Tada! :elmo_fire: 2.1k words

Sometimes pretending the truth is just a joke doesn't work.

OR

What if Xie Lian didn't let San Lang get away with brushing off that marriage proposal?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/66630097

@apprendere helloooooooooo

damn. i had a really good day today.

@illuminatedferret Delightful image!

It happens occasionally, the wards slip and some unfortunate animal or soon to be nonexistent spirit will find their way in. He tries to check quickly, release the innocents and disperse any testimony that could conceivably reach dianxia before he does.

It's larger than usual, whatever it is, already fully cocooned in silk when the first butterfly managed to give him a view. It's human sized. Hua Cheng draws E'ming as the silk wrapped bundle lands at his feet on the floor.

@apprendere ehehehehehehehehe -gleeful clapping and cackling- HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHENGZHU

@apprendere im imagining him eventually tripping into a butterfly silk pit and getting stuck until hua cheng finally comes to see what his butterflies are in a tizzy about

@apprendere -wild clapping and cheering-

@apprendere THE AMAZING DEVILLLLL YESSSSSSSSSS

@apprendere h o w e v e r i think its also a harry potter fic so i think its about to lose that spot. goodbye, terf

@apprendere oh man i think my oldest mfl fic is from like 2017

@fireandgrimstone very much mood. very mood

new books! now we just have to see how long it takes for me to read them 😅

Got a comment on my midsummer night's dream inspired "love potion makes victim fall in love with the person they were already in love with (and it still causes problems)" fic and now having hualian thoughts #ficThesis

Maybe the spell/curse/potion etc. Makes the victim fall in love with the first person they think of. You don't have to go far after Hualian's re-meeting for either of them to plausibly fall for the other that way.

...perhaps a post canon thing where someone doesn't believe Hua Cheng feared ghost king is really in love and tries to curse him to actually love Xie Lian, only to be thoroughly confused when he doesn't change at all. Don't know who this would be though. Pei Ming would be a funny outside observer/commentator on the perpetrators plot tho.

Mid canon Xie Lian gets hit by it and falls in love with Hua Cheng but he was halfway there already and angst occurs as he cannot convince Hua Cheng there are real feelings too until the curse/spell/whatever is broken (this is basically what I already wrote in the Witcher fic tho. Main difference would be also making Xie Lian's feelings obvious to himself before he was ready to admit to them)

@fireandgrimstone god i fucking wish

eating chocolate covered caramels to console myself that despite today being easy as hell i am STILL rapidly approaching unconsciousness. we all hate 8 hour work days

i say it like i did anything major. i just wanted the heat from my way-too-strong chili oil but the actual flavor of my potstickers, so i put some chili oil in the water they steam in + soy sauce also and its so fucking yummy. hell yes. thickened SO good