#lian fit is so pretty

[karamellisokeri]

I joked about lian being my oc stand in in disllyte too much so here she is

[i-guess-im-into-this-now]

Luo Binghe: 🐑 😈

Shen Qingqiu: 🥒🪭

Wei Wuxian: 🪈🧟‍♀️

Lan Wangji: 🗡️☁️

Xie Lian: 🌸🗡️

Hua Cheng: 🦋🩸

[arohuacheng]

hua cheng body dysmorphia truther. that man does not have a realistic concept of what he looks like and he is not reasonable or healthy about the way that he looks either

[k-reblog]

Omgggoood yes please keep the pose....

I need to sealed it in my minds....

dylla x meleanor yuri,,, this is answer to the peace between humans and faes ✨✨✨‼️

happy en release miss dylla spade ♠️💙💙✨✨💖💖 not a fake dilanor fan now,,, i finally drew them 😭🙏🏻✨

[citronverveine]

when you think about it, tgcf really wouldn’t have the same impact if xie lian didn’t cultivate through abstinence.

it’s funny because it’s not even relevant to the core of the plot itself; xie lian never uses his cultivation as a reason to stay away from hua cheng. he only reminds the reader of it when he drinks wine, which is pretty irrelevant anyway. but if it doesn’t impact his relationship with hua cheng then it must serve another purpose, otherwise it wouldn’t be here, because things in fiction don’t exist just for the sake of existing.

xie lian abstaining from earthly pleasures fits into the narrative of control, expectations, and divinity, the transcendance of his mortal body.

xie lian’s goal, very early on, is to become a god. and what are gods? above mortals. or that’s what everyone thinks, but not xie lian, not entirely at least. xie lian views godhood as a means to serve the people, not being above them. this is why he doesn’t think kneeling before gods is right, and why he doesn’t want his believers to kneel.

obviously, very few people agree with him and tell him how his godhood should be, even his own believers who think it’s stupid to not kneel before a god.

xie lian always saw godhood as a tool, and his body as a tool to reach godhood. xie lian is self-sacrificing in nature, and even if at first he doesn’t really know how much it takes, it reaches extremes once he is forced to self-sacrifice for a hundred people at once.

during that time, xie lian’s body and autonomy was taken from him. “this is what you want? then take it.” it makes it seem as though it was his choice. he wanted to help, so he got to help, he should be happy, right?

i often wondered why xie lian didn’t just say to hell with it and broke his cultivation through his eight hundred years of banishment. not once, as far as we know, does he willingly break it completely and irreversibly, even though he is shackled, even though he doesn’t even actively cultivate anymore.

i think it’s about control. during that time xie lian had very little control over his life.

godhood is about repressing your human traits. when he was a god, xie lian was asked not to care, not to intervene, not to help. he was asked to sit back and watch as his people suffered, as his kingdom threatened to fall. he couldn’t.

that’s why he couldn’t be a god. he realized that himself after almost releasing the resentful spirits on Yong’an. he ascended and asked to get bannished once again. all of what he did was too human, from start to finish, and he would never be fit for a god.

his cultivation was the third and last shackle, self-imposed from the start. the first shackle bound his spiritual power, the second his luck, and the third one his cultivation, asking him to repress his humanity.

this is why it’s important that xie lian makes the choice of breaking his cultivation for hua cheng. it’s an obvious choice when you understand all of this. hua cheng gave xie lian his autonomy back by letting him be himself and making his own choices, and trusting him with them. never did he doubt xie lian, never did he tell him what to do, even when he had his own opinion on the matter. hua cheng lets xie lian be. while supporting him through it all. he’s always behind him, no matter what happens, no matter whether xie lian does good or bad, he’ll always be there to catch him regardless of what he does, because he is there for who he is. he’s xie lian. he’s human. it doesn’t matter that he’s a god, a prince, a scrap collector, a curse.

and because xie lian has finally found someone who accepts him as a whole, can he finally let himself be whole and let go of the control he has on his body. he doesn’t have to hold back. he doesn’t have to try. he can indulge. he can be human. he can want. he can love. he can hurt. he can cry. he can laugh.

tl;dr: xie lian, once aware he has someone that will accept him, the whole of him, can finally let go of any artificial control on his self to fit in what the world expects of him

[armed-with-a-waffle-iron]

Bat Timeline vs Bat Publication Timeline

I kept my receipts and citations here. I felt canon ages are the best tool to track time. Also, I used cover dates.

Neat things I noticed:

Nothing much happened in Gotham until Robin arrived both in continuity and in print history. Sorry but your lone wolf Batman doesn't exist :P

Dick permanently becomes Batman at the same age Bruce was when he became Batman; 25. Kinda poetic if you ask me.

Babs was Oracle longer than she was Batgirl in both continuity and publication history!!

Completely forgot that Dinah was literally her own mother once upon a time. Weird stuff.

There's not enough Jason!Robin stories to fit the 3 years some fans claim he was Robin for. Also the 3 years idea doesn't work if you track Dick's age. My guess is he was originally younger than 15 when he died but DC aged him up so he could be an adult when he returned as Red Hood.

It's pretty clear that Helena's integration into the group began the expansion of this complicated "family unit". She set the precedent for those noirish vigilante work relations.

Tim has to be a vampire if he's meant to be 17 three whole very explicit in-continuity years after he had his 16th birthday.

Stephanie has basically been in this gig as long as Tim! And almost as long as Helena too. Proper seasoned ass-kicker who Damian should look to for pointers.

Also remembered that Cassandra's Batgirl run is the best thing to come out of Gotham in the early 2000s.

I dunno I think the One Year Later timeskip was just unnecessary.

Kate and Renee are almost as new to the vigilante gig as Damian!

Bat-adjacent Rose Wilson was said to be 14 during her first appearance around Year 15 so she's the same age Tim.

Not Bat related but Lian Harper's age works with my timeline so yay! Born early Year 14, she's 5 during Cry for Justice in Year 19.

I have a theory, based off of Batman #416, that Dick graduated high school at 17. He says he was Bruce's partner for 6 years and that after he was fired; he left college after the 1st semester, then moved around the country, had his own adventures, and "eventually" ended up with the Titans. Also, he was 21 during the Titans' 3rd anniversary (New Titans v2 #71) and 19 when he became Nightwing (Tales of the Titans #44) so the Titans (re-)formed when he was 18. This means he probably only turned 18 in the academic year he began college (or has a summer birthday). So he was Bruce's partner from ages 11-17, did his own thing for a while as he did in the 70s, eventually joined the Titans at 18, and became Nightwing at 19. Jason comes into the picture soon after Dick retires the Robin identity.

[midnightorchids]

More soft Jason ideas since you deserve it and your wonderful and supper cool Girldad!Jason BRRROOOOOOO Oh my goddddddd ok like- - Jason is the kind of dad who always has music playing in the house, he mindlessly sways and hums along as he makes morning (or night-time) pancakes for you and his little girl. She'll come running up to him, her thick black hair tangled over her face, and pull on his pant leg. He'll sweep her up into his arms, her small head fitting perfectly against his chest as she watches him make breakfast, still somewhat asleep and aloof. He'll start bopping along to the music with her little hands around his neck, filling up the kitchen with shrieks of laughter and he peppers her soft cheeks with kisses. - I feel like you and him would like in a beach house, somewhere away from the city and his old job as Red Hood. Your daughter would bring home buckets of pretty rocks and sea glass that Jason keeps in jars along the living room windowsills. He has to dump some back onto the shore every time he sees her washing the new rocks and shells on the front porch. - After long summer days of playing and wrestling in the waves, you would all curl up for a post-beach nap. Smelling like salt with the prick of the sun settling into your tired bones. Your daughter would fit perfectly between you two. Jasons hand behind his head with his other wrapped firmly around you and his little girl. - Get's his daughter obsessed with reading just as much as he is. Would build her book-shelf after book-self as her collection of story-books and middle grade fairy books expands. - Helps his daughter roast marsh mellows during the beach bonfires you guys have when Roy and his daughter visit. Your daughter and Lian are best friends- playdates once a week kind of thing. - When she's little, he'll always have his daughter on his knee during big family dinners. He let's her eat anything off of his plate, keeping his arm around her as he talks with Dick. - Overall, just- every-time he falls asleep next to you he feels like crying into your shoulder, unable to thank you enough for bringing such a precious perfect bundle of laughter into his life. Huge 'my wife showed me how to love and my daughter showed me how to forgive energy lmao.

I want night time pancakes with Jason and my little baby girl wtf!!! Also, thank you so much for sending this in. I love it and I literally fail to understand how you pull up with the most amazing scenarios every time, I’m actually in love with your writing!! You’re amazing! Anyways lol!! I’m gonna be honest, I don’t want to have biological children but for Jason… I’d do it, no hesitation. He’d be the most amazing girl dad, I love him so so so much.

I’m not sure if people have already said this before but can you imagine him learning how to do your daughter’s hair!! He has a YouTube hair tutorial playing on the TV as your daughter sits in between his legs. He’s got bobby pins in between his teeth and hair ties around his wrist. He’s using a small comb to gently brush through her little curls.

He’s learning how to braid her hair and he’s having some difficulty, but he’s a persistent man, and like he always tells his little girl, practice makes perfect! He will sit there for days, hours upon hours, trying to make the most flawless set of Dutch braids. Once he’s succeeded at his craft, he’ll admire his work and will tell his daughter to go show you his skills. And oh my goodness, how adorable does she look showing off her father’s braiding skills!!

I also saw a quote on Instagram earlier today and it said that “tenderness is in the hands” and I immediately thought of Jason. There is no one with gentler hands than Jason. His fingers may be rough and his knuckles might be permanently bruised from his past, but when he interlocks his hands with his baby girl, they are the most delicate and warmest hands she has ever felt.

He will run his fingers through her hair, as she lays her tiny head against his chest and he’ll read her favourite stories. She’ll take his hands out of her hair and just play with his fingers. Trace little shapes on his palm, measure her small hand against his big, calloused ones. It’ll melt Jason’s heart and he’ll feel like crying. There will be days where he needs to stop reading and take a minute to appreciate the tenderness of the moment, without completely crumbling.

Also, I kind of hate to say it, but it’s so true. Jason would totally try to heal his daddy issues by being the best possible parent.

He’d treat his daughter like an actual princess and not just in terms of materialistic things. He’d be there for her in every circumstance; he’d be the best moral support and the best cheerleader anyone could ask for.

If your daughter plays any sports or plays an instrument, any thing really, he’d always be there to encourage her and comfort her when it started to become tough. He’d attended every game, every practice, every performance. Like I said, the best cheerleader.

Basically long story short, I’d die for soft, girl dad Jason.

[axxa-the-allikatt]

I found this in my drafts. I did not recheck it. I do not trust myself, so if there is something wrong with the fic, just pretend a middle schooler wrote it or something. Yea.

***

Imagine,

Pretty boys, who have the most dazzling smile you’ve ever laid your eyes on, but who look so much prettier while crying, whimpering and begging, all for you.

Pretty boys, who have the most beautiful jade like skin, just sensitive enough to leave cute little red marks, as you mark them as yours, and yours only.

Pretty boys, who have the most luscious and silky hair, who take care of it like their most prized possession, allowing only you to tangle your fingers in it, to tug at it so mindlessly, especially when you force them to look at you.

Pretty boys, who have the most prettiest outfits, little dresses and skirts, that they’ve never dared to wear in public, until you came along, ready to gouge anyone’s eyes out if they stared at your precious doll for more than a second.

Pretty boys, who wear a collar when they go to any event with you, readily accepting the fact that everyone must know that they belong to you, and only you.

Pretty boys, who throw hissy fits whenever you refuse to play with them, knowing full well that dolls that behave badly must be punished (which was really their whole point of throwing a fit, but they daren’t say it out loud lest you throw them away into the toy box for a few hours as real punishment.).

Pretty boys, who would never ever go against your orders, because they’re scared that you’ll throw them away, akin to how children would throw away the dolls they’ve been playing with for so long and have gotten bored of.

Pretty boys, who wish they could make time stop at moments where you lovingly take care of them, be it doing their skin and hair care, or dressing them up, but especially during the time when they still feel the afterglow of sex, when you murmur sweet nothings into the crook of their neck, telling them how precious they are to you, and how they are your most priced possession, one you’ll never let go of, even after they become so yesterday.

Pretty boys, who believe with their body, mind and soul, that their purpose in life is to be the most precious doll, your most precious doll.

***

Xie lian, Chigiri, Xie lian, Chigiri, Xie lian, Chigiri, Mu Qing (😩), Shi qingxuan, Isagi, Rin, Sae, Ukyo, Stanley, SANZU, Mikey, Kakucho (with hair 😔), Rindou, Baji + your favs 💅✨

[ryin-silverfish]

how does rebirth and reincarnation work in Buddhism

do memories carry over and Can personality traits or characteristics also stay the same

or does being reborn erase everything and basically reboot a person

is everyone reincarnated or just some people and what causes rebirth

if you don’t want to explain it can you please reply with links to websites where I can find information on the topic

Disclaimer: Everything I write here is less Indian Buddhism, and more "sinicized Buddhist concepts", aka "Chinese adoptation of the ideas of karmic laws and reincarnation, with a bunch of tweaks".

-There are 6 paths of rebirth: Heavenly/Deva, Asura, Human, Beasts, Hungry Ghosts, Hell. In practice, because of unfamiliarity with the Hindu Asura ("wrathful demigods"), it often gets simplified into 5 paths instead.

-Based on one's karma (consequences of one's causes), one is reborn into one of these Paths after death. The first 3 are commonly seen as the "3 good paths", while the last 3 are the "3 bad paths".

-Technically, even being reborn as a celestial being does not free you from suffering, since, despite the incredibly long lifespan of celestials and the pleasures they enjoy, their stay there is still not infinite, and they'll be reborn into a lower path once their Good Deeds Bank runs out, so to speak.

-However, in lay practice, being reborn in the Heavenly path is often considered "Good enough".

-Similarly, in more doctrinal Buddhism, the concept of "non-being" and the lack of a permanent, eternal self is a big thing (where there's no continuation of the self between each life, memory-wise or personality-wise).

-Yet after its spread to China, it was adjusted to fit, and syncretized with existing beliefs about souls and ancestor worship, and honestly, folks pretty much assumed that there is a...soul thingy that gets reincarnated, and some sort of continuation exists between each life.

-In Northern-Southern dynasty and Tang legends, there are a lot of tales about people who remembered their past lives, or people who suffered misfortune/got a lawsuit from ghosts in the Underworld bc of bad things they did in another life.

-However, in the latter case, they often don't remember. It is kinda implied that reincarnation itself blurred/erased their memories, but never explicitly explained.

-The much later Ming-Qing addition of Mengpo and her amnesia soup could be seen as a "fix-it" to that question: people don't remember their past lives bc the amnesia soup is mandatory, and the few who remembered are folks who had found a way to avoid drinking it.

-Like all folklore stuff, it's far from universally adopted, and in Liaozhai, you can still see tales like Lian Xiang's, where the fox spirit in question died, reincarnated into a human body, and remembered her old ghostly rival-turned-best-friend upon seeing her again.

-In vernacular novels and tales about reincarnated immortals and celestial deities, like JTTS and JTTN, it's more common for the protagonists to remember their original self from start to finish, or recover their memories after being informed of that fact and settle on working their way back into their old position.

-As for "does everyone have to go through reincarnation?" Unless you are a Buddha, a Bodhisattva, or Arhat, technically yes.

-After Daoism adopted the Buddhist ideas of karma and reincarnation, there were also works that suggested, by attaining immortality, you wouldn't have to reincarnate again...

-But I personally saw that as more of a "immortality just means no natural death, not unkillable" situation——the immortal in question won't have to reincarnate bc they can no longer die of old age, but if sth comes along and kill them, or they got demoted by the Heavenly Emperor for breaking celestial laws, their soul will still re-enter the cycle.

-Lastly, what causes rebirth? Well...existing. As long as you are within the Realm of Desire and a being of the Six Paths, you are subjected to the cosmological cycle, and to Buddhists, the only way out is attaining enlightenment.

[too-much-tma-stuff]

Happily Ever After (part 27, final)

First | Previous | Masterpost

They did go suit shopping the next day, they tried on tons of stuff, laughing at some of the obnoxious patterns they tried on just for kicks. They did find ones they really liked though, Danny nearly cried when he found one that was dark blue with patterns that made it seem like he was wearing the night sky. The problem was that it was too big for him and there was no way that they could get it tailored in time for the courthouse wedding tomorrow! So they would have to keep it for later, Danny was happy to wear it to their ‘cape wedding’ anyway. 

Jason found one that he liked as well and they agreed to get those tailored and wear them to their big wedding. They had suits already, ones that Dick had gently insisted they but just in case they ever felt up to coming to one of Bruce’s galas or anything, and since they obviously never had those suits had remained entirely unworn. This was a good excuse to actually wear them for the first time! And if Dick tried to get them to go to one again any time soon they had the excuse of not wanting to wear their wedding suits to just any party! It would take him a while to get them new tailored suits, it was much easier to make excuses for fitting after all. 

Danny reluctantly left his new star suit at the tailor and went home, where they found Roy and Lian waiting for them outside their apartment door. Lian looked tired but pretty happy, and Roy looked stressed and maybe a bit annoyed. 

“It’s about time you showed up,” Roy groused at the same time Lian shrieked; “Uncles!” And came hurtling at them. Throwing herself into Danny’s arms who laughed and scooped her up easily, tossing her gently up in the air and catching her as she giggled. “We’ve been waiting for ages,” Roy complained, just to Jason this time since Danny was clearly not listening. 

“We didn’t know you were coming,” Jason said passively. 

Roy sighed, his shoulders drooping a bit. “It was the only flight we could get for the wedding. Lian wanted to surprise you both.”

“And a fabulous surprise it is! It's always great to see the two of you!” Danny cheered, now holding Lian upside down as she giggled and squirmed. “We just don’t have the pull out couch set up or anything but we can figure all that out quickly.”

“That’s what you get for the short notice! I haven’t even had time to plan your bachelor party and you won’t be a bachelor anymore,” Roy accused, punching Jason’s shoulder in rebuke. 

“We’re still going to do our parties,” Danny insisted. “Before the big public wedding, there’s just some bullshit that came up that made us want to have this only on our own terms you know?” 

“Ya, I do know,” Roy sighed a little, his shoulders slumping as he turned towards Danny. Jason fumbled with his apartment keys to let them all in. He couldn’t entirely remember the state they’d left their apartment in that morning and he really hoped it wasn’t too much of a mess. “Jason explained it to me as much as he could over the phone. A political wedding huh? At least it’s between the two of you and they aren’t trying to convince you to marry for an alliance or something.”

“There’d be no point in that,” Danny snorted, shaking his head as they stepped inside and Jason closed the door after them. “They couldn’t make me no matter how hard they tried. And since my kind already follows power I wouldn’t be king if I wasn’t already the most powerful being around.” 

Roy whistled softly and went to flop on the couch, his daughter quickly joining him as Jason went to the kitchen to start doing the abandoned breakfast dishes and Danny did a quick sweep of the apartment to make sure nothing embarrassing had been left out. It didn’t take him long, he was very fast after all. 

“If they can’t make you do anything why did you agree to the big wedding thing in the Realms anyway?” Roy asked casually, as if he hadn’t only just found out about the infinite realms with the information his best friend's fiance had become a King. At least he had been told some of it before having to see the coronation in the bloody rubble of a destroyed city on TV with the rest of the world. That would have been one hell of a way to find out really. 

“Because they had logical arguments for why it was a good idea and I can see their points,” Danny said with a shrug. “I have no intention of being an unreasonable ruler. It’s stupid, and I never wanted to be king, but I’m sure as hell going to do a better job than the last one did, you know? There are good people there, they deserve to have a peaceful afterlife.”

“Spoken like a hero,” Jason said, catching Danny in his arms and hissing his forehead. Danny blushed and muttered for him to shut up without much feeling as Lian cooed at them and Roy gagged playfully. 

Danny bit back a comment about how Roy never minded when he was in the middle of the affection as well! They had only had a few threesomes and didn’t want to mention anything like that in front of Lian after all. 

“You would do the exact same thing for Crime Alley and don’t claim you wouldn’t,” Danny accused right back. “We both want what’s best for our homes and we’ll do what we need to do to make sure it happens. Sometimes those methods have to be.. Unconventional.”

Jason shrugged, he couldn’t exactly argue with that. His patch of turf just happened to be a lot smaller than the entire realm that Danny now ruled. 

“Thank fuck for time dialation, I should be able to get a decent amount done in the Realms without neglecting my responsibilities here too much,” Danny sighed.

“You know you can take a step back from helping me run things if you need to,” Jason pointed out gently. “I did it alone before we got together and I can do it again. I don’t want you to overwork yourself.”

“Like hell I am! I care about the Lanes too and I like working alongside you as Hyena,” Danny said indignantly. 

“What’s time dilation?” Lian cut in, derailing the conversation as Danny tried to explain it to her. 

-----------

The next day Jason and Danny didn’t arrive at the courthouse late, but in service of both of their dramatic flare they arrived just in time so everyone else would be there first. It felt great, walking in, arm in arm in the tailored suits Dick had got them with Bruce’s money, preening as everyone turned to look at them. Dick already looked like he was about to cry, and honestly so did Bruce. Tim was almost as excited as Jason had ever seen him and was holding his big fancy camera, snapping pictures all the way of them and the family. 

“Thank fuck we didn’t hire a photographer huh?” Jason asked softly and Danny gave an affirmative hum. 

Dan and Ellie were there too, standing with Roy. Dan and his arms crossed and a stoic look on his face but Danny wouldn’t have expected anything different. Ellie was in her ‘human form’ and wearing a frankly adorable light blue dress with a full skirt and was bouncing on her toes excitedly. Danny broke into a smile as soon as he saw her and as soon as she saw that she came running towards him, hitting him with enough force it would have knocked the wind out of a human and Danny hugged her just as tight. 

“You look absolutely breathtaking Starlight, you’re going to outshine me and my groom,” Danny joked and Ellie gave a slightly thick laugh. “And don’t you cry unless those are happy tears.” He added, knowing that tone in her voice. 

“They are, but also, so much is changing recently you know?” She asked without looking up. 

“I know, we’ll talk about all of it after the wedding okay?” He asked, he really did understand her feelings, but now wasn’t the time and she was a smart girl, mature enough to realize that. Besides he could hear footsteps quickly approaching him, too light to be Bruce, so they needed to move on for now. She nodded and pulled back, wiping her eyes and smiling up at him, he smiled back.

Right on queue Harley all but collided with the both of them, catching both of them in a tight hug. “I should have known you two love birds wouldn’t be able to wait to get hitched,” She crowed as she hauled Jason into the hugs as well and let Ellie squirm free. Hiding behind Roy who had wandered over to join them at a more casual pace. “But ya couldn’t even wait until after the bachelorette party?!”

“That’s what I said!” Roy agreed in exasperation. “But we’re still going to do them right?” 

“Of course we are! It’s too good an excuse to party to pass up,” Harley scoffed, and Danny cackled. Jason shook his head at both of them fondly. 

Bruce started making his way towards them, and when Roy noticed he hurried to shoo them out of the room. He knew that even though their relationship with Bruce was much better now then it had been, they still didn’t see eye to eye and the last thing anyone wanted was spoiling this important day with a fight. “The officiant is ready,” Roy told them, ushering them towards the ceremony room, leaving the rest of the family to hurry along after them. 

Roy was right about the officiant being ready, it wasn’t someone they knew but the woman smiled warmly at them regardless. For their actual wedding they had decided Diana would be the officiant, Jason would be at the altar with Dick and Roy as his best men (yes Dick had cried when he was asked). Dan would walk Danny up the aisle, along with Harley and Ivy as his ‘bridesmaids’ and Lian and Ellie as flower girl and ring bearer respectively. Tim would be the photographer because he had insisted he wanted to be (Though they had also hired a professional for that day as well) And Bruce would be… there, he could give a pre-approved speech. 

Their wedding day was well planned out, and it was going to be delightful, but that didn’t matter right now. There were no prescribed places or priorities, just their friends and family clustered around them in a disorganized huddle, so close Danny could feel their warmth. He wouldn’t have had it any other way as he snuggled against Jason, holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes as the officiant led them through their vows to one another. Promising to forsake all others and be loyal to one another with a touch of sardonic amusement since they definitely would not stop having threesomes. But they would be loyal, always, to one another, that part true. 

They signed the certificate with Jason’s beautiful looping hand and Danny’s messy scrawl made even messier by the fact his hands were shaking slightly. Dick and Bruce ended up being the ones to sign as witnesses since Tim was too young and everyone else present had… complicated legal identities to say the least, but that didn’t matter, they had their witnesses, they had their stamp! They were officially married and told they could kiss, which they were happy to do, too happy to do, Ellie and Lian ended up breaking them up while miming gagging, making everyone present laugh. 

“Now let's go celebrate! I know a good bar that doesn’t card,” She told them conspiratorially since Danny was still just a few months off his 21st birthday now and they all agreed the American drinking age was dumb. 

Dick cleared his throat loudly and jerked his head towards the city worker who was graciously pretending she hadn’t heard that comment. “Let’s go get dinner! It’s on Bruce,” He said a little too loudly. “I think we have to clear out soon anyway right? It’s only like a 20 minute booking right?”

“Photos first!” Tim broke in insistently as he followed them out of the ceremony room. “We can go to the lobby and then the park nearby, Then dinner. These are important memories!”

“Right right, sure kiddo,” Jason teased, reaching to ruffle his hair just to make him squawk indignantly and duck away before it could be messed up. “Are you actually going to be in any of these ‘important memories’?” 

Tim flushed and stuttered, it seemed he hadn’t really made a plan to be on the other side of the camera at all today, so Jason took pity on him. “Why don’t you call Connor? He might not have your eye but I’m sure he can take a few group photos of all of us.” 

“I can try but he’s not always listening to me,” Tim agreed dubiously. 

“Do you want to bet?” Danny asked with a crooked smile. “Because I bet he’s listening to you basically every waking minute.” 

Tim blushed cherry red and Danny cackled triumphantly. Hearing his laughter Harley bounced up to them and draped herself over Danny’s back. From anyone else Besides Jason that level of contact would have been uncomfortable, but that was just Harley. “Ooo I’d know that expression anywhere! Does the baby bird have a crush~” She crooned and Tim scowled fiercely at them with his cheeks still flushed. 

“Shut Up!” He muttered again, and Jason couldn’t help but smile at how young he sounded. So much more his age than he usually did. 

“Then call him,” Danny encouraged with a crooked and smug little smile. 

Tim muttered something under his breath and then sighed. “Connor? If you’re not busy would you mind coming here?” He all but muttered, as if he didn’t want to actually be overheard. 

There was a woosh of air, and a moment later Connor came around the corner smiling at Tim, dressed in civilian clothes. Danny and Harley practically fell into each other as Harley gave a broken wolf whistle which set Jason and Ivy (who had wandered over to join them in the meantime) off as well into a fit of less manic laughter. Connor gave them a politely confused look and walked over to Tim, who was standing with his shoulders tense and his fists clenched, blushing brightly and refusing to look at the laughing trio. 

“What’s up with them?” Connor asked, bumping his shoulder lightly against Tim’s.

“Ignore them, they’re being stupid and teasing me,” Tim sulked.

“Okaaay, what did you need?” Connor asked curiously. 

“Hey Loverboy, would you mind helping him with the pictures? You can stay for the after party,” Danny practically catcalled. 

“Loverboy?-” Connor cut himself off and shook his head, turning to smile at Tim. “Of course I’ll help.” 

“Great! Thanks,” Tim said slightly too loudly. He took charge to save himself  from further embarrassment, bullying a still cackling Danny to a place the light was better and pulling Jason in for couple photos first before expanding out and pulling in family. Handing the camera over to Connor so he could take the photos with him involved and running over after almost every single shot to check his work. Connor took his fussing with good-natured patience and bemusement.  

When they finished pictures in the courthouse there was discussion of going for dinner now, and again Tim insisted they go to the park because it was almost ‘golden hour’, whatever the fuck that was. But Tim was stubborn, and now he had Connor to back him up, they all decided to just go along with it. Besides Harley and Ivy, who had a prior commitment and weren’t planning on coming to dinner. They came to say goodbye and kiss Danny’s cheeks, hugging Jason and heading out before they made the other people in the park any more nervous. 

Tim didn’t let them leave the park until the sun had set, but that was alright. Then it was time to call a few cabs and pile in to head to the restaurant. Bruce offered to drive Jason and Danny, but somehow ended up with Connor and Tim in his car instead, leading their little caravan to the restaurant they had let him pick out for the evening, it was only fair since he was paying. 

The night was too joyful to be awkward as they ate the too fancy food, talked and laughed at Connor trying to figure out how the fancy fucking cutlery was supposed to be used (as if Danny was any better). It was a good thing Bruce had already booked the entire restaurant because otherwise their noise would definitely have disturbed the prissy patrons that usually frequented this place. Bruce was just a bit of a killjoy though and refused to let any of the under age folks order drinks, that had Danny texting Harley about that bar she mentioned under the table.

The night ended when Harley and Ivy came roaring up in a convertible with a hastily scrawled ‘Just Hitched!!!’ sign on the back to steal Jason and Danny for some real fun! They made a break for it before Bruce could stop them and peeled away from the curb as Dick, Ellie, and Dan cheered them on. 

Before they could go Bruce did grab both of their arms, holding them for just a moment, an almost desperate look on his face. "I know you two have been avoiding me tonight, I understand! But I want you to know, I'm glad you're happy. I-.. I hope you'll let me be part of your lives. Just, be safe."

"We will, B," Jason said softly. It was the best they were going to get from Bruce, and he was grateful for it.

He pulled back, and Danny, without the history Jason did with Bruce and with a more affectionate nature, pulled Bruce in for a quick but tight hug. He laughed when Bruce froze which gave Jason and Danny the perfect chance to make a break for the car. When Jason looked back Bruce was looking fondly exasperated before turning to lecture everyone about making such a scene in public.

Danny convinced Harley to stop by home so Jason and Danny could change clothes and mask up and then went out for a proper party with their rogue friends. And to get really fucking drunk from all the congratulatory drinks people kept buying them. It was crazy, it was perfect, it was so fucking them.

By the time they got home they were stumbling and leaning on each other and Danny couldn’t stop laughing. Jason locked the door after them with clumsy hands and poured Danny onto the couch. 

“Okay, we need to eat and drink somethin before bed or we’re gonna feel like shit tomorrow,” He slurred a little and headed to the kitchen. 

“You got it Boss! No! Wait! You got it husband!” Danny said, voice slightly too loud. “Fuck it’s so good to be able to call you that! You’re my husband! We’re fucking hitched! We’re maaaried.”

“You’re damn right we are!” Jason said as he contemplated the glasses, grimaced, and grabbed some plastic cups they had for nights like this, and immediately validated his choice by dropping one and cursing as it fell to the counter.

“You’re never getting rid of me now~” Danny laughed flirtatiously.

“I’d never want to. We’re stuck together Moonlight, you’re the only one for me and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Even if you’re a sloppy-ass drunk.” He teased as he filled up both glasses of water and stumbled over to Danny. 

“I wouldn’t either,” He purred, leaning against Jason’s shoulder as he accepted the cup. “Cheers to eternity.”

“Cheers,” Jason chuckled, knocking their plastic cups together before chugging the water and shaking his swimming head.

“Can we order pizza?” 

“That’s the best idea you’ve ever had,” Jason laughed and grabbed for his phone. 

“Nooo, best idea I ever had was breaking into your office that first time,” Danny sighed, closing his eyes and snuggling against Jason’s side. 

Jason felt his heart flutter and kissed Danny’s cheek sloppily. “Actually, you’re damn right. I don’t even want to think of where I’d be without you.”

"Me neither," Danny sighed, resting peacefully against Jason's chest.

[dark-dragon-8]

I feel like we, as a fandom, should generate more Dick Grayson and Duke Thomas fanart/content where they have long hair.

Give me Dick Grayson babysitting Lian and letting her braid and play with his long, curly hair because she thought it was pretty and by the time Roy gets back, Dick is already teaching her how to do her own hair (in braids, ponytail, etc) in ways that are both comfortable, stylish and steady (he's a vigilante, he'll know how to keep his hair in place while running and stuff).

Give me Duke who just decided to try and grow out his hair, but is having trouble styling it/keeping it out of his eyes, because it's more big/heavy afro curls (rather than the long flowy/wavy/gentle curls I imagine on Dick) and he's yet to feel confident enough in his place in the Batfam, so he doesn't tell Bruce.

But then Dick notices, sits his little light down and starts doing his hair in either box or knotless braids that he learned to do while dating Kory.

The next day they go shopping together and Dick takes him to all the stores he can think of that sell products that fit Duke's hair type so that they can see, review and compare everything and find out what Duke likes best and helps his hair the most.

Bruce who wants to gift his new son something nice and sentimental after finalizing his adoption and him seeing how much he's into hair products and stuff lately, so he does some research and takes Duke on a fun day out where he can do and buy whatever he wants and at the end of the day, he gives him a small box filled with golden braid charms, majority of which are signal themed, few are Batman/Batfam (as in the other kids vigilante personas) themed and the rest are just regular charms that Bruce thought he might like.

Robin Jason who adored his new big brother was actually close with him, they sometimes got ready for patrol together and Dick showed him how he changes small parts of his appearance so that no one recognizes him (something he later on does for all his siblings, regardless of whether or not they actually need it), one of which is obviously his hair.

Adult Jason who sometimes does his big brother's hair before patrol, or a gala and Dick is just too tired to get ready, because it brings back good, fond memories he has of his childhood, Dick letting him because it's nostalgic and he missed this.

Bruce learning how to care for and style different types of hair because he just got this circus child who refuses to go to the hairdresser for whatever reason, so now he has to braid his hair so that his newly acquired child doesn't end up with lice.

Duke who learned that you can't trust 90% of hairdressers when it comes to curly hair (this one is me speaking from personal experience) and isn't going to take a trip out of Gotham every couple of weeks to get his hair done. So instead he goes to Dick whenever he needs/wants to redo and/or change his braids and apparently Alfred already knows how to cut and care for all hair types and is definitely more trustworthy than any business owner in Gotham, so he goes to him whenever he needs a haircut, which has become a rare need nowadays.

[ajmasch]

@here4hualian kissmas day 8: kiss on the...

Xie Lian escaped to the gardens the first chance he got. There, one he was out of sight of the doors that lead back to the party, he relaxed, slumping down on one of the stone benches that littered the area. He closed his eyes, threw his head back, and took several deep breaths now that he felt like he could, now that random nobles from this or that kingdom weren’t crowding in with flattery and gifts and pointed comments about their children who were right around his age.

“Shouldn’t you be at the party?”

Xie Lian’s eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar voice. In front of him, he saw a young man dressed in plain black clothes. He was tall, with dark hair pulled back into a loose braid with a couple strands falling out to frame his face.

Handsome, Xie Lian thought immediately, his cheeks slightly red. Luckily for him it was too dark to tell in the fading daylight. He cleared his throat. “I’ll go back inside in a minute, I only came out for some fresh air.”

“Right, of course. I mean, not that I was trying to tell Dianxia what to do, I was just startled to find you here. I just… Isn’t it a little cold to be outside?” Summer was just beginning, and the nights still hadn’t quite shook off the winter chill.

“It’s nice. Those parties get stuffy after a while, and I like it out here.” A breeze drifted through and he noticed the man shiver lightly. “What about you? You didn’t come from the party.”

“No, your highness. This one is merely a gardener.”

Xie Lian lit up. “Oh? So then, this is all your doing?” He gestured to the flowers surrounding them.

The man bowed his head. “Yes, your highness.”

“It’s beautiful! I like it very much!” The man lifted his head at the praise, a soft smile on his face. “What is your name?”

“This one is third in his family, so they call me San Lang,” the man, San Lang responded. “And… if I may be bold…” he waited a moment but Xie Lian didn’t interrupt so he continued, “I would say that though the gardens are certainly beautiful, they hold no candle to the most beautiful flower of all.” He met Xie Lian’s eyes for a second, but his gaze quickly darted down to the ground.

Xie Lian’s first instinct was to sigh at yet another compliment. He had been lavished in so many of those tonight, people looking to get in his good graces, or his father’s, saying whatever they thought would flatter the young, naive prince into giving them whatever foothold they wanted. 

When San Lang said it, though… There was no court speech, no words with at least three alternate meanings, dressed up in pretty language to hide cruel intentions. Xie Lian instead got the feeling that this young man was completely sincere.

It was refreshing. He wanted suddenly to hear more, so he leaned forward and asked, “So I’m a flower then? Should I allow the esteemed gardener to care for me, perhaps? Arrange me among my brethren as he sees fit?”

“Dianxia- I didn’t mean- Of course his highness isn’t-” San Lang stammered. Xie Lian cut him off with a gentle laugh.

“San Lang, relax.” Xie Lian took note of the way San Lang’s shoulders tensed then gently lowered when he said his name. “I’m only messing with you, I really don’t mind. Besides, you’re certainly not the first person to have compared me with some delicate beauty of nature, if I minded I’d have made it known a long time ago, haha…”

Honestly he did mind, just a bit. To have himself reduced down to nothing but his beauty so often, as if that were the only thing to him, as if he didn’t beg his parents to allow him to learn how to use a sword until the finally gave in, as if he didn’t work himself to the bone training with his fellow disciples, as if he didn’t earn his place as the top martial student in his sect–

“They’re wrong.” San Lang’s voice was quiet but strong.

“Hm?” Xie Lian looked up from where he realized his gaze had dropped to his hands, calloused from years of hard work but praised as so delicate. San Lang was looking at him now, and met his eyes with a determined gaze. Someone opened the door to the garden then, and a ray of light fell across San Lang’s face, allowing the prince to see that one of his eyes was a beautiful shade of red.

“They’re wrong,” San Lang repeated. “Dianxia isn’t delicate. Flowers aren’t delicate! It’s like…” he hesitated. “This may be presumptuous of me to ask, but may I show you something?”

Xie Lian nodded. “Show me.” He stood and followed San Lang through the garden, towards a bed at the edge. This area of the garden was reserved for a grove of orange trees, but San Lang ignored them, instead drawing Xie Lian’s attention to the base where a few small yellow flowers were growing. Dandelions.

“These are my favorite flowers,” San Lan said.

“A weed?” Xie Lian asked, confused. “I didn’t think they were supposed to be in gardens.”

“They’re not,” San Lang confirmed. “And yet, here they are. The thing that makes them weeds, that makes gardeners so upset with them, is that once they’re here they’re nearly impossible to fully get rid of. They’re tenacious, they grow almost anywhere, so it seems as though no matter how many you pull they always come right back. That’s why they’re my favorite.”

Xie Lian had never thought of it like that before. A genuine grin began to form on his face. “So when San Lang says I am like a flower, he means a dandelion?”

San Lang made a face for a moment, but quickly returned his features to neutral. “In a way, I suppose, but if I were going to describe Dianxia as a flower…” he turned his head. Xie Lian followed his gaze and landed on a bush dotted with white roses.

“To me, Dianxia is like this,” San Lang said. He walked over to the bush and brushed his fingers gently across the petals of a rose. “Beautiful on the surface…” he reached in and snapped the stem, bringing the flower to Xie Lian, “...if only to hide the danger waiting just beneath.” He presented the flower so Xie Lian could see the line of thorns along the stem.

“Oh…” Xie Lian’s breath caught in his throat. An indescribable feeling that had been building inside his chest the entire conversation bubbled up and overwhelmed him with its intensity. “That’s– really how you see me?”

“It is.” San Lang, in a sudden fit of boldness, reached out and gently grabbed Xie Lian’s right hand. “Beautiful on the surface…”

He bent down and kissed the back of his hand lightly. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling to the prince, just earlier he had stood at the front of a line while noble upon noble greeted him in just this way. It was different when San Lang did it. He was so sincere as he had been in everything he’d done since Xie Lian met him, and it made the act feel reverent, almost like worship.

San Lang gently turned Xie Lian’s hand in his until his palm faced upwards. A team of servants had fussed for hours over this hand earlier in the day. While the back of his hand was simple– his nails could be shaped, his skin lotioned until it was soft– the callouses from holding his sword stood prominent on his palm despite their efforts, scrubbing and scraping and soaking until they had to stop or his fingers would be all wrinkled. At past events, Xie Lian had ended up dancing with several girls who had recoiled from the rough sensation of his hand in theirs.

San Lang didn’t recoil. He treated Xie Lian’s palm just as reverently as he’d treated the back of his hand, bending over to place a kiss at the joint where his pointer finger met the rest of his hand, right over where one of the largest callouses sat. “Hiding the danger beneath,” he finished.

Xie Lian couldn’t breathe. A tingling started from that point in his palm that was slowly traveling through his entire body, chasing away the chill of the night and leaving him pleasantly warm.

San Lang gently placed the rose in his hand, ensuring the thorns wouldn’t break his skin, then released it. Xie Lian wanted to say something else, to learn more about him, anything to hear him speak more, to stay with him a little longer, but he was distracted by a shout behind him.

“Dianxia! There you are!” It was Feng Xin. “Your father has been looking for you, what are you doing out here?”

“Nothing, I was just…” Xie Lian glanced back to San Lang, only to discover that he was gone, vanished into the night. “...Looking at the flowers,” he landed on.

“Well hurry up and come back inside! You’re going to catch a cold out here!” Feng Xin fretted.

Xie Lian allowed himself to be dragged back inside, but his mind stayed on the rose in his hand, and the boy who had given it to him for the rest of the night.

white rose: young love, new beginnings, eternal loyalty

[meelkiewee]

Hello!

As a first post i wanted to share my favourite bubbies and since tumblr seems more text oriented than the other socials I have, I'd like to explain what was going on in my head while doing their character redesigns~ [BOOKS SPOILERS MENTIONED]

INTRODUCTION

These character designs were made back in winter 2022 for a sort of animation thesis. Many things didn't go according to plan in that school year so for lack of time and motivation I've never really finished the animatic but I will include a wip at the end of this post. The animatic was about my interpretation of their story, finding a person to call home while in a crude and terrible world.

XIE LIAN

Xie Lian is the first of the two I made, his character design was very clear in my mind since the start. It's not largely distant from your official usual XL but I thought it already fitted very well.

The three main colors for XL are white, black and golden yellow. The prevalence of black and white colors was inspired by two main factors:

I personally see XL as a heavily dichotomy based character, not only in the association to the White Clothed Calamity but also in the way he's described as pretty as a flower but skillful with the sword, following a chaste path but mingling with a ghost king, all kind smiles to others but struggling with his own hope, etcetera, etcetera. He is in a constant struggle to find a third option that is better than simply bad or good, mostly in his early God's days, and also later on with ‘not knowing whether to laugh or cry’. So in here, black and white represent the reality of human nature, where you have bad and good qualities alike, a concept I think XL struggled with a lot since he was brought up as the perfect and pure prince that can do no wrong.

According to my research of the meaning behind colors in the chinese culture I discovered black and white can symbolize many things, some of which I found quite fitting for where I wanted to go with my character design. Black can stand for sadness and bad luck. White represents brightness, purity and innocence. In some instances, however, white is also associated with death and is a color commonly worn at funerals. Moreover in my own culture black and white, along with deep blue, are very elegant colors to wear. Simple and elegant is what my XL wants to look like.

Another important part of my XL character design is his bamboo hat.

Following some good old christian imagery I used his hat as an halo. Most of the time I even ignored perspective to make sure his head is always framed in this golden saintly circle In my animatic storyline specifically it represents XL perfection. Soon the hat is lost in the mud and brought back later on by HC with a new meaning of finding yourself in a safe environment with safe people. 

For most of the other design choices I took decisions based on pure aesthetics such as giving him a very elegant mole under the eye, very long and lucious hair and a very very long hanfu with some very very long sleeves. Yes, I wanted him to be very very everything because I very very love him!

Here are some other very very outfits i drew him in for fun and didn’t need for the animatic:

_____________________________________

HUA CHENG

As a premise to my HC character design I want to say I am very amused at people’s different reactions to it. They are usually neatly split in two: either they hate it with a passion or just fall head over heels in love with it, no in between. I personally am in the ‘love it’ side (duh of course I am, I designed it lol) but I also understand if your first thought is “WHO TF IS THAT?”, so let me explain my thought process here.

Firstly, hot take: official HC character is made to be your perfect cool-hot-mysterious-boyfriend™ that has it more together than you do and we don’t like that in this household, at least not always. Yes he is XL’s most devoted believer, yes he is a very powerful supreme, yes he’s always there for his Gege but in the end he’s also a very traumatized person that has had a crush for a guy for 800+ years.

What I’m saying is I wanted him to be a little more relatable and goofy than what books show us so I integrated some of his personality hidden away in E’Ming. From here I got the puffy messy hair, the big round eye and the doubtful expression.

Next up let’s talk about the palette. He also has, like XL, three main colors:

Blue. Mostly of the time he spends around XL he does it in his true form, wich is the form of a dead person (even dead more than once;;). This is pretty self explanatory, when someone dies the hue of their skin goes to blue and also ghosts in general are frequently represented pale blue or white in color. As a little side note to this, I really enjoyed the blue demons HuaLian episode in donghua S2, it made me feel less alone in my smurf choice lol.

Red. This is canonically HC’s color and rightfully so! Red is widely recognized as China's color of good fortune, and in my culture, it is frequently used as a symbol of passion and the color of blood. There is really nothing better than red for Mr. Crimson Rain!

Lilac. Although I'm not sure about my research on this color in Chinese culture, I've read that it modernly represents love or romance. However, growing up in my hometown, purple (and all its shades) was always associated with ugliness and was thought to be a bad omen if worn. Whoever had the nerve to wear it was regarded as a distasteful and ominous weirdo. I think it fitted perfectly with how every other Heaven Official other than XL sees HC; someone who makes blood rain for fun and a potential and actual threat to the Heavenly Court.

As for XL, other choices I made serve a mostly aesthetic purpose. HC’s boxy build, pointy ears and the opened robe to see tiddies(🤩) are some of the notable ones.

HC would not be complete without E’Ming, obviously. After comparing some different blades and trying to integrate a butterfly in the design, I opted for keeping it simple and I ended up with this wobbly shaped hilt made to resemble HC’s bang. The fact that now E’Ming looks like it has a big nose is just an added charm honestly.

CONCLUSION

Thanks for reading until this point I hope you enjoyed my yap and make sure to have a nice day/night! <33

I'll leave the link to my animatic wip here, please note once again that it is not finished in the slightes and there are also some funky expressions that don't really fit the mood lol enjoyyy!

-Sole

[yea-baiyi]

xie lian headcanon:

his laughter is mostly silent, with lots of shaking shoulders and hunching into himself and covering his face. the kind that looks like you might be crying. sometimes xie lian will laugh so hard he ends up making choking sounds like half a guffaw. (he’s autistic ok he’s never gonna laugh just pretty and normal he’s gotta be forever kinda weird about it.)

later on he tends to fold over into hua cheng and bury his face in hua cheng’s shoulder when laughing but hua cheng likes to pull back to look and treasure his laughing face. so when xie lian’s having a rare giggle fit (a thing that almost never used to happen, even before the fall of xianle and certainly never after) they end up in the position where hua cheng is just leaning forward clutching xie lian’s shoulders and kind of watching and laughing as well so they’re in their own bubble which is adorable but also so fucking weird when there’s people around.

they’re weird4weird in this marriage ok xie lian gets the space to open up and be treasured for the ways he is weird and imperfect and hua cheng gets the space to be a creepy fanboy without getting judged for it.

[hiltomi]

Fem!Fengqing in the obamitsu death scene 🥹🥹 legit was prompted this and the dialogue fit so hard 🥹🥹 I think in their next life, they’re bound to repeat everything together

(Also highkey I spent so long worried whether Feng Xin my love looked pretty in this scene, then i remembered they’re literally dying smh)

(Also xie lian’s reaction would be described as nothing less than agony)

[joys-of-everyday]

Unrefined thoughts on how MXTX creates complexity in her characters:

Mirror Mirror

Bingge and Bingmei are mirror images of one another, both from the same starting points, but who go onto have vastly different walks of life. While these are complex characters in their own right, the point here is less about the complexity of each of them individually, but how they demonstrate that our environment can influence who we are. It is, in fact, pretty rare to walk into your own clone from a parallel universe (and these are the only two MXTX characters who are true mirrors in this way), but the Bing-twins existence leads naturally to the question: had circumstances been different, would the other characters have turned out differently?

The Reformed, the Fallen

People change. A brave and righteous crown prince can become a drunk vagabond who beats people for criticising their martial skills, and can change again to a humble scrap collector who helps those in need. Another crown prince who gives their all to save their people can become twisted by hatred and despair. Life takes many turns, at unexpected places. Can you judge an entirety of a person by where they are now, when it is hard to say where they have been, or where they are yet to go?

Circumstance

Something that strikes me about TGCF is how it acknowledges how arbitrary human behaviour sometimes is. The farmer who tripped over Xie Lian as he lay in the street was wet and tired, so cussed him. But once he cooled down, he came back and apologised, forever changing Xie Lian’s life. We are subject to making pretty irrational choices when we are angry for whatever reason (or just hungry), and sometimes cruel actions are not from a cruel person. Equally, sometimes a kind action is not from a kind person. Qi Rong didn’t need to save Guzi, and I suspect Jin Guangyao’s acts of kindness were not all self-motivated. Actions don’t always fit into a narrative of a good person and a bad person, because we contain both good elements and bad elements, and we act in different ways in different situations.

Perspective

People are seen by different people in different ways. Wei Wuxian is an extreme example – a hero to many, a villain to many more. I don’t think the way you are seen should at all dictate whether you are good or bad. Many of those who criticised Wei Wuxian did not have the full perspective, or were just plain wrong, and he was unfairly vilified. Actually, this isn’t really about Wei Wuxian’s complexity as a character at all – what I want to highlight here, is that when we see other people as a villain or a hero, we may not have the full picture. There are many characters who appear who we get maybe a few paragraphs of backstory, and we make judgements about them. Do we really understand their circumstances? Is the narrator even reliable? (Shen Jiu, excluding the extras, comes to mind)