#then he must let go of jc in every way

[mxtxfanatic]

Who Killed Wei Wuxian? the Politics of Culpability in MDZS

The title is kind of a misnomer because we know how Wei Wuxian died and we know who is responsible, so let's get those quotes out the way:

“To be honest though, if it weren’t for young Chief Jiang’s knowledge of the Yiling Laozu’s weaknesses, the siege of the Burial Mounds might not have succeeded. Don’t forget what kinds of things Wei Wuxian has at his disposal. Don’t you remember when he annihilated more than 3,000 high level cultivators?”

—Chapt. 1: Rebirth, fanyiyi

[Wei Wuxian] “I have to clarify this. [Jiang Cheng] didn’t kill me. I died because one of my techniques backfired.”

—Chapt. 43: Beauty I, fanyiyi

Wei Wuxian died from the backlash of attempting to destroy the second yin tiger tally while the first siege of the Burial Mounds took place. Jiang Cheng and the rest of the cultivation world is directly responsible for his death, thus are to blame. However, this meta isn't about who we are "meant to" blame for Wei Wuxian's death but about the conversation that the novel has about culpability. Contrary to the bad faith engagement that happens around this topic within the fandom, mxtx actually brings up this culpability problem many times in the novel:

After a moment of silence, Wei Wuxian said, “What else have you heard?” “Jiang Cheng, Clan Chief Jiang, brought people to encircle and besiege the Burial Mounds. He killed you, sir.” “I have to clarify this. He didn’t kill me. I died because one of my techniques backfired.” Wen Ning finally lifted his eyes and looked at him directly. “But, Clan Chief Jiang, he clearly—" “It’s impossible for someone to walk on a lonely, single-log bridge safely and soundly for an entire lifetime. It couldn’t be helped.” Wen Ning seemed to want to sigh, though he had no breath to sigh with.

—Chapt. 43: Beauty I, fanyiyi

Wen Qing waited quietly for him to finish cursing, “And so, you see? There’s no use. With the way things are, the identity of the one who placed the curse of Hundred Holes is no longer important. What’s important is the fact that the hundreds of people at Qiongqi path and... Jin ZiXuan were indeed killed by A-Ning.” Wei WuXian, “... But, but...” But what? He himself didn’t even know what to put after ‘but’. He couldn’t think of a reason to give, an excuse to use. He spoke, “... But even then, I should be the one going. I was the one who made the corpses kill the people. Why would the knife go instead of the murderer?”

—Chapt. 77: Nightfall, exr

Wen Ning says that Jiang Cheng is to blame for Wei Wuxian's death while Wei Wuxian says that it was an inevitability that could only be blamed on the circumstances rather than any individual. The Wen siblings say that Wen Ning is the one who killed Jin Zixuan, but Wei Wuxian argues that he is the one who turned Wen Ning into a weapon, thus absolving Wen Ning of the crime and placing it solely on Wei Wuxian's shoulders as the weapon's wielder. Who's side does the novel take? Well to answer that, let's take a look at another character who has caused many deaths throughout the novel: Jin Guangyao:

Jin GuangYao saw through the worries in his eyes instantly, and became so enraged that he actually started to laugh, “Lan XiChen! All my life, I’ve lied to countless people and have destroyed countless more. Just as you’ve said, murdering my father, my brother, my wife, my son, my master, my friends—There’s not a single sin left in this world that I haven’t committed!”

—Chapt. 108: Concealment Part 2, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Of all the characters Jin Guangyao lists, he personally, with his own hands, verifiably killed two. Jin Guangshan was raped to death. Qin Su committed suicide. Jin Zixuan was killed in the Qionqi Path ambush. The details of Jin Rusong's death are unknown. Jin Guangyao didn't even personally kill any of the clans the Jin used as experiments nor did he murder the sex workers with his own hands. Only Wen Ruohan and Nie Mingjue were directly killed by Jin Guangyao—the former by being literally stabbed in the back and the latter through poisoning—so why does Jin Guangyao claim responsibility? It's because he planned these death. Without his direct manipulations and explicit intention to kill, none of those characters would have died as they did. Thus, despite not taking a knife to each of them individually, the blood of all of these characters is on Jin Guangyao's hands.

Here's another example:

It had taken the Four Great Sects three full months of recuperation, reorganization and planning before they’d finally become ready to take seize upon Burial Mound in retaliation; at last “exterminating” the last remnants of the Wen Sect along with the deranged Yiling Patriarch himself.

—Chapt. 108: Concealment Part 2, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Around 3,000 cultivators gathered to kill 50 individuals. Logically, there is no way that 3,000 people literally had a direct hand in killing a few dozen people. However, they all came with the explicit intent to massacre, and they all take pride and credit in having participated in the first siege. Even though, logically, they all didn't take turns personally smashing Granny Wen's head in, they are each still culpable for her and the other Wen remnants' deaths.

But what about the people who were "only following orders" (the Nuremberg defense, for people who haven't yet released how many of villain stan defenses sound like Nazi arguments) or "didn't mean" their actions? Should they be blamed just for being followers of bad people, whether be it because they genuinely believed in the mastermind's lies or wanted to personally benefit from the chaos? Should they be considered blameless for murderous intent that makes a victim of the "wrong" person? Mdzs addresses that, too:

One of them shouted from afar, “Wei... Wei Ying! If you’re really that strong, why don’t you go find those sect leaders participating in the pledge conference? What could you prove by picking on us low-level cultivators with no power to fight back?” Wei WuXian let out another short whistle. The cultivator who shouted felt as a hand suddenly tugged him down. He fell off the city gate, breaking both of his legs, and began to scream. Amid the wails, Wei WuXian’s expression didn’t change at all, “Low-level cultivators? Do I have to tolerate you, just because you’re low-level cultivators? If you dared say those things, you had to dare shoulder the consequences. If you knew that you were insignificant pieces of scum as filthy as ants, how come you didn’t know to think before you speak?!”

—Chapt. 77: Nightfall, exr

Wei WuXian could tell the arrow tip was originally aiming for his heart, his vital region. Yet, because the archer wasn’t skilled, the force of the arrow tip dwindled by midair to have missed the heart and shot into the ribcage. Everyone around the person who shot the arrow had eyes wide open, staring with shock and even fear at the disciple who had done such a thing. Wei WuXian looked up. Darkness veiled his face. He pulled out the arrow and tossed it back hard. With a wail, the young cultivator who snuck an attack at him was hit right in the chest with the arrow he tossed back! A boy next to him threw himself on top of him, “Brother! Brother!” The sect’s array was immediately thrown into chaos. The sect leader pointed at Wei WuXian with one shaking finger, “You... You... You are so cruel!” With his right hand, Wei WuXian unhurriedly pressed the wound at his chest, temporarily ceasing the blood flow. His voice was indifferent, “What does cruel mean? If he dared shoot the arrow at me when I was off guard, he should’ve known what would be facing him if he failed. They call me the cultivator of the crooked path, anyways, so you can’t possibly count on me to be generous and not bother with him, can you?”

...

Wei WuXian was pushed onto the ground again by the force. The next time he looked up, he saw the gleaming blade of a sword pierce through her throat. The boy holding the sword was the young cultivator who cried over the disciple who had shot the arrow. He was still crying, eyes covered in tears, “You thief! This is for my brother!” Sitting on the dirty ground, Wei WuXian stared with disbelief at Jiang YanLi, whose head had already dipped, blood trickling ceaselessly from her neck. ... The boy finally realized that he killed the wrong person. He pulled out the sword, along with a series of bloody spurts. With fright, he staggered back, mumbling, “... I-It wasn’t me, it wasn’t... I was going to kill Wei WuXian, I was going to avenge my brother... She was the one who threw herself over on her own!”

—Chapt. 78: Nightfall, exr

The cultivators both at Nightless City and those who didn't go choose to provoke Wei Wuxian based on the slander spread by the cultivation clan leaders. Those at Nightless City are gathered specifically to pledge to kill him. However, the moment Wei Wuxian turns his sights on them, then it's "But we're just baby 🥺 why not pick on someone your own size?" Wei Wuxian's response is masterful in that he calls them out for what they are: opportunistic cowards who prey on the weak but fear the strong. They wanted to attack him without consequences, but the moment consequences happened, they wanted to shift responsibility. The clan of the boy who attempted to kill Wei Wuxian is the same, as well as that boy's brother who killed Jiang Yanli. You chose to be here, you chose to participate, so just as you wanted to share in the spoils, you must also share in the responsibility, whether you were able to achieve your goal or not.

Now with all of this context in mind, let's circle back to Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian's convos: who are the killers? In the case of the first siege, the answer is Jiang Cheng... as well as the rest of the cultivation world. While the responsibility may vary in degrees (Jiang Cheng owed a debt to the Wen siblings and Wei Wuxian that the other participants did not), it is still a shared one. In the case of the Qionqi Path ambush, Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning, too, share and accept responsibility despite only one person getting their hands dirty while the other person (subconsciously) gave the orders. Wei Wuxian may have turned Wen Ning into a fierce corpse, but Wen Ning had the consciousness to refuse and chose not to in service of defending the man who saved his family.

Finally, I want to leave on this note: while Jiang Cheng is to blame for Wei Wuxian's death, Wei Wuxian, himself, does not wish to place that blame on his former shidi. One reason is that he acknowledges that his murder was a forgone conclusion—something anyone would have plotted towards, anyways, with or without Jiang Cheng's willing intervention—the moment the cultivation world turned on him as an enemy, and two, because of this:

Suddenly, [Jiang Cheng] said, “I’m sorry.” Wei WuXian froze, then said, “......You don’t have to say sorry.” After everything that had happened between them, it was impossible to tell who was the one most at fault.

—Chapt. 103: A Hatred for Life Part 6, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

There is so much bad blood between these two that to weigh their transgressions against each other—particularly in the wake of the golden core transfer reveal—would be petty and diminish them both as people. Wei Wuxian gave up his golden core for the man who later willingly and gleefully plotted his murder, but Jiang Cheng lost his only friend, his sister, and his reputation over all of those jealousy-clouded decisions. In a way, this entanglement made them both lose, so the best answer is to cut the loss and move on (Wei Wuxian's approach) rather than trying to forcefully maintain the connection of tangled debts at the threat of facing even bigger losses (Jiang Cheng's approach until the climax). There's nothing to be gained from trying to hold Jiang Cheng accountable for his crimes against Wei Wuxian, so it's best to simply let sleeping dogs lie and for Wei Wuxian to continue to live his life happily no longer tied in any way to the man who led to his death.

[greeneyed-thestral]

I MET MICHAEL SHEEN. 16/03/24, National Theatre

So, if you've read my post about booking tickets to see Michael, you know all about my what-ifs. But the day was finally here.

I arrived at the National Theatre, followed all the Nye signs and here's the Olivier Theatre. I made my sister buy me the show's programme, hoping I would be able to get it signed.

I find my seat, I'm not in the centre but the stage still feels very close and you can see everything (amphitheatres are always the best).

Lights out. The audience is in religious silence. Can't believe I'm actually here, this is happening.

[skip this part in smaller font, if you want to avoid spoilers] In the words of Staged, he really loses himself in his roles. First of all, it's great to hear him speak in a Welsh accent.

But then we also see him turning back into a child, and you can totally believe he's young and innocent again. His stutter feels so real, his struggle and sadness too. The entire ensamble is great during the classroom scene, where they all help Nye against their bullying teacher (using those big canes to make him look scary really works). Hearing young Nye confessing that at times he thinks he 'shouldn't exist' because of who he is was a gut punch; Michael's delivery of that whole part is incredible, in that moment he really becomes a little boy that allows himself to feel vulnerable and says something dark to a friend. The way he jumps while saying "I can visualise and enunciate!" made me wanna jump too, he was ready to give up and then he found the solution through books, it's the joy and relief you feel when you realise that there is another way and your life is not over.

Now, I've watched musicals all my life and let me tell you that man is meant to be in one. He opened his mouth and all I could see was someone that had been waiting a long time for the occasion to show his talent, truly showstopping. He was so free and happy and confident, singing and dancing spectacularly. I couldn't stop smiling and giggling, we all clapped.

It's clear he means every word he says, and when he points and shouts his political arguments at the audience, those who feel called out must be shaking; I thought 'This is how people in Ancient Greece must have felt everytime they went to the theatre'. His Nye is inspiring, passionate, someone you'd want to follow, he stands up for what he believes in and lets nothing get in his way.

We get to watch him flirt, on all fours, waggling his 'tail'; everytime we think we've seen all he's capable of, he does something like this and surprises us.

But most of all, we see him being scared, first of having to do something, and then of not being able to do enough for all of us. At one point everyone has requests for Nye and I was expecting him to shout "Heal yourselves!" like Jesus in JCS, it totally conveyed what it must have been like to be in his role at the time, overwhelmed with daunting responsibilities.

In general, I appreciated the fact that it wasn't a linear biography, they chose life moments that have universal situations everyone can relate too, like they do in bio-musicals. I loved the staging. The colour palette is so recognisable; the curtains and the beds are used in many different ways so everything is explored at its full potential.

He is on stage basically all the time for more than two hours (sometimes twice a day, can you imagine?). Also barefoot and in his pajamas from start to finish, he looks like a teddy bear you just want to hug and protect.

He bows, looks at Nye's achievements, then leaves the stage.

Standing ovation, applause. I go back to the theatre lobby, I was supposed to wait for my sister, but she's late. Meanwhile, a fan asks me how to get to the Stage Door. I start too fear that I'm going to miss my chance if I keep waiting inside, so I decide to go on my own. After no more than 5 minutes, he's outside with us. Forget Nye, I am living my fever dream. He has just finished his second show of the day and yet he's smiling and listening to each and every one, signing and taking pictures. I know many have said this, but he really is an angel.

My sister arrives, and as soon as I'm sure she has the camera ready, I make my way to him. The two girls next to me who were speaking to him needed a pen and I lent them my sharpie, so I got my chance to look generous in front of him.

And suddently it was my turn. This is as much as my scrambled mind allows me to remember: I tell him I'm Francesca and I'm from Italy, he asks me how long I am going to stay, I confess that I had arrived that morning and just to see him, that I would be leaving already the following morning. I can't even focus while he's signing my programme, I just want to find the right words. I manage to say how I enjoyed seeing his passion, all these different sides of him and how watching him sing and dance has been the highlight of my evening. We take a picture together, I feel his hand on my shoulder and I realise my arm is around the waist of this person I love. I had to thank him again, telling him that he only deserves good things and that we are so lucky to have him. He wishes me a safe trip home, and I melt. I leave and I can't stop trembling. On my way back to the hotel I hold on tight to my signed programme and the sharpie that was in his hands just moments earlier. Only later I will realise that he's also written 'Ciao!', 'love' and 'X', without me asking for it or anything! Seeing him act live was a big gift already, but what followed outside was beyond my dreams. I can't look at the photos without blushing, the way he looks at me in the video and then also strokes my arm for a moment, I mean pinch me now.

The more I think about it, the more I can't believe it happened.

I want to thank everyone that under my first post pushed me and encouraged me to see the pros of doing this, I share this beautiful moment of my life with all of you. <3

[bibookdemon]

Thinking of DarkJi (I read a really good fic and I'm like oh wow. That hurt. I want more of that)

Warning yall now that this is DARK DARK

Manipulation, killing, forced relationship, etc

This is not a love story

So I propose to you a LWJ that is taken by the Wens very soon after his first encounter with WWX. He is then raised for the next several years by their morals, which are horrifying and terrible and sickening to the point where he has to start drinking a specific tea with every meal do he doesn't puke it all up.

He is forced to watch every single thing they do, forced to learn it, forced to have his knowledge put to the test. He has tried to run, he has tried to help the innocent, but he is always dragged back, and that wouldn't be an issue to him, his life is worth so much less than everyone that is being hurt, but he has been threatened. He is told the Cloud Recesses will be burnt, every life slaughtered. And that he will be the one to light the flame, the one to bring a blade to his brother's throat. That even if he were unwilling he would be manipulated as a puppet, forced to do what they wanted him to. The entire Lan clan would perceive him as a filthy traitor before they were killed.

And so LWJ lets himself be threatened into compliance. He becomes a murder machine, eventually going numb to every drop of blood spilled. He is no longer himself, his emotions cold and faded because otherwise he might break and fail his clan, and then they'd just be *dead.*

Eventually it comes time to eliminate the Jiang clan. (The timeline is a bit slower than canon) LWJ is informed of this and immediately begs for WWX's life because all those years ago, he fell hopelessly in love, and thinking about that makes him feel something again. His begging is answered, and it is decided that LWJ deserves a war spoil.

So WWX ends up captured and the only survivor of the slaughter. (Yes. JC and JYL are killed.)

LWJ isn't just allowed to have him, though. WWX is a representation of disobedience, rebellion. His bright light must be harnessed and contained before it grows out of control.

And so WWX receives his branding. He is held down, blindfolded and gagged, and LWJ is instructed to mark him as a Wen. LWJ hesitates, but ultimately agrees because it will save WWX's life. And so he looks at the man he loves and he presses the hot iron down, and his eyes water and he can barely withhold from gagging, and he knows that his food will come up later, that he likely won't be able to eat for several days. He is forced to watch and listen as WWX struggles and cries out in pain, as he becomes a Wen against his will.

LWJ takes the branding iron back to his quarters with him and snaps it in two when he's alone. WWX has been taken to the healer to make sure his wound heals properly.

LWJ is furious with himself, with the Wens, but what can he do? He now has more people that can be used against him.

Eventually he is allowed to see WWX, who is kept drugged while he heals, his golden core sealed off (temporarily) and his body paralyzed so that all he can do is breathe and cry and eat and drink and blink. Any of the basic functions he needs to live. And then he sees LWJ, and for a moment, he believes he's about to be saved. And then he sees LWJ clothes in the colors of the Wens. He sees the guilt in the way LWJ avoids his eyes, the way he clenches his sword too tightly.

He'd been told LWJ was captured. That's all he knew, and he expected him to be dead. Yet, here he was. Alive. Healthy. And with thousands of lives' worth of blood on his hands. He can tell with just one look at those pained eyes.

And then he sees the way LWJ glances at his new mark, and he knows. He *knows.* And he wants to scream, wants to scream at LWJ and go up to him and deck him. But he can't make any noise, just glare and cry, which are both groggy and weak because of the drugs.

He has to lay there and let LWJ stand beside his bed, look over him, apologize over and over, explain himself over and over. WWX refuses to listen to him.

LWJ leaves after a while.

Eventually WWX is well enough to be taken off of the drugs, at which point his golden core remains sealed but he can walk and speak. He is heavily guarded, not that he'd try to escape. He is too weak, too defeated. He was captured in the middle of the fray, he saw the Jiang clan losing to the Wen clan, knows Lotus Pier must have fallen, unless there was some sort of miracle. It's only worse when his guards talk purposefully loud so that he overhears that his siblings were killed.

He loses most of his purpose, most of his will, for a while. LWJ attempts to speak to him, but every time he tries, WWX makes eye contact and tells LWJ to kill him. Says that it's the only mercy he can provide now. And LWJ can't stand that, can't stand seeing the way WWX's life has left his eyes.

The slaughter continues, LWJ continues to go between the battlefield and WWX.

LWJ returns covered in blood one day, and that brings WWX out of his lifeless mind. He snaps, anger tinting his vision red. He manages to incapacitate his guards and get his hands on Bichen, which he holds to LWJ's throat. LWJ doesn't mind, in fact, if WWX kills him and goes, he can save the Lan clan. He sees that spark, that beautiful spark, and knows that WWX can and will win the war. He just needs to be set free.

WWX hesitates at the look in LWJ's eyes, and then hardens his resolve, and he's jumping into action before he feels something hard slam into the back of his head and it all goes dark.

LWJ is reported for attempting to set WWX free, and is sent away for many months to have the Wens' lessons forced back into him, to have his cultivation tainted by the darkness of the Wens. He is melted down and reforged, and when he returns, he is no longer LWJ.

He comes back and there is WWX, his beautiful WWX, but he doesn't see beauty the same way he used to. He sees it in terms of its usefulness to him. He sees that WWX's spark can be turned into a forest fire, devastating and with the ability to destroy everything in its path.

And so he wields WWX as a weapon. He plays mind games, he manipulates and lies and gaslights until WWX doubts everything he thinks, until he is nothing but a shred of who he used to be. And he is taught how to be a proper Wen. He becomes LWJ's blade.

A while passes, at which point LWJ and WWX rise to power as an unstoppable and dark, twisted duo. The blackened Jade and his broken lover, because yes, WWX is his spoil of war, and the Wens do what they want with their spoils.

They rise and rise until one day, WRH is beneath the blade. The rest of his family has been wiped out, WZL is gone, and suddenly WRH is gone. And the throne is left to LWJ and WWX.

The war is turned around. LWJ may have been broken by the Wen's morals, but he knows the war must end. Safety and peace is guaranteed to all. No one dares try to take the throne from LWJ because he has stopped the bloodshed and because he is terrifyingly powerful.

WWX never recovers from everything that was done to him, always by LWJ's side. LWJ's humanity is never returned.

And as he killed for the throne, so too he is killed for the throne one day.

[joanna-lannister]

I promised I would make a masterlist of all my favorite JC fanfictions, so here you go. Those fics aren't sorted out by Canon or AU, they are just a mix of what I loved over the years.

How My Story Ends by Millie55 Cersei and her army arrive in Winterfell to aide in the battle against the Night King. Or Cersei and Jaime reunite in Winterfell.

Casablanca by LordStannisTheGodDamnMannis666 Tywin extends Jaime’s business trip abroad at short notice with express instructions to fly directly to the next country. Jaime however rather likes the idea of a detour, and he knows the perfect person to join him. Aka As long as he gets there by Monday morning it doesn’t really matter what he does in the meantime, does it?

They Want to Make Me Their Queen by Millie55 Cersei has lost everything except 2 things: Jaime, and her Kingdom.

Until Death Do Us Part by LordStannisTheGodDamnMannis666 A new law is passed in parliament that changes Jaime and Cersei's lives for good, allowing them the opportunities, freedom, and happiness that they once could only dare to hope for.

my blood alone remains by houselannister The Austrian Princess is barely fourteen when she leaves her homeland for France. She speaks very little French, and is wilful, stubborn and capricious. She leaves Vienna with an escort of two thousand men, loyal Austrian soldiers.

The Ribbon by Magnolie Cersei is shipped off to France by their mother to part her from Jaime. But there is no without each other for them, only together.

Oh come all ye faithful by Magnolie Jaime and Cersei have their own ways and excuses to escape the boring Christmas Parties and even if they have to stay... there is always a way to spice things up.

therefore each to other bound by copacet Having escaped Stark custody, Jaime returns to King's Landing during the Battle of the Blackwater—thus solving some of his family's problems while also creating several new ones.

of love and beauty by liesmyth “We’re lions.” Jaime’s hand clasped around her own. “Let them all choke on it.”

The Price of Love by nightingalesighs Cersei studies her sleeping twin’s face one night trying to pinpoint when Jaime’s feature’s had changed. When his hair had started going grey and what caused the wrinkles on his familiar face.

She's always been afraid of storms by vwoolf Cersei's afraid of storms and seeks out her brother's company.

you gave away what you never really had, and now your purse is empty, I can see why you're sad by houselannister It's been five years since Jaime left London. Now Tywin is dead, and business is business. Cersei flies to Paris to get what's hers.

foreshore by lutece Still, the lions linger—perhaps they are dead across the sea, but in Pentos they have flourished with their cub.

The Better Cure by corrielle After being unhorsed by Loras Tyrell on Prince Joffrey's name day, Jaime visits Cersei to soothe his wounded pride.

perihelion by houselannister London, 2020 - After Tywin Lannister's death, Jaime and Tyrion uncover their father's most precious secret: a hidden sister. Money and power intersect with family and obsession.

Prophecies & Promises by spinsterclaire When the 18-year old Lannister twins find themselves locked out of their father's townhome, they visit an old acquaintance to escape the Manhattan blizzard. There, they must confront their fears about keeping promises, accepting fate, and bringing new life into the world.

Study Me, Study You by LordStannisTheGodDamnMannis666 Jaime needs help with his homework, and who better to help than Cersei?

Take My Hand, The Night Grows Ever Colder by LordStannisTheGodDamnMannis666 Across the Narrow Sea, in a stone house on the shore of Pentos, Cersei Lannister dreams of her children.

The Loneliest Girl in Town by Millie55 Cersei fears she may have lost Jaime for good - every last piece of him.

Quiet. by frozenpapers Tywin interrupts Cersei and Jaime.

Hush. by frozenpapers A phone call interrupts Cersei and Jaime.

[androdetective]

Don't harass anyone just block

This isn't something I wouldn't make without reason. I'm sure a lot of people must of noticed these out of place posts in the 31 minutos tag

Spinergy-69 posted in the main 31 minutos tag, except this was a post directed against a post of the person in the screenshot.

"Things that make me laugh? Having debated a thousand years ago a public post tagged "Tulio Triviño" in which I thought I was going to be able to debate at ease with another fan, fighting arguments for the mere fun of doing it, and after 437268573 days he still quotes someone who commented a list of things for which he didn't think the same. I really am unforgettable. 🚬 Don't worry, I'm all about talking things face to face, instead of sending childish indirects like this specimen, but the times l've tried to talk it out in the posts he devotes to me, he cries even louder the baby, so that's all that's left and my last reference to it, Peace"

Below it is an image of that person's post (who will be called "A") he was responding to, it reads:

"Every time I see a white humanization of Tulio (even more if he is blonde/has streaked hair like the puppet) it takes years off my life. HE LOOKS HORRIBLE LIKE THAT THEY TOOK AWAY HIS MELANIN!!!

(don't take this post so seriously I don't want whiners to come and try to "debate" like when I said that Tulio was canonically fat)"

he also wrote tags that said "#bonus points if they make Bodoque more brown than him #it seems classist to me #the rich guy has to be white and the other more brown because he doesn't have as much money"

User Spinergy drew a box around the last sentence that says, "No one, absolutely no one draws him more brown because of that"

In the second image, Spinergy again posts in the 31 minutos tag a post directed against A. A has told Spinergy many times not to interact with him, and Spinergy has continued to ignore that. It says:

"I want to cancel (person's @) for giving me the spectacular HC that Juan Carlos Bodoque would be brown for being exposed to the most extreme weather conditions, being an off-road reporter. Between the Chilean desert and the Chilean arctic he would have a tan color worth appreciating. Assuming that fans have related skin tone to monetary acquisition, is in fact, the most classist thought I have read in a long time, cancel (he calls A a snake)"

I will add that in the comments of this post, he speaks with his friend and it says this:

"I accept the cancelation, I am enemy #1 of a JC with PERFECTLY WHITE skin, how would he not have sun spots, a constant tan or noticeable burns considering he even let himself be buried under sand?

-And what a great episode it was, holy shit... Totally cinematic.

-Besides, we already have someone with milky skin and another with pure, porcelain-white skin. Let the adventurer express his savagery in his skin, let the tan be a mark of life rather than a social stigma"

I don't have to explain why that's colorist language. Attributing savagery and the wild with tan/brown skin is very bad. It's ironic he's called A discriminatory when he's fine with this.

After those two posts, A responds with this:

"I seriously have to clarify that in my previous post that when I said that it seems classist to me that Tulio is always made white and Juan Carlos brown, I don't mean that EVERY such humanization is classist in itself, but because classism mixed with racism/colorism in LATAM is something very present???

Yes, each person may have a reason for why Bodoque is brown (whether it's because of work, being born that way or just because one likes it) but I simply mentioned that because people sometimes mess up with it unintentionally. It just can't be that I said in the post not to take it so seriously, and a few hours later, I found out that they took it seriously. He then accuses me of being a classist for making a connection??? what a laugh.

I was referring to the fact that rich people always have to be made white, almost as if tulio for being a spoiled rich guy has to be white even though the same series shows that he is not, he looks like Pedro Peirano (his voice actor) who's not white. I didn't accuse the headcanon of brown bodoque as something bad nor did I say that I think it is bad in itself wtf is up with people."

A then writes in the tags "#well what do I expect from the guy that I asked to NOT INTERACT with me and he keeps on doing it to defame me"

This seems reasonable enough. Spinergy then decides to comment.

"Lalala~ we saw you. Im happy I took that screenshot,

-"Discriminatory" is when I complain about stereotypes that can seep into what you do whether in a good way or not. And what if you get yourself a job instead of being obsessed with me, fan????

-I hadn't responded to any of the indirects you left publically for me, but I'm fed up with you, all day long looking for attention, leave me alone. Pretending someone pays attention to you won't make you turn history on its head. The one with the childish and not at all brave indirects, is you, it's not my style. Just stop crying, you're too big for that.

-"all day looking for attention" man I only mentioned you in ONE post. Besides I had blocked you, SUPPOSEDLY you shouldn't be able to see my posts. Anyways, you never responding was a lie, you literally dedicated two whole posts trashing me because why not.

-If you didn't bump into me you wouldn't make posts using the show's hashtag to get my friends attention or mine. You're too old to be fighting with people my age. It'd be better if you go pay taxes or do something really productive. I've thought about blocking you and never seeing you in my life, that's why I mentioned you in a post.

-You have severe mythomania. You invent bullshit to bash anyone who disagrees with you. This wasn't my words but I was told you were a lot like "Hitler" and I agree. Wrapping it up, it's easier to catch a liar than a thief, so it will be for you, everyone has to pay for their mistakes eventually. Peace out and really block this time, I don't block. That's for pussys."

Completely immature and so unnecessarily mean for an adult to speak like this to a minor. A minor who has said many times he doesn't want him to interact with him. This is just bully behavior.

The thing that started Spinergy to harass A was this post

"Tulio should be drawn chubby more often... It bothers me a bit that whenever he's humanized, it isn't taken into account that he's canonically chubby. I'd like to see that reflected in fanart more 😔"

Things then go downhill in the comments

"He's not fat, it's just that as a television personality he's held to strict and unattainable standards, so even though he's known to be on a diet, it's hard for him to meet those standards.

-They still call him fat, dude. If he calls himself fat, then he is fat.

-Of course they're going to tell him that, tulio lives in a way that is very much dependent on his appearance, if you want to screw a tv figure, telling him like that is the most effective way to ruin his day. The camera will make you gain between 5 and 8 kilos. If your weight is normal, you still have to lose another 5 more to look thin on tv. Maybe he's fat for tv, but he's still average.

-Dude what do I care. I'm just saying it because it pisses me off that they always make him a stick 😭 Is it so hard for a little guy to say that he wants to see tulio fat or

-Hmmn, frustration over a conversation as to what we've seen canon and what we haven't? hahaha, what

-You are unbearable, "Ay Tulio can't be fat because *insert dumb reason*" Dude, what does it affect you that I see tulio fat? does it bother you that much?

-Hahaha, I didn't even get upset. It was you who started screaming about your own personal frustrations. at least my "dumb reasons" have much more logic than your zero frustration tolerance. You are fighting like I insulted your own belly, control yourself like an adult.

-"Control yourself as an adult" I'm a minor, dude, it looks like you didn't see my post that mentions it lol. Tulio is not in his 20s, it makes all the sense in the world that he is fat or has SOME belly, in the fourth season MINIMUM he starts his 40s, besides it was YOU who came with the " he's not fat because TV stars aren't" story.

-Besides, it makes me laugh at how you talk so much about the canon and make Juan Carlos a redhead or Tulio with striped hair when they are respectively blonde and black-haired. It's like... bruh

"Believe me, my love, it shows that you're a minor, haha. In any case, that's not what I said, and you know that very well. And yes, I know Tulio is in his 40s in the last season, which is not synonymous with being fat.

-I don't understand why you write in such a fucking disgusting know-it-all way but hey. A man in his 40's would be letting himself loose (getting old), and besides Tulio is not into working out, it would make sense for him to have a belly. Tulio getting screwed by being fat would look good with his character and would speak to how much, despite pretending to love himself, hates his looks and does everything to his physical appearance and does everything to change it +

-(Continued) There are episodes that mainly revolve around or focus on Tulio being seen as fat. It WOULD make sense that he would be. Now I ask: what is your reason for COMING to my post complaining "ay he's not fat" and then screaming when you started the whole thing.

-I came to say my opinion because that's what you leave public posts for, so that the rest of the fandom can give our personal opinion, and that's what I did. And when I commented normally you jumped in with "dude what do I care" a way that, according to me, contain zero respect. So check the comments back, I'm just telling you that I don't think alike, and that's why I said you have zero frustration tolerance, since you won't admit to being told "no".

-If you wanted so much respect you could have simply said "I like the way you see the subject but I think that this (insert your reasoning) is better" not come to say "ummm he is not fat because I say so" and then call me a crybaby and then treat me as less and act superior. I came with all the desire in the world to share what I believe and you had to come and say that it isn't true because it does not make sense.

-Who gets to say I think it's a good idea when it's not? It doesn't seem so to me, and that's why I came to debate in a healthy way, in any case, that you need me to say something like that denotes your insecurity in front of the subject. And no, just because you use diminutives like "ganitas", it won't change the fact that you jumped to defend yourself when no one parroted nothing."

-The way you said it it sounded more like "he's not fat because I said so" rather than "I don't believe he's fat".

-By giving arguments like the world of television, cameras, diets, the immeasurable unreal pressure on media figures, I am not saying "because I say so", on the contrary, rather it is something similar to: Look, I have these cards that could be possible clues. Try not to be so delicate when someone comes to comment on another of your posts casually.

-You know what? If you weren't so nasty I would have listened to you, treating me as lesser simply for getting mad at you, some of your arguments might be interesting, but suuure it was very difficult to tell me something to my face instead of calling me "delicate" or "frustrated", no of course not /sarc

-To your face? Haha, I'm telling you to your face that you got frustrated for no reason, that you got into a fight when I only came to debate a topic I'm passionate about, and that you have tolerance of a little girl, to your face.

-Not the misgendering 💀💀💀 You've whined at me enough, if you like the block button so much then eat it whole

-It was "No tolerance", my phone betrays me with its auto-correct. And do what you want, you reaffirm my theory that you have no tolerance"

Spinergy is acting rude and like a child. Over something as petty as a sock monkey being fat. It's one thing if he's just a rude person but it's another to act like a bully to a minor. A minor who he knows he makes uncomfortable. It's his responsibility to be the mature one and not go after a kid. It'd be so much easier to ignore A and continue living. He just wants to antagonize someone younger than him for no reason.

Here Spinergy ignores A's boundaries and argues

"Why is that? Because I told you some time ago that I thought differently? different?

-For being annoying and ignorant, and for trying to play the "intellectual," you make me seriously uncomfortable, and I don't want you here. End of.

-Bah, I only commented with my point of view because by making a public post, you are indirectly inviting others to participate, but then you started crying for nothing. If you don't want people to come and comment on a topic you put on the table, I insist, tag it, block and problem solved.

-I blocked you in fact, but for whatever reason, you can still comment. Don't act like you "came to give your opinion" far from it, you told me that Tulio being fat didn't make sense because of "TV standards" which don't apply to male newshosts, and then when I told you "what do I care" you started to bawl like I killed your family.

-Sure what do I know, I have friends who have told me how muuuch you like to bother people on other social medias, all agree that you are extremely unpleasant to deal with, clearly the one who is wrong is me not you, because you're an angel, right? /Sarc

-No, no, I love debating, it's my favorite national sport. The one who cried here is the one who, curiously, blocked me and got offended. I could talk or debate all my life. It's obvious who is itching to fight.

-In fact I wouldn't have had a problem with it being your opinion (which you just used to make yourself look better at the last minute), what was disgusting to me was the way you started to act superior out of nowhere, first telling me "to act like an adult", and when I told you I wasn't you mocked me saying "I knew you were a minor". Oh but I'm the crybaby for saying "what do I care" XD????

-But how did they recognize me? And on what other social media? Bullshit. Although the very idea of being considered as such makes me laugh hahahaha. Anyway, I don't get offended by anything, nothing at all, so if I seemed offended, it was a misunderstanding, so you can lower your weapons.

-On Facebook, I've literally been told that you used to roleplay as Bodoque and bully because one person did a Juanin voice with your little friends, besides many people saw the conversation and it made them cringe with your way of imposing yourself as if you were Jesus Christ.

P.S if you weren't offended you wouldn't have started with your bullshit comments that I'm "frustrated" ;)

-No, no, as I said, I don't get offended by anything, I insult my friends worse hahaha, it's the truth. Maybe both, you and I, interpreted that the other was frustrated wrongly. And yes I have a Juan Carlos account, it's the most popular on Facebook, but it's roleplay. I never go out of character. It is clearly a compliment to its existence. I never comment as a user there, so the mockery of which you speak was in character, laughing as Bodoque and Tulio.

-I'm still fed up with you, so please don't interact with my account anymore. I don't want you here.

-Anyway, you didn't consider possible excessive exaltation, or possible misinterpretation on your part, as if you couldn't be wrong in a debate. Many points can lead a person to argue, in your case. In mine, I only came to comment about Guaripolo, for another, blockk.

-I already told you that I had blocked you. Just that for some reason I don't know, you can still interact with my posts. That's why I told you to stop doing it."

At this point, he could've simply apologized and respected his wishes. Why be so disrespectful towards someone who hasn't done anything harmful. Not only that but he also confirmed that account A mentioned. If Spinergy is comfortable enough acting like this then I don't have high hopes for what he's done on facebook.

A wants Spinergy to not interact with him not only because of that, but also because Spinergy's account is technically 18+. He has posted nsfw art before. As an owner of an adult blog, he needs to state that it is one. Even if the blog has a little nsfw.

While he did appropriately tag that post as nsfw, he also maintagged it as 31 minutos. The 31 minutos tumblr community has a lot of minor fans, with the chance of them possibly seeing it. It wasn't put under the mature label either.

I don't have much closing words except to stop being mean, stop interacting with minors with an account you've posted nsfw to (alongside suggestive themes), and to act like an adult.

Block him and don't harass anyone here. Don't mention names of anyone involved, the main focus is Spinergy.

I'll finish off with words from A

"Spinergy should block me too if he's tired of me. Because I'm sick of feeling insecure about posting things and him seeing it"

[truly-morgan]

[AA cross-over, JC moves to the US, befriend Edgeworth]

Jiang Cheng + Miles Edgeworth | Mo Dao Zu Shi Cross-over Ace Attorney + Modern AU 30-05-2022

[#mdzs #AceAttorney cross-over, #jiangcheng #milesedgeworth, modern sett.]

Jiang Cheng hadn't been surprised when he was basically shipped to America.

"We are expanding our company, I need someone to look over it in America" his father had said.

He knew very well this was all so he wouldn't be close to him all while not angering him too much his wife as he wasn't kicking him out.

But it was alright, he could roll with it, he would show them.

and with that Jiang Cheng had started to work even harder than before, ready to prove what he could do. He was pretty satisfied that the result he had were better than what anyone else had expected at first.

all this was achieved by him never really taking a break, working hard nearly every day without much care for his health.

All this to his assistant exasperation. The man had known him even before he started working at his father's company, caring about the younger man. This lead him to force him to take a break once everything was more stable and no one could really argue about the incredible job he did.

this is how Jiang Cheng ended up forced on a vacation for a weekend, driving himself to some kind of somewhat isolated retreat spa or something like this, he didn't really follow what his assistant said as he was only thinking about the work he would be missing out on ("the tickets are already bought! You have no choice but to go" he was told).

"Maybe some calm will help me" he had sighed at some point on his way there.

He did raise a brow when he saw a car speeding in the opposite direction, wondering why anyone would drive so fast away from somewhere that was meant to make you relax.

"Gumshoe, I swear your pay will be revised in the next evaluation" he heard mumbled as he got out of his car, finding a man on the side typing on his phone.

"Everything's good sir?" Jiang Cheng asked, unsure if he should really intervene with the angry-looking man.

"I am trying to call the man who dare call himself my friend, but I have no signal" the man sighed in frustration, "May I ask if you might have any?" he politely asked while joining him.

Jiang Cheng did take a look at his own phone, offering a sorry smile to the man. "No signal either" he replied, "I see I am not the only one being forced here".

The man looked a bit surprised by his word, before letting another frustrated sigh leave him. "Dare I assume it is also because you are 'working too much'?" the stranger asked.

This made Jiang Cheng chuckle a little, still a bit frustrated about it too. "Yes".

There was a silence afterwards, making Jiang Cheng a bit awkward, unsure of what to do from here. He was relieved when the man decided to extend a hand towards him, presenting himself "I am Miles Edgeworth, prosecutor".

Jiang Cheng was a little surprised. He had heard about the man more than once before, although not always presented in a good light. He did suppose it changed a bit in recent times.

"Jiang Cheng, COO of the Jiang Corp. branch in America" he said next.

Some recognition seemed to also pass on to the other man's face. He was still not used to people vaguely knowing who he was.

"Why don't we head inside?" suggested Jiang Cheng, "If we are to be stuck here, might as well settle down and have some tea".

Edgeworth seemed to think about it, before another sigh left him, this time looking resigned to stay here. "I suppose it couldn't do too much damage to take the weekend off" he admitted.

Like this they went inside, taking care of their reservation ("It must be fate, our rooms are next to each other" Jiang Cheng had joked a little when they were given their keys).

It was already getting late on a Friday night and so they decided to have dinner together. "I am sure having some company will make this trip a little bit better" Edgeworth commented.

And it did make the weekend pass by more quickly and in a less boring (and lonely) way than he first thought it would be. He dared to assume it was the same for the lawyer.

He never expected to connect so easily with the man, both borderline workaholics.

sure the treatments at the spa helped him relax, but having someone to talk about (or sometimes bitch about) work was nice and surprisingly therapeutic. He felt like he couldn't really do this with his assistant since he was still trying to keep a vague impression of professionalism between them.

After their little forced vacation, they decided to keep in contact, meeting only now and then at first, usually to have tea or dinner.

but soon their little rendez-vous became more frequent. It was their own little way to have a day away from work (before being forced to have one again) where they could talk about work without it technically really being work.

Edgeworth would complain about his cases and how bad the investigation would have gone while drinking his tea, sometimes exasperated despite something in him not complaining that justice had been done right.

"You complain about him quite a lot, but you seem to like him just as much" Jiang Cheng teased him after yet another trial where he was up against Wright. This did earn him a scoff.

"You don't see me mentioning you also enjoying a certain young master's visit more than you would let shown" the man had argued back, which man Jiang Cheng roll his eyes, not without a small smile on his lips.

Sometimes they'd be joined by Jiang Cheng's nephew as he came to visit him with his parents. The boy had been shy at first towards the other serious-looking man, but had slowly warmed up to him despite not understanding what he would say, his jiujiu needing to play translator for them.

"I sadly never learned Chinese" Edgeworth admitted with a small smile, "maybe it could be something I should pick up one day"

"I could help you if you ever need someone's help" Jiang Cheng offered with a laugh, a little a-ling also giggling with him despite not understanding what was happening before going back to his drawing.

They enjoyed sharing a good cup of tea every Saturday, talking and sometimes just sitting in silence, enjoying the time spent together. Maybe the reason they met wasn't one they enjoyed, but they weren't so mad to have find a good friend at the same time.

====

(I ran out of ideas here but maybe one day I'll pick up this cross-over, I dunno why, I just feel like I wanna see more of these two workaholic sarcastic men together)

Original

[kuronekonerochan]

Wen Ning is proof that not even death will rid you of the cringe experience of being uncomfortably in the vicinity of couples who go way too hard on the PDA.

I mean the boat isn't even the worst bc at least it was immediately after having the satisfaction of going ballistic delivering a reality check on Jiang Cheng. But the chicken thing? Worse than being next to a lovey dovey couple is being next to a lovey dovey drunk making an absolute fool of himself. The second hand embarrassment...

(unrelated meta here but while I love Jiang Cheng and the whole WWX-JC dynamic is complex and mostly super tragic, I think that while the book and show are pretty straightforward about JC's hatred of Wen Ning, it doesn't really explore the reverse. I mean Wen Ning has every reason to hate JC. After all he and his sister risked to safely hide JC after the Lotus Pier attack, after all that he in specific risked to retrieve the bodies of JC's parents, and in one iteration after JC even gave a love gift to his sister... After all that and JC did nothing to help him or his sister back when they needed it after WWX released them from the Jins and they became refugees. We get the young political leader with a destroyed sect and no power trying to not incur in the hostility of the other sects but still... ungrateful son of a bitch. If it wasn't for the guilt over killing JC's brother in law and making his nephew an orphan I think he would have been much more hostile towards JC and rightfully so. My point is that for all that WN is a cinnamon roll, it must have given him some measure of satisfaction to blast JC and make him miserable, not just for the way he treated WWX, but for himself and his family. He is way too kind and shy to confront JC with his own personal grievances, especially with Jin ZC's murder between them and how sorry he is. He is also the type who will overcome shyness to defend a friend but never to stand up for himself. Still I think it's an interesting point that no matter what regrets and pain JC may have with how things went down with WWX, one thing every media makes crystal clear with no nuance to it is how JC let his hatred of the Wens completely overlook how much he owes to Wen Ning and his sister. There is never a hint of remorse or consideration about them, not in the past arc , nor at the end. And while after Jin ZC's death and after learning about the non consensual core surgery he does have valid reasons to resent them, when they were refugees with WWX he already resented them and couldn't care less about what happened to them... which at least at that point in time makes him an ungrateful son of a bitch. Going only by the book one can make the case that WWX was half mad at that point and as such an unreliable narrator and since we don't get JC's pov of course when talking to WWX, his main priority would be trying to get his brother safely back and undo his pariah status while also looking out for the wellbeing of his own sect. Therefore, anything he may have thought about WN and WC then is simply not in the book. However the book did make an exception to show how and why JC let himself be captured instead of WWX, so if he had at any point made plans of his own to help the Wens in any way before it all went to hell, it could have been included in the book. As such it is much more plausible that Jiang Cheng was indeed adamant in completely disregarding the Wens and all that they did for him)

I was wholly unprepared for the experience of watching the untamed in 2023. I’ve seen the gifs! I’ve read some character analysis! I vaguely knew the plot but I did not expect a.) the show to be a lot more tragic and nuanced and funny than what I thought possible and I cannot stress this enough b.) for Wen Ning to also be there on that damn boat

[rottingcheng]

ZhanCheng Day 5: Treacle

Prompt: LZ and JC secret relationship and gets sneaky when they're alone 😌. Suggested by Eruri. ao3 link. Slight NSFW

"What a bunch of loons, am I right?" Jiang Cheng grins. He's slightly breathless from running to the kitchen in order to avoid his family stirring up any more trouble with him and Lan Wangji. Flushed.

Wangji thinks Jiang Cheng's beautiful like this, the way his sharp brows are slightly drawn and a bit of colour lightly dusts his cheeks. The way his shoulders heave and a lock of hair falls from its place tucked behind his ear. The pink of his lips wrapped in a rare toothy smile.

He'd told Wangji last winter, under the cover of darkness and a fluffy blue quilt, that he hated his smile when it showed his teeth – someone had told him it looked weird when he was a child and he never quite forgot it.

It's these tiny shames of the world that Wangji mourns daily. How his lover absorbs every word others say, lets them seep deeper than Wangji can reach with his lips. He wishes Jiang Cheng can see himself through his eyes right now, the pleasure that rings in them with the sight of a handsome happy man with the prettiest smile.

Unable to contain the overwhelming satisfaction with such a sight, Wangji steps forward in the tiny kitchen and captures that perfect smile in his with a warm, candy kiss. Pecking at the man's lips after, Wangji tells him: "What lucky loons, to have spent their lives with you."

Jiang Cheng snorts. He always gets awkward whenever Wangji says something sweet, starts staring at the ceiling and laughing nervously, deflecting it as if he didn't know where to hold sweetness in his hands.

"Hah! We're all laced with misfortune, actually, the lot of us. Just one after the other...ha..."

If only he could know his hands are sweetness themselves. If only he could know his body is sweetness. If only he could know his heart is treacle, and Wangji is drowning in it; the luckiest loon of all, perhaps.

He kisses his lover's lips again. "Shall I put some of my luck in you then, Jiang Cheng?"

Jiang Cheng’s eyes grow wide. His face flushes pink. Oh, he's even prettier like this. Sweet, nervous thing, trembling in Wangji's wanting hands.

"D-don't say dirty things when my family's in the room next door..."

He's averting his eyes again, so Wangji takes the opportunity to slip a hand around his waist and push him against the kitchen counter.

"I meant nothing dirty, A-Cheng. Were you thinking something dirty?"

The way that Adam's apple bobs forces a soft growl from Wangji's throat, and Jiang Cheng seems to shiver with it.

"Don't be a bastard," Jiang Cheng chastises, though Wangji knows the threat carries as much strength as two matchsticks tied together. He gently presses his cheek against Jiang Cheng's, the hands on his waist moving him side to side so they're both swaying from foot to foot; a little dance as he teases more.

"I could get on my knees and suck you right here. Your family are so focused on Cluedo they won't look for us until you've climaxed at least twice."

Wangji had never been the type to talk so dirty. Jiang Cheng brings it out of him somehow, with his rose-tinted skin and sweet stutters, breaking from the usual stern air he tries so hard to carry. It's always so satisfying, seeing Jiang Cheng act so strictly towards his students and knowing how quickly the man crumbles before a few naughty words; before his own desire.

"You're so bad, Lan Wangji. Who taught you such obscenities, huh?"

The question quickly devolves into a cut-off moan when Wangji kisses Jiang Cheng's neck, trailing the kisses up his lifting jaw.

"No one," he breathes into hot-flushed skin. "You simply inspire such obscenities to spring from me, Jiang Cheng. You must be the dirtiest one of all, filling a pure Lan heart with such lust and desire." Jiang Cheng's aborted breaths only spur Wangji on. The moaning of his name coming after makes him go nearly feral.

His hands slide under his lover's thighs and lifts him onto the counter. There's a little wince of surprise and Jiang Cheng's arms are wrapping around Wangji's shoulders for purchase.

"Wangji," he says sternly, still breathless, still turning Wangji on. "We are not fucking in my parents' kitchen right now."

A few more kisses along his lover's jaw and Wangji meets his lips again, brushing their noses against each other.

"How about in thirty minutes?" he asks, and Jiang Cheng slaps him on the shoulder with a toothy grin.

There are footsteps, and Yanli's head pops out from the doorframe. Her eyes scan the two of them, and she smiles a smile very familiar to Wangji, making him feel at home.

"Watcha lovebirds up to?" she says, lilting her words.

Wangji leans his head against Jiang Cheng's.

"Nothing much, jie. Just admiring your didi's lovely smile."

Written for Milk's 30 Days of ZhanCheng! Ao3 Collection.

[symphonyofsilence]

I love Wangxian as much as the next guy, but my unpopular MDZS opinion is that both LWJ & WWX after the resurrection were really shitty brothers. Both to their own brothers and to each other's.

Like...JC just threw himself in front of WWX & his boyfriend & Jiggy's sword & took a stab to the chest just narrowly missing his heart, & Wei Wuxian DIDN'T EVEN ASK HIM HOW HE IS! I'm sure JC didn't want him to thank him, but totally ignoring that & forgetting about it is... you know, not fine. even LXC was more worried about his wound. After the temple, when everyone was talking to everyone else, & WWX thanked JC for giving Chenqing back to him, he doesn't even wait until JC's answer is fully out before he immediately turns back to look at LWJ!

Even JL who wasn't talking to JC at that moment saw that JC had something to say! But WWX not only didn't give him a chance to talk, but didn't even have any interest in what he had to say, and wouldn't listen to him just like all the other times when JC tried to talk to him (Repeatedly reminding WWX of his promise & even asking why didn't you go back to Lotus Pier). As you try to do, after you brother has returned from the dead, after causing his own death, your sister's and your brother-in-law's. WWX doesn't think that that's an issue that they need to talk about. Because it's unpleasant for him. While he is not the one who's owed an explanation or an apology. He's not the one who gets to decide if they're having this conversation or not. Let alone asking about JC's wound! WWX! just! Left! With! His boyfriend! & didn't look back! Not even after JC's public meltdown!

And and, what's worse, for both LWJ & WWX is this! Here is what happens when JC is trying to have a conversion with WWX about the non-consensual surgery WWX performed on him by mutilating himself on JC's behalf:

Why yes, he is injured, Hanguang-Jun! He's injured because he threw himself in front of WWX & you little fuck!

He does this once, and it causes JC's wound to open and start bleeding again, and then he goes to do it again!

It's a matter that seriously needs discussion, Hanguang-Jun. JC's world has turned upside down without him having a say in it or even being told about it for years, Hanguang-Jun. JC has every right to talk about it to the person responsible, Hanguang-Jun. It's a family matter, Hanguang-Jun.

And ffs What do you think WWX's brother wants to do to him?! After he took a stab to the chest for him?! He is wounded and his spiritual energy is sealed, what can he do? He's going through it right now in front of everyone. why would you humiliate him even more?! They're brothers! It's none of your business!

And WWX doesn't say anything! It's Jin Ling who must beg Hanguang-Jun to spare his uncle!

(I think they understood what a shitty move it was in the CQL, cause WWX at least lifts a hand to stop LWJ there. And LWJ doesn't actually push JC, opening his wound again, And then try to do it A SECOND TIME AFTER THAT!)

Like...Beating someone's family member in front of them is a very, very rude thing in general when they're themselves handling the situation very well. They were just having a family argument, and LWJ felt the need to beat JC. If you want to de-escalate a family argument, you do it the way JGY does. Or LSZ, A CHILD, de-escalates situations. While respecting both parties. Or else it just escalates even worse.

And this happened at the Jiang ancestral halls, too. WWX was the first to attack JC (which was totally within his brotherly rights when JC was being a little shit) and JC counter-attacked. JC's spiritual powers, unlike WWX's and LWJ's, hadn't returned yet. WWX totally got this. It wasn't their first time fighting. OK, LWJ deflected the first blow of Zidian. He didn't need to intervene further when WWX was beating JC in JC'S ancestral hall. WWX himself passed out when he realized wtf he was doing. (& bear in mind that hours ago, JC with his spiritual powers sealed, barely able to walk, picked his sword and was going to go back for WWX in the burial mounds, before he knew about the golden core thing)

Imagine your friend invites you to their home which they've ran away from when they were very young, their sibling that now owns the house lets you in even though you don't even say hi to them or acknowledge their existence there in anyway, & your friend invites you to somewhere you really have no business being in. IDK. Say, the master bedroom that's been locked ever since their parents' death. Your friend's sibling arrives there and they have an argument. You get offended in the crossfire but your friend leaps in to protect your honor, by beating the said sibling. The said sibling beats back. Can you imagine actually beating the sibling?! Trying to separate them, sure. But beating them?!

& others have talked in depth & better than I about how LXC just murdered the love of his life after some very shocking revelations & was 100% ready to die with him & was clearly going through it & LWJ just left with his boyfriend to fuck when LXC was the one who was there for him when HIS boyfriend died. Like..no LWJ didn't leave his brother after a few days. HE LEFT HIM THAT VERY MOMENT! DIDN'T EVEN GIVE HIM A HANDKERCHIEF OR A PAT ON THE SHOULDER!

And people have also talked better than I about how WWX didn't tell LXC about Sisi bc...he might have shown JGY mercy?

[wei-meddling-wuxian]

nutcasewithaknife #maybe#just maybe because im never getting over jiang cheng and jin ling's relationship but#think of jin ling who for once does need him#think of jiang cheng realising he is needed by this child who is his favorite person in the world#maybe he never got to be a hero in the way people see heroes usually#but jin ling's jiujiu will always be his hero won't he?#i made myself cry oh my godss

miss-fiery #it all centers on the fact that no one ever gives him the chance#that instead of people needing him. it is him that needs protection#for Madam Yu it's simply because he is her only son#for WWX there are several factors starting from the base relationship to the promise to the dying request of TAKE CARE OF HIM#for WQ it's a bit complicated. he has every right to deny her. he social obligations that scream ofc he wouldn't help#because just as much SHE has a family to protect. HE has something to protect as well#so to circumvent the mess of him being in put in such a conflict she just decided that NO he wouldn't#all this servers to enforce to him that his help isn't needed#that he is always the one being saved#which put the whole core reveal so devastating to him because that one time he could protect someone he failed#the one moment JC decided to try. he failed#jiang cheng#it's sad tragic grape hours tonight boys

viterbofangirllovestheuntamed #the amount of agency stolen from jiang cheng is truly astounding#abusive childhood separation anxiety the whole golden core thing political manipulation emotional manipulation#HELL even zidian being bequeathed to him#for fuck's sake…

heavymetalalchemist #and boy how it must hurt SO MUCH for the clan motto to be attempt the impossible#and then no one thinks he can even attempt it#or they think that he won't attempt it#and that kind of thing really sinks into you#because to jiang cheng it's everyone thinking he can't#and maybe they're right! but he's been beaten down even from trying#he doesn't get the motto and he can't surpass wwx and he can't do it#and no one ever gives him the encouragement of you should go for it!#well#except for arguably nmj when they show up in qinghe and nmj says he'd heard of them doing great things

jungyismom #this is. this is such a Thing#and you watch it eat at him#more and more#every time#especially as he goes on showing himself to BE competent and adaptable and determined#he can be all these things have all these heroic qualities#rebuild his sect almost entirely on his own at a ridiculously young age#help win a war#successfully if turbulently be a bridge between wwx and the cultivation world until wwx stops listening and stops letting him#and still after achieving all of these impossible things#the people whose approval he needs most#don't trust him enough to even extend the possibility that he might be able to be what they need#what do they see him as? he must wonder#a useless boy even after he's become a respected sect leader#an impotent figurehead#someone unworthy#and the way that they tell him they wont even ask for help makes it so very clear that all parties already know#its not i dont want to put a burden on you or i'm not sure you could help me#it's this is the help i need. i already know you can't give it.#it's not even patronizing#the dismissal is so complete and devastating#i just. phew#he tried so hard and got so far and in the end it didn't even matter#EXCEPT IT DID to SO MANY PEOPLE because he DID rebuild his sect!!!!#but that's not the hero's tale we're told.#god i just….jc man….jc#jiang cheng

ithacanradio #i mean he does get to try his hand at being the hero once and he fucking nails it#single handedly protecting the jiang sect aside- im taking about the time he decides to get caught to save wwx#and the way that they play it actually is so in line with the rest of this analysis: we the audience see it. but no one else knows it#and jiang cheng himself won't tell bc by now he is used to playing his part#the cold ruthless 'not that noble' sect leader#but WE know#that not only does he have potential#he truly pulls all the stops sometimes he just won't let people know it and so- much in the same way it happened with yiling laozu-#everyone's opinion of him isn't who he really is#the untamed#i still dont think he would have managed to save the wens tbh but i think he would have tried at least if they had communicated with him

I’m sort of constantly thinking about the CQL moment after Jiang Cheng visits the Burial Mounds, when he asks Wen Qing why she didn’t come to him to ask for help and she’s just like “Well, would you have?” and that just sort of… hangs there, because the audience knows the answer is no 

but like!! I think part of the tragedy of Jiang Cheng is that not only is he doomed to never quite be the hero, no one ever trusts him to try. Mme Yu (and maybe also Jiang Fengmian?) doesn’t trust he (or anyone tbh) could possibly really love someone brighter and stronger than he is. Wei Wuxian doesn’t trust that he could somehow learn to remake himself in the aftermath of losing his golden core, or learn to handle the knowledge of what Wei Wuxian gave him. neither he nor Wen Qing trust that maybe, if someone asked him directly for help, if someone just said they needed him, he could find a way to stand up to the other clans. Wei Wuxian doesn’t trust, after he comes back, that Jiang Cheng might still love him anyway.

all the situations are complicated– Mme Yu and Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing are acting out of their own suspicions and insecurities and feelings– but they all explicitly make clear that they are also acting out of a conviction that Jiang Cheng can’t do it. he isn’t good enough, he isn’t strong enough, it’s not even worth attempting. and maybe– even very likely!– they’re right. but he never gets to try. no one, including and especially Jiang Cheng, ever gets to know for sure. 

[stiltonbasket]

Here's a prompt for you - character sect changes! In this case, Wen > Lan > Jin > Nie >Jiang > Wen. Every character from one sect is now from a different sect (ie JC and JYL are now Wen Cheng and Wen Yanli and always have been, LWJ to Jin Wangji, etc). Nothing else changes. What changes do you think happen because of this?

(a/n: I didn’t change the characters’ names, but I did change their sects; for example, Yunmeng Jiang is now Yunmeng Nie, home to NMJ and NHS).

“Wangji, how many times must I repeat myself?” Lan Yanjian says, after the fifth time Lan Wangji is forcibly retrieved from a night-hunt in some far-flung region of Lanling and given a months’ grounding at the Yuelintai. “You are stooping below your station when you go to such places. Worse yet, you are damaging your brother’s reputation.”

“Brother goes where he is needed just as often as I do,” Lan Wangji remarks drily—because where else could he have gotten it from? Shufu rarely night-hunts, in the poorer villages of Lanling or otherwise. He prefers to teach, due to the chronic effects of an old night-hunting injury, and Wangji’s late father has been dead for over thirteen years.

“And besides,” he continues, choosing his words carefully. “Elder must know that Xiongzhang’s reputation can fall no further than it already has.”

“There is nothing that can be done about Xichen’s—preferences,” Lan Yanjian bites out. “Now that they are known, no respectable maiden would take him anyway. But you must maintain proper respect, so as not to make things more difficult for him.”

Even at the age of nineteen and a half, Lan Wangji cannot understand why his elders insist that respect means maintaining his distance from the common folk. After all, the Lanling Lan take civilian gold as tribute, so why must Wangji hold himself aloof from the very people who send taxes to his clan in exchange for protection?

He excuses himself from Lan Yanjian’s presence, more irate than ever, and goes to the Fragrance Hall to see his brother, whom he finds in the middle of an audience with a pair of farmers. Xiongzhang only recently won the right to accept petitions to the sect twice every week, and the rest of the clan has not yet ceased fighting him on the matter: but his changes have been well-received by the middle and lower classes, as evidenced by the relief on the farmers’ faces when they finally take their leave.

“Lan Yanjian reprimanded me again today,” Lan Wangji announces, stepping up onto the peacock throne to sit beside Lan Xichen. “He seems to think I can spare your reputation by throwing my weight about in the city as our cousins do.”

“Oh, did he?” Lan Xichen retorts, with a smile plucking at the corners of his mouth. “What words did he use to describe you this time?”

Lan Wangji shrugs. “Just one. Stubborn.”

His brother laughs. “Did he mention me at all?”

“Only your preferences, as usual,” Lan Wangji murmurs, reaching out to the drowsy infant nodding on his brother’s lap. “I could hardly bear to listen to him, Xiongzhang. Allowances can be made for a want of understanding, and heaven knows Elder Yanjian understands very little, but—when it leads to the disparagement of a marriage, and his own zongzhu’s family—”

 “He will never see me as the master of his clan,” Lan Xichen says gently, patting Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “His fears make sense when one takes my age into account. But for now I am content with Mingjue and A-Yi, and what little good I can do with the power the elders have granted me.”

“En, I know. You have often told me so, but I wish it were different.”

“Things rarely become different, A-Zhan. We have to make them so,” his brother reminds him. “I will change our clan for the better in my way, and you must do the same in your own.”

Lan Xichen falls silent for a moment, letting baby A-Yi poke at the round vermilion mark between his brows, and then he turns back to Lan Wangji and passes him a crimson envelope stamped with the double-phoenix blazon of Qishan Jiang.

“Perhaps you can begin a little farther away from home,” he suggests, when Lan Wangji opens the letter and flushes up to his ears at the sight of Wei Wuxian’s slanting calligraphy. “Jiang-zongzhu is holding a group hunt in Qishan for his own cultivators, but the members of the inner clan may invite whomever they wish. I suppose that young master Wei has invited you?”

I would like to invite Lanling Lan’s xiao-gongzi, so he can meet my Shijie’s Jin Ling, Wei Ying wrote—in a hand so bold that Lan Wangji can almost hear its owner’s laughter, as if Wei Ying were there in the flesh and not two hundred miles away. But if the little master’s age prevents his attendance, I’d like to invite Lan Zhan. I haven’t seen him since we went to the Wen lectures in Gusu three years ago, and letters have been a poor substitute for my dear fuddy-duddy’s company. Zewu-jun, do say you will let him come, or I’ll embarrass myself by flying to Lanling and petitioning you in person!

“Well?” Lan Xichen asks, as Lan Wangji’s blush spreads downwards to his neck. “Will you go to Qishan, then? I fear that he really might come here as a petitioner if you refuse.”

Lan Wangji folds the letter into his robes and rises from Xichen’s throne.

“I will go,” he says stiffly, desperately hoping that the tumult in his heart is not visible on his face. “Wei Ying and I are friends, and it is just as he says—we write one another at least once a fortnight, but we have not met in person since we went to study in Gusu. He must have missed me dearly, and I—there is no friend closer to me than Wei Ying, as you know. Should I notify anyone besides Shufu before I leave?”

“You might tell Lan Yanjian that you are going back to the borderlands,” his brother muses. “Or perhaps you should tell Shufu about the invitation tonight and leave after dinner, and I’ll have Elder Haijing start a rumor that you ran away to hunt in the villages again. Then Elder Yanjian will spend the next week or so looking for you, and when you return, you can inform him that Jiang-zongzhu invited you up to Qishan.”

Lan Wangji fights the urge to laugh. “Mn, very well. Let it be just as you say.”

After that, he bids his nephew and brother goodbye and goes back to his chambers, retreating into the quiet of his study to compose a missive to Wei Ying.

My dearest friend, Lan Wangji writes, with his zhiji’s red and golden letter still tucked against his heart.

Be patient for a little while longer, Wei Ying. By this time tomorrow, or on the day after, I will be back at your side.

[gloriousmonsters]

comprehensive list of every MDZS character that has made a ‘are we in a relationship/is this gay??’ post in an au where everything is the same except reddit exists and people use modern terminology when it’s funny

obviously, wei wuxian. ‘i’ve been playing gay chicken with this guy and sleeping in the same bed as him and he’s really quiet but he hasn’t been telling me to quit it like he used to and also he looks at me strangely sometimes and buys me drinks and we actually wound up having sex the other night--’ responses tend: ‘you’ve had sex how many times? yeah, that’s not technically a bromance’

lan xichen makes one while on the road with meng yao, lovingly detailing how they’ve been doing chores together and meng yao thoughtlessly called him a ‘good boy’ while doing laundry and it made him blush really hard, omg, and he wants to believe something might be there but meng yao is just so smart and talented and the situation’s difficult so he doesn’t want to presume even though meng yao keeps touching his hands while teaching him to mend clothes and seems to have a special smile just for him, etc etc. responses: people going ‘op just go for it’ and a bunch of people just calling him a sub

xiao xingchen and song lan make posts at the same time about their amazing friend that they share a common dream with and we kind of casually hold hands sometimes and call each other endearments but like, platonically? i think? reponses: ‘oh my fucking god *posts screenshot of the other one’s post*’. they wind up having a good laugh over it and making an update post about how they’re together now

years later xiao xingchen makes a post about how he’s been cohabiting with this guy who keeps on making jokes to make him laugh and teasing him by calling them ‘married’ and like, they are living together and sort of raising a teenager, well mostly she’s raising herself, but anyway - he thinks he’s getting signals but he’s had some trouble with relationships ending messily before, and he doesn’t want to presume something and make his friend uncomfortable, what they have is so precious... responses: a-qing’s burner account saying the guy is sus, don’t go for it. xue yang’s burner saying ‘he’s 100% into you. jump his bones’

jin guangyao makes a post asking ‘if a guy you really like and sort of had a summer romance with asks you to be sworn brothers, but like... also sworn brothers with your ex, what does it mean?’ and deletes the post after accumulating a bunch of responses demanding more info

jiang cheng demands to know that if you’re best friends with someone and they’re sort of your adopted brother but definitely your sect brother and they PROMISED with their OWN MOUTH to stay by your side and then they dump you to go off and cohabit with ANOTHER MAN and a bunch of refugees but that bit’s not important, that’s like, a breach of contract, right? because you’re in a relationship, right? responses: a number of people directing him to r/AITA. ‘op is this even a romantic relationship or is it a bro thing’ jc replies saying IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT IT IS and deletes, but not before screenshots are everywhere

xue yang makes a post about how he was like, sort of faking being into this guy for lulz but now he’s kind of caught feelings and the flirting-to-make-the-other-guy-uncomfortable has escalated to morning kisses and the dude keeps leaving candy on his pillow and like... do you guys think he’s just playing along with the joke, or is it serious? responses: ‘oh my fucking god op’ ‘yeah you’re dating. you’re like 75% married’ and a-qing’s burner account telling him he’s reading too much into it

su she makes a post detailing how he’s had a crush on his boss who’s also his friend for a while and so he doesn’t want to let his hopes make him assume anything but his boss is extremely touchy-feely with him sometimes and asks him to work late alone together on... projects, it’s not important what, and maybe he gets playfully called a ‘work boyfriend’ a lot and his boss goes out of his way to compliment him sometimes, etc... Multiple responses point out he’s listed like 80 kinds of HR violations. su she replies it doesn’t matter. responses assert that yeah, it kind of does, also did you mention your boss already has a boyfriend? red flag op. sms gets pissed at nobody addressing his actual question and deletes the post

jin guangyao makes a post asking how many times you have to ‘jokingly’ call someone your boyfriend and spend late nights working on projects while finding excuses to touch before you acknowledge maybe something is going on. he gets a few OH MY GOD IT’S YOU... MR HR VIOLATIONS responses before swiftly deleting

wen ning has attempted to write a post several times throughout his life and undeath and always chickened out and deleted what he wrote at the last moment. he finally just makes a post about regrets and wishing you’d asked things outright and shared your feelings on r/offmychest or something. it’s very moving and gets shared a lot. wwx absolutely sees it and comments ‘man the dude in this story must be an asshole to not realize op’s feelings’ with 0 self awareness. for my own happiness this absolutely is the start to an endgame ningxian postcanon au

lan wangji makes an account post guanyin temple to ask ‘if a man tells me ‘I like you, I love you, I whatever you, I want to fuck you every day’, does that mean we’re in a relationship?’ he ignores every response except the first person to just say ‘yep’, replies ‘thank you’ to that person and then never returns to xianxia reddit

[truly-morgan]

[a|b|o, raised like an alpha]

MingCheng | Mo Dao Zu Shi Omegaverse 06-04-2021

[#mingcheng - omegaverse]

Ω!JC grew up raised like an alpha, his parents always expecting he would be one later in life. They discovered only a bit late that jc was an omega, since he was a rather late bloomer. Didn't stop yzy to keep treating him like an alpha and showing him he should not let others walk all over him.

This is why once jc became a sect leader he’s far from having an omega attitude. Of course, it’s can be hard when most of the other leaders are alpha, but he deals with it well and his disciple are always ready to make sure nothing happens to him.

Usually, jc always makes sure to take all he needs if one of his heat is supposed to fall on a sect conference, yet this time it doesn’t work and he gets in heat in when it’s in Qinghe. Good thing it didn’t happen in the middle of a-

meeting, so he tries to get back to his guest room as quickly as possible because he just /knows/ other won’t stop reminding him of something like this.

Of course, he cannot have that, and he runs into α!NMJ who immediately knows what is happening. Yet his first reaction is to be on the defensive, ready to refuse anything the alpha will tell him, even if his body feels weak and hot because of nmj scent.

He didn’t know what to expect from the nie clan, but not to be suggest a room where he can just pass his heat in safety, away from the rooms where other alpha are. Jc can’t get himself to be calm around him, but he still follows him, supposing nmj was not the kind of person to trick him in such a way.

Once in his new room nmj suggest to bring him anything he needs, to just let the servant know if he doesn’t want an alpha close to him. He thanks him, finally relaxing when hes alone, wondering if nmj is always like this with every omega. He now understood why nhs seem to not have any problem with being an omega, if nmj was /this/ good with any, he must be great to him.-

So, he passes his heat mostly alone, nhs paying him a couple of visits for food and company. Jc would lie if he said it wasn’t nice to have someone with him for once, who don’t bring attention to his heat. He never had that comforting presence before.

When his heat is over, he worried that the word would have leaked out, but no, all he hears is concern about him falling sick because of something bad he had eaten mixed up with all the heat from Qinghe.

Next time he meet with nmj he thanks him for his help and even apologies for how rude he might have been with him. “I understand, it must be hard for sect leader jiang sometimes, having so much on your shoulder”. He doesn't seem bothered, saying he can see why jc would be wary around him when he never actually showed him he wouldn't look down on him because he was an omega.

After that incident jc started looking at nmj a bit more, seeing more how he acted around everyone else. Before he knew it he was drawn towards the alpha and even managed to have other nice discussion with him outside of sect matters. He tried to push away the small feeling he might be starting to have, figuring nmj wouldn’t have that anyway. He ended much more at ease around him, which didn’t go unnoticed by other sect leader.

Jc stumbled onto some of the sect leaders trying to convince nmj to use that new found affection of his to coax the omega into listening to them more. Of course, this enrages the omega and he’s ready to barge into the conversation when suddenly he calls sense the alpha getting angry.

Before he can even say anything nmj is the one scolding them, nearly growling a warning of never trying to do something like this in the future. Jc wasn’t expecting for nmj to react in such ways, approaching them, a bit more shakily than he would like to, clearing his throat to show he’s here, asking what is going on.

The other alpha scramble away after rambling some excuses, jc eyes cold on them, yet he allows himself to relax when they are alone. “Thank you” he whispers as nmj says nothing, trying to calm the alpha down despite having never learned to actually manage something like this.

“You shouldn’t need to thank me, no one should be using your trust against you” he says once he looks down at jc, “At least, if I can assume you trust me”. This made jc smile a bit, even allowing a small chuckle to escape from him, one of the first he had in years outside of when he was with jl.

“You can assume so” he assures him, something warm blooming in his chest at the expression nmj is giving him, looking pleased and happy about this new.

With this it seems like their relationship got even better, visit to either Lotus Pier or the Unclean Realm becoming a bit more frequent than needed. Jc nearly feel like he’s dancing around a bit, having never learn what to do if he ever felt this kind of attraction towards someone, hoping nmj would feel the same although he cannot bring himself to believe to be anywhere desirable enough for that. Then nmj happens to visit when his heat hit him, unsure what to do now since he cannot really leave nmj to entertain himself alone. “I can go back if this is a pro-”

“no!”

Jc surprised himself at his own voice, sounding too needy and desperate for him to stay, ending up more flushed than he already was, looking away from nmj not daring to look him in the eyes. He sees him get closer, a hand reaching for his cheek hesitantly and jc is still unsure how to feel about the fact that he wants to just lean in and melt in the touch he knew would be gentle despite the roughness of the hand.

“do you want me to stay?” nmj ask after a moment, jc hesitating.

He does. He does /so bad/. He wants even more than just staying with him. “Yes” he whispers, finally allowing himself to lean into the touch. Something seems to flash in nmj eyes and he follows him back inside his room.

Jc hesitate to stay close to him first, but when nmj doesn’t seem to mind he leaned in, hiding against him, taking in the reassuring scent of the alpha. He feels strong arms lifting him up,-

taking him back to his bed, where he had already prepared a nest, yet hiding in the neck of nmj sounded much more interesting than his usual nest.

Nmj pass his whole heat with him, helping feel better and for the first time having someone with him to bring him some comfort and release.

Next thing everyone knows is that sect leader Jiang Cheng seems more at ease in a way where nmj is seemingly less angry look all the time. The two sect leaders do not mind keeping this a secret for the time being.

====

(I might make a nsfw one-shot for the last scene, who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ or a nsfw thread at least, I feel like writing some horny jc meeting nmj who is very whiling to help him out, I just added a new jc ship to the list, can y’all tell he’s one of my fav characters?)

Original

[miyu-hyperfixates]

What I really love about present time Wangxian is how the trope of "us against the world' is such a natural logical and personal growth for both Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian character-wise. Wangxian is all about "being there to catch you" vs "letting myself fall", it's all about "being able to be by your side" vs "willingly sharing the burden with you". And I could gush about it for hours.

I know some people complain that post resurrection, we only see LWJ doing things for WWX (doting on him, protecting him, supporting him etc) and not the other way around, that it seems a little one-sided and unbalanced... But that's the point.

Putting aside the fact that LWJ had become so OP that it would take an one-on-one fight against someone on NMJ's or WRH's level for him to be truly in danger.... had he at some point been put in a situation where he was in need of reassurance or protection or being defended, there's no way WWX aka Mr. "I'm putting everyone else safety before my own and take everyone burden into my own body" wouldn't be the very first in line.

But that situation is never shown (or very briefly with WWX getting angry at JC for dissing at LWJ). And not just because this is a danmei and it follows the very stereotypical rules of gong must protect shou. No it's because WWX's personal journey is all about learning that's it's okay to rely on someone, that someone else would willingly and gladly follow him into the night, that it doesn't have to be a single-plank bridge. So it wouldn't make sense to have WWX be once again in the role of the Protector.

The symbolism of "falling/jumping down" and "catching" is used in almost all of WWX significant relationship and the degree of success in catching him represents how well they're able to protect him.

Jiang Yanli

The first time (chronologically) this notion was introduced was of course with JYL. Young WWX found himself stuck at the top of some tree and jumped down with the assurance that JYL would catch him. Of course, at that time JYL was young and not particularly strong so he ended hurting himself.

This is so representative of their future relationship where JYL is trying to protect WWX against the scorn of the Jin (berating publicly Jin Xizun, inviting WWX to JL one month celebration etc.) but ultimately failing.

It's not that WWX doesn't trust JYL to catch him, it's that he knows that she can't "physically" catch him. But he still jumps every time because maybe, just maybe this time she'll be able to and maybe he'll finally stop getting hurt in the process.

But at the same time, JYL is deeply engraved in his heart and mind as someone that he must protect, so even if he jumps he tries not to put the weight on her, he tries not to hurt her in the process. Which is why he never shared with her what he went through in the Burial Mounds and never talked about the golden core transfer.

And speaking about golden core transfer.

Jiang Cheng

The tragedy about JC and WWX dynamics is that just like how JC was the reason WWX decided to climb up that tree in the first place, just like how JC felt guilty and tried to go look for WWX but ultimately ended up hurting himself instead.... JC ended up being the starting point/cause of WWX's fall.

Because JC tried to save WWX from the Wen he ended up getting captured instead and lost his golden core. Prompting WWX to sacrifice his own for him, he metaphorically willingly jumped down from the height of top cultivation to the low bottom of being a "mediocre" ordinary man.... And there was no one to catch him at the bottom, no one to protect him. And it got worse, he was even literally pushed down to the burial mounds and once again no one was there to catch him.

Because the tragedy of it all is that JC, because of circumstances of his own making, was not and would never be in the right place to catch him. ( And he would have done it in a heart beat if WWX stopped hiding things from him to protect him and jumping down to place JC can't reach).

The whole thing with the Wen remnants and WWX's "fall from grace" in the eyes of the cultivation society is another example of JC and WWX dynamics.

"Don't you understand? If you insist on protecting them, then I can't protect you!"

And of course, when WWX kept spiraling downward and went mad, JC was the one at the FIrst Bural Mound Siege, leading to WWX ultimate downfall: his death.

The imagery is played straight in the Untamed: where LWJ is desperately trying to keep WWX from falling and WWX purposefully letting himself fall down to his death from a cliff after JC's arrival.

Which of course naturally leads to our ML.

Lan Wangji

In the Untamed, LWJ holds on WWX's hand and try to prevent him from falling. And he fails. Just like how in the novel he goes against those 33 elders to try to protect WWX and fails because WWX rejects him.

And it actually makes sense.

Because at that point, LWJ failed to understand that the way to save WWX wasn't to pull him away from that single-plank bridge but to actually show him that he was willing to walk that path with him. He failed to understand that WWX didn't want someone to "keep him from falling" but actually needed someone to "catch him" at the bottom. He failed to understand that his actions to WWX would appear like him extending his hand from a "moral high-ground".

LWJ of that time lacked the emotional maturity and the clarity to actually pull it off. Because at that time he was still unsure of his own actions, his own feelings and his own resolution, still questioning himself about what his family rules and mind told him was wrong but what his heart actually felt was right.

JYL knew WWX enough to understand that but didn't have the ability to do so. While LWJ had the strength but lacked the understanding.

And that's why to WWX, LWJ appeared to have changed drastically after those 13 years. Because LWJ needed those 13 years to question, accept and reflects on everything that happened.

And LWJ spent the entire present timeline rectifying what he thought he had done wrong with WWX in the past. And all the while WWX started to rely more and more on LWJ.... (cues all those CQL scenes where LWJ caught a fainting WWX).

WWX saw how LWJ didn't seem to disapprove of his cultivation anymore, how he was willing to be lenient with him about rules breaking, how he seemed so much softer and accepting, how he seemed to worry so much for him when he took on Jin Ling curse mark, how when push come to shove and WWX's identity was revealed he was willing to stand by his side against the whole cultivation world because he trusted him, how he kept and kept protecting and saving WWX even if WWX actually didn't need saving (except from dogs)....

Until it reached that iconic scene:

All of a sudden, an abnormally strong impulse surged into Wei WuXian’s mind. He wanted to fall down again, just like back then. A voice inside of him said, If he catches me, I’ll… At this point where he thought ‘I’ll’, Wei WuXian let go. Seeing that he fell out of the tree without any warning, Lan WangJi’s eyes immediately widened. He shot forward just in time to catch Wei WuXian, or one might say, be caught by Wei WuXian. [...] His voice was hoarse, "Thank you" He wasn’t scared of falling. All these years, he’d fallen many times. But falling on the ground still hurt, after all. If someone was be there to catch him, it’d be more than wonderful. Hearing Wei WuXian thank him, Lan WangJi’s body seemed to freeze for a second. The hand that was about to be laid on Wei WuXian’s back paused before it returned. After a moment of silence, Lan WangJi responded, “You are welcome.” -- Extract from chapter 87, Exiled Rebels Translation

This passage here is so, so significant because this is the moment where WWX truly really conceptualizes and accepts that yes, LWJ will be here for him, and someone is finally there to catch him.

And this is Wangxian at its finest.

And it needed to be this exact same tree that paralleled his complicated relationship with his siblings. Because you need to understand how JYL wanted to stand by WWX but was powerless to do so. You need to understand how JC wanted to stand by WWX but couldn't understand why his shixiong kept distancing himself from him and throwing himself from places he couldn't reach. You need to understand how WWX had always been the protector in order to appreciate how wholesome Wangxian is.

[factsilike]

I'm all for exploring the potential of JC's character, but I'm sorry, I cannot agree with this, because there is something you are not considering with these fics.

First of all, it is such an unfair disservice to Lan Sizhui's character. He as a toddler has already lost his only remaining family in an incredibly brutal way. Why must you add insult to injury by creating circumstances in which he has to grow up with his family's murderer? How is that fair to him? Just so JC can "angst" about it? What will that do? Is Sizhui supposed to feel bad and forgive him just because he feels bad about it?

While we're at it, in what universe would Lan Wangji ever let him near Lan Sizhui in the first place? He is the last remaining connection he has to Wei Wuxian, someone WWX gave his life to protect. You really think he's going to let him near the person responsible for his family's demise, the person known to have a harsh and angry personality? Lan Wangji would be dead before he lets that happen.

Not to mention JC couldn't even raise his own nephew, someone he actually loves, without being physically and verbally abusive towards him, because he does not have a healthy relationship with love itself. He chooses to repeat his own mother's cycle of abuse. He could never and would never love Sizhui. In fact, even by some miracle he did take him in, he would not see him as an innocent child, but as just another 'Wen dog' just like he saw all the other Wen remnants. He demonstrated this by the callous and dismissive way he treated Wen Yuan when he visited Wei Wuxian at the Burial mounds for the first time. Read that scene again. He would never have any love in his heart for him. In fact, every time he would look at him, the resentment and poisonous anger in him would only grow, because all he would see is a reminder of what he himself had lost, not a frightened innocent child.

Besides, Sizhui in a harsh, unbearable setting like that would either eventually run away, or grow up to be just like Jin Ling, an angry, arrogant and reckless child, who has no friends and is desperately lonely. The contrast between him and Sizhui is laid out clearly in the beginning, reflecting their guardian's parenting styles.

Jin Ling needed Wei Wuxian's nurturing and guidance, as well his new friends' good company, to let go of his bitter and snappy nature. He grows out of JC's poisonous influence, and challenges him exactly because he was beginning to question the story he had been told all his life. JC's parenting certainly hadn't done him any favours.

So yes, I do hate the idea of these fics, because they make Sizhui suffer for nothing, just so JC can be the one to raise him. No, please leave him alone and let him grow up with Lan Wangji the way he did, in a caring nurturing environment, with the good friends he made, and the calm, refined and mature person he grew up to be under Lan Wangji's wonderful guidance. It was what was best for him.

I'm actually really intrigued by the idea of a Jiang Cheng raising Sizhui AU—not in the "Jiang Cheng, the bestest Jiujiu" kind of way, but in a tragic, heart-wrenching sense where a traumatized child is unknowingly raised by the very person who wiped out his entire family. This trope is incredibly fascinating and could be used to dive deep into Jiang Cheng's character—his hatred for the Wen Remnants, his complex unhealthy love-hate relationship with Wei Wuxian, and now the added layer of raising Wei Wuxian’s pseudo-son. The thought of Jiang Cheng initially hating Sizhui, only to gradually and unintentionally grow to love him, and then having to confront the painful reality that he was the one who caused unimaginable suffering to someone he loved like a son, is just chef's kiss. The potential for angst and tragedy here is absolutely delicious.

But, of course, Jiang Cheng stans hate complexity and nuance, and seems to live in this bizarre reality where Jiang Cheng murdering Sizhui's entire family has no consequences—it's all about him being the best Jiujiu evahhh. 🥴

[robininthelabyrinth]

for the prompts: NMJ/JC - Everyone with a functioning brain cell can see that JC just needs someone to tell him he’s doing a good job. And if WWX isn’t stepping up? Well, NMJ definitely will. (Preferably smut and/or fluff) Thank you! ❤️

Compliments - ao3

It started in anger, out of spite.

Traditionally, the world took this to be a bad thing, but in all honesty the vast majority of projects in the Nie sect were started that way – they inherited fiery tempers and spiteful personalities from their ancestors along with their saber cultivation traditions – and it didn’t always turn out badly. There were any number of buildings, techniques, or technological innovations in the Unclean Realm that had started life as a furious fuck you to someone and only turned into something worthwhile about halfway through, once the person involved had calmed down enough to think about what they were doing, realize they were already committed, and then shrug and carry on forward because there was no point in stopping a charge midway.

What Nie Mingjue meant was: there was precedent.

He liked to think it started with Jiang Fengmian, but if Nie Mingjue was being honest with himself, it started back in the Unclean Realm when Nie Huaisang had told him, quite casually over dinner, that he thought that the female cultivator in his class was very pretty and that he’d be happy to marry her.

“Uh,” Nie Mingjue had said, very intelligently. “Huaisang, you’re seven.”

Nie Huaisang had not seen the problem. Instead, he explained very forthrightly that it was only right that he start thinking early on about his marriage, as getting married and having children would be his great contribution to the sect on account of being useless good-for-nothing unfit for anything else –

“Wait,” Nie Mingjue said. “Who told you that?!”

Nie Huaisang claimed he had deduced it.

Nie Mingjue claimed that Nie Huaisang was full of bullshit, and also that he wasn’t good-for-nothing even if he wasn’t good at saber, and anyway even if he was a total good-for-nothing he was still Nie Mingjue’s good-for-nothing and no one had better say a single damn word against him or Nie Mingjue would bite them.

“I meant stab them!” he explained, far too late; Nie Huaisang was already rolling around laughing to the point of tears. “I have a saber. I can stab people! I’m actually very scary, you know!”

Nie Huaisang hadn’t believed him one bit and had carried on, seemingly at peace and forgetting everything, but Nie Mingjue had gone seeking advice from all of his elders and counselors and the more dependable senior disciples of his sect, abruptly terrified that he was permanently damaging Nie Huaisang by raising him the wrong way or something. Didn’t children need encouragement at that age? Weren’t they all young and tender peaches liable to be bruised at the slightest glance or young sprouts that needed to be sheltered from the harsh wind lest they grow up crooked?

Everyone assured him that children were hardier than they appeared, flexible and capable of bouncing back from just about anything. He'd pressed, though, pointing out that even the most flexible wood would eventually form a crack in the face of a vicious hurricane, and in the end they'd admitted that it was better to avoid applying too much pressure at too young an age, that a child squeezed too hard or not hard enough might develop neuroses that would hinder them in the future.

They mostly tried not to look at him when they said that, presumably thinking to themselves that Nie Mingjue was little more than a child himself and had already been subject to the worst pressures possible, which would undoubtedly result in who knows what future issues, but he hadn’t paid that part any mind. As far as he was concerned, his life was already a loss – he had sworn to take revenge for his father, to make that ancient monster Wen Ruohan pay with his life for what he had done and furthermore he'd sworn to pay back the blood debt in full before any of that burden passed to Nie Huaisang.

Letting Nie Huaisang grow up happy – that was what mattered.

Letting him be insulted when Nie Mingjue wasn’t looking played no part in that plan. If Nie Huaisang were going to be insulted, let it be by outsiders who he wouldn’t need to care about! Within their Nie sect, at minimum, he should be doted upon and honored, or else those responsible would have to explain themselves to Nie Mingjue.

Those dark thoughts still lingering in his mind, he had gone to the Lotus Pier for a discussion conference, and that, perhaps, was where it really started.

Rumor had already made the entire cultivation world aware that Jiang Fengmian had found the orphaned son of Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze, and that he had taken him into his home as his ward, allowing him to become a Jiang sect disciple – treating him almost as one of the family, even. That much was known, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Jiang Fengmian proudly introduced him or even more proudly showed him off, praising him to the high heavens.

What did come as a surprise was how little he praised his own son standing beside him, despite them being only a few days apart in age. It was as if Jiang Fengmian had simply forgotten that such a creature existed, much less that he had himself contributed to its spawning, and the constant looks of hope – invariably crushed – the child sent him made it clear that the present situation had been going on for some time.

Fuck you, Nie Mingjue thought, seeing red, seeing instead Nie Huaisang in his failed saber classes, struggling so desperately to keep up with the rest even though his body wouldn’t allow for it, being told he was useless and a good-for-nothing and fit for nothing but marriage. Fuck you, Jiang Fengmian.

He couldn’t say that, of course.

So instead he said, “Excellent stance,” to the child, who'd received the courtesy name Wanyin but seemed to be universally called Jiang Cheng. “Do you know the others in the set?”

Jiang Cheng, staring at him, very slowly nodded, and demonstrated them.

“Absolutely perfect,” Nie Mingjue said loudly, drawing attention to himself with his over-loud voice that everyone would automatically forgive on account on him being both a Nie and a young man. “You can see how hard you’ve worked at it, and it has paid off handsomely. You are very lucky in your son, Sect Leader Jiang.”

“…thank you,” Jiang Fengmian said, a little bemused at being interrupted. He’d been talking yet again about Wei Wuxian’s brilliance at picking up the sword again after years of living on the streets without practice, even though at the moment the smiling boy's admittedly impressive skills were still largely wild and undisciplined.

Nie Mingjue nodded, and said: “When exactly did you say the opening festivities would be starting?”

Jiang Fengmian had clearly forgotten about that in his enthusiasm, so he quickly hurried back to the actual subject at hand and the discussion conference was started in earnest.

It was almost enough to allow Nie Mingjue to forget the matter and put it behind him.

Or, it would have been, if only Jiang Fengmian hadn’t continued to insert praise for Wei Wuxian at every possible instance – it was as if he were the man’s first-born son, rather than another person’s child.

Irritated beyond belief, Nie Mingjue started complimenting Jiang Cheng every time Jiang Fengmian said something nice about Wei Wuxian, and he made sure to keep his compliments accurate: he was a hard worker, dedicated and sincere, thoughtful, clever, not overly arrogant…

“Wei Wuxian came up with his own ideas for a sword style already,” Jiang Fengmian claimed at one point. “You can see him on the training ground now, practicing it – take a look!”

Nie Mingjue picked up a stone and flicked it over with his fingers, making Wei Wuxian jump half a chi into the air and nearly fall on his ass.

“Weak foundation, and he over-commits,” he analyzed dryly, because it was true, and because no one else was saying it. He didn't make it any harsher than it had to be: he had nothing against the boy himself, of course; it was only that he knew from experience that it was much easier to be the one being complimented than the one not. “He’s got his head so high in the clouds that his feet are barely touching the ground – the weakest fierce corpse would knock him flat as a pancake with a childish style like that. He’d be better off sticking with orthodox or he’ll end up in real trouble one day.”

“Sect Leader Nie, really,” Jiang Fengmian said disapprovingly. “He’s only nine.”

“Old enough to pick up bad habits,” Nie Mingjue retorted. “Your son’s the same age and he’s as steady as a rock. If Jiang Cheng keeps going as he is, he’ll have a strong enough base to outlast the fiercest storm.”

“A rock has no imagination,” Jiang Fengmian said, and was he actually arguing that his son was inferior? Out loud, in front of outsiders? Did the man have no shame? “Mingjue, you’re young, but you must know that my Jiang sect prizes freedom and creativity as the highest virtue –”

“Would you rather build a house using a firework or a foundation stone?” Nie Mingjue asked, doing his best not to outwardly bristle at the condescendingly intimate use of his name by someone who might be technically his elder but legally his equal. “Tell me, Fengmian, does your Jiang sect’s acclaimed ‘freedom’ only allow for people to be as fluid as the river and not as steady as the earth?”

Jiang Fengmian faltered, clearly not knowing how to answer that.

Nie Mingjue raised his hands in a sarcastic salute: “As the leader of a sect whose style is based on a grounded foundation, I would be very happy if you would educate me in your wisdom. No doubt my peers would benefit as well.”

Perhaps it was at that point that Jiang Fengmian realized that his words could be misinterpreted as an insult to all the sects whose styles were less free-flowing than the Jiang – just about all of them except for maybe the Lan and their subsidiary sects, given their preference for techniques modeled on the wind over the water – and moreover that this was a discussion conference, where every word was political, and that a great deal of people were glaring balefully at him. He hastily moved the conversation onwards, and left the subject of his sons for another day.

Later that evening, Madame Yu came over to where Nie Mingjue was nursing a bowl of very fine wine that he didn’t especially feel like consuming. Before he could start worrying about the Purple Spider’s intentions, she said, voice stiff, “Your words regarding my son are too kind. His skills are still inferior; he has a great deal of progress yet to be made.”

“He’s only nine,” Nie Mingjue said, feeling mortified that she’d noticed his little temper tantrum, which he had belatedly realized was probably extremely obvious. “Anyway, I wasn't lying. He has a good foundation; he’ll be a fearsome cultivator one day, there’s no doubt. I only said what I saw.”

“You didn’t comment about Wei Wuxian,” she said. “You must have noticed his genius.”

“Geniuses don’t need to be praised overmuch,” Nie Mingjue said. He himself had been termed a genius by his teachers, and he’d hated every single moment of it – couldn’t he just be good at things without having people fall all over themselves to compliment him? He’d enjoyed it at the start, but after a while it had started to wear on him; he was expected to be a genius in all things, and being simply ordinary was suddenly seen as failing. “It’s the ones that have to work hard that do, or else they’ll be discouraged…comparing someone to another person’s child works as a spur to a certain extent, but after a while it loses its potency as a tool.”

Your husband is a fucking idiot, he didn’t say. It’s his own son! How could he speak like that about him? Shouldn’t he be holding him in his palms like a gentle flame, protecting him from the wind and rain? How can he bear to scold his son when he hasn't shown that the scolding is meant for his benefit?

“Perhaps,” Madame Yu said, but it was clear on her face that she wasn’t about to start taking parenting advice from a half-grown sprout like Nie Mingjue. “Nevertheless, your words were kind.”

She swept away after that, much to his relief. He shook his head and daydreamed about a magic tool that would make this whole nightmarish experience go by that much quicker.

In the end, it went by at the same speed it always did. It could have ended there, but Nie Mingjue kept up the habit of blatantly complimenting Jiang Cheng in future sect conferences as well, if only because it clearly irritated Jiang Fengmian – less because Nie Mingjue was praising his son and more because it was so obviously meant as an indirect critique of Jiang Fengmian’s skills as a parent or sect leader, and moreover it reminded all the other sects of that unfortunate interchange and made them less inclined to listen to him – and of course, because, well, once you’ve started a charge, you had to finish it even if you came to your senses about halfway through.

He made sure to keep it proportionate, of course, since there was nothing worse than false praise. He didn’t really mean anything by it, other than the half-formed thought that someone ought to be doing it – that the boy should know that someone looked at him and Wei Wuxian and remembered to praise him first. Nie Mingjue praised Wei Wuxian too, of course, since the boy often deserved it; it was only that he made a particular point not to forget about Jiang Cheng, either.

(He also made sure the other sect leaders saw how well the technique could be used to fluster Jiang Fengmian, an intrusion into his personal life that could be masked in perfect politeness, and several of them picked up the same tact, though less consistently than Nie Mingjue – Sect Leaders Jin and Wen, naturally, always looking for a weakness, but interestingly enough also Lan Qiren, who was normally above such petty maneuvers. Possibly he was actually just complimenting Jiang Cheng because he sincerely approved of him.)

He didn’t think much of it.

Nie Mingjue didn’t think much of it during the other discussion conferences, or when he came to the Cloud Recesses to pick up Nie Huaisang, who had – amazingly – actually managed to pass this time, although the expression on Lan Qiren’s face suggested the pass might have more to do with the other sect leader’s desire to never see Nie Huaisang haunt his classroom ever again.

“You know what, don’t tell me. Tell me….hm…how did Jiang Wanyin do?” Nie Mingjue asked, hand over his eyes as if it could forestall the headache. “He’s a bright boy, and knows how to put his mind to something when he wants. Tell me about him instead, it’ll be less depressing.”

“He’s very bright,” Lan Qiren agreed. “Very thoughtful, and very thorough. He sometimes errs towards conservatism out of fear of giving the wrong answer, but that’s just a matter of confidence; his thinking is very good. He’s very clear-sighted as long as the matter is logical, rather than emotional.”

“No surprise,” Nie Mingjue grunted. “He’ll be a sect leader worthy of respect, in his time.”

When he’s rid of that father of his dragging him down, he thought ungraciously, and he saw Lan Qiren bob his head in a sharp nod of unspoken agreement.

“All right,” he said. “I’m adequately fortified now. Tell me about Huaisang.”

Lan Qiren gave him a look of profound sympathy.

It wasn’t until much later, during the Sunshot Campaign, that it was first called to his attention – by Jiang Cheng himself, oddly enough.

“Why do you keep doing that?” he hissed, having stayed behind after one of their meetings.

Nie Mingjue blinked at him. “Doing – what?”

“You – you said – about me…!”

Nie Mingjue tried to recall what he’d said during the meeting just now. “That you – were doing an excellent job while facing much higher level of obstacles than everyone else?” he hazarded, because he had said something like that. “Or was it the bit about how if any of them had needed to rebuild their sect and fight at the same time, we’d all be doomed because they couldn’t multitask for shit?”

Yeah, it was probably that one.

“I didn’t mean any offense by referencing what happened to your sect,” he said, hoping to explain. “It was only –”

“I didn’t take offense,” Jiang Cheng mumbled. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but – it happened, everyone knows that it happened, not talking about it isn’t going to make it not have happened. That’s not what I meant…why do you keep saying such nice things about me?”

Nie Mingjue blinked at him. “Because they’re true?”

Jiang Cheng’s cheeks flushed red. “You’ve always said nice things about me. Ever since I was a little kid – every time you saw me, at the discussion conferences, or the Cloud Recesses, or even in your letters to my father…”

He had in fact done that.

“I just want to know why. Is it – my father’s not around, you can’t be doing it just to piss him off, even though I know that was part of it. Why me?”

Nie Mingjue coughed a little, having not realized that Jiang Cheng had noticed. Or possibly even overheard, in regards to the Cloud Recesses. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of the other person’s child,” he said, and Jiang Cheng nodded his head sharply, clearly thinking of Wei Wuxian. “You’re Huaisang’s.”

“Me?” Jiang Cheng seemed unduly vulnerable when he asked. “You compare him – to me?”

“It’s amazing he tolerated you at the Cloud Recesses,” Nie Mingjue said with a sigh. In fact, his brother had all but declared war on Jiang Cheng in absentia on account of all Nie Mingjue’s comments, only for his first letter home from the Cloud Recesses that year to be I see why you like him! He’s cute! A perfect match for you! because he’d apparently decided that Nie Mingjue had a crush on the boy.

Which he certainly hadn’t – at least not when he’d been that age, anyway. Jiang Cheng had grown up to embody every single one of the compliments Nie Mingjue had paid him when he’d been younger, especially with the maturity and natural aura of command that came to him after his personal tragedy.

“But why…you knew Wei Wuxian about as well as you knew me.”

Nie Mingjue snorted. “And that would have helped Huaisang how, exactly? If I wanted to compare him with someone who picked things up the first time they saw it, I wouldn’t need to go outside the Nie sect for that – I was also considered a genius when I was young. It’s no failing to be born without a vast and unending natural talent; Huaisang’s issue has always been his unwillingness to put in the effort.”

Jiang Cheng stared at him.

“Anyway, your father was so blinded by his adoration for Wei Wuxian that he overlooked your merits, which are different but no less impressive,” Nie Mingjue added. “As someone who was trying to figure out how to raise a child, it irritated me; I thought someone ought to make it clear to you that you were seen.”

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng said, his voice strangely hoarse. “Yes, you – you succeeded.”

He paused for a moment, meeting Nie Mingjue’s eyes intently, and then abruptly said, “I’ll be leaving,” and dashed out.

Nie Mingjue wasn’t entirely sure if that meant he should stop or not. Jiang Cheng had said he wasn’t offended…anyway, it was a fixed habit by now. He’d been doing it for over half his life! He couldn’t stop that easily! It would be like trying to stop his temper, or a charge – there was nothing for it.

Jiang Cheng would just have to live with a few compliments.

“Wow, you’re an idiot,” Nie Huaisang said when he told him about the incident, months later while he was lying in bed, recovering from the disaster that had been the end of the war. “I’ll fix this.”

“Fix what?”

“I’m going to tell him you’re dying,” Nie Huaisang decided.

“You’re going to do what?!”

“Stay in bed, da-ge! Doctor’s orders!”

The Nie sect chief doctor was an extremely terrifying person. Nie Mingjue stayed in bed.

Some time later, Jiang Cheng stormed in, face pale.

“Huaisang’s a rotten liar and I’m going to be fine,” Nie Mingjue said at once.

Jiang Cheng stopped mid-storm, and abruptly deflated. “Really?”

“Really. I would’ve stopped him, but I’m stuck in bed for the moment.”

Jiang Cheng took a seat next to him. “That sounds serious. You shouldn’t underestimate war wounds, especially given your sect’s tendency towards qi deviations...”

“Compassionate as well,” Nie Mingjue teased. “I’ll have to add that to the rotation of compliments.”

Jiang Cheng flushed red. “You’re…planning on continuing?”

“For the rest of my life, however short it might be,” Nie Mingjue said, because he was an honest person, even when it was inconvenient. He was going to explain about the habit, and the concept of stopping mid-charge, but he didn’t manage to start before Jiang Cheng grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up into a kiss.

After that, he figured that maybe explaining that part of it wasn’t necessary. He might be slow on the uptake, but he wasn’t actually stupid.