#literally the only time he followed xl was in his little ghost form after he died on the battlefield and that was purely cause he wanted | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zhuhongs · 3 years

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Upon rereading tgcf, one of the biggest complaints I have is how lackluster all the extra chapters were. literally none of them were good and all contained rlly gross and harmful sentiments (like the amnesia one which.. yea.. or all the things implying xl should get pregnant for hc thus equating gay relationships with hetero ones and playing into the wife thing and just GOD I HATE MXTX)

There were a lot of little plot points i wish that had been further elaborated on more in the extras as opposed to hualian being ... like that. I had enough. Like mdzs had actaully good extras (minus the incense burners) that were nice side stories that elaborated more on the characters. Like the hook one with the juniors was so cute and i loved seeing them grow more. Or the lotus pod extras omg.. im such a lotus pod extra stan. those were so cute and gave us a lot of good insight into just how lovestruck lwj was during the times when he didn’t see wwx. mxtx should've stuck to those sorta extras in tgcf but NOOO. SO I have a list of so many other more interesting things those chapters couldve been spent on like:

A resolution on He Xuan’s revenge and his character arc. Bc its implied He Xuan is still hanging out and watching over sqx and that taking revenge didn’t fully satisfy him bc ok.. yea shi wudu is dead but he xuans family will never come back. Now what does he have to live for?? i wish we couldve seen a look into his life during the entire ordeal. like a chapter from his perspective while he was posing as Ming Yi and maybe a look at a conversation btw he xuan and the real ming yi or a chapter after SQX was banished to see what he’s doing now. Also what did he xuan owe hua cheng money for anyways?? Like ik not every little thing has to be explained but I Want to Know. PLEASE more goth boyfriend content now I just wanna see him :,((

a better resolution of yin yu and quan yizhens storyline. im still mad abt how that plot point was split btw books 3 and 5 when it was rlly out of place and there were other more pressing plot matters and it just rlly deserved more time. Also i thought yin yu died!?!?!? but apparently one of the extras says he’s alive and man... i;m not reading any more of the extras to see that, give me a full yin yu and quan yizhen chapter.. fuck.

a day in the life of the guoshi fangxin or general hua PLEASE especially like one where hua cheng was SO CLOSE to meeting xie lian but had no clue that xie lian was there at the time but the two did smth that inadvertantly helped the other and they still were connected even though they hadnt met omg pls that’d be so nice. like imagine Hua cheng catching a glimpse of the guoshi in public in yong’an while he’s trying to follow some lead that points to xie lian or maybe following a lead to capture qi rong bc he said he knew qi rong was a part of the yong’an stuff and originally thought the guoshi was one of qi rongs pawns. like can you IMAGINE him getting so close. but at the last second he did smth small that impacted xie lian. like they bumped into eachother on the street or smth. god i’d go crazy

OR vice versa.. like a day in the life of the young ghost king hua cheng. Like again, one of my biggest issues was that hua cheng just knew everything and its never really explained how he got all of that info. like yes he’s been alive very long and has eyes and ppl working for him everywhere but like... how did he build that network?? I’d love to see a chapter of young ghost king hua cheng travelling around trying to learn as much as he can abt the world and how it can help bring him to xie lian. and the two maybe are in the same kingdom for a bit and they don’t meet exactly but hua cheng stops some fight or something and helps xie lian indirectly or maybe xie lian is performing on the street in some costume and hua cheng doesn’t recognize him and smiles and gives him a coin or smth. idk i’m just dying for any sorta extra chapter or fic like that. i’m honestly so tempted to write my own but i cant write

also!! we’ve seen how xie lian picks up people down on their luck near him and show them kindness (like banyue, lang ying, xiao ying, he tried to with san lang but we know how that ended lmao) so i’d love to see another little vignette of him doing that on his travels and how every person he meets teaches him smth about life and being a good person and idk, i just think it’d be rlly sweet. i love this facet of his character and feel like we didn’t see enough of it towards the end.

ALSO hua cheng only seems to respect one heavenly official besides xie lian and thats yushi huang.. i assume thats mostly bc she was the only one to help xie lian and let him use the rain master hat to bring water to yong’an. I was thinking maybe when he was a new supreme he had run into trouble and maybe was picked up by the rain master and helped him heal and in return he promised to help protect her village from harm in the future. Like i know a heavenly official wouldn’t cooperate with a ghost like that but yushi huang is different and doesn’t really care about the heavens so i think she would protect him if he could do something to benefit her village. ik this is kinda far fetched but when he first became a supreme I’m sure a bunch of ppl probably tried to mess with him and didn’t rlly believe him to be undefeatable bc he hadn’t proved himself yet also i doubt all his power came overnight. he had to learn how to use it once he escaped the kiln. and some group probably thought they could weaken him somehow. I’m thinking maybe a rlly well formed group of ghosts actually caught him off guard once and he had to retreat and was picked up by the rain master and stayed with her and learned from her a bit. i think it’d be a cool concept also i just rlly want more yushi huang content and i’m on their friendship agenda bc he rlly did seem to actually respect her when she first appeared and i think it’d be cool if the two had some history together.

Also idrc if this was addressed I couldve missed it But!! Did xie lian ever tell Hua cheng that the reason he got the curse shackles and was banished again in the first place wasnt bc jun wu wanted to punish him, but because he requested it. And specifically requested it bc he felt guilty abt letting wu ming take the human face disease and disperse for his sake. So he took the shackles and descended to atone for that?? Bc I dont recall hua cheng learning that bc his soul was already dispersed at that point so it didnt follow him and xie lian didnt say anything so uhhh... someone should tell hua cheng that. Like I dont think xie lian rlly said how much hua cheng meant to him and didnt show him he was loved in grand ways. Like xie lian did always care for bc in other ways but I think if hua cheng learned abt this on screen it wouldve been such a great moment and I'm rlly surprised mxtx didnt address this iirc!?!? Like imagine jun wu telling Hua cheng this in the kiln bc xie lian wouldnt say it himself. Imagine how cool that would be.

Also a small thing adding into the whole young ghost king Hua cheng stuff. Its implied and p much stated that hua cheng isnt his real name. That he likely doesnt have a real name bc his parents died? (It's not clear. I'm still mad at mxtx for not making his childhood clearer). So I'd like to see when and why hua cheng chose that name for himself. The new tgcf ending song kinda hints at its meaning with the lyrics "for you I'd fill a city of flowers" as xie lian is the flower wielding martial god so it's probably inspired by that. Also xie lian saved hua cheng from leaping off the city walls but I'd love to hear him say it bc the implication of his name didnt dawn on me for quite a bit and I dont know if everyone made the connection. Again I sure as hell didnt. So itd be cool to see a chapter that takes place in his past after just ascending as a supreme

Overall I rlly think tgcf had a lot more potential to be even better and a lot of that comes down to fleshing out the side characters and letting hualian have more of a storyline independent of one another. like i know the appeal and message of tgcf is that through love, people can overcome anything, but fuck man. i just wanna see what these two (mostly hua cheng) where like in the absence of each others presence. Part of what I really liked abt mdzs is that we got to see that longing develop btw wangxian when the two weren’t together and how they thought about each other and did things in thei others spirit bc they knew the other wouldve done the same thing. but whatever, mxtx was too consumed by her own unhealthy idea of what devotion and true love looks like but still. i rlly think the extras couldve helped the story be better rather than be fujoshi fuel that i try to bleach from my mind -_-

#tgcf #🐌.txt #long post #text heavy #god its 1am im queuing this for the daytime bc i need yall to read this and scream with me bc these wouldve been such better extra chapters #oh fuck this is 1.3k words ajfaskjfklasfjksd #i should just write my own extras at this point now.. fuck mxtx

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pengiesama · 5 years

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And Caterpillar Makes Three (Fic, TGCF, HC/XL)

Title: And Caterpillar Makes Three Series: Heavenly Official’s Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) Pairing: Hua Cheng/Xie Lian

Summary:

The question has been posed by history's finest philosophers: how is prangent formed?

One of Hua Cheng's caterpillars stows away on Xie Lian, who unwittingly smuggles it off to Puji Shrine for an impromptu sleepover. Before he can return it to its home in Paradise Manor, the little creature goes into its cocoon, and mustn't be moved until it hatches.

And then, of course, the gossip train gets totally out of control until everyone thinks Xie Lian got knocked up.

(Written for the @hualianweek Eternal zine! Check out the zine's Twitter here, and check out the zine itself here.)

Link: AO3

Read on Tumblr!

“Ah…a stowaway.”

Said stowaway made a soft chirping noise as Xie Lian stroked his finger over its downy fluff. So cute, just like its older brothers and sisters, and just as clever too – sneaking into Xie Lian’s robes like this, with him none the wiser.

He’d unwittingly smuggled this little one out of Paradise Manor’s garden, out of Ghost City, and back to his Puji Shrine; ignorant of his unexpected guest until he’d felt a tickle at his neck. Initially, he wrote it off as Ruoye shifting about, but after a belated realization that Ruoye was currently swirling around in the laundry tub like a delighted eel, he lifted a hand to his neck and came away with a fuzzy, fat little caterpillar perched on his finger.

It was unmistakably no ordinary caterpillar: its coat was the deep and luminous black of a crow’s feathers; downy soft, just like the curls at the back of Hua Cheng’s neck when he tied up his hair. Its gleaming silver antennae glinted in the candlelight as they twitched to and fro. When the little one picked up its body to perch on its back legs, seeking more of Xie Lian’s gently petting finger, Xie Lian could see its shining silver tummy. So cute, so cute. Not ordinary at all.

This wasn’t the first time he’d been followed home. He quite often found a spirit butterfly or two perched in his hair or tucked into the breast of his robes. (“Obeying their baser instincts to nestle into the petals of beautiful blossoms,” Hua Cheng had said once, while he himself was nuzzling into Xie Lian’s hair. Xie Lian’s face had burned then and it still burned now.) But unlike its older siblings, Xie Lian surely couldn’t just send this little one home on its own. Hua Cheng had told him that the butterflies were blind in this state; sensing the world around them through their antennae. It would be utterly unthinkable to send such a sweet, defenseless little creature out unaccompanied.

A vase of fresh flowers was standing on the altar; left by a villager as an offering. “You can stay the night here,” Xie Lian said, bidding the creature to wriggle onto one of the blooms. He arranged the leaves of the other flowers, as if tucking his guest in for bed. “But we’ll need to get you back home first thing tomorrow. Surely San Lang and your siblings are wondering where you are.”

It was very late; too late to even consider calling on Hua Cheng again in person, too late to wake him up with a message. Xie Lian yawned and sleepily undressed, and rolled onto his bamboo mat. As long as they left first thing in the morning, surely it would be fine.

It was a law of the universe: anything that could go wrong, would go wrong, when Xie Lian was involved.

Xie Lian peered at the little chrysalis that was nestled into the flowers on his altar, and gave a heavy sigh. Stuck inside that lonely cocoon, separated from its siblings; all because he was too lazy to bring the little one back home when he should have!

Carefully, he tucked his guest back behind the veil of leaves, and thought about how to best proceed. Xie Lian knew that it was far too dangerous to move a chrysalis, especially with luck like his own. He had steady hands and graceful feet, but all it would take was a wayward breeze for disaster to strike. But all the same, he knew nothing about caring for Hua Cheng’s butterflies – how to best tend to them in such a state, or how they would fare without the support of their siblings cocooned alongside them. The thought of harming this little guest of his weighed heavy on Xie Lian’s heart.

Through the haze of his gloomy thoughts, he almost didn’t hear the knock on his shrine’s door, nor the cheerful greeting that followed it. On the topic of wayward breezes…

“Your highness!” Shi Qing Xuan chirped. He was making it up to Puji Shrine on his own these days; the brace on his leg easing the strain of the walk from the capital. “You busy today? I just have to tell you about this new trend. You ready? Okay! So, wearing rice sacks is now a Thing, can you even imagine, even the nobility’s getting in on it…”

“Were you wearing a rice sack when you last met with the empress and her tailor to critique her sketches of next season’s wardrobe?” Xie Lian asked.

Shi Qing Xuan hummed thoughtfully. “Well, yeah, but I took it and made it fashion. Everyone else just looks majorly weird.”

Cultivation Through Couture – whatever worked, Xie Lian thought mildly.

“I—I’m so sorry, but I’m in no fit state to be a host right now,” Xie Lian said, unhappily. “Perhaps in a week or so, when…it’s settled down a little…”

Shi Qing Xuan blinked. “Eh? Your Highness, are you feeling okay?”

Xie Lian’s stomach twisted in guilt. He pressed his palm to his belly, gently, to try and settle himself. Shi Qing Xuan’s eyes followed the movement, before flicking back up to Xie Lian’s face.

“It’s just…” Worried as he was, Xie Lian was desperate for a sympathetic ear. “An…unexpected visitor…from San Lang…”

Shi Qing Xuan’s face lit up with a brightness that could rival the sun’s. He squealed in delight, hobbled in close, and covered the hand that Xie Lian had pressed to his stomach with his own.

“I knew it!” he said, bouncing in place. “I knew it! Knew it knew it knew it! What are you gonna name it when’s it gonna come can you tell me huh please that’s not bad luck right it’s not bad luck if you just give me a tiny little hint just whisper it into my ear just a tiny little hint and can I be the godmother or maybe the godsister instead even though that’s not a thing we could make it a thing just like rice sack couture—”

“Wh—Wind—Shi Qing Xuan!” Xie Lian said, overwhelmed. “I only just…I only just found—”

Shi Qing Xuan gasped aloud, and leaned in, conspiratorially. “You only just found out? Am I the first one you’ve told? Even before Crimson Rain?”

Xie Lian paused for a moment, before sighing and nodding in the affirmative. “I…I haven’t told San Lang yet. I’m worried he’ll think I was careless…”

Careless, too careless, with such a small and delicate creature. But then, Xie Lian found his hand being gripped in a firm, sure grasp, and he found himself unable to look away from Shi Qing Xuan’s burning, determined, unblinking gaze.

“Your Highness. Lemme tell you something: it takes two to tango.”

“What’s a ‘tango’?” Xie Lian asked, confused, before Shi Qing Xuan surged forward and pressed their foreheads together.

“On my honor as godsister, you just say the word and I’ll march down to Ghost City, kick down the door, and tell your Crimson Rain that he better step up. Or else,” Shi Qing Xuan finished ominously.

Step up? It was hardly Hua Cheng’s fault that Xie Lian hadn’t noticed the stowaway, and certainly wasn’t his fault that Xie Lian had been too lazy to make the trip back before – well, before he couldn’t anymore. And Xie Lian certainly didn’t need anyone kicking down any doors for him.

“Please,” Xie Lian said, gently placing his hands on Shi Qing Xuan’s shoulders, trying to ease him out of the righteous fury he’d worked himself into. “Let’s just—keep this between us for now. I just need to get things settled here, and then I’ll tell San Lang. Okay?”

Shi Qing Xuan paused, then nodded. “…I’ll let you get things settled before I get to the part where I kick down Crimson Rain’s door,” he said, eventually.

“Wonderful,” Xie Lian said, relieved. “Thank you, Windmaster. Shi Qing Xuan.”

“Godsister,” Shi Qing Xuan added, and gently patted Xie Lian’s tummy before he tottered off.

It was, perhaps, Xie Lian’s flustered state of mind that caused him to forget a very important fact: when Shi Qing Xuan was entrusted with a secret, it was literally a matter of seconds before he told absolutely everyone he knew.

And then those people told everyone they knew.

And then by lunchtime the whole world was in on it.

A gaggle of grannies and aunties from the nearby village had set up camp in the shrine, and resisted any of Xie Lian’s polite attempts to excuse them – and had all but tied Xie Lian to his futon while they set about to ferrying in gifts and offerings, and rearranging the shrine the way they saw fit.

“Daozhang must refrain from any sort of strenuous activity for the coming months,” said the second-eldest granny, who appeared to be the ringleader of the gang. “His situation is a delicate one. Please trust in our experience on the topic.”

Was butterfly care such a popular topic in the human realm? Xie Lian supposed he should be thankful that he had a roomful of experts on call. He didn’t see how his own body was made to be so frail in this whole…process. A superstition surrounding the care of a delicate little chrysalis, perhaps? After all, superstitions often had their basis in reality. It wouldn’t do to accidentally jostle the cocoon loose while cleaning, for example, or choke it with smoke while cooking. But…to be made to lie here prone while there was work to be done…

“Thank you,” he said, shifting uncomfortably. Immediately, two aunties seemed to materialize from nowhere with more pillows to stack behind him. “I – surely I can do something to help? I can’t simply lay here for months, I must tend to the shrine, and answer prayers, and…and San Lang—”

“No playtime with your young man, no, not for a few weeks, no,” said the eldest granny, who was old enough to have completely lost her filter. She grinned a gap-toothed smile. “But after a few weeks! Oh yes, after, yes. No need to wait until things are done cooking. Many fond memories, yes. But no shrimp with your meals. No shrimp at all.”

She nodded gravely, mulling over her sage advice. The second-eldest granny, red in the cheeks, quietly ushered her away to sit. But there was vanishing space in the shrine to sit – gifts kept pouring in. Offerings from worshippers were to be expected as part of the whole godly business, but offerings from his fellow gods were…stranger to see. Tiny shoes and clothes, baby toys, talismans for health and strength, piles of fresh fruits and vegetables, Head Priest storming in through the front door, ranting about scandal and disrespect and the unmitigated nerve of that hooligan—

Wait. Xie Lian rolled his thoughts back to think over that last part.

“Head Priest?” Xie Lian tried to rise up to greet him, but was held down by the penetrating stares of the surrounding aunties. “Please, your blood pressure – to what do I owe you coming out all this way?”

Mei Nian Qing rather resembled a ruffled, agitated hen; feathers fluffed up, squawking furiously at nothing in particular. Xie Lian half expected him to start scratching at the ground with his feet. He raised a shaking finger accusingly at Xie Lian.

“What did I tell you,” he said, lurching forward dramatically. The aunties caught him and tenderly led him to sit beside Xie Lian; providing him a pillow to languish upon. “What did I tell you. About that hooligan. That man of yours. But no, you didn’t listen. Didn’t listen at all to your poor teacher and his silly fortunes. And to only hear about this through gossip! You’re killing your poor old teacher. I’ll die of grief by sundown.”

Xie Lian gave him a moment to finish. He was beginning to suspect that there was a misunderstanding afoot. “Head Priest. May I ask what gossip you’re referring to?”

Mei Nian Qing lifted his arm from where it was draped across his face, so Xie Lian could properly see his expression of fathomless despair.

“To force me to speak it aloud…Xian Le’s Crown Prince, ascended at seventeen, a rose among roses, a jewel among jewels, a god among gods, savior of nations…” Mei Nian Qing heaved a shaky sigh that ended in a small sob. “…expecting and unwed. A victim to the cruel and fleeting whims of that Crimson Rain Seeking Flower.”

Ah. Things were clicking into place.

There was a sudden commotion in the shrine. The air itself was shimmering; the noontime sun scintillating in dazzling patterns on the wall, reflected off dozens of glass wings. In an instant, a familiar figure was kneeling by his bedside; on bended knee, one hand to his heart. Mei Nian Qing lifted a shaking finger to point at Hua Cheng accusingly, but Xie Lian hardly noticed with the brilliance of the vision before his eyes.

Hua Cheng was always dressed stylishly, but right now…his red robes were so luxurious and finely-embroidered that he wouldn’t be out of place as a bridegroom at a wedding. He’d tied up his wild locks, piling them atop his head in a series of complex braids and securing them with a sparkling silver hairpin and embroidered red ribbons that tumbled down his back. Xie Lian’s breath caught in his throat. Hua Cheng lifted his head, and his soulful, adoring eyes further buoyed and bullied Xie Lian’s heart.

“I will take responsibility,” Hua Cheng whispered fervently.

Xie Lian would do the same – he couldn’t let this charade go on another minute.

“San Lang. Head Priest,” he said. “I’m not…I fear there’s been a misunderstanding. You see, last night, on my way home from San Lang’s gardens…”

He proceeded to explain the caterpillar, the chrysalis, and Shi Qing Xuan’s overactive imagination. After he finished, however, Mei Nian Qing almost seemed…disappointed.

“…so,” he said, slowly. “There’s not. Hmm. Well. I suppose that’s for the best. This poor old teacher will just…wander on home, then…”

And yet he stayed rooted in place, fiddling with his sleeves. Xie Lian could hardly bear to look Hua Cheng in the eye, couldn’t bring himself to face whatever expression awaited him.

He’d – he’d come to Xie Lian’s bedside as a bridegroom. He’d pledged his responsibility. Was he disappointed? Xie Lian was perhaps a little disappointed himself, in retrospect.

A little one, with his San Lang’s dear features, for them to raise together. Xie Lian felt a phantom ache in his stomach for the loss of something that was never there in the first place. He was being so ridiculous. So foolish. And all this trouble – all this misunderstanding and heartache – was his fault for being too lazy to bring a little caterpillar home when he should have.

Hua Cheng’s gentle touch to his cheek brought him out of that dark place in his thoughts. He smiled at Xie Lian, then pressed a kiss to his forehead, his cheek. Xie Lian’s face burned at the attention. Such chaste kisses from Hua Cheng when he was dressed like that somehow flustered him just as much as a passionate embrace in bed.

“San Lang can perhaps – wear those robes again sometime?” Xie Lian asked quietly, and hoped Hua Cheng would hear the question he could not speak aloud.

Hua Cheng’s expression went so soft, and he bent to press his forehead to Xie Lian’s hand. All of Xie Lian’s breath seemed to gather beneath his heart.

After a moment, Hua Cheng gathered himself, and gave Mei Nian Qing a respectful nod and a surprisingly sincere smile.

“Perhaps if it would not trouble the Head Priest, he could provide us his guidance on an auspicious date for…ah, some future caterpillars of our own?” Hua Cheng asked.

Mei Nian Qing already had his fortune-telling supplies spread out around him. He was fluffed up again, his wounded heart healing under the need for his wisdom and services.

“Well. I suppose I could provide some general guidelines,” he said magnanimously. “We’ll start with a set of calendars of lucky conception dates for the next three, five, and ten years, and then get down to the business of pinpointing an exact location most propitious to success…”

“Daozhang,” called the second-eldest granny. “The honorable generals of the Southeast and Southwest are fighting in the front yard. They both appear to desire the title of godparent.”

“Tell them that the title goes to the master of word games,” Xie Lian idly replied. “Best four hundred out of five.”

#天官赐福 #tgcf #heavenly official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #hualian #a tenderly crafted fanfiction #zines

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italianexotiicbeauty · 6 years

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◈ cary with Colby only as the wrestler

Send a ◈ for a first kiss between our muses. || @authoritativeprince

Things were … strange? Tense? Uncertain? Between her and Colby, okay sure - all her friends now knew she was back with her ex, even when she shouldn't be and there had been absolutely zero doubt she'd ever turn this corner again. Colby Lopez was the definition of persistent - okay sure, the changing of the locks on her old apartment and then moving ( and not telling him ) worked to make sure he couldn't visit her at her home. She had stopped watching RAW and the PPVs, even he followed him on instagram ( but forgot Twitter ). Cut to a few months later when she was strolling through Bridgeport and literally walked into him, Connecticut had only three places they could ever have a show - Mohegan Sun, The XL Center ( Hartford ) & the Webster Bank Arena ( Bridgeport ). She hadn't even apologized, completely ignored the feeling of warmth in her body while his hand was wrapped around her arm to keep her from slipping on the ice. Ice and steel, remember that kitty. She had been like that when their paths ‘mysteriously crossed’ during Wizarding Comic Con in Portland, even more so when her now ex boxer boyfriend and him clashed at ringside a few times. Why she had agreed to go in the first place - she knew, Colby was the jealous type, and he was seething at the sight of her snuggled up to someone who put a smile on her face. This was a subject she had not discussed with her therapist, the woman was still getting her through a few other demons first - including all the crying she did. It was a lot but she had to relive it & learn to let it go, so the tears were going to be there with her. Getting back with Colby had also reminded her that smoking cigarettes was a poor choice, so - she had wisely switched to vaping instead. The low dose of her anti-anxiety medication was safer to take when vaping, it was odd but rather comforting. Her mind had wandered too far and the sound of a crate shaking in the backseat made her remember, quickly - she unlocked the little door and Kevin sprang free from his confines.That pulled her right back into reality and Kevin was leaning up on the passenger side door, tail wagging furiously - she knew what that meant. He spotted Colby and instead of making the yorkie wait? She scooped him up and raced out of the jeep, right over to her boyfriend - and for once handed him the dog first before doing something she hasn't done in a while. ( okay sure, they have kissed - but not like this. ) Arms wrapped around his neck, body pressed flush against his - don't worry, Kevin was safely tucked under an arm ! - Colby had a smidge of bewilderment on his face while she leaned up and his eyes were closed when her mouth ghosted over his. Soft and smooth, the lingering scent of strawberry chapstick assaulted his nose as her mouth began to move slowly against his.Did his free arm secure a hold around her to keep her lithe form pressed against his athletic one? Oh you know it! And there was nothing being rushed about this kiss, they were safely on the sidewalk of the arrivals area outside the airport - people were likely gawking but they were only kissing ( & for their privacy, she had pulled him into a corner so no one could see their faces ). The kiss was slowly broken after a few minutes, and it was difficult for her to not whimper when it was - breathing through one's nose was a thing but another reason to stop was to not end up getting carried away in public. Biting her lower lip a few times, a deep breath was slowly exhaled as her gaze lifted to meet his. There was that familiar look in his eyes, and all she did was smile before Kevin started barking happily to draw his daddy's attention away. She giggled faintly while rolling his bag towards the jeep, Colby followed of course while paying attention to his dog.

[ I know technically speaking there first kiss was backstage at RAW when they first met but ... what about a first kiss when they're back together? ]

#authoritativeprince #asks #answered #memes #'feels just like i'm walking on broken glass!' | otp; cary ( authoritativeprince )

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mischiefandspirits · 7 years

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Roar

Lance met them while surfing just off the coast of Cuba. Hunk met him while helping out at his mothers’ restaurant. Pidge met her while solving puzzles with her brother. Shiro met him after leading his soccer team to victory. Keith… Well, Keith had always known her.

Which is why he was completely unsurprised to find out the cats were more than they seemed.

Find more. Also on: AO3 & Fanfiction

Part 4: Interlude: Mother of Cats, Part 1

Red gets bored, which usually never results in anything good, and ends up making a new friend.

Red was annoyed. No, more than annoyed, she was bored!

She'd just spent who cares how long sitting on that molten little excuse for a moon Alfor had left her on -- and oh boy would she have words with him if she ever saw him again. Words and flames!! -- with nothing to do but watch the lava flows. And now Black’s Reject had uprooted her just to parade his little worshippers in front of her and demand she pick one.

Yeah, that wasn't happening. As if any of those bootlickers could ever be her paladin!

It had been amusing at first.

She scoffed at the ones that strutted in already “knowing” who she'd picked, then laughed when they threw a fit when she didn't even glance their way. She growled at the ones who thought they could force their way in, wished to blast them off the face of the universe, and watched with smug satisfaction as they left with their tails between their legs, sometimes literally. She watched with pity the ones who stumbled in already knowing she wouldn't choose them and fearing what would happen to them as a result. Reject was only getting angrier with every not-to-be paladin.

As time passed though, the amusement wore off. It was the same thing, over and over, with nothing ever changing.

At least the lava flows shifted over time. The Galra, not so much.

Red was bored and as Black always said, that was a scary thing to behold.

She started… experimenting.

Her body had been locked down by Alfor, but not her energy. She started pushing her quintessence out of her body, around her then away. Testing the limits.

At first she just watched, letting her invisible cloud of energy float around the variety of ships and stations and planets she ended up on like a ghost. When that grew boring as well, she tried constricting her energy until it became something visible, tangible. She molded the cluster into the form of a vicx, a creature similar looking to herself, but the size of an Altean space mouse and with eight legs. With this new form she was free to scamper through the vents of her current carrier ship.

This was going to be fun.

A barbed tail stood high in the air as it's owner watched the two Galra argue.

“This is the fifth time, Mirax!”

“I'm telling you, Commander, we've got pests! Miros or Kalvi! I've heard them, clattering through the vents!”

“So you keep saying. And yet every time I call in the exterminators, they find nothing. It's starting to look less like pests and more like sabotage.”

“C-Commander I swear-”

“You know, the guys down in engineering think it's a ghost.” The two Galra looked down at the third, who'd been fixing the chewed through wires without a word up until that point. Finished with his work, he closed the console and turned to the two. “Small things go missing only to turn up half-way across the ship in some impossible place. Locked rooms end up trashed with no evidence of anyone entering. Moans and screams coming from the walls. That's what all the rumors are at least. Never seen any of it myself.”

“Ghosts? Ridiculous! It's obviously pests!”

“I don't care what it is! It needs to either stop or be kept quiet! We drop off our special cargo on Vivno XL next quintant and I will not be made a fool of!”

Red chittered and stretched before leaving. So, she was going planetside. That could be interesting. If she was lucky, she could find an open area to try forming a larger species. A werevo maybe? Ooh, or a moasan!

The vicx returned to her hanger and remerged with her metallic body to rest.

Once they'd arrived on Vivno XL, Red slipped away in energy form until she reached the forest outside. She constricted her energy and morphed it into the shape of a moasan. The moasan was another creature that resembled herself, though this one was twice the height of the average Galra with four curling horns and long fur that fell around her body like a curtain.

Red put her new form to work, chasing the local wildlife around the forest and exploring the area. It was actually quite interesting. She and the other lions had never had the chance to just explore before. Red wanted to see everything!

She had been on the planet for a few quintants and was halfway across the world from her metallic form when she felt something.

The moasan looked up from terrorizing a medium sized creature she didn't know the name of -- which quickly made use of her distraction and fled -- at the odd feeling. It was weirdly familiar, yet completely foreign. It felt like… home, but at the same time not.

She followed the feeling until she reached one of the Galran outposts on the planet, a different one than where she was housed. She let her form shrink back into the form of a vicx and entered the base undetected.

The feeling eventually led her to a female Galra working in communications. She briefly wondered if she was meant to be Red’s paladin before brushing the idea off. The woman was too calculating and mindful. She'd be a far better match for green. Or maybe her sweet Blue. The woman did have that open feel they liked in their paladins.

By the Anodites, Red missed them.

Curious, Red stuck around the base to watch the woman. That was how Red figured out the Blade of Marmora was still sneaking around. Unfortunately she wasn't the only one to realize that not all the calls the woman was making were empire approved.

A feeling of dread filled her as Red watched the woman get cornered by a pair of soldiers and a handful of sentinels from a vent. This woman… This woman was important for some reason. She could not be captured.

Red dropped out of the vent and shifted her form to that of a creature she'd seen on the planet -- another creature that matched her shape, though this one had scales instead of fur, foot long fangs that hung from her upper jaw, and no tail. She latched onto one of the sentinels with her fangs and claws, bringing it down on another.

The distraction allowed the woman to draw her own blade and together they took down her assailants. Then they fled through the halls to the hanger. The woman jumped into a pod then smiled back at Red. “Thank you, prycoso.”

Red debated with herself as the woman got ready for launch before jumping inside just as the doors were closing. The woman waited until they'd left the atmosphere before turning to Red. “What are you doing here?”

Walking over, Red chirped and nuzzled up to the woman. She let her form shift into that of a Galra abisno, which was rather similar to the creature she’d been before, though fluffy with a long bushy tail.

The woman's eyes widened. “What are you?”

Red purred and set her head on the woman's lap.

The woman sighed and scratched behind her ears. “Either way, thank you. I couldn't have gotten out of there without you.”

Red lost track of time after that. It was so bizarre being stuck in such a tiny area. The ships she was always carried in were huge in order to support her own size. This ship? If she was in her metallic form she probably could have picked it up in her mouth like her mother used to do to her when she was annoying Green. She was pretty sure her own cockpit was bigger than the one she was currently curled up at the back of.

A buzzing filled the room and Red looked up in time to see a video call open on a holoscreen. Red was immediately on guard, but relaxed when the woman smiled at the Galra man.

“Thace!”

“Liva! Are you alright? What happened?”

“I was discovered, but I managed to get away unharmed. I snuck out of Galra territory so I'm going to set down and hide out until I can be sure I'm not being followed.”

“Should I inform headquarters you'll be returning as soon as you deem it safe?” he asked in that voice Black always used when the question was secretly a command.

“Of course, I'll see you soon.”

The man frowned and looked away. “Unfortunately I won't be here to greet you.”

The woman looked confused before her face went carefully blank. “You got the job.”

“I leave in five quintants.”

“I wish I could see you off.”

“It's too dangerous, for both you and the Blade.”

“I'll miss you.”

“And I you,” the man said, holding up his hand. A sound came from off screen and he glanced away. “I've got to go.”

“Alright. I won't be able to risk another call until I can return.”

“And I won't be able to risk one until my position is stable.”

“Be safe.”

“You too.”

Red slipped into the cargo hold to give the two privacy. She sniffed around the almost empty area until she found an emergency kit with food rations, water, and medical supplies. She grabbed a ration pack and water pouch with her tail and walked back over to the cockpit door. She listened at the door, then let herself in when she was met by silence.

“There you are,” the woman chuckled when she entered. “I was wondering where you disappeared to.”

The abisno purred and nosed the woman's -- The man had called her Liva, hadn't he? -- hand. She dropped the pack and pouch on Liva’s lap before curling up at her feet.

“Oh, thank you.” Liva took a quick drink from the pouch before opening up the rations. She split it in half before holding out half to Red, which Red accepted gratefully.

Her form didn't technically need to eat, but given that she didn't know when she'd be able to return to her metallic form, the energy from the food would help her maintain the strength needed to stay tangible.

She was laying on the floor at Liva’s feet, thinking over the new experience of chewing and swallowing, when she felt it. She was standing immediately, paws up on the dash to look out the windows.

“Is something wrong?” Liva asked.

Eyes darting about, Red took in their surroundings. They were just passing a red planet that seemed empty and ahead she could see a planet that was blue with speckles of green, brown, and white and had a simple little moon orbiting it.

Blue and white.

Blue!

“Nnnrrr!”

“What's wrong?” Luca asked. She spotted the planet and with a few gestures a holoscreen brought up a closer image of it.

Red purred and pawed at the screen.

“You wanna go there?”

She turned to the woman.

Liva turned back to the holoscreen. “Blue and green, that usually means plenty of water and plant life. Plant life will mean food. We'll have to watch out for any native sapient species, but otherwise it should make a good hiding spot. Alright then, prepare for landing.”

Red darted about the clearing they'd landed in in a frenzy.

Blue was here! She found Blue! They were somewhere on this planet with her!

How would she find them?

She froze, still except for her tail flicking back and forth.

Her senses told her that her love was on this planet, but she couldn't get any more precise in this form. She tried calling out through the connection her pride shared, but got nothing in return.

She was so close, and yet they were still so far away.

“What's wrong, prycoso?”

Red turned to see Liva coming out of the pod. She ran over and pressed against her legs.

Liva scratched behind her ears and said, “I’m going to go look around the area. Do you want to come along?”

“Vvvvveeew,” Red called, nuzzling Liva one last time before hopping over to climb up the pod. She sat down at the top, ears at attention and tail slowly shifting back and forth.

“Alright then, you guard the ship. I’ll be back.”

Red listened to Liva wander off to the ship’s right. She waited up on the ship for a varga before jumping down. A sniff of the air and she was wondering off a little forwards of the ship’s left towards the scent of water. She ran through the trees until she reached a curling river. She crouched down and approached slowly, eyeing the trio of scaled creatures swimming in circles.

Closer… closer…

Red pounced.

One creature slipped away, but the other two were caught firmly in Red’s mouth. Boastful, the abisno strutted back through the forest with her prize.

“Ihsakat, luferac eb.”

Red froze, then ducked under a bush. She set her prey down and peeked out.

There were two creatures stomping through the forest. They almost looked like Alteans, though with small, rounded ears, no markings, and dull hair and eyes. Both had black hair while the smaller of the two had dark grey eyes and the taller had brown.

The smaller turned to the other and shouted something in it’s native tongue -- “Orb, ma I!” -- as it waved some sort of device around.

This wasn’t good. There was no telling what these creatures would do if they found Liva.

Red glanced around before climbing into a tree as quietly as she could. She slipped from tree to tree until she was between the pod and the creatures. She made sure she was hidden from their sight as she dropped to the ground then let out a long, low growl. Hopefully these creatures had a predator that had a similar call.

Both creatures stiffened at the sound and the smaller went to the bigger’s side. “Taht saw tahw?”

“Ereh fo tuo teg s'tel, no emoc. Noil niatnuom a ekil dednuos.”

“T-thgir.”

The larger creature put his hand on the smaller’s shoulder, leading it away. She watched the two go, listening to their footsteps when they were out of sight until she was sure they were gone. Relaxing, she slipped out of her hiding spot to retrieve her prey.

“Ti dneps ot yaw doog a gnidnif si/Noitareneg ruo rof melborp launna eht os!/Ti dne ot tsuj gnola semoc loohcs dna/Noitacav remmus fo syad ruof dna derdnuh eno s'ereht!”

Red yowled and spun towards the loud noise, ready to fight. However, she saw nothing.

“Rewot Leffie eht pu gnibmilc ro/Ymmum a gnithgif ro/Tekcor a gnidliub…/Ebyam ekil!”

Red followed the sound until she saw the device the smaller creature had been holding. It must have dropped it when she startled them.

As she looked closer, it almost seemed like some sort of primitive holoscreen. She watched it flash a picture of another of the creatures -- this one with dark skin, long brown hair, and green eyes -- as it continued to make noise before it finally fell silent and went black. She waited a moment to see if it would do anything else, then picked it up with her tail and returned to gathering her prey.

Liva had already returned when she got to the pod and looked relieved when Red walked up. “You shouldn’t wander off, prycoso.”

Red just huffed and dropped her prey at Liva’s feet. Honestly, as if she couldn’t take care of herself.

“Oh,” Liva exclaimed, kneeling down to grab the two creatures. She held them up to look them over. “Are these edible?”

Staring at the woman, Red cocked her head to the side. How was she supposed to know what was edible for Galra on a foreign planet?

“Right, I’ll have to scan it to check. I caught a couple small terrestrial animals, but they read as inedible without proper processing. Thankfully there seems to be a surplus of edible vegetation.”

Red’s nose scrunched up.

“Yeah, I’d prefer not to have to live off plants either.”

Purring, Red nosed her leg, then held out the device.

“What’s this?” Liva took the device and looked it over. “Where did you get this?”

The abisno glanced off back the way she’d come from.

“Right.” Liva sat down and tapped randomly at the device’s screen and buttons, trying to get it to react, until she hit the circular button and the screen lit up. Red peaked over her shoulder to see a picture of the two creatures from before taking up the screen. “Oh!”

Akira Kogane looked up when he heard the doorbell ring. “Takashi!”

No response.

Sighing, Akira set down the dish he was washing and dried his hands. He walked over and opened the door with a, “Hello there.”

Expecting one of his brother’s friends, his eyes widened when instead he was met with the sight of a tall, lean woman with waist-length black hair and brilliant violet eyes. “Oh, uh, hello? How may I help you?”

The woman gave an awkward smile and brushed her hair out of her face. “Hello,” she said with a strong accent Akira didn’t recognize. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I found this while out hiking and the address led to this home.”

He took the phone she held out and smiled when the screen lit up. “Thank heavens. My brother lost this while we were out and I was worried I’d have to get him a new one. Thank you much, Ms.?”

“Mun, Bora Mun. Glad I could help.”

“I’m Akira Kogane, but just Akira, please. Are you new to the area?”

“Yes, I only got here a month ago.”

“Work or pleasure?”

“Pleasure, I suppose. I just needed to get away from where I was before.”

“Well, I hope you’re happy here, Ms. Mun.”

“Thank you, Akira. And you can call me Liva.”

“Liva?”

“It’s a nickname, of sorts.”

“Well, thanks again, Liva. I suppose I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah.”

Liva sighed as she made it back to the pod.

“Mmmmrrrrrr.”

She smiled and looked up to she Romelle lying in one of the seats. At least, she thought it was Romelle. “I see you found a new form.”

Romelle purred and pointed her nose towards the holoscreen that was connected to the planet’s -- Earth’s -- information database -- the internet. On the screen was the mountain lion, the earth creature that Romelle had exactly matched, though its fur was tan while her’s was a soft red color.

“Now I guess we both fit in, don’t we?” she asked, reaching up to her ear-com. She pressed a button on the side. Her body flickered and she once more looked like her Galra self. “For the best. The more we fit in, the less the locals will question. Neither of us are getting off the planet until those scouts move from the edge of the galaxy.”

The mountain lion hissed and rolled over.

“In fact, I’ve been thinking it might be for the best that we get a more permanent home now that we know more about human culture.

Romelle fell off the seat with a yelp.

Liva laughed. “I know, but we don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here. It’s been over twenty quintants. A human home will help us keep hidden, both from the humans and if the Galra come looking.”

After jumping back onto the seat, Romelle gave a gurgling growl and slumped over.

“Liva?”

Liva looked up and smiled as she saw a familiar face on the other side of the counter. “Akira, hello. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Likewise. I didn’t know you worked here.”

“I just started this week. Oh, who’s this?”

The man helped a small boy up onto a barstool before sitting down next to him. “This is my brother, Takashi.”

“Hello,” the boy said with a wide smile.

“Hi, there.” She set a pair of menus in front of them and asked, “Can I get you two anything?”

“A milkshake!” Takashi cheered.

“We’re supposed to be getting breakfast.”

Takashi pouted and slumped onto the counter.

“Takashi,” Akira warned.

Liva chuckled. “How about a chocolate milk instead?”

Takashi turned to his brother.

“Oh, alright.”

“Yes!”

Both adults laughed and Liva grabbed the milk from a mini fridge behind the counter. “One for you as well, Akira?”

“Just coffee, thanks.”

“So where are you two headed?”

“The summer carnival starts today! Akira promised to take me on all the rides!”

“Really? I’ve never been to one of those before.”

“Never?” Takashi gasped and Liva briefly wondered if she said the wrong thing. Did most humans go to carnivals? Akira didn’t look too shaken though, so maybe she was okay. “Why not? They’re great! There’s food and rides and games where you can win giant stuffed animals! You should come with us!”

Well, it did sound intriguing, and she was curious to know what rides and stuffed animals were. “I don’t get off for a couple hours still.”

“You can meet us after, right bro? Then we could show you around! It’ll be great! Say you’ll come!”

“Takashi, be nice. She doesn’t have to come if she doesn’t want to.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” she said, worried Akira didn’t want her to come. She could always go on her own later, but it would be nice to have a guide.

“Oh, no, it’s no problem,” Akira said, looking surprised, though sincere.

“So will you meet us after you get done?”

Liva smiled and three hours later she was wandering onto the fairground in her new sundress.

“Liva!” The Glara grinned as Takashi came running up. “You’re here!”

“I said I would be,” Liva chuckled and waved at Akira, who was walking towards them at a more sedate pace.

“Come on, you have to come on the ferris wheel with me!”

#voltron #voltron legendary defender #Cat of a Different Color

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