#Lan Xichen tries and messes up: the fic

[wangxianficrecs]

there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears by ghostberry (xmoyashiii)

there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears

by ghostberry (xmoyashiii)

G, 3k, Wangxian

Part of the Wangxian White Day Exchange 2021

Summary: Even from seclusion, a mother's eyes see much, and her heart understands even more. And she can only sit back and watch for so long. The story of Lan Wangji's devotion, heartbreak, and joy through the eyes of the person who knows him best in the world. Kay's comments: Chanting MAMA LAN, MAMA LAN, MAMA LAN I just love fics so much where she lives and gets so see her sons grow up and especially fics where she gets to meet Wei Wuxian! I just know that the two of them would get along so well! This story is The Untamed canon, so she's witness to all the pining and the mess at the end where Wei Wuxian is left to wander alone, but she's not taking it! Really loved her characterization in this story too. Excerpt: "Hello? Is anyone here?" Curiosity wins, a trait she's never quite been able to stamp out with all her years of solitude and meditation. Not, she supposes, that she's tried particularly hard. She goes to the door and opens it, and finds herself face to face with a teenager in guest disciples' robes, gazing up at her with surprise in his wide grey eyes. "Hello," she says, and the sound of her own voice surprises her in return. It's been so long since she's spoken to anyone but Wangji and Xichen; there's an irrational instant where she half expects Lan Qiren to jump out of the bushes and start shouting accusations at her, just for this one simple greeting. But of course he isn't here — no one is here but herself and the boy. His smile is wide and infectious; she finds herself smiling back without quite knowing why either of them are doing so. “I knew a place like this must have someone living in it! I'm guessing I probably shouldn't be here, huh? I was exploring and I saw the path, and I just had to know, you know?" Belatedly, he seems to remember himself and bows. His form is perfect, but she can tell he's just going through the motions, eager to get back to talking. "I'm Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian." Of course. Sheng Lin can't hold back her laughter; it rings through the clearing, loud and bright and unfamiliar to her own ears. "Your reputation precedes you, A-Ying," she says gently, still chuckling.

pov madam lan, madam lan lives, madam lan deserves better, lan family feels, pov outsider on lan wangji/wei wuxian, canon compliant, cloud recesses study arc, thirteen years of wei wuxian's death, hurt/comfort, imprisonment, canon divergence, the untamed compliant

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[bloopitynoot]

12 Wangxian Time-Travel Fix-it Fics

This rec list had the majority votes on my wangXian rec list poll, and honestly I didn't even realize how many fantastic time-travel fics I had collected.

Note: all of these fics are tried and true; meaning I have vetted, read, and cherish all of them. If you would like a personalized rec list theme for Wangxian DM me, I love making these lists!

These time travel fix-its all focus on Wangxian in particular though the time travelers vary (and the time plot varies).

I tried to keep the choices expansive; the plots are all wildly different, the ratings vary, and tone of the fics ranges from crack to Angst Angst Angst.

I hope you enjoy!

1 Lynchpin (103005 words) by ShanaStoryteller

Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Not Rated Additional Tags: Time Travel, Fix-It, jiang cheng fixes everything through the power of brotherly love, knowing everyone's secrets helps too Summary: He can’t get Jin Guangyao’s words out of his head. If he’d only believed in Wei Wuxian, if he’d only been willing to stand up for him, could it all have been avoided?

NOTES: This was a SOLID Yummengbros fix. I loved that it was Jiang Cheng who went back to fix the plot. This fix it starts with the canon we know in the end; WY and his husband in cloud recesses, Jin Ling being prepared to lead the Jin's, and Jiang Cheng alone. It is a solid time travel fix and I love that it is Jiang Cheng led.

2 Lan Jingyi (Accidently) Discovers Time Travel (31719 words) by Waffles95

Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Fix-It of Sorts, Not Beta Read, Self-Indulgent, POV Multiple Summary: In a universe where Lan Jingyi is Lan Xichen’s biological son, he messes up Wei Wuxian’s experimental array and sends himself and his siblings to the past. With the help of their family, they must figure out how to get back home or be stuck there forever.

NOTES: Lan Jingyi is one of Xichen's biological children (and Jingyi has some troublesome siblings lol), he finds one of his siblings experimenting with an array and the kids are transported back in time. Now he has to take care of his siblings, figure out a way back, and do a little match making on the side. this is a silly little fic, a great pick-me-up read. Note: this is more of an alt timeline rather than a time travel fix-it but it really is close enough.

3 if you can't beat them, recruit them (228416 words) by moeblobmegane

Chapters: 48/48 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Conspiracy, Spies & Secret Agents, Team as Family, Found Family, Burial Mounds, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Pining, Morally Ambiguous Character, Rumors, Politics, Background JZX/JYL, Developing Friendships, Good Uncle Lan Qiren, Demonic Cultivation (Modao Zushi), YilingWei Sect Series: Part 1 of wwx time travels and accidentally creates a platonic harem Summary: Rather than mourning a future that had not happened yet, he would rather work with all his might to prevent it from happening. […] His aim was to fortify his home and his family so that they would never again be left vulnerable to greedy cultivators aiming for his genius. For that, he needed help. He may be a genius, but he was not the cunning manipulative man they thought him to be. No, that was not him. He knew who was, though.   (Or: Wei Wuxian uses a powerful array to go back in time and builds a secret squad to prevent the misfortunes of the future.)

NOTES: Oh man I love this fic so much. This fic does start off really damn sad, but it ends up positive! Wei Ying really goes through it at the beginning, this boy has compound trauma for sure. The real reason I love this fic is that Wei Ying is over here with sheer determination, future knowledge, AND has been recruiting the 'villains' the entire time. Such a solid fic.

4All of Our Memories Gather (72700 words) by geethr75

Chapters: 43/43 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst, Heavy Angst, Fix-It, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, not Jin Guangyao friendly, not jin guangshan friendly, Not Su She friendly, Not Xue Yang friendly, jin ling and his jiujiu, Golden Core Transfer (Modao Zushi), Golden Core Reveal (Modao Zushi), Canon Rewrite, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin-centric, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen-centric, jiang cheng friendly, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Friendship, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Reconciliation, Established Relationship, established xicheng, Depression, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, canon can go fuck itself, let my boys be happy, Good Sibling Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Good Sibling Jiang Yanli, Good Sibling Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Good Sibling Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Good Sibling Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Good Uncle Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Good Uncle Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Good Uncle Lan Qiren, Good Nephew Jin Ling | Jin Rulan, Major character death - Freeform, only Jiāng Chéng enthusiasts allowed, Let's give Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen nice things, Don't Like Don't Read, Queernormative society Series: Part 18 of MDZS AUs, Part 12 of Xicheng AUs, Part 3 of MDZS Time Travel fix-it, Part 1 of Xicheng post canon time travel etc, Part 1 of Xicheng fix it Summary: Twelve years after the events of Guanyin temple, Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen are married and contemplating retirement when they along with their nephews somehow find themselves in the past immediately after the Sunshot campaign. They have to start over, and this time make different choices with the help of their nephews, and make sure that everyone they lost last time will stay alive this time Warning: THIS FIC IS NOT JGY FRIENDLY EXTREMELY JIANG CHENG FRIENDLY

NOTES: This is the crack I live for. I struggled to keep a straight face through so much of this, I could not stop laughing. JC and LXC are married and grossly in love but get yeeted into the past. These two do not even hide the fact that they are smitten and it truly makes everyone around them wonder if they are well. The plot was so fun (though there is some angst because they do have to fix-it) and it does include Wangxian matchmaking I promise LOL.

5 A Narrow Bridge (700193 words) by FrameofMind, Jo Lasalle

Chapters: 58/58 Rating: Explicit Characters: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Wen Qing (Modao Zushi) Additional Tags: Time Travel, Fix-It, Time Travel Fix-It, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Getting Together, First Time, Pining, Pining while fucking, Burial Mounds Settlement Days (Modao Zushi), Angst with a Happy Ending, Happy Ending, CQL Verse, almost everybody lives/almost nobody dies, epistolary-ish, canon-ish side pairings, radishes Summary: Once, Lan Wangji made a choice to step aside. Ten years after Wei Ying’s death, he finds a way back to choose again.

NOTES: I am not going to lie, I did cry through almost all of this; for various reasons. This fic is mostly Lan Zhan struggling through grief or later because of the price he pays to fix the situation. It is written beautifully, it is deeply sad, but the ending is truly gorgeous. This is such an incredible piece of writing I cannot express- but please have tissues on standby.

6 And Time Is But a Paper Moon (139032 words) by sami

Chapters: 39/39 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: wangxian and qingxicheng are both featured, Asexual Jiang Cheng, Asexual Lan Xichen, Asexual Wēn Qíng, Asexual Character, canon AU, Canon-Typical Violence, Fix-It, Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, unless I hate them, Healing, Mental Health Issues, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Depression, BAMF Wei Wuxian, BAMF Jiang Cheng, BAMF Lan Wangji, BAMF Jiang Yanli, Wen Qing is a queen in any reality, Jin Zixuan has had it with his father's shit, Lan Qiren has just had it, Wei Wuxian/self-destructive tendencies, Lan Xichen/healing/happiness 2k20, Jiang Cheng/healing/happiness 2k20, First Time, Getting Together, Falling In Love, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hugs, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Sharing a Bed, Mentions of Rape, see Qin Su and Mo Xuanyu's existence, Jiang FengMian's A+ parenting, Yu Ziyuan's A+ Parenting, it's okay everybody, everything's going to be okay I promise Series: Part 1 of The Same Moon Shines Summary: "Zewu-Jun. You once told me about a house surrounded by gentians, where you visited once a month, and how Lan Zhan still waited there, even when the door no longer opened." Xichen feels light-headed. He feels shocked, and angry. He has never told anyone such a thing, but Lan Zhan is giving Xichen a look of utter betrayal. "You told him?" Lan Zhan whispers. "When?" Wei Wuxian takes Lan Zhan's hand. "About twenty years from now." Wei Wuxian starts again from the beginning. (Spanish translation on Wattpad.) (Russian translation.)

NOTES: I have shared this series so many times, but I will do it again. This is SO SO good. The series is long and evolves into other series and all of them set in the same universe. If you have a solid 2 weeks of vacation sit down and read all the parts. None of it will be disappointing. What I like about this time travel piece is that from near the beginning the people who need to know already understand that there is future intel. Anyways read it!!!!

7 Whatever it takes (115009 words) by Moonlit_dewdrops

Chapters: 35/35 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, yunmeng prides, POV Jiang Cheng, POV Wei WuXian, Wen Qing and Wen Ning live, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng actually communicate, Yunmeng Siblings fluff, But Also Some Angst, Lots of WangXian moments, Protective Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Protective Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Jin Guangshan and Jin Zixun will die for sure, Nie Mingjue Lives, Twin Prides of Yunmeng Feels, Slow burn but not for Wangxian, Brotherhood, justice for the wen remnants, Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan Live, Wen Remnants Live (Modao Zushi), Cinnamon Roll Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Wēn Qíng Lives and Wen Ning (Módào Zǔshī), Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, reference to wwx's suicide, No beta we die like wwx, Established Relationship, Torture Summary: Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian are sent back to the past. This time, they can save everyone they love. They can make the right choices. They can learn to trust one another. However, everything comes with a price.

NOTES: Eeeeep another Yummengbros fic- this time they go into the past together and fix the plot. Also the growth that Wei Ying brings to Wangxian in this (yes, he did need to live like 2 full lives to learn to communicate but it pans out in attempt 3) is so scrumptious. They do so well for Wangxian communication. Overall this fic is a good brotherly bonding + fix it.

8 Building a home (586482 words) by R95irth

Chapters: 110/110 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Okay maybe some will die, Some like Wen Chao?, Angst with a Happy Ending, Horror, Nightmares, Canon-Typical Violence, Complete list of ships in the serie summary, Family Fluff, Found Family, Babies, Untamed heroes are babies, Basically only no-canon-named people or bad people might die?, Like the trope but also lost and found family in the literal sense, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, but not done by the Lotus Pier squad, Also JGS exists so canon related things linked to him, Same goes for Lan parents Series: Part 1 of Home is where your heart is Summary: This was supposed to be an easy night hunt. They left Wei Ying at an Inn, and wanted to be back before sunrise. Instead they find themselves at the door of Lotus Pier, in the middle of the night, wounded, and their son, their beautiful son, injured. Things did not go as planned. Maybe, because, it is time to change their plan. Maybe it is time to stop wandering, to stop running away from the man they hurt, maybe it's time to heal. Maybe it is time to build a home.   It's over!! See you on Burning roofs : the next installement!! Spanish translation is now available : https://archiveofourown.org/works/28693317 Russian translation is now available : https://ficbook.net/readfic/11789571

NOTES: I cannot tell you how invested I am in this plot. There is a part 2 in the works but the writer is on a bit of a leave (they do see comments though so if you do read and enjoy make sure you tell them :'3). This is such a cool premise, Wei Ying's parents live, injured but in lotus pier, shenanigan's are happening in the cultivation world, Wangxian meet as children, and there is a strange dark presence that keeps infiltrating dreams. This fic technically has time travel but I am not giving anything away!

9 A Matter of Time (41251 words) by mrcformoso

Chapters: 8/8 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage Additional Tags: Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, POV Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, POV Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Dark Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Top Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Bottom Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan goes crazy, Manipulation, Grooming, Except Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are physically the same age, but Lan Zhan kept his 30 year old mind, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending, Consensual Underage Sex, Except problematic please read warning in first chapter, Blood and Violence, Insane Lan zhan, Manic Lan Zhan, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Conditioning, Come Eating, Come Swallowing, Anal Fingering, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian is a Lan, Minor Character Death, Golden Core Reveal (Modao Zushi), Good Friend Nie Huaisang, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Isn't Adopted by the Jiangs, Abusive Jiang Family (Modao Zushi), Jiang Family Bashing (Modao Zushi), POV Nie Huaisang, Dark Nie Huaisang, Anal Sex, Marathon Sex, Dual Cultivation, Horny Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Qingheng-jun Lives, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Has a Big Dick, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Self-Lubricates, Qishan Wen Indoctrination (Modao Zushi), Plot Twists, Porn With Plot, Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), Lanling Jin Sect Bashing (Modao Zushi), Scheming Nie Huaisang, Manipulative Nie Huaisang, BAMF Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, BAMF Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, BAMF Nie Huaisang, Burial Mounds Lore, Sentient Burial Mounds (Modao Zushi), Married Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Adopted Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui, Breathplay, Dark Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Yandere Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Translation Available Series: Part 1 of A Matter of Time Summary: When Lan Wangji went back in time to the first time he met Wei Wuxian, he thought it would be on their spar on the rooftops. He thought of how much he would have to change their interactions through the Cloud Recesses, how he would have to find a way to split Wei Wuxian from the Jiangs… But when he came to his body, he found himself holding out a toy drum to a little child, a little A-Ying, in the streets of Yilling. 'Huh.' Lan Wangji thought as the little boy smiled up at him. 'This will be easier than I thought.'   Or: After Wei Wuxian’s death, something broke in Lan Wangji. He would do anything to get the love of his life back, safely in his arms. Even rewrite history.

NOTES: I will start off with MIND THE TAGS. This does feature child grooming by definition, it does have an adult in a child's body. I would classify this as Very Dark Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan goes back to the first time him and wangxian meet (donghua canon) and they are children- he essentially manipulates his uncle and brother to take Wei Ying with them to cloud recesses. Plot twist- it was not only Lan Wangji who went back in time.

10 Tragedy is Not the End (358230 words) by Hobbsy3

Chapters: 67/67 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Additional Tags: People die but they (mostly) get better, Time Travel, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal, Canon Divergence from Qiongqi Pass, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Because Jin Guangshan and Jin Zixun suck, jiang cheng is doing his best, Jiang Yanli fixes everything with soup and a baby, Jin Zixuan gets it together, Yunmeng sibling bonding, good dad wei wuxian, good dad lan zhan, Jin Zixuan Lives, Jiang Yanli Lives, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Wen Remnants Live (Modao Zushi), Junior Quartet Dynamics (Modao Zushi) Summary: When Sizhui, Jingyi, and Zizhen are captured with Jin Ling at the Guanyin Temple, they're sure that Hanguang Jun and Wei Wuxian will fix everything - until Su She stabs Lan Wangji through the stomach, and everything falls apart around them. In a last, frantic attempt to undo the damage Jin Guangyao has done, Wei Wuxian activates a deadly array to send the four juniors back in time, sending them to the morning of Jin Ling's one-month celebration. With the fate of everyone and everything they love in their hands, Sizhui, Jin Ling, Zizhen and Jingyi race to prevent the ambush at Qiongqi Pass and the subsequent fallout, but Jin Guangyao has returned from the future as well, and he has no intention of letting what he wants fall through his hands a second time.

NOTES: This starts off so upsetting; Guanyin Temple does not go as planned and the party uses a last resort to send the kids back in time. These poor babes have so much trauma and now have to prevent the future from happening again. The angst is worth it!

11 Echoes of Love (212176 words) by Witch_Nova221

Chapters: 32/32 Rating: Mature Additional Tags: Romance, Eventual Romance, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, university lecturer Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending, Dark Baoshan Sanren, Amnesia, Memory Loss, 1980s music, Lan Zhan loves all things 80s, Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race, Canon-Typical Violence, References to Torture, Murder, Blood, Blood and Injury, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mystery, Nova's Give Lan Zhan friends of his own agenda Series: Part 1 of A Never Ending Story Summary: 'Somehow I knew, that day back at Churchill, I knew you were someone essential to me. That part of you was reaching out to a part of me and now I know why.' When Wei Ying fell he was ready to die. To die and to let the world forget him but someone had other ideas. Now, stranded in 21st Century England, he finds himself without a common language, friends or even any memory of who he was before. Luck alone brings him to the steps of Churchill College and to the attention of a young Professor Lan Zhan; expert in ancient pottery and fine art, champion rower, and lover of all things 1980s. With his new friend at his side, Wei Ying begins to navigate his new world in the hope of finding his place in it but echoes of the past are never far behind.

NOTES: I have shared this before and YES I did cry reading it. This has a VERY dark baoshan Sanren, it's more of a modern au- but there is time travel and the time travel feels very epistolary (read: fucking heartbreaking letters over lifetimes). It does have a happy ending but honestly the cost was worse than canon. That all being said- it was a really good fic, but you might need tissues for this one too.

12 From Whence You Came (79393 words) by kanzaki19

Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, Night Hunts (Modao Zushi), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Fix-It, Canon-Typical Violence, Time Travel, Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending Series: Part 1 of Second Chances Summary: Do not take those you love for granted, tell them you love them. You may never see them again. After being torn from the life he has lovingly settled in, Wei Wuxian finds himself back in Qiongi Path. Faced with immediate threats he grabs hold of every opportunity to better the lives of his family.

NOTES: A fix it from Qiongi Path AND I think all the good ones live in this? It does feature some angst because we do have WY going back and he is a trauma babe, but the ending is very positive. I can't recall if the time travel plot is actually explained or it it's an "i woke up like this" vibe, but it was still a good fic!

[iwantjellyfsh]

Crossover Fics I would die happy if were created.

TGCF x DC Universe - Mu Qing gets into DC universe somehow and becomes either becomes a League of Assassins' servant (Damian's personal one) or Alfred adopts him. Either way exploring what Mu Qing feels being a servant to the wealthy again. Or in the Damian one, Mu Qing comes to Gotham with Damian because like hell is he letting this literal child go alone (he's getting Hong Honger flashbacks). And the batfamily just wonders why tf Damian is so not a little demon brat to Mu Qing. (there has to be some symbolism with blue, like if he wears it bc that's what he wore during the Xian Le servant era)

DC Universe x Class of 09 - Kind of like a Magic & Mystery situation with Tim Drake infuriating the school. It could be a trafficking ring because of how many p3doph!les there are or smt. Either Tim interacting with the absolute insanity that is (I think the game location is georgetown?) highschool. Or him coming back messed up to bits like "Miss. I'm a sociopath" is coming back with a bang. The ending with prison maybe Timcole can see Joker? And manipulate him? Either joins the rouges or manipulates them.

MDZS x DC Universe - Lan Wangji as Damian Wayne makes so much sense to me. Emotionless, rule following, animal lovers. Would Lan Zhan find comfort in the LOA? Following their rules and training? It's just really interesting... does he find Wei Wuxian (ship of choice)? Lan Xichen (definitely Dick Greyson)?

TGCF x DC Universe - Hua Cheng / Tim going crazy trying to find Xie Lian. Becomes a rouge and breaks into bat cave cutely. Batfamily or the Sirens start finding the little stalker cute. Maybe Xie Lian just doesn't exist in this world and Ra's tries to grab the little psycho. Maybe he becomes batman when Bruce get's lost in the time stream?

Black Butler x DC Universe - Ciel Phantomhive as Bruce Wayne. Sebastian Michaels as Alfred Pennyworth... Unlocked after Bruces parents die? Alfred always knew????

Angels of Death x DC Universe - I want Rachel at the ending to attempt self delete but she like fails (Zack is still gone (maybe)) and decides to run away to the states. I want Rachel to attempt to be like Zach and for Jason to find her. Like he's doing his shtik at the LOA and he find Tichel either getting hurt or murdering someone. Or Tichel is still Red Robin somehow but they imprint on each other when Jason goes to kill them. I want family feels luving !!!

Bungo Stray Dog's x DC Universe - Rampo dies super sad but BUT he comes back as Damian Wayne and can you imagine this 26 year old man who's never run a mile in his life do assasin training? LOA doesn't give good vibes and Ramian makes that everyones problem. Also he completely shows up Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne "Smartest Detective Duo" This is his PRIDE on the line ppl! Does he do vigilante things or sneak in the background because violence is boring snacks are life?

Genshin Impact x JJK - Imagine Kaebedo as Satosugu. Does Albedo take the Gojo Clans whole thing laying down? Imagine calm Gojo I think canon would combust. Kaeya stays mostly the same in my opinion...

Danny Phantom x Class of 09 - Nicole dies then just decides to sonder off to the most haunted place ever™. She could become Danni (clone) somehow or be Phantom... Ghost King Nicole is my Roman Empire she'd burn the place to the ground.

TGCF x Naruto - Can go Kakashi as Xie Lian or Xie Lian as Kakashi, either way is about to come more traumatized than anyone barganed for. Obito / Hua Cheng can come too because the obsessiveness. Make Hua Cheng / Obito a little more crazy and he wants infinate Tsukoyomi so Xie Lian / Kakashi will quit being traumatized !!! Codependency is key and they could both join Akatsuki for shits and giggles.

Demon Slayer x Angels of Death - Muichiro with Rachel Gardener personality is curious... how much would be different?

[admirableadmiranda]

Since they seem to be a hot topic, what is your opinion of Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren, and Jiang Yanli?

Like personally they rub me a wrong way to varying degrees. Not because they are bad people but mostly little things. I will admit that I have to reread the book, so fics and meta might be coloring my view. Anyway, what are your thoughts on them?

Hi! Thank you for waiting for me to answer this, since they are often such hot topics I had to wait for a day in which I was prepared for dissent in my notes to answer.

This got quite a bit longer than intended, so cutting for length.

In order of your listing of them:

Lan Xichen:

I think that he is a great character, I quite enjoy his personality type, his virtues and his flaws. He is a man who wants to do well in the world and does his best to treat those he knows with equal respect without being blinded by what others say about them. Unfortunately this creates a double edged sword as he will only accept his own opinion and that of those he trusts implicitly on matters, and he is not the best judge of character in the world, thus leaving him open to manipulation in a way that can cause a lot of harm given his position.

I do think he's a much better person than many of his generation and almost everyone of the previous generation. He has his flaws and blindspots, but he does not resist changing in the same way they do. Of every clan leader we see in the narrative, he is the only one who makes the effort to choose differently in the present over the past. His flaws do not doom him to death in the same way that it does so many others and in the end, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji do not give up on him, both of them considering him and worrying about him in their own way.

Lan Xichen makes a point of calling Wei Wuxian Wei-gongzi at all times, even when others around them refer to him with much worse and rude terms. He treats Jin Guangyao with genuine respect and tries to use his own attitude and treatment of Jin Guangyao to shame others into treating him better when they do shun him simply for being of lower rank and who his mother is, and he maintains this even when they aren't around. Considering the amount of people who cannot do this to their faces, that says something about how he wants to treat people in general. It is simply that his blind spot of wanting to trust those he knows to be good as well causes a lot of incidental harm, which he knows and will have to live with. I think he's an excellent character and does not deserve the treatment he sometimes gets from fandom. I can understand more passive trusting characters who want to care for those around them not always vibing well with someone, but it really irks me to see such traits praised in one character and bashed in another, such as those who bash Jiang Yanli for them while praising Lan Xichen and vice versa.

Lan Qiren

In all honestly, Lan Qiren is a character who how sympathetic I am to him really depends on the work and the timeline. In MDZS proper, he's kind of a toad, he very much is the negative side of conservatism, who holds grudges against the children of people that he disliked when he met them and allows his rigidity and stubbornness to color every interaction he has. He very much does cause unnecessary problems and he deserves whatever Wei Wuxian wants to throw his way in the end for refusing to let go of old bitterness and move forward.

However, there are a few areas in which even in MDZS proper I can feel sympathetic to him. His older brother was the pride and joy of the Lan Clan, their heir who would be the next leader after their father stepped down/passed away depending on which came first, but due to the snarled mess with Madam Lan and the decisions that they kept secret to just the two of them to the end of their days, he is pushed into a position that simultaneously never should have been his and is not truly his to have. He is saddled with the responsibility of leading and running their clan while his brother is in seclusion, yet he is only acting clan leader, lacking the true power of the title and ability to act as he needs while his brother remains in seclusion and as clan leader at the same time. That couldn't have been an easy bridge to walk and I do sympathize with him for that. He probably would have been a happier man in a world where he could have gone and lived the life he enjoyed without having to step up where others faltered for decades.

However, that is not an excuse to take it out on children, and my sympathies end there.

Jiang Yanli:

Jiang Yanli is a sweetie who has done the best she can in a world that leaves her little room to impact anything. She's a gentle soul, someone who prefers to lead a quiet life with the people she cares about, raised in an abusive household that she was born into. Such a thing always marks people's souls when they have to survive from the first things they can remember. She is in an engagement where her betrothed treats her terribly, where her mother transparently does not care about her outside of using her to hurt the people she loves and there is not much she can do about it beyond what she does, shielding Wei Wuxian, caring for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng and speaking up in their defense to outsiders who would hurt them.

She isn't perfect, no one in this novel is, but she really does want to do well by the people she cares about and she goes so far to try and help Wei Wuxian when Jiang Cheng won't, even facing down Jin Zixun and everyone around him to demand apologies and respect when they insist on demeaning him, up to the point where she chooses to save Wei Wuxian's life even after he killed Jin Zixuan and she doesn't know why. She doesn't have to know why to know that she still wants him to live. There is a reason why her positive influence is so important and it's that which leads Wei Wuxian to start helping and caring for her son who has been raised so poorly, knowing that she would want better for Jin Ling and resolving to step up for him in her absence.

In a world which frequently demeans kindness, she chooses it over violence and hatred as her mother and brother would not. She deserves better than what she got, and in a good world, Wei Wuxian would get to keep the girl who chose him as her brother even when the rest of the world refused to respect that. I really like her.

In short, I guess I like all of them for being the characters they are and can see them as well rounded characters with their own weaknesses and flaws. Lan Qiren I care about far less than the other two, but I actually really like Jiang Yanli and Lan Xichen and would rate them up quite highly together (and ship them for a much happier pairing for Jiang Yanli). Jiang Yanli and Lan Xichen are very similar in character in many ways, and I think to demean one for traits the other has is to not respect either of them.

But that's just me, of course. I know that I can write as many words as I want and still people will disagree with me. As long as they give me the right to keep my opinions as well instead of trying to convince me out of them, we can still get along just fine.

Thanks for the ask! And thanks again for your patience too.

[just-another-oikawa-kinnie]

I was watching some Yuri On Ice and I started thinking about how much Victor actually reminds me of Lan Xichen! Imagine a modern au where the Lans are ice skating prodigies and the Nie are hockey stars.

Meng Yao’s mother had a short-lived skating career where hockey legend (🤢🤮) Jin Guangshan preys on her and leaves her pregnant and with a ruined career. Meng yao tried to join the Jin hockey teams but was refused and shamed, eventually coming to Nie Mingjue’s hockey place by complete accident and making his way up the ranks until he’s a starter on the Nie team.

Of course, this bliss couldn't last as their rival team, the Wens, sent Xue Yang to trip up NMJ and end his career. Meng Yao sees this and takes the hit instead, being sent right back to the bottom because of the injury. He breaks from the humiliation and messes with the skates of one of the Nie starters who'd always fucked with him, but gets caught out by a distressed and heartbroken NMJ who sends him away.

Meng Yao is devastated not only from his injury but even more so his now fucked relationship with NMJ. He meets LXC while he's trying to retrain his body at a rink in his hometown of Yunping. LXC helps him heal some of his wounds and teaches him figure skating while running from cruel tabloids.

I haven't figured out how the reunion would go but ill probably think of something, definitely 3zun endgame though

What do you think? Fic worthy? 🤔

[lansplaining]

*rocks up to the fandom meme mad late with drip coffee i made in my own home even though its like 10pm*

sometimes i see posts that express some intense general feeling about my dude, lan wangji. intense like or dislike, extreme affection or disdain, you know, the usual. and – with the exception of people who are super blatant side character fans who are expressing the opinion they adopted from their fav side character – i don’t really believe any of these strong emotion claims (ppl who are actively roleplaying jiang cheng or lan jingyi i believe you i promise pls).

(beginning hyperbolic generalizations in 3,2,1-) as a group fandom just does not ponder lan wangji enough for me to believe many of them actually care the way the suggest they do, and when they do he doesn’t stay the topic of conversation for long. sure, they might start a post about his traumas and woes about his parents and his beloved but strict grumpy uncle but that post will swiftly slide to xichen and the way he approaches relationships and then it turns into 3zun and that turns into Mess lol. maybe they’ll start with how he was raised but don’t be fooled! that is actually just the opportunity to complain about the evil lan sect and all its controlling rules in a trench coat. if you find a post about his relationship with his brother then what you’ve actually found is a post about the tension between the nie bros, the trauma amongst the siblings jin, or Whatever Is Happening In Lotus Pier and the Twin Jades of Lan are actually just there as a comparison point in paragraph three of the essay. more often than any of this, if you think a post is about lan zhan, blink, and it will be wangxian before you hit the author’s note/tags.

secondly, if the fic isn’t a lwj-centric fic then lwj tends to be 1) an objective window into the story, a reliable narrator you can trust to give you the plot with no opinions, thoughts, or feelings about what’s happening 2) a Voice of Judgement an author can use to berate a character they’re mad at with the idea that hanguang-jun can get away with that with minimal fall out and is Convincingly Convicting enough to change the character’s behavior 3) a plot-hole filler – you don’t have to explain why something is true is lwj says it bc he never lies and he probably knows more than you. it’s the maple leaf in the Xuanwu cave over and over 4) a treat for wwx. you don’t have to like lwj or let him speak, just have him in the background for wwx to kiss and beg money from occasionally.

i have to say I’m not /bothered/ by this. i have enough lwj brainrot for all of us I don’t need other people’s thoughts and headcanons i have my own and a corner of fandom that supports me in these things. i know a lot of it is bc mxtx made him all ~mysterious. i just think its funny when people speak so strongly on the guy as if they think of him ever for real at all.

this is fascinating. obviously I spend my times in the JGY/xiyao corners of the fandom, but I am probably one of the people you are talking about in some ways!! i fucking love lan wangji, i experience extreme Feelings about him regularly and he's the reason i fell in love with CQL and ended up on this downward spiral into madness

but if i tried to make a post about him it would be like, 'u know when CQL wangji says 'are there rules already written for everything in the world?' and it permanently altered my brain chemistry? (hand gestures)'. my position on lan wangji is no thoughts, only internal yelling.

however, i think all the patterns you're noticing are so right, especially when it comes to fic. when it comes to meta i sort of get it-- wangji doesn't feel like he NEEDS explanations, he's the main love interest! other characters need their arcs and interests and personalities excavated, whereas his is surely just right out there. but it isn't!

[ao3feed-xicheng]

LOCAL TIRED MAN TRIES TO ORDER A VACCUM AT TWO IN THE MORNING ACCIDENTALLY ORDERS A MAN LOOKING LIKE A SEX GOD INSTEAD (GONE RIGHT?????)

by beefdogcoffee Jiang Cheng needs a fucking vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, the vacuum cleaner he ordered from a shady website (Great thinking, Jiang Cheng!) wasn't the vacuum cleaner he expected it to be. This fic contains my very broken humour, puns and is pure crack. (..Hopefully.) Words: 1375, Chapters: 1/4, Language: English Fandoms: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin Relationships: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Lan Huan | Lan Xichen Additional Tags: uh yeah the plot is quiet literally the title, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin is a Mess, and also very fucking sleep deprived, and he needs a nap, Lan Jingyi is a Little Shit, and lan xichen suffers because of it, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen is So Whipped, Love at First Sight, because why the fuck not, slow updates probably, unless im posessed by my writing demon but i think the demon is on vacation, what else do i fucking tag, oh yeah, Crack, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, uhhhhhhhhhhh and tags might change because, they might have sex?, I DONT KNOW. MAYBE. WE'LL SEE. via https://ift.tt/CskuSg5

[wifiwuxians]

ship game ship game⛵️

ok,first I want to say that xuechao makes a lot of sense,actually. jiaojiao and xue yang are actually a bit similar,if you think about it. true,we don't know about wang lingjiao's past,and I guess she at least did not grow up on the street. but both of them are pretty and love torturing people and are quite overdoing it on the revenge front.

now,since that one got asked already,pick whichever you feel like🍉:

-xuexiao💀 if you want to and you won't be getting haters on here from answering that

-sorry,I'm basic,but,songxiao🌟 I just want to read a love letter to my fav ship and who better to ask than my fav shipper of my ship

-lanlan! (at first I was like,no! song lan would not move on even after 800 years! but then I read some fics and it made sense for lan xichen and song lan to at least become close as friends)(but I want to know what YOU think so don't worry about disagreeing)

omg okay first of all THANK YOU SO MUCH for your compliments!! I am really thrilled I am your favorite songxiaoist lol 😳 Second! You are so big brained actually! Jiaojiao and Xue Yang both have come from bleak backgrounds and are trying to cling to what little they have! I believe Jiaojiao was just about sold by her family lol and she is illiterate 💔 And they are both petty batshit revenge machines! I've actually briefly considered xuechaojiao LOLLL... HMM... but okay, onwards to the

GAME

I'll give you my love letter to Songxiao first so you don't need to go digging for it hehe

I hope I won't get hate for playing the game jhdgjsg I hope everyone will be a little more mature than that

Xuexiao

Do I ship it: I do not. (Tim Allen AHUUUAHH?) But on a single day of the year my aversion to it lessens and I'm able to retweet art of them kinda smooching so my tolerance is overall getting better, maybe? lol

Why don't I: There are many factors... I like mutually destructive toxic mess ships, right? We've established that. But I don't like ships in which one person is doing all the hurting and the other person ends up, uh. Like XXC did. "But DJ I thought you were the fixit king" I am! It's just not exactly appealing to me, and the other big factor as to why is that I just... Never really saw them that way. Like even removing their canon storyline and only leaving their dynamic, which removed from context is lovely don't get me wrong, it never registered as romantic. It registered as XXC looking out for his goofy little brother, you know? I dunno. There's nothing there for me, sorry. "But DJ the devotion" yeah. There are many ways to love someone. Even if that were romantic, it's too onesided for me.

What would have made me like it: If they actually liked each other LMAO I have no issue with the thought of them loving each other, just not romantically! Outside of canon they're pretty much cemented as family in my brain, though very rarely I'll maybe entertain the idea of some sort of QPP dynamic but then it slingshots right back into family again. Just friends who really love each other and tried to do the do only to find out they don't see each other that way is the furthest I'm willing to go for them and this is a HUGE leap from where I was a year ago LOL

A positive: I appreciate that a lot of people just really want them to love each other. Maybe try and find some healing in all the mess. I get what that's like.

Please whoever reads this don't take this as an invitation to start talking to me about it though as it still does cause me to react negatively 💀 some days I really cannot stand it at all, I'm just mature enough to not be a hater 100%

Lanlan

Do I ship it: I'm in the process of being converted, we will see how it goes! Kind of sucks this game doesn't have a maybe option so I'll make up the questions myself

What's drawing me to it: I, like you, was originally like "naur Song Lan has his man already thanks, and after he fixes him he's going to bed", but one of my close friends made the very good point that just because he's on a quest doesn't mean he can't be loved on the side, too! So I'd like to see Song Lan get loved on, and Lan Xichen deserves this, too, and I think stories about processing grief are very potent

Things I like about it: It seems this ship is about healing oneself and each other, and I'm a big fan of that! Both characters also complement each other well, with each having characteristics of someone the other has loved before (i.e. NMJ's righteousness, XXC's gentle energy). I also think canon gave them really sad endings, and in LXC's case it's a bit of a bitter one, too. SL's is at least bittersweet so sharing the joy is nice 🥺

What would seal the deal: Strong characterization aligned with my view of the characters! Being in character goes a long way for me, so if you've got them down pat, then I'll be more likely to give it a chance. If you add that they've both been in love before and that they're not looking for a replacement then we're set! (:

[rosethornewrites]

12/26-1/9 NR, E, & M reading

The usual

Finished

Not Rated:

It’s alright to cry even my dad does sometimes, by enbysaurus_rex

It’s just,, Lil snapshots of Jingyi slowly becoming aware of LWJ’s grief and then his joys

From The Eyes of Commoner, by ReynDay (3rd in a series)

"What can commoners be possibly doing? They are beneath the great sects anyways."

Explicit:

hours to occupy, by untokki (7 chapters)

From the moment they met, Lan Zhan could not place the feelings that bubbled up in his chest when looking at Wei Ying.

Say So, by FeelsForBreakfast

Wei Wuxian is hit with a sexy curse that can only be broken by fucking or dying horny about it. In a last-ditch effort to preserve the paper-thin plausible deniability protecting his enormous crush on Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian attempts to choose ‘dying horny about it.’ He fails on all counts.

Mature:

you caught me in a moment weak, by Miss_Enthusiasimal (2nd in a series, 5 chapters)

Wei Wuxian went back in time when he fell at Nightless City to his time in the Burial Mounds. He's determined to change the future, but has he messed things up already?

Alternative POV/Missing Scenes for my fic 'we're starting at the end'.

Keep Holding On, by abCEE (46 chapters)

As they reached an inn and Wei Wuxian got them a room with three beds, the world seemed to have frozen for Jiang Yanli when her brother suddenly fainted and Jiang Wanyin was just fast enough to catch him before his body could hit the floor.

"A-Xian!"

"Wei Wuxian!"

In which after the Lotus Pier Massacre: Wei Wuxian was greatly injured by Zidian, Jiang Yanli left the inn to buy the medicines and food, and Jiang Wanyin distracted the Wens.

(With a bonus of Wei Wuxian knowing the title of the song and more things ensued inside the Xuanwu Cave that may or may have not involved Lan Wangji's forehead ribbon)

Canon diverged from there.

I Will Find You Again, by Hidenka_chan101

Lan Xichen had felt immense relief, knowing that before the dust even settled after the collapse of Guanyin temple that Wei Wuxian had made himself scarce. Despite the pain he felt from learning the truth about his sworn brother, Lan Xichen tried to use the absence of Wei Wuxian’s grating voice as a balm to soothe his own discomfort.

-----

What if Wei Wuxian, now fully aware of his feelings for Lan Wangji, decided not to confess his undying love for the Second Jade?

Unfinished

Not Rated:

Friday Nights, by Autumn_leaf101

“A-Cheng there is someone I would like you to meet with this Friday. He is the successor to Lan Academies. I’ve spoken with his uncle and we shall see if you both are suitable for each other.” Said Yu-Jiang ZiYuan, with a tone of clarity and finality.

“Yes A-Niang” Having expected this he felt relieved to get it over with.

“The Lan Academies huh? The heirs are quite the handsome duo.” A cheeky Cangse Sanren pointed out. “Isn’t the younger, the pouty one you’re always talking about A-Xian?! Oh, and the older, he has the sweetest smile, doesn’t he?” She continued an excited rant, met with an equally excited Wei Wuxian.

As the conversation steered to the rumours of Jiang Cheng’s potential betrothed, he wanted to know what was being said but no amount of effort could help him concentrate. His only focus; convincing himself that a lifetime of neglect and passive-aggressive companionship wouldn’t be too bad, or maybe, just maybe he could love and be loved the way a husband and wife are meant to.

straight guys for lan zhan, by UnsquareDance

@straightguys4lanzhan, who you might know, is on Instagram!

Profile description:

just bc i'm straight doesn't mean i don't have eyes👀

0 Posts | 0 Followers | 0 Following

you can have the best of me, baby, by stiltonbasket

Twelve hours after Jiang Cheng and the others escape from Mount Muxi, Wei Wuxian risks wading into the lake and discovers that the underwater passage to the stream in the maple wood has been blocked behind the tortoise’s body.

“It’s sleeping right beside the opening,” he whispers, when he and Lan Zhan are safe in a tunnel of rock too narrow for the Xuanwu’s neck and head. “Judging by the current in the water, that passage was the only way out.”

Trapped in the Xuanwu's cave with no means of escape, Lan Wangji suggests a surprising course of action to strengthen himself and Wei Wuxian for battle: dual cultivation.

The session proves successful, but despite their best efforts, Wei Wuxian's golden core yields unexpected consequences for them both.

I'd Give You The Moon, by Teadrenched

Wei Wuxian is very smart, but you wouldn't think that if you saw him now, lost alone in the woods at night and being choked by a witch. Despite his predicament, all Wei Wuxian can think about is how pretty the witch looked, and that he didn't know boys were allowed to wear dresses (but after seeing Lan Wangji, definitely thinks more should)

OR

Wei Ying finds fem witch Lan Zhan in the woods and goes to bother him whenever Madame Yu has been a bit too much

Enough!, by Jeeny271196

Wei WuXian had enough of them blaming him for everything. Or say Wei WuXian snapped out!

Wei WuXian reacted differently after Lan Xichen blaming him for Lan Wangji's suffering at guangying temple. Which changed lot of things.

Explicit:

you'll find my heart on the mountainside, by lulu_kitty

After parting ways with Lan Wangji on the mountain path, Wei Wuxian takes some time to consider what it is that he wants with this new second chance at life.

The answer finds him coming back to Lan Wangji, his zhiji, but after they reunite and set forth to embark on their new life together, an unexpected surprise awaits them on their journey home.

Or, a post-canon CQL/Untamed getting together story: accidental baby acquisition addition.

The Communication Effect, by draechaeli

If only there was more communication, or the right kind then everything would be all right. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi might be bad when it comes to talking to each other about the important things, but they are still leagues better then the older generation that use communication like swords: concealing, revealing, and striking as they please for their own gain. From apologies, to misunderstandings, to sieges, to rumours and gossip, to cold wars, to lies, to civil wars, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi navigate the world together once their brothers make sure they’re engaged before the classes at Cloud Recesses are finished.

This fic is finished at 186k in 37 chapters + 3 extras

Unfinished Epilogue - Postscripts, by Solmae

What happens after ‘the end.’

The Not!Sequel to the Unfinished Epilogue.

Each chapter can be read as standalone. Overall, the chapters are roughly in chronological order from “Day 1” through “Day 7,” but are being posted out of order. Sorry for any confusion.

Safely hidden in Gusu, by Aleaneah (locked to ao3 accounts only)

Lan Wangji had just finished his three years of seclusion.

However, that doesn't mean he had finished his mourning and grieving.

How could it be otherwise, when his heart is dead ?

Then...

One day, a friend(?) come to him, scheming behind his fan.

And his world regain a little of its colors.

Blood Harmony, by Anonymous

A canon-divergence CQL-verse fic, set after their goodbyes on the rooftop of Unclean Realm.

An arranged marriage AU for WangXian.

(pining while married)

Not a fix-it, more like a different kind of angst

Time Unwinds in a Kaleidoscope of Red, by vamprav

Wei Wuxian falls through time and hits the ground in the Burial Mounds. After taking stock of his situation he decides that things will be different this time, even if it kills him, starting with that disastrous reunion with his brother and future husband.

Love in Red and Gold, by Kaytla

"If you're not happy," Wei Wuxian suddenly heard his own voice saying, not unlike an out of body experience, "you could always express an interest in me."

Lan Wangji's head snapped up, piercing Wei Wuxian with such an intense stare he scrambled to try and explain the words that had just tumbled uncontrollably out of his foolish mouth, wondering faintly if he was going to have any control over his errant tongue today.

"I mean - it's just a suggestion, Lan Zhan. If you've shown an interest in someone, there's less pressure to marry immediately, right?" Gods, what was he saying? His tongue felt like a lump of liver in his mouth, clumsy and unwieldy, but he just kept talking.

Mature:

Second Summer, by Anonymous

“So, this is awkward,” says Wei Ying, with a little laugh. It sounds fake. “But I think you have mistaken me for someone else.”

A year after the mysterious death of the Jin heir, Lan Wangji runs across the secret, long-lost, amnesiac love of his life while on a night-hunt.

Up Above the Water, Never Going Under, by ishaalajusco

Jin Ling is kicked out of Koi Tower for an impromptu vacation, only to find himself traveling to the past to meet legends before they were made.

Or,

Jin Ling: How the hell did these people Sunshot Campaign?!

Dreams of Paradise, by Hauntcats

This on begins during the siege of the Burial Mound. Wei Ying is trying to destroy or nullify the tiger seal before anyone else can get it. The results don’t work out quite how he thought they would. His essence is trapped in between time where he witnesses different scenes of the lives of those he cares about. (The 13? 16? Years when he was dead.)

Then he wakes up in a place he didn't expect.

Once again, not Jiang friendly. If you don't like that, please, don't read.

travelers through the empty gate, by stiltonbasket

Ten years after eliminating the Jiang and Nie clans, Emperor Wen Ruohan is dethroned by a young demonic cultivator from the outlands of Yiling, who surpasses him in both talent and cruelty. Where Wen Ruohan burned his enemies, Emperor Yiling raises his from the dead, and sends them through the imperial city to hunt down every last remnant of the Wen clan that tries to evade his clutches.

The last thing Lan Wangji wants to do with the Yiling huangdi is marry him.

Unfortunately, his family's fall from grace leaves him with no other choice.

Keeping Our Promises Unbroken, by ColdBloodedReptile

The last thought Jiang Yanli had was that it was worth it to save her brother, and she would be reunited with her husband.

She didn't expect to find herself on the way to Cloud Recesses for lectures, again.

Or, Jiang Yanli travels to the past after Nightless City, and decides to not let history repeat itself. She's surprised to find she's not the only one who wishes that.

I Know How Those in Exile Feed on Dreams of Hope, by rabbit_habits and saltedpin

“What does it mean, that Wen Ruohan has all the Yin Iron?” Jiang Cheng asked, dragging himself up into a sitting position – her medicines must have worked quickly, because his ribs gave only a twinge when he moved.

Wen Qing settled down beside him, head bowed as she packed away her supplies, her shoulder brushing his arm when she moved. “It means that no one in the cultivation world can oppose him,” she whispered.

—

Canon divergence AU in which Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan are captured by the Wens after escaping from the Xuanwu's cave, before they can return to rescue Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

can't find a way home, by KouriArashi

After giving away his golden core and being thrown into the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian takes his revenge on the Wen sect without crossing paths with the Sunshot Campaign.

With no trace of him found, his loved ones have no choice but to believe he died in the Burial Mounds, and go into mourning.

But then strange things start to happen around Yunmeng ... and in Lanling, Jin Guangshan has only begun to take advantage of the power vacuum left behind by the war.

Truths Laid Bare For All, by Preludian_Staves

The betrothal letter comes in the Springtime with a Lan escort, changing how events happen in Wei Wuxian's life.

AKA Wangxian meets early before the Cloud Recesses lectures and slowly starts moderately sooner, some things change and others stay moderately the same. Plus WWX flourishing under the tutelage of the Lans when there isn't prickly Heir or his equally prickly mother lurking around that needs near constant appeasement and a truth serum is involved somewhere in the course of things.

If Plan A won't work, there's a Plan B!, by SplitGirl28

Since discovering the truth about his Dage's death, Nie Huaisang was pissed and dug into Jinlintai considering his brother's unusual hatred of Jin Guangyao that warranted investigation. He discovered schemes that also led to a former classmate's death, his best friend's cornering and murder via weaponized stupid idiots by the Jins...all to have access to Demonic Cultivation in Jin Guangshan's bid for power.

It was then he discovered through his spies that Mo Xuanyu, a boy who resembles Wei Wuxian except for eye shape befitting a Jin, and a rounder face, was yet another of Jin Guangshan's spawn. Taken to Jinlintai a year after his best friend's murder and made to research Demonic Cultivation as he had no aptitude for orthodoxy yet very proficient with it. He spent years befriending the boy on the sly...and made plans.

One won't give him his brother back even if he gets revenge...the second plan will get him what he wants at a huge cost. And this young boy will help him!

[ibijau]

Worst engagement AU // on AO3

Lan Xichen puts his new plan into action. Nie Huaisang is unsure how he feels about that.

As soon as he sits down, Nie Huaisang opens his fan and yawns from behind it. A double reminder for Lan Xichen that he doesn't want to be here, even with better tea, and also that some people know how to properly appreciate him, as proven by this perfect fan. 

Lan Xichen doesn't take the bait. He serves tea without even a glance toward the fan even though it annoyed him so much last time. He sits, elegant as ever, and pushes a cup of perfect tea toward Nie Huaisang. 

"Is there any chance we might play Go today?" Lan Xichen inquires in a resigned tone. 

Honestly, Nie Huaisang doesn't know why the other boy still asks. Aside from that one time, they've never played again. His best guess is that it's just a habit at this point, and those Lans are nothing if not fond of their routine. 

"Not in the mood," Nie Huaisang says with another yawn. He doesn't bother with excuses anymore, knowing Lan Xichen just accepts his refusal each time. 

"Then I have another suggestion for a way to pass time," Lan Xichen announces, his usual empty smile a little more nervous than usual. "I'd like Nie gongzi to show me how he paints." 

"I'm not interested in a lesson," Nie Huaisang retorts, fanning himself. 

"I am. I want you to teach me."

That's such an unexpected declaration that Nie Huaisang gapes for a second and stills his hand, certain he must have misheard. When he sees the corner of Lan Xichen's mouth turn up in a more real smile, anger takes over surprise. 

"Lan gongzi is mocking me," he accuses. "I thought that would have been against the rules of Gusu Lan." 

The smile on his fiancé's face drops. 

"Is it so hard to believe that I like the way you paint?" 

Nie Huaisang shrugs. "Lan gongzi paints so perfectly, what does he have to learn from anyone, least of all from me? If you're so desperate for conversation, at least pick something believable."

Lan Xichen frowns. 

"I'm not lying." 

"Of course not. That's against the rules as well, isn't it?" Nie Huaisang taunts with a smirk. 

"I'm not lying," Lan Xichen insists, rising up, "and I can prove it." 

It's the first time he wastes some of their oh-so-precious time together by leaving the room. As he watches Lan Xichen hurry to the back of the house, toward the bedroom, Nie Huaisang idly wonders if it's something he could denounce to Lan Qiren. He eventually decides he doesn't want to deal with that old man. Besides, Lan Xichen does still have some blackmail material of his one, so it's best not to annoy him to much. He returns soon enough anyway, and drops a small stack of papers on the table. 

"I like the way you paint," Lan Xichen says, his face red. "And since I cannot figure out how you do it, I wish for you to teach me." 

Rather than to answer, Nie Huaisang gapes at the paintings presented to him, what appears to be a half dozen copies of the rabbits he gave Lan Wangji. He hesitantly grasps one and inspects it closely, a small frown forming on his brow. 

"You made those?" he stutters, looking up at the other boy who's still standing. "But they look like… You paint so well, why would you try to copy me?" 

"I like the way you paint," Lan Xichen repeats with unexpected intensity, his face turning even redder. 

"But you told me I should stop painting, last year. I haven't forgotten that."

"It was… it was wrong of me," Lan Xichen sighs. "I worded things very badly that time, and I thought that it'd be selfish of me to encourage you to paint. If I hurt you, I'm sorry."

Nie Huaisang blinks dumbly, unsure what to make of that. 

"How could it not have hurt me?" he huffs, holding his fan closer to his face to hide better. "Being told to give up the only thing I love, of course it hurt. But… you made these? Really? They're…" he hesitates, and lowers the fan to peek more easily. "Well, they're not bad, but they're not really good either. You're better than that normally." 

At last Lan Xichen sits down on the other side of the table, grabbing one of the paintings to glare at it. 

"I know they're bad, I just can't figure out how you make your lines flow like that. And I know it's not just that one painting, everything you do is like that. That fan you made, with the birds on a branch? I've tried to copy that as well." 

"You guessed I painted that?" Nie Huaisang gasps. 

"Of course. You have a very distinctive style, I'd recognise it anywhere." 

It's Nie Huaisang’s turn to blush, and again he hides behind his fan. It's quite the shock to realise that all this time, Lan Xichen was maybe sincere about wanting to see his work. Since he lacks formal training, he's just assumed that of course his paintings would be seen as inferior and Lan Xichen was mocking him by faking interest.

Nie Huaisang glances toward the incense stick. Surprisingly, there's still a good chunk of it left. 

"Get us paper and ink," he orders. "And… bring those birds as well, then." 

For a second, Lan Xichen is so still that Nie Huaisang fears he offended him, or that he really was being mocked all along. Quickly though, a large smile breaks on Lan Xichen's face, bright and warm and so happy that it sends Nie Huaisang’s heart racing. 

Lan Xichen looks like a different person when he's smiling for real. 

While Lan Xichen prepares some ink for them, Nie Huaisang checks the other paintings he brought back, the one copied from his fan. These are better, which he points out. 

"I think so too," Lan Xichen admits, "but it makes no sense. For those I had to work from memory. They don't even look that much like your fan." 

Sadly, Nie Huaisang doesn't have that fan with him today. He brought the one from his mystery admirer, which for the first time makes him feel a pang of guilt. It is the prettiest fan he's ever owned, and he carries it most of the time these days because it's too beautiful not to show off, but that can't be pleasant for Lan Xichen. 

Not that he cares what's pleasant to Lan Xichen, he has to remind himself. Having his paintings appreciated doesn't erase all the rest. 

"Paint one now," Nie Huaisang orders.

"Wouldn't it be better if you painted one so I'd see how you do it?"

A few moments ago, Nie Huaisang would have bitten off his own tongue and choked on it rather than to give in to any of Lan Xichen’s requests, just to spite him. As it turns out though, it’s a little harder to hate his fiancé when he doesn’t have that stupid fake smile on, and at the moment Lan Xichen looks sincerely earnest and curious. It's not a bad look on him. Nie Huaisang barely needs to consider his options before he grabs a brush and starts painting the first thing that comes to mind. It is not his most refined work, not by far, but considering he’s working from memory and trying to keep this quick so the incense doesn’t run out, it’s not so bad either.

“A nightingale?” Lan Xichen remarks. “It looks very lively. Its wing, though…”

“It was broken when I bought her,” Nie Huaisang explains. “It still has an odd shape, but she can fly mostly fine.”

Realising just how much information he’s allowed himself to share, and knowing how pets are forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, Nie Huaisang braces himself for some negative remark. None comes.

“Nie gongzi has an eye for detail,” Lan Xichen says instead. “And a hand for them, too. You did this so quickly, and yet I’m sure anyone who has seen your bird would recognise it. It's amazing.”

"Careful, excessive flattery is against your rules," Nie Huaisang grumbles.

"I'm not…" 

"Just try to copy it," Nie Huaisang orders, shoving the brush in his hand. "It's a simple one, you should find it easy." 

Lan Xichen pinches his lips before putting on that empty smile again, for which Nie Huaisang is grateful, since it removes any possible confusion. When he looks like an inhuman jade statue, Lan Xichen is easy to hate. 

Not that Nie Huaisang really has time to think about that. All his focus is on Lan Xichen's elegant hand as it holds the brush and tries to copy his little bird. As expected, Lan Xichen's movements are perfectly controlled, slow but well assured, his strokes light and flowing… But not enough. When he lifts his brush, his copy isn't bad, but it looks stilted and heavy, especially compared to the original. 

Nie Huaisang glances at the incense stick. It's still burning, meaning he won't be saved from having to give an honest critique. 

"Are you perhaps unused to drawing animals?" he cautiously asks. 

"I usually do better than this," Lan Xichen replies dejectedly. "I'm only this bad when I try to copy you."

"Hm. Maybe if you went a little faster? Your movement are a lot slower than mine." 

"I wouldn't control the brush as well," Lan Xichen protests. "I'd probably make mistakes." 

"Probably. But that's half the fun, isn't it? Making mistakes and trying to see if they don't look nicer than the proper thing…" 

Lan Xichen stares at Nie Huaisang as if he's gone mad. In turn, Nie Huaisang can't help tensing. Trial and error is how he's learned to paint, since he's never had the advantage of a teacher. That, and copying every piece of art he could get his hands on. But of course that's not the right way to do it, of course that's stupid, of course it's…

"You're the teacher," Lan Xichen says without a hint of mockery in his voice. "I'll try it like that." 

Nie Huaisang’s face grows hot at being called teacher. Thankfully Lan Xichen doesn't appear to notice, too busy starting another copy of the nightingale. It's worse than the first. It's starting to be fun, actually.

"Try to keep your gestures lighter," Nie Huaisang advises, resting his chin onto his hand as he watches Lan Xichen be bad at something. "You're still trying to control it too much." 

"I'm doing my best!" 

"Your best should be better than that. Lighter, more relaxed. Yes, like th… ah, that line was almost good. You'll get there." 

Lan Xichen pouts as he looks down at his disastrous attempts. 

"I think I just can't do it the way you do, Nie gongzi," he sighs wistfully. "I'll have to content myself with admiring your work." 

Hearing Lan Xichen admit that he thinks he's failing at something is more delicious than a sip of Emperor's Smile. That he would be bad in comparison to Nie Huaisang is better than a whole jar of wine. Ascending to godhood wouldn't be half as satisfying. 

Riding that high, Nie Huaisang decides that just this once, he can afford to be kind to Lan Xichen. 

Jumping to his feet, he walks around the table and comes to sit next to Lan Xichen who startles at the sudden proximity. 

"What… what are you doing, Nie gongzi?" 

"Showing you how I do it," Nie Huaisang explains, covering Lan Xichen’s hand with his own so he can guide him, since apparently just explaining isn’t enough.

The reaction to his touch is immediate and intense.

Lan Xichen flinches violently at the contact and drops his brush so suddenly that it rolls on the table, staining both his failed studies and the bottom of Nie Huaisang’s nightingale. They both freeze, equally surprised by what just happened. Lan Xichen recovers first.

“I’m sorry!” he exclaims, tearing a piece of paper from one of his sketches, vainly trying to blot this mess, as if that’s ever going to work. “I didn’t expect… You took me by surprise and…”

Nie Huaisang grinds his teeth and shrugs. “It’s fine. I should have known better.” He glances at the incense stick, and finds that at long last, it is all gone. It feels like it burned an eternity and a half today. “I’ll be going.”

Without a look for his fiancé, Nie Huaisang gets back up on his feet. As he wipes some imaginary dust from his knees, he briefly wonders if he should grab the painting of his nightingale before he leaves. In the end he decides against it. Lan Xichen ruined it, he can keep it and make more bad copies of it, if that pleases him.

“Nie Huaisang, wait!” Lan Xichen orders, although if it were coming from anyone else, it might have sounded like a plea. “I really didn’t mean to…”

“I’ll see you next week,” Nie Huaisang cuts him, stomping toward the door. “Good day, Lan gongzi.”

Ignoring Lan Xichen’s protests, he strides out of the house and heads for his cabin. He had planned to meet up with Jin Zixuan to tell him what a disaster this new meeting with his fiancé had been, but now it doesn’t feel like such a funny idea anymore.

It was stupid of him to lower his guard and forget for a moment that Lan Xichen is what he is. Just because the other boy said a few nice things about his paintings… Nie Huaisang feels pathetic that this was all it took to almost give his fiancé a second chance. In the end, he’s still nothing more than that idiot kid from last year, so desperate for the approval of someone who will never give it.

It was stupid to ever think things could get better.

Lan Xichen might appreciate his paintings, but he still clearly hates everything else about Nie Huaisang.

[wangxianficfinder]

FIC FINDER

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1. Hello, hello! For the next fic finder I'm looking for a fic where WY got his leg cut off/amputated. I vaguely remember a scene where he was in a camp with some other people and they were talking possibly about making a prosthetic for him(?) Thank you!~

FOUND! we're starting at the end by Miss_Enthusiasimal (M, 92k, wangxian, JC & WWX, time travel, canon divergence, implied/referenced suicide, golden core reveal, hurt/comfort, angst, starvation, self harm, cannibalism, amputation, sunshot campaign)

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2. Hi, I am looking for a fic where LWJ loses his leg and WWX makes him a prosthetic leg. I think it was otherwise pretty canon compliant, canonical deaths and all. It had a scene after WWX’s resurrection where he fixed the leg up since it had not had a proper maintenance after his death.

FOUND? This Twitter thread by Cerbykerby

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3. hi! i need help finding a fic i read some time ago, it was post resurrection, lwj takes wwx back to cloud recess and everyone gets crazy thinking he is going to rap* a young mxy, and lwj doesnt exactly correct them, i remember there was a scene where the lan sect is going to punish him until wwx reveals he is actually alive and in mxy body. thank you <3

FOUND! That poor boy by apollojupiter (Not Rated, 4k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Crack treated seriously, Misunderstandings Mentions of rape)

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4. Hi! I'm trying to find a fic where Lan Xichen lives with Wangxian and A-Yuan post JGY events. Because he's like uber depressed and doesn't want to live alone. It was a modern AU, but tbh I'd love anything with a similar premise. Thanks for all your work!

SIMILAR! moonlight falls Series by @rosethornewrites (T, 11k, WangXian, Modern AU, Corporate Espionage, Found Family)

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5. hi this blog has been amazing and i just wanted to ask if you've seen a fic where it's an age reversal and all the older siblings are the younger ones? from what i remember the older(younger) siblings (lwj, wq, nhs, jc, etc) hav a meeting where they complain about their younger(older) siblings being better than them? tysm!

FOUND? MDZS short fics Ch. 201 by nirejseki (Not rated, 199k, Oneshot collection)

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6. Hi, I'm searching for a fic where after Wwx dies he is reborn in a new life. It's abo. I think it was arranged marriage with LZ. Wwx ends up in a coma. After he wakes up he finds out he is pregnant and LZ confesses his feelingsand that he also remembers their past life. They have twins a-yuan and LJY

FOUND! We meet again by Wangxianlover1704r (T, 13k, WangXian, Mpreg, Omega WWX, Alpha LWJ, A/B/O AU, Love and Angst)

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7. Is there a fanfiction where Lwj tries to find wwx using his flute but his lips get messed up in the process?

FOUND? something wild calls you home by Fleetling for ForceGhostPhilosophy (T, 8k, WangXian, Kidnapping, the fic where lwj plays chenqing, Rescue, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Light Angst, Happy Ending)

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8. Hi!! I'm looking for a certain fic in a long time, can you help me out? From what I remember everyone is alive and WWX is like in a coma like state in a pavilion at Lotus Pier. The pavilion is locked up and heavily guarded, but JYL and JC often go there. If I'm not wrong, JL saw the pavilion and wants to have a birthday party there. And JL snuck inside and found WY in the bed. And there's also a talking Suibian, the spiritual weapon can sometimes come alive and have humans appearance. I just couldn't find the title up till now. It'll really help if u could find it. Thank you so much for your help dear Mods!

FOUND? Sleeping in Paradise by daiki (T, 9k, WangXian, JL & WWX)

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9. hello! i was hoping you could help me look for a fic? (^ ^ʃƪ) i don't remember the summary or anything - just the general premise of wwx working as some kind of tech repair guy (for phones? laptops?) in the back room of a small shop where wq(?) mans the front desk. lwj drops something off (i think his laptop broke maybe?) and eventually ends up chilling with wwx while he works on fixing things (and falls in love, obvs). tysm! (´ ω `♡)

FOUND! Crossed Wires by stardust_and_sunlight (T, 20k, WangXian, Modern AU, College AU, Meet-Cute)

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10. I'm looking for a long fic where towards the end LWJ and WWX have the Wens at Cloud Recesses and have to hold out against Lan Qiren until LXC can arrive, and then LWJ marries WWX to save him and the Wens, but feels really guilty about "forcing" the WWX into it. The whole saving the Wens goes differently, LWJ is more ok with the demonic cultivation earlier, but I can't remember why or when it goes AU - possibly from Cloud Recesses, but I'm not sure. Any ideas? Thanks! @walmer92

FOUND? The Vermillion Ribbon by Unforth (E, 223k, wangxian, wen!wwx)

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11. Hi! Hope all of you are doing great! Could you please help me find a fic? I don't remember a lot about it, but it was a nodern!au, with wwx being a single parent, living in an apartment with little A-Yuan. I think the mom left, and he cannot continue living there, so he calls the Jiangs, and goes back to their big house after years without seeing them. I remember he calls JFM just because he doesn't want A-Yuan living on the streets.

FOUND? late for the love of my life by ravenditefairylights (G, 9k, LSZ & WWX, JC & WWX & JYL, modern, single parent WWX, homelessness, bad parent YZY, good parent JFM, baby LSZ)

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12. Hello. For your new fic finder, honestly at this point I'm convinced I've dreamed it or merged two fics together idek. It begins with wwx being hunted down by ppl (this is post canon so after all the sieges and in mxy body) and he is trying to wait for lz but dies anyway (similar to Third Times A Charm by Kyerian and Lily but not it) and then wwx time travels back to his lotus pier time before the lectures at cloud recesses. This is where it gets foggy for me. I remember him being really good at the sword and inventions but that is pretty canon. I think jc wasn't upset bc wwx was SO advanced he was basically at the end of what ymj could teach him? Idk not too sure. Foggy as I said. But bc he was so good I guess he was idle and more troublemaking than usual (?) so Yu furen ended up putting him in lessons with jyl and he learned to embroider, make clothes, paint, manage a house, how to please your man (lol), etc. Jc joined them at some point cause he was jealous wwx and jyl were spending so much time together but quickly left bc he was blushing ashamed idk. I think after either jyl or wwx stopped their lessons but one continued on (leaning towards wwx cause I feel like I remember yzy being passive aggresively kind about it?). Also nhs, jc and wwx were friends pre gusu lectures. Nhs really liked wwx cause he painted fans with him. Also I think when they were getting ready to go to gusu wwx decided to make robes for himself. Nhs was shocked and jc explained how he knew how to do it trying to make fun of wwx which failed. In the end nhs was all heart eyes cause he loved fashion. This is all I remember. As I said I've been trying nearly a freaking year to find this fic. Idk if it is deleted, I dreamt it or what but please help me. When I read it it was incomplete, not a lot of chapters, idk if it is in hiatus, abandoned or if it was completed. Please help me.

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13. I know there's a Modern Wangxian fic (maybe 1 fic 2 chapters or maybe 2 fics one chapter each) where LWJ thinks he's homophobic cuz WWX brought a guy home and he heard them because he forgot his earplugs and he calls LXC the next morning and LXC is like "didi, you're gay" then Wangxian fuck about it. The other half is WWX bringing the guy home and not fucking him, talking to NHS the next morning and getting scared by a LWJ text asking to talk, but they end up fucking. I've looked in my AO3 history, but can't find it. Thanks for your help. @itsthenerdwonder

FOUND! multiverse theory Series by interstel (T/M, 13k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, sexuality crisis, roommates au, Mild angst, Fluff and smut)

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14. I’ve got a fic finder request! It’s a modern AU and I think it’s just the classic pining lwj/oblivious wwx storyline. The main thing I remember doesn’t really have anything to do with the plot of the fic, but it’s the only concrete detail I’ve got. JC wears almost exclusively high end purple athleisure wear. It’s a really small detail but I thought it was hilarious. And there is VERY background nhs/jc and wwx finds out and is like “you’re dating??” And jc is like “he’s literally wearing the juicy sweatpants” and nhs is like “yeah I’m wearing his juicy sweatpants” @homosexualearthworm

FOUND! Lans Never Kiss and Tell by FeelsForBreakfast (E, 30k, WangXian, Modern AU, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Humor)

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15. What’s the time travel fic where, I’m pretty sure, it’s five times things don’t go as JC thought and one timeline where everything worked out for Lan Wangji? Jiang Cheng doesn’t sacrifice himself, lets the Wen spot WWX, and can’t seem to control how things go from there. It turns out LWJ managed to follow at last& sets about making life better for WWX. (No core transfer.) Wwx is implied to have figured it out why he invented DC in another timeline.

FOUND! I think this one is 💖Resilience. by Vrishchika (T, 7k, wangxian, time travel, not JC friendly, golden core transfer fix-it)

~*~

[vrishchikawrites]

Just finished a fic on ao3 and I am now noticing a trend where Lan Xichen misses his poor Men Yao and Lan Wangji is helping him out of depression and Wei Wuxian the troublemaking gremblin is always messing with Lan Xichen, making things harder for him and Lan Xichen is always telling him that he doesn’t like him and that he hopes that he doesn’t breaks his brothers heart or else and Lan Wangji is on the sidelines and always nodding.

Don’t get me started on this other trend that always makes Lan Wangji the paragon of virtue and always and I mean always gets hurt because Wei Wuxian is arrogant and doesn’t ask for help. And always gets little A Yuan at the end and tells him when he’s growing up that Wei Wuxian made a lot of mistakes but to never stop loving him?

Like am I missing something?

People forget that the beauty of the characters are that they make mistakes and they grow since than and making Lan Wangji this angel is a disservice to his faults and his repentance.

What do you think?

You're not missing anything. And if you're feeling upset because of this, let me direct you to this absolute gem of a fic to heal your soul.

WWX is perfect here. LWJ is perfect. The writing is perfect. This author is perfect. Everything is gold.

Now, onto your ask-

Honestly, I partly blame the adaptions (outside of the audio drama) for this. And partially because I feel like a lot of this fandom just hasn't read the book. I mean, they have read a few chapters but not the entire book to truly understand the nuances.

I feel like MDZS requires a reread because you miss a lot in your first reading.

Like people say WWX never regreted GC tranfer and while he was sad, he didn't look back.

But in canon, he looses sleep over it, convinces himself it was the right thing to do, redirects his thoughts away from the loss and tries to make himself feel better.

And he ADMITS he is lying to himself. It is canon.

When you read the Guanyin Temple incident chapters, WWX's attitude towards LXC is distinctly protective. LXC as in Zewu-jun. He is cautions LXC a few times, chooses not to mention anything that would hurt or soften LXC's convictions. He UNDERSTANDS LXC and is compassionate towards him. Even in the donghua, you see WWX asking LXC to be careful and he says 'I understand, Wei-gongzi.'

WWX is very aware of LXC's vulnerable state and VERY concerned. Later, when LXC is in seclusion, WWX asks after him. Anyone who thinks WWX won't do his utmost to help LWJ's brother is a fool.

When WWX is making chaos, it is deliberate and serves a purpose. It doesn't do it to hurt others or on a whim.

As for asking for help, WWX does it constantly. With the Wen situation, he disclosed the entire affair in public, no one helped. He asked JC to honor their debt to the Wen siblings, he scoffed it away. He asked LWJ if there was any other alternative but to walk this road, LWJ walked away silently. WWX has always reached out. He spends his entire first life reaching out and being rejected. By JC, by LWJ, by the cultivation world leaders, by everyone. Just who is he supposed to ask for help?

Who has EVER indicated they would help? When LWJ was just being critical of his cultivation and demanding he come to Gusu without any explanation. And we like to soften it but he clearly states 'to hide him away'

How can WWX protect the people he wants to protect if he is hidden away in some corner of CR?

LWJ wouldn't have LSZ to raise and cherish if WWX hadn't saved that child first. LSZ exists today and is a cultivator to be proud of because WWX didn't falter in his convictions.

LWJ is fully aware of how fortunate he is and how much of a blessing WWX is. That's why he keeps coddling WWX and never takes his eyes off him ever again. LSZ and LGY both take to WWX quickly and even after his identity is revealed, they are concerned for him. That shows that LWJ never spoke an ill-word about WWX to them. It is likely he shared some of WWX's most honorable, heroic, and hilarious actions with LSZ, just to ensure LSZ knew about his savior and had some positive stories of him. This is hinted in the canon as well, like in the flower damsel bit.

Honestly, I am tired of shallow-ass takes and am very careful about what I read. I'm reaching a point where I simply do not want to read fics unless they are from authors I trust (which I can't do because pocketful but it has been a task for Ju and I to find fics without shitty things)

[robininthelabyrinth]

Same universe as the one where LXC kills JGY on a boat to not-Japan. JRS-centric as he grows up in the Nie clan and deals with his reputation as an inbred son of a traitorous bastard.

so I don't think I've ever written a fic in which LXC kills JGY on a boat, and definitely not one where JRS is a character? I mean, I've written a lot of fics, so possibly I did and I forgot, but I'm pretty sure about this one.

That being said, I don't think I've gotten any Jin Rusong prompts before so I'm reinterpreting this to be a prompt for a fic about JRS growing up in the Nie clan. Fic below!

ao3

-

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Nie Huaisang reminded himself. Risk is proportionate with reward. Your spine should be made of steel, just as your saber is.

He licked his lips, thought of his brother who had loved him, and threw himself forward with tears in his eyes.

“Oh, gongzi!” he blubbered. “Can you help me? I’ve gotten completelylost, I don’t even know where to begin –”

Xue Yang blinked at him, the lids of his eyes moving slowly like a reptile.

“Maybe you know where my san-ge is? Lianfeng-zun?”

The feeling of immediate threat lessened. It seemed he’d gambled right, and the rabid dog that was Xue Yang could still be controlled by reference to Jin Guangyao.

“I’d really appreciate it if you could just give me some guidance on where to find him,” Nie Huaisang said, lowering his voice confidentially. “I’d be sure to pay you back! If there’s anything you want –”

“Do you have any snacks?” Xue Yang asked.

Nie Huaisang, who had come prepared based on the rumors he’d painstakingly collected, produced some dragons’ beard candy.

“Not bad,” Xue Yang said. “Okay, sure.”

Nie Huaisang smiled, and even meant it.

-

“Hey, good-for-nothing,” Xue Yang said, and Nie Huaisang turned to look at his least favorite but nevertheless highly useful source of information in Lanling Jin. The fact that Xue Yang had no idea that he was functioning as such just made it more satisfactory. “You like kids, right?”

Nie Huaisang blinked. “Yes?” he hazarded, not so much because he actually did – he’d never had strong feelings about children one way or the other, though perhaps he was being presumptuous in thinking that the reference did not involve goats – but because that seemed to be the answer Xue Yang was looking for.

Xue Yang wrinkled his nose in distaste, though not, Nie Huaisang thought, at him.

“Theoretically,” he said, and he wouldn’t know ‘theoretical’ if it hit him in the face, “if there were, I don’t know, a whole bunch of them hanging around somewhere without parents, you’d be able to do something about that, right? Especially if they had a talent for cultivation?”

It took only a moment to piece together what must have happened to lead to such a question, given the ruthlessness of the cultivation world and of Jin Guangyao in particular, and Nie Huaisang marveled briefly at the idea that Xue Yang might draw a moral line in the sand over something. Presumably he felt some kinship to the children, being similarly utterly infantile, amoral, and fond of sweet things.

“Oh sure!” he said, playing up the brainless idiot who didn’t know to ask questions. “My sect is always recruiting, you know. We took some losses in the war and, well, I feel like adult cultivators aren’t really all that interestedin joining ever since I took over…”

“Because you’re a waste of space,” Xue Yang said, and Nie Huaisang pouted at him. “Whatever, the important thing is that you have space for kids. Orphans. Think, like, a whole orphanage getting shut down or whatever – anyway, not important. You’d take them back to Qinghe, right?”

“Oh, that would be so wonderful!” Nie Huaisang clapped. “That would suit everyone, wouldn’t it? They don’t have to worry about the children, and we get new disciples. I should tell san-ge – no, on second thought, he might be too busy –”

“Definitely too busy,” Xue Yang said quickly. “Wouldn’t it be nice to accomplish something yourself? You could casually show him that your numbers went up at the end of the month instead so he gives you the credit, without explaining that it’s kids making up the increase.”

“That’s a great idea! He’ll be much more impressed by that, I should definitely do that. Where is the orphanage?”

“…uh, in the forest. The back forest.”

You couldn’t come up with a better lie?

“You already brought them here?” Nie Huaisang asked, batting his eyelashes. “You’re so nice, Xue-xiong! I’ll go tell my second in command to go deal with it right away!”

-

It was in the fifth round of kids getting picked up – small cultivation clans being massacred and there was nothing Nie Huaisang could do about it, because there was either no evidence or else Jin Guangyao had come up with some motive to justify his actions and, inevitably, Lan Xichen would be there behind him, soothing over tempers and providing explanations because he believed him, every time – that something unusual happened.

“Sect Leader Nie,” one of his most trusted subordinates murmured into his ear. “There’s a problem.”

Nie Huaisang found a reason to leave the party early, a reason to go to the rendezvous point, and, once there, found the reason for the problem.

“Oh, hey there,” he said with a smile fixed onto his face by sheer force of willpower, crouching down to make himself seem less intimidating. Not that he was ever particularly intimidating, though given the rage coursing through his veins right now, he thought he might be able to pull it off if he tried. “What a lucky chance! It’s so funny, finding you here, Songsong. How are you?”

Jin Rusong wiped his eyes and looked tearily at him, recognized that the person asking was his Little Uncle Nie, and threw himself into Nie Huaisang’s arms with a howl.

This was pretty typical – Jin Rusong wasn’t much of a crier, but when he did he definitely took Nie Huaisang as his model, something all the other adults in the cultivation world had a tendency to give Nie Huaisang dirty looks over.

The only problem here, of course, was that Jin Rusong was dead.

Or, rather…he was supposed to be dead.

And if Jin Rusong was here – here, in the rendezvous point where Xue Yang put those of his prospective victims that happened to be a little too young for even him to stomach killing, at least without the personal grudge that had driven him to slaughter the Chang clan in its entirety – that meant only one thing.

Jin Guangyao had ordered his own son to be murdered.

Through demonic cultivation, no less, which was a pretty nasty way to go. There was a reason everyone implicitly countenanced Jiang Cheng’s vendetta against demonic cultivators no matter where they were, even when he ignored all territory lines and forgot to not ask for permission – the things a demonic cultivator gone bad could do were just so much worse than what anyone else could that they couldn’t risk any delay in dealing with the problem.

Well, shit, Nie Huaisang thought, even as he comforted Jin Rusong, petting the toddler’s back to try to get him to calm down. What do I do now?

-

“There has to be a reason,” Nie Huaisang insisted. “He’s not rabid. Songsong was his son!”

“Sect Leader Nie, we can’t find anything that might explain it.”

“Look harder. I don’t care how minor it is, I want to know everythingto do with Songsong. Every little detail – every person who saw him – every medical report, every compliment, every good grade –”

“He placed last in one of his classes,” one of his spies volunteered.

“What?”

“He placed last in one of his classes. About two months before his ‘assassination’, and shortly before his father started collecting evidence against the other sects that were in his way, which he later used to ‘prove’ that they had been involved in the alleged murder.”

“He wouldn’t kill his son for failing a class,” one of the others objected. “The kid’s barely more than a baby. What’s he expecting, genius from birth?”

“He’s a genius himself. Why not?”

“If everyone inherited everything directly from their parents, he’d be a whore.”

“He’d be a Jin. They’ve all got that nose, every one of them…”

“I heard he’s having the other Jin bastards killed. All of them, even the women…”

Something snapped in Nie Huaisang’s hands.

They all turned to look at him.

“Investigate Qin Su,” he said, looking down at the mess of wood and paper that had once been a fan. “Come to think of it, she has a Jin nose, too.”

-

“I don’t want to go!”

“I don’t want you to go, either,” Nie Huaisang said, feeling tired and also much more in sympathy with his poor older brother than he’d ever been while Nie Mingjue had been alive. “But you disobeyed me, and that means we don’t have a choice. You have to go.”

Nie Songsong looked down at the ground, his lip quivering. “I didn’t mean to…”

“You did,” Nie Huaisang said. “You have to own your decisions, Songsong. You can’t take them back once they’re done, no matter what the consequences. Not even if you feel bad, but definitely not because you feel bad for having to pay for what you did.”

“But…”

“No, Songsong. You cannot be in the Unclean Realm when – when he’s here.”

Nie Songsong hung his head.

“He’s not your father anymore,” Nie Huaisang said. “You know that, right?”

Nie Songsong nodded.

Nie Huaisang sighed and held out his hands, and his arms were full of a teary-eyed child a moment later.

“He loved you once,” Nie Huaisang murmured into his child’s hair. “I love you now. I wish I could give you more than that – I wish I could give you an answer, tell you why he didn’t love you enough to keep from doing what he did. But I can’t. All I can do…”

Is what I’m already doing.

“You’re enough, er-ge,” Nie Songsong whispered back. “You’re enough. I promise.”

-

“When will I get to go night-hunting?”

“You go night-hunting all the time,” Nie Huaisang grumbled. “You’re a fraction my age, and already my height, my weight, yet you wield a saber like my brother was around to raise you properly. You’re ruining my reputation, you know; now no one will believe that my incompetence comes from how short I am…”

“Not night-hunting with the rest of the sect, er-ge,” Nie Songsong said, rolling his eyes. “With other juniors!”

“Not long now,” Nie Huaisang said, looking down at the paper beneath his hands. It was all finally coming together. “Not long now. Just give er-ge a little more time to finish taking care of matters for da-ge, and you’ll be able to go night-hunting with anyone you like.”

-

“Er-ge! Are you all right? You look so pale…”

“I’m sorry,” Nie Huaisang whispered. “Songsong – I’m sorry. I’m so sorry –”

“What happened? Are you injured?” Nie Songsong demanded, already starting to pat him over, looking for wounds. “Er-ge, what’s wrong –”

“Your mother’s dead.”

Nie Songsong’s hands stilled.

“I told her about your heritage,” Nie Huaisang said, his lips numb. He’d never tried to hide it from Nie Songsong, although he’d introduced the subject very gradually and only once he thought that he’d be able to handle the revelation. “About your father – your grandfather. What they did. I wanted her to be angry at him, to turn against him, to distract him…instead, she killed herself.”

“Er-ge…”

“I shouldn’t have told her. If I knew –”

“Er-ge.”

“I should have brought her in earlier – told her about you surviving – I kept her from you for years –”

“Er-ge!”

Nie Huaisang looked at the child he had raised as a little brother the way his older brother had raised him, a father in everything but name, and who he had the constant feeling of having failed.

He wondered, as he always did, whether his brother had felt the same about him.

“Er-ge, it’s all right,” his little brother, his adopted son, said, and took his hands in his. “It’s all right. You tried, remember? Time after time, you tried to talk to her, but every single time you concluded that she would’ve told her husband instead of trusting you. She would’ve ruined everything. If she did that, I’d be dead all over again, and you with me.”

That had been what Nie Huaisang had concluded. That was why he’d never told her.

But…

“She’s your mother.”

“And you’re my er-ge. As long as you don’t die on me, too, it’ll be all right. Okay? It’ll be all right. It’ll be worth it in the end.”

Nie Huaisang shook his head. He’d already done so much, caused so much chaos and strife, and yet this moment – this was the step too far.

This was the first time he realized that he wasn’t sure he believed that it would be worth it anymore.

But by now…what else was left to do? There were no ways out of the plan he’d made himself; he’d designed it that way on purpose, because he’d known that if there was a way out, that snake would find a way to slither through it. He just hadn’t thought that he would be the one looking for it.

It didn’t matter.

He had to keep going.

His older brother deserved it, even if the younger one didn’t.

-

“I represent the Nie sect,” the young man – just about their age, though shorter than either of them – said with a smile. He seemed kind, gentle and polite, easy-going, but Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui looked at each other, and then at Jin Ling, who just scowled. “Can I come in?”

“Were you even invited?” Jin Ling asked in bitten off words. He was still bitter about some of the things that had happened in the Guayin Temple a month before, and of all them the one he was most bitter about was his second uncle’s retreat into seclusion – they were all upset about that.

“But it’s a discussion conference,” the young man said, blinking in confusion. “We’re a Great Sect. Why wouldn’t we be invited?”

In the face of such profound ignorance, there really wasn’t very much they could say, and eventually Lan Sizhui stepped forward with a smile, welcoming the young man – Nie Songsong, he introduced himself – into the Cloud Recesses.

Everything seemed fine for a little while. Lan Sizhui was able to talk to the people in charge of arranging juniors into finding another place for Nie Songsong to stay, although it would be a little delayed – Nie Songsong assured them that there was no issue – and as recompense they even showed him, at his request, a few of the main landmarks.

And then they turned around and their guest had disappeared.

“I knew he was up to no good!” Jin Ling exclaimed.

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Lan Sizhui told him.

“I’m with Jin Ling,” Lan Jingyi said. “He seemed so nice and understated – just like you know –”

“Don’t talk about my little uncle,” Jin Ling hissed at him. “I know it’s true, but just – don’t, okay?”

“We should find where he went,” Lan Sizhui decided.

It took them a while, but in the end they found him in the most unexpected place: in the rooms their sect leader had chosen for his seclusion, sitting on the bed with Lan Xichen’s head on his shoulder, sobbing as if his heart had been broken.

“What are you doing?” Lan Sizhui exclaimed, unnerved even out of his own habitual politeness.

“I came to greet my uncle,” Nie Songsong said, his manner just as gentle and polite as it had been from the beginning, although it was now evident that he was as stubborn as a rock and not easy-going at all.

“Your uncle?” Lan Jingyi gaped. “How can he be your uncle?”

“You’re Sect Leader Nie’s son!” Jin Ling accused.

“I’m Sect Leader Nie’s little brother by adoption,” Nie Songsong corrected. “It’s through my father that he’s my uncle – and you my cousin, I suppose.”

“Your – father?”

“Oh, yes. My birth name, you see,” Nie Songsong said, “was Jin Rusong.”

-

“Why did you choose to reveal yourself?” Lan Sizhui asked. “Given that everyone knows – well –”

Nie Songsong finished the character he was writing and put down his brush. “Wondering if you should let it be known that you were born with the surname Wen?”

Lan Sizhui jerked in surprise, then flushed. “How did you – that didn’t come out in Guanyin Temple.”

“No, I knew it before,” Nie Songsong said. “My er-ge is very clever, you know.”

“Yes, I suppose I do...why do you call him brother? Shouldn’t he be uncle, or – or –”

“Uncle is probably right,” Nie Songsong said. “But he raised me like a son, just as his brother did for him.”

Lan Sizhui looked down at his hands.

“Why did he publicly reveal your background, knowing that you were still around?” he asked again. “Everyone will know. Who your father was, all those terrible things he did, his relationship with your mother –”

“Why shouldn’t he? He did do all those things, and he did have that relationship with my mother.”

“But what about you? What about your reputation –”

“Are you planning on sweeping Wen Ruohan’s grave?”

Lan Sizhui stared at him.

“He’s your grandfather, isn’t he?” Nie Songsong looked calmly back at him. “Who he was, all those terrible things he did –”

“That’s nothing to do with me!”

“And the crimes of my father are nothing to do with me. My er-ge gave me his surname, just as Hanguang-jun gave you his, and for the same reason – to cut us off from the sins of our original family.”

“I suppose that’s true. But – no one knew about you, just as no one knew about me until I told them, and I only told them because they were my friends. Why’d you tell us? Aren’t you worried we’d tell more people?”

“Of course I am,” Nie Songsong said. “I hope you don’t, of course, but you would’ve found out regardless – second uncle wasn’t exactly subtle in his grief. And I had to tell him.”

“Why? To bring him out of seclusion?” Lan Sizhui hesitated. “Do you care so much for him?”

“Of course not. The last time I met him, I was a small child, and my father was just about to order me murdered; that’s not much of a basis to build a relationship. But having him lock himself away like that, as if he were in mourning…it hurt er-ge. And I won’t let anything hurt my er-ge. Anything, or anyone.”

They looked at each other for a long moment.

“I understand,” Lan Sizhui said.

“I’m glad you do,” Nie Songsong said, and then smiled. “I would’ve had to escalate to threats next, and I’m given to understand that I’m too short to really pull them off properly.”

Lan Sizhui snorted. “I think we’ve all learned that that’snot true.”

-

“Should we talk about this?” Jin Ling asked, arms crossed over his chest and glaring.

“What do you want to talk about?” Nie Songsong replied.

“How about the fact that your father tried to kill me?”

“Sure. Can we talk about the fact that you got all of his affection for years and years after he tried to kill me?”

Jin Ling blanched.

“I wonder if he would’ve gotten me a dog, too,” Nie Songsong mused. “I was too young for that when he ordered his demonic cultivator to feed me to fierce corpses and have my body ravaged until it was barely recognizable…but sure, let’s talk about how he tried to kill you.”

“I was talking about Sect Leader Nie!”

“Well, then, you should have been more specific. Sect Leader Nie’s my brother, not my father.”

“He’s a whole generation older than you!”

“My little uncle, then.”

Jin Ling flinched. “That’s worse. Go back to calling him your brother.”

Nie Songsong shrugged. “Would it help if we fought?”

“…what?”

“It makes me feel better, sometimes. Besides, I may be short, but I’m pretty good with the saber. I bet I could match your sword…maybe not your arrows. But I’ve always wanted to try.”

Jin Ling looked at him suspiciously for a long moment.

“Okay,” he finally said. “Sure. Why not?”

-

“I really hate that you’re kind of cool,” Lan Jingyi told him.

“I am so cool,” Nie Songsong said, and passed him another jar of wine. “Want to see my spring book collection?”

“…yes please.”

-

“Thank you for taking care of him,” Lan Xichen said to Nie Huaisang, who shrugged. “I’m sorry that you couldn’t trust me to help.”

“It’s only what I should have done,” Nie Huaisang said, not for the first time. He’d said it so often these past few days that it felt like a new refrain, an alternative to the old I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know. He preferred the original. “I was his little uncle, remember? I held him on his first month party. How could I do any less?”

He did not say that Lan Xichen, who could be classified as Jin Rusong’s older uncle, had done much less, but from Lan Xichen’s expression, he’d taken it that way anyway.

“You never…” Lan Xichen hesitated. “Did you ever have any – concerns?”

“That he’d turn out an idiot? No. I figured he’d be in good company, with me.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Oh, you meant whether I was worried that he’d grow up longing for his blood family over his adopted family and turn against me in favor of his real father?” Nie Huaisang asked mildly. “No, not really. The memory of your father ordering you to be mauled by fierce corpses and to make sure your face is destroyed so that there’s a reason to refuse to let your mother see the body, as it would only upset her, is a fairly effective panacea against things like that.”

“No,” Lan Xichen said, though he looked sick all over again at the reminder of how considerate Jin Guangyao could be when it came to those he thought of as people, and how monstrous he was towards those he didn’t. “No, just – your brother always took such a hard line against the Wen sect…”

“Because they were raised with the philosophy that they were superior to the rest of us and my brother purposefully made himself into the symbol of their fallibility, thereby making himself and all the rest of us the primary target for their traumatic realization that they’re just as weak and vulnerable as everyone else,” Nie Huaisang said, rolling his eyes. “Our Nie sect cultivators were always especially targeted whenever we were captured – our survival rate as prisoners of war was less than half all the other sects, and it wasn’t just because we were usually more injured when we got caught. Even the civilians surnamed Wen would pull out knives and try to stab us in the back if they had half a chance! We were in a blood feud with them, er-ge. You don’t put down blood feuds just like that, not even if you want to. That’s not how it works.”

Lan Xichen nodded slowly, thoughtful.

“Anyway, Songsong is mine now,” Nie Huaisang said. “Just as Lan Sizhui is your brother’s, and Jin Ling Jiang Cheng’s. Can’t we all just agree to not care about the rest?”

“I suppose we have to,” Lan Xichen said, bowing his head. “Huaisang…did you ever think about what happens now? I mean – what should we do next?”

“I don’t know,” Nie Huaisang said, and smiled humorlessly when Lan Xichen looked at him. “I’m not joking. I didn’t know what to do when I got Songsong for the first time, er-ge, and I don’t know what to do now, either. I just wanted to see justice done for my da-ge, and I did, and for the rest – I don’t know.”

“That’s fine,” Lan Xichen said. “I don’t know, either.”

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Nie Huaisang thought. Spine as steel as your saber.

“Would you like to come visit the Unclean Realm sometime?” he asked, pretending to be casual. “Perhaps we can figure out what we don’t know together. If you like.”

“…perhaps I will,” Lan Xichen said.

[vvienne]

XICHENG FIC RECS

hold my hands by Snooze (Chiruka)

Transplanting a core into a new person isn’t without repercussions. One year after the events at Guanyin Temple, Jiang Cheng found himself once again faced with the possibility of losing everything he had. Reconciling with his brother, learning to let Jin Ling go, and dealing with his blooming emotions toward the First Jade of Gusu — will Jiang Cheng accomplish what he wants before time runs out?

it all passes someday by screamlet

A week before the anniversary of Wei Wuxian’s death, there was a commotion outside Lan Wangji’s house.

*

Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji over the years.

The Unlikely Expression of Love by manamune

When everything has settled, when everyone else has moved on with their lives and their friends, Jiang Cheng has a realization which shouldn’t actually be a surprise:

He’s lonely.

Indigo, lavender, and violet (I don't wanna be red) by ohwhatevrewhatevr

It, in the pale colors of the late morning, is the closest to perfect Jiang Cheng will ever reach. He strokes Lan XiChen's hair and presses a light kiss to where his ribbon and hair meet. The sky is a pale blue, and the pastels of flowers and clouds are spread out through the window, a brilliant world waiting for them, them in the gentian house, safe from stronger breezes - there is the clutter of birds fluttering and chirping outside. It is a warm, perfect, spring morning.

Jiang Cheng and Lan XiChen have been together for an year. In which, no one ever really gets over things, Jiang Cheng has the misfortune of interacting with his brother, the juniors help out with the proposal, and there's a marriage.

Altitude by starknjarvis 

When Jin Ling lures Jiang Cheng to the Cloud Recesses under false pretenses, he finds himself out of place among this new family Wei Wuxian has formed.

Lan Xichen, at least, seems pleased to have his company.

Perhaps there is still a chance for Jiang Cheng to make amends and move forward.

[Modao Zushi Online] GLITCH REPORT: My Brother Got Chased Down And %$@*$&@ By Gusu Dungeon Boss??? by oh_fudgecakes

Modao Zushi Online is a virtual reality MMORPG. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are top ranking players in its new server, currently tied with their arch-nemesis from their previous server, Wen Chao. In an attempt to defeat him, they take on the Gusu Dungeon Boss, Zewu-jun, to win the reward of a legendary weapon. Ever the cheat, Wei Wuxian tries to take advantage of a glitch to defeat the seemingly undefeatable boss. It backfires. Jiang Cheng gets fucked by a boss monster.

He can't get enough.

Meanwhile, Lan Xichen, the unwitting staff member in charge of controlling Zewu-jun, absolutely did not sign up to be pulled into a secret virtual reality fling with a player. Mod Ji, who has to deal with Wei Wuxian's incessant glitch reporting of his brother's sex life, is long-suffering.

Mulberry by xxdz

Jiang Cheng grits his teeth and pushes harder. He feels like torn silk, the embroidery needle sinking in again and again and again; patiently, desperately, endlessly trying to make something beautiful out of something broken.

Jiang Cheng builds his sect, learns embroidery, and raises his nephew.

we can raise a little family by lanyon

“Well, brother,” says Wei Wuxian, leaning against the outside of Jiang Cheng’s chambers. “I had heard that you and Xichen went on a night hunt and came back with a baby, which is not the order I’d choose to do things in…”

In which Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen acquire a baby of unknown origin, and are the very last to know what it means.

Beyond the Impossible by Silverine

Summoned by Lan Qiren, Jiang Wanyin goes to the Cloud Recesses to drop his nephew Jin Ling, expecting to discuss relevant matters with his old master. Instead, he's asked to take with him no other than Sect Leader Lan himself, all the way back to Lotus Pier. If the reason why he accepted such an outrageous task is indeed a mystery, he's about to be surprised by how this entire trip, their encounters, and his warm company, suddenly feel fated.

Incrementally by xxdz

Jiang Cheng is trapped in a day on repeat where he begins by waking in Zewu Jun’s bed at dawn and ends by dying painfully at dusk.

It’s getting very irritating, and he has the sneaking suspicion that his chances to solve his own murder are rapidly running out. Soon, his death will be much more permanent.

All in all, worst birthday ever.

Audience of One by WinterDreams

“Then let an established star go first,” Lan Xichen interrupts again before Lan Wangji can give a stubborn reply. Both men twist toward Lan Xichen, and he smiles at Wei Wuxian’s tilted head. “If I publicly date a man for awhile first, your engagement shouldn’t receive as much backlash.”

Or, that AU where everyone is famous in some way or another, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have been dating in private for years, and Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng pretend to date publicly for their brothers' sake.

A Bit of Ruthlessness by jirluvien

When Jiang Cheng hears that Lan Xichen went into seclusion following Jin Guangyao’s death, it’s almost as if he can see the grabby hands of a restless ghost, reaching out for something to keep him company. For something warm and living and devastated. And as history has proved time and time again, the Lans are perfect victims when it comes to giving in to ghosts.Yeah, no. Not on Jiang Cheng’s fucking watch.A story about grief, determination, unexpected friendships, abandoned watchtowers, and letters. So many letters.

All Tied Up In You by Clearpearls

Yet again, the night had come to this:

Jiang Cheng on the floor, kneeling, Zidian wrapped around his wrists.

Alone.

Thank You, and I'm Sorry by Hamliet

Jin GuangYao might be dead, but his story is not. Taking advantage of the chaos he instigated, someone makes an attempt on the life of the young new leader of the Jin Sect. When Jiang Cheng takes Jin Ling to the Cloud Recesses to have him study while he attempts to work with Wei WuXian and his husband Lan WangJi to eliminate the threat, he encounters a mourning Lan XiChen, lovestruck teenagers, and a persistent corpse--and both pairs of brothers find themselves struggling to move on.

saturn's rings (don't be a heartbreaker) by iskendaris

Set after the seige of burial mounds, Yunmeng rebuilds as they hold the first Discussion Conference at Lotus Pier. Sometimes the night is a gift, a refuge for loneliness. "So stern, Sect Leader Jiang," Lan Xichen murmured, "So glacial... What will it take to melt that icy exterior? What can I say?"

"Nothing. There's nothing you can say or offer."

reciprocity by jukeboxhound

There’s a pause before Lan Xichen says, in a tone that’s a little more neutral, “I would like to paint on you.”

“…What?”

“Of course, if you say ‘yes’ but then change your mind at any point, for any reason, you need only say so and I will stop immediately,” he adds.

Well, silver lining: Jiang Cheng is feeling much more awake than he was a moment ago.

Talent Hunt Crew Finds Angry Guy Shouting On College Campus, Recruits Him For Vocal Projection Abilities by oh_fudgecakes

Jiang Cheng, resident Angry Guy and heir to a conglomerate empire, has never been the apple of his father’s eye. Quashed under the shadow of his brilliant brother, the music prodigy Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng sees his chance to turn things around when he is recruited by the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt. One problem: he can’t sing to save his goddamn life.

As he struggles to develop his nascent singing abilities, Jiang Cheng finds himself sucked into the whirlwind drama of reality TV, helped along by his adoring siblings, his irritable vocal coach Wen Qing, and strangely enough, the unfairly attractive host of the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt, Lan Xichen. Somewhere in the glare of the stage lights and an unexpected first love, Jiang Cheng stumbles upon the thing he was searching for all along: the courage to dream — and to attempt the impossible.

Marginal Costs by ohwhatevrewhatevr

“You think you know what you want, Er-Ge,” A-Yao says. “But you should consider what you’re willing to give first,” he says wryly, taking Lan XiChen’s chess piece with slim, skilled fingers.

Lan XiChen looks up at A-Yao’s concentrated expression and the hint of contentment on his face that he is special enough to be allowed to see.

“It’s not just one decision, but the lead up to many more. One decision decides what else you’re going to have to pay, and each time you have to ask yourself, ignoring the sunk costs, if this time it’s worth it as well.”

When his sworn brother looks up at him with those clear, amber eyes, waiting, Lan XiChen feels the pull and gives in: he asks.

“Are you happy being in love?”

(First half is two sad sworn brothers talking, internally mourning how unfortunate their other sworn brother’s death was :/ and second half is when a mopey boy in blue meets an angsty boy in purple whilst chasing a demonic cultivator, and a lil bit of sexy dual cultivation happens.)

Somewhat Tender by theherocomplex

There is no defense against kindness; it has always undone him.

I didn't expect you to be lonely (too) by bettydice (BettyKnight)

Jiang Cheng's life is a mess, he's a mess, and he doesn't miss his brother at all. So when his sister gifts him ten sessions with a massage therapist, who turns out to be someone he was crushing on for a hot minute as a teenager and is still as hot as ever... yeah, that might as well happen. It won't have to mean anything.

This feels intimate to Jiang Cheng in a way that's probably very inappropriate and maybe even pathetic. Nobody touches him like this, right where he’s hurt the most. There's no one who handles him so gently, so carefully.

It's the gentleness that's his undoing, he thinks. He would be able to deal better with it if it was painful.

Life for Rent by yodasyoyo

“Yeah well. You’re not taking me seriously. This guy is my soulmate!”

“Soulmate.” Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”

“Just because you don’t believe in them—”

“I believe in them!” Jiang Cheng says. “I’ve never denied they exist.”

“Just last week you said that it was an evolutionary quirk that had been used by greetings card companies, movie makers, and corporations to exploit lonely and vulnerable people.”

“And I stand by it! That doesn’t mean that soulmates aren’t real. Just incredibly unlikely and probably pointless.

-

Or:

Xicheng vs Soulmates. Fight!

Halfway Around the World by theherocomplex

Normally, Jiang Cheng would be seething, jaw clenched tight, if someone sounded like that while they were talking, but — Lan Xichen has the trick of always making you feel like you're in on the joke, whatever the joke is. That you're laughing together.

Whelmed by yodasyoyo

For months now Jiang Cheng’s been idly fantasizing about how it would be if something were to come between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. Mostly those daydreams have been simple enough — they break up (probably because Lan Zhan is boring or Wei Ying is annoying), Wei Ying is sad for a couple of days (Jiang Cheng’s willing to allow some space for feelings, he isn't a total monster), but then Wei Ying realizes he’s better off, he gets over it, and Jiang Cheng gets his brother back.

Unfortunately the fantasy version of events has only proven partially true, so far. They've broken up. Wei Ying has been sad.

Now weeks have passed, though — and Wei Ying is still sad, every. Single. Day.

It’s like Jiang Cheng's stuck in a looping GIF, and it’s driving him insane.

Or:

Jiang Cheng plots, Lan Huan pines, and, unfortunately for Lan Qiren, Wangxian are inevitable.

[lansyuan]

do you love fics where wei wuxian and lan wangji parent the crap out of lan sizhui? do you want to read accidental baby acquisition fics until your eyes bleed? would you die as your heart slowly turns to mush from the softness of this family? bitch the fuck, me too. here are some of my personal favourite fics of wangxian ft their turnip son a-yuan. its a range of canon divergence, post canon, thirteen years of inquiry, raising a-yuan at the burial mounds au etc - there’ll be something for literally everyone. enjoy!

the kite string and the anchor rope by fleurdeliser (38k+)

When A-Yuan gets sick and Wen Qing doesn't have the supplies she needs to properly treat him, Wei Wuxian can only think of one place to go for help. 

a crying shame by thunderwear (16k+)

Lan Wangji gets emotionally blackmailed by a toddler. It somehow fixes everything.

to recollect and long for by wonderlands (22k+) *2/3 works posted at time of posting this rec list.

a 3-part series about best boy lan sizhui and his wonderful dads who love him and each other very much.

forgetting envies, remembering your loving hold by cosmicfuss (3k+)

The first time Zewu-jun plays for him he is five and the man is trying to comfort him, playing soft songs good for soothing children. It works to a degree but he wants his gege, he wants his gege to play his lullaby. Zewu-jun apologizes and tells him that his gege is hurting right now, and needs to be alone to get better.

When he plays the xiao, A-Yuan says, "you're holding it wrong!" When he turns fourteen, he learns to play guqin, and is many years ahead of his classmates in that regard. A large factor in that is how much he has practiced Inquiry. He has grown up hearing snippets from the jingshi, of Wangji attempting to reach a spirit that never answers.

When he's sixteen, he hears a familiar tune played in the forest, he and his fellow juniors battling a stone god. It's been years since he's heard it, and he wonders why this man, Mo Xuanyu, knows it so well.

Or, Lan Sizhui grows up and learns, and remembers.

five times wei wuxian tried to embarrass lan sizhui by blackelement7 (6k+)

(and one time he realized just how badly he'd played himself)

or: In which Wei Wuxian starts a fight but Lan Sizhui (with some meddling from Lan Jingyi) ends it.

inquiry by incendir (10k+)

Sizhui cannot fall asleep for a long, long time that night. He hears the ever-familiar melody again. He thinks perhaps he has memorized it by now.

storge by respira (9k+)

Lan Sizhui is a lake.

as the warren grows in number by kore_fics (3k+)

Before Sizhui could take another step he was surrounded by black and red, loud laughter in his ears and warm fingers running through his hair, messing it up. Palms squished both his cheeks together and Lan Sizhui let out a laugh.

Lan Sizhui was home.

tell some storm* by qurbat (31k+) *the moments with Sizhui are in chapter 2, however I highly recommend reading the whole fic, it’s adorable.

"We were raised as a generation of war, A-Yuan," Xian-gege said to him. "If your generation choses to be one of love - well, I don't think any of us would be opposed to that."

In the aftermath of the events at the Guanyin temple, the cultivation world scrambles to understand their current reality. A man roams the countryside with a string of white in his hair. Another sits on the highest seat of power with a ribbon of red around his forehead. The younger generation turns out to be full of romantics. Nie Huaisang is to blame for everything, always. Jiang Cheng realizes that happiness has been more that 16 years overdue.

Wei Wuxian declares that it's time that bitch pays up.

After a generation of war - much to the consternation of the elders, much to the delight of the young, much to the pleased shock of the subjects of the tale - the world welcomes a love story with open arms.

guess we're not eating leaves today by missingnarwhal (2k+)

Baby A-Yuan has cooked up a feast, but only one lucky gege will actually get to taste it!

Set in an alternate timeline where everything is okay after Wei Ying + Wens started living in the Burial Mounds.

response by aki_no_hikari (12k+)

What if Wei Wuxian hadn't been silent to Lan Wangji's Inquiry?

love, in all its small pieces by ynvel (4k+)

Ah Yuan is brought to the Cloud Recesses and exchanges the sun and its ashes for the clouds. Lan Wangji brings a boy home, calls him his son, and renews the promises he made.

Or: Lan Sizhui is adopted by Lan Wangji and learns about his new life. Lan Wangji in turn learns about hope and living again.

child surprise by ariaste (4k+)

He huffs a sigh. “Fine. Just - let’s just make it the law of surprise, shall we? That’s nice and simple, eh? Leave it up to destiny what will bring us back in balance. Let it drop something of yours into my lap, something small, and we’ll call the debt paid.”

Three debts, three repayments.

there's a lunatic in mo village by bastetcg (11k+)

There's a lunatic in Mo Village! And to Lan Sizhui's surprise, Hanguang-Jun has decided to bring the madman back to the Cloud Recesses! How embarrassing!

A mostly canon-compliant look into Lan Sizhui's thoughts and childhood.

on being a big boy by emberloey (1k+)

“My little A-Yuan,” Dad had said the next morning, kneeling down to A-Yuan’s height with a smile, “all grown up now. Soon you’ll be hunting without your poor old dads.”

“Never!” A-Yuan shook his head and latched onto Father’s leg. He smiled up at Father, who smiled back and nodded his head. “A-Yuan always needs Dad and Father!”

in all these shades of blue (i think we found you) by fleetling (5k+)

5 times Sizhui thought about his father's white robes, and 1 time Lan Wangji wore blue.

(Or: Lan Sizhui had never seen his father in anything other than white robes.)

this is when the feeling sinks in, i don't want to miss you like this (come back, be here) by mischievousmurmurs (6k+)

Just now… the butterflies’ conversation. Where did you learn that from, Ah-Yuan?

Ah-Yuan pats his chest. In here, shushu. I feel it in here. And in here, too, he adds, pointing to his head.

Sizhui has never quite been able to remember nor forget the memory of seeing people who he knows loved each other, loved him, and whom he loved in return.

or - a wangxian story, as told by their adopted son.

yours, mine, and ours by casecous (2k+)

When they have both mostly recovered, and A-Yuan is back to his smiling, playful self, Lan Wangji presents him with a forehead ribbon. A-Yuan’s little fingers bump into Lan Wangji’s thumbs as he traces the cloud motif along it.

“You are Lan now. This is very important,” Lan Wangji tells him and A-Yuan looks away from the ribbon to meet his eyes. “You must not take it off as you please. Only family may touch it.”

A series of wangxian family moments.

innocence by snowberryrose (8k+)

In which Wei WuXian gets to raise A-Yuan.

Canon divergence from episode 31.

to recollect and long for by mme_anxious (4k+)

Lan Xichen is there when his brother becomes a father. Lan Sizhui is there when his father's heart breaks, again. Wei Wuxian is there when his son gets drunk for the first time.

Or, the GusuLan forehead ribbon, in three parts.

our little one by writedeku (6k+)

A-Yuan is here. A-Yuan, who Wei Ying loved so much. A-Yuan, who was taught to laugh just like him. Wangji hugs him to his chest and curls over him, ignoring the way the wounds on his back pull and tear. “I have to take care of you,” he says. “I will not leave you.”

(Or: Lan Wangji comes back from Yiling with a child he does not know how to care for and a black hole in his chest. Somehow, he makes it work.)

gathered herbs & sweet grasses by hansbekhart (19k+)

Later, when he’s older, it’s this that A-Yuan will remember most: the stretch of silence, the two of them both dirty and shaking with fever, as he looked at Brother Rich, and Brother Rich looked back at him.

the sacred homeland by particulate (8k+)

He has many names, and some are mouthfuls of blood.

[Or; a chronology of Sizhui, in which he does not forget.]

to the act of making noise by words-writ-in-starlight (19k+)

His father in white plays the song late into the night, and when A-Yuan wakes up confused and afraid, the guqin lulls him back to sleep.

Lan Sizhui hears his father play the same song every night for his whole life, and never, ever get an answer.

when he comes home to you by kika988 (2k+)

Home is Cloud Recesses now, and that's a thing Wei Wuxian is still getting used to. He still feels like a guest here, most days, though Lan Wangji has done everything to make him feel at home. He stands out like a sore thumb amongst the serene disciples and flowing white fabric.

Cloud Recesses has been home to Lan Wangji and Sizhui for years. It is their home, where they've built their family.

The thought warms Wei Wuxian even as it sits a little ill with him. He's an intruder here, in their homes, in their lives, the same way he had been in Lotus Pier.

five times people didn’t know sizhui is lan zhan’s son and one time they did by trilliastra (3k+)

“A-Yuan.” He repeats, reaching out for the boy, growing restless when he can’t touch him. “A-Yuan.”

Oh. Lan Xichen closes his eyes as the tears start to fall. Oh, Wangji.

Carefully, Lan Xichen takes the boy and lays him next to his brother on the bed, Wangji holds him protectively against his chest and A-Yuan stops his little cries immediately.

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen tries again, running a hand through his brother’s hair softly, “who is he?”

“He’s my son.”

5 times the lan head disciple broke the rules by liji (6k+)

“I am not aware of any rule forbidding falling in love,” Hanguang-Jun said at last. There was a quiet sadness in his eye, like he was watching a scene from far away. The novelty of it gave Sizhui the courage to ask his next question.

“Have you ever been in love, Father?” he asked.

(or, five times that Sizhui broke the Lan sect's rules growing up)

the seasons change (but i love you the same) by kdkdkd (7k+)

"Hanguang-jun!"

When did you stop calling me Bàba, A-Yuan?

Lan Wangji had always promised himself that he would never become a poor father like his own had been.

Unfortunately, it feels like he has failed to keep that promise.

✨ bonus round ✨ uncle jiang cheng and nephew lan sizhui

tintinnabulum by respira (8k+)

A small bell chimes, the sound soft and pleasant like the water crashing against a pier, like low whistles in an empty cave, like a guqin playing a lullaby.

[somebodyssherlock-heterodyne]

Another Fucking Fix-It AU Because Canon Couldn't Give Them a Break

So my friend- the same one I was DMing when feral time traveler Lan Xichen popped into my head- who introduced me to this series said “you’re not gonna be able to think about anything else” and fuck you @adoni-pike1261​ for being right.

Now *cracks knuckles* I’m actually going to be writing a corresponding fic for this, but it’s still fair game, I love seeing other people’s interpretations of my work be it other fics, fanart, memes, anything.

Thusly I present: Ghost Wei Wuxian AU.

Wei Wuxian dies.

Wei Wuxian comes back as an extremely powerful ghost, haunting- of all people- Jin Ling.

AU under the cut

So Jin Ling grows up with his cool ghost friend Wei Ying! Wei Ying is really cool, and super powerful, and knows all sorts of stuff about monsters and talismans and cultivation, and sometimes he just invents things on the spot. For fun. He's the coolest. And he's sticking around because Jin Ling's mother told him to.

He knew her. And his father. He knew them both.

Wei Wuxian swore an oath to his dying sister to keep her son safe, and this is how he keeps it; reminding the kid to eat, and sleep, and take it easy on himself. He plays translator for Jiang Cheng and teaches A-Ling everything he wants the kid to know.

Jin Ling loves Wei Ying. He messes with Jiujiu's hair if he's not paying attention to him, and he says Jin Ling is a Jiang and that means he can do anything. He tells him to live for justice and to love as much as he possibly can.

Jin Ling tells people he loves them. Wei Ying is his godfather, he named him (Jiujiu never told him that) and Wei Ying says to him one bright summer day to tell people if he loves them. You won't have the chance to do that one day, and one day might be tomorrow, so take that chance while you have it.

So Jin Ling tells everyone he loves that he loves them. He still grows up maladjusted and moody and angry but for this one thing that Jiang Cheng for the life of him cannot figure out. Whenever they part, Jin Ling's last words to him are always I love you.

Wei Ying gets sad sometimes, but not like Jiujiu gets sad. Jiujiu gets sad and hides with anger- Wei Ying gets sad and hides it with happy, or just plain hides. Wei Ying says Jiujiu is grieving, he hasn't moved on from his sister, and privately Jin Ling thinks Wei Ying must not have either.

Wei Ying is his godfather, his favorite teacher in the whole wide world, his ghost friend who promised his mother he would keep Jin Ling safe.

Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian is the Yiling Patriarch. Wei Wuxian killed his parents, raised the dead, bringer of hell and master of puppets and in a realm of nothing but evil Wei Wuxian reigns king.

Jin Ling doesn't actually remember what did it, in the end. Which idle remark lined up too perfectly with history lessons, or who said some random little fact, but in the end he's twelve when he realizes that Wuxian was a courtesy name and Wei Ying looks exactly like him.

This is how Jin Ling learns that the man who's saved his life too many times to count (and he always ran when his godfather asked, he never wondered how he got rid of so many monsters-) is the same man who destroyed it in the first place.

He wants to hate him. He tries to hate him.

He can't. The Jiangs say attempt the impossible- not achieve it. He attempted it. He failed.

Wei Wuxian is Wei Ying, and Wei Wuxian is suddenly, uncomfortably human. He lost everything, and he lost everything first, before anyone else lost everything to him.

Wei Wuxian is the only person who tells stories about Jin Ling's parents. He never forgave himself, he never moved on, but still Jin Ling remembers his ghost plastering on a smile and telling him about how his mother fished Jiujiu out of a river.

Jin Ling turns thirteen and starts asking his godfather about the Sunshot Campaign, and what the hell even happened to set it off anyways. Wei Wuxian tells him amidst archery practice, and Jin Ling is fifteen years old when Wei Wuxian smiles- a real smile, a proud smile, tinged with nothing but that pride, no sadness, no melancholy- and tells him he just surpassed his father and Wei Wuxian both.

Jin Ling is sixteen when Wei Wuxian vanishes, and he is still sixteen when he finds him again and meets Wen Ning who was set up but is still kind of the guy who killed his dad (it's a mess) and then Jiujiu asks him who his new friend is, and Jin Ling answers truthfully.

"He's my favorite teacher and he's saved my life too many times to count."

Then the mask comes off and there's a lot of shouting. Like. A lot of shouting. Then it turns out that Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-jun are a two pack, and Jin Ling gains an uncle, a couch to crash on when his family is being his family, and the ability to spend way too much time at Cloud Recesses with Sizhui and Jingyi.

Sizhui who is Wen Yuan.

...

Eh. Wen Ning is cool. He's glad Sizhui has a cool uncle to offset his disaster dads.