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 Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 9:59 pm
Quote: Snow Glow (15) : On especially cold nights, strange puffs of light rise from the snow like warm steam--only this 'steam' glows in soft, sparkling colors and moves in slow, liquid shapes, like wax escaped a lava lamp and is rising towards the sky. Scientists insist it’s an unusual, but natural, phenomenon caused by pressure and temperature changes, but that doesn’t explain how the lights react when you reach for them--swirling around your fingers like playful, weightless ribbons. Sometimes, around these strange pockets, the snow beneath your feet glimmers when you step near the lights, and coming into contact with the glow results in it clinging to your skin or clothes in faint, shimmering patches. The luminescent residue fades after a few hours and has no lasting effects.
Of course, there had been a big fat interruption in the middle there in the form of a certain deer man from outer space, but that had turned out to be stupid and pointless anyway, because apparently her not having the same feelings at the exact same time as him was a crime, or what the ******** ever. No, she wasn't still seething about her breakup, that was for people who were emotionally affected by things like breakups, and Lianhua was not.
So she'd called up Shuangxu's cute friend from the end of the world. Dunnottar. Shulang, actually. And she'd asked him out to a nice dinner, which had actually been pretty enjoyable (if not as swooningly romantic as she might have wished, to take her mind off Winston) and now they were having a nice walk through the park, and....it was snowing.
Ice cold, and snowing, and there were lights rising out of the snow.
"Oh," Lianhua said, softly. "Shulang, come look at this! Isn't it beautiful?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 10:21 pm
Shulang felt... weird about going on a date with the sister of a friend. His first friend in a long time, actually. Hell, probably ever since Avery had disappeared. At least, though, Avery had shown back up, so he had more than one friend in his life at a time, which... had that actually ever happened before? He wasn't sure. Anyway. Dating the sister of one of his two entire friends in the world seemed... dangerous. But, well, he figured it couldn't hurt to try. Maybe they'd make a good connection. And really, he had enjoyed the dinner they had together. She was smart, cute, funny. He just wasn't sure if he was feeling anything he was supposed to be feeling. Turning his gaze from the horizon, he looked to where Lianhua indicated. "Oh. Wow. Nice to tun into some harmless magical happenings," he commented with a little laugh, looking at the way the snow lit up the night. He hoped it was harmless, at least.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 10:37 pm
Lianhua hummed, stepping towards the glow and reaching her fingers out--which seemed silly, because obviously it wouldn't be tangible, except that it sort of was. It flowed around her fingers, and she giggled, delighted by the little bit of magic in front of her.
"This is...really special," she said, softly.
....and she wished it was happening with Winston.
Damn it. She'd never been so messed up over a relationship before. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just get over it?
At least she only felt a little bad, dragging Shulang along for this. Frankly, it was sort of convenient that she'd felt whatever the exact opposite of a spark was with him over dinner--he was nice, sure, and she liked spending time with him, but she had a feeling that there was just nothing happening there. (And she sort of had a theory as to why.)
Alas. She'd tried. She turned back to Shulang, smiling a little sadly.
"Tonight has been really nice," she started, and then she couldn't quite make the rest of the words come out. "But I...Ah..."
Really, seriously, what was wrong with her?
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 1:51 pm
Shulang hummed in agreement. It was special, watching the way the world got all quiet and pretty. Even if he didn't like admitting it to himself, much less someone else, he could do it. Especially when he was ostensibly on a date. Human connection was just difficult, even when he actually tried. And apparently, Lianhua seemed to think he was difficult. That "but" couldn't have been anything good. And he'd made a genuine attempt. He wanted to try to cultivate a relationship. Didn't it usually take people several tries before they were sure they wanted to "go steady" with someone, anyway? Maybe his feelings would develop. Or maybe they wouldn't. He supposed if some people were sure they wanted to continue on the first date, some people would be sure they wouldn't want to continue on the first date, too, even without the other person being a colossal a*****e. "But there's no spark," he asked, though phrased it as more of a statement. He wouldn't kid himself.
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 4:56 pm
Oh, thank ********, he said it. Lianhua actively relaxed, letting out a very hefty sigh.
"It's not that I don't think you're cute. You absolutely are, and I like hanging out with you. It is literally a me problem, and I will not dump the details on you because it's stupid. But....yeah, not exactly feeling the spark?" She looked a little guilty, scuffing her boot in the snow and disturbing the pretty light swirls again.
"I just...I have a question. I'm sorry if this is rude, and I get it if you don't know, but, uh, have you ever...felt the spark...with any woman?"
Lianhua just. Sort of had a feeling, itching in the back of her brain. And maybe she couldn't know for sure, but she really did sort of have a theory.
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 6:17 pm
Shulang nodded, curiosity mildly piqued, but she probably had other, better people-person type of people to turn to for advice about... whatever her problem was. He was... definitely not the best. Her question, however, surprised him, and his brow furrowed as he considered this over a long moment. "I... haven't, no," he confessed. "Though, ah... I thought it was a me problem. Similarly, you don't deserve the details dumped on you, though not because it's stupid, because it's.... I'll just say someone should've been arrested." That was the closest he'd ever come to telling literally anyone what had happened to him. His heart rate shot through the roof, nerves fraying at the edges, but he tried to keep himself steady as he kicked up some swirly snow lights. He did enjoy Lianhua's company, and he... wouldn't mind having her in his life as another friend. He figured if she was about to drop some kind of advice on him (which it certainly sounded like she was ready to do, given the question), she may as well get a small inkling of... Well. He sucked in a deep breath and tried to let the thoughts and memories fall away from the forefront of his mind.
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 6:22 pm
Oh, ouch. Yeah, Lianhua did not think she was the one to tell your deepest held life-changing secrets and trauma to--it was probably better that Shulang didn't go to her for that kind of thing because she was remarkably s**t at genuine emotion, apparently.
"It....could be," she acknowledged, "but also, like...have you ever felt differently about guys? Because you might just. You know. Be gay. Like, Shuangxu has never once looked at a woman." And now he was followed everywhere by a beefcake who had come straight out of a trashy romance novel.
"The answer can be no, some people just aren't into anybody for whatever reason, but, like...maybe think about it?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 6:28 pm
Shulang had literally never considered that before. Or if he had, he'd repressed it so hard he genuinely didn't remember that. Part of him thought yeah, of course he'd repress that s**t, after... everything. "It's... something to think about," he mumbled, heat rushing to his cheeks as he thought of the way he'd seen Ziuhoi the other night, pretty and making (Dunnottar, at the time) stop for a moment, completely speechless. "You... might be right."
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 6:36 pm
The way Shulang's cheeks heated up, Linahua grinned in the way of someone who had just discovered a secret. If he was getting that blushy, she'd bet good money there was someone very specific he was thinking of.
Good. Shulang deserved nice things. And if the boy making him all blushy wasn't a Nice Thing, Lianhua would simply socially punish him for it. As you did to protect your friend's honor.
"Thanks for tonight, anyway. It was nice to get out and spend time with a friend. And....I hope you figure your stuff out. It's nice to have that answer."
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