#for leaving them alone when nmj is

[anbessette]

You've heard of There Was Only One Bed, now get ready for: There Were Only Two Beds!

3zun stop at an inn for the night after a night hunt. There's one room available, but it only has two beds. (And, to avoid the easy solution, the room is too small and cramped for anyone to sleep on the floor. Jin Guangyao could maybe fit in the gap between the beds but it would be hell on his old injuries and the other two know it.) Who shares with whom? Who sleeps alone? How do they decide?

Some possibilities I considered while trying to fall asleep:

NMJ and LXC share, JGY sleeps alone

——NMJ suggested it because he doesn’t trust JGY. He doesn’t say it in so many words, but JGY knows 😢

——LXC suggested it because he’s worried about JGY’s reputation. No-one would dare make an issue of Zewu-jun and Chifeng-zun sharing a bed, but being caught in bed with either of his sworn brothers could ruin JGY.

——JGY suggested it because his sworn brothers are pure and righteous and he is the son of a prostitute. Obviously they wouldn’t want to dirty themselves being so close to him if there's another option. He'll be the one to make the suggestion so he doesn’t have to hear either of them say it out loud.

NMJ and JGY share, LXC sleeps alone

——NMJ suggested it because he saw the look on JGY’s face and had to make sure JGY knows that NMJ doesn’t think he’s dirty.

——LXC suggested it because of his ongoing quest to matchmake Nieyao into reconciling. He's sure that a little forced intimacy can only improve their relationship!

——JGY suggested it because he wants to show er-ge that he is trying to fix things and it’s da-ge who’s being unreasonable. He assumed NMJ would refuse and earn himself a disapproving look from LXC. He has no idea what to do with himself when NMJ just goes “Yeah, OK” and gets into bed with him.

LXC and JGY share, NMJ sleeps alone

——NMJ suggested it because LXC and JGY are both smaller than he is and will fit more comfortably in one of these cramped little beds. He has no feelings whatsoever about the prospect of sharing a bed with either of them, it's just practical.

——LXC suggested it because he assumes NMJ would refuse to consider sharing with JGY and he doesn’t want a fight.

——JGY suggested it because he’s scared of NMJ. He doesn’t say it in so many words, but NMJ knows 😢

Someone figures that opportunities like this don’t come along every day and volunteers to share with whoever he thinks he has the most sexual/romantic tension with. It might be his only chance to share his beloved’s bed! Unfortunately, it’s not as romantic or as sexy as he hoped, not least because he can’t stop thinking about the other guy just a couple of feet away...

Someone doesn’t want this to be weird and volunteers to share with whoever he thinks he has the least sexual/romantic tension with. Turns out he’s mistaken about that. By the end of the night he has to confront the realisation that he’s in love with both of his sworn brothers.

Someone wants to share because he’s noticed there’s a ton of sexual/romantic tension between the other two. They’re not gonna be consummating that shit tonight if he has anything to say about it! He’s so busy worrying about his sworn brothers getting together and leaving him behind that he doesn’t notice the “😍Of course I’ll sleep with you!” and “😏You two have fun” reactions.

Someone volunteers to sleep alone because he’s noticed there’s a ton of sexual/romantic tension between the other two and he is nobly stepping aside. He won’t stand in the way of true love. The other two are like “Why’s he so eager to sleep alone? Doesn’t he love us?🥺”

Two people offer to share because they’ve done it before and it wasn’t a big deal (Nielan when they were kids, Xiyao when they were on the run, or Nieyao when they were in the army). The other person spends the whole night tormented by sexy, sexy visions of what might have happened between his sworn brothers on the multiple(!) nights they’ve spent in bed together.

The person who’s sleeping alone is jealous and horny and agonising over all the sex he might be missing out on right now.

The person who’s sleeping alone can hear the other two breathing, and he knows they’re fast asleep. He’s cold and lonely and tormented by soft, cosy visions of all the cuddles he’s definitely missing out on right now.

Somehow, they make it through the night.

The next time they have to spend the night at an inn together, the proprietor says “We have two rooms available. One has two beds, and the other has one bed.” 3zun, remembering this night, say “We’ll take the room with one bed.” “No, that’s not … You don’t have to choose between them. You can take both rooms.” “WE. WILL. TAKE. THE ROOM. WITH ONE BED.”

[shanastoryteller]

Happy Birthday grandma! How about BFF WWX LXC and NMJ? Or female!MXY? Your choice🌻🌻🌻🌻🎉🎉🎉🎉

Ps. Made it?!?!

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Lan Xichen arrives to his brother and Xuanyu in the middle of an argument.

They’re surrounded by corpses, Xue Yang inexplicably among them, and the missing Xiao Xingchen is standing there huddled against Song Lan’s side, looking strangely small, while a blind girl stands on his other side.

Sizhui and Jingyi are staying several steps back in an attempt not to get caught in the couple’s argument.

He almost regrets leaving A-Yao behind with the rest of the disciples. It had made sense at the time, with the low but present chance that they’d run into trouble, but now he wishes he could be the one dealing with their siblings instead of him.

“-not just going to – XICHEN-GE! GET DOWN HERE!”

The disciples, who’d demanded to come along, cringe away and even send him sympathetic looks.

She only calls him Xichen-ge when she wants something. He’s pretty sure A-Yao taught her that.

He descends, jumping off his sword, and frowning when he gets a closer look at her. She has wounds around her waist and shoulder even though they seemed to have stopped bleeding and there’s a variety of colorful bruises on the bits of skin he can see on her, which means there’s even more hiding beneath her robes. “You’re injured.”

“It’s nothing,” she says dismissively. Wangji’s eyebrow twitches. “I want Song Lan, Xiao Xingchen, and A-Qing to accompany us to Koi Tower.”

He assumes A-Qing is the blind girl. “Ah.”

“It’s not proper,” Wangji says, enough irritation bleeding though that this is clearly not the first time he’s said that.

She sends him a scathing look. “We can’t send them back to Cloud Recesses, Lan Qiren will eat them alive, and we can’t leave them alone. Look at them! Look around! They need help.”

“Ah, Madame Lan,” Song Lan says tentatively, “you’ve already done-”

“Shut up,” she says and his mouth snaps shut. Lan Xichen stares. He’s encountered Song Lan many times and has never seen him act like this. “Where are you going to go? What are you going to do? You deserve rest, all three of you, and while I would hardly call the Jin restful, it’s at least better than having to watch you back on the road.” She frowns. “Also, what’s with Madame Lan? I told you to call me Xuanyu. If you fight an army of the undead together, you don’t have to use titles. It’s a rule, or something.”

Wangji’s eyes narrow and Song Lan smiles at Xuanyu before he catches sight of Wangji’s expression and then his lips thin out into a straight line.

Lan Xichen can already feel a headache building.

She’s only been missing for a few hours. How did any of this even happen?

If he wants to find out, then he’s going to have to give in to her. She won’t tell him anything otherwise, he assumes, because A-Yao definitely wouldn’t. Besides, he has no reason to deny her. She is Madame Lan and Lady Jin and she’s more than entitled to add people to their traveling party and to invite wandering cultivators to Koi Tower.

“The rest of our party is nearby,” he says finally. “We’re happy for you to join us.”

His brother glares at him, but what does he expect him to do? She’s Wangji's wife.

[lgbtlunaverse]

The "why can't you leave me alone" line to nmj's head is so insane on multiple levels because the first time you hear it you think. You said that. To the head. Of the man you killed. That you keep. In your special secret bedroom closet. Jin guangyao, what the fuck?

And truly that's already insane enough but then you think about it a bit more and you realize that he's right. First thing Nie Mingjue does when his body is back together is make a beeline toards jin guangyao. In that one extra scene we get the delicious knowledge that Nie mingjue apparently escaped from his grave just to go bother him. Jin guangyao is the only man who can look at the disembodied head he keeps in his secret bedroom closet and has conversations with and go "why are you so obsessed with me?" And be technically correct.

And then the third layer of insanity is after you realize that and wonder. Then why is it there? Cause first you think he's keeping it there as a trophy. And i've seen some people say he's keeping it there for safekeeping so the body doesn't reassemble and while I'm sure that's a factor- and the reason the head is covered in all those talismans- he canonically kept the rest of the pieces so well hidden from each other that even knowing his brother was murdered nie huaisang could only find a single arm in the years he kept looking so clearly jgy knows how to keep the body from reassembling itself even if he's not physically keeping an eye on all of them at all times. So this? This is an acknowledgement.

Oh you wanted to come back for me da-ge? You found it that hard to leave me alone? Fine. You can stay. Just one part of you though.

The true fucking layer of insantity is that Jin Guangyao is keeping nie Mingiue's head there consensually. They both want him there. Nie Mingjue just kinda wishes the rest of his body was also there. Especially his hands. Wrapped around jin guangyao's throat.

Nieyao are killing me (and also each other)

[thesilversun]

Nie Mingjue thoughts due to previous reblog.

It feels like so many people forget how young Nie Mingjue was. He was only old 6 years older than Nie Huaisang.

Which makes Nie Mingjue, Chifeng-Zun, who’s a well established leader in combat, all of 23/24 years old at the start of the Sunshot Campaign, and barely/maybe not even 30 at his death.

It’s so easy to see him as being of an equal age to the other sect leaders of the time - Wen Rouhan, Jin Guangshan, Jiang Fengmian, Lan Qiren (standing in for Qingheng-Jun) when he’s basically the same age their kids.

He probably around the same age as Wen Xu. He’s only 3 or so years older than Lan Xichen, about 2 or 3 older than Jiang Yanli.

In his early 20’s he had also been a sect leader for nearly a decade.

NMJ has such a rigid view of things and of right and wrong. Childishly simple seems an unfair way of putting it, but he was a child when he had to lead.

He was 14 when Wen Rouhan, the chief cultivator had killed his father. He was left with a leaderless sect and little brother (nhs) who was about 8.

He’s tall for his age and strong. He knows he has to lead now. His childhood is over. He needs to be strong and decisive. He trains hard (he knows what this means for him, what it has meant for all the Nie sect leaders), he makes decisions and doesn’t back down (no weakness will be attached to Qinghe Nie because of him and his youth)

Qinghe Nie keeps in place in 5 great sects, despite its barely teenage leader.

There is nothing in his life apart from training, to be strong enough to protect his sect and his brother, and to finally avenge his father.

Perhaps there had been hope once that after it was done, after Wen Rouhan was gone, he could stop pushing so hard. After all he doesn’t want to leave his brother all alone too soon.

But the sunshot campaign happens. He’s betrayed, but told he hasn’t been, told he needs to put it aside. He sees cultivators from his sect die in front of him, unable to protect them, is tortured and unable to escape. He never gets to have his vengeance against Wen Rouhan in person.

Then the conflict is over.

Years of fighting, of pushing himself, of all that has happened to him, means there is no peace in victory.

He doesn't know how to come home. He's built for war, and can’t believe that another enemy won’t appear.

His health declines, physical he’s mostly fine, but he’s angry all the time, expecting attack, always alert to danger. It feels like there are enemies watching him everywhere. He can’t relax even for a moment. He’s tired, but he can’t rest. He’s exhausted, afraid (although he’d never say that aloud) and all comes out as anger. He shouts at Huaisang, pushes him to train harder, his own fear that he will no longer be able to protect driving a wedge between them.

Huaisang doesn’t seem to care, still acts like a spoilt child. And Mingjue breaks some of his fans, some of his books and paintings.

He knows he’s gone too far, but he doesn’t know how to stop. The only relief is that he didn’t harm Huaisang. He knows too that it will only get worse until he’s a danger to all those around him.

Lan Xichen offers a solution, not a cure, but a reprieve, a chance to buy him a few more years in which to get his brother ready to lead.

It’s not to be.

He doesn’t know why the music stops working as it should. It all sounds the same to him.

He endures it the best he can, until he can’t.

—

So yeah, many Nmj feels

[thebiscuiteternal]

This timeline with Baby!NMJ and older NHS is adorable. Does NHS get any time to paint or participate in his hobbies? It would be really cute if he did and Bby!NMJ tried to help.

What little time he gets to himself, he usually spends caring for the sect's falcons. Since falconry was a hobby his father also enjoyed, and they're useful for catching small game, it's generally seen as "acceptable." He would like to have a wider variety of birds, but decided as a child that he didn't want the headache of having to justify himself constantly. The falcons are good enough, and they all love him and shamelessly beg for petting and cuddles.

On very, very rare occasions (when he has a reasonable expectation of being left alone all day), he'll paint. He's not a master, but it's good enough that it would be readily apparent to a discerning eye that he could be a master with practice. He found even less time to do it when Mingjue was very bitty, but around 2ish years of age, he started having extra supplies on hand so Mingjue could make finger scribble "paintings" of his own. It's a bonding exercise for them.

(Mingjue will never be a painter-painter, but even as a teenager, he sometimes drags Huaisang off and pull out the supplies when he can tell his brother is on the verge of a stress breakdown.)

---------------

"Gege." Nie Mingjue said as he held up his paper between chubby little ink-stained hands. "Look."

Nie Huaisang looked up from his own work in progress and had to bite back a smile at the Serious Business scowl on his three-year-old brother's face. Affecting an air of gravitas to play along, he laid his brush aside and took the paper, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, now, let's see what you've got here, didi," he said as Nie Mingjue clambered over the edge of the table and into his lap. "It looks like... a sheep?"

"No!" Nie Mingjue protested with a huge grin.

"No? But it's so fluffy!"

"Issnot a sheep!"

"Alright, alright, let me think," Nie Huaisang said, tilting his head to 'examine' the scribble of ink at a new angle. He could tell already that some of Mingjue's brush swipes had clearly meant to be striping, which told him he was looking at, by his estimate, his brother's thirty-seventh tiger, but immediately getting the answer wasn't part of the game.

"Hmmmm... I see very large paws... is it a bear?"

"No! Issnot a bear!" Mingjue said, slapping his hands down on the desk.

He barely missed the painting Huaisang had been working on, leaving inky little handprints on the wood, but that was fine. It would hardly be the first time Huaisang had worked around his baby brother's enthusiastic contributions.

"Not a bear? Oh my, you've made this very hard!" Nie Huaisang said, poking Mingjue in the side and making him laugh. "I don't know if I can guess it!"

"You have to! You have to guess!"

"Well, I suppose if I have to..." He squinted at the scribble, chewing at his lower lip in intense pretend contemplation, which made Mingjue laugh more. "It's not a bunny..."

"No!"

"And it's not a deer..."

"No!" Mingjue crowed, grin so big it might split his face.

"Is it... Oh! Is it a tiger?"

"Yes! Issa tiger!" Mingjue cheered, throwing his hands up.

"It's a very clever tiger, pretending to be other creatures like that. Excellent work, didi," Nie Huaisang said, dropping a kiss on his baby brother's head. "Why don't we hang it up to dry, and then it can go live with your other tigers?"

"Okay," Mingjue said, letting Huaisang lower him to the floor so he could get up.

Just as Huaisang had finished pinning the paper to his drying rack, however, the door opened and Nie Zhen, one of the guard captains, entered. "Your presence is required in the main study," he said without so much as an honorific or a salute.

Nie Huaisang sighed inwardly, but kept his face neutral and gave Mingjue a gentle warning tap on the shoulder when it looked like his little brother was starting to puff up in anger. "I'm on my way."

Again, not so much as a nod as the captain left, and Mingjue stuck his tongue out at the door as it closed. "Ass."

"Didi. Where did you even hear that word?" Huaisang admonished, still with no actual heat, as he wrapped his brush and ink to keep them from drying out while they were gone.

Mingjue grinned up at him unrepentantly. "At the grounds," he said, obviously meaning the training areas.

Huaisang did sigh at that. "Of course you did. But don't go using that word where other people can hear it," he said offering a hand.

Mingjue took hold, still grinning, and they left the room to go find out what the vitally important thing he wasn't actually needed for was.

[tbgkaru-woh]

Heyyyy I read through your chengxuan comic "Pride of Jin" and I loved it!! Just wondering if you have any thoughts as to what happens after chapter 10 when wwx is resurrected?

hey, glad you liked it! I always have thoughts, many thoughts! I actually wanted to do an epilogue comics but didn't find the time/energy for that specific thing. Whether it's fair, good or bad, the endings for all characters got changed majorly: JGY gets to leave with his mom's ashes and SMS (Su Minshan) accompanies him on his travels to somewhere where JGY won't be recognized and can start a new life LXC learned about NMJ and JGY in a less stressful situation, in a situation where JGY was no longer in the picture to twist the knife that true stabbed in him, but instead of brooding solitute, he reverts to less healthy coping mechanism - feeling so guilty for not trusting NMJ regarding JGY, he wishes for nothing more than to be able to fix this mistake. goal that aligns with NHS's, who shares that WWX "owes him" bringing NMJ back. WWX doesn't want anything to do with that life again, but NHS finds a big appeal in it and WWX basically teaches NHS ways around demonic cultivation, just so NHS can get his brother back. NMJ gets "brought back" but isn't as controllable as he should be, NHS keeps NMJ in chains but keeps him close, dressed up with his hair styled again, always by his side as he leads the Nie clan in a way where it's less him being part of any events and more in the "don't fuck with Nies, we literally have feral fierce corpses". WWX, JC and LXC are the only ones allowed inside the walls, LXC visits often to play soothing music to NMJ and talks to him, trying to bring the "human" part of him back. WWX and LWJ still get together but it doesn't leave LXC alone, jgy dead and yi city boys destroyed so i call that a win. didn't have many thoughts on their endgame though. and Yi City, i couldn't decide if i'd give xue yang the ability to have both song lan and xiao xingchen by his side as fierce corpses, OR if i'd still have him try and bring XXC back as SL is loyaly by his side as a fierce corpse without wangxian ever interrupting, OR if i'd have Song Lan never find XY and XXC and they'd continue living in their bliss (and i don't want to think of the tragedy i'd throw Song Lan's way to make that be the case :') ) JC and JZX still each have their sect but they have a publicly acknowledged bond/allyship where they may as well work as a unit. JZX finally rules the proud Jins in a respectable way and the Jiangs are stronger than ever under JC's leadership, to the point where Yunmeng becomes the prefered location for new disciples to enlist. JC gets the validation he deserves without being in WWX's shadow and JZX finally turns anew leaf on Jin's-not-so-great track record. And the Juniors, i'd love to explore their together times during studies, not unlike the main characters in their Gusu days, until eventually, i will do a timeskip with them all grown up, causing both mayhem but also being the heroes no one asked for but we all deserve, this DND adventuring group

[magnaflourious-nerdity]

So the ask got deleted accidentally, but @autisticharrywells asked me about SANGYAO for toxic ship bingo, and now that I have forcibly dragged them through all 50 episodes, i can at last go off---- you FOOL! you have fallen directly into my trap!!! Muahahaha

I do not know how I ended up here. I don't know WHY I ended up here, except that I'm some kind of masochist.

Like I was all prepared to be 100% team wangxian otp and read all the fic and shit, and I started out so promising. (And I do love them...) But then. Then. That little demon brought a bird to class. And the other little demon protected him during the Wen thing. The stabbing ?? The warning as Meng Yao was leaving to huaisang DESPITE actively bleeding. The pleading to Mingjue to let Meng Yao stay despite no evidence of Huaisang ever really standing up to question NMJ decisions before like that (esp in front of other clan members) (other than with things like blowing off Sabre practice) THE FAN CLENCH. MY HEART. And THEN they committed their various atrocities during which the no turning back point was hit for them so many times and yet i do believe the remorse was there and so too was some affection still, twisted as it was by time and hatred and isolation and i... I just....I slipped?

There's so much there!!! (and please keep in mind I'm mostly talking from a cql/the untamed perspective, though I have seen the donghua and am aware of book cannon, I just kinda prefer the show as the version I take to heart (with some notable jgy or Huaisang based exceptions bc i'm nothing if not willing to excuse their pretty boy mid-divorce war crimes))

These two have such a deep shared history that spans the entirety of the cannon, and their relationship is extra fascinating on rewatch as you can more clearly track the downward spiral of events.

There's also the tragedy that it COULD have been avoided, was so close to being avoided several times bc JGY is not really EVIL, (any one who says this is being super reductive imo) but he does preserve himself above all other things and people through sheer learned necessity (with the exception of xichen and isn't that also a beautiful part of sangyao tragedy?? That so clearly xichen and JGY were destined to be the tragic counterparts to wwx and lwj's relationship not nhs and jgy? That xichen was the only thing JGY ever sacrificed true parts of himself for, that huaisang knows that he could have done the same for him, but didn't? Because there was too much history with Mingjue to let it go, and also bc the devotion or affection he held for huaisang when they were both on the mountain never surpassed that point. He had too much caution to truly be himself, and Huaisang, I don't think could ever truly see past JGYs status in the way that xichen was able to since he served as his big brother's vice general and also his appointed companion to a degree. ) And where does that leave huaisang? Where he always is. ALONE. On a mountain he never fit in on in the first place. Where does it leave JGY? Stuck in a permanant customer service role to his awful father and branded further untrustable as a spy. Humilated and broken down to the point of just. So much murder. (Some of which I still maintain tain as a public service coughcoughJinGuangShancoughcough)

They are so much alike and yet so different in such key aspects, that I also have to believe they were meant to act as parallels to one another, just like wwx and jgy, or xichen and wangji. The planning and manipulation they both do (in their own ways bc i am in the camp that while huaisang is smarter than the average bear, smarter than he ever wants to let on bc it makes his life easier, he isnt able to truly outpace JGY's ability to craft a situation. What he is good at is manipulating people and social situations, and adapting his outlined plan extremely well on the fly- with the exception of maybe xichen. I dont think he meant to truly hurt xichen like that. I think that was a natural panic that if JGY was allowed to live it would mean Huaisang actually had to die at some point instead, Though I do also think perhaps there is some lingering resentment there that leads to it to bc why is JGY worth pardoning after his crimes to xichen? Doesn't this mean he inherently valued JGY over Mingjue, over Huaisang’s own pain and anguish? (he did, but not maliciously, lans are love blind we know this))

The tragedies of nie huaisang are inextricably linked to the tragedies of jgy and vice versa! Technically, huaisang, as a bastard of the clan leader with one of his concubines, (I think that's right) should be discounted as a noble son, esp considering his weaker nature and lack of talents dictated to be valuable by the standards of the nie clan. He should have the same status really or at least a status more closely similar to jgy who is constatly looked down on because of his mother's position and bastard status, despite his constant hyper competency, as we see so vividly. And yet Huaisang is given title and rank and (some) respect where JGY gets trodden into the mud and shit of life, even as he succeeds in raising the jin clans success through his actions and talents. Meanwhile, huaisang is thought to be a useless leech by others, untalented in the ways of ruling or anything that's deemed an actually respectable skill by clan leader standards. A pathetic little dude who doesn't know how to do anything, and yes, he does get cast as a headshaker in the eyes of the people, but it's never his background thats brought into question as to why he might be failing. It's considered a result of his personality, not his upbringing. And even then he doesn't get shit talked as much as JGY does. Huaisang has all the privilege that JGY was never afforded, and does that color JGYs view a bit? Does it make him just bitter enough that, when combined with his father’s looming threats and taunts, and Mingjue’s inability to ever let anything JGY does go, that he's willing to hurt huaisang in such a way, even just as a byproduct of his mission?

Huaisang’s plan is successful, bc people discount him as incompetent, yes, but also bc they still see him as a noble, as someone of enough inherent value, diminished though it may be, that he weilds that influence even when playing the fool. JGY doesn't get that respect even at his height of his power and competency as a ruler.

They are, neither of them, strong cultivators. But that factor only really affects JGY bc it means he has to fight even harder for acceptance and validation. Huaisang also gets the luxury of CHOOSING not to be a strong cultivator. Because his position in life IS secure, he can slack off. He is allowed to try his hardest to avoid the fate of his family and do his utmost not to cultivate in that manner. Which I think, too, causes some of the resentment. On both sides. Huaisang never has to work a day in his life, has barely any expectations to live up to and still gets the respect Meng Yao is constantly robbed of. And for huaisang- On top of killing his brother via musically-induced, full-bodied rage embolism, JGY is now also the reason that huaisang is thrust into a position he was entirely unprepared for way before he was supposed to be.

And we know, we KNOW that JGY is responsible for so many of Huaisang’s pretty little things. His beloved indulgences granted not by his own brother, but by his doting san-ge. Things that got burned or destroyed by Mingjue simplu for the fact that a) they were from JGY and B) they are not the type of things NMJ cosidereds respectabke hobbies or skills. A large number of his fans and painting supplies are gifts from JGY, and he stood up for and encouraged those hobbies against the person he probably fears the most at that point, Mingjue (even if he's already actively trying to kill him by then). And huaisang seemed genuinely pleased that JGY had found acceptance and was getting what he (thought he) wanted. The friendship and affection was real, just not near strong enough to withstand the crimes of the other.

And oh boy that divorce was rough and bloody and beautiful and tragic and I just love the messy nature of the relationship, how deep and how twisted it went and became. And i think, right up until the very end, JGY didn't truly want to believe that Huaisang was capable of doing this to him, I don't think he ever wanted to hurt huaisang again the way he had to when he killed Mingjue. Use him? Maybe. But not in a malicious way, not by his standards.

I am happy to read any sangyao content I can get, however! I love reading about them as companions on the mountain, growing together, bonding. Maybe young and in love? I love reading the gradual drifting apart. The years they schemed and used each other. The final divorce. And what comes after. Or what could never be. Any content, I will take, and it depends on where in cannon we are that a particular square is filled in.

Jgy had to fight for both acceptance and sheer survival, and huaisang never really had to do either. Except maybe during the ~10 years of the gap when Huaisang had figured him out, but was pretending to be useless to achieve his ends. You could argue the mindset that aside from just avenging his DaGe, he was also concerned about his own survival bc what if he became an Inconvienience instead of just the annoyance he was playing up to be? If he actually stood in Guanyao's way? It would be much easier to take him out than Mingjue, realistically. But what would be that threshold to have JGY actually do anything? Are Huaisang’s histrionics and uselessness useful to him? Or a result of guilty indulgence? Or left over fondness from a ti.e they were so close? Some combo of all? Who can say and I fucking love that uncertainty about them

Saying all that, these two are the poster child for OTP I don't want to end up together in Canon, lol. Unless it's one of the many time travel fix it aus, they simply have too much history and shared issues and rage between them to ever make sense working out. But their stories are so incomplete without the other, they are inexorably linked, and I just think they're neat!

(Please don't come for me cql fans. im sure I've misunderstood or posted an opinion that's utterly debatable on here. But like, also. I'm tired and I love them and I don't care.)

I have more to say about them that you'll probably get to hear at some point when we talk, but for now, they have BROKEN MY BRAIN.

Also, to all my fellow sangyao peeps: please feel free to send fic recs if you want. I am so hungry for the content.

[truly-morgan]

[3ZUN wants JC but forgot an important detail]

3ZunCheng | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 09-01-2022

couple #3zun wants Jiang Cheng, but they somehow mess up along the way before getting there, making poor a-cheng feel like "of course, he is taken 😔 he wouldn't like me".

Lan Xichen is the first one to take an interest in Jiang Cheng after seeing him tag along when wwx comes to hang out (or by lqr words: bother) lwj.

He just easily falls for the smart young man. There is just something about him that he really loves.

So of course he tries approaching the young man. And it goes pretty good too! Sure Jiang Cheng was a bit unsure at first why someone like Lan Xichen would ever be interested in HIM, but he slowly warms up.

Soon they even hang out just for themselves, not just because he tags along with wwx and happens to be here. Jiang Cheng is just so happy that someone seems to like him back (because of course he had a crush on him, have you seen him!?).

He also gets to meet with Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue.

They both wondered what Lan Xichen kept talking about when he mentioned that cute boy he met. Nie Mingjue knew he was friends with his didi, but that was it. Maybe a story here and there coming from nhs.

but it doesn't take long to understand what lxc means, jc is pretty cute, especially when you praise him and he ends up all flustered because he enjoys the praise.

The two friends were also slowly also falling for jc's charms, wanting him to themselves too.

They would have been happy with lxc getting a new boyfriend for himself, but now they actually also wanted a piece of the little cute jc. if the young man would like it, they are happy to also love him.

And like this, everything was going so well in Jiang Cheng's opinion.

He made new friends who take good care of him, He is becoming a bit more confident now that he has people who don't always pin him against wwx and his crush seems to also be interested in him!

He even thought that he should try and tell lxc about his feeling!

But then his hopes of that got crushed.

They were going to watch a movie and had decided to first grab lunch in a cafe next to the cinema. He was early but assumed he could just get them a table. But he wasn't even in when he saw through the window lxc and jgy kissing at a table, looking as though they had been there for a little while already and having a date.

He wasn't sure what to do, not feeling comfortable at the idea of interrupting whatever moment they were having right now.

He was about to back out, only to bump into someone as he was turning around. He jumped a bit, apologising, only to hear a familiar voice calling out to him. Of course, he had bumped into nmj when he tried to flee.

"Are you alright?" he asked, frowning a bit worried because of jc's reaction. "Yeah, yes, I was just unsure this was the right place" jc lied with a slightly forced smile. There went his chance to run away.

He followed nmj inside, happy to see lxc and jgy were not all over each other again, sitting down with them. The afternoon ended up being a bit awkward for him, trying to still have fun. It was not their fault that he was the one who misunderstood lxc intentions.

at the movie he took a seat next to nmj on the side, making sure to leave lxc and jgy on the other side of nmj.

he couldn't stay with them afterwards though, feeling like he needed to just be alone to tend to his broken heart.

and from there little jc felt more distant from lxc, finding reasons not to be able to hang out if everyone was here, needing some time to just throw aside his feelings ("I get it, jgy is pretty and smart, I wonder bother him with my feelings").

"I don't get it! It feels like a-cheng has been avoiding me lately?! but I don't think I did anything wrong, everything was going smoothly, I was even going to confess to him!" lxc said, laying on nmj's bed.

"Maybe something happened, when did it all start?"

"Three weeks ago? When we went to the movie I think".

jgy hummed, trying to think of what could it be.

"Well, he did look a bit troubled before going to eat" nmj mentioned when he thought about it, "He looked about to leave when I got there.

it was as if he had seen something bad, but he said he was just unsure about the place".

jgy frowned a bit, before remembering what lxc and he had been doing. They had decided to have a little date to themselves just before going, being more openly touchy than usual.

"He saw us kissing," jgy said, turning to nmj, "Why did you never tell us jc had acted weird before joining us?! We thought he had come with you, not gotten there early".

nmj looked unsure, he hadn't thought something like this had happened, he hadn't known those two had decided to go full-on PDA when they knew jc was supposed to join them.

"Don't look at me like this, why hasn't either of you told him about us then? Would have cleared any possible misunderstanding"

With this, they decided it was probably better to tell Jiang Cheng about it. Maybe he wouldn't want to join them, or even just give them a chance to lxc, but it was better to try than see him sad because of a misunderstanding.

But little a-cheng is so hard to contact these days!! He kept being busy or awkwardly finding reason when they see each other. He still couldn't really face Lxc with his feelings knowing he is together with jgy 😔 He wants to be happy for them when they hang out, not feel like crying. He wants to be a good friend!

So 3zun needs to resort to trickery to get him to talk to them! And who's better to do so than Nie Huaisang who of course would *never* trick him, right?

And so he went for dinner with nhs to this new place he wanted to try, only to be abandoned by nhs the moment they got the private room where 3zun already was.

He wanted to go, but nhs made sure he couldn't get out ("I better get a good reward for this dage!").

He had no choice but to accept to sit down, looking nervous and awkward. Not to help none of the older men were saying anything either.

"Look, I think we need to make something clear" jgy finally started as he saw no one was talking. This had jc immediately shrink in his seat, feeling like he knew where it was going.

"There's no need to worry, I get it, I got my feelings all up, but I won't push it on anyone and I am really happy to know you have someone great with you" jc started, not feeling like having that kind of conversation.

"I-I just need a little bit of time to forget it all, it was my mistake, I won't-"

"You got it all wrong!" lxc quickly said, not wanting to see him blame himself again for something he didn't do.

"But... I saw you two kissing" jc said, looking puzzled, how could he get it wrong?

"It's true that I am dating xichen-ge" jgy said, only for jc to sink in his seat again, looking confused as to what they were saying, "But I also do date ming-ge" he added.

This only had jc looking even more confused and surprised, looking at the man sitting next to him.

He had nothing against this, if they were happy that was fine!! But how was it that he got it all wrong? That he was missing nmj in his equation? now this only meant lxc had two great boyfriends he couldn't even compare with.

"lxc is head over heels for you" nmj mentioned as lxc nodded, "He also wants to date you" he then added, making it clear that lxc was still very much interested in him /right now/.

"Is this true?" jc asked when he turned back to lxc, the man giving him a smile.

"Of course, I wouldn't lie to you about this, I really wanted to date you," he said.

"At first we were happy that xichen-ge found someone new to love," jgy said, "But then me and ming-ge also ended up falling for your cute little face and your charms and wanted to start dating you"

"But we understand if you only want to date lxc" nmj mentioned, "you clearly were flirting with him, not us".

This was quite a lot for jc to take in. Not only was the guy he loved also in love with him, but he also had two other great dudes (who were also boyfriends with his crush) loving him?!? how had he attracted the attention of so many successful young men?!?

He thought about it for a moment and got a bit flustered at the idea of being loved by these three people. Could he really?

"You don't need to give us an answer right now," lxc said with a smile, "You can think about it more if you need to".

"It's also okay if you decided to only choice lxc, or no one if this doesn't suit you either" jgy added. they didn't want to make it seems like he would be forced to date them if he didn't want to.

They had dinner all together, jc being curious about how all of this was working for them. it was pretty interesting to listen to, also gave him an idea of how it worked.

By the end of the night, he had already thought about it, grabbing lxc hands as they were getting out of the restaurant. He felt like if he didn't say it right now he wouldn't later and would only doubt himself and his choice.

"I-I would like to try it out with you three... if you do want me around," he said, looking nervous.

He was taken aback when he felt strong arms hug him, looking up at a smiling lxc. "Of course, we would love to," he said.

jc couldn't help but look towards jgy and nmj once lxc let go of him, seeing jgy come for a hug too, much more gentle than lxc had been. "We already said it, we also fell for how cute you are," jgy said, before also being surprised when another pair of strong arms came to hug them both at the same time. "We will make sure to love you so much you won't want to go away anymore and you won't have any more doubt about us" nmj assured him.

jc couldn't help but feel warm at the attention and how confident they sounded in this.

Maybe he was also good enough to have such great and wonderful boyfriends too.

Original

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

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1. Hi again! For the next fic finder there have been two fics that I keep thinking about, but for the life of me can’t remember the name of nor find in my bookmarks.

A) The first one: i remember this scene where lxc and lwj had spent time away from each other i think due to wangxian’s marriage (most likely arranged or lwj was a war prize?), and when they see each other again they actually hug each other and cry. I remember wwx leaving them alone in the room and going to socialize at whatever event they were at. It was canon era btw if that helps.

FOUND! 💖 love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, wangxian, immortal WWX, slow burn, pining, arranged marriage, Mojo’s post)  

B) The second one is where the twin jades are kidnapped and wwx saves them. I think it’s told from lxc’s pov. During their captivity, they dont harm lxc but they take lwj everyday and torture him so much that lxc has to spend nearly all of his spiritual energy healing him up every night until wwx saves them. Thanks for helping me out! This blog is really heaven-sent!

1B)

FOUND! Whatever you do by apathyinreverie (T, 8k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, bamf WWX, bamf LWJ, bamf LXC, not Jiang friendly, not YZY friendly, slightly darker cultivation world, fluff, Fix-it)

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2. Hello for the next ficfinder I was looking for a fic where WRH is like a father figure to WWX. He gives him nice clothes and jewelry as well. When Madam Yu finds it she destroyed it saying that he didn't deserve all the nice things.

FOUND! All Things Belong by kuroi_atropos (M, 64k, WIP, WRH & WWX, WangXian, WWX is a Wēn, Abuse, Whipping, Manipulations, Warning: WRH, Smart WWX, Possessive Behavior, Warning: JGS, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con)

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3. Hello loves! As always, this blog gives me life and you're wonderful people ❤️ I know you just posted a fic finder so my request might take a while, I but whenever my turn comes I have 2 asks of you:

A. There's a specific scene I remember from a Canon divergence fic and it's driving me crazy that I can't remember what fic it's from. Basically either Jin Zixun or Su She (I think. I'm pretty sure. Like 89% sure it wasn't jgy at least) is punished by being forced to hold a boulder above his head. He has to use spiritual energy to keep it from crushing him. Eventually he fails. It is implied that he gave up but maybe was just too weak.

FOUND! ❤️ a stone to break your soul, a song to save it by rikke (M, 180k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, arranged marriage)

B. Ok this one is a series of modern au w/cultivaton sects that focuses on lx and nmj and their relationship despite being in different sects/nmj being a sect leader. One of the fics involves taking everyone on a trip? One is definitely them entering a relationship. They fly on swords to meet up. I think there's a swimming pool scene at one point? It's been a while so I know I'm missing some stuff. @iluvshikamaru

FOUND! Modern Cultivator AU series by Netrixie (T, 74k, NMJ/LXC, wangxian, modern w cultivation, everyone lives au)

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4. Hi! Thank you so much for all your hard work! I'm new here and don't really know how this all works 😅. But i'm looking for a fic where wei wuxian is a surviving member of a search party, who keeps coming back as a clone every time he's killed after questioning. And lan wangji who's the one who believes that "mo xuanyu" isn't who he really is.

FOUND? Contact; a Mirror by raisedbyhyenas (M, 10k, wangxian, modern, Southern Reach au, body horror, fungal horror, comes back wrong, conspiracy, no good choices)

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5. Hello! Fic finder request - WWX never died (though everyone thinks he did), and he's secretly being kept prisoner by JGY. Child Jin Ling accidentally finds him (after escaping his nannies, or whatever), and keeps sneaking back to visit him trying to figure out who he is and why he's locked up. Thank you!

FOUND! 5 sounds like this thread fic

not FOUND ❤️ whipstitch by curiositykilled (M, 131k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Dysfunctional Family, Torture, WWX Lives, but basically no one else, Case Fic, Cultivation Sect Politics, Past Abuse, WWX Whump, YL WWX, JL Needs a Hug, JL Tries, Yunmeng Bro Reconciliation, Past Character Death, Body Horror, Non-Consensual Body Modification, POV Alternating, Flashbacks, Eventual Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, Suicide Attempt, PTSD, Depression, Not A Fix-It, Mouth Sewn Shut)

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6. hi! im asking for someone who doesn't have a tumblr. Here's their request: Hello, English is not my first language so I apologize in advance. I'm looking for an ao3 fic where WY breaks free from the WQ needles and goes to the Koi Tower to give himself and his seal in exchange for releasing the Wen remnants. LZ promises to take care of them and the Nie sect gets the amulet. I don't remember anything else, does anyone know what the story is called? I would be very grateful. 🙏🙏🙏 @layzeal @laudh8

FOUND? To Mourn the Young Man by Iamnotawriter (T, 56k, WangXian, anon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF WWX, Most people live, but not the bad guys, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal)

FOUND? Always walked a very thin line by tucuxi (T, 22k, NHS & WWX, JYL & WWX, wangxian, depression, anxiety, everyone lives au, except JZXun & JGS, self-worth issues, slow burn, oblivious WWX, golden core reveal, chronic pain & illness, pining) Not identical, since the amulet gets destroyed, but similar.

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7. Hi! There's a fic i had in mind as an answer to an itmf but for the life of me i cant seem to find it again. Now it's bugging me tho so pls help me find it again🥺

It was a modern with magic au, wangxian, completed, not explicit, probably way over 5,000 words, maybe a oneshot and published more than a year ago, probably more.

Lan zhan had a (flower? Herbs and stuff? Antique? Anything to tinker with? Magic?) shop, and wei ying had started coming in every day to look for a different flower (maybe) because he (or she? may be a genderbender i dont remember) was trying to achieve something with magic (?) but kept on messing up the formula and botching the potion he was creating(?). In the end he finds the right combo of flowers and ingredients and brews a potion that did something "unorthodox", and wen ning was involved somehow.

FOUND! Something Wicked by theroyalsavage (G, 6k, wangxian, magic au, magical realism, strangers to lovers)

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8. I remember reading a story it was posted I think as a single chapter of 30000-40000 around about and in it WWX and LWJ meet in a store I think WWX was an employee and helped LWJ find a toy for A-Yuan, and there was something about gloves either LWJ left them behind or loaned them to WWX

FOUND? A forgotten pair of gloves by myhouseofstoneyourivygrows (M, 43k, WangXian, NieLan, Anxiety Attacks, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con (madam lan's backstory), Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse (past), Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Not Jiang Clan Friendly, Chronic Illness (madam lan), Adoption, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending (with jiang siblings) )

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9. Hey, for the next fic finder, A) what’s the fic where Lan Wangji can read minds? The first time he walks by Wei Wuxian, he’s hit with the thought that “He’s so pretty, like a statue or a deity. I want to be his friend and get him to smile at me!” And Lan Wangji is pretty stunned, because Nobody wants to be friends. And so Lan Wangji has a front row seat to Wei Wuxian’s on-going Lan Wangji-sexuality crisis.

B) Another fic I’m looking for is a modern AU, Wei Wuxian is the single parent of 12 year old Wei Yuan (Yes, that Yuan) and the new favorite teacher turns out to be Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji is the father, and he took a job because when WW got kicked out he said he was moving into this area. LW never received the letters sent to him because LX intercepted all of them and burned them. LX refused to admit that WY was LW’s at first because he didn’t realize WW had come over the night he was kicked out

@any-mouse

9A)

i dont have a specific fic link for 9A but it sounds like it could be one of the "cherry magic" aus out there if that helps.

FOUND! Too Beautiful For Words, Will My Thoughts Suffice? by Watermelonsmellinfellon (T, 8k, wangxian, fluff, crushes, flirting, telepathy, falling in love, LWJ pov, drama, golden core reveal)

9B)

FOUND! Nothing but your heart by airinshaw (E, 21k, wangxian, modern, ABO, implied mpreg, first time, getting together, angst & drama, happy ending, smut, whump)

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10. ahh helloo. i would be really grateful if you could help me. i remember reading this fic where in CR after wwx punched jzx he was upset and lwj went to talk to him but he said something really hurtful to lwj. ive been trying to find this fic for so long and havent had any luck :((

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11. I'm looking for a tumblr fic set when WWX first comes to Lotus Pier, and Madam Yu almost immediately sets about poisoning him so everyone believes he's sickly, so he won't be a threat to JC. Gradually WWX figures it out through reading books on herbs, but the Wens invade right as he confronts the doctor. Please help, I mostly want to find the author to see what else they've written but this piece really stuck in my head.

FOUND! 11 might be this tumblr post.

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12. hello! please, for the next fic finder i was trying to find a wangxian fic post canon where after they parted ways, lwj found a way for wwx to get a new core, but since it's dual cultivation he goes to tell him in person instead of via letter, and he offers to be the one to help. it's initially very awkward, and it's only cleared up that they have feelings for each other when wwx gets really jealous of the son of a politician or someone from the gentry. can you guys help me?

NOT FOUND in defense of lightning by fruitys (E, 15k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Golden Core Reveal, Getting Together, First Time, Dual Cultivation)

FOUND! Always Light My Way  by cqlorphan (E, 27k, wangxian, post-canon, getting together, friends w/ benefits to lovers, jealous WWX, misunderstanding, pining while   fucking, switch wangxian, bottom LWJ, smut, dual cultivation, archer   WWX, smart WWX, oblivious LWJ, angst w/ happy ending)  

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13. Hello! This request is for the FicFinder. All I remember about the fic is :

- JYL and LXC fall in love with each other as they try to bring WangXian together.

- SZH is older than his peers.

- the children of JYL and LXC are friends with JL(who is the son of MianMian and JZX), Zizhen and JingYi.

- WangXian are quite famous (I think in a good way?)

- the last chapter is from JL's perspective as he visits CR with his mother. And he meets them in the back mountain where the three are playing WangXian I think?

Thanks so much!!✨ @purhplet09

FOUND! Echoes by snowberryrose (G, 41k, WangXian, ChengQing, ChenLi, Family, Canon Divergence, Protective Siblings) suggestion to the person with the request, if the main pairing of a fic you’re looking for is a rarepair, you can use that tag to search and get a much reduced list of fics to look through. like, i remembered the fic you described but not the name, so a search of the jyl/lxc tag + sort by kudos, and it was right neat the top of the list

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14. Hello I'm sorry if this is very vague but there was this fic i read that was along the lines of Genius WWX where he fought the Lan's swordmaster in a spar in Cloud Recesses Arc and ended up getting severely injured but when he woke up in the infirmary, he was told that he was the closest to ever actually beat the man because no one has ever fought against him for so long. Thank you very much and have a nice day!

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15. Hi! Please help me find this fic.

It's premise is that the lan head ribbon can only be unknotted by their fated person. WY unties lz's ribbon accidentally and they are made to marry each other. Accidental marriage, i guess. I think xicheng was also said to be a pairing but I'm not too sure. That's all i can remember.

Hi, i'm the anon who requested #15 here. Sadly "the world passes by but for me there is only you" by beeswaxing is not the fic that i was looking for. Other details i could remember now is that they are made to marry by the lan sect itself and that it is canon divergence before core removal.

not FOUND the world passes by but for me there is only you by beeswaxing (E, 82k, wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it of sorts, golden core reveal, accidental marriage, love confessions, horny teenagers, pining, fluff, everybody lives, first time)

~*~

16. Hi by any chance do you find twitter thread fics? I'm trying to find this mpreg wangxian fic. Where I think Lan zhan is older. And he hasn't told Madame yu yet. And one day he comes home and he's sick. And not moving from bed. Essentially he need contact with Lan Zhan (can't remember if it was an abo or soulmates reasoning. ) Anyway it ends with Lan Zhan coming because he sense something was wrong and facing the jiangs. And Wei ying pregnant. If you can help me I'd really appreciate it @imgonnablogtheworldtodeath

FOUND! this Twitter threadfic

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17. Hi!! I need help finding a mdzs fic, from what I remember this is during sun shot campaign, where wwx loses his memories after the wen attack to him and he becomes a concubine? A concubine or consort, OR LIKE he works at a brothel? SOMETHING LIKE THAT! I just know for sure that he goes by A-Ying, or maybe not quite sure 😭. And LWJ finds him?? But he doesn’t remember him or anything if I’m not mistaken! @sophiesophs

FOUND! tangled by the night by edenwolfie (E, 54k, wangxian , canon divergence, post fall of the Lotus pier, courtesan WWX, crossdressing, angst w happy ending, first time, first kiss, getting together, humor, hurt/comfort, PTSD, sex work)

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18. Hi, I’ve been looking this one fic for forever and it’s where wei ying and lan zhan communicate with resentful or dead crows and one is injured by a lan deciple and lan zhan cares for it. Thanks @fanfic-discussions

FOUND? carried by the wind by saichan (T, 7k, wangxian, different first meetings, post-sunshot, feat. burial mounds crows, rogue cultivator WWX, Yi city warning)

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19. hi! for the next fic finder, im looking for a crossover between mdzs n tgcf i believe? the content is blurry but i do remember that mount tonglu was about to erupt and hualian and maybe other cast of tgcf + wei wuxian (called wu ming) and mdzs sect leaders + lwj were there to investigate. wwx gives his ashes to lwj and throws himself into mount tonglu as sacrifice to appease the mountain. thats all i remember though, and im like 50% sure it was completed. thank u <3

FOUND! Can we skip to the Good Part? by pink-lotus-pods (Waterlogged_fireflies) (T, 107k, hualian, wangxian, crossover, YLLZ WWX, slow build, canon temporary character death, Fix-It of sorts, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, genius WWX)

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20. Hello! I have been looking for a fic I read a while ago which at the time was incomplete but I'm trying to find again. I believe it was fox wwx and dragon lwj, modern au, wwx breaks into a place where somebody died to steal back a dangerous item that he made but lwj came in to sweep through the place and collect any dangerous times, wwx tries talking his way out and when that fails he tries activating one of the random items as a distraction and gets cursed. Sound familiar? Any help appreciated! @genius-dumbass​

I don’t have the link but I think I recognise the fic - I think the item WWX made was a collar, and he accidentally closed it around his neck. If I remember correctly, it was supposed to be a multi chapter fic but it was discontinued after the first chapter. I think the rating was E , and that the writer is someone that usually writes smutty fics. Maybe that will help someone find it?

#9 sounds like an apparently deleted wip 'a steel trap with no teeth' by martyrsdaughter  

~*~

[kuriipi]

People who keep claiming that "Jin Guangyao didn't have to do what Jin Guangshan told him! He could leave/kill him/steal all their money/go to LXC/NMJ!"

Really seem to like to forget that:

a. Jin Guangyao new way too much for JGS to just let him go?? The man has killed people for less, and he certainly doesn't hold any love for his bastard children.

b. You do realize the only reason JGY goes in the vault is bcs he is the sect leader in mdzs. Like this is pretty elemental, but the vault is only accessed by the sect leader. If Jin sect could just be robbed they wouldn't be the richest sect...

c.Lan sect was burned to the ground at the time and the Jin were helping them rebuilt. Even if they chose to involve themselves and turn against JGS (LXC and LWJ support alone does not guarantee the Lan Sects support, a we've all seen and it also very much doesn't guarantee ones survival, rip wwx...that first time). What power exactly do you think they had against the pretty much Wen sect vol.2 ?? Like by constanntly calling JGS promiscuous (which he was ok) we keep ignoring the crazy amounts of power he held back then...

d. NMJ. Honestly I can't believe I have to keep saying this but if your friend/sworn brother tries to murder you without even giving you a moment to plead your case (you know as is the legal system, or whatever) you tend to not trust them very much after??? Besides NMJ seemed rather content at the time to ignore JGS entirely and just try to blame everything on JGY. You guys please tell me you at least understand that XY was the Jin sects, aka JGS', ward? protege? idk the word but he was under their protection. JGY had no power to do anything about him, even if he wanted to, if JGS didn't permit it. You'd think as a sect leader NMJ's "righteousness" would puss him to talk to his fellow equal, sect leader JGS instead of constantly trying to kill JGY, but oh well.

e. Do you guys think killing your own father is easy? Just emotionally, cause if you do irl seek help tbh that's not normal. Not considering the logistics of killing a sect leader when you're his direct successor (tbh I think that any other method than the one JGY choose wouldn't have held up but that's another story). Like even if people didn't like JGS they liked JGY as head of Jin sect even less.

[mostlikelytofangirl]

Look at this mess. The reason it's difficult to translate NMJ accurately to a modern au is because his actions would be just abusive. Honestly if I were NHS I'd never forgive NMJ for destroying my things. NHS is scared. Look at him, poor thing. As much as I love NMJ he needs a reality check

Let me just.

Aahhhh ok. Here's the thing.

Is this objectively abusive? Yes.

Is this happing in a vaccum? No.

Idk man. I'm thinking that maybe you haven't come across a good modern AU featuring NMJ bc I have enjoyed me plently a great and in-character and delightful modern!NMJ.

This happening right there is not a staple of his entire character. If anything it IS a way to show how much he had degraded and spiralled into qi deviation. He did need a reality check, you are right, but that's bc he is getting progressively disconnected from reality and wrapped in his own biased perception.

You know what this reads like to me? Triton and Ariel.

Dude was fed up with his daughter not only disobeying and neglecting responsibilities, but doing stuff he knew for a fact were dangerous. He was trying to protect her. What he did in the cave, destroying all her stuff, was awful and unexcusable, but can we really call it abusive? Or claim that he didn't love her and was a matter of time before he got violent?

In NMJ's case, dude knows he's dying, he's going to leave NHS alone and in charge of the sect in a world where JGS is pretty much unmatched and he had been trying for so long to get his brother and only heir to actually give a damn about that. Throughout the years, he had yelled and nagged, but how different is that from a strict parent? Dude had to be a parent after losing his and becoming a sect leader at what? 16? I think we can cut him some slack in terms of not being the most wholesome guardian. AND YET not once was he ever mentioned to get physical with his brother, neither would NHS be his happy-go-lucky, lazy self for all their life together if he knew there were actual weight to his brother's threats. Or was JC also abusive towards JL in this regard?

Mxtx herself confirmed in an interview that despite being only half-siblings, the Nie's relationship was good. This here is an outlier situation, an ooc moment for NMJ bc my guy was reaching the point of no return. And the fact that NHS not only forgave him, but enacted a ten years long revenge for him goes to show that he either came to understand the circunstances in which this happened, or the love and good moments he spent with his brother greatly outweighted this sad episode.

I'm sorry, but this is extremely realistic to me in terms of family and interpersonal relationships in general. No one can have a fully wholesome and unproblematic dynamic with another person, much less a close one. You are going to do shit to hurt each other, you are going to be pissed off or even scared when the other person blows up when they are in a very bad place. That doesn't mean that all your time together is now invalid or that that person is "toxic", especially when it's pretty obvious that this is not normal behavior for them.

You are fully valid in not liking this, of course, I just don't think it fully fair to pass judgment on how other characters should feel about him when NMJ is quite literally going through his worst moment right before he freaking dies a painful and untimely end.

[stiricidewrites]

All the Things We’ll Leave Behind: ch 28, pt 13

See you Saturday! Enjoy your ends of the weeks!

Previously

~

“Wangji~” jzxuan whined as he followed after his friend. “The bunnies have lived out in the wild for an entire year! I’m sure one more night won’t hurt them—” jzxuan cut off as lwj turned on him, eyes blazing hot in a way he had never seen them before.

“How do you know?” the older man asked, taking one slow step back towards jzxuan, and then another and another, until lwj was towering over him. “Do you know what kind of animals live in these woods? What they eat? Do you know if any of the buns need medical attention? If any have struggled to find food for themselves? If any are pregnant or already have babies? If any of the mothers have died and now their babies are starving?”

jzxuan swallowed as he stared up at the other alpha. The rational part of him wanted to point out that even if they found any rabbits in need of medical attention there was little they could do about it. Without his aunt’s permission, they wouldn't be able to either get to a vet or bring one here. Fuck, they wouldn’t even be able to get food that wasn’t scraps from lwj’s fridge until tomorrow, let alone milk for babies—assuming that was even what orphaned bunnies needed—if they needed that! Not to mention the aforementioned need for some kind of litter box—probably more than a few, actually! Plus—

The rational part of him was cut off, however, by two things. One: the insanely passionate look in lwj’s eyes. jzxuan knew that look, if not from lwj’s eyes than from others—from his brother’s when he was particularly motivated to make someone wish they were dead, from nhs’s when his older brother tried to dictate something about his life and was about to regret it.

Please note: nmj usually ended up regretting he was alive when his younger brother got that look in his eyes as well. The alpha often wasn’t the most observant person, however, and usually missed that his baby brother was plotting his demise until it was too late. In one particular instance, nhs had tricked his brother into attending a fundraising event, leaving out the fact that he had also been signed up for the karaoke portion of the fundraiser. nmj, jzxuan knew from this unfortunate turn of events, could not sing, however dropping out would have meant all the fundraising pledges to hear him sing certain songs would have been voided.

nmj could not sing, but damn if he hadn’t tried his hardest and earned the charity some big cash that night—even if his face had been red with either anger or embarrassment most of the night. It still lit up every time someone had brought it up, which was often, as he had, perhaps, done a little too well, and the fundraiser had practically demanded he participate every year since. jzxuan no longer attended that particular event, although he and his brother were both sure to donate towards nmj’s karaoke performances, requesting the most annoying songs they could—anonymously, of course.

Experience with his brother and nhs had taught him about that look, and how there was no getting around it, no talking the person out of their decision. That much passion was impossible to control, all you could do was go along with it and try to keep angry alpha brothers from killing their omega siblings.

Please note: nmj did not try to kill nhs, but he did take away his brother’s internet access, which, according to nhs, was a bad as dying.

Two: the rational part of jzxuan’s brain has quickly being taken offline by a combination of the passionate look in lwj’s eyes and the absolutely delicious, demanding scent the man was letting leak out of him—or, maybe he wasn’t letting it out, and it was just an accident of his drunkenness. Either way, jzxuan wanted to fucking swim in it, drink as much up as he could and memorize everything about it, and when lwj nodded solemnly—apparently taking jzxuan’s silence as acceptance of the situation he had been dragged into—and turned to return on his trek to acquire more rabbits, jzxuan found himself following behind like a love sick puppy.

[fincalinde]

Lan Xichen!

THANK YOU for the pity ask! Can't believe I got the Nie bro Hanguang-jun triple bonus combo first. (I don't mind being asked about any character, it's just funny.)

a song that reminds me of them

The obligatory PHILDEL is Funeral Bell because it's one that's more LXC alone than Xiyao. Don't get me started on the Xiyao ones.

And it rings in the day And it rings in the evening Oh, I could pray but it won't stop you leaving Shadow in black, you are grim from your reaping Oh, can't you spare just a day for the weeping?

what they smell like

Sandalwood! But he spends so much time at Golden Carp Tower after JGY ascends that he often smells of their incenses too. Probably also smells of clean air and pines when he's just come from the mountain/been flying. Of the entire cast he's probably the one who smells the best, let's be real.

an otp

ctrl+c, ctrl+v my JGY answer, but it's Xiyao. I don't think the text indicates that they are secret lovers, but their intimacy and affection reads as romantic to me, and I think had circumstances been more kind that is the relationship both would prefer whether or not either of them has consciously considered it. I think they're also both very happy with their friendship as it is, so perhaps longing but not necessarily pining. They see each other constantly, after all. And I will leave a link to this again to illustrate why I believe they're a strong partnership who could have rebuilt their relationship had NHS not intervened.

a notp

I already took a cricket bat to Xicheng's balls, so let's say Nielan. There's no evidence in the text that their initial relationship is anything other than a friendship between two young clan leaders(/leader and heir), and by the time the war is properly underway they're already drifting apart in terms of how their respective worldviews are being tested by their circumstances. You yourself did the ultimate breakdown of their relationship, and while there's certainly affection it's hardly a meeting of the minds.

I will just also add a tart observation that for all fandom's supposed plethora of ace representation, NMJ the canonical ace is almost never depicted as such.

favorite platonic/familial relationships

I am doubling up here quite a bit as I've already covered LXC's friendship with NMJ and his relationship with LWJ, so as a third option I'll say I find his relationship with his mother interesting. Going to hold off on more details as some absolute monster sent me an ask about her and it would be better served there. Suffice to say I have thoughts.

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

Himbo LXC has been slated enough by finer minds than mine, but OK, I'll sharpen my axe for his equally frustrating cousin, service top LXC. I would genuinely be interested if someone could point me to anything in the text that indicates LXC has any desire to 'serve' JGY and dote on him either in the bedroom or outside it, because I don't see a shred of evidence that he's harbouring any secret yearnings of that nature.

Consistently throughout the entirety of MDZS, JGY is the one catering to LXC's needs and we never see either of them express the remotest dissatisfaction with this arrangement. Yes the narrative isn't focused directly on them and all sorts of things might be happening in the gaps, but that puts 'service top' LXC in the category of speculative at best.

Actually I think I'm bending over backwards to categorise it as speculative. At minimum there are far more plausible ways for him to express his romantic and sexual affections if given further opportunity. We actually see a fair bit of LXC and how he interacts with JGY, and we know how they behave when relaxed together. There's nothing in any of their scenes that betrays any kind of anxiety about wanting to protect JGY, to wait on him, to dote on him. We can speculate that LXC at times yearns to relinquish the persona of clan leader, because he is a human being and no human being wants to always live inside their role, and I'm sure there are times when he would like to express his emotions more freely. But it doesn't follow that doing so would open the floodgates on some suppressed desire to serve and 'spoil' JGY.

I've written about this before, but LXC is already meeting JGY's needs. He likes JGY and he respects and supports him. There's also no indication that JGY secretly wants to be taken care of and doted on. Just, no indication at all that either of them is dissatisfied with their existing dynamic, which does not consist of spoilt JGY and protective servile LXC.

As always, if this is what people enjoy then that's great. Fandom is fun and we are all here for different reasons but ultimately to enjoy ourselves. My frustration is that it's like trawling the Atlantic with a tea strainer trying to find content that's more in line with the novel.

the position they sleep in

Official Lan Position but considering he's a little more relaxed than LWJ, my speculation is that there have been times in his life when he hasn't lain down to sleep like a vampire in a coffin. Like after a while of being in hiding with JGY in Not Yunping Please God, Why Would JGY Travel Back To Yunmeng Or Anywhere In Hubei And Why Would LXC Flee Towards Hubei Not To Mention Jiangsu Borders Shandong Like Come On I Think We All Know JGY Travelled South Out Of Shandong Towards Or Into Jiangsu But Even If He Didn't Why Would He Ever Go Back To Yunmeng

a crossover au i’d love to see them in

My ATLA AU is still my fave, shameless shameless, but to vary things a little I do like the idea of an AU influenced by HDM. The problem is that I've read a couple before back in the mists of time and the dæmon choices were baffling. JGY with a fox and LXC with a deer I'm on board with though, and it would be an interesting challenge to synthesise something out of the canon dynamics while incorporating all the Dust and Magisterium stuff.

my favorite outfit they’ve ever worn

I'm a basic bitch who does love the robe he wears in the CQL Xiyao doing their thing right in front of NMJ's salad scene. Just generally approve of the choice they made to introduce colour to LXC's wardrobe to differentiate him. It's something I pinch for my fic (pls cancel me now for being hypocritical about purism). Oh but I also love him with hair loopies in fanart, this is noncanonical but I see what you did there with all the official art, LWJ is the lead so he has to have the sexy bits of hair outside the ribbon even though the more austere style given to LXC would be a better match for his character. I reject this technically extracanonical material and substitute my own personal preferences in a further display of shameless hypocrisy. I regret nothing.

[viterbofangirllovestheuntamed]

cont of my liking characters based on trusting them w/ baby, LXC 7/10 wouldn't trust to NOT bring baby around JGY even if I told him not to, LWJ 5/10 my baby is not WWX or WWX's baby so even odds he'd just hand my baby off to someone else and maybe remember to tell me who he gave my baby to, JL 7/10 he is a baby but would trust for afternoon of babysitting bc good w/ fairy, LJY & LSZ 6/10, WN 5/10 same as LWJ, OYZ 8/10 bc has sibs so can help JL for afternoon of babysitting

(2/2) cont of the who would I trust with my baby, JFM 0/10, can't even trust him with his own kids, YZY 1/10 if she likes me well enough and she understands my baby is no threat to her baby's position, JGS -100000/10 keep this thing away from my baby, LQR 9/10 has good track record, WRH 0/10 my baby is not a Wen, WQ 4/10 wouldn't trust not to do experiments for science, WN 4/10 but goes to 5 if sis helps, JYL 8/10, don't go to battlefield and leave baby behind!

JZY: 1/10 (pre-marriage) blue-screens the instant he is entrusted with a child and cries harder than the baby, 9/10 (post-marriage) doting himbo father who is loving but still responsible, one point deducted for refusing to move out of Koi tower

WWX: 9/10 for short periods. Any longer and he'll get distracted and lose the kid

JC: 8/10 very dedicated but shouty so no recommended for sensitive babies

NMJ: 7/10 see above (deduct additional 10000 points if having a qi deviation)

NHS: 1/10 immediately gets into who's-the-baby contest with infant and flips out when baby spits up on his robes

LJY: 3/10 (alone) won't get the child killed but something in the kitchen WILL be on fire when you get home

LSZ: 15/10 (alone) the most perfect babysitter imaginable... and you are never able to book him because everybody ELSE wants him to babysit too

Sect Leader Yao: 10/10 endless droning will put immediately put baby to sleep, too cowardly to put the baby in any danger, portly physique indicates good cooks on staff, and clearly has competent lieutenants since his sect is still standing

[songofclarity]

Did NMJ deserve his fate or was he like XXC, a victim of circumstance?

I don't think well-meaning characters who are just trying their best deserve to be betrayed by the people they trust, so no, he didn't deserve that fate.

But I wouldn't call what happened made him "a victim of circumstance," either. I don't think Nie Mingjue or Xiao Xingchen are victims of circumstances.

A victim of circumstance is someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. You were struck by lightning. A car crashed into you on the freeway. You were frightened by the performance at the theater and asked to leave early, and your parents were then murdered in an ally in a robbery gone wrong.

You know lightning exists, you know other cars are driving around you, you know your city has a crime problem. These are all circumstances that can harm you, but none of them are personal or actively targeting you simply because you're you. A victim of circumstance is a victim of 'these things could have happened to anyone, and it's a shame they had to happen to you.' A victim of circumstance is a victim of 'life happens.'

Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao purposefully and maliciously took advantage of the trust given them and sought to do Xiao Xingchen and Nie Mingjue harm for personal reasons. Jin Guangyao picked the Song of Clarity to mask the Collection of Turmoil that he played for Nie Mingjue and Nie Mingjue alone. Xue Yang was cutting tongues out of mouths and luring Xiao Xingchen, the only cultivator around, into murdering innocent people. Both of these plans were laid to specifically fuck with the minds of Nie Mingjue and Xiao Xingchen.

You can't blame a cloudless day for deceiving you when you get struck by lightning because the weather isn't sentient. It didn't start raining because you forgot an umbrella and the sky opened up to spite you lol

Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao, however, picked their targets on purpose. Nie Mingjue and Xiao Xingchen were picked on purpose.

[leatherbookmark]

“oh jgy was Evil in cql because of this reason:” is like. okay it’s commendable that you’re trying but specifically jgy is “evil” in cql and in donghua because of censorship, i’m afraid.

that being said, cql’s weird thing w/ xue yang giving poor meng yao The Eyes aside, they actually spiralled back into making sense and i feel like paradoxically... xy’s 👀 are so distracting that many people don’t realize it. like

wen chao: i came here to kick your ass! if you give us xue yang then i won’t tho

meng yao: ...excuse me nie gongzi i suddenly remembered i have a call to make

come on.

and when my lies and says that it was the nie captain who freed xy, well. imagine being a small fry and telling big angry nmj that you freed xue yang because you wanted wen chao to leave the unclean realm alone. you fucking can’t do that buddy. it’s unimaginable.

then, when it doesn’t work, my pulls the “he was stealing my accomplishments!” card. and hmmmm who was it who told my to work hard? who was it who reprimanded his soldiers for talking shit about my while drinking the water he brought them? meng yao attempts to get nmj to understand by bringing up the same thing that got him promoted in the first place, and then what does nmj do?

actually meng yao should have killed him right in that moment. the fuck do you mean “vain honor” the FUCK do you mean “just a little credit” holy shit dude do you hear yourself

(something something the soup drama something)

i feel like people are really... into this whole smirking jgy thing from cql and do everything for it to be real, including “jgy is actually evil because there is an evil substance in his body, making him evil” and like. *with audible effort* you... do you... just not in front of me... but the whole odenification actually, at least imo, doesn’t really make sense if you look at the story from the social point of view. if you take wwx, sms, jgy and xy -- the ~“moral”~ is that kindness matters. someone who has known love, affection and warmth will be a different person from someone who’s had it taken forever, or never had it in the first place, or didn’t even get a sliver of attention despite doing their best to be noticed. where does “and some people are just evil from birth and they will choose evil actions no matter what, because they’re just fucked up” fit into this?

had jgy been a totally different character maybe i wouldn’t be so opposed to the “well let him just be a fucked up murderous little bitch who holds a grudge like no one else, anything different than that is simply boring”. but for me, precisely because of that social aspect of the story, insisting he’s evil, greedy and sadistic is boring. and simply wrong.

and i’m always right about a-yao, so