aspiring boogeyman

Because I've noticed my ever-growing collection also tends to have overlapping lore. You're free to use any of these in whatever fan content you like, just be sure to tag me because I wanna see it! ESPECIALLY if it's a fic.

Headcanons:

Zaun is Culturally Artistic (feat. character headcanons)

Zaun Naming Culture (feat. character headcanons)

Firelights

Maddie Nolen

Gert (feat. Gertvi)

Teen Gertvi

Zaun's Traditional Dietary Habits

Fic Ideas:

Fluffy Happy Independent Zaun

Maddie backstory rewrite + optional supplemental reading

Revolution AU (feat. Madvi)

Zaunite Revolution arc rewrite AU

Alternate Enforcer arcs for Vi

Zaun Protector AU/Alternate Enforcer arc 2

No Noxian Invasion AU/Vi's Alternate "Selfish Act"

Machine Herald AU/Alternate Viktor Arc AU

Replacing Loris AU (Vi Gets an Alternate Companion)

Vi Prison Shenanigans

Teen Vi Meets Silco/Alternate Season 1 AU

Alternate Warwick Plot Line (feat. someone else's original post)

Vi and Jinx S1A1 Role Swap/Amnesia AU

Vi Joins Viktor's Cult AU (feat. someone else's original post)

Zaun Dads Adopt Isha (born earlier)

Vi Dies in S1A1

Vi Actually Displaying Mental Illness Symptoms/Poor Coping Mechanisms (feat. someone else's original post)

Jinx as a Firelight (gone wrong)

I know there are different "official" renditions of what Binghe looks like out there but you can't tell me adult Zuko doesn't look at least a LITTLE related to the guy.

My obsession with Liu Qingge specifically has brought this into "how can I make this a ship" territory and LISTEN-!

Somehow. Some way. Maybe he reincarnated or maybe he was punted through a portal but SOMEHOW Zuko ends up there and PLEASE I think him and Liu Qingge had to have at LEAST slept together once(1)!!! It could literally be a "far away from the sect on a mission, meets cute guy at bar and does not assume they'll meet again" situation it literally doesn't have to be complicated but GUYSS somehow it happens and then some time later Bingliu(shen) run into him somewhere (pre-relationship to really make it messy) and they're like

While Liu Qingge tries to escape IMMEDIATELY because he is NOT interested in having this conversation. This is NONE OF THEIR FUCKING BUSINESS!!

Or perhaps Zuko and Liu Qingge really hit it off and he's like "Well maybe this will help me get over them if we date/have a fling" (Zuko is on board) and Zuko even starts showing up at the peak. LBH is FUMING because he's been trying to flirt for WEEKS and then some guy who literally looks like him ("I promise you're cuter!" Shen Qingqiu insists) just swoops in and succeeds in a DAY?! WHAT DOES HE HAVE THAT BINGHE DOESNT?!

First, it's important to note I'm going off the back of one of my previous posts on Mu Qingfang. Basically I headcanon him as a deeply paranoid guy who joined the medicine peak not just to heal but also to learn poisons (because those are 2 sides of the same coin) because he views everyone stronger than him as a Threat and copes by coming up with ways to eliminate them Just In Case.

So somehow this version of Mu Qingfang runs into Zhuzhi-lang; perhaps Qian Cao originally had a different head disciple that died during the battle where they sealed Tianlang-Jun (or he simply wasn't in attendance), and disciple Mu Qingfang's first meeting with Zhuzhi-lang is in Bai Lu forest, on some kind of trip to Huan Hua. He's researching local flora and then runs into Zhuzhi-lang in his original form. He doesn't freak out or attack; after determining Zhuzhi-lang isn't hostile, he's fascinated by the possibility that he may have discovered a whole new creature. Since he thinks Zhuzhi-lang is just a monster/animal, he's less worried about him being a Threat like humans and demons are. If anything, he's curious if this snake-like being has any useful parts to use for medicines and poisons.

Zhuzhi-lang gains a fixation on this strange human and begins to follow and observe him. As the days pass, he's basically become Mu Qingfang's companion. He's more than happy to allow Mu Qingfang to study him (he practically preens when Mu Qingfang discovers Zhuzhi-lang is venomous, and eagerly harvests venom from him). Eventually, he leads Mu Qingfang to a cave, with glowing mushrooms blooming in the center of a lake...

Alternatively, disciple era Mu Qingfang (pre-sealing of Tianlang-Jun) gets sent to Huan Hua Palace with the other future peak lords on some kind of exchange program/bonding exercise. At some point a couple of Huan Hua disciples show them around the Bai Lu forest.

Mu Qingfang takes it upon himself to wander through the forest alone, looking for cool local plants after hours. Meanwhile, Tianxi is secretly meeting up and occasionally goes through the forest to do so. Zhuzhi-lang, after dropping off Su Xiyan at her window, is still in giant snake form when he stumbles upon a boy that seems to be digging through the dirt.

Mu Qingfang looks up to find two massive glowing snake eyes staring at him in the dark. He does not whip out his sword and attack; his background is such that his instinctive reaction is to freeze, observe, then (upon noting the serpent does not seem hostile) think of how to gain its favor. He offers it one of the blooms he dug up as a treat; its smell was known to be appealing to local reptiles, though it otherwise only had some mild pain-killing properties.

After slowly backing away, Mu Qingfang eventually returns to HHP, unaware that he's gained a new companion, who basically begins to stalk(?) him. Whenever he returns to the forest, he encounters Zhuzhi-lang in some capacity. His basic kindness and casual (trained) friendliness ensnares Zhuzhi-lang, who famously doesn't understand how human politeness works, and soon he's leaving gifts of all sorts in Mu Qingfang's room whenever he has the opportunity. Tianlang-Jun does everything BUT help the situation, as he gets immense joy from watching his nephew go ga-ga over some cultivator boy ("it runs in the family," he crows) and gives him terrible advice from his books.

To avoid this post becoming too long; Mu Qingfang will eventually discover Zhuzhi-lang is not just a demon, but a heavenly demon. He becomes very fascinated upon researching all the things a heavenly demon is known to be capable of, medically speaking. Such a resilient specimen, resistant to all known poisons, insane regeneration rates... this is the closest to hot and bothered Mu Qingfang has ever gotten. Perhaps especially if the timeline follows canon and Luo Binghe is revealed to have both (heavenly) demonic and human spiritual energy, before committing all that fuckshit (kidnapping MQF for 5 years to preserve his teacher's corpse and then almost ending the world til he finally got his dick wet), he may become especially motivated to discover just how invincible heavenly demons truly are...

Of course, poison, like medicine, must be tested to be proven effective. But if the target is a heavenly demon, then the subject must be as well...

Binghe swings by during a peak lord meeting, and Liu Qingge chases him out. The peak lords think it's because Binghe is technically still banned: Shen Qingqiu knows it's because Liu Qingge is still mad that Binghe woke him up by biting his ass that morning

Liu Qingge, on his way home from a mission, notices a stall with pretty fans and starts examining them. The other cultivators on the mission share pitying glances, because "poor Peak Lord Liu; pining over a man who's smitten with another!" But actually Liu Qingge is staring at this One Fan because he's 95% certain it's one of Shen Qingqiu's custom-made ones, and now he's debating whether to check if Shen Qingqiu is at a nearby inn to confirm or just skip to fighting the stall owner for stealing his boyfriend's fan

Binghe calls Liu Qingge "husband". Everyone thinks he's being sarcastic, especially when Liu Qingge rolls his eyes. (He is rolling them because they're not married yet. "Yet," Binghe will repeat.)

Shen Qingqiu tries to convince Liu Qingge to "give Binghe a chance". Others think he's trying to get Liu Qingge and Binghe to become friends, oblivious to Liu Qingge's true feelings. In reality, Shen Qingqiu is trying desperately to get Liu Qingge to forgive Binghe for the second ass-biting incident and to let Binghe back into their bedroom (as Binghe has been exiled to separate quarters until further notice).

Bingliu starts dueling in public and everyone shakes their head and sighs, like "poor Shen Qingqiu. Will those two ever get along?" Not knowing this is considered foreplay in bingliu language. Shen Qingqiu is perfectly happy to let them tire each other out.

Liushen going through town on their day off, looking at matching couple's accessories together and buying a set. Sightings spark terrible rumors of a possible affair. Meanwhile, liushen was just looking for a reasonable gift for Binghe, who loves finding ways to match outfits/accessories with his husbands all the time.

Binghe whining and complaining to Shen Qingqiu about how "unbearable" Liu Qingge is. He is upset that Liu Qingge still won't forgive him for the ass-biting. It's not his fault Liu Qingge's ass is so shapely!

I don't know if every peak HAS to learn how to fight, but several of them canonically do, even those with other focuses (such as Qing Jing). So it's reasonable to assume that even the medicine peak at least learns basic self-defense.

So in my head I figure (esp. Considering it's a literal different world) that the expectations of what a doctor should or shouldn't do would be a little different. If these disciples are meant to be something between a doctor and a fighter, I think their discipline would come out looking like something akin to if doctors were required to complete their residency training as combat medics.

Which means the Hippocratic Oath and related regulations would probably look very different there. I think Kill If Necessary and Not Everyone Deserves Treatment would be acceptable philosophies. I headcanon Qian Cao disciples would be trained to be efficient in both ends of the medical practice: healing and harming. After all, the saying goes: the dose makes the poison. When learning to heal someone, you also learn how to kill them.

Which is basically to say, I think Mu Qingfang (and his disciples) are just as much a poisons peak as they are a medicine peak. If they're meant to have combat experience/training, I think they'd also learn very quickly to always be prepared and always plan ahead, especially if a one-to-one fight isn't their strong suit. This would make Mu Qingfang a very shrewd and cunning person. He's perfectly friendly- was made head disciple for his impeccable bedside manner- but that friendliness was trained and is also partially calculated. He's not the smartest peak lord, but a man like him wouldn't leave things up to chance and faith.

My headcanon for him is that he grew up in poverty, and likely saw a lot of death and illness during his childhood. This drove him to dedicate himself to medicine, but I also think the dangers of growing up in a rough environment made him naturally wary of everyone, especially those with lots of power, be it financially or physically etc. I think this eventually causes him to develop a habit of creating "backup plans" on what to do if powerful people try to hurt him or others, even if he's friends with them.

I think they start as general "oh I could use x as blackmail on this guy" or "I'll ruin her social life" kind of strategies that usually just end with the person being sent away somehow (forcing the neighborhood bully to move, sending a man to jail, just shaming someone hard enough to keep them from showing their face again).

Once he starts at the sect, I think this would evolve into figuring out how to eliminate someone. Cultivators can get away with a hell of a lot. Especially the ones at the top. Normal prisons don't hold them, and sects tend to close ranks around perpetrators and brush the misdeeds of their favored members under the rug. Not any different from any other organization, but it can be far more dangerous when the perpetrators are literally junior immortals. So, eventually, disciple era Mu Qingfang started brewing poisons and growing plants designed to target cultivators.

Not always to kill them; he doesn't actually even like violence! In fact, learning how these plants interact with human qi has been monumental for advancements in medical treatments. He's just as enthusiastic to discover the ways in which the roots of one plant interact with the leaves of another to create a soothing balm for rashes caused by mild demonic qi poisoning!

It's simply instinct at this point to also note the ways in which it can cause disruptions in qi flow or restrict the trachea. He spends almost as much time learning how these medicines can be repurposed for getting rid of problems. Some are designed to destroy a person's cultivation core, or tangle their meridians, or leech off their qi just enough to keep them weak for really long time.

To that end, I can imagine this version of Mu Qingfang having an entire study dedicated to what to do with Luo Binghe. The second it was discovered that Binghe is half heavenly demon, Mu Qingfang breaks out all the tomes he can find that even allude to them. Diagrams, diaries, old artifacts. He can't use Binghe as a live test subject, but I think he'd work around that by learning as much as he could secondhand. Binghe has both demonic and human qi; this suggests 2 cores, or a singular hybridized core that can produce both in turns. He controls or traces people with his blood? Main theory is blood bites, like an overactive immune system he can manually command. His dual qi also causes double immunity from substances that infect or leech his abundant qi? Then it's likely he has 2 cores instead of 1 hybrid, and may even have extra or more robust qi pathways to compensate for the burden.

Conclusion: the main obstacles to taking down a half heavenly demon are the mites, the 2 qi types, and the abundance of qi. Poisons that are most effective would either target the mites first, or would be able to slip by them undetected before attacking the meridians. If mites are like semi-sapient white blood cells, it was unlikely he could effectively create a poison that would go undetected by them without testing it first. So he'd have to focus on a poison that could kill or temporarily decommission them instead...