[Late May 2023 Event] May Flowers

[wallscrolls]

With spring starting to transition into summer, a particular phenomenon has begun to occur: moonglow flowers are in full bloom! As their name suggests, moonglow flowers release a faint glow under the light of the moon. When they're gathered in large fields, it can be quite a sight! Even when plucked and carried home, they continue to glow in moonlight until they finally wilt.

But should you choose to procure some or spend time nearby, beware: moonglow flowers tend to arouse allergies in all sorts of creatures, including humans! While the sneezing is nothing to... well, sneeze at, it's the aftereffects that you really need to watch out for. A good sneeze induced by moonglow flower pollen can cause all sorts of odd changes! Hair, eyes, or even skin can change to all sorts of colors. One might find that the sneeze causes an eruption of petals from all over their body, even with no obvious source. You might even realize you no longer need to eat, now instead drawn to stand in the sunlight and only drink water for sustenance. Moonglow flowers make those allergic to them a little more flower-like, but like the glow of the flowers under the moon, the effects will disappear before too long has passed.

Feel free to play with any or all of this as you wish!

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Shen Yuan/Qingqiu | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

[xiaoxiuya]

"Ah...a-ah, ACHOO!!"

An explosive sneeze rocks an otherwise peaceful meadow, followed by grumbling and what may well have been a bitten-off curse. Yes, despite being a highly-ranked cultivator who had passed the Nascent Soul stage, Shen Qingqiu had still fallen prey to the moonglow flower's pollen. But it isn't a big deal! He still has some time before the side effects became too great an inconvenience, and he isn't about to let a little sneezing stop him from carrying out his mission to collect the flowers, for Reasons.

Still, it wouldn't hurt if someone went over to check on him, maybe? Maybe even engage him in some conversation, or something more? ;3c

[unstallioned]

"Shizun?!"

A voice calls it from beyond the edge of the meadow, quickly followed by the sound of footsteps, and the sight of Luo Binghe appears not too long after that. He hasn't spotted Shen Qingqiu just yet, and pauses when he reaches the expanse of flowers to look around.

"Shizun, was that you sneezing?!"

If his shizun needs to be rescued from sneeze-causing flowers (or even if he does not), Luo Binghe will absolutely do so!

[xiaoxiuya]

Ah, now he'd done it! He'd gone and worried Luo Binghe; if he didn't recover quickly, his dear little roundworm would spend the rest of the night gnawing away at his belly, and neither of them would get any work done!

"Binghe!" he called back, stifling a final sniffle in his sleeve before raising a hand to wave and attract his husband's attention. "Don't fret," he gently chided the other man, putting a gentle and becoming smile on his face as he watched Binghe trot towards him. "This master is entirely well -- ACHOOO!!"

It was only thanks to his quick reflexes that he was able to raise his sleeve in time and avoid sneezing in the protagonist's face! And then, just to rub salt in his wounds, a perfect white flower blooms in his hair, just above one ear as if tucked there by a lover. So clearly he isn't to be allowed even a speck of dignity this evening.

[unstallioned]

The moment he heard the voice, Luo Binghe honed in on Shen Qingqiu and quickly made his way over. His Shizun's calm and composed demeanor set all his fears to rest, a beaming smile starting to spread across his face...

At least until the subsequent sneeze.

His concern was back and doubled, his eyes wide and shining with building tears that weren't falling just yet.

"Shizun doesn't need to push himself! Shizun should instead rest and recover himself. Whatever Shizun was doing here, this disciple will do for him instead!" Luo Binghe reached up to brush the flower out of Shen Qingqiu's hair to get it away from him, but the sight of it tucked so perfectly to help frame Shen Qingqiu's perfect face stilled his hand, his heart suddenly beating heavy in his chest.

[xiaoxiuya]

And there it was! This silly, sticky husband of a disciple! "Ridiculous!" Shen Qingqiu declared, and got his fan out so he could tap Binghe on the head with it.

"Does Binghe think this master is made of spun sugar? Am I liable to melt in the rain?" Tap, tap, tap. "If Binghe wants to stay and help, that's fine, but I don't -- don't -- ahhh -- achoo!!"

This time little sparkling dots, like freckles made of glitter, appeared across Shen Qingqiu's cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He sniffled pitifully, terribly annoyed by the whole situation. "That means nothing!" he said quickly.

[unstallioned]

He endured the tapping valiantly, only shrinking under it a little. But between the repeated sneezes and the odd complexion of Shen Qingqiu's face (had he ever seen complexion that sparkled like that before? no, but that wasn't stopping him from fretting), Luo Binghe decided to assume the worst.

"This disciple appreciates Shizun trying not to worry him, but Shizun really must rest when he's sick! This disciple will carry you back home immediately!"

Without allowing much time to protest, he reached in to try to scoop up Shen Qingqiu bridal style.

[xiaoxiuya]

"Tsk, fiiiiiiine..." But only because it's literally impossible to talk Binghe down when he gets like this. Shen Qingqiu crosses his arms, letting himself be carried off with an attitude not unlike a princess traveling in her palanquin. There is one little thing bugging him, however...

"How did Binghe find me so quickly?" he eventually asks. "Was he looking for me in particular?"

[unstallioned]

"Of course! When Shizun disappeared so suddenly, this disciple couldn't help but be worried!"

Was said disappearance warned for? Would it have mattered? Luo Binghe wants to be stuck to Shen Qingqiu night and day; even if there weren't any reason for concern he's going to fret whenever Shen Qingqiu goes away.

And of course, if he happened to have trailed Shen Qingqiu here after finding out which way he had gone and waited a short distance away in case anything were to happen, that was just because he's a devoted and caring husband. And something had happened, so he was clearly in the right!

"It's alright now, Shizun. We'll be home before--" and he pauses to give a small sneeze of his own, "--before you know it."