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antiquecompass · 4 years

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Untamed Winter Fest Day 25: Celebration

Anyone who knew the two of them were completely unsurprised when they announced it would be a winter wedding. Mo Xuanyu’s love for the season was well-known among their friends and family and Nei Huaisang’s indulgence for everything Xuanyu loved was equally as well-known. Huaisang had always said he didn’t care where or when or how he and Xuanyu married. He just wanted to marry him and he’d do that in the county courthouse or in the middle of a frozen pond, he truly didn’t care.

They hadn’t wound up on a pond or in a courthouse, but instead at the Boston Public Library. A beautiful, if cold, outdoor ceremony, both grooms in dashing winter capes. A dinner inside Bates Hall among the iconic green lampshades. And dancing, now, in the Abbey Room, transformed into a winter wonderland that perfectly fit Little Sparkle Xuanyu and Master Even Planner Huaisang.

Nie Mingjue had never been prouder of, and happier for, his baby brother. Brothers. Xuanyu had legally become his half-brother upon his own marriage, but it was an even closer tie now. Xuanyu was as much of his brother now as Huaisang and he’d fiercely protect both of them until the very end.

They were so happy, still staring at each other, oblivious to everyone else around them on the dance floor. Their faces held that stunned amazement that came on a wedding day, still somehow running on adrenaline and stress and all the emotions.

“Is that a tear I dare see in your eye?”

“Nobody asked you, Xichen,” Mingjue said, giving his best friend a playful shove.

Xichen laughed at him, but laid a friendly, grounding arm across his shoulders.

It’d been an emotional day for Mingjue as well. It didn’t matter that they were all basically living at the Nie Farmhouse these days. It didn’t matter that he loved and trusted Xuanyu with his brother, one of the most precious things in his life. He had zero hesitation walking down that aisle in the Courtyard this afternoon, giving his brother ‘away’ to the man who loved him.

His baby brother was married now. Had sought and found and achieved his own fairytale happy ending. Had told the supposed Nie curse to fuck right off and stood now, surrounded by everyone they loved, stealing kisses from his new husband as they whirled around.

“He’s just--”

Mingjue couldn’t put it into words.

“He’s all grown-up,” Xichen said. “And you know he has been for years, but it’s different now. He’ll always be your baby brother, and in your case, even more like your son.” He laughed. “But just look at them.”

Two bright and shiny spots of smiles and love and joy, and yes, some glitter, on the dance floor.

It took longer than any of them thought to get to the actual wedding. Mingjue knew they wouldn’t be like him and his little fox. They’d gotten married months after the engagement. Huaisang was a planner though, and he certainly wasn’t going to let anyone else plan his wedding (he’d explained to Mingjue one day in the midst of all of it about the ridiculous ‘wedding surcharge’ that came with so many things. While he couldn’t control the catering company because it was in-house, he’d argued and bartered and worked his magic to get the best price. The event organizers didn’t need it getting out that they managed to acquire, and then lose, the wedding of THE Nie Huaisang). He wanted it to be perfect as it could be for Xuanyu and up to his own exacting standards, and so that took time. Almost a year and a half. Mingjue would’ve said that was too much fucking time, but tonight had been magical for them, for the guests, for everyone.

A perfect celebration of the two new husbands and their relationship.

From the little petit fours decorated with icing in the designs of fans and theater masks to the centerpieces made of dark red and purple amaryllis, orchid, and roses to bring spots of color, to the silver and white and sparkling theme of everything else. Classy, but still them. Fashionable and sleek and yet still full of warmth.

“Speaking of happiness beyond measure,” Xichen said. “Where have your husband and the ring-bearer gone?”

Mingjue felt his smile soften even more as he thought of his husband and son.

Jesse had been one of the youngest kids to visit the farm that first year they hosted the children’s homes for the winter wonderland spectacular. He’d been quiet and a little terrified, but absolutely struck by the horses. Yao had asked permission of the caretakers, and of Jesse himself, to pick him up and introduce him to Moonshadow and Shadowfax.

He hadn’t put him down until it was time for the children to leave.

Mingjue had asked Priya to start looking into adoption laws and procedures the next day.

Two years later, here they were.

“The ring-bearer needed the restroom,” Mingjue said.

Mingjue grinned as he saw his husband and son enter the room. Jesse, in all his six-year-old enthusiasm, dragged his father to the dance floor as The Jets’ Crush on You started playing.

“Meng Shi’s really pushing those dance lessons on him hard,” Xichen observed.

“He loves it,” Mingjue said. “All of the different styles. Though he loves ballet the most. Jenna’s demanding we visit soon so he can sit in on one of the practices with her dance company.”

He laughed as Xuanyu bent to pick Jesse up and hoist him in the air, lifting him like he was a ballet dancer too.

He knew it wouldn’t be an easy dream. Jesse, a black boy adopted by two gay Chinese men, trying to break into the ballet world, but it was always a mistake to underestimate their family. And maybe Jesse’s dreams would change as he got older, but they’d support him, and fight for him, no matter what they were. No matter who stood against them.

“Come on,” Xichen said, guiding them both towards the dance floor. “We can’t keep holding up the wall. Let’s join our family.”

They were all there, around the couple of the hour. Jiang Cheng teasing Huaisang by flipping up his perfectly coiffed hair. All of Springfield Security not working jobs, towering over most of the guests. Everyone from Huaisang’s company; Ebony taking constant pictures, James openly crying in happiness, Aki taking control of the event so Huaisang didn’t have to. And endless sea of Nies, Lans, Jiangs, Yus, the three good Mos, the few good Jins, the decent Wens, even some Delaneys.

Their family, brought together, in a celebration of love.

Huasiang and Xuanyu had done well, so damn well, and Mingjue was so fucking proud of the both of them.

“Look at you,” Mingjue said, his baby brother having stumbled into his arms. He pulled on the sleeve of his tux and started wiping away some of the tears. “You’re a mess.”

“A happy mess,” Huaisang said as he stood still.

“You too,” Mingjue said to Xuanyu who had joined them. “You’re a make-up artist. Don’t you use setting spray,” he asked as he dabbed at traces of mascara on his cheeks.

“It’s been an emotional day,” Xuanyu said.

“Could you please use a handkerchief,” his husband said. “I put them in your pocket for a reason.”

“I don’t have a--”

Yao reached into his jacket pocket and pulled a white handkerchief out, embroidered with silver thread bearing his initials.

“You were saying?” his husband asked.

“Is this grooming ritual just for Nies or can they rest of us get in?” Xichen asked.

Jiang Cheng’s massive eye roll was the final straw that broke the entire group into a round of laughter, one that rang out loud, even over the music.

A perfect family moment on a perfect day.

#long post #untamed winter fest #fandom: the untamed #sangyu #verse: lahl #fic: i will become what i deserve

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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A Destructive God Sits Next to Me is a Touching Ode to Being Yourself

It sounds like a trite proverb at this point, but it really is hard to be yourself. Within social settings specifically, most of us learn very quickly from an early age who is 'cool' (a.k.a. who society deems to be socially desirable in many different facets), and who is 'uncool' (a.k.a. the people society conditions us to believe are not desirable, intelligent, noteworthy, etc.). A quick glance at history quite clearly shows that we often judge and ostracize others based on prejudiced, and frankly, violent notions about class, race, and gender. These judgments are deeply structural and embedded within the frameworks of our educational system, our work environments, and so much more. Is it any wonder then that so many of us shy away from standing out, and decide to silently conform to what the world tells us to be?

This is why I find it refreshing to watch a show like A Destructive God Sits Next To Me. Based on the manga series by author Arata Aki, A Destructive God is a heartwarming comedy with a strong message about staying true to yourself (more on that soon). It stars a boy named Seri Koyuki who can't seem to shake an eccentric band of high school weirdos, one of whom is Kabuto Hanadori. Hanadori has fashioned his identity into "the knight of light and darkness," and wears an eyepatch that supposedly conceals his alter-ego, the god of destruction. Hanadori is dressed daily like a JRPG character and unwittingly wreaks all kinds of havoc on Koyuki's life.

I admit, the series didn't strike me as unique or intriguing at first glance, especially since I'm particularly picky when it comes to comedy in general. Thankfully, the show is legitimately funny—I chuckled more than a few times at the myriad of exagerrated chibi parts—and uses its light-heartedness to explore deeper themes about imagination, authenticity, and companionship. With that in mind, let's uncover some of the valuable lessons A Destructive God has to say about the benefits of honoring your true self.

Lesson 1: Being True to Your Inner Creativity Can Help You Deal with Boring Life Responsibilities

Koyuki faces infuriating roadblocks when it comes to his education: his grades keep suffering, which he views as Tsukimiya—a classmate who can practically read minds and takes sweet delight in embarrassing others—and Hanadori's fault. Koyuki gets paired with Hanadori and Tsukimiya in a school project, and witnesses the bizarre and uh, perverted techniques both of them employ while studying for tests. Hanadori draws cartoonish sketches and relates historical figures to fictional battles from the personal fantasy world he built, while Tsukimiya memorizes facts about amino acids by illustrating what appears to be hentai. Hilarity ensues as Koyuki bombs the test and finds out that Tsukimiya and Hanadori consistently get better grades than he does.

Amidst the comedy, Tsukimiya gives pretty poignant life advice to Hanadori when he tells him to make up something related to his self-built fantasy world, something that 'means something.' This, combined with the later scene when Tsukimiya and Hanadori get high scores, offers a lesson about creativity and remaining true to your unique qualities. Tsukimiya uses his own creativity (his art skills), and Hanadori uses his imagination (his lush mental creations) to successfully deal with the boorishness of school life. Instead of rejecting their own weird quirks, they use them to make an important life responsibility (studying) more bearable. A Destructive God suggests that it's always worthwhile, and important, to keep your selfhood intact in whatever you do. No life duty—whether work or school—should ever come at the expense of your beautiful shining self.

Lesson 2: Being Your Real Self Can Inspire Others to do the Same

Episode 3 introduces a hilarious new character named Helius, who at first calls himself one of the 'four gods of destruction,' until eventually accepting his own unique, wacky identity as the grim reaper. Helius confesses that he wanted to be like Hanadori, because he was inspired wondering what it would feel like to not be afraid of other people's opinions. Helius's initial step into self-acutalization starts because Hanadori had the courage and strength to be himself (which just so happens to be a self-created mythology about being a malevolent entity). When Helius says he feels ostracized in spite of his new found identity, it is the joint words of both Tsukimiya (though tainted with his own somewhat-sinister, mocking spin to it) and Hanadori—two characters who are unabashedly themselves—that reaffirms Helius' drive for authentic self-expression.

And Helius isn't the only one. After hearing Hanadori's speech, Koyuki takes it to heart and feels as if Hanadori was speaking to him, as well. Koyuki is a character who largely strives to be normal, well-liked, and avoid peer embarrassment. Most of what he does is reactive, rarely acting out of his own wants and desires. But Hanadori's speech gives Koyuki the push to really consider his own needs and desires, which leads Koyuki to begin his exploration of future careers he would want for himself. In these scenes, A Destructive God depicts how being yourself can have a positive widespread effect: other people might take notice, and that can lead to huge self-affirming changes in more than one person's life.

Lesson 3: The Right People Will Honor and Care About You If You Stay True to Yourself

It's also in episode 3 where we find another important lesson about selfhood. After Helius' intensely embarrassing moment involving bird poop, the girl paired with him surprisingly takes the feathery fecal matter in stride and wipes it away with her handkerchief. Helius learns from this experience that it's possible to be your real self—in all its glorious eccenctricity—and still be liked by others, by people who aren't ashamed or revolted by who you are.

At one point, Hanadori himself has a hard time believing his own advice about self-affirmation. Hanadori suppresses Miguel, his god of destruction alter-ego, which seems to be a sort of stand-in for his anger and 'negative' emotions. Once he finally decides to let go and express his 'evil' side, Hanadori—similar to what Helius experienced—is met with cheering applause from his peers rather than derisive laughter. Both characters ultimately learn there is a place for everyone, and in this world there will always be people who will root for you as a whole person, exactly as you are.

A Destructive God Sits Next To Me may not be a revelatory or groundbreaking series so far. But even 4 episodes in, I'm happy I gave it a chance, and you should, too.

What other anime do you love that champions being yourself? Let us know in the comments below!

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