• mao waizhu — 45 — nurse — still known as nurse mao no matter how many times chengcheng told her to quit because he’ll take care of her bills, waizhu is a supportive mother. a lot of the distant relatives look down on chengcheng for dropping out of school and being a controversial musician instead of a soldier but she stood by him. she believes in his music career but wishes he didn’t get in trouble so often. she worries about him a lot and tells him to take care of himself and stay out of trouble everytime he comes back home. he usually just brushes off her worries and gives her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. either way she loves the band and everytime they visit malu they go see her and are welcomed with a big malu-style feast.

• cai jiaying — zexin 擇欣 — 22 — backup vocalist and erhu player of youngblood — zexin got invited to study math when she was 15 after scoring abnormally high on a test. being a math major at taoxia imperial academy stressed her out so she used playing the erhu as an outlet for that. she joined youngblood as a fun hobby but it turned into a lot more than she expected. that’s why she chose her stage name which means choose happiness, which is what she did when she dropped out with the rest of youngblood. she’s the mom of the group, nags them when they’re being messy idiots and is there for them when they need a shoulder to cry on. a lot of the time she plays devils advocate and gives them a new perspective from a girls point of view. she helps chengcheng write about topics related to the struggles that women go through like ism so they could reach a wider audience. chengcheng always gives her credit on these songs and a lot of their female fans look up to her. she likes to joke and say they ruined her expectation for men and that’s why she likes girls but she’s been gay for as long as she could remember, just kept it to herself. she loves the boys like her brothers and is grateful she found friends she can be herself with. since she’s the youngest they see her as a younger sister and are very protective over her. as an ex math major she’s also in charge of their finances.
• wang haoyu — benben 笨笨 — 23 — drummer of youngblood — benben isn’t the brightest guy around. the only reason he got into taoxia imperial academy is because his dad is a teacher. out of all he came from the most wealthy family but he also the least deserved to go to such a prestigious academy. he studied law and failed almost every class, though when it comes to knowing the law for the benefit of youngblood he suddenly remembers everything he has to. a lot of people called him stupid throughout his life so he made it his stage name to take power over the word but fans and youngblood just call him ben because he’s only half an idiot. it’s really astonishing how he can go from a total idiot that just wants to rage and make rocking music to an educated lawyer in training. it makes you question if he’s actually dumb or if it’s a facade. either way benben is the wild card of the band, down for anything he’s not supposed to do just for the hell of it. he picked up the drums while studying at the academy but was kicked out of the class for playing too loudly and recklessly, making him perfect for a band like youngblood. he’s great at making catchy hooks that are practically meaningless but sound really good. he’s also the most affectionate and a big fan of group hugs. — darren chen
• liu jianming — shaojun 韶君 — 24 — guzheng player of youngblood — while chengcheng is more focused on the message conveyed in his music, shaojun is more concerned with the music itself. how the instruments and the harmonies come together to create beautiful melodies and make sure each instrument is in tune. he comes from a musical background, his mom is a theater performer and his dad owns an instrument store/repair shop. he was introduced to many instruments at a young age but studied math at taoxia imperial academy. he wasn’t interested in youngblood, he was doing well in the school band but their unique sound intrigued him. he was confident in his skills enough to use the stage name shaojun meaning music god. shaojun is a bit of a know it all, the stickler of the band that’s in it for the music. he likes the messages they send but doesn’t like getting in trouble or being arrested. out of all he’s the most cautious and makes sure their routes are carefully planned and anyone that helps them are paid in full so there’s no slip ups. but his parents play a big part in their success due to their knowledge of underground venues. — caesar wu
• yao liangxiu — huoxin 火心 — 25 — shakuhachi player of youngblood — huoxin was an unmotivated archer that was amazing at what he did but unhappy. out of all the bandmates, chengcheng actually knew huoxin but they weren’t friends. huoxin was a good kid so him joining the band was unexpected. it was music that gave huoxin inspiration, not archery. he was tired of going through life unnoticed and wanted a change. he actually always looked up to chengcheng for standing out. even now he admires how influential he is and is just happy to be apart of it to see how he’s changing society and opening people eyes. youngblood is his family, he was an orphan and got mistreated at his orphanage so he never knew what family was. archery wasn’t something he did because he loved it was his way out of an abusive household. heixin is really shy, hesitant to do things on his own but youngblood brings him out of his shell. that’s why his stage name is huoxin, it means fire heart to show that youngblood brings out the passion in his heart. he’s happy to experience things he never would on his own even if it’s seen as rebellious. he helps with both the music and lyrics, he’s known for his deep lyrics and passionate shakuhachi playing. — Connor leong

• lord okeda tetsuya — tetsuya doesn’t like chengcheng because he’s a criminal that sticks his nose in places it doesn’t belong. he doesn’t know about his and mizuki’s relationship but has his suspicions that chengcheng has an informant in the government and is determined to get to the bottom of it.
• captain shen ailin — chengcheng knows ailin, they studied together back at the academy as well did huoxin. huoxin and him were once friends until huoxin joined youngblood. chengcheng sees ailin as a sell out. he’ll be used as an example for generations, the poor kid that made it as a great soldier. but he’s 1 in a million. he thinks ailin is selling false hope to young soldiers killing themselves to be like him when it’ll never happen. everytime he gets the chance he makes fun of his relationship with the princess, calling them lovebirds.

The doors of the courtroom swing open with a heavy, metallic clang. The sounds echo off the intricate, glossy bloodwood carvings that vault into high arches at the edges of the room. 

Framed from behind by a scarlet tapestry embroidered with yellow dragons, Empress Yong looks on stoically from her throne of gold and ivory. Beneath her, rows of Hangwei nobility kneel on cushions in neat rows, silently glowering at the sudden annoyance.

Two guards struggle to drag in a bound prisoner between them. The person squirms and struggles until he is tossed to the ground, landing in a heap with a groan.

The guards kneel behind him, bowing their heads deeply toward the empress.“Your Royal Brilliance,” one of the men says, “We found another of the… peculiars.” He indicates the prisoner with a nod of his head.

Empress Yong stands, the ornaments in her hair tinkling as she looks down from her platform. Her gaze passes over the man, lingering on each feature carefully. “It would appear so,” she speaks without inflection. She sweeps a hand forward, an ornate, silky sleeve dragging against the ground.“You there, get up." She says, pointing to him. "Do you know why you are here today?”

“Well I am in a band, but I doubt your men manhandled me as such because you needed some entertainment. Either way I usually charge for my services, though since you’re prettier in person I’m willing to give you a discount,” he dusted off his hanfu and stared back at the empress with a rebellious smirk, head not even lowered the slightest to show respect.

The empress narrows her eyes. “I want your name,” she snaps.

“Singer Fan is the proper way to address me, but only the older generations would bother with such a boring title. I mostly go by Fancheng, your royal heinessness~” he bows sarcastically, obviously not taking the situation as seriously as he should.

The Empress looks up briefly to cast her eyes around the court. When they return to the prisoner, she smiles. "Ah so you’re the famous Fancheng thats been patronizing my men and inciting chaos amongst the youth. We’ve heard the stories, my friend. First, it was the Princess- now others of your kind are popping out of the ground like weeds. You have caused us quite a headache.” She leans closer, lowering her voice. “What is it you ‘peculiars’ want?”

“Equality, respect, opportunity and basic human rights just to name a few. You treat people like second class citizens, feed them nothing but high hopes and dreams. Use them until you can’t anymore and leave them to fend for themselves like they didn’t dedicate their lives to making Hangwei a better place,” he says calmly like his observationsS are common knowledge. He leans forward and lowers his voice mimicking her movements, “you call it inciting chaos but I call it opening their eyes to the lies you’re feeding them.” He moves back to his original position looking at her innocently, “but either way it’s just music, no? Up to your own interpretation, I just put words and chords together after all.”

The Empress straightens again, her posture regal. Her smile is bitter and emotionless. “I see. However, do you truly expect me to let one with your abilities run amok and sink our great nation into chaos? The four corners of the world are fighting neck-and-neck to even have a glimpse of the likes of you.” She shakes her head. “No, I cannot allow it. Even the Princess herself will be dealt with in light of this situation.”

He shrugs, “do what you must, but peoples eyes are open now. They won’t stop until a change is made. I suggest starting with lowering taxes,” his signature smirk snuck its way on his face again as he teased the empress.

With a tight expression, the Empress gestures once again, and the two guards haul the prisoner back onto his feet.

“Take him away until we come to a further conclusion here,” she says, a flick of her eyes motioning to the patiently-waiting nobles. "Dismissed." She waves them away with her hand, the guards grunting with effort as they drag the prisoner back through the crowded room and away from sight.

At her command Chengcheng laid on the floor letting all his body weight go, enjoying the sight of the guards struggling to get him on his feet and hearing them curse at him under their breath. Its obvious that it’s not his first run in with the guards. On his way out he locks eyes with the empress and gives her a wink making her blood boil.