We're far enough away. It's just loud to me, not painful."

Liu Sang glares at him, not that it has any effect. "Let's go." He starts walking back to where they're going to meet up with the others.

"Don't be surly," Wu Xie says as he catches up. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm not surly. I'm not anything."

"I hope you're awake and breathing and ready to descend into a pit of madness and history-" Wu Xie doesn't try to block the shove from Liu Sang, instead just grinning into it.

"You're incorrigible."

"I know." Wu Xie is still grinning.

Liu Sang looks ahead, but he's smiling, too.

[su-univeralai]

GOOODDDD MORRNNNNIINNNGGGGG SUU 💛

I am here for your essay. Or yknow, just any dunebaby facts that you can spare.

*heavy breathing* oh no, she's come for my OCs exactly like she said she would.

lolol Ok, I've got bios on 9 out of 10 of my kids so far, but I wrote a quick blurb about them so hopefully you can't figure out who I didn't start until now lol. The older 4 (which 3/4 are legit characters in LOK, but tweaked to my liking) are grown-ass adults while the other 6 are probably between 14-21. So, our beloved Taang parents have been popping kids out from when they were 18 or 19 to 39 or 40 years old.

At some point I'll make a family tree for you, since most of the older dunebabies have their own families and that can be confusing. Some have more information than others, but more will be added on each of them as time goes on. I just haven't figured them out yet.

Also, gonna put a cut here, because it's a long post and I know not everyone wants to see my OCs lol.

Ok Onto the Dunebabies from oldest to youngest:

Gyatso (M) Airbender, 35: Named after Aang’s father figure, Gyatso is Toph and Aang’s first born and first of several airbending children. He has a knack for the art and excelled quickly with mastering it, narrowly falling short of beating Aang’s record of mastering airbending at 13. As he got older and his parents continued having children, he became like a father figure to the younger ones. That’s the best part about having tons of kids, right? At some point the older ones raise the younger ones and the parents can just have fun. Once Tiao Wu turned 13, Gyatso and his own wife, boyfriend, and kids moved away from home and resided in the Western Air Temple with some Air Acolytes.

Lin (F) Earthbender, 32: Lin is a straight arrow, always following the rules. Sometimes Toph’s jokes that her first born daughter is actually Katara’s because wasn’t as goofy as Gyatso and Tenzin. As kids, Lin and Tenzin butted heads like no other. They may have had a year or two when they got along, but that was when Lin was training to be a police officer and Tenzin was always out because he was dating Pema. They constantly bicker at family gatherings, but make a mean team when they spar against the other next gen kids. Their twin telepathy (yes, they are twins in my universe) comes into play and they are undefeatable. That is until the triplets becomes masters in their own right. While Lin is a talented earthbender and metalbender, she struggled with picking it up (perhaps because of Toph’s hardcore teaching style). She responded to a “more gentle approach” as Katara would say, and Aang helped her learn the basics until she was ready to take on Toph’s more intense lessons. Lin is definitely closer with Aang than she is with Toph, but goes to mom if something needs to be done quickly and under wraps. Lin works long hours as chief of the police force in republic city, so she doesn’t have much time for romance. When she finds a spare moment for intimacy, she frequents a bar that accepts everyone. She brought Songa with her before her little sis fell in love with (insert steambaby daughter name here).

Tenzin (M) Airbender, 32: Tbh Tenzin still marries Pema and has his four kids, like in LOK. Lol. Unlike the show, with the weight of the whole air nation not on his shoulders, Tenzin was not a serious kid. He played pai sho with the white lotus members and roughed it up with Lin. Tenzin had a difficult time mastering airbending, though. He lacked the spiritual connection that his father and brother easily had. He blamed being stuck with an earthbender in the womb for 9 months at his lack of skill with airbending. His masters airbending at 21 and is pumped to finally get his tattoos. Since Pema is an air acolyte, I'm saying that her parents were also acolytes, and she and Tenzin met as kids and got along really well. They started dating at 16. Tenzin wanted to wait to get his arrows before proposing to her, so they date for 5 long years as Pema cheered him on in the grueling training. Tenzin and Pema eventually move to the Northern Air Temple and kept Teo company.

Suyin (F) Earthbender, 26: Suyin was a troublemaker when she was a kid, always pranking her siblings. She spent way too much time with Sokka. At least that’s what Toph says. Her teenage years, that’s when things became dicey. With Lin on the streets as a cop and Su committing petty crimes, the two were bound to cross paths. After Lin brought her in for whay must have been the thousandth time and Toph had to bail her out, Toph sent her to the her old stomping ground: the Earth Rumble 6. Toph still had her ear in the stadium and stayed in touch with The Boulder, and she thought it’d do her some good to get beat up by other earthbenders. Su stayed with her grandparents and got the structure she needed and got her act together. She got pounded by her opponents the first few years, but she slowly moved her way up the food chain and eventually held her mother’s old title as champion. Once she turned 18, she left to travel the world, meeting up with Kya (can't decide if Kya will be a steambaby or a Sukka baby. Is there a cut name for Sukka babies?). Along the way she met Bataar and fell in love with him and together build zaofu and have all their kids from LOK.

Songa (F) Airbender, 21: The oldest of the triplets to be born. Songa is a calm spirit, she reminds Aang of Yangchen with her way of keeping the peace in their large family. She’s a true romantic like her father and catches the attention of a lot of men, but alas, her heart is won over by one of Katara and Zuko’s daughters, (insert steambaby name here lol). She sees the best in everyone and trusts a little too easily. Watch out though, if you get on her bad side or betray her trust one too many times, her mother’s sass and tongue come out and no one wants to be hit by her earthbending styled airbending. Songa is a talented bender and has a tendency to use her airbending like an earthbender, facing things head on. She can seemlessly switch between styles, but she'd prefer to take her opponents on directly.

Kera (F) Nonbender, 21: Kera is the heart of the triplets. She’s passionate like a firebender and meets conflict head-on like her mom. Being the first non-bender didn’t feel great coming from the lineage of the Avatar and Toph Beifond, strongest earthbender in the world and metalbender originator, but she found peace in being a non-bender when hearing all the stories of Sokka, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee, Teo, and their many other friends taking down bender and non-benders alike. Kera begged her parents to live in the Fire Nation to study under Mai and Ty Lee. Aang and Toph didn’t have any problems with her going, but Zuko and Katara did, fearing she (being a dunebaby) would cause mayhem in the palace. Only after swearing to Zuko that she wouldn’t make a mess did the Fire Lord allow her stay with them. During her time there, she mastered Mai and Ty Lee’s techniques and trained under the Yuyan archers. When she came home, she could beat the other two thirds of her triplets easily. Only when she teams up with the other two, can they take down Lin and Tenzin.

Choekyi (M) Airbender, 21: The last of the triplets to come be birthed. Choekyi is a free spirit, much like his father. He enjoys traveling and meeting new people. As a child (and an adult) he is easily excited and is a very charismatic guy, which gets him far with the ladies in his teens and early twenties. He’s never scared of trying new things, sometimes to his detriment, as he gets hurt a lot for someone light on his toes. His preferred method of transportation is air scooter. Choekyi gets along with Uncle Sokka the most, with his never ending jokes and letting him learn how to throw a boomerang even though he’s a bender. Choekyi spends some time in the swamp with the swamp benders just because he finds them to be hilarious and interesting. This is where he connects with his spirituality and returns to excel in airbending, and earns his tattoos.

Songa and Kera are idenitcal twins, so no one (beside Toph and Choekyi) can tell them apart until Songa earns her arrows. Choekyi looks similar to them, as he is their triplet, but since he came from a different egg, he turns out to be much taller than his sisters. Just imagine Toph's face when she feels three freakin' heartbeats along with hers. Idk if that's scientifically sound, but it's my universe, so I can say what I want lol.

Gyun (M) Nonbender, 18: He's a very musical guy. Gyun means music, but it can also mean germ or bacteria. So his older siblings make fun of him when he’s young. While his bending siblings practice and spar, he masters most musical instruments and even becomes a skilled singer. He’s a favorite of Uncle Iroh’s and spends time with him playing music and perfecting his tea making when he’s not training with Master Piandao and mastering different types of sword fighting styles. Gyun is a lover, not a fighter, and is recruited as the youngest member of the national opera company. He rises in fame, without having to reveal his high ranking connections to his family members. Gyun is a true renaissance man (you know if the renaissance existed back then). He looks up to all of his siblings and soaks in all the stories and advice his can get to perfect the art of storytelling and acting.

MeiLin (F) Nonbender, 17: MeiLin may be one of the youngest, but she’s definitely the sassiest of the bunch. With the personality like her mother, it’s no wonder she’s a bosslady even from a young age. She doesn’t take shit from anyone. While she’s the beauty of the dunebabies (but who really isn’t attractive in this family?) and can hold her poise better than any royal, from the tender age of three, she’s wanted to become the fiercest fighter in the world. After a lot of convincing, Toph and Aang let her train with Aunt Suki and learn how to fight like a Kyoshi Warrior. After she masters that, She begs her parents to send her to the Fire Nation to study under Mai and Ty Lee. By the time she’s 14, she’s already mastered the art of dagger throwing, chi blocking, and the Kyoshi warriors fighting style. Aang isn’t too pleased that she fights in tournaments like Toph did, but Toph watches every match she can get! MeiLin asks her to bet on her and they split the wealth at the end. Lin wants her youngest sister to join the police force when she turns 18, but MeiLin isn't sure she wants to enforce the law like Lin.

Tiao Wu (M) Earthbender, 14: The baby of the family, and loves it. Unlike MeiLin, Tiao Wu is a homebody and a huge mama’s boy, though really isn’t a mama’s boy in the Beifong Family? Like his name suggests, he’s a great dancer and for an earthbender, he sure is light on his toes. While Gyatso is called Twinkletoes Jr, Tiao Wu is known as the Fancy Dancer. Literally. That’s the stage name he chose for his bending dance competitions. When he’s not dancing or hanging out with Toph, he’s studying his cousin’s bending forms, wanting to incorporate it into his repertoire. Tiao Wu is also close to Aang, as he showed an early talent to be one with the spirits. As a six year old, he would meditate next to Aang and beat the freakin’ Avatar, master of all four elements and bridge between the physical and spiritual world, to the Spirit World. He’s also known to be the only human who is allowed to visit Wong Si Tong’s library there.

ALRIGHT Joy, here are some basic facts about my dunebabies universe. If you or anyone else wants to send me asks so I can more deeply construct their personalities, feel free!

[chalkrevelations]

Episode 31 of Word of Honor, and in many ways OH MY GOD YES, but also, no, show, wtf?

As in, wt actual f is going on? Literally, what is happening?

(Spoilers, so scroll away and come back later, if you need to.)

So, first thing’s first: I feel like this one may end up a bit short, because a lot of it is likely to be just a bunch of keysmash flailing? (EDIT: No, I just came back up here to the top from the bottom, because this is NOT AT ALL any shorter than usual.) I’ll attempt a bit more than exclamation points and worry over whether my poor heart is able to take this, but we’ll see how it goes, because the first thing I’m going to do is say I knew it! and I told you so! I knew you weren’t planning to die, Zhou Zishu. I did call you a liar after Ep 30, and I was right. I mean, what’s the point of having the terrifying master of the Ghost Valley as your boyfriend husband if he’s not going to rescue you after you’ve been kidnapped for attempted ravishment by the evil prince? And get you the best wedding present ever, i.e., a bunch of new disciples? Omg, Zhou Zishu’s face when Wen Kexing finally calls himself a disciple of Four Seasons Manor! (I think he’s so overwhelmed, he doesn’t even realize when WKX calls him “shixiong” a minute before that!) Wen Kexing’s tiny pained smile that he just can’t seem to help when ZZS lays his hand on WKX’s head! That long shuddering breath ZZS lets out, and the way his shoulders just drop, like he’s finally let go of a huge weight! (The worry this brings me, because there are five and a half episodes left, my dude, and your husband is a troublemaker, and I would not be getting complacent, if I was you.) The fact that WKX has knelt to ZZS and called him zongzhu in front of the Ghost Valley contingent – there’s gotta be some political implications to that. Horseback riding! The way WKX keeps holding (up) ZZS! Lol at WKX being all, you all can leave now, we can take our honeymoon alone from here! ZZS knew he would come (I told you so)! Their smiles! Their soft little faces! (Merciless killers! How so fucking adorable?) The hairpin! MARRIED, Y’ALL. Censorship? I don’t know her. ANYWAY, that’s all just a bunch of flailing reaction to the first almost 20 minutes of emoporn. Also, Zhang Zhehan, you should not do suffering so pretty. It makes me feel like a bad person for still enjoying your face so much when your character is in so much physical and emotional distress.

Secondly, show. We need to talk. You should not be this opaque. I’m trying to piece together everything that’s happened in (vaguely) chronological order:

Sometime before dying (before breaking his heart meridians?), Han Ying tells Wen Kexing about the Four Seasons Remnants back with Prince Jin. All of Ep 30 happens, with Zhou Zishu and Xie Wang both making a mess of Awful Prince’s/Yifu’s plans. Xie Wang, the rest of the Scorpions, and the Ghost Valley team retreat back to a lair. Which lair? Who knows, at this point. Cao Weining talks to Fan Shishu. (He explicitly tells this to A-Xiang.) But does he also confront Mo Huaiyang? Because I feel like it must be significant that we get the same turn of phrase to describe Zhao Jing’s relationship with Xie Wang – asking a tiger for its skin – from Mo Huaiyang to Fan Shishu, and then attributed to Cao Weining when A-Xiang quotes it to WKX in the same ep. The show even emphasizes this for us to catch by drawing attention to A-Xiang’s use of it via her struggle to remember the idiom properly. (A. This episode’s convo between Mo Huaiyang and Fan Shishu, which is when we see Mo Huaiyang actually use the idiom, happens AFTER Cao Weining and Gu Xiang leave Gentle Wind Sword Sect. I went back and checked, and it is Mo Huaiyang who uses it, not Fan Shishu. B. In this same convo, Fan Shishu says he still needs to explain all this to the disciples somehow, so C. Was there a prior, unseen convo between just Cao Weining and Mo Huaiyang in which Mo Huaiyang practiced his excuses on poor, hapless Cao Weining first?)

Anyway, Cao Weining then goes to A-Xiang, who’s lit. and fig. in the dark at this point, in her rustic cabin outside the gated community. I notice Cinnamon Roll already has his bag packed. He is done. He lays out the current political web, and A-Xiang seems pretty sure of Liu Qianqiao’s ultimate loyalty to WKX. This is probably important in what happens next. Gu Xiang and Cao Weining decide to run away and elope but then … get captured and taken to the lair. On purpose? A-Xiang did see Liu Qianqiao with Xie Wang in the Secret Cave, standing shoulder to shoulder with Du Pusa as an apparent top-tier henchwoman, and she probably expects to be protected, but this seems like a pretty big gamble. I suppose you don’t survive the Ghost Valley without learning to take some risks. A-Xiang then leads Xie Wang and the Ghost Valley contingent to WKX (at burned-down Four Seasons Manor?) to, she says, let WKX take down Xie Wang. She notes Xie Wang’s use of some potion to control everyone – I assume the Drug Man potion, and I assume the monthly antidote is what’s keeping everyone in the Ghost Valley from going full Drug Man?

WKX and Xie Wang confer in secret. Probably about how much they both hate Awful Yifu. I mean, I assume Xie’er still hates Awful Yifu at this point, but who knows what tomorrow will bring? Probably a key point here: WKX is hiding whatever this was about from his husband. My dude, why are you still like this? I guess that explains the pained cast to that tiny little smile earlier. WKX then takes some of the Ghost Valley contingent and coordinates with the Four Seasons Remnants back in Prince Jin’s territory to rescue ZZS. Husband safely rescued, WKX now heads back to Ghost Valley, to … abdicate? He promises A-Xiang he’s going to come back safely, and my dude, I’m trying to believe you. I really am. I’m trying to have as much faith in you planning to be back all along as I had in ZZS not planning to die in Jin Palace all along, but here’s a key difference: HE LET YOU IN ON HIS PLAN. Which you were a key part of. I find your secrecy, by contrast, concerning.

Other things:

Love the little moment between Gu Xiang and Liu Qianqiao and Luo Fumeng when Beauty Ghost and Tragicomic Ghost turn to Xie Wang in righteous indignation and want to know what the fuck he thinks he’s doing to their little girl. Compare the reaction of these two moms to Happy Ghost being all, “Nope, this is a complete and total in with Wen Kexing right here in a pretty pink dress.” The show continues to draw a fairly bright line between the characterization of the women in the Department of the Unfaithful - who are terrorizing certain people, true, but also watching out for each other after ending up down on their luck – and the general run of men in Ghost Valley, who are basically rotten sociopaths straight out of Batman’s rogues gallery and will sell you out in a minute for their own gain. Yes, this has been made fairly explicit in Wen Kexing’s and A-Xiang’s commentary in past eps and later in this ep about trying to get the Department of the Unfaithful out of the line of fire while not caring if the jianghu burns down the rest of Ghost Valley, but this isn’t just favoritism or a whim, just some fond memories of Luo Fumeng being kind to them a couple of times in the past. I think there’s some commentary here on the kind of men who are so far gone they find themselves outside the bounds of “civilized” society and the kind of women who do – how much easier and quicker it is for a woman, that it could be any woman in the wrong circumstances, and how much further gone a man has to be than a woman to be considered a “devil.” We’ve seen these supportive interpersonal relationships among the women since Gu Xiang “adopted” her two girls in the first handful of episodes and told off Lovelace with the threat of Tragicomic Ghost – and the show is continuing to show it, not just tell it. It’s one of the things I’ve found frustrating about Wen Kexing a couple of times in past eps, when he’s trying to get A-Xiang’s two girls, or other women from the Department, to just leave and go do something else – I feel like even though WKX realizes their circumstances and their personalities are different from the rest of his Top Ten Devils, he’s not fully comprehending that they literally have nowhere else to go, that if they had any other options, they wouldn’t have ended up there in the first place. He called the two girls “puppies” when he talked about A-Xiang having to take care of them, but as Ghost Valley master, who’s enforced the independence of and protections for the Department of the Unfaithful, he’s walking away from his own basketful of puppies. Not to mention, this is one of the vanishingly small places in this particular version of the jianghu that we’ve seen women have any autonomy and power. I … think there may have been a few young female cultivators in Yueyang Sect, but while I’d have to go back and watch to be sure, I remember the Hero’s Conference being a whole bunch of men throwing their … weight around. Anyway, I also love that it looks like A-Xiang tries to kick Happy Ghost in the shin, because of course she does.

Visually, they had a cool thing going on there with the Tian Chuang behind WKX falling in concert with WKX lowering his fan, but they didn’t quite coordinate it enough, and then they cut away too soon. Bah. It was set up to be a very cool visual, if only they had committed to it. Meanwhile Duan Pengju, this asshole, omg. He’s trying to pull off the Collar of Evil and is not succeeding. Srsly, his Collar of Evil is droopy. It doesn’t stop him from monologuing like he’s the actual villain and not some sad-sack lackey. You showed the correct amount of amused disdain during your interaction, but I can’t believe you left him alive at the end of it, Wen Kexing.

I wasn’t really feeling Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi up until this ep when Jing Beiyuan was teasing A-Xiang about her lack of shame over running away with her lover. OK, fine, you can stay, Qi Ye. Also, wow. Speaking of lack of shame, I can’t believe you just accused your husband of bride kidnapping right in front of everyone’s salads, because that is totally what just happened there.

So the band is (almost all) back together, minus Chengling, who has definitely found out in the worst possible way that one of his dads is the terrifying master of the Ghost Valley that massacred his family and sect. So, this should go well.

Lol at Xie’er lounging in Wen Kexing’s Ghost Valley master seat like some kind of consort. He’s already got a husband, Xie’er. One that would not be happy with a concubine running around, I think. I do wonder what the full scope of their plan/understanding is, bubbling away under this stare-down.

A note – WKX’s hair is styled differently in this ep in the Ghost Valley master scenes than it has been before. Previously, those side bangs were further forward and a little bit chunkier, which, I think, narrowed his face and also helped emphasize the wild-eyed look. They’re wispier and back further, now, which I think softens his face, even when he’s trying to look imposing. Makes him look more, dare I say, human.

And now, I’m going to go have a few Han Ying/Bi Xingming thoughts, actually. God, those months after ZZS left, can you imagine what that was like for them? Han Ying having watched those nails placed in Bi Xingming’s shifu in the first ep, and then having to turn around and go to Bi Xingming and tell him that ZZS was gone, with the seven nails in him? Both of them trying to hold the Four Seasons Remnants together – and then Ying-ge comes back one day and says he’s found ZZS? Mutual aid and comfort, my dudes. Also some projection. I’m just sayin’. Meet me, I guess - this kind of sideline action and extremely rare pair thing is how I tend to roll.

[bastardsunlight]

My buddy over at @sxvethelastdance​ is doing some deep dive shit on the subject of Liu Kang’s faith in all his iterations—95, games, 2021—so I decided “hey why don’t I do that too?” because I also desire to be one of The Cool Kids™. This is in no way meant to be taken as gospel truth or whatever. It’s mostly for me own records, headcanons-wise, and just kind of a character-building exercise since Lao has become one of my more active/sought-after muses of late. I’ll hide it under a cut because it’s liable to get long

Like my S C H L O N G [cue pornbot invasion]

PS THIS IS GOING TO BE ABOUT MORE THAN JUST HIS FAITH BECAUSE A LOT OF THAT WILL COME FROM UPBRINGING/FAMILY AND WILL ALSO FOCUS ON HIS PERSONALITY AND THE INS/OUTS OF IT

For our purposes (and like, in reality because I DO respect authorial intent to some extent), Shaolin Monks isn’t canon, like at all. Someone had a fever dream and Liu Kang/Kung Lao were bimbos for a few hours. Okay they’re still kind of like that, god bless ‘em, but you get the idea. AIGHT now that’s out the way, let’s get this cue ball rolling.

Okay for starters, games Lao because well he’s only ever appeared in the games (and we don’t usually talk about Legacy Because OOF middle-aged Liu Kang with a hot topic sweater and anger issues—Liu Kangst. You’re welcome [plays a high G on the nearest piano]).

Kung Lao comes from a long, distinguished family who has always contributed to the order of light—they’re founding members, all that stuff. They did not build the academy itself, but the Order started with the Great Kung Lao. OUR Kung Lao is the fulfillment of a prophecy, some vague old thing that told of an ancestor who would carry the “spirit of the Great Kung Lao”. They figure reincarnation, which is a reasonable assumption. If that’s true or not, only Fire God Liu Kang and Lord Raiden know, because they’re the only ones to have met him in person. Whatever the case, Kung Lao is born with the ability to call spirits and channel their energy, their “pressure” to do a variety of things, including teleport, an ability that thankfully did not come until later—can you imagine a teleporting toddler? Good god.

The entire Kung line is blessed with some spiritual power, here and there. Kung Lao is off the charts. His mother, a short time before his birth, has a dream where the GKL came to her and said “this is the one”. He is reaching out to his ancestor from the Realm of the Honored Dead, knowing full well that the once-a-generation tournament is not far off and feeling the pull to Lao like some kind of magnet or doorway. Kung Lao is the strongest spirit-channeler the Kung family has ever seen. His parents therefore name him Lao and with the name comes a great and terrible burden.

He is, naturally, chosen as the generational tithe to the Wu-Shi academy and, naturally, the Order of Light. This is a case of being raised in the faith, knowing little else, but being sharp enough to question some things. Obviously, as a kid, he doesn’t question—he just learns and obeys, trains under various masters, etc. Sometime during his younger years, an orphan shows up at the temple and, being a charitable organization, the elders of the temple take him in and name the boy Liu Kang. Liu and Lao become fast friends and the elders are, of course, pleased as  punch to see the Kung’s legacy being a good influence on someone like Liu Kang who, unbeknownst to anyone but them (and Raiden), is the blood of Onaga and in possession of a terrible power himself. It does not occur to them that Lao will not be chosen by the god of thunder to be Earthrealm’s champion. Everyone at the academy trains for this purpose, but in THIS generation, no one even questions that it will be Lao.

Kung Lao is extremely gifted, rarely has to study, hardly tries on all exams and new techniques and masters the strange and deadly weapon that is his signature with relatively few injuries. Combining that with his abilities to move spiritual force and teleport and he is a shoe-in. His faith in the Elder Gods is more of a background hum, at this point and, though he has met Lord Raiden, his faith there, too, is hardly a thought. It’s just part of his life. As anyone who grows up in a faith could tell you, the routines become like breathing.

Liu Kang and Kung Lao grow side-by-side as best friends, confidants, troublemakers (though Lao is absolutely the one cutting class), and, as they grow older and into themselves, lovers.

The first time Kung Lao’s faith comes to the forefront and really shakes is when Lord Raiden choses Liu Kang to be his champion for Mortal Kombat. There is the initial shock, of course, and then there is fear. Mortal Kombat has killed very Earthrealm champion, without exception, since the Great Kung Lao’s second attempt. The legends of Prince Goro are written in the forbidden texts of the academy’s library and naturally, the shaolin rowdy boys have broken in and read them all. Kung Lao meditates for hours, wondering what he did wrong. He is never, at any point, resentful toward Liu Kang himself, who has always been an unfailingly loyal friend, a humble monk, an excellent student, and has, with hard work and perseverance, excelled in HIS classes as well.

The more he considers it, the more his faith in the Elder Gods is shaken—if it was ever terribly solid in the first place. More than that, he begins to mistrust Raiden. Kung Lao determines that, due to the hopelessness of the situation, the likelihood of Liu Kang’s return is almost zero. He has all the faith in the world in how strong Liu Kang is, of course, but those odds are not good. He begins to deeply resent the idea that Liu was chosen as a lamb for slaughter based on factors other than likelihood to win. This is also when the insecurity starts to REALLY set in.

Kung Lao doesn’t realize that Liu Kang views him as equal or superior, seeing how he has never had to study or work at ANYTHING to just nail whatever it is, every time. Kung Lao is one of those young adults who was a child prodigy and is experiencing some SERIOUS burnout in his early twenties. It isn’t that Kung Lao doesn’t know he’s good—he’s very aware of his skill. It comes out as brazen arrogance. No one but Liu Kang can seem to knock him down ANY pegs. His faith, he realizes, has always been in himself and in Liu, in what they’ve built and shared. There is a depth of intimacy in that friendship that goes beyond even the physical—though there IS that.

He’s kind of in the mode of “what have the Elder Gods ever done for me?” (spoiler alert: nothing) and he questions Raiden’s motivations as he slowly adds shit up. Liu Kang is an orphan, of no family, with great power. He doesn’t know if there’s something else to it, but he sees the reactions of the elders of the temple when Raiden chooses Liu and it isn’t “weird that you didn’t choose the kid we groomed from birth to do this” but an almost insane level of like, understanding, as if this was a possible outcome. There is something else up, but he has no way of knowing it. He hates the way Liu just accepts it and while they are still capable of making jokes about the whole situation, he can sense the turmoil within Liu, as well, who is ALSO wondering why Lao wasn’t chosen.

Kung Lao is now the black sheep, the family failure, the one who was beaten out by an orphan. This really begins his “second banana” status and everyone seems to know it. They equate his brash pride to insecurity, which in a way it is, because part of him will always wonder what he did wrong, but they did not know him before. It goes from being part of his personality to being a shield. If he is arrogant and aloof, untouchable, no one will see the doubt and trepidation within. And STILL the Elder Gods do NOTHING. When he sneaks into the tournament, he’s taking matters into his own hands, where he is convinced they have always been.

See, he had been okay with dying for Earthrealm, though he was certain with this power, he wouldn’t—that he could save the place like the ancestor for which he was named. He is not ready to lose Liu Kang.

Aight so caveat here, most of this above was built with a VERY specific Liu Kang in mind and below is 100% riding on that same writer (heh riding). None of this has to, in any way, reflect on anyone else’s Liu Kang—not that I’ve seen a ton of those.

MK2021 for all its faults, had amazing characterization for the heroes, even if some of the cuts, scenes, and lines were a bit ……. Clunky. Kung Lao is clearly a powerful fighter, confident to the point of arrogance, but with the skill to back it up. Even when Cole puts him in the dirt, he hops back up and summons his hat, like “okay cool, now let’s get real” because Kombat is not like a cage fight. This is a man who knows few limitations, is highly skilled, and has clearly been raised in the faith, much like his counterpart from the games. His Arcana is passed through his bloodline, much like that of the Hasashi clan and a few others who have passed out of living memory, likely done in by previous Outworld assassination coups.

The biggest difference between games and 2021 Lao is that the latter is a man who demands proof at every turn, by force if necessary, AND HE IS AWARE OF THIS. His faith rests not in the Elder Gods—not caring much for them or their lack of involvement—but in Raiden himself and only then because he has challenged the god of thunder and was put down pretty soundly. Kung Lao respects ability. He has it, so he therefore expects everyone around him to hold themselves to that same standard.

He is two or three years older than Kang, the young orphan Master Bo’ Rai Cho brought to the temple when they are still children, probably six and nine, give or take. They have no classes together, initially, but Kung Lao ss instructed to keep an eye on him, to help him adjust. The two become fast friends and Liu Kang admires the bejeezus out of his shi xiong, both because of that age difference and the obvious experience gap, and because Kung Lao will ALWAYS go to bat for him.

Kung Lao is well aware of the stakes of this tournament, knows that it is, for the most part, riding on him. This becomes doubly true when Sub-Zero is sent to Earthrealm to start taking out the other champions, one by one, to halt a prophecy. Someone carrying Hasashi blood will upset the balance of the tournament.

He is a dutiful monk, a competent teacher, a powerful fighter, and, alongside Liu Kang, the best hope humanity has for victory. Kung Lao’s resentment, in this universe, is directed primarily toward the elders who sent Kang out into the world after his graduation from the academy as a student (as must all students, some with specific orders, and some with more vague directions) to find his true path. The elders have essentially forced Kang to relive the darkest time in his life and thence, to feel the rage and resentment that has for so long boiled beneath his skin, channeling it into a killing urge. Kung Lao protects Liu Kang from this as best he can and, more than that, he protects the world from Liu Kang.

[spacesuitsforemergency]

Meiling Wu-San AKA Terminator

⁃ Meiling was trained all her life, much like her half sister, Cassandra. They have different fathers, Meiling’s being an assassin from Cambodia, also chosen to have a child with Sandra to create the perfect warrior. He was killed by Mei herself when she had enough of him, simple as that. He was no father to her, just a trainer so she felt no remorse

⁃ Mei’s relationship with her mother is...complicated, to say the least. They both know the other loves them, but Sandra will let her be trained by the most harsh mentors and continue to tell her she’s not good enough yet, but with “polishing”, she will be

⁃ Mei joined the Trio under the orders of the League, but she ended up actually liking being a small side team rather than having to work with the actual Leaguers all the time

⁃ Meiling is very disciplined and professional, but she’s still a teenager and she can be quite the troublemaker. She likes bending/stretching rules like Lindsay does, they’ll do it as far as they can until a Leaguer actually gets mad at them, then she’ll return to her professional self

⁃ She really doesn’t interact much with Cassandra, she tries not to but when she does she’ll taunt her and give her that annoying grin Cass would like to wipe off her face. And Batman tries to get her to leave the League but Mei’s in too deep to leave at this point as she sees it. Rolls her eyes when he says “it’s never too late to change” and all that bull

⁃ Cayden may be the leader but she has to take over a lot cause he’s a dumbass. Mei also makes him respect women just a bit more because...it’s Mei, she’ll hold a sword to his throat and make him say shit like “I’m sorry Lady Meiling, I’m a little bitch and I bow down to you” just because she can

⁃ It’s safe to say Mei’s the most respect Trio member, the League almost treats her like an equal, almost. They still think she has more to learn, much like her mother thinks as well

[secret-engima]

WU-Vala, meeting Bast (and Aloy) again at the proving?

I’ve actually written this scene!! Here have a snippet:

...

     They were out of bunks, with only an extra bed clearly meant just for Aloy hastily added in and Bast was propped up against the wall next to it with his sword on his shoulder before she could insist he take the bed instead. She sighed and sat down on the bed, knowing that he wasn’t going to uncurl from his corner now that he was settled. She set her bow and other equipment down next to his, knowing he would be guarding it in that light doze he used to rest when his nightmares were too close to the surface to really sleep. Another girl sat down on the bunk next to them and Aloy braced for Bast getting pestered again, “Hey, it’s Aloy, right? Teb the Stitcher talks about you.”

     Aloy blinked, and Bast’s head tilted fractionally in the girl’s direction even if he didn’t open his eyes. The dark-skinned girl smiled at Aloy, “You were raised with Bast in the wilds after he was cast out, right? You two act like you know each other.”

     Aloy tugged on a braid as she replied, “Uh … yeah. We were. Most of our lives.”

     “Thanks for taking care of him, then.”

     Bast opened his eyes at that and studied the girl with narrowed eyes while Aloy smothered a startled laugh —because really Bast had always been the one taking care of her, even when they had a language barrier, not the other way around—, “No problem. He’s easy enough to keep in line.”

     The girl’s smile faltered for just a second before brightening, “Really? Maybe going a little mad was good for him then. He was always a troublemaker back when I had to deal with him.”

     Bast kept silent, but Aloy could see his quiet confusion. He didn’t remember anything from before Kirin had taken him away to Eos, so there was no chance he recalled this girl’s name. Aloy tried to keep Bast’s confusion hidden by smiling back at the girl, “You must be quite something to have dealt with him when he was even more reckless…?”

     “Vala.” The newly introduced Vala then lowered her voice to keep from being overheard by others as she looked at Bast, “You don’t remember me at all, do you? You don’t remember anyone here.”

     Bast flexed his fingers idly on his sword sheath, “…No,” he admitted, “sorry. I barely remember anything from before I was outcast.”

     Vala frowned, but it didn’t look disapproving, more worried and sad. Then her expression cleared and she addressed the both of them, “Well then, it’s nice to meet you both. I’m your competition in the Proving.”

     Bast’s lips curled and despite the grim threat hanging over tomorrow, Aloy huffed a laugh, “Really? What about everyone else in here?”

     “Oh, they’ll finish the Proving … most of them anyway. But the way I see it, the winner will be one of us three.”

     “You’re right,” rasped Bast before Aloy could come up with a friendly retort. Storm colored eyes glanced from Aloy to Vala before nodding at the former, “she’s going to be the winner tomorrow.”

     Vala paused, stared at Bast and sat back a little on her bunk, “Huh,” she seemed surprised by something, but Aloy couldn’t tell what. Then Vala shook her head, “You should never celebrate a victory before it’s earned, Bast. My mother taught me that.” Vala stretched her arms over her head and then flopped over onto the blankets of her bunk, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get some sleep. I plan to be well rested when I run you two into the ground tomorrow.”