tl;cr meme

[marriagebroker]

post your character, people reply, give them the deets. you know how this goes.

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[poans]

It wasn't important. All of that paled next to Yingying's proffered payment of a sachet for a much needed discount. He was instantly curious and, though at first somewhat contrite over what she'd given up, upon explanation found that it would be a good thing for the sachet to travel these parts. After all, Yingying's goal was to keep the memory of the fete alive. She was making the most of the now, though it made him wonder about the future again. Yingying was, in her own way, struggling like a flightless chicken as the Wisteria Fairy without a village to bless. This isn't as nihilistic as it sounds despite his sentiments at the second ceremony, as Yi Sang becomes cross with Dongrang for cutting the wings off of chickens and robbing them of the ability to fly before they can realize it in canon.

Incidentally, the flower bracelet balloon was so poorly made that one must give Yingying props for taking it with such appreciation. Of course, when she teased him about wanting to get on everyone's good side, his earnest reply was that he intended for the balloons to be gifts. There was yet to be any particular desire for reciprocation, not until the hot springs, where he was both more reactive and proactive after realizing from his date with Odile that he could, in fact, have his wings.

There, Yi Sang stuttered more and was generally emotional in his responses to where he looked off in embarrassment at Yingying's teasing of his genuinely mortifying secret. Later, he would take time to dwell on the subject of Dongrang, and how he fumbled a pivotal moment between them before the League's dissolution. In the moment itself, he readily took to the suggestion of finding Yingying's card through the process of elimination. He narrowed his options down to two, which ironically happened to be Yingying and Odile's secrets. Imagine that! Upon learning about her energy-related needs, he thought that perhaps her tactility up to now had been related to this, but corrected himself when she shot his unspoken offer down. Her concern for his rested state meant she couldn't have been siphoning energy from unknowing players, and this only fueled his desire to give even more; however, he respected that she was looking after herself, though he did push back on the idea that anyone would find keeping her company exhausting. She was well-liked and had friends all around them. In the end, he deferred to her choices and headed to the wisteria once she vanished. Yi Sang's giving love languages are acts of service and gifts, but, as quality time is something he greatly prizes, he also ends up giving it as a byproduct, which worked out in their favor.

While Yi Sang chose Odile for the ceremony and vice versa, his words, like hers, were meant for the players at large. He had learned to smile again and used this opportunity to relay his gratitude to everyone, including Yingying. Although he hadn't dreamed about her like she'd teased, he mentioned the broken branch he might have played with friends as a boy in tribute to her. Odile's poetic exercises had been instrumental in his acceptance of a brighter future, but the dream Yingying had bestowed unto him had guided his slantwise gaze to another source of abundance. Without Yingying's influence, he would have been hard-pressed to reflect on this and realize where he'd previously erred in his relations with people. He grasped now that despair, though inevitable, must be met with unchanging resilience like the wisteria's blooms and the reflection of the moon in the pond. What a change from his grim view of his own reflection on the water's surface a few weeks prior, no? Through Yingying, he'd grown his empathy and the understanding between two like spirits, hence soar[ing] by their side. Yi Sang had still yet to decide on what path he should embark on, but his resolve was decided on how he would greet that future, and Yingying deserved a lion's share of the credit for that leap of faith.

After all the comments that had been made about him and Yingying throughout the week, to say nothing of Aventurine's inebriated intervention where he'd relayed Yingying's romantic intentions, Yi Sang dared to approach her in the subsequent discussion. Unsure of the verity of Aventurine's remarks, he nevertheless chose to investigate than leave things to fester as he had previously done. And so, he asked to speak by the wisteria where her physical body sat, because, while he didn't necessarily view the illusion as something fake, he wanted to see all of her in this moment. (Incidentally, the distinction between want and wish became all the more pronounced at this stage. All along, want was something within the realm of possibility while a wish was fanciful. His fixation with granting Yingying's wishes, no matter how small or big, was born out of the want to reduce such a gap for her.) One might have even argued that it was less of a want and more of a necessity, which was why he refused to bend with the gentle breeze when granted her grace for his blindness.

He launched straight into addressing the potential rift without preamble before it could grow and cause harm. Yingying, true to herself, downplayed the significance of her heart when she responded to the unspoken with total understanding. Yi Sang realized then that he had wronged Yingying, and revisited all of his exchanges with her and others on the spot. His sin was never looking directly at the heart of a matter, which meant his vision was always blurred in some way and caused him to miss what had been right in front of him all along. Now able to see the recent past with more clarity, he understood the many implications that had been uttered his way, including that of Luka's. So he took the active approach and apologized, as it was the right thing to do, and because he was also deeply chagrined by his inattention after all that she'd given him.

At this point, Yi Sang still struggled to comprehend what sort of affection he held for Yingying. All he knew was that Yingying "like-liked" him, and that Wei Wuxian suspected similarly from his end. For someone who'd never thought in such terms before and preferred to have all the pieces before making a decision, he couldn't speak with confidence. Fond, however, was a word he understood. It was a precious feeling entrenched in the sentimentality so intrinsic to him that he grasped it straightaway once Yingying used it. Then the feeling that had been growing in his taxidermied body must have been love.

His confidence swelled in that familiarity, and he returned her feelings as he gave himself to her with a kiss. Reciprocating everything she'd shyly passed his way up to this very moment, he spoke as the autumn to her spring. He beckoned at the future and asked what she wanted of him with fully open ears and no biased lenses. The luster once thought lost returned and the world became impossibly bright through their unfiltered connection. With the white walls down, the air cleared and a sheer burst of colors accompanied the unmistakable feeling of being alive as the fragrance of her blooms sprouted in his slowly closing void. With that, his heart was finally hers.

From that point onward, he became more outspoken and doting around Yingying, though he was still a bit confused by her insistence that he resembled Eeyore. Is that really how he looks to others . . . He might have been self-conscious about it, but at least the sentiment seemed to be a sweet one. For her sake, he also tried to rest more and, in fact, enjoyed a better quality of sleep from how contented he was. If he struggles to sleep nowadays, it's because of the sheer excitement for what lies ahead. He was still a touch shy in the sense that so much of this was new to him, but he truly wanted to do his earnest best for Yingying. To that end, he shared what was on his mind more readily and went out of his way to find a headband for her. Yi Sang had missed colors back when he resided at T Corp., especially those of the sky, but things were more vibrant than ever with the fog of depression lifted. Wanting to admire Yingying in all her radiance and floral glory, he was determined to spend each waking moment without regrets. Theirs was a mutual discovery of her wanting to see all sides of him and his, to walk alongside her as opposed to wandering after or glancing at her out of his periphery. It was, by his reckoning, an ideal arrangement. His feet ached in the aftermath of their date, but, rather than tired like he'd been upon arriving on the set, he was very happy.

In order to honor his vow of transparency with Yingying, he shared what details he could about his stint at N Corp. once the summary of it came to light. This was a time of contrition for Yi Sang, who'd never wanted his playthings to be abused for unscrupulous practices. Dismayed by her very kind image of him, he confessed to his share of morally reprehensible deeds that survival in the City mandated, which weighed heavily on him for going against his faint-hearted nature. While he understood that Yingying also had a colored history—the tales of which he'll patiently and eagerly await to hear in the days to come—he didn't wish for misunderstandings to arise and admitted to his fits of sloth and apathy. As ever, she responded with empathy and acknowledged the positives while he dwelled on the negatives. She was grateful for the path he'd taken to come here, and so was he. As stated in the brackets, he'd been prepared to die before finding what he sought. A part of him had wanted to die, so much so that if Luka had strangled him on the first day, he would have welcomed death without resistance. But he persisted, if with shambling steps, and doing so led him to his precious fellows at the game, regardless of their opinions of him. Even now, he's fully of the belief that they saved his life.

Given the opportunity, he asked if he could accompany Yingying, so that he might continue to share in forward discovery with her. His one caveat was that someday he would have to revisit the City in order to address his old colleagues and the potential effects of his technology running amok under N Corp.'s supervision, which he couldn't discuss aloud on set. The estate had been peaceful in ways he'd rarely known in his world, and he has no intentions of dragging Yingying into that mess unless she'd like to accompany him of her own will. When she brought up Odile, he was quite honestly over the moon at the idea of spending more time with both of them. Odile is precious to him, too, but what really sparked joy for him was how Yingying had decided on a wish for herself by hoping to retrieve her body. Regardless of its potential state, he knew it would be beautiful for the simple fact that her essence would remain the same, though he did mourn the illusion as an extension of her.

Like a true Wisteria Fairy, she brought attention to his own wish, which was in flux at this juncture. He was still deciding if he should use it for himself with regard to his business at the City, which he thought he should perhaps tackle on his own power, or simply hand it off to a fellow in need, because his truest wishes—to find connection and to fly—had already come true. She, as well as the others, had helped them come true. So now was the time for her wish, such that he asked if he could help with the making of a sachet to bless her heartfelt desire. Knowing that she'd once made them with her mothers, he thought there should be at least one that treasured her wish on their behalf.

As sweet as all of this was, there was a slight tension in the air after the mixed reception to the voice-over of everyone's secrets. He was thankful for the fireworks requested of Wei Wuxian by Yingying, and did his part in setting them off to diffuse some of that awkwardness. While many of his thoughts on previous relationships heretofore were centered on Gubo and Dongrang, this moment was exclusively devoted to Dongbaek, who loved fireworks as they reminded her of the stars and flowers in their hometown. With this, Yi Sang was able to revisit the past and overlay some of his lingering grief with a newfound warmth, while also strengthening his conviction to track them down in the near future.

Now that he knew how to gaze upon her heart, he actually understood what Yingying was trying to relay through song at the final celebration. Only, he was cautious to not make assumptions until she confirmed it herself, though he did take the initiative to grasp her by the fingers according to the lyrics. It was an unspoken promise to be there at her side and to hold her for as long as they were together. His touch dwelled here, in case the illusion he'd come to know and cherish would fade for good come morning with the rise of her flesh body.

When her wish was granted, so, too, was his for her since the start of the game. Yingying was free, and he was resolute not to look away for a second so that she might spy her reflection in his eyes. Remembering her mothers, he sealed his promises to her with a kiss. For Yi Sang, a kiss is a valuable expression—a deliverance of love, and this was why he was and still is willing to let her have as many as she wants in place of words. That she'd stay with him in turn filled his heart with even more abundance than once stated. Yi Sang knows that loss is inevitable, but that just makes this vow between them all the more precious. He's now looking forward to soaring and making all manner of discoveries with her. Yingying is the love of his life, and he'll happily toil away for her at the facility upon accompanying her to her world, fulfilled at last by a noble purpose.

NOW I'M FREE.