Thread by @_artsy_alice

💀💜💚 captain + lieutenant #sangcheng

this idea has been frying my brain for weeks now so!! here!! BLEACH AU ft. Captain Jiang Cheng, the youngest captain of the Gotei 13 + Lieutenant Nie Huaisang, who nobody knows how he got there but he's there anyway 🤷‍♀️ (maybe a thread)

ok so actually i tried to write a fic, but it was B A D, TERRIBLE, it was depressing me so i thought ok fine i'll just draw it!!! 😭
anyways for the unfamiliar w/ BLEACH just think what if ur grim reapers were a military institution,, that's it! 👇

Jiang Cheng is the Captain of one of the 13 squads of these shinigami. there's a whole plot that happens before this like maybe Captain-Commander Wen Ruohan evil, attacking other squads,, idk,, plot stuff anyways!!! JC is his dad's lieutenant but his parents die in the attack 👇

so he's left to be the new Captain!! he is way too young & his division barracks are like, 90% decimated from this tragedy so he's like "TF AM I SUPPOSED TO DO" not to mention WWX (who is promised to be his Lieutenant when he becomes Captain is just, GONE, WWX WHERE 👇

(WWX went Vizard or smth probably, whatever the bleach equivalent of demonic cultivation is,, anyways he went off to hide in the human world & probably met human LWJ and is there flirting badly while thinking LWJ is straight this is a whole other part of the AU,, BACK TO JC) 👇

so the 6th Division is a mess, with a super young Captain w/ a possible revenge plot & anger issues, so the rest of the Captains go "ok JC, we will leave u alone to focus on rebuilding your squad, leave the war & fighting duties to us, we will also send u a proper lieutenant" 👇

and JC is Grieving & Struggling. the next day NHS pops in his office-
"hello, jiang-xiong~ i am about to deliver bad news~"
"half of my family are dead & gone, my division is in pieces, what could be worse"
"i'm your lieutenant"
"ah you're right,, that's worse"
"I KNOW RIGHT" 👇

bc you see, these 2 were in the academy together & while JC is a model student, WWX was a delinquent but talented, NHS was just,, there,, failing all his subjects! he got in the squads bc da-ge forcibly put him there! in the 11th (NMJ's) Division he mostly did,, nothing!! 👇

JC: "how are u here, you're not even a ranked officer???"
NHS: "idk either da-ge just said i'm gonna be ur lieutenant & to stop u from doing anything crazy" 😭
and then they both realize that NHS's assignment is a precaution. 👇

the other captains don't want JC doing anything drastic & just focus on his squad. if they gave him a reliable lieutenant, he can leave the rebuilding to them & go off to look for WWX or hunt down Wens etc. 👇

also, everyone knows NMJ, one of the strongest fighters in all 13 squads, and from a noble family to boot, is very protective of his little brother.
so if JC has NHS as his lieutenant, it will make him think twice before doing anything that might compromise or endanger NHS. 👇

so NHS & JC were both like "well, guess this is happening, then."
(haha this is actually an arranged marriage- i mean,, arranged military appointment AU ashfkljahlfka) 👇

they are both under-qualified for the job at hand so JC just tells NHS to not get in his way while he rebuilds his squad. NHS respects that & he follows at first. but JC is still his friend, & NHS sees him working himself to the bone, so NHS tries to do little things to help. 👇

so NHS brings him tea, reminds him to eat on time & not waste the lunch his sister made (JYL lives in this AU!!), and helps sort the paperwork. more an assistant than an actual lieutenant. he's worried he's overstepping, but JC isn't complaining so he keeps at it. 👇

the turning point comes when NHS tells JC to call it a day bc it's late & he's still in his desk, but JC brushes him off. curious, NHS takes a peek & sees that JC is writing the letters to the families of the squad members who died during the attack. he is struggling.👇

it dawns on NHS that JC didn't just lose his family, he also comrades that he worked closely with, friends he grew up with & his duty is making him confront that fact all over again. that is too much grief for just one person. 👇

so NHS lays a hand on his shoulder and says, "i can do that, if you'll let me."
JC looks at him in surprise. it's the first time NHS has volunteered for anything since being assigned to his division.
"i'm your lieutenant, right? i'm allowed to handle your correspondence." 👇

sighing, JC finally nods & says, "alright. you can handle this starting tomorrow."
so NHS handles it. it's a tough job to announce someone's death, even though they literally ARE death gods. but it's worth the rewards of not seeing his friend's shoulders so heavy with grief. 👇

and after that, JC starts to pass more tasks to NHS, mostly letters and messages. NHS complains, but he always does it anyway.
"ugh, jiang-xiong! da-ge never made me work this much!"
"just do it. you have better handwriting than me." 👇

"but ur handwriting is pretty good already! the guys at 11th always said mine is too fancy. they hire me for writing love letters."
JC brushes off the love letter bit & just scowls. "what do you expect to do as lieutenant here anyway? just hover behind people & look pretty?" 👇

NHS pouts, but grabs his pen.
"fine, but just because u called me pretty."
"really? *that* is your takeaway?"
"i like to be validated."
JC has to admit that having someone who he can just be himself with, even with his new status, eases some of the weight off his shoulders. 👇

rebuilding the squad is a tough undertaking, but they make it eventually. the new barracks & grounds are better than the old ones. all the newly-instated members are very young, but eager to learn from the infamous Jiang Cheng, youngest captain in the 13 divisions. 👇

6th division gains rep for having the best correspondence. negotiations are always smooth & prompt.
also NHS somehow convinced the captains to pose for a calendar.
"A WHAT?!" JC screams.
"for funds, a-cheng! those new barracks did not come cheap! now take ur shirt off!!!" 👇

anyways!! they are good now!! it's an unlikely team but they are killing it!! Captain Jiang is one of the most popular captains w new recruits. he is v intimidating, but it helps that Lieutenant Nie is always beside him being super nice & friendly! 👇

++ this happens eventually:
"a-sang... i don't mind when we're just in the barracks, but we're going to a captain's meeting... where *is* your sword?"
NHS blinks, then raises his fan that he always has with him. "what are u talking abt, a-cheng? i'm always carrying my sword." 👇

"that's... your fan."
"no, it's my sword. here, hold it."
JC holds it. in his hands the fan turns into an ordinary sword. "THE FUCK"
(ok so,, shinigami swords sometimes take a diff form when they are 'released' by their owner, usually reflective of the owner's fighting style) 👇

"i thought u couldnt release ur sword or smth, that's why u just leave it wherever???"
"no, no, the problem is IT RELEASES BY ITSELF lmao,, i have lots of spiritual energy bc i'm a Nie??? but my control sucks??? so it's just always in first release 😅😅😅 i thought u knew" 👇

"i didnt know! does this mean ur always casually waving a deadly weapon AT MY FACE?"
NHS hums. "well, if you say it like that..." he shrugs. "don't worry abt it, i would never hurt my precious a-cheng, whom i love sooooo much."
then he realizes what he said. "AS A CAPTAIN." 👇

"WHAT"
"l-let's just go, captain, we'll be late!"
"don't call me captain."
"but you're my captain, captain!"
"i know, but it's weird coming from you!"

(oooo they r in looove) 🙈
(ok i have to go home now)
(where more doodles are waiting to be colored!)
(to be continued!) 🥰🥰🥰

💀💚💜❤️
a mission in the living realm! for the first time in years there is a reported sighting of the elusive fugitive, Wei Wuxian! having proven their worth, JC & NHS were able to convince the other captains to let 6th Division handle his "retrieval"...
#mdzs #sangcheng

they find him! he is... chill? doing groceries in flipflops & sweatpants? aunties in the neighborhood know him? he doesn't look anything like the deadly criminal they were told about, who let his powers be corrupted to become a monster who devours innocent souls for power 🥲 👇

he is also very happy to see them! and when they tell him they are actually there to apprehend him, his only answer is this:

shafkljshf no long thread tonight bc i am very sleepy but maybe tomorrow safhkjhflakf

(maybe LWJ finally)
(to be continued!)

💀❤️💙
a fated meeting! Wei Ying, w both his shinigami & hollow powers out of control, escapes to the human world tired & beat up! thankfully a human, Lan Zhan, finds him, but there's a catch. the Lans are quincies - hunters of hollows & enemy of shinigami! 😱 #wangxian #mdzs

so #wangxian, amirite? let's go!
during the Whatever Evil Wen Ruohan Plot happened that decimated like half of the Soul Society's... society.... WWX does some hero thing for his squad & family and gets himself turned into a "vizard" 👇

(quick lore:
shinigami - grim reapers / death gods
hollow - normal soul that got corrupted before they could reincarnate, becoming monsters who eat/devour other souls
vizard - a shinigami who gained a hollow side & go berserk if they dont know how to control it) 👇

so WWX is now in his Demonic Cultivation phase, Bleach AU version lmao
and!! he can't control his hollow powers & poses a danger to everyone around him so he leaves his squad & his fam (JC) & goes to the human world to find Wen Qing & Wen Ning, who both escape before him.👇

he thinks they might be able to help him, bc WN is also a vizard (due to some some Evil Experiments sponsored by Uncle WRH idk) & WQ is a former member of the 4th (Medical) Division, who also went to help & protect her brother. but WWX has to find them first!👇

he doesn't know where to find them, he's tired, a bit wounded, and very very hungry! so he just... collapses on the ground, where a human boy finds him! he is surprised, because humans aren't supposed to see him! but LWJ is just staring at him weirdly so WWX... asks for help. 👇

now LWJ is a member of the powerful Lan clan, who are humans but who can see spirits & have powers & fight/hunt Hollows etc
he finds WWX bc he sensed hollow energy & is surprised to find a shinigami! that is... new. he's never encountered someone w/ a soul like WWX's before. 👇

WWX looks harmless tho. LWJ asks what he's doing in his city & WWX just says he's sick & needs to find his friends.
now to the Lans, the shinigami are their long-time enemy, but nowadays they have less of a 'kill-on-sight' & more of the 'glare-&-ignore' type of relationship. 👇

so LWJ gives the strange boy his lunch. WWX is grateful. LWJ watches him go.
a few days later, LWJ sees WWX again. he's human now! obviously in a fake body, but his shinigami & hollow presence seem to be more subdued. stable.
he's being chased by a big murderous hollow, tho. 👇

LWJ observes for a bit. WWX is a shinigami, right? why doesn't he fight the hollow? why is he running? where is his sword?
he waits until WWX is backed into a corner before making some spirit arrows & shooting the hollow, destroying it.
to his surprise, WWX gets ANGRY at him. 👇

wwx: what did u do that for?!
lwj: it was a hollow. evil.
wwx: that used to be a human soul! only a shinigami can do a cleansing ritual, otherwise, it's gone forever & will never reincarnate!
lwj: you're a shinigami. why didn't you cleanse it?
lwj watches the boy's face fall 👇

that makes wwx pause, and he backs away. "i'm not a shinigami anymore."
lwj wants to argue that no, wwx's soul very much still *feels* like a shinigami's to him, just... tainted... with something else. but that seems... cruel. wwx looks really upset. 👇

then wwx just says, "you should think twice about what you call evil."
then he leaves.
for the first time, it makes lwj think about his family's teachings. he's been taught that once a soul turns into a hollow, it has to be stopped immediately at all costs before it does harm. 👇

they can't show mercy to those monsters, or wait for shinigami to arrive 'cleanse' them. other souls & lives are at stake, so the Lans' policy is to eradicate them completely once they're faced against them. 👇

over the next week days wwx keeps popping up whenever lwj is on the hunt for hollows.
he always tries to tell lwj to NOT destroy the monsters.
until finally lwj gets so annoyed that he concedes...
and just leaves the hollow the tied up nicely for some shinigami to find. 👇

wwx does a victory dance & he offers to treat lwj to something! dinner! oh wait, he's poor - a snack!
lwj is baffled & he asks "what are u?"
"uhhh i'm just a regular guy haha"
but, lwj thinks, what regular guy runs around town getting hunted by hollows every other day? 👇

because that's what's happening! hollows were few & far between in gusu but since that day lwj found wwx, there's been a lot more of them.
and they're usually found stalking wwx.
so while eating the snack treat, lwj tries asking again, "why are the hollows always after u?" 👇

wwx sheepishly tells lwj about how he's a weak shinigami, which is catnip to hollows who hate shinigami but can't fight the strong ones. he's weak bc he's always trying to to keep his inner hollow at bay. he doesn't tell lwj the why or how of things, but that is enough. 👇

lwj accepts that, for now. and since wwx is *not* a shinigami... but also *not* a hollow... lwj is allowed to talk & hang out with him, right?
so lwj... lets wwx hand around him.
he's hollow catnip, which means lwj gets to train in fighting hollows. 👇

he doesn't destroy them anymore, just leaves them incapacitated & tied up.
it's makes wwx happy.
which!!! is not the goal, of course!!! lwj just decides that a happy wwx is a less annoying wwx, so he just tries not to set him off!!! it's not his smile or laugh at all! nope!!! 👇

...and eventually, we have this! 👇 #wangxian #mdzs

lwj took his totally-a-normal-human boyfriend home! we are proud of him!!! ❤️💙🥲
(hopefully he tells wwx soon that they are boyfriends lmao)
(ahsfljksaf i have to go sleepy now,, back to sangcheng next time!)

💀💜💚
an important decision has to be made... (1/2)
#sangcheng #mdzs

💀💜💚
have they bought enough souvenirs???
is it time to leave gusu sidneyland??? (2/2)
#sangcheng #mdzs

....anyways it was totally a date lmao and no they cannot reimburse the expenses but NHS has that da-ge and zixuan-ge pocket monies so they're good 😎😎😎

💀💜💚💍
P R O P E R L Y

(this conversation has been on loop in my brain for days)
#sangcheng #mdzs

...and when he actually courts him some other plot shit happens, they become busy again & the engagement lasts like,, 80 yrs before some auntie reminds them that the point of getting engaged is to get married actually 🙈 & they're just like "oh yeah we were gonna do that yeah"