#upper structure triads

[talonabraxas]

Celestial Hierarchy: From the Seraphim to our Guardian Angels Talon Abraxas

The celestial hierarchy as a structured system was developed and refined over the centuries, influenced by interpretations and theological reflections.

The nature and roles of angels were a topic of speculation for early Church Fathers such as Saint Augustine and Saint Jerome. However, Pseudo-Dionysius, the Areopagite, provided the most influential and long-lasting model of the celestial hierarchy.

In his 5th-century work, “The Celestial Hierarchy,” Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite proposed a model of nine orders of angels divided into three spheres or triads.

This model, steeped in Neoplatonic philosophy, has had a profound influence on Christian theology and has been widely adopted and adapted in Western spiritual thought.

The Three Spheres of the Celestial Hierarchy According to Pseudo-Dionysius, the Celestial Hierarchy is divided into three spheres or triads, each containing three choirs of angels.

The first sphere includes the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones, closest to God, and focused on pure contemplation.

The second sphere comprises the Dominions, Virtues, and Powers, responsible for governing the universe.

The third sphere consists of the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels, more involved in human affairs and guidance.

The spheres in the angelic hierarchy are symbolic of their proximity to the divine. Those in the higher spheres possess a greater share of divine knowledge and purity, while those in the lower spheres are more involved in the governance of the universe and human affairs.

First Sphere: Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones The first sphere, composed of Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones, plays the most direct role in worshiping and serving God.

Seraphim Seraphim hold the highest rank in the hierarchy, and their primary role is to praise and worship God.

They are often depicted with six wings and flames, earning them the nickname “Fiery ones.”

Cherubim The Cherubim are ranked just below the Seraphim in the angelic order and are responsible for guarding God’s throne and glory.

Despite being commonly depicted as chubby babies, they are traditionally represented in religious iconography with four wings and four faces of a lion, ox, eagle, and man.

Thrones Thrones or Ophanim, occupying a position further down the hierarchy, are frequently depicted in religious imagery as chariot-like structures carrying divine emblems.

Thrones serve as the bearers of divine justice, mediating the will of God to the lower spheres.

Second Sphere: Dominions, Virtues, and Powers

The second sphere ensures the cosmos runs according to divine law and order.

Dominions Dominions have the important responsibility of overseeing the duties of lower angels and enforcing divine law across the cosmos.

They are seen as leaders and authorities among angelic beings and are often depicted holding scepters or swords to symbolize their governing nature.

Virtues The Virtues play a crucial role in imbuing courage, grace, and bravery in the world. They are often linked with miraculous occurrences and are believed to infuse the world with the divine energy that enables these miracles.

The Virtues are represented symbolically through images of light or specific emblems that embody courage and grace. This highlights their unique position as carriers of divine strength and catalysts for miraculous events.

Powers The Powers serve as the cosmic police force, representing the boundary between the upper and lower spheres.

They maintain cosmic order and balance between celestial and earthly realms, holding the line against any disruptive or destructive forces.

In iconography, they may be depicted with shields, swords, or other defensive symbols, highlighting their crucial role in safeguarding the integrity of the divine creation and acting as vigilant warriors against evil.

Third Sphere: Principalities, Archangels, and Angels

These angels are the most involved with human affairs.

Principalities Principalities play a crucial role in safeguarding nations, inspiring human leadership, and promoting the well-being of humanity.

They act as guardians and are commonly represented by symbols such as crowns or flags in religious imagery, reflecting their responsibility for governing and protecting the collective good.

Their position highlights their commitment to shaping societal structures and influencing leadership to enhance the advancement of human civilization.

Archangels The archangels serve as heavenly messengers who bridge the gap between God and humanity.

Typically portrayed clutching trumpets or scrolls, they symbolize their role as carriers of spiritual knowledge and direction.

Their rank in the celestial hierarchy underscores their duty to convey divine messages and insights directly to people.

Angels Angels, the closest to humans in the angelic hierarchy, are assigned as personal guardians, guiding and protecting individuals throughout their earthly journey.

Often symbolized with comforting images, such as gentle wings or guiding lights, their iconography emphasizes their nurturing and protective nature.

Their role underscores their intimate connection with human life, accompanying individuals in their daily struggles, providing guidance, and watching them with compassionate care.

The Celestial Hierarchy by Dionysius the Areopagite:

[cantsayidont]

Hateration holleration, teevee edition, with important new critical evaluation features:

APPLES NEVER FALL (2024): Engrossing, often funny seven-part mystery-drama, based on a novel by Liane Moriarty, about the dysfunctional family of retired tennis pros Stan and Joy Delaney (Sam Neill and Annette Bening), whose four adult kids — rich dipshit Troy (Jake Lacy), hot mess Amy (Alison Brie), perpetually resentful Brooke (Essie Randles), and neurotic underachiever Logan (Conor Merrigan Turner) — begin to unravel after Joy mysteriously disappears. Did Stan kill her? Does Joy's disappearance have something to do with their former houseguest Savannah (Georgia Flood), a troubled young woman who had persuaded Joy and Stan to take her in under what may have been false pretenses? Everyone knows something more than they're telling, as the situation brings old resentments bubbling to the surface. Perhaps a smidgen too arch for its own good, and the shifting flashback structure sometimes makes it hard to keep track of the sequence of events, but consistently interesting and refreshingly nuanced, with well-drawn characters and excellent performances. (Neill, Bening, and Flood are particularly good.) Only the finale falls short: Certain key character motivations remain murky, and the final scenes are a bit flat, perhaps an inevitable consequence of a story that flits between tones and genres in a way that leaves it without a natural endpoint. Also, the South Florida setting isn't always convincing; big portions of the series were actually shot in Australia. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Yes! (More than one, even.) VERDICT: Flawed but worthwhile.

THE BROTHERS SUN (2024): One-season action-comedy-drama series about an infamous triad underboss from Taipei, Charles Sun (Justin Chien), who's sent to America to protect his mother (Michelle Yeoh) and younger brother Bruce (Sam Song Li) after a cunningly staged attack by an unknown enemy puts his father (Johnny Kou) in the hospital. Mama Sun scarcely needs protection, but the same isn't true of Bruce, a dorky pre-med student who really wants to do improv, and who's totally out of place in his family's world of ultraviolence and organized crime. Meanwhile, Charles' childhood friend Alexis (Highdee Kuan), who's still sweet on him, is now an ambitious assistant DA who sees taking down the triads as a defining career move. Starts off disarmingly light (though always quite violent), but gets significantly darker as it goes on, which really isn't to its credit — after the cheerful amorality of the early episodes, the increasingly maudlin themes of conflicted family loyalty feel heavy-handed, culminating in a credibility-straining climax with about as much subtlety as a cement mixer. It could also have used more Michelle Yeoh and less Sam Li, whose character is such a feckless dweeb that he sometimes grates. Chien actually makes Charles a more credible character than Bruce, impressive considering the level of pulpy plot contrivance involved. A planned second season was canceled, but except for a post-credits tag in the finale, the story feels reasonably complete. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Not so as you'd notice. VERDICT: Starts well, veers too far into turgid melodrama.

PALM ROYALE (2024): Fingernails-on-chalkboard would-be social satire, set in 1969 and featuring Kristen Wiig (with a singularly unconvincing Georgia accent) as conniving but vapid former beauty queen Maxine Simmons, who for some unaccountable reason is determined to wheedle her way into the Palm Beach upper crust, by hook or by crook, while secretly squatting in the mansion of society matron Norma Dellacorte (Carol Burnett), who almost no one realizes is actually in a coma. The glib voiceover narration recalls the early seasons of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, but with no bite and no apparent point — there's no reason to care about the premise, the plot, or any of the characters, who are neither sympathetic enough to be likable nor bitchy enough to be fun. Wiig is just awful, straining to prove she can do the kind of role that in recent years has usually gone to Margot Robbie; she can't, and she's obviously at least 10 years too old for her character. The period production design is suitably glossy, but an interesting supporting cast (including Laura Dern, Allison Janney, and Leslie Bibb) is completely defeated by the dreadful scripts, and Ricky Martin (built like a marble statue with acting to match) eventually arrives to stink up the proceedings as Norma's loyal houseboy. I only barely made it through the third episode, and the idea of enduring seven more is too painful to contemplate. If you're in the mood for genteel Southern bitchiness, you'd get more out of a highlight reel of Rue McLanahan scenes from THE GOLDEN GIRLS, which would actually be funny. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Not in the first three episodes. VERDICT: Alternately dull and agonizing.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Rob Henderson

Published: Feb 23, 2024

Born in Los Angeles into what many would consider the American lower class, I entered the foster system aged three after my drug-addicted birth mother, originally from Seoul, was unable to care for me. Over the next five years, I moved through seven different foster homes. I grew up without knowing my father, only discovering his Hispanic heritage, with roots in Mexico and Spain, through a genetic test last year.

When I was seven, I was adopted by a working-class family and subsequently settled in a dusty town called Red Bluff, California, in one of the poorest counties in the state. My adoptive parents divorced shortly thereafter, and my adolescence was marked by substance abuse, violence, family tragedy and financial catastrophe. I fled as soon as I could at 17, enlisting in the US air force right after high school. Eventually, after several missteps, I managed to gain admission to one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

I came to Yale to major in psychology, but my curiosity soon overflowed the boundaries of my degree. In my attempt to understand class distinctions, I spent a lot of time thinking and reading about class divides and social hierarchies, and compared what I’d learnt with my experiences on campus. Gradually, I developed the concept of “luxury beliefs”, which are ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class at very little cost, while often inflicting costs on the lower classes.

[ The richest Americans showed the strongest support for defunding the police ]

The upper class includes (but is not necessarily limited to) anyone who attends or graduates from an elite university and has at least one parent who is a university graduate. Research has found that parental educational attainment is the most important objective indicator of social class. Compared with parental income, parental education is a more powerful predictor of a child’s future lifestyle, tastes and opinions.

It is a vexed question whether first-generation graduates can truly enter the upper class. Paul Fussell, the social critic and author of Class, wrote that manners, tastes, opinions and conversational style are just as important for upper-class membership as money or credentials, and that to fulfil these requirements, you have to be immersed in affluence from birth. Likewise, the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu stated that a “triadic structure” of schooling, language and taste was necessary to be accepted among the upper class. Bourdieu described the mastery of this triad as “ease”. When you grow up in a social class, you come to embody it. You represent its tastes and values so deeply that you exhibit ease within it.

People with parents who are university graduates are often better equipped to gain and maintain status — they tend to be more adept at navigating organisations, smoothly interacting with colleagues and positioning themselves for advancement. Consistent with this, in 2021 the Pew Research Center found that among US households headed by a graduate, the median wealth of those who had a parent with at least a bachelor’s degree was nearly $100,000 greater than those who don’t have college-educated parents.

This bonus of being a “continuing-generation” (as opposed to a “first-generation”) college graduate has been termed the “parent premium”. I don’t have the parent premium. For extended periods of my youth, I had the opposite. It’s impossible to say that every individual in a particular class or category has the exact same features across the board. Still, graduates of elite universities generally occupy the top quintile of income, often wield outsized social influence and are disproportionately likely to hold luxury beliefs that undermine social mobility.

For example, a former classmate at Yale told me “monogamy is kind of outdated” and not good for society. I asked her about her background and if she planned to marry. She was raised in a stable two-parent family, just like the vast majority of our classmates. And she planned on getting married herself. But she insisted that traditional families are old-fashioned and that society should “evolve” beyond them.

My classmate’s promotion of one ideal (“monogamy is outdated”) while living by another (“I plan to get married”) was echoed by other students in different ways. Some would, for instance, tell me about the admiration they had for the military, or how trade schools were just as respectable as college, or how college was not necessary to be successful. But when I asked them if they would encourage their own children to enlist or become a plumber or an electrician rather than apply to college, they would demur or change the subject.

Later, I would connect my observations to stories I read about tech tycoons, another affluent group, who encourage people to use addictive devices while simultaneously enforcing rigid rules at home about technology use. For example, Steve Jobs prohibited his children from using iPads. Parents in Silicon Valley reportedly tell their nannies to closely monitor how much their children use their smartphones. Don’t get high on your own supply, I guess. Many affluent people now promote lifestyles that are harmful to the less fortunate. Meanwhile, they are not only insulated from the fallout; they often profit from it.

In the past, people displayed their membership of the upper class with their material accoutrements. But today, luxury goods are more accessible than before. This is a problem for the affluent, who still want to broadcast their high social position. But they have come up with a clever solution. The affluent have decoupled social status from goods and reattached it to beliefs.

Human beings become more preoccupied with social status once our physical needs are met. Research has shown that sociometric status (respect and admiration from peers) is more important for wellbeing than socioeconomic status. Furthermore, studies have described how negative social judgment is associated with a spike in cortisol (a hormone linked to stress) that is three times higher than in non-social stressful situations. We feel pressure to build and maintain social status, and fear losing it.

It seems reasonable to think that the most downtrodden might be most interested in obtaining status and money, but this is not the case. Denizens of prestigious institutions are even more interested than others in prestige and wealth. For many of them, that drive is how they reached their lofty positions in the first place. They persistently look for new ways to move upward and avoid moving downward.

The French sociologist Émile Durkheim understood this when he wrote: “The more one has, the more one wants, since satisfactions received only stimulate instead of filling needs”. And research supports this. A psychology study in 2020 revealed that “Upper-class individuals cared more about status and valued it more highly than working-class individuals … Furthermore, compared with lower-status individuals, high-status individuals were more likely to engage in behaviour aimed at protecting or enhancing their status.” Plainly, high-status people desire status more than anyone else does.

You might think that, for example, rich students at elite universities would be happy because their parents are in the top 1 per cent of income earners, and that statistically they will soon join their parents in this elite guild. But remember, they’re surrounded by other members of the 1 per cent. For many elite university students, their social circle consists of baby millionaires, which often instils a sense of insecurity and an anxiety to preserve and maintain their positions against such rarefied competitors.

[ The US sociologist Thorstein Veblen said the wealthy flaunt status symbols because only they could afford them ]

Thorstein Veblen’s famous “leisure class” has evolved into the “luxury belief class”. Veblen, an economist and sociologist, compiled his observations about social class in his classic 1899 book The Theory of the Leisure Class. A key idea is that because we can’t be certain of the financial standing of other people, a good way to size up their means is to see whether they can afford to waste money on goods and leisure. This explains why status symbols are so often difficult to obtain and costly to purchase.

In Veblen’s day, people exhibited their status with delicate and restrictive clothing such as tuxedos, top hats and evening gowns, or by partaking in time-consuming activities like golf or beagling. Veblen suggested that the wealthy flaunt these symbols not because they are useful but because they are so pricey or wasteful that only the wealthy can afford them, which is why they are high-status indicators.

During my first year at Yale in 2015, it was common to see students at Ivy League colleges wearing Canada Goose jackets. Is it necessary to spend $900 to stay warm in New England? No. But kids weren’t spending their parents’ money just for the warmth. They were spending the equivalent of the typical American’s weekly income ($865) for the logo. Likewise, are students spending $250,000 at prestigious American universities for the education? Maybe. But they are also spending it for the logo.

As the New York University professor Scott Galloway said in an interview in 2020: “The strongest brand in the world is not Apple or Mercedes-Benz or Coca-Cola. The strongest brands are MIT, Oxford, and Stanford. Academics and administrators at the top universities have decided over the last 30 years that we’re no longer public servants; we’re luxury goods.”

This is not to say that elite colleges don’t educate their students, or that Canada Goose jackets don’t keep their wearers warm. But top universities are also crucial for induction into the luxury belief class. Take vocabulary. Your typical working-class American could not tell you what “heteronormative” or “cisgender” means. But if you visit an elite university, you’ll find plenty of affluent people who will eagerly explain them to you. When someone uses the phrase cultural appropriation, what they are really saying is, “I was educated at a top college”. Only the affluent can afford to learn strange vocabulary, because ordinary people have real problems to worry about.

White privilege is the luxury belief that took me the longest to understand, because I grew up around a lot of poor white people. Affluent white college graduates seem to be the most enthusiastic about the idea of white privilege, yet they are the least likely to incur any costs for promoting that belief. Rather, they raise their social standing by talking about their privilege. When policies are implemented to combat white privilege, it won’t be Yale graduates who are harmed. Poor white people will bear the brunt.

The upper class promotes abolishing the police or decriminalising drugs or white privilege because it advances their social standing. The logic is akin to conspicuous consumption: if you’re a student who has a large subsidy from your parents and I do not, you can afford to waste $900 and I can’t, so wearing a Canada Goose jacket is a good way of advertising your superior wealth and status. Proposing policies that will cost you as a member of the upper class less than they would cost me serves the same function. Advocating for sexual promiscuity, drug experimentation or abolishing the police are good ways of advertising your membership of the elite because, thanks to your wealth and social connections, they will cost you less than me.

A well-heeled student at an elite university can experiment with cocaine and will, in all likelihood, be fine. A kid from a dysfunctional home with absentee parents will often take that first hit of meth to self-destruction. This is perhaps why a 2019 survey found that less than half of Americans without a college degree want to legalise drugs, but more than 60 per cent of Americans with a bachelor’s degree or higher are in favour of drug legalisation.

Similarly, a 2020 survey found that the richest Americans showed the strongest support for defunding the police, while the poorest reported the lowest support. Throughout the remainder of that year and into 2021, murder rates throughout the US soared as a result of defunding policies, officers retiring early or quitting, and police departments struggling to recruit new members after the luxury belief class cultivated an environment of loathing toward law enforcement.

Consider that compared with Americans who earn more than $75,000 a year, the poorest Americans are seven times more likely to be victims of robbery, seven times more likely to be victims of aggravated assault and 20 times more likely to be victims of sexual assault. And yet many affluent people are calling to abolish law enforcement.

Most personal to me is the luxury belief that family is unimportant or that children are equally likely to thrive in all family structures. In 1960, the percentage of American children living with both biological parents was identical for affluent and working-class families — 95 per cent. By 2005, 85 per cent of affluent families were still intact, but for working-class families the figure had plummeted to 30 per cent. The Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam said at a 2017 Senate hearing: “Rich kids and poor kids now grow up in separate Americas … Growing up with two parents is now unusual in the working class, while two-parent families are normal and becoming more common among the upper middle class.”

Affluent people, particularly in the 1960s, championed sexual freedom. Loose sexual norms caught on for the rest of society. The upper class, though, still had intact families. Generally speaking, they experimented in college and then settled down. The families of the lower classes fell apart.

This deterioration is still happening. In 2006, more than half of American adults without a university degree believed it was “very important” that couples with children should be married. Fast-forward to 2020, and this number has plummeted to 31 per cent. Among university graduates, only 25 per cent think couples should be married before having kids. Their actions, though, contradict their luxury beliefs: the vast majority of American university graduates who have children are married. And yet, despite their behaviour suggesting otherwise, affluent people are the most likely to say marriage is unimportant.

Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class by Rob Henderson is published by Forum

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

Hey!! I saw your addition about eshakti on a post you reblogged from me. If you're up for it, would you be able to go on a fashion rant/ramble about sizing? I started T about a year ago (tho I've been off it for a few months because of ADHD-related restricted-meds-are-hard-to-refill reasons). With the fat redistribution I've experienced my loose-fitting off-the-rack sizes have been fluctuating. Anything fitted has been 50/50 since sometimes the garment structure is *more* helpful in maintaining the correct silhouette (less dependent on body/shapewear). Any advice for how to account for when your weight and measurements are mostly the same as before, but now it's all in slightly different places?

I say this with so much love, compassion, and seething irritation at how indecipherable the garment industry has made measuring and sizing: Which measurements are you taking that are all the same despite totally different distribution?

If the only measurements you've been taking are the Bust-Waist-Hip triad, I have some good/bad news for you.

This is an example of the measurements eshakti asks you to provide in order to tailor your clothes for a custom fit:

For a jumpsuit, they ask for sixteen discrete measurements.

I re-measure wifey and I every 3 months or sofor the following:

1) Shoulder

2) Chest

3) Bust

4) Underbust

5) Waist/Wearing Waist

6) Hip

7) Upper Arm

8) HPS to Bust Point

9) HPS to Waist

10) HPS to Knee

11) Wearing waist to knee

12) Thigh

13) Calf

14) Knee

15) Ankle

16) Front Hip

17) Back hip

18) Front rise

19) Back rise

20) Total Rise

21) Inseam

22) Outseam

23) Hip at Crotch

24) Neck

And honestly this is like. A minimum of the measurements you should keep on hand for custom fitting*. I'm willing to bet that you're measurements have changed DRAMATICALLY, just not in the off-the-rack stress points. If you want to learn how to take these measurements, articles like this can help you learn how to do it accurately!

*Good news, eshakti has diagrams showing you how to measure EACH of these points without ever having to toggle away from the page where you're entering the numbers! Very user friendly imo

Now, if you keep these measurements up to date, you can alter off-the-rack clothes to match them in the places they need to be adjusted by ensuring that the measurements of the garment are at least 6cm (2in) larger than your own measurements. The thicker the fabric, the more extra room you should give yourself.

You could ALSO order custom fitted clothes instead of tailoring off the rack ones if you want to spring for it. Here too, you should add to your measurements for thicker fabric like wool, as well as for outerwear. For street clothes that are not meant to create a tight silhouette, add 3cm (~1in)to your measurements. For outerwear, you can add up to 10cm (~4in)depending on how many layers you expect to wear under it and how thick of a textile you're using. A nice thick woolen frock coat should get 7.5-10cm (~3-4in) added to each critical measurement to account for fabric thickness, under-layers, and movement. (FYI if you expect to wear heels or lifts with a bottom consistently, make sure you measure you're inseam/outseam, etc so that the hem will land where you want it to on the shoes, don't just use you're normal measurements).

Now. If you're someone who regularly has measurement fluctuations for one reason or another, it can be helpful to track those fluctuations for a few months and see if you can identify a set of measurements that can account for sizes that match you the majority of the time through your fluctuations. Get your close fitting clothing in this pseudo-median measurement set. Then get clothing that is meant to be loose-fitted in the a measurement set made up of your maximum measurements plus about 2-5 centimeters (1-2in). These clothes can be comfortably worn loose during high-end fluctuations, and can be paired with belts, suspenders, garters, and other securing accessories to fit them more closely during lower end fluctuations.

Structured under garments or protective under garments can also go a long way towards either maintaining a certain distribution of weight at various major points, OR of creating additional bulk while wearing clothes that were meant for you at a higher fluctuation. I'm a huge proponant of using undergarments to creste the silhouette you want and then adding your clothes on top of it! That's what people did for LITERALLY ALL OF FUCKING HISTORY before the trending silhouettes started getting too form-fitting and slim to accommodate that. Before the fashion became "literally as small as humanly possible like if you could turn invisible in profile that'd be great".

I mean hell, isn't that what we trans people do with our packers and binders and titty inserts and tucking and such? If you're already taking the time to adjust your silhouette that much with under garments and accessories, might as well have fun with it and get the whole package!

You don't have to wear a bustle to pad your butt the way you want it, and stays can be a great way to distribute the weight of your street clothes and support your silhouette. Frankly, a return to longline under garments would be a great way to create cleaner lines and more creative silhouettes.

Off the rack clothing sizes are an abomination unto god and man, and the absolute fucking refusal to use a standardized measurement scale is something I will literally never stop being spitting mad about though.

[satoshiakita]

Ceder Walton Intro on Beautiful Love

余計なお世話ですが、 Dm6はおそらくUpper Structure Triadを使用した A/G7のようなサウンドだと思います。 (F, B, E) (A, C#, E) 次のEbMaj7 (G, C, F) (Bb, D, F)と辻褄が合います。 耳コピってこんなもんです。 市販の楽譜も結構間違ってますので、 まずは自分の耳を信じるのが正解な気がします。 わたし自身も間違えることありますし。

[alchemicaldesignquery]

Player Engagement (Retention)

Player Engagement - Frustration = Growth

Hard to quantify the subjective nightmare that is this equation, but there are ways to navigate it.

Some games are genre-locked (Tac. Shooters, Fighting Games, etc.) and have dedicated structures in place to ensure a specific type of player is who is being targeted. Any other players who wander into the that type of game's periphery are probably gonna want to go looking for outside content to show them the ropes (or be content as a Button-Masher/Elim-Trader).

Others, who tend to go for wider audiences, will pigeon-hole around specific mechanics or standards (The Holy Triad of Tank/Support/DPS, is a popular choice, while limited arsenals can account for varied playstyles in a large playerbase), creating unique experiences per player in a shared environment.

Other games will narrow gameplay, ensuring one type of execution is pretty much the best option at any time or in any circumstance, attracting refinement and expertise from it's playerbase, who can in turn teach others (through varied methods) how best to approach the game. (Side-scrollers, rogue-likes, etc.)

With each of these examples, there's a level of Engagement that's being restricted that will automatically turn-off or bounce certain video game players off of the gameplay just at launch.

I think often, how much of a problem I have with the way new RPGs turned away from the classic strategy of turn-based combat and toward the fast-paced reflex-with-a-menu-screen that many popular titles prefer now. A genre that, for all other purposes, fits deeply into my appreciations and values- but I'll pass over a game in that genre, if only for the detrimental need to be as responsive and quick as possible in the decision-making of which menu to have open, which spell/attack/defense to use, all the while things are happening or about to happen outside of the menu. Parallel perspectives with unstable consistency between them.

But that decision also comes as a choice for what your Playerbase is going to be. Developers make the active choice to target a specific playerbase with these various restrictions/options of play.

All of that can lead to a streamlined ease-of-access/play that is beneficial for retention/Engagement. They also come with their own problems and flaws, much of which can be alleviated with creative choices. The recognition is that:

Your playerbase is going to have an upper limit on population, due to certain limitations on what sort of fun can be had in it.

And that's perfectly acceptable.

You can pressure valve Frustration in your playerbase, so that it doesn't build up to the point of hemorrhaging players when said Frustration reaches a critical point (regardless of your content releases, which are a novelty band-aid, at best).

-----

Then, of course, you've got games so wide the approach is meant to attract

Everybody

The absolute largest playerbase possible. The Omni-game that shalt be unto a religion; that regulars and non-video gamers will recognize as The Game, to explain video games.

MMOs, tend to attract this level of ambition most often (also, consequently, a parallel level of frustration in development and gameplay), as do many 'Open World' efforts. More rare are the games that try to crush a lot of different genres and levels into their gameplay; many of which end up bloated and constantly renovating the experience.

In other words, there's not enough stools for everyone who showed up at the Grand Opening, so they keep re-designing the restaurant interior to accommodate the crowd...without realizing the restaurant just isn't big enough, comfortable enough, possessing of enough resources for that unimaginably massive number they want eating there.

By including as many different experiences, rewards, skills, spells, tokens, weapons, classes, races, and creative expression a player can customize, there's the risk of alienating people within your own playerbase; locking them away from certain content areas that are designed with certain mechanics, and by extension, experts in those mechanics, in mind.

If "End Game Content" is meant for grinders who put in the work, but that work entails a massive bundle of info., dedication, resources (time, patience, energy, money, etc.), then at some point inside of the ambition phase of development you're going to have to contend with the monster that is Frustration.

And, in doing so, understand your game is going to constantly be playing Whack-a-mole with your playerbase, whose Frustrations will climb without any bleed-off/pressure release, because you've got to give other portions of that playerbase something to do specific to their level of Engagement or "fun".

Which is, itself, a stopgap. Eventually, that Frustration in every different part of your playerbase, will grow and result in complaints and vitriol, no matter what new content you release-

Because the Frustration has Outgrown any Engagement in your game and there's always going to be more novelty out there to distract; a path of least resistance, that siphons away the resource-sink of a player's attention.

[nathanbrannon]

Week 4 (July 10th-16th)

Love/Romance Music

Common Attributes – Things to do when starting.

Usually slow without much rhythmic accompaniment.

Time Signature typically in ¾ or 4/4 

Tempo is typically anyway from around 60 – 100 BPM.

Mostly uses continuous 1/4 notes, or 1/8 notes.

Harmony

The harmony is the central role at setting the tone/mood for the background.

Uses Major long chords, modes, or tones, with use of triads (3 note chords).

Though it is common to use chord extensions like: add9, 7, 6, or sus4.

Mostly uses diatonic progressions.

Resolved suspensions are common progressions: 9-8, 7-6, 6-5, 4-3.

Altered scale degrees such as: b3, b6 and b7 are common.

Uses strings or piano with long note chords to create the harmony.

Can use a number of different chords.

Melody

Mostly build around notes used in the chords, either passing or nearby notes.

Uses very simple number of notes for its melody not many.

Countermelody

Usually introduced after a first presentation of the main melody.

Usually contrasts with the main melody.

Bass

You will create a bass line off the harmony playing the notes you want to stand out lower down.

Orchestration

Harmony can be played by either:

String section alone

Any combination of low strings (Viola, Cello, and Double bass), low brass (Trombone and tuba) and low woodwinds (Bassoon and bass clarinet).

Melody can be played by either:

A lyrical solo instrument: woodwinds, horn, piano, violin, or cello are common.

A single string section by themselves – Violin 1, Violin 2, Alto/Viola, Cello is common.

Or you can have a combination of a solo instrument and a single string section.

To make it sound bigger and grander maybe multiple upper string section in unison, octaves, or double octaves, then as a possibility add high woodwinds to add colour or definition playing the same thing.

Countermelody can be played by either:

Played by the horn section is very common. Other frequently found options would include Horns, low register clarinets, violas, or upper register Cello.

Extra Things added can be:

To enhance the harmony a harp can play an arpeggio a long side it.

Fast runs in the upper woodwinds can be added as background flutter or ear candy.

Step by Step

Begin by sketching the main chord/harmony – keep it simple.

Set the tempo.

Create the Harmony/Chords.

Write the melody and then countermelody to go along side it.

Then create the bass layer.

Once all this is made in piano then orchestra it.

Then thicken the different layers with extra elements added on top.

2. Creating the Harmony

Start with a piano using Major long chords, modes, or tones, with use of triads (3 note chords). 

Write 2 section of chords, but you last two chords of each section must use a Resolving suspensions progression: 9-8, 7-6, 6-5, 4-3.

3. Write the Melody & Countermelody

The move onto writing your melody.

Then writing the countermelody.

4. Creating the bass 

You will create a bass line off the harmony playing the notes you want to stand out lower down.

5. Orchestrating the piano sketch

Put the Harmony/chords on a string’s ensemble patch, and you want the 3 note chords to be: Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola. 

The Cello and double bass will play your bass line in octaves.

Then take your melody and add it to a solo instrument.

Then take your countermelody and add to a counter instrument as well.

6. The Added Elements on top

Perhaps harp playing arpeggio or something similar.

Fast Runs on either: The Harp or high woodwinds

Sci-fi Music

Common Attributes – Things to do when starting.

Rhythmical elements like motors or not and have more soundscape type piece.

Doesn't rely too much on structure, melody, or harmony.

Time Signature doesn’t really matter can be 2/4, ¾, 4/4, 7/4, 5/4

Tempo is typically anyway from around 60 – 150 BPM.

Harmony

The harmony is the central role at setting the tone/mood for the background.

Don’t resolve the music nicely.

Melody

Can do anything to make it sound good.

Uses very simple number of notes for its melody not many.

Melodies can be short and fragmented.

Orchestration

More use of unusual sounds making it sound like something from that doesn’t belong in our world. (Synths mostly Common).

Instrumentation open as much as possible with no strict roles on what use, even use of sound effects can be used as well.

Certain groups of instruments can be more used to make sound scrapes, tones, colours to creature an atmosphere.

Hits for dramatic effects.

Low register is emphasized.

Commonly utilizes sustained chords.

Use of more sound elements.

Step by Step

1. Start with an inspiring theme - Sci-fi music is usually characterized by otherworldly sounds and themes, often on a grand scale. Start by identifying a theme that inspires you and try to develop your music around it.

2. Experiment with sounds - Sci-fi music often makes use of unconventional sounds and electronic beats that create a sense of an uncharted universe. Try to experiment with different electronic and traditional instruments, as well as effects such as reverb and delay, to create unique sounds that don't sound terrestrial.

3. Create a soundscape - Creating a sonic landscape that reflects science fiction themes can help give your music that sci-fi feel. You can try to incorporate sounds of machines, robots, and interstellar travel to create an immersive soundscape.

4. Let your music tell a story - Sci-fi music often tells a story of some sort, whether it's about a distant space journey or extra-terrestrial life. Consider how you can create a narrative arc through music and use different sections to evoke different emotional responses from your listener.

[jazzruinedmylife-blog]

Friday 2/17/23

Corn Hill drive - Schlem chat.

1 PM -- Gracie. Where’s the light switch? Fumi assists. 

Mark - sight reading. Voicings. 

Calvin - drop 2, comping, upper structure triads. Richard Feynman. 

Freezing, walk to car. 

5:30 -- Home. Quick dinner - wolfing haddock. 

7 -- Kasai duo w/Jeff. One glass red wine. 

Walk to Funk & Waffles w/Kyle, tattooed cook. Snowing, cold. Two whiskey & sodas. Band w/Gary? Turnip stampede memories. New bar on Fayette. Long chat w/Kirsten T. Tells of B Zone E Wegman’s sighting. Josh strip club night out. Round of Glen-something Scotch, for me, Jeff - 39 bucks. Bathroom hall connects to Hop Spot - 10 oz choc peanut butter porter. 

Back to Kasai. Set up keyboard. Jam w/Kyle. More beer. Buzzed. 

2 AM -- Driving home. No Schlem chat. Snow falling.   

[ajrdileva]

How to Play Upper Structure Triads on Piano

How to Play Upper Structure Triads on Piano

It is said that the average piano player spends two to three hours daily searching for cool voicings over different chords and harmonic progressions. Finding new voicings, cataloging, memorizing and playing them, in all 12 keys, is not an easy task! Let me show you the concept of building chords using upper structures, how to think of them, how to find them, and most importantly how to practice…

[jenslarsenjazz]

Upper Structure Triads on a II-V-I - How to Make Expensive Chords

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRimvO-dvPE&list=PLWYuNvZPqqcGbyQmZ9N-TYsjd5pCfzYjI

You can use Upper-structure Triads as a great way to get some interesting and colorful chords.

On guitar they can be a bit tricky because we have to construct our own voicings rather than rely on systems like drop2 or shell voicings. But they are often beautiful 4-5 note voicings and making your own chords like this is both fun and good for both theory and fretboard knowledge. In this video I will go over four examples of voicing sets and talk about how you can make your own and explore the sounds and your guitar neck.

[nofatclips]

The Hidden Chords You Don’t Know: Compound Triads

[concerningwolves]

When Dealing With Wolves \ Project Info

What if Little Red Riding-Hood's mother had reached out to the wolves in the woods? What hidden truths would she have found out there in those cool, green depths, where the earth itself sings and the trees know your name?

WDWW is my debut novel, coming in late 2021. It's a very loose retelling of Little Red Riding-Hood in a high fantasy world and features an autistic lead character, polyamorous families, a magic system inspired by yarn & fibre crafts, and strong fairytale/mythological vibes. Oh, and talking wolves. If you're curious, the first two chapters are available to read free [here].

OVERVIEW

GENRE: Epic/High fantasy

SUBGENRES: Mythopoeia; thriller

TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult

STATUS: Final revisions; self-publication prep

SERIES?: Yes – Book one. [Book two is The Kindness of Ravens; info on that WIP is here]

KEY THEMES & TROPES: Redemption & personal growth \ trauma & recovery \ magic & witchcraft \ found family \ the importance of compassion and empathy \ emotion-based magic \ fairytales \ mythological worldbuilding \ mystery & intrigue \ character-driven plot

SYNOPSIS

Ys is a wild and restless place, ruled by the ancient magics that lurk there. At its southernmost tip is the town of Erdansten, surrounded by fear and crumbling walls; to the north is Deothwicc, the forest of the Wolvenkind, dark and ancient. Between them lies a land marked by the ghosts of a history nobody can remember, rich with secrets that could tear apart everything the Kinds think they know.

[full synopsis, character overview and other info below the cut]

Rostfar is supposed to protect the people of Erdansten from the wolves and magic, a duty she takes seriously – despite being the very thing that her people fear. For years she has kept a tenuous balance between her duty and her own magic, clinging on to her secret with everything she has. She knows that the line she walks is a perilous one, but she can’t escape this lie she has built now. Not if doing so would tear apart her world and put her family in danger.

When her lover’s estranged brother arrives in Erdansten, however, the delicate balance she has maintained all her life is thrown into turmoil. Things from beyond the walls start to close in, attacking her people, and increasingly it seems that her only hope lies far to the north. In Deothwicc. But Rostfar’s absence from Erdansten sends the careful structure of power crumbling down, and those she has left behind must fight to maintain order as the worlds of wolves and humans collide.

CHARACTERS

► MAIN CHARACTERS

Rostfar → human || 36 || Arketh's mother, lover to Isha and Mati || autistic with a special interest in folklore, mythology and history || white; red hair, freckles, blue eyes; short and stocky build; small scar on her upper lip || As the Dannaskeld of Erdansten, it is Rostfar's job to oversee the security and defence of the town. It is difficult to protect people from magic, however, when you are the very thing they fear.

Arketh → Human || 4 || darker, copper-toned skin, auburn hair, brown eyes; small for her age; likes colourful clothes || autistic || daughter of Mati, Isha and Rostfar || Bright, curious, optimistic and wise beyond her four years, Arketh is well-loved in Erdansten. While her mother fears the magic that hounds them both, Arketh loves it – even as night-terrors and sleepwalking episodes threaten to expose her to the world.

Grae → wolf || grey-brown coat and brown eyes || has PTSD and depression || yearling || One of the youngest of the Deothwicc pack, Grae has grown up under the shadow of his litter-brother's death. While all the wolves around him seem content to live and move on, he has struggled in silence with an anger that now threatens to consume both himself and everyone he loves.

Aethren → human(?) || 18 || nonbinary || trainee hunter under Rostfar || white; black hair, grey eyes; gangly build || For all their skill at hunting and tracking, Aethren has never felt good enough. Never felt right. They're always too prickly, too surly, too quick to take offence. Nothing makes sense right now, but they're certain this new power uncoiling in the back of their head is only going to make matters much, much worse

Yrsa → wolf || reddish coat, amber-brown eyes; small and slight compared to most of her kind || Although Yrsa agrees that wolvenkind must stick close together to survive, she cannot help but feel curious about the odd, two-legged beings beyond the marshes and mountains. Her packmates call her naive, but Yrsa is sure there is something they could learn from the humans – and she is only too eager to prove her theories right.

► SECONDARY CHARACTERS

WDWW has a large supporting cast, but some of the foremost secondary characters are —

Isha → human || 33 || One of Arketh's fathers, in a triad with Rostfar and Mati || Copper-brown skin, darker than Arketh's, and close-shorn hair, brown eyes; very short and lean; calloused hands || blacksmith || trying to grow beyond the ghosts of his past

Mati → human || 37 || Arketh's other father, in a triad with Rostfar and Isha || Long brown hair and beard, green eyes; extremely tall and bulky build || always slightly scared of his own strength, so he never does anything fast || solid as rock with a warm, compassionate heart

Marken → human || 40 || Rostfar's best friend, Aethren's father || foremost healer in the Isles of Ys; nobody is quite sure where he learned such revolutionary medicine || grave and closed-off, he is often accused of aloofness, although anyone treated by him can see the deep compassion behind his eyes.

Natta → human || 36 || Rostfar's twin sister and Dannhren (head of the council) of Erdansten || cool-headed, driven and ambitious, with a bad habit of forgetting to share her emotions with the people she cares about

Kristan → human || 15 || Natta's son || Apprentice healer || Born with one arm || Both gullible and headstrong, Kristan's fear of the dark and the mysteries beyond the walls of Erdansten may prove to be his undoing. And the undoing of the town.

Myr → wolf || father of the Deothwicc pack || world-weary but determined to find a better future for his pack

Estene → wolf || mother of the Deothwicc pack || scarred deeply by the deaths of her last litter, Estene now believes that the only hope for her pack is to trust a human. Unfortunately, she is yet to meet a human who could be worthy of such trust.

Thrigg → no longer human || 200-ish? (She can't remember) || Thrigg longs to rejoin the world outside of the magic-bound city of Hrafnholm, but her longing is kept in check by her fear of what she will find.

► ANTAGONISTS

Faela → human || 42 || Isha's estranged half-brother || arrives in Erdansten in the dead of night, with old wounds on his body and deeper wounds in his psyche. Guilt surrounds him like a shroud.

Ethy → human || mid-late 60s || retired hunter who now tends to the half-tame ravens in Erdansten. She wields her love for the town like a weapon.

Unwolf and Other → no longer wolves || ?? || strangers from another land, wreathed always in a malicious, living fog that covers their tracks.

OTHER INFORMATION

► MISC. INFO

As of writing this post (17.03.2021), I have one (1) chapter of copy-edits left to revise.

I hope to have a solid release date for the novel by the end of April.

It will be self-published, with both ebook and print versions available.

► TAG LISTS & TRACKING

Taglist members will be tagged in important milestones/updates, and in longer excerpts from the book. If you'd like to be added, please reply to this post or tell me that you'd like to be added on the reblog (or send an ask if the askbox is open). You can ask me to take you off at any time :)

To keep track of the project progress or learn more about it, check out the #When Dealing With Wolves tag

► SUPPORT ME

I have a Patreon for my writing, with £1 and £5 tiers. You can also support me on Ko-Fi, where I cross-post monthly Patreon stuff, either through one-off tips or monthly support.

[graddesigneranastasia]

Early Developments

Theory of Forms and Ideas

It is a philosophical concept attributed to Plato, that the physical world is not as real or true, as timeless and absolute. According to his threory, ideas in this sense are non-physical essences of all things, of which objects and matter in the physical world are merely imitations - everything exists in the “upper field” in the universe, and everything in the physical world is just a reflection.

Theory of the Self as the Centre

According to Kant, we all have an inner and outer self, which together form our consciousness. The inner self is comprised of our psycological state and our rational intellect. The outer self includes our senses and the physical world. The inner self is connected to the universe.

“I think therefore I exist.”

Proto Structuralists

Karl Marx (1875) said that everything originates in our consciousness, not from the universe.

Sigmund Freud (1921) was psychiatrist, psycologist and knew the secrets of the Kabbalistic mystical studies.

Ferdinand de Saussures

He was a Swiss linguist, known as the father of semiology. He proposed that the sign in language is signifier (Sr) and the signified (Sd), and belived that the sign is the connection between the a image/ sound and the concept/ content it stands for.

Sign can be defined as something that can take the form of words, sounds, images, smells, tastes, acts or objects, but they do no have a meaning unless we put it into them.

Roland Barthes

He extended on the concepts of the Sr and Sd, and included connotation and denotation. In his work, connotation reflects cultural meaings, mythologies and ideologies.

Connotation and Denotation

A connotation is a feeling a word invokes. It refers to the wide array of positive and negative associations that most words carry with them (naturally).

A denotation is the direct, specific or literal meaning we get from a sign, a description or represntation of the signified, a word that mjight be found in a dictionary. It is what the word literally says.

Two Levels of Meaning

A connotation meaning is the “cultural baggage” attracted ti or associated with the object. It is dereived from past experiences or repeated associations between a sign and its object.

Barthes theory is that that there are two levels of meaning. The denotaion is the starting point - they make a meaning/ statement, then we shift to the second level, which is where the connotation takes over and adds more to the experience of the meaning.

For example, there may be a picture of a heart. The denotaion is that it is literally a heart, while the connotation will be love, an association we get from looking at the heart.

Syntagmatic and Paragmatic

A syntagmatic is the analysis of syntax or surface structure (syntagmatic structure) as opposed to paradigms (paradigmatic analysis).

Syntagms are the building blocks of communication. Connecting these blocks allows copmlex communications.

Paradigmatic analysis is the analysis of paradigms embedded into the text, rather than of the surface structure (syntax) of the text. This type of analysis often uses communication tests, for example substituting words of the same type.

Signification

Signification is the process of creating meaning through locating/ identifying the signified/ concept, based on the clues given by the sign/signifier. 

In philosophy, the encoding is a process of “reading” sense data, a set of natural signs that represent the “true conditions”. The objective of analysing signification is to determine meaning or a set of meaings.

Charles Sanders Peirce

He developed a model of knowledge about the way reality is represented through the mind and thoughts, which can only be represnted in signs. The model consisits of the sign, the interprenant and the object.

“We think only in signs”

Peirce Sign Triad

His typology emphasizes the different ways in which the sign referes to its object.

The Icon - the signifier is percieved as resembling or imitating the signified (recogniably looking, sounding, smelling, tasting, feeling like it), or being similar in possessing some of its qualities.

The Index - the signifier is directly connected in some way (physically or casually) to the signified, this link can be observed or inferred.

The Symbol - A mode in which the signifier does not represnt the signified, but which is fundamentally arbotary or purely conventional - this relationship must be leanrt.

[kyber-queen]

Like Real People Do (Rex x Reader) Pt. 3

Summary: Jedi!reader and Rex fall in love but are separated by the war. They meet again two years later, weeks before the Siege of Mandalore. In this chapter, Rex and Reader are prepping for a mission on an outer rim planet. Some fluff, slight angst, Rex gets to use a lightsaber because I say so. Italics signify a flashback in this fic. 

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: Mentions of children/family planning ??, insecure Rex, k*sses, mentions of blasters n violence against droids, mentions of alcohol

Author’s Note: I’m not gonna lie this is probably my favorite chapter yet. It’s a little longer, but I think it’s worth it :) Likes and reblogs are very much appreciated!!

Previous | Next

****************************************

After your less than satisfying encounter in the maintenance closet, you had made an early retirement to your quarters to sulk. You slept, but your dreams were ridden with visions of a certain bleach-blond captain. You awoke the next morning ill-rested and heartsick.

You showed up late to your first tactical meeting with the upper ranks of the 501st in a disgruntled mess of dark undereyes and wrinkled robes. If Rex noticed your sleep-deprived state, he made no mention of it. You had positioned yourself strategically in the back of the room, precisely so if you peeked between the admirals, you could clearly see Rex discussing troop formations with General Skywalker. His structured brow was furrowed, and you noted the way he gestured at the maps as he made his point. He was so much more confident now, so much more self-assured than that often-anxious shiny you remembered from training drills two years ago. Maybe that was why he gave you the cold shoulder yesterday—had he outgrown you? Two years was a long time, especially during a war. Did he find someone new? Your heart burned at the thought. You hadn’t even tried to move on—at times, at your lowest points, you considered it, but you never gave up on him. You had broken your code for him. You had broken it every day since you met him, and yet here he was, the picture of cordial indifference. You were attached, deeply and painfully. Did he still care about you?

“Commander, I can hear your gears turning—any input?” Skywalker looked at you expectantly.

You eased your tired features into a placating smile. “Looks good to me, General,”.

“Perfect. Rex, you’ll go with the commander. I want you two waiting just outside the village. The Separatists should arrive within around two hours of landing. Comm me when you see the Separatist forces coming, and you guys cut down as many of the first wave as possible. I’ll circle around with the rest of the 501st and we’ll finish off the rest from behind. All clear?”

You nod in assent as Rex answers with a decisive, “Yes, sir,”.

***

Rex was going to have to have a conversation with his general after this. Your very first mission with the 501st, and Skywalker had paired you with Rex on a glorified stakeout of all things. Rex was pissed. He had decided as soon as he found out you would be consulting with the 501st that he would keep his distance. He knew it wasn’t your fault that you hadn’t seen each other in years—war makes love near impossible. He was more upset with himself for falling for a Jedi. It was against the law for either of you to have an attachment to each other. Rex had fallen in love, and it was a stupid, shitty idea. He had spent the better part of two years trying to bury his memories of you, and just as he was beginning to succeed, here you were creeping back into his mind. Just the sight of you threw him back to two years ago—back when he was really, truly happy. Rex was built for war, nothing more. The problem with you was that being with you made him think otherwise. When you were together, you would always talk about ‘after the war’. Rex knew that as a clone, there really wouldn’t be an after. You, with your altruism and soft smiles and gentle touches were everything Rex didn’t need.

Rex walked to the pod that would take the pair of you to the Separatist-threatened planet. You were already seated. You thumbed the grip of your lightsaber, and Rex recognized the gesture—it was a habit whenever you were nervous. His eyes were locked on you, debating whether or not he should say something despite his earlier promise to not get involved. You broke the silence for him.

“I can feel you staring, Rex. Talk to me,”.

You could always tell what he was thinking. As your friendship first blossomed, it unnerved him, but as your paths intertwined more and more he found it a comfort to have you understand him so well without him even saying a word. Rex met your eyes, and his stomach clenched. You were still so beautiful. He looked away

“Just thinking about the campaign, sir,”.

Your heart ached. Every bone in your body was screaming, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you,” and yet he called you sir. He addressed you as a superior, another link in the chain of command. He really had moved on, hadn’t he? You bit your lip, the sharp pain of your teeth against the tender skin attempting to draw your attention away from your torturous thoughts. You had a mission to complete. You peeked out the porthole, and you saw the terrain approaching far faster than normal.

You landed with a crash. You were jostled from your seat, your head smacking the metal wall painfully. As the ringing in your skull crescendoed, you took stock of your darkened surroundings through your blurred vision. The lighting in the pod must have been damaged during your landing. You ignited your lightsaber, illuminating Rex with its soft glow. He stood up and rolled his shoulder experimentally, his nose scrunching in pain.

Your brows furrowed, “Are you alright?’

“I’m fine,” He grunted. He felt his way along the walls. “Exit’s been jammed shut, though,”

You searched his eyes in the dim lighting, another pang of longing reverberating through your chest. You dismissed the sensation and plunged your lightsaber into the wall of the pod, freeing yourselves. You emerged from the battered pod, your head pounding as your eyes adjusted. It was bright, with the triad suns beating down on you relentlessly. You checked your positioning system—you had landed a mere 15-minute walk from your stakeout site. You watched as Rex eased himself out of the pod. He groaned, his hand cradling his right arm. You handed him his positioning chip, and the two of you set off towards the village outskirts.

You noticed his hand lingered on his right shoulder, and he would grimace from time to time when it jostled. You reached your hand out to his plastoid-covered shoulder. “Rex, let me—”

“I’m fine,”.

His tone was sharp and dangerous, affecting you like a slap to the face. You sucked in a breath, and walked the rest of the path in silence. The planet was beautiful—you were surrounded on all sides by strange golden grasses that swayed with the breeze. Its beauty did nothing to distract you from the man by your side.

You arrived at the meeting point and immediately settled yourself against the large boulder meant as your cover. Rex sat across from you, leaning against a smaller rock. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes for a moment and swallowing thickly. You traced the sharp line of his jaw with your eyes, following down to the thick cords of muscle in his neck. You contemplated another attempt at offering him some bacta spray, but considering his earlier response, decided against it. When did Skywalker say the Separatists would arrive? Two hours?

You spent around an hour in silence. You meditated, as General Secura had taught you. Time moved thickly around you, your aura burning bright as it cut through the hours and seconds. With your deep focus came little flashes of memories.

You saw Rex, smiling. His golden skin was warm against the soft sheets. His thumb traced the apple of your cheek. You grinned.

“What do you want to do, Rex? After this is all over?”

He paused, his hand resting heavy on your jaw. “I don’t know, cyare. Guess I never really thought about it,”. His eyes flicked over your gentle smile and bright eyes. “I’d wanna be with you, though,” he whispered. You’re everything he could ever want. He’d never loved anything so much, and he knew he’d never love anyone else the way he loved you. What the hell did he do to deserve you? “What about you?”

“My parents—I barely remember them now—had a house on Naboo. We could live there, just us. No war, no fighting. It’s so beautiful there, Rex. The grass is long and tall—as a child, I’d play outside for hours just soaking up the sunlight. It’s a good place for raising children,”. Your face heated as you said the last part.

“Raising children, eh?” Rex tilted your chin, and you lifted your gaze to his eyes. You nodded slowly. “With me?” His eyes shone in the morning sunlight, his brow furrowed.

“Yes, Rex. Who else?” Rex’s expression eased, and you pressed your lips to each of his cheeks, followed by a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose. Rex sighed contentedly. He had no clue why you were with a shiny like him—he was one of a million genetically and physically identical men. He was sure that eventually you’d realize just how much better you could do than a clone, but until that day he’d savor every precious moment with you.

“You’re gonna be a great parent, one day, cyar’ika,”.

“You will, too, Rex,”.

You jolted out of your trance. It was just your luck that Rex had infiltrated the one escape you had from your relentless thoughts of him. You opened your eyes to find him studying your face. He averted his gaze quickly.

“Rex,” you called.

He fiddled with the straps of his armor.

“Rex,”.

He dropped his hands to his sides with a harsh sigh. “Would you just stop it?”

You were stunned. “Rex, I—”

“I spent two fucking years trying to forget I ever loved you. I was nothing, I was nobody, and you were this—this ideal being. I had no fucking clue why you gave me the time of day, but I let myself fall for you anyway. When we left for our tours, I broke. You were the first real thing, the first good thing I ever had, and you were gone. I was sure I was gonna die over there—and you wouldn’t have even known if I had. It was so much easier to believe that you had moved on, that you were through with me. Now you’re here and you’re alive and I—” his voice broke, “I don’t know what to do,”. He met your gaze, and his eyes glistened. His voice was barely a whisper, “You were always the rational one. Please tell me what to do,”.

Your wide eyes watered. You turned your head to the golden fields and let out a tiny sob. What the hell do you answer to that? Just as you opened your mouth to speak, you spotted what seemed to be a thousand metal heads just over a rolling hill. The separatists. You hastily wiped your eyes and took a deep breath. This would have to wait.

“The Separatists are here,” your voice wavered more than you would have liked. “I’ll comm the General,”. You sniffed, rubbing your eyes again. Get it together, you thought. You were a Jedi Master, for gods’ sake. Ever since returning to Coruscant, you’d been an emotional trainwreck. You were starting to see why the council discouraged attachments.

You allowed Rex a moment to collect himself, turning to face the oncoming droids as the two of you prepared in silence. The metallic clang of their footsteps grew louder and louder. Rex slipped his helmet back on over his head and unholstered his blasters.

“It’s your call, Commander. When d’ya wanna go?”

You looked back over your shoulder at him, and you were instantly thrown back to the hours of training exercises you had completed together. You grinned.

“Think you can take down the battle tank over there?” You motioned to the gargantuan hunk of steel situated right in the middle of a sea of battle droids.

The competitive edge you had so dearly missed was back in Rex’s voice.

“You know I never miss,”.

“Race you there,”. And with that, you were off. The two of you flew down the hill, cutting down the droids as if they were made of straw. You swung, decapitating a droid and ducking as Rex put a blaster hole through the one taking aim at you from behind. You worked well together, always did. The rest of the 501st seemed to be making easy work of the droids from behind.

“Rex, blaster!”

Rex tossed one of his blasters into the air, and you force-pulled it into your grasp in an instant. You fired off three quick shots at one of the tanks, damaging the traction treads. Rex looked over at the tank, and recognized the maneuver you had initiated in an instant. He took off for the tank, and called your name once he was just yards from its base.

“Saber!”

You switched off your saber and hurled it in Rex’s direction. He had barreled past at least ten lines of troops, snatching your lightsaber from the air before igniting it and plunging it into the battle tank’s generator while simultaneously firing off a few rapid shots at the droids. The droids’ main attention, as planned, was on you, and you were beginning to feel the heat. You force-pulled your lightsaber, still ignited, from Rex’s grasp and into a line of battle droids before its heavy weight met your palm again.

“Blaster!”

You tossed Rex his blaster, and he caught it with ease. With your lightsaber in hand, you began cutting a path to Rex, who had holed up against the decommissioned tank.

“Need to get me one of those,” Rex motioned to your lightsaber with a grin.

You shook your head with a laugh, deflecting a blaster shot as Rex took aim at the next line of droids.

It was your fault. You got distracted. Something about the focus in Rex’s masked stare as he picked off the droids one-by-one pulled your attention away just long enough for one of the droids to press the cool metal of its blaster against your neck. Before you could react, Rex fired two quick shots into its head.

“Told you, cyare, I never miss,”.

You missed this. The nicknames, the banter, working together like this. It felt good. It felt like coming home. You snuck one last glance at Rex before sprinting out from your cover to cut down the next row of droids.

Rex was fucked. Did you realize he called you cyare? It just slipped out—something about being here with you, fighting next to you—it brought him back to two years ago. He shook his head, firing at a droid that had pointed its blaster at you. He was done with pretending he didn’t care. He still had no idea what to do, or where this would go, but he could figure that out later.

You finished off the last droid, looking back at Rex with an easy smile before waving to General Skywalker. Rex jogged over to you, pulling you back behind the tank and away from the prying eyes of the rest of the 501st.

“Rex, wha—”

He ripped off his helmet, letting it fall to the ground as he pulled you into a kiss. His hand fell to the small of your back, and you practically collapsed into him. His lips were hungry against yours—he was all tongue and teeth and desperation. He needed this. You needed this. You raked your nails through his close-cropped hair, drawing a little groan from deep in his chest. His hands were everywhere—your hair, your neck, your waist—

“Rex, where are you? Are you injured?”

For the second time today, Rex was going to kill his general. He pulled away from you reluctantly, his hand lingering on your waist. You take his hand, and press your lips to his palm.

“We should go,”. Rex nods. “Meet me in my quarters tonight—you still like firewhiskey?”

“Rex—are you over here?”

You meet Rex’s eyes, and he smiles. A real smile. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“See you tonight,”.

********************************************

Like Real People Do Taglist: @pinkiemme @callme-eds @dinpoe 

[phoebehalliwell]

how would you rank the seasons from least to most favourite?

alright okay right off the bat worst season season 7. for starters i think this season has no staying power i mean like since i’ve been running this blog 4 so long now my knowledge of charmed is encyclopedic and insanely vast more than like it ever need be but for the longest time. i could not remember season 7. like wtf even happened there?? evidently leo became human??? cole returned? the avatars??? like all of it was just. it’s not even necessarily forgettable it’s just i straight up could not remember it for the longest time. and i’ve said it before the concept of utopia was way to advanced for a show like charmed to tackle i am not watching charmed for moral philosophy i am watching bc i love these girls ♥ hee hee hoo hoo magic adventure ✨ tho if i am to offer a single comment on utopia: it’s awfully rich for a show to go on about destiny and fate and then take a stand against utopia in the name of free will. but w/e. i don’t like leo in the avatars i don’t like his dynamic with piper in this season i don’t like whatever phoebe’s doing this season there’s like leslie?? maybe there’s someone else? boring & flavorless they should have been setting up her endgame instead of puttering around. and kyle. zoo wee mama. could have been a great antihero. morally gray. duplicitous. self serving. but no. they gave him all those traits and called him hero/love interest. s7 left a lot to be desired out of the characters and their relationships also gave us phat L’s such as the charmed ones are werewolves don’t worry about it and feminism peaked with naked women. shout out to zankou: demon, dilf, dub & the noir episode.

you know what? fuck it i’ll say it second worse season 5 genuinely fuck season five. this is probably a Very Specific beef 2 me But. i hate what they did to the charmed universe. this was the season that marked the transition of charmed from supernatural drama to campy soap which like. i love camp! i do! but fr. fuck this season and what it did to the worldbuilding. the early season have Such A Vibe to them man with warlocks and witches and just a couple niche monsters from assorted lore that the show took and made their own. season five opens with mermaids goes directly into fairytales then gives us superheros whatever the fuck was going on in that mummy episode the sandman leprechauns and nymphs. and i hate it for that. it takes away from this urban fantasy things that go bump in the night what lurks in the shadows of the back alleys of san francisco in favor of the ugliest cinderella dress ever put to television and an onslaught of horrible irish accents for a full episode. other issues with season five: cole’s still here? why? they don’t know and neither will you! we’re not redeeming him! phoebe’s not getting back together with him! yes he died we just refuse to let him go! the cherry on top of course being a cole-centric 100th episode. shout out to. hmm. lemme think about what i actually liked about this season. i like jason dean as a love interest i don’t remember what he did in s5 but i know he was there. the season finale i’ve talked about how stupid & shitty it was but idc i still love that episode and then shout out to bacarra the only original villain this season that was a proper serve. the crone gets second place.

next on this come on we all saw it coming season 8. it’s a bad season! and i get bts there was a whole lot happening budget cuts missing actor etc. but it goes beyond that. it was a bad season. billie and christie were bad. and i’ve said this before but billie in herself is not an inherently bad character. she was just the literal worst for the show. she was a dollar store buffy blonde confident cocky skilled and ready 2 fight evil But. we are not following her like we followed buffy we are following her mentors. it’s like if we had a show called giles that aired for seven seasons And Then buffy showed up. billie was insanely irritating to watch from our perspective and in general wasn’t like. well written. attempts to humanize her / give her more depth often fell flat. and then christy. oh nelly. oh my god. barely a character. not well acted but hey it would have been a miracle if she was. negatives include dumain who was a mess omg bringing back the triad bringing back the source billie & christy obvi and also involving homeland security. which is season 7′s fault which is why it’s the worst. dubs on the other hand include both coop and henry i really liked them the shoehorned love interests weren’t great but i like their characters i though the way the got rid of leo to save on the budget was really creative and gave us a great piper episode and of course the sugary sweet finale i love it i do what can i say.

yet another controversial choice aptly coming in fourth is season 4. i respect what season 4 set out to do. i think it was a good idea. long form narratives, keeping a darker tone, focusing on character-driven drama and growth. too bad it fucking failed miserably at all of this. cole as the source and phoebe as the queen of hell was just so so botched. they had a very unique opportunity following the death of prue to explore these characters and what it means to them to be charmed, to be witches. they saved the world but the cost is insanely high. they’ve lost an older sister. they’ve gained a new sister. how do you even begin to cope with all this? episodes such as hell hath no fury and brain drain fuck so hard because they work with exactly that. had the whole season been like those episode season four would sit at number one with flying colors absolutely no competition. but alas. we can’t have nice things. the show got so bogged down with phoebe & cole, in a way that was just so, so messy. for starters, whether you loved cole or hated him before, we can all agree source!cole sucked. he was such a strong 180 from what we had seen that the show had to make the source some type of possession to justify half the shit they were trying to pull. and then to pit phoebe and paige against one another over a man was just. disgusting. and the ending of course felt rushed because it was! they wrapped up that entire issue in a nice little bow much faster than they reasonably should have been able to. it could have been a great season. it was definitely not. shout out to the seer an iconic mastermind on barbas levels, as previously stated brain drain and hell hath no fury Specific shout out to piper’s scene at prue’s grave shout out to paige as a character i like what they did with her and um. yeah that’s it.

okay we’re exiting the shit tier in favorite of the good tier welcome to the upper half. kicking us off is season 6. season 6 did what season 4 could not in that it gave us a long form plot that still left plenty of room for like. normal demon of the week episodes. i love phoebe early in this season with her faboo haircut her brand new empathy power and her relationship with jason dean. obvious strikes against for whatever the fuck that baby crazy stint was and also the mata hari episode. yikes. i love paige’s hair color in this season nothing paige as a character necessarily stands out to me however i like how they seem to have hit the blend of work-magic with paige where she wants a life and career outside of magic however she still loves the craft and embraces is with an open heart and mind. season six also gives us chris who was a very fun male lead imo we really didn’t have many like him he’s bitchy. he whines and bitches a lot he’s got an agenda he’s a bit secretive but at the end of the day he just wants a family i like him. i like the character growth we see out of piper i like seeing her try to move on from leo i love seeing her get back together with leo i like her dynamic with chris and her fears about motherhood. i also liked richard but that one takes a lot of justification. L’s are witchstock hyde school reunion used karma off the top of my head also the paige/richard/addiction plotline was so tone deaf. also the girls were mean to darryl : ( he deserved so much better. dubs were chris as a character, tbh the episode little monsters, phoebe with empathy specifically saying i love you too to jason i could write a dissertation on that line alone also the courtship of wyatt’s father and i thought the reveals of evil wyatt and chris being piper and leo’s son were both fun and interesting plot twists.

coming in third is actually season 2 a season i really do love it’s just. it lacks structure. imo there is a lot to love about season 2 morality bites and pardon my past are both delightful time travel episodes we get jack sheridan and bane jessup two of my personal favorite prue love interests we get p3 h2o and a great prue plotline regarding the death of patty we get the super cute cupid episode it’s a great. collection of episodes. it’s not a great season. there’s just imo not a strong enough thread connecting the stories together it’s mainly held together by having the same characters in it over and over again i really liked dan personally but like. i knew we were wasting time there. he was just an obstacle. a super cute loving and caring obstacle who’s great with kids but lbr piper and leo were always endgame. wasting our time on dan was stupid. i do love the sister dynamics in season two “gotta hand it to those pesky little demons they sure have brought us closer together” but again. this season could have benefitted from a rex and hannah type or even like a cole or zankou. this season is less of a season and more of just like a handful of episodes, and while there are some fat dubs, there are also some definite swings & misses. shout out to the time travel episodes the prue centric episodes phoebe’s character growth and maturity throughout this season (e.g. her going back to college) and i also think the fashion got a lot more fun this season.

second place i’m saying season one season one was a really strong start and gave us these really compelling characters with interesting relationships between one another But. a lot of it just kinda falls flat. and credit where credit is due it was a brand new show getting its feet under it but the fourth sister feats of clay which prue is it anyway they just simply aren’t dubs imo. also i don’t like that 70′s episode bc again i am an asshole concerned about The Lore i can’t believe one bitch ass warlock caused the Charmed Ones to grow up without powers. it just really bugs me. all in all the plots as a whole like aren’t great imo they’re nothing to write home about (save for from fear to eternity) it’s really the characters that make this season so goddamn good.

first place congratulations to the one the only season three. this is just because it kinda hits all my requirements in that it has some banger one offs (e.g. all halliwell’s eve, the good, the bad, and the cursed) it has an overarching plot at the exact same time as the source becomes more prominent and obvi cole is also there with murderous intent i like the character growth we see especially from prue i like piper and leo finally get married overall i really like the aesthetic of this season that blends a darker urban fantasy tone with still some charmed fashion and whimsy. strikes against tbh phoebe and cole’s relationship i am insanely picky with my enemies to lovers and the do not come remotely close to cutting the mustard in fact they are almost immediately disqualified however from afar i can see and respect The Drama. shout out to recasting victor prue with pistols death as a character and shannen directing episodes

[imaginaryelle]

Turnabout and Start Again: part 6 (~3k)

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 (Thanks, as ever, to @morphia-writes and @miyuki4s for betaing!)

The first time Wei Ying recognized him through the soul bond, it had been with a kiss. A kiss Lan Wangji had bestowed during a momentary lack of self-restraint on Phoenix Mountain, and which had exploded in his face like a mistimed firework. Wei Ying had startled under his hands, under his lips, and the soul bond had surged through the both of them at once and he’d said Lan Zhan on a gasp, and Lan Wangji had—panicked.

And run.

A soul bond couldn’t be set aside as mistake, or a childish crush. A soul bond didn’t care about Clan, or Sect, or personal ambition. A soul bond would tether them together for the rest of both their lives and beyond, could drag them both into ruin like so many past tragedies.

By the time he’d regained control of himself, by the time he’d calmed enough to touch that thrumming connection under his skin with wonder and tentative hope and seek Wei Ying out again, Wei Ying had moved on to other concerns. He never referenced the bond. Never mentioned it. Never deliberately touched Lan Wangji again, no matter how close they stood.

Not until now, his fingers curled around the pulse in Lan Wangji’s wrist.

He does not send Lan Wangji away.

“Lan Zhan,” he says again as he sinks slowly to his knees, so that they are face to face, no longer making himself a barrier between the world and whatever threat Lan Wangji might pose. His eyes are wide, and wet, and searching. His lips part, as if to speak again, but something changes in his face and his mouth closes to a thin, grim line. He turns Lan Wangji’s wrist in his hand and looks down at the curse mark.

“Liang Feihong must have been truly desperate,” he says, “to trade his life for revenge, and risk your soul alongside it.”

Lan Wangji goes cold. Even the soul bond’s warmth can’t penetrate the ice forming around his thoughts, sharp and burning. He’d known Liang Feihong must have given up his life, of course. That knowledge had been inescapable. And he had known that the curse was a strong one; there would be physical damage, and spiritual damage, if he could not counter it. But to damage his soul—he had never thought a Lan Sect follower, any Lan Sect follower, even one who had left voluntarily, would stoop to such dangerous, corrupting methods.

Wei Ying’s grip on his wrist tightens.

“It won’t happen,” he says. “Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan, I promise, it won’t happen. I won’t let it. And for a Lan Sect follower to do this—whoever wronged them must be truly terrible so we’ll just find them and—”

“It is Jin Guangyao.” Lan Wangji finds Wei Ying’s eyes again in time to watch his face freeze for a moment.

“Ah … that’s…” Wei Ying blows out a sharp breath. “I suppose that explains why you didn’t go to Zewu-jun. And Lianfang-zun is Chief Cultivator now, it’ll be tricky to—” He must see some of Lan Wangji’s confusion because he stops again. “Let’s get this dealt with,” he says of the gash on Lan Wangji’s palm. “A lot has happened in thirteen years.” He smiles again, a bit wry, a bit self-deprecating. “Have some more tea, Lan Zhan, and I’ll tell you.”

Lan Wangji drinks more tea and lets Wei Ying spread ointment over his palm and wrap talisman after talisman around his wrist—each one slightly different from the last, each one a fruitless attempt to counter the cursemark—and listens. Wei Ying’s account is unfocused, more of a scattering of anecdotes than a structured history, the whole of it peppered with sly jokes and soft laughter. Lan Wangji gathers, from stories of cultivation conferences and family meetings, that the post of Chief Cultivator is one of a mediator, bestowed upon Jin Guangyao in the wake of Nie Mingjue’s untimely death. That the Four Great Sects have found a new balance, a triad of Yunmeng-Jiang opposite Qinghe-Nie and Gusu-Lan, with Lanling-Jin caught in-between.

He learns that Wei Ying knows of no particular reason Liang Feihong might have sought revenge on Jin Guangyao.

“But we’ll figure it out,” he promises, half his concentration on brush and paper, trying to craft something that won’t crumble to ash on Lan Wangji’s skin in only a few breaths. Lan Wangji does not share his confidence; if Jin Guangyao’s supposed crimes had even been hinted to those closest to him, Lan Wangji is certain his brother would have investigated the claim.

Wei Ying makes fresh ink, and produces a cloth-wrapped box of mushroom-stuffed baozi, and brews one of the medicinal teas—“to boost your spiritual energy, I’m sorry, I know it tastes awful”—and tells more stories. He speaks of Wen Sizhui’s promising archery skills, of Jin Rulan and his young siblings, of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, a tale of soul-bond sacrifice with a much happier ending than their own. Of Jiang Cheng, who has largely recovered from the wounds he suffered at Nightless City.

“Wen Qing really is the best doctor alive,” Wei Ying says, smiling and fond in a way that makes something in Lan Wangji’s chest twist. “She has apprentices now. Honestly at least half of Yiling-Wei’s disciples join for her. Nothing to do with me, no matter what Zewu-jun thinks.”

He sobers suddenly, and sighs.

“I think that one will last a few hours, at least,” he says of his most recent talisman, the edges slicked down to Lan Wangji’s arm with ointment and ginseng tea. He breaks the seal on the door with a snap of his fingers. “I should let you sleep, Lan Zhan. It’s so far past nine now. I remember how you used to sleep so precisely.”

Lan Wangji is tired. Has been tired. But he has spent so long wishing for this: to sit with Wei Ying, and speak with him, and hear him laugh and watch him smile without the strife that so often confuses things between them. For things to be easy, even if the ease is mostly born of Wei Ying’s propensity to talk with very little encouragement. He finds himself reluctant to give it up.

Wei Ying is watching him, he realizes abruptly. Exhaustion must be clouding his thoughts: the ward has been deactivated; Wei Ying has dismissed him. He should leave.

He stands, and bows his departure. “Thank you,” he says. It seems the safest option.

“No need.” Wei Ying waves the words away. “Not between us.”

He pours the last of his wine and looks into the cup, and nowhere else. Lan Wangji does not let his own hesitation drag at his footsteps as he leaves.

*

Lan Wangji wakes to find his clothes returned, clean and mended. His muscles ache, and his thoughts are murky with doubt and poor rest, but working through his morning drills in the cool dawn mist soon clears both pain and cloudiness. His spiritual power is stronger than he has come to expect from this body—perhaps due to Wen Qing’s tea, or Wei Ying’s skill with talismans. It’s reassuring, to work his body in the sheltered space between the inn and its outer shed and feel energy surge under his skin again, even if he isn’t putting it to use.

“Are those the Lan unarmed forms?”

He looks up to see Wen Sizhui watching him from an upper-story window, and finds himself suddenly self-conscious of the slightly-halting movements that are the best this body can manage.

The boy ducks his head. “I’m sorry,” he says with a bashful smile that is much like Wei Ying’s, “I didn’t mean to intrude. I only wanted to tell you that Zhou-shimei and I would welcome your company at breakfast, if you wish to join us. It should be ready in not too long.”

Lan Wangji nods, and Wen Sizhui makes a point of turning away from the window. It takes a moment for proper stillness of mind to return, but Lan Wangji finishes the set; it is the practice that matters, the education of muscle as well as mind and spirit. Audience is irrelevant.

Wen Sizhui has ordered a simple meal of congee and jiaozi, and he and Zhou Xiuyang prove to be Lan Wangji’s only companions for the meal, both of them already dressed for traveling. The rest of their party, he comes to understand, are accustomed to sleeping later.

“Wei-zongzhu asked us to meet with you,” Wen Sizhui explains. “We were hoping you might know more about this.” He offers a note in Wei Ying’s hand; Ask our guest where the complex he found is and scout it out. Be careful.

Lan Wangji frowns.

“He will not go himself?”

“Later,” Wen Sizhui assures him. “He’ll bring you and Jin Ling and Liu-shidi when we’ve found a good vantage.”

That is … better.

“There is a ward,” Lan Wangji tells them. “There may be guards, now.”

“You think they’ve increased their protections,” Zhou Xiuying observes, and he nods confirmation. “What sort of place is it?” she asks, frowning in confusion.

“A prison,” Lan Wangji admits, and realizes he had failed to reveal the whole of his circumstances even to Wei Ying. The surprise and solemnity that wash over their faces at least soothes one worry that had begun to nag at his thoughts: such measures are not considered more common now than in his previous life.

They do not ask why he was there, or show any new sign of distrust. Perhaps Wei Ying’s good opinion is enough to allay such thoughts. Instead, Wen Sizhui asks for details of his route, which he provides: the river he followed, the landmarks he remembers, the arrangement of buildings in the compound itself. They do not linger; as soon as they are certain of their path and their meal is done, they mount their swords in the inn’s yard and set off, flying north.

It is not the first time Lan Wangji has caught himself longing for Bichen, these last few days, but the pang he feels at being rooted to the earth as they soar away is deeper than before, now that his body shows signs of true recovery.

He meditates on the inn’s cramped porch, out of the way of other patrons, keeping his spine straight and his face turned toward the sun’s morning light. After an uncertain stretch of time the talisman on his wrist crumbles to ashes and he startles; his spiritual power recedes as if drawn by a sucking tide; a sudden drain that slows to a steady trickle after a few breaths and leaves him at the same smoldering level of power of the last few days.

The sudden lack feels like darkness rising in his throat, overtaking his mouth and eyes and mind. First spirit, then body, then soul; that is how the curse will consume him if he cannot satisfy it. If he cannot destroy his brother’s closest friend and last-remaining sworn brother, a man who he does not even know for certain has done wrong.

No. He has put his trust in Wei Ying. Wei Ying has already found a way to delay the curse’s effects. They will find a solution.

The sun is too hot on his face, his neck, his shoulders. He resumes meditation through movement in the breezeway; the horse whisk forms, even though he no longer carries the whisk itself. Bichen would not be useful to him now, no matter what comfort he might draw from his sword’s presence. Nor is his guqin likely to respond in his current state. It will take time to form a golden core. If he is able. If he has time.

When he executes the final spin, Wei Ying is leaning against the side of the inn, finishing a few last bites of his baozi and watching. Lan Wangji straightens his robes, and Wei Ying glances away and back, a small smile on his lips.

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” he says, though Lan Wangji asked no question. “I was going to ask after that talisman, but it can wait.”

Lan Wangji joins him under the porch’s eaves, pushing up his sleeve as he walks to reveal his bare arm.

“Ah.” Wei Ying inspects the cursemark with careful fingers; the heat of his hands is palpable, but he never quite touches the mark. “How long did it last?”

“Until an hour ago.”

Wei Ying makes a considering noise. “Did you notice any change if you used spiritual power?” He pulls a new talisman and the pot of ointment from his own sleeve, and starts slicking the talisman’s edges.

Lan Wangji shakes his head. “I did not use any.” He had been reluctant to give up the feeling, before the first talisman degraded, and apprehensive of the possible result, after.

“Really?” Wei Ying looks surprised. “Hm. Well, we can do some tests when we get back to Yiling. Provided you want to come back to Yiling?”

It is an indirect sort of invitation, but still appealing. The only other place he might go is Cloud Recesses, although—“Wen Sizhui and Zhou Xiuying are investigating to the north,” he says, part reminder, part inquiry.

“And I still intend to join them as soon as I get a signal,” Wei Ying assures him. “I’m just hoping we can make it back, after. Jin Ling’s expected at Lotus Pier by tomorrow, and Wen Qing will send out a search party for us eventually.”

Lan Wangji keeps his eyes on Wei Ying’s hands as they wind the talisman around his arm and carefully empties his mind of other thoughts. It is good Wei Ying has friends who care for his safety.

“Have you eaten?” Wei Ying asks as his hands fall away. “Jin Ling and Liu Weixin have a table inside, if you’re hungry.”

“I have eaten.” He can feel his spiritual power settling—not returning, not yet, but at least no longer siphoning away.

Wei Ying nods, his eyes on the yard, not Lan Wangji. He bites the inside of his cheek, one hand moving to Chenqing at his waist. Then he turns with a smile, sudden and broad enough Lan Wangji can’t be certain it’s genuine.

“Want to see something fun?” he asks, and darts into the yard without waiting for a reply.

Lan Wangji follows.

“It took me ages to get this right,” Wei Ying is saying as he carefully clears a stretch of ground of sticks, rocks, and straw. He draws a needle from his sash and pricks his index and middle fingers. “Stand back a bit,” he instructs, and Lan Wangji obediently retreats again. Wei Ying closes his eyes, standing still and straight and then executing a slow spin with his bloody fingers outstretched. As he returns to his starting point concentration draws a furrow between his brows, and he sets an array in the hard-packed earth with a quick, crisp movement.

Lan Wangji studies it, walking a slow circle around its border under Wei Ying’s expectant gaze.

“Transportation?” he asks, finally, and Wei Ying grins again, obviously genuine this time.

“Better than a talisman,” he boasts. “The array can take more people.” Requires more people, he doesn’t say, though Lan Wangji can read it in the array clearly enough. More cultivators, or an anchor of some sort. Wei Ying crosses his arms, smug. “With this we can visit that complex and get home without hours of flying.” He grins wider. “And without making Jin Ling spend a night in the woods.”

Lan Wangji cannot stop the snaking thought in his mind that this is only one more tool Wei Ying uses to hold off insistence that he return to the path of the sword. It is only a treatment of symptoms, of course. Quick travel is an advantage of sword cultivation, but not its purpose.

He does not voice that thought. It can do nothing but drive Wei Ying from him, now. And transportation, by array or talisman, will certainly be more comfortable for Lan Wangji himself, who had not quite allowed himself to think about the necessary arrangements for traveling as far west as Yiling.

“Why do you nighthunt so far from your Sect land?” he asks.

“So close to Gusu, you mean?” Wei Ying looks rueful as he picks his way out of the array. “Personal favor. The Yang Sect was having some issues with fierce corpses preying on forest travelers.”

Lan Wangji frowns at him. That Wei Ying is particularly suited to dealing with fierce corpses is obvious, but Yiling is still quite distant, more distant than either Gusu or Lanling, and it is not as though Lan Xichen would begrudge a small clan the aid.

Wei Ying does not seem to notice his expression.

“It’s a shame we ran into Zewu-jun, really,” he says. “Now it’ll probably come out that Yang-zongzhu asked me, and she’ll have to deal with extra patrols anyway.”

“Patrols?”

Wei Ying shrugs, one-shouldered and wry. “One of Lianfang-zun’s suggestions. If a smaller sect encounters a problem they can’t solve alone, larger sects are encouraged to offer assistance rather than risk a sect’s destruction or something even more dangerous building ferocity. It looks good in theory. Sometimes it even works well. But a lot of the smaller clans resent—ah!” He pulls a talisman from the cross of his yi. It burns blue between his fingers. “That’s Sizhui’s signal. Here, here.” He waves Lan Wangji to follow in his wake. “Stand here,” he says, pointing to a section of the array. Lan Wangji steps into the spot obediently, stooping a little to better examine the working. His spot designates him a passenger only, no spiritual input required.

When he looks up, Wei Ying is just standing outside the circle, watching him, a faint smile on his face.

“Sorry, sorry,” he waves his hands and backs away. “It’s just—it doesn’t matter. Stay there a moment. I’ll get Liu Weixin and Jin Ling and be right back.”

Lan Wangji nods his understanding, and watches him return to the inn, and waits.

to part 7