#he's laughing at nie Huaisang

[a-yaos-little-murder-beans]

Have a new Meng Yao gif I made instead of trying to regain an almost acceptable sleeping rhythm.

[lgbtlunaverse]

See the thing about me is that I do care about characters' morality but it's more in the sense of wanting to understand their moral framework and why they take the actions they do. And because of that i'm always sympathetic to morally grey characters and try to look at things from their perspective, but I don't expect the other characters in the story- who unlike me are actually affected by each other's actions- to feel the same way.

For example, I care deeply about nie mingjue and the inherent tragedy of how he's been trapped by his own circumsances and his genuine will to do the right thing and can see how his reliance on punitive justice was created by the environment he's grown up in and the responsibility he holds towards his people and i don't think, in any stretch of the word, that he deserved to die or that it was in fact necessary to kill him.

However i do not expect jin guangyao, guy who was just kicked down the stairs, to see all the nuances here.

In the same sense, i can see how jgy's "self preservation above all else" mindset was forged by a world that expected him to die for their convenience how his avoidance of accounability for his actions was created out of necessity because any punishment levied against him would be disporportionate due to his heritage. How punishing him wouldn't actually make the world a better place or him a better person and how his violence is always reactive and that as long as he feels safe eneough to do so, the thing that he really wants to do is help people.

But I don't expect Huaisang, guy whose brother just got murdered, to give a fuck about any of that.

And I think this is why I'm annoyed with a lot of "is [insert character] a good/bad person" discourse because a lot of it gets framed as "If A is bad, the other characters in universe should hate them. If A is good, the other characters should be sympathetic to them, and if they're not then they're bad." And that is just... not how this works.

[fistfuloflightning]

Zhancheng but make it Addams family. Jiang Cheng as the loud and passionate Gomez, Lan Wangji as the elegantly cool and collected Morticia—which would make Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui Wednesday and Pugsly. Wei Wuxian as… Uncle Fester (is there really any other option?). Wen Ning as Lurch. Wen Qing as Grandmama Addams. Nie Huaisang as Cousin It? And maybe Fairy as Thing?

[kanene-yaaay]

I have a great many ideas about the sillies buzzing in my head at all times buT I've been thinking about the mischief of Wei Wuxian, certified talisman genius, could create with the creation of tickle talismans for a While

First things first, there's the question of when in the timeline he'd create them, either before the Cloud Recesses lecture era, or later in his second life, after the plot concludes (both have their merits but for the sake of making all my hcs make sense I'm choosing to go with the first scenario, in which Wei Wuxian, as the Yunmeng Jiang head disciple always keeps a few of his pre-prepared tickle talismans in his sleeve, ready at a moments notice. Sometimes he wonders if ordering his shidis to catch him off-guard as training for both of them maybe wasn't his brightest idea, but he and his martial brothers are in to deep to stop now. They have Jiang Yanli tallying wins and everything!)

So consider, if you will, Wei Wuxian as a guest disciple in the Cloud Recesses, getting caught by Lan Wangji that night on the rooftops with his Emperor's Smile. And as is to be expected they fight. And yes, they are quite evenly matched and could go on and on with just their swords, but Wei Wuxian is a filthy little cheater and he's proud of it too. Rules exist to be broken, the Second Jade of Lan's composure exists to be cracked, it's as easy as that.

And so, he draws one of his tickle talismans out of his sleeve, quick as a snake, and throws it at Lan Wangji. He really did expect him to dodge, all his shidis would have. Everyone knows he likes to fight dirty, except, it seems, Lan Wangji. (Who for his part is quietly seething that not only did Wei Wuxian break curfew, and the rules about alcohol and fighting in Cloud Recesses, but now he's also broken the universal rules of a clean duel by sword! Unheard of! Absolutely shameless!!).

The talisman attaches to Lan Wangji's chest since the move is so unexpected that he didn't even think to dodge it, too focused on Suibian's blade, and both of them stop to gape at it. Lan Wangji because how dare Wei Wuxian use talismans in their sword duel, and Wei Wuxian because: What the fuck why didn't he dodge?? He genuinely did not expect that move to work, not on someone as skilled as Lan Wangji!

In the few milliseconds he takes to debate whether he should snatch it away or let it be, curious to see if the impeccably polished Second Jade could even be affected by such petty tricks, the talisman burns up and releases the magic stored within. Oops, too late now, Wei Wuxian guesses.

And then he watches as Lan Wangji's righteously incredulous microexpression give way to open shock, and then panic, and then shutters in embarrassment. It's dark, but Wei Wuxian's golden core is well developed so he can still see the tips of Lan Wangji's ears growing red, followed by a pink tint stealing over his cheeks and washing down his neck. Wei Wuxian knows from unfortunate experience (the first and last time he'd ever let Jiang Cheng get his hands on one of these talismans), that by now the tingly feelings it evokes have traveled to the spots the magic identifies as most sensitive, all the better to get his victim to forfeit.

Indeed, Lan Wangji looks to be struggling. Anyone else would have collapsed to the floor (or well, rooftop) by now, squirming and laughing their head off, but Lan Wangji is still holding on tight to the last threads of his composure, however futile the attempt. Wei Wuxian can hear the little huffs and barely audible whines he can't hold back, and knows that it's only a matter of time before Lan Wangji, too, will crumble under the influence of his talisman.

With anyone else, he would have jumped at the opportunity to tease until they begged him to shut up through peals of laughter. And it's not that he doesn't want to hear Lan Wangji laughing and trying to scold him uselessly all throughout, but Wei Wuxian just can't seem to open his mouth. He's too busy staring as the world's most beautiful man loses his composure at Wei Wuxian's proverbial hands, shaking now, hair doing nothing to cover his bright red ears as he slowly sinks to his knees on the roof, Bichen long forgotten hanging loosely in his grip.

And then, and then! He looks up at Wei Wuxian, cheeks pink and mouth twitching, biting his lip and shooting him the most flustered, baleful glare he's ever seen, like the moonlight isn't reflecting on the tears of mirth in his eyes and making him look ethereal and... and then he closes his eyes in defeat and his lips stretch into the most brilliant smile Wei Wuxian has ever seen... and then he curls into himself and starts laughing quietly, the embarrassed undertone clearly audible.

The sight of his smile makes Wei Wuxian dizzy, and he doesn't know why. All of sudden he knows that he needs to get away, that he can't take the picture of Lan Wangji falling to pieces beneath the moonlight if he doesn't want to go insane. There's absolutely nothing on his mind except the look Lan Wangji sent him before breaking into that beautiful smile and okay yeah he needs to get away, like right now, before the way his heart is thumping in his chest makes him fall to his knees right along Lan Wangji.

He thinks he might've stuttered out a helpless direction, meant to sound teasing but coming out embarrassingly breathy, about not falling off the roof in the quarter of an incense time the talisman will take to fizzle out, before he turns tail and flees to the guest disciple quarters, Emperor's Smile forgotten on the roof.

Lan Wangji watches him go through teary eyes, before finally relinquishing the threads of control he'd clung to to keep himself from laughing loudly while in Wei Wuxian's earshot. He can feel the heat in his cheeks intensifying as he thinks of the way he'll have to confess this to Lan Xichen, so his brother can mete out punishment for Lan Wangji breaking the rule against loud laughter in the Cloud Recesses. While endlessly embarrassing, it was still better than confessing it to the elders at Minghsi Pavillion. The thought makes him shudder and squeeze his eyes shut once again. No one had taken such liberties with him in more than a decade, only blurry memories of Lan Xichen smiling down at him while hiccups and giggles shake his body, so much smaller then than now, serving as proof that he'd ever even had to suffer through an indignity such as this before.

... and yet, even as he can't keep his laughter down and himself from leaning forward until he is resting his forehead against the cool roof tiles in his bid to make the horribly ticklish sensations just a little more bearable, he can't help but think about Wei Ying's wide eyed, astonished stare, and about the way he'd swayed forward subconciously, like he'd wanted to take Lan Wangji into his arms, hold him and fold his giggles into his heart.

Maybe, if this is what it takes to get Wei Ying to look at him like that, he'll bear it gladly, again and again.

----

Oops got carried away an insane amount and wrote half a fic help. I have more ideas but this ask his already long enough lmao so that's it for now, i hope you'll like it!!

EVERY SINGLE ONE WAKEEEE UP AND LOOK AT THIS!!!! THE SCENARIO!!! THE CREATIVITY! THE JOY AND FUN AND SILLINESS! THE SLOWLY CRUMBLING OF BOTH LAN WANGJI AND WEI WUXIAN! THE DELIGHTFUL ENDING!!!! I DON'T THINK I CAN SURVIVE THIS!!!!!!

Tumblr is being unfair to me and I can't send reaction images but please imagine all the screaming, kicking legs, rolling on the floor, giggling, hugging my phone and slowly descend of madness that was me reaidng your ask over and over again because it!!! only!!! gets better!!!!!

I love love looooove how slowly Lan Zhan starts to lose his composture and, while he is the one wanting to giggle and laugh his heart out, Wei Wuxian is the one Almost Dying because my bro just realized he is Very Vey Gay AND!!!! DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ABOUT THE EXCHANGE OF GAZES WHEN LAN ZHAN DECIDES TO FREE HIS GIGGLES AND LOWER A BIT OF HIS BARRIERS AAAAA <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 And Wei Wuxian wanting to fall and hold him . I don't think I will ever be able to think about anything else ever again fr fr. Juno!!! Your scenarios are everything!!

[askew-d]

you know what’s crazy? how lan xichen defended jin guangyao saying that though the world had many misconceptions about him he still trusted his character just to have that affirmation thrown at his face — no, it’s not even about the naivety of it that makes me laugh, it’s about how he was the person to have seen lan wangji’s grief, had seen his persistence in raising a kid on behalf of wei wuxian, had seen his trials and his willingness to be beside wei wuxian regardless of the world telling him that the guy’s evil. he’s seen it firsthand.

all the while he probably must’ve pitied his brother, uniting with the sects to kill wei wuxian nonetheless, because he didn’t believe in the patriarch’s innocence. it’s that unconscious patronisation that makes it all the more ironic. and the fact that it was exactly jin guangyao’s actions that led to wei wuxian’s downfall.

i know lan xichen’s a good person, but it’s obvious that him and lan qiren had judged wei wuxian countless time throughout it all, and not only because he was ‘tainting’ lan wangji. i was quite annoyed when he called wei wuxian ‘his only mistake’, because, in fact, lan xichen was the one who mistakenly believed in the biggest villain, so he doesn’t have any room to talk. he committed three mistakes: by his perspective of lan wangji and wei wuxian’s relationship, of wei wuxian’s evilness and in his sworn brother as a whole.

it’s more than justified that he took his time in seclusion. it takes a while to come around such a massive mistake (did he think that too, when he saw his brother doing the same all those years ago?). not to mention that it must’ve been a big blow to realize that nie huaisang wasn’t the person he thought he was as well.

this parallel just came to me and i had to rant it so. i know it’s obvious, but yeah. don’t get me wrong, i just think lan xichen having this bit of a ‘fate’ is so good to the novel. brilliant move, mxtx, brilliant move.

[shanastoryteller]

HAPPY GALANTINE’S SHANA

I would love some Momma Hera or anything MDZS. THANK YOU. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

 Xichen isn't in his room.

"Told you," Wei Wuxian says. "Bet you a bottle of wine he's in Da-ge's."

"Do I look like a fool to you?" Nie Huaisang demands.

Wei Wuxian whistles. "We'd need a lot more alcohol and maybe a flow chart to answer that question."

Nie Huaisang hits him with his fan.

Lan Wangji takes a deep, calming breath. There are plenty of reasonable explanations for why his brother is out of his room after curfew that don’t involve Nie Mingjue.

He can’t think of any, currently, but that’s because the two of them slap fighting each other behind him.

“Enough,” he snaps. He can’t turn them over to the one duty senior disciple because they’re clan heirs and any punishment could have political implications, which means Xichen or Uncle need to be the ones to issue them. But Xichen isn’t here and Uncle won’t be pleased to be woken up over a couple tardy disciples. The issue of the wards is concerning, but they’d been back in place when he’d gone to check, and there’s no real reason it can’t wait to morning. “Go to your dormitory. I’ll report your actions to my uncle in the morning.”

Xichen would have been more lenient, but he thinks they could benefit from a strict punishment.

“Why don’t you escort us there?” Wei Wuxian asks with a smile that makes Lan Wangji want to lean away from him or maybe lean cl – no, definitely away. “This place is so big. You don’t want me getting lost, do you?”

The paths are rather easy to follow, even at night. They hadn’t seemed to have any trouble getting here in the first place.

Nie Huaisang retches. “Seriously? First Da-ge and now you? What is it about the Lans?” He pauses, looking Lan Wangji up and down in a way that he’s not totally certain he’s comfortable with. “Okay, I mean, I suppose I see the appeal, but still.”

Wei Wuxian reaches out to punch Nie Huaisang in the side without looking at him. “Shut up.”

“Maybe we should get more alcohol,” he continues, not listening. “I think I’m going to need it.”

Lan Wangji leaves them still bickering.

~

The next morning Nie Huaisang wails all throughout his punishment. It’s not even that bad – he doesn’t even have to do a handstand, just copy rules of punctuality and prohibition.

Wei Wuxian, on account of meddling with the wards (Xichen had been impressed but Uncle hadn’t been), has to a handstand for several hours in the courtyard.

Doing it shirtless seems unnecessary.

Winking at him every time he walks by also seems unnecessary.

“Wow,” Xichen says, the time he’s unfortunately there to witness this behavior. “Are you sure he’s adopted?”

“Shut up,” Nie Mingjue grumbles.

Xichen listens about as well as Nie Huaisang had. Lan Wangji can’t mind, because he shouldn’t be saying that to him anyway. “Because I remember you at a certain age-”

Nie Mingjue draws his sword and Xichen is laughing as he mirrors him, the two of the sparring across the courtyard.

Lan Wangji is glad that Xichen has a friend.

He just wishes him visiting wasn’t necessitated by Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang making a mess of everything as quickly as possible.

[stiltonbasket]

what happened when wwx went to gusu summer school in the wrh raises wwx au?

"Thank the heavens," Lan Xichen laughs, when Lan Wangji presents himself at the Hanshi after returning from his latest monthlong night-hunting tour in Huai'an. "Shufu has been at his wits' end in your absence, didi."

Lan Wangji lifts an eyebrow and begins to unpack the basket of tribute gifts he received from the Huai'an magistrate. "Why? My duties were to be delegated to Changyi-tangxiong while I was away; and whatever Shufu might find wanting in his temperament, I have never known him to be anything but diligent."

"No one has dared replace you as head of discipline," his brother says wryly. "And according to Shufu, this batch of guest disciples has worse manners than most."

"Shufu rarely has trouble with the guest disciples," Lan Wangji points out, frowning. The lone exception to this rule was Nie Huaisang; but no one in the Cloud Recesses has ever bothered disciplining Nie Huaisang, even before his older brother was betrothed to Xiongzhang. "Who does he wish me to discipline this time?"

Inexplicably, Lan Xichen only grins at him and scoops a handful of icy-red lychees out of the tribute basket.

"Go to tomorrow's lecture in the Lanshi," he teases, "and perhaps you shall see."

Lan Wangji could not see the sense in this. If one of the guest scholars was being impudent in the Lanshi, Shufu ought to have sent them to the Pavilion of Discipline to receive punishment instead of waiting for him to settle matters; for as Head of Discipline, Lan Wangji's main duties consisted of revising the codex of appropriate punishments and patrolling the Cloud Recesses after hai shi on alternate fortnights.

But the next day, he made his way to the Lanshi as bidden—and the moment he crossed the threshold, he understood exactly who had been making trouble for his uncle, and why he had been left for Wangji to handle.

As ever, all four of the other Great Clans were represented among the guest disciples: Yunmeng Jiang disciples in violet and jade-green, the Jin in cream and gold, Nie Huaisang and his shixiongdi in their familiar black and silver-gray—and by the window, the fiery scarlet and gold of Wen Ruohan's delegation, dressed in silks so fine that they would not have looked out of place upon an imperial concubine.

Lan Wangji narrows his eyes at them. Each one is haughtier than the next, though not quite brazen enough for Shufu to blink at; but then his gaze moves to the disciple sitting at the front, and freezes as the boy rolls his shoulders and turns around to greet Wangji with an insolent, lazy smile.

This is the one, he realizes, as the disciple flutters painted—painted?—lashes at him before turning back to look at Shufu. He is the one Uncle wants me to discipline.

"Wangji," Shufu says, with such open relief that Lan Wangji looks away from the Wen disciple in surprise. "At last. Have you come to attend lessons with the guest disciples?"

Wangji puts his hands together and bows. "Yes, Uncle."

"Excellent. But before you sit down, go take Wei Wuxian to the dormitories, and see that he washes his face and removes those ornaments from his hair."

Lan Wangji nods and takes three great strides towards the Wen disciple. "You heard your laoshi," he says. "Come."

The disciple—Wei Wuxian—gives no reply; but luckily, he rises from his chair and follows Lan Wangji out of the Lanshi without protest. As soon as the doors to the lecture hall fall closed behind them, Lan Wangji opens his mouth to deliver a short lecture on the virtues of modesty and simplicity in dress—only to snap it closed again in shock, for he has never seen a man who painted his face like this outside the theater troupes Xichen used to visit with him when they were children.

Wei Wuxian's lips are a wet, shining crimson, as if he had dipped them in blood before arriving at the Lanshi; and his eyes are lined with fine black paint and red rouge mixed with some kind of bright, sparkling dust. Worse yet, he had even painted his eyelashes, to make them seem twice as long and dark as any man's lashes ought to be—and as if all of that were not enough, the heavy locks of his hair are fastened with chains made of solid gold.

"Why are you looking at me, Lan-er-gongzi?" Wei Wuxian asks. He puts his head to one side, and despite himself, Lan Wangji hears music; for someone had woven small golden bells into Wei Wuxian's braided hair.

"Enough talk," Lan Wangji says flatly. "Follow me back to the dormitories so you can wash and brush out your hair."

To his astonishment, Wei Wuxian does not object. He keeps pace with Lan Wangji all the way to the compound reserved for the Wen disciples; and then, without another word, he vanishes into his lodgings and leaves Lan Wangji behind to wait for him on the porch.

Puzzled, Lan Wangji seats himself on a convenient stool and wonders why Wei Wuxian had obeyed him so easily. It was only too clear that Shufu first tried to teach him the virtues of simple adornments at least a month ago, if not longer; so why had he flouted Uncle's wishes and honored Lan Wangji's?

Perhaps he is being too obedient, says a small voice in the back of Lan Wangji's mind. Perhaps he has run out through the back of the house, and gone off to frolic in Caiyi.

Lan Wangji frowns more deeply than ever and raps on the door with his knuckles. "Wei-gongzi? Are you finished?"

"Nearly," Wei Wuxian calls. "You can come in, if you'd like."

Wangji highly doubts that Wei Wuxian is really making himself presentable (or at least, not as he ought to be doing) so he enters the house and finds his charge wiping his face with a damp towel.

He lowers the towel at the sound of Lan Wangji's footsteps, and then:

"You were not meant to paint yourself in a different fashion," he says, incensed. "Wash your face properly at once."

Wei Wuxian blinks at him in confusion.

"I have washed it off," he says. "Look."

And then he leans forward and grabs Lan Wangji's hand, drawing it up to the damp skin of his face before Lan Wangji can turn tail and flee. He drags Lan Wangji's fingertips over the smooth bones of his cheeks and forehead, and across the bronzen skin circling his eyes—tanned and not painted, Lan Wangji realizes—and presses his full lips to the heart of Lan Wangji's palm, so forcefully that any traces of rouge left upon them would have been imprinted on Wangji's skin.

"There!" Wei Wuxian says, beaming—and completely unaware that Lan Wangji is very near to bursting out of sheer fury. "I'm as clean as a new jian."

"Your hair," Lan Wangji croaks; for if he dared raise his voice any further, he would scream, and then he would be the one submitting himself for punishment at the discipline pavilion. "Comb it."

Wei Wuxian nods and unravels his braids. Rather than undoing them one by one, he merely snaps his fingers and lets out a burst of spiritual energy; and immediately, the gold fastenings fall loose and clatter onto his dressing-table, leaving the glittering mass of his hair to slide down his broad back like a waterfall coursing down the face of a mountain.

Suddenly, Lan Wangji finds himself unable to breathe.

He flings himself out of the guest house and up the hill towards the Jingshi, where he spends an hour meditating in complete silence before he can bring himself to set foot out of doors again.

"Brother," he says, when he finally works up the courage to return to the Hanshi two days later. "I fear that I may be unable to take over the duty of disciplining Wei Wuxian. He made me angrier than I have ever been in my life."

Lan Xichen—who had heretofore shown no signs of being anything other than a kind, understanding brother—only stares at him, and bursts into laughter.

[factsilike]

I don't know why so many people are coming to LXC's defence recently, like he never did anything wrong or never had a choice or that he was only manipulated, because 'JGY was just that good of a manipulator.'

Like no, the novel makes it clear that at several points that he was being willfully blind and ignorant of JGY's and the cultivation world's faults. The fact that LWJ and WWX found out about JGY killing NMJ after only a little bit of digging because they thought to suspect him, which Lan Xichen somehow didn't think to do despite spending close to twenty years working with him. That's a very long time, and that says more about his tendency to turn a blind eye, to not look deeper, to look away from the uncomfortable truth, than any good about JGY's manipulation abilities.

That is not to say Lan Xichen isn't a good person. He is. The problem is that he's not willing to put in the work to be good. He's unwilling to stand up to anyone. When WWX rightfully calls out JGS for trying to be the next Wen Rouhan, (about which JGY was like 'I mean, you're right, but you're not supposed to say it...."), he convenienly ignores that, opting to irrelevantly comment about how 'his heart had changed'. (Which made no sense?? LXC barely knew anything about WWX at that point!)

He's content to stay in his comfort zone, to go with the easy solution of letting others decide. If there's a problem, he'll go with the flow, and if there's a deeper ugly truth to it? He doesn't want to know about it. The situation of his parents is a perfect example. He says it himself: he doesn't want to know, and thus doesn't want to understand what happened with them.

Also for someone whose whole thing is being nice, he can be unbelievably tactless. Look at the ending events of the Guanyin Temple, where JGY is missing a limb and LXC, without thinking, asks Nie Huaisang of all people to give him medicine to heal. You know, the same Nie Huaisang who, at least to LXC's knowledge, has just learned that this same man is responsible for the death and dismemberment of his brother's body, as well as many others. And he now wants his help. To heal his brother's killer. Yikes. It's a wonder that NHS didn't immediately plan to kill LXC right then and there. And even if LXC was physically and mentally exhausted, it was still an incredibly thoughtless move.

Look at the way he laughs about NMJ (a member of the gentry) taking a third of the prey on Phoenix Mountain- "Oh typical Dage, that's just like him!"- while ignoring accusations against WWX (a son of a servant) doing the same, because he's subconsciously agreeing that it was a problem when WWX did it. He's being blatantly hypocritical and it's frustrating that he doesn't even realise it, or acknowledges it.

One of his redeeming factors can be his love for LWJ, but he's frustratingly careless about that too. For all his teasing (in which we never see LWJ indulging, he just unhappily and sulkily endures that. Teasing is not supposed to be fun or amusing if it's only one sided. Compare that to how he responds with snarky remarks to WWX's teasing, meaning he enjoys their banter) and pushing and advocating for LWJ's happiness, he never seems to deeply consider what actually makes him happy.

Everything he does for LWJ turns out to be the very opposite of what Lwj actually wants; inviting WWX and the others for the Caiyi hunt? Not what Lwj wanted, LXC merely convinced himself of that. His pushing LWJ to go talk to WWX at any chance? Doesn't ask or seem interested in why exactly LWJ would want to talk to WWX, nor help him in not letting their conversations constantly devolve into arguments. Shutting LWJ's protests at how WWX was right at the banquet with the 'his heart had changed'? Convenient for him to say, both hurting (even if it was unintended) his brother and changing the subject. And somehow everyone forgets that it was LXC who led the thirty three Lan elders to the cave after the Nightless City for Lan Wangji to fight against, for 'his own good.' And of course his whole angry, projection and deflection fuelled rant at the Guanyin Temple, where he tries to make WWX feel guilty about his brother's confession (which, you know WWX didn't remember because of the trauma clouding his memories), and make him think that he owed LWJ a relationship, which was exactly what LWJ was most afraid of.

His failings hit harder for me than any other character, because unlike JGY or XY or JGS who have no qualms about their immorality, he's supposed to be one of the good guys, a righteous clan leader who abides by honour and dignity. And yet he fails to do anything of sustenance all throughout the novel, and is a painful reminder of how easy it is to go with the wrong crowd, and that how so many 'nice' people like him exist irl, people whose willful ignorance comes at other's expense, people who want to be good but are too afraid of conflict, too set in their comfort zone to speak up against injustice, people who are all too willing to turn a blind eye and do nothing if the injustice or tragedy to others doesn't affect them.

[wangxianficrecs]

Inter-Sect Politics for the Absolute Beginner by Elpie (Horribibble)

Inter-Sect Politics for the Absolute Beginner

by Elpie (Horribibble) (@elpiething)

M, 3k, Wangxian

Summary: Today, with a formal missive from Koi Tower in hand and Zonghui staring at him with open concern, Nie Mingjue throws his head back and laughs and knows that no request will ever bring him such joy: Sect Leader Jin Guangshan has been brutally assaulted and, due to a conflict of interest, the Jin sect begs the assistance of the Honorable Sect Leader Nie Mingjue in the search for justice. - Wei Ying was raised in a brothel in Yunping, and Sect Leader Jin is having a very bad day. Kay's comments: Incredibly funny! Had me grinning the entire time. AU where Meng Shi was the one who found Wei Ying and took him in, offering him a home in the brothel. So, he grew up alongside Meng Yao and one day, when Jin Guangshan visits the brothel, Wei Ying is not going to stand by and look as his adopted family gets mistreated. Rest in pieces, Jin Guangshan's nuts. Excerpt: Without missing a beat, the young man laden in silks and ornaments and the almost tangible love of every courtesan in the room laden upon him like so much armor looks Sect Leader Jin dead in the eye and says, “A shitty lover, an angry drunk, but most of all an asshole.” Personally, Mingjue could not have asked for more. Except, perhaps, to borrow one of Huaisang’s fans to hide his face. “Young master,” Lan Xichen speaks up, ever the voice of gentle reason. “This is perhaps not the best defense…” For a moment, the youth stills, blinking at the elder jade, surprised by the sound of genuine concern. But then he takes a deep breath and plants his hands on his hips, clearly not having any of it. “It’s the truth.” He levels his gaze, once more, upon the gilded pervert. “You’ve got twenty kids at least, including A-Yao, so I know you know how a brothel works. You’re not new. If you’re coming into our houses to be a rotten bastard, you should just leave.” The only other man among the courtesans glaring death upon Jin Guangshan, has the spine to call, “Ying’er.” But Nie Mingjue suspects very little has ever deterred this man, least of all being called little baby.

pov wei wuxian, pov nie mingjue, canon divergence, canon era, wei wuxian isn't adopted by the jiangs, non-yunmeng wei wuxian, courtesan wei wuxian, brothels, bamf wei wuxian, jin guangshan being an asshole, justice, families of choice, crack treated seriously, humor, different first meeting

~*~

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

[rhysiana]

Because I saw a post about how modern AU WWX would probably actually be as tall as LWJ, if not taller, since so many modern AUs don't feature him suffering as much childhood privation as canon, which reminded me of another thought I have had, about how an early life period of interrupted growth can in fact just delay a person's growth spurts rather than eliminating them. Thus: WWX who gets confusingly taller after graduating from college.

3 People Wei Ying Talked to About Suddenly Getting Taller and 1 Person Who Definitely Noticed On His Own

[Now also on AO3]

Wen Ning

Wei Ying looked down at his feet, perplexed. "Wen Ning?" he yelled down the hall. "Did something weird happen to the washing machine that you didn't tell me about?"

Wen Ning popped his head around the door to Wei Ying's room. "No? I don't think so."

"Then why are all my pants suddenly too short?" A new thought occurred to him and he looked up, now delighted. "Wen Ning! Are you actually pulling a prank on me? I know I don't have all that many clothes, but still, this must have taken so much work! I respect the dedication." He held out a fist.

Wen Ning just blinked at him. "I think... maybe you got taller, actually?"

Wei Ying scoffed. "I'm way too old for a growth spurt. Seriously, did Nie Huaisang put you up to this?"

Wen Ning gave up arguing and simply produced a tape measure instead.

~*~

Wen Qing

Wei Ying burst into Wen Qing's lab, which he might have felt worse about if she hadn't been babysitting an experiment while no one else was around. He still received an impressive glare, but he didn't have time to worry about that right now.

"Wen Qing, I need you to test me for every weird kind of chemical exposure you can think of!"

She blinked at him, looking remarkably like her brother for a moment. "Wei Ying, you're in computer science. Exactly when do you come in contact with chemicals?"

"Uh. A leak on the science campus somewhere?"

"What is actually wrong with you? Tell me in the next," she glanced at the clock, "three minutes or leave."

"I apparently grew another inch in the last month without noticing. That can't be natural. I'm 23."

She stared at him for a moment, frowned, and then her expression cleared. "You said once that you had a bad time when you were younger. Stopped growing for a while."

"Why do you even remember that?" Wei Ying asked with an uncomfortable laugh, looking away. He must have been drunk; he didn't usually bring that time of his life up in any detail. It just made people sad.

Wen Qing turned away briskly, ignoring his minor display of emotion, and checked some readouts he was pretty sure hadn't actually changed in any way yet. "Well, that's why. Your growth spurts just got delayed, not erased. It's normal. I'll send you some references tomorrow."

He swept her up in a relieved hug. "Thank you, Qing-jie. Even if this does mean I'm not developing some weird superpower mutation."

She poked him cruelly in the ribs to get him to let go. "Go away, you're distracting me."

~*~

Jiang Cheng

"You what?!" Jiang Cheng demanded at full volume. It'd been a while since they'd managed to get together in person--Wei Ying had nearly forgotten how red with frustration Jiang Cheng could get.

Wei Ying grinned and bounced a little on his toes to really rub it in. "Grew another inch."

"No! This isn't allowed! The universe can't do this to me!"

"What's the problem, little brother?" Wei Ying edged closer so he could prop his elbow on Jiang Cheng's shoulder and really lean on him. "I think I should get jiejie to measure me again and mark it on the door frame. Really make it official."

"Don't you dare!"

"Why don't I ask her now, so she'll be all ready when we see her next weekend?" Wei Ying fished out his phone and then held it up over his head, laughing, as Jiang Cheng lunged for it.

Jiang Cheng's eyes narrowed. "An inch isn't really that much," he growled, and hooked Wei Ying's leg in a takedown they'd both learned when they were 11.

Wei Ying tossed his phone out of wrestling range and turned his full attention to finding a hold that would make Jiang Cheng tap out.

~*~

Lan Zhan

"Wei Ying."

Most people claimed Lan Zhan's voice (and face) didn't have any expression, but Wei Ying could clearly hear the shock underlying his name.

"Lan Zhan!" he returned brightly. "You're back! Did you have a good trip? You've been gone for months and months!"

Wei Ying was used to the intensity of Lan Zhan's regard under normal circumstances--one of the many things he loved about being friends with him--but he didn't think he was imagining that it was particularly intense today.

"It was as I texted you," Lan Zhan said shortly, and then, surprisingly, continued before Wei Ying could get a teasing reply in. "Wei Ying... did you get taller?"

"Oh, that!" Wei Ying felt himself start to blush, for some reason. "Yeah, I did. It was so weird at first, but Qing-jie assures me it's normal, and I've almost gotten used to it now. It was just an inch but I had to go buy all new... pants..." He trailed off as Lan Zhan pushed into his personal space much closer than he ever had without Wei Ying initiating it first, as far as Wei Ying could recall. "Hi?"

They were nearly chest to chest now, and he could see it when Lan Zhan actually had to tilt his chin up just a bit to meet Wei Ying's eyes.

"Hello," Lan Zhan said, grave and low and very, very focused.

Wei Ying wasn't entirely sure what was happening right now, but he was pretty sure he was into it.

[drama--universe]

Five Chickens

Requested by anonymous: Hey Hey! How about our 4 juniors boys from The Untamed, joined by a junior girl from the Nie clan (I think she could be Nie Huaisang's younger sister), when she saves their lives from a demon, but turns ugly during the fight. She is stubborn and so refuses their help, without realizing herself that the weapon that hit her was poisoned and she was in agony after a few days. But they manage to save her, repaying her for her earlier help. THX, have a nice day!❣️❣️❣️

Pairing: Untamed Juniors x fem!reader

Word Count: 2.0k words

Part 2

"She'll do great, she knows what she's doing." Wuxian was teasing Huaisang, with a stupid grin as he watched you and all other younglings march out into the fields. Huaisang's eyes remained trained on you and he didn't even react to Wuxian's comment, much to the man's dismay. He was right, Huaisang knew that much, and yet he couldn't help but worry about you.

This would be your first official hunt, dressed in the dark grey robes that represented your clan and a large saber in hand. Unlike him, you were much more interested in fighting and swords. If anything, you were a carbon copy of your oldest brother, Mingjue. Only differences that you were a bit less aggressive, but in now way should you be angered. You had been hunting since you were 10 years old, a talent for tracking and killing demons that gained you the title of 'the little demon of Nie'. Yet, Huaisang was worried. He didn't want to lose another on of his family members.

"It went this way!" Jing Ling's voice was booming loud, anyone near could hear it and in turn also creatures. Sizhui and Zizhen were trying to shush the boy, but getting Jingyi quiet was another task.

"I know it went this way, I'm not blind! But can you see anything here, stupid?" Jingyi screamed back before all of them froze when something loud growled behind them. With a turn of their heads, the cause of this became clear.

They supposed it was a man, but it's body was disfigured and broken. Black smoke surrounded it, pulling attention away from the obvious dangling arm and broken leg.

"Uh... demon?" Zizhen stuttered and the others nodded before jumping when the creature let out a loud roar. They ran in an instance, avoiding trees as they were chased.

"I thought there were only bunnies!" Jingyi screamed loudly as he jumped over some fallen trees, daring to look back and only screaming when he noticed how close the demon was to him. Curses flew from his mouth, which made Sizhui frown at the breaking of the rules. With another roar, they all dared to look back before slowing down. Someone had jumped on the demon, sword slashing away at the enemy as they avoided the attacks. The quartet slowed down, staring at their savior as they fought. Then, with a final blow, the demon crashed to the ground, smoke completely gone and a girl straddling the body with the sword impaled into it's chest.

"You guys run like chickens." The comment was unexpected, so much so that Sizhui couldn't help but laugh while others stared in shock. You got up, pulling your saber out of the demon's body and watching as it turned to ashes before you walked closer to the quartet. It was then that they realized that you were Nie (Y/n), if not for the saber it was for the smirk you wore that sent shivers down their spines and reminded them of Nie Mingjue. You walked closer before pausing right in front of them, saber now thrown over your shoulder as you placed your other hand on your hip.

'You're hurt." Sizhui noticed the long scratch on your leg, cutting through your robes and revealing your leg along with the wound. You followed his gaze, looking at your leg with confusion before sighing softly as you tore a lower part of your robes before lifting the robes up to your hip.

"Cover up!" Jin Ling and Jingyi yelled in sync, all of them turning away from seeing you practically naked or at least like they believed. You paused for a few seconds before rolling your eyes, continuing to wrapping your leg to keep the blood loss to a minimum. Then you lowered your robes once again and looking back at the boys.

"Let's find something else to hunt, you chickens." You spoke as you brushed past them, walk turning into a sprint as you got sight of another creature. The four boys couldn't help but follow, although it was with slight hesitance in their steps.

"Oi, chickens!" There rang a collective groan from the group as they noticed you approaching, or more specifically from Jin Ling and Jingyi as they all turned to face your approaching figure.

"Stop calling us that!" Jingyi called out, clearly annoyed as he glared at you. You didn't react to the glare, instead you just smiled at Sizhui as he greeted you. He was probably the only once that didn't mind the nickname too much, he was used to worse kind of nicknames at this point (Wuxian being the cause of this).

You stopped once you were next to the group, sighing loudly before looking at the object in Sizhui's hands. It was a child's toy, yet he held it with such care and you couldn't help but wonder why.

"Did you buy that here?" You asked, pointing at the object and Sizhui looked down before nodding. He opened his hands fully to reveal the toy, which now was clearly shown to be a butterfly. It was pretty and reminded you of the toys that you had as a child, not that you cared much for those when you were young as you preferred to play with the swords of your brother.

"Did you go to the doctor for your wounds?" Zizhen asked and you smiled at the boy, but shook your head nonetheless. You didn't see the point, it was a simple flesh wound and you were used to those.

"Are you sure that's okay?" "Yeah, I cleaned and wrapped it. It'll be fine, nothing I haven't had before." You said with another smile, not flinching in the slightest as you prodded at the wound before shrugging it off.

"What about you? You sprained your ankle, no?" You turned to Jin Ling and he looked surprised that you knew that before nodding at you, yet not speaking up besides a thank you. Right when you were about to say something else, you heard a loud shout from behind you as a man walked by with a cart full of snacks. With wide eyes, you carefully watched the sugar covered fruits and your hand was quick to move to your money pouch. You raced to the man, buying five sugar covered fruit skewers before handing the vendor his money. Then you made your way back to the group.

"Here you go, enjoy!" You smiled as you handed out the skewers to the quartet, who all took it with slight hesitation before all taking a bite. In a second, all their faces lit up as they continued to eat to the treat. You followed, carefully biting into the fruit and listening to the small crack of the sugar. With a small, you chewed on the candy with a happy sigh. It was nice to eat some sugar once in a while, even if it was super unhealthy for you. Only halfway through the apple, you suddenly felt a pain in your abdomen that tore right through your whole body. The apple clattered to the ground, shattering on impact while you held your stomach in pain as your vision blurred before turning dark.

Sizhui was the first to react as he watched you go down, his own treat joining yours on the ground as he gently laid you down. You were unconscious, but clearly still in pain as your brows furrowed. Black lines were rising above your collar, stopping right underneath your jawline and the lines were slightly raised up.

"She needs a doctor." Sizhui said and Jing Ling, surprisingly, was first to lift you up on his back, making sure that your arms were wrapped around his shoulders and that he had a firm grasp on your legs before he turned his head to the group. Zizhen was the first to speak again, leading the way to the closest doctor. Surely the doctor must've been shocked to see them run in, all of you from rather major clans, but he was quick to move as he noticed your state.

Your skin had turned pale, the black marks had grown more noticeable and your eyes were flickering open and closed every few seconds. When you were laid down on the bed, the doctor was quick to check your state as the others watched patiently for whatever was happening. The doctor was quick to start treatment, not saying a single thing as he treated you with various things like liquid medicines or cream. It took only a couple of minutes before he finished, sighing loudly before making his way over to the quartet.

"How long has she been like that?" "We don't know, we only saw her today. Before today it has been two weeks or so." Sizhui answered and the doctor nodded, jotting it down before handing them a bottle with medicine pills.

"She needs this every day, one in the morning and one in the evening." He then said, looking at them with a stern gaze while Jingyi took ahold of the medicine.

"She also needs a lot of rest for the poison to get out of her system, I even recommend helping her by making her spiritual energy circulate faster. How you do that is your and her choice." The doctor continued before turning away and continuing his previous work while Jin Ling walked back to you. You were lifted again, once again laying on his back as he made sure that you wouldn't fall.

Then all of you made your way back to the hotel, where they could hopefully warn some of the adults of your condition.

"I am not a child..." You spoke as your medicine was handed to you along with a cup of water by Jingyi, who almost looked like he didn't really want to be here. Nonetheless, you took the pill and swallowed it with a heavy sigh. Being bedridden was not your style, you hated being stuck in the same room from sunrise to sundown. The quartet visited every day to take care of you and Xichen came along every two to three days to help you to help you with your spiritual energy. Right now, the black veins had gone back down, now only near your wound like any normal infection, and it didn't hurt anymore thanks to the faster healing rate due to your spiritual energy.

"Then you would've gone to the doctor when needed. Besides, you're fourteen." Jingyi said and you pouted at him before laying back down. You pulled your blanket up before looking back towards Jingyi, patting the spot beside you. Jingyi gave you a short glare, turning around with a huff and you sighed.

"Chicken." You whispered, to which Jingyi gave you another glare before laying down anyway. You smiled at your victory, leaning your head against his shoulder before sighing again.

"Thank you for the help. You and the other boys, of course." You whispered again, but Jingyi didn't answer you and it just remained quiet in the room. Until the other three appeared, all pausing as they saw Jingyi lay beside you. You lifted your head, patting the bed softly again and causing the three to join you by sitting down near your legs while Zizhen moved to sit against the wall on your other side.

"How are you?" "Well, I'm bored. So, did you bring something to eat?" You asked, staring at Sizhui with curious eyes. He reacted by simply pulling out a pouch and opening it to reveal some hard candies that you had asked for. You sat back up, happily grabbing one and popping it into your mouth with a happy smile.

"You're the best!" You laid back down and chewed happily, laying your head against Jingyi's shoulder once again. The boys talked and you just listened to them with a smile, laughing at the comments they made. It was under weird circumstances, but you were glad you had met them and became friends.

With those thoughts, you drifted to sleep with a smile on your face.

[eastofakkala]

The Sunshot Generation as Babies/Toddlers

(And That One Story that was always told about them when they got older).

Wei Wuxian: Surprisingly, was a very good kid. There are shockingly few juicy stories. 

Lan Wangji: By contrast, he was an absolutely feral toddler who terrified EVERYONE. Lan Xichen was the only one who could settle him down. It got so bad that Wangji got to attend class with his brother, because discipline did not work. 

Jiang Cheng: Very cuddly baby/toddler. Was nearly kidnapped once or twice because he was offered cuddles. Developed his temper/paranoia/general prickliness later on. 

Jiang Yanli: Accidentally kidnapped Wen Chao once. She wanted to give him soup because he looked sad. He was one year old and could not properly explain he was supposed to stay in place. They were halfway to Lotus Pier when it was discovered that the Jiang delegation had accidentally taken Wen-gongzi hostage. 

Lan Xichen: Much better toddler than Wangji, but for a while refused to walk anywhere on his own. Surprisingly, the adult who gave in to his (very muted) temper tantrums most often was Lan Qiren. 

Nie Mingjue: At his 100-day ceremony, he cried every time Wen Ruohan got close. His father was very apologetic. His mother thought it was hysterical and had to duck into antechambers to laugh in private. 

Nie Huaisang: Normally too sick to do much, but bit Jin Guangshan one time at a delegation when he didn’t listen to the also-small Nie Mingjue’s warnings that Sang-er didn’t want to be held at the moment. Once again, his father was very apologetic. Mingjue was extremely proud of his didi. 

Wen Xu: Made the mistake of shoving Yanli at a discussion conference. She tried to tell him to stop, but he didn’t listen. After the third time, she gave in and shoved him back, knocking him off the pier and into the water. 

Wen Chao: Went through a period of time when his favorite adult was Wen Zhuliu, and he would throw a raging temper tantrum if anyone else handled him. This included servants, other sect leaders, his father and his mother. Neither he nor Wen Zhuliu were ever able to figure out why. 

Wen Qing: While she did not cry very often, she scowled so fiercely at everyone that her parents had an exorcism performed on her at one point for fear that she was being possessed by a very unfriendly spirit. Nope, she just had enough of everyone’s nonsense before her hundredth day. 

Wen Ning: Very nice baby. One time accidentally ripped the head off a doll and cried for hours until Wen Qing fixed it. She explained that he was giving it surgery. 

Jin Zixuan: Very quiet baby. Was routinely taken to healers to ensure he wasn’t sick. Nope, he was just boring. 

Meng Yao: Could climb before he could walk. Meng Shi learned this the hard way when she turned her back and found him on top of a table, clapping his hands and babbling excitedly at her. It was the only time she well and truly freaked out. 

Mianmian: Was left alone in her parents’ garden one afternoon. When they returned, it was to find that she’d somehow dug up five worms and declared herself the worm empress. Once her husband heard the story, he teased her with it for weeks. 

[thebiscuiteternal]

Happy NHS thought: Imagine he rescues and adopts the chonkiest and surliest pigeon known to man and names it Da Ge. Because the “ge” in the Chinese word for pigeon is the same sound as “ge” in big brother

So it turns out most pigeon species that have appropriately-Nie coloring live too far south... but an unfamiliar pigeon where it shouldn't be would so catch his attention pretty effectively, SO.

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

"What. Is that?" Nie Mingjue asked when he saw what his little brother was holding.

"He's a pigeon! I think."

It didn't look much like any pigeon Mingjue had ever seen. Most of it was the iridescent black-green of a crow, with a few areas that shone closer to purple and others that were entirely pitch black. There were also some patches where it was missing feathers, as if it were scarred from a fight. And finally, it was huge for a pigeon, its feathery bulk taking both hands for Nie Huaisang to hold.

The only things that looked remotely-pigeon-like about it were the shape of its beak and its blank-eyed stare as it turned its head this way and that to get a look at the room they were in.

And then it looked at him, and he felt a little chill crawl down his spine.

He'd swear that thing was glaring at him.

"Where did you find it?" he asked, pretending not to have noticed.

"On the way home from town. He must've gotten in a fight, because was sitting at the bottom of a tree because he couldn't fly, see?"

The pigeon allowed Huaisang to stretch out its left wing without so much as an attempt to bite, showing off that it had some feathers missing there, too, including a gap in the flight feathers.

"Hrr." The pigeon's attempt at cooing was just as rusty and damaged as its wing, which did absolutely nothing to make Mingjue less uneasy about it.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"Well, some of his injuries are too old for the feathers to grow back, but this I can fix," Huaisang said, pointing to the missing flight feathers. "And then he can decide where he wants to go."

Mingjue rather hoped that meant it would leave. While it seemed to have no issues being poked and prodded by his brother, he didn't like the looks it kept giving him.

"C'mon, Da-ge, let's get you something to eat and a better look at that wing," Huaisang said cheerfully as he turned to head for the aviary.

"Don't call it that," Mingjue muttered before he could catch himself.

Huaisang grinned at him over his shoulder and turned to hold up the bird. "Aw, c'mon. Doesn't he look like a Da-ge? He's got your grumpy face and everything!"

"It does not."

Huaisang laughed before turning to leave again, and he would swear the noise the pigeon made meant it was laughing at him too.

[youhideastar]

Rule of Law: Deleted Endings

A couple of folks have indicated that they'd be interested in seeing the many, many failed attempts I had at drafting an ending to Rule of Law. 😂 Truly, the ending persecuted me for days. It's like that Edison quote about learning 200 ways not to make a lightbulb. Anyway, if you are interested, read on!

There's a piece of writing advice that, if you can't write anything good to follow a particular line/paragraph, you should delete the line/paragraph. It crossed my mind many times that this advice was maybe correct and I should therefore delete the lines:

“Mn.” Lan Wangji rises to his feet, and Lan Jingyi joins him. “This person would also need a strong sense of justice. A strong work ethic. And a sense of humor.” He studies the young man before him, who was once a small, loud boy with a habit of interrupting Lan Wangji’s lessons to ask impertinent questions. “Lan Jingyi. I am proud of you.”

Because I was having a devil of a time following them. But my gut told me that I absolutely should not do that. That those lines were very, very important to the emotional core of the fic. And now that I have figured out how to end it, I'm so glad I kept them. The fic needs them.

But yeah... what comes next? The problem is that those lines have the feel of an ending to them already--but they're not quite enough to wrap up the fic, to tie a bow on it. I got the idea to have Jingyi say he was proud of Lan Wangji in return quite early, but discarded it since it would be such a violation of the norms of their society. I eventually decided to go with it anyway, but only after approximately a dozen alternatives:

#1:

For a moment, they pause on the porch, looking out over the mass of cultivators who have come for the conference: rogue cultivators in homespun and rich young masters in fine brocade; juniors looking around with awe and elders conversing in somber tones. Across the yard, Luo Qingyang is deep in discussion with Meishan Yu’s head disciple, holding Little Mianmian’s hand. Nie Huaisang is fluttering his fan; Wen Ning is crouched amid a gaggle of children, letting them trace their fingers over the black veins on his neck.

“I can take those for copying,” Lan Jingyi says, holding out his hands for the stack of papers. He smiles again. “I think you have someone to meet.”

“Mn.”

Lan Wangji entrusts the papers to Lan Jingyi and turns his steps toward the back hill.

Wrong - takes the focus off of LJY and LWJ, but the very last line would make it into the final version.

#2:

As they depart the office, Lan Jingyi asks, “What’s going to happen tomorrow?”

“I do not know,” Lan Wangji replies.

Lan Jingyi smiles. “Yeah. I guess that’s the point.”

Who decides?

“Indeed.”

The proposals have been gathered. Their fate is no longer in his hands.

Lan Wangji entrusts the stack of papers to Lan Jingyi, and turns his steps toward the back hill.

He thinks he hears the sound of a flute.

The early parts of this are actually fine, but they're still not an ending, and the transition to the bit about the back hill was brutally abrupt and would not smooth out no matter what I did.

#3:

“Who knows if the rule will even make it into the book.”

“We cannot know,” Lan Wangji agrees. Now, he smiles. “But I will vote for it.”

“Thank you, Hanguang-jun.” He laughs. The sound is slightly watery. “And thank you for—doing all this just based on my wild idea.”

This material is all fine but is not getting us closer to an ending.

#4:

He coughs. “Anyway, let me take those for copying. You have a meeting with a rogue cultivator to get to.”

Lan Wangji raises an eyebrow, but hands over the stack of paper. “I was unaware,” he says.

“As your assistant, I know these things,” Lan Jingyi says, grinning. “He’s on the back hill. With his donkey.”

“Ah.”

The beginning of the phase where I thought I needed to go out on an explicitly Wangxian note. There are going to be a lot of these and they're all wrong, because the ending needs to be about Lan Jingyi. He's the heart. Of the fic, and of the reason I wrote the fic.

#5:

He coughs. “Anyway. Let me take those for copying; you have… somebody to meet, don’t you?”

Lan Wangji does not ask how Lan Jingyi knows: it is the job of a good assistant to know these things. “Mn.” He hands the stack of papers over. It feels heavier than the mere weight of the paper.

Substantially similar to the last one and wrong for the same reason.

#6:

As they walk onto the porch, he says cheerfully, “Even if no one votes for it tomorrow, I’ll always have that.”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji agrees. At the next bend in the path that leads to the Jingshi, a figure is leaning against a lantern stand. Dangling from his hands, Lan Wangji can make out two jars of Emperor’s Smile. “Good night, Lan Jingyi.”

“Good night, Hanguang-jun.”

I really wanted the fic to be canon-compliant, which would mean WWX would meet LWJ in the back hill, but by this point I was desperate and was willing to sacrifice canon-compliance if it could get me an ending that didn't suck. Spoiler alert: it couldn't.

#7:

As they walk onto the porch, papers in hand, Lan Jingyi says, “Let me take those for copying – it looks like you’ve got a meeting.”

Lan Wangji follows his gaze. There, in the bend of the path, is a figure in black – facing away, and holding two dangling jars of Emperor’s Smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Wrong, wrong, wrong-ola.

#8:

As they walk onto the porch, Lan Wangji asks, “Are the preparations for tomorrow complete?”

Lan Jingyi smiles. “Almost. Just waiting on one last guest.” Putting on an air of innocence, he offers, “Should I go to the back hill to meet him?”

“No need,” says Lan Wangji, with a small smile of his own. “I know where to find him.”

Cute! But no. WWX shows up exactly the right amount in this fic. Any more is too much.

#9:

In silence, they carry the stack of papers out of Lan Wangji’s office, through the paths of Cloud Recesses—crowded, now, with guests for tomorrow’s conference—to the scribes’ hall.

At the door, the chief scribe greets them with a polite smile and bow. “Hanguang-jun. Lan-shao-gongzi. Is the compilation complete?”

Lan Wangji nods, and hands her the file. Her eyes widen when she takes it from him.

“It’s heavy,” she says.

It is. Lan Wangji had noticed that himself. There is more than paper and ink carried in those pages.

New direction: we're going to actually take the rules for copying, and therefore go out focusing on the rules rather than LJY and LWJ. Not a bad idea thematically! But it just didn't work.

#10:

At the closed door, they pause.

“Hanguang-jun,” Lan Jingyi whispers, “Do you ever wish we just—picked the best rules ourselves and got rid of the rest?”

Who decides?

“No.”

Then, unexpectedly, Lan Jingyi smiles. “Yeah,” he says. “Me neither.”

Together, they knock on the door.

This one would borrow the first few lines of the last one - carrying the papers to the scribes again. This one is, hopefully, redundant. If you get this far in the fic and still don't understand that LWJ shouldn't pick the rules, I've failed.

#11:

As they walk out onto the porch, Lan Jingyi blurts, “Hanguang-jun knows this junior has a history of disregarding proper etiquette and seniority, so this junior hopes Hanguang-jun will forgive him for saying he’s—he’s proud of you, too.”

Lan Wangji pauses, and turns to face his assistant, who blushes.

“Everyone knows you didn’t really want this job,” Lan Jingyi mumbles. “Hanguang-jun worked hard and gave up a lot. So. This junior is proud.”

After having tried what felt like literally everything else, I decided to try having LJY say he was proud of LWJ in return, to see if it would write. It would!! Not like this, though--too clunky--so one more iteration was required.

#12 (final version):

Lan Jingyi blinks hard for a moment, then looks away. “Thank you, Hanguang-jun.”

As they step onto the porch, Lan Jingyi clutches the file of proposals to his chest and blurts out, “This junior is proud of you, too, Hanguang-jun.”

It is, of course, a breach of etiquette and seniority for a junior to speak to Lan Wangji in such a way.

But if Lan Wangji placed a higher value on etiquette and seniority than on sincerity, he would have selected a different assistant.

“Mn,” says Lan Wangji, with a rare smile. Then he turns away and sets out for the path that will lead him to the back hill.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

[restingdomface]

No idea where the fic is going other than somehow possibly being a full on fix it au, but I think it’s really cute when feral boys bite. So. I think that Meng Yao should get startled one day and sink his wittle kitty fangs into Nie Mingjue’s arm and everyone just freezes because omfg DaGe was just reaching for that paper and now he’s got teeth in his arm and a panicking deputy and Meng Yao is thinking that NMJ is gonna get mad and kick him out of the Unclean Realm but Mingjue is all ‘omfg so cute, I remember the first time Huaisang did that too, I still have those marks’ and then gently starts petting his hair till Meng Yao lets go and he’s like apologizing like crazy but Mingjue is all *clutching chest* ‘MY HEART CANNOT TAKE THE CUTE’ and idk Huaisang probably laughed himself sick in the background. Mingjue could never kick you out and I doubt the Sword Captain would have become an issue at all because that is New Didi okay you could bare your wittle fangies at DaGe and he’d give you anything you wanted from this point on you can have A LITTLE murder as a treat if you’re good A-Yao. Just one. Maybe one sect idk.

Give me Meng Yao seeing a large male arm coming towards him from the side and just panic chomping but not letting go till DaGe calms him down with soft hair pets tho. That. That’s a good mental image.

[wutheringskies]

Prompt - Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in the 15-year old selves's bodies

I just had a thought. imagine WWX and LWJ transmigrating into an alternate reality (which is pretty much the same, but events changed there do not affect events in their world) as their 15-year-old selves; and for half a day, they both think it's an individual thing; and then Wei Wuxian sees Lan Zhan, and can't control his words, "Oh my god, Lan Zhan so cute!!" and Lan Wangji is like "Wei Ying (fond) is adorable too."

and they both sorta have that look and realize they both transmigrated; and it's so funny because by the rules of the array (or whatever), they can't tell anyone where they are from, or about the future (like they can only personally act differently and suggest actions to other people, knowing very well they hold little power to cause systemic changes, just two nails in a machine, but well, what are they if not always trying).

and this time, Wei Wuxian doesn't punch Jin Zixuan "but Lan Zhan... I really wanted to," But he does say a grand choice of crass words that get him punishment with Lan Wangji again, who's forcibly out of his seclusion and in classes.

And in classes, Lan Wangji sits in front, ever the dutiful while Wei Wuxian sits behind him; sleeping, talking, flirting, writing notes; and Lan Wangji doesn't reprimand him as much; and when Jiang Cheng says rude shit to him, the Second Young Master Lan glares at him and everyone is so confused.

and they have punishment together in the library and it's just... Wei Wuxian courting Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji courting him back.

Exhibit 1:

"Lan Zhan, my hands really, really hurt from all this copying :(("

"I will do it."

"Hehe~"

Exhibit 2:

"Er-gege, I really can't go on without alcohol. Please."

"No."

"You said you'd never deny me, your husband."

"We are not married yet in this reality."

"So, our marriage is limited only to one realm? Only our reality? So, I'm a young, virgin, unmarried boy?? Are you abandoning your husbandly duties?"

"..."

"Fine, then we are not married. I won't even ask! I won't marry you."

"... I will take you to Caiyi. You can drink there. Do not drink with others in the dorm."

"And in the Jingshi?"

"..."

"Are you denying me my marital home? You said it was our home!"

"Alright."

"Hahahahahahahahahaha"

Exhibit 3:

"Er-gege, let me sleep."

"Wei Ying, we are in class."

"But it's 6 am. Er-gege, I'm not even alive right now. I've been dead and I was more alive when I was dead than now."

"..."

"Please hide me from your uncle. I really can't keep my eyes open."

"Did you not sleep well?"

"How can I sleep??? Next to Jiang Cheng! Without my husband to hold me??"

"..."

Exhibit 4:

Wei Wuxian is messing around in the creek in Cloud Recesses when someone shoves him lightly. He doesn't fall but his hair opens and his ribbon disappears. Everyone laughs but then Lan Wangji walks over, stands behind him, pulls a red ribbon out of a sleeve, ties his hair up while asking him if he's okay and casts an icy look at the guy who shoved him, pats his head and leaves.

Jiang Cheng: "what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck"

Nie Huaisang: "OH. UM. uhm. Uh. Wei-xiong..."