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tcfactory · 6 months

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Please consider: Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu role-swap

[LiuJiu, 2300 words]

After the fire, Shen Jiu doesn't sit around, he's aiming straight for Cang Qiong. Wu Yanzi tempts him, but if he is to ever find out what happened to Qi-ge then he can't play around with rogue cultivators, so he ditches the man before Wu Yanzi could take him as a disciple.

He arrives to the sect at a year when they are not doing the disciple selection - the women at the Warm Red Pavilion say it's because the Sect Leader is busy monitoring his cursed head disciple and if the Sect Leader doesn't take part then the rest of the sect has to wait too - but he's tipped off that Bai Zhan is always open to those who are determined enough to climb the mountain and demand admittance.

So that's exactly what he does. The Peak Lord sets him against one of his junior disciples and tells him there are no rules, if he can beat them he's in. It's a test he's not supposed to win, to see his determination and his reaction to failure, as a malnourished slave boy should be no match to someone in good health who has two years of training under his belt. But Shen Jiu doesn't know this, he has come too far to give up now and unlike the scrappy, but well-fed farmer's son he's set up against, he fights dirty.

He sets the basis of his future nickname - The Rabid Wolf of Bai Zhan - that day when he claws the boy's eye out and forces him to yield. His rise among the disciples is almost as meteoric as Yue Qi's and people are on the lookout for when the upstart slave boy will plummet back to the earth, but he never does. When the year is up and the sect is abuzz that Lingxi caves are finally opening again because they are letting the cursed disciple out, he's there in the front row among the curious onlookers and throws himself in his Qi-ge's arms as soon as the other boy steps foot into the light again.

Shen Qingqiu grows up tall and willowy and unpredictable, an unconventional physical cultivator that bends with the wind, but never breaks. With Yue Qingyuan's support as an unshakeable mountain behind his back, he is untouchable. He never bothers to hide what he is, not his scars or his sharp edges or the slave brand burned into the meat of his shoulder, often bared to the world by his choice of outfit; he stands as testament that even the lowest wretches can claw their way up to stand among giants.

Liu Mingqu yields to his rich family and allows himself to be enrolled into Qing Jing. He is not as suited for spiritual cultivation and he has no head for arts, but he is still a prodigy and a really hard working one at that. He learns all there is to learn for a scholar and doesn't rest until he perfects them all - music, calligraphy, painting, poetry - and even if he's ever uninspired about pursuing them, the Peerless Beauty of Qing Jing is a competent teacher who stands head and shoulders over his peers. He masters his temper and his manners and takes to hiding his face behind a fan or sometimes a veil like his sister to discourage people from staring at him.

Their roles may be different, but their nature remains the same. Shen Jiu has always been more clever than he was strong and nothing changed about that now that he's essentially a spiritual cultivator playing at star athlete. He plants a bamboo forest on his mountain - for meditation and ambush practice, he says, but everyone knows he just needed a bubble of calm for himself in the endless war zone of Bai Zhan - and mercilessly beats any disciple who dares to damage the forest. In the serene calm of his little house he hoards books and maps and all the culture he can get his calloused hands on, always thirsty to know more, an endless pit his Qi-ge happily pours obscure knowledge into. He uses the standing feud between Bai Zhan and Qing Jing to spy on them, learn their cultivation methods by sight and listen to the senior disciples do ad hoc concerts, so he can practice music in the brothel or under a silencing array just behind his house.

It's during one of these trips when he discovers Liu Qingge behind the Qing Jing Peak Lord's manor, restlessly shuffling through the steps of a formal dance. Liu Qingge yearns to move, he yearns for the exertion of his wild youth, but there are only so many acceptable options for a scholar and as a cultivator he can't channel his restlessness into hunting or horse riding. That leaves dancing, but Liu Qingge is not a creative person. He sticks to the dances he half-remembers learning as a rich young master and maybe asks his sister for some more, but that's where his resourcefulness runs out on this venture.

Shen Qingqiu watches him go through the steps of the same dozen dances, swap to a few rounds of sword forms - perfectly executed and ethereal, an immortal beauty that earthbound Shen Qingqiu will never be able to replicate - and then swap back to the dances, increasingly frustrated and restless.

"If Peak Lord Qingge wants to learn some better dances, this shidi can introduce you to someone." Liu Qingge startles and almost turns him into a pincushion with a barrage of bamboo leaves.

"What do you want?!" They are secure in their respective positions, but they still don't like each other.

"Peace, shixiong. I'm just looking out for the sect. How would it reflect on me if I let my fellow Peak Lord work himself into a qi deviation and didn't step in?" Shen Qingqiu shrugs and smiles with an easy, predatory grace that makes Liu Qingge wish he had fangs to match the Wolf of Bai Zhan, but there's no malice in the offer. "Come now, shixiong. There's nobody else here. We don't need to do this stupid game of social posturing. Tell you what, as a sign of my goodwill I'm going to teach you a meditation technique to calm your qi after exercise, free of charge."

Almost everything with Shen Qingqiu is a transaction, so Liu Qingge knows better than to pass up the chance to get something from his shidi for free - and the meditation does help settle his roiling qi.

"What do you want in return, then?" It's almost terrifying how intensely Shen Qingqiu's eyes light up.

"That trick with the leaves - teach me how to do it."

Liu Qingge doesn't bother to point out that it's a spiritual technique. It's an unspoken secret that they would be better suited to each other's cultivation styles than that of their own peaks. Shen Qingqiu has a storm of razor sharp leaves dancing in the air before Liu Qingge is even done explaining.

He almost regrets agreeing when Shen Qingqiu takes him down to the brothel, but the women his shidi introduces him to are truly masters of dance - they were stars of an imperial dance troupe before their owner was executed for offending the Emperor and they were sold to the brothel. They take him to the back and teach him dances he could never have imagined, dances that make his heart soar and his blood rush hot in his veins, while Shen Qingqiu lightly dozes among the women in the main reception area, his very presence frightening all but the most unruly patrons into behaving.

Liu Qingge is an honest man and he knows, deep down, that he got much more out of this exchange than his shidi. He’s on the lookout to see how he could repay him, but Shen Qingqiu seems to want for nothing. What he can’t get on his own Yue Qingyuan gifts to him, doting relentlessly on his sharp-edged little brother. So when he hears that Shen Qingqiu is to set out to assist in a night hunt against a particularly dangerous demonic beast that made its way over the to the far shore of the sea, he hops to the opportunity to compile a scroll of all the unspoken rules and etiquette of the island, as well as a short history on the ninja clan that asked for their aid. It’s all information that Shen Qingqiu has no way of learning otherwise, but should ease his time on the hunt.

When he can’t find Shen Qingqiu at the bamboo house he goes looking for him and that’s when he finds the silencing array, that’s when he sees his shidi sitting with his guqin in a clearing, composing music. Liu Qingge’s mouth goes dry, his heart skips a beat - his shidi is like a vision from the heavens and for the first time since he started this scholarly lifestyle, Liu Qingge wants to paint. He wants to etch this scene in his heart and condense it into a poem.

He slinks away before his shidi can notice him and leaves the scroll in the bamboo house. In the three years Shen Qingqiu is gone, hunting that elusive monster that decimates one village after another, he becomes a man possessed - or more accurately, a tender hearted young maiden yearning for her first love. He paints picture after picture, sometimes of a wolf stalking among the bamboo, sometimes of Qingqiu with his guqin as the scene lives in his memory. Rarely he paints his shidi stretched out on a couch in the brothel, languid with feigned sleep and one eye opened a crack as he vigilantly watches over his sisters - he gifts one of those to the brothel, much to the ladies’ delight. He starts writing poetry, yearning, horrible poetry his sister mocks relentlessly, but slowly he finds his words and his latest attempts are almost good. He is the first to hound Zhangmen-shixiong for news on Shen shidi and learns every word of every letter by heart, no matter how short or impersonal the progress reports are.

Liu Qingge knows that his martial siblings are not blind to his obsession - he has caught Shang shidi muttering “bro, really?!” under his breath more than once. He’s not familiar with the expression, but he can understand the sentiment. Yue Qingyuan watches him with patient exasperation, but he knows that the man doesn’t disapprove from the mild comment about how Shen Jiu will need a new ceremonial robe for his return celebration because his old one is ten years out of fashion.

Embroidery is, technically, within the skill set of the Qing Jing Peak Lord. He hounds An Ding until someone supplies him with Shen Qingqiu’s measurements and the finest materials he can bully Shang shidi into acquiring - “That’s the same stuff demon royalty wears, try not to waste it, my contact had to go through the royal seamstress of the northern kingdom to get it in that color.” - and sets to work. Bai Zhan’s color is steel blue, but that never fit his shidi, so he picks greens instead to match his striking green eyes. He creates a design that accentuates the deceptive slimness of Qingqiu, then embroiders the robes with bamboo patterns and a wolf on the hunt and when they are done he crafts a matching fan - Shen shidi hides from nothing and nobody, but Liu Qingge thinks he might enjoy being a little mysterious.

He is daydreaming about his shidi during the next Peak Lord meeting when the Sect Leader breaks the news: the beast has finally been slain and Shen Qingqiu will be on the next ship back home. Liu Qingge stays barely long enough to not be impolite at the end of the meeting before he rushes off to finish the last touches on the robes. He wants to leave it all set out for his shidi in the bamboo house.

In his haste he misses the look Shang Qinghua and Yue Qingyuan exchange behind his back.

“So, about those arrangements we made…”

“Yes, please. Let’s get Xiao Jiu home before Liu-shidi pines himself into a qi deviation.”

“Yeah, he’s down bad isn’t he?”

“Are you certain your prince doesn’t mind? If you are in any danger, shidi…”

“No! It’s fine, I’m fine, he already agreed to it! In fact, my Xuebao likes your brother so much I’m almost a little jealous.”

“Really now?”

“Zhangmen-shixiong, please stop looking like you are plotting murder. It’s not like that. As the Mobei prince, he really doesn’t have a lot of friends. Of course he misses A-Jiu.”

“If you say so, shidi.”

Liu Qingge is all jitters when he walks down the path to the bamboo house. He can’t understand why because Shen Qingiu won’t be back for months, but he still feels like a maiden on her way to ask out her love on the first date.

He almost drops the package with the robes when he opens the door and finds Shen Qingqiu standing there in the sunlit room. His shidi is too solid, too real to be an apparition, his clothes worn from travel, his heavy pack still unpacked by the table. He stands with a letter in one hand - Qingge recognizes his sister’s wobbly, childish handwriting - and with Qingge’s notebook in which he wrote all his stumbling, horrible poetry in the other and Liu Qingge wishes nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

“Are those my new robes?” Shen Qingqiu asks, as if they have only met this morning, as if that was a reasonable thing to ask when Qingge’s heart is about to explode from nerves. He can only mutely nod at his shidi. “You know shixiong, I can see that you have put enormous effort into courting me. I would have loved it if it happened when I was here to experience it.”

Shen Qingqiu sets the notebook and the letter down and stalks up to Liu Qingge, his eyes sharp with an emotion he can’t interpret, but it makes Liu Qingge want to bare his throat to his teeth and be devoured.

“So, Liu-shixiong. Are you going to help me try on my new robes?”

#svsss #liu qingge #shen jiu #shen qingqiu #liujiu #tc writes #I'm tempted to draw something for this ngl #not putting this under readmore bc there was no good spot to cut it and it doesn't feel that long...#LQG going 0 to 100 in love like the nerd he is #Bai Zhan SQQ takes a more direct approach to protecting the sect #so of course he found out about Moshang #and beat Mobei's ass when they were still teens for treating hamster-shidi too rough so he got promoted to best friend status #that's just enough context for airplane to remember what he wrote about violent demon bonding #and clean up that no humans don't find physical violence directed at them sexy #mobei is a security risk to the sect but a calculated one #no other sect has a way to go to japan and back in five minutes so he can live for now #they are still pretty young here btw #Mingyuan is just old enough to write #she's old enough to bully her big brother for being a really bad poet though #tough crowd

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tangledinink · 9 months

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in an older ask (before the bracelet comic) you broke down, basically, the odds of donnie recognizing his family to different degrees on any given day... i'm curious, what would the odds be now, now that he has the bracelet?

Hell yeah let's do more Swanatello Math~

Let's say his family visits him eight times-- this time with the bracelet.

-> Maybe one time out of eight, usually less, Donnie will not be able to recognize them and will treat them as intruders, driving them off. There are occasions when he disregards the message of the bracelet or forgets it too quickly to be helpful.

-> Two times out of eight, Donnie will be able to recognize them enough to not view them as threats, but will not be able to organically recall any further details about them. He is confused and frustrated. He recognizes something is wrong, and can comprehend the research materials he's reading, but no actual memories are being pinged in his brain, leaving him in a very frightening, bizarre, uncanny-valley sort of space. He has to repeatedly reference notes and journals to try to puzzle the identities of his family together, which is upsetting and embarrassing. Days like these focus on providing comfort and support to Donnie, but the context that his research board and bracelet provide does make this easier to manage now.

-> One time out of the eight, Donnie will be able to recognize his family but struggles to comprehend his current situation or recall details surrounding it, though he recognizes something is wrong. He knows that Raph is here, and he remembers Raph fully, but has a difficult time processing why they're here at the lake instead of being at home; it's just not sinking in for him. Things in his brain are not matching up, and he is confused and frustrated. His family will have to re-explain to him what's going on, typically multiple times. Days like these focus on providing comfort and support to Donnie, but the jumpstart that the research and bracelet provide often makes this process much easier.

-> One time out of eight, Donnie will be able to recognize his family enough to not view them as threats, but will not always be able to recall further details about them. He's not able to fully process that anything is wrong unless it's explained to him, (usually more than once,) but even then it seems to overall elude him and not fully sink in. He will happily spend the day showing his lake off to his family, dancing with them, etc. His bracelet and research board help, but on days like these he often seems unable to fully retain this information throughout the day. These days are usually pretty frustrating for his family, but are overall lower-stress for Donnie, at least. False memories are common on these days.

-> Three times out of eight, Donnie is able to both recognize his family and recall details about their current situation. He remembers the family members who are currently with them, and sometimes even those who are absent, and understands that he is currently being affected by magick that manipulates his memory and patterns of thinking.

Overall, the bracelet has improved the situation. The family has to take care to try to be present as much as possible, however, as receiving this information from the bracelet and research board can sometimes be very scary or disorientating, and they've found that having someone around either during this process or immediately after is very important. Typically, if Donnie wakes up, receives the message from his bracelet, inspects the research board, and waits for the promised family to arrive... and then they don't, he'll panic and quickly lose trust in the information. He may react negatively to any family members once they do show up. Swanatello overall tends to do poorly when left alone, they've discovered.

#swanatello #asks #its gotten better but its still rough #the difficult thing is is that while the situation has improved overall #and in terms of making progress towards their goal and spending time together its a big step forward #its arguably more difficult and higher stress for swanatello #in the past about five out of eight days would be days that he didnt recognize anything was wrong or that he was forgetting anything #and so that wasnt something he had to grapple with or stress over #now thats only one or two out of eight days #and every other day hes under huge amounts of emotional and mental strain trying to work through all of this #which is tough and takes a lot out of him #hes having breakdowns or panic attacks on a regular basis #which is hard on him and on his family (who ofc hates to see him suffer)#luckily he has his family's support at least <3

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yourdeepestfathoms · 10 months

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something about Clara and the Albino just makes my heart ache, and their relationship deserves more content and recognition because it’s so sweet

the fact that he loves her unconditionally and doesn’t care about who or what she is. he isn’t afraid of her. he just loves her so, so much.

#there are many albino in p2 #and me and my friend nox like to just imagine they’re all clara’s siblings #she just has a whole pack of brothers #‘you think you’re tough? try having five older brothers who are Steppe monsters’#but seriously clara and the albino make me so emotional #he’s just so sweet!!#i’m hoping and praying that in her route in p2 they reference them again #because it’s such a heartfelt relationship #him comforting her when she was crying over her mom still gets me :(#please give me more steppe sibling content i beg #pathologic #pathologic classic hd #pathologic hd #clara pathologic #clara saburova #clara the changeling #the albino pathologic

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jellycreamjammedart · 7 months

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so a discord sever had a prompt for using a simple pumpkin template for users to 'carve into'/draw over to make jack-o-lantern arts. so i went and made the Glamdad

left: OG

right: candle flame moves slightly

#fnaf #fnaf sb #five nights at freddy's #five nights at freddys #five nights at freddy's security breach #five nights at freddys security breach #glamrock freddy #halloween #pumpkin #jack o lantern #jack-o-lantern #jellycream art #normally i wouldve drawn something from scratch but i didnt quite have the energy so i used the template #gathering enough spoons is tough man

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mcdannowave · 1 year

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#h50 9x21 #can't believe this #alex o'loughlin #steve mcgarrett #reaction gif #hawaii five 0 #[Inside McDanno's house.Nightime.Saturday]Steve could only smile and cover his face at that scene #Having just arrived.he heard at least dif beepings coming from the kitchen.one was definitely for the stove #From the living room he could see.His husband going all around their (tiny) kitchen. Acting like he's trying to run a restaurant #He knew was Danny was doing(or trying to).At work earlier they both forgot it was their 1rt date anni.And Steve didn't mind #They had a tough case and could celebrate other night.But Danny?Nope.He wanted something special for his SEAL #(even thought one of those things seemed like a burnt steak..along other unidentified smells that were in the living room already #Danny tried his best to manage all the full banquet he was trying to achieve when he finally saw that smirking man there at the door #''Okay.I know we said no celebration today.But.Today is important..okay?And i wanted to do something nice and...''#He just pointed to the direction of the kitchen.almost as messy when Steve and Charlie does breakfast together for the family #Taking the tools of his hand.Steve just smiled down at Danny.that one that assured him everything was right #''Thank.You.For everything.Danno.I loved the day we decide to give us a chance.and tbh..i wanted to do something too''#that's when the SEAL pointed to the living room.bags full of their fav fancy restaurant food #''How- how did u get that so fast in such short time?It needs weeks just to get a reservation and..'''..''Sshh.Let's just enjoy.okay?''#He lead the blond to the living room. smiling all the time.He was happy to share that night with his beloved #[After so much eating.and now cozy in the couch]''I still don't believe u pulled that off.I'm pretty sure u payed a fortune for those''#'Don't worry Danno.It costed just the food.I waited there myself to grab it.Just wanted to go home to you''He said.sealing w/ a kiss #And to be true.That night was great indeed.One that both wont forget #[4 hrs earlier.Fancy restaurant;Nightime]''So.to be clear.It would be a shame if my friends in the Health Inspection came here.Right now''#''Bc wow.this place seems packed tonight!But i can't stop to think abt that hydrant being blocked.or those shaking bushes that may be rats.'#''Your order is being prepared right now. Commander''..''Thank you so much.Tonight is special.I don't know what i'd do w/o u guys😉''#headcanon tags #mine

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hazelkjt · 16 days

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Hazel- 5 Associations

I answered a similar list before for Hazel but don't mind doing another one! Plus this one has some different categories! Was tagged by: @selnyam, tyty!!! Tagging: Whoever ends up reading this, go right ahead! Answers Below

EMOTIONS/FEELINGS

Prideful Adventurous Inquisitive Headstrong Competitive

GREETINGS

Shouting Your Name Big Wave Running Up To You Polite Bow Poke On The Shoulder

COLORS

Crimson Red Sky Blue Marble White Onyx Black Worn Leather Brown

SCENTS

Old Books Campfire Smoke Hot Chocolate Ocean Breeze Dried Blood

CLOTHING

Short Sleeved/Sleeveless Tops Vests Steppe Bracelets & Rings Low Hanging Necklaces Hardy Boots

VICES/BAD HABITS

Daydreamer/Overactive Imagination Pride Easily Pivots To Arrogance Single Minded On Tasks/Stubborn Impatience/Short Temper Holds Grudges For A Long Time

OBJECTS

Diary Reading Glasses Carving Knife Whetstone Karakul Feed

BODY LANGUAGE

Rhythmic Bouncing On Her Feet Head Tilted To The Side In Curiosity Tail Gently Swaying Back And Forth Restless, Fidgety Movements Periodically Runs Her Hands Through & Fixes Her Hair

AESTHETICS

Warm Campfire On A Chilly Cloudless Night Scattered Books Around A Dim Reading Light Newly Forged Blade Being Sharpened Against A Grindstone Self-Made Path Through A Dense Forest Ocean Waves Crashing Against A Rocky Cliffside

SONGS

"Welcome To The Jungle" - Guns N' Roses "Walk" - Foo Fighters "Go The Distance" -Michael Bolton (Yes, the Disney Hercules Song) "No Good" - Battle Tapes "Alive" - Battle Tapes

#tyty for the tag!!#tag game #ffxiv #ffxiv screenshots #ffxiv oc #au ra #xaela #hazel kha #finding five songs was TOUGH #I don't normally associate my characters with music #but I was determined/stubborn so I found five that work...mostly lol

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icedbatik · 2 years

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Some of you have heard this story before, but I’m going to tell a variation of it again, for those who haven’t and those who may have forgotten.

When I got into hockey, it was the off-season and I had been lured in largely by friends sharing links to YouTube videos of Sid skating or scoring an incredible goal, links to articles about Geno and how desperately he wanted to play hockey as a Pen that he gave up everything and fled Russia, not knowing what it would mean for every aspect of his life outside of hockey. They were super-talented and loved each other and hockey and made this rather violent game something beautiful.

Cue that preseason, when they lost 5 of 8 exhibitions and my friends assured me that the preseason didn’t matter, that they weren’t playing with the usual rosters and it would be OK.

Cue that regular season and opening losses to Dallas, Arizona and Montreal.

At the end of that October, the Pens had won 7 of 11 games, but they were struggling, with 2 of those 7 wins requiring OT to finish the job.

That November, the Pens won only 5 of 12 games.

The Pens won only 5 of 14 games that December, a month that included losing 5 in a row – 4 of them at home – and 7 of 9 during one stretch.

This is the season in which the headlines those first few months were a near-daily question along the lines of “Is Sid OK?” because he was scoring well below his usual point-per-game pace. Those lacking anything better to write opted for discussing how Sid might be slowing down, losing a step, showing signs of his “advanced age”.

I, too, was wondering. My friends – and media documentation of Sid and Geno’s careers – had convinced me that they were the best of the best, that Sid was top 5 of all time. Yet, those claims didn’t match what I was seeing and reading.

Thankfully, I had my friends to talk me down off of the cliff during those long months that also saw Duper – a beloved player and favorite Sid winger – retire early because of health issues. It was harsh all the way around.

Fast-forward a few months, to when the Pens squeaked into the playoffs, only to knock out the Rangers in five games, knock out the Capitals in six games, knock out the Lightning in seven games, and take home the Cup after knocking out the Sharks in six games.

I get it. The Pens’ current losing streak is painful to watch. Even more so when you’re invested not just in the wins/losses of the collective team but in the players also suffering through it.

But ... it’s early yet. Only 11 games into the season. For all that the core remains, they have a lot of new guys settling in. And I know for a fact that a few rough months to start the season does not a bad season make. Sometimes, they make for the start of a truly amazing season.

#icedbatik babbles about life #and hockey #that photo?#one that sticks in my mind from that first season #taken when #Sid #Geno #Kris #Flower #and Kuni #showed up to support their friend #Duper #as he announced that his health was forcing him to retire #it was a tough season on so many levels #the five-game losing streak barely made the list

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