...it sounds as though it would be a fascinating place to visit...
[she'd liked the village well enough. so a manor, with a variety of different things within a single complex - why not? it seems a bit much to be someone's private residence, but perhaps things work differently in ghost city.
...she kind of wants to check out the treasure hall.
but an altar - and a temple, created by yin yu's boss himself - hmmm. she smiles.]
...this Crown Prince must be of great importance to him, then.
he doesn't think hua cheng will mind. yin yu doesn't know all the details, but he knows from the stories he studies in his old days, and... from what he knows of his lord and master, too. ]
Taizi Dianxia is most well known by a nickname of his own - "The Crown Prince Who Pleased the Gods". His story is far before my time, but he was known as one of the four great tales of heaven. The kingdom that he lived in, Xian Le, was one of the most beautiful of our land, and was well known for having treasures, though none so rare as the crown prince himself. Taizi Dianxia's most famous act, among many, was that during a great parade at the Autumn Festival, the prince interrupted a parade that was supposed to be performed a great number of times in order to bring luck to a kingdom, because a young child fell off of the city walls in the middle of the parade. The prince leapt from the parade route, where he was supposed to perform a routine, and safely saved that child's life.
Though I don't know the specifics, I know that child grew to become a fearsome soldier, and when Taizi Dianxia ascended to the heavenly realm, became a follower of his, as well. The Crown Prince Who Pleased the Gods - Flower in one hand, sword in his other - was well loved by his people, and the soldier who was once a child fought valiantly for him and worshipped him, placing a single white flower in the hands of his statues when he saw them. The gods are unable to communicate with humans, but the soldier's love for the god carried him through his life.
...however, the kingdom of Xian Le suffered a terrible tragedy: a great war, and a great plague. It ended in the deaths of many, including the soldier, and the Crown Prince Who Pleased the Gods fell from the heavenly realm to be a mortal, and walk among mortals, as punishment for defying the will of the heavenly emperor to attempt to save his kingdom.
As Taizi Dianxia moved through his life as a mortal, he suffered quite greatly. I don't know the specifics, but I know that it took a great act of kindness for him to reascend, only for him to be banished less than an incense stick's time later by the emperor. It made him quite a laughingstock amongst the heavenly realm, and so, immortal and unable to die, Taizi Dianxia lived a life of suffering and poverty for eight hundred years, until only recently, when he reascended again.
In my land, when a human dies with a great attachment keeping them in the world, they are unable to move on to the next life. Through those eight hundred years, that soldier who died on the battlefield in Xian Le became one of these spirits, evolving from what must have been a weak spirit flame -- [ he pauses, cupping his hands around the shape roughly of one of the little fireballs ] -- to a powerful ghost, to one of the most powerful ghosts in the land.
I'm sure you can guess who that soldier may be.
Edited (whoops sorry hc you aint that special ) 2020-06-30 00:07 (UTC)
[who else could it be, really? in fact, flayn remembers the last tale he told her of his homeland - her eyes go wide as she recalls it.]
"Crimson Rain Sought Flower"... this Taizi Dianxia must be the flower he sought, then? How lovely.
[it isn't great that the crown prince suffered. it isn't great that hua chengzhu wasn't able to move on to the next life, either. but to be able to be so attached to someone, to remember them - to be remembered...]
...have they been reunited, now that Hua Chengzhu has grown so powerful, and Taizi Dianxia has reascended?
...Of course, his royal highness is unaware that that soldier is my master, and my master has not told him. He hasn't told me either, but, I can put enough together to understand. [ yin yu doesn't quite laugh, but, his mouth twitches like he's trying to hold it back, because he's too polite. he can understand what it feels like not to deserve the love of someone else, but. ]
...Everything Chengzhu does, and has done, is in some way for Taizi Dianxia. When he eliminated the temples of 33 gods overnight, it was because they tormented Dianxia when he was at his lowest. The Ghost City exists because of Taizi Dianxia's thoughtfulness, that such a place might be nice to have. Even Paradise Manor is so named because of Taizi Dianxia's adage he said just before he ascended -- "Body in the abyss; heart in paradise."
[ so... hua cheng was hoping that xie lian's heart would reside in paradise. ] And, Taizi Dianxia's luck is, ah.... worse than anything you could ever imagine. My master has been powerful for some time, so he searched for him all of those hundreds of years, and it is only just now that they've reunited. And now that they have...
[ yin yu pauses, recalling running into the flustered cultivator in the streets of ghost city for the first time, where he shouldn't have even been. he recalls helping hua cheng track him down when they searched for the brocade immortal, completing tasks for him to help make dianxia's life easier. every night that hua cheng was gone to puji shrine, yin yu watched over the city for him, as his lord and master found the thing he had so been looking for.
he sounds fond, now. softer as he looks away. yin yu respects hua cheng greatly, and... xie lian, his royal highness, deserves so much more kindness than the world has ever given him. ] ...it seems they keep finding each other, again, and again.
For eight hundred years, my master has been Taizi Dianxia's last follower. His belief and love for him could very well be the thing that has kept Taizi Dianxia alive.
[when he tells it like that - it sounds beautiful, really. a love and a belief so strong that it could span centuries, that it could keep someone alive for that long... she's always believed that love and devotion are powerful forces.
a story like this is proof of it.
flayn hides a smile behind one hand.]
Thank you... for telling me about them. It is nice to know that even in other worlds, people are able to find happiness together.
[ yin yu nods, turning to give her a gentle smile of his own. ] ...I think so too.
[ if anything, he's glad he could share it with her. it's not a novel, but... well, chengzhu is the kind of person that is terrifying, and amazing, in many ways. but, his loyalty isn't necessarily blind. hua cheng saved yin yu's life, and hua cheng's love and loyalty for his dianxia--those are the things that have helped him to put aside the stories as part and parcel of his lord's existence, instead of all of him. ]
[it's not a novel. but it's a wonderful story, and flayn is glad to know about it, all the same. and who knows? it involves ghosts and gods - perhaps someday it will be told and retold so that even thousands of years later, people will still know about them.
she hopes so, anyway.]
...there must be many interesting people in your homeland.
finally emerges from memshare starter writing hell
[ the idea of flayn meeting hua cheng concerns him extremely greatly. hm.
... ] I think you and his royal highness would get along. [ he says, instead, because he's reeling from the idea of hua cheng meeting flayn. ] You remind me of him, sometimes. You two have many things in common.
[ which means logically hua cheng would like her, which is the problem. oh gods. ]
[ he says, simply, glancing down briefly at their joined hands, and then back again. that fondness is in his expression, warm, soft. kindness is something that yin yu admires, more than almost anything in the world. ] Strong, too... and quite stubborn.
[ that's a little more wryly, thinking about his highness xie lian and his tendency to help people no matter his own state; and, comparatively, flayn's side injury and her want to fight even with, to help others. ] I've had the pleasure of getting to meet his highness a few times, now, and I can say so with sureness.
but flayn, who has no idea of the chaos in store for them during memshare week, can't help but feel flustered and a little pleased by the comparison. she smiles, her gaze dropping to their joined hands.]
Well... thank you for saying so. He sounds like a wonderful person - it is an honor to be compared to him.
yin yu makes an affirmative noise, quietly. maybe someday... after an experience like this, maybe he could be friends with dianxia, too.
that might be nice. the smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. what a nice not memory share moment! ] As for Chengzhu, he can be... quite a lot. [ haha. ] He is an abrasive person and has no qualms in making that obvious. Taizia Dianxia is the only exception to this rule, in the hundreds of years that I have worked for him.
[ he certainly can't imagine him treating anyone any different because they were friends with yin yu, for instance. but... it's hard to imagine being cruel to someone like flayn. ] But if the opportunity were to come, I would take you to meet them nonetheless.
[...abrasive person with no qualms about making it obvious? This slips out in a mumble - perhaps a little rudely - before she can stop herself:]
Is he like Asch, then..?
[rude, flayn! so rude. anyway.]
...I would love to have the chance to meet them. If they are people you like - then I am sure that however eccentric either of them may be, I would like them as well.
yin yu, to his credit, does not laugh, but his mouth twitches, and he definitely lifts his hand to cover it with a cough. ] ...ah, a bit. Chengzhu is far more...elegant. And quite aware of how much more powerful he is than most, which makes him seem quite arrogant. [ a beat. ] Though, he more than has the experiences to back up such an attitude.
[ that was also rude, kind of, but it's true. it's hard to explain the difference between a grumpy tsundere and hua cheng, who is not either of those things. he's just powerful and will tell you exactly what he thinks of you - or rather, how little he thinks of you.
mm, though... flayn's little comment warms something in him. ] ...I would like to meet others from your homeland, someday, too. Lord Dimitri is a person of excellent character.
[ though he knows they probably wouldn't get to know him, because again: invisible, but that's ok. ] You have an older brother, you said? What is he like?
I hope we can make that happen, someday. I would love to introduce you to my classmates.
[someday. well - if they can't make that happen in person, maybe they can introduce them through memories, once that starts up. (she doesn't know that will happen so she can't think it, but if they can avoid unpleasant memories, then maybe...)]
...he is very stern and austere. At least - that is how he presents himself to others. Many of the students at the Officers Academy are intimidated by him. [...] But... he cares deeply about people.
He often does things that... aggravate me, because he can be more than a bit overprotective. But it all stems from a place of concern.
[another pause, and then...]
I wish I could introduce the two of you. I think he would like you very much.
[ ah... yin yu finds himself thinking without much provocation, that he hopes that her brother would.
he corrects himself mentally a moment later-- he wouldn't even see someone like yin yu, probably, don't be ridiculous -- and the thought passes by in the blink of an eye.
still, this person sounds... he sounds like an older sibling, at any rate. like one of the old masters of his sect. stern, sometimes, but caring. yin yu had been close to his old master, once upon a time. ] It would be an honor to meet him, Lady Flayn. He seems like a kind person. It is a blessing to have siblings or younger family to look after, so I hope that you are lenient with his actions. [ with a little laugh. ] ...Though, if he censors you from every experience of the world, perhaps it is a good thing not to be too lenient.
I try to be, because I know he only does it because he worries over me... but sometimes he takes it too far.
[remind me to yeet a memory of them arguing over that very topic at yin yu at some point during memshare week.]
My classmates are wonderful. Some of them are very eccentric, but... they have such colorful personalities. [she can't help but smile, thinking of them.] Our class leader is Edelgard - the princess of the Adrestian Empire. She is an amazingly capable person, and so strong... I look forward to seeing how she will lead the empire when she ascends to the throne.
And the classes were mostly on combat, is that right? [ trying to remember...! he wants to keep all of these little details flayn tells him as carefully as possible, treasure them. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fishingforcompliments) wrote2020-06-06 12:53 pm
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[she'd liked the village well enough. so a manor, with a variety of different things within a single complex - why not? it seems a bit much to be someone's private residence, but perhaps things work differently in ghost city.
...she kind of wants to check out the treasure hall.
but an altar - and a temple, created by yin yu's boss himself - hmmm. she smiles.]
...this Crown Prince must be of great importance to him, then.
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he pauses, briefly, and a little smile comes across his face. gentle. fond. ] ...You said you liked tales of romance, right, Lady Flayn?
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Yes, very much!
[Tell her a love story!!]
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he doesn't think hua cheng will mind. yin yu doesn't know all the details, but he knows from the stories he studies in his old days, and... from what he knows of his lord and master, too. ]
Taizi Dianxia is most well known by a nickname of his own - "The Crown Prince Who Pleased the Gods". His story is far before my time, but he was known as one of the four great tales of heaven. The kingdom that he lived in, Xian Le, was one of the most beautiful of our land, and was well known for having treasures, though none so rare as the crown prince himself. Taizi Dianxia's most famous act, among many, was that during a great parade at the Autumn Festival, the prince interrupted a parade that was supposed to be performed a great number of times in order to bring luck to a kingdom, because a young child fell off of the city walls in the middle of the parade. The prince leapt from the parade route, where he was supposed to perform a routine, and safely saved that child's life.
Though I don't know the specifics, I know that child grew to become a fearsome soldier, and when Taizi Dianxia ascended to the heavenly realm, became a follower of his, as well. The Crown Prince Who Pleased the Gods - Flower in one hand, sword in his other - was well loved by his people, and the soldier who was once a child fought valiantly for him and worshipped him, placing a single white flower in the hands of his statues when he saw them. The gods are unable to communicate with humans, but the soldier's love for the god carried him through his life.
...however, the kingdom of Xian Le suffered a terrible tragedy: a great war, and a great plague. It ended in the deaths of many, including the soldier, and the Crown Prince Who Pleased the Gods fell from the heavenly realm to be a mortal, and walk among mortals, as punishment for defying the will of the heavenly emperor to attempt to save his kingdom.
As Taizi Dianxia moved through his life as a mortal, he suffered quite greatly. I don't know the specifics, but I know that it took a great act of kindness for him to reascend, only for him to be banished less than an incense stick's time later by the emperor. It made him quite a laughingstock amongst the heavenly realm, and so, immortal and unable to die, Taizi Dianxia lived a life of suffering and poverty for eight hundred years, until only recently, when he reascended again.
In my land, when a human dies with a great attachment keeping them in the world, they are unable to move on to the next life. Through those eight hundred years, that soldier who died on the battlefield in Xian Le became one of these spirits, evolving from what must have been a weak spirit flame -- [ he pauses, cupping his hands around the shape roughly of one of the little fireballs ] -- to a powerful ghost, to one of the most powerful ghosts in the land.
I'm sure you can guess who that soldier may be.
no subject
[who else could it be, really? in fact, flayn remembers the last tale he told her of his homeland - her eyes go wide as she recalls it.]
"Crimson Rain Sought Flower"... this Taizi Dianxia must be the flower he sought, then? How lovely.
[it isn't great that the crown prince suffered. it isn't great that hua chengzhu wasn't able to move on to the next life, either. but to be able to be so attached to someone, to remember them - to be remembered...]
...have they been reunited, now that Hua Chengzhu has grown so powerful, and Taizi Dianxia has reascended?
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...Of course, his royal highness is unaware that that soldier is my master, and my master has not told him. He hasn't told me either, but, I can put enough together to understand. [ yin yu doesn't quite laugh, but, his mouth twitches like he's trying to hold it back, because he's too polite. he can understand what it feels like not to deserve the love of someone else, but. ]
...Everything Chengzhu does, and has done, is in some way for Taizi Dianxia. When he eliminated the temples of 33 gods overnight, it was because they tormented Dianxia when he was at his lowest. The Ghost City exists because of Taizi Dianxia's thoughtfulness, that such a place might be nice to have. Even Paradise Manor is so named because of Taizi Dianxia's adage he said just before he ascended -- "Body in the abyss; heart in paradise."
[ so... hua cheng was hoping that xie lian's heart would reside in paradise. ] And, Taizi Dianxia's luck is, ah.... worse than anything you could ever imagine. My master has been powerful for some time, so he searched for him all of those hundreds of years, and it is only just now that they've reunited. And now that they have...
[ yin yu pauses, recalling running into the flustered cultivator in the streets of ghost city for the first time, where he shouldn't have even been. he recalls helping hua cheng track him down when they searched for the brocade immortal, completing tasks for him to help make dianxia's life easier. every night that hua cheng was gone to puji shrine, yin yu watched over the city for him, as his lord and master found the thing he had so been looking for.
he sounds fond, now. softer as he looks away. yin yu respects hua cheng greatly, and... xie lian, his royal highness, deserves so much more kindness than the world has ever given him. ] ...it seems they keep finding each other, again, and again.
For eight hundred years, my master has been Taizi Dianxia's last follower. His belief and love for him could very well be the thing that has kept Taizi Dianxia alive.
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[when he tells it like that - it sounds beautiful, really. a love and a belief so strong that it could span centuries, that it could keep someone alive for that long... she's always believed that love and devotion are powerful forces.
a story like this is proof of it.
flayn hides a smile behind one hand.]
Thank you... for telling me about them. It is nice to know that even in other worlds, people are able to find happiness together.
[love is universal. ...multiversal?]
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[ yin yu nods, turning to give her a gentle smile of his own. ] ...I think so too.
[ if anything, he's glad he could share it with her. it's not a novel, but... well, chengzhu is the kind of person that is terrifying, and amazing, in many ways. but, his loyalty isn't necessarily blind. hua cheng saved yin yu's life, and hua cheng's love and loyalty for his dianxia--those are the things that have helped him to put aside the stories as part and parcel of his lord's existence, instead of all of him. ]
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she hopes so, anyway.]
...there must be many interesting people in your homeland.
finally emerges from memshare starter writing hell
[ although yin yu is not one of them, for sure.
he huffs, a little. ] I think the crown prince and Chengzhu are a bit more interesting than most, though.
grips your shoulder BE STRONG SISI
...it might be nice to be able to meet them, someday.
[especially because being able to meet them would mean being able to see yin yu himself again]
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... ] I think you and his royal highness would get along. [ he says, instead, because he's reeling from the idea of hua cheng meeting flayn. ] You remind me of him, sometimes. You two have many things in common.
[ which means logically hua cheng would like her, which is the problem. oh gods. ]
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[...but the crown prince sounds so impressive... it takes flayn a moment to reconcile that.]
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[ he says, simply, glancing down briefly at their joined hands, and then back again. that fondness is in his expression, warm, soft. kindness is something that yin yu admires, more than almost anything in the world. ] Strong, too... and quite stubborn.
[ that's a little more wryly, thinking about his highness xie lian and his tendency to help people no matter his own state; and, comparatively, flayn's side injury and her want to fight even with, to help others. ] I've had the pleasure of getting to meet his highness a few times, now, and I can say so with sureness.
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but flayn, who has no idea of the chaos in store for them during memshare week, can't help but feel flustered and a little pleased by the comparison. she smiles, her gaze dropping to their joined hands.]
Well... thank you for saying so. He sounds like a wonderful person - it is an honor to be compared to him.
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yin yu makes an affirmative noise, quietly. maybe someday... after an experience like this, maybe he could be friends with dianxia, too.
that might be nice. the smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. what a nice not memory share moment! ] As for Chengzhu, he can be... quite a lot. [ haha. ] He is an abrasive person and has no qualms in making that obvious. Taizia Dianxia is the only exception to this rule, in the hundreds of years that I have worked for him.
[ he certainly can't imagine him treating anyone any different because they were friends with yin yu, for instance. but... it's hard to imagine being cruel to someone like flayn. ] But if the opportunity were to come, I would take you to meet them nonetheless.
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Is he like Asch, then..?
[rude, flayn! so rude. anyway.]
...I would love to have the chance to meet them. If they are people you like - then I am sure that however eccentric either of them may be, I would like them as well.
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yin yu, to his credit, does not laugh, but his mouth twitches, and he definitely lifts his hand to cover it with a cough. ] ...ah, a bit. Chengzhu is far more...elegant. And quite aware of how much more powerful he is than most, which makes him seem quite arrogant. [ a beat. ] Though, he more than has the experiences to back up such an attitude.
[ that was also rude, kind of, but it's true. it's hard to explain the difference between a grumpy tsundere and hua cheng, who is not either of those things. he's just powerful and will tell you exactly what he thinks of you - or rather, how little he thinks of you.
mm, though... flayn's little comment warms something in him. ] ...I would like to meet others from your homeland, someday, too. Lord Dimitri is a person of excellent character.
[ though he knows they probably wouldn't get to know him, because again: invisible, but that's ok. ] You have an older brother, you said? What is he like?
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[someday. well - if they can't make that happen in person, maybe they can introduce them through memories, once that starts up. (she doesn't know that will happen so she can't think it, but if they can avoid unpleasant memories, then maybe...)]
...he is very stern and austere. At least - that is how he presents himself to others. Many of the students at the Officers Academy are intimidated by him. [...] But... he cares deeply about people.
He often does things that... aggravate me, because he can be more than a bit overprotective. But it all stems from a place of concern.
[another pause, and then...]
I wish I could introduce the two of you. I think he would like you very much.
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he corrects himself mentally a moment later-- he wouldn't even see someone like yin yu, probably, don't be ridiculous -- and the thought passes by in the blink of an eye.
still, this person sounds... he sounds like an older sibling, at any rate. like one of the old masters of his sect. stern, sometimes, but caring. yin yu had been close to his old master, once upon a time. ] It would be an honor to meet him, Lady Flayn. He seems like a kind person. It is a blessing to have siblings or younger family to look after, so I hope that you are lenient with his actions. [ with a little laugh. ] ...Though, if he censors you from every experience of the world, perhaps it is a good thing not to be too lenient.
[ ah! ] And your classmates...?
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[remind me to yeet a memory of them arguing over that very topic at yin yu at some point during memshare week.]
My classmates are wonderful. Some of them are very eccentric, but... they have such colorful personalities. [she can't help but smile, thinking of them.] Our class leader is Edelgard - the princess of the Adrestian Empire. She is an amazingly capable person, and so strong... I look forward to seeing how she will lead the empire when she ascends to the throne.
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She sounds like an excellent leader. [ we can only hope, right? ]
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[which is a good trait in a leader, probably.]
desperation 2 electric boogaloo
And the classes were mostly on combat, is that right? [ trying to remember...! he wants to keep all of these little details flayn tells him as carefully as possible, treasure them. ]
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[horses... pegasi... wyverns...
she kind of misses the monastery. more than kind of.]
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