#post-First siege

[only10th]

Random thought of the day of Jiang Cheng being hunted by Wei Wuxian’s memory.

Jiang Cheng definitely saw Wei Wuxian everywhere he went. It had been months since the siege had happened, yet the shock of it had lingered ever since. It was an odd feeling, he had seen the dark cultivator die with his own eyes. He had the bamboo flute that had created an indescribable terror in the cultivation world to prove it. The evidence of said event was right there… Why couldn’t he shake the feeling that Wei Wuxian would come back?

No matter how many times he gazed at the flute, no matter how many times he would get praised for vanquishing the evil Yiling Patriarch, Jiang Cheng still saw the boy he grew up with running through the empty halls of Lotus Pier, his laughter carried on the wind that made his red ribbon flutter with each movement.

Sometimes the quiet and stillness of the night would be too much to bear, and some nights it was better to remain awake. Just like when they were younger, how he would notice Wei Wuxian’s absence because he used to sneak out and the room would fall quiet without the constant shifting in his sleep and soft sleep filled mumbles.

He’d often wake up in a cold sweat, muttering his name before dragging himself in a daze towards the lake in the middle of the night, because he knew Wei Wuxian liked to sneak out and take a midnight swim, especially after his mother found whatever excuse to punish him. But there was no one there. No one swims under the moonlight, disturbing the still waters of the lotus lake. There was no quick yet quiet sound of a certain sword cutting through the humid air, the head disciple of Yunmeng practicing his sword forms over and over, even if everyone in lotus pier knew he didn’t have a need to do it, because he was already extraordinary and a skillful swordsman.

“Jiang Cheng, It’s so hot in here, let’s go for a swim!” He’d hear that excited, cheerful voice next to him, as if time had remained frozen on the good days. If he focused his gaze towards the horizon, he could trick his mind into thinking Wei Wuxian was sitting next to him. “Look, the sky is so full of stars! I bet they look better from the lake, come on, we’ll be back before anyone notices!”

“I hate you… I hate you so much…” the words are gritted out, fingers gripping the dark bamboo flute tight and closer to his chest. The water sloshes quietly, and he hates how quiet it is. He never thought he would hate the silence so much. “I hate you, Wei Wuxian. You took everything from me…” He whispered over and over, hoping to believe those words over the tears silently sliding down his face.

[that-faerie-in-the-corner]

you know what I find fascinating about how Helen is talked about in the works in the epic cycle?

everyone has argued to death over whether she was kidnapped, went willingly, was influenced/controlled/threatened by Aphrodite, whatever, but the thing is the actual TEXTS can't seem to make up their minds on Helen. everyone will be cursing Helen's name as an unfaithful wife and destroyer of men in Agamemnon but then Paris will be called a "robber-rapist" which would obviously heavily imply that he stole and assaulted her (plus the part where Clytemnestra basically says "shut the fuck up about Helen she didn't force you to do all that", although how much we're supposed to agree with her is debatable). In Iphigenia In Aulis we're going to war to get REVENGE on the Trojans AND HELEN but then Agamemnon will accuse Menelaus of "lust(ing) only to hold a lovely woman in (his) arms", calls him crazy for wanting her back, and then when Menelaus changes his mind about killing Iphigenia to get the winds back he says "Could I not obtain A perfect marriage elsewhere, if I longed for Marrying? But a brother whom I should Most cherish, I was about to forfeit To gain a Helen, so bartering excellence For evil" which is still pretty spiteful towards Helen but also really fucking weird to say if he only wanted her back to kill or otherwise punish her. Then, in the same play, the Greeks are described as wanting to sail to Troy so "That they may halt the plunder of marriage beds And the rape and seizure of Greek women" which would also imply Helen was, in fact, raped and seized, otherwise why would it be phrased like that and not like, "seduced" or "whisked away" or whatever? In Orestes Elektra and Orestes interpret Helen's actions in the worst possible light while when Helen actually speaks she seems generally sympathetic towards them, distraught and grieving over the whole situation, and claims that she went because Aphrodite made her mad, which could absolutely be a lie, but the thing is we just don't know who's the unreliable narrator here Is this a translation thing? Indicative of a really weird idea of what rape is? Is this an intentional writing choice? This got me to thinking and then I realized that if Menelaus was away when Helen left then he almost certainly doesn't actually know what happened. He didn't see or hear what happened, he doesn't get a chance to talk to Helen and have her explain until after the war, and obviously none of the other Greeks would know for sure either, right? And I just think it is kind of a missed opportunity that adaptations don't really do anything with this kind of unspoken conflict at all. Paris the Musical kind of does (Menelaus believes Helen was abducted when she ended up begrudgingly going with Paris trying to help him to escape) but like, why do all the greek men have one idea of Helen in adaptations? Why don't they argue about it? Why don't they question Menelaus about his motivations more? What if (especially if Aphrodite fucked with her head, as I am one to believe) Helen doesn't even trust herself on her own intentions? What if Menelaus tears himself up debating this with himself every night? Like, could I trust that she wouldn't do this to me and our daughter? Is it better that my wife doesn't love me anymore and is safe with her new lover, or that she does but is trapped against her will having who knows what done to her? Do I know my wife anymore? Did I ever know her in the first place? What if he lays eyes on Helen, his Helen, for the first time in ten years and his sword slips from his grasp as he realizes that yes, of course he knows her, how could he have ever doubted? Or maybe he still doesn't know if he knows her, but maybe he doesn't need to, because he knows that she is tired and scared, and he still loves her, and he just wants to take her back to their home? What then? Hm?

[licorishh]

so uhhh happy valentine's day i suppose !!

shoves this in your face and runs away

so. uh. yyyyyeah. when i said i liked all interpretations of their dynamic equally i uh. i lied. and to be totally and completely and 100% honest with you it speaks volumes to the state of the internet that i have been legitimately afraid to say that like i've genuinely been debating and turning it over in my head and arguing with myself about it for days because i don't want people frickin' YELLING at me and telling me to off myself because i like a dadgum fictional ship but it's valentine's and my friend has been hyping up the crap outta me so i'm past the point of having a reasonable excuse to chicken out (and i know myself and if i don't do it today then i likely won't do it at all)

anyway words actually cannot express how obsessed i am with post-o66 aus in which they stay together (largely because i so completely refuse to believe they'd be willing to split up after THAT, ESPECIALLY that soon) so yeah shoutout to the softest fluffiest gut-punch-iest pair in the galaxy to whom everything bad has happened but who stay silly despite the horrors

[neodymiumcuilz]

Please spread awareness about this...

An ISIS gang leader is running aid security under Israeli protection. While starving Palestinians are caged behind barbed wire, begging for food. Israeli officials claim their new aid plan is about preventing diversion, and ensuring control when it comes to aid. The UN says this isn't how you prevent looting, its how you cause it.

When a bag of wheat or flour in Gaza costs nearly 2500 shekels (almost $700) people are intercepted to steal. That's not a crime, that's starvation economics. But if aid flowed freely and prices were normal, there would he no reason to take anything. Its not disorder driving the looting, its deliberate deprevation.

And its not being caused by the people, its being caused by the siege. Yasser Abu Shabab has ISIS ties, and was recently exposed for looting aid convoys. Last year, it was revealed he was operating under Isreali military protection near the main aid crossing into Gaza. And he set up a fortified base in Rafah, inside an Isreali controlled zone. He claims to be securing aid, but in reality, his gangs are looting shipments, beating drivers and demanding protection fees from convoys.

Real relief requires more than rations. We need to protest to let the aid in freely, not costing insane prices, and orchestrated by aid organisations NOT by the Israeli military or criminal gangs. We see it. We see the aid isn't getting in, and we see the deliberate starvation of almost 2 million people. THEY ARE DELIBERATELY STARVING 2 MILLION PEOPLE.

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Wei Wuxian and Narrative Agency – Part Three

For Xiantober Day Five: Past and Present, in which the author gets very unhinged about what parts of the past are shown and how that’s affected by the present!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

The Power of Agency: Shaping the Narrative

When I've discussed Wei Wuxian's agency previously, I’ve talked about how what’s shown and omitted tells us about a character, and we’ve talked about the character himself. Though this is a niche topic, it’s not necessarily something out of the ordinary to analyse, and we can assume everything up to here has been in some way intentional.

This? Linking structure to a character’s in-universe preferences?

This is where we get unhinged.

Before I start, let’s quickly establish something which will be important later: although Wei Wuxian is the central character, MDZS isn’t strictly from his POV. While omitting events a character doesn’t like to dwell on and concealing things the character wishes to hide is common in books with only one narrator, MDZS has multiple narrators which it switches between relatively quickly. This includes Wei Wuxian, but it also includes nearly every major character that appears in the story, and omniscient narrator as well. As a default, this format doesn’t lead to this deliberate shaping and omission because of one character’s preferences, since we have many other sources of information and events – which is what makes Wei Wuxian’s influence over the narrative and structure so interesting. We could have access to a lot more information, and access to it at different times, than we do (and that’s not an insult, quite the opposite!).

To begin: we’ve established that times such as Wei Wuxian’s time on the streets, his three months in the Burial Mounds and his loss in the Siege aren’t shown because Wei Wuxian has little agency there. But that’s not the only special thing about them. They’re also the three most traumatic times in his life, and so moments Wei Wuxian himself either can’t remember, or doesn’t like to dwell on.

This is why discussing Wei Wuxian’s treatment of tragedy in his life was important. Firstly, it shows he doesn’t focus on the tragedy in his life, so the idea that the narrative not focusing on this tragedy relates to his character has merit; secondly, it affirms that this is not a passive trait, but a choice. Therefore, when the narrative omits events due to this aspect of Wei Wuxian, it’s respecting not only a character detail – which would be cool by itself – but also an active decision. One that shapes the story it’s made in.

In other words, its very structure is respecting Wei Wuxian’s agency!

Now, of course there are flashbacks to other moments of his past he probably wouldn’t like to dwell on, too. But within the structure, they’re only shown when Wei Wuxian is thinking about them (or when he has reason to)!

Wei WuXian hadn’t woken up yet. His eyes were still tightly shut, yet his hand didn’t let go either. He seemed to be dreaming, muttering, “… Don’t… Don’t be angry…” Lan WangJi seemed somewhat surprised. His voice was gentle, “I am not angry.” Wei WuXian, “… Oh.” Hearing this, as though he finally felt assured, his fingers loosened. Lan WangJi sat beside Wei WuXian for a while. Seeing that he was motionless again, he was about to stand up when Wei WuXian grabbed him with his other hand, hugging his arm and refusing to let go. He shouted, “I’ll go with you, quick, take me back to your sect!” Chapter 63, EXR translation

Which, of course, is him dwelling on…

Lan WangJi spoke one word at a time, “Go back to Gusu with me.” Hearing this, both Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng were surprised. Quickly afterward, Wei WuXian laughed, “Go back to Gusu with you? To the Cloud Recesses? Why go there?” He immediately seemed to realize, “Oh. I forgot. Your uncle Lan QiRen hates crooked people like me. You’re his proudest disciple, so of course you’re the same as him, haha. I refuse.” Chapter 62, EXR translation

…the painful flashback immediately preceding this. The third set of flashbacks (which are also painful) are a similar case. Look at the contex:

He lifted the bottom of his robe, revealing a prosthetic leg made of wood, “This leg of mine was destroyed by you, that night in the Nightless City (…)” (…) “Wei WuXian, I won’t ask you if you remember or not. Both of my parents died by your hands. You owe too many people. You definitely won’t remember them either. But, I, Fang MengChen, will never forget! And never forgive you!” (…) “In the fight at Qiongqi Path, my son was strangled to death by your dog Wen Ning!” “My shixiong died by poison, his entire body festering due to your cruel curse!” Chapter 68 (immediately preceding the flashbacks), EXR translation

And Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts and words:

Wei WuXian looked at the cultivators before the Demon-Slaughtering Cave. Their expressions were the absolute same as those of the cultivators from the night of the pledge conference, pouring their wine on the ground as they took the pledge to scatter the ashes of the Wen Sect’s remnants and him.  (…) Wei WuXian, “Now it’s time to ask just whom it is that treasures it so much. It’s like Wen Ning. Back then, some certain sects or so were scared to death of the Ghost General. They said they’d kill him on the surface, but behind their backs they hid him for over ten years. How strange. Who was the one that said his ashes had been scattered back then?” Chapter 79 (immediately succeeding the flashbacks), EXR translation 

Once again, Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts relate to the flashbacks we’ve just been shown. And, as I previously mentioned, though all the events which are shown are tragic, they’re also events which Wei Wuxian’s own choices and actions shaped – which he has this to say about:

“The things I did, not only do you remember them, I remember them too. You won’t forget them, and they’ll stay even longer in my mind!” Chapter 82, EXR

Admittedly, this applies more to the third set of flashbacks than the second (which is still fitting as the third set was the most recent), as in the second, although he still had agency within and influence over his circumstances, the majority of the pain was caused by others’ actions (excluding, of course, the Golden Core transfer… which is something we know stays for a long time in his mind, albeit with a caveat we’ll soon discuss). But it’s still important to note – especially considering that otherwise, focusing on this very painful time in his life wouldn’t seem like something very in-character for Wei Wuxian to do.

Of course, this can all just be explained by good writing. It is best to insert flashbacks when they’re relevant to the characters and events in the present day! But it is interesting to compare these to the start of the (not painful) Gusu flashbacks, which open this way:

At a later time, Wei WuXian pondered upon the reason why his relationship with Lan WangJi wasn’t good. Getting to the root of the matter, everything started when he was fifteen, coming to the GusuLan Sect with Jiang Cheng to study for three months. Chapter 13, EXR

Again, considering the circumstances around which these flashbacks take place – returning to the Cloud Recesses for the first time since the lectures, and meeting Lan Wangji once more – it makes complete sense for Wei Wuxian to be thinking about these events*. So it does fit the pattern of Wei Wuxian dwelling on something, thus leading to the narrative dwelling on it, too (and being shaped by his thoughts)… but there’s another layer to this. Importantly, it is the only flashback where Wei Wuxian’s present thoughts don’t lead to this happening, with his thoughts at an unspecified future time leading to it, instead. I like to interpret this as the text saying that, since these events aren’t something Wei Wuxian wouldn’t focus on in normal circumstances, he can dwell on them at any time. Therefore, they’re free to come up in the narrative at any time as well, even if he’s not dwelling on them in the present moment!

So, to summarise: Wei Wuxian’s decision not to focus on the painful times in his life directly influences the narrative to not focus on these times. When painful times are brought up and shown to us, it’s in the context of him thinking about them in the present day, and even then, his most painful moments still aren’t shown to us. His agency in this regard is still respected by the narrative structure.

This is the main way his agency influences the structure of the narrative, but I’d like to talk about the revealing and concealing of information, too. For example, I said I’d talk about the Golden Core transfer – though Wei Wuxian does think about this many times, as evidenced by his internal narration in Chapter 103. But unlike everything we’re shown through the flashbacks, this is something Wei Wuxian is actively trying to hide from others. And the narrative respects this choice (Wei Wuxian’s agency, again), never reveals it even when it would be relevant in the flashbacks, and we find out not through narration, but through a character’s dialogue!

And to clarify – I know these aspects may not be in the book for this exact reason. Showing flashbacks in relevant moments is good writing, concealing an important plot point you want to do a reveal for is necessary writing, and MXTX has said she didn’t want to write about Wei Wuxian’s time in the Burial Mounds, due to not liking to write transformation sequences (and also because it would not be pleasant at all, which likely also applies to Wei Wuxian’s death). That doesn’t prevent it from also being intentional – MXTX’s intelligence is shown in many aspects of this book, and there’s nothing disproving it – but there’s no proof for either option, so I won’t pretend there is. I bring this up because I know this feels like I’m overanalysing, as I feel that way as well.

But, whether it’s intentional or not, it exists in the text, and I adore it – so, regardless, it’s something I’ll explore. Because taking this into account… We aren't just told about Wei Wuxian having agency, we aren’t just shown it in the text, we aren’t even just shown it through which parts of his past are shown and hidden in the structure of the text (as I talked about in Part One). The parts of the past that are shown and hidden also have an in-universe reason for being shown and hidden, this reason being the choices he makes! Agency is the ability of a character to influence the story they’re in, but Wei Wuxian’s agency, as a property of a character who only exists in-universe, shapes the out-of-universe structure as well! That’s how we’re shown its importance! How cool is that?

At The End Of The Road: Summary and Final Thoughts

In this essay, we’ve covered how important Wei Wuxian’s agency is not only to the events of the plot, but to the structure of the narrative as well. The narrative omits periods in which Wei Wuxian has little or no agency, in favour of showing us periods in which he does, even when important events happened in the former. This indicates that who Wei Wuxian is without agency isn’t important enough to be shown to the audience, and therefore that his agency is an integral aspect of his character in MDZS. We’ve discussed how both in-universe and out-of-universe, tragedy does not define him – out-of-universe, the tragic events in Wei Wuxian’s life are used not to build sympathy but rather to show his strength of character and who he still is despite going through them; and in-universe, he chooses not to focus on the negativity and resentment caused by his circumstances or others’ actions, instead staying true to his moral compass and enjoying his life in the present day. Finally, we’ve also explored how this choice is another reason for the omission of certain events from the narrative, resulting in his agency shaping the story in a very literal way – it affects the out-of-universe structure, as well.

It’s quite fitting, for a story whose essence is about defying a conventional narrative – that of righteous clans rising up and defeating a great evil – and about a character who defies many conventional narratives on his own – that of status defining how skilled you could be, that for a golden core being necessary for cultivation and other paths being unavailable, that of a tragic but complete story of someone killed for staying true to their moral code (instead, that character returns to life and has a happy ending) – to have its own narrative play a role in such an important and interesting way.

(Or, if an image would be preferable:)

Thank you for reading!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

--

*This strong relation to the present day circumstances is another reason I love the flashback placement so much (and why I think it’s such a loss both screen adaptions altered it so strongly)! 

[bluerose5]

Anybody else ever just think about King Alistair and the Hero of Ferelden riding into battle together during the events of Veilguard, and get emotional? Like this entire journey started with them having to defend Ferelden —their home— during the Fifth Blight, and now they're together again to do the same in the Blight to End All Blights. 😭

[tinkerbitch69]

Rook punching the first warden like

[fatedroses]

So, how would it be for the Scions to meet Lucius??

I'm going to write young Lucius and break the scions up a bit for this. Lucius is in his late 20's, with knowledge that they are his grandson's friends (and, they all get the bear hug too, Lucius is just more careful because of the size difference). For the sake of context and setting he was chilling in the aetherial sea before being gifted some aether to tackle his grandson and the scions for a little while.

Alphinaud and Alisaie - He adopts them. Without question or argument. He looks at them, and the fact that they fight so boldly at their age, and he thinks fondly of Gaius in that moment. He dotes on them both, and will carry them on his shoulders without hesitation, but will probably get smacked by Alisaie the moment he and Alphinaud start talking about diplomacy and general politics because once those two start they will never shut up.

Y'shtola - She gets a near 9ft tail following her around. Lucius isn't by his own metrics particularly smart, but just like how he used to with Titus, he bombards Y'shtola with questions over her specializations, her magic, and of the 13th. His endless curiosity ends up getting him turned into a frog, not for punishment or enforced rest like it is for Zenos, but purely because he wondered what it would be like.

Urianger - Not too dissimilar to Y'shtola, Lucius tows around behind Urianger, bombarding him with questions about astrology and his magic. He listens dutifully even if he doesn't always understand what he talks about- not because of how Urianger speaks, but rather the depth he goes into. What he does really love from meeting the astrologian is encouraging and joining in his dramatics, as well as watching him train his card throwing skills.

Tataru and Krile - He is so afraid of accidently stepping on them and cannot fathom how Zenos walks so close to either of them without being fazed. He respects them with all his heart but lalafells in the empire were already so rare to see that he has little to no understanding on how to interact with them. This giant is going around crouching all the way down to talk to them, and like the twins will lift them to be eye to eye when they tell him to stop. Krile gets to deal with the weird experience that even given his background Lucius was absurdly optimistic and happy, and there's nothing more terrifying than him playing into Tataru's schemes towards the others and joining her in it. And while he doesn't have too much in common with either of them, they're two he loves helping around with the time he has.

Estinien - Lucius horrifies Estinien. The fact that an over 8ft tall, 500lb man is doing jumps and flinging himself around without a speck of aether. Lucius adores watching Estinien do his thing and asks about his techniques, but Estinien knows that coming in contact with Lucius while either of them is in the air is the equivalent of taking a colossus fist directly- that he is a threat on his own, without his help. There is something terrible in Lucius' eyes when he's in the heat of combat: the primal, monstrous force he sees so often in Zenos. So while most of the others see this sweet, almost dog-like behavior in the former crowned prince, Estinien's trained eyes see the Legatus that once was, and is in part disturbed by the two sides he finds.

Thancred - On a similar boat to Estinien, Thancred would be wary meeting Lucius. Not because of the strength he could clearly see, but because his own ability to notice and recognize how cunning the man actually is, a trait shared by the rest of the Galvus' to various degrees, but no less disconcerting. It's made all the worse when Lucius in turn does the same to him, smiling at him while acknowledging him as the scion's spymaster rather than just a protector. He sees the subtle way Lucius shifts to accommodate those around him, and when he notices him approaching despite his efforts to cloak his presence, he can tell well enough the weapon Lucius once was for the empire, and what he could have been had he survived. That's not to say however that their meeting doesn't involve Lucius trying to win him over regardless, he is certainly kinder than Zenos in regards to offering advice over his combat skills, and in battling without using aether. A lot of Lucius' experience bonding with his old soldiers goes into how he interacts with Thancred.

G'raha - Lucius is... quiet, meeting G'raha. All the boisterous energy is gone, because the way the miqo'te looks at him tells him everything he needed to know about what happened after he died. Rather, he is careful about their interactions, letting him come to him rather than pushing. In return he offers every tidbit of history he has to the man, from the mundane to pieces of history that would shape the world from his own perspective. What they both enjoy the most, however, is him telling G'raha every piece of gossip and embarrassing detail he had of his own father. Because for as sweet as Lucius was, if his final wishes for peace were going to be trampled on, he was at least going to get back in whatever little ways he can.

Meteor - Lucius adores Meteor and wants nothing more than to listen to every tale and experience he is willing to impart. Meteor, on the other hand, is questioning everything as to how he got here because he cannot comprehend how this man is related to any of the other Galvus' he's met. It doesn't help that he can't look at him without thinking of how much he looks like Hades but acts nothing like him. Meteor however gets to enjoy the rare occasion that he sees bits of Lucius in Zenos. Despite having never met before he can see the way they share their laugh and smile. He could only wonder, distantly, how different the way things could have been if the Light of Garlemald hadn't been snuffed out so soon.

[only10th]

Thinking about a what if A-Yuan remembers being placed in the hollow tree by Wwx? What if he remembers Wwx and his family?

When A-Yuan woke up and realized he was in CR he expected for his Xian-gege to appear around the corner. It only made sense since rich-gege was there. Even tho it only happened once, A-Yuan noticed how close his Xian-gege stood to the Rich-gege, and how they moved almost in a synchronized manner.

“Rich-gege, where Xian-gege?”

There’s only silence from the Lan cultivator, eyes already watering and tears quickly flowing down his face. The reaction has A-Yuan confused. Why would rich-gege cry? He saved him and Xian-Gege from the scary people, just like Xian-gege said he would.

The child looks around, patiently waiting. He knows Xian-gege loves to play hide and seek, it’s their favorite game after all! Oh, maybe rich-gege felt sad because Xian-gege kept winning! So, A-Yuan moves closer to LWJ, softly patting his cheek and whipping the tears away. “S’okay! Xian-gege is good at playing hide and seek, sometimes he hides really good! I’ll help you find him!”

That only seems to make the man want to curl onto himself, harsh sobs being wrenched from his chest. He was holding on to something, clutching it close to his chest as if it was part of him. A child can be curious, so he tries to see what it is. He gasps when he notices the red fabric. It’s Xian-Gege’s red ribbon!

“You found it!” A-Yuan celebrates, “Xian-Gege lost it. He’ll be so happy that rich-gege found his ribbon!”

“A-Yuan…” LWJ whispers brokenly. Nothing more comes from him, but now the child is a bit concerned as to why Rich-Gege is crying so much. It reminded him of when he’d see Xian-gege crying and he didn’t like when he cried. So he tries to gather himself and give rich-gege a hug, but the man winces loudly when he tries to round his arms over his shoulders.

“Rich-gege…?” A-Yuan asks alarmed, now noticing the red staining his pretty white robes. Xian-Gege always talked about how he liked rich-gege’s robes, how pretty it made him look even though they looked like mourning robes. The stain only seemed to grow bigger, and only then is when the child starts to panic, “Xian-gege? Xian-Gege will help! Xian-gege, stop hiding, rich-gege needs help!”

“Wangji?” Someone unexpectedly comes speed walking into the room. More people with white robes come into the room, all their faces with alarm and worry. By instinct, A-Yuan stands in front of LWJ. Xian-Gege told him that Rich-Gege was the only good person he knew from the sect that wore white robes, they couldn’t be trusted.

“S-Stay away!” A-Yuan warns, his small body blocking the larger man behind him. “Don’t h-hurt rich-gege, o-or Xian-gege will be mad!”

The healers and LXC can only look at the child, perplexed at how he protected LWJ. Even more so at the term of endearment used to describe their HGJ and the late YLLZ.

LXC tries to step closer, but that only makes the child puff his chest and stretch his arms wider, just like Ning-ge had taught him. “Young one, we are here to take care of Wangji. We won’t bring any harm to him.”

A-Yuan stares at the man that looks similar to LWJ, but he can’t help but be cautious of him. The child shakes his head, “Xian-gege said not to trust anyone that’s not Rich-gege. Xian-Gege and A-Yuan help rich-gege.”

There’s clear conflict in LXC eyes as he looks at the boy and then at his brother. Has Wangji not told him the news yet? But his priority was to take care of Wangji’s wounds, and he could easily just go around the child, but that would only cause trouble. So he nods in understanding, kneeling until he is at eye level with the boy.

“You are a fierce protector, I must admire that. However, my didi needs help. His wounds… are far too great.”

“Then Qing-jie can help! Qing-jie is the best doctor!”

LXC pressed his lips together before sighing, “I’m afraid… Wen Qing is not here to help us.”

Qing-jie still hasn’t come back? But Xian-gege told him she’d come back with Ning-ge. He looks around one more time… where is everyone? Why hasn’t Xian-Gege come out of his hiding place? The boy backs up until his back collides with LWJ's chest, who instantly wraps his arms around him and envelopes him in a tight embrace.

“Rich-gege… Wh-Where is Xian-gege?”

LWJ inhales sharply and then in a mere whisper he says, “I’m sorry…”

It doesn’t make sense, why would he apologize? He didn’t like any of this… he didn’t like the sour feeling in his stomach and he didn’t like how sad rich-gege looked. “I want Xian-gege…”

“I’m sorry, A-Yuan…. I’m sorry…” LWJ repeated with grief, more tears flowing down his cheeks. He had the same expression Xian-Gege had when he woke up after Ning-ge brought him back from his trip. It was scary to see Xian-gege and Ning-ge fighting. “I couldn’t protect him… please, forgive me…” LWJ sobbed as he hugged the child tighter.

At some point, A-Yuan’s eyes started to sting with tears. He wanted his Xian-gege and his popo, and Qing-Jie, and Ning-ge… where were they…?

“Where is Xian-gege…?” He asked again but this time with tears slowly falling down his cheeks. He couldn’t take it anymore, the uncertainty. The sad look the people in white gave him and rich-gege crying.

With a shove, he escapes the safe, warm embrace and scrambles out of the bed and runs past everyone and out of the nice house. The world outside was brighter, it almost blinded him how the sky was so blue and there was green everywhere. It was so unlike the grey and darkness casting over the mountain that he called home.

“Xian-gege!!” A-Yuan screamed as he ran, ignoring the calls from the people in the house. “A-Niang! A-Niang!”

The boy ran, and ran until his little legs couldn’t carry him any longer. He hadn’t realized where he was going, but he found himself surrounded by tall trees. It was too much. He just wanted his A-Niang to come get him. So he cried for him. He cried for his family to come get him.

“A-Yuan!” Someone called desperately, “A-Yuan!”

“A-Niang…?” He swears he saw a flutter of dark robes through the trees, but once the person came into the light he realized it was LWJ. Despair and fear clouded his features as he called for the boy, and it reminded him when he got lost in the market and had met rich-gege for the first time.

Rich-gege was safe, it’s what Wwx always said to him. So A-Yuan stands from where he was hiding and runs towards LWJ, clinging to his leg just like he had the first time.

LWJ instantly crumbles, picking and hugging the boy despite the bloody mess on his back. “A-Yuan…”

A-Yuan sniffles, burying his face on his chest. Staining his robes with tears, “Xian-gege…”

LWJ sucks in a sharp breath, “Gone… Forgive me…”

So both of them cry, being there for each other as they mourn the ones they lost.

[benevolenterrancy]

Do any NieYao (or general 3zun) shippers follow me? I've been tossing around the idea of a nieyao fic but I'm getting tripped up by timeline shit because good lord JGY's life is a nightmare... is there anyone who wouldn't mind either:

a) chatting with me about timeline/canon stuff to help me get sorted

b) sending me recs of their favourite nieyao fics 👀 for, uh, strictly research related purposes for sure for sure

[wangxianficrecs]

thought that I'd feel better, but now I got a bellyache by Buttercup_ghost

thought that I'd feel better, but now I got a bellyache

by Buttercup_ghost (@nonbinary-kaede)

Not rated, 3k, Jiang Yanli

Summary: The ghost fire flickered. Slow, faded flickering, as if it was dwindling. Indeed, it shouldn't be a thing, due to the soul calming rituals it experienced in its youth, but there is something that cultivators don't know, a secret that allows our humble ghost fire to persist after death: not all ghosts are formed out of resentment. No, some are formed from love. "A-Xian?" The ghost fires voice wavered. "A-Cheng?" But, no one answered it. The words were barely there, whispered into the wind and drowned out by it. The ghost fire trembled. Where were its brothers? Where was its son? Where, if it was indeed dead, was its husband, who it was sure was waiting for it in the afterlife? "A-Xuan?" It tries again, when none of the living answer. Perhaps the dead will, it thinks, if it—she—is dead as well. But it's no use. Her husband does not answer either. Jiang Yanli, ghost fire barely holding onto existence, is completely alone. Kay's comments: This story is tagged as Jiang Cheng bashing, but honestly, after reading it, I definitely wouldn't call it that. Still, if you're looking for a happy ending for his relationship with Jiang Yanli after her death... This story isn't for you. In this story, Jiang Yanli's spirit lingers and over time, she becomes stronger and eventually vows to dish out some revenge. Really loved her character journey in this story!

pov jiang yanli, canon divergence, thirteen years of wei wuxian's death, ghost jiang yanli, revenge, bamf jiang yanli, protective jiang yanli, canonical character death - wei wuxian, dead wei wuxian, jin ling needs a hug, scheming nie huaisang, post-first siege of the burial mounds

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[neodymiumcuilz]

Please just a minute of your time🌹🌹

I am Asmaa from Gaza, a mother of two girls🍉

We live a bad life in Gaza because of the genocide💔

We just want to get out to Egypt and start over after losing everything in Gaza🍉🕊️

We want to complete my children's education and create a decent childhood and life for them💔 Please help us with a small donation or share🍉 This makes a difference in our lives❤️😔 Thank you very much🇵🇸🌹 Our campaign link is👇

https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-my-brothers-life-and-his-family?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=customer&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_ft&attribution_id=sl:01f7186b-9142-42f2-bf5d-8efaa0e4c278

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #590 )✅️

HELP @jwanandsham - #590 ON THE @/gazavetters list !!

Hello everyone, above me is a QR code that takes you to their fundraiser, I have been posting across social media in attempts to collect donations while I was restricted from using tumblr (still kinda am :/) but what's important is that donations still need to be coming in.

We cannot let our support waver, the conditions in Gaza continue to worsen daily. 100+ civilians are killed daily, and the bombing and attacks continue to escalate. Imagine living with the fear that any day could be your last? All children in Gaza don't get to be children, they are all traumatized beyond comprehension. Knowing you will be alive tomorrow is a privilege many take for granted. This fundraiser will help two young children have a secure life they deserve, all they ask is to have their basic needs met.

[the-punforgiven]

The best part of any folk metal song is when they drop the metal entirely and just do straight folk shit for a bit but simultaneously the best part of any non-metal song is when they add a bit of heavy distorted guitars or rip a sick guitar solo outta nowhere, it's a very interesting phenomenon to observe

[yee-harr]

some of my fave ghosts! going insane over them currently

+ some more misc guard sketches under the cut :)

[acenintendogs]

rainbow six sieging or whatever🙂🙂

[sweaters-and-vertigo]