welcome to Silently Into The Night
Hello and welcome! We are a modern-day reincarnation AU of the novel/donghua/drama Mó Dào Zǔ Shī, also known as Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Chén Qíng Lìng, or The Untamed. The characters have been reincarnated into modern day, where some have regained their memories of their cultivation days, while others have not yet. Original characters are accepted, but please have a good story for them if they were a cultivator in their past life. The RP takes place in Palo Alto, California, and is set in the current year.
Modern Reincarnation AU
silently into the night redeim
Blueprint is a premade Proboards v5 theme designed and built by punki of Adoxography and Pixel Perfect. SILENTLY INTO THE NIGHT is the work of REDEIM. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Mó Dào Zǔ Shī is copyright Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. All images belong to their original owners.
updates
JULY 07, 2020
And we're officially open! Feel free to leave questions or chat with us in the cbox. :)
JULY 06, 2020
Soft opening of the site!
Show 'n Tail (Nie Mingjue) TW [COMPLETED]
Nie Mingjue
MDZS Character
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Jul 25, 2020 9:26:30 GMT -8
Post by Nie Mingjue on Jul 25, 2020 9:26:30 GMT -8
Mingjue considered Meng Yao's explanation of his clothing preference and said, "That is noted for the future. I had never really talked to you or seen you outside of the context of work at that point, so I had a limited data set."
He was pleased that he'd thought of a reasonable choice of food, and told Meng Yao, "I'll make that then. It was one of the things that I was planning to cook sometime this week."
He did not add the note of on a night that Xichen wasn't staying at his place. He wasn't sure that was something that he wanted to talk to Meng Yao about right then.
When Meng Yao asked about a shower, he replied, "There's a shower in the bathroom in the guest suite, it's basically it's own almost apartment within the house. I think that my parents might have been planning on renting it to a friend or bringing grandparents over or renting it to grad students or something when they bought the house, but it's still a part of the house itself. I'll have to make sure that there are towels and shampoo and conditioner and soap in there. I know that there's hand soap at the sink because I sometimes use the second kitchen for making things that involve a lot of spices, but no one's used it as a primary restroom in a while."
He wasn't really sure how Meng Yao would react to the sprawl that was the house that his parents had decided was clearly the right fit for their at the time small family that had never grown to fit it and then had shrunk to just make the space ridiculous. There was a part of him that was happy though that he had the space to offer Meng Yao both some privacy and not to be alone.
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Meng Yao
MDZS Character
No
Pansexual
SingleAF
Velexa
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Jul 25, 2020 9:40:08 GMT -8
Post by Meng Yao on Jul 25, 2020 9:40:08 GMT -8
Meng Yao took note of the seemingly large house that Mingjue lived in, especially for only him and his brother. "Why use the second kitchen for things with lots of spices?" he asked, "Does Huaisang not like the smell?"
He felt a chill run down his spine and sneezed twice into the sweater, "now I get to launder this too," he said to no one in particular. He somehow managed to burrow deeper into the sweater, hoping to stay warm until he could shower. He did not want to catch a cold.
He thought about tomorrow night, he really didn't want to go back to work, not so soon. "You think the boss man will let me have tomorrow off?" his voice was smaller than it had been when he was teasing his friend.
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Nie Mingjue
MDZS Character
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Jul 25, 2020 12:47:43 GMT -8
Post by Nie Mingjue on Jul 25, 2020 12:47:43 GMT -8
Mingjue shook his head and said, "I don't cook all spicy things in there, just that most of the things I do cook in there are spicy. It's really useful for if I'm making things like chili pastes from scratch and have to have them on the stove for hours. And it's easier to not fill all the upstairs bedrooms with the smell of chili paste for the next week if I do it that way. And it means that I can cook dinner at the same time."
Mingjue shook his head and said, "You can just dump in the hamper in the laundry room and I'll run it through the wash with everything else that goes through the wash. Do you want to swing by your place to pick up clothes and stuff? I can just lend you something, but I don't know if you'd be more comfortable with your own things."
When Meng Yao expressed the vulnerability of wanting to not have to go into work the next evening, Mingjue nodded and said, "He'll let you, for sure. He's good about this type of thing. Did he tell you why he started the club in the first place?"
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Meng Yao
MDZS Character
No
Pansexual
SingleAF
Velexa
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Jul 25, 2020 13:43:54 GMT -8
Post by Meng Yao on Jul 25, 2020 13:43:54 GMT -8
"I suppose two kitchens could be useful," Meng Yao said. He'd never done cooking that required things to boil for hours so the thought of a second kitchen had never occurred to him.
He debated about going home to grab clothes, "if we went to my place to grab clothes, you'd have to come inside with me. And follow me into my room and be outside my closet door..." he trailed off, realizing that he was telling Mingjue just how shaken he was by admitting how close he'd need him. "No, if it's okay, I'd rather just borrow your clothes."
Meng Yao shook his head at the question, "why did he start the club? I've never asked. It's a strip club, so I didn't think it would have a moving origin story."
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Nie Mingjue
MDZS Character
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Jul 25, 2020 14:24:12 GMT -8
Post by Nie Mingjue on Jul 25, 2020 14:24:12 GMT -8
Mingjue listened to Meng Yao explain what would happen if they went to his place to pick stuff up, and said, "It's OK if you just want to borrow something. I'll find something that works for you."
Mingjue said, "I've not heard the story in detail, but from just bits and pieces he's dropped over the years I've been working there. He and his boyfriend and his best friend all moved out here in the late seventies from the Bible belt because that's understandably not a fun place to be queer, especially not in the late seventies. And the boss was a bouncer and the two of them danced at a couple different places to get by. None of them liked that at least half the issues that boyfriend and the best friend faced were from bosses and other staff at the places that they danced, and they'd started saving up to start a place of their own that wouldn't do that. They never did manage to open it up together, but after the two of them passed away, the boss ended up managing to save up and start the place after all. It's why he's very very serious about the bouncers being good and people not being allowed to mess with the dancers. I guess it's kind of heartwarming."
He glanced at Meng Yao as they took the exit from the freeway, getting close to home, to see how he seemed to be doing. He looked cold, even with how burrowed into the hoodie he was, but Meng Yao suspected that dunking his head in a fountain would do that. He asked, "Do you want me to dig out flannel pajamas for you for after your shower? They've got a drawstring, so they should be workable, though you might have to roll up the bottom of the pants legs."
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Meng Yao
MDZS Character
No
Pansexual
SingleAF
Velexa
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Jul 25, 2020 14:36:44 GMT -8
Post by Meng Yao on Jul 25, 2020 14:36:44 GMT -8
Meng Yao hadn't known any of that about the owner. "I hope I haven't been an ass to him in the past..." He'd feel guilty if he'd made things harder on the boss. But then again, he owned a gay strip club, he had to know that some level of bitchiness came with the territory, right?
"Yes please to the flannel, I'm freezing," he said, shivering again and wrapping his arms around his legs, which was a very awkward position in a car. "As much as I needed it, dunking my head in a fountain at night was not my smartest move."
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Nie Mingjue
MDZS Character
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Jul 25, 2020 15:02:08 GMT -8
Post by Nie Mingjue on Jul 25, 2020 15:02:08 GMT -8
Mingjue laughed a little and said, "I'm sure you've been fine. The boss is a pretty straightforward guy, so I'm pretty sure that he'd have told you if you were doing something that he didn't want. He tries to leave the dancers their personal space as much as possible, and to hire good bouncers."
He nodded to Meng Yao agreeing to the flannel and said, "You looked cold. If the fountain helped, it helped, and a warm shower and something warm to drink, and the flannel should solve the problem. I'll make you some herbal tea while you shower and I cook if you want. Do you have a preference on that front?"
He pulled into the garage and quickly pulled out his phone and texted Huaisang letting him know that they had a guest. He got a slightly misspelled reply that Huaisang was already in bed, and Mingjue replied that he would explain later.
He told Meng Yao, "Huaisang's already in bed, don't worry about noise though, unless it's really really loud. Everything is pretty far apart in the house, and the sound insulation is pretty good."
He led the way in from the garage and pointed to the right saying, "Laundry room is through here, I'm going to duck in and grab you one of the towels. If you end up needing a fresh one in the morning and I'm not up yet, you can come in here and get one."
He then ducked into the room and grabbed a big, fluffy, dark green towel from the storage closet that held a lot of the spare linens along one wall. He led Meng Yao through the kitchen, saying, "I'll be out here cooking and stuff, but I should be able to hear if you call for me from the guest suite from here unless you're really quiet."
He continued through the family room area and to the door to guest suite, leading Meng Yao down the short flight of stairs and gesturing at the room that they'd entered, "The guest suite. Bedroom's that door, bathroom's that one. I can leave the flannel pajamas right outside the bathroom door if you want to go ahead and shower, or we can go get them if you'd rather. I'll put fresh bedding on the guest bed as well, since it's been a while since it's seen any use."
The rooms were clean and well taken care of, but Mingjue honestly went into them to dust and open the windows for some fresh air more often than he actually used them considering how big the house was.
[[OOC: for reference, Nie House Layout: silentlyintothenight.boards.net/thread/110/nie-family-home ]]
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Meng Yao
MDZS Character
No
Pansexual
SingleAF
Velexa
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Jul 25, 2020 15:12:11 GMT -8
Post by Meng Yao on Jul 25, 2020 15:12:11 GMT -8
Meng Yao followed Mingjue inside, taking it all in, "you weren't kidding, this is a lot of house," he said.
"If you don't mind leaving the flannels here, then that'd be great," he opened the bathroom door and peeked inside, "ummm, shampoo and maybe a washcloth... and I'll need another towel," he pointed to his head, still wrapped in a towel, "for my hair."
He didn't like washing his hair with only shampoo, but he wasn't at his own house and had declined going to his beforehand, so he needed to make do with what he was given. "Do you have chamomile tea?" he asked, barely remembering to answer the tea question.
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Nie Mingjue
MDZS Character
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Jul 25, 2020 16:30:30 GMT -8
Post by Nie Mingjue on Jul 25, 2020 16:30:30 GMT -8
Mingjue grumbled, "I know. I don't know what my parents were thinking. There's an entire upstairs too."
He asked, "I have a blend with chamomile, lemongrass, and mint, does that work? There might be some plain chamomile somewhere in the cupboard, and I can definitely make that if I can find it and you'd prefer, but I'm not sure on that one."
Mingjue glanced inside and realized that he'd not replaced the toiletries other than the hand soap in a while, he'd possibly moved them at some point. He said, "Let's go get the things you need for the shower really quickly."
He led the way back the way they'd came, to the laundry room's storage closets again and grabbed a second towel and a washcloth, clearly from the same set as the first, along with an unopened bottle of the shampoo and conditioner that Huaisang preferred and Mingjue used because it was simpler than choosing one of his own. It was lightly scented with orchid, jasmine, and orange blossoms, but those were familiar enough scents to Mingjue from tea for them to not be overwhelmingly floral.
He brought them over to Meng Yao and asked, "Does this work? I thought that you might also want the conditioner, since everyone I know with longer hair seems to. I'll go grab the flannel and bedding as soon as I put the water on for tea."
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Meng Yao
MDZS Character
No
Pansexual
SingleAF
Velexa
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Jul 25, 2020 16:43:02 GMT -8
Post by Meng Yao on Jul 25, 2020 16:43:02 GMT -8
Meng Yao nodded, "that sounds better than just chamomile."
He followed Mingjue out and gathered the other supplies for his shower in his arms. When Mingjue handed over the conditioner and made his comment, a tear fell from Meng Yao's eyes. He didn't even know his emotions were that close to the surface that a little kindness would make them bubble over.
He felt like he'd floated out of his own body as he watched himself sink to the floor, tears falling freely now but no sound coming out of him.
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm like this," he said, no emotion in his voice despite the tears. "I should go shower," he tried to get up but didn't seem to have the strength anymore. He curled in on the towels and bathing supplies as quiet sobs started wracking his body.
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Nie Mingjue
MDZS Character
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Jul 25, 2020 16:50:21 GMT -8
Post by Nie Mingjue on Jul 25, 2020 16:50:21 GMT -8
Mingjue was a little concerned when Meng Yao sank to the ground, tears falling down his face, though he'd known that tears were a distinct possibility sometime tonight. He saw Meng Yao try to stand up, but clearly he was very very overwhelmed.
He knelt beside Meng Yao on the floor and said, "Hey, the floor in here isn't going to be super comfortable. I'm going to take you out to the living room so that you can be on the couch. Is it OK if I pick you up to get you out there?"
He waited to touch Meng Yao until he got the other man's approval, wanting to make sure that he wasn't pushing past any boundaries or making him uncomfortable.
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Meng Yao
MDZS Character
No
Pansexual
SingleAF
Velexa
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Jul 25, 2020 17:04:33 GMT -8
Post by Meng Yao on Jul 25, 2020 17:04:33 GMT -8
Meng Yao could hear Mingjue but he really didn't feel like he was in control anymore. He wanted to give him permission to touch him, but he honestly wasn't sure how he'd react. He could start screaming and wake up his brother or he could climb him like a tree and perch on his head like a cat. He didn't know where he'd fall on the scale right now.
"I'll.. stay... here," he managed to choke out between his sobs.
He hated appearing weak and tried to psych himself out with that, trying to get angry enough at himself to force his mask back on, but it was like his mind had betrayed him too. Clearly, it thought Mingjue was trustworthy and a good person to fall apart in front of.
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Nie Mingjue
MDZS Character
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Jul 25, 2020 17:33:32 GMT -8
Post by Nie Mingjue on Jul 25, 2020 17:33:32 GMT -8
Mingjue said softly, "OK."
He backed up a little bit, standing to go to the closet, and came back with a relatively lightweight fleece throw blanket. He gently draped it around Meng Yao's shoulders, dropping it into place without touching the other man, and then sat down on the floor next to him, not wanting to leave Meng Yao alone like this.
He said gently, "You're safe here. I know it's probably not OK tonight, but it's going to be OK."
He tried to be a comforting presence as he waited to see what Meng Yao needed or wanted, not minding sitting on the laundry room floor to do so. It was clean enough, like everything else in the house, except often Huaisang's studio.
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Meng Yao
MDZS Character
No
Pansexual
SingleAF
Velexa
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Jul 25, 2020 17:40:26 GMT -8
Post by Meng Yao on Jul 25, 2020 17:40:26 GMT -8
Meng Yao tried to stop crying but just couldn't. He didn't know why he was so rattled. It's not like he hadn't been threatened, or even assaulted before, so why this time was different, he couldn't fathom.
Then his mind clicked, it had to be Mingjue. He'd made him feel like he had some value outside a transaction and so when someone devalued him again, he felt even worse. He glared at the other man, knowing it wasn't his fault, but wanting someone else to blame.
The anger gave him enough strength to get up. "I'm going to shower," he said, quietly retreating to the guest suite and closing the door behind him.
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Nie Mingjue
MDZS Character
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Jul 25, 2020 17:55:38 GMT -8
Post by Nie Mingjue on Jul 25, 2020 17:55:38 GMT -8
Mingjue was relieved when Meng Yao developed momentum again. He wouldn't have wanted to end up in a situation where Meng Yao cried himself to sleep and Mingjue was left in the position of having to move him because he wasn't going to leave him on the laundry room floor, but not wanting to break his trust by moving him without permission.
He called out after Meng Yao, "I'll put the flannels outside the bathroom door in a few minutes."
He went and started the kettle, filling it with enough to make a small pot of the tisane that Meng Yao had chosen. He also prepped the teapot. He then hurried upstairs, rifling through his chest of drawers to find a pair of green and dark yellow plaid flannel pajamas that had drawstring pants and buttoned up the front on the top. He didn't normally wear them at this time of year, but they'd been easy enough to find.
The tea kettle whistled right as he got back down the stairs, and he turned off the stove and poured water over the tisane, letting it start steeping. He quickly went into the guest suite, knocking before he went through the main door and waiting for a few seconds to give warning if needed, then he put the flannel pajamas right outside the door.
He went back to the kitchen to start cooking, figuring that he could change the bedding once things were covered to simmer for a little bit. He'd already done most of the prep work for this meal, so it didn't take long for things to be at the simmering stage with the water started so that he could cook the noodles, and he grabbed a new set of bedding for the guest bed from the laundry room closet, hurrying to get through changing the sheets and blankets before Meng Yao was done showering or before the food needed his attention.
It didn't take him long though, and soon enough, he was back in the kitchen to finish the food, taking a moment to take the leaves out of the tisane that was done and cover the pot with a kitchen towel to help it stay properly warm.
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