i love how i went from "i hate the ending to banana fish"
to
"I accept the ending of banana fish as the most realistic possible ending for Ash, and while bittersweet, ties the strings of the entire series together in a somewhat satisfactory manner in the end"
Hey y'all question, I'm incredibly new to the DC universe and know legit nothing. I wanna get into reading the comics, I'm a huge fan of red hood from what I've seen and when I was younger I enjoyed the animated version of justice league.
Does anyone have any recommendations on where I can start? :o thank you sm 🧡
if i were in the DC universe, and was murdered by Red Hood, i would not want anyone to go after him for my murder. He caught ME slippin, don’t punish him. It was ENTIRELY my fault and my fault alone.
I'm not sure if you're taking requests but, how about a foreign reader with Lan Xichen? They don't fit the traditional Chinese beauty standard (tan, kinda pudgy, stuff like that^^), and it gets to them one day. I have no idea if this makes sense- sorry !! qvq
I love your writing btw, much love!^^💜💜💜
A/N: I wrote this intending for it to have a part two so this isn’t finished yet! This is mostly set up with some cute, subtle flirting. A few canon characters are mentioned. I also wrote this based on the drama version but it really doesn’t make much of a difference. Apologies this is kinda long (4k words!!). Fair warning, I really like commas. Like, a lot.
To say your first cultivation conference went terribly would be an understatement.
It seemed that everything you feared would go wrong did, in fact, go wrong. As you descended the steps of Koi Tower, your hands worrying the fabric of your hanfu, you glanced over at the person who had dragged you here, fighting the childish urge to whisper “I told you so.”
Wu Daiyu was something of a mystery to you and if you were being completely honest, a mystery to everyone who met them. They were quiet and if not for the constant glare they shot anyone who came within ten feet of them, the quietness might have been described as tranquil. But your reluctant companion was anything but tranquil. They had a mouth that would make a sailor blush and the deposition of a slumbering bear that had been awoken a month too early from hibernation.
You met Daiyu during your first week in this new land when you were still fumbling with the customs as well as the language and you were terrified of offending the wrong person. You stayed away from any settlements bigger than a village and avoided important-looking people like your life depended on it. The only reason you ever met Daiyu in the first place was because you had slipped away into the alleyway of an unknown village in an attempt to escape a particularly angry street vendor, who insisted you had stolen from him. You hadn’t but it would appear that just your word wasn’t enough. Your first impression was that they were just another vagrant seeing as they were wearing less than impressive attire and that they were lurking in the shadows. But as you rapidly studied the person in front of you, your eyes became drawn to the sword that hung on their hip.
Oh.
So, not a vagrant then.
You fumbled for a response, not knowing which threat to face first. The vendor, who you could hear drawing closer if his shouting was anything to go by, or the cultivator in front of you, who appeared to be contemplating running you through with the impressive weapon at their side. You turned to the person in front of you, deciding that their mutual disdain was better than the bitter anger of the vendor.
“Can you help me, please? He thinks I stole from him but I promise I didn’t.”
The cultivator regarded you with a raised eyebrow as if your plea for help was extremely outlandish. Which, you supposed, it was. The two of you were strangers. What obligation did they have to extend a helping hand? And to an obvious foreigner at that. So you were surprised when, as the vendor turned the corner, waving his fist wildly, the person wordlessly stepped forward to stand beside you and without a word, pushed aside their traveling cloak, revealing the hilt of the sword. A silent threat.
The man stumbled to a stop as if hitting an invisible wall, before backing away, stammering out an apology that mainly consisted of the words “sect leader” and “mercy.” With the imminent threat having been dealt with, you turned, rather reluctantly, toward your apparent savior.
Only to find they were already making a beeline toward the back of the alleyway. You paused, conflicted. Could your safety be guaranteed if you left on your own? Would this person be willing to tolerate your presence for a while longer while you came up with a plan?
“You should be mindful to stay away from the street vendors. You’re clearly new here, so the more amoral ones will take advantage of that and attempt to deceive or trick you.”
The cultivator’s words were spoken casually as if this was common knowledge. You thought that upon hearing their voice you would be able to assign some form of gender identity but impossibly enough, their voice was completely androgynous.
“If safety is what you seek, I can provide that easily enough. However, I ask you to provide some sort of contribution. Do you have any notable skills?”
You paused, your palms beginning to sweat.
“I’m bilingual?”
The cultivator snorted and crossed their arms over their chest. “Clearly.” They replied dryly. Not appreciating the snarky humor, you stepped forward, both eager at a chance of survival as well as a chance to prove yourself to this stranger.
“I’m a fast learner. And well-traveled.”
“Oh? And what do you think you could possibly learn from me?”
Immediately, your eyes were drawn to the sword, which had been in the background of your mind for this whole conversation.
“Teach me how to fight and I’ll help you in any way I can.”
The cultivator simply fiddled with a tassel attached to their belt before beckoning you to follow them. You supposed that was agreement enough.
And you also supposed this was how you found yourself in your current situation.
You had been asking yourself the same set of questions ever since Daiyu had more or less commanded you to attend the conference with them. And seeing that you were more or less a part of their sect now, their word was pretty much law.
Why did they ask you instead of their head disciple? Why risk possible ridicule by bringing in someone completely new into such a high profile meeting? Was Daiyu testing you in some way? And if so, why?
You were pulled out of your thoughts by a hand on your arm. You turned to Daiyu, who as always, looked deadly serious. “I need to speak with someone about territorial matters. I trust you will be able to find the guest quarters on your own?” You followed Daiyu’s steely gaze toward a man in purple robes. You were both proud and surprised when you recognized him as Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin. You nodded, not exactly eager to be in the same room as two people as volatile as Wu Daiyu and Jiang Wanyin. And while they discussed political matters as well, a subject Daiyu seemed to be particularly passionate about.
“Of course. I remember where to go.”
Daiyu nodded, seeming to trust your word for fact, before darting away, their own red and gold robes billowing behind them.
You were now left alone. Or about as alone one could get in a crowd full of people. However, it would seem this solitude wouldn’t last long. You tried to calm the nervous tingle in your palms as you noticed a man approaching you. He seemed to be both lost in thought and hyper-focused on everything around him, both calm and uneasy. When you spotted the forehead ribbon he wore, you suddenly recognized him.
He had caused quite the commotion when he had entered conference hall and Daiyu had leaned over to whisper to you, her tone unusually venerated.
“That’s Lan Xichen. He’s the head of Gusu Lan. From what I understood, he went into seclusion about a year ago.”
You opened your mouth, curious as to what event might have caused him lock himself away for over a year but you were swiftly silenced by a look from your own sect leader. Their expression was solem. With a slight shake of their head, they lightly took a sip from the cup they had been holding. “Later.” their expression seemed to say.
Well, it was later and Daiyu was nowhere to be seen and an extremely powerful, if kindly looking sect leader was now smiling at you.
Great.
You smiled in return because while you were unbelievably nervous, with this being the first social interaction you had today without Daiyu by your side, you also had the sense Lan Xichen was a genuinely kind person. This and the fact that Daiyu seemed to deeply respect him.
“Sect Leader Lan. How are you?”
You winced internally. Probably not the first question you should ask someone who looked as if they had just gone through hell.
Lan Xichen, instead of being offended by the question, smiled warmly. You noted that this one didn’t look as strained as his previous one. “Would you believe me if I said you were the first person to ask?”
You allowed yourself a small, self-deprecating chuckle. “I’m afraid this is my first time at a gather this large. I’m nervous, to be honest.” You risked a glance toward the area you last saw Daiyu and, as expected, they were nowhere to be seen. You could only hope they would hurry back if only to spare you from continuing to make a fool of yourself. Lan Xichen chuckled gently at your previous statement.
“I must admit, I thought I would be prepared to face the world again but I’m finding myself at a loss. It’s different than I remember.” He paused. “Or maybe I really have been away for too long.” He sounded remorseful and you suspected it wasn’t because of his recent seclusion. You hadn’t really noticed until now that the two of you were walking side by side and it struck you how natural it felt.
“I was on my way to the dining hall if you would be inclined to join me?”
You paused, worrying your lower lip with your teeth. Daiyu had implied, if not directly stated, that you should return to your temporary living quarters and you suspected they were worried you would run into one of their ever-expanding list of rivals and enemies. But looking over at Lan Xichen, you couldn’t really bring yourself to say no. Perhaps it was bold of you, but you thought he looked rather lonely.
“I would like that.” You replied with a genuine smile, trying to tame the excitement bubbling in your chest.
“Fantastic. You can join me as my guest. I’m sure your sect leader won’t mind.”
You turned to him, surprised.
“You know Daiyu?”
Lan Xichen gave you a look of surprise in return. “You call them by their birth name?”
You blushed, realizing your error. But Lan Xichen simply shook is head in what appeared to be astonishment. “To answer your question, I have met your sect leader a number of times. I find their brutal honesty quite..” Lan Xichen paused, searching for the right words. “Refreshing.” He finished with a nod. You repressed a snicker. You had heard Wu Daiyu described as many things but refreshing had never been one of them.
“In any regard, I respect them a great deal. They’ve overcome many hardships and at such a young age as well.”
You nodded in silent agreement, mulling over your response.
“I think they would be pleased to hear you say that. I suspect they feel similarly toward you.”
You noted the look of pleasant surprise that flashed across his face as the two of you began to ascend another set of stairs. You groaned internally. You had a bone to pick with whoever designed this place.
“I must admit, that is unexpected.” He replied softly. You carefully cleared the final set of stairs and your breathing hitched. It would seem, everyone, as well as their honored guests, were here. You turned your gaze toward Lan Xichen and it would seem that he was having a similar reaction. His hand drifted toward his side as if seeking to grip the hilt of a sword. A sword, that you noted, was absent. Your gazes locked and he must have found some sort of comradery in your eyes. With a tilt of his head, Lan Xichen motioned for you to follow him. With a sigh, you trailed behind him, now unsure of your status.
You were self-aware enough to know that, while never directly stated, the Wu Sect was a relatively small and isolated sect and that many of the more powerful leaders didn’t take it seriously, a fact Daiyu found infuriating. Did you really have any right to walk beside him as an equal? Your thoughts on inadequacy were quickly squashed as Lan Xichen turned, pausing as if he were waiting for you to catch up. You hurried to his side, trying to ignore the stares the two of you were already gathering. As the two of you resumed your pace, he moved closer, his arm briefly brushing yours.
“Here, as well as everywhere else, you are my equal. Please, never doubt that for a second.”
But doubt it you did.
How could you not?
Lan Xichen was clearly powerful and even without a sword at his side, he still command respect. He was polite and kind and quite possibly the most beautiful person you had ever laid eyes on. And here he was telling you that the two of you stood on equal ground?
You resisted the urge to deliver a self-deprecating joke. Perhaps you had been spending too much time with Daiyu if your go-to coping mechanism was dry humor.
As the two of you entered the massive dining area, you could almost feel the gazes of everyone in the room. You shifted, uncomfortable. You tried not to startle too much when Lan Xichen laid a hand on your upper arm, gently guiding you away from the middle of the room.
“Shameless.” He muttered. “You would think they would have some semblance of respect as to not gawk like a fish out of water.”
You peered over at him, surprised by his candor. You hadn’t known him very long but you suspected Lan Xichen wasn’t the type to normally voice his disdain.
Upon noticing your gaze on him, Lan Xichen smiled thinly and shook his head. “Apologies. These meetings always put me on edge.” Graciously, he guided you to your seat, settling beside you with a barely audible sigh.
“Normally my brother would be attending with me but he’s been rather preoccupied as of late.”
The fact that you were currently seated where the legendary Lan Wangji would usually be wasn’t lost to you. A lot of political responsibility sat on your shoulders, whenever you intended it to or not. By simply choosing to associate with one person in particular out of the many gathered here, you were certainly making a statement. You could only hope it was a statement that would be approved of.
“Are you alright?”
You forced yourself to take a steady breath before carefully accepting the cup of tea that was offered to you. Instead of answering, you took a small sip. The tremble in your hand should be enough to cue Lan Xichen in on how you were currently fairing. Absentmindedly, your attention moved to the large double doors you had entered through beforehand. A wave of relief passed through you at the sight of your sect leader silently slipping past a group of people who had gathered near the entranceway. Their expression was carefully neutral but you could tell from the way they walked, with their hands clasped lightly behind them, that the conversation with Jiang Wanyin must have gone well. The two of you locked eyes and you stiffened, ready for a disapproving frown or a glare but Daiyu simply raised an eyebrow and flashed you a quick smirk before settling down at their own table.
Beside you, Lan Xichen followed your gaze and, upon seeing Daiyu, gave them a slight nod, which they returned, a rare, soft smile on their lips.
Huh.
Before you turned away, you made sure to send a smile of your own toward your sect leader, truly thankful they didn’t seem to be angry at you. Daiyu didn’t opt to reply, instead pouring a cup of something you suspected was most definitely not tea and drowning it in one go. Deciding this was as close to dismissal as you would get, you returned your attention back to Lan Xichen, who seemed particularly focused on someone, another sect leader from the looks of it, across the room. You tried to follow his gaze but quickly realized the face was unfamiliar to you.
“Who’s that?” You questioned carefully, taking note of the disgruntled expression on Lan Xichen’s face. As if being pulled from a dream, Lan Xichen turned toward you, the hand he had settled on his knee briefly clenching into a first.
“Someone I once knew. Or at least I thought I knew.”
With a soft sigh, he turned to look at you, smiling reassuringly. “In any regard, I have no business with him today.”
This response only raised more questions on your end but like with most cases concerning highly respectable and powerful people, you thought it in your best interest to stay silent.
“You never did answer my question from earlier.” Lan Xichen whispered, almost conspiringly. His voice was light but you sensed real concern as well. You tried to ignore how close the two of you were, with your knees almost touching. Finally, you settled on a response.
“I’m still nervous I’m going to do something wrong. Or offend somebody. I’ve never been good in social situations, even in my homeland. Here, everything is so different. I guess I’m still adjusting.”
“How long have you been living here?” Lan Xichen quarried, seeming genuinely curious. “I must admit, we don’t get many foreigners this far inland, as we are quite the distance from any seaports.”
“I’ve been here for a little over six months.” You replied honestly.
Lan Xichen looked taken aback. “Really? Only six? You’ve picked up the language magnificently.”
You felt your cheeks redden at the unexpected praise. Searching for some sort of distraction, you fiddled with your now empty cup. “Well, Daiyu was a surprisingly good teacher. They helped me a lot. Before they began teaching me, I sounded horrendous. I’m surprised anyone was able to understand me due to the accent.” You laughed nervously, the sound louder than you intended.
A brief silence settled over the two of you and you wondered if perhaps you had shared too much information when Lan Xichen bowed his head respectfully and replied hesitantly.
“Forgive my bluntness but I think your accent is rather pleasant. It’s unlike any I’ve heard before. I’d say it suits you.”
You felt your eyes widen and feigned a cough in order to cover your rapidly warming face. You turned to him, once again surprised by his honesty. You stammered, searching for words.
He chuckled warmly, the sound reaching your chest and settling there and you thought, with rather sudden clarity, that you would do everything in your power to hear that sound again.
“I’m sorry. I’ve flustered you.” He didn’t sound very sincere and if the mirth so obviously displayed in his eyes was anything to go by you would say he was teasing you. You shook your head, still fighting to keep the heat on your face under control. “It’s okay.” You reassured him with a wave of your hand. “It’s just that no one’s ever said that to me before.”
A gentleness settled across his features as he regarded you closely. “That truly is a shame.” He replied wistfully before seeming to come to a decision.
“If I could intrude upon your graciousness a bit more I have a question for you.”
You paused, your hand outstretched toward the tea kettle, where you had intended to refill the empty cups. “Yes?” You replied, intrigued and a bit excited.
Lan Xichen lightly pushed your hand aside and began refilling the cups on his own. You surmised he was using this brief lull in conversation to adquently phrase his question. It’s what you would do, in any case. As he settled the kettle down soundlessly, Lan Xichen fixed his gaze straight ahead and you saw the muscle in his jaw clench.
“I wanted to thank you, first and foremost, for your company today. I’m very glad to have met you. I don’t think I could have sat through the whole dinner alone. But mostly, I’d like to ask you to join me tomorrow as well?”
You hadn’t meant to whip your head around like you did but you honestly hadn’t been expecting that. Lan Xichen rushed to assure you. “Of course, you don’t have to! You have no obligation toward me. I understand if you were to decline.” The statement was accompanied by a shaky smile and your heart twisted in sympathy. That was until you felt eyes on you and turned to find Daiyu watching the two of you with a barely restrained grin.
There wasn't any way they could actually hear your conversation.
Right?
You shook away your thoughts and rushed to offer reassurances of your own. “I’m sorry, I just hadn’t expected you to want to spend more time with me is all. But to answer your question, Sect Leader Lan, I would love to dine with you again.”
Lan Xichen smiled impossibly wide and you couldn’t help but smile in return.
“I’m pleased to hear that. But please. You can call me Xichen.” He insisted gently.
That fluttering in your chest was back and this time, with a vengeance.
“Right. I’d love to dine with you again.” You paused. “Xichen.” You finished softly.
Xichen nodded, seemingly pleased.
The rest of the meal went by uneventfully and as everyone rose from their seats to filter out the door, you turned and offered a warm but formal farewell to Xichen, who upon seeing you reading yourself for a bow, stepped forward and warmly sat his hands atop yours. You both seemed mildly shocked at the gesture. Xichen quickly straightened and placed his hands at his side.
“Please. You don’t have to do that. Not to me.”
You nodded, absentmindedly rubbing your thumb over the area of your hand he had touched. With a few final words goodbye, the two of you parted ways. As you descend down the stairs, you were startled by an arm being thrown around your shoulder. You stumbled from the force of the embrace.
“He likes you, you know.”
Daiyu, as always, had zero concept of personal space but you were too caught up in your own head to really care.
“Who?” You asked while knowing full well who they were referring to.
With a roll of their eyes, Daiyu withdrew their arm. “Sect Leader Jiang.” They replied dryly before flicking your ear with their hand. “I’m speaking of Lan Xichen, of course.”
You shifted, unsure. “I think he was just being friendly.”
Daiyu sighed heavily and you barely dodged an elbow to the ribs.
“Oh, honestly.” They responded gruffly. “Yes, Sect Leader Lan is friendly by default but what I saw and heard today was different. He was nervous around you. Lan Xichen does not get nervous.” Daiyu said with finality.
“Wait.” You muttered. “You could hear us? How?”
Daiyu shrugged and simply tapped the side of their head with a finger. “I have excellent hearing. How else do you think I know when the disciples are slacking off?”
It seemed that was about as straight of an answer you would get from them today or any other day really.
“Regardless, today was nerve-racking. I’m just thankful I didn’t spill tea on him.” You grumbled. You failed to see the wicked grin Daiyu shot you.
“And we get to do it all over again tomorrow!” They replied boisterously, throwing their hands in the air for effect.
You risked the urge to throw your head back in frustration.
“But at least you get to see Xichen. A just reward, I’m sure.” You huffed out a laugh, both embarrassed but pleasantly surprised by your sect leader's unexpected jovial teasing. Your lips curved upward into a smirk. Two could play at that game.
“And I suppose your meeting with Sect Leader Jiang went well?”
Daiyu lightly pushed some of their unruly hair away from their eyes. “Yes. He was surprisingly complacent this time around.”
You snickered and Daiyu raised an eyebrow, their expression questioning.
In the sweetest, most innocent voice you could muster, you leaned over and whispered ;
“So do the two of you make a habit of having private meetings? And do these meetings usually end with Jiang Waylin being complacent?”
Daiyu chuckled, a sharp smile forming across their lips. With that same smile in place, they lightly placed a hand on your shoulder.
“Run.” They replied flatly.
Probably advisable.
You could only hope you would survive long enough to make good on your word to Lan Xichen.
When your dramatic name reveal is overshadowed by some jeans dude who was supposed to be dead
when your spectacular return from the dead is overshadowed by some temporarily quirkless guy stealing your thunder
when you just revealed that you got your quirk back after everyone thought you had to give up on your dream of being a hero and some angry kid yelling his hero name steals your show
when you just told people your hero name after your refused to say it for months and the focus gets taken away from you because some villain takes his mask of
My boss just told me "only you can take care of your health" and like ??? I know?? I won't have insurance until 2021 and I just got paid yesterday AND I've called my doctor's office 4 times to try and set up an appointment. I have a chronic illness and im still trying to work out what medication works for me. Im only human and im sorry the first round of medications aren't working.
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