#and even then he probably still wouldn't say it to wwx's face

[yunmeng-jiang]

that man does NOT think of wei wuxian as his gege

[moonbelowsea]

MDZS: analyzing the Cloud Recesses Lectures Brawl, and Jin Zixuan's uncaring attitude towards Jiang Yanli

I know a lot of people tend to think JZX's insulting JYL, and the subsequent brawl during the Cloud Recesses Lectures arc, isn't really a very big deal, and I sorta get why? his insult seems pretty lukewarm, and boys will be boys, and so on… but honestly, if you start reading more Chinese novels, you'll pretty soon pick up that the brawl had a very good reason to happen.

I was talking with a good friend about it, and we ended up breaking it down. They suggested I might as well post about it.

let's start with Chinese Historical Customs: a married lady would have near total reliance on the backing and favor of her husband to have any power whatsoever within her household, or even be able to live comfortably -- without his backing and support, she'd be cut off from money, essential materials such as winter gear and heating fuel, even good food; the servants wouldn't bother listening to her (she'd have a few of her own brought from her first home, but not many); and being bullied (read: anything from humiliated to actually hurt) by her new family wouldn't be uncommon (and we all know what a pit of vipers the Jin Sect was even then).

doublespeak, face, and reputation, all meant that, intentionally or not, JZX was setting JYL up for a MISERABLE future life: by badmouthing her in public so everybody knows that her future husband thinks she's mediocre and unsatisfactory, he's saying he doesn't respect her (or her family! more on that in the next bullet point). if he doesn't respect her, he won't support her or help her if she needs him, because he doesn't care about her reputation, and therefore neither does he care about her comfort, or, well, about her... anything.

more Chinese Historical Customs, or, the Natal Family's Protection: a married lady's last backup defense is the fact that disrespecting her means disrespecting her family, who the husband has allied himself with by marrying her. the more they care about her, the more the natal family will respond to slights to her. they respond through retaliation -- by making the husband pay for disrespecting their daughter.

thus WWX's and JC's immediate answer of punching JZX for his remarks may have seemed disproportionate, but was actually not incorrect.

(They even gave JZX the chance to retract his words first!)

Stressors and Magnifiers: JZX isn't just being this dismissive in front of the two of them, which is already grounds for STRONG retaliation -- he's disrespecting their family's daughter right to their face!!! -- he's ALSO saying this to every single important peer they have, all of whom will go back home and tell that JZX, whose mother is dear friends with JYL's mother, and who visit each other all the time, and who thus must know her best... thinks she's so worthless, she can even be badmouthed in public. he's not only saying he will allow her to be disrespected by others, he's also drastically lowering her value to every other gentry prospect!!!

punching him was a brute and unrefined response, but it was a tradeoff: it traded away "face" for JYL's sake and protection. which she desperately needed right then. it sent the answer that disrespect towards JYL would be met by the strongest and most immediate retaliation the Jiang could possibly make;

and JFM agrees with the whole thing, because he finishes the move and breaks the engagement: "if you don't value her, then you don't get to have her".

(obligatory note that WWX was not expelled for his actions that day, and chose to return to Lotus Pier with JFM on his own... after finding out that LWJ had gone into seclusion and would no longer be around for him to tease.)

(obligatory note that it's extremely unlikely JZX was a malicious mastermind doing anything on purpose during this scene. we don't get a lot on him, but he was probably, honestly, just being a stupid teenager about a situation he was upset with. unfortunately, the above consequences still apply.)

(final note that neither JZX, nor, apparently, JYL, learned anything from this whole debacle. the Wartime Soup Incident is the exact same damn thing, except about ten times worse, and with much greater damage potential to her prospects and reputation.)

[ninjakk]

Wei WuXian's Stolen Kiss - Analysing His Emotional Response

The stolen kiss scene has so many underlying feelings in such a short amount of paragraphs - it absolutely fascinates me. It's already quite an intense scene, but under the surface with the added subtext, it is a masterpiece of writing that provokes so much more emotion than first meets the eye.

Chapter 69

Wei WuXian’s back smashed against the tree. Just as his right hand was about to pull off the ribbon, his wrist was twisted back. The force was quite strong; he couldn’t even struggle out of it, but there was still no killing intent. Wei WuXian’s left sleeve shifted. As he was about to shake out the talismans, the person noticed his intent and caught him like before. They pressed both of his hands onto the tree, movements stiff. Wei WuXian raised his leg and was about to kick when he felt a warmth on his lips. He immediately froze. The touch felt both strange and unfamiliar, moist and warm. In the beginning, Wei WuXian couldn’t even understand what was going on. His mind went entirely blank. When he finally realized, he was shocked. This person, holding his wrists back, was pressing him onto the tree and kissing him.

Initially WWX doesn't give the person a gender. He doesn't even assume anything once he realises he's actually being kissed. This is quite interesting, because it shows he is at least subconsciously open to the mystery kisser being a man. We can tell the kiss is a new sensation to him, because the feeling is strange and unfamiliar to him. As such we can assume he's never kissed anyone before - which is confirmed later in the chapter.

He suddenly struggled, wanting to fight out of it and pull away the ribbon, but he failed. He wanted to move again, but he somehow stopped himself. The person kissing him seemed to be shaking softly. Wei WuXian couldn’t struggle anymore. He thought to himself, it seems that even if the maiden is quite strong, her personality is both fearful and easily embarrassed? She’s already so nervous. Or else, she wouldn't have chosen to sneak up to him at such a time. She probably mustered up all of the courage she could find inside of her. Besides, it seemed that her cultivation wasn’t low, meaning that her self-esteem was even higher. If he pulled off the ribbon and accidentally saw her, how ashamed would the maiden feel?

The two sets of thin lips turned from side to side, careful yet inseparable. Wei WuXian hadn’t even decided what to do when the soft lips suddenly became aggressive. Wei WuXian’s teeth weren’t clenched, allowing the other to intrude inside. He was suddenly powerless. He felt that it was a bit difficult to breathe, wanting to turn his head away, but the other person squeezed his face and turned it back. Between the swirls of the lips and the tongues, he felt dizzy as well, until the other finally bit down on his lower lip. After a moment of lingering, the lips finally left reluctantly, and he finally managed to recover.

Looking at the scene we can see WWX's thought process quite clearly. But if you read the text carefully, you can see WWX coming close to realising it might not be a woman on a few occasions.

Firstly, WWX is pinned to the tree - he's strong and can hold his own again most, but this person is able to restrict his movements. Now I'm not saying girls are weaker or anything like that! But, in this novel it does seem that the men are stronger and more prominent in the cultivation world. Apparently there are female cultivators in (all of?) the Sects, but we never really hear of many - at least not in the sense you hear of the men in the novel anyway. Yes, there are a few women mentioned in the novel, but most of them are nowhere near as powerful as the men. In fact, there's definitely a bit of sexism throughout the novel. Wen Qing is formidable, and Madam Yu is a woman with an extremely volatile temper who resorts to physical abuse. But overall, overly strong women aren't mentioned very often at all. We later find out MianMian has become a cultivator - but the attitude the male cultivators have towards her just sums up the general attitude towards women in the novel. Anyway, I'm just trying to prove there doesn't seem to be a load of extremely strong women in the cultivation world as far as we can tell. So the fact the person is strong enough to stop WWX from moving should make it very apparent to him that it's a man, and a strong man at that.

Just before he gives the mystery kisser a gender, he notices they are shaking softly - which is when he stops fighting, because he's too kind to upset someone who is obviously scared and embarrassed by what they are doing. He's just so empathetic, it's very sweet. It's very interesting he doesn't give the person a gender until he notices they are shaking. He automatically attributes this emotional response as feminine in nature, because he has been taught gender stereotypes from a young age. This is evident in his interactions with others, as he puts on a very generic portrail of masculinity when with JC and the others. He is a lot more of a 'lad' around them - swearing, fighting, hunting, gambling, being charming to girls and reading/sharing pornographic books. But he is in truth mostly a very sweet and sensitive romantic who guarded his kiss waiting for his 'one' - the total opposite of what he portrays around other men. Except LWJ that is. WWX does show his sweet side to him at times - before catching himself doing so and covering it up with teasing.

So WWX automatically assumes that it must be a woman kissing him after the emotional response - even though they've managed to overpower him. Of course, as I've previously stated the heteronormative society he grew up in plays a part in his thought process also. But, his subconscious can't help but pick up on things that just don't fit his assumptions that it is a woman.

It's quite amusing to read his description of the 'maiden' because he practically describes LWJ! The person is very strong, easily embarrassed (LWJ does show signs of being embarrassed when WWX flirts with him or teases him on many occasions), has a high level of cultivation and an even higher self-esteem - Hello LWJ!

He goes on to describe both their lips being thin. Before anyone goes off on a rant about lip thickness and gender, I'm just generalising because to most people 'thin lips' are somewhat considered masculine. In this novel at least, thin lips are only ever used to describe those of a man. MXTX aways writes everything with a purpose, so to me it seems like this was something WWX noticed as well. Throughout the kiss scene WWXs thoughts flip between what he is feeling and what he has observed, contradicting each other on a subconscious level. Somewhere deep inside he is questioning if this is a man on a woman, but because of his upbringing, he squashes his observations down and goes against his reasoning. His face is even gripped and forced back into a kiss, with a strong hand - which also means the person is managing to pin him to the tree with one hand. That's some strength, considering WWX isn't exactly a weakling!

WWX tries to analyse what is happening as he is being kissed. As WWX has demonstrated so many times throughout the novel already, he's very astute. Yes, you could argue he's not about his sexuality or his feelings for LWJ, but as I've said before, this is down to the heteronormative exposure which was embedded into him from his childhood and the denial he uses to protect himself. After all, he thinks LWJ is straight and even tries to reassure him on many occasions that he 'doesn't like men' and he 'wasn't flirting with' him, but this is only after he has been rebuffed by LWJ or WWX thinks he finds it unappealing.

The lip bite. Was this a subconscious/subliminal message to WWX on LWJs behalf? We know he has bitten WWX once before, when they were trapped in the cave of the Xuanwu together. Granted that was out of frustration and this time it is more out of utter lust. But it is something WWX might have picked up on subconsciously? LWJ is almost signing the kiss off without realising. I've said before MXTX does everything with a purpose.. so it's not too much of a stretch in my opinion. I think this is her starting to draw parallels between the two events, to show that there is a sense of déjà vu here for WWX.

From the kiss, Wei WuXian’s entire body felt limp. Energy came into his arms only after he leaned against the tree for some more time. Raising his hand, he ripped the ribbon away only to be stung by the glare of the sudden sunlight. He finally managed to open his eyes, but nothing was around him. Bushes, trees, grasses, vines — no second person. Wei WuXian was still somewhat confused. He sat on the branch for a while longer. When he jumped off, he felt weakness under his legs, almost light-headed. He supported himself on the tree trunk at once, cursing at how useless he was in silence. He had been kissed so hard that his legs were giving out. Looking up, he glanced around the area, but there was no trace of another person. The previous scene seemed to be an absurd yet erotic daydream. Wei WuXian couldn’t help but think of the legends of those mountain creatures. But he was certain that it wasn’t some mountain creature. It had to be a person.

Again, he has reverted back to using the term 'person' - no longer gender specific. This is because he's once again questioning if it was a man. We can see he is questioning if it was indeed a woman after the kiss because he very clearly starts to think about the apparent 'legends of the mountain creatures' - because whoever kissed him was incredibly strong for a woman and he won't fully allow himself to think it is a man due to his upbringing. This part would be quite an emotional read, if it wasn't for the fact it's quite hilarious to think of WWX thinking he's just been snogged by some lusty beast.

*If someone doesn't draw some fan art on this I'm going to be so sad 😂

Recalling what it had felt like, formless tickles crawled up all the way to the tip of his heart. Wei WuXian touched his chest with his right hand, but found that the flower that had been there was gone. He searched the ground for a while. It wasn’t there either. It couldn’t have disappeared out of thin air, could it?

Here is another parallel between their time in the cave and the above scene. WWX notices the flower is missing. Just like when he realised the perfume pouch was missing after they were rescued from the cave. There is no real reason to have this in the above chapter, unless it was for a purpose. MXTX is mirroring the events in the cave for a reason. We all know that LWJ is an adorably jealous klepto and the flower being taken is another thing niggling at the back of WWXs mind now also.

Wei WuXian remained paused for a long while. He touched his lips unconsciously, finally managing to say a while later, “How could this be… This was my…”

He didn’t see anyone even after he looked around the area. Wei WuXian didn’t know whether to laugh or worry. He knew that the person was most likely hiding from him and wouldn't appear again, so he could only give up on searching. He began to walk randomly around the forest. After a while, he heard a loud noise from in front of him. As Wei WuXian looked up, he saw a slender figure clothed in white. Whom could it be but Lan WangJi? Yet, although he clearly was Lan WangJi, what he did didn’t seem like what Lan WangJi would do at all. When Wei WuXian saw him, he thrust his fist into a tree, with such force that the tree snapped in half. Wei WuXian found it strange, “Lan Zhan! What are you doing?” The person spun around. It was Lan WangJi after all. However, right now, his eyes were bloodshot, his expression almost frightening. Wei WuXian was startled, “Wow, so scary.” Lan WangJi’s voice was harsh, “Go!” Wei WuXian, “I just came here and you want me to go. Do you really hate me that much?” Lan WangJi, “Stay away from me!”

Except for the couple of days spent in the cave of the Xuanwu, this was the first time that Wei WuXian had seen Lan WangJi lose his composure so badly. But back then, the situation was special, and it was still understandable. Right now, everything’s well, so why would he be like this? Wei WuXian walked a step backward, 'staying away' from him.

Just after the kiss, WWX sat down on the tree for a while, he went looking for his mystery kisser and then wandered around for some time - from the sounds of it, quite a long time has passed. When WWX finally bumps into LWJ, he is in quite a state. LWJ seems to be averting his gaze from WWX, because he is utterly beside himself for what he has just done. He has glanced at him, but not made full eye contact. He feels guilty and annoyed at himself for giving in to his desires. WWX immediately draws parallels between LWJ's current temper and the time he got annoyed in the cave of the Xuanwu - when he bit him. So we can clearly see that this memory has definitely been evoked within him. WWX even takes a step back away from him, just after remembering how LWJ reacted in the cave and in response to his request - which he doesn't normally do to be honest! As he is recalling what happened in the cave when LWJ lost his composure, the bite he received because of this has most likely come to the forefront of his mind also.

He continued to ask, “Hey, Lan Zhan, what’s wrong? Are you okay? If you’re not okay then say you’re not okay, yeah?” Lan WangJi didn’t look him in the eye. He unsheathed Bichen. A few rays of blue light slashed across the trees around the area. They collapsed a moment later. He stood still for a while, clenching his sword. His grip was tight, exerting so much strength that his knuckles grew white. As though he had somewhat calmed down, he suddenly looked over again, his gaze pinning Wei WuXian. Wei WuXian felt a strange, unexplainable sensation. His eyes had been covered by the ribbon for over two hours. The sunlight was still a bit too dazzling for him. After he took off the ribbon, his eyes keep on tearing up. His lips were somewhat swollen as well. Wei WuXian felt that what he looked like right now must be terrible. Being stared at so hard, he couldn’t help but touched his chin, “Lan Zhan?” “…” Lan WangJi, “Nothing.” With a clang, the sword was unsheathed. Lan WangJi turned around to walk away. Wei WuXian still found that something was wrong with him. After he thought about it, just in case, he followed him, lunging in attempt to feel his pulse. Lan WangJi dodged to the side and looked at him coldly.

Eventually once LWJ has managed to calm down and regain his composure (RIP trees), he finally looks at WWX properly. According to the text, his gaze pinned WWX. The use of the word 'pinning' is very interesting. LWJs gaze pinning WWX, echos the previous scene where WWX was pinned to the tree and had his first kiss stolen. So now he's being reminded of the kiss from just before and the bite from the cave simultaneously. It's no accident this is the feeling he receives from LWJ's gaze. We all know WWX loves LWJ's attention, especially when he looks at him. He's just been somewhat aroused by a kiss and now he's being gazed at by the object of his subconscious affections. There's a lot of emotions for WWX to unpack here! Which is why the next sentence is very interesting. He states he feels a strange, unexplainable sensation. From the above, we can gather it's a mixture of possible remnants of arousal from the kiss and his desire for LWJ bubbling to the surface. There is also the possibility he might momentarily be close to working out it was LWJ who kissed him on a subconscious level - due to the parallels between both encounters.

The next few sentences really affected me when I read them. We already know what WWX is like at making excuses to himself about his feelings. It's a coping mechanism for him for so many different things, but mostly to protect himself and his heart from emotions he doesn't understand or feel comfortable acknowledging. Which is why, when he so obviously starts to get emotional and tear up, he makes the excuse it's because he's had the ribbon over his eyes for a while. This is true, he did have them covered for a few hours apparently, but it's been quite a while since he took the ribbon off. He is just using the above as an excuse - it's the old 'I've got something in my eye' line. He has just felt an unexplainable sensation due to LWJ's gaze and has begun to cry. This could be interpreted in two ways I think - or possibly a combination of them both, which I actually think is more likely. The first reason he might be feeling emotional is because he's just lost his first kiss. WWX is a true romantic at heart. He's been saving his kiss for for 20 years. He's never had the desire to kiss anyone - all the girls he's apparently 'flirted' with, not one of them peaked his interest enough for him to give them a kiss. This is quite an emotional thing to happen to someone, especially if he's been keeping it for his 'one'. Yes, he was aroused. Yes, he did enjoy it. But it's still emotional for him.

The second reason he might be emotional is because, he's subconsciously drawing parallels between being pinned to the tree and being pinned by LWJs gaze - both conjuring up this strange emotion. This is possibly a mixture of; desire, longing, arousal or something along those lines towards LWJ. A pinning gaze is quite sexy, it's penetrative, it's predatory. It's definitely stirring something up within him that he's just not ready to accept or cope with at that moment.

That said, it could even be semi-conscious sadness that it wasn't LWJ who kissed him. WWX refuses to elaborate on this feeling, because he just can't comprehend them. So it seems quite plausible it's a mixture of the two reasons above. Instead of accepting his feelings for LWJ and the fact he's lost his first kiss - he begins to cry. Whatever the reason was, it was WWXs reaction to LWJs gaze that caused all of these emotions to rush forward.

The fact he suddenly worries what he must look like in front of LWJ, shows just how much he cares what LWJ thinks of him. He is worried he looks undesirable, with weepy eyes and swollen red lips. Which also connects to the above emotional response he is likely feeling. In the end he is distracted by LWJ leaving abruptly and his concern that there is something wrong with him, pulls WWX away from these strong emotions.

It's quite evident WWX had a sort of sexual awakening from the mixture of complex emotions he has just experienced seeing LWJ. Especially after seeing him in such a raw, angry state - which we later find out WWX gets a sexual kick from! If LWJ had stared at him a little longer, perhaps WWX might have accepted his feelings a little more at this point - or even acted upon them.

[mariposakitten]

I genuinely, GENUINELY don't understand MDZS/CQL fans who actively hate certain characters and their fans. "JC stans don't interact! JGY fans don't touch!" Like. How can you misunderstand a work you claim to be a fan of so badly? If the story means anything, it means that nobody is perfect. For all the good AND bad that that entails.

Look. For all that the main-MAIN story is a romance with a happy ending? So many of the stories being told are tragedies. And while I'm hesitant to put a Western lens onto Chinese fiction, I'd venture to say they're tragedies in the traditional Shakespearean sense: the tragedy is unavoidable, because the people involved could not have acted other than how they did and still been themselves.

The tragedy of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, for example, isn't that JC was cruel or intolerant, and it isn't that WWX was disloyal or irresponsible. It's that they sincerely, in good faith, held to incompatible value systems. WWX: "Protect the innocent, even if it endangers those I've sworn to protect." JC: "Protect those I've sworn to, even if it endangers innocent people." Neither of these mindsets are wrong, and THAT'S the tragedy! There's no villain. There's no easy solution. No matter how much they loved each other, there was no solution that wouldn't have involved one of them betraying everything they held dear; they tried their best to avoid that and it blew up in their faces, but can you blame them?

Or Jin Guangyao: I'm not telling anyone to be a jiggy stan, but if you could watch/read that scene at Lotus Pier and NOT come away with the cynical understanding that, guilty or not, this man was going to be blamed for everything bad that happened in the last decade or so because that's how mob justice works, I don't know what to tell you. (Quick vibe check: without looking, do you think JGY killed Rusong? Because. There's zero canonical proof that he did. Just accusations.)

The beauty of mdzs/cql, to me, is that it's a very human story. As such, it's important to remember that the characters ARE human. Your faves are imperfect and the ones you hate aren't all bad. That's why it's interesting, it's why it's compelling. Even if you personally don't like a particular character, it's not a bad thing if other people do, because that character is a person. With all the good, bad, and ugly that that implies. Hell, I've read fic and meta that's got me sympathizing with Su She and Jin Zixun, ffs. I've read stuff that's had me empathize with fucking Wen Chao. It's not a bad thing that someone can humanize a character you hate. So please, can we stop the fandom fights?

(NB: I still hate Jin Guangshan and probably always will; I'm open to having my mind changed but I'm not optimistic, lol)

[rosethornewrites]

NR, E, & M reading since 3/18

Finished

Not Rated:

JC & WWX role swap (LWJ/WWX/JC), by nirejseki

Prompt: au where wwx comes from the old and respected yiling wei sect and jc and jyl are the children of rogue cultivators (or maybe madam yu ran away with rogue jfm?), taken in by sect leader wei

four letters: H-A-T-E (Wei Wuxian's POV), by Edith343redwood

What if the first night they met was rewritten?

Four letters. One word.

that's all it took to send Wei Wuxian spiralling.

They say words hold power, but what can words do?

If a word could be rewritten into a story, what would it be?

Possible works 1 - Ghost Child, by Hauntcats

Wei Ying returns to the day Jiang Fengmian found him and decides to do something different.

None of these are very Jiang Cheng friendly. I'm not even sure if they are Lan friendly. At least one of them is nicer to Jiang Yanli.

Explicit:

The Best Laid Plans, by Admiranda, Rynne (11th in a series)

After a long day traveling, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian just want to have a bath together. Those simple intentions don't last -- and neither does the bathtub.

and we can be anything, by Imatableclock (2nd in a series)

"You’re so good at this, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says, panting.

From the look on Lan Zhan’s face, she probably considers it an offence that Wei Ying is still speaking. Wei Ying is very happy to learn this about Lan Zhan.

---

Two lesbians in one apartment, and their firsts.

Microphones and Camera Reels, by UseMyMuse

Wei Ying and Lan Wangji have been happily married for five years, their careers are at an all time high, and they really couldn't be happier. Purely by chance, the public is unaware of their relationship, and Lan Zhan's fans are severely misjudging his horny glare for hate and they decide to ban together to get rid of the thorn in their favorite star's side.

One Day We're Loving Each Other, by sami (2nd in a series, 2 chapters, reread)

The wedding is lovely, the bride is very beautiful, and Jiang Yanli comes to live at the Unclean Realm.

Mature:

Blood of the Black Earth, by wirevix (15 chapters)

By the time Jiang Cheng and his small rescue party managed to clear away the rubble at the cave's collapsed entrance, it was too late.

Wei Wuxian had already gone cold.

The Moon Reflected Upon Two Springs, by Rubberduckieassassin (🔒)

In many ways, this part of Wen Ning’s existence has felt like winter. Winter is the most Yin of all the seasons. It is a time of stillness and quiet reflection. Remembering how to ‘live’ again as best he could.

Possible Works 2 - Numb, by Hauntcats

Wei Ying returns to his teenage years, but can't shake the memories of what he has lost.

The Tamed, by pj_moonchild (7 chapters)

Wei Wuxian believes he can change the past for the better if he never misbehaved and remained considerate of the Jiang Yunmeng Sect the whole time. At the same time, he sacrifices meeting Lan Zhan but inevitably, they do meet again once the Wen Clan decides to take over the other sects.

Unfinished

Not Rated:

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

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.

wing bones touching, by ShanaStoryteller

Mo Xuanyu is the hastily legitimized daughter of Jin Guangshan.

Wei Wuxian wakes up in her body the day before her wedding.

Explicit:

the long way back home, by Misila (🔒)

Wei Ying always knew he was the single discordant note in the Jiang household. That was why, after graduating from university, he didn’t return home. With him gone, Yu Ziyuan wouldn’t have anyone to compare her son to, and Jiang Fengmian wouldn’t have to keep avoiding his own family to prevent further conflict.

…Right?

(Seven years later, married to the man of his life and with a four year-old son, Wei Ying returns to his hometown and tries to reconnect with his siblings and befriend his nephew; but, most of all, he struggles to figure out what’s wrong with his brother and how to help him, despite Jiang Cheng not wanting to have anything to do with him anymore.)

Lupine, by Anonymous

It’s never been an option before—to see Wei Ying after that dream. Typically, Lan Wangji jolts awake in bed, alone with his quaking limbs, and resigns himself to reading or meditating until morning.

But here in Qinghe, dawn is far away, and Wei Ying’s room is so, so close.

The Second Hand Unwinds, by trulywicked (🔒)

Sent back in time without his husband after a night hunt gone wrong, Lan Wangji is determined to ensure that Wei Wuxian’s safety and in the process hopefully mitigate, if not prevent, the war.

Through marriage among other things.

Heart of the Beast, by WaitForTheSnitch

“Wei Ying?” Nie Mingjue prompted him gently. “Where are your parents?”

“They went on a night hunt,” Wei Ying said, a bit evasively.

“Your parents are cultivators?” Da-ge asked in surprise. “Did they leave you here while they hunted? When did they go on their night hunt?”

“Four summers ago,” Wei Ying said a bit uncomfortable.

“Four summers ago,” Nie Mingjue repeated. “What are your parents’ names?”

“My mama is Cangse Sanren and my baba is Wei Changze,” Wei Ying told him, and recognition registered in Nie Mingjue’s eyes.

“Wei Ying,” Nie Mingjue said, sounding a bit regretful, “Your parents aren’t coming back.”

Or, Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang run into Wei Ying while in Yiling and decide to bring him home. And it changes everything.

Mature:

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.

Tragedy That Befall Upon Us, by xoxoholic

"Hey! What's this?" Jin Ling yelled, pointing at the glowing, black and red orb. Jiang Wanyin marched over to Jin Ling, but the young Jin sect leader had already touched the orb.

"Jin Ling!" Jiang Wanyin yelled in anger. If his golden core was not sealed, then Zidian would be cackling furiously.

"..Oops?" Jin Ling sheepishly smiled as he hid behind his friends. Lan Jingyi laughed at Jin Lings predicament while Lan Sizhui sighed. Ouyang Zizhen laughed with Lan Jingyi in amusement before he was hit in the back of his head by his father.

UNDER EDITING

【银 劍 探 心】| Silver Jian Seeking Hearts, by stiltonbasket

“A ghost bridegroom?” Wei Wuxian asks, when he receives his latest night-hunting assignment from Uncle Jiang. “Have women been going missing?”

If brides have been going missing, this is the first that Wei Wuxian is hearing about it; which is strange, because the systematic kidnapping of brides should have quickly been recognized as spirits’ work and reported as such to the nearest cultivation sect as soon as possible.

“Three women and ten men have gone missing so far,” his uncle tells him. “Jinshan town is out of our jurisdiction, and the records say there hasn’t been a hunt in the area since before my grandfather’s time. But no one from Jinshan thought to report the disappearances until today, so the victims must be long dead by now.”

Four hundred years after the Sunshot Campaign, a reincarnated Wei Wuxian dresses himself in wedding red to defeat the ghost of a bridegroom.

Deep within the forests of Jinshan Mountain, the mourning calamity Yin Jian Tan Xin waits to marry his beloved.

What If..... Jiang Cheng Understood?, by ToxicAngel13

It didn't take a genius to realize just what had happened in the time that Wei Wuxian was gone. Not with that damn ribbon on his wrist and Jiang Cheng was not going to let his brother be taken advantage of!

Or a tale in which one insight sparks a world of change.

[truly-morgan]

[JC's daddy meets JFM]

AllCheng (RuoCheng focused) | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 10-04-2021

[#allcheng (slightly ruocheng focused)- modern] 

Of course, jfm couldn't leave it at that and he/ needed/ to know. So he may or may not have learned what his son had been up to all this time and that he had never told him after snooping around (even wwx seemed to know some of it?!). 

To say he didn't like the idea was an understatement. He hated it. How could his son not only be with an older man, but /five/ of them at the same time, one of which was an old business rival of his! 

He tried contacting jc, but he was either too busy to talk (which now he knew /why/) or wouldn't pick up, so he decided to go to his apartment without notice. The semester had restarted, he shouldn’t be travelling around too much now, was he? 

He had to ask wwx for the address, coming rather late in the morning to make sure his son would be awake, having no clue if the young man was working on the weekends. He was surprised by how big and expensive the place seemed to be, wondering how he could afford it (although he had his own suspicion). 

He still went for it, only to not have his son open the door for him. Oh no, far from that, he wished it had been anyone else. 

Wrh was standing in the doorway, only wearing pyjama bottoms, looking as if he had woken up only moments ago. There was a silence when they suddenly got face to face, only for wrh to smirk a bit. “How can I help you, jfm?”. Jfm doesn’t really have the time to argue anything when a voice comes from deeper in the apartment, footsteps coming closer to them. “A-han is it lxh? I thought he said he would pass only tomorrow to help me with my homework”. 

Then an even bigger and more awkward silence fell on everyone when he finally saw his father, suddenly feeling that the only thing he was wearing was wrh shirt (which thankfully was too big and hide him rather well even though he was wearing underwear). He asked what he was doing here, trying not to sound too bad, seriously surprised because he did /not/ remember ever giving him his address (not that jfm ever asked about it in the first place). 

“Can’t I visit my own son to make sure everything is alright?” he receives, clearly eyeing wrh, which jc doesn’t know /how/ to explain his presence, even less with all the scratch marks on his back (he really did that?) and the hickeys he had been allowed to place on his chest. He was probably no better, wrh just loving leaving tonnes of marks on the inside of his tights, knowing there were probably still some leftover marks from the restraint he had the night before. 

It would be hard the deny what he had done. 

He wanted to just say he had things to do, but jfm kind of forced his way in, telling him he /knew/ what he was up to. This only made jc nervous, thankfully wrh was here to keep him relaxed, moving them back to the kitchen so they could sit down. Clearly, jfm was not going to let it go and it was probably better if jc could just sit down and not worry. 

It was hard to do when pictures were slapped on the table, showing him with his different lovers, either too affectionate or straight-up kissing in some. He was so screwed, jfm knew and now he was so disappointed He was taken out of his panic by a hand gently going through his hair, still wavy from the tight braid he had the day before. It helped him relax, going back to what he had settled for in the past months. 

So what if jfm was disappointed? It had always been like this and now he was living /for himself/. 

The following request for him to stop all this and stop acting in such ways wasn’t really that surprising. He was pretty sure jfm was probably even restraining himself not to say he was acting like a whore (he knew some people would think like this, but he didn’t care, he loved all of them the same anyway). 

“And why should I listen to you? I thought you had made it clear enough that you didn’t care much about me anymore, I don’t see why I should care about your demands”. He tried sounding confident in his words, yet his hands were shaking under the table, so unused to talking back like this and outright /refusing/ anything his father was telling him. 

The effect was good, as jfm looked rather stunned by his words, only once had jc really gone against him and it was when they argued after the young man changed his study course entirely without telling them. 

“/you/ decided I wasn’t worth putting any attention and love into, I simply found people who saw my worth and decided to do what you never did: love and appreciate me without intendable expectation,” jc said, starting to feel much more confident now that jfm wasn’t immediately adding anything (and that wrh was sitting close to him). 

“/I/ decided I would live for myself and found what seemed good for me, /I/ decided to be the Jiang Cheng /I/ was, not the one you wanted me to be, which was basically setting myself up for pain and disappointment”. 

His shaking as slowly went from nervous to angry, years of repressed anger and frustration finally coming to the surface. He felt like it was now that he needed to say what he needed or he would never find the same courage to do so. 

“/you/ decided to never be there for me. Had an archery competition? Of course, couldn’t come, too busy with work, but wwx teacher was doing an art gallery for his class? Of course, you were there. Got badly sick at school one time and again you couldn’t come when you knew damn well mother was away and couldn’t either. But the time jyl was slightly sick you would come and get her, same for wwx. I never decided to push you away, you just never tried to keep me close to you as I was slowly crumbling down.” 

Jfm didn’t miss the trilled and proud look wrh had throughout jc monologue, the young man kept on finding things jfm had done to fail at being a good father. He was so proud because jc was being honest and bold about what he thought, something he had slowly pushed him towards. Talking like this had clearly been something jc wouldn’t have been able to do when he first started helping the young man. 

“I was not enough for you so I found people for whom I was more than enough, and you have /no idea/ just how much better I am doing now, having people recognise what I do and who are able to give me some praise”. 

“So all you are looking for is praises?”. 

Jc frowned at this, only to turn towards wrh when he heard him give a dry laugh “As always, you do not listen when you are being told something” he simply commented. 

Then jfm proceed to try and say if it was praise, he wanted, he had praised him before. To which jc didn’t even let him finish with a “Don’t you dare. When was the last time in the past ten years you ever praised me because you were genuinely proud of what I did and not to make wwx shine even more in comparison to me”. 

The silence and thinking were enough of an answer, making him both angry and wanting to cry. He already knew his father had given up on ever having anything good from jc for what /he wanted/ from him (because of course, jc doing good in anything else was just a waste of time). 

“How pathetic, you cannot find anything in the past years yet I can find tone in the past days?” wrh asked, clearly loving how he was getting under jfm skin with how much he seemed to know more about jc than he did (and he was his father!). “a-cheng did really great in his latest culinary test, managed to create an interesting menu for a class which was in the top five for his class, kept on working hard in his study while working at the same time” he continued a little bit more, saying all things jc had done greatly lately, many being academic because it's as most likely what jfm valued the most. 

“and you cannot even find one in ten years” he simply finished. 

There was a silence between all of them. After some time, jc simply pushed back to photos of his father. “I found people that I love and love me back, I won’t give it all up because someone who doesn’t even spare me a glance other than if it can possibly stain his reputation is asking me to” simply stated. 

He stopped him when he was about to talk again, cutting him yet another time like he would have never dared in the past. “You should go, clearly you are not open to understanding me and I am /not/ open to changing what I am doing now”. 

There was more silence, before jfm took back his papers, stood up and left. This somehow made jc both relieved that he wouldn’t argue more against the small good he had found (the first in years!) but also disappointed that he didn’t even want to put some effort into understanding his own son. 

Only when he heard the door shut that he finally stood up on shaky legs, wrh sliding his chair back a bit so he could straddle him, his arms hooking around the older man quickly, hiding in the crook of his neck, only then allowing himself to feel upset. 

This had been a bit too much for him, too much anger, disappointment and hurt at the same time. All because jfm refused yet again to see who jc was and not impose who he wanted him to be. “It’s alright a-cheng” he heard gently whispered, arms keeping him close, a hand gently rubbing his back. “You did nothing wrong, you even did very well in finally saying what was bothering you, it is not your fault he decided not to listen, we are all here for you if you need it”. He kept on gently reassuring him, whispering sweet nothing by time just so he would calm down. 

Yes, jc had made the right choice. He was truly better off with them, he wouldn’t need to change who he was for them to be happy about him. “How did it feel?” he heard after some time, still holding tightly to wrh. 

“good” he replied after a moment. 

It truly felt good to finally let it all out.

Original

[llycaons]

ep14 (pt1): oh boy romantic montage time

wwx as a teenager is genuinely more compassionate than he's portrayed as

aw shit mention of the oath

I've often been confused by this sequence. if they showed wwx actually entering the shell instead of suddenly cutting to him inside this big red cavern, I think it would have made more sense

also I've often complained that animals don't have large rooms in their bodies like that but I just realized....oh yeah it's an ancient twisted monster. animal biology need not apply so 🤡

honestly I found this fight scene very drawn-out and uninteresting. the special effects for the fight were somewhat awkward and I was kind of bored. this was good though

wyb does 'devastated' very well

I'm kind of missing the donhua ngl. I like cql the best but the donghua was just so focused and clever and creative with the story

wwx is all kinds of fucked up after this fight....not just from his concerning readiness to die but probably also from connecting with this cursed fucking sword. he seems really out of it, and seems to be in a drowsy sort of honesty when he's like 'oh lan zhan...I didn't think I'd be able to meet you again' which is a very...nitimate thing to say? bc later when lwj gives him spiritual energy and he's a little more himself

he sees lwj all lit up and helping him and he starts complaining about how 'boring' it is. face your feelings, wwx! stop avoiding them! you think lwj is beautiful and unique and special and you like him a lot!

it's also. I feel like wwx doesn't feel like he even has the right to have an attachment outside of the jiangs? in some scenes he's really enthusiastic about himself and lwj being partners but in others he hastily denies it in order to smooth things over with jc, so jc doesn't feel abandoned. oof. we'll get to that

okay the top one is the viki and the bottom one is the youtube version which I remember! why are the translations the opposite of each other! also the youtube version is literally higher quality im so mad

god damn I love the lyrics to wuji. they almost don't matter, since they never come up after this and they're not relevant to the song's significance within the narrative, but they're perfect. it's about the struggles of a lifetime, about grief and joy, the ups and downs of being in the world, of reputation lost and gained. vague and poetic, and achingly relevant. that last line about sharing a tune together at the horizon....that's the finale, isn't it? just beautifully put together and a powerful reflection of the story itself, wwx's rise and fall and the pains and joys he's going to face. cannot believe a 16 yr old wrote that. tho if it was anyone, it would be lwj wouldn't it

lwj is ALWAYS the one leaving without saying goodbye! no wonder wwx lost faith! in this context the gusu situation is a little urgent but like. he couldn't have left a note?

I've read a few fics where they sleep together in the cave and 1. nasty and 2. that would make him just leaving after so much worse 😭 I do not endorse the first time cave sex headcanon. I still don't think it would realistically happen until ep 43. too early here, and after sunshot wwx is terrified of anyone touching him because they'll be able to tell he's lost his core. so as fun as angsty sunshot hookups are, I simply cannot see it. tho that would technically also be a factor in ep43, I don't think wwx cares as much by then if lwj knows

aw shit good job jzx

jc is yelling at wwx AGAIN and complaining about not being recognized for his efforts. my dude he just woke up from a week-long fevered sleep chill out. also can jzx stop crowding him? it's like these idiots have no idea how to treat sick people ALSO. why did jc have to run for help? they had a ton of people there. couldn't they have removed the boulders themselves? huh, maybe the wens were hanging around and all they could do was flee

wwx and ljw have such main character energy that wen chao KNEW they stayed behind to kill the false xuanwu...okay

the shidis are learning archery and jyl is just...standing there. okay! couldn't have had her like, reading or doing crafts. nope. just standing there. probably looking out for her returning brothers but like. come on

I really love that jfm personally goes to teach the little disciples. he's gentle and encouraging, and provides a reassuring and secure presence, and I'm sure his students love him. despite his flaws I'm very fond of him esp here

oh wwx, fainting again. first of many

this detail is legit so freaking cute. and wwx's warm smile upon seeing it and knowing he's home 🥰 this supports my 'wwx is a hopeless romantic' agenda. I did laugh when the donghua gave one of them huge boobs but the wx subtext in that show was so potent I can't really accuse them of straightwashing. more evidence for him being bi is all

good for you, jc

see, here he's trying to make jc feel better by calling lwj boring and jc just - lashes out. wwx tries this entire scene to deflect praise onto jc and diminish his accomplishments and to support jc and jc just treats him like shit. no wonder their relationship is so terrible later if jc treats him like this just bc he's mad. can't he see that wwx has no more control over this situation than jc does? he's just the acceptable target in jc's eyes bc jc can't be mad at his parents!

like wen chao was trying to murder mm and string up her body to attract the monster which they were going to be expected to fight without weapons. what the fuck was he supposed to do? and he's not even the one who started the fight! AND if he hadn't stayed behind, how could everyone else has escaped? I didn't see jc offering any other solutions! jesus

it sucks that jfm is implying that jc doesn't have the right temperament to lead the clan, but he's literally the only person in authority to push back against jc's treatment of wwx this arc. and he's literally right that you shouldn't speak from anger. it's not what a leader should do, it's not fair or just, it doesn't allow you to speak wisely or carefully, and it's not something that will lead anywhere good. but after this arc all jc does is lead from anger and bitterness!

it's also so twisted that wwx feels responsible for this and tries to defend jc as 'he's just mad and venting' which he says is fine here but later in the story he bitterly complains about. like I know he loves and misses LP as an adult but this entire situation was absolutely noxious for everyone involved. ppl talk about jyl being parentified but wwx felt obligated to do the same for jc as well and put aside all his own needs and emotions for jc's as soon as this shit starts up. he acts like the undeserving servant as soon as he feels like he needs to I feel dizzy

[featherfur]

So, uh, just read your tags on that post comparing JC's seclusion to color theory and... *grabby hands* Gimme the angst, dude. TELL ME YOUR THEORIES of WWX and squad trying to get into Yunmeng or even Lotus Pier. WWX trying to "come home" after everything. LET ME READ THE HARSHNESS. Because let's make this as absolutely upsetting as possible. 'cause we all deserve a little Devastating Angstfest. As a treat.

I do wanna preface this with the fact that this is Donghua only, because the act of WWX being awake and the addition of JC in seclusion changes the tune and outcome of how the Jiang Sect would react, because in Novel/CQL canon JC can lie about it or pretend it doesn't affect him, in Donghua it's slammed into the Jiang Sect's faces that their leader has been irreparably hurt. My feelings of Jiang Sect to WWX in the other canon's is a different post.

I'm also writing this in between calls at work so ignore any typos lmao, oh and this is my fourth time rewriting this because I started to ramble and get into the deets and you want angst and I want angst I just Ramble a lot

I'm going to mostly focus on Wei Wuxian and the Jiang Sect because well, i think that's the most interesting because it's pretty much obvious that they wouldn't like LWJ or WN but Wei Wuxian adds spice.

Now, first up, remember that a lot of the Senior disciples are disciples that Wei Wuxian also abandoned when he left. So there's probably some resentment/hurt there and now he's hurt Jiang Cheng again. Their beloved sect leader, to the point that their sect leader abandons them.

Wei Wuxian? He is not Yunmeng Jiang. Not as far as they care. Unless Jiang Cheng himself shows up out of seclusion to take back his position and names Wei Wuxian a Jiang disciple, then he is not one of them. And they're going to say it.

Wei Wuxian wants to come home?

"I'm sorry Master Wei, but Lotus Pier doesn't know what you mean. Only those belonging to Yunmeng Jiang live here." A disciple at the gate says, and the wards glow purple when Wei Wuxian steps too close. Wards that once Wei Wuxian had helped build, wards that once he had stood behind with his brother and grinned about because they felt safe. Those wards are now locking him out, and in front of him are faces he does know.

They served in the war with him, and now their hands are on their swords as they look him in the eye and say "You're not welcome here. Leave."

They're not even mad about him leaving originally, they don't care about the demonic cultivation, they don't care he left them for the Lan's. Yes that hurts, that burns but they can get over it because atleast he's okay and he still cares about them. But hurting Jiang Cheng to the point of seclusion and then leaving them to fuck around Jianghu with the one dude the Jiang Sect can't stand? That crosses a line because it drives home that Wei Wuxian doesn't give a fuck about them, so they don't give a fuck about him either because they can't. If they do they may forgive him and for their sect leader's sake, for all he did for them they will never forgive Wei Wuxian.

He can't walk around Yunmeng territory without feeling their glares, even the ones out of uniform will freeze in their laughter and slide effortlessly into the Jiang Disciple Neutral Stare and watch him. They won't talk no matter how much he cajoles them, they'll glare and scowl and walk away. If he enters the inn, the innkeeper has a choice to make support the Jiang or welcome in the one guy that very much did kill a bunch of people, and well who wouldn't support the Jiang compared to the guy with the worst reputation of the last 100 years?

Yunmeng that once adored Wei Wuxian and treated him to candies and snacks, now takes the cue from the Jiang Disciples and turns from him too. One or two will still take money from him, but that friendly homeliness he once knew is gone.

Now just imagine him trying to check on Jiang Cheng, maybe he didn't hear about the seclusion, he's fucking around Jianghu with Lan Wangji protecting people, Jin Ling is busy trying not to get railroaded by his own sect, Lan Sizhui is with Wen Ning, and Lan Jingyi is Lan first and adventurer second.

So Wei Wuxian comes back and finds out and goes to ask Jiang Cheng what the fuck. He slams into a Lotus Pier ward first and in seconds every guard nearby is there, swords raised before they even realize who it is. Then they realize who it is and their swords don't lower an inch.

The head disciple comes out when Wei Wuxian asks what the hell is going on, and just for angst purposes Wei Wuxian knows them. Knows them from childhood. They used to play together in the lakes, one of the few who survived the burning. A friend, someone Wei Wuxian still cares for so deeply and is so relieved to see alive.

Someone who is looking at him with a cold fury when they once looked up at him with adoration for their da-Shixiong.

"What can we do for you Master Wei?" They ask, and that burns Wei Wuxian

"I want to see Jiang Cheng."

"Grandmaster Jiang doesn't accept visits from traitors." The Head Disciple says, and there's loathing in their words so loud so angry that it even gets through the fury and agony in Wei Wuxian's mind.

He moves without thinking, he steps forward because he wants to march down to his brother and shake him and just go "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK"

But there's already a sword at his throat, and the head disciple, his once friend, his once fellow disciple, is the one holding it without the barest hint of hesitation. Wei Wuxian stumbles back, out of shock, out of anger, out of horror.

"Out of respect for our Grandmaster," They seethe, "we do not want to kill you. But you will not hurt him again, even if it takes every disciple to stop you. Grandmaster Jiang has nothing to say to anyone who abandons their home. Now leave."

Yunmeng Jiang is not Wei Wuxian's home anymore.

And the only person who could ever offer it again, is locked away from the world by Wei Wuxian's own doing.

[pharahsgf]

(sorry this is long) i don't even think a lot of the jc "rhetoric" on here is on purpose like ppl literally just forget things that jc did or get caught up in what they want the yunmeng bros to be. it's just annoying cause like, no, jc did not wish he could be there for his brother in the bm arc, he deliberately smeared his name so he wouldn't lose face. or no, jc wasn't desperately hoping wwx was alive for 13 years, he wanted to find him to KILL him. like, things that are pretty clear in canon but get warped instantly the second you engage in the fandom. and anything that is unable to be explained away as anything other than Terrible On Purpose is either considered "understandable" bc jc was hurt/grieving/etc, literally it's all the same argument that jc ultimately has good intentions and is a good person but doesn't know how to do that in a healthy way. like he's just a little baby floundering at his emotions and oopsie he tried to kill his brother haha what a silly idiot haha! people don't grasp the fact that jc DOESN'T Have Good Intentions. and even when he probably isn't actively trying to hurt someone, such as everything he does with jl, still wouldn't be excused by jc being "just an emotionally constipated grape that just doesn't know HOW to show love healthily uwu" like there are so many problems with that flavor of apologist thinking OUTSIDE of fandom discourse

i think you're right? we don't get jiang cheng's perspective on a lot of things, so when we get a hint of hidden affection or goodness - like the reveal of him sacrificing himself & returning chenqing - it's easy to go back and re-analyse his character based on the idea that that affection and goodness was there all the time, that he secretly loved and wanted to support wei wuxian all along. which also makes it easy to dismiss scenes that conflict with his 'real' character as outliers or as the product of extenuating circumstances.

but if just look at what he says and does and how he acts, without preconceived notions, the idea that he's a good person who loved and agreed with wei wuxian and was limited only by circumstance is, um. stupid? like, there is no part of 'jiang cheng tries to kill wei wuxian and then hunts down demonic cultivators in a bid to kill him a second time after he's already dead' that suggests he doesn't want wei wuxian to die. you can say jiang cheng was actually trying to help wei wuxian escape and was secretly protecting demonic cultivators, sure, but i can also say jiang cheng made an offsceen deal with satan to deliver him a thousand demonic cultivator souls in exchange for a cool hat. both of these claims have the exact same amount of basis in canon.

(hint: it is none.)

takes that jiang cheng wants to do the right thing but is just failing through life not knowing what he's doing or how not to abuse his family are just blatantly infantilising and weird lol. thankfully i'm not seeing it as much now that it's being called out more

[fortune-maiden]

It’s Family Mandated Poker Night so here are some of my MDZS Poker Headcanons :D

(idk if poker exists in fantasy ancient china but i like poker headcanons XD)

Wei Wuxian is one of the one of the few who knows how to play and is generally pretty good (though mainly he just gets really lucky)

(especially if Lan Wangji is the dealer. No one can figure it out.)

Lan Wangji has the best poker face of course but as a player he's average and he has tells (though only WWX and LXC know them of course. He also gets around the no lying rule with bluffs by deciding that he's not saying anything so if people misunderstand, its on them. (never mind that gambling is already forbidden by Lan rules because why wouldn't it be?) (idk what the Lans are even doing here but LWJ is funding WWX’s chips)

LXC has not figured this out and is the 2nd worst player at the table (although his luck is decent)

The worst is Wen Ning who's just really happy to be included and easily excited and thus its a bit obvious how his cards look. Occasionally people take pity and let him win a round.

Jiang Cheng starts off a decent player but his luck is abyssmal and the more he loses, the angrier he gets and the more obvious his tells become. He's also still convinced LWJ is cheating somehow when he's the dealer and he will Figure It Out!

Nie Mingjue is an aggressive player and bets big when he has a good hand (his winnings tend to increase slowly though because everyone just folds when he does this)

Jin Zixuan is also aggressive but that's because he's rich, does a huge buy-in and bullies players with large bets. He's not very good otherwise. His bluffs are very easy to see through.

fortunately Jin Guangyao is good and is the only reason the Jin don't go home in the red . he has the 2nd best poker face after LWJ but also spends the most time analyzing his opponents.

meanwhile no one can figure out what Nie Huaisang is doing. his plays are extremely random: sometimes he wins big sometimes he loses big. he also has plenty of tells and doesn't hide his face behind his fan even though people keep pointing out that he probably should. somehow he always has a decent amount of winnings by the end of the night though. Always.

(he also may be the only one actually cheating)

[inessencedevided]

The Untamed, episode 42 - watching notes

I was up playing partygames over discord until 3 am yesterday, so I didn't get to watch another episode. I complained about it to my friends, which in turn made them complain that I sounded like I would rather watch my "gay chinese fantasy show" than spent time with them. I contemplated saying yes, but decided to keep my friend instead :D

And we were currently in the middle of a confrontation with Jiggy (as I've been informed he's called ... what? ^^) who apparently murdered his son to keep some secret, which with how this shows is going, I wouldn't be surprised is them going full game of thrones and ... you know what I'm talking about

Oh right, Su She is there

He's the Jin Zixun to my wei Wuxian. As in, I can never remember his name or why I should care 🤷‍♀️

(But thus time I DO remember who he is. That is, after lwj said his name ^^)

I'm so sure that jgy hit all evidence by now, btw

Okay, no. his wife is still there

Su She might be an asshole but his hair piece is gorgeous :D

What does it say about me that my first thought about that dagger was COOL!!! 😱😱😱

How dare you take Wen Qing's name in vain! 🤬

😱

I thought she'd stab him!!! Not herself :'(

I'm a bit surprised that with 5 cultivators in the room, no one does more to save her

Oh, JGY is a damn good actor!! I mean we knew that before, but now his apparent confusion and grieve for his wife seems even more (dare I quote lwj?) shameless

Lan Xichen, i know you love him but ...

Fun fact: In German, we call fake tears "Krokodilstränen". Literal translation: "crocodile tears"

That's what this is 😐

Especially about the nie Mingjue

Poor Nie Huaisang 💔💔💔

"Taking the head. Who in the world would have done such an insane act?" GEE, I WONDER ...

Sorry, I still find jgy fascinating, but this is so uncomfortable to watch, knowing at least part of what really happened 🙈

Lord, give me the power to murder people with one gaze like Lan Wangji 🙏

This whole conversation is so supremely uncomfortable

I'm still unsure if Jin Guangyao really doesn't suspect that "Mo Xuanyu" isn't who he says he is or if it's just a very convincing act 🤨

Favourite trope: Hanguang Jun, Yiling Laozou's knight in shining armour

First of all: Hot

Second of all: Lwj internally: DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING TOUCH HIM I ONLY JUST GOT HIM BACK AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN MADE OUT YET

probably

Also, for a split second there, you saw Jiang Cheng leap forward with a real look of concern on his face, like his first instinct was to help wwx himself 🥺🥺🥺

HE'S USING SUIBIAN AGAIN!!!

This feels so huge! 😱

I'm weirdly emo about a sword rn :')

His cover is blown of course

And him and Jin ling just had a good relationship :(

NHS, JL and JGY: How could it BE that this is Yiling Laozou???

Meanwhile Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng

"With the right kind of sacrifice, it can safe one who was seriously injured." Is this another instance of "we can't say this it's necromancy because censors, but y'all damn well know this is necromancy because no one falls down a cliff and then lies there "seriously injured" for goddam 16 years"?

I'm all teary eyed at lwj not even hesitating to flee with wwx :')

Jin Ling 💔🥺

Fuck you Jin Guangyao for playing at his pain!!!

Omg they're as good as holding hands!!! 😭😭😭

Of course, wax is pushing lwj away, OF COURSE. Self-sacrificing idiot!

That mask reveal was *chef's kiss* the drama! The gasps! The ... long-suffering "here we go again look" from lan Xichen :D

I LOVE IT WHEN LWJ SPEAKS UP!!

"You're wrong."

So simple. Yet saying so much: "I kniw him. I trust him. I chose this."

And OF COURSE Wei Wuxian gives him another way out

BUT THESE TWO FINALLY GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER AND COMMUNICATE THEIR THOUGHTS! FINALLY!

"Did you believe in me back then?" YES, I WAS JUST TOO AFRAID TO SAY IT,SO MY CONCERN CAME OUT AS ANGER 😭😭😭

And the single logged bridge again 😭😭😭 I adore that metaphor! And I love that they chose to show us the flashback. Because last time, wwx and lwj parted, took different roads so to speak, one the one of defiance, the other the one of orthodoxy. Neither wanted to part ways, but neither probably thought that they had much of a choice. But they did have a choice and they made it. And lwj has already expressed his regret over that. So here he is again, using his second chance without a thought.

Because lwj believes that wwx is right, MORALLY, so he will go against his clan, reputation be damned, and stand with the man he loves ... finally. He'll choose what they both believe to be right and walk with him "until it's dark" :')

And THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS SO MUCH!! It's not just that "oh they're so cute and they compliment each other so well, they must be soulmates uwu". Most of all they share a common morality!!!

I'm so goddamn amazed at this ship! This is not I was thought I was getting when I boarded it, but goddamn it I'm loving the ride! 😭😭😭

And .. just, the look in Lan Wangji's eyes ... they have 50 swords drawn on them, but guessing from the look on his face and the softness of his gaze they might as well be at their wedding 😭😭😭

He looks like a man entirely at peace with his decision :')

Just ...

Look

At

THEM!!!

They're holding hands in that last shot!!!! 😭😭😭

I'm absolutely floored at how utterly beautiful this scene is! "Romantic" seems too insignificant to describe it. It feels more like 42 episodes worth of love and pining and misunderstandings coming to their natural conclusion

My heart is so full right now guys :')

Very nice of these 50 people to wait for their moment to pass before attacking. Very considerate 😁

"Are we going to fight or not." "Too much talking" I WANT 50 EPISODES OF THESE TWO BICKERING!!! 😭😭😭

Jin Ling :'(

Noooo

No

Noooo

I don't know who my heart is bleeding for more here

Jin ling doesn't deserve to have to shoulder his parent's and uncle's pain :'((

All this supporting each other when injured? That's the good stuff

And those flashbacks ... wwx finally FINALLY realizes that lwj never hated him for his actions, he was afraid for him :')

Tbf,the guy has a sliiiight communication issue 😐

That quote about how lwj is at his side now that everyone else despices him!! That's it THAT'S THE SHIP!!😭😭😭

Oh, lwj took him back to cloud recess

I'm surprised he was allowed to, tbh

Ooh, so Mo Xuanyu knew something!

And... someone else must now know about him?

Also, I didn't realise that wwx still had a cut from the curse

I gotta take a moment to scream about HOW UTTERLY DOMESTIC AND AT EAS THESE TWO NOW ARE WITH EACH OTHER!!! 😭

XICHEN!!!

I should have known that the OG wangxian shipper would support them

But he still trusts Jin Guangyao. Not that I'm surprised

It's so weird to see anyone on this show in trousers btw 😅

"You're more than I can handle." Lol ^^

"You trust Master Wei, while I trust Jin Guangyao." Oh boy ...

I feel like this might be more of a confrontation than these two brothers had in their entire lives

Love me some detective-wwx

Poor Xichen 😔 he doesn't want to believe it

Somehow, wwx with a white underrobe makes me think "that's what he looks like when he and lwj accidentally swab robes" :D

Uuuh! The restricted section forbidden chamber!

So ... jin Guangyao somehow got this piece of music from the lan library?

But he's good! He's really good! He consistently uses others weaknesses and prays on them so that they act in a more extreme manner, but not so much that others would suspect foulplay. Case in point: nie Mingjue's death by anger and (more recently) the way he played towards Jin ling's feelings.

Aaaand another rather abrupt end in the middle of a conversation. That's one thing this show does not do well 😅

Anyway, I'm not complaining this episode send my shipper heart (BECAUSE I'M SO DWEP DOWN THIS RABBIT HOLE AT THIS POINT) fly with joy!!

@sweetlittlevampire @fandom-glazed @elenirlachlagos @allhailthedramallama @luckymoony @kyrrahbird @i-love-him-on-purpose 🖤💙🖤💙

[ninjakk]

Hi, sorry for the inconvenience. First of all, I wanted to say that I love your analysis of the novel mdsz, so if it's not too much trouble, I wanted to ask you what do you think would have happened if after WWX's resurrection, he didn't want to go to Gusu with LWJ? I mean, it is known from canon that WWX using mo xuanyu's identity to try to escape from JC and LWJ said he wanted to be with LWJ and LWJ immediately takes him to Gusu and given that is not the case how would LWJ try to be close to

Hi Anon,

Thank you for the lovely comments about my posts 🥰

Of course, it's never too much trouble for my lovely followers and anons! It just might take me a while to get back to you all 😅 So thanks for your patience guys 😚

I think your ask might have been sent a little earlier than intended, as the last sentence seems to have cut off. But I think I can gather what you wanted to ask. So let's take a look at the scene you're referring to:

“Thank you for being so enthusiastic. However, your thoughts are quite off. Even if I am attracted to men, I don’t like just any type of man, much less follow anyone who waves at me. For example, I’m not interested in ones like you.” Wei WuXian was purposely trying to disgust him. Jiang Cheng had always hated being defeated while compared with others, no matter how pointless the comparison was.

Chapter 10 ExR translations

WWX is trying to disgust JC to the point he would leave him alone. He's already gathered JC holds a lot of animosity towards him regardless of whether he is actually WWX or just someone who cultivates the same path as him. In order to escape, WWX decides to scare both men off by using MXY's apparent reputation.

“Which type? Well, I am very much attracted to people like HanGuang-Jun.” Lan WangJi could not tolerate this sort of frivolous and foolish joke at all. If he felt disgusted, he would definitely draw a line between them and keep his distance. Disgusting two people at once—this was killing two birds with one stone! However, as Lan WangJi heard this, he turned around. His face was emotionless, “Mark your words.” Wei WuXian, “Hmm?” Lan WangJi turned back, speaking in a mannerly yet resolute way, “I will take this person back to the Lan Sect.”

Wei WuXian, “...”

Wei WuXian, “...Huh?”

So if WWX hadn't put the theatrics on and said that HGJ was his type, he probably wouldn't have been able to escape JC. As such, JC would have attempted to take WWX back to Lotus Pier - which is where I think another fight would have ensued between JC and LWJ. I think it's quite clear from this chapter, that it is well known JC imprisons and tortures anyone he suspects of being WWX or even dares to emulate his techniques and cultivate the ghost path (guidao). As such, I think it's safe to assume LWJ is also aware of this and he would simply not allow such things to happen. LWJ has already proven he was willing to fight JC to protect WWX when he shielded him from JCs initial attack with Zidian, and I think he'd do it again without hesitation.

Technically WWX never agreed to go back to Gusu with LWJ. He tried to escape (apparently.. but personally I think his efforts were rather half-hearted!) and then he made a scene outside the entrance to the Cloud Recesses, in an attempt to get himself thrown out.

Lan WangJi stood still in front of the entrance, turning a deaf ear to him, and watched the scene with an indifferent look. When Wei WuXian’s voice had somewhat quieted, he spoke, “Let him cry. When he becomes tired, drag him inside.” Wei WuXian hugged the donkey and cried even harder, bumping his head against it.

I have to say, I just love the absolute poetry of LWJ practically dragging WWX back to Gusu in his second life, while his requests for WWX to do so in his first life were always rebuffed! So I think that even if "MXY" hadn't announced LWJ was his type, LWJ would have taken WWX back to the Cloud Recesses nevertheless. Yes LWJ took what WWX said teasingly and ran with it - which is completely adorable. It's the first time we see LWJ counter WWX by teasing him back! But even if WWX hadn't given him the opening to say he was going to take him back to Gusu, I think he would have just announced his intentions anyway. He was trying to warn off JC and protect WWX - and this was the best way to do so. By doing this he would be able to keep WWX safe and out of JCs reach.

Personally I think LWJ does not trust JC in the slightest and is very concerned he would seek WWX out if he let him go off alone after this encounter. Considering JC led the first siege against WWX at the Burial Mounds, it's no surprise he's very protective of WWX when JC is around. Even if LWJ wasn't aware of the rumours regarding JCs penchant for torturing anyone remotely reminding him of WWX, LWJ is still going to hold some resentment towards him. Which is why I think LWJ also prevents WWX from running away during the start of their investigation, when he is still playing the part of "MXY", because he is worried something will happen to him or JC will catch him. LWJ's concerns are very much justified later in the novel as well! Even if his method of protecting WWX is questionable.

His entire leg was covered with the black bruise of the Curse Mark. After staring at it for a while, Lan WangJi spoke in a bitter voice, “... I only left for a few hours.”

Chapter 25

The first time he allows WWX to go off alone, he comes back supporting a curse mark on his leg and a whip mark on his ankle, having escaped JCs clutches once again! We can see from the above that seeing WWX in this condition has upset him. He can't bear to see WWX hurt, even if it is just a minor curse mark and a whip from Zidian.

Granted, WWX is more than capable of looking after himself and LWJ does not want to restrict WWXs movements if he can help it. But he has felt the pain of losing WWX once before and that's bound to affect him both mentally and emotionally. Which I think we begin to see rather clearly during the above chapter. As such, he is extra cautious when it comes to WWX's second chance at life.

To answer your question, if WWX had somehow managed to escape JCs clutches in a different way and LWJ thought he was going to be safe - he might not have done anything at all. If LWJ was absolutely sure JC would not pursue WWX and cause him any harm, I think he would have left WWX to live his second chance at life however he wished. As much as LWJ loves WWX, he doesn't want to force anything on him - he did that once before with the stolen kiss and he felt terrible for doing so afterwards. As such, I don't think LWJ would have tried to get close to WWX if things hadn't transpired the way they did on Dafan Mountain.

LWJ would just be happy as long as WWX was safe and well. If WWX did not want LWJ to be a part of his second chance at life, LWJ would respect that. Obviously LWJ wants to be with WWX whatever way we can (romance being the absolute ideal), but he loves him so much he wouldn't restrain him or force himself upon him. The last thing he wants to do is repeat what his father did to his mother.

Thankfully the minute WWX is given the choice of whether or not to stay with LWJ, even before he is no longer playing the part of "MXY", he still chooses to return to him. It doesn't take WWX long to release that he is very happy to have LWJ around and he wants nothing more than him to be a part of his life also 💕

[truly-morgan]

[Awkward reunion]

Shuangjie | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 10-05-2021

[#yunmengshuangjie modern, awkward reunion]

what if because wwx gets in big trouble with people (the wen?) he ends up needing to disappear for some time, which extends to 13 long years where he cannot contact his family in fear that something might happen to them. (little did he know the future held a tragic end for the jiang family).

not to help, he had a huge argument with jc before disappearing, mainly about how what he was doing would cause him problems. yet when he's finally free from the danger... he doesn't know how to face jc. he cannot just show up with a "Look who's back from the dead :D!", even less when he still remembers the argument they had as if it had happened yesterday. So he hesitates and stalls for some time, also busy raising a-yuan by himself after taking him in. 

They meet by accident when wwx goes to drop wy (since lwj never took him in, his name should still be wen yuan?). at his new friend's house. He has already met oyz parents and they seem fine, so he feels reassured about leaving his son in their hands. Little did he expect to see jc when the door opened, both of them freezing on the spot.

wwx only gets out of his shock when he feels wy slightly pull on his shirt, asking who the man is in a whisper since he could clearly see his father's reaction wasn't usual.

"Someone... daddy knows," he says as he quickly averts his eyes from jc, looking down at his son with a smile oyz mother even comes to greet him, wy running in quickly when he saws oyz and two other boys inside. They have a small talk as oyz mother introduces them, telling him jc is jl jiujiu. They both end up saying they don't want to overstay and that they did have some matter to take care of, unsure if either of them would be able to keep the facade.

wwx tries to run away, pretexting he has something despite it being a lie, yet he ends up being dragged by jc to the silence is awkward, tense and heavy and wwx cannot meet jc intense staring, as if taking his eyes of off him for even a second would allow him to run away (again). they stay in silence for a good while, until wwx tries to break the silence by asking how jc has been doing. jc only answered by asking where he had been, making wwx tense.

he's forced to explain what had happened, what trouble he had been stuck in and how he ended up needing to pay back a debt. of course, the discussion sours a bit when wwx doesn't want to tell him all, or even why he wouldn't ask them for help.

they both stop talking for a while to calm down, until wwx finally points out he wouldn't have wanted to put them in danger or cause such problems, feeling like he could never have asked such a thing (also he doubted yzy would have accepted to help him out).

he ends up rambling that he understands if jc doesn't want him around, he did fuck up and then disappear for years without giving news and probably even making him believe he was dead. he will stay away as much as possible if needed.

"But please, let a-yuan keep jl as a friend, it's the first time I saw him this close to other children, if you don't want me interacting much with him it's alright, but just... please allow a-yuan to be". obviously, jc is still mad at wwx for what he did, but he was not expecting for him to believe he would go as far as refusing for the children to be friends, or even believe he would ask him to disappear again.

He is angry and mad for what happened and how he was left alone after the death of their family, but it's not to this point. How anxious had wwx been about this all these years for him to come to this conclusion? They would clearly need a better talk and a more detailed one. They had a lot to talk about, especially to clear misunderstanding, but for now, he decides to leave it at that, simply sighing.

after a more light-hearted chitchat, they parted ways, jc still needed to do what he needed to do for the day, leaving wwx only after having exchanged numbers and addresses (he's too anxious to not have them, although he could have asked wy too).

====

I dunno why, I feel like this could be an interesting setting. I feel like writing ymsj reuniting, but without the "I hate your fucking guts for being the cause of dead of my family" and more of a "where tf were you?!? what happened? Why didn't you call me /once/?!"

I think my sleep-deprived mind is starting to come up with too much stuff tonight, some parts here feel a bit weird(??)

Original

[truly-morgan]

[Post-canon, internal struggle, suicide ideation]

Wei Wuxian | Mo Dao Zu Shi cw: suicidal ideation, mention of past suicide attempt 29-06-2021

[#weiwuxian, internal struggle, post-canon, maybe slightly ooc?] (tw: thoughts of staying dead, mention of past suic. attempt, mention of past death)

What if, somewhere after Guanyin temple (maybe a couple of years) shits settles down a bit, but of course, tension is still here. one night hunt, where an area has had many problematic spirits, both ymj and gsl disciples are here, including jl who joined to give a hand (and to meet his friend after so long).

Things are still tense between shuangjie (and don't even mention hgj), but they talk a bit through the years and can now stay in the same area (even room!) without being at each other's throats.

But at some point, an argument started (wwx should probably have kept his mouth shut when jc brought up jzx). the argument escalates to a point where wwx gets on the defensive and says things he might not think, only making jl more upset than he already was, making everything worst.

Jl in sick of hearing wwx badmouth his dad (though he /did/ see a change in recent years), and only remembering the thing he heard about wwx past relationship with his dad and what he did and years of frustration have build-up and he just blows up, he needs to get it all out.

"How can you tell he wouldn't be great today? *you* are the reason my father is *dead*, and don't even mention how my mother would think, you weren't with her when she married him, how would you know what their relationship was like? You couldn't know today either because you are also the reason she *died*, if it wasn't for you and your stupid choice both my parent would be alive. The one who should be dead is /you/, not her! You should just have stayed dead!"

after this jl is a bit out of breath, years of resentment out and after jc scolds him for his last statement.

(when he cools down he does wince at the implication of his word. in the past he might have wanted wwx dead, but today it wasn't really to that point. he was by no means close to him, but still).

but for now, jl looks back towards wwx as he's about to argue against what jc said.

but he stops in his attempt. Something seems wrong, wwx body language seems off, lwj looking carefully at his husband while lsz looks uneasy at his own words.

Something is wrong and he can't put his finger on it.

"You're right" wwx finally says, a smile that seems a bit too stiff on his lips, "I caused that didn't I? I truly have no say in this, my apologies sl jin".

and this seems even more off, even jc frowns at it because something seems wrong with his shixiong.

then wwx tries to laugh off being scolded like this by his shijie's son "Don't look like this lz, jl is right" and instead grabs his arm, trying to pull him away as he says they'll just go see in another part of the forest if they could be needed.

jl stops lzs before he could go, trying to ask what was wrong, only to see more uneasiness on his friend's face, "I don't think it would be appropriate to talk about this here" he says looking around, eyes also avoiding jc staring, "But you don't need to worry, senior wei is... alright".

jl isn't convinced, but he doesn't want to force his friend to tell him. On the other side, a queasy feeling settles in jc, because this doesn't feel right, even less if it something that shouldn't talk about anywhere that is private.

Something happened for sure.

for the rest of the night, wwx acts a bit weird, but he does settle closer to what he usually is like. yet, anytime someone crosses their path, hgj is uneasily keeping his eyes on him, scanning his every move and expression.

some even find it odd how hgj actually seems to not let wwx approach anything that could actually be dangerous. Isn't senior wei a good cultivator? Can't he deal with these rather small fries himself? why stop him from doing so?

=======

Everything goes alright until everything is over and wwx is left alone with himself and his thoughts (lwj forced to go to paperwork and wwx saying he needs some alone time).

and the spiral back into guilt and self-loathing comes back. wwx had managed to push them far to the back of his mind, but jl words had triggered it.

Why was he here? He should be dead. He was good dead and apparently, everyone was doing better when he was dead, so why was he still here? Causing problems for everyone around him?

being a reminder of what people had lost because of /him/? Being the worse shixiong ever? Reminding jl of why and how exactly his parent died? being the creator of something that was now eating at many young cultivators who were trying to follow his old path?

He should have stayed dead and everyone seemed to agree with him.

He did try to find a way to bring back mxy, in the hope his soul hadn't completely shattered. He knows how it would have affected lwj, but this time he could have given a proper goodbye to the man. he felt really lucky that he could actually be happy when the sole purpose to his revival was to /kill people/. another thing to the list, apparently he was only good to kill people...

He had been happy like he should not be allowed, he could have said goodbye to lz and given mxy a chance to have a better life, maybe lwj would have accepted his last wish of making sure mxy would be alright.

But his research was fruitless and it seemed rather impossible for him to bring back mxy (this is also probably what ticked lwj suspicion.) but if he couldn't at least give mxy a second chance, he could give everyone else what they wanted and simply die. His reason to be alive was only to serve a purpose in the first place and it had already been done years ago, so truly he had no reason to be here.

So he tried to die again, which failed by very little because lwj found him before he could succeed in that.

With that, he had disappeared from "the public eyes", kept under close watch as to not have him tried something like this again. They tried working through the issue They have sessions where lwj plays him song of clarity when his suicidal thoughts come back stronger. It took months before he was able get back on his feet, although he is still under close watch from lsz and lwj after all these years.

this was the first time in a very long time since wwx had such a violent surge of these thoughts, even if he tried to hide it (they had already helped him so much, he cannot depend on them forever, right?).

he was surprised when lsz came to him to play soc, it did help him calm down from his sudden attack and it took a very long time for both lan to bring him back to a more stable state of mind, lwj joining as quickly as he could (paperwork were not as well done, as usual, that is for sure). They didn't sleep that night, but making sure that wwx wouldn't do something to harm himself and make him understand that no, he didn't just do bad things in his life, even in this second one he has helped many people.

It did take a while for wwx to do better again (lwj and lsz never leaving his side).

====

lsz would probably eventually tell jc if the man were to come back to him about it. there was still tension between the two, but clearly, slj couldn't just drop all his worries for wwx even after everything (talking through some stuff also did help). Maybe jl would also be told.

The number of people knowing about wwx attempt is very low, kept to the bare minimum. Of course, he and lwj know, and so do lqr and lxc since they are lwj family. The healers who saved wwx know (although they do not have the full situation about wwx mental state at the time).

the only "outsider" who know is ljy, since lsz did need someone to talk about it that wasn't as affected by it as lwj was.

so adding two people that were related to jc in a way wouldn't be bad either.

lsz really felt like jc could know (which could be helpful if anything were to happen in the future and only jc was around, at least he would know about wwx struggles).

He would probably be a bit hesitant to tell jl at the same time, despite not wanting to hide it from it either lsz wouldn't want his friend to possibly think what happened was entirely his fault (wwx had some low time over the years after all), he could see where the frustration come from and he hadn't watched his words (but it could help in the future.

I do wonder how they would react

====

(sorry for the much more angst and dark thread, I got a low earlier and had angst idea)

Original

[pharahsgf]

realistically if jc had found out that wwx was coreless, even without knowing wwx transfered his core to him, it would just fuel his jealousy towards him by throwing into relief the fact that even without his core wwx is just as powerful and once again has succeeded where jc would have failed (since jc gave up on life after losing his core). the fact that even with what jc knows of how he got his core back is thanks to wwx would never and has never canonically been smth that jc recognizes as a debt either so it's kind of funny to see in fics jc acknowledging that among other things because it's like...in the text that was on purpose. it's not unspoken, it's just not there. because jc doesn't feel like that, in fact he is constantly screaming the opposite. ppl take all the bullshit jc says at face value but look away when he is unabashedly on purpose being terrible. honestly who cares about him people should write about jyl more. do you think she would have done anything significantly different if she'd found out wwx was coreless? i imagine she'd be a lot more protective and understanding. would love more of jyl showing her claws @ the ppl trying to fuck with her loved ones. i think it could lead to an interesting dynamic where jyl might have to realize that the jins and jc are putting wwx in danger, even if she still loves jzx and jc like even if she's sure they don't Really Mean It.

lmfao yeah, jiang cheng is. very self-absorbed and there's a good chance he'd be bitter about wei wuxian rising above him even while coreless. you could say his experience with losing his core would make him more sympathetic to wei wuxian ending in the same situation, and that he would be more grateful wei wuxian found a way to restore his core if it ruined wei wuxian's chances of doing the same, but at the same time, jiang cheng never accepted anything besides lifelong subjugation as payment for wei wuxian's debt to him & he wasn't exactly compassionate when he found out wei wuxian spent the latter years of his life as a non-cultivator. i don't think anything short of a transfer reveal would make jiang cheng re-evaluate his perception of wei wuxian, and even that probably wouldn't be enough for him to go against the sects to protect him.

as for jiang yanli... i'm honestly not sure what would change if she found out, partially because she is already very concerned and hovering lol. she'd probably be more successful in her attempts to make him less miserable if she understood his situation better & might find a way to improve his physical health so he doesn't, like, die, but it's not like she has a lot of political influence so in that regard... hm.

her revealing wei wuxian's corelessness to the sects in an attempt to contextualise his actions and gain sympathy is a possibility i cannot rule out, as she trusts the sects more than wei wuxian does, though like i've said before this could potentially go very poorly. either way i do think she'd be more staunch in his defense of him now that she can say for sure that his turn to demonic cultivation is not, in fact, a morally dubious play for power, and it might lead to her attempting to play the sects politically in ways wei wuxian is unable to. which is a fun idea!

[inessencedevided]

The Untamed, episode 43 - watching notes

The sun is setting on this show for me and I'm not ready to say goodbye yet 😔

(As if I will! Ha. Imma blog about nothing else the next ... probably years)

Last time on Sophie watches the untamed: We're still in the restricted section. The twin love-struck idiots of lan and wwx found the Collection of turmoil and suspect Jin Guangyao of intentionally bringing about Nie Mingjue's qui deviation.

As much as I love the "hihi. Wwx is wearing his boyfriend's underrobe" aspect of this, I also like the visual incorporation of lwj's colour scheme into wwx's clothes. (Not just through the undertone, his black tone also has slight grey seam.) It's as if now that they are finally fully committed to each other, wwx is displaying it for all the world to see

Jin Guangyao tore out a page to hide the evidence. That's not how to do that!!!

My heart is breaking for Lan Xichen. He looks like a man standing on a train track and watching the light speed towards him in horror while he's unable to move away

Feels like exactly no one on this show is getting their happy ending

*thinks about yi city and cries forever*😭😭😭

"Wangji, Jin Guangyao,in my eyes, is a totally different person from how you and other people see him." And we all know that lwj knows exactly what that's like

PARALLELS! 😭

(Sorry, I have a thing for those)

And lwj looks so pained

Thinking about it, it's now the man lwj loves against the man lxc loves (in whatever way. I still ship them. Not sure if its "canonically" romantic though). They can't both be right, so ... one of them is going to get their heart broken

Great, first the Yunmeng brothers, now the lan brothers are breaking my heart 🥺

Lwj says he's visiting "Grand Master", that's Lan Qiren right? What happened to him anyway? Haven't seen him in ages

I love how, even though it is wwx's word against jgy's right now, lan Xichen is still genuinely kind towards wwx

The whipping scars! I hadn't even thought about those anymore 😳

I'm probably going to get my heart ripped out soon, but before that

"You are not qualified to talk to me."

Sickest. Burn. Ever.

Also, no disrespect to the actor, but that's a backpfeifengesicht if I've ever seen one

(Backpfeifengesicht: "German compound word for a 'face that should be slapped'. Ex:. When GWB smirks on TV, my German friend Uwe tells me that he sees a 'Backpfeifengesicht'." Urban dictionary)

He went to burial mount after wwx was killed??? 🥺🥺🥺

I've noticed something with lwj. When he's distressed, he won't look people in the eye or not even at their faces, just in their very general direction. To me it seems like he almost... can't? Any thoughts on that? Cause I'm intrigued but I can't think about it too much right now cause I'm already writing half an essay in this commentary again 😅

Oh fuck YOU Jiggy!!!

Holy shit ... holy shit

Lan Wangji 🥺🥺🥺

He fought against everyone?

This is how he showed his grieve???

He went to the place wei Wuxian had called home and ... what? Protected or ot so they wouldn't desecrate it? To search for him? To ... what?

Oh god, Wangji! 😭

That image... I'm speechless. It's so powerful

He's half-mad with grieve and kneeling in the ruins of his dead loves home, having fought himself to exhaustion and I'm... not okay 😭😭😭

He had to repent for THREE YEARS??

Oh no, you don't

Holy ...

Holy shit

How can my heart break and be so full at the same time 💔🥺

Lan Wangji ... my love

I'm ... so proud of him and yet so sad

Here he is at his lowest, finally standing up to the orthodoxy he knows to be wrong

This is inhumane 😳

The corporal punishment of the lan sect always was but THIS

Fuck them

Or Lan Qiren specifically

That's his nephew. How can he even look at himself?

"Eradicate evil. Establish laws. Than goodness will be everlasting."

IT'S NOT THAT FUCKING EASY!!!

WHAT EVEN IS "GOODNESS"? WHOSE VERSION OF GOODNESS? DEVINE EVIL! HOW FAR REACHING INTO THE PRIVATE SVERE SHOULD THUSE LAWS BE? DOES IT STOP AT "DON'T STEAL FROM PEOPLE OR AT "DON'T PICK YOUR NOSE AT DINNER"?

what I'm saying is: there are about 200 ethical question ls being raised by this rule alone!

And now lan Wangji had 3 tears to contemplate them

Wwx asking "why would he bother ...?" BECAUSE YOU ARE LOVED YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!!

Ohhh! We're getting their parents' story 😱

Oh this IS a Lan episode 💙

So another Lan falling quickly and never looking back?

I'm sensing a pattern here 🤨

Wait what?

Let me get this straight:

Their father loved a woman who DID NOT love him back and then killed one of his teachers

(And I hope we find out why. That sounds like there is a REALLY interesting story there)

Then he takes her to cloud recess and DESPIT HER NOT LOVING HIM, marries her, fathers two children with her (um... how voluntary was that????) locks her up (as punishment for the murder?) then locks HIMSELF up and then fucks of and leaves his children with their uncle

What kind of disaster human being was their dad????

Did he do the right thing WHEN HE MARRIED AND PROBABLY RAPED A WOMAN WHO DIDN'T LOVE HIM???

NO!!!

The fuck kinda question is that ??

If you have to marry her against her will and then lock her up, guess what? That's not love, that's wanting to possess someone

I hope that maybe the connotation is different in the og Chinese,but I'm not holding out much hope

That explains why Qiren is such a lovely character through 😒

But god, my heart breaks for lwj and lxc :'(

Little Lan Wangji!!! 🥺🥺🥺

Oh darling ...

Oh no ...

Look at him look at his crooked little headband😭😭😭

He went there every month!!!

Oh Wangji 💔💔

Stubborn, steadfast, loving Wangji!

That seals it. I KNEW why he was my favourite character

He isn't so passive all the time, because he feels too little! He feels entirely too much!!! 😭😭😭

And that explains why lwj was so worried about wwx's demonic cultivation harming him!!! 😭

Oh god, it was such an old hurt for him. I had no idea 🥺🥺🥺

All of these characters need a therapist

Lxc playing the flute to what ... deal with his emotions? Express his grieve? Remeber their mother? (And god, do I want to know more about her!!) Either way, It's making me tear up 😥

"It's so difficult to determine others personalities depending on our perspective." Welcome to the human condition, my friend 💙

And that's love

I ... wish I could show you my face right now

I'm smiling through tears right now

It's so utterly beautiful

He looks so vulnerable here! With his hair (almost) down

And given what we've just learned, that's remarkable!!!

He closed himself off became the immovable stone-faced second Jade of Lan and yet, somehow, wwx wormed his way into his heart and sure, both of them needed to overcome a lot, but here they are, vulnerable and open,not letting their parent's fate decide theirs

I'm... *sniff*

I can never get enough of lwj with his hair like this!!

It's so domestic, so soft

And look at his face! 😭

And mister "alcohol is prohibited" is now serving it 😭

Oh my god this scene is so beautiful

I'm speechless

Was the second flute Jin Guangyao as well?

At this point I'm just expecting more plot-twists

He looks so young! 🥺

Both of them are exhibiting so much growth in this episode!! Wwx realising that the fact that the cultivation world had always looked for a scapegoat and that he himself was just the most convenient target, that it's not to any personal failing of his, that's HUGE!

And I'm so proud of him :')

Lwj starting to play in the distance :')

This is so utterly peaceful

My heart is bursting 😭😭😭

The music, the scenery ...

Also, both thinking they have a clean conscious!!! 😭😭😭

Again, it's them holding the same morals that's important! I cannot tell you how happy that makes me!

(But wwx still cannot drink like a normal person :D)

The contrast to lxc sitting alone couldn't be starker 😔

Wait, why are there puppets at burial mounds again?

Are we going back to burial mounds? I'm weirdly excited 😅

Aaand Jin Guangyao just proved to them that he's lying. Poor Xichen

Yup, I'm pretty sure his heart just snapped in half

Little Apple!!! I've missed him 😁

Gosh, they're laying it on thick with the domestic husband bliss this episode and I'm here for it.

I love lwj's soft smile when he looks at bunnies so much!! 🥰

Bunnies, bunnies everywhere

It's the invasion of the bunnies

Who ever is the show runner *banging pots and pans together* IT'S GAY!! cab you all hear me? These two love each other! It's G - A - Y!!! Gay!!!

Probably

Lwj's shocked look when wwx says that he's not popular with little animals, as if to say "how dare they!" :D

Holy shit ... HOW MANY SCENES CAN THEY INCLUDE IN THIS EPISODE THAT MAKE THEM LOOK SO GODDAMN MARRIED???

Is wwx sitting side saddle?

Wwx plays wangxian :')

He finally remembers how lwj recognized him :')

Sneaky, show, very sneaky :D

Wwx about to casually steal some melons, lwj *wordlessly takes out money* ^^

MIANMIAN!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHH!

I'd given up hope that we'd see her again!!!

I'm so happy I could burst!!!

Lwj's little exasperated head-shake before he stands up from crouching behind some hay 😂

Aww, look at her family! 😍😍😍

She build her own live :')

And look at this badass woman protecting the ones she loves!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WEI WUXIAN??? You don't remember her???

You better remember my wife!!!

Aaand another freeze frame. But I'm willing to forgive it because THIS EPISODE WAS SO GODDAMN BRILLIANT!

It made me realise why I was so drawn to lan Wangji as a character. Of course he is mu favourite character! He ticks every single box

Let me explain. My favourite characters almost always share the following characteristics: seems either cold and distant or ethereal and aloof, as if they are above such puny human things like feelings™️(bonus if they're actually not human and their argument is "I'm [insert species]. We can't feel [insert emotion they are definetly feeling very strongly]"). then, over the course of the story, we (along with they themselves because they were in denial) discover that it's not that they feel too little, they feel entirely too much. They're a sea of emotions so deep that the surface is calm, but don't you dare be near them when the storm is coming because all hell will break loose. (extra bonus point if that storm involves them rebelling against the oppressive society they were born into and adhered to until then because they realise their consciousness won't allow it any longer.) afterwards they realise that making themselves vulnerable once in a while is actually a good thing and they proceed to fuck the Rebel™️ who they've secretly been in love with the entire time, a feeling they only now allow themselves to act on

The last part sadly isn't always canon, but who has ever had time for that?

You know what this episode made me realise most of all? The Lan sect are just as human as the rest of them. In fact, they seem to be especially prone to acting rashly on strong emotions. (I don't remember the exact story, but didn't the founder of the Lan sect also have some kind of tragic love story?) It should be obvious, but the impression you get is that they are so detached from their wants, so rigorous and disciplined in their righteousness, that they are almost super-human. But no. Thise 3000 and some rules? They weren't born out of some enlightened mind that had the secret of live figures out, they're a crutch. Abiding by them without question rids one of responsibility to make even the tiniest moral choice for oneself. But that won't work because a) they're bounty to contradict each other at some point and b) that's not how human beings work. They're messy and unpredictable and beautifully complicated. The way Lan Qiren choses to apply them, he completely disregards that. At that point, the rules aren't there anymore to grant a harmonious society, but simply for their own sake. (Or maybe as a wall to hide behind)

@sweetlittlevampire @fandom-glazed @elenirlachlagos @allhailthedramallama @luckymoony @kyrrahbird @i-love-him-on-purpose

I think this liveblog has been the longest so far. I'm sorry for going on so many tangents, but lwj's backstory hit me really hard. I hope you guys weren't too bored 💚

(I also apologise for the mountains of typos that probably accumulated in this post. I'm too tired to check.)