fic idea that came to me in like hour 13 of intermittently walking up from passing out
before Mei Changsu rides out to war again (so he can die properly as Lin Shu again), Lin Chen goes to Xiao Jingyan. He declares his intentions to enlist, try to keep MCS alive, etc. But he also asks Jingyan for a letter.
If against all odds, and I truly do mean all odds, he does survive this, he will need an entire year, if not two, of healing and rest. And he will not rest if there's a single thing wrong in Daliang that he can affect. Obviously I'd lie to him and keep him in the dark of any and all political turmoil, but nothing would be as effective as a letter penned by your Highness, assuring him all is well and he is not to return.
And Jingyan understands what this means—that whether or not xiao Shu survives the war, he will be receiving news of MCS's death. That he will once again be kept in the dark until everything has shaken out.
Can you not send word with the truth? he asks in frustration. I'll write as many letters for xiao Shu's health as you want, and they'll even be honest. Just tell me if he lives.
And if he survives the war but not the treatment?
I would still rather know.
But I'd rather not tell you. Blame it on the pride of a doctor if your Highness must, but I only want to announce he's survived once that's meaningfully true.
...Then vow to me you'll tell me if he lives a year later. Two if you must. That's my condition for this letter.
...Those are estimates. It may yet take longer.
How much longer? ...Or is it that you would rather not tell me, either way? Why?
...No offense, but you've seen what court politics does to his health. And once your Highness becomes your Majesty, you will become the embodiment of court politics. I've already watched him march right back into this death trap of a city after healing him once, and I'll be damned if I have to do it again.
Jingyan is quiet for a long while, enough time for Lin Chen to reflect on his proclamation. After all, Xiao Jingyan is the one most trapped here in this "death trap of a city," by MCS's design no less. Maybe he shouldn't have reminded him of that.
But Jingyan goes to write the letter. It is clean and simple, with vague references to specific things that may resolve (or worsen) in the future, easily explained as Jingyan's unwillingness to go into details should they stress MCS out. It bids MCS to focus on his health and not return; Jingyan will make it a royal decree if he has to.
His hand shakes at the last strokes, but it's not so visible in the ink. Lin Chen politely doesn't mention it.
It seems a consistent theme in my life, Jingyan says, that people with more wisdom and foresight than me determine that my ignorance on certain matters yields more desirable results. If that is true, then...fine. I know my duty. And I know I have no ability here, no genuine way to entreat you to tell me the truth, but...
As MCS's confidant and co-conspirator in many things, Lin Chen had never been much inspired by this seventh prince. After all, this was someone Changsu had to keep in the dark should the plan go awry, someone who could be so ruled by his emotions that he failed all the years of Changsu's planning.
It's only now that Lin Chen's confronted with the enormity of these emotions up close. It's clear that MCS's secrecy has hurt XJY, and that Lin Chen's come to slip another knife into the same wound. But it's also clear that XJY will take any amount of wounding if it means MCS will live.
XJY's glare is at once resentful and resigned—on the verge of begging, kept back only by the understanding that Lin Chen had no particular mercy to spare for him.
(The Crown Prince is wrong about that, Lin Chen thinks.)
Lin Chen takes the letter, decides it'd be crueler to thank him for it, and goes. Some ridiculous part of his brain that wants to soothe the immense tragedy from XJY's brow is screaming, this might not matter at all. Changsu might not survive the war at all.
--
But of course he survives, thanks to Lin Chen. And Lin Chen takes him away to heal. The healing process even goes exactly according to Lin Chen's predictions, and after a little exasperated theater of "writing to Jinling to Xiao Jingyan," Lin Chen produces the letter. MCS wrestles with it for a couple of weeks, but does ultimately settle down. Lin Chen continues to intercept all his little spies and information network to perpetuate the illusion that all is well in Xiao Jingyan's Daliang.
(It's not even that much of an illusion. The new Emperor is, by all accounts, doing a notable job of holding peace and clearing his court of corruption. It's just that little things do occur, and Lin Chen knows MCS's perfectionist ass will want to swan dive in there to iron out every single wrinkle.)
But as more time passes and MCS gets better, maintaining the bubble gets harder. MCS wants to hear from XJY again. Things escalate, and Lin Chen ends up going to Jinling personally for two reasons. One, to force MCS to sit the fuck down 'cause nothing will go wrong if LC's taking care of it.
Two, there was a recent assassination attempt on the Emperor.
Lin Chen later learns that the attempt only got close bc XJY had pulled his guard out of harm's way and taken the poisoned blade himself. It was instinctive, XJY insists against Lie Zhanying's shouting. Obviously he wouldn't have done that had he been thinking.
The poison proves tricky, but fortunately Lin Chen knows how to get the last of it out. It's just some complicated acupuncture, ideally while the patient's heart rate and blood pressure is elevated. All XJY has to do is work out and let Lin Chen stab him with needles.
Unexpectedly, XJY invites LC to spar. They have aggressively not spoken about MCS, and XJY goads LC into not pulling his punches. Don't tell me Young Master Lin of Langya Hall plays by courtly rules. Does he not represent the wild will of the Jianghu?
And obviously LC doesn't hurt XJY, but he certainly bruises the Emperor, much to LZY's additional consternation. XJY only laughs, and when he so easily sheds the robes that mark him as the Son of Heaven, LC thinks about XJY being trapped on the throne. He thinks about the clean admiration in XJY's gaze when LC inevitably showed off during the spar.
He sees the impatience in how XJY waves away the servants that rush to redress him and understands thoroughly that by writing the letter, XJY knows better than anyone what he was sparing MCS.
What's your palace feeding you, or rather not feeding you? Your Majesty's got to be the skinniest Emperor I've ever seen.
Lin Chen doesn't know where the urge to poke XJY came from. All he knows is that XJY was obviously enjoying himself during the spar, and there's no harm in trying to prolong it.
And sure enough, with a decidedly un-Emperor-like eye roll:
And how many Emperors are in Sir Lin's sample size, if I may ask?
LC administers the acupuncture, but despite years in JInling XJY's got a soldier's constitution still—his heart calms quickly from the exercise. In a moment of inspiration, LC requests if his Majesty won't write a letter for him. Nothing major, just a general discussion of things that are going well, matters that are well in hand.
Beneath LC's fingers, XJY's pulse speeds. There's a certain jadedness to XJY's gaze, and LC feels momentary regret that once again, he's concealing MCS's wellbeing from XJY. After all, he could have requested this letter simply as means to get XJY's blood rushing.
But XJY writes the letter, looking so austere even shirtless with needles lining his chest and back, that were LC not feeling it himself, he would never have guessed XJY's pulse raced the entire time.
What a strange feeling, to learn pity for the Emperor.
Soon, Lin Chen resolves. I'll deliver this letter, and revisit the verdict of keeping the truth from Xiao Jingyan soon.
For some reason I've been either overthinking or too busy/tired to post my daily drawings, trying to group them by show and then not doing them in any sort of order, whatever.
Fusion Energy Funding Floods Startups, but Physics Remains the Bottleneck
## Is $13 Billion Enough to Tame Fusion’s Biggest Hurdles? Fusion energy is witnessing an unprecedented influx of private capital. Since 2020, investors have poured roughly **$13 billion** into fusion startups—a figure that dwarfs the **$2 billion** amassed in the previous ten years. The surge follows the National Ignition Facility’s (NIF) landmark ignition experiment, positioning Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a focal point for the emerging commercial race. Yet, while funding accelerates, the fundamental physics challenges that have long constrained fusion remain the critical bottleneck. ### Key Takeaways - **Funding Explosion:** Private investment in fusion has risen from $2 billion (2010‑2019) to $13 billion (2020‑present), reflecting heightened confidence in near‑term commercial viability. - **Ignition Catalyst:** The NIF’s ignition breakthrough validated a key scientific milestone, igniting investor enthusiasm and prompting a wave of venture capital activity. - **Oak Ridge Hub:** Oak Ridge National Laboratory is becoming the de‑facto incubator for fusion ventures, offering access to world‑class facilities and talent. - **Physics Remains Limiting:** Despite capital inflows, plasma confinement, material endurance, and net‑energy gain still pose formidable technical barriers. - **Startup Landscape:** Dozens of startups are scaling up tokamak, stellarator, and alternative confinement concepts, but most are still in prototype or proof‑of‑concept stages. - **Policy Implications:** Government R&D budgets continue to complement private funds, but alignment of regulatory frameworks with rapid commercial development is still nascent. - **Market Outlook:** Analysts project that, if physics hurdles are overcome, commercial fusion could begin delivering power by the early 2030s, reshaping the global energy mix. [Read Full Article](https://news.ababil360.com/fusion-energy-funding-floods-startups-but-physics-remains-the-bottleneck/) #FusionFunding #CleanEnergy #NIF #PrivateInvestment #StartupBoom #PlasmaPhysics #EnergyTransition #TechRace #OakRidge #newsababil360
@taylor-titmouse and I are doing another hour and a half of porn comic portfolio (pornfolio?) reviews for Nib & Ink Festival 2026! Bring us your hopes, dreams, and sequentially drawn holes. Submission portal opens May 1st!
