THORN OF LENIENCE
Written for Mulian Week 2023: Blooms of Our Yearning. Thanks to @mulianweek-event for organising the event!
Seven days of prompts that form one story, with the final prompt completed today. [ Day #7: Wintersweet: bravery/courage. ]
This short story is a complete work, rated explicit (specifically for chapters 4 and 7) and just over 30k words long.
This revealed to Mu Qing that Xie Lian was more perceptive than his handler had led him to believe, and that he had a penchant for mischief, implying Mu Qing was in for a world of trouble.
Surprisingly, Mu Qing, enamoured by the sight of a plotting crown prince, didn't seem to mind.
LIST OF PROMPTS
Day 1: Cherry Blossom (deception)
In more ways than one, Mu Qing isn't who they say he is. (But it's not his tricks being discussed here.)
Day 2: Lily of the valley (vulnerability)
Xie Lian learns about Mu Qing, and Mu Qing learns to let some secrets slip.
Day 3: Lotus (starting anew)
Mu Qing had a specific purpose for being by His Highness' side. Taizi Dianxia is no longer able to go back to his lessons
Day 4: Bleeding hearts (longing)
To overcome his and Xie Lian's final reservations, Mu Qing takes a risk.
Day 5: Gardenia (yuanfen, red string of fate)
Xie Lian wants to save the world, and Mu Qing can't keep up.
Day 6: Iris (calamity AU)
Mu Qing is trying to mend his red string of fate through trial and error.
Day 7: Wintersweet (bravery/courage)
They find the strength to move forward.
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Dungeon Meshi just keeps getting more consistent as we get closer to the dragon.
(^Another beautiful cut from Kai Ikarashi, who did the childhood memory sequence from the living armor fight, as well as a bunch more from that episode)
The first half of episode 8, focusing on Marcille and Falin's magic school days, can't help but feel very reminiscent of TRIGGER's past work on Little Witch Academia.
In fact it was a fitting crew for this episode, because episode director Yuuichi Shimodaira, storyboard artist Yuuki Yonemori, and of course series director Yoshihiro Miyajima all had significant roles on Little Witch Academia (Shimodaira and Miyajima directing several episode each, and Yonemori doing key animation).
Yonemori even mentioned on Twitter that it felt nostalgic.
This whole section is all about character acting, and draws a stark distinction between the body language of Falin and Marcille.
This straightforward little cut of tiny Falin carrying her dungeonium illustrates her whole essence through simple character acting. You can infer that she's carefree and whimsical from the way she bounces up and down with each step, and that she's physically kinda weak from the way she sways a little as she lifts the jar onto the desk.
And same with this walk cycle when they enter the tiny dungeon! She wobbles clumsily back and forth and her cheerful confidence shows that she's done this dozens of times before,.
If you were to draw a straight line from her head through her spine, it would rotate back and forth, pivoting at the feet rather than the hips, which makes it feel like she's not really bending her legs as she walks.
Meanwhile, Marcille carries herself in a way that's much more reserved.
But she sees an openness in Falin that she hadn't considered as a possibility, and in the modern day, we can see that she's influenced by her. She's mostly dropped the air of importance and dignity, and now allows more of her own clumsy, energetic nature to shine through.
In fact you could see this burst of energy (the type of frantic jerky movements that we see her do all the time in the modern day) earlier as the first instance where she was inspired by Falin and momentarily couldn't contain her excitement.
There's more yummy animation analysis juice where that came from, because I broke down the whole episode in this video! (and the second half is where the animation really starts to be off the proverbial chain)
Thanks for reading and watching if you're interested!
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your boyfriend, katsuki bakugo, loves you dearly, but you're scared you'll never be deserving of him
cute lil dabble. lowkey songfic. fem! reader. angst to comfort. fluff. established relationship. any au. overthinking! reader.
warnings: there are none :D
a/n: picture a "too sweet" by hozier girl x "i wanna be yours" by arctic monkeys boy relationship !
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katsuki is always characterized as hostile yet calculating, a man who knows exactly what he wants. he's destined to be the top of the food chain, everyone knows it. he's powerful man with a deadly gorgeous face, his fangirls would describe.
& in comes you. plain old you.
you honestly have no idea what katsuki sees in you. like, if you're digging deep in yourself, maybe he likes your for your dark, crude sense of humor that always seems to make him belly laugh.
it's said that he's an early bird. he's awake before you every single day, asleep & sound by 8:30-- on the weekends, he'll push it to 10:00. before you've said your first words of the day, he's already made his side of the bed, made & ate breakfast, put away the laundry, & is off to his morning run after his morning workout. his good habits he's developed early in life has benefited him in every way.
he never procrastinated on chores, his paper work is flawless, & you could learn a thing or two from his time management skills. he's always making time for spontaneous dates you wanna go on, festivals you wanna visit, & he makes sure that the pantry is stacked with your favorite snacks. any of your interests are his interests, even if he doesn't fully understand it.
when it comes to katsuki, you ought to wonder if he ever wants to experience something different from his strict, repetitive lifestyle. you sometimes feel stupid for wanting more out; you want to travel somewhere far away, you want to go out clubbing with a bunch of strangers, you want to move to the country side & live in a cottage. katsuki always reels in your dreams, encouraging you but also reminding you that you need to stay consistent to achieve them. you're jealous with how fast he can accept reality.
"babe? you listening?" katsuki questioned, snapping you out of your thoughts. you blinked a couple of times then nodded almost-too enthusiastically. he let out a little chuckle & stroked your cheek with his thumb. "what're you thinking about?"
"nothing, i'm sorry," you sighed with your hands in your lap. you both were on the couch, doing your own thing. he was on his phone, & you were supposed to be doing some work on your laptop, but you found yourself spacing out again.
"don't apologize. i'm just curious about what's going on in that pretty, little head of yours," he told you before he took your hand & pressed his lips against your knuckles. you thought to yourself, i'm not good enough for this man.
you debated whether or not to tell the truth. on one side, he has been your devoted boyfriend for years now, but on the other, he could just be asking out of curtesy. like, what if he actually does not care at all- "(y/n)? talk to me. i know you have something you wanna say," katsuki commented, scooting closer to you. he set the pillow that you placed your laptop on the coffee table so he could get your undivided attention. he caressed your thigh to help ground you.
you stayed silent for a moment, & he waited patiently. you swallowed, your eyes darted from his piercing red ones to the floor to his hands. finally, you said, "you're too sweet for me." he laughed & laughed, & you couldn't help but crack a smile. "what? what's so funny?" you pouted.
"sorry for laughing, princess. it's just no one ever calls me sweet. like, ever," admitted katsuki as he settled down from his fit of laughter. what he said was true though, he didn't have a problem with it. he was not sweet at all, he was rough around the edges & egotistical with the skills to back him up. he only ever thinks about himself & you. "but what makes you say that, hm?"
"well, for one, you always treat me out & take me anywhere i want. we never go where you wanna go," you pointed out, jabbing your finger in his toned chest playfully.
"that doesn't make me sweet. i have the money, & i don't fuckin' care about where we go to eat."
you chose to ignore him, rolling your eyes at him because that was his excuse every time. "two, you're literally in the prime of your life, & you choose to go to sleep at 8:30? how do you sleep so well?"
"(y/n), what is this really about?" he questioned. katsuki brushed your hair away from your face, tucking the silky strands behind your ear. "& don't lie to me, i know you."
"ugh, fineee," you groaned as you threw your head back. maybe it was for comedic effect, or to gather your thoughts & regulate the tears that started to well in your eyes. "do you think i'm like, worthy of you?"
"worthy of me?"
"yeah, do you think i'm good enough for you?" you rephrased, pulling your hands away from him to rub your upper arm. it's embarrassing to admit something, it's scary too. what if, once you point it out, he'll agree & leave you?
"'course i do! i'm the best around & i got the best fuckin' girl, why are you thinking this shit?" katsuki exclaimed, his passion that you wish you had seeping through to his tone. a moment of thick silence followed, you took a deep breath. you suck at emotions.
"you're too good for me, okay! you're so much stronger than everyone, & if that wasn't enough, you're insanely smart! i'm just... here. average at best. people praise you like the morning after an eternity of darkness. you're the rain after a heatwave. everything works out for you, & i'm just the one holding you back from even better things-"
"babe, you're not holding me back or whatever. you've never held me back," he stated like it was a fact, but you felt as though he was just saying that to calm you down. it angered you, & you were ashamed that you were angry because it wasn't even directed at him, it was directed at the fact you felt unworthy.
"no, you don't get it! i aim low because it's realistic for me, i can't afford to aim for anything else because i'm destined to fail. you, on the other hand... you have so much potential. don't you get embarrassed about having a girlfriend like me?"
"no." he answered so quickly, like it was rehearsed, like he knew what you were going to say. "i've never felt embarrassed of you ever. you're so fuckin' dense, you know that?"
you paused just to stare at him. katsuki sure had a way with comforting people. even after years of being a hero, he never learned how to traditionally comfort people. tough love, everyone would call it. but with you, he forced himself to be tender because you deserve treatment no one else gets from him.
there were so many things he wanted to say to you. don't you realize what you do for him? god, katsuki would go mad living without you now that he knows what life is like with you, his missing rib. the two of you are meant to be, you're two sides of the same coin. so what if he's as bright as the morning? you were his darling night, the very universe was visible through your eyes.
"you must be dense if you really thing you're just average. would i go for an average girl?"
"i mean-"
"no, the answer is no. you're deserving of love, my love. everything you've accomplished, everything you've overcome, you're just diminishing it because what? you think you're dumb or something? you- you..." you're the reason my world goes round, you are so talented, he was so desperate to shout these praises at you.
he was never one for romantic gestures through words. if he did, he would've been the best damn poet in the game. "i am yours."
it was such a simple sentence, yet it shook you to the core. you stared into his lively, crimson eyes. the look he gave you in return made your breath hitch; he was so deeply devoted to you, as deep as the pacific ocean.
you leaned in, capturing him in a kiss. tears rolled down your cheeks, your despair melting away. you felt like the two of you were kids again, sharing your first kiss. how could you doubt a man who so clearly, who so desperately, loves every bit of you.
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