#and even then the wwx of the burial mounds is so burdened by his life

[lunaticmeap]

Thinking about early on when Lan Wangji was trying to figure out if Wei Wuxian was back, and the idea that it took him a while to reconcile the Wei Wuxian that came back to life with the Wei Wuxian that died was because the one that died is nothing like the one that came back to life. And it is that overwhelming thought that almost brings him to his knees, because “Oh, it’s not just the man Iet die that came back, but it is also the boy that I first loved. He is not lost to me forever.”

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

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1. Hi! I hope everyone's ok! Could you please help me find a fic? Last time I read it it was wip. It's a time travel fic that starts with punishment after they get caught drinking. WWX starts crying, I think, and he keeps avoiding LWJ. Then he goes to talk to LQR and asks him to get all sect leaders, then confesses he is from the future, I think WN also went back, and they want to help everyone prevent bad things to happen, including JGY.. do I even make sense? Sorry and thank you.

FOUND! If You Forget Me by DivideTheSorrow (Not Rated, 154k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Fix-It of Sorts, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Build, Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, POV Alternating, Original Character(s), Angst)

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2. Hi! I'm trying to find this one-shot I read a while back. LWJ comes across A-Yuan calling LXC uncle? I believe. LWJ corrects him and asks him not to call him that. He makes it clear to LXC that he is unhappy about him allowing the siege against the burial mounds. Might not be entirely accurate but this si the gist of the fic. Thank you!

FOUND? ❤️ kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight by AlfAlfAlfAlfAlf, tardigradeschool (T, 75k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eventual Happy Ending, Getting Together, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Inspired by The Parent Trap (1998), Kid Fic, teen shenanigans, two a-yuans, Fluff and Angst)

FOUND? Survival - Part Three by Jinko (G, 2k, WangXian, LXC & LWJ, Canon Divergence, JYL Lives)

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3. Hi! Do you guys know of a crack fic where lqr gives sex ed to teenage lwj and wwx?

Lqr notices wangxian's mutual attraction (i think they are bethrothed? but I'm not too sure) and discusses this with xichen. Lqr hints at the need to give them both "the talk". Xichen shudders thinking about the time he got "the talk" from lqr. Lqr says xichen doesn't have to give wangji "the talk" since he is also young, plus getting "the talk" from an elder brother must be embarrassing and harrowing (lqr got "the talk" from lwj's dad lol).

Lqr asks wangxian to come to extra classes where he gives them sex ed much to wangxian's embarrassment. Lqr is no nonsense about it, nit embarrassed about explaining ecerything explicitly and scientifically. wangxian just wants to get out of there as they're both red with embarrassment. Lqr also asks wq give wangxian oil and tools for them to figure out which position each liked so that their future married life will be easier. Wangxian are by rule meant to be celibate until marriage.

FOUND! A Series of (Un)intentionally Supervised Dates by dragongirlG (T, 33k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, The Untamed (TV) References, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Political Alliances, Yīn Iron, Arranged Marriage, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, Family Dynamics, Sparring, Sex Education, Jealous LWJ, Sexual Tension, POV Multiple, 5+1 Things, Character Study, First Kiss, [Podfic] A Series of (Un)intentionally Supervised Dates by Koontyme)

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4. Hii!! I was planning on just cutting my losses, but this is literally tearing my up from the inside out. I’m looking for a fic where Hualian adopted child Wei Ying, and because of being homeless, Wei Ying gets very sick with a high fever but tries to hide that from them. But Xie Liam see’s him eating less and WY eventually starts coughing violently then it’s revealed. He almost dies from the fever while Hua Cheng and Xie Liam watches over him. WY soon thinks that he is burdening the both of them and climbs out a window to sneak out, but gets caught by Hua Cheng when he collapses in the snow. Hua Cheng carrie’s him back and then the three have a heart to heart where I think WY starts crying.

I EVEN HAVE A QUOTE FROM A SC I PREVIOUSLY TOOK FROM THE FIC: “Immediately, he's shivering, bare feet sinking into the snow drift. He can barely put one foot in front of the other, it's so high, and leaves an obvious trail for anyone to follow. One two. Three four. Five steps and he's falling face first. He can't get back up.

"Wei Ying! Wei Ying?!"

He doesn't answer, but he feels more than sees Hua Cheng find his trail and stick half his body out the window, almost falling face first into the snow himself.

Scrambling is audible, and he soon finds himself lifted. Held.

"Gege! Gege, we need more blankets now!" Hua Cheng says, long legs stepping through the window. Suddenly Xie Lian is there, eyes sleep-swollen and hair a rat's nest. He's carrying all the blankets in the house by the looks of it."

I need to at least know if the fic was deleted so can have some closure, TY!! :D

FOUND! a warm coal in the hearth of our hearts by eccentrick (T, 46k, HuaLian, Found Family, fluff with plot, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Disabled Character, Ableism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, WWX Isn't Adopted by the Jiāngs, slow burn found family, Adopt WWX, Married HuaLian, Post-Canon TGCF, Kid Fic, TGCF Spoilers) locked to archive users only

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5. Hello! I have a question for the next fic finder - thank you so much in advance!

My instinct is that this was a post-cannon fic, because I think I remember Jin Ling being there (although not positive on that!) - I just remember that WWX was traveling to Lotus Pier, but there was a really bad storm and he got lost and ended up falling off a cliff and into the river and almost drowning - and from there the fic cuts back and forth between JC, LWJ, and others, who eventually realize he's missing and go looking for him, and WWX, who is badly hurt and like drifiting in-and-out of consciousness somewhere along the river where he got swept away to.

I can't find it anywhere and I've exhausted every combination of tags I can think of to try to find it!

Hey there! I'm #5 on the most recent fic finder and unfortunately, it's not 'The Storm That Should Not Be', although I also love that one and have it bookmarked, lol!

My memory is that the fic I'm thinking of was a multi-chapter fic, and WWX was traveling to Lotus Pier with either JC or LWJ, but there's a storm and they accidentally get separated in the rain and darkness, and WWX doesn't see the approaching cliff and falls off it into the river and gets swept away - meanwhile JC/LWJ reaches Lotus Pier safely and is like, "what do you mean WWX hasn't showed up yet?" And then they send search parties after, and don't find him until like a day or two later, washed up at the edge of the river and half-drowned.

NOT FOUND! this storm that should not be by TheDameJudiWench (G, 6k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Drowning, Family Dynamics)

FOUND! Of Rivers of Thunder by ARavenIsBlack (G, 7k, WangXian, Mystery, No Thirteen Years of WWX's Death, Hurt/Comfort, Not Canon Compliant, Angst with a Happy Ending)

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6. Hey, for the next fic finder, I’m looking for a modern cultivation AU, where Wangxian are partners and hunting a succubus(incubus?). They get caught, LWJ gets dosed with truth serum, WWX manages to fake getting dosed but LWJ doesn’t know that. WWX lies to the succubus that he’s not in love with his partner, breaking LWJ’s heart. At some point, the ‘bus’s kidnaps LWJ, WWX saves him, and they talk and WWX confesses that he wasn’t actually dosed with truth serum and yes he is in love. @any-mouse​

FOUND! a bite of a vow, a taste of the truth by occultings (microcomets) (E, 29k, wangxian, modern w magic, ABO, case fic, fake/pretend relationship, pining, truth serum, whump, hurt/comfort, monsters, succubi & incubi, getting together, happy ending)

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7. hello i am trying to remember a fanfic where everyone including lwj thinks wei ying cheated on him with wen qing i think when actually he was trying to adopt his son. anyway then wei ying leaves and then lwj finds him after figuring out the truth. thanks in advance if you can find it, i’m struggling lol. / okay my bad i originally posted this on the wrong account but anyways. so basically i think it’s set in a modern au, and wwx gets confronted by the lans (including lwj) and his family, accusing him of cheating with wen qing. he’s not (obviously), and is trying to finalize the adoption of his son. nobody believes him and he leaves. i think he ends up owning a bakery or working (this could be wrong) when lwj finds him years later and apologizes, realizing the truth. thanks in advance!!!

FOUND! (Un)forgettable by Edens_Cat, VividestList (E, 67k, WangXian, Misunderstandings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Kid Fic, teenage juniors, Teacher WWX, the juniors are the wwx protection squad, Amnesia!, Protective WQ, protective LSZ, Matchmaker LJY, A-Yuan is Wei Yuan, Single Parent WWX, Riding, Dirty Talk, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering)

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8. Time travel fix-it where WWX did sketches and was accused of being a spy

Hello! I'm looking for a time travel fix-it fic where WWX was thrown into the past with everyone living happily. In exchange, everyone will forget him and he remains without a golden core. LWJ and the juniors still manage to cross paths with him when their night hunt takes them to the faraway village where WWX lives. WWX gives them food and lodging after a hunt gone awry, and LWJ discovers the sketches WWX did of him, JYL, JZX, JC, etc. They all go back to the Cloud Recesses because WWX is accused of being a spy. Happy WangXian ending ofc.

I hope people know this fic! I could've sworn I bookmarked this, but it's not in my bookmarked fics. ): Tysm!

FOUND? thread fic by cerbykerby

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9. hello, this is a nsfw ask! i’ve been trying to look for it to no avail and now i’m starting to wonder if it was just all a fever dream lol, anyways the fic goes like this: lwj and wwx (on lwj’s lap) are watching a movie and nhs and wq were there as well (it was movie night) and at some point things get steamy between lwj and wwx but they’re trying to keep it discreet

FOUND! Chapter 5: secret exhibitionism, tiny somno, nc-17 of verseau's little red book by verseau (E, 10k, WangXian, Drabble Collection, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Canon Typical Content)

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10. Hello, I’d like to request a fic be found( if possible)

Set in Cannon typical. I’m not sure if there is much deviation because the fic focused on WWX living in CR and working on ED recovery after the Burial Mounds. In this he has a meat aversion and relies on soups a lot.

My thanks for your time! @empiresprince

FOUND! a kind of emptiness by ScarlettStorm (E, 11k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Eating Disorders, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Eating Disorder Recovery, tricking your brain into better habits, bad choices, followed by good choices, low angst, Happy Ending, Tender smut, Frottage, Praise Kink, Additional Warnings In Author's Note) MIGHT be a kind of emptiness by scarlettstorm. It hits every point except wwx's meat aversion.

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11. Hii it’s my first time writing here so I hope it’s okay.

I’m searching for a fic where the person who summons wwx (I don’t remember if in this fic is mxy) hates him so wishes for him to die/suffer and if he doesn’t fulfill that wish his soul won’t go to the cycle for rebirth so when he feels happiness it’s painful.

so there a moment when he finally has a moment with Lan Zhan (I think there’s a drawing involved not a 100% sure) but he suddenly starts felling really intense pain Because it was the happiest he has felt since he was brought back

I don’t more but I’ve been searching for it :c

FOUND! A Storm of Laughter in the Stillness of the Jingshi by OnlyMeAndMyBones, 2nd in series (T, 74k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, LXC & WWX, angst w happy ending, hurt/comfort, injury, recovery, mental illness, depression, PTSD, rehabilitation, slow burn, empathy, guilt, forgiveness, suicidal thoughts)

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12. hi im looking for this modern au fic where wwx's backstory was that he was tortured by wrh. he was rescued before the story began. there were tapes of him being tortured and jin zixun found them and harassed wwx about it. thank you for your help as always!

FOUND! Surprise Baby! by trulywicked (M, 10k, wangxian, modern cultivation, mpreg, unplanned pregnancy, accidental baby acquisition, didn't know they were pregnant, ABO, established relationship, fluff)

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13. Hi! Hope you are doing well. Although this is my second time requesting this fic, i hope you are able to find it for me. Lwj in this fic is a celebrity and wwx is a reporter/paparazzi. Wangxian are in a secret relationship, initially all the reporters think that lwj and lqy are in the relationship. This is all the informationthat I can remember. Hope you are able to find it for me @mayavsworld

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14. I think I'm going insane, I can't find this fanfic anywhere and I am CERTAIN I had it bookmarked. Please help. It was a very (VERY) heavy angst omegaverse fic with seriously great worldbuilding around the omegaverse elements. I don't remember the name exactly but it had something about deep waters in it, I think? Or maybe calm waters. 20 something chapters at the time I read it, might be more now. WWX was omega and very actively pro-omega rights, I think I remember he would help other omegas run away from abusive households which incensed the cultivation world against him even more in addition to all his canon-complaint doings. There was also WC forcing himself on WWX and I think a-Yuan was the result of that. I remember the wen still die, a-Yuan still gets adopted by LWJ, but I think WWX dies in his first life by committing suicide via Bichen. I remember vividly how WWX absolutely broke down when he realised (kinda) LWJ's feelings for him because it was an "oh, fuck, you're like all the others, just want to fuck a baby into me too?" moment for him.

FOUND! and the calm is deep where the quiet waters flow (Prologue – Index) (E, 303k, off-screen rape, oppression, violence, sexual assault, grief/mourning, unwanted pregnancy., A/B/O) It was reccomended by angstymdzsthoughts a while ago and is very good / I was also looking for it and the part of the title the asker remembered was what I needed to find it in my browser history so thanks

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15. hi, hope you're doing well 💚 im looking for a fic that has shapeshifter wei ying, staying in his small animal form while on the streets bc that requires less food and stuff like that. boy it was. heartbreaking. i skimmed the tiger fic and i dont think thats it? and i hope (tho im pretty sure) im not confusing it eith a bingpup fic. thank you for the help!! 💚

not FOUND in the arms of the angel by ScarlettStorm (E, 37k, WangXian,Modern AU with Magic, Fox WWX, animal rescuer LWJ, Comedy, Smut, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Adhd WWX, the mortifying ordeal of getting your head stuck in a peanut butter jar) It opens with wwx in fox form dumpster diving because he doesn't have enough money for groceries that week

FOUND? threadfic by Zizzani

FOUND? Of Bunnies and Blood by Unforth (E, 9k, WangXian, Alternate Canon, Familiars, WWX is a Familiar, WWX Isn't Adopted by the Jiāngs, Cultivators are the "Witches" in a Witch/Familiar AU, Narrative Outline, Rabbit WWX, Hurt WWX, Hurt/Comfort, Hanahaki Disease, Huā tǔ bìng Disease, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication)

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16. hi okay so the book im looking for isn't wangxian but xicheng, its a cherry magic au and I hope you guys can find it. have a good day :) @twlaei

FOUND? Pop the cherry~ by sweetdeadlykittypaws (E, 25k, XiCheng, Modern AU, Cherry Magic AU, Fluff, Attempt at Humor, Light Angst, Eventual Smut, Laboratories, Boss/Employee Relationship, Chemist!JC, CTO!LXC, Low Self-Esteem, Living Together, Attempted Kidnapping, Violence, Mobsters, Rimming, Anal Sex, possible ooc, Pining)

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17. I’m looking for a fic with dark Lan Zhan/dark gusu lan. In the fic Jiang Cheng ends up hurting Wei Ying some how. I believe he has to try to escape through the forest from the juniors or something and it end by him coming across and watching Wei Ying and Lan Zhan in the Jingshi. @wangxian-is-my-life

FOUND! «The Fault In Jiāng Chéng» by Anonymous (M, 3k, WangXian, JC Bashing, Zǐdiàn Spiritual Tool, Blood and Injury, Sick WWX, Dark LWJ, Dark LXC, Smut, Stabbing)

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18. Hello I was wondering if anyone could help me find this fic: I haven’t gotten a chance to read it because I lost it before I could, but the summary tells that Wei Wuxian is brought back into Mo Xuanyu’s buddy, and decides to continue hiding his identity and live as Mo Xuanyu. I’m pretty sure it was longer then one chapter but for more details I’m unsure. I find the premise really interesting and would love to find it again. @spacy-thoughts

FOUND? Gave my Heart and Soul by mel_darling (T, 47k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, References to Depression, Survivors Guilt, Angst with a Happy Ending, Misunderstandings, wwx knows Lwj was the one who kissed him, Canon Divergence, Panic Attacks, Anxiety, Pining, Healing, Gardening for the soul, Accidental Child Acquisition, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Nightmares) If 18 isn't it's at least very similar to what the poster's asking for

FOUND? 18 might be Focal, filler and line by bosbie. It’s hidden now, so maybe that’s why OP didn’t find it? It was already hidden and revealed before, so I hope they will reveal it again

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19. Hello! Thank you for all your hard work! I am looking for a fic in which after the sunshine campaign and possibly after Jin Zixuan died YLLZ is blackmailed into leaving cultivation world and he ends up at Jinlintai or Qinghe. I remember that someone was reading his letters (might have been Jin Guangyao) and sending him their own and threatening his shijie and Jin Ling so he complied with their demands. I was reminded of this fic by recently asked for ‘ whipstitch’ by curiositykilled.

FOUND? Always walked a very thin line by tucuxi (T, 22k, NHS & WWX, JYL & WWX, WangXian)

I can't find the fic itself but I remember one that sounds exactly like this. It was one where WWX surrended to the cultivation world (maybe after Qiongqi Pass?) and was sentenced to be held by the Nie and not cultivate. There's a moment where LXC asks WWX to help him play Clarity for NMJ and WWX eventually has to tell him about his core.

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20. Hi, please help me with this.

There's this fic i read a while ago which is either a oneshot or is a short fic with a few chapters.

There's some disaster looming upon humans via a beast and to appease it, a human is given to this being as a sacrifice once every few years.

This time lan wangji is the one who got the lot to be a sacrifice, so he sets alone (i think lan huan may have accompanied him to the shore to send him off but I'm not entirey sure) on a boat on turbulent river waters to the cave this beast resides in. The tone of the fic is just like turbulent waters, grey and dark blues. Heavy. Grim.

Lan wangji arrives at his destination (a cave?) and sees a being breathing there with red eyes(I'm not sure about the description of the beast tbh but think this is it).

The beast is some type of dragon or is atleast partial dragon.

Nobody knows what the beast does to the human sacrifices so lan wangji do not know what to expect.

The beast somehow communicates with wangji what it wants with him (i don't know if the beast talks or if wangji is able to sense the beast's thoughts. 60% sure it is the latter)

The next details are muddled in my mind but the outline is similar to what follows.

The beast wants wangji to be a vessel for it. They have sex and wangji feels the beast as it is big. It deposits either an egg or it's energy into wangji for him to nurture it. That is the purpose the beast finds in these human sacrifices. Wangji is willing, self righteous as he is and as he knows this is what will help humans avoid disaster upon the hands of the beast. The baby will come out not as a human but like the beast.

The description of the act is not sexual for the sake of being sexual and it is not porn without plot. It is not rape or non con.

In the middle of the sex or after the sex, after the egg/energy is deposited in wangji the beast transforms. It is of course wei ying.

I think they arrive at an agreement out of love or out of the need to protect or out of respect. Both if them accept each other as partners.

The fic ends like that i think.

FOUND! burning bright by la_muerta (E, 4k, wangxian, dragon WWX, porn with plot, virgin sacrifice, light bondage, gags, mating cycles/in heat, mpreg, loss of virginity (via consensual monster fucking), size difference, happy ending)

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[jiangwanyinscatmom]

Did jc kill wwx with his own two hands? No. Is he responsible? Yes, heavily

Was him not personally exploiting the path into the burial mounds during the siege not enough then to mean Jiang Cheng had a hand in leading Wei Wuxian to his death? And does this also somehow not stand that Wen Ning, the man whose family was killed by that exploitation personally, sees Jiang Cheng as the one reason for his family was killed?

The word you use is "responsible", let's focus on that word. Since we have one person in plot who admits to the deaths he caused. Wei Wuxian admits to his part of the killings in war, he admits to himself, Wen Qing and Wen Ning being the cause of using Wen Ning to having killed Jin Zixuan with hefty amounts of regret (despite all circumstance leading to that), and to having justifiably killed the cultivators that set an attack on the Burial Mounds.

Yi Weichun, the middle aged cultivator who proclaimed to have had his leg cut off by him and had to wear a wooden prosthetic from then on, spoke up once more, “The debts of blood you owe to three thousand people will never be repaid, not even if you die over a million deaths!"

Wei Wuxian interrupted him, “Three thousand people? There were indeed three thousand cultivators present at Nightless City, but so too were the leaders, the sects and many of their best. With all of them present, could I have really killed all three thousand people? You are either thinking too highly of me, or are you looking down on them?”

He was only trying to reason fact, but the other cultivator felt as if he was being scorned, and became enraged.

"What do you think we’re talking about here? How could there be bargaining for debts of blood?”

“It’s not that I want to bargain over such a thing, but I would prefer my crimes to not to be exaggerated just because of the words of others. I won’t carry the burdens of what I didn’t do.”

Someone spoke, “What you didn’t do? What is there that you didn’t do?”

“Well, for example, I’m not the one who tore Chifeng-Zun apart. I’m not the one who forced Madam Jin to take her own life at Jinlintai. I’m also not the one who controls all of those corpses you ran into when you rushed up the mountain.”

The cultivators present are a blatant and literal metaphor for Jiang Cheng's own unreasonable grudges for how he blamed Wei Wuxian for all of the tragedies he was met with or, how he used Wei Wuxian as his scapegoat to justify his own lack of loyalty and trust to Wei Wuxian.

On the other hand, Jiang Cheng refused to give up, shouting, “Wei Wuxian, who was the one who broke his promise and betrayed the Jiang Sect first? Tell me. That I’d be the sect leader and you’d be my subordinate, that you’d help me your whole life, that so long as the Gusu Lan Clan had its Twin Jades, the Yunmeng Jiang Clan would have its Two Prides, that you’d never betray me or betray the Jiang Clan—who was the one that said that?! I’m asking you—who was the one that said all of that?! Did just you eat all your fucking words?!”

He got more agitated as he ranted on, “And in the end? You go and protect outsiders, haha! The Wen Sect’s people, even. How much of their rice did you eat?! Defecting with such resolution! What did you take our sect to be?! You did all the best things, yet every time you do the worst ones, it’s involuntary! Forced! With some unspeakable grievances! Grievances?! You told me nothing, you played me for a fool!!!

“Just how much do you owe the Jiang Clan!? Am I not supposed to hate you? Can I not hate you?! Why is it that now it’s like I’m supposed to have wronged you?! Why do I have to feel like I’m a fucking clown all these years?! What am I? Do I deserve to be blinded by all your dazzling splendor?! Am I not supposed to hate you?!”

Even blatant foreshadowing and callbacks, are sadly ignored to say, yes, Jiang Cheng is right to hate and still use his excuses to hate Wei Wuxian no matter the real reasons. Ironic, isn't it?

[trans-xianxian]

hmm top five jc and wwx scenes? ten if you want but if that's too many, pretend I just said five

OOOOOOOHH I will do ten because I am insane. these aren't in any particular order because how could I rank them

wei wuxians last words being jiang chengs name. I can never and will never be normal about this

when they get back from their yin iron hunting adventure and are kneeling in the throne room waiting for jiang fengmian to come and scold them and wei wuxian is scratching jiang chengs shoulder sooo tenderly and they have their "what did I do in a past life to be cursed with a brother like you?" "in our next lives, let's be brothers again" exchange. something so tender about in the moment something so devastating in retrospect

when jiang cheng kneels in front of his mother and Tells her to stop hitting wei wuxian with zidian... a heartbreaking selfless act of love to disrespect his mother and put himself in harms way but also an interesting look into how and when jiang cheng decides that things are wei wuxians fault

in xuanwu cave then jiang cheng has to be Dragged Out Screaming in order to leave wei wuxian behind. makes me feel some type of way

I'm cheating here by combining several different moments from the same sequence into one list item but well I get to make the rules. but anyway when jiang cheng wakes up after his core is taken and wei wuxian sees him looking at the scars on his chest and is like don't worry I'll find a way to erase them. and then jiang cheng hits him and he's like if that's what makes you feel better you can hit me again. just the way that wei wuxian would do Anything to make jiang cheng feel better anything to see him smile. and then later when wei wuxian decides that he really Would do anything to take jiang chengs pain away and he's making him eat all his food, piling more into his bowl, before telling him anything about how they'll "get his core back" and jiang cheng in his frenzy and his trust eats his food with his chopsticks upside down. imagine I've said all of this in one breath shaking like a chihuahua

THE HUG ough I always forget how emotional it makes me until I see it again... "I was worried about you these three months" 🤧

the little flashback where baby yunmeng bros are holding hands and playing with each other.... absolute insanity

AAAAAHHGHHHBFDD when jiang cheng comes to the burial mounds. and wei wuxian tries to take his hand to lead him around but jiang cheng will not follow. and there are little moments that are Almost normal because affection comes so naturally but also because you can tell that wei wuxian is trying So Hard to make it seem like everything is okay, like it's all still the same. wei wuxian saying that yiling and yunmeng are close and he can visit whenever he likes, and jiang cheng telling him to stop being foolish. "no precedent? I'll be the precedent!" "wei wuxian, do you have to make me spell it out? if you keep protecting them, I won't be able to protect you". their whole conversation in the cave - jiang cheng full of concern, not even angry, trying to get wei wuxian to make the safe and easy choice, the one that will keep them together, wei wuxian, who Always carries the burden, trying his hardest to protect jiang cheng and their sect while still doing what he knows is right but never letting jiang cheng see even a drop of his pain and his heartbreak. "you are asking for the moon again". how they're both sort of just in disbelief of the other person as they agree to the fight

waaahg when they're goofing around about the soup with jiang yanli at lotus pier after jiang cheng eavesdrops on their conversation... soooo siblings and the last little bit of light and innocence before it all falls apart 👍

and last but most certainly not least goes to the entirety of their interaction in guanyin temple. jiang chengs childish rage, the way wei wuxian just sits there and takes it, "why didn't you tell me!" "because I didn't want to see you like this", wei wuxian wiping away jiang chengs tears, the way that throughout their entire conversation until that point you can see wei wuxian almost reach out to touch jiang cheng several times before clenching his fingers again, the fact that even tho they reveal secrets and give apologies and explanations it is Not all said and done, their relationship, realistically, is not fixed with a single conversation, there is still work to do but you know that it will be done

honorable mention to "take care" followed by The Flashback... technically the scene is About yunmeng bros but they aren't actually interacting so I didn't include it in the main list. something about the seed of their reconciliation being planted by jiang cheng committing the truly selfless act of letting wei wuxian go. the way that it would have been so easy and so in character for jiang cheng to reveal the monumental secret of his own sacrifice, to hold it against wei wuxian, just one more thing he believes he is owed, but in a moment of growth all jiang cheng wants is for wei wuxian to be well. okay.

[accio-victuuri]

OMG it’s the 31st. Happy Birthday Weiying!!!!! 🎂 My Darling boy, you deserve the world.

It’s a good time to bring back Xiao laoshi’s essay on WWX 🤍

What kind of person is he? What is it about him that draws me in the most? These are questions that I've been asked on an almost daily basis.

To me, he was never just a passage of words; he's like a living being, someonewho really exists. His experiences and his life all fully appear before my eyes. So when I'm asked this question, I answer without needing to think: his kindness, his warmth, his perseverance, his optimism.Thinking about this again after a year has passed, I feel as though even these words cannot accurately describe him! Today it suddenly hit me, isn't someone who shines so brightly as dazzling as the sun?!

"Born with a smiling face, no matter what difficulties he encounters he won't take it to heart. No matter what situation he's in, he still remains happy..." This sentence destined him to a life of burdens!

He's like a brilliant streak of fireworks piercing the night sky, his passion and sorrow explodes in the darkness, and amidst the onlookers' gasps and sighs, hefinally falls from the sky and disappears...

"Attempt the Impossible", this family rule sowed the seeds of justice in his heart. He was brought home by Uncle Jiang at a young age, and having experienced the destruction of Lotus Pier, the passing of his loved ones, and the loss of his golden core, he was thrown into the Burial Mounds, forced to cultivate the demonic path, and became a demon and a freak in the words of others! His life was no longer up to him, he was forced to grow up! He could only continue to stay strong in spit of the disapproval thrown his way time and time again.

“Defeat the evil and help the weak, have a clear conscience." He would rather tell the world that he betrayed the Jiang Sect, than sell out the Wen siblings who helped him in the past. He also didn't want his brother and sister be the target of people's gossip and criticism. Was it that he didn't understand? No, he understood better than anyone that once he had made this choice, he could never turn back. How can the sects accept a "freak" like him? He was destined to be cast aside by the world. The promise between the three of them at Lotus Pier was also crushed and dissipated into the darkness as he "walked the lonely bridge to the end." That year he was only an adolescentin his teens!

Who doesn't want to take the bright and easy path? It's not that he didn't want to,but it was never a choice. He could only protect his initial vows and heart with everything he had, against the world’s criticism, malice, and slander. Lan Zhan and Shi-Jie were his beacons of light in the darkness, the only ones that could illuminate this lonely bridge!

Yes, even until the end he's still smiling, because he finally found his light. No matter how much time passes, if you guys can see him again, I hope you can hug him, and tell him: You're really great,the loyalty and justice you protected with all your heart did not go to waste! You don't need to trudge in the darkness, because you're the brightest existence!

[plan-d-to-i]

Ok I'm so confused. Is Wei Ying an unreliable narrator or not? Because I don't think he is one of those, but I see people refer to it all the time.

In what categories he appears to be unreliable? Like... what does that even mean? Pls help.

The issue is that this fandom tries to dismiss Wei Wuxian's narration as unreliable because they want to argue that's the reason their shitty fav looks bad- their shitty fav usually being jiang cheng. Wei Wuxian's narration when it comes to the jiangs however is always much kinder than they deserve. He sees YanLi and and Jiang Fengmian through rose colored glasses. He tried to downplay the whippings, punishments and ill treatment he received at YZY's hands, and he usually gives jiang cheng the benefit of the doubt, or doesn't always grasp the full extent of his shittyness. For example when jiang cheng shows up at the Burial Mounds Wei Wuxian did not expect jiang cheng to suddenly attack Wen Ning and try to destroy him. Wen Ning is only saved because Wei Wuxian's reflexes are still better than jc's even without his core. He doesn't expect jiang cheng to try to "repay" the immense life debt he owes the Wens by forcing him to send them to their death and leaving him no option but to defect. This moment is another one where WWX mistakenly projects his own caring thinking on jiang cheng. Even in the Guanyin Temple at the end Wei Wuxian is still taken aback by jiang cheng's vitriol and ingratitude.

So yes, the times Wei Wuxian's narration is unreliable is when he's just downplaying something done to him, downplaying his pain, physical and otherwise, downplaying his needs, or uncertainty and the difficulties he's going through. In those moments it's important to look at the actions, at what's actually happening around him and understand that just bc he doesn't bitch and moan and whine like jc about everything he's still carrying an overwhelming burden, he's still being treated unfairly, his sacrifices still come at a cost.

[vrishchikawrites]

Hello, this is the prompt I wanted to send you.

WangXian fic set during the sunshot compaign after one of their famous fights. They stumble upon an array that shows the future and It activated when WWX touched it. The array started showing glimpses of married and in love WX going on dates (yunmeng date), night hunting together, kissing, pillowtalks and aftercare, adopting children, teaching at the CR... YLLZ! WWX feeling jealous and bitter and not understanding why. The reveal that LWJ's husband is WWX, his falling out with the Jiang sect and JC's role in his death. Basically a fic where YLLZ! WWX finds out that after all these hardships he is finally going to be happy, have his own family and be with the love of his life where he is loved, cared for, respected and appreciated. And longing to have that future with LWj.

It can be a fix it fic with a happy ending please.

Posted on Ao3 here

Alternating POV - Wei Wuxian - Lan Wangji - Wangxian - A bit angsty with happy ending - Mature. Betaed by Moonyju.

I hear your heart beating in your chest

Wei Wuxian isn't the one to dwell on the past or look towards the future. He lives every day as it comes and faces every challenge without carrying burdens forward.

He has never planned for his future, not really. Some vague dreams here and there, but nothing real. Wei Wuxian learned at the tender age of four that the future is unpredictable. One day you wake up to your mother's warm smile and your father's gentle words. The next day, you have lost those things forever. Life has proven this to him repeatedly.

Future is uncertain, present is the only certainty Wei Wuxian believes in.

So, when he and the illustrious Second Jade of Lan stumble into an array while rescuing a few civilians. An illusion of sorts surrounds him, obscuring the real world outside the array. He doesn’t pay much attention to what it reveals. Instead, he focuses his attention on the array itself, carefully examining its intricacies. A single glance is enough to tell it is some sort of temporal array, a shade of what cultivators use for preservation purposes. But it also seems to have some form of an illusionary element to it. He tilts his head to the side and crouches down to study it.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan calls, almost in warning but Wei Wuxian is content to ignore him for once. Lan Zhan has always drawn too much of his attention and it rankles now more than ever.

Another quarrel, another needless argument about Wei Wuxian not understanding the depth and implications of his actions. Sometimes he wonders if Lan Zhan intends to sound as dismissive or haughty as he does when he confronts him about Mo Dao. He likes to believe Lan Wangji is above such petty things, but the man’s dogged refusal to accept Wei Wuxian’s path and his relentless quest to fix something that can’t be fixed is getting on his last nerve.

“Wei Ying,” He looks up at the sharp tone, meeting a pair of golden eyes in question only to be arrested by something akin to embarrassment tinting Lan Zhan’s stoic features. He glances towards the illusion and stills, somewhat stunned by the scene before him.

It is Lan Zhan. Or a version of him. He’s broader, with more mature features and a much sharper gaze. But that’s not the most astonishing thing, no.

Lan Zhan is… kissing someone.

It is someone shorter than him, with long hair tied up and away from a fairly pretty face. Wei Wuxian eyes the way Lan Zhan cradles the face and guides it towards his kisses, gentle and full of affection.

It entrances him for a moment. He can’t help but stare at the scene, taking in how Lan Zhan seems to lean in again and again, to press closer like he can’t get enough. His heart races and he doesn’t really understand why it is suddenly so…

“Wei Ying!” He drags his eyes away from the illusion and looks at his Lan Zhan, who seems increasingly flustered despite the relatively calm expression on his face. His ears are bright red and he’s pointedly not looking in the illusion’s direction.

He smiles teasingly, “Aiya, Lan Zhan, it looks like the older version of you is more relaxed.”

“It is a trick.” Lan Zhan protests immediately but Wei Ying dips his eyes down to scan the array again and shakes his head. There are several clues that highlight the array’s purpose clearly. Lan Zhan is no less knowledgeable than he is so he must see it too.

The denial is already fading from the Second Jade’s features and Wei Wuxian stands up, brushing his knees absently. He glances at the illusion and feels something strange pool in his stomach, something like dread, when he sees the pair again. Lan Zhan is pressing the strange person to the tree behind them, pinning her- no-

He peers closer, swallowing when Lan Zhan’s hand disappears into the person’s robes. Lan Zhan’s… companion is clearly not a woman, that much was apparent at first glance. But it is even more apparent when those robes fall open under Lan Zhan’s questing fingers.

Somehow, that feels worse.

He struggles to maintain his composure and fixes a grin on his face, “Well-” The scene shifts abruptly and Wei Wuxian barely withholds a gasp, his eyes immediately drawn to the older Lan Zhan’s peaceful face. He’s sleeping, his arms wrapped loosely around the same companion from before. The room around them seems like it is in Cloud Recesses, perhaps Lan Wangji’s home?

His eyes turn back towards Lan Wangji and he takes a careful breath, heart aching for some reason. He pointedly doesn’t look at the man’s companion and silently turns to look at the array again. The time element is solid, undisturbed and clean. More than a simple illusion, a clear glimpse of the future.

But…

He looks up and the scene has changed again. Lan Wangji is with that man again. They stand side by side and the man is leaning against the Second Jade brazenly but Lan Wangji doesn’t seem to mind. He has his hand low on the man’s back, a gesture that reads distinctly possessive. The scene wouldn’t be out of place in any family. There’s a husband, there’s a wife, there’s a child clinging to the wife’s robes, and there’s a young man standing before them with a smile that speaks of affection.

The array seeks to show people a glimpse of their future. Lan Zhan is seeing his life as a settled man of a good family.

Wei Wuxian doesn’t exist.

He takes a careful breath as that thought settles in his mind. He has always known his path is treacherous but something in him burns to see life move on so peacefully without him.

The world has never had much space for him. When he was a child, no one had space to let him rest. As a youth, his place at the Lotus Pier was small, surrounded by thorns. The space keeps shrinking and shrinking ever since he stepped out of the Burial Mounds. He imagines at some point it will vanish altogether and Wei Wuxian will be forced to vanish with it.

Melancholy doesn’t suit him but the ache of it strikes him powerfully now.

The sight of Lan Zhan moving on – they’re not even friends, what does he need to move on from? – shatters something in him.

He can’t summon a smile.

Wei Wuxian locks his jaw and ignores his racing heart as the scene goes on. The young boy saying something to Lan Wangji’s partner and the partner grinning in response.

Lan Wangji’s expression is soaked in affection, despite how stoic it appears. The corners of his mouth are softer and there’s a fond light in those golden eyes. Wei Wuxian has never seen something so beautiful.

He watches as the young man leans down and plucks the child off the ground and carries him away, both of them waving to Lan Wangji and his partner until they’re out of sight.

Wei Wuxian’s heart shudders when Lan Wangji discreetly pulls his partner closer and buries his nose in his hair, expression content.

Suddenly, it is unbearable.

He brings his thumb to his mouth, ready to tear into his flesh and disrupt the seal with his blood. It would take very little to get them out of here safely. Lan Zhan has seen enough good things about his life, there’s no need to linger.

No need for him to find out that Wei Wuxian wouldn’t exist during this peaceful time. He knows the man cares about him enough to be upset if he is lost.

Just as he’s about to bite into his thumb, fingers wrap around his wrist tightly.

Wei Wuxian looks up to see Lan Zhan gazing at him with wide, stunned eyes.

```

Wangji accepts what is happening almost immediately after Wei Ying shakes his head. He has always had a more intuitive understanding of spells and talismans. It is rare for Wei Ying to be mistaken in such matters.

So, this is his future. A glimpse of things that will happen a few decades down the line. Wangji is uncertain what to make of it. His ears feel warm as he witnesses the intimacy between partners. There’s enough affection written on his older self’s face to know the relationship is real.

He looks at his… companion. He doesn’t lack beauty. A delicate countenance, inky black hair, and a pleasing form. He looks almost alarmingly similar to Wei Ying, with only small differences. There’s an echo of Wei Ying in his smile and even the way he tosses his head back and laughs reminds Wangji strongly of the man beside him.

Only Wei Ying has never looked at him like that. This man’s face is flushed with passion, lips bitten red by his partner’s kisses. There’s a teasing sparkle in his eyes that makes his breath still in his chest for a moment. It reminds him of the expression Wei Ying wore all those years ago when they ran across the rooftops in Cloud Recesses.

How… is it possible for this man to be so similar?

He glances down at the array, trying to decipher what it seeks to accomplish. Wangji has never seen anything like it but there are enough familiar elements in it to deduce its purpose. It is clearly designed to show them their future, to create a sort of mirror that reflects images of their future life into the past.

Wangji tears his eyes away and turns to Wei Ying, a few questions already forming in his mind.

Wei Ying’s expression arrests him.

Wangji stills, unable to move his gaze away from Wei Ying’s face. There’s something bitter about his grimace and flinty in his eyes. He watches the scene with an almost animal expression, lips pursed in displeasure – furious – Wangji realizes with an indrawn breath.

For a short, heartbreaking moment, he fears it is disapproval, disgust for a cutsleeve relationship.

That impression doesn’t last.

Wei Ying’s hand goes briefly to his chest and something very much like open, raw pain crosses his face, wiping away the anger. The expression… is nothing close to disgust.

It is a short, unguarded moment and it ensnares Wangji completely. His heart races in his chest as several realizations happen in an instant.

Wei Ying is an ever-smiling sprite, mischievous as they come. He rarely shows any true sorrow and Wangji has only seen him show true anger three times over their acquaintance. It is easy to become convinced that nothing can touch the formidable Wei Wuxian. But standing there, looking at Wangji’s future with a bitter expression, Wei Ying seems shattered.

The expression is devastatingly open. In that instant, Wangji has no problem understanding Wei Ying better than he has ever before.

Wei Ying’s expression twists before every inch of vulnerability is gone from his face. It is wiped clean and almost cold, colder than he has ever seen Wei Ying be. He locks his jaw and brings his hand to his mouth, his movements stiff and sharp.

Wangji shoots forward, wrapping his fingers around Wei Ying’s wrist. He feels the pulse hammering under his fingers and his own heart races in an echo of it. Wei Ying’s eyes are sharp and defensive, hiding the pain that Wangji had glimpsed clearly before.

In contrast, Wangji feels almost breathless with elation, “Don’t,” he says, pulling Wei Ying’s hand away from his mouth. His hand doesn’t shake but he feels shaken. Wei Ying scowls at him, which is also something he has never done, “Don’t.”

“Lan Wangji,” Wei Ying says curtly, “This isn’t for me to see and we have seen enough. Let go.”

Wangji tightens his fingers, unwilling to let go. He studies Wei Ying’s face carefully, finding it unreadable once again. In fact, Wei Ying is uncharacteristically quiet, not teasing him about his future partner, not commenting on the cutsleeve relationship, not even mentioning his older self’s appearance.

The silence speaks loudly.

'Don't nurture foolish hope,' Wangji thinks to himself but it grows in him anyways. It is strange that a single glimpse of an unguarded emotion is enough to alter Wangji’s perspective so much, but it does and now he isn’t inclined to let the matter go.

“Don’t destroy the array,” He requests, “Something isn’t right.” Wei Ying should be present. The array shouldn’t focus on Wangji’s future only. He doesn’t know who the strange man is but he can’t imagine being with anyone but Wei Ying.

Is his heart so fickle? Can it stray from Wei Ying that easily?

It is unsettling to consider it.

“We can figure it out once we’re away from this illusion,” Wei Ying says, making a visible effort to muster his usual nonchallance but Wangji sees they way his eyes flicker away, looking at the couple in the illusion briefly before glancing down at the array like he can’t stand the sight of it.

“Wei Ying-”

“Aiya, er-gege, what are you doing to your poor Wei Ying?”

Wangji glances sharply at the illusion as Wei Ying stills, his arm going tense in his grasp.

The pair in the illusion are now closer and somehow their conversation is audible. The voice is strange but the cadence and rhythm is entirely Wei Ying, teasing, playful, pleasant.

Wangji’s grip tightens as he sees his future self pull his companion onto his lap, a spare Lan forehead ribbon in his grasp. It has the clan markings, it belongs to a clan member but Wangji’s ribbon is already on his forehead.

He swallows and feels the pulse beating against his fingers speed up as his future self wraps the ribbon around his partner’s forehead.

“Wei Ying must wear it for today’s ceremony,” His older self says and his Wei Ying sucks in a sharp breath, his hand going lax in surprise, “Xiongzhang has requested it.”

“Well, if Xichen-ge has requested it, this one must obey,” Wei Ying sounds… happy. And it is Wei Ying. The face is different but the smile, full of mischief and life, is the same.

“What… is this?” His Wei Ying asks, baffled. He looks down to study the array more keenly, trying to determine why the illusion looks different.

Wangji is hearted to see the stiffness of his features melt into curiosity, “Lan Zhan, why would the array alter my appearance and not yours?” He asks, no longer attempting to pull away from Wangji.

The illusion is still playing in the background, showing what will happen several years down the line. But Wangji isn’t curious now. The present is so much more interesting.

Wei Ying is looking at the array, the conversation in the background is cheerful, full of intimacy and affection, the pulse against his fingers is still beating rapidly.

There’s a flush crawling up Wei Ying’s neck.

Wangji observes. He sees the blush crawl further and settle on Wei Ying’s cheeks. He sees teeth digging into soft lips, anxious. He sees eyes flicker towards him, towards the illusion, before moving away.

‘How can I bear it,’ He asks himself and gives in. He pulls the hand in his grasp to his mouth, pressing his lips against the center of Wei Ying’s palm and closing his eyes.

---

Wei Ying fears his heart will fail if this continues. The lively chatter of a couple in love surrounds them and his Lan Zhan is pressing his precious face against Wei Ying’s hand, cool but utterly content. The feel of his petal-soft lips against the rough skin of his palm is enough to drive him to distraction.

He doesn’t know how to react or what to say. He doesn’t want to pull his hand away but there’s a strange, almost unsettling sensation low in his stomach, not unpleasant, but very unfamiliar. Wei Ying has flirted with people before but he has never felt any true attraction towards them.

But the longer he remains inside this array, the more he learns about himself.

Lan Zhan moves, taking a step closer, dipping his lips lower to brush against Wei Ying’s exposed wrist.

His breath trembles as he gasps. The sensation is almost sharp, knife-like. He feels his entire body change and respond to it. He feels his fingers curl, his hair stand on end, and his body lean forward.

There’s a flash of teeth.

“Lan Zhan,” His voice is shamefully raw, everything he feels is written in the tone of it. Lan Zhan reacts immediately and Wei Ying goes, helpless against him. Lips slide over his and a warm, strong body presses close. The kiss is harsh, full of tongue and teeth. Desperate like Lan Zhan has been holding himself back and has finally been granted permission.

Wei Ying sways in place, lightheaded as a tongue slides over his and licks the roof of his mouth. ‘What is this,’ he wonders dazedly. There are strong fingers around his wrist and neck, showing no indication of every letting go. There’s a slight popping sound in his ears and he absently notes that the illusion has dispersed but Lan Zhan doesn’t give him time to think.

He yelps when Lan Zhan moves a hand down his back and grabs him under his thighs, lifting him up in a smooth movement. Next thing he knows, he’s pressed against a rough surface and his lips are captive again. His skin burns wherever Lan Zhan has touched it. His mouth feels raw and hot when they pull apart.

He stares when bright golden eyes look at him, edged with heat that he didn’t think Lan Zhan was capable of feeling.

It takes a moment for him to collect his thoughts under that direct gaze but he manages, his bruised lips curling into a teasing smile, “Er-gege, how shocking!” He leans forward, confident that Lan Zhan won’t drop him, “Look at what you’ve done to your poor Wei Ying!” He lifts the hand Lan Zhan had kept captive, showing off the redness he can feel around his wrist.

Lan Zhan glances at it but there’s no remorse in his expression, not even a hint of apology.

Wei Ying feels a delighted laughter bubble in his chest at this new revelation. The reserved and taciturn Hangjuang-jun is capable of such passion! “My, my, who would have thought you’d take advantage of me like this?” He drapes his hands around Lan Zhan’s neck, bringing his lips close to a flushed red ear, “You didn’t even ask, just held me tight and took what you wanted. How bold! How shameless!”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan’s voice is lined with warning but Wei Ying doesn’t care. He feels utterly safe, utterly content, for the first time in years. What can touch him when he is in Lan Wangji’s arms?

“Is it always going to be like this?” He teases, “Now that you know I am to be yours, probably your husband or will it be wife? Will you kiss me… maybe even fuck me, whenever you wish?”

“Be silent.”

“Aiya, Lan Zhan, how can I be silent now? You have awakened my curio-” Another fierce, biting kiss interrupts him and Wei Ying laughs, delighting in Lan Zhan’s eagerness. Everything fades, all serious and practical considerations hold no meaning. Later, when he is alone in his tent, he will think about how unreachable this dream is, but now he is happy to submit to Lan Zhan.

---

War progresses as it must. Wei Ying continues to remain on his cultivation path but his touch is a bit gentler now. He isn’t as ruthless as he used to be.

It takes effort and patience. It takes many bitten back reprimands and angry words. It takes months and months of careful questioning before Lan Wangji understands the incredible, breathtaking sacrifices his beloved has made. Not even Wei Ying can stop him from seeking out Wen Qing and asking for her assistance. Not even his brother can stop him from offering shelter to her family in exchange. Not even Jiang Wanyin’s bitterness can stop Wangji from protecting Wei Ying.

He does what he must because he understands. That Wei Wuxian, the one from the array, had endured terrible strife. More strife than Wangji can ever allow his Wei Ying to suffer.

Wei Ying will survive and thrive.

Wangji will make sure of it.

[grewlikefancyflowers]

On how Lan Wangji mourned Wei Wuxian & how Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui parallel eachother.

So, I was thinking about how I don’t really buy the 13 year inquiry fanon, and it got me thinking about the ways LWJ did mourn WWX instead, how healed from his death, and how this contrasts Jiang Cheng’s refusal to move on from the deaths of his parents and JYL.

As we know, when LWJ learned of WWX’s death, he went straight to Burial Mounds, where he retrieved A-Yuan/LSZ and also brought emperor’s smile on his way back, resulting in him branding himself.

With no body to bury, and no shrine of any sort to visit, the branding serves as a physical reminder of WWX. Not only because he had the same mark, but because it also reflects the kind of person WWX was, as he got the scar in the first place saving mianmian. Something LWJ and WWX both share is their moral compass - they’ve always respected each other because of this. It is WWX’s selflessness and drive to always help others that made LWJ fall in love with him, so it is very fitting that this physical reminder of WWX is also such a clear reflection of who he was, and why LWJ loved him.

LSZ also serves as a physical reminder, but while the branding represents the initial pain of grief, LSZ represents healing.

Like the brand mark, LSZ is also a representation of WWX’s morals as he rescued him from the Jin’s encampment, and dedicated himself to protecting him and the rest of Wen remnants. With them being killed during the siege, WWX’s sacrifice would almost be in vain, if not for the fact that LSZ lived, LWJ knows that WWX would think it was all worth it, just for LSZ to live, and that is a great source of comfort for LWJ also. I think we can all agree that LSZ is a good boy, who embodies everything right with the world. Not only did LWJ ensure WWX’s sacrifice was worthwhile by giving him a safe and happy home, he also instilled within him, and lived by, the morals that he and WWX believed in (and he did a good job, WWX’s first impression of LSZ is what a good boy he is!) So LSZ represents healing, and working towards a better future. In contrast to Jin Ling & and Jiang Cheng, LWJ doesn’t tell LSZ about his family or the circumstance of his orphanhood, because he doesn’t want him to grow up with that burden. LWJ doesn’t want the cycles of revenge and debt that has plagued the past to rule the present. So LSZ is a representation of how LWJ heals from grief by working towards a better future and letting go of the bad parts of the past.

In this sense, JL is the antithesis of LSZ, in Jiang Cheng’s grief for his parents and his sister, he poisoned JL with his own bitterness and resentment - giving JL a complex about being an orphan, and inflicting on him this responsibility to avenge his parent’s deaths. Where LWJ doesn’t tell LSZ the truth so that he can live happily and not be burdened by the past, JC pushes all his grief and resentment onto JL.

Unlike WWX’s praise of LSZ, his initial impression of JL is that he’s rude, arrogant and selfish, and he later learns that he is friendless as a result of this attitude (in the same way JC never had any friends in his youth). This is a further indication of how JC, unlike LWJ, does not learn or grow from his experiences, and drags the future generations down with him. This is also reflected in JC’s management of Lotus Pier, the common folk in his territory are too afraid to even approach LP, due to his habit of torturing suspected demonic cultivators - his bitterness is ruining the legacy of the Jiang Sect.

So, where LSZ represents healing from grief and improving the future, JL represents refusing to move on and heal from bad experiences & how holding onto them hurts both yourself, and those around you.

And this is why the idea of LWJ playing inquiry for 13 years feels so out of character to me (aside from the fact that LWJ accepted that WWX rejected him, it'd be pretty rude to bother his soul for 13 years 😐). Because while LWJ never stopped loving WWX, he did not allow himself to get stuck in the past either, he built a life for himself, continuing WWX's legacy through LSZ, and continuing to live by the values that drew them together in the first place.

[fixielixie]

I hate post canon wwx feeling bad and guilty and feeling like he needs the cultivation world's "forgiveness" or w/e, tbh I want him to look back on all the shit that happened and be like actually YOU owe me and ESPECIALLY my son and best friend an apology

me too, anon. it's funny because wwx doesnt really seem to be burdened by what he did in his past life, but like people really really want him to have like Regret or feel Ashamed for how he acted. but when he said he was going to move on and there was no point on being stuck in the past, he meant it. even when he sees his past self when stuck in nmjs memories it wasnt this big "omg i was so wrong, so evil, so horrible, back then." he was embarrassed in the same way a lot of us are embarrassed about this our past selves did and looked like. post canon wwx in particular is not someone who is stuck on the past, but he's also not someone who shies away from it either. i also find it strange when people headcanon him as extremely upset when he talks about growing up on lotus pier, or anything really before his death, as if its something too painful to think about. in the novel wwx constantly thinks about the things he used to get up to in lotus pier/the burial mounds. wwx doesnt want the cultivations world forgiveness and more importantly he doesnt need it, he's at peace with whats happened in the past and is ready to get on with his life. i think its also why he doesnt really care about how he's been wronged, he's someone who doesnt prioritises words like "im sorry", especially if its coming from people he doesnt care about. words are expendable to wwx, i think its peoples actions that really get through to him (jyl cooking for him, jc chasing away dogs, lwj taking on all of these roles and more later on ect). one of wwxs greatest strength is how adaptable he is (mostly through a means of survival but that still counts), and how little of the shit that happens to him actually sticks. he's able to take a fall, brush himself off, and move on. its not until getting with lan wangji that he realises that yanno what, it's kinda nice to not have to hit the ground in the first place. idk i just love wei wuxian a lot

[uzunofu]

I looked through the chapters with the incidents you mentioned in this post, @crossdressingdeath. Brace yourself, it will be a long post.

First, "the one time [JYL] claims WWX as family (something which as far as I recall she does at no point before or after, certainly not where other people might hear) is also the one time where not doing so might negatively affect her".

She says it three times during that scene. The first two are in relation to her demand for Jin Zixun to apologize.

"A-Xian is a disciple of the YunmengJiang Sect. He grew up with my brother and I, and so he’s as close as a brother is to me. Calling him the ‘son of a servant’—I’m sorry, but I won’t accept this."

...

Jiang YanLi’s voice was soft, “Madam, A-Xian is my younger brother. Him being humiliated by others, to me, isn’t just a small matter.”

The third time:

Madam Jin raised her brows, looking Wei WuXian up and down. Her gaze was somewhat cautious, as if she was feeling displeased, “A young man and a young woman—you two can’t stick together all the time if nobody else is present.”

Jiang YanLi, “A-Xian is my younger brother.”

— ch. 70

To me, this last one sounds like a politely incredulous, "I just told you he's my brother and you're still insisting on this?" It's not a "no-no-no, it's not like that!", it's a "are you being serious right now?"

You are right in that she never does it before or after, but in this particular scene it's not about saving face.

You are also right in that she drops her demand for an apology, but JZxun literally stormed away, and then there was the Epic Confession from JZX and things got derailed. Did it seem like sweeping things under the rug at WWX's expense? Well, yes. But also, would it have done him any favors if she kept at it? I really don't know. It could've made things better, it could've made them worse.

Then, "stealing food from a guy who grew up STARVING ON THE STREETS even though JC had almost certainly already eaten".

“Fooling around again! Your sect leader, I, has already poured you a bowl and put it outside. Kneel for me to express your gratitude and go drink your soup outside.”

Wei WuXian skipped outside before he turned around and came back, “What do you mean by this, Jiang Cheng? Where’s the meat?”

Jiang Cheng, “Finished it. There’s only lotus roots left. Don’t eat them if you don’t want to.”

Wei WuXian attacked with his elbow, “Spit out the meat!”

Jiang Cheng, “No objections. I’ll spit them out and let’s see if you’ll eat them!”

Seeing that they started to argue again, Jiang YanLi quickly interrupted, “Okay, okay. How old are you two, fighting over some meat? I’ll just make another jar…”

— ch. 71

WWX doesn't generally seem food-conscious. This is reiterated later on in this chapter when the narrative mentions that when he first came to Lotus Pier, he was careful not to take too much or draw too much attention because he was afraid to be judged a burden. It's possible to read it as a confirmation: see, the soup incident several paragraphs earlier was serious for WWX even though neither JC nor JYL realized it. But I'm reading this in the opposite way: WWX used to be like that but not anymore. I also can't help but remember Xie Lian eating a steamed bun he picked up from the ground and saying that it's edible, it's still good, why waste food? We never see stuff like that from WWX.

JYL here doesn't take JC's side. In fact, she doesn't take anyone's side, she just wants them to stop bickering. Again, it's possible to say that JC is in the wrong here and WWX is in the right, so her not taking a side means silent agreement with JC. But really, I just don't think it's that serious.

A few chapters later, during LWJ's visit to the Burial Mounds, Wen Qing carelessly sweeps away WWX's things to clear a seat for LWJ. WWX goes, "Hey!", and Wen Qing also doesn't take him seriously. But no one tries to point at her and go, "See, she doesn't respect WWX, and she never apologizes for that." It's banter. Later on, it stops being banter between WWX and JC, but at this point, it's just shenanigans.

Then, the incident with the dogs and the tree:

Seeing how worried he seemed, Wei WuXian took the initiative, “Relax. I won’t tell Uncle Jiang. I only hurt myself because I suddenly wanted to climb a tree last night.”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng sighed in relief. He swore, “You can relax as well. Anytime I see a dog, I’ll chase it away for you!”

Seeing how the two finally made up with each other, Jiang YanLi cheered, “That’s the spirit.”

— ch. 71

She is happy because they made up and because this exchange seems like a tentative start to a friendship: "I'll cover for you" returned with "I'll protect you from your fears". Yes, JC used that fear against him in the first place — but he apologized and promised to make up for it. WWX falling from a tree wasn't directly JC's fault anyway; he didn't chase him up that tree and then push him down so that he'd get injured, he only told him to stay out of their room. It was a childish tantrum that led to unfortunate consequences. Not many children would willingly admit to a wrongdoing.

I also want to note that we don't actually learn WWX's leg was broken in this chapter. JYL says it isn't broken, it's probably not even fractured, and later on it's mentioned that the doctor cleaned and bandaged their injuries, but her assumption of his leg not being broken isn't refuted. We only get confirmation that it really was broken in chapter 87 when he shares this story with LWJ.

Finally, "JYL gets upset at WWX for breaking [JC's] arm".

Jiang YanLi, however, noticed [Wen Ning's] awkwardness. She asked him a couple of things and began to chat with Wen Ning outside. Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng stood in the yard.

[...]

After he drank a mouthful, Jiang Cheng spoke, “How’s your wound from last time?”

Wei WuXian, “It healed a long time ago.”

Jiang Cheng, “Mn.” With a pause, he continued, “How many days?”

Wei WuXian, “Less than seven. I told you before. With Wen Qing, it was nothing difficult. But you really did fucking stab me.”

Jiang Cheng ate a piece of lotus root, “You were the one who smashed my arm first. You took seven days, while I had to hang my arm up for an entire month.”

Wei WuXian grinned, “How could it seem realistic if it wasn’t hard enough? It was your left hand anyways. It didn’t hinder you from writing. It takes a hundred days to heal a wound to the bone. It wouldn’t be too much even if you hung it up for three months.”

— ch. 75

So: she wasn't even present during that conversation. After this, they part ways.

JYL doesn't really seem to have much of a role in WWX's life apart from comforting him and being placed on a pedestal. She mostly comes off as lacking because of the obvious comparison to Wen Ning. Even though he is just as gentle, he also stands up for WWX during the golden core reveal and does it spectacularly. JYL wields her social position, Wen Ning wields his physically indestructible nature (JC lashes him with Zidian, but since Wen Ning is a corpse, he can just keep talking). The circumstances, however, are different. Wen Ning has years of resentment built up, both for himself and for WWX, but to JYL Jin Zixun is a non-entity. The golden core reveal takes place in private and whether Wen Ning keeps going or stops, it can't make things any worse, but the Phoenix Mountain scene is a public almost-scandal and had she insisted, it could've gone two ways: either people back down because WWX has someone in his corner (unlikely, because JYL is a woman and JC, his sect leader, isn't in his corner) and admit that he didn't break any hard rules, or they use this as further ammunition against him.

I think WWX was right in the falling-from-a-tree-into-LWJ's-arms scene: JYL wasn't strong enough, so could she have caught him?

[saberspirit]

jiang cheng character analysis essay under the cut! bc he means a Lot to me (its 5 pages im sorry)

tl;dr my thoughts on his relationship to his parents, his relationship with anger and feelings of inferiority, what zidian represents to him, his siblings (largely about what led to him and wwx falling out), and my thoughts on reconciliation between him and wei wuxian in the end.

tw!!! for child abuse and death, also warning for spoilers for the ending. 

alternatively can be read on google docs for accessibility

foreword: by writing this it is not my intention to imply this is the end all be all interpretation, or that i know more than fans of colour (especially chinese/chinese-american fans). i’m looking at his character as a white fan and through a western lens. i understand there are nuances i wont understand, but i have tried and continue to look at him w/ an educated view point and i’m always trying to continue my own self-driven education. i’m as always open to criticism and correction, although i understand it is no ones job to do so. it’s purely an interpretation from someone relating to his themes that i talk about here. thank you for reading! 

Jiang Cheng has a very complicated relationship with his parents (understatement), though different from Wei Wuxian’s complicated relationship w/ them (some overlaps being given).

It’s obvious to me that JC identifies more as his mother's son than his father's—feels he has to be because surely that’s why he feels neglected and like he’s constantly being found wanting by his father (even if Fengmian does Not mean to come across that way and isn’t a cruel man). He identifies with his mother’s anger and feeling of not being what his father truly wanted or loved and I don’t think he realized the effect she had on him with her constant comparison game—trying to measure him up because Madam Yu used him as a playing piece in her constant warring with Fengmian and instilled a sense of otherness in him and his deep-rooted feelings of inferiority and not being Good enough, not being enough in general. And yet he still deeply loves them even through all that he’s been through because of them both.

He never grew up learning how love should be in a relationship; should be from a parent to a child. The love he learned is a different type of conditional love from WWX's (WWX being that he doesn’t trust it in the first place, knowing it will leave). JC receives love and praise but knows it comes from a silent arrangement: it’s transactional. He upholds what his parents want and he gets…a form of it. Jiang Fengmian loved him in a way that you just kind of do love family, perhaps without a real reason otherwise—not pretty, but it is as it is. Madam Yu loved him in a way one loves a possession: she saw too much of Jiang Fengmian in him and JC was a reminder of how unhappy she was and how much her husband didn’t seem to care about her or what she gave him. (This isn’t to downplay Yanli's role in JC’s life: I think she was truly the only one to show him unconditional love in a way that he understood and recognized but it's unfortunately different from siblings and fell on half-deaf ears when all JC really wanted was his father’s approval).

Madam Yu was (afaik) stated to not be physically abusive (aside from the whipping when the Wens came from Wei Wuxian), but she was one-hundred percent verbally and emotionally abusive (for example, punishing WWX w/ isolation from the family w/ seclusion, or in general just how she talked to JC and WWX). She broke those two boys and it's something that can’t be undone…and Zidian represents that trauma, abuse, and expectation and JC’s anger and resentment that was the product of it. It’s literally lightning in a whip form; able to bind without harm, but it’s primarily used to hurt; it can reveal a true form; control over it is only relinquished to one’s family and loved ones.

JC doesn’t just lash out verbally at Wei Wuxian when they meet in his second life, he literally does. It’s his anger under his skin like static, driving him forward and being unable to rest because he’s constantly looking for closure he can’t have. He resents how his parents and Wei Wuxian made him feel but it’s also the only thing he has of them, and he clings to that (and therefore Zidian). It’s the last thing, bar Lotus Pier, that he has of his family anymore, and he wields it like a weapon…because ultimately it’s the only thing he's known for a very long time. Anger is an easy emotion. He wears it well. It was an emotion he learned from his mother, and he is his mother’s son.

As a side note for Zidian: Jin Ling refusing to take it from JC in the Burial Mounds to me was very much about not wanting a goodbye. He's a stubborn kid—JC mirrored what his mother did to him in handing off Zidian before certain death, and I think Jin Ling realized "take care of Zidian" meant "because I can’t anymore". JC wanted Jin Ling to stay safe and keep a hold on their family's legacy, but Jin Ling refused it and stepped forward to protect JC—JL is tired of goodbyes and afraid of losing more people, but also that stubborn streak to protect his family back. He went into the fray himself even if it’s not what JC was asking him to do (but then to JC’s chagrin the kid never really does do what he asks usually, Jin Ling has a good head on his shoulders and he’s as stubborn and quick to anger as his jiujiu but he’s also as incredibly loyal and caring). And I think it's a good vehicle to show that JL is breaking that cycle for them both.

Back to Jiang Cheng and anger and his siblings though. Yanli is all about showing affection in her words and actions (ie. meal sharing, peeling the lotus seeds, etc). WWX struggles to show it in forthright actions, let alone verbalize it (he’s truly bad at it) so while WWX does love his brother and shows it in actions like giving him his golden core…it’s not something JC picks up on well, or at all because he doesn’t even get told about the core until the Guanyin Temple. Jiang Cheng is someone who needs verbalized confirmation and very obvious action. But then to be fair, JC is also not good at verbalizing his love and care (he and Wei Wuxian are two peas in a pod w/ this one). It’s often behind barbed wire because 1) that’s how it was shown to him and 2) because it’s safer and easier to hide behind anger. He really does use it as a shield to protect his real feelings because he’s used to his feelings being trivial and being thrown in his face, and is used to loss. It’s a buffer.

This leads to a problem: Wei Wuxian does love him unconditionally, but I don’t think JC knows that. When he’s faced with the golden core surgery after everything, it’s definitely obvious, but it’s so twisted up in being hidden from him, in his own fears and feelings of failure and reliance that it’s soured. And he struggles to reach out and be frank with his own worries.

And this leads and lends to the severity of their falling out (not the only cause, but a big player in it).

He deeply loves his brother, but it's also entrenched in his bitterness and fears. If it was initially hard for him to verbalize because of those issues (on top of being a teenager/young adult and his feelings of inferiority irt WWX), he’s now in the current day steeped in sixteen years of loss/grief/trauma. Of unresolved tension between the two of them because WWX never told anyone anything—even if that’s just how he is, nothing personal towards JC except maybe that it’s his little brother, his shidi, and he doesn’t want to put a burden on those he loves—and JC tried time and time again to believe him and in him.

The problem was that his trust got thrown in his face time and time again. His older ‘peers’ (clan leaders) mocked and insulted him to his face for his naivety, pointed out that what WWX was doing was an insult to JC and their family, that WWX’s actions disrespected him and that he should do something about it. WWX’s actions themselves alongside him never letting JC in on anything further isolated them and put walls between them. This sewed the seed of the idea for JC that maybe he was naive. That WWX couldn’t uphold his duty and promises to JC and their family while also upkeeping his own personal code of ethics. (Not that it helped that Jiang Cheng also started lashing out at Wei Wuxian in minor ways for not having Suibian, but he didn’t exactly know why, to his credit).

His trust was him trying to care for WWX through all they’ve lost, but he’s also under the immense pressure of leading and rebuilding his home while also being looked down upon for his inexperience and ties to the man the cultivation world loathes.

Jiang Cheng believed WWX when he said he'd help him, wanted him to and expected him to. That’s his big brother and ultimately family comes first, so it was out of the question that WXX wouldn’t uphold that duty to him. Jiang Cheng is barely an adult as Sect Leader and was still a teen when they lost everything, so of course he wanted to rely on and believe Wei Wuxian when he said he'd help. JC doesn’t usually rely on others—I’d wager he hates relying on WWX especially as a callback to the inferiority complex—but he lets WWX in when they have the “Twin Prides” talk, lets him in when he promises JC to help him rebuild their home…and then WWX lets him down several times.

Post Burial Mounds there are signs that JC notices, if not consciously then subconsciously, that something is off with his brother (the demonic cultivation, the flute, the lack of Suibian, his weakness when pushed, etc), little things that he noted but didn’t have the time during a War to think too deeply on. He’s more relieved to just have him back where he can see him, happy that his brother can help them. Jiang Cheng gives him his vote of confidence in his abilities, in him, because he never thought of WWX or his methods badly (having been a fan until it became a symbol of losing Wei Wuxian to Something Else). Even if he had thought something of it, did have a concern, they don’t easily talk to each other now.

That much is obvious when after various meetings post the Sunshot Campaign as WWX is struggling with his temperament and resentful energy, after WWX saves the Wen remnants from the Jin Clan, and Jiang Cheng shows up at the Burial Mounds. He still believes in Wei Wuxian, still is bound to help him, and wants to help him. He’s willing to sacrifice the Wens for his brother. His actions and words are not pretty, but by god is he desperate. Jiang Cheng wants to save him and hides it with harsh words because once again he’s not good at being forthright with his feelings. He’s at his wits’ end, he’s barely 20, and suddenly he's losing Wei Wuxian too. It’s not about them being Wens because at this point he’s aware they’re helpless—it’s because it’s WWX and he’s supposed to make the right decision and be competent. It’s freshly post-war and he’s scared: his big brother is leaving and he feels powerless and he Hates that. Once again feels like he’s not good enough. Not good enough to save WWX, not good enough to lead, and he’s under intense scrutiny. He tells WWX as much that at this point he can’t help, and it hurts him to not be able to. Jiang Cheng wants Wei Wuxian to help him, help him. It’s an admittance wrapped in hurt and hurtful words, and WWX throws it in his face because he can’t let him in.

It’s not meant in any malicious way. Wei Wuxian is also traumatized, scared and hurting and dealing with the changes demonic cultivation is causing within him. But this is a key moment when JC for once verbalizes his fears and WWX tells him, ‘good, you don’t need to worry, I don’t have anything to do with you from now on’. (And of course, WWX is doing this to protect JC, but this response is what JC is afraid of).

So we have two times that JC has tried really hard in his own ways to let WWX in. To rely on him and be honest with him and WWX ends up…breaking his promises and leaving him and their family behind. And to me, that explains his actions when the last time they speak before he dies (that we’re shown anyways). WWX is sitting down with Jiang Cheng and Yanli. JC is the one that set up them being able to meet him, the one that reached out even after they fought to make his defecting from the Sect look convincing. He was the one that told Yanli that WWX should be the one to give a courtesy name to her child.

And then WWX brings Wen Ning. Yanli is open to Wen Ning sitting in and enjoying their family tradition, but JC can't understand why. Why WWX chose these people over his own family. He resents it. When he says "you might not be able to come back, to your family" I can imagine how much it destroys him to hear WWX say "but the people I’m returning to are also my family". Because what does that make them, WWX’s siblings; what does that make the promises and the years spent raised together, the duty he had to them first. Wei Wuxian might return to the Burial Mounds, but Jiang Cheng has to return to an empty Lotus Pier. The ghosts of his parents and ghosts of memories of his siblings he’s never getting back (because Yanli will be in Jinlin Tai after her upcoming wedding).

Repeatedly over and over Jiang Cheng reaches out, but time and time again it’s like WWX is telling him he’s not enough: not enough for WWX to rely on, not enough to protect him, not enough for him to want to return to, not enough to be family.

Then the cultivation world comes for WWX and his amulet. Yanli is killed, as far as JC can tell, because of the mess WWX made, and once again he’s in the dark about everything. Then WWX dies and rumours swirl that JC killed him, and maybe he did, maybe he is his brother’s killer even if Wei Wuxian would call it a misunderstanding. He’s left alone with an orphaned nephew in Lotus Pier with his entire family, bar an infant, dead.

So Jiang Cheng spends the next sixteen years without answers, with WWX having reinforced his insecurities and fears that stemmed from the abuse he'd suffered during childhood and then died. Yanli died when she never should’ve been in danger in the first place, seemingly because of Wei Wuxian. And he's so angry. He lashes out at memories and reminders, lashes out at anyone who chooses that same path that WWX chose over his family.

By the time Wei Wuxian’s come back from the dead and JC knows it’s him, WWX is still deflecting, still hiding still not telling him the truth. The fact that WWX comes back at all hurts purely as a fresh opening of the old wound, but the fact that he doesn’t come to find JC, that once again JC and his family isn’t a priority and once again is second best (this time to Lan Wangji)?

He doesn’t kill his brother. JC sits him down in a room and tries to talk but old hurts rile up and he reaches for anger again. WWX isn’t forthright and it makes it worse, neither of them are good at communicating: too many things unsaid, that can’t be said, too many misunderstandings and neither of them knowing how to talk about it. JC has Fairy there and it’s a minor act of revenge. JC uses what he knows is WWX’s weakness to intimidate and immobilize him, but it doesn’t help either of them actually talk.

Reconciliation is going to require WWX being able to talk to him without deflecting and JC getting angry so easily. But by this point, he’s given WWX a lot of chances and it’s why I think they could and would easily post-canon. Jiang Cheng's starting to come to an understanding that WWX did and still does care about him. He didn’t give him his golden core for no reason, and JC starts to understand why WWX did it for him and that he knew JC well enough to hide it in the first place.

He started to reach that conclusion shortly after Wen Ning told him—oh the pain of it having been WWX's chosen little brother figure—and Jiang Cheng had gone around asking people to unsheathe Suibian. It's why he brought Chenqing to the temple in the first place.

I think it speaks to his maturity that he decided at that moment he couldn’t say what he wanted to tell WWX in the end. I think he knew neither of them was ready, but I also think it speaks of how much he misses and trusts WWX to have let him go for now…I think he knows they will meet again as long as they both live, and that they'll be better for having waited. After some time to think, digest, they’ll be ready to be family again and all that entails.

[rosethornewrites]

Friday NR, E, & M reading

The usual

Finished

Not Rated:

More creep!JFM and fem!WWX, by @angstymdzsthoughts (implied rape)

Snow Fall, by prettieburd (avadedrahetarra)

Lan Wangji hates winter and he certainly hates the snow.

Explicit:

Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely), by SnowyK

He was going to watch the lectures from the comfort of his own home, in comfortable clothes with his own bathroom and kitchen within easy access. He likes the security of knowing where things are, in control of his surroundings. Crowds were bad enough before, let alone now with the discomfort exponentially worse after months of solitary conditioning.

But.

The Jiangs are going.

--

Or: extended lockdowns have eroded Lan Wangji's already poor social skills, and now he has to survive sharing a bed with Wei Wuxian.

my body when it is with your body, by northofallmusic (tofsla)

The room is warmer in reverse, bronzed. Lan Wangji’s robes become a different kind of luminous. Wei Ying, pressed back against them, is soft-edged. The afternoon light wavers gently across that impression of him—his bare skin—his parted lips.

It is a good picture.

Mature:

apples falling far from the tree, by milkcartonkid

There has been a man hidden away in Cloud Recesses for as long as Sizhui can remember.

Unfinished

Not Rated:

Remembrance, by Allie_el

The morning of his twenty-first birthday, Wei Wuxian had fucked off without saying anything to anyone. No messages, no explanation, he just disappeared. Half a year later, he’d shown up again, but now with a creepy-weird husband trailing behind him and a five year old child in his arms.

The morning of Jiang Cheng’s twenty-first birthday, he woke up screaming.

OR

When a cultivator turns 21 in modern times they regain their memory of their past lives. Chaos ensues.

When Cold Breeze Blow, by Vanillagalaxiez

Wei Wuxian lived together with his ill brother, Jiang Cheng. And unfortunately, life hadn't been kind to them. With bills to pay, being the sole provider took a toll on Wei Wuxian's mental stability.

Wanting to ease his brother's burden, unknowing to Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng set out for work. Unfortunately, work wasn't easy to find. Eventually, one thing led to the next, Jiang Cheng soon found himself stealing money from an open car window.

However, things didn't sit well with the car's owner, Lan Wangji. A well-known and feared mafia lord, who most called, Hánguāng-jūn. Thinking no one steals from the great Hánguāng-jūn, Lan Wangji tracks Jiang Cheng home with the intent to kill, only to find a crying Wei Wuxian instead.

Explicit:

Birthday Party, by waffles_4_breakfast

What if Jin Zixun didn't attack Wei Wuxian at Qiongqi Path and waited until the party to attack?

A fix-it fic where Wei Wuxian gets to attend the party and an entirely different cascade of events follow.

chew me up and spit me out (nothing left to loose), by peanutbitter

The first time Wei Ying felt Lan Zhan’s teeth on his skin, he had once again been cooking dinner. It was a hot evening and Wei Ying had thrown on an old shirt that he was sure belonged to Lan Zhan at some point, since it fell loose on his body, hanging slightly from one of his shoulders. Wei Ying wasn’t a small guy, but Lan Zhan was broader and stronger than Wei Ying, and it was as he thought about it that Wei Ying felt the tingling on his shoulder, letting out a yelp, lifting one hand to rub at the spot, only to have his fingers meet soft strands instead.

Lan Zhan had bitten his shoulder. - Wei Ying lives with his best friend Lan Zhan, who he happens to have a crush on, that's slowly getting difficult for him to hide. It gets extremely difficult when Lan Zhan seems to think Wei Ying is his chew toy.

Mature:

Come From My Inkstone, by magicgenetek

“So your plan,” Nie Mingjue said dubiously, “is to move into the Burial Mounds to write and illustrate erotica about you and Lan Wangji seducing the Yiling Patriarch to earn his trust and sell the public on the idea that he's not a threat, then convince him to give up the Yin Tiger Seal?"

“The way I said it sounded better,” Nie Huaisang said. “And you forgot the part about me seducing the Ghost General, that is crucial.”

“I hate this, and as your brother, I am begging you not to actually stick it in a fierce corpse. How much money do you need?”

Jiang Rising, by eebee

Jiang Yanli is done with everybody's bullshit, and she's done with being calm and demure. Let them remember she is the daughter of the Violet Spider. She isn't so coarse, but she is iron inside as well. Given the gift of a second chance, she's going to make sure they do better this time.

[fytheuntamed]

I used to see WWX as sunshine incarnated and how it hurt me when I realized that it's mostly just fake and he's really not. I thought he was such a genuine person and when I realized that he hides so much of himself that he's not very genuine at all my heart broke a little and I needed to share my feelings. I still love him though, but it was a huge shock to me that everything I initially fell in love with was actually wrong. I hope this little ramble wasn't a bother.

Hello, anon! First off, you’re not bothering me at all; even if I can’t reply to all of them, I read and appreciate every ask I get. I’m sorry to hear you’re feeling a bit disillusioned with WWX; I know some would say he’s just a fictional character, but I think all of us here can attest to the power fictional characters have in impacting the lives of real people. Your ask made me think a lot about who WWX is, so I hope you don’t mind me sharing my own thoughts on the matter! Just a few disclaimers before I get into it: all analysis is based off of drama!WWX, as that is the adaption I know best, so keep this in mind as you read because I know his characterization varies a bit from adaption to adaption. WWX also happens to be my favorite character from the show, so this could will get long :’) I’m also going to continue on with the assumption that you’ve seen the show in its entirety!

I think one of the most important things to understand about people, fictional or real, is that we, like ogres, have layers. This is just what happens when you exist in a world where different settings with different people bring out different sides of us as dictated by societal norms. Does this make someone fake? I would say no, mainly because I think there’s a difference between acting “fake” and being fake. Anytime I speak on the phone with a stranger I automatically assume my “telephone voice,” which sounds quite different from my talking-with-friends-and-family-voice. I don’t leave such phone calls thinking to myself, “wow, I’m such a fake,” because I know that when speaking with strangers, being more polite than I would be around close friends and family is respectful. I think what it comes down to for me is, regardless of how I am presenting myself, am I staying true to my beliefs and values? This is why I think WWX is in fact very genuine, and I would also argue that it is his genuine nature (once revealed) that attracts LWJ to WWX.

Returning to the idea of people having layers, we must recognize that people are not static; we are constantly reacting to our settings and thus our moods fluctuate accordingly. WWX is sunshine incarnate, but he is also someone who has suffered a great deal over the course of his life. To expect him to smile no matter what is a cruel burden to impose on him, and I believe it is a burden he feels in canon. Because both Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu impress upon WWX that he must keep Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng safe, that they are the priority, WWX feels compelled to smile and put on a strong facade so that he doesn’t crumble and fall apart, thus “failing” his adoptive parents and siblings. So while these smiles may simply be masks to hide his pain, thus not “real” smiles, they do not make WWX himself fake, but rather (imo) reinforce his genuine nature because his motives are genuine, even if his smiles may not always be.

There are also times when he smiles and acts extremely cocky in front of others, only for this facade to immediately fall away the moment he is alone/out of the public eye. One of my favorite examples of this is in episode 26 when he questions Jin Zixun about the whereabouts of Wen Ning. The entire time he is there, he exudes a cocky disregard for formality and the established hierarchy, even going so far as to say, “If I, Wei Wuxian, want to kill someone, who can stop me? Who would dare to stop me?!” Once he has the information he needs and turns to leave, however, we immediately see the cockiness fall from his face to be replaced by one of...remorse? I’ll let you guys decide for yourselves.

[gif credit]

I think it is worth noting that his facade fades once he looks at LWJ, because LWJ is one of the few people at this point in time who WWX respects, and whose opinion of WWX still holds value to WWX. And so again we see that WWX’s outward behavior does not seem to align with his inner feelings. Look at the situation that WWX is in, though. He is just one man, albeit a powerful one, going against the biggest, most powerful clans. If he shows an ounce of weakness, they’ll eat him alive. And so in order to stay true to his beliefs, WWX puts on a show. In episode 25 we also see WWX put on a show of shooting many arrows simultaneously while blindfolded. @cal3ris made an excellent post on here stating that WWX was not just doing this to show off, but that he was ensuring the temporary safety of the Wen prisoners by pulling off such a feat so as to ensure no other cultivator would attempt the challenge after him. In situations such as this one, it works in WWX’s favor that the vast majority of the cultivation world believes him to be nothing but a showoff with a big mouth. And of course, there is a part of WWX that does enjoy being in the spotlight! Especially if someone he wants to impress is watching~

At the beginning of the Gusu days flashback (ep 3), we see WWX before everything goes to hell. He’s constantly smiling, goofing around, and is a genuine gremlin of a lad. This is real! He’s a teenager in the flush of his youth, he’s with his beloved siblings, he’s smart and talented, the list goes on and on. For people who don’t know WWX, he comes off as a shallow person with no real depth who thinks of nothing but goofing around all day. For those who know WWX intimately, like Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng (though he’s less vocal about it), they know this is not the case. The point is, WWX doesn’t care what people think about him. He doesn’t care because he knows who he is and what he stands for. This is a huge part of who WWX is as a person: “I don’t care if they slander me, as long as I have a clear conscience.” It is also one of the defining things that connect Wangxian to one another, which brings me to the point of LWJ being someone whom WWX hates to deceive, because he greatly values LWJ’s good opinion of him. We see how much it pains WWX to put distance between himself and LWJ, but we also see that WWX is willing to do so if he believes it is for the best. In episode 20, after being reunited with Jiang Cheng and LWJ, we see WWX purposefully push LWJ away with cold precision. Once more he plays his role with practiced ease, but we see his mask fall as he watches LWJ walk away.

WWX goes from this:

[gif credit]

to this as soon as LWJ isn’t looking at him:

[gif credit]

Having just returned from the Burial Mounds, WWX is very unstable, both physically and mentally. For the past months that he’s spent in the Burial Mounds, survival has been his priority. We see this instability and the signs of PTSD manifest quite a bit throughout the Sunshot episodes. In episode 20 Jiang Cheng hugs WWX, who honestly seems at a loss as to how to respond. In episode 20 we see LWJ step towards WWX, who immediately steps back. We also see WWX shrink away from Nie Huaisang’s touch. This is incredibly telling because WWX is someone who likes physical touch and proximity. He’s constantly putting his arms around Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang and constantly puts himself in LWJ’s personal space (much to LWJ’s initial chagrin). I believe WWX’s behavior post Burial Mounds comes from a desire to protect himself from those around him as well as those around him from himself. [apt gifset here] Nothing about this WWX is fake to me. He is acting differently here because he is different. Trauma does not define a person, but it does change a person. Post Burial Mounds WWX is a different person, but he has not lost what makes him him, which is his strong commitment to his beliefs and morals. For WWX during this time, I don’t believe he has the emotional strength to relive his trauma to those closest to him, so he settles for brushing them off with excuses and yes, fake smiles. This also ties into WWX’s habit of internalizing his own struggles so as not to burden those around him. Hopefully at this point a clear pattern has revealed itself: no matter how WWX presents himself on the outside, he never compromises his beliefs.

After being resurrected in Mo Xuanyu’s body, we see a WWX who is far more reminiscent of the carefree teenager back in Gusu. We see WWX slowly heal from the traumas of his past life and we see him begin to smile again, not because he needs to, but because he can’t help it. We might be tempted to look at this WWX and think, “ah, this is the real him,” but I think this does a disservice to the complexity of his character. The point is, it’s all WWX. The pranks, the smiles that crinkle the corners of his eyes, the creativity, the cockiness, the way his laughter bursts out of his body at times and at other times comes out like a sigh or an afterthought, the way he looks out for the juniors, and both his quiet and loud rage are all what makes him who he is. Certain aspects may be muted at times, but that’s to be expected. WWX is by no means perfect, but I would say he is painfully genuine. Just think, would LWJ feel so strongly about him if he weren’t?

As I feared, this got way too long and I probably rambled and repeated myself and got off track, but it’s fine…..

[missholland]

“Shouldn’t I hate you? Can’t I hate you?”

“Why do you treat me like a fool?”

Jiang Cheng tearfully asked his adopted brother, and we could all feel the pain in his voice. He must have held on to these wonders for a very long time, even beyond the past 16 years when WWX was presumably dead.

JC grew up with WWX, and despite a rough start of having his puppies sent away, the two truly became close as a little JC promised to chase dogs away for WWX. I don’t have a brother, so I can’t personally relate to what it’s like living with one. I guess the fact that JC and WWX are same age supposedly make them best friends too. Male friends rarely sit down and talk about their feelings, let alone young men like these two. 

From the very beginning, we get to know JC as the more disciplined one and constantly looks out to make sure WWX does not cause any trouble. That makes a lot of sense, since JC bares the heavy responsibility of being the next Jiang clan leader, on top of enduring his father’s tough love and his mother’s unpleasantness toward WWX. For those who instantly fell in love with WWX’s free spirit, JC comes across as a massive killjoy.

Just think about it, the two did quarrel quite often growing up, as boys do. I’m not sure when it started, but WWX eventually develops a habit of not telling JC things. He could be seen regularly dismissing JC whenever the latter asks him a question. We got to see this several times during their studies at Cloud Recesses, and it’s likely JC justified it as WWX’s newly developed attention to LWJ. JC’s envy cannot be anymore obvious - from his rolling eyes every time WWX is around LWJ to snarky comments like ‘You’re so close to LWJ now, just stay in Cloud Recesses and don’t bother coming back to Lotus Pier’. As much as we all ship young WangXian, wouldn’t you be really upset if you were in JC’s position?

JC has a lot more to lose than WWX - his family, his clan’s reputation. Considering how his father tended to maintain a passive position whenever it comes to clan politics, JC would follow through with the stay-out-of-trouble mindset and prefer as least attention as possible during chaos. Unfortunately, that’s not how WWX operates. He simply cannot stand idly by when someone is in trouble. There is no such thing as ‘those irrelevant’ to him. If the weak is being bullied, he will step in to help in a heartbeat. This is why WWX is MUCH better off being a free agent like Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan. Once you live that major clan life, every step you take and every move you make represent your sect, not just yourself, no matter how many times you keep saying ‘Hey, you can slander me, but not Yunmeng Jiang clan’. JC knows this very well, and in his head he has to be the adult/bad cop to WWX as there is really no choice.

There is nothing wrong with having that ethos. JC just has completely different priority comparing to WWX, and that’s what he based on when making decision. JC’s intention has always been about protecting WWX, even after the event in Qiongqi Way. The reason for the downfall of their relationship comes from both sides: JC doesn’t know how to ask, and WWX doesn’t want to answer. Maybe because JC keeps go on and on about WWX better not bringing trouble to Jiang clan, WWX finds it more difficult to confine in him with his problems and eventually not tell him at all. Or, deep down, WWX already knows JC treasures completely different values. Hence, it is no use to share this sort of thing with him. That is obviously different from his experience with LWJ, as they made the same promise in front of Master Lan Yi in the cold cave and under the rabbit lantern. All of the above, in addition to JC not being conversationally gifted, keep the brothers further and further away until their misunderstanding becomes too deep to resolve.

I’m not team JC, but I feel for him when it comes to holding on to things. He remembers stuff and doesn’t let go easily. So when his adopted brother said ‘I will be your subordinate and assist you for life when you become clan leader’, that promise meant a lot more to him than the person who made (and broke) it. Besides, JC already lost his parents. With his sister getting married, he was practically all alone in rebuilding Lotus Pier and WWX’s help was supposed to be his greatest asset. 

But all he received in return is a flaky assistant who became depressed, drank all day, nowhere to be found when needed and just seem to give up life in general. JC probably considered him already having too much go on, and it’s just easier for him to scold others instead of holding back for one second to think ‘What happened to him? I need to find out and sort him out!’. We all know how everything went down after that, and it really echoes what JGY said to JC in episode 49: ‘If you had treated WWX better, none of this would have happened’.

Honestly, JC doesn’t deserve to be treated like a fool, which was what WWX kinda did to him. He started telling all of his burdens revolving WWX, from how WWX had always been winning in everything - from talent to chivalry, from the affection of their father/sister to the cost of their own lives. But that’s not the point. JC was aware of all that, but he was definitely never jealous of WWX’s qualities in a negative way. JC did not care about any of that, as long as WWX remained his loyal best friend/brother. 

This is where his actual deepest frustration unfolded - ‘What hardship could you not tell me’ is the most haunting question I’ve heard. JC knew there was a reason, but could not figure out why he was not the one WWX went to for help. He was getting to that point when capturing WWX in Qinghe, asking why WWX went elsewhere rather than Lotus Pier once he was resurrected. As ridiculous that question might be (I mean, would your first point of contact after coming back to life be the person who wanted to kill you before?), it was the confused and desperate little brother inside Jiang clan leader’s hard ass cover crying for answer from his former best friend/brother.

If there was ever any jealousy inside JC, I would think it gotta be toward LWJ. Sure, the closeness with WWX is one thing, but it’s weird to compare your brotherhood to.... you know, romantic/spiritual soulmate-level bond. I might be stretching this, but it just seems to me JC is somewhat envious of how LWJ can confidently (maybe, in his head, blindly) stand by WWX post-resurrection. 

The whole ‘oh you’ve been everywhere for 16 years looking for someone’ comment - I mean really JC, weren’t you doing the same too? The dirty look he gave LWJ when he took out Bichen and pointed toward Jin Clan’s guards to protect WWX at Jinlintai, when LWJ stood next to WWX against the cultivation world at Burial Mounds, when LWJ remained by WWX at Lotus Pier’s doorstep and even willing to wait OUTSIDE with him, when LWJ was taken to offer some incense to his family, and when LWJ still fiercely shielded WWX while having his spiritual power sealed at Guanyin Temple.

Deep down JC never stops loving his brother, but he’s just not willing to let go of the past. And sadly, he has probably never really believed in WWX anyway.��A lot of people may not be able to stan JC, but it’s still heart-breaking regardless thinking about how his relationship with WWX deteriorates through time. I guess the only comforting thing is that by the end of the series, both of them can move on with their lives. And hopefully, whenever they think of each other, it’s only with the good memories of sitting together eating shijie’s lotus soup.

[adhd-wifi]

Wei WuXian, Trauma, & ADHD (Part One???)

What’s up y’all I’m here with another ADHD-Wei Ying post, featuring his trauma this time. In case anyone is wondering, here’s the first one. Full disclosure, I have not formally studied psychology and mental illnesses, speaking only from my own experiences plus what I’ve researched to understand my own conditions and otherwise. Specifically, I will be talking about ADHD and its relationship with PTSD, but not as much about the latter as I know less about it.

As usual, this is long and rambly and contains a bunch of spoilers, so it’s under the cut we go. :P

== Line Break ==

Wei WuXian grew up with a strong sense of loyalty towards the Jiang Sect, especially Jiang FengMian, believing that he owed them for giving him a home, a happy life, and the chance to become a cultivator, but never truly considering himself a proper family member, mostly due to Yu ZiYuan as her abuse towards him often targeted the fact that he wasn’t a “true” son to her and JFM. She also often compared Jiang Cheng to him, and JFM never bothered to address that problem and continued to favour WWX. As a result, WWX, who didn’t see JFM’s flaws due to gratitude and being spoilt by the man, ended up blaming himself for YZY’s abuse of himself and JC, and this led to him growing up internalizing the idea that he was a “burden”. 

This is a common response in children with ADHD, since ADHD causes difficulty with emotional control and children in general tend to blame themselves when they are put into such a situation, so an ADHD-WWX would take this to quite an extreme (more on that later). Of course, we must also remember that he had been alone on the streets as a child for months, and there are surely factors of trauma involved in there. But I’ll also get into that later when I talk about this trauma as a whole. 

Moving on, after Lotus Pier fell, we know WWX’s sense of guilt and debt to the Jiang Sect increased severely, and then he went through three more extremely traumatic experiences, namely; the golden core transfer, being thrown into the Burial Mounds, then actively taking part in a literal war. This was basically the most traumatic period of his entire life, and he was incredibly driven by a terrifying desire for revenge against the Wen Sect, which JC encouraged. 

WWX maintained his sanity (for the most part) throughout all this. Of course, we do see him change drastically, his happy and positive personality almost completely gone, but for the most part, he seems…”alright”. Now, it’s important to note that WWX not EXPLICITLY showing signs of trauma is in fact fairly common, as people suffering from PTSD do often repress things and pretend things are okay, so take this theory I have with a grain of salt. 

That theory is because he’s “alright” because he’s used to the trauma symptoms already. To elaborate, ADHD and PTSD (assuming this is what he ended up with), actually have a lot of overlap, to the point that even today there are multiple cases of misdiagnosis between the two, especially in terms of childhood trauma. In my theory, I’m guessing that WWX honestly thinks “he’s fine, because the symptoms he’s experiencing are basically things he’s already lived with throughout his life, and they just “got worse” because he lost his golden core”. 

Of course, this begs the question: “What if he just has PTSD (as a child) and not ADHD then? He does have trauma from being on the streets and abuse with the Jiangs.” 

It’s certainly possible, and I will admit that part of the reason I so badly want to think that WWX has ADHD is because I have it and I relate to him, but it really isn’t the only reason. I do see signs of ADHD that aren’t inherently related to PTSD (they could be, as everyone reacts and responds to trauma differently, but it’s not likely). Said signs which I mostly copy-pasted from my previous ADHD Wei Ying post are: 

Came up with a wild and unorthodox solution for a difficult question despite already knowing the “proper” solutions (Literally just his head being full of thoughts and ideas that aren’t necessarily anxiety-based)

His idea of organisation is a chaotic mess to everyone else (Inability to recognise mess rather than the inability to keep things organised)

Obsessed with spicy food because everything else is is too bland (Sensory issues)

Locked himself in a cave to work on inventions while forgetting to eat and sleep (Hyperfixative behaviour)

Somehow remembered a short, nameless tune Lan Zhan played for him once despite there being several factors that should’ve led to him forgetting, all because that tune was a special moment between him and Lan Zhan 

Now, I want to talk about one specific trait that is a symptom of both ADHD and PTSD-related trauma responses, which is the fact that WWX reacts explosively when he’s angered, though he never reacts like that for his own sake. Let’s examine the two scenes when he punched Jin ZiXuan for insulting/hurting Jiang YanLi. 

In the first incident at the Cloud Recesses, he punched JZX and fought him badly enough to get himself expelled and caused JFM and the Jin-Thot himself to directly speak to Lan QiRen about it, but WWX is shown to have gotten over it fairly quickly, even playing with ants during his punishment and being proud of punching the peacock. In the second incident, which we know as the war camp soup incident, WWX again punched JZX but instead of fighting him, he angrily leads JYL away while making it clear that he thinks JZX doesn’t deserve her. We also know that WWX remained angry for quite a bit afterwards. 

While it’s obvious the second incident is much more severe than the first, with JYL actually present and brought to tears because of JZX, and also the stress factor of them being in the middle of war, it’s still also very obvious that WWX’s explosive anger response has very significantly worsened. The main difference here is the fact that remained angry afterwards, meaning he’s lingering on the incident longer, while he got over the first incident easily. This alone leads me to believe that the first incident was more of an explosive ADHD response, while the latter was the result of both trauma and ADHD. 

So anyways, this post got longer than expected and I’m honestly still not done. For now, I’ll leave this post as “Basically why I think Wei WuXian has both ADHD and PTSD”, and MAYBE post a part two about the specifics and comparisons of the two conditions. 

I would love to discuss this further with anyone who may have better knowledge of PTSD and trauma responses, because I do find Wei WuXian’s relationship with his mental health a really strong point of his character. So if you do had knowledge in that field, please let me know if I made any mistakes and feel free to ramble on right back at me. 

Thanks for reading!

[plan-d-to-i]

Plan i am going to scream in your asks because wtf did i just read????

https://haunted-radishes.tumblr.com/post/670521542480953344/okay-im-feeling-a-little-more-articulate

I don't even want to try. Like yeah he didn't know about the golden core but OP has so many points which are not even canon. For all they think JC saw demonic cultivation affecting WWX and was concerned He didn't fucking do shit to stop him and encouraged WWX to use it to win the war. The Jiangs only got disciples equal to those all great sects did because they were attracted by WWX. (You even mentioned this canon line recently in your post)

For all OP says about JC connecting WWX's change with Demonic Cultivation, does OP realize this can very much be a direct effect of war? None of us have witnessed a war that degree so we cannot predict what effects those have but war is brutal and we all agree on that. If people can say that JC should get time to handle his parent's death and the effects of war and the burden of a sect THEN even WWX deserves to get time to handle his loss of golden core and figure something out and fully overcome the trauma the war had on him (before the surgery it was his thought that he would figure something out and he's a genius he would have, in canon he didn't really get time because he was thrown into the burial mounds and had to survive). Also WWX doesn't exactly have many people who weren't wary of him after the war. There is so much going on with tensions high and WWX and his skills are really put at the center of it all. He is considered a weapon by the other people, OP. He is talked like someone has the right to possess him, like he isn't a human and has his own choices and conscious.

OP talks about WN like he hadn't risked his life and his sister's to save JC and isn't the reason JC even got his parents ashes (and a golden core). MOREOVER JC isn't only talking about killing WN. He is talking about sending little A-Yuan, Granny Wen, Uncle four, Wen Qing and all those civilian refuges to their deaths and asking WWX to return to serve under him. It was never about brotherhood or doing things together. If OP read canon with even an ounce of sense then they should know what JC wanted from WWX was total loyalty and lifetime of servitude (look at his attitude when WWX made friends with other sect people, like LWJ and LQY) and WWX would never follow a person who tried to kill innocents and sacrifice his morals for JC.

There were not many there in the ambush who would clearly state what really happened BUT JYL somehow still ran into the battlefield without any person protecting her back and did the same Jin Zixuan did. She asked WWX to stop it all and i'm really going to say it's not something you do when people are trying to kill you.

OMG OP did you even read the book??? If you say you watched the live action, did you even watch it???

JYL sacrificed her life to save WWX.

JC was fucking there

He saw it

He saw his sister give her life to safe WWX but he still planned to seize Burial Mounds for months and don't tell me it was from grief because it was months knowing JYL gave her life to save the person he was ultimately planning to kill.

No, JC was driven by his one tracked brain which was clearly not because he wanted to put an end to the deaths WWX was causing.

This is making me think OP just saw the first few minutes of the Audio drama where a family talks about the seize and consider the rumors going around as facts.

Why is it so difficult to accept that in CQL, JC swore to kill WWX at the nightless city and in Book, JC lead the seize proper to kill him.

It was never about putting an end to the misery. MXTX tried to show how rumors are harmful and incorrect in her book and, OP, you didn't even get the basics.

now, now they got some things right: "really fucking stupid" & "fuck shaped" function as a good summary of the whole...

Otherwise you said it all beautifully.

jc didn't have a problem w using WWX as a weapon he just couldn't stand him overshadowing him.

jiang cheng wanted to kill Wen Ning when he first visited WWX in the Burial Mounds. When he knew him as the guy who committed treason & risked his skin to save his ass and return his precious Zidian and his parent's remains. The only reason he didn't succeed is bc WWX was fast as fuck boy! and better than jc even without his core.

YanLi got killed by one of the very human ppl jc was gathered with pledging to put an end to WWX and the Wens. The same ppl jc enabled by isolating WWX and calling him the enemy of the entire cultivation world.

"Now, this was just one demonic cultivator, and Jiang Cheng’s best friend and the most talented man he knew. Imagine if this became widespread! Imagine hundreds, if not thousands of people" ImaGinE millions! zillions! lol The Jin Clan could only dream... After all they searched high and low and only found Xue Yang who could do shit w demonic cultivation. Of course jc in his infinite altruism and desire to protect all from the scourge of demonic cultivation certainly didn't bother going after JGS's fav. It's almost like that wasn't the reason for his 13 year unhinged vendetta... 🌝

Honestly I don't know what's worse, their reasoning or their rhetoric. xx