With Talismans, what's the difference between a veil and a helmet with built in gasmask?
Not a damn thing!
Read a one shot, where Shang Qinghua had to wear a veil for plot reasons. And? My brain started to kick in. The world they live in? Is chock FULL of bullshit Aphrodisiacs. Powders and pollens that are fuck or die. Which? One: what happens if you get hit when NO ONE IS AROUND.
And TWO(‽‽‽): The VERY REAL and tragic reality? Is that NOT everyone who stumbles upon one of those poisons? Is gonna be a hot single in your area. TODDLERS like to wander off and pick up The Pretty Flower™ or Poke The Weird Animal™.
They are GOING to get poisoned. It is GOING it hit them harder and faster them an adult, because of their size. And they are GOING to die. There will be little to nothing you can do.
Hell, MOST children are basicly dead upon infection. Assuming it truely is a "Or Die" variety, instead of a "or suffer greatly". The fact that veils aren't STANDARD for prepubesant children? If only to improve their chances of survival? WILDLY irresponsible.
That Veil could be the only difference between a face full of deadly pollen and an inconvenient afternoon in the decontamination baths. With a side of ruined veil. And! Would you RATHER? Lose a pretty bit of fabric? Than, oh, YOUR LIFE!?
Irresponsible!!!
The Mortality and Morbidity rates must be STAGERING. For fucks sake! COVER UP! Nature is deadly! Trust NOTHING! Twenty layers and leave room for the chaperones! HOW ARE ANY OF YOU MOTHER FUCKER STILL ALI-!!!
Which! Brings me! To my New SI-OC~☆ 🎉🎉🎉
She spent her whole first life RUSHING. Go, go, GO! No time for hobbies. No time for frivolous social events. No time for proper rest. Nothing. She died exhausted. Hated it. Regretted it. Was she GOOD at it? Beside the point. (Yes.) She never wants to rush, rush, RUSH, again.
Naturally, she ends up in a family that wants to marry her off as a business arrangement. Lots of work in her future. Expected to be the THIRD wife. Ha ha... how about "NO."
See, her First Father? Always taught her? "They can't MAKE you don't anything. You ALWAYS have a choice. It's just a matter of if you're willing to pay the price for that choice." And? Yeah. Fuck these guys. They wanted Filial Piety? They should have given her someone WORTHY of such loyalty. A FAMILY to be loyal TOO.
Off she goes~ with her shit shoved in a bag she made literally right in front of them, while they weren't paying attention.
Wearing a veil. Not to "hide her identy" or anything. Or "protect her beautiful face" or whatever. But, because? It keeps dust and Suspect Powders out of her face. Coupled with a hat? And she's quite protected from the sun! Nice~
She gets to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. "Climb the mountain" etc. "Dig a hole". Ppphff. Look at all these idiots and their No Gloves havin asses. Where's your water and support bandages, idiots? You even lift bro?? Did you even ASK workers on the way here about the best way to dig? Bet you didn't.
Work Smart, not hard. Ya Casuals.
(Never Fuckin Again.)
And because I LOVE the PIDM universe? And all the ways it could have gone of the rails with different Transmigrators? It is OG!Shang Qinghua who is standing there, bored and long suffering, when he... "oh~? Oh HO~?" *goes from ( -_-) to ( ◇.◇)* like? What's this~?
Snarky and silently judgemental? Smarter then she let's on? Clearly hiding great talent behind an unassuming appearance? (Projection? Whaaaat? Noooo....) It's like a mini-him.
.......that one. He wants THAT one.
And for once, he's willing to fight about it.
Everyone else chosen by An Ding is like "... oh. Okay, I guess." But SI-OC? *Violent Flashback to The War Her Days Of Endless Work* *squints suspiciously at the An Ding Lord* "mother fucker, you have five seconds to give me a good reason not to run for the hills and try my luck at a different Sect"
"One, I would catch you. I'm far faster. And Two... we have first dibs on all the good shit the Sect gets. Plus Talismans. You can study literally anything you damn well please, unlike the other Peaks."
Hmmmm, she DOES like the idea of Talismans.... *squints suspiciously* you're on thin ice, bribery man. Your convincing arguments will only get you so far, if the work conditions are shit.
And Shang Qinghua is like? "Aw. Is Baby. I bet it bites. You'd rob me blind in the night and run for the hills, wouldn't you~? Wouldn't you~☆? Oh my gods. Is THIS what my Shizun felt? No wonder he put up with me."
Unfortunately...the food is AMAZING. Great perks all around. Because no one respects them, they take the GOOD shit without remorse. Fuck those guys. The work? Lots of hurry up and wait. Plenty of time to study (when CERTAIN Peak Lords aren't TRASHING THEIR PEAKS).
And SI-OC? Finds that traditional meditation doesn't work at first. She's too used to the "YOU HAVE TO BE BUSY" mindset. But? A project? That works! And Talismans can be sown into clothes. It's slow work. Gotta get it just right. Lots of calculations. Lots of paints them on the cloth with specific inks, then sewing with specific threads. Sometimes washing, sometimes not. Occasionally there's beading.
Slow and steady.
From her veils to her inner robes, on out. Using An Ding connections to track down experienced master crafts men, just to trade them her work for some of theirs. Cultivator made Qiankun pouches in sleeves, protections from this and that. Expensive stuff, for an average man. But off course, only the best, for his daughter who is to be wed. And of COURSE, she would supply the materials for him to work with! She understands his time and talent is a valuable thing.
She also sends a wedding gift. Amazing how far being polite and thoughtful can get you. The jewelry is magnificent. Her arrays? Perfectly transcribed. She is a fancy looking TANK and she loves it.
And, yes, as a Disciple, she can only wear so much of her slowly growing hoard of "I AM The Danger apperal". But does that STOP her? Fuck no. Cause what are you gonna do? Police her underwear? Huh? Gonna tell her she can't wear that many underlayers? HUH?
She looks like a gauzy little fairy. Ribbons braided in her hair (they are talisman arrays, each and every one of them). Gauzy three layer veil fluttering delicately in the breeze (it is embroidered within an inch of its life. Hair thin, spider silk, talisman arrays on every millimeter available). Delicate underlayers peaking put at the neck and sleeves, like a flowers bloom (Arrays. It's all coated in arrays. Death to all who would dare, covered by a single over robe).
All topped with tinkling little jewelry.
(Focal anchors. Because some arrays are simply to strong for cloth)
As in with Nature... the brighter and More Lovely? The higher the chance it'll kill you. Especially in this world. And An Ding colors are bright indeed~☆. She's the Peak Lords lil Cabbage. When it all goes to shit? (As he always half assumes it will.) He's planning on picking her up like a sack of potatoes and booking it. Instead of his ORIGINAL plan... of just straight up booking it.
\( ^-^)/ yay! Family! Team "fuck them guys. We out!"
She teaches PIDM Binghe the valuable life lesson of "fuck this guy... I'm out". Cause like? Have you considered? NOT sitting there and taking it? He sucks. To you specifically. This is clearly toxic and not your responsibility to fix. Come to An Ding. Or literally ANY OTHER PEAK. Or a different Sect! You don't owe him SHIT.
And like? Fuck it. You look like that Su Xiyan lady. Maybe Hua Huang will take you in? She was a rock star there. (She says, as though she doesn't know)
Cue said sect Actively On Fire barely five years later when Creepy does as Creepy do. Cue Binghe prob hunting down and releasing Tianlang-jun. Cue "if it weren't for my Shemei, your mountain would be ash" letter sent to the sect leader.
And like? Cue Mobei-jun clearly waffling between "do I want to Kill this threat... or [REDACTED IN DEMONIC] him. He's not loyal to ME... but he's clearly capable. He has a daughter now. I thought he was inherently treacherous. Was going to kill him for that. But if he's just some weirdly Human flavor of Demonic Treacherous? That's... kinda hot. Look how LOYAL he is to his kid. I want that."
5d chess out here in the northern court. As this man tries to parent Qinghua's not-child and he desperately resists the urge to finally stab him.
Just? Everything's a mess and she will NEVER get the peace n quite she longed for. Cheated! Scammed! She should have head west til she hit ocean then boarded a BOAT! This is BULLSHIT D:<
