#reinyang

– so sometimes in a conversation he gets carried away and it turns into a Lecture

– Reinhard always listens with his heart in his throat because the way Yang looks so vividly alive in those moments, how passionately he speaks, how his eyes sparkle – it’s so hypnotizing that Reinhard just sits there frozen thinking god god please just keep talking

– but at the same time he really tries to listen and grasp the point, but when Yang goes full lecturer mode he can comment on such niche stuff that it gets kind of hard

– then Yang catches himself and gets very beautifully embarrassed and apologizes a lot like sorry i got carried away again and started rambling and probably tired you out, i’m really sorry

– Reinhard can’t immediately convince Yang that everything’s fine because his head is still ringing from how beautiful Yang looks when he’s that passionately into something

– later Reinhard will think like fuck do i need to become a goddamn sociology paper so you’d look at me like that too??

– so in the moment Reinhard is enchanted, but then after Yang leaves and Reinhard replays the visit in his head he starts spiraling

(god i love this contrast how Reinhard is legendary emperor and how he can absolutely bury himself like this)

– because he starts thinking maybe Yang would be more interested talking to someone who actually understands what he’s talking about? someone who has their own opinion on it? maybe Yang would want a debate? maybe Yang’s bored with him? is he even smart enough for Yang??

– for the next two weeks he frantically studies all the books Yang mentioned (of course alongside work because sleep and rest are for the weak), until eventually his head feels like it’s going to crack

– (none of the shit Yang mentioned becomes any clearer)

– i think Oberstein watching this lowkey hates Yang because what the hell. every time after his visits their emperor goes into a manic episode.

– he tells Hilda that we need to find for the emperor someone better. Hilda says shhh wait he just barely got out of depression bc of Yang, better let him frantically flip through books or change laws

– okay and when Yang visits again next time and he is met by an exhausted Reinhard with a dead look in his eyes he genuinely freaks out and tries to figure out what happened, war or revolution

– turns out it was an attempt to cram a graduate program into two weeks because Reinhard doesn’t know how to give up, and now he’s terribly embarrassed about all this while Yang stares at him in righteous horror (but actually in that moment Yang feels such overwhelming tenderness it’s ridiculous)

– and that’s how Yang Wenli’s tutoring side job begins

I made lists for some of the characters and relationship dynamics. Here they are, if anyone is interested.

Reinhard's list:

Yang's list:

Reinhard & Kircheis's list:

Hildegard & Reinhard's list:

And finally,

Yang & Reinhard's list:

(This one is a newer list, and a bit of a lighthearted one lol)

As you can see, a lot of these lists are very short. I'm still building them, these aren't complete by any means. I may add or remove songs as I see fit.

But also since I didn't think people would be very bothered to sit through long playlists, I reduced them to the songs I think are the absolute essentials to their characters. The ones that I think describe them the best. (Except for the siegrein list, I might have over indulged in that one. 😅)

I hope you enjoy!

"Please, dear, don't you go"

"May the night's fog cover your way"

"Even though our fates aren't meant to be"

"Like how cruel the waves hit"

"Even so my dear, please stay and don't go"

Music: "Người ở đừng về" by The Flob

The meaning of "Về" usually meant for go "back". Normally, in conversation when you don't want someone you you love go "away", we usually use "đừng đi". The word "về" usually used when you're referring to "go home"

Hmm it's hard to pick, I really like both! For different reasons, they hit different things for me.

For one, I take Reinhard/Kircheis as basically canon - outside of Annerose, Kircheis is the main motivating factor in Reinhard's life, and becomes the motivating factor after his death. It's the central, human-scale tragedy of the story, Kircheis's death both cementing Reinhard on the unstoppable path of conquest and cutting him off from potential connections that could have averted much of logh's later tragedy (if Kircheis had survived, and if their relationship had survived what Reinhard did/didn't do irt the Westerlands, he would have been a vital point of connection both between Reinhard and Yang and Reinhard and his other admirals). Kircheis is the only person we see Reinhard be well and truly tender to and seek the affection of, and I love that so much. I love the portrayal of their younger selves in the gaiden, and how much it reinforces how Kircheis regulates Reinhard and in many cases interfaces with the world for him (and it's funny to watch Reinhard be deeply annoying as a teenager. kircheis is such a saint). And I'm very interested in the fucked up parts of their relationship too - the fact the Reinhard does ultimately fall back on his class privilege to shut Kircheis down when he seriously call Reinhard into question. They're soooo.

I don't take Reinhard/Yang as canon (though I do think they're both fascinated with each other in canon) so it's so much - the potential there. The way that they measure up to each other and are such equals! The whole story is sort of a conversation between them, a kind of back-and-forth, but the narrative teases so much with the potential of them actually talking, and then we only get it once! I think together they could balance each other out in some ways - Yang's clear-minded ideals and carefully thought out morality could curb some of Reinhard's tyrannical tendencies and Reinhard's reckless love for people could perhaps convince Yang to prioritize himself occasionally. I think it would be so much fun to see a character like Yang loved with the sort of careless (frankly tactless) abandon Reinhard has, and equally it would be interesting to see Reinhard consistently challenged and called on his bullshit by someone who isn't steeped in any of the imperial deference to authority.

Trying to fit the two of them together is such a puzzle, but its one I like turning over in my head!

also, consider, Reinhard/Kircheis/Yang....

Fic: Reinhard/Yang Wenli, E-Rated, Silkpunk/Steampunk/Kitsune AU. Donation prompt by @beingevil for Geraineon. Excerpt:

The bamboo grove in the Ambassadorial Residence was the only untidy corner in the curated garden of koi and lily flowers, a dark nook of dense foliage that smelled of soil and leaf-rot. Reinhard had gone within to hide when he’d heard attendants calling his name, tired of company and needing the quiet. Now he’d been walking for an hour, swallowed in odd twilight dusk, unable to find the way back and growing increasingly frustrated. The unseasonal warmth of the grove had his crisp jacket and shirt sticking to his skin, and Reinhard muttered a curse as he stripped off the coat, folding it over his arm.

A soft laugh behind him had him whirl around, hand dropping to the ceremonial sword at his hip. An older Chinese boy sat perched on a rock that hadn’t been there before, watching him with amusement. The stranger wore his hair in a soft untidy mop over his gentle face, dressed in a plain dark blue hanfu over white inner robes. Reinhard stared. The officials and servants alike who Reinhard had seen so far wore their long hair bound under hats or pins, even the children.

“So it’s true,” the boy said, studying Reinhard intently. “You foreigners have hair the colour of new gold and skin like bleached bone.”

“Who are you?” Reinhard asked, wary. Everyone—including the governor of Changjing City—had treated Reinhard’s father and his family with polite deference. He blinked. “You speak German.”

“Not at all,” said the boy. On closer inspection, the words the boy’s lips shaped were indeed not the words that Reinhard ‘heard’. He took a step back, gripping the hilt of his sword. The boy pursed his lips. “If you’re going to be rude, I’ll leave.”

He was being rude. “I’m sorry. You startled me.” Reinhard forced his hand away from the blade. “My name is Reinhard von Müsel.”

“Yang,” Yang said.

Wedding night for Reinhard and Yang. Full version on my Patreon