L-wandering-etranger - I Really Don't Know What To Write Here

Qin Huaizhang and his pupils! I always love thinking a lot about Siji manor and how it was, how it started, etc. I really wanted to make an illustration reflecting a nostalgia of these times. More Siji manor rambling below >>>

I am going through a crisis regarding my headcanons about it, though. As in, I can't be satisfied by what the book gives us, and clearly I got too invested in the backstory I made up to just accept giving it up based on some random infos sprinkled here and there. Here are the named characters that I assume are all from Siji:

(Duan Pengju isn't there because, for good balance, I thought it would be nice to have him as an agent recruited later on by ZZS.) QHZ is obviously the founder of the manor, right? According to the book (which gives us very little), he's an oddball, and he could have gone about with only two disciples-- or very young ones... But simultaneously, we do get informations in extra 5 about Siji manor's wide reach and activities. It's hard to believe that ZZS was the oldest disciple (as it is suggested in TYK in that one line where he's said to having been a dashixiong.....); he was 15 by the time of QHZ's death, so could QHZ really have operated alone with an army of tiny kids before that? Sorry, Priest, I will have to fight with canon lines here. I like to imagine that QHZ had associates within Siji-- he was the main founder, but he wasn't working alone. Old Bi, who's mentioned in TYK, chapter 1, could have been one of said associates. Lu Yu....... So Lu Yu is from Qi Ye, and up until recently he was my anchor when it came to justifying my idea that no, ZZS and LJX weren't the sole disciples in Siji Manor (since, in TYK, ZZS says it was "just the two of them"-- but it could be metaphorical!! and Lu Yu being there so early on in Qi Ye could be a proof of that!!). Turns out, the infos we get from Extra 5, once again, make me feel like it's unlikely that it was really literally only ZZS and LJX, but-- Anyway; I did picture Lu Yu as being older than ZZS, probably a shixiong, but it's also mentioned in Qi Ye that he his technique was "worthy of ZZS' teaching"...... which makes it harder to justify him being a shixiong. I mean, some mental gymnastics can probably make it work, and after all this is only a remark coming from Jing Qi's narration, BUT. Bichen suggested he could have been trained later on by ZZS as more people left Siji in disagreement with ZZS' own politics... so why not? I like to think that ZZS was QHZ's only disciple-- the others, shixiongs and shidis, were disciples of QHZ's associates rather than his own direct disciples. Maybe he didn't want any, until he met with ZZS and figured that the kid was worthy enough of being his disciple. LJX would have been taken in by QHZ as an additional trial or training method for ZZS-- because teaching is the best way of putting your own knowledge to the test. ALL OF THIS TO SAY, i do imagine that ZZS and LJX had a peculiar relationship with QHZ that other disciples didn't have, and that it was just the two of them from the moment ZZS was chosen by QHZ to become the next leader. Bi-shu... could have been reluctant at first, then decided to believe in ZZS until years later when he figured he couldn't do TC anymore and it was time for him to go? Anyway--- I could go on for hours bc clearly I have nothing better to do w my life than to muse about some random background storylines LOL

Thanks for reading!

hc that jon and gerry met several times when gerry was alive but neither realised it was the other

•back in jon's research days where it was late and everyone had gone home except for jon who was working overtime, exited the institute and realised it was raining and as he was about to go in and wait in his office gerry comes from behind and stops to stare at the rain (he stayed late cause gertrude wanted a report done due tomorrow). jon tells him there is no use staying outside and to wait inside and they make some small talk and Gerry asks jon if he has a cigarette and they share a lighter in the rain and after smoking gerry gives up and runs in the rain to the station while jon just goes back in. neither of them remember this happening because it was dark and both of them were beyond exhausted.

•many fics are done on this but gerry going to a pub where the mechs had a show and he accidently says something out loud while they are performing and jon without breaking character responds in a flirty manner but gerry had to leave when the show ended because The Horrors caught up

•gerry used to ask someone in the library to deliver a really obscure book to the archives and the person receiving the ask used to get really stressed when they couldn't find it and jon who happened to pass by and was friends with them helped them find it because he had toured most of the library or had read the book and later it got delived to gerry by the librarian. this happened a couple more times before gerry gave up and went himself.

•they met in a thrift store where gerry was tracking a lead trying to find a very specific vintage lighter mentioned in a statement and jon was just fa-ing when he found a cool vintage lighter and went to the check out counter meanwhile gerry who was frantically looking for it saw jon casually take it and go out through the door, ran after him in an attempt to stop him only to spot a girl holding a lighter that was exactly like the one in the statement and did a full 180

•a vast avatar attempted to make a meal out of jon by first approaching by hitting on him and proceded to got interepted by a panicked gerry who realised what was happening coming in through the crowded station and slapping the avatar accusing him of cheating on him. the very confused avatar watched a very bewildered jon slowly walk away into the crowd and could do nothing as gerry yelled profanities before also walking away.

jon realises all this happened after he fully comes into his powers and regrets not having enough time with gerry to tell him about this.

Bruce has utilized his younger sibling energy to maximum effect in The Brothers Sun. His brother is an infamous, lethal assassin, whose mere reputation is enough to scare the most hardened criminals. Bruce gets him to do what he wants by threatening to snitch to their mom. Does in fact snitch and gets Charles—again, a deadly assassin—in trouble for hitting him. Later he convinces another criminal, this one unrelated to him, who also kidnapped him, to divulge her tragic backstory so he can express his sympathy and then invite her to family dinner instead of fighting his brother to the death. That’s his sister now.

Within the span of one quality time montage and like a week of hanging out together, his emotionally stunted brother becomes a softie who lets Bruce drag him into a karaoke duet and invite his girlfriend to their secret safehouse, even after the other gangsters point out what a bad idea that is. Who else is doing it like him.

Okay but why does no one talk about the INCREDIBLE SHIP NAMES the tma fandom has? LIKE. TERMINAL VELOCITY??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

maomao is so perfect like she respects the man who raised her will always listen to what he says. doesn't feel emotions strongly. hates her biological father just because. is forever loyal to the consort she served. loves money. bought a gift for that one girl who always shared gossips with her as she couldn't afford it herself liked seeing the girl happy and adored her as a lil sister even shed a tear when read her letter. is extremely good at connecting the dots. is always worried about that child consort and her heart was warmed to see the child found someone who cares for her. would harshly judge you if you didn't think the celestial nymph eunuch wasn't the most beautiful creature in the whole of creation. would run to save someone's life even getting punched wouldn't stop her. doesn't get affected by all the hanky-pankys that goes around her. might even give you her important hair stick if you are important to her. cares about her three sisters so much she'll make sure they end up with the kind of men they prefer. would hold a grudge against you if you chose her birth mother instead of her sister. very chill. can just casually wonder about the size of boobs of women the same way she always wonders about the missing equipment of the eunuchs. always thinking about abortion medicines is always making abortion medicines. loves experimenting with herbs and poisons. loves eating snakes would be extra happy if you locked her in a room with snakes as a punishment. wants to give birth once because she wants to eat her own placenta. very open-minded. always gives it her all