#comatose lan wangji

[wangxianficrecs]

and when you go (like summer gives to the rain) by Sweetlittlevampire

and when you go (like summer gives to the rain)

by Sweetlittlevampire

T, 19k, Wangxian

Summary: For Lan Wangji, loving or being loved inevitably leads to grieving. He's seen it happen countless times. When he's hit by a car and put into an induced coma for a few days, his mind wanders, and he gets the opportunity to revisit different periods of his life, and starts to reconsider his view on things. In his coma, he hears the voice of the boy he once loved but thought he'd lost - though that might have been just a dream. Or was it? Wei Wuxian volunteers at the hospital to reduce anxiety in child patients. One day, he meets a boy who's crying for his father. His day gets even weirder when Wei Wuxian meets the boy's uncle, who asks him for a special favour.

Kay's comments: Ah, I'm having a craving for hospital hurt/comfort stories recently and this one really scratched the itch! Featuring hospital volunteer Wei Wuxian and comatose Lan Wangji, who were teenage sweethearts until Wei Wuxian had to leave because of ~reasons~. Despite the premise of Lan Wangji being in a coma for 2 out of 3 chapters, this story is absolutely sweet and wonderful! There's also some Lan brothers feels in this and just Lan family feels in general!

Excerpt: “Do you know what my job here at the hospital is?” Xian-gege asks him. Sizhui shakes his head. “Well, if children are here, that’s because either they need to see a doctor, or they’re visiting someone,” Xian-gege says. “And hospitals can be scary, with how big they are, and how many people are here. So I am here to look after the children in the waiting rooms. I tell them stories or play with them, so they’re less scared. Would you like me to stay with you for a bit?” Sizhui gives it some thought. In the end, he nods. Xian-gege seems nice, and he thinks it’s better than to wait alone. “I have a book Baba often reads to me,” he tells Xian-gege in a quiet voice. “It’s also about a bunny.” Xian-gege smiles again. “Does your baba like bunnies? When I was younger, I used to have a friend who also really liked them. Would you like me to read to you from that book?”

modern setting, modern no powers, pov lan wangji, pov wei wuxian, romance, childhood friends, getting together, coma, comatose lan wangji, car accident, happy ending, angst with a happy ending, emotional healing, kid fic, sharing a bed, past xiyao, hurt lan wangji, hospitals, pov lan sizhui, @sweetlittlevampire

~*~

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

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Assisted suicide

Warnings: implied suicide, a lot of psychological distress on everyone involved and heavy angst.

Remember when I made this poll cause I was curious? This is what happens when I'm curious.

I am not liable for any therapy you might need after reading this.

Enjoy <3

...from then on, he could never move his eyes away.

Wei Ying laughed, melodious and joyful, and Lan Zhan was suddenly overcome with the desire to kiss him, safe in the knowledge that he could do it forever now, whenever he wanted, whenever his love threatened to burst out of him, so very grateful that Wei Ying would let him.

He reached to pull Wei Ying close, parched of the feeling of the other's body against his own, and Wei Ying's delighted squeal only served to fan the flames of desire inside Lan Zhan, who could no longer deny himself the feel of the other's lips against his own-

"Wangji."

He knows that voice. It's Lan Xichen, but what's he doing here, and where even is he? Lan Wangji didn't tell him where he'd gone off to, intent on spending a long honeymoon with Wei Ying, travelling as far as their feet took them with no set destination...

"Wangji, wake up."

Wake up? What's he on about? Lan Wangji is very much awake, on his feet, with his beloved in his arms... This really doesn't make any sense.

"Wangji, come on, you have to-"

Have to...? Have to what? This is confusing. Lan Wangji turns to look at Wei Ying, who's nestled into his arms like usual, seemingly oblivious to everything that's going on.

"Wei Ying. Did you hear that?"

He lifts his head, curious. "Hm? Hear what?"

"My brother... I heard his voice..."

Wei Ying sighs, the smile on his face growing just a bit sadder. "I think it's time for you to go back, Lan Zhan."

Lan Zhan is growing even more confused now, an unexplainable panic stirring from deep within, "Go back where? I want-"

Wei Ying reaches to cup the side of his face and kisses him softly, feather-light. "I love you, Lan Zhan."

"Wei Ying, what's going on? I really-"

Wei Ying is still smiling, soft and beautiful, but there are tears shining in his eyes, and his hold on Lan Zhan is becoming lighter, almost as if he's disappearing. "Just say it back, just this once, okay?"

Lan Zhan is trying to hold onto him, to feel him, but his fingertips don't grasp anything anymore, even if Wei Ying is right there, Lan Zhan can see him, can hear him, he doesn't understand.. "I-Wei Ying, I love you, you know I do, why-"

"I'm sorry. And... thank you. For everything."

"Wei Ying!"

Pain reels Lan Zhan in the moment he attempts to sit up, a hand reaching for his beloved. He doesn't register anything at first - for a few seconds, all that he is, is a panicked heartbeat. It thrums in his ears, and his chest rises and falls in quick, short succession, air suddenly insufficient.

His eyes, wide and tearful, take in his surroundings, but that only serves to panic him more, bile rising into his throat.

"Wangji, you need to calm down-" Xichen tries, grasping his hand, but Wangji takes it in his, forcefully enough for Xichen to wince in pain.

"Where's Wei Ying?! He was - I -" There are so many words Lan Zhan wants to say, so much he wants to ask, but words fail him, "He wasn't - He came back, there was a different body, the-"

Xichen sends him a pitiful look, but that only serves to make Lan Zhan angrier. "Why are you looking at me like that, I'm not - I haven't lost my mind, he-!"

"Wangji. He's gone. He's been gone for-"

"No!" He shouts, almost hysterical, "No, I know he's - don't lie to me! He was here, I found him, we- Chifeng-zun's death, we discovered the cause, it was - Jin Guangyao played him a corrupted version of Cleansing - the ghost hand, there was - Nie Huaisang-"

Xichen taps his forehead twice and Lan Zhan falls onto the bed. "You've been comatose for the past six months. You must have been dreaming."

"I wasn't..." Lan Zhan tries, but he feels lethargic now, like his body has grown too heavy, filled with lead. "I wasn't... It was real... It was... Wei Ying had returned..."

"A-Zhan, he won't return. His soul was shattered. There's nothing to return."

"No... you're wrong, you're wrong..." Tears fall endlessly down his cheeks, "Go investigate... Chifeng-zun died because of-"

"A-Zhan. A-Yao has never played Cleansing to him, only I did. He qi deviated because of the saber spirit, just like many of his ancestors have. I held him through it as he died. A-Yao wasn't there."

"No... No..."

"A-Zhan."

"No... it was... Nie Huaisang planned it all, he lured the juniors in Yi City, we caught Xue Yang..."

"A-Zhan, Xue Yang has been dead for a year now. Xiao Xingchen had him charged and publicly executed."

"There was... Wen Ning wasn't destroyed, he still..."

"Wen Ning's body has been cremated alongside his sister's. A-Zhan, you know all these things."

"No, no, it's not... there is no way... then... A-Yuan... Sizhui... where is he?"

Lan Xichen's eyes fill with tears and he looks away to hide them.

"Brother... where is he? Where is... I brought him back, I know I did!"

"He's gone, A-Zhan. He didn't make it... his illness was in too advanced of a state, we tried everything..."

Lan Zhan stares at his brother, incredulous, before his eyes suddenly empty.

"Leave."

"A-Zhan-"

"Leave. Now."

Xichen stays put. He can't leave, he feels like, if he does, this will be the last time he ever gets to visit his brother. The last time he gets to see him alive.

Lan Zhan stares at the ceiling, the pain and the distress from earlier turned into placid resignation.

"Leave, Lan Huan."

"What are you going to do?"

"I will do it whether you are here or not. Leave so you don't have to see it."

Lan Xichen clenches his fists so he can at least pretend he isn't shaking. "I've had a brother die in my arms once. At least let me be here with you when it happens. Let me -" he swallows his tears, hard. "Let me."

---

Thirteen years later, Wei Wuxian reincarnates.

[ladysunamireads]

Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear, Everytime You are Here?

Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear, Everytime You Are Here? by Asteri FloralWolf

Lan Wangji was trapped in a cave, becomes comatose and wakes up in another cave. Someone dwells in this cave and must have aided him. The fates of the other disciples that attended the Wen Indoctrination are unknown

And there is a detailed mural of him in the cave. What the Fuck?!

Words: 1356, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of CrowXian With a Twist

Fandoms: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Additional Tags: Crow Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Xuánwǔ of Slaughter Cave, Top Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Bottom Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn Isn't Adopted by the Jiāngs, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī Stays at the Burial Mounds, Crows, Miscommunication, Courting Rituals, Not Jiāng Chéng Friendly, he only gets mentioned once in Lwj's pov, Alternate Universe- Post Xuanwu without Wei Wuxian, POV Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47348332

[hleonaa]

When You Wake, 怎能当梦一场

By MouSanRen

He lay there buried under rabbit ears of wires, warmed by a thin blanket, breathing, breathing, never truly still, but never animated, either.

“A-Xian,” Jiang-gugu said with a forced smile. “Your son and husband are here to see you. And your nephew too. He will be coming very soon.”

A-Yuan ran up to Baba and held his hand.

Sizhui grows up in a changing world, but his comatose father can't change with it. His family is determined to give him the love and forgiveness they didn't give Wei Ying.

—————

Y’ALL it’s 2am and I just cried my way through this fic and gotta share. It’s one of the best modern AU CQL/MDZS fic I’ve read in a long while. It’s a deeply beautiful recounts of modern China through the eyes of Lan Sizhui and have I mentioned it’s an ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL piece of writing? It has everything from grief to piecing your family together to growing up throughout momentous modernizing years of your country to Lan Wangji’s canonical 13 years of waiting. My god please read this!!!

[robininthelabyrinth]

@craic-specialist said Listen, my craving for demonic cultivation bamf Qiren is ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 

And they were right.

Nocturne in D Minor - ao3

(series: Variations on WWX & LQR in Assorted Keys)

“It’s up to you,” Lan Qiren said to his brother, who he hadn’t spoken to in years – not since Lan Wangji had gotten old enough to pay his respects without assistance. “You don’t have to do it; it is not something I would force anyone into, not in a million years. But I will be doing it, and I can’t help them both by myself. I need you.”

Qingheng-jun stared off into the distance, his eyes blank and vacant.

“We’ll die,” he finally said.

“Probably,” Lan Qiren said, because it was true. “I would even say that it is more likely than not. But…they’re your sons. Your legacy.”

That made his brother finally shift his attention to him. Lan Qiren wasn’t sure if it was the appeal to the connection they had, the fact that Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji were the only things his brother had left of his wife, or merely the appeal to his vanity, the thought of what he would leave behind in the world – he who had been so promising and so praised and yet accomplished so little, all through the consequences of his own decisions.

Still, it didn’t matter to Lan Qiren why his brother agreed to do it, only that he would do it. Lan Qiren wouldn’t, couldn’t, force a decision of this magnitude, but that didn’t mean he didn’t believe wholeheartedly that it was the right thing to do.

The only thing to do.

“How would you accomplish it?” his brother finally asked, and Lan Qiren couldn’t help but exhale in shaky relief, the fear that had been consuming him finally given vent – he’d agreed, then. He’d do it.

His brother had finally, finally, at the end of all things, lived up to Lan Qiren’s expectations.

“There was a promising medical paper presented in one of the discussion conferences,” he said, deciding to omit the fact that the author of the paper was a Wen, and a young woman, and that he hadn’t even asked her to do it as of yet. They could deal with that after they dealt with the more immediate problem. “It raised the suggestion that a golden core could be transferrable from one individual to another, particularly if the donor and recipient both cultivated in a similar tradition – it was a throwaway reference only, but having reviewed the evidence I believe it is possible, especially if the donation is given voluntarily.”

He also omitted to mention that such a donation could only be done with someone of exceptionally strong cultivation, as no one else would be able to endure the agony necessary to persist, awake and focused, through the entire lengthy surgical process. There was no need to mention the obvious.

“Wholly untested, then.”

“Of course it’s untested,” Lan Qiren snapped. “Who in their right minds would agree to donate their golden core, of which any person can only have the one in their lifetime, in any circumstances but the most dire? My nephews, your sons, are lying in some rotten hut in the middle of the woods, comatose and unaware – and I was the one to put them in that state myself, all so that they don’t wake up in time to realize that their golden cores, their futures, have been destroyed. I want them to wake to a world where that isn’t the case.”

“Even if we do what you suggest,” his brother said, “the world they wake into will be one where the sect they would have inherited has already been destroyed.”

“You cannot say that our sect has been destroyed as long as it has people to continue it,” Lan Qiren disagreed. “If they are restored, our sect lives on…it’s not just their futures at stake here. It’s all of ours – you, me, our ancestors, everything that was put to flame and sword by the Wen sect.”

The attack on the Cloud Recesses hadn’t been a warning the way it had been when the Jiang sect was burned, their sect leader and his wife gravely injured, both heir and head disciple captured and brought to the Nightless City while the daughter had fled with their sect treasures. No, the Jiang had been able to start rebuilding despite that, and that meant that the Wen had learned their lesson. The attack on the Cloud Recesses had been comprehensive, complete; it had been a deliberate extermination aimed at eradicating their entire way of life. If Lan Qiren hadn’t learned from the lesson of the Jiang sect and, in secret rebellion against his own sect elders who insisted that there was no danger, sent away many of their junior generation into hiding along with the contents of their library, they would have nothing left.

But it was all for nothing if Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji didn’t make it. If they lost their cores or died, that spelled the end of the main family line of their sect. Sure, a cousin could take over, one that shared their surname, and they could keep up the traditions Lan Qiren had so painstakingly preserved, but it still wouldn’t be the same.

In the face of that…

In the face of that, what use was a golden core to Lan Qiren, who was unmarried and likely to remain that way for the rest of his life, or to Qingheng-jun, who would never again remarry? They had both put everything they had, all their hopes and dreams and future, onto the children that Lan Qiren had raised on his brother’s behalf. They had given them everything. What was one more thing next to that?

It was only…

“Is it really worth it?” Qingheng-jun asked. “Our lives for theirs – that I could agree to, and readily, too. But to give our lives, our cultivation, for just the possibility of success…I’m not sure about that.”

Lan Qiren put his hands behind his back to hide how they were clenched into tight fists, the knuckles white. He had only one golden core to give. If his brother didn’t agree, he would have to pick which of his nephews would wake up whole, and which one crippled.

He would have to pick.

“Please, xiongzhang,” he breathed. He couldn’t force his brother to do anything he didn’t want to do. He wouldn’t, he couldn’t, and anyway it would be pointless. He’d never before swayed his brother’s decisions on anything, not once in his life. But he still had to ask. “Please.”

A long moment of silence.

An eternity.

And then –

“All right,” Qingheng-jun finally said. “All right. Let’s do it before they wake.”

-

“The Lan sect is doing remarkably well, all things considered – Zewu-jun and Hanguang-jun are among the most impressive generals in the Sunshot Campaign, even with the disadvantage of having to revive their sect from having lost almost everything. They don’t call them the Twin Jades for nothing!”

“No, to be sure, the way they’ve carried on in the face of such tragedy is impressive. After the massacre at the Cloud Recesses, with such heavy losses…”

“Mm, indeed. I heard that they fled along with their father and uncle, carrying with them the most sacred of their sect books – of course they were undoubtedly doing most of the work there. I heard their father died of the injuries he’d incurred before they ever woke, and their uncle was in a similarly terrible state.”

“Teacher Lan? Oh, it’s so sad, what happened with him…”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the Wen sect was chasing them down, of course. I heard he sacrificed himself to distract the pursuers from his nephews to ensure their escape, knowing that in his injured capacity he would only act as a burden slowing them down, and Wen Chao was so angry at missing his chance at the Twin Jades that he threw him into the Burial Mounds!”

“No! That’s terrible!”

“Now, fellow cultivator, I don’t know if that’s true – I heard that Teacher Lan was seen in the Lan sect camp as recently as half a month ago. How could he be there if he got thrown into a place as vile as the Burial Mounds…? You shouldn’t spread rumors.”

“Who are you to talk about rumors?! You’re the one talking about terrible curses, corpses rising to fight in battle, and other such atrocities…”

“Those aren’t rumors, I saw them with my own eyes! Fierce corpses, vicious, murderous, seething with resentful energy. And they weren’t fighting just anyone, they were fighting the Wen sect only – someone was controlling them.”

“Are you suggesting that there’s, what, some sort of demonic cultivator out there supporting the Lan sect? Ridiculous.”

“No, I’ve heard it too! I’ve heard that they play a phantom guqin, the tones of it echoing in the night. They say that this demonic cultivator acts as the blackened shadow of the regular sect, and no one knows who it really is – they keep themselves back, hiding in the dark like an assassin, and heavily cloak themselves whenever they need to go out onto the battlefield…”

“Now that’s ridiculous. Whoever heard of a demonic cultivator trying to hide what they’re doing? Aren’t they all arrogant and self-centered, reckless, unbearably bloodthirsty?”

“Not this one, apparently…”

“Well, demonic cultivator or not, as long as they’re killing strictly Wen-dogs, what do I care? The sooner we bring down the sun, the better. Best of luck to them, that’s what I say!”

“I’ll drink to that!”

-

“Wait,” Wei Wuxian said, goggling at Jin Guangshan and not caring one bit that he was being incredibly rude by interrupting the other man’s announcement, nor the fact that he was implicitly challenging Jin Guangshan on his own home territory, being as virtually the entire cultivation world had returned to Lanling City for the feasting following the Phoenix Mountain hunt. “Wait, wait, I’m sorry, are you trying to tell me that you think Teacher Lan – and just to make sure we’re being precise here, we’re talking about rule-abiding, rigid, stubborn, boring old nerd Lan Qiren, the one who used to lecture me all the time about even thinking about something unorthodox – is the Lan sect’s secret demonic cultivator?!”

Everyone acknowledged by now that they had one, of course.

It was impossible not to, even though the demonic cultivator had started out in a very limited, one might even say surprisingly restrained, fashion, restricting themselves to only doing things in defense of the Lan sect’s back line – and then eventually their front line, but still largely in a defensive posture, and almost exclusively using corpses of unknown antiquity. It wasn’t until later, when things had gotten more desperate, that they’d started being more aggressive, using the corpses as offensive weapons, resurrecting the fallen soldiers of the Wen sect against their own friends and allies…it was clear that they tried whenever possible to remain scrupulous about not using their own people, not just Lan but anyone on their side in the Sunshot Campaign, but it was also equally clear that demonic cultivation was an imprecise art, and sometimes they couldn’t help it.

Wei Wuxian had been crazily curious to meet this demonic cultivator more or less from the very first moment he’d heard of him.

Everyone knew the Lan sect was associated with them and that meant they of course knew who it was – if nothing else, the Lan sect’s strict practice of taking time to play soul-calming melodies and other songs of liberation following any incident of demonic cultivation use had made that clear, though it had also helped reduce the criticisms of the practice – and yet Lan Wangji, no matter how close he and Wei Wuxian had gotten during the war, still refused to say.

Though…Wei Wuxian supposed he understood why, if the demonic cultivator was in fact Lan Qiren.

That would, however, require the demonic cultivator to be Lan Qiren.

“Putting that aside,” Nie Mingjue said, frowning severely even as the rest of them gawked, “what’s this nonsense about him suddenly and for no reason killing your sect disciples and kidnapping the remaining Wen sect members?”

“It’s not nonsense,” Jin Guangshan said. “It’s true. There are witnesses.”

“The only part that’s nonsense is the suggestion that he would do so without a reason,” Nie Mingjue said impatiently. “This is Teacher Lan we’re talking about!”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

He wasn’t the only one in the hall nodding, either.

“Anyway, even if Teacher Lan really were to turn to murder, he wouldn’t have left witnesses,” Jiang Cheng added, wrinkling his nose. “Be thorough in all that you do, do not be haughty or complacent. Do you know how many times I had to redo my homework before he accepted it? And you’re expecting me to believe, what, that he’d be sloppy about it or something? Teacher Lan? I can’t believe it.”

Even more nods around the room, especially fervent among the younger generation that had attended Lan Qiren’s classes.

Jin Guangshan scowled, having clearly expected a bit more deference to his explanation.

“This is easily solved,” he said testily. “Is it not one of the Lan sect rules not to lie? I put to Zewu-jun and Hanguang-jun – is your uncle a demonic cultivator or not?!”

Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji exchanged glances.

Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows shot up. No way…

“Shufu has always sought to act in a moral and upright manner, no matter the cultivation path he uses,” Lan Wangji said, his voice flat, and the room exploded into whispers. “A path that he has only chosen due to what happened during the course of the war, when our ability was at its least and our desperation its greatest, and which he strongly advises others against under any normal circumstances.”

Lan Qiren is a demonic cultivator, Wei Wuxian marveled, and then promptly got annoyed: And Lan Zhan didn’t tell me?! I had so many ideas I wanted to pass along and converse about! It’s unfair!

“I concur with Wangji,” Lan Xichen said. “I believe in my shufu’s wisdom and restraint. If he took the Wen sect remnants unexpectedly and by force, I am certain he had a good reason for his actions. We will pursue this matter…”

“You will do no such thing,” Jin Guangshan thundered, cutting him off, and Lan Xichen looked taken aback by the unexpected rudeness. “The culprit is your kin and your senior, and everyone knows how the Lan sect honor their elders. How can we trust that you will impose justice in a fair and equitable fashion?”

Lan Xichen looked offended now, and rightfully he should be – Nie Mingjue certainly looked almost apoplectic on his behalf – but Wei Wuxian could see a fair number of heads nodding in the crowd. The Lan sect was known for its devotion to justice, that was true, but this was the sect leader’s uncle, who had very nearly sacrificed his life for them during the war. Even if Lan Qiren really had committed a crime, how could Lan Xichen of all people bear to hold him responsible for it? To do so would be to be unfilial, to fail to do so unjust – he was in a really tough position. He’d look bad no matter what way he picked.

That was probably what Jin Guangshan intended, actually.

Wei Wuxian elbowed Jiang Cheng, getting his attention, and whispered furiously into his ear.

A moment later, Jiang Cheng loudly cleared his throat and stepped forward. “This is easily solved,” he said, letting his voice carry. He’d really grown into the role of sect leader over the course of the war, ever since his parents had been forced to resign from the battlefield on account of their injuries. “Teacher Lan is famous for being thoughtful and proper in his conduct, as well as eloquent in his words – if there is an explanation to be had, surely he would be able to provide it. Why don’t we all go to wherever he has gone and ask to hear that explanation?”

Jin Guangshan didn’t like that, Wei Wuxian could tell from his expression, but there wasn’t anything for it – the momentum was with them, with Lan Xichen immediately agreeing, saying that his uncle would undoubtedly welcome being examined by his peers in the cultivation world, and Nie Mingjue adding his own (very loud) voice in support of the idea. All the others in the hall were also nodding and talking along, and the overarching tone was that of curiosity, mixed with a little bit of scandalized amusement, but not rage.

“Thank you for your assistance,” Lan Wangji said, appearing at Wei Wuxian’s side. Wei Wuxian had no idea how he’d even had the attention to spare to notice what Wei Wuxian had done.

“Think nothing of it, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian said, then nudged him a bit with his elbow. “Just tell me you passed on some of my better ideas to your uncle during the war, will you? Even if you didn’t, haha, I would still like to flatter myself…I still want to talk to him about it, you know. Some of the melodies he uses are so interesting!”

“You are likely the only one who takes such a circumspect opinion of my uncle’s practice, for which I thank you, but I would recommend once again against too much enthusiasm for the subject,” Lan Wangji said, voice heavy. “Demonic cultivation is a disfavored path for a reason, and though my uncle has sought whenever possible to minimize the effects on the temperament and the negative consequences, it is difficult.”

“Why does he do it, then?” Wei Wuxian asked, genuinely curious, and was surprised by the expression of genuine pain that passed over Lan Wangji’s features. “Lan Zhan?”

“He doesn’t have a choice,” Lan Wangji admitted quietly, his voice so soft that Wei Wuxian could barely hear it. “He sacrificed his orthodoxy for my brother and I, yet the injuries he incurred, whether there or – or later – are quite dire. He is not so young as we are; without some form of cultivation, any form, he will more than likely die. And the war…”

“I understand,” Wei Wuxian said. They’d come so close to losing Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan – he’d never gotten on with Yu Ziyuan, the two of them always butting heads, but they’d fought side by side against the Wen sect. The thought of something happening to her still made him see red; he couldn’t even imagine how it must be for Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen, who had always been close to their uncle, who had raised them all on his own, and then sacrificed himself to save them, being tortured and thrown into the Burial Mounds…no, it was all quite clear to Wei Wuxian what happened. Better demonic cultivation than nothing, that was to be sure, and Lan Qiren really had been absolutely invaluable during the war. Without him, the Lan sect might have perished. “And the Wen sect remnants? Any idea why he took them?”

“I do not know. But I trust my shufu.”

“Oh, certainly. I’m sure Teacher Lan has a good explanation,” Wei Wuxian said confidently. “We just need to hear it.”

-

“Thank you for taking the time to seek me out,” Lan Qiren said to the ravening mob currently being held immobilized at the bottom of the Burial Mounds. Technically they had come to listen to him, as the quick and frantic secret letters he’d received from his nephews, Nie Mingjue, and Jiang Cheng had all said, but someone had clearly been inciting them on the way, and they’d been all but ready to lay siege by the time they’d actually gotten here.

He was choosing to ignore that.

“While I have your attention,” he said, “and before we get to the question of the disposition of the Wen sect remnants, I was hoping to take a few moments to dispel a few unsubstantiated myths regarding the use of resentful energy and of my particular brand of demonic cultivation in general.”

They were staring at him.

Good.

“Now,” he said, and gestured for Wen Ning to unfurl the large scroll he’d prepared in advance. There were several, but Wen Ning had enthusiastically agreed to hold them up in sequence for him. “I’ve put together a presentation. If you’ll please pay attention to the board…”

Somewhere in the audience, he thought he could hear Wei Wuxian laughing.

-

“I don’t know what the rest of you were expecting, but this is completely what I expected,” Wei Wuxian said gleefully. “I told you he was a nerd!”

“Please desist from referring to me that way,” Lan Qiren said censoriously. “Immediately, if you please.”

“Oh, can’t you lighten up?” Wei Wuxian complained, absently looping an arm over Lan Wangji’s shoulders. “We’re celebrating a glorious victory today! You got absolved, Jin Guangshan’s face got dragged into the mud, Wen Ning – who’s great, by the way, I can’t believe I nearly forgot that we became friends back in the Nightless City – Wen Ning and his family are in a safe place now…now can we talk about how you’ve gotten demonic cultivation to work the way you have?”

“I don’t think you can call anyone else a nerd,” Jiang Cheng commented, rolling his eyes. “You’ve been loudly calling for an academic conference on the subject since you first heard about it.”

“Well, yeah, but still…”

“Probably for the best it wasn’t Wei-xiong that figured it out first,” Nie Huaisang opined. “I mean, just think about how that would have gone, it’d have been terrible!”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“A fascinating exploration of the importance of tone in presentation,” the newly dubbed Jin Guangyao murmured. He’d only been invited to the victory party on account of his sworn brotherhood with Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen, but he seemed somewhat relieved to be there – probably grateful to be anywhere but back at home where Jin Guangshan was no doubt raging over his failure to turn the cultivation world against the Lan.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wei Wuxian complained. “What’s wrong with me being a demonic cultivator? I’m brilliant, charismatic…”

“Arrogant, reckless, and used to suffering no real consequences to your actions,” Nie Mingjue put in, voice dry, and there were nods all around. “You don’t know how to back down, and that would make people fear you.”

“Whereas no one fears shufu,” Lan Xichen agreed, nodding, and then blinked when everyone in the room gave him looks. “What?”

“Everyone’s afraid of Teacher Lan,” Jiang Cheng said. “Just, you know, not…afraid afraid. You know?”

Everyone except Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji nodded. Lan Qiren looked long-suffering about it.

“It’s a good point, though,” Nie Huaisang said. “Teacher Lan is famous for his good conduct, but also there’s his manner: he thinks about everything he says before he says it, he rarely deviates from a monotone, and even when he gets really angry, and I mean really angry, he just gets red in the face and can’t actually verbalize anything. It’s really hard to think of him as someone who’s going to kill you, rather than someone who will…I don’t know…be disappointed in you.”

“Thank you,” Lan Qiren said. “I…think?”

Wei Wuxian huffed. “Well, putting that aside,” he said. “Can we talk about it? Jiang Cheng’s not wrong about me wanting an academic conference. Can we do that next discussion conference instead of a hunt? Phoenix Mountain was great and all, but, you know…”

“We live in interesting times,” Nie Mingjue declared, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, and raised his cup. “A toast!”

-

“Shufu,” Lan Wangji said. His hand was at his stomach, hovering lightly over his dantian. “Do you ever…regret?”

“Not once,” Lan Qiren said. He’d known he wouldn’t be able to keep the truth from his nephews forever. “Not for a single heartbeat. Your father and I knew what we were risking, what we were doing, what it might mean for us, and we made our choice with open eyes. I regret nothing.”

He paused.

“Though perhaps I slightly regret the headaches I’m going to have once you marry Wei Wuxian in and there will be nowhere left where I will be able to retreat to in order to avoid his endless pestering…”

[silverflame2724]

WWX doesn't die, he is found and taken captive by the Jin Sect but spends 13 years in a coma under lock and key until he wakes up to interrogate. When the truth about the JGY is revealed, JL recruits LWJ to ferret out whatever else the Jins had been hiding, discovering the still comatose WWX. WWX is taken to Gusa in hopes of waking him up no one has much hope but then WWX stirs when LWJ plays Wangxian...

Jin Guangshan was, to put it lightly, pissed when they brought back a comatose Wei Wuxian from the Siege. After all, what he was after was Wei Wuxian’s genius. His inventions. And how could they possibly access them with him asleep?

Jin Guangyao had considered torture, at first, to try and wake him up. And he tried to get his subordinates to do it but they couldn’t even get close, intimidated by the resentful energy-soaked aura emanating from Wei Wuxian.

So Jin Guangyao had taken it into his own hands.

…….And failed miserably.

He couldn’t even touch the unconscious man before resentful energy lashed out at him, leaving deep, viscous, slow-healing wounds all over his arms. And any means of torturing him out of sleep from a distance was taken out of his hands, literally, by resentful tentacles.

When he brought Xue Yang in to try and wake Wei Wuxian up, the resentful energy he commanded made the situation a whole lot worse as the resentful energy leaking from Wei Wuxian wrapped him up protectively and crystalized the man in resentful energy.

“Well!” Xue Yang exclaimed cheerfully. “This is quite interesting. I’ve never seen resentful energy act so protectively before! And as much as I’d love to study this, I don’t think the resentful energy is willing to let me get close.” Just as he said this, a tentacle whipped out and sliced across Xue Yang’s cheek.

Jin Guangyao sighed, herding Xue Yang out and locking the room up. Wei Wuxian will have to wake up eventually. I just have to be patient. The injuries Wei Wuxian had weren’t terrible and with how strong Wei Wuxian’s golden core was, it’s only a matter of time before he heals. Perhaps he’ll wake up then.

But he didn’t. He never did. 

...................................

After all the lies had been revealed and Jin Guangyao had been condemned and killed, Jin Ling decided to look through Jin Guangyao’s belongings, just in case there was more forbidden stuff that needs to be taken care of. Of course, he didn’t want to go in without any protection cause who knows what’s there! (Maybe there was another Wen Ning?) So he asked Hanguang-Jun to help him. He would ask his jiujiu, but he had been oddly despondent after hearing Jin Guangyao’s taunts that none of this would have happened had he trusted Wei Wuxian more. So asking jiujiu was out of the question!

Besides, Hanguang-Jun looked like he needed something to do.

In the end, they found a lot of stuff pertaining to demonic cultivation and restoring the Seal. As well as a warded diary containing dirt on a lot of sect leaders. 

As Jin Ling wandered around, he heard a sudden shaking and worried about an earthquake until he turned around to see Hanguang-Jun staring at the entrance to a room that wasn’t there before. As soon as the man stepped in, he made a wounded sound that Jin Ling had never heard before before rushing in.

Jin Ling had the inkling that he probably shouldn’t follow, but curiosity got the better of him. 

The room looked well-furnished and had all the makings of a bedroom, but that’s not what caught Jin Ling’s attention. Instead, it was a man encased in black crystal.

“Wei Ying.....” Hanguang-Jun seemed to sob. “Wei Ying......”

Wei Ying? As in, Wei Wuxian? My supposed deceased Dajiu???? What the hell is he doing here? Oh wait. That was a stupid question. Looking at all the material on demonic cultivation, Jin Guangyao probably wanted to get some information about it from him......

Considering there was nothing else in the room, Jin Ling silently made his exit. He felt like he shouldn’t have seen Hanguang-Jun crying. Oh well.

He busied himself gathering the stray papers and manuscripts and stuffed them into his qiankun pouch. He didn’t want to touch the dangerous looking stuff.

There was a sound, much like the shattering of glass, and Hanguang-Jun exited the room, a pale, but breathing Wei Wuxian cradled in his embrace.

They packed up the remaining objects in the room and left. After making sure Jin Ling had everything in order, Hanguang-Jun unsheathed Bichen and left without another word. Seeing the wide-eyed gazes of a few Jin elders, Jin Ling sighed. Wei Wuxian’s survival probably won’t be a secret anymore now.

...........................

Lan Wangji could hardly believe his eyes when he first saw Wei Ying. He had thought he was dreaming or this was some cruel sort of curse. But it wasn’t. 

The feel of the resentful energy coursing throughout the crystal literally shocked him so he was sure he wasn’t dreaming. He touched Wei Ying’s face through the crystal.

“Wei Ying.....” He cried. “Wei Ying.....” You’re alive. You’re really alive.......

After some time, he pulled himself together. He had to figure out how to transport Wei Wuxian to Gusu to figure out how to break the crystal......

The crystal shattered abruptly, startling Lan Wangji. He was about to catch Wei Ying, when the resentful energy did it for him, causing Wei Ying to float in the air for a bit, before carrying him over to Lan Wangji and dropping him in his arms.

Lan Wangji was bewildered at the resentful energy’s actions, but nevertheless, that solved the issue of getting Wei Ying out of here. 

He barely registered Jin Ling fluttering about the room, absentmindedly sealing and packing away the dangerous objects. He helped Jin Ling settle the items they found in the secret room before taking off to Gusu without another word. 

.

.

Wei Ying did not wake up no matter what anyone did. Now that he had been absolved of any and all crimes had been accused of, his uncle had allowed Wei Ying’s presence, in fact, even looking quite guilty. Lan Qiren had been the loudest voice in the Lan sect about ridding the world of Wei Ying.

But three days passed without any change to Wei Ying’s state.

Most healers had given up hope, some even citing that the damage to Wei Wuxian’s soul was probably too great to ever allow him to awaken--not that they could check that. They all said that he probably didn’t want to wake up. After all the cultivation world had done to him, Lan Wangji wouldn’t blame him.

But he was human, he was selfish. He wanted to hear Wei Ying again, no matter what.

Sitting by his side, Lan Wangji brought out his guqin, playing a song he hadn’t touched in over a decade. He poured all his love, all his longing and passion into the playing, hoping that maybe, Wei Ying would hear it and answer.

It was just wishful thinking. But Lan Wangji had spent thirteen years wishfully thinking that Wei Ying was alive and he was right.

He just.....He wanted---

A soft groan broke the air and Lan Wangji stopped playing, rushing over to Wei Ying’s side. 

Wei Ying’s hand twitched and his eyes fluttered.

[sweetlittlevampire]

and when you go (like summer gives to the rain)

Rating: T | 19805 words | 3 chapters | Completed

Alternate Universe - Modern Setting | Romance | mentions of past trauma | Childhood Friends | Getting Together | Getting Back Together| Coma | Comatose Lan Wangji | mentions of a car accident | Happy Ending| Angst with a Happy Ending | Angst| Emotional Healing | Kid Fic | Sharing a Bed | Mentions of past criminal activities

For Lan Wangji, loving or being loved inevitably leads to grieving. He's seen it happen countless times.

When he's hit by a car and put into an induced coma for a few days, his mind wanders, and he gets the opportunity to revisit different periods of his life, and starts to reconsider his view on things.

In his coma, he hears the voice of the boy he once loved but thought he'd lost - though that might have been just a dream. Or was it?

Wei Wuxian volunteers at the hospital to reduce anxiety in child patients. One day, he meets a boy who's crying for his father. His day gets even weirder when Wei Wuxian meets the boy's uncle, who asks him for a special favour.

AO3 link is in the replies because tumblr doesn’t like me today.

[silvysartfulness]

Hi! I was thinking about Heaven Has A Road, and I was trying to figure out how many days it's been between Xiao Xingchen waking up and the current chapter (38)? I'm sorry if you've answered this already, and as always, I can't wait for the new chapter but take your time! No rush!!

Yay, Roadtrip question!

Let me see - I actually did some calculations on that myself only the other day. (I did have this all plotted out, but didn't write it down at the time, so now I've have to backwards engineer it. 😅)

My original research concluded that the great Cultivation Conference in CQL likely takes place in late March/ early April - that's when the peonies bloom in Jinlintai, so it would make sense.

When Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji discuss going there after Yi City, they say it's "next month", meaning that there's at most 8 weeks between the events of Yi City and the Conference. So I decided that Xiao Xingchen was resurrected some time in early February.

(For the first chunk of writing, I wasn't familiar with the map yet, so the time needed to cover the distances Yi City - Tanzhou - Kuizhou doesn't actually work. By the time I got my hands on reliable maps, it was too late to fix, so we'll just squint at that part and pretend it makes sense. Maybe they hitched a ride at some point, I dunno. XD)

The great Conference kicks off around the same time that our trio reaches Yueyang, roughly around the time of the Qingming festival - at the cusp between March and April.

From there it's about another two weeks' journey to Muaishan - when Song Lan wakes up after he and Xue Yang saved Xiao Xingchen from the mist spirits, he sees blooming paotong flowers outside the window, placing the scene in mid-late April. (Nerdy fact: paotong bark and leaves are used in traditional medicine, and its wood is favoured for making guqins!)

Xiao Xingchen remains comatose another two weeks or so, bringing us into early May, and then he and Xue Yang are recuperating another few weeks. At my current point of writing (chapter 41), it's quite late May, around the 20th, give or take.

So all in all, it's been about 15 weeks since Xiao Xingchen woke up. :)

I'm really happy to hear you're eagerly anticipating the next chapter - so am I! XD Trying to kick my brain into gear, but it's very sluggish lately. But we'll get there - next chapter is a delightful tearjerker, and I'm looking forward to read what people think about it! ♥

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Ep 17 part one

(Masterpost of all the rewatches) (Canary’s pinboard of original content)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Inaccessible

Wei Wuxian hides in a boat among the lotuses next to a pier in Lotus Pier, the second-most-literally-named home in the show, after The Burial Mounds. This pier has a railing that goes all the way around it, without any ladders or anything. Not to be ADA on main but this means if you can't Jedi jump, you're fucked.  

Hefeng Liquor

While Wei Wuxian waits and tries, not very successfully, to keep his shit together, he hears the guards talking about the local booze that they're going to drink at their murder victory party. We learn, in a desaturated flashback (that OP has done her best to resaturate), that this is lotus-infused wine invented by Wei Wuxian during happier days. 

He kicks the flashback off with his favorite activity, Unnecessarily Erotic Beverage Drinking. (gifset) I’ve slowed this gif down so we can all appreciate the unnecessariness. The way his hand caresses that leaf OMG

Hopefully he is not drinking lake water out of that leaf. Side note: How is it possible that Xiao Zhan doesn't have a drinking water endorsement deal? I had to resort to Zhu Yilong's brand of water for this gag. I figure if it's good enough to pour directly onto a lightning burn like they do in The Lost Tomb Reboot, it's good enough for a leaf hummer chastely drinking out of a leaf

(more behind the cut!)

In his memory, Jiang Cheng tells him to stop fucking around and come help with the basket of lotus pods. Wei Wuxian responds by grabbing one for himself and then sitting his ass down and not helping. Cause he’s a motherfucking P.I.M.P.

Emotional Rescue

Wen Ning arrives on the pier with Jiang Chang, to Wei Wuxian's extreme relief. Look how much emotion Xiao Zhan is able to convey even with half of his face hidden, my lord.

Wen Ning carries Jiang Cheng on his back, in an echo of other significant piggyback rides in Wei Wuxian's life.  

Wei Wuxian's relief is at war with his fear, seeing his brother in such bad shape. Remember, these are cultivators, who heal quickly and mostly don't get their asses beat this hard. The only time Wei Wuxian has been comatose was after the Xuanwu cave, and that was probably because of his prolonged contact with resentful energy/Yin iron.

Hibernating Zidian

Wen Ning gets ready for his first, but not his last, boat ride with an unconscious Yunmeng brother in it. He tells Wei Wuxian that Jiang Cheng is pretty fucked up but isn't dead.

Then he gives Zidian to him. Before we talk about Zidian, let's talk about BAMF Wen Ning.  Wen Ning is an awkward goofball. He’s also insanely competent at just about everything--wine-drugging, dude-smuggling, corpse retrieval, dog acupuncture, drug pushing. As well as shooting rocks out of the air and, later, beating zombie ass, and resisting mind control. . 

This is the foundation of their friendship; it’s not actually about Wei Wuxian being nice to the weird kid. He initially sought Wen Ning out for the same reason he sought out weird kid Lan Wangji--his martial skill. He accepts his weirdness and is protective of him because of his missing-spirit problem, but he did not befriend him out of altruism.

Wei Wuxian is so forgiving that he can smile fondly when looking at the weapon that whipped the shit out of him a couple of days ago.

Wei Wuxian puts Zidian down right next to Jiang Cheng's hand and...nothing happens. It doesn't recognize him or spark to life. This didn't seem meaningful when I watched it the first time, but rewatching...yikes. It KNOWS.

Wei Wuxian admits, with tears in his eyes, that there is nowhere safe for him to go with Jiang Cheng, and Wen Ning immediately offers care and shelter. Even though that is putting his own life at serious risk.

Life obligation is a common theme in CDramas. It’s often something a person chooses as a way of showing love. Guardian builds an eternal romance out of two people saving each other’s lives over and over.  But accepting the obligation is a choice (in fantasy dramas, if not in real life). Love and Redemption has a gloriously harsh sequence where a life is saved, and the save-ee cooly rejects the saver.

Every time Wen Ning saves Wei Wuxian, he cites that one time that Wei Wuxian saved him from the water demon. And Wei Wuxian cites this rescue right here when he throws everything away to save Wen Ning. Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng doesn't acknowledge any debt to Wen Ning at all, only--grudgingly--to Wen Qing. And people are ok with that.

Basically all this is to say that I think Wen Ning leans into this life debt because he loves Wei Wuxian, and Wei Wuxian leans into it because he loves him back. Non-romantically, I think...at least on Wei Wuxian’s part. YMMV.

They go to pick up Yanli from their Granny, telling her to go into hiding. She starts to cry, not knowing how she'll manage on her own. Wei Wuxian tells her that they will come back, as Wen Ning looks super unsure about that.

Of course Wei Wuxian can't know, at this point, whether they will come back. Wei Wuxian always wants to make everybody feel better, and sometimes you really can't make someone feel better except by lying. He compulsively says shit that he thinks people want to hear, almost as if he was beaten frequently and arbitrarily as a child.

Wen Ning is doing his best for the recreational boat ride industry, as he rows the Yunmeng trio through some amazingly beautiful scenery.

Core Melting Time

Meanwhile, back at Lotus Pier The Yunmeng Supervisory Office, Wen Chao is hung over, Wen Chao is angry, Yawn

For some reason, Wang Lingjiao has suddenly decided to talk to Wen Chao in the most cloying and annoying way possible. 

Also, the fact that she still addresses him as Gongzi when she is totally fucking him is kind of great. This is like those fics where Elizabeth Bennet calls Mr. Darcy "Mr. Darcy" even when they're married and hitting it. 

Wen Zhuliu demonstrates why he's called Core-Melting Hand, by punishing the wine guard. He's able to melt a guy's core by grabbing him by the throat, and also picks him up, Darth Vader style, for extra meltyness.

All that stuff I said last time about Wen Zhuliu feeling ambivalent about being a villian...yeah, he seems to have gotten that right out of his system. 

Chilling in Yiling

Wen Ning is doing his best for the recreational carriage ride industry.  Wei Wuxian, after presumably several hours in the cart, decides that now is a good time to get curious about where they are going. 

Here we start to see a new side of Wei Wuxian.  Before this he was carefree, other than specific worries about his friends. He confronted danger with lightness and humor, or with temporary fear, that he let go of once the danger passed. Now, after all the deaths and seeing Jiang Cheng so injured, he's twitchy, anxious, and angry.

Very, very angry.

When he realizes that Wen Ning has brought them to the Yiling supervisory office, he goes off, demanding to know whose home this was before the Wens took it and grabbing Wen Ning and shoving him into a decorative...decoration.  He thinks Wen Ning brought them here to harm them. 

I wouldn't have thought such a pretty dude could be so menacing, but holy crap.

The way he's confronting Wen Ning here is not his normal style. He's not trying to provoke a bigger fight like he usually does; he's not trying to create distance, the way Jiang Cheng does. He's very intimate, getting right in his face and maintaining eye contact. He trusted Wen Ning and feels personally betrayed.  

Shy little Wen Ning is remarkably calm when confronted like this. Wen Ning really isn’t afraid of anything, despite his general air of nervousness. (Full gifset of Angry WWX over here.) 

He calmly and kindly explains the situation. He doesn't appeal to Wei Wuxian's trust, saying "oh I would never;" he appeals to his logic, which gets through to him. 

Wen Qing comes out and the guards start banging on the door and Wei Wuxian flips out again, grabbing a sword and pointing it at Wen Qing as she decides what to do.  Wen Qing seems unruffled by Wei Wuxian's sword pointing, and we see her weighing up the situation.

She makes her decision, sending the guards away and deciding to help the fugitives, officially joining the Clear Conscience Club. She could probably get Wen Ning out of trouble by turning them in, but she opts to put personal loyalty and her belief in her own ideals ahead of her family's safety.

Wei Wuxian is not ok. He’s just not ok. He tries to act like it after they get settled in with Wen Qing, but he's not, and I think that plays into his next several choices. 

Next comes a whole sequence of Jiang Cheng being unconscious with pins in his head--ow--while Wei Wuxian twitchily tends to him. 

This sequence is kind of unfair to Jiang Yanli. What matters to the story here is Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian's relationship, so that’s the focus of these scenes. But really, there is no way Jiang Yanli would not be at Jiang Cheng's side unless she was literally unconscious herself. Let's assume Wen Qing stuck a needle in her to make her rest while she has a fever. Shippers should also feel free to assume that Wen Qing spent hours at her bedside, tenderly wiping her forehead and holding her hand as she recovered. In his sleep, while Wei Wuxian sits by his side, Jiang Cheng calls for his sister, mother, and father, but not for his brother. Ouch.  

Let's pause to appreciate Wei Wuxian's new outfit, which is the sort of getup most people in this society probably imagine Yiling Laozu wearing, rather than the low-key homespun stuff he actually spends his Yiling year in. This robe has fancy shoulders, shiny material, touches of Jiang purple, strange red hoody strings, and a fuckin' CAPE. He didn't bring any luggage with him from Lotus Pier, although he's still got his Yin Turtle Sword hidden in a bag of holding. So the most likely explanation is that Wen Ning hooked him up with this lewk. "Wei Wuxian is a nice person. He should have a magnificent cape."

Wen Wing and Wei Wuxian take a breather to stand on the porch and work out what their status is with each other, like a couple of fucking adults, which is amazing. Basically Wei Wuxian is ready to forget earlier Wen shenanigans, but is going to avenge Lotus Pier. 

Wen Qing isn't enthusiastic about that but doesn't argue, just asking, mostly rhetorically, if he plans to kill her too. He's uncomfortable considering that; the role of avenger isn't one that's comfortable for him, although he turns out to be extremely good at it. He does not, of course, plan to kill her too. In a few months, imprisoned in a Wen dungeon, she will be the only Wen left alive after Wei Wuxian 1.5(No-Gold Edition) and Chenqing come to visit.

Jiang Cheng finally wakes up, and the first thing he does is to test out his spiritual power by hitting Wei Wuxian as hard as he can. 

DUDE.

Look at Wei Wuxian's face, as he goes from happy, to shocked and hurt, to laughing it off. It's exactly like when Jiang Cheng shoved him in the Rock Lady temple. Has Wei Wuxian spent all of his years with Jiang Cheng going from affection, to hurt feelings, to pretending it's fine? God, I think he probably has.

This episode raises a question that will come up again later, but never be answered. That question is, what the fuck are these weird footies and why the fuck does Jiang Cheng wear them to bed?

Jiang Cheng reveals that his golden core is gone, that he can't cultivate any more, which means he can't avenge his parents or achieve any ambitions in life. Nobody has apparently given any thought to why Wen Zhuliu is called "Core-Melting Hand" before this, which is hilarious, frankly. If I fought with a guy called, for example, Brain-Eating Mouth, I think I would make certain assumptions about him and what he planned to do with my brain.

Something interesting is happening in this moment, because as he comes fully back to consciousness, Jiang Cheng pours out all of his trauma and horror to his brother, telling him about the core melting and practically wailing about his feelings over it all. And his brother understands, and ultimately finds a way to help him. What does Wei Wuxian do after his own trauma? Keeps it secret, so nobody finds a way to help him, although many people try to. So Jiang Cheng is, in this way at least...emotionally healthier than Wei Wuxian? That's unexpected.

Jiang Cheng is super upset and is mad at eternal scapegoat Wei Wuxian for saving him. Jiang Cheng would rather be dead than be a regular person. Whereas Wei Wuxian, faced with the same problem, is like, *shrug* I’ll adapt. These are both valid emotional responses to suddenly becoming disabled. Losing a golden core is definitely a disability, in this environment; it's not just about magic sword fights. Jiang Cheng's home is designed for people who can fly; Lan Wangji's home is designed for people who don't feel cold, and Wen Central is made of actual lava, for example. 

Jiang Cheng is already struggling with a lot of difficulties. He was raised by shitty parents, he's got anger management issues, he has a crushing weight of responsibility. And now he's also lived through the deaths of most of the people who matter to him. If sword cultivation is the one thing that gives him joy in life (ok one of two things, obviously fashion also gives him joy because he WORKS it), he can't reasonably be expected to rally when it's taken away.  

Oh, honey. Oh, baby boy. 

Wen Qing picks the worst moment to come in and tries to tend to Jiang Cheng, who starts off being devastated that the girl he likes is seeing the wreck he's become, and then moves along to helpless rage when he remembers that she's a Wen, and he screams at her to get out.  

Jiang Cheng is not able to put personal loyalty ahead of clan loyalty like Wei Wuxian is. Partly this is his nature, and partly it's his role as the lineal descendant of the clan leader. As a firstborn son of a gentry family, his destiny as clan leader is in his blood, and so is his responsibility to the clan. When Wei Wuxian praises Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen for caring less about bloodlines than about shared ambition, he is speaking from the position of someone who's bloodline ain't shit. Jiang Cheng will never be able to share that perspective.

Next: More of this excruciating episode!

Writing prompt: The Day I Discovered I Could Melt Your Fucking Core, by Wen Zhuliu Drabble prompt: Why I Wear Socks to Bed, by Jiang Cheng

[angstymdzsthoughts]

Following The Untamed's world, Lan Wangji finds Wei Wuxian's broken body at the bottom of the ravine, and hides him away until he gains enough strength to bring the comatose Yiling Patriarch back to CR. He keeps Wei Wuxian in the Jingshi, and when the sect leaders demand death for Wei Ying, Xichen is the one that steps in. Wei Wuxian is already a corpse, he'll never wake, so please don't make Lan Zhan give him up.

I don’t know which version I like better- Lan Wangji believing that Wei Wuxian is alive and in a coma when he’s actually dead and using sigils and talismans to keep his body from decaying to keep up the illusion or Wei Wuxian actually being comatose and never waking up while Lan Wangji spends the rest of his life hoping and praying and caring for his body.

[some-crafty-witch]

A Wish I Can't Stop Making

WWX/LWJ, JYL/JZX, JYL & JGY

Rated T / 50k words / Complete!

Warnings: canon-typical violence, implied/referenced sexual assault

There's a shop that comes and goes, granting the wishes of those desperate enough to see it. Lan Wangji can't seem to stop thinking about the man who runs it, with his bright smile and red ribbon, and he doesn't know why it feels like he should already know him.

Meanwhile, in Koi Tower, Jiang Yanli is faced with a comatose husband and dead ends instead of answers. She's determined to find a way to heal her family, but there's schemes afoot in the home of the Jin clan.

What do you wish for? What would you pay for it? And what do you do if you can't remember what you've lost?

This has been out for a whole week actually but I haven't gotten around to posting it on here! This was originally supposed to be a wangxian pining fic but now at least as much, if not more, of a Jiang Yanli family fic. Thank you to the wonderful people at @mxtxbb for organizing and being the reason I managed to write two whole (finished!!!!) stories this year!

[wangxianficrecs]

When You Wake, 怎能当梦一场 by acertainrogue

When You Wake, 怎能当梦一场

by acertainrogue

T, 39k, Wangxian

Summary: He lay there buried under rabbit ears of wires, warmed by a thin blanket, breathing, breathing, never truly still, but never animated, either. “A-Xian,” Jiang-gugu said with a forced smile. “Your son and husband are here to see you. And your nephew too. He will be coming very soon.” A-Yuan ran up to Baba and held his hand. -- Sizhui grows up in a changing world, but his comatose father can't change with it. His family is determined to give him the love and forgiveness they didn't give Wei Ying. Kay's comments: So, this is definitely the kind of story that keeps you hooked and forces you to finish it in one sitting and even then, it'll still keep you awake for nights. It's just so good and so painful. Phew, so many knives! But, there's a happy ending, so you can definitely look forward to that! It's also actually set in real-world modern China, which is too rare for my liking in the English-writing fanfic community and I really appreciate all that went into this story and am also so grateful for the author for writing a whole thread over on Twitter explaining the cultural nuances one might have missed. As for the story, it's mostly Lan Wangji suffering and raising A-Yuan for thirteen years while Wei Wuxian is a coma. Cue: The Covid19 pandemic and the collapse of the health system and what that means for someone who's been in a coma for thirteen years. Excerpt: He lay there buried under rabbit ears of wires, warmed by a thin blanket, breathing, breathing, never truly still, but never animated, either. “A-Xian,” Jiang-gugu said with a forced smile. “Your son and husband are here to see you. And your nephew too. He will be coming very soon.” A-Yuan ran up to Baba and held his hand. Baba must have slept with Father when he was still awake. A-Yuan did remember being cradled in a cloud that was Father and Baba both, remembered being held between them in bed. There was a time when he had not known how to sleep otherwise. Baba had been cool, cool like the springs of silver dollar water, warm just enough so lotuses could grow. Tem-per-ate, he learned in school for his vocabulary section. But now, Baba was just cold. “Baba,” he squeaked, peaking over the side of the bed, tall enough that he did not have to tiptoe or have Jiang-gugu carry him anymore. “It’s me. It’s A-Yuan. Did you know I’m getting a cousin soon?” He fished in his pocket and found the dried grass butterfly Father had bought him on the roadside, from a man who peddled swallows with tails cut into forks and a green penguin waddling into life. “This can be your cousin too,” he told Baba importantly, nestling that gentle flutter of wing grass into Baba’s cold palm, so he could hold something when A-Yuan, Father, and even Jiang-gugu weren’t around. That was what Jingyi was to A-Yuan when he was at school, away from Father. Everyone needed a cousin, a companion, like the one that was about to be born. When he turned around, Jiang-gugu was crying.

pov lan sizhui, modern setting, modern no powers, pandemics, coma, hospitals, hospitalization, angst with a happy ending, comatose wei wuxian, implied/referenced homophobia, jiang family dynamics, good parent lan wangji, grief/mourning, covid19

~*~

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

[giftwrappingpaper]

jiang yanli and lan wangji friendship agenda

summary: lan wangji visits lotus pier and drinks tea with jiang yanli.

jyl and lwj would've been good friends and it's a crime they barely interact w each other in canon. here's my application to the let jyl and lwj be friends club. takes place in a canon divergence of cql ep 24 where lwj visits yunmeng instead of lxc

written for the mxtx remix

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Jiang Yanli finds Lan Wangji at the entrance of Lotus Pier, shoulders straight and fist resting rigidly at the small of his back. A thin sheen of sweat coats his stoic face; it is the height of summer, and even Jiang Yanli, daughter of Yunmeng’s lotus rivers and humid breeze, shifts uncomfortably under the sun’s unforgiving heat.

“Lady Jiang,” he says, punctuating his greeting with a bow. “I apologize for arriving unannounced.”

Jiang Yanli remembers herself. They are not in Qishan anymore, war-weary and conversing over her comatose brother — they are in Yunmeng, and she is the lady of Lotus Pier. “There is no need for apologies, Hanguang-jun,” she says, bowing in return. “You are always welcome here. Please, come in.”

He follows her through the gates and into the central training field, where a group of recently recruited YunmengJiang disciples practice sword forms under Jiang Cheng’s critical sneer. He slaps at a disciple’s weak wrist and locked knees as Jiang Yanli and Lan Wangji traverse the bordering walkway to Lotus Pier’s main hall.

A servant brings them a pot of tea and makes to fill their cups, but Jiang Yanli shoos him off. A rather cruel drink to serve in this weather, but Lan Wangji doesn’t complain when it’s offered to him, so Jiang Yanli lets it be. “Sword Hall was one of the first rooms we rebuilt,” she tells him after they’re settled in their seats. “We deemed it forthcoming to prioritize the rooms used to entertain our esteemed guests.”

Lan Wangji’s eye’s flicker at the newly lacquered wood, the newly minted metalwork. “A show of hospitality to your patrons?” he assumes.

More like a show of strength. Most of the YunmengJiang Sect’s wealth was charred to insignificance, and the reparations they’d plundered after the Sunshot Campaign could only go so far. They could not afford to rebuild on their own, nor could they afford to reveal this weakness to visiting clans. Their status as a Great Sect hinges on their reputation as a sect that can overcome the destruction of their home and the massacre of their people. The first step in doing so: coddling powerful, prying, paying visitors with amenable lodgings and entertainment.

Jiang Cheng had wanted to rebuild their ancestral shrine first, to honor the newly coveted remains of their mother and father. Jiang Yanli had been the one to convince him otherwise.

“Hospitality,” she echoes, serving Lan Wangji a cup. “Hm. I suppose you can call it that.”

They drink their tea. As the minutes pass in silence she marvels at Lan Wangji’s patience, for she is no fool — Lan Wangji hadn’t made the journey to Yunmeng to drink tea with her.

“I believe A-Xian left this morning,” she informs him. Lan Wangji’s already prim posture stiffens at the mention of Wei Wuxian, and she smiles.

He stares at his cup. After a beat he glances up and says, “I did not come bearing ill intentions.”

“I didn’t think you did. You came to play for him again, yes?” She can still hear the echoing twang of his guqin, perfectly measured chords plucked by slender fingers. It had calmed her heartbeat and brought color to Wei Wuxian’s pale pallor. It had been sweet. It had been lovely.

It had helped. Maybe it will help again. Wei Wuxian more often than not returns home haunted-eyed and smelling of liquor.

“I did, yes. Where may I find him?”

“In town, most likely.” She hesitates, then recalls the tenderness in Lan Wangji’s music and face as he played Wei Wuxian a song of cleansing. “Beyond his usual duties, A-Xian hasn’t been spending much time in Lotus Pier.”

Concern pinches Lan Wangji’s brow. “Why is that?”

They had been steadfast in recreating the Lotus Pier they grew up in — an exact replica of the halls Jiang Yanli spent her childhood walking through. In that they succeeded, down to the lotus flowers listing across the courtyard ponds. But the wood is too new, the metalwork too untarnished. Only recently did Jiang Yanli realize what was missing from her usual nightly routine: it was the wayward splinter she’d pluck from her robes before going to bed, pricked from the scuffed flooring worn down by generations of footsteps.

No attempt at rebuilding can truly hide the scorched earth the QishanWen Sect left behind. No freshly dug up lotus pond can make Jiang Yanli forget that the room she and Lan Wangji are drinking tea in is strides away from the spot her parents were killed.

Jiang Yanli traces the rim of her cup with her thumb. “Lotus Pier has been rebuilt, but it is not the same,” she says, her eyes focused on Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “A-Xian is not used to it.” None of them are.

“I see,” Lan Wangji says. He rests his hands together. “Moving forward is no easy task.”

Moving forward. They share a look, and she is reminded that the Cloud Recesses had been burned to the ground, too.

“We all have our hardships. But it has been especially hard for A-Xian. He hasn’t told me, but I think he may feel…” she struggles to find the words. “He may feel a sense of responsibility for what had happened. Like it was his fault. Which is — “

“Ridiculous,” they say in tandem. A beat of silence before comprehension sets. Jiang Yanli giggles into her sleeve, and the corners of Lan Wangji’s lips twitch in what can almost be taken as the beginning of a grin.

“Yes, ridiculous.” She lifts her hand down, still smiling. “And while I trust him when he says he has it under control, the demonic cultivation he’s been so fond of as of late is a concern. So I’m glad you’re here.”

His eyes soften at her approval. Who was it that spread the rumors of this man’s aloofness? Lan Wangji was as open a book as Jiang Yanli’s brothers. “I have learned several new pieces of music since Qishan. They may help with lifting spirits and facilitating a clean mind.”

“That’s good to hear.” Her smile turns teasing. “Though I’m sure seeing you is more than enough to help lift A-Xian’s spirits. But perhaps not with the clean mind.”

Lan Wangji’s ears heat into a dusty pink. Jiang Yanli laughs again, not bothering this time to hide behind her sleeve. Oh, these boys.

How long has it been since she had the time to sit down like this? It had to have been before the Sunshot Campaign. Enough time to render this scene unfamiliar: an afternoon enjoying the company of another. Jiang Yanli is the daughter of the YunmengJiang Sect, the older sister of Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, and content with the life she’s chosen. Yet even before the loss and the war and the terrible, unyielding hope, she had long forgotten what it was like stealing an hour for herself.

But enough selfishness; she has already taken enough of his time. “We may go to him now, if you’d like,” she offers, and the way Lan Wangji perks up at the prospect of seeing Wei Wuxian makes her lighten with fondness. “I’m unsure of his exact location, but I do know some of his favorite haunts intown.”

He opens his mouth. Stops. “When will he return?” he asks instead of the eager affirmation Jiang Yanli had expected.

“It shouldn’t be long. Contrary to what he wants us to believe, our A-Xian is a responsible shixiong.”

Lan Wangji nods. “Then I shall wait for him here.”

Jiang Cheng’s barked orders leak through the walls. Had she misheard? But Lan Wangji doesn’t elaborate, and all Jiang Yanli can do is blink and ask, “Are you sure?”

He gestures to their tea pot, still half full. “If you would allow it,” he offers, and there is a trepidation in his voice that makes her realize that ah, this is new for him, too, “I would like to continue enjoying our tea.”

The porcelain of Jiang Yanli’s cup soothes the tea’s residual heat against her curved palms. Warmth of a different sort sails through her veins and nestles near the space in her heart that harbors the love she holds for her brothers. Not there exactly. Not yet. But perhaps one day it can be.

“Yes,” Jiang Yanli says, and reaches forward to pour them both another drink. “I would like that, too.”

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also posted on ao3

promo post on twitter

fic commissions

[sarah-yyy]

“i know i shouldn’t be here.” wangxian prompt, and if it's not too much trouble, can it be set in the au arranged marriage au where wwx's love is unrequited (well, soon to not be unrequited), you are great and i love you and your fics so much, have a good week and an easy day at work!!!

[from here]

Wei Wuxian seems startled to find Lan Wangji sitting up; Wen Qing must’ve neglected to tell Wei Wuxian that he’s woken up. 

“Er-dianxia,” Wei Wuxian greets, gingerly advancing to Lan Wangji’s pallet. “Do you need anything? Water? Does it hurt? Should I get Wen Qing?”

Lan Wangji stares at him, and doesn’t say anything. 

“I…” Wei Wuxian averts his gaze. “I know I shouldn’t be here.” 

“Mn,” Lan Wangji says. “You should go home.”

Wei Wuxian looks up at that, hurt and disappointment clear on his face. 

Lan Wangji keeps himself unfazed - he has made his feelings about Wei Wuxian plain. Wei Wuxian has had years to come to terms with it. 

That Wei Wuxian thinks that there is any possibility that Lan Wangji will change his mind about Wei Wuxian is not something that Lan Wangji can control, and accordingly, not something that he should concern himself with.

“Let me stay,” Wei Wuxian says. “I can fight, and you need men. Let me stay.” 

Lan Wangji hums at that. His vice general had been by to bring him up to speed in respect of all incidents that have taken place while Lan Wangji was comatose. He had made a comment that Wei Wuxian had helped with strategizing their next attack, and had also praised Wei Wuxian’s combat skills. 

It’s not entirely a surprise to Lan Wangji - Wei Wuxian may have chosen life outside of the army, but he grew up in the household of General Jiang Fengmian. 

“What can you do?” he asks. 

“I am a fair archer,” Wei Wuxian is quick to respond. 

His words bring a distant memory of earlier battles, of how Lan Wangji always seemed to be saved in the nick of time by a stray arrow. 

Stray arrows that might not be so stray, after all.

Wen Qing’s words from the night before spring to his mind. 

“Do you really think he would be here if it weren’t for you, er-dianxia? Think harder. You may have gone to war to escape him, but he came to war for you.” 

Lan Wangji looks at Wei Wuxian, looks at him properly for the first time in years. 

Wei Wuxian meets his gaze, holds it. He’s resolute in his decision to stay on the battlefield. 

With Lan Wangji.

For Lan Wangji. 

Lan Wangji feels a swoop in his stomach. “Why are you really here, Wei Wuxian?” he asks. 

Wei Wuxian’s throat bobs. “You volunteered to lead the troops so you could delay the wedding,” he whispers. Lan Wangji does not have to boast any familiarity of Wei Wuxian to hear the bone-deep sorrow in his voice. For the first time since the rumours have started, Lan Wangji thinks that it may have been cruel to let it spread without clarifying the misunderstanding. “I thought…”

But if Wei Wuxian thinks that Lan Wangji would be moved, would change his mind about Wei Wuxian because of this, he is about to be disappointed again. 

“I thought that since I’m the reason why you walked into danger,” Wei Wuxian continues, “then I should at least make sure you get to make your way home in one piece.” 

Lan Wangji’s lips part. 

Wei Wuxian must know that Lan Wangji does not love him, does not care for him the way one should care for their fiancé. He must know that any efforts to put himself in danger for Lan Wangji will not result in any reciprocation of any feelings on Lan Wangji’s part. 

He must know, because Lan Wangji has always made this clear, and yet.

And yet, the sincerity in his eyes, in his voice… It’s impossible to fake. 

“Let me stay, er-dianxia,” Wei Wuxian asks of him. 

And out of the most selfish reasons, chief of them the quickening of his pulse and the erratic beating of his heart that he cannot seem to make sense of, Lan Wangji says yes. 

(buy me a kofi! // more rebuttable presumption)

[hils79]

Monday Fic Recs

Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji (The Untamed)

Imperfect Memory by xantissa

It’s been sixteen years since Wei Wuxian’s death and the world has been slowly going insane ever since. It’s been ten years since the rains stopped coming, almost five since the rivers turned rusty red, the water thick and foul. The people are dying a slow painful death of starvation and disease and all Lan Zhan can do is watch over his dying clan.

When a creature of darkness comes with a shocking offer, there’s really no question. Second Jade of Lan, in exchange for water for his people. Body and soul, in exchange for his clan's survival. He is prepared to die for them. He is not exactly prepared for what being a sacrifice means.

I loved the world building in this. Absolutely riveting read.  

rewrite what's gone already by belle_abroad

on a rainy morning wei ying, debut novelist, ducks into lan zhan's bookstore, the quiet room, and never leaves. (lan zhan's heart. he leaves the store, a couple of times.)

contains very specific knowledge about the book industry because lol I sold books for ten years

This is so sweet and adorable. It melted my heart. 

I don’t shine if you don’t shine by ilip13

On his thirtieth birthday, a virgin Lan Zhan gains the ability to read thoughts through touch and discovers that the popular guy at the office has a crush. On him.

I’ve been waiting for Cherry Magic AUs to start appearing in other fandoms and this was absolutely delightful

Gen (The Lost Tomb)

Like A Boat Adrift by strangeangel21

Zhang Qiling wakes up in a hospital with no memory but his name.

Set after the return from Tamutuo, while Wu Xie is off in Hangzhou to meet Ershu and Pangzi is looking after the comatose Xiaoge.

This is so beautifully written and captures the characters perfectly