#lotud

[th3tism]

Oh oh oh! I have another idea! What would be the mercs reaction if they learned they are your favourite?

Mercs finding out they're your favorite

Mercs: Scout, Pyro, Engie, Sniper

Scout:

He's just crying

Like he's happy, but oh my god

He'll play it off like "Pshh, yeah I know" but he's just bawling

Pyro:

He's so happy

He's giggling and kicking his feet and clapping and stuff

He'll give you little gifts everyday after that

Sniper:

Kind of like Scout, but he's not like "yeah ik"

He's just bawling

He thinks it's so sweet that you think like that about him

Engie

"Aw, shucks partner."

He thinks it's super sweet

Like pyro, he'll make you little trinkets and stuff to show that he's pretty fond of you too

(he's still married to his work so you won't see him a lot soo-)

[gumidonut]

whenever i post i imagine theres some future video essayist annotating my internet presence reading out whatever post im writing at that time with like a speedpaint in the background thats how i deem which posts are worth posting

[nerdragons-hoard]

you know houw "rotund" can mean like "round but not in a round way"

we should do that with more adjectives

[wisteriaiswriting]

S/O That Falls Asleep To Radio

Words: 281

Request: What about mercs with a SO that listens to the radio to fall asleep? Requested By: @fried-lotud

He normally has one playing during the day, so he understands why you listen to it.

Sometimes he’ll find you a good channel to listen to as you fall asleep.

Used to do the same thing until he became the team's Medic, now he barely sleeps at all.

Soon enough he’ll fall back into the habit, so you can find him knocked out at his desk with a radio playing nearby.

During that time you could convince him to join you in bed, just let him choose the channel.

This was a habit he gained when he started living in his van, so another one who can understand the action.

Although he still takes longer to fall asleep, he’ll stay next to you, listening to the channel and watching over you.

If anything happens to your radio, he’ll try to fix it but if he can’t, he’ll go find Engineer.

Makes sure to keep the radio playing during any roadtrips or when you’re hanging out in the van.

Will (jokingly) argue with you about different channels during road trips. (High chance he’ll let you win.)

He will complain about it but does the exact same thing. (Like, dude??)

Rarely compromises on what to listen to at night, but there are some nights where he’s too tired to argue.

Eventually buys you a new and actually good radio. (Unless it’s sentimental, he will say something if you don’t use it.)

Whenever you two are in his smoking room he’ll have one of them playing softly in the background.

Does the same thing when you two cuddle. (You’re away but really don’t mind.)

[tiredly101]

New neighbor Part 9

Pairing: Wally Darling x Writer!Male reader

New Neighbor Masterlist

Illustrated Au, picture made by @nekfofes

Wally sights dreamily when he closes the door of Home since M/n had bring him back in his motorcycle. Wally leaned against the window and stares at M/n while he drives away towards his house, his attention is gained by Home doing some bangs and knocks and he sights dreamily once again.

"It was amazing Home, he took me to dinner and we danced underneath the stars. He treated me like if I was the most important thing in the world," said Wally while plopping himself on his armchair and played, carefully, with the red and black roses that he had gifted him. Home does some creaks which made Wally blush a bright red.

"Oh my rainbows! You are right Home, I didn't plan that... it didn't even cross my mind!," Exclaimed Wally while dialing the phone with hurry, the phone ringed and soon the voice on the other side answer.

"Hello? Which neighbor is it and if it's Julie the answer is no to whatever crazy scheme you thought of," said M/n making Wally chuckled and blushed at his voice.

"Hello Neighbor, it's Wally," said Wally while playing with the string of the phone in a shy matter while he looked again at the roses on top of his armchair.

"Oh Wally, is something wrong?," Asked M/n, Wally chuckle while thinking "always the gentleman" and then he cleared his throat feeling more shy than usual. He could almost feel M/n's loving gaze on him.

"No, nothing is wrong I was just wondering if you were free in two days time, around five? Maybe we could do a picnic together," Wally said shyly and then he heard M/n gasp and chuckle softly. Wally felt a shiver go down his spine because of the chuckle.

"I would love to go on a date with you Wally! Let's best do it tomorrow so Sally doesn't try to interrupt us," said M/n softly gaining a shy smile from Wally, Wally looked out the window and saw M/n standing in front of his, his shirt was slightly opened so he averted his gaze in a shy way.

"Alright then, goodnight," Wally said to blush a bright red when M/n chuckled and said "Goodnight my darling". Wally sighted dreamily for the third time that night and he smiled while putting the roses in a base.

"Maybe this could be the most beautiful thing that has happened to me..."

This is the end of season 1! Hope you liked it!

Tag list:

@farleyis @whynot5243 @fluffyart5000 @blueberricowboi @bonesbonesbonesuponbones @who-let-me-write-this @pr5is1ng @just-random-post @ghosteezofvispast @nettaw @sleepyscxry @theorchardcollective @thelostboys11 @darling-w @ametistacollinsworld @vampyrefay @cloudeecheer @lacunaanonymoused @waywardstardustcollector @welcome-home-puppets @redjeanjacket @fried-lotud @waywardstardustcollector @frindtheshapeshifter405 @lotusflowerexe @sleepyscxry @the-gayest-toad @mythjustiice @backyard-bear @beu-is-here0 @just-random-post

[rollercoaster59]

Lotude the bug

[tananansad]

waow. there's a whole archive of lotud tantagas (ritual specialists) reading the rinait mamampang (creation myth chant) out loud right over here. i've never seen anything like this before. most chants are only written down or in the form of snippets on youtube. i'm so glad i got to see full recordings of rinaits, even if not from my own group.

[wangxianslillotus]

Au where Lan Qiren finds out about Wei WuXian's missing golden core by accident and takes his side.

............

Lan Qiren had been hiding after being chased out of his own home by the Wen. One of the disciples had leaded him to this town in the middle of the mountains of Yiling to keep him safe, but he spended his days sunken in worry, knowing that until news of any advances against the Wens came, he would have to stay put. He was not in his best moment, so one day, disguised, he went out to the town hoping he would catch anything about the war in the markets.

Instead, he caught sight of the most unruly disciple he ever had, and he approached him instantly.

"Wei WuXian!" He murmured, knowing well where they stood, once he was close enough. The younger turned around in momentary panic, but when he recognized his master, he stood up. Lan Qiren observed him cautious, Wei WuXian seemed almost ill, barely could stand straight. He was the shadow of the disciple he had meet at Cloud recesses. Aiding him to stand by the arm, Lan Qiren couldn't help but feel his pulse. Whether he was ill or not he would know! What he didn't expect was to find that second pulse that indicated the presence of a golden core. It only took Lan Qiren a minute.

His core is gone.

"Master Lan, no..." The voice was hoarse, tired and coated in pain, gray eyes filled with tears.

"What happened?" He wished to know, not letting go of his elbow, to keep him standing. Sorrow also invaded the younger face, but he looked away.

"Not here. Not safe..." the broken boy spoke, trying to lead the older to a closer inn, but Lan Qiren decided otherwise at the sight of Wen soldiers at some distance.

He grasped the boy from behind his waist hurriedly, and helped him walk back to his hiding place, always keeping an eye on their backs. Wei WuXian has not well, he knew the moment the boy's legs tangled when he tried to walk. He was powerless and could barely stand. He didn't seemed to have eaten anything proper in a long time, too.

............

"So you gave it to Jiang WanYin." It was not a question. But nonetheless, Wei WuXian noded slowly, hearing a sigh from Lan Qiren in response.

Food had been served for him, a warm bath that had revealed his ugly scar under his sternum, almost infected due to poor care. But he couldn't do better while waiting in the streets. A Lan disciple took care of that too, and they borrowed him clean robes. He felt... like he haven't since a long time ago.

He had recited the course of events from an absent perspective, how they had ran from Lotud Pier, even if Jiang Cheng was as reluctant as himself, and how pained they were when everything happened. "It didn't felt real, sir. It still doesn't." He had said before taking a sip of tea. The fires, the smell of familiar blood mixed with the water from the piers. He was the one to blame for all that, he said too. And Lan Qiren almost broke his cup when he put it down.

"You're not the one that provoked that, Wei WuXian. The Wens would have done it under any other excuse, as they did when they destroyed Cloud recesses too." The sorrow was almost tangible in the air, both had terrible memories from the past month, both were in the same boat.

"... Lan Zhan..." He started, not sure how to phrase his words, but concearned enough to try. Lan Qiren flinched at this, but complied with an answer.

"WangJi is... he is hurt. But he will be well. I'm sure." It was not that he didn't trust his nephew, but that he knew what the Wens were capable of. Wei WuXian tried to stand back on his feets at this.

"Then we have to--"

"We have to stay put. Wei WuXian, sit." He ordered. "I understand your urgency, and I share your concerns, but there is little we can do to help in our conditions." He tried to be sensitive about the missing golden core of the younger, even if he had confessed that it had been his doing and his choice, it didn't meant that it had been without any regrets and consequences.

Unsurprisingly, Wei Ying complies. He too knows that he's bond to whatever Lan Qiren decides to do or say. He makes it easier for them, staying put and hidden.

The next morning, Lan Qiren informs him that they are due to depart to other location, since the Wen are too close, and they can't risk being discovered. So he writes a letter for Jiang Cheng and Lan Qiren assures him that it will find the Jiang heir. Strangely enough, Lan Qiren was reminding him of his Jiang Uncle, but Wei WuXian attributed that to the mere fact of being on the run during so long, and that he was the same age his younger nephew was, so maybe the old Lan found in him something familiar, too.

That was not the case, but Wei Ying could only think that was the reason when Lan Qiren words started being somehow softer towards him as the days passed by.

Wei Ying, always on guard, saved the caravan of Lans a couple of times from colliding with the Wen soldiers on the road. Each time, he was sure that Lan Qiren wouldn't listen to him, but the older Lan proved him wrong both times.

Wei Ying felt useless, but Lan Qiren was nothing but a good guide and patient with him, encouraging the younger to train and meditate all he could, insisting that he had just as many possibilities of growing out a second golden core as Wen Qing had of doing the surgery successfully. And Wei Ying wanted to believe that so hard, that he did as his Lan Xiansheng indicated.

After all, the Lan Sect was widely known for their training for growing and strengthen golden cores, above others.

Of course that Wei Ying had better days, where he would rise at five and meditate along the other Lan disciples. But just as well he had worse ones, where Lan Qiren sat at his bedside with his guquin, playing music for the mind.

Wei WuXian felt pressured under the growing shadow of the ongoing war, scared that if something happened, he would be useless and only be a rock on the way, not only of his own family, but also for who had taken him under his wings to give him protection.

His brain, just as it always had been, was restless with ideas and inventions, pushed way further from the line of "being okay" by his impatience and the clear signs thay his golden core wasn't... he would have liked to say improved, but the golden core was gone. It wasn't there. And it wasn't coming back! That was the problem. So he did with it what he could do to cope, try and be useful.

"You're plain idiotic, child. I cannot allow such thing!" Lan Qiren put his cup down as he spoke, Wei Ying huffed and insisted.

"Wen Chao has been hunting me and Jiang Cheng since the fall of Lotus Pier! It's not idiotic! It's strategy!" He complained.

Lan Qiren glared at him, but considered all the cards on the table. This idiotic child had killed the Tortoise of Slaughter, along with his own nephew, but he had come up with the plan. WangJi had told him the exact events of that day, right before the attack to their home. He had rescued Jiang Cheng from under the noses of the Wen Soldiers and Wen Chao, and had always shown great mind for strategies and inventions. Of course, he hadn't done it alone, but Lan Qiren didn't need to know that.

He wouldn't want to, but the reality was that Wei Ying's plan was not bad at all. It was just idiotic.

Wei Ying seemed to read his contempt, because he spoke again, "I just have to give a little walk around the town, show myself a bit, and I'm sure that rumors will do the trick to lure them there!"

"That could possibly work, but the danger is still there. For you above all of my disciples." Lan Qiren states, soft but stern.

"Lan Xiansheng... I am well aware of that, but I cannot possibly stay safe while everyone else is putting their lives on the line. This is our war too. I want to be of use, regardless of the risks..." he pleaded, taking a step back and ready to kneel for his words.

A hand stopped him from doing so, heaving a sigh, "Let's go over this again, will you? Exactly what town do you have in mind for this?"

And like that, the planning began. Wei WuXian told his teacher the entire plan again, and Lan Qiren spotted the weaker parts of it so that they could strengthen them and minimize the possibility of the Wen having the upper hand.

With the two, a bright mind and an experienced one, their modest caravan of cultivators lured Wen Chao to an abandoned town at the base of a mountain, and trapped them there with wards set by Lan Qiren. They had no way to send for help, nor for food or any other thing, so it was only a matter of days until their proud chins fell to the floor to pledge for their actions in exchange for water and plain rice.

This, Lan Qiren frowned upon. Using starvation as a form of coaxing the enemy... it didn't sit well with him. But Wei WuXian reminded him that given the chance, the Wen would have had them chained and tortured. Wei Ying only had to mention the state in which Lan Zhan had arrived to the indoctrination to make Lan Qiren's statements waver. In the end, they would feed them, after all. They just needed to weaken their wills and bodies enough to take them as prisoners. It was cruel, but efficient, and wasn't in the darkest side of the things done in wartime.

"Righteousness will only get us so far, sadly, Xiansheng. But a war is a war, and the information that they have can save thousands," Wei WuXian had argued, a dark face that made Lan Qiren sigh and agree.

Once the reinforcements they had sent for to Qinghe arrived, they transported their prisoners back to the Unclean realm, where Wei WuXian finally reunited with his martial siblings, and unsurprisingly, Lan Quiren's own younger nephew, who's face had lighten up like he'd finally seen the sun shining again.

At the beginning, Lan Qiren thought he finally could hand back the responsability of carrying Wei WuXian around to his new Sect Leader, the old man found that instead of hugs and a warm reception, Wei WuXian was mostly frowned upon and unfairly treated.

Mostly, it was the Jin contingent that worded harsh complains to the boy, abusing of the fact that Wei WuXian could not longer bear his sword, and then became a matter of who his parents had been.

Lan Qiren remained quiet for the first half of it all, awaiting for the Jiang Sect Leader to shut down those cruel statements, since his head disciple was more than capable independently of the presence of a golden core, or from which womb he'd been born. But as the sneers and off handed comments started to truly bear down Wei WuXian, and the Sect Leader remained quiet, Lan Qiren had had enough.

Everyone inside the war tent came to a halt, respecting the Lan elder with careful eyes. Lan Qiren walked out, calling Wei Ying to follow him, and patted the boy's shoulder when he complied quietly.

Unrestrained as he was, Wei WuXian was a wonderful young man. Smart like no other, resourceful and bright. Always upright and held his good values too. Even if he'd been though so many painful things that would have cracked even the most perfect cultivators, Wei WuXian still considered others before his own well-being. And in the few months they'd been traveling together, Lan Qiren had learned that he would not put himself first unless he was told to.

So it wasn't hard for Lan Qiren to offer him a helping hand.

"Wei Ying, come back to Gusu once everything is over. I will host you, teach you, and find a way to restore your core, or cultivate a new one."

[th3tism]

Hello hello hellooo, im back with another request. What about the mercs with a so that can speak their mother language. So of course that means Spy, Heavy and Medic. Thank youuuu

Hiiiii!!!! Sorry for taking so long to answer but here you go!!!!!

Mercs reaction to reader who can speak their native language

warnings: none, just a lot of fluff

Spy:

He can literally speak almost every fucking language so french or not, he's gonna be able to talk to you

He thinks it's pretty neat that you're from France as well (or at least the fact that you can speak it)

Medic:

He honestly thinks it's pretty cool

He knows a lot of English, he just likes speaking German

Heavy:

HE IS SO GLAD YOU CAN SPEAK RUSSIAN DUDE YOU HAVE NO IDEA

The poor guy isn't good at speaking English. Don't get me wrong, the man is really smart, English is just hard 💀

[gumsnail682]

@fried-lotud here It is!

I made two versions, one normal one and one where MC dosen't speak the same language as them, Enjoy! (Not proof read)

(Mentions of a tazer obviously)

~Taser time >:)~ (300 words)

"Welcome to the Devildom MC!"

"What the fuck did you just say?" You were absolutely clueless as to what the hell was going on. It actually happened didn't it? You were drugged and taken to a strange place, this was the end for you wasn't it? Theres no other logical explanation, was the Devildom what they called there torture/murder dungeon? 

"Uhh." You looked around at the men that surrounded you, "What the fuck?" You muttered.

"You must be confused so let me ex-" "BACK THE FUCK UP!" You saw one of the men approach you and whipped out your taser and stuck it right in the man's abdomen. He was completely taken back, he didn't expect or think that you'd straight up attack him and he definitely didn't expect it to hurt so bad! 

He doubled over, holding his abdomen, "Son of a bi-!" "How dose 50'000 volts taste!? Dont try me mother fucker!" Everyone in the room was stunned(Especially Lucifer), did this human just cause Lucifer to double over in pain!? Who exactly were you?

"I think you misunderstand! We mean you no harm, truely." Diavalo was trying so hard not to crack a smile at Lucifer's misfortune. "Bullshit! No one kidnaps someone with good intentions, I know that for a fact!" You glared, "I ain't going down without a fight." You muttered under your breath, it took quite some time to calm you down and convince you that you weren't in any danger. 

"You know you could have just, I don't know, send me a letter." You deadpanned, "I see, that would have kept.. this from happening." Diavalo looked over to Lucifer who was standing off to the side glaring daggers at you. 

This was going to be the longest year of your life for sure.

~Taser time alternate~ (358 words)

"Welcome to the Devildom MC!" 

"What the fuck did you just say?" You had no clue what the red haired man in front of you just said. You stared at him stupidly for a moment, "What?" You blurted, a black haired man said something you once again didn't understand and walked towards you, "Stay away from me you creep!" You screeched as you whipped out your taser and plunged it Into his abdomen, you assumed he cursed as he doubled over in pain. "I have no clue what you just said but I hope they hurt!" You yelled as you backed away. 

"Master, I don't believe they can understand our language like we understand there's yet." You just assumed the green haired man said something malicious and pointed your taser in his direction. "Could someone go get Solomon or Simeon?" The green haired man spoke again and it put you even more on Edge. "Ok nobody approach the human for now." The red haired man signed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

You stood there, your defensive stance never faltering for even a moment. One of the men had left and it didn't help your nerves at all. Soon he came back followed by two other guys. What were they planning on doing to you!? 

"Hey now, it's ok. You're not in danger." The white haired boy said, finally something you understood. "What the fuck is going on!?" You demanded, voice shaky. "Don't be afraid, we're in the same position here." He said, his smile wasn't comforting at all, "They kidnapped you too?" You asked, still on guard. "Yup! Sure did." The other man next to him signed, "Solomon don't scare them more. Allow me to explain, My names Simeon." Simeon explained the situation, "You're not in any danger, if anything happens I'll do my best to help you." Unlike Solomon, Simeons smile actually put you at ease.

"You'll grow to understand there're language soon enough. For now me or Solomon can translate for you." Simeon said as you slowly lowered your taser, "Ok.. but if I see anything suspicious I'm pulling the taser back out!" You warned.

(Should I write some more scenarios with this or nah?)

[angstymdzsthoughts]

(Part 1)The idea is that what if WWX and the Wen Remenants are so angry and furious after they die that they haunt the great clans CONSTANTLY. And they all actively recreate their deaths so Wen Qinq taunts JC while her body burns alive at Koi Tower but she keeps talking snd you can see the skin burning off. WWX wanders Yiling and Lotud Pier and they all speak about what hypocrites the great cland are who speak of righteousness but preform genocide.

(Part 2) Its all really hard to watch but especially when people see the young girl with the torn dress and cracked open skull or the old man who looks likd he can barely lift a basket let alone a sword who has so many stab wounds you can see through him. It gets really hard to justify the attacks when a weak pregnant pregnant woman with her throat cut open keeps contradicting your story. It leads to public outcry. JC finds Wen Ning after he escapes ( wwx helps him idk) and he snd LWJ lose it.

[tiredly101]

New Neighbor part 6

Pairing: Wally Darling x Writer!Male reader

New Neighbor Masterlist

Summary: A date is what you asked Wally on, and he was panicking. What should he wear? A suit or something more casual? What about his hair, should he do his famous pompadour or let it down since you seemed to like his hair down? Home is freaked out because of his behavior.

Illustrated Au, picture done by @qep0ermint

Wally's Pov

M/n? A date? Me? M/n and me on a date? Maybe I'm dreaming so I should not freak out. Wait... I don't even sleep in the first place!

"Home! What should I do? I never been on a date! Should I hold his hand? Should I kiss him? Oh, my rainbows! What should I wear?", I screeched in a panicked way, frankly, running around the house. To say Home was irritated was an understatement, it was about to be three in the morning, and I have been doing all these questions since M/n left. Home opened a door on my face making me fall on the floor which shut me up. Home started making squeaks, bangs and some knocks and the house answer helped me to calm down.

"Your right Home! I shall not go outside and fuss over what I should wear," I said excited, and a groan could be heard deep from Home's walls as I ran rapidly to my room basically smacking the door of the closet open, ironic statement.

I start pulling clothes from the never-ending walk-in closet and started trying outfits out. Nothing seemed perfect or appropriate for a date, I started getting exasperated and so I decide to do the one thing that could send me to an early grave.

"Hello... Julie, could you bring me an outfit that is date worthy?", I said softly hearing how Julie squealed on the other side of the line. She screamed a yes and hung up on me, she might give the most beautiful outfit or the most awfully extravagant outfit in the world.

Julie arrived at six with my outfit and I had my hair in my usual pompadour, and she only shook her head telling me no before pushing me inside of Home. She threw the outfit at me and simply said "Change, now!" before pushing me to my bedroom. I put on a white shirt that held a place where I putted a red tie, beautiful blue blazer and red dress pants, Julie enters the room while I fix the sleeves and makes me sit down in front of my mirror; she undoes my pompadour and lets my blue hair free; she styles it to the side and smiles.

"You are ready to go handsome!", She exclaimed making me smile at her comment; Sally is lucky for having such a nice girlfriend. I hear a door knock and I see that is already eight. Oh, my rainbows! Time sure flew by.

Part seven? I believe so! Let me know if you want to join the tag list!

Tag list:

@farleyis @whynot5243 @fluffyart5000 @blueberricowboi @bonesbonesbonesuponbones @who-let-me-write-this @eyesarefullofstars @pr5is1ng @just-random-post @ghosteezofvispast @nettaw @sleepyscxry @theorchardcollective @thelostboys11 @darling-w @ametistacollinsworld @vampyrefay @cloudeecheer @lacunaanonymoused @waywardstardustcollector @welcome-home-puppets @redjeanjacket @fried-lotud @waywardstardustcollector @frindtheshapeshifter405 @lotusflowerexe @sleepyscxry @the-gayest-toad

[poor-wifi-uwu]

Veil ch4

Worlds apart. Days apart. Inches apart. They finally meet.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22680382/chapters/54916576

The night was quiet, filled with only the gentle rustling of the trees and soothing sound of running water as he walked along a river in a mockery of a relaxing stroll.

3 hours.

It took 3 fucking hours to get out of Yunmeng’s capital. With a horse and properly cleared street it should have only taken him what, 20 minutes at full speed? He should’ve reached the next large town by now!

Instead, here he is, walking along a river next to the road hoping to catch a glimpse of even a small village in the distance.

It was common knowledge not to travel alone at night in the wilderness, but he has literally no other option. It won’t take long for his family to learn of his escape and they’ll send their fastest riders after him as soon as they realize. Running so close to the main road is not the best way to avoid notice, but no matter what, his highest priority was to put as much distance between himself and Lotus Pier as possible.

The fastest way to Gusu is using the main road built in the past for easy trade between their nations. The road had been built for speed with a smooth road to protect delicate cargo on along the journey, and being so profitable both nations had gone out of their way to construct through natural obstacles. Yunmeng is known for its many rivers and lakes, and as a pretty much straight line the road has many bridges built to avoid unnecessary detours. One of the lakes is so huge that it would require a boat or add days to a journey to get around. He’ll have to cross that bridge.

For ease of travel, the road was built along a major river running through Yunmeng, only breaking off to keep its straight trajectory when faced with a bend in the river. The river bank was fairly hidden and free of obstacles that stumble one’s footing, especially for a Lotus Pier child, so it was a good way for Wei Wuxian to avoid a lot of eyes.

Thankfully, with his speed and endurance Wei Wuxian was able to reach quite a distance by the time dawn broke. His body could keep going if it really had to, but after running all night it wouldn’t do him any good to strain himself now and leave him vulnerable later on. Although he’d finally passed a couple of villages along the way, they were either small and difficult to hide in or were trading posts littered with guards. It was best to just get as far as he could and find some hidden alcove to rest.

God, it’s like he’s a fugitive in his own country.

It wasn’t that difficult to find a spot to sleep in. The thing about using unconventional tactics when you are vastly outnumbered is you gain a very deep understanding of terrain. He’s had to hide entire battalions within shouting distance while close enough to see the enemy camp. This was a cake walk.

Wei Wuxian had a very fitful sleep. Despite his confidence in his camouflage skill, the best riders Yunmeng has to offer were all trained by him, so he knew their ability to hunt. Every snapping twig, gust of wind, footstep on the road snapped him to attention. He couldn’t count the time he actually spent asleep, and he didn’t want to. At least Wei Wuxian got to rest his body after that little marathon last night. 

He continued to rest until evening when most sentries would begin returning to their posts with the dimming light. He would’ve gone earlier but with the declaration of winter coming so early many unaware people were still rushing to complete their business before the weather would no longer permit it, leaving the road packed with possible witnesses.

Wei Wuxian hadn’t seen any royal troops yet, likely thanks to his circle’s stalling. He doesn’t know how long they can keep it up, but he’s grateful for whatever buffer they can buy him. In a way, the Jiangs’ total lockdown of the city actually bought him time since Wen Qing has a pretty good justification for why there’s no way he left the palace. The compasses he left with Suibian must also be throwing his siblings off. One of the ways they would always check if he snuck out to goof off is by walking around the outer edge of Lotud Pier. If the red tip kept pointing at Lotus Pier, then he was home since he never went anywhere without his compass set. He suspected that Madam Yu would be the one to figure it out, and it’s not like his siblings would defend that he must be on Lotus Pier considering their reactions to his decision.

Wei Wuxian checked that the compasses faced the proper directions before setting off on another marathon run.

The marathon run was a bad idea.

While yes, he did need to make that distance, and yes, he is trained to get the most out of his legs, it doesn’t negate the fact that running for 8 hours straight two nights in a row without proper sleep would lead to a bone-deep exhaustion that had Wei Wuxian’s eyes slipping closed. He’ll have to take it easy from now on.

Finding a good hiding spot, Wei Wuxian flopped down with a stifled groan. God his legs were really starting to feel that burn. Wei Wuxian ruffled through his pack for his medicine bag, before remembering he didn’t pack one. There was no way Wen Qing would let him go anywhere without one, but Wei Wuxian also didn’t remember seeing anyone else place it in. He kept rummaging, his curiosity overpowering the searing pain running through his thighs. When he finally found it with a small cheer, Wei Wuxian froze before slumping against the tree trunk with a wobbly smile.

Wen Qing takes her medicine seriously. Very, very, very seriously. Although she was a special breed of hardass, her family took no less pride in their work. Each member of Wen Qing’s branch clan would receive a special embroidered sachet to carry their medicine within. It was unique to their family and each person only got one. Wei Wuxian held the bag against his heart.

This one had his name on it.

Wei Wuxian looked up at the rising sun. It’s golden radiance shined brilliantly over the forest, revealing the canopy of trees as if laying a blanket of light. The pouch seemed to radiate heat as it warmed his heart where they touched. Wei Wuxian took a deep breath as his shoulders relaxing, willing himself to stay awake through his newfound comfort.

A raindrop hit his nose.

Wei Wuxian looked up again and saw clouds quickly overrunning the sun, the once bright morning overcast beneath heavy clouds. He looked dully where the sun used to shine for a few more moments before calmly crawling inside the tree trunk.

He had medicine to put on.

Lan Wangji looked outside his window as a harsh gust of wind rocked the shutters of his hotel room. The white skies of a Gusu autumn have begun growing dark with the promise of a coming storm. 

The emperor hoped the pavilion’s foundation would be finished in time.

It had been a new feeling, speeding through the nation with his face on full display with no one recognizing him. Although still dressed with the regal travel robes of the Cloud Recesses, his presence did not bring the populace to their knees in silent awe as his headdress would have. It felt strange to be somewhat invisible, like he was seeing a new side of the world that would normally be on its best behavior before him. 

In some ways it was… liberating.

The emperor hoped he could lower Wei Ying’s guard the same way.

Lan Wangji had ridden almost nonstop from the moment he left the Cloud Recesses until it grew too dark to continue safely. He had reached quite a distance, though not far enough to be satisfied. Having calculated the quickest path to Gusu on horseback before he left, Lan Wangji’s fingers drummed a tune on the table as he drank his tea. Although Wei Ying must be a day ahead already, the main bridge connecting Gusu and Yunmeng across the natural river barrier was closer to the Cloud Recesses than it was Lotus Pier. At full speed, he should reach the bridge the same time as Wei Ying.

Lan Wangji wanted nothing more than to hold Wei Ying’s hand as he guided him to his new home.

Knowing his empress was still days away left the emperor restless, fidgeting with his luggage and checking on his horse frequently. In the end he could only practice a few songs on his guqin to calm down. With his hands over the sachet causing a warmth to grow in his chest, Lan Wangji finally got some rest.

He woke to the sound of droplets thundering against his window like a barrage of arrows. Lan Wangji cracked open the shutters only for a burst of hail to rain through into his bedroom, the wind attempting to force the shutters all the way open. He checked with the nightstaff only to learn the storm had started only recently and does not seem to be stopping anytime soon.

It would be foolish to travel in this weather.

Lan Wangji grit his teeth as he ignored the breakfast before him. Given the circumstances, Wei Ying would have to take the river bridge to cross over into Gusu. No matter how wide it was made to accommodate the trading caravans, it is still a narrow straight line with no blind spots. It is the only point at which he is guaranteed to meet Wei Ying without missing each other. But that is only if he gets there before Wei Ying does.

Lan Wangji rubbed the sachet in his sleeve in silence for several minutes. Biting his lip, Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes. 

Wei Ying would keep riding.

Lan Wangji grabbed his bags.

The only thing worse than riding in the rain was running in the rain. 

At least when Wei Wuxian rode his horse through the rain it wasn’t his legs that kept sinking into the mud. He could look past the splotches staining his robes and the dirty water seeping into his shoes, but to lose his already poor footing is asking too much. 

Wei Wuxian had only rested for a few hours before setting off again. Although it was only the afternoon, no reasonable sentry would be out in this downpour and even the unreasonable ones wouldn’t be able to see anything. It’s a good chance to make some headway.

Qing-jie’s medicine worked wonders as always, Wei Wuxian toasted his water-logged bag to the doc. His legs had gone from a searing pain to an aching throb that is no less uncomfortable but much more manageable. Of course, she would kill him for straining his still-healing body, but in Wei Wuxian’s defense she would beat him up much harder if she saw his current state should he get caught. 

When he thought about it that way, running through the mud in the middle of a storm didn’t seem so bad anymore. Well, his clothes are ruined but he can always say he was locked in a vicious battle with mud-slinging cobras. It’s technically true, though the bureaucrats of Lotus Pier might take offence.

Wei Wuxian just hoped the emperor wouldn’t be too put off should he not reach an inn in time to clean up.

Wei Wuxian slowed to a walk to catch his breath. It was pointless to keep running. With his footing so unstable and the rain weighing his clothes down, no matter how much Wei Wuxian pushed forward he wouldn’t make that much of a difference running than walking. It was fine in the beginning, but with the rain growing into one of the infamous pre-winter storms of Yunmeng it became a pointless endeavor.

Yunmeng’s storms can easily last over a week, so there’s no chance Wei Ying would try to wait it out even without the warrant that is surely out for his capture. He’ll just have to get used to it.

At least the tree canopy helped block some of the downpour.

The Nie were truly exceptional when it came to animals.

Lan Wangji gave his horse some carrots as he dried off its mane. Despite the uncomfortable and difficult weather conditions his steed had faithfully ran the full day at top speed without complaint.

A gift from the Nie king, this horse was specially bred to match Wei Wuxian’s infamous steed, but lacking the difficult temperament of that manic beast. It was the only horse able to match Wei Wuxian’s wild stallion on the battlefield. Although large and dressed with the most regal gear, without its armour it looks like any other Gusu white stallion.

Patting the horse’s side, Lan Wangji’s ears turned red.

In one of the famous love stories of the Gusu Empire, the first emperor Lan An had broken courtesy to ride his horse into the wedding hall with his bride in his arms. Despite the disapproval against their union, Lan An refused to wait even a second longer and rammed past all the defenses to do the three bows with his beloved. 

Although his uncle had told the story as an example of the Lan clan’s susceptibility to irrational emotions, it had always been one of Lan Wangji’s favorite stories.

The horse shook its head, bumping into Lan Wangji. Blinking at it, the horse looked at his ears and snorted at him.

Ah, right, brother helped train this horse.

Lan Wangji quickly refilled the carrots and speed-walked back to his room, the horse’s whinny following after him.

Although Lan Wangji was soaked through, he put off changing his clothes until after he could assess any possible damage to his luggage. The emperor had carefully packed all of his betrothal gifts to account for different weather, even choosing fabric coated with wax to wrap the articles. Carefully laying each one on the ground, Lan Wangji was relieved to find no issues. Even the scroll he had packed was safe within its bamboo tube.

Lan Wangji gently stroked a platinum hair crown. With the phoenix's nine tail feathers forming a lotus in full bloom and studded with brilliant red and blue gemstones, the small headpiece was the picture of refined elegance that would inspire awe in the wearer’s status from whoever glanced at them. It had been difficult to make it worthy of Wei Ying while keeping it practical for his empress’s daily antics, but there would be no point in giving him something he can’t wear. Lan Wangji’s finger lingered on a red gem.

He hoped Wei Ying would like it.

You see, there’s a reason you shouldn’t walk in the rain for hours on end.

Sometimes you feel like shit afterwards.

Wei Wuxian blinked through the blurriness in his vision. The cold had seeped into his very bones, every step growing heavier as he makes his way to the closest village. There’s no point in hiding out in the forest if he’s just going to die and the engagement falls through.

With his legs numb, the throbbing ache had moved to pound behind his eyes as Wei Wuxian clutched his head. He could feel his throat growing itchy as his nose stuffed up. If he doesn’t get somewhere warm soon then he might get sick for real. Not the most attractive thing to sneeze into the bride and groom’s shared wine cup.

After what felt like ages Wei Wuxian finally reached the village entrance. Though small, it thankfully served as a pit stop for travellers and therefore had some inns available. Wei Wuxian picked a small but cozy building, not so cheap as to be shady but also below what the guards would assume he would stay in. It was a family-run establishment with the husband handling the business while the wife catered to the guests. They were kind people who didn’t judge Wei Wuxian’s ability to pay by his frankly homeless appearance. The husband had laughed that they had seen many of their competitors lose business by kicking ragged men and women out of their rooms to make space for high-end clients, only to learn they were actually some rich or important person who got caught up in the war or got attacked by bandits. 

Wei Wuxian laughed as well, shaking his head at those people who would never learn. When the wife left to fetch some bathwater, Wei Wuxian’s smile dropped. If that many ‘important’ people got caught on the road, how many regular people’s suffering went unnoticed?

He thanked the wife for the hot water and prepared to finally get a hot soak, his cloak dropping with a chime.

Wei Wuxian paused.

He rubbed his forehead as if trying to remember something as he walked to his bag. Stopping down to rummage through it, Wei Wuxian grabbed the bag and lept out the window, the sound of shocked gasps behind him as a number of footsteps scrambled to follow after him.

Wei Wuxian never kept his charity bell on his cloak.

Shouts of ‘General!’ sounded out behind him as the royal guard begged him to stop and return to Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian drowned them out as he assessed his situation. There were only five of them even after all this shouting. Wei Wuxian flinched when they sent out the signal flare, but even minutes later no one came. They must have divided amongst the villages along the main road in hopes of catching sight of him. The villages might be quite the distance by foot, but that distance is nothing by horse.

They’ll be here sooner than later.

Wei Wuxian cursed as he ran through his options before a smirk crawled onto his face. Whipping out Suibian’s compass, Wei Wuxian calculated the direction of Lotus Pier and ran the guards around in circles, dodging any ambush when he noticed less than five people chasing after him. With their attention locked on him, they never realized Wei Wuxian kept inching closer to the horses tied near the end of the village.

With a burst of speed once he grew near, Wei Wuxian slashed at the ropes tying the horse to the post, smirking as the guards’ eyes widened and faces paled as they realized what they had unintentionally done. Laughing, Wei Wuxian sped past before they could recover and disappeared down the road.

One of the most unintuitive vices in combat is the idea of being overcautious. Everyone in Yunmeng knows not to underestimate Wei Wuxian. Every time someone has, they have lost if not died, so it is no surprise that the guards would take every precaution to ensure Wei Wuxian doesn’t notice them surrounding him. But when people get so caught up in one aspect of a plan they forget about other details, such as where to leave their horses. In this case, they were afraid he would get spooked by the sound of horses and therefore left them where they entered the village to search for him on foot. While good in theory, this also leaves those horses in a predictable position. That is, in the direction of Lotus Pier.

This also proves they’re not one of his men, who know better not only through Wei Wuxian’s rigorous training but also his habits. And judging by the lack of hoofs behind him, they’re not as well-trained for the weather either.

Wei Wuxian laughed as he patted the horse through his throbbing headache. 

Fucking finally.

The wind stabbed a chill deep into his bones yet he felt hot.

Lan Wangji tried to convince himself the pounding of his heart was due to his intense journey and not the distance slowly closing between him and Wei Ying. 

One day.

He was just one day’s journey from the bridge. 

A few more hours and he would make it in time to catch Wei Ying before he journeyed across alone.

Lan Wangji bit his lip as he shook his head, eyes focusing on the road ahead. It was dangerous to get distracted in such weather. Although the hail had reverted to rain this far south, the weather was no less terrible. The canopy of tree tops covering the path couldn’t prevent all the rain from passing through and the wind was not helping.

The last thing he wanted was to lose it all when he was so close.

The road was easy to navigate. No matter how far he went the road remained empty, the more sensible people having opted to stay inside. No caravans or adventurers, not even a patrol. Nothing but the sounds of the hoofs beneath him, the rain around him, and the thumping within him. 

It was a bit lonely. As if he was the only one in the world.

It never felt like this when he was alone with Wei Ying. Silent but for their quiet breaths, still but for the slight glance or small fidget. Even their stake-outs against one another had felt more intimate than empty.

He wondered if Wei Ying was just as lonely on his own journey right now.

Lan Wangji rode silently for the rest of the journey.

Sliding off his horse, Lan Wangji could almost feel his legs trembling as the guard confirmed that General Wei Wuxian had not been sighted on the bridge yet. He made it in time.

As the adrenaline faded, Lan Wangji could feel the slosh of his boots, the weight of his cloak, the drops sliding down his face. The emperor tensed imperceptibly, fishing out a small mirror to be faced with a frankly unacceptable appearance. Hair clinging to his face from where it escaped his topknot, robes clinging to his skin, specks of mud splattered across the bottom hem of his robes, face both flushed and pale.

The emperor had never looked less than pristine even in the throes of battle. He can’t let Wei Ying see him in such a state.

Giving orders to the guard to contact him at any sighting, Lan Wangji sped off to a hotel to clean up, ignoring his horse’s mocking whinny.

It was already evening by the time Lan Wangji arrived at the bridge, yet he could not help but stand under the roof of the entrance to be the first to see Wei Ying. He smoothed his robes for the fourth time within the hour. In a new set of clothes and with his previous ones washed, dried, and packed within his luggage, Lan Wangji looked as if he had just stepped out of the Cloud Recesses.

He wondered what Wei Ying looked like.

Wei Ying had always dressed casually when he could, but this was a special occasion that he took very seriously. And with his flair for dramatics, Wei Ying might have even travelled in wedding robes the entire time. 

Lan Wangji’s ears burned as he imagined it.

Well, Wei Ying always dressed in black and red with a gold-ornamented sword, so technically… Though Lan Wangji would never make him settle for wedding robes of that caliber. Not that Wei Ying’s clothes are low quality, of course. Wei Ying always looks nice. His clothes have a certain wordly charm to them. Not that they are not charming over all of course—.

He might need to practice speaking before they meet.

A call from the guard has the emperor’s head snapping up to the bridge, only to slump in disappointment.

White and blue. The Gusu royal guard.

When the leader caught sight of him, he shouted out orders behind him before charging ahead to reach Lan Wangji. Jumping off his horse, the captain bowed in salute, “Master.”

Lan Wangji’s eyes softened as he waved his hand to rise, “Bichen.”

Bichen got up from his bow to tilt his head at Lan Wangji, confusion clear on his face before morphing into worry. Lan Wangji never leaves the palace alone, especially without the proper dress of his status. Something must have happened.

Lan Wangji’s ears burned as he gave a small but rigid shake of his head. As Bichen’s confusion grew, Lan Wangji’s ears only burned more red. With no one else around, Lan Wangji looked down, “I came to escort Wei Ying.”

Bichen’s face exploded with a blush. For the emperor to come personally…

Then he blinked, coughing to cover his slip-up, “He accepted then?”

Lan Wangji gave a small sharp nod.

Bichen kept a composed face as he congratulated his master, but he could feel happiness bubbling in his chest. His master wanted this for so long…

“Did you speak to him?”

Bichen snapped to attention, “I delivered the letter, but nothing more.”

Lan Wangji looked at him for a moment, “Not Wei Ying.”

Bichen’s eyes widened in realization as he fidgeted with his fingers inside his clasped sleeves, “...No. He was not in the room with General Wei so I handed the letter over to Wen Qionglin before leaving. Though he and Doctor Wen ran in the direction of the meeting room, so I do not know if they forgot about it.”

Lan Wangji looked at him, “Wei Ying’s people are never negligent. The letter reached him.”

Bichen blinked and smiled.

“Why not speak to him?”

Bichen’s smile froze. He fidgeted in place, looking this way and that, “We’re still enemies at war, I did not wish to overstay my welcome. And I did not know what he was doing, so there’s no reason to interrupt him, especially if he’s still injured. What if I woke him up?” Bichen’s cheeks puffed out as he muttered, “Hmph, he would probably be sleeping even if he wasn’t injured.”

Lan Wangji looked on with raised eyebrows, understanding his brother a bit more, “I can make a formal appointment.”

Bichen choked as he began frantically denying it, horrified that his small little wish could blow up into an international incident. Lan Wangji looked on amused as Bichen gave every excuse he could come up with about why he shouldn’t speak with Suibian after all. Finally Bichen huffed as he crossed his arms and looked away, “And who needs to talk to a guy like that? Only nonsense would come out of his mouth anyway!”

Lan Wangji just nodded in acquiescence as the light flush across Bichen’s cheeks darkened. Deciding to let Bichen save some face, Lan Wangji had him explain the rest of his journey.

As Bichen gave his report, Lan Wangji felt something was off.

Although Bichen did leave earlier than Wei Ying, the General’s horse was faster even at a jogging pace. There would be no reason for Wei Ying to hide from the royal guard either, so if they didn’t come together it could only mean Wei Ying passed them and went ahead. 

So why has no one seen him yet?

On top of that, Yunmeng had suddenly declared Winter. Even Gusu had just barely declared Winter all the way up north. It was even more strange that Lotus Pier went as far as to spread the news with the royal courier falcons instead of riders. Yunmeng had always taken full advantage of their southern position to extend the travel seasons, so why the sudden rush?

The butterflies in his stomach seemed to drop as a cold heaviness settled in his chest. Bichen seemed to notice, stopping his report to await the emperor’s orders. 

Lan Wangji took a deep breath. Wei Ying’s strange letter suddenly made sense. It was not the Jiang family who accepted the letter, it was Wei Ying himself against their wishes. They must be trying to stop him for some reason.

Bichen was shocked as Lan Wangji explained. The Gusu royal guard had not faced any trouble along their journey in either direction despite their gear being fairly obvious about where they are from. They were riding through some of Wei Wuxian’s ‘territory’ but surely such a serious reaction would have affected them.

Lan Wangji placed his hands in his sleeves, shoulders back in the regal pose of the emperor bestowing orders, “Return to the Cloud Recesses. Brother must know the situation. Tell no one else. I will go ahead.”

Bichen’s jaw dropped dumbfounded. The emperor, charging into hostile territory and leaving his Sentinel behind? It was Bichen’s job to go with him, always!

Lan Wangji wouldn’t budge and gave his orders a second time, making Bichen salute in shocked acceptance. The emperor makes a point not to repeat orders. He’s serious.

Lan Wangji was going to explain, but stopped as he squinted his eyes into the distance. He felt his fingers numb.

It was a purple lotus signal flare.

Whatever it was, Lan Wangji had to hurry.

In any other situation, reaching the eye of the storm so quickly would be a blessing.

Wei Wuxian cursed as he willed his horse to stay quiet when the rush of hooves flew past. Of all the times he could have used the natural camouflage of rain, it had to let up when he was surrounded. Any way he tries to break through now, he’ll inevitably be seen and chased. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but his vision had already been blurring with exhaustion the day before and he had ridden through the night without any sleep. Wei Wuxian even had to leave his cloak behind, so he had spent the coldest hours of night with barely any protection from the storm.

He can already feel a fever forming.

Wei Wuxian shook his head to stop the forest from spinning and placed all his focus into his surroundings. They had been in this stalemate for a few hours now, knowing Wei Wuxian is here but the general maneuvering just so to stay hidden. Each side waiting for the other to leave an opening.

If only he could see who the riders were, he could exploit their weaknesses.

Wei Wuxian flinched as the riders suddenly doubled, his heart rate skyrocketing before he took some deep breaths and pinched himself. His blurred vision slowly returned to focus. His horse gave a small whinny at the movement and it was as if the world froze as everything went silent.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened as he sprung into action, charging through the closest gap he could find. He could distantly hear a flare being sent up. 

Shit.

That black stallion of his may be a giant pain in the ass sometimes, but at least he knew when to handle himself. 

Wei Wuxian never thought he’d feel so helpless because of a fucking horse.

Arrows flew past his arms as the group of Yunmeng troops charged after him.

Arrows, really?! And they keep missing too, do these bastards want to triple their regimen to show him such a disgrace?!

Wei Wuxian bit his tongue from shouting out advice as he wove through the barrage on his horse. This is not a time where he should want their archery to improve.

A stray arrow finally nicked his arm and an instant numbing sensation followed. Wei Wuxian cursed. Paralyzing arrows?! He knew Wen Qing would not make them a new batch of paralyzer to coat them so where did these bastards get them?!

Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes. Don’t tell me… Did some fucker secretly keep a batch of arrows and claim they ran out. Wei Wuxian barked a sardonic laugh. With all the factions he wouldn’t doubt it.

Well, at least their aim makes a tiny bit more sense now. They don’t want to actually hit him, just nick him enough times to catch him. Though falling off a horse at full speed isn’t exactly the safest option.

With one arm quickly losing function, Wei Wuxian had to think fast. He took a sudden dive into the forest. Wen Qing packed him all sorts of medicine, so if Wei Wuxian could just lose them for an hour he should be able to get his arm back.

Lan Wangji followed the direction of the signal flare, gritting his teeth at their slow advance despite going faster than they had through the entire journey.

Nothing good can come out of a Lotus Flare in this situation. Most flares across the continent were mainly used to either signal a location or call for help. Either way, they must have found Wei Ying.

Lan Wangji’s hands tightened around the reins until his knuckles had turned completely white. He saw that first signal flare hours ago. They could be in a completely different direction by now but all the emperor could do was charge blindly forward like a buffoon.

Why didn’t he think more carefully about the proposal and the acceptance letter? Why did he wait an entire day to set off, and another day at the bridge?

Lan Wangji was so caught up in his childish euphoria that he forgot how Lotus Pier tends to disagree with Wei Ying almost on principle.

He was such a coward.

Had he not feared being rejected and scheduled a formal meeting with the royal family, they could have resolved all of this directly. Instead he just sent a letter, a small part of himself resembling a young Lan Wangji fearing the truth and ready to wave the rejection off as coming from the Jiangs instead of Wei Ying.

Lan Wangji bit his lip as he glared forward.

He was so close.

A boom off in the distance made him flinch as Lan Wangji looked up to see a much closer Lotus Flare. Memorizing the location, Lan Wangji charged forward.

They were persistent.

Wei Wuxian had been weaving through the forest and back onto the main road repeatedly, trying to lose the guards in the prison of the forest. But no matter which direction he went or how dark it got, they dogged after him. It was incredibly difficult to navigate a forest on horseback, the wide array of possible obstacles ready to shred the horse and its rider without the most careful maneuvering. A couple of the guards were lost on the way, but the majority were frustratingly competent. 

The entire time they had been calling for him to stop and return home. That more than anything was wearing him down.

Didn’t they understand that he wanted to go home?!

Wei Wuxian grit his teeth as he reached a clearing with a hill. If he could break their eye contact on his back for just a second, he could disappear. Gritting his teeth, Wei Wuxian tightened his grip on the reins as he heard his horse whinny.

Suddenly he felt himself falling.

Wei Wuxian’s horse tumbled forward in a heap with Wei Wuxian being thrown forward out of the harness. By reflex he angled his body in such a way to roughly roll forward without breaking anything, the final smack of his back against the hard ground gouging the air from his lungs. Wei Wuxian coughed as black spots entered his vision. Head lolling, he could barely make out through his fluctuating vision the glare of an arrow sticking out of his horse’s chest.

Wei Wuxian struggled to get up before he even registered what he was doing.

The Yunmeng troops were all behind him and none of them would shoot the horse during friendly fire. Someone else was here.

Pain shot through Wei Wuxian’s leg as he tried to get up, his forgotten numb arm slipping and sending Wei Wuxian’s face into the mud.

He can barely move.

He’s been in worse situations before.

With the desperate burst of energy that is found only in the face of death, Wei Wuxian crawled to the nearest tree trunk for cover. His body screamed with every movement, Wei Wuxian biting the fabric of his numb hand to keep from screaming out. No matter how good their night vision is, with Wei Wuxian’s dirt-crusted black clothes he’s practically invisible in the night. His horse, not so much.

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes as it let out a final whimper before going silent.

In the sudden quiet, Wei Wuxian realized the Yunmeng troops should have caught up to him by now.

In the eye of the storm, the moonlight peaked through the clouds to illuminate the clearing. Wei Wuxian felt his eyes dull.

The arrow had purple feathers.

They wouldn’t.

Wei Wuxian didn’t even realize he, too, had been revealed by the light. His dull gaze struggled to raise with the sound of light footsteps coming closer. Seeing the purple uniform, Wei Wuxian felt himself go numb.

The masked assailant leapt forward, sword stretched out towards Wei Wuxian’s chest as he threw his body to the side. The sword impaled itself into the tree trunk, buying Wei Ying a precious few seconds to jam his searing arm into his bag to grab a bomb, a knife, a shoe, ANYTHING!

The shadow of a blade over him had Wei Wuxian turning around with the bag held out ready to catch the blow, only to hear a grunt as two bodies hit the ground. Looking over, Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened as another Yunmeng guard had pinned the first and with a slice at his neck with an arrow knocked the guy out.

Wei Wuxian panted as the new Yunmeng troop took off his mask and Wei Wuxian felt his lips tremble into a smile, “...Third Shidi…!”

The guard sent him a V for victory with his hand as he finished tying the assailant up and ran over, “General!”

Wei Wuxian struggled to sit up on his elbow, “How did you—” Wei Wuxian noticed the quiver of Paralyzing arrows and his jaw dropped indignantly, “That was you?!”

Third Shidi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Wei Wuxian felt his blood boil a bit, “To think you’d shoot your own commander! And you couldn’t even shoot properly, what was that crap?! You want a triple training regimen? Quadruple?!”

The color quickly draining from Third Shidi’s face satisfied his bloodlust a little. The stockier man held his hands up in surrender, “Yes, our training has fallen completely off the rails since General’s disappearance! Our aim has become downright horrible!” He sent Wei Wuxian a wink.

Wei Wuxian huffed a breath in understanding. So his loyals had snuck into the sentries to let him escape should they catch him. But then…

Wei Wuxian’s face fell as he looked at the tied up Yunmeng troop. Third Shidi followed and his once warm and friendly gaze hardened into ice, “Don’t know what the fuck was up with that. Motherfuckers had the nerve…!”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes narrowed sharply, “There were more?”

Third Shidi nodded, “They ambushed us with a gas bomb when General ran for the clearing. The normal troops were knocked out but the enemy didn’t factor the Wei faction’s training into the strength of it. The others stayed behind to fight off the rest of the group while I ran ahead since I was the only one not locked in a battle.”

Wei Wuxian sighed in relief. His men could handle the best of them on the worst of days. They’ll be fine. Wei Wuxian grunted as Third Shidi helped him stand up, “How likely that they’re imposters?”

Third Shidi steadied him against the tree trunk, “Most of the factions aren’t this stupid. Some are. It’s hard to say, but I checked and that’s a genuine Yunmeng uniform so if they are imposters then that raises a lot of questions.”

Wei Wuxian groaned, freezing at the echo. His eyes darted left and right. Third Shidi tensed imperceptibly as he noticed. Holding his hands out as if continuing to steady Wei Wuxian he raised his eyebrow in question. Wei Wuxian pursed his lips and drummed his fingers on Third Shidi’s arm in code.

It’s too quiet.

Third Shidi’s eyes widened as he noticed the unsettling silence. The fight had ended and there was no hostility between them, yet the forest was as silent as the dead.

Third Shidi inched his hand toward his sword as Wei Wuxian clutched his bag.

Wei Wuxian swept Third Shidi’s feet with a kick that sent them both down as an arrow thumped into the trunk where their heads had been. With a fluid turn, Third Shidi smoothly unsheathed his sword intime to deflect another arrow as Wei Wuxian crashed to the ground. Third Shidi spun to check on him, leaving his back open for the split second necessary for the enemy to jump out of the shadows and lunge forward as one. 

Wei Wuxian grabbed the first thing in his bag and yelled, “Flash!”

They both closed their eyes as Wei Wuxian threw out the flash bomb, blinding the enemy into crashing into one another. Third Shidi used those few seconds to knock three of them unconscious with a shocked horror on his face. Wei Wuxian must have looked the same. There’s no way it would be taking this long for his men to beat a group that small, and if anything there's even more enemies than before.

Wei Wuxian quickly glared as he barked at Third Shidi, “You can’t get information if you’re dead, at this point their lives are forfeit!”

Third Shidi lunged with a roar, “YES SIR!”

Wei Wuxian noticed some attackers sneaking up behind Third Shidi and threw a chili bomb at their heads, the screams of agony as they scratched at their eyes making Third Shidi spin around to quickly end the group in three fatal strikes before returning to his previous opponents. Wei Wuxian wobbled onto his feet through pure adrenaline as he barked out locations and orders. 

The numbers just seemed to keep growing until some finally made it past Third Shidi and charged at Wei Wuxian. He ducked under the first blow, striking his palm upwards in a sudden smack that cracked the bastard’s neck and threw him back onto his little buddy, Wei Wuxian biting back a scream as lightning shot up his injured arm. He sent out a kick to send the two bodies crashing backwards, knocking their heads together with a crack.

Wei Wuxian crashed to the side at a flash of moonlight, the sword shaving off a few strands of his hair as the enemy continued in a relentless assault that had Wei Wuxian dodging and kicking on the ground with no break to scramble up. He swiped a bomb out of his bag and the enemy shut his eyes in preparation, Wei Wuxian smirking as he dropped the bomb to cover his ears with one hand and his shoulder, “BANSHEE!!!”

Third Shidi smacked his hands against his ears without even dropping his sword just as a horrifyingly piercing screech thundered through the forest, sending whatever birds were left scrambling to escape. Wei Wuxian laughed as the bastards around him dropped unconscious with blood dripping out of their ears, his own still ringing from being at ground zero.

Without a second to waste, Wei Wuxian pulled himself up with the tree trunk and reached for his sword as one of the recovered assailants charged at him blindly, cutting through his chest like paper then using his momentum to turn and drive his sword into another guy and using his body for leverage as he roundhouse kicked a third behind him. Wei Wuxian pulled out his sword swiftly and jumped to back up Third Shidi, slicing clean through one guy at his back and two at his side when he felt himself flying through the air, a stabbing pain shooting through his good arm.

Wei Wuxian crashed to the ground, arrow sticking out just below his shoulder joint glinting purple and red light in a mockery of Wei Wuxian’s own troop colors. He willed his numb arm to move, kicking another bastard’s knees as he tried stabbing down and then kicking his face for good measure. A shadow behind him had Wei Wuxian flipping around in time to block, cursing as his legs were angled in the wrong direction and twisting his neck to dodge the blow when as arrow struck the bastard right in the fucking head.

More thumps sounded behind him as Wei Wuxian twisted around to find four bodies hitting the floor at the same time, bullseye on each one. 

A whinny roared through the battlefield as a horse charged through people like roadkill, a silver flash of moonlight severing head from bodies with the swiftness of a war god.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened as he saw the man haloed by the moon flicking blood off his sword as if he were too pure for such filthy things. He lashed out his sword with the ruthlessness of a demon, eyes glowing the molten starlight of divine fury as he swept Wei Wuxian’s limp body into his hold.

The arrows were white.

[southeastasianists]

Housed within a striking landmark building designed in the Indo-Saracenic Revival style, the National Textile Museum in Kuala Lumpur is dedicated to the very fabric of Malaysian culture.

Behind the pink-striped exterior of the former Federated Malay States Railways building, the museum is comprised of four galleries spread across two floors. They trace the history and significance of Malaysian textiles through the exhibition of traditional modes of dress, and by charting the evolution of textile-producing technology.

The Pohon Budi or “Tree of Life” gallery introduces visitors to the ancient origins of textile production and trade. This gallery spotlights prominent Malaysian textiles such as the songket (a silk sarong interwoven with gilded thread), keringkam (a kind of gold embroidery typically seen in headscarves worn by women in the Malaysian state of Sarawak), pua kumbu (a colorful, patterned cloth reserved for Iban ceremonies), and linangkit (a kind of decorative embroidery that adorns the skirts of Lotud women). The gallery also maps out the tools and techniques used to create these textiles.

The Pelangi Gallery is named after a multicolored cloth worn by various ethnic groups across Malaysia. This rainbow fabric is said to symbolize Malaysia’s colorful heritage, and showcases the ways in which different communities style and adorn this national textile.

The Teluk Berantai Gallery refers to the floral motif featured in Malaysian songkets. The pattern is associated with Malaysian unity, though different groups have cultivated their own aesthetic versions of it; from tekatan (embroidered gold on raised velvet) to kain limar (a silk panel draped over the songket).

Lastly, the Ratna Sari Gallery focuses on the exquisite finishing touches that complement Malaysian costumes: jewels and accessories made from gems, metals, and gold. The term Ratna Sari refers specifically to the traditional jewelry crafted by Malaysian artisans of yore, and which incorporates Chinese, Indian, and Malay details.

[tananansad]

honestly a big drive to creating anthus as a concept was this reactionary feeling i had against the separatism going on among the dayak community (which slowly shifted specifically towards those coming from the north of borneo; which is horribly stronger and something unfortunately closer to me) so now sometimes i'll mix a tombonuo skirt with lotud sleeves and a tatana collar or whatever. maybe throw in some jeans and a tee. they're my way of saying fuck you to the boomers who put identity discourse above cultural conservation.

[yacobmx]

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