The Gakuen Babysitters/Mo Dao Zu Shi AU no one asked for
If anyone has not watched Gakuen Babysitters or read the manga, do it. It is the purest, sweetest series I have ever seen.
After their parents are killed in a plane crash, Lan Xichen and his younger brother Lan Zhan are taken in by their distant uncle whom theyâve never seen and headmaster of the Cloud Recesses Academy, Lam Qiren. They can live with him, on one condition: Lan Xichen has to babysit the kids in the schoolâs daycare room! The daycare opened to help the school teachers who had kids to take care of, but suffered from a lack of staff until Xichen becomes the first member of the babysitting club.
Lan Xichen as Kashima Ryuuichi
Do I need to explain? The sweetest, kindest person alive, loves kids and his brother with a passion, fiercely protective, kind of dense, dragged into everybody elseâs schist
Loved by everyone, all the teachers want to adopt him
Priority Is Lan Zhan - makes him really oblivious to all the crushes on him
Lan Zhan as Kashima Kotarou
Emotionless, quiet, communicates solely with âUnâs and âMnâs
Adores a picture book series about a teary donkey way too much
Determined and selfless - will let himself suffer with a fever before making his brother worry
Extremely well-behaved, except with Wei Ying
All his exceptions are Wei Ying
Jiang Cheng as Kamitani Hayato
Violent, salty, permanently angry/annoyed/done with Wei Yingâs BS
Deals with his adopted younger brother by hitting him on the head then dragging him away while heâs bawling his eyes out
Doesnât really talk about his feelings until Xichen prods him
Meets Xichen on his first day at the daycare - they quickly become friends as they bond over their brothers, and Jiang Cheng has no idea if Lan Xichenâs constant cheerfulness is frustrating, incomprehensible or cute
Eventually joins the babysitter club âto make sure Wei Ying doesnât destroy it by the end of termâ. Xichen just smiles
Fiercely protective of Wei Ying
WY, sleepily while being carried home: Stupid big brother, I love you a lot
JC, grudgingly: Idiot. I donât particularly hate you either
Lives with his formidable mother, Mrs Yu the science teacher. His parents are separated, but his father still works at the school as a history teacher. Kind of resents the attention WY gets from his dad, but then Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan(unwillingly) were designated the legal guardians after WYâs parents died in a car crash
Yu Ziyuan only accepted Wei Ying because he refused to leave Jiang Cheng
Wei Ying as Kamitani Taka
The menace of the Cloud Recesses Daycare
Will do everything you tell him not to do, brash, loud, overconfident
Has an irrational fear of dogs after a particular encounter at the park
Will otherwise defend his new family and friends with his life
Five minutes after meeting Lan Zhan, he declares the other boy as âhisâ and becomes incredibly sticky
Takes particular pleasure in teasing Lan Zhan until he blushes and becomes all flustered
Relishes wrecking the daycareâs toy flute with a vengeance
NHS the long-suffering caretaker: your playing can wake the dead!
Wen Ning as Mamizuka Kazuma
Weepy, prone to bursting into tears at everything, shakes like a leaf everywhere with how nervous he is
But he adores his older sister by ten minutes, and will do anything to help her or his friends, even if it means he has to bear with something that makes him cry (like a paddling pool). When he smiles, itâs like looking into the sun.
Will usually hide behind Wen Qing, Lan Xichen, occasionally Wei Ying when overwhelmed or anxious.Â
He is initially terrified of Jiang Cheng with his resting angry face (this depresses JC, because he really does want to be friends with the kids) but eventually overcomes his fear and will often be the first one to lend hand (even if it is just a pat on the head)
Wen Qing as Mamizuka Takuma
I just needed someone to be twins with Wen Ning
Extremely protective of her younger twin, will usually tease him and play with him perhaps a little too roughly, but is always the first one to comfort him after
Will beat up anyone who bullies Wen Ning - gets into fights a lot with Wei Ying as a result
The eldest of the children, and so the one to take charge - is the big sister of all of them
A-Qing as Kumatsuka KirinÂ
This girl needs more appreciation
Acts sweet and adorable with the adults, but can turn into a hurricane when backs are turned. Can be overly dramatic and organises elaborate role-playing games with the other kids
Has a dreadful sweet tooth and will sneak away all snacks from the adults and students not immune to her charms
Despite her mischief-making, she is actually quite mature for her age and will often be found sitting in the corner with Wen Qing, sipping their imaginary tea as they watch the boys roll on the floor
Jin Ling as Sawatori Midori
The brattiest baby you will ever meet - is pampered and spoiled to bits by his uncles and the other kids
He canât even speak but you can feel the sassiness emanating from him as he judges you
Will purposefully cry and wail if he feels he isnât getting enough attention or something annoys him. Heâs also stubborn and pouts when angry (that only makes him look cuter)
Has a gigantic husky plushy that he has developed the habit of throwing at Wei Ying when heâs acting particularly annoying
His mother Jiang Yanli works part-time in the school office, and is also the supervisor of the Cooking Club. She will come every so often bearing treats, when she will coo and coddle her younger brothers and draw out an adorable laugh from Jin Ling
Abuses(?) his caretaker NHS by wandering into hidden nooks and crannies and crawling all over his face while heâs passed out asleep
Nie Huaisang as Usaida Yoshihito
The lazy caretaker and single staff of the daycare, only he naps all the time
Looks like a dandy NEET at first glance but is a sneaky mastermind behind the ubiquitous fan. Has a complete relationship chart hidden in his room and concocts the most amazing plans to increase his wages
Has several secret skills, including making complete outfits out of scraps of fabric and a sewing kit.
Will manipulate/blackmail Lan Xichen into staying for longer or confessing whatever problem is troubling him so underhandedly he comes out looking like the saintly innocent party every time
Is side-eyed by his younger (yes I switched their ages) brother so badly for his general uselessness
Nie Mingjue as Inomata Maria
The gruff, intimidating star of the top class who can be found patrolling the corridors for any sign of wrong-doing - known as the scariest student in the school as a result
He meets Lan Xichen when he finds him walking to class in the morning with a line of toddlers behind him, having snuck out of the daycare without being noticed and shadowed him like a row of ducklings following their mother. NMJ chews him out on this badly for being irresponsible and making all the kids cry from his menacing aura.
Jiang Yanli finds him and asks if he can take Wei Yingâs lunch to the daycare - of course he accepts, and as soon as he walks through the door his useless older brother rushes out with a âstomach acheâ, leaving him in charge with Lan Xichen of all those children he made cry earlier
Lan Xichen tries to introduce him gently to the children, but his inability to express his feelings gently leave the children cowering behind Xichen
He looks at the children who all gaze at Xichen adoringly and obey his every word, then at himself, who has barely any friends and has only his terrifying reputation to uphold. He sees how happy Xichen is, despite everything, despite the tragedy he has lived through, and for the first time, Nie Mingjue pities himself.
He rants in frustration, almost punching the walls in his fury at the world and himself. When he blinks the tears out of his eyes, he looks down to see a crowd of tiny faces gazing up at him, his own crumpled face reflected in their eyes.
They cry together in a heap, and from then on Nie Mingjue actively tries to manage his anger and to express his feelings more calmly rather than yelling someone into submission. He becomes very fond of Lan Xichen as well.
Jin Guangyao as Ushimaru Yuki
Iâm getting desperate here, this is a stretch, but I needed the Venerated Triad somewhere
One of the most popular students in the school with his good looks, intelligence, spotless memory and politeness to everyone he comes across
Although he has countless acquaintances, he has very few close friends, tending to keep everyone at an armâs length
He often walks past the daycare and sometimes visits to see his nephew - as he does he is constantly fascinated by Lan Xichen and how he plays with the children
Develops a low-key crush on Lan Xichen, who tirelessly endeavours to make him open up more and form new friendships with the children and Nie Mingjue, whom he thought would get along due to their similar outsider circumstances
He and Mingjue learn to tolerate each otherâs presence (they can totally tell the otherâs feelings for Xichen) though they end up paired together more often than not (Huaisang is the one cackling in the corner)
Mo Xuanyu as Inui Hiroyuki
Inui is the confused bisexual, Mo Xuanyu is the chaotic gay.
(Not at all related to the Jins in this AU)
Caught sight of Jin Zixuan, the heir to a business empire, as he made one of his few visits to the Cloud Recesses to pick up Jin Ling in his wifeâs stead, and immediately fell head over heels
Has no idea Jin Zixuan is married, and ends up barging into the daycare to claim a pissed off Jin Ling as âhis sonâ before Jiang Yanli arrives, kindly making no mention to the shattered heart behind her
Later sees Jin Guangyao through the window of the daycare room (no, he is not stalking) and falls even harder. He pursues both Jins with equal vigour and makes clumsy attempts to befriend Jin Ling in order to curry favour with the dad and uncle. This ends up more often than not with his face buffeted by Fairy the Husky and his scalp aching from where Jin Ling pulled his hair.
Xiao Xingchen as Yagi Tomoya
aka in which I try to justify my decision without portraying XXC as a pervert
The perfect student, soft-spoken, intelligent, can diffuse any situation fairly without judgement
The only problem, one which no one other than his closest friend Song Zichen knows, is that he tends to bleed easily when feeling strong emotions. Since he loves children, the easiest opening for the blood is his nose, so whenever heâs with the kids the situation tends to escalate quickly
Unlike what everyone else would think, Xiao Xingchen is incredibly pure - he is just always reminded of the time a child Song Lan took pity on the lonely Xiao Xingchen with a distant mother and no other friends, and took the poor boy to his house to play with his own foster siblings at Baixue Temple, where he saw for the first time what the smiling faces of a happy, fulfilling home looked like. Â
A-Qing grows extremely attached and calls him âSparkly Big Brotherâ
Song Zichen as Nezu Chuukichi
Reserved, quiet and serious, is always at Xiao Xingchenâs side as protection and back-up
When he first hears Xiao Xingchen laugh due to A-Qingâs antics in the daycare, he almost collapses in shock - Xingchen never laughs, and the experience of hearing that sound of pure delight is a revelation.
Belongs to a large family of foster children at Baixue Temple and works hard to provide his family. Despite Xingchenâs willingness to share everything, Song Zichen always maintains heâll rather make something himself rather than buy it and cause trouble for his family.