#so that's Didi she's like the chosen one | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sea-owl · 7 months

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I has an idea, y'all gotta trust me on this though.

Kate gripped her skirts as she watched the scenery roll by. There was not much else she could do. The king has chosen her, so she must go.

"Didi," Edwina muttered across from her.

Kate smiled at her younger sister. At least it wasn't her who was chosen to be the concubine.

When word spread that King Anthony was looking for a new concubine, one to join the other two high ranked concubines, Lady Danbury was quick to do her duty and arrange a meeting for the king to meet with both eligible Sharma sisters. Kate had no worry for herself. No one ever really looked her way, especially with Edwina next to her. She was worried for sweet Edwina, though, who had dreams of marrying a scholar, of being in love. Mary, Edwina's mother and Kate's stepmother, was quick to refuse until Edwina spoke up.

"A cocubine's family are well taken care of, and it's only a meeting. He might not even choose one of us."

Kate remembers squeezing Edwina's arm. It was true the money received would help their family but Kate did not want that at her sister's happiness. After all who would not choose Edwina?

On the day of the meeting a handsome man with chestnut hair and brown eyes exited the carriage. Behind him a curvy red head who appeared to be the same age as Edwina. She wore a golden necklace with the royal family's pendant, something all concubines wear.

"Lady Penelope," Lady Danbury whispered to the three Sharma women. "She was the first of the King's concubines and is often with him when a new one is chosen as a sort of welcoming."

Kate wanted to be sick. There was no way this young woman was the first concubine. It is a well-known fact that King Anthony took his first concubine five years ago. Kate remembers hearing the stories of the king announcing it when all of his family members were away from court. It created such a scandal for the king to restart that old tradition from his grandather's time. No one suspected the young king to take any after his father had only ever taken his wife, the Dowager Queen. If Kate was doing her math right then Lady Penelope had to be only 15 when the king chose her.

"Your majesty, my lady," Lady Danbury bowed. The Sharma women followed her lead.

The dinner was pleasant. King Anthony was a gentleman and Lady Penelope was rather witty. At one point the king left with Lady Danbury and Mary to speak on some sort of business. Lady Penelope was left with Kate and Edwina.

"It has been so wonderful to meet both of you," Lady Penelope. "Anthony has told me you have only moved here about two years ago. I would have never guessed!"

Kate smiled proudly. "Thank you Lady Penelope. I trained my sister in everything she knows."

Lady Penelope turned her full attention on Kate. "Really?"

Edwina nodded. "Yes, Kate is a fantastic teacher."

Penelope smiled, one a little different than from before. "If you don't mind I would love to learn something from such a fantastic teacher."

"Let me teach you how to make a proper cup of tea," Kate laughed as she called for the ingredients.

Lady Danbury, Mary, and the King returned not long after. Was it Kate, or did Lady Penelope and the King just send a silent message to one another?

"How was your time with the Ms. Sharmas?" The King asked.

"Oh, we've had a lovely time," Lady Penelope said. "Ms Kate even showed me how to make tea from her home! Would you like to try some?"

"No thank you," the king declined.

Lady Penelope rolled her eyes. "I know it's not your usual night cap but something new or different won't throw you out of balance."

"Are you the superstitious type your majesty?"

"No!" The king said at the same time Lady Penelope said, "Yes!"

"Ah I see. Some men like that find it hard to perform without certain tools like a child with a blanket."

The kings face went red while Lady Penelope burst out into giggles.

"Hush you," the King ordered Lady Penelope who's giggles were only made worse. "Time for you to head off to bed."

Kate tried not to blush the next morning when she saw Lady Penelope yawning as she left the king's room.

"Oh Ms. Sharma!" Lady Penelope greeted. "Congratulations!"

Kate felt a hole open beneath her feet. King Anthony chose-

"I can't wait to see you next week at the Garden Palace!"

What?

"Admitly it would be easier just to have you come with us back to the Garden Palace today but we do need time to get your rooms ready."

Huh?

Lady Penelope noticed Kate's confusion, then became confused herself. "Ms. Sharma?"

"I'm sorry my lady," Kate said. "If my sister was chosen to be the new concubine why would I go to the Garden Palace?"

Lady Penelope giggled. "Your sister wasn't chosen to be the new concubine Ms. Sharma. Or I should say Lady Kate."

Kate's mind went blank.

Now a week later Kate found herself in front of the Garden Palace dressed in fine purple silk and with a new shiny gold necklace. Though there was this odd marking on the back of the bee pendent. If Kate had to guess it would be a picture of an Iris flower. A flower commonly associated with wisdom of Kate was remembering correctly.

"Didi it's s so beautiful," Edwina muttered.

"It is Bon," Kate agreed.

The Garden Palace has always been the home for the king's concubines and where he spreads his seed. It wasn't used much during King Edmund's time besides to house the last of his father's concubines, but King Anthony has made use for it again. As the name suggests, there are a multitude of gardens around the palace, all filled with the most beautiful flowers. A few contain food and herbs. The palace servants are all women as men besides the king, his family, and those invited by the king were forbidden from entering. There are gaurds who were once traditionally physically castrated but apparently, the king had found someone who could make a tea that would temporarily do the same thing as traditional castration without all the mess. Those who take the tea are watched every morning to make sure they take it.

"Lady Kate! Ms Sharma!"

There to greet them was Lady Penelope dressed in green and a blonde woman dressed in silver with the same gold necklace. Just behind them were a red head who was in her teens, and a plump blonde the same age as Edwina. Their clothes weren't as fine as a concubines but still nicer than a serving girl's. Lady's maids maybe?

"How wonderful to meet you," the blonde concubine bowed. "I am Lady Sophie."

The two other girls bowed. "I am Felicity, I serve as Lady Penelope's head lady in waiting," the red head said.

"And I am Posy," the plump girl introduced herself. "I am the head lady in waiting for Lady Sophie."

"Posy and Felicity will show Ms. Sharma around," Lady Sophie said. "Meanwhile there are a few things we should talk about Lady Kate with her new position as a high ranking concubine. "

Kate held back a shiver.

The Ladies in Waiting ran off with Edwina while Kate followed her fellow concubines to a private room.

"So am I to expect the king tonight?" Kate asked.

"Probably at dinner," Lady Penelope answered, "but I think he has to go back to Aubrey Palace tonight."

Kate blinked. Well, at least she'll have some time to put this off.

Lady Penelope watched Kate. "Lady Kate as the newest concubine we have some things to tell you."

Tell her? Was it how best to please the king? Maybe some tricks they've picked up. After all with their rank he would spend the most time with them.

"Anthony won't touch you if you do not want it, and outside of meetings he doesn't go to a lady's room unless invited."

Kate blinked. And then she blinked again, and again. "I'm sorry what?"

Lady Penelope and Lady Sophie giggled.

"While it is true some of the women here are actual concubines, it's all consensual between them and Anthony," Lady Sophie explained. "He has a rather protective streak of those he believes that are under his care. You've probably seen it with how he acts towards his siblings. Others like myself and Penelope, who are here for protection, are still chaste."

Kate's jaw dropped. There's no way. She turned towards the red head. "But I saw you leave his room at Lady Danbury's."

Lady Penelope waved her hand. "We were discussing whether or not to bring you on. I was in favor for it. You're just what the Iris Council needs."

Kate furrowed her eyebrows. "The Iris Council."

Lady Penelope and Lady Sophie flipped their bee pendants to reveal that same etched in iris flower on the back.

"Anthony was young when the previous king passed," Lady Penelope explained. "The lords were like sharks out for blood, and he knew he needed a council who would be loyal to him and couldn't be easily influenced from the outside. Naturally, he thought of his siblings first, but the princes and princesses were too public of figures. Concubines however were much harder to access and really who expect a king to surround himself in a council of women?"

"So what are your real roles and what am I to do?"

The king's voice spoke behind Kate. "Penelope is my spy mistress. Sophie is my chief financial advisor."

Lady Penelope and Lady Sophie waved. "Hi Anthony."

Kate was about to stand to bow but the king raised a hand to signal her to stop. Instead he took a seat next to her.

"So what is my role to be here?" Kate asked.

"I want you to run the Garden Palace."

"Run the Garden Palace?" Kate repeated. "Why not just hire me as to do that role then, why make me a concubine?"

"It's because of the Iris Council and the need to keep their existence quiet," Anthony explained. "While they are ultimately self-sufficient and are loyal to me, I need someone to work as my second in command and leqder of the Garden Palace. Penelope looked into your background, and you've proven yourself as a head of house. You know how to manage people. Perfect for the position."

"Huh," Kate muttered. "I guess the rumors the king being a Capitol R rake are just rumors."

Anthony nodded in agreement.

"Oh no he's a whore."

Penelope and Sophie giggled when Kate whipped her head towards them.

Anthony sent them a glare. "Hush both of you."

#to make this clear this is NOT a harem au #anthony's relationships with penelope and sophie are completely platonic #and yes he is a hoe at first but so is canon anthony #kathony endgame #kathony #platonic anthony and penelope #platonic anthony and sophie #when your concubines are also inner council #this honestly stemmed from the headcanon i have that anthony had paperwork at the ready should he need to adopt others #he cant adopt everyone but he does have a palace where no men are allowed #bridgerton #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma #kate sheffield #sophie beckett #penelope featherington #the iris council #concubine au

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fandomgirlz01 · 11 months

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It’s Me And You Forever Pt. 9

Jason Scott x Reader

Prompt?: No

Request?: No

Requested prompt?: No

Edited: Yes

Word count: 5,032

Ko-fi

Masterlist

Warnings Here

You can listen to the story be read out loud here. {Coming soon}

Post Date: June 6th 2023

Post Time: 11:10 pm

Summary: Jason Scott and his childhood best friend have a rough time after an accident, but as they start to recover they meet four other troubled teens. Together the six go on a journey they never thought possible. They all band together as the power rangers to stop Angel Grove’s {and the world’s} destruction. Will they all find the destiny that was chosen for them? More importantly, what happens with y/n and Jason throughout this time?

Author's Note: I’ve decided that for my New Years resolution I’d learn Italian. With that being said I decided to try and add some into the story. So I used my translator on my phone for some of the Italian in here. I am in no way shape or form fluent in Italian yet, but I hope to be eventually. If you guys see anything wrong with my Italian I am so so sorry and we are not trying to offend or anything. We just thought it’d be cute if the reader had some Italian background.

Also we now have voting open for Jason snippets!!! You can vote here. Please please please go vote and let us know what you want to see! Now please enjoy the chapter.

Jason’s Pov:

The girl in yellow gets dragged from her hiding spot, kicking and screaming. She gets dragged halfway down the hall and I fight my instinct to keep y/n away instead of deciding to rush in to help.

“Didi, I’m coming!” Zack yells out as he jumps out of his hiding spot before I even have a chance.

Her screams come to a stop and she looks at what looks like a robot in front of her. She stares at it in shock as it bends down to her.

“You’re real!” It exclaims in excitement before standing up straight when it hears Zack yelling.

Zack lets out a primal yell as he runs at the little red and silver robot, but the robot's arm extends like it did when grabbing the girl in yellow. The robot grabs Zack by the throat and throws him behind it. I rush out along with Kimberly and Billy before coming to a stop in front of the thing.

“We will kill you,” I warn the robot in hopes it’ll deter it from fighting.

“Kill me? How?” It asks, gesturing with its weird arms as it talks and shakes its head in disbelief.

“There’s six of us,” Kimberly states hesitatingly from beside me, trying to help.

“Yes, I know! I’ve been waiting for you,” the robot speaks as it throws his arms out.

“Wait, there’s two missing. Where’s the other guy and girl?” It questions as it looks at all of us.

“One, two, three, four…” the robot counts us out in confusion.

“Oh! There he is!” It exclaims as it shoots its arm out and pulls a screaming Zach over to us.

“Now, where is number six…?” it questions, looking around again as Zach steadies himself.

“Ahh, there she is,” the robot comments and its arm shoots out to y/n, who’s still practically catatonic.

He pulls her over and she stumbles so I quickly catch her. She leans into me and I pull her a little closer -as close as I physically can in hopes of protecting her better- as I quickly look her over to make sure the thing didn’t hurt her. Once I’m sure she’s ok, I look back up at the robot.

“All of you,” the robot says as it motions to us.

“In a spaceship buried underground? How long have you been waiting?” Billy asks in pure confusion as we all continue to keep our guards up.

“What’s today?” the robot throws his hands up again.

“Monday?” it asks with his head tilting ever so slightly as he gets a little closer.

We all instinctively move back a step and I make sure I’m more in front of y/n. Billy gives a small ‘yeah’ as confirmation to the robot’s question and I keep up my ready to fight stance with my one hand that’s not holding onto y/n.

“Then 65 million years,” the robot explains, making me and Billy look at one another.

“I’ve been very lonely,” the robot dramatically tells us after it lets out a sound that sounds like a sigh.

“You’re all so young looking,” the robot says in excitement before moving forward again, making us all quickly jump back away from it.

“This has to do with the coins?” I ask as I look at the robot in confusion.

“Yes, yes, the coins!” the robot exclaims as he throws his arms in the air.

“Different colors… different kids. Different colored kids,” he explains as he motions from right to left.

“I’m so excited you’re here!” it shouts as it jumps with its arms extending out just a bit at us again and we all shrink back in fear with gasps.

“Turn around…” it tells us as it motions with its hand.

We all watch the robot as it snaps its arms back into place and we all jump a little. We continue to stare at it as if we’re frozen.

“Go on,” it tells us as it throws its head lightly to the side.

Slowly we all turn around together only to be in awe once again. We look out over a small balcony at what seems to be a big TV-like screen with a glowing force in the middle of six platforms.

“No way…” I murmur in awe of the place.

“Proceed,” the robot speaks up from behind us.

Together we all start to head down the stairs, Kimberly and Zack go down before me. I stop for a moment and look down at y/n, who’s still wrapped around me. She slowly blinks and I smile.

“There we go. Come on, pretty girl. You’re all good,” I whisper as she blinks some more, but still hasn’t fully come out of it so I opt to just pull her along with me.

“Think this’ll work,” the robot mutters from behind Kimberly and Zack.

I follow Billy and the girl in yellow down the other steps on the other side. I gently pull y/n with me and it’s like she’s here, but not quite all the way with us, still frozen in fear.

“One, two, three, four, five, six. Different colors,” the robot continues to mutter as we get about halfway down the stairs.

“Guys, let’s focus on getting out of here,” Kimberly whispers loudly as we continue down the steps.

“Stay together, and then when we see a chance-” Kimberly continues on as we hit the bottom of the stairs.

“We run like hell,” the girl in yellow states, cutting Kimberly off.

“Okay… if we don’t get a chance?” I skeptically ask as we all come to a stop in front of the center that’s a glowing force of some kind.

“Then we kill it,” Zack comments and I look at him, but move my eyes when a small squeak comes from y/n.

I quickly look her over and now it’s like she’s waking up. She blinks and when she sees me, she instantly wraps her arms around me. I smile a little as I wrap my arm back around her shoulder and hold her closer, the feeling of instant relief washing over me.

“Welcome back, pretty girl,” I mutter as I leave a kiss on her forehead as comfort.

“Shouldn’t hurt, but let’s see,” the robot talks to itself as it stops on the other side of the platform.

“Please, step into the footprints,” it asks us as it motions to all the platforms.

We all look at each other in confusion and I feel y/n’s arms tighten around my middle. I gently squeeze her shoulder to let her know I’m there as I look at the others.

“No. We are not going to do that,” I whisper out to them and they all seemingly agree with me.

“Hey, question,” Billy speaks up, lifting his arm to get the robot’s attention before putting it back down.

“Um, what are you?” he asks and we all look at the robot.

“I’m Alpha 5, an alphormic lorcaid persona android,” the robot explains with his voice going out at the end.

“What?” I ask in confusion with furrowed eyebrows.

“He said he’s an Alpha 5…” Billy starts, but I hold a hand out to him.

“Yeah, I know,” I tell him and he nods before turning back to look at the robot.

“I’m a talking robot. You can trust me,” Alpha 5 tells us, its voice lowering to a whisper at the end as it holds out its hands in an open manner. Its eyes make a weird blink motion and I hear a scoff of disbelief from y/n, making me look down at her.

“Yeah, cause it’s definitely ok to trust a talking robot. Can’t see how that’ll end badly,” she says quietly, rolling her eyes and I hold back a laugh.

It then goes quiet for a moment and we all think it over. I see movement out of the corner of my eye, making me turn to see Billy stepping onto one of the platforms.

“Billy!” I whisper-shout at him, but he keeps moving.

He steps up on to the small platform before tapping a foot on it. It makes a ding sound and a dust-like substance flies up from the platform. Billy looks down at the platform in awe before taking a small leap with his eyes closed.

When nothing happens, he opens his eyes and looks at us. He laughs lightly and looks back down at where he’s standing before looking back up again. He then waves his hand at us in excitement.

I feel y/n let go of me and I immediately reach for her, but she avoids my grip and walks over to a platform of her own. Next, Zack turns and looks at us for a moment.

“What the hell,” he says with a shrug before he steps up onto a platform too.

“Okay…” the girl in yellow whispers out as she and Kimberly simultaneously agree before walking to their own.

I start to walk over to the last one between Kimberly and y/n as the girl in yellow and Kimberly step up onto theirs. As I make it about halfway, y/n smiles at me and nods.

“Why do you keep looking at each other? Is that, like, a human thing? Fascinating,” Alpha 5 asks as Kimberly and the girl in yellow keep eye contact the whole time they step up.

The girl in yellow takes one last deep breath before both her and Kimberly nod to each other. Y/n finally fully steps up onto hers as I slowly reach mine. She watches me with a smile and I look at her one last time for confirmation that I should do it.

She nods at me and with one last deep breath, I step up onto mine. As soon as I do, there’s an explosion of light that starts from the middle and works its way out around all of us. At first we all jump to cover our faces, but we quickly adjust to the light and lower our arms.

“Oh, it’s working! This is great! It’s working!” Alpha 5 shouts out in excitement as he dances around and I hear y/n let out a giggle.

There’s a surge of power and the whole room starts to shake as the wall behind me seems to start moving. We all instantly crouch to the floor and reach for anything to stable ourselves as the shaking continues. Instantly, I look over at y/n to make sure she’s ok, but her eyes are wide.

At first I think she’s looking at me, but I quickly realize her eyes are trained behind me. I turn around and my own eyes widen when I see the clear outline of a face coming out of the wall.

“Zordon, are you there? Zordon!” Alpha 5 yells out as he walks closer to the wall.

The head coming from the wall speaks a weird alien language as it seems to be looking around frantically. Alpha 5 talks back to it with wild arm motions in the same language. They have a conversation in the language for a few minutes as we all continue to try and get grounded from the continual shaking.

“Okay, okay,” I whisper out as I take a quick look back at the face before turning to look at y/n again.

I quickly jump off the pedestal and rush over to the girl in yellow. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch y/n jump off after me and rush over as I pull the girl in yellow up off of hers. Y/n grabs my hand and I pull her with me.

“Come on,” I tell her as we start to run off.

I feel a tug on my arm and turn back to see y/n. She’s looking at Billy, who seems to be frozen on the ground still.

“Jay. He’s in shock,” she tells me and I nod.

“Go with the others. I’ve got him,” I tell her as I pull her around in front of me and push her lightly towards Kimberly.

“Come on! Let’s go! Move!” I yell as I grip onto Billy and pull him up, snapping him out of his shock.

I run towards the group with Billy hot on my heels and y/n holds her hand out to me when I get closer. Together we all run back up the steps and towards the door, but come to a stop when the door closes us in. Billy knocks on it and the head in the wall keeps talking in the alien language.

“Still think it was a good idea to investigate, J?” Y/n sarcastically asks, rolling her eyes.

“So not the time, sweetheart,” I whisper back and she just shrugs.

I feel y/n squeeze my hand and I squeeze hers back as we all slowly realize we’re not leaving. We all stand there, breathing hard for a few minutes before finally Alpha 5 speaks up.

“Come forward, please?!” he yells out to us and Kimberly sighs.

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“Do we have a choice?” she asks in irritation and again I feel y/n squeeze my hand.

“Don’t think so,” I hesitantly reply with a sigh as I squeeze y/n’s hand back again.

Alpha 5 says something else in the alien language as we all slowly turn around. We slowly walk back down the stairs.

“Look! It’s Zordon!” Alpha 5 shouts as we start down the stairs. “Zordon, they don’t know who you are,” Alpha 5 states as he turns back to the head in the wall and we get about halfway down the stairs.

“Come in! Come in!” he again shouts as he turns back to us and motions us to him.

“These are them? They’re so small, especially the one next to red,” Zordon seems to observe and I feel y/n sink back a bit.

Once again, I squeeze her hand and she looks up to me. I give her a small nudge like I normally do when she gets insecure about her height. I mean, she’s not overly short, just a little shorter than me and maybe a little bit shorter than Billy. It’s just something she gets insecure of sometimes, but she knows she’s not as short as people make her believe. I’ve had to remind her many times that she’s the perfect height and not to worry about what others say, but sometimes I know she definitely still thinks about it.

“Funny, I said the same thing, actually,” Alpha 5 agrees with the head in the wall.

“You mean to tell me that the fate of the universe is placed in the hands of these— these children?” Zordon asks as he turns to look at all of us before moving farther down the wall.

“The universe? That’s a big place,” Billy mumbles to himself and I see y/n smile softly at him when he catches her watching him.

“They’re teenagers! Somewhere between infancy and full maturity. It’s hard to explain, really. I don’t—” Alpha 5 starts to explain, but Zordon cuts him off.

“Show me the coins,” Zordon demands before again sliding across the wall to me, y/n and Billy.

I reach down, pulling my coin out as does y/n and Billy. Together, we all hold them up to Zordon.

“The morphing grid is never wrong. If the power coins have returned to the ship with these…” Zordon starts, but pauses.

“Teenagers!” Alpha 5 shouts, filling it in for him.

“With these teenagers,” Zordon repeats in annoyance.

“Then these teenagers are the power rangers,” Zordon says doubtfully as he clearly rolls his eyes.

“Power rangers!” Alpha 5 exclaims as he puts his head down and does a victory motion with his arms.

I put my coin away in my pocket as Billy claps in excitement. I let out a chortle and shake my head in amusement at his excitement. Y/n lets out a small giggle as she also shakes her head, a small smile gracing her face.

“What?” The girl in yellow whispers out as she looks at Kimberly.

“Okay, quick question,” Zack is the first to speak up as he steps back up onto the ramp of his pedestal.

“Hello. Hate to interrupt. Did I just hear you say we’re power rangers?” Zack continues as he fully stops at the end of his pedestal.

“Yes,” Zordon starts before once again he’s sliding down the wall to look at Zack.

“Yes. You are the power rangers. Any other questions?” Zordon confirms what he said as he stops.

“No, I think I’m good,” Zack tells him and Zordon replies with a firm ‘good.’

“I got a question,” Billy quickly thinks out loud.

“Um… hi, how, you doing?” Billy speaks as he raises his hand before stepping off his pedestal as Zordon slides across the wall again.

I turn to look over my left shoulder at him and y/n turns over her right. I then quickly spin back around as he stops behind me to look up at Zordon. I look back at y/n, who now has her arms crossed and she gives me a shrug.

“Oh, okay— um, my name is Billy. Billy Cranston. Kids used to call me billy crams-tons—” Billy starts to ramble and I feel y/n nudge me with her shoulder.

“Billy!” I call out to him and he turns to look at me and y/n.

“Stop,” I tell him in a whisper as I hold my hand out.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers to me before turning back to Zordon.

“Uh… the images here in this sphere tell a history of the power rangers. Looks like the power rangers were a team that protected life,” Billy explains as he looks at the glowing center between all the pedestals, making us all look at it with him.

I hear a small gasp and look down at y/n to see awe on her face. I chuckle lightly before squeezing her hand, making her look at me. She gives me a tight-lipped smile before looking back at the moving colors.

“And life is a bright light. Or a piece of light?” Billy finally asks his question before turning back to look at Zordon.

“Yes. Yes, very good, Billy,” Zordon praises and we all turn to look at Zordon.

“It is called the Zeo Crystal,” Zordon starts to explain, taking a pause.

“Oh, I love this part. This is good,” Alpha 5 exclaims as he leans back in excitement before standing straight and walking closer to the glowing center.

“And every planet in the universe that has life has a piece of the crystal inside it,” Zordon continues to explain as we all look back into the glowing center.

“Sixty-five million years ago, Zordon’s Team died defending the crystal here in what is now Angel Grove,” Alpha 5 adds on as he points up at Zordon, then back at the center.

“The coins have chosen you five,” Zordon proclaims and I feel y/n squeeze my hand again, making me well aware that her fear is rising even more, so I squeeze hers back.

“Yes! I knew it!” Alpha 5 yells out as he fist bumps the air.

“Now you must protect the Zeo Crystal and life on earth,” Zordon tells us and I arch an eyebrow.

“Because… we… are the power rangers?” I ask in confusion and alpha 5 turns to Zordon.

“He’s smart!” Alpha 5 exclaims and y/n lets out a breathy giggle, making me look down at her. She shrugs, trying to hide a massive grin.

“Well, he’s not wrong…” she whispers out to me, wiggling her eyebrows at me and I shake my head, trying not to laugh.

Kimberly’s scoff pulls us both out of our little moment and we both turn to watch as she takes a step forward. She raises her hand, but puts it right back down.

“I’m sorry, um, is this some kind of joke?” she asks and out of the corner of my eye, I see y/n roll her eyes.

“Like, I’m standing here with a wet wedgie. My socks are soaked. We’re squishing around in here. We’re talking to a wall! I mean, guys… ” Kimberly starts to freak out a little bit and again, y/n rolls her eyes.

“Silence!” Zordon yells out and suddenly the whole room is a bright white.

We all go flying off our feet and I try to keep a grasp on y/n’s hand, but somehow we lose each other's hold. I freak out a moment, trying to locate her before I’m suddenly waking up on the couch of the living room of my house. I blink and for a split moment it’s utter quiet.

I sit up and look around, confused and feeling an absolute dread falling over me. It stays quiet, but I find myself getting up and walking to the front door that’s slightly ajar. It creaks as the air gently pushes it and I reach down to the handle.

I pull it open and find myself in downtown Angel Grove as I walk out the door. I find myself in the middle of the road, but everything seems desolate and eerily quiet.

“Dig! Dig, Goldar!” I hear a whisper that makes me turn to look behind me, but nothing is there, just road and more Angel Grove.

I turn back around and just as I do, there seems to be some explosion in front of me. There’s a green light and smoke before suddenly everything changes. It’s now all gray and people are screaming.

I look to the side and see what seems to be statues of frozen people. I realize they’re all people I know, like dozens of statues before suddenly there’s a person in green right in my face. I move back a bit, but she stays there.

Suddenly she starts making ragged breathing noises and it feels like all the air is being taken from my lungs. Pain is all I feel for a few minutes and she reaches out for me. I then push myself back and my arms hit the statues, making them dissolve into dust.

Then before I know it, I’m back in the ship and falling to the ground. We all fall to the ground and I let out a few coughs as my mind tries to come back. I hear another groan that pulls me out of my own pain and I turn to find y/n laying on her stomach.

She groans as she moves to her back and I slowly slide over to her. I look at her for a moment, silently asking if she’s ok. She lets a tear roll down her cheek before nodding slowly. I sigh and lay my head back on the ground.

I feel her hand come closer and grip onto mine. I grip onto hers right back as we both still try to recover from the blow of the landing.

“Sir. I’m detecting elevated heart rates. They’re— they’re very scared,” Alpha 5 observes and I roll over, trying to get up.

“I don’t understand,” I say as I am finally able to stand back up.

“Why would you show us that nightmare?” I ask as I start walking over to Zordon.

Y/n reaches out to me, but pulls her hand back with a hiss before just letting me go.

“It’s not a nightmare. It’s the future,” Zordon answers as all the others stand now too.

“Was that for real?” Kimberly quietly and breathlessly asks as she looks at the girl in yellow.

“Felt like it,” the girl in yellow tells her.

“And who was that woman?” I ask just before coming to a stop.

“Sir? I believe Orange has a broken rib,” Alpha 5 interrupts, making us all turn to see him looking at y/n.

I see y/n still on the ground and my heart leaps into my chest as I rush back over to her. She groans as I quickly pull her into a seated position.

“My bad. I didn’t realize she’d fall on her stomach. She should heal fine, but Alpha, give her a scan just to be sure,” Zordon tells Alpha 5, who nods before walking over to y/n, but I stop him, holding out a hand.

“She’s not going anywhere without me,” I say in a threatening tone and Alpha 5 shakes his head as he flicks his wrist.

“No need. I can do the scan right here,” he tells me and with a little nod, I let him continue over to us.

He scans her and she lets out a few coughs, but nonetheless seems absolutely fine. Once he’s done scanning her, he looks at her.

“You should be 100% healed, in… I’d say an hour tops,” Alpha 5 tells her and she nods, even though her face shows pure shock.

“Wanna stand?” I ask her and she hesitantly nods before grabbing onto the hand I have held out to her.

I gently help her stand and as we do, she keeps a death-like grip on my hand. Once fully standing, she grimaces for a moment before nodding at me. I keep a hold of her and like she reads my mind, walks with me back over to Zordon.

“Ok. You were saying?” I ask as I look back up to Zordon.

“Her name is Rita Repulsa. She will create Goldar, a huge monster who will rip the crystal from the earth, and all life on your planet will die. With the Crystal, Rita will have the power to create and destroy worlds,” Zordon explains and y/n lets out a breath of shock.

“Wow, way to scare us into being these… power rangers,” y/n sarcastically says with a roll of her eyes.

“So, let me guess. You want us to kill this woman? R— Rita?” The girl in yellow asks and I turn back to look at her.

“Ay, ay, ay! Rita,” Alpha 5 corrects her as he puts his hands to his head like he’s pinching his nose in disapproval.

“She must be stopped,” Zordon adds in a solemn tone and I feel y/n shiver lightly.

“When is she coming?” Kimberly asks, looking at Zordon with a look of disbelief.

“She’s already here. My best guess is we have 11 months. Oh, I’m sorry, days. Days, 11 days,” Alpha 5 changes his estimate as he flings his hands up, then back down.

“If we’re the Power Rangers and this is our ship, if I walk through that door right now, will it open for me?” The girl in yellow asks in a scarcely even tone after she huffs.

“Yes, of course,” Zordon answers without hesitation and I turn to look at her.

“Let’s go,” the girl in yellow says before her and Kimberly turn and start to run.

“Whoa. What are you doing? No, no, no come back!” Alpha 5 shouts, reaching out as all of the others except me and y/n run out of the room.

I look at Zordon before taking a step back and starting to walk away. Y/n follows, still keeping a hold of my hand as we walk back to the stairs.

“No, no, please don’t leave,” Alpha 5 begs us as he takes a few steps behind us.

“Jason, my ranger team died defending the crystal from Rita. That’s why I’m in this wall,” Zordon appeals to me and I turn back to him.

“How’d you know my name?” I ask him as I look up at him.

“Because it’s you, Jason Scott. You are the leader. You are the Red Ranger,” Zordon tells me and the light behind us changes, making me turn to look at it.

I watch in awe as the red ranger in the middle does a cool spin-around move. It then changes to the green ranger.

“Rita was a ranger, too. And my friend. But she betrayed us. Wanted more power. She lost her way. Now she is just pure evil,” Zordon explains as I watch the green ranger in the center before turning to him again.

“But nobody’s pure evil. Did you try appealing to her? Maybe reminding her of what you guys once were?” Y/n asks as she turns to him and Zordon sighs, giving her a sad look.

“We tried everything we could think of. Still, she let the power go right to her head,” he tells y/n with a sigh and I turn back to the glowing force.

“That’s so sad…” y/n tells him and Zordon gives a hum of agreement.

“Believe me. I would have done anything and everything to save Rita,” he tells her and she sniffles, but I know she’s holding her tears back even without having to look at her.

“You must bring them back. All of the rangers. You must train your team to stop Rita before she has the strength to find the crystal,” Zordon urges me and I shake my head.

“Okay. We’re leaving,” I reply as I put my hands up before starting to back away.

“And I only speak for myself and this one here—” I start as I point to y/n.

“No! You speak for all of them. You know that deep down what I’m saying is true. You were born for this,” Zordon says and I stop halfway to look back at him.

“Y/n, you comin?” I ask her when I realize she’s not walking with me.

She keeps her stare up at Zordon and he gives her a look that I can’t exactly read cause he’s a wall. She nods at him before turning slowly to me and grabbing my hand. She looks up at me and I smile softly at her before grabbing her hand.

Together, we walk out of the main room and down the first few halls we were first in. Soon before we know it, we’re back in the cave headed towards the water that brought us here.

To Be Continued…

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#jason lee scott imagine #jason scott imagine #jason scott imagines #jason lee scott #jason scott x you #jason scott x reader #jason scott #power ranger 2017 #power rangers one shot #power rangers imagine #power ranger imagines #power rangers 2017 #dacre montgomery x reader #dacre montgomery one shot #dacre montgomery imagines #dacre montgomery imagine #dacre montgomery

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pxmun · 2 years

Text

Back at Shining Time Station, something or better yet someone began to stir awake. Uknown to most to most, inside the jukebox at Shining Time lived a band of “Little People”. This jukebox band would perform various songs for Shining Time’s passengers in exchange for nickels. The band’s manager. J.J. Silvers was slowly rising from his bed. The manager looked over at his large alarm clock and panicked, he had overslept! JJ immediately jumped out of bed and rushed towards his closet to hastily get dressed. Once he had done so, JJ dashed into the band’s bedroom. “People, people, this is not a drill, I repeat this is not a drill! We’ve overslept, which means we are losing out on valuable nickel time”! JJ announced. From their beds, Didi, Grace, Tito, Tex, and Rex hopped out of bed and rushed to their dressing rooms. “How late are we today JJ”? Tito called out. “At least two hours.” JJ answered as he looked at his pocket watch. “Two hours? Now that’s what I call gettin’ some beauty sleep.” Tex replied. “You look like you can you use a whole nother hour Tex.” Rex responded. “I could say the same to you Rex.” Tex said. “I know, that’s why I said it.” Rex said. The band were quickly ushered to the elevator lift by JJ. “I hope Schemer hasn’t slapped the “out of order” sign on us yet.” Tito said. The elevator dinged as it stopped on the stage floor. “We’re here! C’mon, c’mon, it’s magic time people”! JJ said. Up on the nickel rack, JJ saw one nickel sitting in wait for the band to play. “Great, we’re still in business! Now, let’s see what the first song of the day is.” JJ said as he searched for the chosen song. Grace has just got done tuning her base when she noticed something. “Hey, do you guys hear that”? Grace asked. “Hear what”? Rex asked. “I don’t hear anything.” Tex responded. “That’s just it. The station is quiet, too quiet for this hour of the day.” Grace noted. The other’s quieted down and listened for any noise coming from outside. It was dead silent, there was no sound of passing trains or passengers walking about, not even the humming from the other arcade machines could be heard. “What’s going on? Did Stacy close the station early today”? Didi asked confused. “Tex, Rex, give me a lift will you”? Tito asked. The cowboy twins helped lift their friend up to the one- way window. Tito peered out into the station. He looked around. There was not a soul in site and the station looked unkept and abandoned. “Uh, fellas I don’t know how to say this, but it looks like Shining Time Station looks completely and utterly abandoned"! Tito said shocked. “Abandoned? Now that’s insane.” Grace responded. “Just how long have we’ve been asleep”? Rex asked. Didi then noticed a note tacked to the wall behind her drum set. She untacked the note. “Hey guys look! It’s a note from Mr. C”! Didi said. The band quickly gathered around their drummer, eager to know what their conductor friend had to say. Didi read the note aloud, “Dear Jukebox band, By now all of you are likely wondering what’s going on and why Shining Time Station is empty. I’m sad to say that as of the time I’m writing this, the station has been officially shut down. As all of you are aware things had been getting pretty bad in Shining Time City, but I would have never imagined that people could do something so terrible. That was one very frightful day, one I don’t think anyone will forget. Because of this Stacy and the others decided to shut down the station, even Schemer was in agreement. Stacy will be moving to California; the poor woman feels like she has failed everyone despite all of us telling Stacy that it wasn’t her fault. I’ll be accompanying Stacy to California as I still have my original duty of keeping an eye on the cost to uphold. My sister will be coming by later today to help me move. As for all of you, I have used sleeping sand to put the band in a temporary slumber until I return. If I haven’t gotten back to Shining Time Station by the time all of you have woken up, then that means “they” got me. If that is the case, I need you guys to do a major favor for me. You all need to get to Sodor immediately and warn Sir Topham Hatt that the danger coming to the island will not be that far away. I hope to the stars above that this won’t be the case. I have to get going now, take care of each other and with any luck I’ll see you all soon.” Sincerely your friend, Mr. Conductor P.S. Little Darius left the nickel in the jukebox, he wanted the song “Kasey Jones”. JJ and the band felt the jukebox go cold as reality slammed into them. The station was abandoned, which meant they were out of business and to top it all off the island of Sodor could be in grave danger. Didi was the first to speak up. “Maybe Mr. C doesn’t know we’re up yet. Let’s give him a few hours.” Didi pleaded. “Didi, I know how much you care about Mr. Conductor, but right now we need to get going. Mr. C asked us to go to Sodor and warn them about an impending threat and as his friends don’t you think we should honor his request”? Grace asked. “Yes.” Didi sniffed. Grace hugged her friend in comfort and soon the others joined in as well, including JJ. Once Didi was back on her feet, the band began packing up for their venture. “So, JJ how exactly are we getting to Sodor? Ain’t it still split off in another realm or something”? Tito asked. “My dear boy it’s rather quite simple, all we need is just a bit of gold dust and “sparkle, sparkle, sparkle” we’re on Sodor just like that”! JJ answered. “But JJ.” Tex said. “We don’t have any gold dust.” Rex added. “We used the rest of it the last time we were on Sodor, remember.” Didi said. JJ looked frustrated. “Rats! Guess that’s out then.” JJ said. “What about the magic engine, can’t she take us to Sodor”? Grace asked. “She can, but the problem is Lady only stops for humans and, we, well we haven’t been human in quiet some time now, haven’t we”? JJ answered. “Well, what are we going to do then”? Rex and Tex asked. JJ paced back and forth, trying to think of something. “I got it! We’ll just find someone with a sense of adventure and convince them to come with us to Sodor”! JJ said. “And just how are we going to do that? I don’t know if you noticed JJ but were little talking puppets and you want to ask a human to come with us to a magical land inhabited with sentient talking engines and other forms of transportation.” Grace said. JJ realized how ridiculous his idea sounded. Then another idea came to his head. “I know how we can get a human to take us to Sodor”! JJ announced. “Really, how JJ”? Tito asked. “No time to explain, we need to make our way to the hospital pronto”! JJ said. “The hospital”?! The band asked confused. “Yes, now come on, come on, we’re burning precious moonlight people”! JJ said. And for the first time in years, the Jukebox band left Shining Time Station and headed out into the night, making their way towards Shining Time City.

#didi #grace bass #jj silvers #tito swing #tex and rex #rex and tex #the jukebox band #shining time station #flexitoon #flexitoon puppets #ttte #thomas the tank engine #thomas and friends

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canary3d-obsessed · 2 years

Text

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 30 part two

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

(Masterpost) (Pinboard)

Homesick

On the way back to the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian tells Wen Ning not to tell Wen Qing what happened. Wen Ning is excellent at keeping secrets for Wei Wuxian and not revealing them in a fit of justifiable spite or anything. Then Wei Wuxian sits at dinner with a 1000 yard stare, and tries to pretend everything is fine.

He’s so sad, you guys. Even sadder than after parting from Lan Wangji.

He dodges Wen Qing's several attempts to find out what's wrong, and changes the subject to his farming ambitions. He wants to plant lotuses, and declares that he'll show them that it's possible. Everyone acts like he’s talking about a totally insane idea.

How dare anyone be doubtful of Wei Wuxian’s abilities at this point? I mean, come on. They’re up here surviving on corpse vegetables on his personal corpse mountain that he tamed with a flute while being mostly dead himself. But their skepticism and his bragging do serve to lighten his mood a bit.

(more behind the cut!)

Secret-Keeper Wen Ning

Outside, Wen Ning feeds the lotus soup to A-Yuan right in the main courtyard where Wen Qing will definitely catch him. Also he apparently stole Yanli’s green lotus bowl, which is a bit of a clue about where the soup came from.

Wen Qing lovingly menaces Wen Ning until he fesses up about seeing the Jiangs.

Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing are both utterly devoted older sisters who live and (literally) die for their didis, but are totally different in how they express their love and how they interact with those didis. Wen Qing’s tenderness comes with directness and a sharp edge, not at all like Yanli’s softness and occasional manipulation. It’s nice to see how different they are even if they don’t, you know, end up differently.

Wen Qing goes to talk to Wei Wuxian, and she shuffles back and forth in front of the door, not going in. She knows he needs something, but doesn't know how to approach him; her usual methods aren't right for the pain he's feeling right now, and she's not the sister that he's missing.

Wei Wuxian lies on his bunk listening to The Cure’s entire “Disintegration” album on repeat.

Oh just one more and I'll walk away All the everything you win turns to nothing today So just one more, just one more go inspire in me The desire in me to never go home

He has a montage of memories of the steps that led to where he is now, going from Yanli in her wedding clothes from earlier in the day, then his (now-broken) promise to Jiang Cheng to stay by his side. Then it goes way back to his vow of goodness in the cloud recesses, then to his rainy confrontation with Lan Zhan over that same promise. His vow of goodness and his vow to Jiang Cheng can’t coexit.

He looks at the lotus tassel and thinks, in voiceover, "Yiling Laozu Wei Wuxian." Then he says his future nephew’s name as a tear rolls down his cheek, and asks himself, "Wei Wuxian, would you really still make the same choice?"

Giving up his family is just...too much for him. This is the first time we see him entertaining doubts about the path he’s chosen, although he still won’t express that to anyone but himself.

Lotus Seeds

Later, he's sitting around doing fuck-all while everyone else is working (fuck yeah feudalism), and Wen Qing comes up and tosses a bag of lotus seeds at him, challenging him to get them to grow.

Parenting with Depression

After a brief time skip, a lone seedling has finally sprouted in Wei Wuxian’s mud lotus pond. Before he can check it out, A-Yuan goes and pulls it up. Wei Wuxian gets super upset about this, hollering at A-Yuan and making him cry.

Also making him pout adorably.

Wen Qing comforts A-Yuan and asks Wei Wuxian to forgive him. She doesn’t say “what the fuck, why are you yelling at a baby about a plant” because they live in a genre where whipping your stepkid with magic lightning is legal. Wei Wuxian’s mini tantrum is still pretty chill parenting, by comparison.

Wei Wuxian realizes he needs to be the grown-up here, despite barely being an actual grown up yet, and tells Wen Qing and A-Yuan that it’s fine.

Then he goes back to his cave to listen to Pink Floyd’s entire “Wish You Were Here” album on repeat.

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun Shine on you crazy diamond Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky Shine on you crazy diamond You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom, blown on the steel breeze Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

Wen Qing explains the situation to A-Yuan in a way he can understand, saying that Wei Wuxian misses his sister. A-Yuan says he should visit her, and Wen Qing tells him to go tell Wei Wuxian that. When you can’t bring yourself to talk to your friend about what’s bothering him, sending a 3 year old to talk to him instead is an awesome idea.

A-Yuan goes and makes the suggestion, and Wei Wuxian, back to being a nice dad again, obligingly plays at being able to fly to see her. This is cute for 2 seconds, and then it's soul crushing. Remember when Wei Wuxian actually could fly?

Yeah, I think he remembers it too.

Jins Are Boring

All of this is intermixed with a couple of short, not-gif-worthy scenes at Jinlintai, where we see Jin Guangyao being cheerfully helpful and Jin Zixuan thinking Jin Guangyao is cheerful and helpful. Jin Guangshan is nervous because he knows that Jin Guangyao is actually a murderous little snek--in fact, that’s his favorite thing about Jin Guangyao--and his own legitimate heir is a trusting dumbass person who has a giant target on his back.

Brand New Day

In Yiling, the lotuses are finally growing properly, and the Wens are all very pleased for Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian is kind of overcome with feels, but quickly moves to swaggering and having way too much eye contact with Wen Qing.

Yikes, get a room cave, you two.

1 Year Later

Then we have an entire year of time jump in a single title card. Wei Wuxian has changed outfits to an absolutely devastating simple black robe with a dark red belt. Not to be bisexual but oh my fucking god.

Wen Ning is still wearing the same shitty straw hat with holes in it. Corpses don’t get a clothing allowance.

Aw, Wei Wuxian has been this sad for a whole year, you guys.

WWX and WN catch up on the latest news, which comes to them in the way of all news in Wuxia and Xianxia dramas: two guys sitting around loudly discoursing in public.

The News Guys say that Jiang Yanli had a baby son five days ago, and since he's the "first legitimate grandson" for Jin Guangshan, he's well-loved. Presumably there are several illegitimate grandsons who are poorly loved. Future grandson Jin Rulong will also be poorly loved, by which I mean “assassinated.”

Wei Wuxian is briefly overjoyed, gripping Wen Ning’s shoulder and sharing the news with him. In this moment he speaks from the heart, using familial terms, not sect terms, to speak of his sister and nephew: jiejie and waishengle, not shijie and shizhi.

Then his mood comes crashing back down again, as he realizes this is one more family joy that he’s excluded himself from.

Baby Fever

Next, at Jinlintai, we have the infamous scene where Jin Guangshan won't let Jin Guangyao hold the baby. I know some viewers see this as a tipping point for Jin Guangyao, but I'm reasonably certain he was already evil. He has intended to murder his (admittedly, terrible) father for years and years, and he’s already put his brother-killing plan in motion. Not to mention that he’s got Xue Yang on speed dial.

Jin Guangshan is wise to keep him away from his vulnerable lineal descendant. However, he doesn’t need to be such a dick about it.

You Are Not Worthy To Party With Me

At the party planning meeting, Lan Wangji is making all of his best bitch faces while interacting with the Jins, because he hates nearly anyone who isn’t a Lan or a Wei at this point.

“I’m not a hate monger, I’m a hate stylist” - Punchline, 1988

He sticks his neck way, way out to say that Wei Wuxian should be invited to the baby party. This is a terrible idea, Lan Wangji. But it’s also an amazing step in Lan Wangji’s journey toward accepting Wei Wuxian’s choices. He’s advocated for Wei Wuxian as a person before, but this time he’s advocating for him to be treated as a clan leader.

When he realizes that the Jins plan to use this opportunity to have a Yin Tiger Intervention, he starts to backpedal.

Lan Wangji: What will you do when Wei Ying tells you to fuck off? Jin Guangyao: I’m sure once he sees Jin Ling he’ll want to stay here forever Lan Wangji: Only one baby has that much cuteness power, and that’s Wei Ying’s our baby

Unfortunately, Jin Guangyao knows exactly how to get around Lan Wangji’s concern, telling him that he should handle the invitation personally.

This instantly short-circuits Lan Wangji’s higher brain functions in a wave of pining, and he he accepts his brother’s (honest) and Jin Guangyao’s (dishonest) promises that they will respect Wei Wuxian’s choices, bowing his agreement with the terrible, terrible plan.

Jock Itch

Meanwhile, asshole cousin Jin Zixun is dealing with a little skin rash caused by Su She cursing him, at Jin Guangyao’s direction. Jin Guangyao is such a prick; he made sure not to risk the rebound-curse himself, allowing Su She to suffer those consequences instead.

Then we get to see the only good Jins, father and baby son, having a nice family moment together with Jiang Yanli, happily unaware of Jin Guangshan’s nefarious plans and Jin Guangyao’s even more nefarious plans.

I’m sure this upcoming party will be a return to better times for everyone, right?....Right?

Soundtrack: “Homesick” by The Cure, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond parts I–V” by Pink Floyd

#the untamed #the untamed gifs #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #ep30

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triviareads · 2 years

Note

Do you have any suggestions for a white person writing Kate in show canon fanfiction in a way that neither dwells on or divorces her from her background?

I have seen posts about the origins/confusing use of the terms of endearment in the show and the reflection of that in fic and don’t want to reinforce that. Also, small details they added (like Kate’s dislike of English tea, oiling Edwina’s hair, and wedding traditions) aren’t likely to come up in a lot of fic. She also never speaks in any language except English aside from the time Anthony caught her by surprise in episode 1.

So, aside from the obvious emotional differences, character arc, and basic backstory, are there good ways to let the reader know this is Kate Sharma and not Julia Quinn’s white character who got her last name changed? How important are details in representing her correctly?

(This is for canon era obviously—modern would be an entirely different subject)

Thanks for any thoughts you have!

Okay so ideally I wouldn't want any hint of their Indian heritage in canon-era fics because it makes me royally uncomfortable and kinda sad. But I'll bite.

So, dear White People (actually, anyone, really),

Firstly, STOP CALLING HER KATHANI. It's not a real name, and I believe it's been confirmed it was literally chosen by the white people taking "Katharine" and "turning it Indian" or some BS. The fact that Kate was never introduced by that name in any formal occasion (ex: meeting Danbury, or meeting the queen) and it was only used once in all of S2 indicates that the writers are making it seem like Kate went by a "white" name to conform, or the writers didn't think the audience would "connect" with a "Kathani Sharma" so they only threw it in the end once for a little spice.

Secondly, we need to settle on a cultural background for her. I'm inclined to say that the Sharmas are of South Indian origin (Tamil, likely, despite the last name), and the fact that they lived in Bombay for many years also informs some of their cultural practices. So regarding what the family calls one another, "Amma" and "Appa" for mom and dad respectively (this was a big indicator they're South Indian). I think it's kinda weird Edwina calls Kate "Didi" if they're South Indian, so I'd say make Edwina call Kate the more accurate "Akka", which means older sister in a few South Indian languages. I think the "bon" is sister in Bengali which makes no sense, so just scrap that entirely. Generally, older sisters just call their younger sisters by their name (no respect necessary; also, I remain mildly salty I am not called akka WHEN I SHOULD BE)

We can also probably assume the Sharmas are Christian, otherwise it just makes me depressed to think that they were forced to stamp out their religion if they were Hindus in England, because there's no indication that Kathony ever had a Hindu wedding ceremony or that Kate practices any Hindu traditions. And no, merely having a haldi ceremony is not indicative of religion, only culture.

And as for the superficial stuff like oiling each other's hair (I have to say though, Kate was hella tame when she was oiling Edwina's hair- I can say with experience that it's not a hair-oiling session if someone isn't shrieking about being rough on their scalp, and the other party isn't fervently denying it) or not liking English tea... yeah. Whatever, go for it.

#bridgerton #dear white people #kate sharma #anthony bridgerton #kathony #kanthony #anthony x kate #edwina sharma #mary sharma #desi tumblr #desiblr #ask #bridgerton season 2

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stiltonbasket · 3 years

Note

Stilton, I was the anon who said that Wangxian getting together before Nightless City would make canon events extra heartbreaking and now I know just how 💔💔💔💔 the Qiongqi Dao ambush became 😭. For a less angsty prompt, something from Wangxian's happy year at the Burial Mounds with A-Yuan

(brief note: this verse is entirely prompt-based, so please send in more prompts/reblog for more updates!)

Cloud Recesses, Gusu Lan to Yiling City

(care of Master Xie Yanling, addressed to Lan Wangji)

Didi,

To address the problem you mentioned in your last letter, I think Wei-gongzi might have better luck with a Lan-made spirit-trapping pouch to cleanse your crops of resentment. Such mild resentful energy may not respond to Cleansing, and he mentioned that larger spirits keep answering whenever he uses Chenqing, so I think your only solution may be to pick out the resentment piece by piece. However, I know nothing about resentful cultivation, so you need not feel obliged to try it if Wei-gongzi does not agree, but I have enclosed a package of spirit-trapping pouches just in case. If you have no use for them, they can always be sold, or you can save them for night-hunts in the future.

Please inform Young Master Wei that a delivery of twelve white-jade figurines will be coming with the next trader, and he will recommend a jeweler in the next town whom you can sell them to. I regret to say that we still do not have enough silver to spare, but I have nearly half of my future bridewealth left, and there is no better use for it than to aid my brother and my future brother-in-law. Write to me at once if you need anything, and give my best to Xiao-Yuan!

All my love,

Xichen.

Lan Wangji finishes his brother’s letter with a soft smile on his face, taking out the silk spirit-trapping pouches to show to A-Yuan before putting them back into their box. He has not been back to the Cloud Recesses in over six months, though he warned no one of his departure before he left; he came to see Wei Ying and bring him news of his sister’s engagement, and then he ended up staying the night before Wei Ying asked him to live at his side, and be with him always.

It was never a choice, in the end. Lan Wangji would have chosen Wei Ying over his own fated zhiyin, even before his soulmate died on that horrible day in Heijian, so choosing Wei Ying over his sect and his family takes only a split second.

Together, the two of them have transformed the Burial Mounds into a home. Lan Wangji is no stranger to hard labor, and Wei Ying’s stubborn resolve could outstrip Shufu’s even at its weakest, so they went to work together and wrangled the resentment-ridden forest into a line of neat potato fields, chopping down the trees for firewood and long sections of log for houses. Not long after that, the Wens were all able to go to their own warm homes every night, and dine on large bowlfuls of rice and potatoes and turnips every day.

And what the Burial Mounds could not provide, they have ample money to pay for--because Lan Wangji sold his silver hairpiece in the village, and turned out all his emergency funds so that A-Yuan could keep his little stomach full of all the rich beef and vegetable stew a baby of two could want. During his last monthly check-up, Wen Qing was so pleased with his progress that she actually praised Wei Ying for it, and Wei Ying himself is growing strong and golden-skinned in the fields, so that he can wrestle with Lan Wangji in the evenings for A-Yuan’s entertainment and push the market wagon alone instead of relying on Wen Ning.

I am happier here than I ever was in the Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji thinks, blushing like one of Sishu’s ripe tomatoes as Wei Ying breezes by with a shovel and kisses the top of his head. You have given me the world, my heart, and you said you had nothing to give!

“Oh?” Wei Ying teases, making Lan Wangji blush even harder at the realization that he said that last aloud. “When did I say I had nothing to give, hmm? Who was it that combed your hair and cooked spicy porridge for you last night?”

“It was you, my heart,” Lan Wangji acknowledges, folding his brother’s letter back into its envelope. “And if I were not a cultivator, I would have spent the morning having runs in the latrine.”

Wei Wuxian throws his head back and laughs. “But Lan Zhan, A-Yuan ate it too! And he was fine, wasn’t he?”

“I ate his share for him.”

Wei Ying pouts at this, and continues to pout until Lan Wangji kisses him a few times to make him smile. “What did Zewu-jun say?” he wonders, trying to catch his breath when Lan Wangji pulls away for a moment. “Is he well? What about Lan-xiansheng?”

“They must both be doing well, or Xiongzhang would have told me,” Lan Wangji assures him. “But he suggested the use of spirit-pouches to make the lotus seeds safe to eat. Shall we try it tomorrow?”

“Aiyah, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it!” Wei Ying cries, striking his fist with his palm. “We can’t get the traces of resentment in the crops to listen without holding everything else back, so we’ll have to clear the plots one at a time.”

Suddenly, he frowns and glances at Lan Wangji’s belt. “I don’t know if one pouch will be enough, though,” he mutters. “How old is yours, xingan? They have a ten-year lifetime, don’t they?”

“Three years, I think. But Brother sent a box of new ones, so we should have plenty to experiment with.”

“A-Yuan wants!” their son complains, plucking at Lan Wangji’s long skirts before reaching up for Wei Ying in a silent plea to be carried. “Give pouch, please?”

“You can have a pouch when you’re older,” Wei Ying tells him. “For now, A-Yuan should listen to Xian-gege and go take a nap. It’s too hot for little radishes to be out without a hat.”

Wen Yuan sulks all the way to the Demon-slaughtering cave, and then through the lullaby that Wei Ying hums to him, but he falls asleep without a fuss just as Lan Wangji gets up and puts away his qin.

“Lan Zhan?” his beloved asks, drawing a light blanket over A-Yuan’s shoulders. “Can I ask you something?”

“Hm?”

“You wrote A-Yuan’s lullaby, didn’t you?” Wei Ying is watching him through half-lidded eyes, whirling his dizi between his fingers, and Lan Wangji freezes in shame at the implication. “It’s a love song.”

It takes all the strength in his body to nod and keep fastening Wangji back into its case as if nothing were the matter. “En.”

“It’s a love song for me.”

His voice is rougher now, he thinks.

“Yes.”

“You sang it to me in the Xuanwu’s cave,” Wei Ying murmurs. “It was mine back then, too. But Lan Zhan, your soulmate--before the war, she must have still been--”

“My zhiyin was alive then,” Lan Wangji says heavily. “And I mourn them still. But the song was named Wangxian from the moment of its birth, and I wrote it not long after you left the Cloud Recesses. My betrayal will forever be the greatest shame of my life, but I chose you even then, and I do not regret it.”

Wei Ying begins to tremble. “What would you have done if you had the chance to meet her?”

“Loved you anyway,” he whispers. “What could I have done, if not that?”

It was you from the beginning, he wants to say. Wei Ying, it’s always been you.

It was Wei Ying when he tried to force his way past Lan Wangji at the gates of the Cloud Recesses, and Wei Ying when he put a volume of longyang into a book of Lan An’s poetry, and Wei Ying even when Lan Wangji’s soulbond was singing with his zhiyin’s happiness. For no matter how wrong it might have been, and how uncouth, and how much of a betrayal, Lan Wangji has never wanted another; and if he ever met his soulmate, he would never have been able to love her as he loves his chosen beloved.

Suddenly, he realizes that Wei Ying is crying, and then he buries his face in Lan Wangji’s neck and sobs.

“I thought it was only me,” he gasps. “All this time, I’ve been in mourning--but wearing this sash feels like a lie when I’m with you, and I didn’t dare take it off, but--”

“Then take it off,” Lan Wangji urges, with his own eyes full of tears. “None here will judge you, Wei Ying, least of all me!”

And then Wei Ying kisses him for what feels like hours, until the sun is low in the sky and Wen Ning comes calling after them for dinner--and then Lan Wangji takes Wei Ying in his arms and kisses him in return, for they are wholly each other’s now, and Lan Wangji will never leave him again until the end of their days.

#wangxian #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #soulmate au #mdzs fic #my fic

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eleanorfenyxwrites · 3 years

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Hi y'all!

So I realized today that it's been about three months since I started cross-posting my stuff to ao3 (those of y'all who were here for After Each Midnight while it was still a wip will know that I've been writing for longer than that but anyway). With the latest fic I just posted, I now have 30 works published to ao3 within those three months! Which is wild to me!

Since that averages out to ten fics a month and I like round numbers, I decided to celebrate by listing my 10 favorite fics...of my own lol. Narcissistic? Maybe! But it's fun anyway!

This is a really long post as each rec includes a summary, an excerpt (or a few), and some personal notes/anecdotes about the writing process or what inspired me to write the fic, etc. so I'm putting it all under the break. If this doesn't sound like your cup of tea then of course please just skip over this one, but for anyone who wants to revisit some of my older works with me, or if you're curious about which fics I personally like the most, or if you want to talk about your favorite fics of mine in the replies or anything, then that's cool too! I just wanted to find a way to mark this down because it feels like something of an achievement ^_^

Thank you!

1. After Each Midnight Begins A New Day, (54,401 words, Rated E) Ship(s): 3zun, Wangxian Summary: When Lan Xichen wakes up the morning after the fifth anniversary of his life crumbling to rubble around him in Guanyin Temple, he's shocked to find both Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao in his bed, both whole and alive and...married to him?! (A time travel fix-it in which the time traveling and fixing of things has already been done by Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, and Lan Xichen accidentally gets dragged along for the happily ever after.) Excerpt(s):

1. “Poor da-ge,” [Meng Yao] teases again, this time with a bit of an edge, and Lan Xichen cracks one eye open just enough to see him stripping first out of his shoes and socks, then his third layer of robes, then his second, until he’s dressed much as he had been the prior evening - in nothing but a black under-robe so sheer that it actually almost looks gray. It clings to all the petite, lithe curves of him and the sight makes Lan Xichen’s mouth practically water. “What if I want my turn with you now? What if I’m jealous that er-ge got to have you all to himself for hours , while your poor A-Yao had to go have a drink with Xian-didi just to pass the time.” “Oh gods you’re a beast too,” Nie Mingjue groans as Meng Yao slips on top of him gracefully to lean down and pepper kisses up and down his neck and shoulder. “Get off of me, foul creature. Go tempt our husband, I’m temporarily immune to your wiles.” “You’re never immune to my wiles, da-ge, and er-ge is meditating oh so diligently. He’s certainly not smiling and watching us through his lashes as if we’re not well aware of his tricks and what he likes to watch.” - 2. “It took years of practice, you with your painting and I with my answering, but when you were a teenager I finally decided on the best advice I could think to give you: Do not seek for every answer in this life all at once, Xichen,” he instructs with a smile as he returns to painting. “Let them come to you gently and in their season, and trust that all will be as it should in the end.” Lan Xichen takes another breath and returns to his painting with a slightly trembling hand - a trembling that ends up creating a lovely branch on the tree he is painting that, when he turns his head to look, is modeled almost exactly after the one growing in the garden behind the Gentian House, just beyond the window. “I don’t remember ever seeing this tree,” he whispers and Qingheng-Jun hums across from him in clear understanding. “And yet it flows from your brush all the same. Now we can all know that you have nothing to fear, your memories will also come to you in their season. Until then, allow yourself to rest, and remember that you have the support of your family whenever you need it.” “Yes, father,” he replies with a whisper and a tremulous smile, feeling lighter than he has in days. - 3. “I will go into seclusion.” The statement is a stone dropped into the gently rippling water of a spring-fed pool. The stone is jagged and pitted with all that the world has done to chip away at it, to make it rough and painful to the touch. It is sharp in his hands, heavy with all the hurts he still carries in his chest, all the grief he has no more room to hold. He feels lighter with it out of his grasp, the words settling into the ensuing silence with some bittersweet relief.

Notes: I know I've said it before but it bears repeating: this entire fic exists solely because of the smut scene in chapter 1. I thought of the smut first, and then the lead-in to it, and I intentionally left the end of chapter 1 ambiguous - it could have ended right there as an angsty one-shot with Lan Xichen believing that it was all a hallucination, and there's nothing really in the text to say that it's not because Lan Xichen is a very unreliable narrator in this fic. But then I wanted to write the backstory for the smut if, in fact, it wasn't a hallucination - and everything kind of...butterfly-effected out from there to become what it is now, along with all the extras in the series that's now roughly 120k long altogether and still not finished. Oops. Oh and also: this fic that started the ball rolling only exists because for some reason the servers for Omegle went down for months where I live, and prior to that I used to spend hours rp'ing. Without that creative outlet, I filled the vacuum with writing fic instead and now here we are. So if you're grateful for my fics then thank Omegle for sucking for a few months lol --//-- 2. Loving, Loud, Wild, and Theirs (7386 words, Rated T) Ship(s): Xuanli & Gen (kidfic), 3zun (briefly) - an extra for AEM Summary: A brief look at how in this kinder world, Jin Zixuan managed to find and legitimize his three siblings as well as a snapshot of the chaos of love and fun that is his family with his siblings, his beloved wife, and their seven children. Excerpt:

He had listened to [Madam Qin] and her handmaid, and he had believed them, and he had been unsurprised to find himself thinking quite uncharitably of his father following his promise to Madam Qin that he would do everything in his power to make it right, as much as he could. [Jin Zixuan and Meng Yao] return to Jinlintai the day after the next, once their business is concluded. He’s relieved when nothing needs his immediate attention as it means he’s free to retreat into his and Jiang Yanli’s quarters so he can tell her everything that’s weighing on his mind. “No more surprise siblings from now on,” he sighs into the comfort of Jiang Yanli's chest when he’s finished outlining what has happened and his plans to prepare a new suite of rooms in the family wing of the tower. For Qin Su. His sister. Jiang Yanli just laughs her tinkling laugh and kisses him, her hands gentle as she combs his hair back from his face with her fingertips. “You’ve got more siblings now than any of the rest of us,” she teases with a mischievous smile down at him that is a bit too reminiscent of, weirdly, both Wei Wuxian and Mo Xuanyu for comfort. “Two brothers, a sister, and of course we must keep Mianmian in her spot on the list. If you would like to count brothers-in-law as well you’ve also got A-Xian, A-Cheng, Huaisang, Wangji, Xichen, and Mingjue...” He groans and hides his face properly in the soft silk of her robes even as she laughs again over his head.

Notes: This fic is actually a request fill for someone and I had some trouble ending it because there's a lot more I want to write with this wild family, though I did eventually find what felt like a good place to cut it off with 3zun arriving in Jinlintai for the visit they leave for at the end of AEM. There is something of a follow-up floating around my wips that - if it ever gets written - is a direct sequel to AEM that continues where this extra leaves off, with 3zun getting to spend time with their hoard of niblings in Jinlintai. No promises about if/when that will get written though. --//-- 3. Performance Art (8106 words, Rated M) Ships: 3zun, Wangxian (briefly) Summary: A Modern AU inspired by the 'Hysterical Literature' performance art project. Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, and Meng Yao take turns doing their best to read aloud from chosen written works as they're filmed. The twist is that they're trying to do so as they're being pleasured with a vibrator controlled by one of their partners off-camera, each of their turns ending when the partner being filmed/played with has an orgasm. Excerpt(s):

1. “Engage people with what they expect; it is..- it…it is what they are able to discern and.. ngh.. confirms their projections. It settles.. ah settles them into predictable-“ He cuts off suddenly to set the book down flat and slap one hand down sharply on the tabletop. Meng Yao simply clicks another button and Nie Mingjue groans as his newly unoccupied hand twitches back to rest on the edge of the table closer to himself, as if about to drop down beneath it. Lan Xichen and Meng Yao both shift forward in their seats but Nie Mingjue catches himself before they have to intervene, returning his hand to the middle of the table and forcing a deep breath into his lungs so he can continue. “-Predictable patterns of..of response, occupying their minds while you w-wait for the ex- extra-“ he huffs out a sharp breath and curls his hand into a fist as he tilts forward and forces out the rest of the sentence in a rush. “Extraordinary moment — that whichtheycannotanticipate. FUCK!” - 2. It’s a few hours of quiet, peaceful work later when Lan Wangji shifts his weight in the way that means he wants Wei Wuxian’s actual attention and not his ‘ I’m sculpting so I’m periodically looking at you ’ sort of attention which he is, of course, quick to grant. He pauses in his muttering half to himself and half to Lan Wangji to say, “Hm? What’s up Zhanzhan?” “From Xiongzhang,” he says by way of explanation, holding his phone out for Wei Wuxian to squint at the screen. It takes him a moment to understand what he’s looking at, his eyes needing a second to adjust to the small black and white video that’s playing after having spent hours looking between Lan Zhan and the clay form taking shape under his hands. “What is this?” he asks as he leans in closer and squints a little harder. He blinks and his eyes go wide in the next moment as he realizes what’s happening on the screen as the woman’s tension climaxes ( literally ) - and then it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to figure out just why he’d been asked to create an eerily similar setup in his own studio the previous afternoon for three men he might as well consider his sort-of brothers at this point. His next exhale is a wheeze as his ears go hot and Lan Wangji is instantly shrugging into a robe to stand from his lounging position and approach, concern written all over his features. “Wei Ying?”

Notes: I don't really have too much to say about this one except that it brought me so much joy and laughter to write and it honestly kind of surprises me that it's one of my less popular fics - it's nothing but a fun, sexy time! But I'm also terrible at guessing trends/what people will want to see so that might be on me haha. Oh! Also - a minor thing but something I'm very mildly proud of: the narrator voice is dependent on who's behind the camera! I wanted a way to make the person filming feel just as involved as the other two and I thought that was a fun way to do it since within the narrative it's technically going to be their perspective used for the video they're recording. Just to give y'all a little insight into my decision-making when it comes to my writing style for this one. --//-- 4. Anything For My Nie-Zongzhu (6411 words, Rated E) Ship: NieYao - pre-canon (just barely) Summary: Meng Yao is Nie Mingjue's trusted right hand, intelligent and valued by his Sect Leader, at least, who has learned lately to appreciate him a hell of a lot in private too - and for much more personal matters than the minutiae of running the Nie Sect. Seeing as Nie Mingjue trusts him so much, he finds it in himself to ask for something new - for Meng Yao to top him. [Technically an extra for AEM but can be read as a standalone] Excerpt:

“Am I to play into this boorish act you’re putting on tonight?” he teases instead as he steps closer until he’s near enough to feel the way the steam from the bath has turned the air sticky and humid. Nie Mingjue finally looks up at him and Meng Yao is internally crowing with triumph as he watches the lines of tension around his eyes and mouth fall away, his expression smoothing into quiet contentment. He did that. His presence alone is enough to help Nie Mingjue relax. It feels nearly as good as the day the man had angrily defended him to his own disciples and promoted him on the spot. “It’s not an act, I’m plenty boorish,” Nie Mingjue gruffs, returning his gaze to the letter, but this close Meng Yao can actually watch his eyes do nothing but try to glare a hole through the center of the page. “Of course you are, Zongzhu,” Meng Yao allows, his tone openly humoring - as is the smile tightening the corners of his mouth. “Therefore I can only suppose that you would prefer it if I returned to my walk and left you to continue your...correspondence in peace.”

Notes: Once again not really many notes on this one! I just love NieYao, I think their dynamic during Meng Yao's Nie Sect days has so much potential and I love exploring it every so often. --//--

5. Bite The Hands That Feed (1590 words, Rated E) Ship: XiYao Summary: After being forced out of the Nie Sect, Meng Yao has to come to grips with the hunger that's been chasing him his whole life, and he finds temporary satisfaction over and over in Lan Xichen, who is always so generous with his time and his body and is willing to help him feel less empty even just for a night. Excerpt:

He would never bite the hands that feed him, that stuff him full enough to make him believe for a moment that he’s no longer starving. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t inflict pains. He bites and he scratches and he plants himself in the bloody furrows until flowering moans reward his violent care, until pleasure bursts sun-warmed and sweet between them, berries ripe for the picking. He stains his mouth red with them, his fingers purple with the bruises he paints so delicately on his devotee’s body. If Meng Yao is being clawed to a slow torturous death from within, then it stands to reason that his other half will be ripped to shreds from without. He keeps his nails sharp and his teeth bared to tear into his flesh and drink sweetly of the vintage he offers - sweat, spend, blood, saliva when their mouths meet for crushing kisses. All of it is his to consume. He puts his mouth to the feast of Lan Xichen’s body and eats until the hunger pangs are satiated, drinks until he feels dizzy with it.

Notes: So I wrote this one when I was getting a little tired of the straight narration style of all my other fics and I wanted to try my hand at something looser, a little more prose-like but also a little darker than my usual fluff. I'm not sure how successful I was - this is actually one of my absolute least popular fics, number-wise! - but it's one of my favorites anyway. --//-- 6. A Figure, A Mouth (2788 words, Rated M) Ship: Wenzhou Summary: A quiet, intimate evening spent in the comfort of the Four Seasons Mountain Manor sometime between their arrival/fixing up of the place and the confrontation with Ye Baiyi. Excerpt:

After a while of warming each other up Wen Kexing urges him back up to push the bed under the window just as he’d said he would. Zhou Zishu takes the opportunity to blow out the candles before he rejoins Wen Kexing in their bed, the sudden darkness leaving them free to admire each other clothed in nothing but broad swathes of cool, sweet blue light bisected by deep black lattices of shadow from the trees out in the yard, the shadows from the contours of the wall and decorations around the window blocking and revealing them in turns. Lao Wen is, of course, as beautiful like this as he has been in every way Zhou Zishu has ever seen him, and he takes the time to savor it, to indulge in the decadence that Wen Kexing presents for each of his remaining senses. He’s a feast for the eyes, all hard muscle and skin glistening with glittering diamonds of sweat along his shoulders and the soft curve of his cheek. He’s a symphony for the ears, breathless desire and tender calls of his name that Zhou Zishu never lets go unanswered when they’re like this. By now Wen Kexing is an expert at drawing pleasure from him in every unlikely way there is to make sure that the effects of the nails don’t keep him from reaching his peak at least once, occasionally more in spite of his fading sense of touch.

Notes: Wenzhou makes me so soft and emotional, y'all. The next one on the list is also a Wenzhou fic and I just can't seem to stop writing them in fluffy/smutty situations because it's what they deserve. I really don't have anything more interesting to say about this fic, I just love them haha. --//-- 7. Tease Him Just Enough (2537 words, Rated M) Ship: Wenzhou Summary: A possible outcome if the conversation post-face reveal in episode 6 had gone differently - i.e. if Zhou Zishu had called Wen Kexing out on all his flirting and challenged him to do something about it - and then he does. Excerpt:

They don’t need words to communicate that at least right here in this particular moment there’s no one else they would rather have in their arms, pressed up against their bodies, no one else’s tongue who would find a new home in each other’s mouths or any other body their hands would rather explore. Wen Kexing has already known that they’re fated, but for the first time it feels like they’re agreeing to be so. Even if it’s just for a night. (Not that he thinks it will be just one night for them, but getting Zhou Xu to agree to anything remotely of the kind is like trying to drag a stray back-alley cat into a bath so he’ll take what he can get.)

Notes: My first fic for Word of Honor! The whole time I was watching the show (read: obsessively binge-watching) I was like 'Okay I like this show a lot but it's not nearly as compelling as The Untamed, idk if I'll be motivated to write anything for it'. Then I got to the end and I was like NEVERMIND YES I AM. I played myself. --//-- 8. You Need Tending (12,108 words, Rated T) Ship(s): Lan Wangji & Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji & Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren & The Jades & Wei Wuxian (this is a kidfic so nothing romantic!) Summary: Wei Wuxian is alone and homeless on the streets of Yunmeng, unaware of the presence of his parents' old friend so nearby. Lan Wangji is a child grieving for the loss of his mother in silence, overwhelmed by the world his uncle keeps dragging him out into. It takes their paths crossing more than once for Lan Qiren to realize just who Wei Wuxian is and that he needs their help, but he gets there eventually. Excerpt:

He watches on as the man comes to a stop next to the boys and squats down to check over the one who had been lost and suddenly he remembers lying on the ground and looking up at a stern-faced man with gentle hands and a ribbon across his forehead. The man who had given him medicine and bandages after a small boy had defended him from dogs, and an older boy had talked to him so kindly and helped him to sit up off the dirt. Wei Ying gasps as the memory hits and he scrambles back down off the roof, landing on the packed dirt of the space between the buildings with an oof, excitement bubbling in his chest. Along with the memory comes a name and it flies from his lips as he scrambles up off the ground to push his way into the crowd again. “Master Lan!” he shouts, his tiny voice lost in the din of the market. He tries to shove closer but the little family is already walking away, their backs to him as he strains against the flow of people much bigger and stronger than him. “Master Lan!” he tries again, desperation lending extra strength and emotion to his cry. Wei Ying stops struggling as he watches the two boys in white walk away, the pair of them flanking Master Lan in his sky blue robes as they move through the market, radiating serenity in the midst of the chaos. His vision blurs and he scrubs his forearm against his eyes angrily to dry them, trying to keep the three of them in his sight for as long as he can just in case they turn around and spot him. Just in case they remember him and maybe want to tell him to come with them.

Notes: Baby Wei Ying T-T He just hits me right in the heart, and so does baby Lan Zhan! And baby Lan Xichen. All the babies. This fic was actually completely inspired by an utterly adorable fanart of Lan Xichen giving a grumpy baby A-Zhan a piggyback ride! I'd been wanting to write a kidfic type fix-it for a while and that art was the spark I needed to come up with something workable. (Edit: here’s my reblog of the art I’m talking about!) --//--

9. Familial Circumstances (5393 words, Rated G)

Ship(s): Lan Qiren & Original Characters, Lan Qiren & Jin Zixuan, Lan Qiren & Qin Su, Lan Qiren & Mo Xuanyu - An extra for AEM

Summary: Another kidfic extra for the horde of children in Jinlintai, this time as seen through the lens of their beloved Great Uncle Lan. It's a simple relationship-study-type look at how all the children love their Great Uncle and how much he loves and treasures them in return.

Excerpt:

An unusual stillness accompanies [Jin Ruhai's] playing. Jin Lu stops fidgeting with her fingers, the twins slip into the perfect stillness of those who are utterly aware of themselves at all times - a trait [Lan Qiren has] noticed in every skilled fighter he’s ever come across - and even Jin Ye relaxes, slumping further and further backwards until she’s slouched down against his stomach, legs dangling over his crossed shins.

The piece isn’t a terribly long one, nor as complex as the next score Lan Qiren intends to teach the boy, but Jin Ruhai’s mastery of it is impressive. Again, Lan Qiren is forcefully reminded of Lan Wangji, always most at peace when behind his instrument to play with and/or for the people he loves.

There’s silence in the room until the last note fades with a shiver into the air and Jin Ruhai pulls his hands back from the instrument. The stillness lasts for one more moment before it’s interrupted by Jin Lu sneezing suddenly and her siblings laugh as the quiet breaks.

“I had to hold that in the whole time !!” Jin Lu laughs as she rubs her sleeve under her nose, one eye screwed shut as she giggles. “I didn’t want to mess up A-Zhuang’s song, it’s so pretty!”

Notes: I'm definitely biased because they're all my oc's except for Jin Ling, but I genuinely love all of the Jin children in the AEM AU. If anyone is ever interested in knowing more about their individual personalities and the like please don't hesitate to ask me, I've actually put quite a bit of thought into all 6 of the kids I created wholecloth and I have a lot of feelings about Jin Ling getting the chaotic siblings and loving parents he was robbed of.

--//--

10. Opportunities To Practice (5710 words, Rated M) (*WIP)

Ship: Xuanli - An extra for AEM

Summary: Jin Zixuan is nervous for his..marital activities with Jiang Yanli - after all, who could he possibly ask for advice? His father? No thank you. Thankfully Jiang Yanli is sweet and patient and knows her husband well - he just needs a bit of time and he'll get it figured out.

Excerpt:

She shivers with an interesting combination of want and intense vulnerability as she stands there, feeling bare in spite of her remaining layer. It’s of a material so sheer as to be practically nonexistent, nothing more than a delicate veil of a red so pale it’s nearly pink that sits on her body like a second skin. Until it falls gently away at the knee to flutter around her ankles, it clings to every curve, every contour, and as she watches Jin Zixuan doesn’t even bother to hang the robe he had just removed on the screen. He lets it drop into a soft pool around her bare feet, his gaze roaming her newly exposed figure - she would perhaps feel strange about it did he not look so devoted , so in awe of seeing her practically naked in front of him.

Yanli gasps softly as he suddenly drops to his knees at her feet and oh - that’s heady. Her body, which she hasn’t really thought of too much in the past beyond the occasional irritation that it’s weaker than she would prefer, has put the man she loves on his knees. He’s looking up at her now, his eyes wide and his hands reverent as he raises them to rest on her thighs, thumbs caressing her too-warm skin through the barely-there robe that bunches up softly under the pressure of his grip.

“You’re right,” he finally breathes, sounding slightly strained. “I’d like this to stay on. If that’s - are you alright?”

“I am,” she reassures.

Notes: This last fic is technically a wip, the only one in the list! However! - it's going to be a collection of one-shots centered around Xuanli and their sexual exploits that lead to their seven children, and possibly also the ones that are just for fun (horny Yanli rights forever). It's not currently high on my list of priorities or anything and the one chapter that's up so far can stand on its own so it's a wip but it's not? I just love Xuanli so much and I want to explore their relationship in my happy fix-it AU whenever the mood strikes, and whenever that happens this is where those one-shots will go.

--//--

And that's it! My personal top 10 favorite fics of my own as of right now. I thought about doing my top 10 according to statistics like hit counts or kudos, but I genuinely love some of these unpopular fics and I wanted to give them some love and attention even if it's just for me. I know there's a lot here to sift through but if any of y'all enjoyed the list or any of the specific fics on it let me know! I liked taking this little pause to take a look at what I've actually been producing these last few months.

Thanks for reading!

#the untamed fanfic #gonna tag the main romantic ships listed:#3zun #NieYao #XiYao #Wangxian #Xuanli #Wenzhou #y'all I legit spent hours formatting this and writing all this out #I also went looking for the fanart that inspired You Need Tending so I could link it and my page refreshed #which I suspected it would do so of course I hit Ctrl+A and copied it all -#only to find out that doing that doesn't extend past the readmore break which I had already put in #so I lost the whole introductory bit and had to rewrite it #T-T I didn't even find the fanart I'm gonna look for it again on mobile cuz it's easier #ANYWAY - literally no one asked for this and I don't even know if anyone was curious to begin with but I wanted to make this anyway soooo #It's also lowkey one of my goals to write something one day that becomes popular enough to end up on rec lists #So this is me kind of indulging that in a very 'tooting my own horn' kind of way that I refuse to apologize for #No shame in my game #Also if you see any typos or formatting weirdness No You Don't :) I've been doing this for 5+ hours and I'm hUNGRY

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play-like-athena · 3 years

Text

2021 WNBA Mock Draft

This is a weak draft considering the top talent that declared early last year. This makes things even harder to predict because teams can go in many different directions. There are no clear choices... ESPECIALLY at #1.

1. Dallas Wings- Awak Kuier (PF, Finland)

I can’t put Charli Collier as the #1 overall pick. I just can’t do it. The youngest team is going to draft the youngest player in the draft. Kuier is just 19 years old but she has the versatility and skill that today’s game loves. She’s a 6′5″ forward who already has a decent 3-point shot. Many over seas players who are drafted this young don’t come over right away, so she will be a good stash pick for Dallas. Why not, they have 100 other picks in this draft.

2. Dallas Wings- Charli Collier (C, Texas)

IN THEORY she would be a great choice for Dallas. They need a good rebounder and a true center to help out Izzy Harrison. Here’s my problem: Big 12 Semi Finals vs. Baylor (FG 1-2. PF 4. REB 1). The player many are predicting to be the #1 pick only had TWO shot ATTEMPTS against one of the best teams in the country. If she can’t demand the ball and make plays as the best player on her team in college, how can we expect her to do it in the WNBA? Another example: vs. UCLA in the Second Round of the NCAA tournament (FG1-3. REB 5. PF 4.) Texas pulled of the upset in this game but it was in no thanks to Collier. She is far too prone to getting into foul trouble. A #1 pick is supposed to impact a franchise and I don’t see how Collier will do that. In honesty I don’t think she’s a #2 pick either, but I think Dallas will end up picking her here anyway.

3. Atlanta Dream- Rennia Davis (SF, Tennessee)

With Tiffany Hayes returning Atlanta should hopefully find some consistency this season. The loss of Renee Montgomery to retirement shouldn’t effect them too much considering they has Chennedy Carter to fill her spot. What Atlanta is lacking is versatility. Rennia Davis is a player who can get them a bucket, rebound and defend well, and get up and down the floor quickly.

4. Indiana Fever- Aari McDonald (PG, Arizona)

I don’t think anyone has boosted their draft stock more than McDonald. I love her game because a lot of her energy comes from her defense. That’s not something you see from a lot of players, so if you can find it you should take it. With the Olympics being in 2021 it seems like Allemande won’t be playing this season, so that means Indiana will be down a point guard. Dana Evans could easily be chosen here as well, but I think her tenacious defense and her tournament performance will give her the edge.

5. Dallas Wings- Natasha Mack (PF, Oklahoma St)

I desperately want Dallas to take Mack here. She lead the country in blocks, averaging 4 BPG. Dallas desperately needs some rim protection. They just need to do it. Will they? Probably not.

6. New York Liberty- Dana Evans (PG, Louisville)

It’s hard to predict what New York is going to do because they team they will have this year will look nothing last last years. They made some great additions with Natasha Howard, Betnijah Laney, and Sami Whitcomb. With the Olympics it is unclear whether Han Xu and Marine Johannes will be playing. And with Asia Durr’s battle with Covid- 19 it seems unlikely she will be playing either. I think New York will go with Evans here because they need to improve their shooting and defense. I think they’ll also just go with the best available player, which would be Evans if she’s still available.

7. Dallas Wings- Arella Guirantes (SG, Rutgers)

What Dallas does with their other 3 picks will determine what they do here. Guirantes will give them scoring off the bench, which will relieve some pressure from Ogunbowale.

8. Chicago Sky- Kiana Williams (PG, Stanford)

Other than Vandersloot Chicago doesn’t have another true point guard. I think they will be choosing the best available point guard here. If my predictions are correct that leaves Williams as the best available point guard. She has greatly improved her draft stock during the tournament. This pick could easily go to McDonald as well .

9. Minnesota Lynx- Iliana Rupert (C, France)

I think it’s about time Minnesota starts thinking about life after Sylvia Fowles. The problem is they spent a lot of money this off season. They don’t need someone right this minute. That is why I think they’ll go for a stash pick here. Rupert is just 19 and has already played against WNBA stars in the Euroleague. She has a good face up game at the basket and is a great rebounder as well. I think her game would work well in Cheryl Reeves’s system.

10. Los Angeles Sparks- Chelsea Dungee (SG, Arkansas)

LA lost a lot of great players in the off season. LA is going to need someone who can come off the bench and score some points. It will also be great for her to learn from Seimone Augustus.

11. Seattle Storm- Didi Richards (PG/SG, Baylor)

A lot of mock drafts has Richards falling to the second, even the third round. That blows my mind. Like any player from Baylor, her defense is elite. She brings constant energy, and her biggest spark is making a great defensive play. She doesn’t take a lot of shots, but she can get a bucket if she needs to. She also came back from a spinal cord injury in 38 days! That tells you the kind of person, and competitor she is. These are things you just can’t teach. Seattle lost Natasha Howard, Alysha Clark, and Sami Whitcomb in the off season. That is a lot of lost defense. Richards will be a perfect plug to those holes.

12. Las Vegas Aces- N’Dea Jones (PF, Texas A&M)

Vegas was also busy in the off season. They have no glaring needs, so I think they’ll go with someone with some versatility. Jones is a double- double machine. A downside is she is undersized at 6′2″. But she is someone who reminds me of Napheesa Collier. They are both undersized for their position, but aren’t afraid to do the dirty work to get the job done.

#wnba #mock draft #I have no idea how this will turn out #makes things more interesting

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storiesbyvaleriejean · 2 years

Text

Not the chosen one (chapter 1. Milly’s Meet-up)

I haven’t been chosen in 26 years. My picture has never been mounted and centered impeccably above someone’s mantle or fireplace. I’ve never been asked to a school dance, a Valentine’s Day dinner, a random and spontaneous 2:00AM Taco Bell run followed by a 2-hour therapy session in a Nissan Altima. My selfie has never been framed adjacent to someone’s iMac in their office or saved as the wallpaper in anyone’s iPhone. My eyes have never witnessed a rose-covered hotel floor nor have I ever been bent over a balcony on the 72nd floor of a Hilton residence in St. Lucia.

For me, a man has never purchased more than a pack of condoms and a bottle of brown bottom-shelf liquor. I’ve never been someone’s top priority, number one pick, #wcw, or dream girl. I cannot even begin to fathom what it would feel like to experience even a morsel of genuine love from anyone, including myself. Actually. My family and friends loved me but that barely counted because to everyone else, I was, quite literally, a speck of dust wandering aimlessly in the universe. Unfortunately for me, no one seemed to love me more than my best friend, Mina. She had everything I ever wanted. Loving her, at times, was painful. Sometimes, especially while in her presence, people looked at me as if I was the most disgusting alien thing they’ve ever encountered or they simply don’t look bother to make eye contact at all. The only time men were ever civil is when asking for my best friend’s number. Being ignored is one thing, but being treated as if I’m subhuman, has become the norm…and it’s been fucking exhausting.

To be honest, I felt bad about myself all the time but that feeling magnified when I was in Mina’s presence. And what makes things 100x worse is that she is, quite literally, the best person I’ve ever known. She’s amazing and radiant and perfect in every single way and every angle possible. I simultaneously loved and hated being around her. On one hand, I felt honored to be able to experience her better than anyone else. Her friendship meant everything to me. To her, I was the world and she genuinely saw me. To everyone else, especially in her presence, I was…nothing.

What is less than nothing? I felt less than that.

There was only one way to feel nothing indefinitely.

_________________________________________________________

Mina called me right before she left for her date on Valentine’s Day and I tried my very best to hide my face, just in case a few tears hit my ear.

“Didi!” She exclaimed as soon my forehead, eyes and nose appeared on the screen. “Okay, which one do you think would look better?” She was clutching a red faux fur coat in her left hand and a red leather jacket in her right and as usual, she looked ethereal.

Mina would be deemed an Instagram model if she had the following. She was so beautiful, it was almost a cliché and if Sade and Rihanna were to have a baby, it would come out looking exactly like Mina. Her only (self-proclaimed) flaw was her height; she barely stood at 5’5 in her highest heels.

Her hair was twisted into impossibly long faux dreads embellished with hair jewels and golden clips. She had on a red bustier corset top and a long red skirt. She had a date, but I could imagine the entire restaurant stopping to gawk in awe as she clicked her heels through the room. I secretly and very bitterly wanted to tell her to choose the red leather jacket, knowing it would look like an atrocity with her outfit, but I shook out of my brief jealousy and responded.

“Definitely the faux fur.” I said, my voice cracked ever so slightly but it was enough to capture her full attention.

“Why are you hiding your face?” She asked accusingly. “You’re all forehead right now, I can’t see you.”

“You know I look a hot mess right now,” I struggled to keep my voice even. “Got food all over my mouth.”

Mina, of course, wasn’t convinced. “Are you crying?”

I wasn’t. But before she could even muster the last word, my face couldn’t stop from contorting and the next thing I knew, I was weeping.

Mina’s voice was stern but her features softened a bit.

“Adira, why are you crying?”

My face was now in full view. “Girl, nothing,” I started to laugh through my tears. “You know I hate this day. I feel lame in the house alone…with my auntie.”

“Okay, well then come with me!”

“Huh?”

“Girl, I’m so serious,” she said. “Just come with me…or us. We’re going to Milly’s and I think he invited his friends and their girlfriends too. So it’s like a group thing.”

“Mina, are you okay?” I asked incredulously. “Wouldn’t this nigga feel a little weird with me lurking in the shadows? And I thought you liked this guy?”

“Didi, it’s really not that serious. We literally just met and like I said, his friends will also be there,” she paused. “You know what…you gotta come now! You can meet him and let me know what you think afterwards. It’ll be mad fun!”

I thought for a long second. “I have nothing to wear. I still have my bonnet on.” Mina rolled her eyes. “Girl, stop. I know you got that pink slip dress, so slip that bitch on and let’s go. I’m not even fully ready, I don’t even have makeup on.”

She didn’t need any makeup.

I sighed and looked grudgingly at the clothing rack on the other side of my room. I did have a pink slip dress. The straps were made of metal gold-links and the silky material was cinched in the middle to give the wearer the illusion of hour-glass figure.

“Yeah,” she said cockily. “Yeah, exactly. Wear that and those strappy gold heels that you got and let’s go.”

“It’s 49 degrees.”

“Bitch, it’s practically the summertime in New York. Let’s go, Didi” she smiled. “Don’t worry, I got you. I want you to be happy …and I know you love jazz…so c’mon.”

I sighed again. “Ugh…I guess.”

“Yes!” she squealed. “Okay, great. Imma let you get ready and we’ll touch base around 8:30pm. Sound good?”

I nodded.

“Okay, girl. Love ya!” She hung up the phone.

________________________________________________________________ I laid immobilized on my bed for a few minutes, gazing up at my popcorn ceiling. I heard no sounds, saw nothing but a sea of white, and smelled slightly burned banana bread lingering in the air. My aunt Marcia prepared banana bread just once every year. She and my (now deceased) Uncle Delroy used to bake banana bread and share it over a tub of vanilla bean ice cream every Valentine’s Day since 1983.

When my Uncle Delroy died of liver failure a few years ago, my aunt tried everything in her power to continue to keep certain traditions alive. She never slept on his side of the bed, she wore her Black Radiance red lipstick every Friday night and made her way to the local park cinema, and she never ever (and I mean never ever) missed an episode of Family Feud. All the things she used to do exclusively with my uncle. Although I’d prefer living by myself, as I sometimes felt like an intruder, I was really grateful for my aunt’s support.

During the pandemic, I quit my full time job as a Day-Spa receptionist and decided to run a business selling candles. The business, however, failed within a few months and I was forced to move in with the closest relative, my aunt, and work front desk at a waxing bar in Manhattan. Luckily for me, she had a little bit of extra space in her Harlem apartment. My mother (her sister) lived in Florida…and quite frankly, no one wanted to live there.

For the 100th time that night, I sighed and went to grab the silk dress. I threw it on my bed and grabbed a towel as I headed towards the bathroom.

_______________________________________________________________

There was nothing exceptional about me. I was not cute like a short girl or modelesque like a tall girl. My skin doesn’t glisten or glimmer like gold under the sun. My eyes aren’t two pools of shimmering amber that revealed the portal to the depths of my soul. I wasn’t Naomi Campbell, or Beyoncé, or anything remotely close.

My jaw was slightly crooked, my posture has severely declined from years of avoiding eye contact, my teeth were not in the best shape, my skin was dull and full of black hyperpigmented marks and my style was lackluster. I was exceptionally thin with no curves; an East African girl with no body, sass or charm. A walking contradiction. A solid 5/10…just….average and not in a super inspiring, underdog type of way either. Just the average, kind of friendly, neighborhood black girl from Queens. The one with the Ethiopian and Trinidadian family. ______________________________________________________________ I slipped on my pink dress, added some concealer and pulled my box braids into a bun and felt nothing but very mild satisfaction.

“This is as good as it’s gonna get,” I said colorlessly, while observing my figure in the bedroom mirror.

It was 8:43 when Mina finally called me back.

“Didi, you look cuteeee!” She said. She, of course, looked absolutely stunning.

“Okay, so what coat are you wearing?” “Probably the pink crop bubble jacket.”

“Uh…no. This isn’t 2007. I’ll let you borrow my beige trench, it’ll look good with that dress. And girl…jewelry? You don’t got no hoops or a necklace or nothing?”

I hung my head back in frustration. “No, you have some I can borrow?”

“I got you!” She said. “Other than that, you ready?”

I shrugged. “Girl...I guess.”

“Alright, calling an Uber…be there in 20.”

________________________________________________________________

Milly’s on 145th street was the Blue Note of our neighborhood. They served lobster, premium steak and French wine under saffron colored lights while a Big Band orchestra played jazz renditions of popular songs every Saturday and Sunday nights. There was a line outside the door when we arrived. Although unspoken, it was universally known that Milly’s was a club for the black population of Harlem, the original Harlem.

Mina’s date was standing in the front with a bouquet of roses. She grabbed my hand and sprinted towards him in super high heels; the crowd outside eyed her in amusement as she bounced towards the entrance.

“Kendrick!” She squealed. “You look so handsome. Aww, thank you for the flowers.”

He kissed her on the cheek. At least this one was tall.

She cradled the bouquet in her arms and turned over to me. “Ken, this is my best friend Adira. I told her she can rock with us tonight.”

Ken made brief eye contact with me and averted his gaze back to Mina. “Oh, I didn’t know she was coming.”

“I mean, it’s okay right? Just tell Juan to let her in,” Mina pressed.

I knew this was a bad idea.

He looked at me again, evident disappointment plastered across his face. Through his barely concealed frown, anyone can tell that he was actually quite handsome. Mina usually dated guys who were a little shorter, with a stockier build. Kendrick was very tall and lean, like a basketball player. He was clad in a simple but clean outfit with a 90s Morris Chestnut fade. And he wore jewelry. I looked expensive and not in a tacky, pretentious way. I was impressed. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, feigning a smile. “Of course she can come in. I’m sorry Amina, nice to meet you.” Tapping me lightly on the shoulder.

“Not at all. It’s Adira or Didi.” I said. “I’m sorry for interrupting y’all date like this. I was told that Milly’s is gonna be good tonight, so you won’t even know I’m there.”

“Oh my God!” Mina interrupted. “Let’s have this conversation inside. It’s cold!”

The bouncer heard this and abruptly intervened. He looked towards Kendrick and nodded. He also nodded towards Mina. He looked at me, however, and asked me step back in line.

“Nah, Charlie.” Kendrick interjected. “She with us.”

Charlie proceeded to whisper something into Kendrick’s ear but his voice was deep enough for me to hear. “You sure? She doesn’t look like the type you usually roll with.”

“Yeah, yeah. She’s cool.”

I was slightly offended and looked to Mina for a little support or some sort of outrage but she didn’t seem to be paying any attention.

“Okay, let’s go.” Kendrick said, grabbing Mina around the waist. I could feel the bouncer’s intense glare on my neck as we made our way into the club.We were seated in one of 2 of the only VIP sections at the club. There were dimly lit bars on opposite ends of the main seating area and everyone in the the club was virtually packed liked sardines. An even and boisterous chatter filled the room and Juan, the owner, caught our eye and nodded a hello.

“Good looks Juan!” Kendrick nodded back. A tall Hispanic dude waved at us from, what I assumed, was our table. As we approached our reserved section, some of Kendrick’s friends stood up in greeting and excitement.

“Ken!” The Hispanic dude exclaimed. “What’s up man?” “What’s good, Mike.” Kendrick grinned. “Kenny!” Another one cried. Clearly everyone was very happy to see him. “That’s you?” He asked Kendrick, although looking directly at Mina. She laughed and waved her hand flippantly.

“Nice to meet you,” she giggled, as charming as ever. “I’m Mina - this is my best friend, Adira.”

“Likewise, likewise. I’m Gabriel,” he said, raising his voice slightly above the music. He turned his attention to the rest of the group. “That’s Mike, Alicia, Kelly, Trey, Jada, Jordan and my girlfriend Gina and don’t worry... Its okay if you already forgot our names,”

We all laughed and Gabriel looked at me.

“Your date running late?”

“Oh..I don’t have one,” I started awkwardly. “I’m just here for the vibes.”

He nodded and shrugged. “Well take your seats. The band finna come in about…25 minutes. I ordered a round for the table.” “My man!” Kendrick said

We took our seats and chatted casually, waiting for our shots to arrive. There was hookah at the center of the table and I grimaced. As soon as the intertwined smell of Tobacco and mint hit my nose, I felt instantly nauseated. I absolutely abhorred the smell of hookah. My thigh started to twitch and shake, which only happened if I was feeling anxious. Mina looked over at me, sensing my discomfort, and grabbed my hand.

“You are so pretty,” one of the girls, (maybe Kelly?) said to Mina. “Where are you from?”

“Aw, thank you! So are you,” Mina said. “I’m from Astoria. My mom is Puerto Rican and my dad is Nigerian.”

“Ayyy!” The guy sitting next to Kelly exclaimed. “Igbo or Yoruba?”

“Igbo.”

“Yeah,” Kendrick said. “Definitely Igbo. You a light bright.”

Mina rolled her eyes playfully while everyone laughed. In situations like these, I really enjoyed being the quiet observer. I learned something new about myself and the people surrounding me, every single time.

A realization that I’ve made quite some time ago was that a stranger has never told me that they thought I was beautiful. Unfortunately for me, every single time I was out with Mina, strangers would go out of their way to tell her how gorgeous she was. Although all of these guys had dates, they would occasionally make surreptitious glances at Mina. No one asked me any questions or barely looked my way. Not to sound overly bitter or desperate for attention but damn…no one looked my way.

The waiter approached us and placed a huge plate of shots on the table. There were 10 shots and 11 people. Everyone grabbed a glass but Mina was the first one to notice mine was missing.

“Gabriel,” she started quietly. “Can you please order one more shot for my friend?”

“Oh my bad,” he said, grabbing a shot glass full of Casamigos. “I didn’t think she was thirsty.”

Mina’s smile quickly shifted into a frown. “Why wouldn’t she want a shot?” she said, clearly annoyed.

“Nah, I got her. I just didn’t know she was coming. That’s all.”

“Okay, thank you.” She said, although she didn’t sound thankful at all.

“Thanks,” I mouthed to Gabriel. He nodded and motioned towards the waitress.

Mina looked at me. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just…I’m a little uncomfortable.”

“I can tell,” she laughed. “Just chill. I’m here with you. We’re gonna drink and have a good time.”

I tried focusing on what she was saying but the smell of the hookah was so overpowering, it made my stomach turn violently. I swallowed constantly to avoid vomiting on Mina’s exposed toes. The waiter came back with my shot.

“Take it to the head!” Gabriel yelled. His friend to the left of him, Jordan, shook his head and whispered something into Gina’s ear.

“Wait a second,” Mina scoffed. “Can she take a breath before she drinks?”

“Nah, I’m good,” I interjected, slightly annoyed that Mina kept speaking for me.

“She better drink that shit,” he said. “I don’t usually buy drinks for ugly girls.”

His eyes widened and he coughed. He tried to play it off as if no one heard what he said but everyone heard what he said. And everyone proceeded to avert their gazes in a, quite terrible, attempt to pretend that they heard nothing.

Everyone except Mina.

“Huh?” She spat out in utter disgust. She was definitely overly dramatic sometimes. I, however, refused to make eye contact with anyone. I wasn’t confrontational nor was I unfamiliar with hearing that term, “Who’s ugly? Ken get your friend.”

Ken made a face. “I’m sure he ain’t mean to say th-.”

“-But he did.” Mina maintained her stance “Don’t be disrespectful. We all came here to have a good time.”

“Alright, it’s not that deep mama” “How old are you?” Mina rolled her eyes. “Don’t ever talk about my friend like that.”

She was honestly making everything worse.

Everyone at the table stared as Mina and Gabriel went back and forth in a low-shouting match. I took this opportunity to grab the shot of tequila and pour it down my throat.

Terrible idea.

It was a all a terrible idea. The noises, the hookah the Tequila, the shouting, the staring. Terrible terrible idea.

I swallowed hard to keep my stomach’s contents from creeping up into my esophagus but it was too late. Just as I feared, I threw up all over Mina’s exposed toes. Everyone gasped before the section went completely silent. Mina jumped in shock, too frozen to speak. And then someone, one of the girls, spoke: “Ew.”

I wasn’t quite sure if she was referring to me, as a human or to the fact that I literally emptied abdominal fluids up in front of a group of 9 strangers.

________________________________________________________________

#self love

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windlion · 3 years

Text

I’m going to blame this on the Discord - but some of it, some of it’s just Author Three’s own doing. Mind the knives.

The OTHER way that Liu Sang has a brother:

Liu Sang was not an only child. He'd known that since he was four years old, and his stepmother had returned from the doctor beaming. Later they'd been even happier to report a boy, and Liu Sang had adjusted to the idea of being an older brother. He would have a didi. He had been nearly as excited as the parents when his brother was born.

It took a few years for him to understand what was really going on. Things that had been his were repurposed. Space that had been his was taken. Time and attention came grudgingly, as if stolen straight from the mouth of his younger brother. His didi was just as confused as he was, and Liu Sang hoped he never had the same horrible realization: he'd not gained a little brother; he'd been systematically replaced.

Liu Sang wasn't an only child, and he wasn't a wanted one, either. He'd known that well before the back of the truck and the tears that wouldn't stop until he'd run dry. When he tracked down his father years later, he wasn't expecting a warm welcome home. He'd been disposed of, rendered obsolete, sold on as secondhand goods, and garbage never went back to where it had been thrown out from.

He didn't give a warning. He just waited for an opportunity to catch his father alone. When his stepmother and her siblings left for some social event, he let himself in. The lock wasn't exactly a challenge any more. He walked through the downstairs, deliberately making noise as he went.

The layout of the house had changed; over there was where the living room used to be. There, the side window that he escaped out of into the narrow alley between the houses. It had been updated: windows bigger, brighter, the decoration now modern and bland. It reeked of middle class keeping-up-with-the-neighbors. He didn't know if it was better or worse that nothing lined up with his memories. Not a single sign of smoke damage remained.

It didn't take long for the man to come out from his office, heartbeat raising. Liu Sang kept his distance while he waited, lingering by the single cabinet of art on display. He appraised the art out of habit: only one piece looked like a good quality reproduction, and several others were just offensively tacky. Worthless.

Liu Fu took in the presence of an intruder, long hair and hoodie, and barked, "Who are you? What are you doing in here?"

Liu Sang put the vase down and turned. He'd seen the pictures, he knew what Liu Fu looked like now. It shouldn't have been a shock. What hit him harder was that the voice was the same. He could still hear the father he remembered underneath the years. Liu Sang's breath caught, and he forced himself to stay calm, tracing the edge of the dusty shelf with slightly shaky fingers.

"Do you remember? I used to live here." Liu Sang flicked his hand to indicate the modern open layout, "Before you remodelled."

Liu Fu was taken aback, already fast heart rate rising. "A-Sang?"

Liu Sang tipped his head in as much of a bow as he was willing to make. "Hello, father."

Liu Fu's heart skipped again, then he gestured hard towards the back of the house. Away from the windows, and where his wife or son may come home. Liu Sang could have told him if anyone was coming, but the kitchen suited him fine anyways. He didn't have as many memories tied to there. (Tied. Ha.)

Liu Fu took down a cup and poured himself tea, movements sharp and purposeful. He made no move to offer anything to Liu Sang. He sat down at the head of the table, one hand curled knuckle-white around the porcelain, even though the steam meant it must be close to burning hot. Liu Sang waited for him to collect himself, to speak, morbidly curious. What did he have to say for himself, after all this time?

What he started with should have been predictable. Liu Fu stared at him grimly, "If you think that you can show up here to blackmail me. . ."

Liu Sang cut him off, sharp, "I don't want your money."

That made Liu Fu's heart skip in a way that was familiar to him now. Fear. Liu Sang held the eyes of the man who could have been his father and went on, "I want to know about my mother."

Automatically, Liu Fu waved dismissively, "I don't know anything."

"You know more than I do." Liu Sang prompted, "Her name?"

"Wang Ming."

Liu Sang pulled out his notebook and pen, shoved it across the table. "Write it. Where from?"

Liu Fu complied, flipping the notebook shut and pushing it back with his fingertips like it was distasteful. "I don't know, somewhere west. She travelled a lot--part of the job. She was a sales representative. She liked Xuancheng. Said that her hometown was tiny and too old-fashioned for her, and Beijing was too noisy and big."

Comparing Beijing to the rest of China, that didn't really narrow it down much. Liu Fu could see his frustration, and barked a laugh, "I told you. It was almost twenty years ago. I don't remember a lot of details."

Liu Sang wanted to reply, it was seventeen, but if his father couldn't remember how old he was, then that wasn't going to make much of an impression anyways. "What about physical records? Paperwork, photos, anything?"

Liu Fu rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward. "Nothing. She didn't leave anything behind."

"Liar."

Liu Fu scoffed, "There's nothing left now."

Not lying. Damn. If there had been any clues they were likely thrown away years ago. Like he had been. (Or burned, a corner of his mind whispered, also like him.) That made too much sense. Liu Sang tried to prompt again, "What else? Nothing about her stood out?"

"I don't remember anything else."

Almost relieved, Liu Sang pounced, "Lying."

Liu Fu snorted derisively, "And how would you know, anyways?"

Liu Sang unclenched his jaw enough to respond, tilting his head in his father's direction. "Your heart rate increased." He narrowed his eyes, listening to that beat jump and skitter. "There's a flutter on the right atrial valve that becomes more pronounced under stress. You should take care to not overdo it."

Liu Fu's heart jumped again, then steadied as he seemed to reach some sort of decision. "You do have her eyes. She was a bitch when she was pissed."

Liu Sang didn't trust the look on his face as he relaxed, the way he went still and easy like the worst bullies did before delivering a blow they knew would hurt. When they wanted to watch it hit, watch you bleed. Liu Sang was already out of arm's reach, but he kept the table between them, hands clenching at his side preemptively.

Liu Fu spoke slowly, carefully. "I had good reason to think she cheated, though I didn't really put it together until after she was gone. She never let me go to the doctors appointments with her. Told me she wanted the child to be a surprise, however it was intended."

The way Liu Fu stared at him then, he made it clear that had he known what was coming, he wouldn't have chosen it. Dimly, Liu Sang remembered how attentive his father had been during his stepmother's pregnancy. How he had taken her to appointments. Ultrasounds. Been there for the birth. That was why.

Liu Fu's heart rate was still fast but damnably steady as he went on, "I thought then she was just being sensitive about how big she was getting. Now I think she damn well knew what she was doing."

Liu Sang could feel his own pulse in his palms with how hard he was clenching his fists. It made it difficult to track the steady rhythm of his father's, unwavering. "What do you mean?"

"I think you were the runt." Liu Fu rose to his feet, not breaking his gaze. "Wang Ming travelled light. She never wanted anything unnecessary, and never wanted second best."

Liu Sang couldn't speak.

Liu Fu took one, then another step closer, confident that he was delivering the finishing blow. "She took what she wanted, and she left me you." He sneered down at Liu Sang, hot breath against his face. "When you weren't even mine."

When Liu Fu shoved his shoulders, Liu Sang rocked unsteadily backwards. Too off balance to react more than to raise his hands in self-defense. Instead of hitting him, Liu Fu opened the back door behind him, and held it wide, his voice gone cold and heavy with the weight of finality. "Get out, and don't you dare come back."

This time, Liu Sang was expecting the rough shove that followed, and ducked out the door so that Liu Fu's hands only brushed air. Liu Sang pulled himself away, not daring to turn his back, and bit out without thinking, "Don't worry, you're dead to me."

He dropped his voice low, something vicious rising in him as a parting shot. "What should I burn for your grave?"

Liu Sang caught the way Liu Fu's eyes flicked desperately to the house around him. His own gorge rose at the sense-memory of heat-gasoline filling his nose-the way the crackling pervaded everything around him. Before it even hit skin. Something perverse made him ask, "Do you think it would take better this time?"

Liu Sang watched the man stumble back, that stressed heart fluttering hard. The slam of the door rang in his ears, and he almost couldn't hear his own bitter laughter as he left.

He didn't look back.

(When he found out the house burned not even weeks later, he laughed almost hysterically. It probably sounded unhinged, but if ever there was kharma waiting to be served, that was it. Who knew if someone helped it along. He didn't care.)

(Wang Can was told to clean up some loose ends that might start to fray. Wang Can was good. Thorough. Didn't leave anything to chance. And though the mission parameters were unusual, well, wasn't like it was hard. He wore the clothes he was given. He was deliberately sloppy and let the neighbors see when he came back for the evidence. He looked straight back at them as he blew the ash off the audio recorder. One might have fainted. He didn't know why, maybe it was the terrible taste in fashion. Whatever. Orders were orders.

The Wang clan knew what they were doing: directing the future.)

#sometimes I write #daomu biji #TLTR #Liu Sang #and bonus #Wang Can #twins!#TWINS #sometimes twins murder for each other and don't even know it #(that was ALL AUTHOR THREE'S FAULT thank you)#and I'm fighting the formatting so bear with me if it's ugly

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elektra-world · 2 years

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Into the Twilight Zone

SUMMARY: Project Twilight has been formed and the 13 girls were preparing for the release of their debut track and first ever music show performance. The coming months, they were to promote for the film until they were finally free from their company.

This was it.

For almost a month, the girls had been practicing with the seven others for Project Twilight. It had been grueling given that none of them were used to working in a group so large. One girl in particular - a starpunch trainee that the girls hadn’t known too well - had been struggling. She was nervous and stumbling over her feet, causing the choreographer of Hysteria to sigh in frustration, halting the practice. Everyone groaned, panting in unison as they tried to catch their breath.

“You! What’s your name?” He called out, pointing to the girl with black bob, who looked at him like a deer in headlights. “D-Delilah. Delilah James.” She stammers nervously, stepping forward and ducking her head out of shame. “Why are you having such difficulties? You did so well during the trio routines.” The man wasn’t being mean, he was firm but understanding.

“I’m just...I’m very nervous, sir. I...This is new for me, you see.” She had only practiced with three other girls at Starpunch and with all the companies dramas lately, they had accepted that their training had become useless and that they had no chance to debut. But now it was a possibility for her and it was overwhelming.

Seungah walked up to her, offering a friendly smile. She knew how Delilah felt - both girls were fairly quiet and sensitive - and did her best to reassure her by sticking by her side. The choreographer rubbed his chin as he thought for a few minutes. “Well Delilah, you have what it takes to execute the choreography properly. I’ve seen you do it while practicing on your own. Are you worrying about what the others are thinking of you?”

Delilah looks around, swallowing as she nodded slowly. She hadn’t debuted like the members of DIVIN3, ROZIE and Seungah. She didn’t have experience on a survival show like Yewon and the other two trainees had received some of the best training here at Hysteria with a plethora of mentors and opportunities. By the time Delilah had started at Starpunch, the best and kindest staff had quit and the ones that were left were burnt out and angry.

“Didi! We’re not judging you! I mean, we are but on how freaking talented you are! Like you are so pretty and natural with your movements. You catch on so quickly that I’m kind of embarrassed for myself. It takes me much longer to learn new routines.” Kay spoke up and the other girls nodded in agreement, moving closer to provide supportive pats and hugs.

Delilah sniffled, overwhelmed by all the positive attention. The choreographer looked proud and clapped once. “You see, Delilah - you need to get out of your head. Stop focusing on what you think people are thinking about you and focus on why you’re here and what you’re working towards. You were chosen specifically out of multiple other trainees at your company because you had what it took to work along side the other girls here.”

With that, the girls all took formation and the song began to play from the beginning. The choreographer watched intensely with a flat expression and for the first time in what felt like hours, the group had finally completed the rehearsal perfectly.

“You girls are ready to debut. Outstanding!” Was all he said afterwards, to which a chorus of cheers rang out in the dance studio.

The final chapter begins.......

#fictional idol community #kpop!oc #kpop!au #idol oc #kpop #kpop idol #fake kpop group #oc #oc kpop group #kpop additions #kpop headcannons #kpop ff #kpop fanfic #kpop roleplay #idol!group

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rosethornewrites · 3 years

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Fic: and sings the tune without the words, ch. 5

Relationship: Jiāng Yànlí & Jīn Zǐxuān, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Jiang Yanli, Jin Zixuan, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín

Additional Tags: Epistolary, Food, Music

Summary: An epistolary follow-up to “the thing with feathers.” Exchanged letters.

Notes: See end.

Previous fic in the series: “the thing with feathers”

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

AO3 link

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Dear Lan-gongzi,

I hope you do not think my writing to you untoward—I feel you became a good friend during your stay, and I trust that you are helping care for A-Xian during his stay at the Cloud Recesses.

In that spirit, I wanted to let you know that his birthday is coming up on October 31. I don’t know if anyone told Lan-laoshi, and I’m not certain A-Xian remembers. Around this time of year he often gets a bit out of sorts, and never seems to know why, but I suspect it has to do with the shift toward winter after being homeless so long and a-die mentioned the best guess is his parents died in the autumn.

With his amnesia, it’s possible he’ll be fine, but please be gentle with him during this time—I’m enclosing the recipe for his favorite soup, as that has helped in the past. He says it feels like a hug, and those work, too. He also gets cold easily this time of year.

A-Niang and a-die are sending gifts for his birthday, as well. It’s his first birthday as a Jiang, as officially my didi, and also the first he might remember. Please make it a happy one for him, if you can. Were it possible to have him here or to go to the Cloud Recesses to celebrate with him, we would.

Your tutelage in music has enabled me to continue to learn the konghou. I can play several songs, and I am enjoying the process of learning. A-Lian has taken over the practice konghou and is imitating me—with some success, even. I’m hoping music will be a part of her education, as well, but she’s so young it will be something to determine in the future.

I am also learning more about medicines. Kang-daifu has had me memorize plants and go out to gather them for him, and then he teaches me to brew medicine using them. I’ve actually started a small garden outside my quarters for some of the more common herbs. Just like with cooking, I’ve found that gardening is a meditative task.

My golden core has strengthened enough that I feel the improvement. My body is frail, but I tire less and have fewer dizzy spells than I did. Would Lan-laoshi be bothered if I wrote to him for further ideas on improving my cultivation, do you think? I know he is very busy.

Now that I use cooking to meditate and my core is improving, a-niang is fine with me being in the kitchen and learning new recipes.

I know your brother will be wintering here when A-Xian returns, and I would like to ensure his comfort. Please let me know what foods he likes best, with recipes if possible, so I can assist with that. I know he stayed in the infirmary last time, but he will have quarters near A-Xian, and I hope to bring in personal touches that will make it more comfortable.

I hope this letter finds you well.

Sincerely,

Jiang Yanli

-----------

Dear Jiang-guniang,

I apologize for the delay in my response. Your letter arrived only two days before Wuxian’s birthday, and I focused on preparing a celebration. I imagine you value that over a timely reply, as I would with Wangji.

I was very happy to receive your letter, especially with the news of his birthday, as shufu was unaware and Wuxian, indeed, did not remember. Fortunately, this made a surprise party all the more surprising for him.

Wuxian seemed down of late, but we didn’t know it was related to the change in season. Lan-daifu has ordered he be given more eggs at mealtimes, and that fish be added to his diet. Wuxian is also drinking a tonic each morning and has been told to practice his dizi outside for more sunlight.

Wangji’s birthday gift to him was chosen in light of your concerns about his tendency to catch a chill easily. He went to Caiyi while Wuxian was doing his daily meditation with Clarity and purchased a quilted robe to go under Wuxian’s outer layer, as well as thicker stockings. Wuxian was very happy with the gifts, especially as Wangji chose a red robe the same color as his ribbon. I’m not sure either of them realizes the significance of the color in light of their troth, but I’m absolutely not saying anything.

Since Wuxian is staying in the jingshi with Wangji, I’ve also had extra blankets brought in case he is cold in the night. Lan-daifu told him he must let us know if he is cold, as there may be residual health issues from spending so many years suffering exposure. He has promised to do so, and Wangji is watching him closely, as well.

His birthday went quite well. All of the Cloud Recesses enjoyed your soup with dinner, and it turns out he’d already made friends with the kitchen staff, so they went out of their way to cook him Yunmeng specialties. They dyed his chang shou mian red with chili paste, which made him very happy, and he successfully ate it as one continuous strand. They even dyed the eggs red with chili, and the dumplings as well—his portion, anyway. We aren’t used to that level of spice here.

They also made him lotus seed buns, and he made a joke about jia nu bing that made Wangji’s ears turn red. Even shufu smiled! It wouldn’t be inappropriate, given the troth. Maybe I’ll ask the kitchen to make one as a joke. I know I will ask that they make him your soup periodically, at the least, as it made him very happy.

Wuxian was a little shy with the well-wishes and gifts, though he has made many friends who wished to help celebrate. As you know, your brother is quite likable and outgoing, though he’s more boisterous than most in the Cloud Recesses. Some of the Elders find that problematic, but I think his liveliness is welcome.

He was also happy to receive the gifts from your family, especially the painting of his parents your parents had commissioned. It is hanging in the jingshi so he can enjoy it now. He was also very happy with the little painting from A-Lian, the lotus tea set and tea from you, and the set of carved chopsticks and spoons from Jiang Wanyin. He used the utensils for dinner, exclaiming over the carved deer and longevity symbols, and before curfew he asked shufu and I to have tea with him and Wangji. The lotus tea was quite nice; he said he knew we would probably have difficulty with the spiced one you sent, as it has peppercorns. I had no idea tea could have peppercorns!

Overall, the birthday was a success. He was a little disappointed in not being able to celebrate with you, but Wangji mentioned perhaps there could be a celebration next year at Lotus Pier to commemorate his adoption with A-Lian, since it’s bad luck to celebrate a birthday late. Perhaps you could recommend this to your parents, as it is also something to be celebrated, another sort of birthday. Since A-Lian may not know her true birthday, that may be a solution for hers, as well.

It is also good to hear of your continued progress with your core and music, as well as your work in the healing arts. As for shufu, I believe he would be delighted to hear from you and to continue to aid you in your cultivation endeavors. In the Cloud Recesses, we often cultivate while soaking in the Cold Spring, and I wonder if something similar could be achieved swimming, like a sort of active meditation? I’m glad to hear your strengthening core has lessened your dizzy spells.

Wuxian isn’t fond of the Cold Spring, as it lives up to its name, and since he’s sensitive to cold that makes sense. He would likely prefer a hot spring to meditate in, which may not be a bad idea. He has difficulty with stillness, so one of the tutors has given him a puzzle box to keep his hands busy, and it gives his hands something to do while his mind empties. It’s been quite effective, and I wonder if it will help other disciples. Perhaps you could try something similar?

I’ve been researching dizi scores for Wuxian, and I found several konghou scores in the library, including some beginner and intermediate pieces, as well. I’ve copied them down and am enclosing them in case they interest you.

Wangji often keeps his area sparse, something Wuxian seems to be breaking him out of a little. In the Cloud Recesses, as you can imagine, our decor is largely blue and white, but those colors aren’t necessary for his quarters, as I don’t believe he’s particularly attached to them. He prefers sandalwood incense. He is secretly fond of rabbits, and so decor featuring them would not be out of line. He is also fond of gentians, as they remind him of our mother.

I should mention that our mother passed in winter, and the loss affected him greatly. For months he sat outside her home, waiting to be let in to see her, because he didn’t understand. This was shortly before he met Wuxian in Yiling. The anniversary of her death will take place while he is at Lotus Pier, so he may withdraw a little, but I think the change will do him good.

Looking at this letter, I have written more than I expected, but I wanted to tell you of his birthday. Please do not hesitate to continue to write to me, as I enjoyed our conversations at Lotus Pier and would be happy to continue corresponding as friends, if that is not untoward.

I look forward to hearing from you again.

Sincerely,

Lan Xichen

-----------

Elder siblings club has started?

Chang shou mian are longevity noodles, carefully cooked so as to be one long strand, with the goal to eat it all in one slurp. Cutting the noodle is considered bad luck, as though cutting life short. Dyed red eggs are also auspicious, as red is a lucky color. That’s probably what Lan Wangji was going for with the robe, but Lan Xichen finds it hilarious in light of the troth.

Jia nu bing is a dowry cake or “marry girl cake,” given to the bride and her family after the engagement. Traditionally this involves a sponge cake with an internal base of lotus seed paste. So basically, Wei Wuxian’s comment referenced the troth and himself as a bride.

I guess what I’m saying is Lan Xichen ships it.

#the untamed #untamed fanfiction #mo dao zu shi #chen qing ling #cql #mdzs #lan xichen #lan huan #jiang yanli #untamed fanfic #untamed fic #cql fanfic #cql fanfiction #cql fic #mdzs fanfic #mdzs fanfiction #mdzs fic #my fanfiction

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jiangchengrights · 3 years

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i wake to you at dawn

also available on ao3

“Alright, I get it,” Wei Ying mumbles to herself from where she lays, half of her face shoved into the pillow beneath her head, the other half just barely illuminated by the screen on her phone, “This dog is friends with that other dog now. Whoop de-fucking-do.”

Usually, these soft animal videos on Instagram don’t annoy her that much, even when they are about dogs, but she’s seen this specific post about fourteen times tonight. She can recite by memory the posts that come after it (a celebrity laying out in the sun, the tagline only the sunflower emoji, followed by one of Wen Qing, looking stern but fond as her lap is completely covered by both Wei Ying and Wen Ning, the tagline for that being ‘Reluctant jie’, and so on and so on) because she’s been frenetically refreshing all of her social media apps in order; she now knows the current lineup of instagram posts and tweets in her feed and has seen every godforsaken not-actually-that-interesting story of all of her friends (which isn’t fair to them, really, considering all of the important ones are here trapped in this same hotel as Wei Ying).

“Oh my god,” Jiang Cheng grumbles from the other side of the room where he lays on his bed (because of course he’s a part of her bridal party. Kind of. He’s walking her down the aisle tomorrow which, okay, makes him technically not a part of her party but she wasn’t about to let him skate free the night before her wedding)(or any of her bridal functions)(not that she needed to worry: he’d taken all planning rights away from her for her bridal shower and bachelorette party, he’d only tolerated the help of shijie) and throws his extra pillow at her, “If I have to hear that fucking dog video one more time, I swear to god, I’ll break your kneecaps. Do you hear me? I’ll have to drag you down the aisle tomorrow because you won’t be able to walk.”

“I thought you liked dogs, Shidi,” she replies, shifting ever-so-slightly so that she can squint at him past her phone.

“Wei Wuxian-”

“A-Cheng, A-Ying,” Shijie hums soothingly, from the other side of the room, “Please rest, for me. Your Shijie needs sleep too.”

“And if you don’t,” Wen Qing pipes up, “I know other ways to make you shut up.”

“Okay, okay,” Wei Ying whines, locking her phone with an audible click and resting it on the pillow next to her head, “I’ll try to sleep. For Shijie.”

Wei Ying does not sleep. She tries, she really does. Turns off all the lights and all the sounds and everything shiny that could keep her just engaged enough to stay awake. She tries to listen to the steadying breathes of her bridal party around her; Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang lay on the bed to her left, Shijie and Wen Qing to her right, Wen Ning passed out on the floor (he’d been invited, truly, to sleep in the empty spot next to her, only he’d fallen asleep long before everyone else and moving him to an actual bed proved to be very difficult when all the adults in the room were half (three fourths) wine drunk and giggling, so they’d just put a pillow under his head and wrapped him in their softest blankets and left it at that). She practices all the meditation tricks Lan Zhan had taught her; tries to calm her mind and her breathing and her heart.

It doesn’t work.

God, she wishes to herself, regardless of however illogical it may be, I wish Lan Zhan was in my bridal party.

With a sigh, she spends some time reflecting. She’s made so many bad decisions in her life, ones that have resulted in no less than three broken arms (sorry A-Cheng), many school detentions, almost getting expelled from university, a car accident that had left Shijie with seatbelt burns and a black eye from the airbag and Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, had left Lan Zhan, who’d been sitting prim and proper in the back seat, with scars that still lingered across the expanse of her back in the shape of all of Wei Ying’s nightmares. She’d chosen to hide away after that for three years in a different city with different hair and a different smile on her face and pretend like she didn’t feel a bone crushing loneliness in her entire being every time she thought of her Shijie, and didi, and her Lan Zhan who wasn’t really hers anymore, and that fact that in her self imposed exile she would never seen any of them again. That was, until Lan Zhan found her and dragged her back home and made her whole again.

Wei Ying was always whole, Lan Zhan would say, has said, I just helped Wei Ying find a way back. Will always bring Wei Ying back.

But with all that behind her and mostly wrapped up, this, tonight, right here, feels like her worst idea yet. She’d been so confident too! Had fought every naysayer, including Lan Zhan herself, with a cocky smile and a wave of her hand.

Brides shouldn't see each other the night before the wedding! She had laughed, and then laughed harder when Lan Zhan’s fingers had tightened where they dug into her hip, Besides, we’re not one of those couples! We can handle one night apart!

And she had been right, for the most part. Of course she missed Lan Zhan, but a night spent apart, having fun with her little family, all of them basking in the shared excitement of her impending nuptials. What she hadn’t anticipated was trying to sleep without Lan Zhan beside her, not when she’s this nervous, hadn’t thought about how deeply she would miss Lan Zhan’s warm weight behind her, her steadying arm firm around her waist, holding Wei Ying together like she did every night. She feels the absence with every shift of her hips that press backwards into nothing, every time she throws an arm out to rest on an empty pillow and the fact that there are no warm, soft, calves to ruthlessly shove her cold toes against.

By the time she picks up her phone again, everyone in the room is peacefully asleep and the clock on her bedside table blinks 2:36, proud and red and rude, if you ask Wei Ying. She gives up on sleep and starts mentally calculating exactly how much concealer she’ll need to cover the bags under her eyes. After all, she wants to look her absolute best for Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan who is so steady and warm and beautiful, Lan Zhan who could open her mouth wide and eat Wei Ying’s entire heart in one bite but doesn’t, instead offering her own heart up on a silver platter for Wei Ying.

Wei Ying opens their messages on her phone, reads through the last few, laughs at the pictures she’d sent earlier in the night of Nie Mingjue, eyes half lidded with alcohol, laying messy kisses to the side of Xichen-ge’s face, who seemed to be accepting them with grace and only slightly tinged red ears. She taps her fingers on the screen, starting a message, lan zhan i can’t slee-

She doubles back, erasing it, deciding she doesn’t need to be whiny the night before their wedding, when Lan Zhan is surely asleep anyways. Again she starts, good early morning, lan zhan! i can’t wait to see you in your-

Too much, that is utterly too much. i love you, she types, hesitates with her thumb over the send button. What if the sound of her phone wakes Lan Zhan up? What if then Lan Zhan can’t fall back asleep? What if Lan Zhan tosses and turns all night and ends up with a headache, overtired on their wedding day of all times? What if this texts absolutely ruins everythi-

Her phone sounds, the little swooping noise it makes when she receives a new message on the thread she’s already looking at. She looks down and finds a link from Lan Zhan to a video of baby bunnies playing together with a message that says, When we return from our honeymoon, I think it is time we get another bunny. Possibly two.

And well. Her decision is made for her really. If Lan Zhan is awake, laying in her own bed in a room on the other side of the hotel, fighting off insomniatic boredom with bunny videos, there’s no way Wei Ying can stay here and allow them both to suffer.

She finds herself glad that Wen Ning is on the floor, though it looks a tad uncomfortable, because she’s able to slip out of bed with ease, bare feet silent on the carpeted floor. The only thing she grabs is her phone, not even bothering to try to find her shoes in the colossal mess that is her dark bridal room, littered with take out and bottles and stripped off clothing. Her nose crinkles, amused, when she thinks of the look of reprove she’ll surely get from Lan Zhan when she realizes Wei Ying walked around barefoot.

She manages to zigzag her way to the door without stepping on anything or making any noise, a feat she will congratulate herself on later. The door opens slowly, making the barest hint of noise as yellow hotel-hallway light floods the entrance to the room. Wei Ying pumps her fist, gloating at being able to sneak out without a single one of her party-poopers (read: caring family) waking up to ruin it for her and make her climb back into her own bed.

That is, until she catches Nie Huaisang’s eyes, watching her from where he lays next to Jiang Cheng. The most dangerous opponent, really, because with one shove of his arm he’d have Jiang Cheng up and yelling, alarming the whole room before she’d even make it to the elevator. She’s not sure she knows the layout of the hotel well enough to make it safely inside Lan Zhan’s room before one of them caught her.

Silent, slow, she moves one finger up to place over her lips, keeping eye contact with Nie Huaisang the whole time. She pleads with him from across the room, imploring him to be cool. He blinks, once, twice, slow like a cat in the sun, and then closes his eyes a third time for good and raises one, slow, thumbs up to her.

Her sigh of relief is the last noise in the room before she shuts the door and power walks to the elevator at the end of the hallway. She is going to buy him the biggest fruit basket. She dances by herself once inside the elevator, suddenly feeling cold and exposed in her red silk sleep tank and shorts, goosebumps prickling her arms and thighs. If only Lan Zhan’s room wasn’t so stupidly far away.

Of course her room has to be far away! Jiang Cheng had yelled when Wei Ying whined about it, the second you start drinking all you want to do is sit in her lap! You’re lucky I’m letting her party stay in the same hotel as yours!

And well, he hadn’t been wrong, per say, she thinks to herself as she tiptoes off the elevator and down the maze-like hall to get to Lan Zhan’s room. She still didn’t appreciate the distance though. She quietly tap taps on the door with one hand, pressing send on a text with the other that reads, lan zhan let me in lan ZHAN!!!

The door opens before her hand has even fallen back to her side. And there is her Lan Zhan, in soft cloud print pajamas pants and a white t-shirt, hair drawn up into a neat bun, eyes tired but awake.

“Wei Ying,” she says, the smile in her voice all Wei Ying needs to know about her welcome. She slides closer, wrapping her arms around Lan Zhan’s neck, grinning when she feels the others arms sneak around her waist.

“Mmm, Lan Zhan,” she hums against Lan Zhan’s neck, moving up to her tiptoes so she can nuzzle her nose against the corner of Lan Zhan’s jaw, “I’m tired, let’s go to bed.”

“I thought I was not supposed to see the bride the night before the wedding,” Lan Zhan replies, but she’s already inching backwards into the room, dragging Wei Ying along with her.

“Who ever said that?” Wei Ying asks, knowing full well she was the one who said that, a smile on her face when she lets Lan Zhan drop her into bed.

“Besides,” she says, once Lan Zhan is settled beside her, reaching one hand up to pet the side of Lan Zhan’s face, thumb rubbing gentle circles across the expanse of Lan Zhan’s cheekbone, “Does it count if there’s two brides? I don’t think so, we cancel each other out, see? If anything we have to do the opposite, you know, we have to see each other extra hard tonight.”

“Hmm,” Lan Zhan hums, her lips pulling up ever so slightly on one side as she leans in to rest her forehead against Wei Ying’s, legs tangling together, one hand sliding underneath Wei Ying’s shirt to spread warm and wide and firm in the valley between her shoulder blades, “Is that so?”

“Yes, tonight we have to,” Wei Ying nods, finally allowing her eyes to close as she presses further into Lan Zhan’s embrace, sleep finally weighing on her shoulders. She lets her head drop down, lips brushing against Lan Zhan’s collarbone, breathing her words right into Lan Zhan’s chest, “And every night too. I’ll tack that on for free, Lan Zhan, every night.”

“Yes, Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan sighs against her hair and melts under Wei Ying’s nimble fingers, relaxed at once with the promise of forever, “Every night.”

“I love you,” Wei Ying whispers, one final thing, around a yawn and finally, finally settles for the night. She almost misses Lan Zhan’s whispered reply, I love you too.

But she doesn’t. She never wants to miss a single thing Lan Zhan has to say.

Coda:

For all of fifteen seconds, the world is warm and bright and everything good when Wei Ying wakes up. Toned legs tangle with her own and a soft hand pets her hair away from her face, gentle and comforting again and again. She herself is pressed messily against Lan Zhan’s chest, quite possibly, embarrassingly, drooling ever so slightly. She does not have time to register this, however, before the banging starts.

“Wei Wuxian, I know you’re in there!” comes a belt from the other side of the door, that has her shooting up in an awkward half sitting position, splayed on one-fourth on the bed and three-fourths in Lan Zhan’s lap. Lan Zhan’s hands act as a steadying force, one on her hip, the other on her back, as she blinks deliriously around the room.

Nie Mingjue seems to be in a similar position, probably blinking off a hangover and propelling up from his sleeping position, glaring around the room like he might find the source of their disturbance somewhere inside. Jin Zixuan, on the other hand, groans loud and long, pressing his pillow over his ears.

“I see you are up,” Lan Xichen smiles from the little table where he sits, drinking his cup of tea peacefully, unperturbed by the pounding on their door, “I hope you rested well.”

“I did, thank you Xichen-ge,” Wei Ying tries to laugh around the blush high in her cheeks, only now really registering the fact that Lan Zhan was also sharing a room and not, in fact, alone just waiting for Wei Ying to traipse her way in.

But when she looks down at the woman laying beside her, she sees none of her own embarrassment reflected there, only a fond smile and a soft hand reaching out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ears. Huh, she thinks, revising her earlier thoughts, maybe not alone but definitely waiting for me.

“Wei Wuxian!” comes again from outside the door, though this time it just has her laughing, pushing into Lan Zhan’s hands like a cat.

“When did you get here?” Nie Mingjue asks, rubbing at his eyes. But he stands and stumbles his way over to Xichen and the tea and doesn’t seem particularly hard pressed for an answer, so Wei Ying ignores it.

“Hi, we’re getting married today,” she says instead, meeting Lan Zhan’s smile with her own.

“Mn,” Lan Zhan hums while the banging on the door stops. Finally, Wei Ying sighs, leaning down to press her lips against Lan Zhan’s, chaste because they are still in front of Lan Zhan’s brother and her brother in law. She’s still there when the door pops open, revealing a quietly furious Wen Qing.

“Wei Wuxian,” she seethes, taking calculated steps closer, “You were supposed to stay in your bed.”

“I did!” Wei Ying says, smiling wide to prove her innocence, “Lan Zhan is my bed!”

“I am going to-” Jiang Cheng barges through, leaving no one to hold the door open; it swings heavily back straight towards Jiang Yanli.

Before Wei Ying can even shout a disgruntled hey! Jin Zixuan, who was already on his way to the door, catches it with his hand and leads Jiang Yanli inside with a gentle hand and a soft smile that makes Wei Ying want to puke.

But Yanli-jie smiles back, big and happy and unashamed, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek, “Hello, husband.”

“Good morning, A-Li,” he says back, wistful and dopey as he leads her inside with a soft hand on the small of her back. Right in that moment, Wei Ying decides maybe she doesn’t hate him. For now.

“Sorry, Shijie,” Jiang Cheng responds, automatic when he looks back but Jiang Yanli waves him off with a forgiving smile.

“I know it wasn’t on purpose A-Cheng.”

The commotion leaves Wei Ying relaxed in a way she should have known better than to be, because all too soon she is being hoisted away from her warm spot on the bed and dragged out of the room.

“You promised, Wei Wuxian!” Wen Qing snaps, but Wei Ying can already hear the forgiveness in her voice, the amusement. Wei Ying lets herself be dragged along, barefoot again, back to her own room. And then because honestly she’s a little on the edge of too-excited and too-in love she shouts over her shoulder:

“I’ll see you at the end of the aisle, Wife!” and maintains vision of the room just long enough for Lan Zhan, who’d pushed herself into an upright position, turn red and drop back down into the bed with a gasp, like all of the air had been knocked out of her.

Wei Ying’s cackles are only rivaled by the quiet, but pleased chuckles from Lan Xichen.

“Do you have to be such an annoyingly sweet couple every single day?” Wen Qing huffs, letting go of her (fake, Wei Ying is pretty sure) anger entirely, sliding her arm up so they can lock elbows, walking arm and arm back to Wei Ying’s room.

Wei Ying thinks of Lan Zhan, warm around her and ever inviting, even if it was 2AM, even if Wei Ying looked like a ragamuffin, even if, even if, and smiles wide, cheesy, deliriously with all the right decisions she’s made in this life and says, “Yes.”

#wangxian #wei wuxian #wei ying #lan wangji #lan zhan #lan xichen #wen qing #wen ning #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #jin zixuan #my writing #my fics #jiangchengrights

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badbadbucky · 3 years

Text

WIP Weds 2/24/2021!!

Here is a snippet from my current WIP, a novel called One of the Restless.

Eddie is the new president of the Restless Outlaw Pack, a werewolf motorcycle club. Their old president was murdered and another one of their members was badly hurt while investigating said murder and is going to die very soon.

Eddie sat alone a few more minutes. He stared out the window that was high up close to the ceiling. All he could see was a bright square of blue. It wasn’t even eight in the morning. It didn’t feel right for someone to die so early in the morning, with the whole day ahead. He could feel the moon pulling at him, the change roiling under his skin. Eddie heard someone walk up to the door but he didn’t turn around.

“Eddie,” Clive’s soft voice said. “It’s time.”

Eddie stood up and walked to Chuy’s side. Chuy’s breathing was wheezy and painful. The gap between each breath grew longer and longer. Everyone gathered around. Clive stood next to Eddie . Eddie took one of Chuy’s hands, Diego took the other. Chuy’s fingers were cold. Eddie rubbed them, trying to get them to warm up, wanting to give Chuy one last bit of comfort, even though he knew he probably didn’t even feel it.

Chuy took a long breath and then let it out in a little huff. He did not draw another.

Eddie pressed Chuy’s limp hand to his forehead. Diego hugged Chuy’s body. Marshall punched a wall. Arno pushed over one of the bar tables, shattering the glasses sitting on top, sending half melted ice and shards of ice skittering across the floor.

Each of the members of the club took a moment to say goodbye and then Jae held out a sheet she’d pulled off one of the beds in the bunkhouse. She and Eddie spread the sheet over Chuy. Eddie leaned down and pressed a kiss to Chuy’s covered forehead.

Greg walked into the boardroom. Eddie sighed, hanging his head. Five minutes. That was all Greg had waited, five minutes.

“What’s he doing?” Clive asked.

“Come on, let’s go in,” Eddie said. He raised his voice to the others, “meeting everybody, let’s go.”

Clive walked into the boardroom, followed by the rest of the club, Eddie hung back, waiting for Diego, who was still clutching Chuy’s hand.

Eddie went back over to Diego and squeezed his shoulder. “Come on Didi, time to go.”

“Chantal was pregnant,” Diego said, his voice strange and halting. “He was gonna be a dad. He was really excited.”

Eddie kicked a chair, it screeched across the floor before tipping over. “Goddamnit.” He walked over and pulled Diego into a rough hug. Diego hugged him back. “I’m sorry, Didi. We need you in there.”

“I don’ wanna leave him alone,” Diego mumbled.

“He won’t be,” Eddie said. He released Diego from the hug, but kept one arm around him, using the other arm to wave over Darlene. “Darlene, come here for a second.” Darlene walked over, a questioning look on her face. “Can you sit with Chuy, til we get out?”

Darlene’s gaze slipped from Eddie, to the body, to Diego staring at the floor. She reached out and stroked Diego’s hair, Diego closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. “Of course, baby.” She leaned in and kissed Diego on the cheek, then she did the same to Eddie. After she kissed him, she grabbed the front of Eddie’s cut to hold him close. “You fucking get these guys,” she whispered.

Eddie gently removed her hand from his cut, brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. “Thanks, sweetheart.” He turned and steered Diego into the boardroom.

Eddie and Diego sat down in their respective chairs and all of the chatter faded.

“You all know why we’re here,” Eddie said. “The Lupes killed Chuy. We gotta talk about retaliation.”

A ripple of talk ran through the room.

“I wanna hear from everybody,” Eddie said, “but first, I wanna make sure you’re thinking about a couple things, alright?”

Everyone at the table nodded.

“We’re down two guys now. And we still don’t know what happened to Dev,” Eddie said.

“It wasn’t the Lupes?” Dallas asked.

“No, Marshall and Tallboy don’t think so. They thought we were coming for a fight. One of their guys got killed and they were having a funeral,” Eddie told him.

“Is it related?” Clive asked.

“No,” Arno said, “I asked around a little bit. Dumped his bike, beheaded.”

Marshall’s hand involuntarily flew to his own throat.

“They still killed Chuy,” Diego said, his voice quiet, but deadly serious.

“Yeah, they did,” Eddie said. “And they will answer for that, but we need some time to regroup. We’re all hurting right now. We’re all angry. But if we go in now, we might lose even more guys. I’ve already lost enough members of my family. I think we should wait. We take this one problem at a time. Let’s figure out who killed Dev, take care of them, then, then, we get revenge for Chuy.”

“This is fucking bullshit,” Diego said under his breath, Eddie pretended he didn’t hear him.

“I heard that some of you guys want to go tonight,” Eddie said.

Marshall and Tallboy stared down at the table, not looking at Eddie. Diego glanced up at Eddie and looked at him defiantly with a set jaw.

“No, way, now way, no fucking way,” Clive said. “Everyone needs to rest, take a fucking breather. It’s been a marathon since Dev died.”

“”How we supposed to sleep when Chuy’s killers are out there drinking beer and fucking their whores?” Diego said. “We need to hit back, now.”

“It’ll start a war,” Dallas said.

“If it had been a vamp, you’d be halfway to Baker right now,” Diego said, he wasn’t shouting but was getting close.

“You want to mind how you talk to me, boy,” Dallas said.

Diego glared at Dallas, but he sat back in his chair with his arms crossed.

“They won’t expect us to come so soon,” Greg said. “We’d have the element of surprise.”

“What if they hired human security?” Eddie asked.

“We scout it out first,” Greg said.

“We’d have to leave right now to give us enough time,” Clive said.

“Yeah,” Greg said, he looked at Clive with a cocked eyebrow. He leaned forward, placing his hands flat on the table. “They killed one of our brothers, that’s all that matters.” Greg said.

“And we still ain’t found who killed Dev,” Clive said. “It’s all gonna hit the fan at the same time and we’re gonna end up spread too thin. You know that, we can’t fight a war--.”

“We fight the war wherever we need to,” Greg said. “We don’t let this slide just because--”

“It ain’t just because!” Clive said, slamming his palm flat on the table. “It’s because Dev is dead. Don’t you think we should take a minute? Look what fucking happened!” Clive darted a guilty glance to Eddie, an apology in a microsecond. He hadn’t meant to point out how thoroughly Eddie had fucked up the situation, but Clive didn’t need to apologize, he was right. Look what had happened. Look what had happened under just 48 hours of Eddie’s leadership.

“Don’t fucking tell me about Dev,” Greg snarled. “He was--”

“Enough a’ that,” Arno said, standing up. “We all loved Dev. Dev loved us. We aren’t going to get into a pissing match over it, fucking Christ, Clive’s a queer, Greg, what’s your excuse?”

“Shut the fuck up, Arno,” Greg and Clive said simultaneously.

Arno held out his arms, palms up. “I was just tryin’ to help.”

Eddie dropped his face into his palm. “Yeah, you missed your calling as a marriage counselor.” He looked up from Greg to Clive. “Arno’s right though, we need to cool down, before someone says something they regret. Alright? We’re all still sad about Dev, now Chuy. Let’s just revisit this in a bit.” Without waiting for an answer, he rose from his chair, he could see Greg’s smug face out the corner of his eye, but ignored it. He walked out of the room and over to the bar, feeling unbelievably tired. There was an old coffeemaker, and some angel had made a fresh pot. He poured himself a cup and took a long drink.

Clive came up behind him, Eddie could tell it was him by the sound of his walk, which was surprisingly light. “You can’t let this happen,” Clive said, his voice low, not wanting to be overheard.

Eddie dropped his head and let out a dispirited chuckle. Then, he turned around so he could scan the room while they spoke.

Arno, Diego, and Marshall had gone outside for a smoke. Jae was clicking through the jukebox with Dallas hovering at her shoulder and criticizing her choices. Greg and Tallboy were over talking with Darlene. Garth held a dustpan while Raton swept a pile of dust and animal hair into it. No one was looking at them.

“It isn’t up to me,” Eddie said. “It’s a straight vote, just like always.”

“It is up to you,” Clive said. He tried to grab Eddie’s hand.

They were completely hidden. No one was even close, but Eddie still moved his hand away. “Stop. Just stop,” he murmured.

Clive gave up on trying to touch Eddie. “You’re presid--”

“I know that,” Eddie said. “But you have no idea what’s going on. Who I’ve got nipping at my heels.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Greg,” Eddie murmured. “He’s calling the vote now, when everybody is all fucked up and sad. He wants my vote to be the deciding one.” Eddie turned back around, leaning hard on the counter. “I should have seen it coming. I knew he was smart, knew he was just waiting.” Eddie had allowed his suspicions of Greg to drop after the vote, when Greg had nominated him, but he’d been caught off guard by the gesture. He should have seen through it, but clearly he was not at his best.

Greg and Eddie had butted heads several times over the years. Once, they’d even gotten into a fight where Greg had broken Eddie’s nose and Eddie had broken off one of Greg’s teeth. It annoyed Dev to no end. Eddie thought maybe Dev had said something to him when he transferred, but now it was clear that Greg had just been waiting for his opportunity. Greg had known that Dev had chosen Eddie to be his successor, he knew how the vote would go, so he hadn’t bothered with that battle. He’d known Eddie would win, but if it turned out Eddie wasn’t willing to put his neck on the line for a fallen brother, then maybe Eddie wasn’t really leadership material after all. Maybe it was time for a revote…He could see it all playing out perfectly. But maybe it didn’t have to go that way.

“What--” Clive began, but Eddie cut him off with a shush.

Eddie needed a second more to think. Yeah, he could do it. The full moon ride. It wasn’t ideal, but maybe Greg had been right about a few things, maybe they should hit the Lupes now. There were several holes in Greg’s plan, but Eddie knew how to fill them. It gave Greg less room to maneuver, to try and steal the club. And he had a few other ideas for how to further limit Greg’s little power grab.

“Will you say something?” Clive said.

“Nevermind, it doesn’t matter,” Eddie said. He felt energized. Awake.

“Yes, it does. What’re you going to do?” Clive said.

Eddie walked out from behind the bar and toward the boardroom eager to go in there, to do what needed to be done. “Tallboy, tell them to come back in. Time to vote.”

#writeblr #writblr #wiring #writers on tumblr #wip wednesday #tw homophobia #tw death #werewolves #one of the restless #writersociety

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immacaria · 3 years

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A bird and a Cupid

This is prompted by Day 2 of SangCheng December: Birds and as I’m not quite happy with the end, I would say that the rest of story is good. Here we have Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang tooking caring of Curió, one of the first birds Nie Mingjue gave to Huaisang (I have the odd habit of calling Nie Huaisang just Huaisang, so if you see just ‘Huaisang’ on the fic you know why) and she is a smartass who kind of brought the two of them together. Enjoy the fic and let me know what you think of it! Have a good day!

Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng had met through Wei Wuxian, but they stayed together because of each other, especially after Nie Mingjue went back to Qinghe and Wei Wuxian started dating Lan Wangj. They found a small apartment near their colleges, beautiful and petite and on which Nie Huaisang went absolutely crazy over it, even though Jiang Cheng had to admit it really was beautiful at the end. The building was fairly good and so were the neighbourhood, their neighbours were students as well and they all kind of bunched up to eat lunch, dinner or just to talk.

It was good on it’s own way. In the morning, Jiang Cheng would wake up at five in the morning and go into a run, come back, take a bath and go make breakfast. Just then he would wake up Nie Huaisang so they would eat together until it was time for him to go to his classes and Nie Huaisang go take his bath and go to his own art classes. At lunch they would meet with some neighbours to gather up money and get food at the little restaurant/cafe near both the college and the art school. At the end of the day, the two of them would encounter at the bus station and go back home walking. Together, always together. When it was dinnertime, a girl down the hall, one the seniors, would make dinner for the four apartments around hers and feed everybody. So, yes, it was good.

"A-Cheng!" Now Huaisang screamed from the door, putting his shoes on the shelf Jiang Cheng had made. "A-Cheng, are you home?"

"Taking a bath!" Jiang Cheng screamed back from the bathroom, turning the shower off. "How was your class?"

"Good, good. I have yet another art project." He answered, hearing the shower turn on again. He let a shaky breath out, pulling a little golden cage from behind his back and putting it on the table, smiling at the little bird inside. "Hello. I missed you, sweetie." He put his index finger inside it, caressing its head and laughing lowly at the small content sounds the bird made. "Are you hungry? I will catch some food for you, hold on." He headed to his room, smiling at the bird.

That bird was the first one that Nie Mingjue gave him and one who was beside him through a lot of times, cheering him with his little songs and jumps. It was even funnier how she kind of mothered the younger birds they brought home, even sighing heavily when that did an idiocy or got themselves in trouble. That was one of the reasons Nie Huaisang brought her here, he got hurt trying to defend one the youngest and needed exams and remedy.

"What the hell is this? Why is there a bird on my table?" Jiang Cheng yelled from the living room and Nie Mingjue would be proud of the way and speed Nie Huaisang ran to there.

“A-Cheng! Don’t scream! She is sick.” Nie Huaisang held his arms, pulling him away from the bird. He obviously had just got out of the bath and instead of going straight to his room like he would normally do, he decided to go to the living room to talk to Huaisang. “Let Curió alone!” He added, readily ignoring the fact that his roommate was just on his briefs and with a towel on his head.

“Cur-what? What kind of name is that?”

“It’s brazilian, okay? My cousin TongTong suggested it after Da-Ge brought him from Brazil.” Nie Huisang said, shaking his head. “Let Curió alone!”

“What kind of fucking name is that?”

“I don’t know, okay? You already asked that! We were looking at a list of names Da-Ge had found funny while visiting and we found this one the funniest. We were kids, A-Cheng!” He huffed, letting go of him and opening the cage. He let the little brown bird jump on his finger as he set up everything. “But you can call her whatever you want, just give her food while doing it and she will answer… And probably ask for some food.” He shrugged, letting her eat. He had missed that smartass and cunning bird a lot, especially when pleading for food to anyone who gave her a threat out of time. “Da-Ge calls her Xiao Niao, which is very original in the world the old man lives in.”

“I am going to tell Mingjue-ge you called him and old man.” Jiang Cheng huffed, still eyeing Curió suspiciously. “Is she going to stay here for long?”

“Curió is sick, A-Cheng! Be good!” He yelped, pushing him away. “Go put some clothes. No one needs to see your naked glory besides me.”

“Greedy, aren’t we?” He chuckled, lifting his hands on surrender, going to his own room.

“Don’t mind him, Curió. He’s just jealous.” Nie Huaisang smiled at her, caressing her head. “You both are the love of my life, along with Da-Ge and all of your children.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As days passed, Nie Huaisang saw that Jiang Cheng was growing fond of Curió. If he wasn’t near to give her the medicine, Jiang Cheng would do it quicker and better than him. If he was near but had forgotten, Jiang Cheng would appear at his room and scream that he was irresponsible and had forgotten to feed her. At some point, Nie Huaisang got home to see a working Jiang Cheng with Curió sitting at his head, sleeping.

Sincerely, the boy could deny all he wanted to, but he had become a bird dad with capital B. Hell, he even defended the name Nie Huaisang and his cousin had chosen based on their six-years-old wisdom and would teach anyone how to pronounce it. So yes, it was very cute and did unholy things to Nie Huaisang’s heart, but no one needed to know the latter. No one besides Nie Mingjue, who would suffer a lot until he could talk about his feelings with Jiang Cheng again.

“Da-Ge! I’m dying!”

“Good. Die, then!” Nie Mingue groaned and he was sure that he was rubbing his eyes angrily. No wonder why, as it was five in the morning on Qinghe and Nie Huaisang probably just woke him up.

“Da-Ge!” He cried out, throwing himself back in the bed. Jiang Cheng wasn’t going to arrive after an hour or so yet and he had enough time to overreact over him. “I can not deal with this anymore! First, he adopts Curió, now he is defending and fathering her! Hell, he even lets her stay on his shoulder and head when it’s just the two of us.”

“You are going crazy over?” Nie Mingjue said, even though his tone was lower than it usually would be.

“A-Cheng, Da-Ge! Weren’t you paying attention to my rambling?”

“Didi, you ramble twenty-four hours per day, there are times that, yes, I simply stop paying attention to whatever is that you are saying.” He sassed, making Nie Huaisang gasps in outrage.

“You are horrible. Here I am dying and you are making fun out of me.”

“Okay, listen. Xiao Niao doesn’t like strangers, even if they give her food. So, if she is so close to Jiang Wanyin, there’s a good chance of the boy being a great child.” Nie Mingjue sighed and Nie Huaisang knew he was massaging his temples. “You are a menace, Huaisang, do you know that? It’s five in the morning and you are screaming in my ear about your crush on your roommate.” Again, his tone was lower than what it would normally be.

“Da-Ge, is someone there with you? Is it Xichen-ge?” He smiled, knowing fully well he was.

“Stop smirking, I can feel it from here.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” He replied in a sing-song voice, knowing the answer fully well.

“Yes! Yes, Lan Xichen is here. Happy now?” He growled.

“Yes. Wait, no! Is Yao-ge…?”

“Both of them, you menace, both of them are here.” He interrupted and Nie Huaisang already pictured Lan Xichen on the left side of the bed, sleeping peacefully with his hair in a braid while Meng Yao was wrapped around a pillow, looking like a koala, with his brother in the middle, hugging them both.

“And you call me a menace. Bye bye, Da-ge. Happy sleep.” He snickered, turning off the phone quickly. It was a good thing that the three of them finally managed to work themselves around and start dating. It was getting annoying the way they bluntly ignored each other’s feelings. Later, he would have to ask if the video that he sent to Lan Xichen of Nie Mingjue drunkenly confessing his love for both him and Meng Yao had been of any help. But now he had to get up and give his little girl food before making breakfast for him and Jiang Cheng.

“Hello, Curió.” He greeted the little bird, putting food on a small container inside the cage. “Surprised to see me up, aren’t you? Me too, but since I am already up I guess I will make breakfast for me and A-Cheng, what do you think?” Curió let out a happy sound, that could both mean that she thought that it was a good idea or just that she was happy that she got food earlier than normally. “Yeah, I think so too.” He laughed, going to the kitchen. “Did you know that I met A-Cheng when I was thirteen years old? And that he was a brother who is a danger to society?” He started saying, gathering up everything he needed to make breakfast. “Don’t get me wrong, Curió, Wei-xiong is a sweetheart but he is a feral trash child too and he is so dense. Oh gods, he is so dense that he could bend a knife if anyone ever tried to cut it.” He put a pan on the cooker, chuckling to himself. “And he thinks that Lan Zhan doesn’t like him back. Lan Zhan! The gayest gay I know! But they are coming together and I think they will start dating before the end of the year.” Huaisang said, hearing a flutter of wings. “Coming.” He said, turning the cooker off to go see her. She had already finished eating and was looking expectantly at him, waiting for him to bring her to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry for letting you here, sweetheart.” Nie Huaisang said, smiling at her as he brought the cage to the kitchen with him. "As I was saying, they will start dating at the end of the year if Lan Zhan makes the first move. Either than that we are going to see those two idiots dancing around each other, trying to see if the other likes them just as much." He rolled his eyes, deep frying some fish sticks. Curió chirped besides him, jumping away from the cooker. "I know, I know, I don't like deep frying either." He started humming an old song that his mother used to sing to him when she was happy. Soon, Curió joined in, singing her own version of the song and making Nie Huaisang chuckle on his song.

"You know, A-Cheng is as dense as his brother, if not worse than him. Did you see how obvious he is to other people's feelings? It's almost painful to watch!" Nie Huaisang said, putting the table. "Yes, I know I'm one of those people, but no one needs to know that there's people dying over here."

"Who is dying?" Jiang Cheng asked, opening the door, hair sticking to his sweaty forehead.

"People, A-Cheng. All over the world." He improvised, letting go of the plate he was holding quickly.

"Thought it was someone in your family for you to be awake at this hour." He looked at his phone, checking the hours. "Why the hell are you up?"

"I woke up and thought it was good to make breakfast for us.” He showed his tongue to him, turning to the kitchen. "Go take a bath so we can eat." He waved at him. They eat in relative silence, talking about Curió and what was going to happen in the rest of the day while Curió sang her little songs.

"So, she is better? She is going back to your house?" Jiang Cheng asked, finishing washing the dishes.

"Yeah. One last appointment to the veterinary and she is all good to go. I mean, if she is alright, you know." Nie Huaisang nodded, sipping from his hand-painted cup.

"Never thought of letting her stay here?" He suggested, eyebrows furrowed as washing his hands.

"Never thought of keeping her away from her children." He chuckled, shrugging. "She has to have someone to boss around, A-Cheng."

"Just like you." He retorted, rolling his eyes at him. "Don't forget to tell me what happened in the appointment, yeah?"

"Don't even worry about it." He said, nodding again as his roommate passed by him. In the end, Curió was fine and ready to go back to her home and her babies. Both Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang headed back to Qinghe with Curió and were happy when they saw her flying to join the other birds on the Nie' s terrarium.

"So, that 's it. She 's back. Want ice cream?" Nie Huaisang turned to him, hands on his pockets, at the same time Jiang Cheng said.

"Can we come visit them?"

"Yeah, A-Cheng, we can come visit them." He smiled, open and bright.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked quickly as if not to lose his courage. Instead of answering, Nie Huaisang threw himself at him, arms hugging his neck as they kissed. It was chaste, sweet and not near a proper kiss as Nie Huaisang couldn’t stop smiling. “What about that ice cream?”

“You are paying.” He laughed, pulling him out of the terrarium, still smiling wide and soon Jiang Cheng too was smiling and blushing. Later none of them quite believed that it took poor Curió to bring them together, having both of them parenting her the way she parented the other birds. So, yeah, both of them loved that sassy bossy bird they had.

#sangcheng #nie huaisang #jiang cheng #nie mingjue #sangchengber #sangchengmonth2020 #sangcheng month #getting together #because a bird played matchmaker

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