#because tags are the superior communication method

[thevoidbutwithselfesteemissues]

Am I doing better because I'm back to reading angst and crying?

Or

Am I doing worse because I'm back to reading angst and crying?

Who knows!

Certainly not me.

[makemywebsite1]

Choosing the Right SEO Service in Melbourne: A Comprehensive Guide

Choosing a powerful SEO service in Melbourne can significantly influence your business’s online presence and prosperity. A solid online presence is essential for success in Melbourne’s busy business environment, making it imperative to include SEO in your marketing plan. Nevertheless, with numerous providers vying for the title of superior SEO services, selecting the most suitable option can take time and effort. This guide will take you through choosing SEO Services in Melbourne, accentuating key attributes, and identifying warning signs to steer clear of.

1. Experience and Expertise in the Melbourne Market

When looking for SEO services in Melbourne, focus on providers with extensive local expertise. This is important because it helps the service grasp Melbourne’s unique competitive environment and consumer patterns. Successful SEO in Melbourne involves more than just following international strategies; it also includes tailoring efforts to local search terms that showcase the city’s distinct cultural and commercial features.

Request case studies or references from other Melbourne businesses when considering potential providers. Assess these case studies to determine how the SEO services offering Web Design in Melbourne has made measurable advancements in search engine rankings, website traffic, and customer interaction for comparable local companies.

2. Comprehensive Strategy and Customisation

A high-quality Melbourne SEO service will provide a strategy tailored to your business. They need to show skill in both on-page and off-page SEO. Optimising content and meta tags on your website with the most unique Web Design in Melbourne to boost search engine rankings is known as on-page SEO. Conversely, off-page SEO involves creating premium backlinks and improving your digital credibility. The provider needs to clearly outline how their proposed tactics will assist in reaching your particular business objectives, such as improving organic traffic and enhancing conversion rates. Ensure they provide an adaptable plan to adjust as your company expands and transforms.

3. Transparency and Reporting

Regarding SEO services in Melbourne, transparency is essential and cannot be compromised. Your selected provider needs to communicate their planned strategies and provide you with regular detailed reports. These reports need to consider more than just rankings; they should also assess important metrics like organic traffic, user engagement, conversion rates, and their impact on ROI. A dependable SEO service will establish specific goals for success and consistently evaluate them with you to maintain the strategy’s efficiency.

4. Ethical SEO Practices

Adhering to ethical standards is essential for a reputable SEO service. Your Melbourne SEO provider must stick to SEO techniques considered ethical by search engines, also known as “white hat” techniques. These methods involve creating top-notch content, effectively utilising relevant keywords, and acquiring trustworthy website backlinks. Beware of any provider who suggests quick fixes or unethical tactics such as cloaking, spammy backlinks, or keyword stuffing. Engaging in unethical practices can lead to serious consequences like being blacklisted by search engines.

5. Ongoing Support and Flexibility

SEO is an ever-changing industry, especially in a lively marketplace such as Melbourne. Your SEO plan should adjust to shifts in search engine algorithms, market trends, and consumer behaviors. Select a provider who sees SEO as a continual, enduring procedure. Being vigilant about industry trends is essential, and businesses need to be able to adapt quickly to adjust their strategies accordingly. This assistance guarantees that your SEO strategies align with industry standards and market trends.

6. Strong Communication Skills

Successful partnerships require effective communication. Make sure the Melbourne SEO company you choose is easy to talk to, quick to respond, and open in their communication. They must be open to talking about every part of the SEO process and capable of clarifying complicated ideas in simple terms. Consistent meetings and updates are essential for developing a solid working relationship and ensuring both parties are on the same page.

7. Red Flags to Watch Out For

Watch out for SEO companies in Melbourne that employ aggressive sales tactics, promise immediate results, or have prices well below the industry standard. These are signs of possible low service quality or unethical behaviors. SEO is a complicated and subtle area that demands time, skill, and a strategic method to achieve lasting outcomes. Immediate outcomes are frequently short-lived, and very cheap prices could signal inexperienced or inadequate service.

By taking into account these additional factors, you can better evaluate possible SEO services in Melbourne and choose a provider that will genuinely aid in boosting your business’s visibility and profitability.

Selecting the correct SEO service in Melbourne is crucial for your business, and thorough research must go into choosing the right provider for your needs. Search for a provider with years of experience in the industry, transparency, ethics, and a complete dedication to a personalised and flexible web designing approach. This will help improve your online visibility, surpass rivals, and attain lasting success in Melbourne’s competitive digital industry.

[shinxistudio]

Studio Thoughts 2024MAR01

I've been thinking a lot since first finding out about the MidJourney deal Tumblr is taking. I've been wanting to make this post for just as long. (This sounds ominous, but it's not.) (Cut for a giant wall of text. Massive rambling.)

I don't know what to do. I've made an infinite number of new accounts across all the different social media I can find. I had to make a sheet to keep track of all the different websites I've joined. The thought of trying to post and maintain 20 accounts minimum to cover myself depending on where people flee to is overwhelming. I'm already averse to updating the accounts I have now. It takes too damn long as it is. (I need to set up PostyBird for the love of god. It doesn't work on a lot of mainstream sites, though.)

I want to share my art, but I don't want that to mean that I'm giving up my rights to it so some fuck can shove it into his dataset to create images and act like they're superior to something made by a real human and the human experience. I've opted out of the 3rd-party sharing option that they gave us, but I know that doesn't mean anything without proof. If they were giving data over that they shouldn't have from private conversations and password-locked blogs, they're not going to give a shit if someone toggled a setting. The whole issue with these datasets is the lack of consent to begin with, so why would they stop Now. I don't even know why they plan to pay Tumblr for the data in the first place because how much of it has already been scraped before they decided to tie it up in a bow for them?

I hate that people just parrot "Nightshade and Glaze!!" as if they're not open-source software that the tech bros can reverse engineer with the available coding. (As well as being easy to remove/get around in the first place.) Not to mention the stupid amount of processing power to use them, if they even work on the type of art you're putting into it in the first place. Even if they worked for your art, they're not accessible to everyone. That's not fair to artists who don't have or can't afford the highest-end PC parts. And even if they Worked to prevent AI it would only be a matter of time before they Didn't, like the constant fight UBlock is having with blocking YouTube's new coding to prevent ad blockers.

I'm just tired. I'm tired of feeling that the modern internet hellscape is just not meant for artists because the algorithms expect you to post as much as possible in order to get seen. I'm tired of artists finding a place to settle only to feel the need to move again and again because they just want their work and themselves to be respected. I miss old DeviantART when it was still a giant hub and community for artists instead of the shell it is today. I still see a lot of people still posting when I check in every now and then.

I don't know what the answer is, because I know data scraping for generative models isn't going away. I can only hope that it cannibalizes itself into hot garbage by taking in generated images that weren't tagged as AI. I would love it if all the wild shit people post on here could make the dataset completely unusable.

At the moment it looks like the only thing I can do is continue to watermark my art heavily and post low-quality versions. I've never had a large enough following to worry about art theft, but I can't control an all-consuming bot scraping everything.

I've been toying with the idea of making my own website and it's seeming more and more appealing. I've seen that you can make your own Patreon-adjacent subscription setup and have a pay-to-access feature. I don't know if that could help prevent scraping or if there are methods to get around that, too. Can bots scrape Patreon itself?

I'll need to update my LinkTree with all the other hundreds of sites that I'm on I guess. I was hoping that this long-ass post would help me come to some sort of conclusion or peace. I think I just gave myself more work to do. I also feel bad that my only other text post here is so hopeful, only to be slapped down immediately in this one.

TLDR: I'm gonna keep posting but like, I'm Not Gonna Like It. MidJourney Sucks. Tech Bros Suck. Ya'll can eat my entire ass.

[skintagbegone]

Skin Tag Be Gone Skin Tag Remover: Eliminate All Skin's Imperfections

From moles, to skin tags, to warts, these imperfections aren't something you need to with. Many falsely think they do, or foot the nigh-insurmountable costs of clinical surgery, often not covered by insurance. But, there's a better way, that's both safer and other reliable. It's called Skin Tag Be Gone Skin Tag Remover! Thousands persons have already turned for this formula to erase their skin marks. Why haven't you? If you're worried about the costs, we have some theme. Not only is this a superior method versus surgery, however it is also far cheaper. And, when you click on any of the blue buttons you see on that page, you pay the cheapest Skin Tag Be Gone Price possible! It's the kind of offer we don't find very often. Because, along with a brand that's already making waves in the skincare community, demand is high, which usually drives up price!

If you stick to the Skin Tag Be Gone Instructions carefully, you need to able to meaningfully treat any tarnish. We were skeptical at first, because claims the designers of this formula have made are, frankly, rather audacious. But, we had a number of staff volunteers who had blemishes they were happy to try. In nearly all cases, their blemishes indeed erased within eight hours of application. That's what they say can happen, but as we discovered, it doesn't happen in every case. Sometimes, it can take as long as 48 hours to receive evidence to go away. Still, those are tremendous results versus the scarring that can occur with conventional blemish removal. If you'd like to select a bottle to make use of for yourself, click any link! We've put these as links to essentially the most affordable Skin Tag Be Gone Cost seen anywhere online. Act today!

Skin Tag Be Gone Ingredients

So, what do getting here? The are two primary Skin Tag Be Gone Ingredients that, only in tandem, can deliver on the designers' bold suits. These include Sanuinaria Canadensis, AKA Bloodroot, and a favorite healing agent called Zincum Muriaticum. Regrowth how this works, we'll discuss each briefly.

Bloodroot is a flowering plant that's native to America. It acts as an irritant, which can be inflammatory in its natural state. But, as our volunteers have happily discovered, the Bloodroot that appears in Skin Tag Be Gone Skin Tag Remover has been quoted. It works painlessly at the root of the blemish, so you're able to easily sleep through it. They it functions in as low as eight hours, so why don't you test it in this way? Apply it just before bed, and see what's happened by the time you wake up in the day of the week! What's going on here? Because of its natural properties, albeit subdued, it draws the attention of white blood cells. They flood the area beneath the blemish, causing it to scab from within and heal.

Meanwhile, Zincum Muriaticum is, as we mentioned, a healing agent. Specifically, like those on antiseptic qualities can easily prevent infection because the recovery process occurs. It also speeds increase the rate of recovery, which is the actual serum is sometimes able to finish its work literally overnight. We feel completely strongly that desires to give a great advantage as opposed to surgery. You'll save hundreds if not thousands of dollars, and you're getting treatment that's unlikely to leave damaged skin behind. Declare your first bottle, click any of your surroundinglinks. They'll demand to the site where you'll spend the money for reduced Skin Tag Be Gone Price! If you want the formula, there's no reason at all to miss this deal!

[hakesbros]

Home Builders In Las Cruces

Ue to their unmatched strength and sturdiness, these homes are recognized to stand the take a look at of time. Our methods are particularly efficient in creating lovely and energy-efficient homes with long-lasting worth. We are honored to be the recipients of several awards for our quality homes and community involvement. Our 2020 Showcase Home gained Best Floor Plan, Best Kitchen, Best Curb Appeal, Best Outdoor Living Space, Best Master Bedroom/Bathroom and Most Innovative. Owner, Jason serves as Chairman of the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee and has additionally served as President of the Board at the Las Cruces Home Builders Association.

But typically speaking, a custom-built house can cost you twice as a lot as a personalised development home will. And the stretch of land expense is generally new homes las cruces not part of that amount. In all probability, the value tag of a brand new home can value round $200 to $400 per sq. foot.

Another custom home builder making a optimistic influence in our community is A New Beginning Custom Homes. Founded in 2017, A New Beginning Custom Homes is owned by Adam and Renee Juarez. A true household affair, Adam’s brothers Ricky and Juan even have essential roles in the firm. A New Beginning Custom Homes provides families with various budgets the opportunity to build custom homes. Their team assists their clients all the way from the number of a location to the type of tile to the palette of paint colours for a home, all to ensure their buyers obtain exactly what they need. For over twenty years, Villa Custom Homes has delivered distinctive residences all through the Southwest.

From single-family homes to massive luxurious builds, Villa Custom Homes’ projects are inspired by the landscape and culture of the Southwest. The company focuses on customized home development and reworking providers as well as rammed Earth homes. As specialists in rammed Earth materials homes for sale las cruces, the staff provides distinctive designs that aren't simply beautiful, but practical and sustainable as properly. Farmington-based Liessmann Construction has been serving the Four Corners region for greater than 25 years.

Our shoppers are our first precedence, which is why we offer superior customer support. We’re on your facet and hold you in the loop on your project from begin homes for sale in las cruces nm to end. Western Builders would like to be your home builder of choice, in certainly one of our communities or in your lot.

We provide the “open book” course of or one hundred pc transparency with the price range. We don’t simply build homes in Las Cruces – that is our home, too. Owners, Jason and Julia Lorenz had been both born and raised in New Mexico. Like you, our whole group have chosen Las Cruces because the place to live and raise our families.

Serving purchasers in and round Albuquerque, Lee Michael Homes makes a speciality of designing and building custom green homes since 2002. The locally-owned and family-operated business was founded by Mike and Alexa Knight who each have labored in the community for greater than three a long time. Today, the Lee Michael group offers over a hundred years of combined expertise in the true estate and building industry, offering purchasers with award-winning customized homes and remodels in the space. The agency can be committed to employing the most recent engineered designs and technology in addition to green home constructing practices. The firm currently builds on its developed subdivisions and communities, but also builds on particular person heaps owned by the shoppers.

[tonkishops]

Brain power stepmania

"If this game does everything perfectly, for the next 10 years, it could be a 98% masterpiece! I mean, right now, its only like a 50%, at best, barebones scam, and it took them years to get to that point, but why would I rate what they actually sold me?"īroken? You haven't even played it, champ. Yet it has a 98% review score? Because it tagged itself as an Early Access scam, so people have sparkly eyed hope for the future? The issue is that without auto generated maps, this game only has 10 songs, and most of them suck. The issue isn't that hand crafted maps are better. Telling people to play a different game, instead of fixing the broken ones, and worse, accepting or even praising them, is why the current state of gaming is aids. And since in your opinion handcrafted maps are inferior to ones made by a machine, it's no use trying to tell you anything other than to play a different game. Handcrafted maps are a core feature of the game. You want autogenerated maps, Beat Saber won't have that in the near future. Originally posted by Rayne Boume:I mean it. So, when this Early Access game, like all the others, never gets another update, because it already made its money, and has fanboys worshiping it, remember whose fault that is. They apparently have a community of fanboy trolls already, who will defend objectively bad game design to the ends of the Earth. If they don't want to use it, that's fine, this game isn't even on the Steam top 100 list, its hardly relevant anyway, only making news because of its review score, when Steam review% means less than nothing. I suggested a quick, easy, effective, and superior method to fix that problem, over the one they have planned. Skimming the reviews for this game (the highest rated Steam game of all time), nearly every negative review is a complaint about the lacking track list. But if it only has 10 songs, and most of them suck, that won't be the case.ĭemands? This is the Feedback & Suggestions section. This is one of the few games I would consider getting VR for. Originally posted by Rayne Boume:Soo.you don't own the game, not even a VR headset, yet you demand changes made to the game that go against the very core of it.

[fixyourwritinghabits]

“Sex Should Have Consequences in Fiction” Counterpoint: No The Fuck It Shouldn’t

Okay, so I’ve seen this argument a lot recently, and to a degree, I understand where it’s coming from. Not every teenager is going to be having sex, therefore teenage characters in YA fiction who have sex are not going to be relatable to every teenager. Birth control in fantasy that boils down to a simple spell or a magic potion can feel a little silly. Very serious grimdark fantasy that acknowledges that sexually transmitted diseases exist and yet the very handsome lead who manwhores his way across the continent never worries about getting one is... tiring.

But sex does not have to have consequences.

We, as a modern society, have birth control. We have condoms, we have pills, we have plenty of safe ways to engage in sexual behavior safely without contracting an STD. Humanity historically has always used methods of birth control and tried to control sexual diseases, however impractical those methods may have been at times. The ancient Romans may have wiped out a plant used as herbal birth control, and I promise you plenty of older societies did the same. Having birth control and safe sex be in a fantasy or science fiction is both reasonable, natural, and normal.

So why this push for ‘sexual consequences’ in fiction? Why did I have to see with my two eyes that certain fantasy fiction is bad because the female lead has an easy birth control solution, or one fantasy race is “superior” because they don’t have sex outside of marriage?

First of all... it’s propaganda. I’m sorry, y’all, but ‘sex has consequences’ is a weapon used to blame women for situations out of their control. It’s used against LGBTQ people, it’s used against people who contract HIV and other serious STDs. It is used to excuse, to undermine, and to ignore victims of rape and sexual assault. It’s not an attitude that needs to be perpetuated in fiction or fandom.

However. However! I understand not wanting to have sex in your reading or fandom experience. I understand how frustrating it can be to try to curate a comfortable online experience only to encounter, some porn you didn’t want to see, a sex scene you don’t want to read, or to feel pressured to make sexual content when you don’t want to. I know this sucks! And it should not happen, and anyone who is reasonable will agree with you.

The internet needs to be better at tagging and hash-tagging, more books should have content warnings, and no one who wants you to write sexual content you’re not comfortable with is your friend, seriously, drop those assholes from your life. We can acknowledge that not everyone has to have sex, not every sexual behavior is healthy, and to advocate for consent without pushing dangerous ideas that punish people for being sexual beings. We can, as a community, work toward creative sex-positive and sex-free spaces that accommodate everyone if we are willing to put in the work.

[alwida10]

Why does the Loki series divide us so much?

Why are there people who are amazed by Loki’s character development in the series and some who can’t find any of it when they watch it? Why are some people mad about the ‘out of character’ behavior and some argue this had always been his ‘true’ characterization that was just buried under the hate and trauma during the earlier movies. And why are there people who want the Avengers Loki, when he was at his most hateful and worst in that movie when they could have a happy Loki who finally got friends? I have read all those takes and questions over the last weeks and it led me to the question: how do we perceive the Loki series so differently?

Answer: it is because of the structure and how it collides with pre-existent mindsets!

Ok, I admit that sounds very abstract so here the clear text: the Loki series is structured as a redemption arc and that only works if you think he needs to be redeemed.

This is the redemption arc from the series:

Episode 1 reminded us of Loki’s bad deeds. He killed his mother* by sending the dark elf prisoner up the stairs to the right. He betrayed Odin, Thor, and Asgard*, and literally stabbed people in the back like 50 times. Also, he still thinks he should have a throne.

To drive this point home and to remind u how far our Loki has come, the other Loki variants in episode 5 are as power-hungry, focused on their glorious purpose which is an expression of their innate narcissism and belief in their superiority.

But back to Episode 1: ‘Our’ Loki variant gets his own evilness demonstrated by Mobius, who acts as a savior and a friend. Unlike everyone before, he believes in Loki and that he can be better! Loki admits that his evilness results from his weakness since he only wants to inspire fear to appear strong. After being honest with him, Loki can befriend Mobius and together they solve the mystery where ‘the variant’ hides.

But despite his glimpse into self-discovery, Loki is still selfish and power-hungry. He might have gotten the first push thanks to Mobius but he didn’t change yet, and so he betrays Mobius like it is his nature. He wants to team up with Sylvie, and together they can bring down the timekeepers. Then Loki would probably betray her, too, and become ruler of the TVA.

Now he gets to know Sylvie, and most of all the fact that sets her apart from all the other variants: she doesn’t want to rule! She only wants to end the reign of terror. Her selflessness reaches Loki and he starts to change as well. He realizes there is more to life than a throne. (The romance part is mostly to drive the point home and give him additional motivation. Also, the rule of show business is: turmoil is good, it will attract more people.)

Her selflessness is why Loki joins her cause. Even after being pruned, he wants to aid her. His second-hand embarrassment of the power struggle among all his variants shows US how much our Loki has developed, since he doesn’t even want to rule himself anymore, and HIM that he never wants to go back to his former self.

@alwaysanoriginal pointed out on Twitter that it is Mobius’s influence that makes the classic Loki discover that same selflessness in himself so his sacrifice allows Loki and Sylvie to overcome Alioth and enter the world beyond. Sidenote: I recommend their meta! It’s full of positivity, detailed, and well worded! (Also, we reached the point where the series is while I am writing this, so what follows is speculation based on what I wrote up to here.)

Now, in the finale, Loki’s character development has to be tested. The narrative will tempt him to betray Sylvie to get what he always wanted: power, admiration, being the one who holds all power in his hands. The villain however will be a Loki variant who combines all the worst characteristics: the Loki will be a narcissist, power-hungry, lying, using everyone for his own personal gain etc…

Our Loki will be tempted hard (because that will have us at the edge of our seats) but at the last moment, he will realize that he doesn’t want to be this kind of person anymore. He will stay true to the oath he swore when Sylvie and he snuggled beneath his table cloth. And then Loki will finally be the hero Mobius always believed he could be.

Now, if you are enjoying the Loki series this read feels probably good for you. Now comes the other side of the coin that explains why people don't enjoy this plot:

To make this structure work, they changed Loki’s motivation retrospectively (or they didn’t realize the former films indeed did give him an honorable motivation):

- In Thor 1, Thor was shown as unfit to rule so Loki wanted to delay his coronation and give Thor time to develop work morals (which worked. At the end of the film Thor was a better person). After Loki’s origin was revealed he wanted to prove himself to Odin by the only sufficient method he was communicated: genocide. Now, his motivation is lust for power and narcism.

- in Avengers he was influenced and/or tortured by Thanos (confirmed by Marvel). Now his motivation is lust for power and narcism.

- In TDW, he acts honorable until the incident that can be either seen as Loki sacrificing himself for Thor or betraying him. With the updated characterization from the series, his motivation is now lust for power and narcism.

- in Thor Ragnarok, Loki didn’t do much that would need motivation. What little motivation was needed to turn up for the final battle is probably still Thor pointing out what a selfish and predictable person Loki was, so I guess the only change that happened here is that it might have been defiance caused by his narcism that made Loki turn back to Asgard. So the characterization from the series fits that from Ragnarok best.

So, I don’t have much more to say. All other problems I have with the series originate from this problem.

1) Characterization: They couldn’t show him as badass or in control in the beginning because that would have put his ‘bad’ characterization in a positive light. Therefore, they had to make him a clown. (Note: President Loki who is still a villain still has the badass, thirst-inducing, awesome characterization of the Avengers Loki.)

2) Sylvie does all the heavy lifting (aka the plot so far would have worked without our Loki just as well): well, unlike him, she is a good person already, so she has the motivation for all those things. The only points where he is active are when his ‘evil’ nature takes the wheel, and he wants to meet the timekeepers (motivation to find Sylvie’s hideout) or to team up against the timekeepers (motivation to chase after her and betray Mobius).

3) the representation of being genderfluid would have needed either Loki or Sylvie to change the gender they presented during the series. But the creators needed the male/female dichotomy as an outward representation of selfishness/selflessness so the representation of genderfluidity remained empty lip service.

I’m tagging a few people because I would like to know what you think about this analysis: @iamanartichoke, @worstloki, @iamnmbr3, @allaboutloki, @crazyaboutloki.

[chidoroki]

Norman - 22194

March 21st is here and it’s time for yet another birthday post. I already rambled on about Emma and Ray on their special days, so now it’s finally time to complete this full-score tradition with Norman. It might not be as detailed or long as the other two, since he was absent for a good chunk of the story, but it doesn’t make him any less important! I’ll be honest now, the boy isn’t my favorite character (he doesn’t place anywhere in my top ten for this series either) so I probably missed some moments worth mentioning but I did my best to praise this child anyway!

(spoilers for the entirety of The Promised Neverland, so if you haven’t read/completed the manga yet, consider this your first warning, because I’m once again going from start to finish with this.)

Since I want to stay consistent with the other two posts, this will focus on the manga timeline, as season 2 is, well.. it’s own thing. I’ll mention some things but don’t count on much. With that, let’s go.

- He achieves a perfect score on Grace Field’s daily tests, alongside Emma and Ray.

- He is, without a doubt, the smartest kid the house has ever seen, as he passes each test flawlessly and has maintained a 300 average.

- He’s a complete strategist who is capable of achieving victory (even in something simple as tag) by observing his opponents moves and analyzing their weaknesses in order to counter.

- Knows how to pick locks. The scene from ch1 was left out but we see him doing so later on in ep02.

- Stays relatively positive and calm after learning about the truth of the farm.

- Even going as far as giving Emma a reassuring smile, which I think is impressive given the literal nightmare fuel they’ve just witnessed. 

- I’m giving him half credit for suggesting the idea of there being tracking devices, since anime has him reveal this possibility while in manga it’s Emma.

- Both of them realize what determines the shipping order and that the demons favor their brains.

- This silly panel that I love dearly.

- Made sure to do a sweep of the entire house beforehand to make sure their escape planning doesn’t get pick up on.

- Figures out that Isabella only knows the children’s locations when she checks the tracker and that it can’t identify who is who.

- Has the nerve to lie right to Isabella’s face.. not that she believes it, but still gutsy nonetheless.

- Knowing the house probably wouldn’t have any rope, it was his idea to use the spare tablecloths.

- Had a feeling that Ray would reveal the harsh reality of how dangerous it would be to escape with all the children, which turns out to be correct.

- His laugh in ep02 is so precious.

- This statement being 100% accurate.

- Manages to convince the logical Ray, who we know now has spent many years coming up with a solid, safer escape plan, to join in and assist with their crazy and reckless plan instead. Having Ray on their side also grants them many advantages.

- Absolutely hates to lose, which is a good mentality to have in a world where your life is a stake and your time is limited, which eventually leads him to consider every possible opportunity to stay ahead of his enemies throughout the remainder of the story.

- Realizes that the trackers must only send out a signal upon being broken, which we found out to be true in Ray’s one-shot chapter.

- - Him looking completely terrified in this panel.

- He managed to catch all the Grace Field kids in a game of tag even after they received advice from Ray about how to survive longer.

- The goddamn intimidating energy he gives off here is fantastic.

- Despite his body being physically weak, he manages to survive and win against Krone during their game of tag.

- Just like Ray some couple chapters ago, Norman is completely serious about this idea.

- Suspects there’s a traitor among the kids and swiftly comes up with a plan to lure them out.

- This panel of him “dead” from the first side story.

- He has a feeling the spy is Ray, so he moves up the day of the escape to catch him off guard and send him into a panic.

- Even though the anime didn’t include it, he managed to throw off Krone as well with some fake footprints to keep her off their backs.

- Was honestly considering on leaving the spy behind while the rest of them escaped, though he doesn’t seem real happy about the idea, considering the traitor is Ray.

- His plan on fishing out the spy was flawless as he finally calls Ray out by revealing that the information he gave about the ropes and where he hid them were fake locations.

- Not only was Ray the first one Norman suspected, but he caught onto him way back when Krone first came to the house. All the information Ray was feeding them helped Norman come to this conclusion as well.

- Along with Emma’s words about believing that no one in their family is truly bad, Norman refrains from cutting Ray off to allow him to become their trump card. This was a risky move itself, knowing Ray could sell both him & Emma out at any time. Norman tends to prioritize victory, so while staying alive is absolutely necessary and that could’ve been achieved without Ray (as he could’ve just used Ray then ditch him later), he still decides to make the offer as realizes that in order defeat Isabella, Ray’s full cooperation is essential.

- Realizes that it was Ray who hid Little Bunny in the first place and lead Norman and Emma to investigate the gate that night, which leads him to believe that Ray isn’t really an enemy.

- He’s also left handed. Yes, that’s important. Not only for later in the story but because we’re superior. I’m sorry y’all had to find out this way. 

- This stupid, little face he makes.

- Suspects that Ray doesn’t actually plan on escaping at all and intends to kill himself.

- Just like Emma and Ray, Norman also recognizes and understands morse code.

- Look at this precious child, not even angry after getting punched and knocked over. (because i certainly would be)

- Finds Ray’s hidden supply of oil which confirms the method for his future suicide. This also helps Norman later on when he comes up with a refined escape plan by using the fire Ray plans to start.

- Figures out Krone’s true intention about why she wants to join forces with the kids in the first place. 

- He ends up accepting Krone’s offer anyway, because despite the large risk, any information that can snag out of her would benefit them.

- You mad lad, look at you, taunting the bringer of death yet again while a smile on your face.

- And he still manages to find some strength to smile while upon death’s door.

- Not for long though, as once he’s given the chance to be alone, he finally breaks down. Having the cup overflow with water really helps demonstrate how impactful the thought of dying hit him as Norman was overcome with so many emotions that he didn’t even have the strength to hold onto the cup or his facade. It’s then he starts to feel scared and sorry for himself but away from Emma and Ray’s eyes as to not worry them.

- His entire internal monologue as he comes to terms with his unfortunate situation and flips back to his determined “I can’t lose” attitude to help everyone else escape. Also, his theme ‘22194’ hits especially hard.

- For someone with weak, physical abilities, he manages to climb the wall on his own.

- Though the cliff stopped his escape, he used that opportunity to survey the surrounding area of the entire farm to rely his findings to the duo and provide them a safer escape route.

- Completely adamant about his decision to accept his shipment in order to give the rest of his family a chance to escape. (hell, id’ be terrified right now)

- This hug that is sure to break everyone’s hearts.

- Quick to react to Emma’s last ditch effort and prevented her from slamming her already busted up leg into the ground.

- Not only did he predict that Ray would start a fire to distract Isabella and on which day, he also left behind the pen and key he received from Krone along with a new, detailed plan (which he managed to come up with in only a few hours by the way) that would allow the kids to cross over the cliff.

(post season one spoilers below. again, focusing on the manga timeline, so any new season 2 events will be mentioned sparingly.)

- Like Ray, Norman was able to figure out how the pen worked well enough to see Minerva’s message regarding B06-32.

- Since he doesn’t show up again for quite some time post-escape, there isn’t much to talk about.. but at least I can make fun of him thanks to extra pages, like how he wouldn’t have enough strength to use a bow.

- But hey, props to s2ep10 for actually giving us Norman shooting an arrow. He was pretty decent with it too, as he hit his target on the first try behind a darn smokescreen. The manga did show him holding a bow in ch161, but that’s it.

- Not relevant to the actual story at all, but his smarts certainly make anything possible.

- I’m sorry but these tiny failures of his bring me great joy.

- Though the tests at Lambda are harder than those at Grace Field, Norman still managed to get every question correct. Every single day he was there. Even when the facility manages to increase the difficulty of the tests, he continues to pass each one with flying colors.

- Since he noticed someone who’s right handed also takes the same tests he does, he makes an attempt to communicate with them via a Rubik’s cube. He waits patiently for five months until he finally gets a response from Vincent around Christmas 2046. 

- Dealt with the experiments/drugs that were forced onto him and the seizures that resulted from them.

- Even with the tight security and surveillance, he somehow acquired explosives and successfully blow up Lambda and escapes with the survivors.

- Again, not significant to the story, but seriously dude? You just fainted and yet you still get this crazy question right effortlessly?

(post time-skip)

- Contacts Lucas moments before the B06-32 shelter gets blown up and gives him the numeric code that eventually leads Emma’s group to the “Jaw of Lion.”

- Destroyed numerous mass production farms since his escape from Lambda.

- As well as save countless children from other farms and used the Paradise shelter found by Smee’s network to give them a sense of safety and taste of a normal life.

- The darn glow-up he receives, like sweet lord child, are you sure you’re still 13??

- - His cute, squishy cheeks though!

- He may look like he’s in his thirties, but still has the strength of a child. (see anime? this is how strong ray’s slap should have been!)

- Learned a great deal of demon history and gave that lengthy lesson about the demon’s genetics and how they inherit the characteristics of whatever they eat and evolve accordingly. 

- With Emma’s wish about saving everyone and lively happily still on his mind, he thought of a safe and certain method in order to create such a future for all the children raised as food.. which ends up being complete extermination of all the demons caused by a civil war. His plan also includes ending the Ratri clan as well. How cheerful.

- Are you surprised to learn that Norman getting tackled by the younger kids is my favorite panel of him?

- You weak, little bean, I’m sorry I enjoy making fun of you so much.

- Successfully forms an alliance with Lord Geelan and his clan by offering revenge on the royal family, the five regent houses, as well as the Ratri clan, thus putting Geelan in full control. In return, it would grant Norman the full release of farm children, permission to self-govern and some much needed power in terms of demon strength.

- He knows full well that the entire alliance is a lie and both parties are only using each other, though in works in his favor, as it will send the demons to destroy each other without the lose of any human lives.

- This absolute powerful panel that the anime decided “nah, we’re gonna change this too” because they’re cowards.

- Narrowed down possible locations on where to find Sonju and Mujika. Sure it was with the intention of killing our demon friends but his map was accurate.

- Survived who knows long with his seizures at level 4, and because of his severe condition, he’s completely set on following through his plan and succeeding before his time runs out.

- Seems to enjoy blowing stuff up, such as the imperial city’s bridges to send the place into a panic and trap all the citizens.

- Advised the Lambda crew on how to effectively fight against the queen by attacking relentlessly.

- Let loose a poison that causes not only normal demons to degenerate, but the royal family as well, such as the five regent heads and the queen who’s name is too long and complicated for me to ever remember, who all have the cursed blood. (at least that’s how effective it was in manga, in anime it did absolutely nothing to vylk)

- He somehow managed to learn, speak and understand the demon language, which, according to Shirai (vol16 author notes), is actually an uncommon language nowadays. (and we’ll unfortunately never know how this language actually sounds, thank anime..)

- Do I even praise him for killing a demon and well.. all this? Sure in the anime he tried killing Vylk, but old demon was fair more innocent compared to the royal family, so I have no idea.

- I will give season 2 some credit and say I prefer their take on the “right now you look like a small child, shaking with fear” panel.

- But not too much credit, as they didn’t give us the full trio hug as the manga did!

- Then again the anime did have him about to apologize to Vylk and Demon Emma for his actions, which is something, I suppose? since in ch154 he says he didn’t regret killing the queen and royals, which I guess is justified because they were the bigger problem, but oh well.

- Might have apologized to Ayshe for killing her father? Can’t be sure but that’s the unanimous consensus in the fandom right?

- Instantly comes up with counter moves and directions for the entire group upon hearing the enemies locations from Vincent during the GF raid.

- I honestly can’t look at this panel anymore and not laugh about it.. because reasons.

- He just keeps on winning. (also he looks real good here, i’ll give him that.)

- He and everyone else are skeptical about there being no “reward,” and for rightfully so.

- Upon learning that Emma is missing after everyone crossed over to the human world, they all adopt her optimistic attitude and swear to find her no matter where she might be.

- After a stressful two year search, the kids finally find Emma and Norman is so overcome with emotion that he busts out into tears of joy, despite finding out that she lost her memories due to the reward. All that matters to him is that Emma was safe and happy and he accepts her just the way she is.

And I guess.. that’s it. I’m sorry again, I know this is truly the weakest post out of the trio and I have no doubt I glanced over a whole bunch of great moments but it still had to be done! Making fun of him probably wasn’t the best thing to do on his special day either, but I assure you this child is very powerful. Who else do you know that is capable of sending an entire fandom into a panic and rage furiously by just simply showing up?

Ah ha okay, now I’m done. In all seriousness though, this lad is great and through everything he has endured, he definitely deserves to be celebrated today, so happy birthday to our boy Norman!

[fixaidea]

I posted 3,871 times in 2021

1426 posts created (37%)

2445 posts reblogged (63%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 1.7 posts.

I added 3,151 tags in 2021

#tgcf - 630 posts

#personal - 395 posts

#xie lian - 341 posts

#ius murmurandi - 316 posts

#erha - 293 posts

#hua cheng - 291 posts

#the untamed - 267 posts

#pretty - 255 posts

#lol - 203 posts

#because cats - 160 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#actual footage of the official communication of the hungarian government re: the number of people successfully recovered from covid today

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Still not completely done with the book, but this scene was too epic not to draw :D

413 notes • Posted 2021-10-23 16:00:37 GMT

#4

Flight practice

435 notes • Posted 2021-11-01 14:49:19 GMT

#3

Guys… Guys these are *social constructs*

446 notes • Posted 2021-09-29 16:35:31 GMT

#2

Roundtable question - let us hear it from some danmei characters, what is the best method of courting a man?

Wei Wuxian *while trying and failing to elbow Wen Kexing out of view*: Easy! Annoy the sh*t outta him.

Yan Wushi: And if he doesn’t get the hint try killing him a couple of times. That should do the trick.

Mo Ran *while sharing a Look of Superiority with Luo Binghe*: Bunch a’ losers. The answer is, of course, food.

Hua Cheng *with Jing Shao nodding along in the background*: Look, if you don’t openly worship the ground he walks on, you’re not even trying. But for starters you might want to ask his opinion on stuff and actually listen when he answers.

457 notes • Posted 2021-06-14 05:59:58 GMT

#1

I think a lot of weird or outright stupid decisions by Star Wars characters can be explained by how - due to all the planet-hopping - these people are jet-lagged out of their minds all day every day.

7939 notes • Posted 2021-05-12 11:23:36 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[yekistraight]

Hey, could you explain what being a feminist means? I’ve heard all these terms before, and there’s this huge stigma around it. So do you think there’s a way you could clarify at least what your beliefs are, and what you believe it to be? I’m simply trying to study stuff and see what it’s become or is. Thank you.

Sorry I wrote so much i just wanted to make it comprehensive:

General definition of feminist is someone who believes in the socio-economic equality of the sexes. In the beginning this was a straightforward ideology to follow. Women needed to be equal to men. It’s only fair, there’s no reason not to be. But sharing power is not something the ruling majority particularly enjoys so there’s been some bumps in the road. Decades and decades of bumps.

The feminists of the past started this push a long time ago with one message: “we want to be taken seriously, we are humans too and we need rights that benefit us and protect us from you[men]” and they were right. Sex based crimes against women were happening at an alarming rate. So much so that it had become part of some cultures and traditions, meaning it would be defended and men would be protected while women basically died, physically and socially. Women lived in fear and helplessness, being sold a dream of subservience promoted by religion and ego in exchange for protection from men. What about the women that still, despite the odds, wanted to choose a different path? Well, they were brave enough to step out of line and others followed. They exist throughout history, inspiring other women will their bravery and confidence, proving that it was possible to have the power and authority that men had. Now imagine giving every woman that access to power? They’d have everything right? Well feminism didn’t start like that (it was racially exclusive actually) but fortunately the ideologies spread out through cities, across oceans and into continents where women wanted, no, NEEDED such power; the power to change their destinies that had been set upon them by another mere human being.

So feminism is like a sisterhood, where we’re only related by a common goal to protect each other while trying to defeat our common enemy. Here’s where the simplistic ideology begins to mutate based on strategy and cultural progression.

Feminism is a sisterhood, but not a monolith. There’s been different waves (eras) of feminism where each sisterhood used different tactics to achieve their goals for equality. Its like making a new checklist after the old one gets checked off. However there’s been one item that still needs a lot of work before ticking off and that’s dismantling gender roles. Gender roles are the root cause of every.single.thing. Toxic masculinity, performative femininity. Gender roles were created to control humans and keep them in their place. For a feminist to push her way into male dominated spaces, she must first acknowledge that gender roles have been constructed to work against her and break through it. So take note, everything is the way it is because of gender roles.

In this era, the sisterhood has been split into two major groups, two warring tribes if you will: libfems and radfems.

Liberal Feminists accept everyone. They use the tactic of assimilation, where they water down feminist ideologies to make it inclusive for everyone. They follow the lead of oppressed minorities who reclaimed slurs and instead reclaim methods tused to oppress women that past waves of feminists fought to dismantle. Remember what I said about gender roles? These women are bringing it back and think they’re reclaiming it. How do you reclaim something that hasn’t been dismantled yet?The only power they’re concerned with is the feeling of superiority that comes from thinking bowing down to the patriarchy is their idea. Their feminism tackles issues like rape, victim blaming and misogyny, things that affect them personally, while taking on the burden of other marginalised groups as their own, pushing their own goals to the backseat while feeling a self-righteous high. Basically, they’re activists who have lost the plot but would keep pushing blindly than admit it. The second group was born from libfems that wanted more than a feel good pat on the back from the patriarchy for not being too interfering.

Radical feminists are still following the original objective of their predecessors. They still have their eyes open to sex-based oppression and are aware there’s still a lot of work to be done. They don’t put the opposite sex’s needs above their own or let other group’s ideologies influence theirs and because of this, other groups as well as libfems have dubbed them as enemies to progress. Ironic isn’t it? The group that still fights for sexual equality has been silenced by none other than their own. Of course hatred for this group of feminists didn’t come out of nowhere. Radfems and their female-only values are presumed to hurt trans women, as trans women are biologically male and don’t have the same sex based experiences as biological women. Trans activists took these as transphobic fighting words and ostracised radfems, silencing them and their ideologies, claiming that everything they fought for was an attack against the trans community. Conservative americans also share some radfem values, basically the one on keeping the movement focused on female only issues, and because the right is notoriously bigoted (ironic because conservatives are the ones who uphold the gender roles feminists fight against so a conservative feminist is paradoxical) this is enough to tell people that radfems can’t be trusted. That they’re all racist, transphobic white supremacists. Because all groups that share similar ideologies are bad. The public, not wanting to be on the Unpopular Opinion side of history, shifted away and further pushed radfems into the background while libfems and their blind acceptance values were hailed as the patron saints of feminism.

So what feminism was and what it is now are vastly different. It started as a movement in different countries with different goals, then it graduated and took on more serious topics. It was like a game where every level gets tougher to prepare you for that last boss, the one who holds all the power you need to physically change your reality.

Today in the year 2021, young girls are being told that it’s feminist to enjoy selling their bodies for money. That it’s the same as working in a mine (a common comparative statement). That it’s feminist to look as womanly as the gender roles men created dictate. That it’s feminist to watch porn and be happy your romantic partner watches it to; this means you’re sexually liberated. Grown women go to Tiktok full of minors in the style of pimps to show off stacks of money they’ve made from pleasing men. They say “i did it because i wanted to and so should you”. Minors are all over twitter trying to lure men with financial dominatrix tags. They can’t wait till they become legal to start selling their nude bodies to men. They were told it would make them feel powerful. People who are skeptical are shamed into silence, because the popular crowd is always in control and no one wants to be the odd one out.

Now compare that to women who spend time researching horrifying news of sexual violence still happening today. Women still having to sell themselves to survive in 2021 is a clear indicator that we’re still not taken seriously. Sex buying, pimping and displaying women as commodities is the reason little girls are being stolen off the streets and shipped off to a disgusting dreg who think he’s owed sexual satisfaction.

Radfems want to end child sex trafficking, sex slavery, wedding night virginity checks, honour killings, femicide, sewing up little girls vaginas to avoid them exploring their sexuality before their wedding night and bring attention to way more hardcore shit being run by top dogs who are cooperating with the old powers that influence the governments.

Whose side do you think the media will be on? Whose side is worth not risking ruffling feathers?

Feminism has become many things now. You can choose the one that reminds you of the cruelty of man or the one that creates a comfortable fantasy of false empowerment while women’s violence continues. Both get stigmatised anyway.

If it wasn’t obvious already, I’m a radical feminist.

I’m an autistic radfem living in a backwards country where the lgbt community can’t thrive so there’s no pride parades, no trans movement, nothing that can be publicised anyway. I can’t create a fantasy where everything works because nothing works. Women are dying around me everyday for being female, my best friend is trapped with an abusive father who hates her for being a female firstborn (something babies get killed for), I’m not worthy of basic respect without a husband, a poor woman from a muslim state gets death threats from her fellow muslims for wearing a backless top while a rich married one gets praised and women can’t apply for anything important without a man’s permission.

Now why on earth would i want to pamper the gender that made and uphold those laws? The battle here is still greatly a battle of the sexes. Despite this stale level of progress, our movement, like many others have allies. Male allies are great, allies are great, we need them to push buttons yes but also remember they can never fully understand what we feel. All they can do is try their best to help and in return we give them acknowledgement and support; so no we’re not supposed to be misandrists or transphobes. We just hate anyone who uplifts what we and our ancestors have been fighting to destroy.

That’s all

[hopeshoodie]

lottie would be on what tiktok?

Hooo boy. Ok. Strap in.

So Tiktok is just 2013 tumblr. One such communities I LOVE to watch on there is ‘shifter’ tiktok. Basically it’s the community of people who believe that they can shift between multiple realities (because string theory- there are infinite universes) and live in different realities while their Earth body sleeps. And if there’s infinite realities, that means there’s a reality where your favorite fictional universe is… Real. Yeah. 

These people profess to believe that they can transport themselves to fictional universes. There’s also a sub-genre of this where it’s people going to universes that are the same but their boyfriend is Harry Styles, that kind of stuff.

I’m not gonna tell you what to believe, I’m not gonna tell you your beliefs are invalid. It’s my personal opinion that they’re just lucid dreaming at the very most, but that’s not for me to say. 

I think the community is a little problematic in that it seems like the majority of people consuming the content are kids, whilst the people making content are adults. So it’s a sketchy dynamic of an adult saying ‘If you fixate hard enough, you can go to the Avatar the Last Airbender universe!’ and then a bunch of kids filling up the comments about how they’re trying to do it. Dunno, kinda weird. I guess ultimately it’s not hurting anyone…?

But the reason I follow it is because god. It gives me the messy tumblr drama that I’ve been missing. I’ve only been following the tags for a few months, but in that time:

A popular shifter creator (her universe of focus was the vampire diaries) showed what it took for her to shift. See, people have all these methods, but one of the most popular one is immersing yourself into your DR (desired reality, sometimes called target reality). So this creator showed how she would marathon the show, theme her home decor, and sleep at weird intervals. People got mad because the way she made it sound, she had to do this for days on end. They called her ableist and classist because some people have to work and can't make that commitment, then she was doxxed. People weren't as mad at the doxxing as they were mad that she lived in an expensive apartment in NYC, that she allegedly didn't deserve???

A lot of kin adjacent drama. I think that's weird, because isn't the whole point of infinite realities the idea that infinite versions of the same person exist??? But yeah a lot of 'that's not how X acts so you clearly didn't shift'

Someone posted that they shifted to the A Goofy Movie world, and then people flamed them for making fun of shifting because they thought it was a joke. The person followed up insisting that they were serious, and some people defended them saying "stop gatekeeping what universe people can shift to". The majority were still mad that they were 'not taking it seriously enough' and the person deleted their account.

A LOT of anti-gate keeping stuff and people getting mad at gatekeepers that I don’t think really existed in the first place? Like I constantly see stuff where people are angrily saying ‘stop saying you can’t shift to X, there are infinite realities and if someone can find one to shift to it’s real.’

There’s this weird sense of superiority towards people who think it isn’t real? Like they really think they discovered the secrets of quantum mechanics and not just a fun little brain delusion that brain juices do if you use them in a certain way, and they’re weirdly condescending to people who ‘can’t shift’. A lot of comment wars happen where someone makes fun of shifter tiktok and people flood their comments, a shifter video goes mainstream and people shit on it in the comments. It’s grade A entertainment.

And my personal favorite- someone said they shifted to Harry Potter and posted a tiktok crying that they accidentally killed Draco Malfoy. People got legit angry because 'people in shifted realities are actual people' and started calling them a murderer. They also tried to call out the people in the comments laughing at the situation.

[merakilyy]

I Made My Choice and It Was You

Pairing: Wangxian, platonic Lan Xichen and Wei Ying bonding Tags: Post-canon, Hurt/comfort, domestic fluff, emotional baggage, minor PTSD and nightmares, family bonding Summary: It's hard for Lan Xichen to trust his judgement after having so blatantly misjudged the character of Jin Guangyao, but watching Wei Wuxian interact with his brother reminds him that good can come from his judgement. (The 5+1 fic that was supposed to be lighthearted and funny. Instead, it turned into Lan Xichen being the best brother (in-law) ever as he helps Wei Wuxian work through his complicated emotions and they bond over younger brothers and rabbits.)

On AO3

After the Guanyin Temple, mere weeks after entering seclusion in one of the deeper caves of Cloud Recesses, Lan Xichen found himself unwillingly dragged out of seclusion by none other than Lan Qiren, shufu , the Grandmaster himself.

As it turned out, Wangji had wasted no time before marrying Wei Wuxian. As Lan Qiren told it, Wangji had just barely been named Chief Cultivator when his first action was to take off with Wei Wuxian on Bichen and promptly disappear without warning. Had it been anyone else, their sudden disappearance would have been a major scandal. But it was the Yiling Patriarch and Hanguang-jun, and the cultivation world had just been turned upside down with Jin Guangyao’s downfall, so barely anyone even noticed their impromptu disappearance and the disapproval of a handful of sect leaders barely registered.

Two weeks later, Lan Wangji had returned with a familiar red ribbon tied snugly around his wrist and dragging along a cheerful Wei Wuxian on his arm. An even more familiar white ribbon held up Wei Wuxian’s hair.

While Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji had stepped inside the Yashi to discuss Wangji’s recent behaviour, Xichen had been left alone with his new brother-in-law to wait in the Jingshi.

A heavy silence fell upon them.

It wasn’t as though Xichen disliked Wei Wuxian, per se. He had found Wei Wuxian’s endless energy and penchant for finding himself in trouble endearing at times. After all, he had actively encouraged and pushed for Wei Wuxian to befriend Wangji back when he was just a visiting disciple from Yunmeng Jiang. Even during the Sunshot Campaign, he hadn’t actively discouraged Wangji from pining after Wei Wuxian. After Wangji told him of the Wen elders and children Wei Ying had taken with him into the Burial Mounds, Xichen still could not find it in him to fully denounce Wei Ying the way Lanling Jin and Qinghe Nie had. Even when Yunmeng Jiang turned against its former head disciple, Xichen and Gusu Lan officially maintained neutrality against the Yiling Patriarch. Xichen only disapproved of the Yiling Laozu’s methods, not the ideology.

But then the slaughter at the Nightless City happened and Xichen could only watch helplessly as he found himself on opposing sides with his own brother. Xichen did his best to keep the Lan disciples far from where Wangji and Wei Wuxian were tearing through the battlefield, not wanting to force Wangji to make that kind of decision. (A part of him already knew who Wangji would choose and he selfishly didn’t want to face that reality). Despite the distance, he saw Wei Wuxian throw himself off a cliff and the absolute grief on Lan Wangji’s face when Wei Wuxian finally slipped out of Lan Wangji’s bloodied fingers.

It was difficult to not hate Wei Ying as he watched Wangji in the aftermath of the Nightless City.

Still, Xichen did his best to push aside his feelings towards Wei Wuxian when he had returned for the sake of his brother. It became even harder to dislike Wei Wuxian after the truth about his golden core was revealed. Be righteous . Righteousness had been ingrained into each member of the Gusu Lan sect since birth; what else could such a selfless action be, to give away one’s own golden core, other than the highest form of righteousness?

Yet, a part of Xichen struggled to forgive Wei Wuxian for all the suffering he brought upon Wangji.

So, in the absence of a pressing mystery to solve and without Wangji’s presence, Xichen and Wei Wuxian found themselves sitting rather uncomfortably in the Jingshi. Xichen closed his eyes and prepared to settle his mind for meditation while Wei Wuxian fiddled with Chenqing and his new ribbon.

Wei Wuxian didn’t see Xichen’s eyes soften as he observed the tender way in which Wei Wuxian stroked his finger along the cloud embroidery on Wangji’s forehead ribbon as he absentmindedly found comfort in the physical manifestation of Lan Wangji’s love.

“Wangji is correct,” Xichen said, opening his eyes after his failed attempt at meditation.

Wei Wuxian jumped at the unexpected speech but said nothing, hands fiddling with Chenqing’s tassel.

“Wei Gong-zi is loud in everything that he does,” Xichen continued when Wei Wuxian said nothing. It was odd, seeing Wei Wuxian have so little to say. “Wei Gong-zi has a loud presence.”

“Ah. I. Apologize?” Wei Wuxian

“No need.” Lan Xichen knew well enough of Wei Wuxian’s endless ability to put his foot in his mouth at the most inopportune moments and silently commended Wei Wuxian’s attempt to mollify his new brother-in-law. “Wangji sees no fault with it, and recent events have more than proven that Wangji is a superior judge of character than I.”

A heavy silence settled between them again.

Wei Wuxian would rather be hit with Zidian than talk to Lan Xichen about the Guanyin Temple. The events of the Guanyin Temple were what exonerated and redeemed Wei Wuxian’s reputation. The Guanyin Temple restored Wei Wuxian’s life to him, but the Guanyin Temple ripped Lan Xichen’s life apart.

So they were at a bit of an impasse.

A shuffling noise brushed past the entrance of the Jingshi as a pair of disciples swiftly passed by. The relief on Wei Wuxian’s face from this distraction was palpable and Xichen was struck with a realization.

It wasn’t that Wei Wuxian didn’t have anything to say. Wei Wuxian had plenty to say and was quite literally vibrating with all that he wanted to say. But he didn’t say any of it out of the fear that he might inadvertently offend or hurt Xichen.

Despite the unease in the room, and his own ongoing inner turmoil, Xichen smiled ever so slightly. Lan Qiren was a lost cause, but Wei Ying did care about Xichen’s opinion because Wangji cared. For all his uncouth mannerisms, Wei Wuxian was and had always been far more perceptive than anyone (except Wangji) realized.

Xichen felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It was a subtle change, but Xichen noticed the relief he felt at this realization. It wasn’t that Xichen had ever doubted Wei Ying loved his brother, but it was hard to believe Wei Ying deserved the sheer amount of love Wangji had for him and it was hard to believe Wei Ying loved Wangji equally knowing what Wei Wuxian had done to Wangji in a past life.

But here was a Wei Wuxian who desperately wanted Lan Xichen’s approval just because Wangji still cared deeply for his brother’s approval. Xichen knew Wangji well enough to know Wangji would never admit to any of this, and the sheer fact that Wei Wuxian could read Wangji well enough to realize this and care endeared him to Xichen greatly.

Unfortunately, this realization did nothing to ease the fraught tension in the Jingshi.

But, at least Lan Xichen was able to return to his seclusion slightly lighter than when he left.

~~~

As was to be expected, Wangji was a regular visitor during Xichen’s seclusion. They rarely spoke these days  -- Wangji saved his words for his husband and Xichen had few words since the Guanyin Temple. Instead, their preferred method of communication was to converse through music.

It had been years since they last used music as a regular form of communication. Sixteen years ago, Wangji had been grieving and music was Xichen’s last resort after his brother had been unresponsive to all interactions that did not involve A-Yuan. In a fit of desperation, Xichen had joined Wangji’s Inquiry with Liebing. Somehow it had worked and with that tenuous connection they slowly began to heal the Wei Ying-sized rift that had come between them. Back then, Xichen had not been able to understand how Wangji’s grief had nearly driven him to madness. Even as Wangji slammed Xichen with wave upon wave of soul crushing, unmitigated anguish through his guqin, Xichen could not fully comprehend the overwhelming sorrow that haunted Wangji down to his core.

Now, with the tables turned, Xichen still did not understand the full extent of his brother’s grief but he did at least gain an understanding of a fraction of what Wangji must have felt. It wasn’t that Xichen didn’t love Jin Guangyao. He trusted -- had trusted -- A-Yao to have had his back whenever he needed it and he would have done the same in return. The love and loyalty of a sworn brother was not so easily forgotten, even after A-Yao’s less than stellar deeds were revealed one after another. Even after the full extent of A-Yao’s treachery became known, Xichen continued to reserve a place in his heart for his sworn brother. For both his fallen brothers. Yet, at times it felt cheap to call his relationship with Jin Guangyao or Nie Mingjue loving when he could see the love Wangji had for Wei Wuxian. Even though Wei Wuxian was never their topic of conversation, Xichen could feel his brother’s love for Wei Ying in the undertone of every note. Wangji’s love for Wei Wuxian was all-consuming and radiated out from every part of his being. Wei Wuxian’s existence was loud, but Wangji’s love was even louder. As much as he had loved his sworn brothers, Xichen’s relationships with Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao contained barely a fraction of the kind of love Wangji had for Wei Ying.

Thinking back, Xichen shouldn’t have been so surprised when his mid-morning meditation was interrupted by Wei Wuxian for whom rules of propriety was more suggestion than mandate.

“Sect Leader Lan,” Wei Wuxian greeted somberly with a proper bow.

“I am in seclusion, Wei Gong-zi. I am no sect leader so there is no need for such formalities. We are brothers now.” Xichen looked at Wei Ying neutrally, unsure why his unruly brother-in-law was here and not helping his brother prepare for the upcoming Roundtable Conference.

“About that...” Wei Ying said in a tone that invited trouble. “You’re going to have to come out of seclusion.”

“Pardon?” Lan Xichen had forgotten how blunt Wei Ying could be. Or, rather, he was unprepared for the tactful tactlessness Wei Wuxian utilised when he wanted something.

“Cloud Recesses is hosting the next Cultivation Conference. We need a Sect Leader. Certainly Lan Zhan is the best in the world, but even he can’t represent Gusu Lan as both Sect Leader and Chief Cultivator. Imagine what ridiculous accusations Sect Leader Yao would come up with!“

Wei Ying’s inclusion of himself as a part of the Gusu Lan didn’t escape Xichen’s notice.

Wei Ying’s less than stellar appearance didn’t escape Xichen either.

It wasn’t obvious, and by no measure did Wei Ying look poorly, but Xichen did notice a heaviness in Wei Ying that hadn’t been there the last time they spoke after he and Wangji eloped. It was a different heaviness from his time as the Yiling Laozu and unrelated to his cultivation. This heaviness was more akin to exhaustion.

Wangji had always been careful to never mention his husband, not wanting to hurt his brother with the reminder of his own happiness. Xichen certainly would not have minded if all Wangji talked about was Wei Ying, though he greatly appreciated Wangji’s approach all the same. But, just as Wangji’s love couldn’t be contained, neither could his concern for his husband. It was a passing concern, and Xichen knew that if Wei Ying had been in any real danger Wangji would not have remained silent.

But, looking at Wei Ying now, Xichen could see the dark shadows under his eyes. While Wei Ying’s presence had always been loud before, it had since been tempered down and replaced with exhaustion. Wangji had briefly mentioned Wei Ying’s tendency towards nightmares after they fled Jinlin Tai, and Xichen suspected that tendency remained.

“Anyway,” Wei Ying continued when Xichen remained silent, “I would have offered to stand in as either but can you imagine the scandal that would cause? The Yiling Laozu playing at the Chief Cultivator? Or better yet: the Yiling Laozu as the new Sect Leader of Gusu Lan? Half the Sect Leaders would go into qi derivation on the spot! Besides, I can’t be dragging down Lan Zhan at these Conferences. I know Lan Zhan doesn’t care for politics but even Hanguang-jun’s reputation can only take so much.”

Xichen rather disagreed that anything could tarnish Wangji’s reputation now, nor did Wangji even care about his reputation, but he felt a flood of warmth towards Wei Ying for his concern.

“I understand Wei Gong-zi’s concerns but I am not understanding why it is required that I leave my seclusion,” Xichen said, staring at Wangji’s ribbon in Wei Ying’s hair. It was clearly tied by Wangji, with the bow tied in a careful butterfly and double knotted so that it would not come loose from Wei Ying’s unpredictable movements. Wangji had since replaced his own forehead ribbon but continued to wear Wei Ying’s red ribbon around his wrist. “Is Uncle unable to participate?” Xichen asked, concerned.

Wei Ying waved his concern away, “No, no, Old Man Lan is fine. Mostly. There was an incident with Jingyi last week which wasn’t his fault, really, I mean how could Jingyi know that the book was cursed? I never knew Old Man Lan could move that fast but it didn’t stop the book from knocking over a fountain and anyway he’s fine but he’s refusing to leave his secluded meditation for another week until his qi levels even out again.”

“And the Elders?”

“Sect Leader Lan,” Wei Ying gave Xichen a look that wasn’t quite judgemental, but it certainly wasn’t without judgement. “Would any of the elders do anything I asked of them?”

“Wangji can ask.”

“Lan Zhan is too busy.”

“Too busy to speak to our own Elders?”

“Yes?”

Unconvinced, Xichen simply looked at Wei Ying.

It wasn’t long before Wei Ying caved.

“Okay! It’s because Lan Zhan has been so busy and I wanted to do something useful beside just terrorizing the juniors, you know? I mean, I’m great at terrorizing the juniors and I have the best night hunting supervision record but that doesn’t exactly help Lan Zhan, you know? So I volunteered to organize the entire conference so Lan Zhan could just focus on his talking points because he’s doing all the hard work already! He’s trying to make real changes that no one important wants but Lan Zhan is the best and the little border towns no one wants to remember deserve our protection too. But apparently these conferences take a lot more work to set up than one would think and I still haven’t figured out how to arrange the seating so Jiang Cheng doesn’t get in a fistfight with Sect Leader Yao again and Sect Leader Ouyang has to be near Lanling Jin and Gusu Lan so Zizhen don’t get too lonely but Sect Leader Ouyang wants to be nowhere near me, and then I realized we’re missing an actual representative but I can’t ask Lan Zhan to do two jobs but the juniors are too young and no one else will do anything if I ask.” It wasn’t entirely clear if Wei Ying was still breathing at this point, but Xichen couldn’t help but be impressed that Wei Ying had volunteered to single handedly organize an entire conference.

Xichen sighed and nodded. He shouldn’t have expected any reason other than Wei Ying’s love for Wangji.

Besides, it would give him a chance to slip some sleeping herbs to Wangji to give to Wei Ying.

~~~

“Zewu-jun!”

Once again, Lan Xichen found his late morning meditation interrupted by Wei Wuxian, who breezed his way into the cave with all the subtlety of a hurricane.

“Zewu-jun!” Wei Wuxian bowed respectfully before throwing himself in a kowtow at Lan Xichen’s feet before Xichen could wrap his head around what was happening.

“Wei Gong-zi?” Xichen blinked at the sight before him, trying to understand what was happening. With his head bowed so low, Wei Wuxian’s hair had moved to the side and revealed a splattering of dark love bites along the back of his neck that only Wangji could have left. Blushing at the implications, at the physical evidence of Wei Wuxian’s nightly activities with his brother, Xichen quickly rushed to pull Wei Wuxian up from his kowtow.

“Wei Gong-zi, please, there is no need for such formalities between family.” Xichen’s hands gripped Wei Wuxian’s upper arms, holding Wei Wuxian upright so he would not try to kowtow again.

“But Zewu-jun! I need your help!” Wei Wuxian wailed, his hands tightly gripping Xichen’s forearms.

With Wei Wuxian upright, Xichen could see further love bites trailing down from just under Wei Wuxian’s ear into the high collar of his robes.

Wangji , Xichen thought pleadingly, some discretion . There was no rule against displaying one’s love, but there was one against debauchery. And, Xichen strongly suspected, once his uncle saw Wei Wuxian, there would be a new rule against leaving evidence of kisses.

Forcing his eyes to focus on Wei Wuxian’s face, and directing his mind to focus on the situation at hand, Xichen spoke. “Wei Gong-zi, are we not at peace? There are no events scheduled for the new few months. Why such urgency?”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes were wide and desperate. “But Zewu-jun! Lan Zhan’s birthday is coming soon and I don’t have a gift!”

Xichen blinked. “Is Wangji’s birthday not several months away?”

“Yes, but his gift needs to be perfect!”

Xichen would have liked to move this conversation to the table where they could talk over tea. However, Wei Wuxian was leaning heavily enough that Xichen suspected that if he loosened his grip the slightest bit, Wei Wuxian would return to kowtowing.

“Wei Wuxian, I don’t understand. Wangji views your presence as the greatest gift. There is no need to give unnecessary material goods.”

“But Zewu-jun! You don’t understand!” Wei Wuxian’s grip on Xichen’s forearms was growing tighter and tighter. If this went on much longer, Xichen suspected he would find handprint shaped bruises on his arms. “Lan Zhan is so good to me! My gifts will never be good enough and I can't match up to what Lan Zhan will give me without your help.”

Confused, Xichen tried to push Wei Wuxian’s body upright. “But Wei Gong-zi, you have given Wangji many excellent gifts in the past. He enjoys his rabbits immensely and they bring him much joy, you left him Lan Sizhui for a gift and watching Sizhui’s growth was Wangji's sole purpose to live for a long time, and you have now given him your heart.”

“Zewu-jun, you don’t understand! Lan Zhani gives me little things everyday. He cooks all my meals just for me so I can enjoy every meal! He learned how to use spices for me! He hides Emperor's Smile in the jingshi so I can have it whenever I want and he’s the one who raised Sizhui into a perfect son! He lets me sleep in and brushes my hair and Lan Zhan is perfect. Lan Zhan even wrote a song just for me! Zewu-jun, I have no money and have nothing to offer him!”

Wei Wuxian looked as though he was about to burst into tears with how much Wangji loved him and Xichen couldn’t decide whether to feel joy at how dedicated Wangji and his husband were to each other, or to immediately soothe Wei Wuxian before he actually cried. But, with Wei Wuxian so close, Xichen also noted with satisfaction that the dark bags under Wei Wuxian’s eyes from the last time he had seen him had faded greatly.

“Wei Gong-zi,” Xichen said slowly, carefully, trying to pacify Wei Wuxian. “Did you know, Wangji has kept every gift you’ve ever given him? Every scrap of paper, every sketch, even the flower from Baifeng Mountain he keeps.”

“Of course! But Zewu-jun those are such little things.”

“Wei Gong-zi, you must know that Wangji will treasure any gift you present him with.” Xichen smiled, trying to pacify his brother-in-law.

“I know,” Wei Wuxian looked down, though he no longer leaned so heavily on Xichen’s arms. “Which is why I need to do something Lan Zhan will actually enjoy. I don’t want him to keep something he hates just because I gave it to him.”

Xichen remained silent for a moment, thinking. He let his hands release Wei Wuxian as he was no longer at risk of being kowtowed to. “My brother,” Xichen said, softly, thoughtfully, “he is a man of action, not substance. A gift need not be big, but Wangji will understand the intention behind it. Wangji has always enjoyed your paintings, and has always appreciated your penchant for creativity. I cannot tell you what to give, but I believe Wei Gong-zi will find the adequate gift for Wangji.”

For a long moment, Wei Wuxian was silent, thinking through Xichen’s words. He was quiet long enough for Xichen to almost return to his meditation when Wei Wuxian recovered.

“I understand now! Thank you Zewu-jun!”

Cheerful, Wei Wuxian raised his hands above his head. Xichen stared, confused, for half a second before he realized what Wei Wuxian was about to do.

Horrified, Lan Xichen was almost yelling. “No, Wei Wuxian! Please, stop! We are family now! You need not kowtow to family!”

~~~

In the end, Lan Xichen didn’t remain in seclusion for very long.

He did return to seclusion after the conference which, despite being organized primarily by Wei Wuxian, had gone perfectly smoothly. (Secretly, Xichen thought the conference went smoothly precisely because it had been organized by Wei Wuxian.) No fistfights broke out, no new rivalries came to light, no extramarital affairs took place, and no one left horribly dissatisfied with the implemented changes. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying had convinced all the sects to contribute to a collective fund to support activities for poorer villages that couldn’t afford to hire a cultivator but required their services and to build a series of schools to educate promising young cultivators who were no longer connected to a sect. But a year after the Guanyin Temple, he was rather forcibly encouraged to return to his position and duties by Wei Wuxian.

Not by Wei Wuxian directly. Wei Wuxian himself had very little to do with actually leaving seclusion, but it was because of Wei Wuxian that Xichen ended his seclusion so soon.

In a classic Wei Wuxian move, he managed to break three ribs, a hip, receive a nasty wolf bite on his thigh, and enjoy some internal bleeding after taking a group of junior disciples from Gusu Lan and Lanling Jin on a night hunt.

What happened was this: Wei Wuxian was standing on a tree branch, observing the juniors from above as they took down a standard beast. The night hunt went smoothly. No injuries, and no one cried. Jingyi and Jin Ling even managed to avoid getting into a shouting match. The problem was a stray dog. No one ever saw the dog, but Wei Wuxian very much heard the dog bark and, in his panic, fell off the branch he was standing on.

Certainly, that was far from the first tree Wei Wuxian had fallen out of. Hanguang-jun would not have punished the juniors, though it would certainly feel like a punishment when Hanguang-jun inevitably levelled his disappointed glare upon them for allowing Wei Wuxian to be careless and get bruised. But, it was nothing out of the ordinary. And really, it shouldn’t have been a problem except that the tree was near a cliff. It wasn’t a steep cliff and Hanguang-jun may have just assigned the juniors with undesirable chores for a couple days to make a point, but there was a rocky patch where Wei Wuxian landed. Some especially jagged rocks left deep scrapes and minor lacerations along Wei Wuxian’s arms and hands and the impact broke a few bones. And perhaps the juniors could still have avoided a severe punishment since it was Wei Wuxian’s fault for climbing up a tree so close to a cliff. But, naturally the rocks were not the only things waiting at the bottom of a cliff. A wild wolf had wandered into the area to investigate the new sounds, which set off Wei Wuxian’s terror, which in turn alarmed the wolf. No one saw what happened exactly, but everyone heard Wei Wuxian’s screams as he ran away, in spite of his injuries, and the wolf’s snarls as it chased Wei Wuxian.

Hanguang-jun found Wei Wuxian before the juniors did.

“So,” Xichen asked Sizhui as they stood outside the Jingshi after Sizhui recounted the events that had transpired, “what happened to the juniors Wei Wuxian was supervising?”

“Jingyi sent a signal to Hanguang-jun as soon as Senior Wei slipped from the tree.” Sizhui had not been on this night hunt, having been relegated to the task of teaching the youngest disciples the basics of qin playing while the regular instructor was recovering from a broken finger.

“And where is Lan Jingyi now?”

“Copying five hundred sets of the rules under the supervision of Grandmaster Lan.”

“Handstands?”

Sizhui nodded. “Hanguang-jun was not pleased.”

If he had any less self-discipline, Xichen would have sighed. It wasn’t like Wangji to lash out at their junior disciples over Wei Wuxian’s actions.

Having been raised by the reserved Hanguang-jun, Sizhui recognized the disapproving look on Xichen’s face and quickly added, “Ah, Zewu-jun, Jingyi chose the location due to a bet with Sect Leader Jin over whether wolves were similar enough to dogs to scare Senior Wei. The other junior disciples were told to copy the rules just eight times and to write a letter of appreciation to Senior Wei.”

The incident occurred a week ago but Wei Wuxian was recovering slowly due to his lack of spiritual energy to expedite the healing process, and because an infection had set in that had just barely been kept at bay by Wangji giving Wei Wuxian his own spiritual energy for hours each day. With Wei Ying so severely injured, Wangji was hovering at his bedside. Much of his work as Chief Cultivator was reading and responding to documents, but it was difficult to be both Chief Cultivator and Sect Leader while attending full time to an uncooperative patient. And so, Xichen was forced to come out of seclusion and return as Sect Leader.

When Sizhui and Xichen entered the Jingshi, they found Wei Ying lying miserably in bed. Most of his body was hidden under their blanket, but his forearms were visibly wrapped in thick bandages. Wangji was sitting at his side in bed, back against the headboard, perched carefully beside Wei Ying, careful not to jostle his injuries. A flash of red could be seen under his sleeve when Wangji shifted his arm.

“My perfect night hunting record,” Wei Ying lamented, poking at Wangji’s side. “Lan Zhan~”

“Shhh,” Wangji hummed. He set aside the document he had been reading and looked down at Wei Ying. “Rest.”

Wei Ying opened his mouth to protest but Wangji interrupted him by gently stroking Wei Ying’s face and affectionately patting his cheeks.

“Wei Ying must be more careful,” Wangji said, leaning down to pepper Wei Ying’s forehead with kisses.

“Wangji is correct,” Xichen said.

Wei Wuxian turned his head in surprise, but Wangji simply looked up and nodded his acknowledgement. “Xiongzhang.”

“Xian-gege,” Sizhui rushed to kneel at Wei Wuxian’s bedside, dropping the honorifics in the privacy of the jingshi. “How are you?”

“A-Yuan, what a good child, asking after his seniors. Look Lan Zhan, what a wonderful child you raised!”

“We raised,” Wangji corrected instinctively. Turning to Sizhui, Wangji said, “Wei Ying’s fever broke this morning. Wei Ying will make a full recovery as long as he listens to the doctor and rests.”

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian whined, “I’m hungry.”

“You ate less than an hour ago.” An outsider may have thought Lan Wangji was reasoning with his husband, but Xichen knew Wangji would do whatever Wei Wuxian requested of him, no matter how ridiculous.

“A-Zhan~” Wei Wuxian gingerly reached for Wangji’s hand. When he found it, Wangji clasped their fingers together, stroking his thumb along the back of Wei Wuxian’s hand. For someone as terrified of dogs as Wei Wuxian, he certainly had the Puppy Eyes™ perfected as he looked up at Lan Wangji with pure, unfiltered adoration.

“If Wei Ying wishes,” Wangji said, bringing Wei Wuxian’s hand to his mouth and trailing a line of kisses down his wrist as if they were alone. “I will cook for Wei Ying.” In a fluid moment, Lan Wangji stood from their bed. Bending down, he rearranged their blankets so Wei Wuxian would be warm and comfortable without him and pressed a kiss to Wei Ying’s forehead. “Be good.”

“Hurry back!” Wei Ying waved cutely at Wangji.

“Mn.” Xichen could see Wangji smiling.

Bowing at his brother, Wangji was about to apologize for not immediately addressing Xichen but Xichen waved Wangji off. “Wangji, I believe your husband is waiting,” he said teasingly.

With a nod, Wangji swept out of the jingshi.

“Ah, I will join you,” Sizhui rose to his feet and scurried after Wangji. “May we check on Jingyi on our way to the kitchens as well?”

Left alone with his brother-in-law, Xichen took a seat on the chair Wangji had set by their bed for the doctor.

Taking a cursory glance around the Jingshi to see what changes had been made in the year since he entered seclusion, he found evidence of Wei Wuxian everywhere. While outwardly as immaculate as ever, Xichen could see piles of half finished talismans and books stacked unevenly on Wangji’s work desk. The closet door was opened with the slightest crack, but Xichen could see the dark robes Wei Wuxian preferred neatly lined up beside Wangji’s white Gusu Lan robes. On the bookshelf, Xichen would see where Wei Wuxian had added to Wangji’s collection of books, as well as little trinkets lining the shelves. Mostly, they were little bunnies carved from jade, wood, or bronze. Wangji once considered such items as superfluous, but they made Wei Ying happy and thus became a necessity.

In particular, Xichen found his eyes drawn to the large painting hanging on the wall of the Jingshi directly across the door where everyone would see when they entered. It was a family portrait of Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Sizhui with their instruments in the back hills surrounded by Wangji’s bunnies. Lil’ Apple was in the background, munching on an apple. Xichen recognized the brushwork to be Wei Wuxian’s, having seen his doodles as a guest disciple many years earlier.

Xichen was also pleased to note that the dark bags that had lined Wei Wuxian’s eyes before the conference had faded even more and that the bundle of herbs he had given to Wangji sat on their bedside table, clearly used. Several other medicinal pouches had joined it; Xichen recognized several mild anesthetics and spirit cleansing herbs.

“Xichen-gege,” Wei Wuxian said. It had been less noticeable when speaking to Wangji, but Wei Wuxian’s words were slightly slurred as though he wasn’t fully coherent. Glancing at all the medicinal pouches by their bed, Xichen guessed Wei Wuxian was still in a fair amount of pain. Though he had never explicitly given Wei Wuxian permission to address him so informally, Xichen found that he liked the familiarity.

“Xichen-gege,” Wei Wuxian repeated, with a hint of urgency.

“Yes, Young Master Wei?”

“Da ge,” Wei Wuxian said, eyes glazed over with happiness, “isn’t Lan Zhan the best? Lan Zhan is so good to me.”

Amused, Xichen decided to play along Wei Wuxian’s antics. Xichen nodded, “Wangji is indeed excellent.”

“Lan Zhan is the best at cooking. A-Zhan is perfect at everything. His arms are so strong and he holds me so well and Da ge, did you know Lan Zhan is ticklish in the crook of his elbow? I found out by accident and I’m the only one who knows so don’t tell anyone!” Wei Wuxian was babbling and Xichen felt his heart warm at how much sheer, unadulterated adoration and love was radiating off of his brother-in-law.

Perhaps this should have been an uncomfortable discussion to partake in, but Xichen found he didn’t mind watching Wei Wuxian profess his love for Wangji. Their feelings were not a secret and Xichen found joy in the knowledge that his judgement of Wei Wuxian as a good friend for Wangji to have was at least correct. Having been witness to their shameless confession to each other in the Guanyin Temple, such innocent declarations of Wei Wuxian’s love simply filled Xichen with warmth.

“Da ge, da ge! Are you listening? Did you know Lan Zhan once gave me chickens he stole? He even vandalised property! What a bad influence Hanguang-jun is! But I still love my A-Zhan because he did it just for me. But only for me! He can’t steal chickens for anyone else!”

Lan Xichen was rather dubious of the assertion that Wangji would ever commit such a petty crime, but he had also long since learned that there was no length Wangji would not go to for Wei Wuxian. “Did you enjoy the chickens?”

Wei Wuxian pouted but his tone remained bright. “I had to put them back but I’m sure Lan Zhan would give me more if I wanted. They could make friends with the bunnies. And Lil’ Apple! Da ge, I liked the chickens so much because Lan Zhan gave them to me. I like anything A-Zhan gives me.”

For a long time, Lan Xichen had been unable to hear, or even think, of the word da ge without hurting as it had become a reminder of how they, how he himself , had failed Nie Mingjue, but Xichen found that he rather enjoyed being called da ge by his brother-in-law. The direct Lan family had never been big, but Wei Wuxian was an excellent addition no matter what their uncle thought.

~~~

Lan Xichen had never liked Jinlin Tai. Under Jin Guangshan, under Jin Guangyao, and even now under Jin Ling, Jinlin Tai had only ever been an ostentatious display of wealth that Lan Xichen had never been comfortable with.

It was Sect Leader Jin’s birthday and his advisors wanted to throw a massive party to celebrate while conspicuously reminding everyone that despite the dishonourable actions of their previous two Sect Leaders, they were still unbelievably wealthy and incredibly powerful.

Having rediscovered his footing as Lan Sect Leader, Xichen found that he had become more aware of those around him. He had never been unobservant, given the reserved nature of his own brother, but Xichen was finding his observational capacity beginning to spill into the territory of being overaware. This awareness largely manifested itself in the less generous observations of pettiness around him. When Gusu Lan had arrived, Xichen noticed how Sect Leader looked at Wangji with absolute terror and immediately continued apologizing profusely to Wangji for his role in the disasterous nighthunt from two months earlier, and to Wei Wuxian for not understanding wolves were dogs but worse. During the banquet, he noticed how Sect Leader Sima made unbecoming advances towards the daughter of Sect Leader Zhao, how Jin Chan and a small group of Jin disciples mockingly laughed at each word said by Jin Ling, how Sect Leader Jiang and Wangji were very obviously avoiding looking at each other, and he couldn’t help the distaste he continued to feel towards Moling Su, a feeling which Wangji felt even more strongly. Xichen also noticed that Moling Su had been excluded from most cross-sect activities and that Lanling Jin had invited them to their leader’s birthday banquet as a reminder of their irrelevance. They could come to a birthday banquet and bear gifts, but they could not participate in any activities of value.

He also noticed how Wei Wuxian’s eyes filled with tears when Sect Leader Jin was introduced with his courtesy name for the first time, and he noticed how Wangji immediately reached over to hold Wei Wuxian’s hand when it happened.

When it had begun raining outside, Xichen noticed how Wei Wuxian melded even closer into Wangji’s side as Wangji gave Wei Wuxian increasingly concerned looks.

He noticed that two hours into the banquet, once the dinner had shifted into a open socialization period, that Wei Wuxian would rub his waist in discomfort. This was the same hip that had been broken a couple months ago during that unfortunate night hunt Wangji was still upset with Jingyi and Jin Ling over. It would be improper for Wangji to blatantly hold his husband’s waist, but Xichen could see how Wangji would discreetly give Wei Wuxian some spiritual energy throughout the night to ease the pain.

While Wangji and Sect Leader Jiang were blatantly avoiding each others’ paths and firmly standing on opposite sides of the room, Lan Xichen noticed that Wei Wuxian had slipped away from the banquet entirely after speaking briefly to Sect Leader Jin.

Wangji approached Xichen shortly after making this observation. “Xiongzhang.” Wangji bowed. Wei Wuxian's red ribbon flickered from under Wangji's long sleeves as he raised his arms.

“Wangji,” Xichen bowed in response, “Where is Xiao Wei?”

“Wei Ying is not feeling well.” Although the response is deadpan and diplomatic, Xichen can see the tension and concern in his brother’s eyes even though it would be a grave insult to Lanling Jin for the Chief Cultivator to leave early.

However, as the Lan Sect Leader who is participating in his first event since recently leaving seclusion... “My apologies to the Chief Cultivator,” Xichen says, bowing again to his brother, “this Sect Leader must also excuse himself.”

Wangji knows exactly what his brother is doing, and Xichen can see some of the tension ease from Wangji’s eyes.

It is raining harder than expected when Xichen steps outside, but the wide eaves of the Jinlin Tai roofs keep him dry.

The Lan entourage has been given adjacent rooms and Xichen finds himself stopping in front of Wangji and Wei Wuxian’s room. The unexpected silence behind the door gives him pause, but Xichen knocks on the door anyway.

The door opens to show a dishevelled Wei Wuxian who has exchanged his formal robes for a simple inner robe that Xichen suspects belongs to Wangji and an outer robe that definitely belongs to Wangji. The clothing hangs loosely off Wei Wuxian's lean frame. Wei Wuxian’s hair is flowing loosely down his back, the elaborate pins and headpieces Wangji has painstakingly combed into his hair earlier now abandoned on the dresser. Wangji’s ribbon is in Wei Wuxian’s hand, his fingers stroking the impeccable cloud embroidery.

“Wangji was worried about you,” Xichen says, stepping into the room.

Wei Wuxian steps back to sit at the low tea table, vaguely gesturing for Xichen to join him. “Did Lan Zhan send you?”

“You could say that,” Xichen says, kneeling as Wei Wuxian pours them tea. He notices how Wei Wuxian’s legs are not crossed properly as they had been during the banquet. One leg is sticking out to the side, slightly bent at the knee.

“Of course,” Wei Wuxian gives a self-deprecating smile as he passes Xichen his tea. “You can tell Lan Zhan I’m fine.”

The tea is still hot, but Xichen takes a sip anyway. “I am also concerned for my brother-in-law.”

Wei Wuxian doesn’t look surprised, but Xichen notices how Wei Wuxian looks down at his own cup.

When Wei Wuxian says nothing, Xichen continues, “Is your injury still bothering you?”

Xichen can see Wei Wuxian about to spew empty reassurances and stops him before he can begin. “I am not as astute as Wangji,” Xichen says, setting down his cup, “nor am I as well-read in your body language as Wangji, but it is clear to me that you have been in discomfort all evening.”

“Ah,” Wei Wuxian’s hands clench at his borrowed robes, pulling the fabric tighter around himself in a poor mimicry of Lan Zhan’s arms around him. “It is…” Wei Wuxian pauses for a moment to think, perhaps to contemplate how candid he should be. “I am still sore. My leg doesn’t appreciate being folded for long periods of time. Dogs bite harder than you think, you know.”

“And your hip?” Xichen inquires gently, knowing that for all Wei Wuxian likes to complain about petty annoyances and minor inconveniences, Wei Wuxian’s internal conflicts are as closed off as Wangji’s are, if not more.

Wei Wuxian shrugs almost casually, although Xichen can see Wei Wuxian shifting his weight. Smiling vacuously, Wei Wuxian says, “I thought the doctor was exaggerating when she said it takes upwards of six months for non-cultivators to recover from broken bones. It’s been over two months but it still hurts to stand or sit for too long.”

“You are recovering well, regardless.”

“It is strange to be reminded of your own mortality,” Wei Wuxian says mirthlessly. “Isn’t it funny? I literally died and came back to life and almost had my soul destroyed but it’s a stupid tree that actually shoves vulnerability at my face. That, and Jingyi making stupid bets with Jin Ling.”

Though the words are almost bitter, Xichen can hear the underlying affection Wei Wuxian has for his wayward juniors.

“Jingyi is very sorry,” Xichen says diplomatically, humour dancing across his features. He notices how Wei Wuxian’s cup is empty and reaches for the teapot to refill both their cups.

Nodding his thanks, Wei Wuxian pours the tea down his throat. “I should be too young for this, all these pains and aches. My heart can’t take all this stress. Lan Zhan is the worst, saying the most embarrassing things! And all so genuine! I need warnings before Lan Zhan speaks because my heart really can’t take it! Honestly, that Jin Ling must be sneaking off with Lan Zhan behind my back. Where else could be have learned to pull off that trick with his courtesy name?”

Wei Wuxian complaining about Lan Zhan’s declarations of love are a staple in every conversation and never fails to entertain Xichen. Wangji is exceedingly over the top in his expressions of love, but so is Wei Wuxian and it fills Xichen with warmth when he sees how happy his brother is. But, Xichen also hears how Wei Wuxian stumbles over courtesy name . He sips at his tea again, waiting for Wei Wuxian to continue.

And he does, after finishing off his tea. While Xichen refills Wei Wuxian’s cup, Wei Wuxian speaks.

“You know, Xichen-gege, I was the one who gave Jin Rulan his name.”

Surprise flickers across Xichen’s face; his eyes widen but he says nothing because Wei Wuxian has more to say.

“Jiang Cheng made fun of me for choosing Rulan. Because lan . I wasn’t really thinking about it at the time. There wasn’t much I could think about with what little of me was left from the resentful energy, but lan just sounded pretty and I guess I loved Lan Zhan before I ever understood what that kind of love was. Jin Ling hated it though, and who can blame him? He says it’s too feminine but we all know it’s because I chose it.” Wei Wuxian isn’t crying, but his eyes are watery in the candlelight.

Xichen hates it.

A sad Wei Ying makes a sad Wangji but in his heart, Xichen knows that Wei Wuxian is not someone who is meant to be sad.

“Regardless, it seems that Sect Leader Jin has accepted you as his uncle.”

Wei Wuxian turns those watery eyes toward Xichen and Xichen’s heart clenches. “That doesn’t make me not responsible for shijie’s death. Or Jin Zixuan.”

Xichen isn’t quite sure what to say, and he sips his tea so he can think about what he can say when a flash of lightning streaks the room with light. The subsequent clap of thunder causes Wei Wuxian to flinch. Not by much -- the cup into his hands does not spill over his fingers -- but it is disturbingly clear exactly what Wei Wuxian thinks of the weather.

“Wei Wuxian?” Xichen reaches out when Wei Wuxian says nothing.

“Ah, sorry, sorry,” Wei Wuxian rushes to apologize, plastering an empty smile on his face. “I just don’t like storms very much.”

“Childhood fear?” Xichen asks. Friendly as he is with his brother-in-law, there are times when Xichen is strikingly aware of how little of Wei Wuxian’s life he actually knows. He does not understand why Wei Wuxian fears dogs, or why Wangji has strictly designated one field for kite flying where Wei Wuxian will never see the juniors and youngest disciples play.

Shaking his head, Wei Wuxian sets his tea cup back down. His expression is carefully blank, but Xichen can see the slight tremble of his fingers. “Not exactly.”

When Wei Wuxian drifts off, Xichen tries to pull him back into the present. “Wei Ying?”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes flicker up in surprise; Xichen has never used his given name before even though they are family now. “Ah, sorry. A lot of my worst memories happened in a storm. And it’s so cold and wet!”

The last part is so blatantly tacked on in an attempt to minimize how much of himself Wei Wuxian is offering but Xichen suddenly realizes how Wangji meticulously schedules nighthunts that Wei Wuxian supervises on days that will not rain, how Wangji played melancholy music during rainy days during Xichen’s seclusion, and how Wei Wuxian is the most tired after a rainy night.

“It is okay to dislike the rain,” Xichen says, after a long silence. Wei Wuxian has lost his empty smile and his eyes are still watery as he wraps Wangji’s robes even tighter around himself. “I find it difficult to be in the Cold Springs Cave, in spite of the sacredness of Lan Yi’s cave. We cannot control the associations we create between our feelings and our circumstances and should not blame ourselves for such perceived weaknesses. The blame is not ours to bear.”

Their tea is now lukewarm, but Xichen refills his cup anyway. Wei Ying’s cup is still full, though the tea is now cold. Sipping at his tea, Xichen sees how the tension lessens ever so slightly from Wei Ying’s shoulders and his grasp on Wangji’s robe is no longer at risk of ripping the fine fabric. Wangji’s ribbon is still draped over Wei Ying’s hand and Wei Ying is running his fingers over the detailed needlework for comfort, to ground himself.

Wei Wuxian sits in quiet contemplation as Lan Xichen adds, “Rulan is an excellent name. I believe Sect Leader Jin has grown into it quite well.”

With a watery smile, Wei Wuxian looks back up at Xichen. “Thank you, da ge,” Wei Ying pauses momentarily before adding, “and I’m sorry.”

Xichen smiles gently. “We are family, Xiao Wei. Gusu Lan takes care of our own, even from ourselves and our own melancholies. There is nothing to be sorry for.”

~~~

The first problem was that Lan Zhan was gone for the week on a diplomatic trip to Yunmeng Jiang. The second problem was that Lan Zhan had taken Sizhui and Jingyi with him.

The third problem, and most pressing, was that Lan Zhan had left Wei Ying behind in Cloud Recesses. Alone. With neither husband nor son. Not even Wen Ning was nearby, having gone off night hunting with a band of open-minded rogue cultivators he had met in Caiyi Town.

It wasn’t that Wei Ying was bitter at having been left behind, exactly. He wasn’t not bitter, but it wasn’t as if he had been drinking vinegar.

“Can you believe it!” Wei Wuxian wasn’t yelling, really. His voice was a few decibel levels above what was normal for him, but it was Cloud Recesses, most of the junior disciples were in class while the senior disciples were meditating, and Wei Wuxian might as well have been screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs at midnight with the looks he was receiving from the Lan Elders he passed. “Lan Er Gege abandoned me here! My husband gets to go off gallivanting around Lotus Pier with our son while I have been forsaken!”

Wei Wuxian carried several haphazardly balanced bundles of vegetables and apples as he made way to the back mountain. As usual, Wangji’s ribbon was tied securely in Wei Wuxian’s hair. The silky tails of the ribbon fluttered behind Wei Wuxian, carried by the breeze.

Xichen stayed several paces behind Wei Wuxian, carrying his own treats for the rabbits in baskets and smiling neutrally at the passing Elders to placate them.

“Lan Zhan and A-Yuan can’t even enjoy the food! They’ll walk past all the vendors, all the wonderful scents and spices and not realize what they’re missing!”

Silently, Xichen noted that Wangji’s spice tolerance had increased rather significantly after nearly two years of marriage to Wei Wuxian.

“Lan Zhan can’t even stand Jiang Cheng! I had to stop Lan Zhan from pulling Bichen on Jiang Cheng at the last Cultivation Conference! Me! The Yiling Patriarch! I had to be the voice of reason!” Wei Ying raged as he aggressively stomped towards Wangji’s rabbit enclosure.

One head of cabbage tumbled out of Wei Wuxian’s arms. Wei Wuxian didn’t notice and simply continued his rampage into the rabbits. Without a break in his step, Xichen gracefully scooped the wayward vegetable from the ground and followed his brother-in-law into the rabbits.

Carefully, he placed the basket on the ground and checked to see if there was any risk of squishing a rabbit before sitting himself down in the grass. Wei Ying had done nothing of the sort, having simply dove directly onto the ground. Any unsuspecting rabbits would know to race out of the way in time. Chaotic as he was, the rabbits had long since become accustomed to Wei Wuxian’s brand of chaos.

And they knew he came with treats.

With rabbits perched on his torso and nibbling at the bok choy they had brought, Wei Ying turned to Xichen with a thoughtful look.

“Da ge,” Wei Ying said, eyes downcast and morose even as he lay on his back, “what do you think would have happened to your relationship with Lan Zhan if he had stayed with me in the Burial Mounds?”

Startled, Xichen looked at Wei Ying. “Why do you ask?”

As Xichen watched, Wei Ying didn’t say anything at first. He fed the rabbits on his chest two more leaves of bok choy before turning back to Xichen.

“Its just,” Wei Ying drifted off, head shifting so he was looking directly up at the clear blue sky. Only a few wispy clouds streaked thin lines across the skies, “I was just curious.”

“It is unlike Xiao Wei to think about that period,” Xichen hummed, thinking about what if Wangji had truly abandoned Gusu Lan back then. What would he have done then? What could he have done?

Wei Wuxian stretched an arm out, enticing a smaller bunny to snuggle against his side. “Lan Zhan doesn’t like it when I think too hard about the past,” he says ruefully, treating the new bunny to an apple slice. “It makes me sad. But it’s hard not to think about the past when Lan Zhan is with Jiang Cheng.”

Even as he continued to ponder the thought of Wangji in the Burial Mounds, Xichen suddenly understood what Wei Wuxian was really thinking about. “You miss him.”

“Of course I miss him! I miss my husband when he leaves the room. I miss him when he stands too far away from me in a big room. I miss him when he is already at the top of a flight of stairs and I’m still down at the bottom.”

“Xiao Wei,” Xichen looked at Wei Wuxian, unimpressed, knowing that Wei Wuxian was intentionally trying to delay the real conversation he wanted to have.

Sighing, Wei Wuxian talked about what he really wanted to say. “Jiang Cheng was my brother in every way that mattered.”

Wei Ying paused for a long time, content to feed the bunnies as they surrounded him. There was a little white one with black spots nuzzling Wei Ying’s neck that had just been born the past spring. It was the only one who wasn’t purely white and it was Wei Ying’s favourite.

Xichen said nothing, content to feed the rabbits that had surrounded him as he waited for Wei Ying to collect his thoughts.

“After the Guanyin Temple, I spoke to Jiang Cheng. We didn’t plan it, but we ran into each other in the Unclean Realm. Neither of us had told Nie Huaisang we were going to visit but I think Nie-xiong still planned it,” Wei Ying huffs out a dry laugh. Nie Huaisang was now the black sheep to be wary of in the cultivation world, and wasn’t that just ridiculous?

(Deep down, Wei Wuxian knew Nie Huaisang had always been smarter than he let on. Not book smart -- never book smart -- but the artist in Nie Huaisang saw more with a single glance than Wei Wuxian could ever see in any amount of time.)

“He yelled at me and threatened to break my legs. We cried and apologized to each other. I went back to Lotus Pier with him because he threatened to break my legs if I didn’t. But I wanted to see what it was like when people weren’t trying to kill me. But it was all wrong, you know? Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu weren’t there, Shijie wasn’t there, and no one I grew up with was there. I realized that Jiang Cheng is the only person left in the world who knows who I was as a child and I don’t know what to do with that.

“Da ge, you tell me stories about Lan Zhan all the time. And I love them! And it makes Lan Zhan happy even when we laugh at him because it means we’re getting along. But Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan hate each other. I didn’t think Lan Zhan could hate anyone as much as he hated me but then I saw him look at Jiang Cheng.”

“Wangji never hated you,” Xichen jumped in instinctively. He hadn’t intended to interrupt Wei Ying, and he knew Wei Ying now understood the entirety of Wangji’s feelings for him, but it would never not be strange hearing about the possibility of a Wangji who didn’t love Wei Ying with his entire being.

Wei Ying smiled, thinking about his husband. “He didn’t. Lan Zhan really is the best. I couldn’t stand being in Lotus Pier because it wasn’t right. It isn’t home anymore and the entire time I just wanted Lan Zhan with me so I could show him everything I saw.

“I talked to Jiang Cheng before I left. Really talked. I didn’t tell him how hard it was to enjoy being in Lotus Pier without Shijie and everyone I knew, but I think he knew. He said that I had always chosen Lan Zhan over him and that he should have expected this to be no different. It’s true, isn’t it? I have always chosen Lan Zhan, except when I took the Wens to the Burial Mounds.”

When nearly a minute passed and Wei Weuxian didn’t add anything more, Xichen spoke. “In the Nightless City,” he said, startling Wei Ying with his abrupt change of topic, “I saw you fight Wangji. I saw Wangji fight with you when you came down from the rooftops. I watched Wangji cut down anyone who could have harmed you and I kept our disciples away.”

Gently brushing the bunnies on his chest back onto the ground, Wei Ying slowly sat back up. His earlier hip injury had long since healed, but Xichen still found himself looking for signs of  discomfort as Wei Ying moved. Why? Wei Ying wanted to ask but he couldn’t find the words to do it.

Seeing the question, the confusion, written across Wei Ying’s face, Xichen continued while stroking the soft ears of the rabbit in his lap. “You know that our family is passionate and fiercely devoted to those we love. Wangji is no different. He may be the fiercest of us all,” Xichen smiled wryly. “If I had allowed Wangji to cross swords with one of our own, I would have forced him to choose between two factions of his heart. That is not a fair decision to thrust upon someone. I was scared. I think I knew, even then, perhaps especially then, that Wangji would have chosen you over me. For a long time, until recently, I did not wish to think too deeply about what Wangji would have chosen. He has always chosen you, and I was not ready to face the reality that he would choose you over Gusu. I believe, if I had forced the choice upon him, I would have lost him forever.”

Picking up the little spotted bunny, Wei Ying cradled her gently in his arms. He fed her an apple slice as he looked at Xichen. “Me? Would he have? The rules were -- are -- so important to Lan Zhan…” Wei Ying trailed off.

“Not so.” Lan Xichen said with absolute certainty. “Wangji entered the forbidden section of our library without permission to research ways to counter the effect of demonic cultivation. He was punished when he returned from visiting you at the Burial Mounds.”

Wei Ying was shocked. “He did that? For me?”

Xichen nodded. “When he was whipped for supporting you, he asked Uncle ‘who is right? Who is wrong? What is black? What is white?’ ”

A strangled noise came from Wei Ying. He was now clutching the spotted rabbit with both hands as if the rabbit was all that was keeping him grounded. “He....Lan Zhan said that?” When Xichen nodded, Wei Ying continued, in awe, “I...there is a lot I don’t remember from my first life. But those words, those are the words I said to Lan Zhan when he came to stop me. When I escaped with the Wens. Lan Zhan...he really said that?”

“Uncle was furious,” Xichen said with a small smile, borrowing one of Wei Wuxian’s techniques to lighten their conversation. The rabbit in his lap had grown restless and shaken off Xichen’s hand. Unbothered, Xichen watched as the rabbit hopped out of his lap back into the field.

Turning back to Wei Ying, whose little spotted bunny was licking at his chin, Xichen said, “I do not know the entirety of what has transpired between you and Sect Leader Jiang. I do not doubt that you loved each other greatly and continue to care for the other, just as I do Wangji, but you were pushed to make a decision prematurely and Jiang Wanyin was unprepared for the consequences of that decision. Unlike Wangji and I and Gusu Lan, Yunmeng Jiang was never granted the luxury of time.”

“Lan Zhan still blames Jiang Cheng,” Wei Ying says quietly. The rabbit in his arms has grown restless and is now perched on his shoulder, nibbling at his hair.

Brushing invisible dust from his outer robe, Xichen spoke. “I saw you fall. I heard Wangji scream and watched as he leapt after you. I watched you slip from his grasp and heard Wangji cry out afterwards. We have had eighteen years to come to terms with our role in the events, years that you have not had, but it is still difficult for Wangji to see Jiang Wanyin as anything other than the one who turned his back on his brother.”

“It was my choice to fall,” Wei Ying’s throat is choked with tears that have yet to fall, his voice just barely above a whisper.

“But Jiang Wanyin made choices that deepened the chasm between you.” Xichen held up a hand when Wei Ying opened his mouth to disagree. “Choices were made on both ends, but Jiang Wanyin made his decisions out of the unpreparedness of seeing you choose Wangji. It seems inevitable now to think that you ever had a choice that wasn’t Wangji, but it was not so clear back then. Just as I had not been ready to lose Wangji, Jiang Wanyin had not been ready to lose you. Until Jiang Wanyin is able to accept that you and Wangji were always destined to choose the other, it will be difficult for either of them to view the other with anything but resentment. I am only thankful that I was never in a position to force Wangji to choose between us, and that I was given enough time to repair my relationship with Wangji and to make my peace with our fate.”

Smiling a watery smile, Wei Ying sets the restless little spotted rabbit down on his lap where she nibbles at the remnants of a bok choy stem.

“Do you regret your choices?” Xichen’s voice was strained. He didn’t want to ask this and was fearful of the answer, even though he knew there was nothing to fear and he already knew what Wei Ying would say.

As the tears finally overflow from his eyes, Wei Ying looks at Xichen and says with absolute certainty, “how can I, when my choices have led me to Lan Zhan?”

Feeding the last of their prepared snacks to the spotted rabbit, Wei Ying wipes his tears with his sleeve before turning to Xichen.

“Everyday I think my heart is going to burst with how much I love Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says softly, cheeks aflame. His eyes are downcast and darting, usually modest for someone who regularly shows off the love bites Wangji leaves on him.

Xichen beams, happy for the happiness his brother and Wei Wuxian have finally found after so much suffering. “Then cherish that love because it will always be enough.”

[damn-daemon]

Critical Mass Preview

Help me, Tumblr, you’re my only hope!

Here is segment from the first chapter of Critical Mass. I would really appreciate if you read it over and let me know your thoughts! 

Tagging my Star Wars gals @chuck-hansens and @marvelousthronewars​

DV-7892 did not necessarily prefer space. When she was given an order, she followed it as any good soldier should, but there was no denying the little spark of personal expectation that found its way into her chest. Dry environments were better than wet, warm was better than cold. If all their targets could be found on systems with agreeable climates, missions would go that much easier, but that was not the way of things.

But space, she found, was always agreeable to her.

The general feeling she got from the other troopers was that space was a terrifying beast. It was cold, dark, empty, and lifeless. Some had admitted a sort of terror at the idea of being confronted with such a void, especially in a small fighter such as the one she occupied. One crack in the hull, and that could be it. There was no chance for recovery in the throes of space.

But within the darkness, she found a calm that she could not quite connect with in the barracks. Perhaps it was merely the emptiness, the quiet that she was not afforded anywhere else, but sometimes, some part of her wondered if there wasn’t more to it. The thought was brief and quickly snuffed out by more important tasks at hand, yet it always lingered somewhere in the back of her mind, an idea discarded yet still within sight.

Sometimes she found herself staring at a distant star and wondering what was there.

A series of taps returned her mind to the present.

‘You’re doing it again,’ the code spelled out.

DV-7892 sighed, reaching down to the metal bar beneath her seat and producing her own series of taps.

‘You don’t know what I’m doing.’

It was a First Order code, used by all troopers when a mission required radio silence. DV-7892 and her TIE gunner, DV-7896, used it frequently to pass the time. Alone in their TIE, many assumed they would simply speak with one another, given they sat back to back, but both preferred the silence and the concentration required to communicate with the code. They had started using it with one another when they were young, and the method had stuck.

‘Staring into space wistefully at the stars.’

‘Wistfully,’ she corrected. ‘Only you would make a spelling error in code.’

‘That wasn’t disagreement, Demo.’

Demo. Short for demonstration. To save on time, all troopers gave each other nicknames, though they never spoke them in front of their superior officers.

Her unit, Knight Squadron, was an experiment of General Hux’s. He took the best of the stormtroopers and subjected them to harsher training, grueling environments, and unthinkable tests in order to form the perfect elite unit. Only four had passed the first class. Many had been transferred to other units; many others had died.

DV-7892 was the stormtrooper he used to show off his accomplishments, to demonstrate them as it were, and that was how Demo came to be.

DV-7896 was simpler. He was her gunner, and so that was what he would always be. Gunner was the best shot that the First Order had ever seen. If he missed anything, it was because he meant to.

For the past fifteen years, they had been watching one another’s backs, an unstoppable force amongst the other troopers. Whenever they set their mind to something, it was only a matter of when it would be accomplished, not if.

Demo shook her head at Gunner’s remark, choosing to let silence fall again.

They had been drifting in space for the better part of six hours, watching a derelict ship that drifted just outside a local asteroid belt. She hadn’t consumed any food or water during that time, and her legs had been utterly still since they began their watch, but Demo knew the instant it was necessary, her body would perform exactly as she wanted it to. They had trained for this as well, but for far longer. Six hours was nothing.

‘Still want to be in there?’ Demo tapped, there being the ship. Currently on the bridge of the old freighter they were watching, their other squad mates, DVs-7956 and 7977, were transmitting a distress signal. If everything went to plan, a local band of pirates would pick up on the signal and investigate. The group had grown confident as of late and had the audacity to attack a First Order cruiser.

A message needed to be sent.

‘I would like to see their faces before we space them.’

Demo’s reply was cut short by the arrival of a ship dropping from hyperspace. It was an ugly thing, once a Corellian freighter, but over the years, the pirates had crudely retrofitted various ship parts to the outside, making it more of a junk heap than any of the ships they pillaged. Several living pods had been haphazardly welded onto the frame at various points and two plasma cannons had been attached to either side. They made for a ship far larger than the one the pirates were currently occupying, and Demo briefly wondered if they had ever actually been fired. The electrical output alone would be enough to cripple the ship.

Another ship arrived soon after. It was a smaller fighter, an old A-Wing from the Imperial age. Though nothing had been added to it, the ship sported an unappealing array of colors.

‘Ships aren’t big enough,’ Gunner tapped.

He was right. The freighter was unlikely to ever fly in atmosphere, its awkward fittings making the ship’s balance highly unstable. There had to be another ship that the crew returned to, but they were smart enough not to send it after a simple distress signal.

Demo considered her expectations defied.

‘Breaking radio silence.’

She reached forward, flipping a small switch on her console. Demo listened to the static briefly, waiting for any indication that something was off, before communicating with their squad mates via the same code.

‘Parameters changed. Clear out crew, board freighter. Await further instruction.’

Demo did not wait for a reply as she switched the comms back off.

Quietly, she watched as the freighter docked with their decoy transport, the smaller thrusters awkwardly shifting the bulky ship into place as its top hatch attempted to connect to the external dock. There was no sound in space, but she could still hear metal grinding against metal, a teeth-clenching sensation. The pilot was a novice, or drunk. Either way, the boarding party did not appear to have any concerns about potential danger.

‘This is what’s been attacking us? Someone needs a demotion.’

Demo tapped twice against the bar, effectively ending their silent conversation. They did not have time for distraction now. She had to wait for the signal. Their squad never said what the signals would be, but they always knew what they were when they appeared. The group had a talent for intuitive communication in that way, which had made them an effective force in the past.

She leaned forward in her seat, keeping an eye on the A-Wing that circled their ship in a lazy orbit. Its turns were slow, at ease, the pilot was clearly not keeping an eye out for anything. They would never notice the lone TIE resting in the shadow of an asteroid.

So, they waited.

The bridge of their decoy ship lit up momentarily, before the glass of the viewports burst, sending thousands of shrapnel fragments shooting into space, as well as several bodies.

They never had been subtle.

Without her gaze ever leaving the A-Wing, Demo brought the TIE to life, shooting into open space from their hiding position within seconds of the explosion. Despite the relaxed flight patterns of the pilot, they were quick to notice their ship converging on their position, kicking their thrusters to life and rapidly fleeing the scene.

“Round him up, Gunner,” Demo finally spoke, tongue feeling dry in her mouth. The A-Wing may have been an older model, but it still had a speed advantage against them. DV-7896 took quick, calculated shots on the ship’s starboard side, easing the panicked pilot toward the asteroid field. It would make pursuit more difficult, but keep the ship from hitting lightspeed and warning the others.

Once amongst the asteroids, the TIE’s maneuverability took center stage. The A-Wing was still in a panic, attempting dangerous turns that nearly rammed the ship’s frame into the closest asteroid, but they never managed to lose Demo. She piloted the ship around the debris with practiced ease, capable of keeping her eyes focused on the ship ahead while completely avoiding the dangers to their left and right.

They hit a brief straightaway. Many pilots would have taken the time to center their shots, and missed as the A-Wing rounded another asteroid, but the mere seconds were all Gunner needed to fire. The ship took a hit on its back thruster, careening into another asteroid and exploding in a brief ball of fire before the vacuum of space wiped the evidence away.

Demo pulled the ship out of the field, twisting around and returning to the decoy ship.

“You’re getting slow,” she said, flipping the comms back online.

“I just pull the trigger,” Gunner replied, his deep voice muffled by his helmet. “You were the one taking your time.”

“Fuse, Seven,” Demo called out over comms, for DVs-7956 and 7977, respectfully. “Are we in the clear?”

“One moment, Commander!” was the reply from Seven, interrupted by static and grunting. “Ship’s clear. You may board when ready.”

Demo landed the fighter in the ship’s docking bay, noting the other fighter that was already there. Had the pirates had a single functioning cell in the brains, they might have thought to check around before heading straight to the bridge, but apparently nothing was too good to be true for them.

Despite the all clear, Demo and Gunner kept their blasters at the ready, waiting for the potential missed target, but the hallways were quiet as they made their way to the Corellian freighter. Unsubtle they may have been, but their squad mates hadn’t let them down yet. They were Knight Squadron, through and through.

“This place smells like a garbage chute,” Gunner noted as they entered the ship.

Seven and Fuse awaited them inside, standing side by side in the black uniforms that identified the squadron. On each of their right shoulders was a clearly marked saber in red, the patch of their unit. For the time being, only four soldiers had attained the patch, yet every member of the First Order knew it when they saw it, and made certain to steer clear.

At the feet of her squad mates was a bloodied human, more than likely the pilot of the ship. He stared up at them with wide, terrified eyes. He was young, younger than them at any rate.

“Are there coordinates for the main ship in the nav computer?” Demo asked.

Seven nodded, his helmet jiggling slightly. “Yes, Commander. The pilot was ready to break out as we came on board.”

“Then why is he here?”

“Kid insists he can help us get on board,” Fuse replied, picking at his blaster. “We thought to leave the decision with you.”

Her blaster fired once, and his body crumpled to the floor.

“If we needed help, we wouldn’t be here,” Demo said, sliding into the pilot’s seat while Seven grabbed the co-pilot’s. Gunner dragged the pilot away while Fuse tended to the hole in his right shoulder. “You injured, Fuse?”

“Shrapnel caught my uniform. No physical damage.”

“That was quite the explosion you rigged,” Gunner said, bumping Fuse on the shoulder. “The general probably saw it back at base.”

Seven shook his head. “My ears are still ringing.”

The jump to lightspeed lasted no more than ten minutes, bringing them to a halt before a heavy freighter that orbited a large, unnamed gas planet; the dark colors of the freighter stood stark against the bright orange of the planet beside them. Like the other ships they had encountered, the large freighter was a jumble of various parts welded onto the ship, making its silhouette grotesque in appearance. The size had nearly doubled from the patchwork.

“Fuse, tell me about our guns,” Demo said, observing the ship. She half expected it to disappear at any moment. They were missing an A-Wing after all.

“They’re more for show than anything else, Commander,” Fuse’s voice crackled over the comms. He’d disappeared into engineering after they had jumped to lightspeed. “These things haven’t been fired since they were welded onto the hull. The connections are all there, but I don’t know what kind of damage these things have seen.”

“What are our odds?”

“Forty-sixty if I’m being optimistic, but the force alone might sheer the ship in two.”

“So we should fire from inside the freighter.”

Gunner sighed. “Strap in, everyone. Commander’s got an idea.”

There were no docking codes requested as the ship approached the bay, no cannons fired up in warning. A single Toydarian was smoking a death stick in the back corner as he sorted through scrap on the floor. It was only after all four members of Knight Squadron had stepped onto the platform that he decided to acknowledge any presence in the room.

“Abandon your escort again, Jeso? Next time, why don’t you-”

He paused as his gaze landed on them.

Gunner fired one shot.

The squad crossed over the bay, heading to the blaster doors on the far end. Seven jammed the doors shut, and the four troopers proceeded to jog down the empty hallway, taking a quick turn down another before halting.

“Do it, Fuse,” Demo ordered.

“Fire in the hole,” Fuse replied, pressing a button on his transmitter.

There were two explosions, one as the plasma cannons fired straight back toward the main thrusters, and another as the transport itself imploded, the cannons, as Fuse surmised, having taken too much damage over time. Unable to contain the blast fully, they backfired. As a result, the squad watched as the blast door flew down the hallway before jamming itself bulkhead.

“That’ll do it,” Gunner said.

From there, everything fell into place. Two by two, Knight Squadron moved through the hallways, Demo and Gunner in the lead while Fuse and Seven brought up the rear, clearing the ship of enemy targets. This was the unit’s element, what they had trained for since before they could remember. Synchronous movement unimpeded by mediocrity, ignorance, or pride. Every part had its place in the whole. The DV troopers trusted one another completely, able to focus on their tasks without worry of exposure from a different angle.

The explosion had put the ship into chaos. Most of the pirates they shot were simply running in panic, shouting in various languages about what was going on. What few armed individuals they found never got a shot off. No one was expecting an incursion.

The bridge doors had been sealed by the time they arrived. It seemed some sense had returned to the remaining crew, and communication had been reestablished.

“Seven. Fuse. You’re up,” Demo said. The two troopers ran up to the door, as Demo and Gunner took a knee, each leaning against one side of the hall. They kept their blasters trained ahead, waiting. Every target that made its way into their line of sight was dropped from a blaster bolt before they got the chance to take cover.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Demo moved forward around the corner, taking cover as another small explosion tore the door off the bridge.

As one, the unit moved into the bridge, firing rounds as those who attempted to fight back. It left two targets untouched: a human and a Gran. Demo surged forward, holding her blaster in one hand as she grabbed the human with the other.

“Are there any more ships?” she demanded.

“I…I don’t…”

Demo thrust her blaster into his chest and fired before grabbing the Gran.

“Are there any more ships?” she repeated.

“Two!” the Gran shouted, arms raised, his trio of eyes wide and panicked. “There are two, but they aren’t in the sector!”

She shoved him against the console, moving to the comms panel. A single shot fired off. Gunner joined her soon after, having left Seven and Fuse covering the door.

“Check the logs,” Demo ordered, fingers dancing on the keyboard as she entered a familiar code. “Get me those ships.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Demo stepped back from the console, releasing her blaster to leave it hanging from a strap attached to her hip as she fell into a parade rest. The small transmitter fired up, revealing a hologram of a young officer, rigid and stern, with an air of superiority that managed to travel across the lightyears.

General Armitage Hux.

“DV-7892, my system indicates you are outside your sector of engagement. Explain your deviation,” the hologram demanded.

“Sir, Knight Squadron engaged the enemy at our previous coordinates, but intel indicated that the two ships baited were part of a larger sum. On my orders, we traced the ships back to their origin point and have since taken control of what appears to be the main base of operations in this region.”

Hux looked thoughtful. “Casualties?”

“At least fifty hostile targets, sir. No casualties on our end,” Demo replied, glancing briefly in Gunner’s direction. He nodded. “Sir, with your permission, I would like to engage to ships that are not currently present. We have their coordinates.”

The general waved his hand. “Leave them. Such small things aren’t worth our attention. Without their main source of power, these bandit scum will turn on one another and disappear from the system.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Return to the Finalizer. Supreme Leader Snoke has requested our presence.”