#and as much as wwx does not want to face that- lwj will not let him avoid it

[luobingmeis]

“do you scorn my great domain? this mountain is bigger than your cloud recesses, you know. the food is better too.” “wei ying, you know what i mean.” exchanges i will be rotating in my brain

[sonik-kun]

Reminder that canon Jiang Cheng is:

- Self-sacrificing. There have been numerous examples in the book where JC is willing to lay down his life for his family and sect without a second thought. Charging at Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu in the turtle cave. Stepping in front of his mother to protect her from the core melter hand. Distracting the Wen before they discovered WWX. Offering himself as a hostage in return for JL in the Guanyin Temple incident, etc.

- Fiercely protective of his family. The above bullet point elaborates on this part well. But I would also like to add that he is extremely protective of JL. He follows him on nighthunts and is the first person JL calls for whenever he is in trouble. The moment JL sends out a flare, JC is instantly in there, dropping everything for him.

- He allows JL to be a child. Despite the historic context and the stiff upper lip attitudes of that time period, JC allows JL to be a child still. He is spoilt rotten and never knew the same horrors those of his previous generation had to endure. JC does all he can to keep him safe from that to prevent similar incidents from happening again. He also allows JL to healthily express his emotions and never once scolds him for crying. The moment he sees him upset, he's in there soothing him, ready to throw hands with whoever hurt him.

- He doesn't use corporal punishment methods on JL despite it being the norm of that society. JL explains this to WWX who was shocked to discover that JC doesn't punish JL, despite his threats. JL is horrified by the notion and is very comfortable and secure around his uncle. Secure enough to give him sass even, something JC would never dreamed of doing to his elders.

- He is an excellent and attentive leader. He built his sect from the ground up and recruited people on his own all whilst he was still a teenager, still recovering from trauma and torture. He brought his sect back from the brink of annihilation and built it back up as a major sect on very minimal experience with little next to no guidance.

- He's politically savvy. From a young age, he was always socially aware of everything, valuing the safety of his sect and family above everything else. He correctly predicted WWX's downfall and tried so much to warn him and save him from it. Powerless in that moment, he chose his sect over WWX in fear of them being annihilated a second time should he side with him. WWX understood and respected this, so defected of his own accord.

- He still believed in WWX and held onto hope for him, even when things were looking bleak. Despite WWX siding with the Wen, the sect that almost annilihated his own, JC allowed WWX to go with them and remained friends up until WWX inadvertently got JZX and JYL killed. He still allowed WWX to see his sister and even name his nephew. They visited each other in secret regularly despite the risks of being caught, and JC tried to defend him even in the face of the three most strongest sects. He wasn't successful, but he tried.

- He is more reasonable and level-headed than the rumours lead you to believe. We see this when the prostitute comes to testify about JGY. He calmly considers her word and everything she has to say. Not once was he rude or snappy with her. He also remembers his etiquette and addresses elders with manners and respect. He may at times be quick to anger, but he is also quick to calm himself down and conduct himself properly as we see in his first scene where he lets "MXY" go, despite being a practicing demonic cultivator.

- He let's WWX go in the end. The moment he learns the truth about everything and that WWX wasn't entirely guilty for everything everyone accused him of, JC drops all feelings of aminosoty towards him. He doesn't blame him, nor does he actively pursue him anymore and demand he answers for his "crimes." JC got all the answers he wanted from him and instead of holding on to grudges and resentment, he let WWX go to be happy with LWJ, despite clearly wanting him to come back to Lotus Pier. He understands and respects that WWX is ready to move on and start a new life with LWJ. It hurts him, but he respects that decision.

There are many more positive traits I could discuss here, but I'll be here all day if I did.

JC is a nuanced character with a lot of flaws, but he also has a lot of positives that make his character realistic and relatable but also very likeable. He is a traumatised man with a troubled past, but he never allowed it to truly bring him down. He persevered, built up his sect, and raised a nephew with a pure heart. I think it's safe to say that despite his problems and despite everything he has gone through, JC is a survivor with a strong heart. He has a lot of admirable traits that you mustn't ignore or deny if you truly wish to enjoy and appreciate his character.

[twilightarc-gm]

Why do you like jiang cheng?

At the risk of liking him for the wrong reasons, let me be verbose and annoying about it.

A short anecdote: I finished the donghua before the novel and I liked JC's aesthetic so I was happy to have that imagery in my head for the novel, but mostly I came out of the donghua like "cool story, the ending was frowny face though" and I came out of the novel like I was lost in the IKEA store "there's stuff here but it's not what I want and it's organized in a way that's hard to navigate through." Bit like giving me a puzzle to solve.

Anyway, imagine a cat bapping at a thing trying to get fandom to show me what to do with MDZS (i.e. reading fanfic) and then I come across anti-Jiang Cheng stuff.

//record scratch

I'm sorry what?

Why?

NO.

I started then on Shuangjie reconciliation fic and quickly evolved into Jiang Cheng "Apologist" ((I actually don't think he has anything to apologize for even if he would do so anyway.))

I've been in the xianxia/wuxia sphere of media consumption for a year or so before trying out MDZS and JC just fits so well as the main character of his own story; destined for a position of power through birth, friends with someone in his life that causes conflict, seemingly betrayed by said friend when needing that friend the most, losing and losing and losing as his trust in said friend proves unfounded because the friend walks a path he can't follow, and then he's left with the tragedy that befell the world because--ultimately he trusted this friend too much.

It's a classic story of love and attachment and how good intentions can have massive consequences. Two men entwined by fate and in the end there's a battle on a hill (off screen in this case) where one is forced to "kill" the other.

MDZS could have ended with the past timeline, and I would have liked it more but at least in the present timeline we get Jiujiu and a-Ling.

Anyway: Excerpts and Commentary Below about WHY I LOVE JIANG CHENG, courtesy WANYIN

Of all the clans to offend, you don’t offend the Jiang Clan, and of all the people to offend, you never offend Jiang Cheng.

We stand by a badass mf in this house. The first thing we learn is that he gets credit for killing a big baddy and the second thing we learn is how fierce the rest of his reputation is. He brooks no shit and leaves no quarter. Amazing 💜

Well, I was done for at "gaze like two streaks of cold lightning" so RIP me, I guess. Reminds me of some antis that are like "you only like him because he's hot" which isn't true but it is a nice plus. He's described as inferior to LWJ so like, if it was only about hotness then wouldn't I like LWJ???

“I am his uncle. Do you have any last words?”

At the sound of that voice, every drop of blood in Wei Wuxian’s body seemed to surge to his head but then immediately drained away again. Thankfully, his face was already a mess of ghastly white, so it didn’t look strange when he went a little paler.

A man in purple attire strode over. He was dressed in a narrow-sleeved light robe, with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. A silver bell dangled from his waist, yet there was no sound when he walked.

This young man had fine brows and almond eyes, with a chiseled handsomeness to his features. His eyes were deep and intense with a hint of aggression, his gaze like two streaks of cold lightning. He stopped and stood three meters away from Wei Wuxian. His expression was like that of a nocked arrow on a bow, ready to shoot, and even his composure was suffused with arrogant pride.

Jiang Cheng ruled the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng alone, so it could have been said that he was in a state of isolation.

🥺 Alone?? And he could still afford 400 Immortal Binding Nets? Self-sufficient king 🤩 And like, his reputation is so fierce and he's boiling over with anger in that scene, but still he restrains himself because he did the cost-benefit analysis! And then later he takes a huge risk on WWX, like he always does for WWX, and that doesn't work out for him--like it always does.

Seeing that nothing had happened to Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng was greatly relieved. However, that relief soon turned into a furious reprimand:

Parent behavior. Enough said.

He has a twisted smile when encountering a trigger for his PTSD and then he decides to fight it instead of letting it paralyze him. He's such a doer. Like, every other moment of the day he's carefully calculating pluses and minuses to every choice (valid) but when it comes to facing his personal demons he's ready to throw down. Excellent.

A moment later, Jiang Cheng’s lips pulled into a twisted smile. His left hand subconsciously began stroking that ring once more.

He said softly, “Excellent. Back, are you?”

He let go of his left hand, and a long whip dangled from it.

“Oh? Then please enlighten me, what is your type?”

Walking A-Spec flag very concerned about what the man who might be his shixiong thinks about him, more at eleven!

Wei Wuxian waved him off and then hooked his arm around Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. “Who cares? I’ll tease him a bit more before I go. You’ve already collected my corpse so many times. Once more won’t hurt.”

Okay but big lol that JC doesn't get to collect WWX's corpse that final time. //sounds of sobbing

A smile appeared on his face, but then he immediately humphed.

He's so grumpy and adorable! I love him! pre massacre JC is precious and I just want him to have someone to bring out that smile again.

He literally didn't have to do this. He makes all these excuses how he'll be embarrassed if WWX is rolling around 😂 Perfection. Boy, you are still carrying him and he doesn't want you to stop.

Jiang Cheng, walk slower, you’re gonna throw me off.”

Not only did Jiang Cheng want to throw Wei Wuxian off, but he practically wanted to bash his head into the ground to create a human crater. “So fussy even though I’m carrying you!”

“I didn’t tell you to carry me,” Wei Wuxian reasoned.

Jiang Cheng flew into a rage. “If I didn’t carry you, I think you’d hang out at their ancestral hall all day, rolling around on the floor. I can’t afford this embarrassment! Lan Wangji took fifty more strikes than you, but he walked away on his own, and you’re not embarrassed, pretending to be an invalid? I don’t want to carry you anymore. Get the hell off!”

“No, I’m wounded,” Wei Wuxian said.

Alrighty, like I'm just going through the entire book at this point.

Let me see if I can make this more concise:

Sacrifices himself despite his very dutiful nature that would oppose this. He throws away all his responsibilities for WWX, again and again, carrying on a tradition of favoring WWX over his own health and happiness. Citing: JFM favoring WWX to the detriment of his marriage, JYL dying to save WWX, and JC (exhausted and with little or no power) running into danger to save WWX ala distracting the Wen patrol and 2nd Siege.

Can't be honest in his affections and makes up excuses to do nice things for others.

Loves and understands his sister. She wanted JZX so he made it happen when LLJ had absolutely no reason to reinstate the marriage contract between Xuanli. JGS notes in the CR arc that he didn't want the marriage for his son in the first place and that there were better options than YMJ, and that was before the war! JC helped her get to Yiling to show off her wedding dress! Even though she married out he still felt so attached to her son he couldn't not co-parent Jin Ling.

Yes, he has Zidian, but he also has a second horsewhip that he keeps on him which is very exciting to know.

The narrative hates him but he survives. (He survives because the narrative hates him).

Most BAMF entrance in the novel at the temple scene with the busting the temple doors down and coming in from the rain with an umbrella. Like sure the narrative hates him but small blessings that rule of cool still counts for something.

Mama's boy.

Just some dude, shows up late to treasury room nonsense, knows all the gossip, no one has faith in him including himself, but he keeps going and doing what needs to be done even when he's so so tired and his shixiong shows up 3 months late with a ghoul lady and a latte, or disappears to liberate slave property without warning first and now he's called into a midnight meeting after trying to get some much needed rest and now he's got consequences to deal with. Someone help him!

An expert at sneering. Threats as a show of worry and care. This makes all the little and brief smiles so much more endearing.

Sandu Shengshou is an amazing title, get out of here if you don't agree. Holy Hand of the Three Poisons? Brutal, perfect 💜 It gets used like, ONCE. Crime against me personally.

Link to Blorbo Sheet for JC

He loves, he hates, he wants to hate he's not allowed to love. Zero middle ground, he's all in and there's no way out.

//is shot and dragged off stage

But just as the Wei Wuxian of the past who’d extracted his golden core for Jiang Cheng had been unable to tell him the truth, the Jiang Cheng of the present could no longer bring himself to speak up.

[symphonyofsilence]

Honestly, it looks like at least after the Guanyin Temple, WWX is actively resisting understanding that JC still cares about him. JC takes a Stab to the chest for him, asks him why he didn't keep his promise & stay by his side, has a full breakdown over his sacrifice, gives him back Chenqing that he's kept for all these years, gets angry at JGY on his behalf, JGY spells out for WWX that JC is angry because he feels WWX was wronged, and that JC must have come to rescue not only JL, but WWX too, & targets WWX in the middle of the fight, fully trusting that JC would rush to his rescue, and he does. JC even thanks LWJ and holds a fallen WN. & I think one reason that WWX might be subconsciously fighting against getting all these clear signs and still avoiding JC might be that as much as he thinks he can’t handle JC’s wrath and blame and wants him to forgive him, he actually can’t afford JC’s forgiveness and unconditional love. Because he still blames himself for JZX’s and JYL’s deaths and even the massacre of Lotus Pier. & JC is the only one who has the right to be angry at him for all of these. He and JL. JC’s the only one who knew JYL & genuinely cared about her. WWX doesn’t think he deserves JC’s forgiveness. In fact, he looks terrified of it. Just look how quickly he turns from JC after thanking him for giving Chenqing back to him (Chenqing that after all these years still sounded like he had first used it. A very telling sign of JC's affection in itself.) Even though even JL who was watching from afar could say that JC had something to say to WWX:

JC is an outward force blaming him and being angry at him. WWX can tell him that he doesn’t know what to say to him when asked for an explanation, he can tell him that it’s all in the past. Let it go. he can beat the shit out of him. He can apologize to him and be judged by him. He can avoid him. Pretending that by ignoring him he doesn’t have to face the past. JC blames WWX and is harsh to him so WWX doesn’t have to fight himself and blame himself all the time. post-resurrection WWX keeps misinterpreting everything JC says and is unwilling to listen to him and get the hints JC keeps giving him about how he just wants WWX to come back home & interprets everything JC even doesn’t say in the worst ways he can bc it’s not so much about JC than it’s about WWX projecting onto JC. Because he thinks JC MUST be thinking that way. BC WWX thinks he deserves JC’s hatred. And judging by how he keeps misinterpreting JC even pre-time-skip, and in true WWX fashion fully believes himself to be right & doesn't second guess himself and or makes any effort to understand JC, & JYL is always the JC translator for him, from the moment she says to him that despite his tantrum JC is happy to finally have a playmate, to the moment she says that JC was the one who offered WWX name JL, and without JYL there to take their hands and pull them to meet each other in the middle the brothers can't communicate, Jiang Cheng has never been so much his own person in Wei Wuxian's mind as WWX's interpretation of him. WWX's shidi. An open book to WWX in WWX's mind. When he was not WWX's fragile shidi who needed protection (which @cerusee has written a great meta about here.), then he was WWX's betrayed, angry shidi who blamed him & resented him. If JC forgives him and continues to be his loving brother then it’s clear that the only one who can’t forgive WWX is WWX. and what is he gonna do about that?

[gentil-minou]

student council au where wei wuxian ran "as a joke" but won president with lan wangji as his vice president and their shenanigans as wwx uses a sizeable amount of their budget for carnivals and student events and lwj just...lets him

his uncle, the principal, asks him what on earth are you doing and lwj just takes out a research paper that shows the benefits of fun and relaxing activities on student mental health while wwx is shooting a t-shirt canon at the crowd behind them

there's a sofa in the student lounge that wwx uses to take naps and everytime he does his shirt rides up revealing a sliver of skin and lwj has one hand in a tight horny grip as he calculates how much of their budget they can devote to a bunny petting zoo even though the insurance will be a nightmare but wwx really wants one so he will get one.

(at the petting zoo, wwx tells him the bunny petting zoo was a birthday gift for him)

(lwj kisses his big stupid perfect little face)

[hopingforbrain]

idek why I’m obsessed with phoenix mountain wangxian, but I am

didn’t wwx briefly imagine that some lusty mountain beast was the one that kissed him? we could go that route, or - hear me out, scum villain style papapa plant pollen, with the added bonus of bringing one’s true feelings to the forefront of the whole ‘pls dick me down’ thing that’ll be going on as well. ah yes, mt baifeng, the home of lusty beasts and suspiciously convenient sex plants.

anyways, you can’t tell me that wwx didn’t have at least some very un-het and un-platonic things going on for lwj in his first life.

i want all of that shit to hit him like a goddamn truck.

so. wei wuxian, having had his fill of the sunshine, jumps off the tree and meanders around, accidentally stumbles into a pile of nice-smelling flowers. like, really, unnaturally nice-smelling, in ways that flowers shouldn’t be. more specifically, they smell like sandalwood, which is, obviously, wood and not flowers. strange, isn’t it? and if wei wuxian also happens to be getting weirdly hard from the scent - well, he’s a healthy young man in the middle of a hunt, isn’t he? things happen! dicks happen! it is what it is.

lan wangji, who has been following behind him like the cute little repressed creep that he is, sees wei wuxian sitting unmoving in the flowers, practically coated in a thick layer of dusty ass pollen, two fingers close to a mental breakdown about the state of his dick. and so, understandably a little concerned, he walks closer. when wei wuxian remains unmoving, he does the gentlemanly thing and calls out a regular-old, lan wangji style, not hot and not cold, exactly like room-temperature water, ‘wei ying?’

wei wuxian hears him and. the truck hits. strike one!!!

immediately, he knows who it is, but what surprises him is the way his thighs clench together at the sound (sex pollen let’s go) and more importantly, the sheer amount of feeling that surges into his chest (feelings pollen let’s really go) an all-consuming mix of admiration, joy, desire, and the straight-up burn of love. no running, no hiding, my homegirl pollen lets him know exactly what he’s been repressing, and wei wuxian chokes under the weight of it.

if lan wangji was a two on the scale of concern before, he’s now on a solid eight. hurrying forward, he drops onto his knees next to wwx, reaching out and calling his name again.

(now, sure, the pollen can affect lwj, as a treat, but this ain’t about him. he’s already pretty horny for wwx all the time, plus he’s so aware of his feelings that the pollen is a step down in intensity, actually)

wwx knows that seeing lwj right now is a Certified Bad Idea, but he’s too high on pollen to care much, pulling off his blindfold and springing onto lwj. cue uncontrollable love confession as wwx practically vomits his messy feelings all over the poor guy, who, on one hand, is absolutely elated and also horny bc the way wwx is gripping him is Not Subtle.

But. lwj being lwj, quickly realises something is wrong, figuring out that the pollen is mad suspicious and telling wwx that he doesn’t know wtf he’s saying, let’s just all calm down now and get some help (while horny gripping, lwj u freak)

of course, wwx has to debunk him asap, so he pulls out every embarrassing receipt out of the vault in an effort to get hanguang-jun’s pants off, logically and methodically. their first meeting? wwx was so thrilled that he didn’t actually mind losing his emperors smile. library pavilion days? all the better to see lan zhan’s pretty face with. waterborne abyss near-death experience? heavens, lan zhan’s arms were really…

qishan discussion conference? it was all wwx’s fault. accident what accident. he knew what he wanted, lwj’s attention and his ribbon - even though he didn’t know lwj would get so angry, he just wanted lwj to look at him, okay! you think his hand could slip?? please!! he’s more likely to shoot himself in the foot with an arrow!

xuanwu cave? don’t think he’s weird, lan zhan, but it was kinda nice to spend some time alone together, even if their third wheel was a giant murderous tortoise…

not to mention the sunshot campaign - you think wwx liked leaving lwj in the dust every time he brought up his cultivation? no!! don’t blame him, lan zhan, he just didn’t wanna be dragged to gusu for punishment, nor dirty lwj with all the corpse fumes!! (wow this guy is embarrassing)

after this verbal thesis, lwj is left blinking. wwx, who is about to lose his mind, pounces again. lwj, having all avenues of resistance exhausted, just. does not. resist.

in fact, he is equally if not more enthusiastic as wwx.

yes they get freaky in the flowers. yes lwj has to confess as well, and gets wheedled into a matching play-by-play of wangxian’s greatest hits with wwx being the prompter. yes they get married live happily ever after and lwj gets to fuck a new core into wwx. the enddddd I’m just so so so normal about these two.

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

I do wonder if part of the ‘is WWX morally grey’ debate comes not from disagreement on WWX’s actions and motivations, but from what ‘morally grey’ actually means?

I personally believe that a character’s moral purity (for lack of a better word) is defined by 1) the character's morals and how they’re framed in context of the piece of media, and 2) how strongly said character adheres to this moral code. WWX’s morals are upheld by the text (and tend to be ‘good’ regardless, eg protecting and defending people who can't protect themselves). He constantly strives to do the ‘right’ thing, without regard for gains or losses, regardless of whether others decide to praise or blame — and sticking to this code is one of the most important, if not the most important, aspects of his character. To me, that therefore makes him not ‘morally grey’ (the same goes for LWJ, etc). This stands in contrast to people like NMJ, who do follow their ideas of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ strongly, but these ideas give a very limited and potentially harmful view of the world (eg all Wens, even ones who have done nothing, are evil) and so are condemned in the novel. It also stands in contrast to the many characters who simply… don’t follow a moral code that strongly.

However, this isn’t the view all people have. My view upholds the general and the intentions strongly, and not so much the spefics or the consequences. For example, in that framework, WWX can do some wrong/harmful/ill-intentioned things while still not being ‘morally grey’, because of his orientation towards his code as described above. And I’m not disputing the fact that he does do some of these things — I’d argue that the majority of ‘WWX is not morally grey’ supporters don’t dispute that, either. But there’s room for imperfection, mistakes and nuance in this view before a character reaches a morality which is ‘grey’.

However, to others, specific actions can’t be excused as easily, and so the above isn’t the case — each significantly ‘bad’ thing a person does impacts their morality. So regardless of WWX’s general character, his actions in regards to WC, Nightless City etc do make him morally grey… because after that, how can he not be? Those actions and their consequences happened, and there was a lot of harm done, regardless of WWX’s general character.

I also believe that someone’s moral standing can be different at different points of one’s life. Let’s leave MDZS behind for this example and look at TGCF instead: did XL, in book 4, want to commit genocide against the people of Yong’An by unleashing the Human Face Disease on them? Yes. Does he, in the present, regret that action/intention and strive to do good instead? Also yes. So in my framework, is he morally grey now due to those actions? No. The same idea for me is true in regards to MDZS. Was WWX ‘morally grey’ during his torture of the Wens and in the SSC? I’d personally say yes (by my own standards, definitely — by novel standards it’s a little more complex since I’d argue MDZS doesn’t view revenge against people who wronged you as unjust. But it’s certainly not praising the actual lengths WWX went to, and doesn’t present his actions in a positive light. There’s also an internal comment of WWX’s supporting this reading, when he says he went a bit too far back in the Sunshot Campaign, though note that was referring more to his actions in controlling dead Wen soldiers than to his specific revenge on Wen Chao). But does that mean WWX is ‘morally grey’ at every instance after that, that it taints him forever? No!

But again, this idea is a point of dispute. I know that some people don’t consider ‘moral greyness’ at different points in a character’s life*, instead looking at all the character’s actions and intentions comprehensively. In this view, the torture of WC etc would impact WWX’s moral standing for the entire rest of the novel, as once you’ve done something it sticks with you forever.

Finally, though I prioritise the novel’s framing of morality over my personal thoughts on it, some people are the opposite. And depending on what those people’s personal morals are, it can very much change your reading on WWX’s morality.

So tl;dr — I definitely think it’s possible to have the same reading of who WWX is, while having different views on whether he’s ‘morally grey’ or not. Though I’d argue he’s not, somebody disagreeing with that doesn’t mean they’re automatically wrong about who WWX is — it could just be a different definition of a pretty underfined term. The opposite is also true: just because someone thinks WWX isn’t morally grey, it doesn’t mean they think he never caused harm or acted absolutely perfectly in everything he did. Simply that his actions were understandable enough in context of who he is and his circumstances, to not actually impact his morals and views towards upholding morality as a whole**.

For me, at least, what makes WWX a good person isn’t that he never does anything wrong, harmful, or over-the-top. It’s that he never hesitates to do what’s right, no matter the condemnation he may face — when barely any other characters in MDZS do.

—

*Or rather, they judge it by a comprehensive list of actions the character has done up until the relevant point in their lives. Ie a child version of a character isn’t culpable for what their older self did — however, once an action is taken, that action affects the character’s moral standing for the rest of their life, no matter their views on that action in the present day.

**In terms of moral alignments as opposed to purity, however? WWX’s commitment to doing what he thinks is right is indisputable.

[only10th]

Been thinking about Pianist!wwx and violinist!lwj playing together at a mall. Wei Wuxian likes to go to the mall to play for people, he loves taking requests, or plays some well known musical pieces and sometimes he’ll play one of this original compositions.

One day he’s playing “Rain” by Ed Carlsen, which is one of his favorite pieces to play when he's out and about. He’s just so caught up in the moment that he doesn’t notice a man standing next to him, pulling out his violin and just joining him on the piece with so much ease. His eyes grow wide but soon that sparkle he has shines brighter at how easy and harmonic both of them sound. He laughs, he smiles, he shows off while the mysterious violinist stays focused and composed, yet the passion drips into every note they play.

Their duet attracts a lot of attention, multiple people taking videos and pictures (plus wwx is recording the whole thing himself since he sometimes uploads the videos of himself playing online) this is the first time anyone has joined him in a duet. After they’re done, they look at each other breathless, a bright smile on wwx’s face while there’s the smallest curve on the mysterious violinist’s lip. Before Wei Wuxian could even ask for his name, he had already put away his violin and walked away. Wei Wuxian groans, annoyed he didn’t even get to know the handsome violinist’s name. Maybe they’ll meet up again.

He hopes they do. He had never felt such a connection with another musician before.

A few weeks later, Wei Wuxian is playing at a restaurant. This time he’s getting paid to do so, which is great! He can’t just let opportunities like that pass by!

So, he’s playing something classical to fit the mood. It is rather fancy, your food, of the size of a quarter, costing you an arm and a leg type of place. Wei Wuxian will never understand why people want to spend their money like that, but it’s because of places like this that he has a place to work. Well, if playing here during the weekends is even considered work. He enjoys it nonetheless.

Once he’s done with a piece there’s scattered claps through the restaurant. This won’t do, the people need to be entertained! Wei Wuxian sets his phone against the piano, already recording. There’s a smirk on his face, cause he already has the perfect piece in mind. Fingers hovered giddily over the ivory keys, an exhale leaving his lips and soon began to play.

The melody startles some of the clients, which makes Wei Wuxian chuckle under his breath. The tune is fun, like a little dance around the calm waters of the lotus lakes of his old home. It’s one of his original compositions, but he’s played it a few times before, so he wouldn’t be surprised if people knew it. Wei Wuxian lets himself get lost in the song, silver eyes fluttering close. A sense of pride fills his chest, noticing how the restaurant had become quiet. He could sense all eyes on him, which sent a chill up his spine. What he didn’t expect was to hear a violin joining his now gentle melody.

His eyes snap open with a gasp, and right next to him he sees the same violinist from a few weeks back. His mouth hangs slightly agape, and for a moment he loses his focus which causes him to play a few sour notes. Yet, he smiles brightly, impressed that, despite this not being composed as a duet, the mysterious violinist was even able to join and keep up. Wei Wuxian can’t help but huff a laugh, and just as he does he is met with a piercing golden gaze. His breath stutters, he had never seen such beautiful eyes, especially ones that looked at him with such intensity.

Wei Wuxian has to stop playing, knowing there’s a solo coming up. He’d usually play it through, but he wanted to see if this violinist had also come up with his own solo, and he delivers as expected. He lets his eyes close and he plays his piece, swaying with the music he produces with much passion and Wei Wuxian can’t help but be completely mesmerized by such beauty. Not just him, but the crowd around him! At some point he has to join back, continue their little dance as both their melodies become one.

A round of applause erupts once they’re done, both of them looking at each other as if nothing else mattered in the world other than this moment. For the first time since their first encounter, Wei Wuxian could take a better look at the violinist. He was only a few inches taller, dark, ebony hair like the keys of a piano cascaded over his shoulder, a white ribbon braided and intertwined in it. A wide smile paints on Wei Wuxian’s face as he stand from the small bench to offer a small bow.

“We finally meet again, mysterious violinist.” Wei Wuxian says, quirking an eyebrow upward, “You know my song.” It was more a statement than a question.

The man nods in response, “Wei Wuxian is very talented.” Oh, his voice. The low timber sends a shiver down his spine. Wait, how does he know his name?

“How do you…?” Wei Wuxian starts, narrowing his eyes if trying to recall someone or something. “You follow my page. You’ve seen my videos.” He says with realization, which is followed by a laugh.

The man nods again before offering a courtly bow. He doesn’t say anything else as he turns to leave. No, not this time. Wei Wuxian manages to grab his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. “Hey, hey, don’t leave like that! Will you at least tell me your name?”

The violinist seems to consider shaking the grip off or telling Wei Wuxian his name. Golden gaze seems to stay glued on the other’s hand for quite some time before exhaling softly. “Lan Zhan.”

“Nice to finally meet you, Lan Zhan. Though, I’ll miss calling you my mysterious violinist.” Wei Wuxian chuckles. His fingers slip from the other’s wrist, now tucking them into his inner coat pocket to take out a piece of paper and scribbling a series of numbers. “I really, really like playing with you. Maybe… maybe we could…?”

“Yes.” Lan Zhan is quick to answer before Wei Wuxian can even finish his sentence, as if he’s been waiting for him to ask all evening. “I would like to play with you, Wei Wuxian.”

“Wei Ying. Call me Wei Ying.” Handing him the piece of paper with his phone number, a broad smile on his face. “Maybe we can grab some coffee? You took my song and modified it into a duet, I’ll forgive you only if we can play it again.”

There’s the tiniest curve at the corner of Lan Zhan’s lips. Golden eyes melting like honey as they gaze at silver ones. “Mn” he agrees. After that, you’d see them playing anywhere they could: malls, airports, restaurants, out in the streets when it was warm enough. They’d perform the most beautiful duets anyone has ever heard.

[pieridae-art]

Special Lan Xichen analysis post

As I’ve previously said, Lan Xichen is a very flawed person and that’s okay! I want to examine him at several parts of the story and pick apart some of the criticism he gets. So let’s talk Lan Xichen!

Siege of the Burial Mounds: I really like this one shot from the donghua where the Sect Leaders of each sect (NMJ, JGS, and JC) are shown at the siege and beside them representing the Lan sect is… Lan Qiren. Not LXC. Setting aside the perfect storm JGS set up for the siege to occur (I don’t care who led it; JGS is the problem post-Sunshot Campaign about 99% of the time), I think this is because LXC stayed back in the Cloud Recesses with LWJ tending to his wounds post-whipping. Not assuming LXC’s absence, however, the siege was led by JC and orchestrated (because separating the twin prides of Yunmeng and artificially creating tension within the jianghu was a deliberate action) by JGS. Not saying LXC’s participation is okay just because he wasn’t the driving force behind it but imagine if the Lan sect stood against the other sect’s wishes. Standing up for WWX would have been the right thing to do but were the Lans in any position to oppose the siege with their sect in the process of rebuilding? Going along with the siege, to me, is an act of cowardice, not malice. Extra note: we see his capability of defending the Wen remnants when JGS is talking shit about them and WWX but he is shut down immediately and does not speak up any further. This is not a matter of hypocrisy; it’s a matter of fearing the consequences.

NMJ’s death: this is rocky territory. It was a bad idea full stop to force proximity between them hoping everything would sort itself out. But you simply cannot blame him for NMJ’s death because he couldn’t have known. One could argue that he endangered JGY by forcing him to be near someone who tried to kill him several times. I think that’s an oversimplification of the situation. To me, this was a gesture of trust. Trust that NMJ will make an attempt to restrain himself/get better and trust that JGY will aid him in doing so. As we know, this trust is misguided. He’s rather naive to think this would work. But he is humored anyway by two people with bad intentions toward each other. LXC is not at fault for this going south when it was at a certain point inevitable. But he did enable it.

That one line about WWX being LWJ’s only mistake: I get so defensive because honestly I’d have said much worse in his position! Think about what he knows about Wangxian’s relationship leading up to it. He saw his brother devastated that the man he loved was being corrupted and harmed by his cultivation, watched as LWJ despaired over him and fought the elders and got whipped for him. He’s only seen his brother suffer due to his love for WWX. Was saying this okay? No. Consider the circumstances surrounding this line, however. Also criticizing him for this is just plain nit-picky to me lol there’s plenty this man has actually done wrong to criticize him for.

And another thing: stop saying he favored JGY over LWJ!! The entire point of his denial surrounding JGY is that there was no solid, tangible proof that was damning enough for him to outright condemn JGY without some level of unfair assumption! He was trying to be fair about the investigation! Might I add: WWX was the only one who saw NMJ’s head in Jinlintai. Had it been LWJ to see it and approach him I think the story would’ve gone differently! But it wasn’t. And he wanted to have faith in his friend from an underprivileged background constantly facing slander and mistreatment despite doing good things for the world against the jianghu’s wishes because isn’t that what LWJ did with WWX? LXC learned his lesson from WWX’s death, he just practiced it on the wrong person.

What have we learned? Lan Xichen was complicit in and enabled a lot of Bad Things if he was not an active participant, most of it willingly and some of it unknowingly. He’s unfair sometimes. He’s weak willed and lacks the strength to actually stand up for anyone in a meaningful way. He’s naive. In my opinion, he was in denial for a large portion of his story about the harmful effects of his actions.

And I adore him! He’s got the capacity for so much good and he fails to live up to it! He wants to be righteous and he doesn’t know how without putting the people he is responsible for at risk! He thinks he can do conflict resolution and he just can’t! By the end of the story, he is painfully aware of all of this and he lives knowing he did the wrong thing over and over and over again. He got the only outcome he could ever have. I don’t think he deserved his ending but I do think he might have earned it.

[thisisallthehattersfault]

Y’know given Hua Cheng’s shapeshifting and Shi Qingxuan’s shapeshifting and He Xuan’s shapeshifting and the kingdom of Xianle prizing androgyny and Xie Lian’s total blasé attitude about when people confuse him for a woman

I feel like maybe my Wei Clan don’t… do… gender?

Like. I think after a few generations of being surrounded by all this gender fuckery from all directions — especially when you know the girls would be raised with just as much freedom and indulgence as the boys — I feel like eventually everybody’s gender identity would be best described as a shrug. The Wei know what gender society Expects them to be, and for their own convenience they typically just go along with that, but it doesn’t actually have any weight for them.

Wei Changze doesn’t like the way makeup feels on his (their?) face but he likes when he gets to leave the Jiang sect and go home for holidays and stuff because it means they get to wear pretty dresses.

The family’s perspective on other peoples’ genders is that like. If you tell me your name is Familyname Givenname, and your favorite color is orange, and you really like lychee, and you are a woman, It is not my place to say “no, you’re wrong” about any of that.

Like, gender to them os very much a societal role, and those roles don’t apply to them, but it’s sort of like… occupations? This musician is a woman. She does musician things, like compose her own music, and perform for audiences, and maintain her instrument of choice. She does woman things, like manage the house’s finances, and cook, and wear makeup. Those are all fine, good things for a person to do, and we wish her as much success in her career as a woman as we do her success in her career as a musician.

The only time Wei Changze ever cared much about gender was after meeting Cangse Sanren, when he felt the spark, realized instantly she was his destined one, and then just as quickly realized he was gonna have to somehow explain this stuff to her and oh god people who aren’t of Xianle get Weird about this what if she thinks it’s creepy or gross oh no

(Of course CSSR is super interested and curious and lowkey turned on and it is the complete opposite of an issue)

It is so, so much weirder for Wei Wuxian, who was kidnapped and presumed dead for the first seventeen some-odd years of his life, and was very much raised As A Man. Not only does meeting his long lost family send him down an identity crisis for all of the obvious “what do you mean I’m half-undead Ghost Royalty” reasons, but it ALSO sends him down a gender crisis, which happens right on the heels of his sexuality crisis re: realizing that LWJ is his Destined Other, which then tucks neatly into yet another crisis because LWJ already barely likes him (them?????) will he be able to handle it if Wei Wuxian is also kind of a girl sometimes??? Would he like it better if Wei Wuxian is always a girl???? Is that even and option or does Wei Wuxian need to stop doing gender entirely??????? He doesn’t know how to do that???????????

(Wei Wuxian does not, in fact, need to make any changes or choices with regards to his gender if he does not want to, nobody is gonna pressure him, but the kid is going through a lot in a very short amount of time and the spiral is probably going to be cathartic, so let him have a breakdown. He deserves it.)

(Of course, LWJ does a lot more than “barely like” WWX, and once the gender thing is explained to him he does a lot more than just “handle it.” He is supportive and eager to learn and understand and, of course, as always, kind of horny about it. He ends up deciding he has a Thing for WWX in slinky nightgowns, and they have lots of weirdly tender, nasty, disrespectful sex about it.)

[themurderrose]

yiling fertility thoughts [test tube baby A Yuan cultivated via resentful energy by WWX]

further to my evil author day fic post available at the end of this post, I am HAVING THOUGHTS about how to write more in the verse. So, let us get into it:

THINKING ABOUT WWX WHO WANTED HER OWN FAMILY SO MUCH SHE CULTIVATED A CHILD ALL BY HERSELF ONLY NOBODY BELIEVED HER AND THOUGHT SHE'D GONE AND GOTTEN HERSELF KNOCKED UP SO THEY DISOWNED HER AND LWJ DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT IT UNTIL SHE WAS GONE FAST FORWARD 4 YEARS AND WWX IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF FERTILITY RESEARCH AND CORUNS A CLINIC WITH WEN QING

I'm thinking about wwx who uses resentful energy in her fertility work, and lwj who uses like purity rituals and stuff in her fertility work, and thinking about them meeting at a medical conference where they're both lecturing

thinking about lil baby a yuan in the conference daycare, and lwj falling Fast cause there is Literally No Other Way for lwj to fall thinking about them

thinking about lwj seeing a yuan and immediately forgetting her uncles teachings about 'those born from resentful energy are poisoned and wrong' and going 'how can anyone as cute as this be poisoned and wrong'

I'm thinking about yanli and her hubby ended up with Yiling Fertility. I'm thinking that they were having lots of trouble conceiving because despite how Prevalent his father was, jin zixuan is practically completely infertile. thinking about them going to lwj and it not working even after they've gone through 3 rounds of 'pure 'Purely cultivated' ivf, and then yanli sitting up one night crying about never being able to have a child because 'a xuan i'm getting older'

thinking about zixuan going Right. thinking about him down wwx because he'd heard something through a grapevine, and booking an appointment with just him first and being all 'i know a li's family have been awful to you - your family - but professionally, do you think you could treat her? us? we really want a child, and we've been to the lan clinic for three rounds

so wwx is like 👀 👀 👀 'how is shijie? or, well, Jiang Yanli? or does she— is it Jin now? How, how is your wife?" and jzx is just, not horrified, he'd known how badly the jiangs had imploded but he hadn't known you know? And he's like 'call her Yanli, at least for now. And yes, it's Jin privately but she keeps Jiang professionally' (idk if they do that in china?! but for now at least they do) and wwx is nodding and nodding and then wen ning opens the door "can i get you tea? coffee? boss?" and wwx is like "coffee please, a ning. Jin Zixuan, I'll be five minutes, you can tell A ning what you'd like to drink." and darts from the room, running into the loos and having a controlled 3 min breakdown, washing her face, reaplying her makeup and returning to her office, controlled, in charge, The Boss ™️

thinking about how they make plans to bring Yanli in for a check up, scheduling things and wwx opens a file for them, taking notes etc. [the fic part that ive published]

thinking about JZX saying 'if you need our notes from the Lans—" and WWX is like Absolutely not we do things my way, but secretly like ooo lan zhan cause WHEN IS SHE NOT.

thinking about wwx choosing not to contact the Lan clinic because she knows she'll only get condemnation there and they likely will not pass on their records, and although she's always liked lan zhan, if wen qing taught her anything it was self preservation

anyway thinking thoughts about maybe a lz pov for another chapter...

if that intrigued you at all please check this out 👇

[whetstonefires]

10 and 29 for the ask game?

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

I try not to have expectations, so I'm sure it's happened a lot and I didn't remark upon it enough to remember.

I do recall that All the Roofs of Uncertainty was originally a one-shot that was much better-liked than I expected, so I wrote into the what-happens-next and changed the original open ending into a whole plotline, that consisted almost entirely of Jason Todd talking to people in a hospital.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

Oh gosh I have so many fics that lie unfinished because the work necessary to complete them exceeded my interest in the premise. I could do this for weeks and not run out. Let's see.

Okay, the funniest fic that I will never ever finish is the one that was me trying to draw up a plausible background scenario for an AU (which I couldn't decide if it ought to be modern or not) where Su She was dating Wei Wuxian.

(This in turn was inspired by the fact that I kept reading modern AUs where various canon villains were cast as wwx's shitty boyfriend or ex and it was never Su She, aka the bargain bin version of Lan Wangji, who seemed to me to be the least improbable option on offer. Like if you feel the need to lampshade repeatedly within your fic that it's incomprehensible that Wei Wuxian would ever voluntarily date Jin Zixun, maybe that's a sign you should change that bit.)

The plot of the story that Su-She-uses-his-words-and-pulls-wwx embedded itself in would have revolved around Lan Wangji subsequently agreeing to a date with ten-years-younger Mo Xuanyu, presumably in an attempt to move on, and Su She picking up on his hopeless pining when both couples happened to be in the same room, as dates to the same function or something, and then following a characteristically self-destructive course where he got so wrapped up in rubbing it in Lan Wangji's face that he finally had something the Lan scion wanted and couldn't get that he wound up entirely destroying his own relationship.

Wei Wuxian is a very good judge of people who also attracts strong personal loyalty once people get attached to him in the first place, and notably something that simply never happens to him is someone betraying him who he trusted not to do that. (Jiang Cheng does not count; Wei Wuxian maneuvered him into most of it, he wasn't taken by surprise.) So it could be really neat to finesse the character work of him understanding Su She's basic character flaws, but not expecting them to manifest or affect him quite the way they end up doing.

In the same way he mostly gets Lan Wangji as a person from the start but, lacking insight into certain things he's hiding, is unable to reliably reconstruct his perspective. To an increasingly noticeable degree, as lwj acts on that aspect of his motivations more openly.

I am never going to write that though, because I just don't care enough about that kind of story, although concept free to a good home.

I did write out a little of the backstory to how Su She could have wound up in a position of wanting to date Wei Wuxian on his own merits, which was a fun bit of character study because Su She is basically Jin Guangyao's Wen Ning, you know? Evil Wen Ning.

His understanding of Jin Guangyao as someone who respects and values him earned an insane amount of personal loyalty from a basically very selfish guy--like sure, it's clear he got a steady stream of favors out of the bargain, but he also puts himself on the line way in excess of the practical value Jin Guangyao has provided and is likely to provide; the real inducement was the validation.

So, if Wei Wuxian had happened to be carelessly kind and supportive to Su She the way he was to Wen Ning, having met him in a weak moment before Su She had had a chance to make an impression as a petty asshole rather than just a bit of a dumbass (not that he actually in canon managed to make any personal impression even by shooting him in the arm) you could probably arrange for him to glom onto Wei Wuxian instead, as someone like him, who didn't get the respect he deserved because of his birth station.

And Wei Wuxian would be perfectly willing to reciprocate that friendship, even though (as with Wen Ning) if Su She didn't reach out promptly he'd have totally forgotten he existed until prompted lmao. Su She would never forgive that insult.

You can see in the passage here where I still kind of wanted it to be a modern AU so they're texting, but the setup I'd written previously worked as a clean canon divergence because that's my usual preference, and I really wasn't interested enough in a plot that's entirely about romantic relationships to figure that out and write the rest.

But I did enjoy doing this study of how Su She could have gotten stuck on Wei Wuxian, only to later go on to fuck himself over with his Lan Wangji complex.

It was nice to have someone to complain to who got it. When Su Minshan talked about having no family to turn to, about owing everything to the Sect that had raised him when, to the Lan, everything came down to the clan and he would never have a chance to truly distinguish himself— Sometimes I think about just leaving, Su Minshan wrote, because Wei Wuxian wouldn’t scold him for being ungrateful. You can, if you want, Wei Wuxian wrote, as if it was that easy. Only if you came too, Su Minshan had written back, shaken by his own daring. Of course, Wei Wuxian refused. Jiang Cheng would never forgive me if I ran off. Because he’s counting on you to run his Sect for him. He absolutely is not. Jiang Cheng will work himself into the ground before he lets me do his job for him. He didn’t admit that of course the Sect Heir was counting on him, but he didn’t disagree, which was basically the same thing. Wei Wuxian worked very hard and was rewarded for it, but Su Minshan knew that even in Jiang the equal opportunity only went so far—he was the Sect Leader’s pet for personal reasons, not just on merit, and even so he could never rise to be the equal of the blood heir. It was infuriating sometimes how that didn’t bother him. Have more ambition! You’re so lucky, Su Minshan wrote, because he was jealous, he was so so jealous. I am! <3 But let’s see, outside the main family how important can a person get in Lan Sect? You can make a plan. Weeks of effort did not produce any particularly good plans. The most realistic one took forty years to show results. Maybe I should just kill Lan Wangji and use a spell to disguise myself and take his place, Su Minshan joked. Haha! Minshan-xiong, I’m sorry, you couldn’t pull off being Lan Zhan. That hurt, an unexpected cold dagger to the ribs. Wei Wuxian was his friend! Why not! he typed angrily. Was his playing too weak, his swordsmanship, his deportment? Would even Wei Wuxian tell him he was just not good enough? Because you could never resist saying something bitchy when you had the chance, and he keeps all the bitching inside his head. Su Minshan put his head down and laughed until he thought he might cry.

I have the sneaking suspicion I already shared this one for one of these games, because it really is by far the funniest thing I'm definitely never going to finish, so I'll reblog this post later with another offering.

[asideoftrashplease]

all the time in the world (& i’ll spend it loving you)

The first time Lan Wangji had come to him, it had been a rainy day, just like this one. It had been pouring that morning when Lan Wangji had appeared out of the storm, drunk and drenched, grabbing him by the collar with shaking hands.

“How could you?” he had hissed. “How could you?”

Lan Wangji had lowered his head, letting out a sob. If there had been tears on his face that night, they had been lost in the rain.

“You killed him.”

  ---

Twitter refugee and I’m SO excited to be here and meet new people! Erm erm I don’t have much to contribute, but I’ve written this whole bunch of CANON-VERSE jiang cheng ficlets. Read it under the cut!

[The first chapter was written for the prompt: JC and LWJ have a standing once a month hook up that started during the years WWX was dead. At first, it was hate fucking, but it turned into feelings that they both ignored. After WWX returns, JC assumes the standing monthly hookup has stopped. Except cue one month after the temple events, LWJ shows up with WWX in tow.]

Sometime back, Chengxian antis and JC antis were flooding the tags on Twitter with hate which made everyone sad, so I opened prompts for Chengxian, Zhancheng, and Zhanchengxian ficlets, and wrote people a bunch of gift ficlets I’ve now dubbed... the #jiayou ficlets! Here’s one of them! For people who prefer to read things on the archive, it’s posted on Ao3 here.

---

He wakes as he always does; startled, sun in his eyes, with his heart pounding in his chest and his fingers clenched tight in the sheets.

Still as stone, he lies frozen in place as his heart slows.

Outside, he can hear muffled shouting, layered over the patter of rain, as the younger disciples play amidst the puddles. He can hear the slow scuff of slippers as the servants begin their day, heading to the river to draw water. He can even hear the distant sounds of horse wagons out in the city.

Yunmeng.

After a long moment, he eases himself slowly upright, muscles stiff from a whole night spent rigid. Unbidden, his eyes sweep over to the empty surface of his desk.

No letters have come for him overnight.

His heart trembles strangely in his chest.

He stands, and pushes the window forcefully open. A rainy morning; the first day of the sixth month. The rain seems to herald the coming monsoon, the seasonal wetness that he knows will last for the next two months. He stands there for a long moment, face turned up against the cool, gentle mists of the morning rain. Then, he closes his eyes.

No one is coming for him tonight.

His heart clenches painfully. Opening his eyes, he pulls the windows forcefully shut, and turns around to get ready for the day.

He doesn’t know what he’d been expecting.

---

The first time Lan Wangji had come to him, it had been a rainy day, just like this one. It had been pouring that morning when Lan Wangji had appeared out of the storm, drunk and drenched, grabbing him by the collar with shaking hands.

“How could you?” he had hissed. “How could you?”

Lan Wangji had lowered his head, letting out a sob. If there had been tears on his face that night, they had been lost in the rain.

“You killed him.”

The sex had hurt, that first time, scratching at each other, their wordless snarls hiding the hint of a sob as they sought to mask the pain, the grief, the tears.

“Did you want this with him?” Jiang Cheng had taunted, staring up at Lan Wangji. In the darkness, his golden eyes had gleamed like a cat’s in the light of the moon.

Jiang Cheng remembers how those eyes had flashed as Lan Wangji backhanded him. He remembers the dark bruise it had left in the morning. He remembers waking to those inscrutable golden eyes, and the gentle caress of gentle knuckles over his swollen cheek.

“Do you regret last night?” Jiang Cheng had asked in a murmur.

Lan Wangji’s brows had drawn together, eyes tracing the contours of that dark blemish.

“Yes,” he’d said.

---

On the first day of the next month, he had still returned.

---

It’s impossible to tell when he’d started loving Wei Wuxian. It feels like millennia that he’s spent tracing the memory of a familiar face, the laughter they’d shared, and the insults they’d traded. Sometimes, it feels like he’d always loved him.

When Wei Wuxian had been alive, Jiang Cheng always dreamt of their arguments, waking up sour and resentful. But after he had died, Jiang Cheng had dreamt only sweet dreams. He would dream of laughing together under lotus pads, of rosy sunsets over the river, stealing chickens and play-wrestling in the rain. He would dream of the ruby glint of sunset off the droplets in Wei Wuxian’s hair, drenched in rainwater and lakewater, the day he’d hauled Jiang Cheng up onto the dock and leaned over him, tipsy and laughing.

I want you, he’d whispered. I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you.

In those dreams, Jiang Cheng had always smiled.

I want you too, he would whisper.

Those siren dreams always left him hollow in the mornings, waking in sunlight, with an emptiness in his heart where someone had once lived. He’s lived that memory a thousand ways in sleep, in every way except the way it had played in waking.

Don’t let A-Niang hear you talking like that, he had snapped. I’m not a cut-sleeve.

One day, about a year into those unsettling dreams, he’d woken with a name on his lips.

I loved him, he’d finally realized. I still do.

The realization had threatened to upend everything.

---

On the first day of the next month, Lan Wangji had appeared to him for the first time, drunk, and with fresh scars on his back. On the first day of every following month, he had returned like clockwork.

Gentle hands, gentle heart — the first night had been the only time he had ever hit Jiang Cheng.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji had whispered, that second night, and Jiang Cheng’s eyes had flown open.

“I’m not him,” he’d said, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

They’d had each other thrice that night, Lan Wangji desperate and insatiable in a way he had never expected. His eyelids had trembled, capillaries delicate under the glass-like skin, as he gasped and whispered. When open, his eyes always seemed so far away, unseeing.

Others had always said that one picks up the mannerisms of those they spend the most time with. Jiang Cheng wonders what parts of Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji had seen in him.

In the aftermath, trembling and limping slightly, Lan Wangji had stood and pulled on his pants. Nestled half-asleep in the sheets, Jiang Cheng had opened his eyes.

“Stay the night,” he had murmured. “I don’t want to wake alone.”

Lan Wangji’s eyes had glinted, cat-like, in the night as he turned to look at Jiang Cheng. Such an unnatural color. Jiang Cheng had always found him a little uncanny because of it.

“Mn,” Lan Wangji had agreed — and slid back under the sheets.

---

The rain splatters against his bare skin as his body flows through the motions of the Yunmeng Jiang sword form. It has long been a discipline of his. Practicing the sword form is the first thing he does every morning, and the last thing he does at night before bed.

Still, today he finds himself a little less present than he would prefer, consumed by memories. He does not hear the approach of the disciple until the disciple is at the entrance of the courtyard.

“Sect Lead— ack!”

Jiang Cheng turns sharply away, hiding the scars on his chest, his greatest shame.

“Sorry, Sect Leader!” the boy squeaks. “A letter has come for you. I’ll put it on your desk.”

As the patter of small feet peter off into the distance, Jiang Cheng takes a deep breath, and swings his outer robe up and over his shoulders. Sheathing his sword, he hurries into his study. There’s a sealed letter on the table. He snatches it up.

Even before he opens it, however, his heart sinks. The seal is familiar, but not the one he’d been expecting. True enough, when he opens the letter, it is addressed from Sect Leader Yao, requesting help with a bridge that had collapsed in a flash flood.

He tosses the letter aside angrily.

Then, after a moment, he sits down, and tries to read it. There’s a stack of letters on his desk to be answered, and he generally likes to get that done before lunch. Today, however, the words slip like water through his mind, his eyes tracing over the brushstrokes again and again without processing.

Finally, he slams his hand down on the table, and stands.

It isn’t often that he succumbs to drink, but he thinks that today is a special occasion. Striding out into the courtyard, he draws his sword, and takes off into the sky.

---

He had not expected to fall in love with Lan Wangji.

Like flying through a drizzle, he’d realized too late that he’d flown into a storm. Somewhere along the way, without him ever noticing, the rainfall had intensified to the point that he could barely see, barely hear, but so preoccupied with getting to the places he had to be, he hadn’t noticed the change of weather.

“Lan— Wangji—“

Lan Wangji had kissed him on the lips, grinding their hips more firmly together. His breath had been so hot against Jiang Cheng’s ear that night, jagged with exertion.

“Jiang—” he had murmured, and then stiffened, grasping Jiang Cheng’s hips bruisingly hard as his hips stuttered.

Wetness bloomed between their bellies.

“Jiang Wanyin.”

Afterwards, they’d laid on their sides, facing each other in the darkness. He remembers vividly how Lan Wangji had looked then, a hand under his ear like a divine statue, eyes closed, expression as serene and austere as a cloudless sky. His other hand had been warm on Jiang Cheng’s wrist, his thumb drawing up and down absently as Jiang Cheng watched him, drinking him in for long minutes. Finally, sensing the eyes on him, he had opened his eyes questioningly.

Jiang Cheng remembers every second of the moments that followed, the calm in those lion’s eyes as he’d looked patiently back at Jiang Cheng. In that moment, Jiang Cheng had been so certain.

“Lan Wangji, I—" he’d begun.

That thumb on his wrist had continued to stroke, up and down, slow and soothing. Lan Wangji had just watched him, waiting, not saying a word.

“I—"

The words had caught in his throat. He’d been so certain in that moment that Lan Wangji returned his feelings, but still, those words had refused to be spoken.

I want you too.

“I’ll tell you next time,” he had finally whispered instead. “Next month.”

Lan Wangji had blinked, slow and inexorable.

“We have time,” he had said simply.

A week later, the familiar sounds of a dizi had rung out over the mountainside.

---

“Sect Leader,” the innkeeper murmurs, concerned. “Sect Leader, are you alright?”

“Another,” he slurs, reaching out to push his cup forward, but knocking it over instead. “Two more jars.”

After a moment, the innkeeper sighs, pulling the stool next to him out, and taking a seat instead.

“Sect Leader,” she sighs, laying her hand on his nape. “You are very drunk. I haven’t seen you this drunk since you were a boy.”

Since he was a boy, sneaking out to drink here, another's arm hooked companionably over his shoulder, and a too-loud, too-excited, too-drunk voice hollering in his ear.i

With the alcohol in his system, that’s enough to make him turn his face into the table.

“Oh, Sect Leader…” the innkeeper sighs, stroking his back as his breath hitches. “What happened to you?”

He hiccups, sniffing as his nose begins to run, breathing slow and open-mouthed against the table. Tears drip slowly from the tip of his nose, darkening the wood beneath him.

“I heard that Young Master Wei has returned,” the innkeeper guesses. “There were some cultivators here talking about it, but he hasn’t come back to say hello. Where is he?”

Jiang Cheng hiccups miserably.

“I yelled at him,” he mutters, “then he eloped.”

“Eloped?” the innkeeper repeats, bewildered, and then pauses. “I always thought… Young Master Wei always seemed very enamored with Sect Leader when he was a boy. Who—“

She trails off awkwardly.

“He eloped,” Jiang Cheng continues, “with the man I love.”

He sniffs once, hiccups, and then begins to sob. The hand on his back picks up, stroking a little more frantically now.

“Oh, Sect Leader,” the innkeeper sighs. “My poor child. My sweet boy.”

“I thought he loved me too,” Jiang Cheng chokes out, still face-down on the table.

“Young Master Wei?” the innkeeper asks gingerly. “Or err— what’s his name?”

“Both,” Jiang Cheng manages, the word tripping into a series of wracking sobs. The innkeeper coos sympathetically, continuing to stroke his back.

“Hi Auntie Li,” a hushed voice comes after a moment. “We’ll get him back to Lotus Pier. Don’t you worry.”

“Ah!” the innkeeper gasps, clearly recognizing the newcomers. “Oh, of course! Please!”

She stands, and makes herself scarce. Jiang Cheng looks up blearily at the dragging sound of wooden stools against the floor, just in time to see two tall figures seating themselves at the table opposite him. Through squinted eyes, Jiang Cheng can see that the taller one has a white band over his forehead, but is dressed in the raggedy garb of a traveling cultivator, hair pulled unfussily up into a high ponytail.

“You even look like him,” Jiang Cheng mutters miserably.

The other— looks vaguely familiar.

“And you— kinda look like that Mo Xuanyu guy,” Jiang Cheng continues, even more miserably, before letting his head fall back down to the table with a loud thunk. “Ow.”

The shorter of the two makes a hissing noise, lifting Jiang Cheng’s head gently back off the table, and brushing a hand gingerly over his forehead, which is already beginning to redden.

“Wow, Jiang Cheng,” he says, “you’re wasted.”

The taller sighs, standing and sliding his arms gently underneath Jiang Cheng’s body.

“Let’s get him home,” the man whispers.

The world falls away as he’s pulled up onto a strong, broad back.

---

When he wakes in the morning, sun in his eyes, the brightness sends a sharp stab of agony through his skull. He groans, turning sharply away from the window, only to collide with a scarred chest.

There’s a familiar brand burned into the skin.

He recoils, shooting backward, only to collide, less pleasantly, with a very bony chin.

“Ow! Fuck! Jiang Cheng!”

Clasping the back of his head, he hisses in pain, feeling another oncoming bruise. His forehead feels bruised too, and he vaguely remembers how that happened. Gods, he’d been so drunk.

“Obscenity is prohibited,” Lan Wangji murmurs, but there’s no bite in it. He guides Jiang Cheng forward, pressing him into his chest so he can check on Wei Wuxian’s chin. “No bruising.”

“No bruising?” Wei Wuxian warbles melodramatically. “No permanent disfigurement? I’m still pretty?”

“You are.”

Jiang Cheng turns over, and smashes his lips against Wei Wuxian’s.

Wei Wuxian lets out a muffled moan, and then tumbles them over till he’s perched over Jiang Cheng’s body. Jiang Cheng grasps the back of his robes, panting, taken abruptly back to their younger years. Lan Wangji had never tumbled Jiang Cheng around like this, always so controlled and careful.

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” Wei Wuxian murmurs, diving down to mouth along the side of his neck, pushing his collar open to get at his clavicle.

“I—“ Jiang Cheng begins, and closes his eyes tight, a tear squeezing out and running down into his hair. “I want you too.”

Wei Wuxian gasps, turning his face into Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.

“What if I wanted to be inside you?” he murmurs.

“Yes.”

“In your mouth?”

“Yes.”

“In your ass?”

“Yes.”

“In your life, until we’re both old and grey?”

Jiang Cheng’s voice chokes in his throat, so he just nods. Wei Wuxian kisses him fiercely on the lips again, once, twice, and again, before drawing back to look up at his husband.

“I can’t believe you got to have him before I did,” he whines. “I’ve wanted him since I was a kid, you know.”

“You can have him now, if he wants.”

Jiang Cheng gasps, hiding his face in Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. Too late, he realizes that he had spread his legs slightly with the motion. Wei Wuxian catches him by the knee before he can close them.

“Nuh uh,” he teases. “No takesies-backsies! I need to have you in all the ways Lan Zhan had you while I was gone. It’s just not fair!”

“That’s—“ Jiang Cheng begins, breath hitching as Wei Wuxian nuzzles into his neck, “going to take awhile.”

A hand covers his on Wei Wuxian’s back, tangling their fingers sweetly together. Jiang Cheng looks up in surprise to see Lan Wangji sitting up against the headboard, watching him patiently with those lion's eyes of his.

There’s a gentility in his eyes, in the upward curve of his lips, and in that moment Jiang Cheng knows— he knows.

“We have time,” Lan Wangji murmurs tenderly.

He leans down, kissing Jiang Cheng gently on the lips.

“We have all the time in the world.”

--- 

[For those who are ✨interested✨ there’s a chapter 2 available on Ao3 where WWX and LWJ dp JC LOVINGLY. I can’t post that here because NSFW ban, right? That’s still happening, right? But it’s available on Ao3 here! I hope you liked the fic, and! I’m hoping to post more from this series over the next few days? 🥺👉👈 I feel like a cat bringing offerings of dead birds...]

[symphonyofsilence]

Jin Ling & his Xiao Shushu appreciation, 'cause I don't see enough of it.

Remember that Jin Ling avoided LWJ like plague 'cause he was scared of him shitless, to the point that when WWX fake called Hanguang-Jun he ran without even looking back literally seconds after WWX pulled the same trick on him with JC 'cause he didn't want to risk looking back just in case it was actually HGJ, but he stood against Hanguang-Jun AND sect leader Lan when he thought they were invading his Xiao Shushu's room? Only Jiggy's own intervention made him back down.

& IDK maybe the reason Jin Ling was there at that time was that it was the family section. But since Fairy wasn't with him, maybe he was visiting his uncle. & I find it hard to imagine, like, say, WWX visiting Jiang Fengmian or Lan Sizhui visiting Zewu-Jun or the Lan brothers visiting Lan Qiren in the middle of the night in their private chambers unless something very important has happened. I think according to the standards of their time, they must have been very close for this visit to happen.

Running to Xiao Shushu 'cause JiuJiu is angry with him & adorably hiding behind him 'cause Xiao Shushu spoils him.

Defending Xiao Shushu and having a firm belief that whatever he says is for Jin Ling's own good even in the face of his cool uncle after the rush of winning a fight against a group of his all-time bullies.

Still using the affectionate term "Xiao Shushu"even when confronting him about why would he kill his father, begging him to "say something". Give him anything to make it a little bit less painful.

Jiggy wanting to comfort Jin Ling even when he's crying because he just realized that Jiggy has killed his father.

Jin Ling looking so hurt when Jiggy says that JGS didn't let him hold Jin Ling as though he can't imagine a world in which his uncle is not allowed to hold him. Not being allowed to hold JL being a notable part of JGY's villain origin story.

Jiggy pushing Jin Ling out of danger.

Jin Ling screaming for Jiggy to run even after Jiggy took him hostage. And all the other shit.

(It's worth mentioning that in the books, Jiggy doesn't push JL out of danger and JL still screams for him to run, and he still calls him uncle instead of Sect Leader as he does in the show. It's also worth mentioning that the show made some stunning choices in the Guaniyn temple scene regardimg JGY & JL. As half of the things I'm saying about that scene here only happened in the show.)

Jiggy looking so worried as Wen Ning goes towards JL even though he himself has lost an arm and is bleeding to death. And only looking relieved when Wen Ning holds the blade.

Jin Ling being scarred for life here. Oh my poor, poor baby.

With much difficulty, he coughed up some blood. Everyone present heard a crack that was abnormally clear and brutal.

A whimper of a last breath left Jin GuangYao's throat.

Jin Ling's shoulders shivered. He shut his eyes and covered his ears, too afraid to keep watching and listening.

And my favorite scene that emotionally crushed me: Jin Ling remembering when his uncle gave him little Fairy & mourning his uncle & becoming the hero of the nation who finally told Sect Leader Yao to kindly go fuck himself. 'Cause he told him that his uncle was not worth his tears. Jin Ling thinking that they wouldn't dare to tell him such bullshits if his uncle were still alive. Baby Jin Ling feeling so comfortable around the sect leader and the Chief Cultivator that he could break things beside his feet and scream at him, and his uncle just understanding that he needs to leave him alone at that moment, his Xiao Shushu being the only one who could comfort him and make him happy at that point, his Xiao Shushu giving him his spiritual dog & one of his rare actual, geniune smiles that was so warm & kind that Jin Ling remembers to that day, this happy memory being the one that Jin Ling remembers Jiggy with after all the things he learnt in the span of two days. Him acknowledging that Jiggy's love for him was geniune and real & still choosing to continiue to love his uncle despite everything. Him learning that he can't really resent JGY, WWX or WN 'cause though they gave him reasons for that, they also gave him reasons against that. They gave him reasons to love them. And why choose hate when you can...not choose that. Him breaking a cycle of hate that few of the adults of the story did not drown in. And it must mostly be Jiang Yanli's legacy, but it also proves that Jiang Cheng & Jin Guangyao, despite their own numerous issues did something right raising such a child. He feels so secure in their love. And he's right in that feeling.

[fincalinde]

lwj, for the meme?

Not the Lan bro I was expecting but here goes!

a song that reminds me of them

This doesn't remind me of him because I wouldn't want to ruin it for myself, but I can imagine a sad montage of interregnum LWJ set to I Am Stretched On Your Grave. Anyway, my proper answer is Frostrósir by Eivør. It's in Faroese, which I do not speak, but I pinched something from here:

Each sigh from a lonely soul Every word that was formed without sound Now seems like a frostbitten affair Dressed in the guise of lifeless flowers

what they smell like

We have an answer to this in canon and it's sandalwood, so I don't have much to add.

an otp

I mean, it is the central point of the novel. But even aside from that, LWJ is consistently only ever interested in WWX. I'm not saying he shouldn't be interpreted as gay, but I am saying that even if he is gay it's secondary to his actual sexual identity which is Weiyingsexual. I'm not treading any new ground here.

Personally I don't find Wangxian interesting, but I at least believe they love each other and are compatible in the sense that they are both selfish in slightly different ways that mesh well for their own private universe. Not so great for others in their orbit, but part of that is authorial fiat so I try to be fair about what I hold against them.

I don't think CQL successfully executed the changes it made to Wangxian in having them click and partner up from the beginning, but I do think it was necessary to at least attempt to rebalance the relationship. In MDZS, WWX genuinely does not reciprocate LWJ's feelings in his first life beyond a very deeply buried and not particularly inevitable spark. His first life is really centred on his relationships with JC and JYL and they are the tragic 'romance' (in the traditional sense). LWJ only gets upgraded during the second life. Kind of awkward to do your sweeping romance if it isn't a romance in the 35+ episodes of flashbacks, so I don't blame them for trying. And I do like the Colin Firth vibes WYB brought to his LWJ.

a notp

Aside from not finding the idea of LWJ with anyone else convincing, let me take the opportunity to pettily sideswipe at Chengxian and shoving LWJ in to make it what? Wangchengxian? Is that what it's called? Either way, nooooooo thank you. You can't get much more fraternal than WWX and JC's idiot bickering, and even if they weren't such classic stupid boys together, JC and LWJ loathe one another with the kind of loathing that does not give way to a rendition of I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face. (Incidentally, in the original stage version Eliza walks out on Higgins never to return, and it is awesome.)

favorite platonic/familial relationships

Obviously it's his relationship with LXC (and by extension LQR?). Just absolutely fascinating. Their rapport is very sweet, as is LXC's protectiveness and gentle trolling. LWJ is not a particularly good didi, but LXC both doesn't notice and doesn't mind.

Actually, someone once made a meme for me in relation to this, let me dust it off and drag it out:

More seriously, though he was also raised with harsh discipline, in comparative terms LWJ is the spoilt baby of the family. As is often the result when we encounter morally rigid characters in MDZS, he is also in many respects hypocritical. Clearly I have a lot of negative things to say about him as a brother to LXC, but I'm not interested in demonising him and what's really interesting about it is that by and large this uneven dynamic works for the Twin Jades. Right up until it doesn't.

When LXC really needs LWJ to come through for him, he just doesn't. I'm not even talking about LWJ's behaviour leading up to and during the Temple, which is objectionable in the sense that he refuses to give JGY the benefit of the doubt that LXC extends to WWX. No, I'm talking about the fact that he bods off for literal months after LXC has just been through the worst experience of his life and lost his closest friend and partner. And I don't want to hear it about LXC being the elder and having a responsibility to take care of LWJ. LWJ owes consideration to his big brother and clan leader, even if that consideration might take a different form.

Here's a thought experiment. After WWX's first death, when LWJ has been whipped 33 times by the discipline whip and dragged himself to rescue LSZ and branded himself in drunken grief, can you imagine LXC bodding off for three months without a word to have picnics with JGY? It's inconceivable isn't it.

I didn't intend for this section to become a hit piece on LWJ and he obviously does love his brother, but in terms of actions it is somewhat of a one way street. The fact that LXC has no other expectations doesn't protect LWJ from my croc-hatted judgement face.

a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with

Righteous LWJ. Oh, please. In MDZS, righteousness goes hand in hand with hypocrisy, and though I doubt MXTX the human being intended LWJ to be read as thoroughly selfish, the (translation of) the text she wrote is a depiction of a profoundly selfish man. And that's not a bad thing, because his selfishness coupled with the occasions when he is genuinely altruistic makes him more interesting than if he really were a moralising ice cube with a ribbon tied around it.

the position they sleep in

Official Lan Position, and postcanon I probably don't want to know.

a crossover au i’d love to see them in

I'm going to be lazy and suggest X-Men AU again just because his secondary power would definitely be organic diamond form like Emma Frost. I don't think he'd also be a telepath, but the idea of that is funny because he could read WWX's mind and know for certain that WWX isn't (currently) into him. But as a serious answer, organic diamond form as a secondary power and then primary power the same as Alison Blaire. I see no reason why his mutant name wouldn't be Dazzler too.

my favorite outfit they’ve ever worn

I think he only has like one outfit. I'm sorry, I'm not cool enough to be able to distinguish between different varieties of plain white robes. In CQL I prefer first life LWJ because they put that massive ornament on second life LWJ's head to make him look older and taller but actually they created an unfortunate perspective effect where he just looks even shorter.

[gentil-minou]

The teen wangxian version of lwj playing inquiry after wwx's death would be lwj texting the number wwx used to use before he deactivated everything. He does this every couple months, with a Hi or How are you or I miss you.

The stranger who uses that number now doesn't want to break the poor boys heart and tell him so they just ignore it.

Wwx isn't dead btw he dropped out of his ivy league after some really bad mental health to live a nomadic lifestyle out of his old beat up van Chenqing, but during that time he'd purposely pushed everyone away

Eventually after 13 months when wwx decides he's ready to go back online and come out of hiding he manages to get his old number back!

Except he keeps getting these messages for a number he doesn't know and he thinks 'wow I wonder what it's like to be loved by someone like this'

(There was a time where he used to know that number by heart

There was a time when a text from that number was the first thing he'd see in the morning and the last message he'd send that night

There was a time when he never would have thought he could forget that number…)

5 months after he's gotten his number back and moved in with the Wens, slowly becoming himself again, the mystery number starts leaving voicemails

They don't say anything, just some faint breathing on the line, like wind whistling by. Soothing, in a way wwx can't figure out why

WQ says he should delete them and block the number. WN says he should politely message the person and let them know they have the wrong number.

Wwx does neither.

His inbox slowly fills with them, and on his worst nights when he feels like hes going to lose it again, when he feels like hes back on that ledge looking over calculating the force from the impact, he'll listen those breaths as he slowly falls asleep

Years pass and the world goes on.

Wwx gets back in touch with his siblings. Their meetings are tense and won't ever be the same as it was…before. But for now, it's enough.

He's working nights at a bar and going to art school during the day. Therapy every week.

It's strange how much he likes school now that he gets to learn the things that interest him. There's a lot he misses from his old life, and a lot he doesn't.

He keeps every message and voice-mail he gets, but he never replies. He can't explain why.

On the side, he helps out the Wens with recovering from their own tragedy.

Years ago there'd been an accident where they'd lost their cousins. At the time, they'd thought that included their nephew. That they'd lost him too.

When Wen Qing finally gets a hold of the report, they learn they didn't.

It's takes some not so legal finagling, but what else is wwx going to use his coding skills for?

The Wens learn their cousins son was injured but alive. That he'd been adopted while he was still recovering in the hospital.

The number the hospital has on file is eerily familiar.

There's no time to think any more about it. The Wens are in hyperdrive, trying to figure out how to contact this person. Hoping they might see their nephew, finally.

WQ says she was able to call the number and talk to the adoptive father about meeting up.

Wwx goes to bed feeling happy and good and like he can still do some things right. He falls asleep with a smile on his face.

He wakes up at 5am the next morning to a text, and he realizes why that number was so familiar.

The text, from a-yuan's adoptive dad, what are the chances, reads:

"I have always lived my life to be true and do what is right, but I find myself afraid. What if I have done something terrible? What would you say?"

His heart beating a hole in his chest, wwx finally texts back.

(threadfic here)