So.

MORE PHOTS IN MUH REBLOG

Psst. Don't tell the jolkein rolkein rolkein estate, but this is amazing. DO consider buying a print from the extraordinary artist responsible:

https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/leiaham/

Original Twitter thread with the artist's thoughts and commentary:

I join the Discord server

I mute the Discord server

I'm never seen again in the Discord server

*me, getting out of my dissociative state to log back on my mdzs bullshit for a hot second:* there really wasn't much of a choice for Nie Huaisang but to send those girls with Jiang Cheng. No matter how upright Lan Xichen was, he didn't trust him enough to play the role of a neutral judge given how close he was to Jin Guangyao. Nie Huaisang couldn't take care of that part without disturbing the wishy-washy persona he carefully crafted for himself in front of the entire world. But Jiang Cheng? Relentless. A dog with a bone. He'd get to the bottom of the matter and dig out all the facts in less than 2 hours, never mind if someone he should be cultivating strong and stable alliances with is at the centre of the storm. Trust the leader of the sect represented by the flower that blooms in the mud to lend his ear to a servant girl and a prostitute.

[I doubt this will be done by Nie Huaisang's birthday, but we'll see.]

Jiang Cheng looked different.

Not drastically so, of course, but to the eyes of someone who has spent an inordinate amount of time cataloguing his features, the way he moved, every minute detail about him, the differences were undeniable.

To someone like Nie Huaisang.

He had always been tall and handsome and well-built, of course. Nie Huaisang hadn't been able to look away, from the moment Jiang Cheng and his shixiong had arrived at the Cloud Recesses all those years ago. (Had it really been five years? It seemed like it was just yesterday. It seemed like several lifetimes.) Nie Huaisang's eyes were always drawn to him, drinking in everything about him, committing it to memory so he could recreate it with his brush by candlelight. He had filled so much paper with Jiang Cheng's likeness, really it was a wonder that Jiang Cheng never found them in his room. That would have been so embarrassing, and difficult to explain away.

The point was, at fifteen, Jiang Cheng had already been the most beautiful boy Nie Huaisang had ever seen. But now… he was taller for one. They both were, but comparatively the height difference was greater than it had been five years ago. His chest was broader, tapering down to a waist just as narrow as it had been. He had already been strong and sleekly muscled, Nie Huaisang had seen that plenty of times, when they had snuck to the creek and Jiang Cheng had swam in only his trousers. (Nie Huaisang hadn't known how to swim, he never ventured far into the water. Jiang Cheng swam like he'd been born in the water.) Jiang Cheng had filled out since then, the flowing silk of his sleeves could not hide the bulge of his biceps, and the collars of his robe strained to cross over his pectorals.

And his face. Five years, grief and war had melted away what baby fat had still been there at fifteen. His cheekbones were now exquisitely defined, his jawline so sharp that Nie Huaisang wondered if it could possibly cut his skin if he ran his fingers on it.

He had learned to school his expressions better, befitting the leader of a major clan.(It didn't matter that Yunmeng Jiang had been decimated, that its ranks were full of rogues or new recruits younger even than their leader, Jiang Cheng stood proud and commanding and if not everyone agreed that it was still one of the great clans, Nie Huaisang was certain that they would before long). But his eyes. No matter how impassive and dignified his expression, Jiang Cheng's eyes were full of storms, emotion shone in them like the crackle of electricity at his fingers.

Those eyes widened now, as he saw Nie Huaisang coming towards him. They softened, like clouds clearing after a storm, and those lips that Nie Huaisang had drawn so many times, had dreamed of so many nights, those lips quirked up into a smile. For him.

Without saying anything, and before Nie Huaisang could react, Jiang Cheng strode across the distance between them and enveloped him in a fierce hug, strong arms tight around him.

He really was substantially taller than Nie Huaisang than before. It was a little bit like being hugged by dage. Well, not really. Dage's hugs didn't set his heart racing like this, after all.

Nie Huaisang let Jiang Cheng pull him up on tiptoes while Jiang Cheng hunched protectively around him, bowing his head so his lips were by Nie Huaisang's ear.

"It's so good to see you," his voice was a raspy whisper. It made Nie Huaisang's hands clutch tightly at his robes.

How long had it been since they'd last seen each other? Nie Huaisang couldn't recall. Months. Not quite a year. Too long.

Jiang Cheng finally released him, setting him back on his heels and stepped back, looking a little sheepish at his display.

Nie Huaisang hastily straightened his robes before clasping his hands together in a bow. "Jiang-zongzhu."

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at him. "Don't do that, Huaisang, there's no need."

He ducked his head to hide his smile. He would have pulled out his fan, snapped it open to hide behind, but something in Jiang Cheng's intense gaze stopped him.

"Jiang-xiong," he amended.

"Better," Jiang Cheng scoffed, lips quirking into a smile. He held out his arm and Nie Huaisang slipped his hand through. It felt comforting and familiar to walk arm in arm with Jiang Cheng like this, in this place.

"I only heard that you arrived a little while ago," Nie Huaisang said. "I'm glad I caught you before you left."

"I'm staying the night," Jiang Cheng said. "Besides, I wouldn't have left without seeing you."

ah…the timeless taste of gay chicken

the sun and his little star ☀️🌟

I love my class it's so chaotic.

Our substitute Maths teacher is leaving at the end of next week (we've had him since the beginning of the year) and we want to buy him something. So a guy went to the mall to buy a chocolate box at the chocolate shop.

Dude: The chocolate shop is closed.

Me: It must not be considered as an essential shop.

Girl: I think the Fnac (multimedia store) is open.

Me: THAT counts as essential?

Guy: it is. I don't know why though.

Girl: We could buy him an Xbox game.

Guy: Why tf?

Me: we don't even know whether he has an Xbox.

Girl: yes we do.

Me: How???

Girl: someone found his wedding gift list on the internet a while ago.

An other guy: A game is a good idea.

Girl: It will last longer than food.

A third guy: It's on his wedding list but we don't know whether he has one.

Fourth guy: wait how did we find his wedding list?

Third guy: We could buy him the Xbox itself.

Girl, replying to fourth guy: well, you're the computer science expert

Third guy: there's a difference between computer science and stalking people.

Second guy: didn't he need a couch too?

LXC a little sour to JC not because he dislikes the younger sect leader, some jiang sect disciple would probably shiv him for that, but because he's a tiny bit jealous, LQR occasionally compares LXC's ability to do paperwork/organize things/maintain discipline to JC's and frequently finds LXC lacking, especially in the paperwork department, and in the Lan sect at least it's an open secret that LQR wishes that JC was HIS nephew/son

A Small Selection Of Lan Qiren Comments That Lan Xichen Has Endured Over Years Of Doing Official Paperwork With Shufu:

- *apropos of nothing* I heard that Jiang Wanyin knows all the local farmers personally.

- Where are the source citation footnotes? … WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘the what, now?’?!?!?

- Did you see the way Sect Leader Jiang glared at his disciples when they started whispering during that last cultivation conference? They way they just... snapped to order? Immediately? And barely breathed for the remainder of the meeting?? *deep sigh*

- I must say, Jiang-zongzhu’s arrangement of this graph speaks to a highly methodical and logistically-gifted mind.

- You only referenced data from the last *three* years in this year’s annual report? Hm...  Nothing. NO, it’s FINE. I just agree with certain other parties that one can only truly get a comprehensive picture of long-range projections by utilizing statistics from at least the last decade…

Fetch! 

Strong Nie Huaisang is strong (and a delicate flower)