#if xiaoge will never ever be in his life again

[lungache]

👀👀 will you tell me about the lizard story and also the pangzi cancer story? The first one intrigues me and the second sounds like it might be right up my angsty ally 😅😅

AHHH.

So the lizard story is a snake monster Pangzi fic that I started for the exchange but quickly grew too large and too involved for me to finish in time so I shelved it to finish later. The basic premise is that Pangzi is some sort of snake beast and after a negative experience with Xiaoge and Wu Xie reacting to other monsters, Pangzi doesn't feel safe telling his friends what he is, fearing their reaction, and the rest is just him hiding it and living his monster life in secret, but almost getting caught repeatedly, until it comes out quite spectacularly in a moment of danger. The title is from a scene where Pangzi likes to bask in the sun and Wu Xie calls him a lizard, which is honestly rude and offensive Tianzhen! But he can't say as much.

But from the larger AU, here is a section set in UN:

Pangzi is standing with Panzi, talking idly, when it happens. First, it's just whispers. They've been ever present this entire job, the soft, pitchy, hissing words are boring into his skull, and he can't even acknowledge it's happening for fear of looking as insane as he currently feels. He's been hearing hissing whispers from the jungle this entire time. From within it, the voices are nearly deafening, an excited cacophony when they pick up the scent of human followed by their quick retreat when they catch Pangzi's. The team is all gathered around at the shore of a small river, resting and cleaning up before they are forced to trek back for their packs (which Pangzi still thinks it a terrible idea, for the record), a moments reprieve, when he hears it. He's gotten better at ignoring them throughout the years. There seem to always be snakes when he goes on jobs with Wu Xie, the man seemingly a magnet for the entire species (he managed to attract at least one, Pangzi thinks in amusement when he catches himself staring at Wu Xie in adoration yet again). But this time they're just so fucking loud.

The pangzi cancer story is where, well, Pangzi gets cancer. (Treatable cancer!!! We don't do unhappy endings here.) But he struggles to tell the others and to process it.

He doesn't tell his partners. Not right away, at least. He figures, until they run the tests, there's nothing to tell. This isn't like before, with Wu Xie, because that fucker knew what was wrong. Pangzi doesn't even know if there is anything wrong or if he would be worrying them for nothing.

Somehow, he never considered cancer.

Because why on Earth would he consider cancer? He's Wang Pangzi. He doesn't get cancer. He gets taken out in some dramatic, ridiculous fashion in a tomb somewhere. He doesn't get something as trivial as cancer

ty for the ask!!!

[lunanoc]

for the game and as retaliation, give info/snippet on the dmbj abo thingie

thank you for asking <3

this is probably the most self-indulgent one on the list someone somewhere is definitely judging me for this 🏃‍♀️

it's a wip because this is 100% a Long Fic in the making, and it's also something that strays into heavy complex topics via parallels that need to be treated correctly and i'm hesitant to try

i have one (1) snippet that's a bare bones really really unedited tentative beginning does not represent the final product:

It’s raining again. Wu Xie wonders when that will stop being a novelty, or at least something worth taking note of. Even now, over a year after settling here, it’s like he’s still surprised to see an abundance of rain in a place aptly named Rain Village. Reclined in his chair on the porch overlooking the yard, he breathes in the late afternoon air that still carries with it the scent of dry ground from before the rain, now mixed with the heady musk of humidity that steadily overtakes it, and takes comfort in the soothing smell of petrichor, strong enough even his broken nose can pick up on it. Wu Xie lets his eyes fall shut as he sighs contentedly, basking in the first sense of comfort he’s felt in days. He’s been inexplicably on edge lately, fatigue a veil that drapes him in every waking moment, enough that both Xiaoge and Pangzi have noticed. Xiaoge had leveled him with his indifferent gaze long enough before he’d set off for the mountains three days ago that Wu Xie is more than certain Xiaoge has taken notice, and had no qualms about showing his disapproval. Wu Xie would likely be more offended if he hadn’t learned by now that for Xiaoge, in matters concerning Wu Xie’s health, disapproval and concern often go hand in hand. A sigh, aborted even as it swells in his chest, says much about Wu Xie’s own feelings, having troubled Xiaoge over trivial problems as he so clearly has, though he has yet to find the root cause of his discomfort. From the amount of times Wu Xie has caught him glancing in his direction when he thought Wu Xie wasn’t looking, it’s obvious Pangzi has taken note of it too. He decided that if Pangzi has anything to say, he’s not one to beat around the bush about it, and so Wu Xie is content to let it be. None of them are in the habit of coddling each other, and he’d rather it not start now. As far as Wu Xie’s concerned, it’s nothing life-threatening.

it's not the most original idea, but a/b/o au with all the ramifications it implies, where both xiaoge and pangzi are alphas, and wu xie is a beta. or so he thinks. somehow the intake of snake pheromones, especially at the rate that he does during sand sea, triggers a differentiation and he becomes an omega, and almost dies from a violent first heat. this brings up a whole bunch of problems wu xie can't deal with all at once, and so he picks the most urgent one that is becoming someone who can be influenced in some capacity through pheromones is a dangerous weakness when fighting the wangs, and so goes about hiding his new nature through excess use of suppressants and masking agents. no one ever discovers it, and wu xie tells no one, not even pangzi

it's only when the sand sea plan ends, and then when xiaoge comes back from the gate, that the other problems resurface, namely the fact that wu xie has never really come to terms with being an omega, something he rejects because he's ingrained that omegas are inherently more vulnerable people, and because of course he does, instead of confronting the problem, he buries it under more supressants

another problem is how this makes his feelings towards xiaoge, that he's realized exist by now, all the more complicated, because wu xie subconsciously imprinted on him because of them so some part of him believes that xiaoge is his alpha, and in his mind it makes any relationship even more impossible because he feels like xiaoge would feel forced to reciprocate. bonus points, the choice of yucun as a place to live is partly subconsciously influenced by the fact that broken nose or not, xiaoge's pheromones smell of petrichor, and it brings wu xie comfort

all this culminates in wu xie's supressants failing as they inevitably would have, and him having another violent heat xiaoge (and pangzi) have to help him ride out (not in a porn way, though that can come later. maybe), which forces the truth out in the open with the reprecussions it entails. pingxie do end up together, but not before wu xie makes peace with himself and realizes his nature doesn't define him, and to unlearn a lot of things about it

i'm honestly not sure anyone would read something like this but the self-indulgent part of it is because this literally stemmed from just wanting wu xie nesting and xiaoge taking care of him and general softness

[mejomonster]

Mysterious Lotus Casebook, ep 2:

So I really like Joseph zengs character. He gets better at acting each show i see him in. I love Fangs personality

Fang really did follow this doctor to his tiny mobile house and said You're Having me at Dinner, I brought drinks, work with me, drink with me whether you like it or not, my shifu is like xianyu and my uncle was the guy he died for (that lianhua is relentlessly still searching for the body of). ;-;

Fang also said your cooking sucks, my case here was kept private so fuck you help me More, also I can't actually pay Even though I'm used to being a rich bitch, I hero worshipped li xianyu, I saved your life TWICE DUDE do what I say (you can tell he's used to getting his little way uvu), and "I ran from an arranged marriage I'm not made for politics feel bad for me, i was made to bring justice to the world and make a name for myself~" and li lianhua hit him back with the "-.- I couldn't give a shit about your sob story or anyone's, I'm not looking to be heroic I'm just trying to mind my business dude."

He saved li lianhua twice that's so fucking funny to me. So like, I had a running count once of How Many Times wu xie swooned in dmbj dramas (lmao you can guess how BIG that list got) and how many times xiaoge saved him (if you guess once per episode that's probably the rough average). So it is. Particularly funny to me that wu xies actor is now the guy chronically saving another damsel. I hope fang saves li lianhua at least once per episode! Fuck it, I love twice per episode why not continue that! I want li lianhua falling in his arms repeatedly, nonstop, to the point its expected. I would very much enjoy that trope (and letting Joseph zengs character get to be the savior in said trope more uvu)

It's also funny cause wu xie was a prickly kitten of a damsel in distress. Whereas li lianhua is adamantly acting like he was NEVER about to die in the first place. There's mm... there's probably character details in there... something to be said about li lianhua not afraid of dying, or emotionally heavy enough he wouldn't mind getting to after 10 years of not dying from a poison when he Should Have and a mortal wound when he Should Have. Idk about other people, but when I got really chronically sick and I was in the ER almost dying a lot for months. Mm. It got to a point where I was like why can't my body just hit me all at once and let me live or die like when I got appendicitis, why does it have to be hurting me slowly and I just have to bear it and it's slow enough I have to get up and fight it every day and it may never end. And it's like I dunno, I see in li lianhua the ghosts of those kind of feelings. Maybe. We'll see I guess if it gets that emotionally heavy. Back to the point though, I find his character interesting and different than sifeng (which again I really appreciate lol)

I just. I love Joseph zengs character in this

I like the episode structures so far??? It feels like 2 parters, which helps to break up watching. And it seems it cheapened out on wasting time on some scenes in order to spend more time on case plots, which I think is a good choice

My gay rating? Not as gay (yet) as Word of Honor or Lord Critical World. Though reminding me of both shows. (Lord Critical World is WILD BTW and full of dmbj actors so I highly recommend it for a Weird Time). It is however striking me as having the potential to have as shippy vibes (at minimum) as Ultimate Note. Which I mean. I'm optimistic I guess?

Anyone else beyond refreshed to see a real dog instead of a cgi animal in one of these shows?

I'm curious how closely this follows the novel. Because I'm quite liking the show. If the novel is Just as good or better, I'll definitely be checking out the novel.

I am l...doubting it's intentional, but li lianhua's whole Setup feels VERY modern ordinary man, despite the wuxia setting and him being The Best Heroic Swordsman ever 10 years prior (and the Miracle Medicine Man/smart liar now). Despite the very belonging to this genre Character Setup, cheng yi plays him like a modern ordinary 35 year old, and a lot of character Details just strike as. Very relatable. Having a dog you share dinner with, living in a small mobile home (ultimately), having your own little garden (and budget being tight), trying to learn how to cook because you have to make good food for Yourself, lying to protect yourself in a shady environment (rather than playing Brazen Hero who picks a fight like one expects in this kind of shows hero type), been sick a long time and in no way in their prime anymore (even though he's relatable to me thats also lol just generally relatable to anyone who's aged and realized they can't be The Best at sports anymore or something), focused on people he loves now and being roughly fair instead of Saving the World (a very relatable goal and one I feel like a lot of people gravitate toward as they age: you don't always keep believing you personally will be a superstar or billionaire or save the planet on your own, and while it's awesome if you still do, you also start realizing you're satisfied to also just make sure your loved ones are supported and your local neighborhood has a food pantry you support and you get invested in what you can do today right now everyday to help in little ways).

[hils79]

Title: Pending Retirement

Fandoms:  盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei, 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV)

Relationships: Gen (with some vaguely implied Pangsang and Pingxie)

Summary:  

Who is it then? There shouldn’t be anyone else in here, or at least that's what Pangzi said when they were preparing for this trip. It’s supposed to be long since stripped bare and abandoned. That’s why they’ve come. Now that Wu Xie and Pangzi are retired, and Liu Sang has scaled back his work to jobs where there’s less risk of explosions or bugs in his ears, coming here was supposed to be as close to a vacation as they could get.

“Are you sure he came this way, Xiaoge?”

His sword drawn and ever vigilant, Xiaoge simply offers him a curt nod and they carry on walking. Beside him Wu Xie has his kukri drawn, his mouth thin in grim determination. This tomb was supposed to be safe. They’d promised Liu Sang it was safe. That was the only reason Pangzi suggested they bring him along. The kid deserves a break from dangerous tombs, not to be dragged into another one while he’s visiting them.

He’d better be okay. Pangzi will never forgive himself if he’s not. Despite all the barbs and snark that they throw at each other he’s actually pretty fond of Liu Sang, and although neither of them would ever admit it out loud he hopes the feeling is mutual. Not just towards him, but all three of them.

Liu Sang has made his feelings about Xiaoge clear since the beginning. Since before the beginning really, given how he’d brazenly walked up to Pangzi after one of their Mahjong games and asked Pangzi to get Xiaoge’s autograph for him. The kid has balls, there’s no denying that.

Then Wu Xie had saved Liu Sang’s life and after that Liu Sang was like a baby duck who had imprinted on him. He’s given up so much for Wu Xie, risking his hearing and his life during their trip to Thunder City. Pangzi doesn’t want Liu Sang to ever have to make a choice like that again.

It’s taken a lot of work to get Liu Sang to the point where he feels comfortable enough to voluntarily spend time with them rather than Pangzi dispatching Wu Xie or Xiaoge to guilt him into visiting for a meal. Now he’ll sometimes stay with them for a week, and doesn’t feel self conscious at all about having breakfast with them in his pyjamas before he’s straightened his hair.

He’s part of their extended family now, and they protect their family with everything they have.

“Is it much further?” He doesn’t mean to snap, but the words come out harsher than he’d intended. He knows Xiaoge will understand that it’s because he’s worried.

“Just up ahead,” Xiaoge replies and it takes everything Pangzi has not to charge ahead. If Liu Sang is in any sort of danger Xiaoge needs to be the one at the front.

The path they’re following opens out into a chamber, and there’s a light in the far corner of the room which Pangzi quickly realises is the beam of a flashlight. He shines his own flashlight in the same direction and he soon spots Liu Sang’s red hair standing out in the darkness.

He’s lying on the ground and there’s someone on top of him, kissing him deeply. For one brief moment he thinks maybe they’ve interrupted an intimate moment. Then he realises Liu Sang isn’t moving.

Read the rest on AO3

[tazzy-ace]

For the 3 things Tazzy would never ever write: 1 - Liu Sang hating and despising Xiaoge for real, at point of not even stand to work together without taking a deep breath - and Pangzi supports whatever is his reason for hating Xiaoge 2 - Luo Fei and Luo Fusheng heavily making out in the morgue, while Ben is busy upstairs, dealing with Savoy's complaints about Luo Fei (and that boy) 3 - Da Qing is giving up on Zhao Yunlan, he can't stand that idiot anymore and that's not a joke, he's leaving. Shen Wei is not trying to stop him.

Good luck, sir ;D

Ah you got me with details on (1). Pangzi on Liu Sang's side over Xiaoge? Oh the mess I would have to make for that. You trying to get me to hurt Yunlan via his cat dad. So rude. Da Qing, my bestie, would never. He's such a good cat dad. So here ya go, you get more 2Luo with (2). Maybe I should be saying good luck to you now before you read? :P Here's the reader's discretion that I have not yet watched GYADL so apologies for any ooc from Fusheng. I only have fandom exposure for his character.

---

Luo Fei and Luo Fusheng ran into the morgue hand in hand, barely containing their laughter as they ducked behind one of the slabs. The sudden intrusion brought Ben Jieming's attention from the paperwork on his desk to his best friend and the young man that had become a near constant fixture in the detective's life recently. Fusheng's head was ducked down, but his shoulders shook, giving away his muffled laughter. Luo Fei's eyes met Ben's unamused look and eyebrow raise. 'Savoy,' he mouthed with a grin, causing Ben to groan in frustration. The duo had caused more chaos yet again and now Ben was dragged into it.

The pair had barely contained their laughter when the doors to the morgue opened again. Luo Fei's hand quickly covered Fusheng's mouth to trap any lingering laughs from escaping and exposing them. He looked over at Ben, with that silent begging look that his friend was somehow still weak to after all these years. "Yes?" Ben asked the officer that walked in and was glancing around.

"Um, sir. Superintendent Savoy would like to speak with you ... and Luo Fei if he's here?"

Ben didn't even glance to the hiding spot to expose them. "I'll be right there."

The rookie officer seemed nervous as Ben stared him down in question when he didn't leave. "And Luo Fei, sir?"

"If I see him I'll pass along the Superintendent's request." That seemed to satisfy the officer, because Luo Fei could hear him turn on his heel and walk back out of the morgue.

"Do I even want an idea of what trouble you've caused this time?"

With a grin, Luo Fei answered, "Depends, do you want to not go to talk with Savoy?"

"Pretend I didn't ask. I know nothing. Better for me that way." Ben shook his head as he stood up and made his way to leave.

"Just reassure him that I know what I'm doing."

"I always do." Luo Fei couldn't help but grin more at his best friend's response.

As the doors swung shut, Fusheng finally pulled the hand away from his mouth. "A-Fei," he said slightly out of breath from all the laughter, "you know I haven't caused trouble for police quite like this before."

Luo Fei shrugged at the comment as he stood up and reached a hand down to help the younger up off the floor. "It's more just causing a nuisance than actual trouble. They can only be so annoyed at you when you're proper help to me solving things. Results speak for themselves."

"And Xiaoman is left with the paperwork?" he teased as he took Luo Fei's hand and pulled himself up, easily invading the detective's space without a care. "Such a trouble maker. And to think I once thought I was the troublesome one between the two of us."

"Don't lie, boy. You know how much trouble I bring since the first night you met me." Luo Fei didn't move away, even when their noses barely brushed against each other.

(This got longer that expected and they start making out here so just putting the break for read more here. Enjoy!)

Fusheng hummed appreciatively as he tilted his head. "Maybe that's what drew me to you? Such a sharply dressed man down in the dark corner of a dock that neither he nor I had any excuse to be at." His words were spoken into Luo Fei's skin as he moved closer before whispering his last comment in his ear, "The perfect alibi just waiting for me."

Luo Fei closed his eyes to focus just on their closeness and the way Fusheng's words and breath ghosted over him. "You made the first move that night. Pinning me against that wall as the security came around the corner."

"Hmm, do you want me to make the first move here too?" His hands rested on Luo Fei's waist, waiting patiently for a signal. All it took was a subtle nod for Fusheng to shift and capture the other's lips with his own.

One of Luo Fei's hands found the back of Fusheng's neck while the other trailed up to his hair. He always loved curling his fingers into those loose locks and knowing just how much Fusheng enjoyed the feeling only made Luo Fei love it more.

Fusheng didn't break the kiss even as he pushed Luo Fei to take a few steps backward until the back of his legs hit the slab behind him. He rested a hand on it, caging Luo Fei in slightly and leaning more of his weight against him until their fronts were flush, drawing out a muffled moan from both of them.

Luo Fei smiled into the kiss as he felt the hand going to the back of his legs, moving to help him sit back on the surface behind him. He helped by getting up onto his toes so that Fusheng could guide and push him into a sitting position. With the slight change of angle, Fusheng's attention shifted as his kisses wandered from Luo Fei's lips down his jaw before attacking the sensitive skin of his neck. The fingers in his hair tighten, earning a slight groan from the younger but it doesn't deter him. Luo Fei knew he wouldn't leave any marks, they had talked about that before with their boundaries. "So good," he whispered the praise as Fusheng settled into his place between Luo Fei's legs. His own hands kept Fusheng close while the other's wandered lazily up and down Luo Fei's side and back.

He realized that his eyes were still shut but he had no reason to open them, he could feel every contact from Fusheng and every sweet movement made him melt. Luo Fei let the younger have his fun for a bit before pulling his head back to capture his lips again, desperate for more. "Just like before," Fusheng teased, making Luo Fei blush as he thought back to their first meeting. Fusheng had kissed him first for them to pretend to be a couple trying to find a quiet spot away, but Luo Fei had pulled him back into another kiss even after the security had passed by them.

"Hush," he whined before kissing Fusheng more. Just like that night, Fusheng didn't fight him, meeting the kiss with the same passion that Luo Fei was giving him. Luo Fei wasn't sure exactly how much more time had passed when Fusheng pulled away, making him grumble in protest and tighten his hold on the younger's hair.

"A-Fei." The scolding was half-hearted as Fusheng smiled at him. "It's probably long enough that Savoy is distracted with Ben and we can slip out of the station."

"Hmm, what if I don't want to?"

"If we leave, ... we can go home. Then there will be no Ben eventually coming back to be even more annoyed at you on top of having to hear complaining about you from his Superintendent all the time." Fusheng really could be a persuasive guy when he wanted to be.

Luo Fei let his hold on Fusheng loosen and his hands fell to rest on the other's shoulders. "You know it's not just me he's complaining about."

Fusheng smirked, "Obviously. We're not partners in crime for nothing, right?" Luo Fei leaned forward and gave him one last peck before standing up and taking Fusheng's hand in his yet again. Their exit from the morgue was very different from their entrance, looking the picture of composed and unbothered as if they hadn't been in trouble not too long ago. Well, composed if you didn't count Luo Fei's handy work of absolutely wrecking the careful part in Fusheng's hair and how red both of their lips looked.

---

Well there you have it. It got a little away from me and long but snippet (Mini fic? Just straight up fic? It's like 1.2k words 😂😅) complete! I might end up posting this on ao3 eventually but for now this is it's home. Hope you enjoyed Hyde (and are still with us :P )

[bowsie22]

Whumptober Day 20

Wu Xie is a lonely child

20 – Wu Xie, ‘found family’ realises his birth family is shit, iron triangle and friends are better

Wu Xie was a lonely child. Oh sure, he had a few friends but they weren’t particularly close, acquaintances at best. Not that Wu Xie knew what an acquaintance was as a child.

He had Panzi, who he considered his best friend, often bragging about him to classmates. But Panzi was often busy with his uncle, meaning Wu Xie was lucky to see him a few months out of the year.

There was Xiuxiu and Xiao Hua, but it was clear their families were trying to keep a distance between them and Wu Xie. He’d never be as close to them as they were to each other.

And of course, his family. Wu Xie’s parents spent most of their time working and on work trips. He saw them on important occasions like birthdays and that was really it. His uncles were just as bad, except when his Sanshu took him to a tomb. He enjoyed those trips. He got to spend time with his uncle and Panzi, even if his Sanshu only wanted him to crawl through small tunnels and holes. Sure, Wu Xie’s wellbeing and life were in danger, but Wu Xie was just happy to spend time with his family.

There was no physical abuse, so Wu Xie never thought there was anything wrong, too young to realise what was happening to him was a type of abuse in itself.

Wu Xie thought that he’d spend his life like that, alone, lonely. And he accepted that, a simple fact of life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wu Xie was not a lonely adult. He had friends, people who loved him. He finally had a family.

Over the years, and without his family interfering, he’d become much closer to Xiao Hua and Xiuxiu, now counting the two amongst his closest friends. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he adored them. The three were sill angry at their families for trying to keep them apart when they knew how much stronger they were together.

With Xiao Hua came Hei Xiazi. Another person from his childhood who became so incredibly important to him. Surprisingly so. Xiazi had been paid by his Sanshu to train him in combat. It started in his childhood, Xiazi telling him later he tried to drop out of the contract when he saw how young Wu Xie was. He stayed after Panzi showed him who was next in line to train the child. To this day, the two still enjoy their meditation sessions and mock fights.

Panzi was a constant in his life, still the best thing his uncles ever did for him. Wu Xie got to spend more time with his now, often meeting the older man for meals and drinks. He learned so much about Panzi in those times, finding the man becoming more and more important to him over time. He loved Panzi, and thankfully it seemed the man loved him too.

And of course, the other two sides to his triangle. Pangzi and Xiaoge. Wu Xie would happily admit that he was incomplete with them, that he needed them in his life. Maybe it wasn’t the healthiest mindset, but he didn’t care. The unconditional love the three shared for each other was probably the most rewarding thing Wu Xie had ever had in his life. The three knew they could depend on the others for anything and everything, they’d kill for the others, die for them. They were Wu Xie’s family, the people most important to him, blood had nothing to do with it.

Wu Xie was finally happy. Sure, his uncles tried to interfere with his life now and again, but they were quickly chased off by Wu Xie’s actual family who closed rank around their young friend.

Wu Xie wasn’t lonely anymore, he was loved and happy, content. Who needed the Wu family? Looking at the people around him, Wu Xie finally realised that he certainly didn’t.

[sunriseverse]

Blorbo bingo!! Thoughts about zhang qiling?

HI ADRIAN THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME ABOUT XIAOGE :D

most fandom takes are incorrect: we all know my everbright opinions that “amnesiac sex kitten” xiaoge is stupid at best and a wild mischaracterisation of xiaoge that falls into the same dehumanisation he faces in canon at worse, but hey—it’s never a bad time to bring this up again! i don’t know if this is a “general” fandom take or if i just stumble across it a lot because the ao3 tag is small, but i loathe it.

there’s probably a deeply-seated reason i love them: well. yeah. but shhhh we will not think on that. much.

has done nothing wrong (is a war criminal): look he’s over a century old and has memory issues and he’s a professional tomb raider-slash-mercenary for hire (previously). i’d be more surprised if there WASN’T a legion of skeletons in his closet, but listen—i don’t care about that. what’s important to me is that he is my blorbo.

free space: has so much trauma and issues it makes me vibrate to think about. i could not have chosen a better media to get invested in if i tried.

pretty privilege: i may be a lesbian but i would have to be blind to not see how often xiaoge is cast as stupidly pretty men. they’re never like, dangai pretty (that’s it’s own genre, not necessarily “more” pretty than other actors, just different), but i’d be lying if i said for example xiao yuliang or huang junjie aren’t aesthetically really nice to look at. generally if there’s a man playing xiaoge you can be certain in another time he could have been an artist’s muse.

they are the white noise in my brain i can’t live a normal life: self explanatory. no more to be said here.

brain rot: yeah. no comment.

biting my fist: he makes me like INSANE insane and if i don’t do something about it i will explode into a hundred thousand pieces and suffer eternal torment. there’s not many things about him i DON’T think about.

STOP PUTTING THEM IN SITUATIONS: both a wish and a gleeful confirmation. he canonically gets a semi retirement in ycbj, the post-canon series, but also just generally i think he should be allowed to revel in the joys of a mundane life more. take him to the grocery store to buy rice or something.

i’m so normal about them :))))))))): to be fair i think we would all be surprised if i WAS normal about him. i’ve loved him since sha hai and he didn’t even appear in that show beyond flashbacks.

not enough canon/underrated: he’s one third of the iron triangle but i will literally never stop wanting more tie sanjiao content okay. they could make a show that was entirely an infomercial and i would watch it. would not pay for it though (i say as if i ever pay for the shows i watch).

[mojoflower]

~*~ fox liu sang ~*~

In my (voracious) opinion, there can never be too many fox / huli jing Liu Sang stories. And just in case no one's gathered them all in one place, here are my recs so far. (My 'bookmark' links to my AO3 bookmark comments and tags if you want further info.) Feel free to add any that I've missed!

Shifter Verse

by xantissa @xantissa (E, 18k, pingxie, pingxiesang, 2 works, my bookmark)

Summary: Red Moon was a term only the shifters used and only they understood. It was a period of three nights every month, when their animal was closest to the surface, when instincts ran stronger than ever. // aka Liu Sang bites off more than he can deal with when he does the fox equivalent of flirting at Zhang Qiling.

❤️Light in the Shadows

by Merinnan, xantissa @merinnan (E, 42k, pingxie, pingxiesang, 2 works, my bookmark)

Summary: When Wu Xie was seven years old, he snuck away from his guardian during one of the digs that Sanshu took him to. Only things went wrong, the entrance collapsed, and it took a week to dig the child out from the near collapsed tomb. // They expected a body. They prayed that the child had somehow survived, but seven days without food or water for an adult would have been deadly, a child had no chances of survival at all. // They found Wu Xie deep in the tomb, sleeping on his little backpack. He was warm and healthy, confused at why the adults were yelling, looking like he’d just stepped into the tomb five minutes ago.

Related Calamities

by Merinnan, xantissa (M, 30k, pingxiesang, 2 works, series in progress, my bookmark)

Summary: It was meant to be a straightforward, simple, legit job. Help some university students and their teachers find a relatively safe tomb, and then babysit them while they study it. // Of course, when it came to Wu Xie, nothing was ever ‘straightforward’ or ‘simple’. Which would explain why Wu Xie was instead fleeing for his life, carrying an injured fox, while a giant monster chased them both through the tomb.

❤️Catch and Release

by Merinnan, xantissa (E, 79k, pingxie, pingxiesang, my bookmark)

Summary: After weeks of being on the run from the people who'd been experimenting on him, Liu Sang was cold, hungry, and still hiding as a fox. When he came across a live capture trap in a large garden, baited with good, good food, he decided it was worth the risk. Then kept coming back again. And again. // Wu Xie just wanted to catch and socialise a feral cat into a pet. He hadn't planned on a fox deciding the trap he'd put out was a convenient and consistent source of food.

100 Ways to Do a Fox

by Merinnan, xantissa (E, 13k, pingxie, pingxiesang, my bookmark)

Summary: Wu Xie wasn’t the first one to notice the fox, which he considered a personal failure as he was usually exceptionally skilled at noticing any and all fox shifters around. After all, fox ears were his absolute favorite kinds of ears. // Now, how to get the aforementioned fox to go to his hotel with him? Use his undefeatable asset in the form of Xiaoge, of course!

❤️Of Mountains

by Merinnan, xantissa (E, 42k, pingxie, pingxiesang, 3 works, series in progress, my bookmark)

Summary: The time when everyone was convinced that Liu Sang was having a torrid affair with Zhang Qiling - on the job, no less.

Fox in the Attic

by Sanctified_Jasper @january-summers​ (T, 2k, liu sang & zhang qiling, my bookmark)

Summary: Liu Sang gets in trouble and has to run, he manages to hide in an old manor complex. The men following him know exactly where he is, but they won't come in after him, he can hear them say as much, but they won't say why. // Liu Sang has accidentally broken into the Wushanju. // There's an intruder in Xiaoge's territory. // Not malicious, he'd be able to find someone from their ill intent. It blazes like a beacon, but feels like gunky slime in his senses. // Who ever it is, is very good at hiding, at knowing where everyone is at all times.

Ordinary World

by Kholran @kholran (M, 57k, liu sang/zhang rishan, kan jian/luo que/huo daofu, my bookmark)

Summary: Wu Xie's plan failed. // That's the simple truth of the matter. That's why life is the way that it is now. It's hard to get people to admit it. Most of them don't want to talk about it at all, even though everyone knows that's the reason everything went to shit. But what's the point in sugar-coating it? Being tactful isn't going to change anything. It won't make it better. // Maybe nothing could have changed the outcome. Maybe Wu Xie did everything right, but maybe that wasn't enough. Maybe failure was inevitable. // There were too many ways something could have gone wrong. // And clearly, something did.

Firefox

by Snowy (G, 13k, no liu sang ships so far, more may be coming, my bookmark)

Summary: Zhang Rishan picks up the sole survivor of a burning house who the flames don't seem to touch and brings him back to the headquarters of the Jiumen spirit association as their prime suspect. // The truth might not be more than what the eye can see and it's up to the special investigators to uncover it. // Meanwhile it seems some of them are already taken in by their charge.

❤️Cabbages and Kings

by fox_of_nine_tales @foxofninetales (T, 23k, iron triangle, iron triangle/liu sang, my bookmark)

Summary: Wu Xie and Xiaoge are Pangzi's, in the same way that the cottage is theirs, and the cats, and the magic they share between them. // That is not Pangzi's fox.

fox's luck

by chancellorxofxtrash @chancellorxofxtrash (T, 6k, iron triangle, iron triangle/liu sang, my bookmark)

Summary: As long as Wu Xie could remember, the fox never left Wushanju.

Faithful in the Bone

by fox_of_nine_tales (T, 4k, liu sang & zhang qiling, WIP, no bookmark yet but it looks like it'll kill you)

Summary: The fox had been with him almost as long as Zhang Qiling remembered. // What he no longer remembered was that the fox had been there much longer than that.

Space Brigades

by  daydreamorama  (T, 10k posted but will be about 15+, Liu Sang/Bai Haotian/Li Cu, but mostly so far Liu Sang & Bai Haotian)

Summary: Bai Haotian paused with her hand still on his face, then took it away like she had been burned. “Your hearing really helped. Last time it exploded right in my face! I was blowing sand out of my nose for weeks!” // “This… happens often?” Liu Sang asked. He didn’t know much about magic, the scripters on the station preferred to keep an air of mysticism about what they could and couldn’t do, and the little magic he had been able to afford was apparently crap. He was pretty sure though that they didn’t explode things regularly.  //  Liu Sang really had no clue what he had signed up for.

*~*

BONUS ANIMAL TRANSFORMATIONS

Cat xiaoge and Snow Leopard xiaoge

Under the Fur

by Merinnan, xantissa (G, 15k, pingxie, my bookmark)

Summary: As much as Wu Xie disliked the fact, Pangzi was right, they were used to Xiaoge just up and disappearing on them like this. // What they weren't used to was coming across a snow leopard in the middle of a tomb.

Eating Fish Every Day

by afrikate @momosandlemonsoda (G, 9k, liu sang & zhang qiling, my bookmark)

Summary: Liu Sang gets a cat.

By any other name

by snoozingkitten @lipstickprint (E, 17k, pingxie, my bookmark)

Summary: Wu Xie is trying to be a normal, reasonable person about letting Xiaoge go on a job without him. One missed check-in leads Wu Xie back into his old habit of dropping everything to chase Xiaoge across China. // The Xiaoge he found wasn't quite the one he lost.

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

Texts from the Lost Tomb, part 5.4

I swear folks once I get this and the last part up I’m gonna condense it all

But yeah couldn’t resist some <3

Zhang and Wu Chat

Wu Xie: Um. I’m all done with the shower if you want a turn.

Zhang Qiling: I’m alright without one.

Wu Xie: sooo are you pissed at me still?

Zhang Qiling: ? I have not been angry with you since the ladder incident.

Wu Xie: you’ve barely said anything since the necklace thingy

Zhang Qiling: I believe it is a long-running joke amongst my friend group that I do not, in fact, say much.

Wu Xie: okay but there are multiple gouges in the tea house walls that would suggest you had somewhat strong feelings today

and I kinda caused the events that sparked said feelings

so just checking in you know

Zhang Qiling: I was not angry so much as I was afraid. More afraid than I’ve been in a long time.

Wu Xie: ??? But it has worked out fine??? Everyone made it out alive and Uncle Erbai gets to feel morally superior to the Zhang family for a while so today was a win overall

Zhang Qiling: I heard you scream. I didn’t know what had happened. I couldn’t get to you right away. Therefore, I was afraid.

Wu Xie: ohhhhh. oh, Xiao Ge. It’s alright now—hey the necklace was actually helping u look out for me:) It’s not like those ppl were actually trying to hurt me, really. Your family isn’t so bad, at least you don’t have any uncles you know of

today was just some big misunderstandings wrapped in some poor life choices. Tbh my memoir title

I feel kind of stupid for screaming but when a glowing necklace wraps itself around your neck it’s a little uhoh moment lol

I did like the design tho def my aesthetic.

Zhang Qiling: I am pleased that it was able to protect you when I was not.

Wu Xie: Uh no you are not allowed to get all emo abt this it’s only like 3pm

damn time flies when it’s flashing before your eyes lol

Are you on the roof? You’re def on the roof. I thought I heard the tiles moving over my head. Come down or I’m coming up.

Zhang Qiling: I will be down in a moment. Do not come outside, it’s cold and raining.

Wu Xie: you know, Zhang Rishan said he thinks the necklace might be linked to you, somehow

something from long ago, even though you wouldn’t remember it.

It’s lucky that it liked me, huh:)

Zhang Qiling: Yes. Quite lucky.

Babysitters Club Chat

Wang Pangzi: AWW LOOK AT HIM NAPPING ON YOUR SHOULDER SO CUTE. BEBES HAD A BIG DAY. YOU TWO ARE PRECIOUS. BE GOOD AND POSE FOR THE PICTURE NOW.

Zhang Qiling: No. Also, I am considering what steps I should take with Zhang Rishan. Regardless of his concern for the Zhang family line, his actions were unacceptable.

Wang Pangzi: HES DROOLING A LITTLE ON YOU WHICH IS LESS CUTE BUT I CAN CROP THAT PART

LOOK I KNOW YOURE STILL PISSED. IM NOT EXACTLY CALM MYSELF, I JUST HAVE WAYS TO SKIRT AROUND TIANZHENS BULLSHIT FILTER THAT YOU LACK

GET ON MY LEVEL

WU ERBAI WILL HANDLE IT, THINGS HAVE SETTLED I THINK

BUT ABOUT THAT NECKLACE

SO INTERESTING HMMM

Zhang Qiling: I am the patriarch of my family. The necklace behaved as I would, apparently, to protect a vulnerable family member. Wu Xie’s bad cold last week activated it, and it responded to a perceived danger to him today. Simple enough.

Wang Pangzi: UH HUH

A FAMILY MEMBER

THE NECKLACE REALLY SAID LOVE WINS

TOLKIEN COULD NEVER

Zhang Qiling: It protected him on a technicality. But I will not allow him to bear the burdens of my family ever again. It has taken so much from him already.

Wang Pangzi: YEAH SURE BLAH BLAH DESTINY BLAH BLAH ANGST

“A TECHNICALITY” WOW WHO SAID ROMANCE WAS DEAD

ANYHOO IM SCREENSHOTTING THIS FOR UR WEDDING RECEPTION SLIDESHOW

YA KNOW DURING MY SPEECH

Friends of Wu Xie Support Group Chat

Hei Yangjing: you’re welcome for everything today<3 I accept PayPal, although of course it is always my honor to assist my friends:)

Wang Pangzi: WE ARENT PAYING YOU SHIT

Zhang Qiling: You did absolutely nothing.

Hei Yangjing: whoa whoa maybe I wasn’t threatening family members or busting up load-bearing walls like some undying divas I could name but I totes helped

or at least I was there for moral support maybe?

Zhang Qiling: The only reason I knew you were there at all was that as I lowered my blade from Zhang Rishan’s neck, I heard the camera click and saw you were taking a selfie making a peace sign, angled to have the two of us in the background.

Xie Yuchen: I saw it on social media just now. The caption is “#greatdaycatchingupwiththelads #blessed”

Wang Pangzi: TBH KIND OF JEALOUS I DIDNT THINK TO DO THAT

Hei Hangjing: okay yeah you see Xiao Ge that is a modern kind of help I should’ve known you wouldn’t be aware

It’s called performance, you wouldn’t understand

it’s a ‘Gram thing

Also it means I’m a great person

Bc letting you handle the situation was my gift to you

Zhang Qiling: Wu Xie mentioned there is something called “blocking ppl” that gets them out of my phone.

Hei Yangjing: nah

Can’t trust that Wu Xie, bae can’t tell a coffin from an urn amirite

it’s not a thing, blocking

Xie Yuchen: It is a thing. I’ll show you later, Zhang Qiling.

Wang Pangzi: YOU BOYS GO GET CLEANED UP AND COME BY AROUND 9 I SNAGGED SOME OF ZHANG RISHANS BOOZE ON THE WAY OUT

Bonnie and Clyde Chat

Hei Yangjing: you looked pretty comfortable in those handcuffs earlier ;););)

Xie Yuchen: Go to sleep, idiot.

Hei Yangjing: You’d have to do something to tire me out ;););)

Xie Yuchen: Are you like this around Wu Xie? Not that I care, I’m just asking.

Hei Yangjing: uh that’s a big nope

First off all Idk when I’ll die but Id prefer it to be on my terms and not at the hands of those other two

Secondly there is a part of me that remembers how adorable he was when he was younger and that makes it weird

(No offense but u were not adorable. He was bebe luke skywalker, you were bebe princess leia I am obvs Han Solo 4lyfe)

Also I’m a little scared that if i flirted with him and he flirted back he’d be better at it.

Xie Yuchen: All valid concerns.

Hei Yangjing: as cute as he is I don’t really wanna tap that.

Xie Yuchen: I see.

Hei Yangjing: do you tho

Main Chat

Wu Xie: okay folks who wants cocoa to top the evening off? I picked some up today:D

Wang Pangzi: UH YOU SPENT YOUR DAY BEING KIDNAPPED AND PLACATING A SENTIENT NECKLACE WHEN DID YOU HAVE TIME TO GET GROCERIES

FRANKLY THATS INTIMIDATING

Wu Xie: the tea house gift shop:)

Wang Pangzi: …YOU BOUGHT COCOA FROM YOUR KIDNAPPERS. FROM THEIR GIFT SHOP. DURING YOUR KIDNAPPING.

WU XIE

WU XIE WHY

Wu Xie: I mean we were there the whole day, it felt impolite not to buy anything.

Wang Pangzi: OH RIGHT GREAT POINT ID HATE TO BE RUDE TO THEM AFTER THEY WENT TO THE TROUBLE OF ABDUCTING US

LISTEN WHEN PPL STEAL YOU IT BECOMES FREE REIGN ON THEIR SHIT

UGH YOU PROBABLY GOT A RECEIPT AND EVERYTHING

WAS UR LITTLE SHOPPING TRIP BEFORE OR AFTER THEY STUCK U IN A DUNGEON TO EXPERIMENT ON YOU

WAIT NVM I DONT WANT TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT

Wu Xie: look, let’s focus on the positives/ we are all okay, and we learned something new, that necklace is still active! It’s really quite nice-looking when it isn’t moving of its own volition.

Wang Pangzi: YOU AND YOUR RELENTLESS DUCKING OPTIMISM

ZHANG QILING ARE YOU SEEING THIS

Zhang Qiling: I would love some cocoa. I’ll come to the kitchen.

Wu Xie: I have special marshmallows for you!!

Wang Pangzi: I SEE

WE ARE SUBSCRIBING TO THE PRESTIGIOUS “FUCK IT WHY NOT” SCHOOL OF THOT TONIGHT

LOL SURE LETS GO COCOA IT UP

IVE GOT SOMETHING STRONG TO POP IN IT

Wu Xie: Still thinking about that design… I’d love another chance to examine that necklace under less Zhangy circumstances.

Kinda sad we couldn’t borrow it to use for illnesses and dangerous missions :/

ah well it’s for the best, a family heirloom should be treasured, preserved and protected<3

Zhang Qiling: I put it on your dresser.

Wu Xie: ???????

Wang Pangzi: AND THATS WHY YOU AND I ARE FRIENDS, XIAOGE <3

Wu Xie: I—

Zhang Qiling: Are those bunny-shaped marshmallows for me?

[thosch3i]

*cracks knuckles* procrastinating on my Pingxie exchange fic so it's Xiaoge Angst Hours (if you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen this already)

Anyway. I'd just like to know why Xiaoge has apparently canonically lived most of his life being manipulated, exploited, captured, and abused by people who don’t see him as human, but only a convenient scapegoat/tool/weapon...but we only find this out via throwaway lines and short scenes that are never explored in detail?

Like, what exactly happened when Xiaoge lost his memories and was imprisoned in the Golmud Sanatorium? How exactly did those tomb robbers treat A-Kun before Chen Pi Ah Si took him? He was literally kidnapped and used as zombie bait, kept naked in a basket, and he never once fought back--he just let them use him like that? (And what was Xiaoge’s life in Banai like after Chen Pi Ah Si stepped in? The house they all explored was completely bare, with hardly anything in it except the basic necessities for just getting by...it clearly wasn’t a home; Xiaoge hadn’t ever had a home.) On that note, what happened every other time Xiaoge lost his memories? We only really know about A-Kun in the most detail, if you could call it “detailed”. But before that, there was at least the incident that ended with him imprisoned in Golmud. And after that, all we know is the Xisha Undersea Tomb, after which there’s...a blank, until Three Days of Silence. What kind of life must he lead, cursed to lose his memories, spend years searching for them again, only to ultimately forget once again? (It’s no wonder why he feels he has “no past and no future”, why he’s never felt a “connection to this world”.)

What did the Zhang Family do to their children, in general, if they think throwing literal children and pre-teens into the wild and forcing them to rob tombs as a test of their abilities is just perfectly fine? What did they do Xiaoge, specifically, to make a kid with a mom who loved him so much grow up so quiet and aloof and isolated, that even the other Zhang Haike and other Zhang kids who saw him would notice, that the lama in Medog would say to him that his mother’s first and last gift to him was “the heart that those people had hidden away”? What exactly did the fucking Zhang family do to the baby they stole from his mother, and how could they possibly defend forcing that baby to become a scapegoat, a figurehead, a “god” in the eyes of their cult family, then throwing him away the instant he became less useful, letting his adoptive father and others readily use him as a walking bag of blood in ancient tombs?

What exactly led to them dumping the title of “Zhang Qiling” on the kid they stole from a loving mother, exploited as a convenient puppet, and then threw away? 

What kind of bitter “training” was needed to get his fingers like that, what kind of bitter abuse “training” leaves someone so accustomed the harshness of the world, that he won’t bat an eyelash at the the worst of human cruelty, that he’ll turn to literally cutting himself open without hesitation because it’s just that efficient for him to treat himself like a tool...but seeing something genuinely, unequivocally beautiful will break through all his defenses and leave him at a complete loss?

But most importantly, what kind of genuinely good, selfless heart must he have uncovered in Three Days of Silence, for him to not have a single drop of a desire for revenge in his body, for him to still willingly enter the Bronze Gate for Wu Xie as he did despite the Mystic 9 breaking their promises (for him to have been willing to do so for the rest of his life he’d needed to), for him to always save those who want to and can be saved.

NPSS apparently said in a Q&A once, responding to someone asking about the most kindhearted character in DMBJ, that of course it was Xiaoge--“until now, he’s only hurt himself, not others.”

[pangzi]

anyway hils got me thinking about time raiders again (why would u do this to me) and especially the bonus scene for some reason where wu xie admits he made it all up because everyone died or left him. i’m also thinking about how pangzi was barely in this version of what happened.

while i’m sure many of you read this as “wu xie doesn’t care abt pangzi that much” or “see xiaoge is more important to wu xie” or whatever bullshit i don’t think it’s that at all? wu xie says “pangzi left” (which is how i know this movie isn’t real or canon, sorry if you want it to be for reasons but it’s not, pangzi would NEVER leave wu xie for any reason ever) and “i don’t know if i’ll ever see zhang qiling again” and while those kind of come down to the same thing, they give me very different vibes. one sad and maybe a bit bitter and the other more like oh well maybe we’ll see each other again some day

i’m just thinking about how wu xie made his own version of reality, he says it’s because he thinks the real version of what happened wouldn’t make a good story. but we know it’s because he’s deeply hurt and traumatized by the experience. so i’m wondering if he purposely wrote pangzi out of it? maybe unconsciously but purposely. to convince himself and others that pangzi wasn’t that big a part of his story/life, that him leaving wasn’t that big of a deal! he only barely knew the guy, right? so why would he stay! if this is what happened pangzi leaving really shouldn’t hurt as much as it does, and maybe if he manages to convince himself that this is reality, at least that part will stop hurting.

[lunanoc]

im intrigued by literally every single one of your wips but i want to know about the dmbj time travel and abo ones (and also the sleep fic, if you need an excuse to talk about it 👀)

to be honest i've had a look at what these wips are because i didn't even fully remember some of them, so the abo ones are actually just two versions of the same thing 😭 so since someone else asked, the abo one explanation is here"

"dmbj time travel" is the first ever dmbj i ever started writing waaay back when i hadn't even finished the dramas yet and it shows. i want to fix it because i like the basic idea behind it, it just needs A Lot of reworking because the characterization is uh. yeah. so no snippets from this one even if it's technically like 14k or something

it's supposed to be canon time travel where for some reason (i'm not sure yet since it's getting revamped) post-restart yucun wu xie, xiaoge, and pangzi transmigrate back into their own bodies from the start of canon (so think even before jin wantang comes to wu xie with the copy of chen pi ah si's silkbook) except none of them know the other two remember. it's supposed to feature, among other fun things:

wu xie and existential crisis #476, is this real life or it is just snake fantasy?

unresolved sanshu tension™️ part 3 because good things come in threes because wu sanxing is still around at this point, and for all he's resolved most of his grievances about his uncle, wu xie doesn't quite know how to face him, partly because their relationship carries so much baggage, partly because he knows how shrewd wu sanxing is, which leads into wu xie rushing into wu sanxing's shop with the silkbook becoming a 4d chess conversation where both parties are aware on different levels that the person they're talking to is hiding things. something something wu xie notices wu sanxing test for a face mask etc

because pingxie are established at this point, and because so far no one else has remembered anything except wu xie, xiaoge angst™️ the remix and wu xie thinking he'll have to love him from afar again

which leads into sand sea wu xie™️ the remix, because if he's gone that far back, why not take on the wangs earlier than planned

the scene that's the reason why this even exists an excuse, wu xie and xiaoge (who didn't meet in front of wu sanxing's shop like the first time bc wu xie was too busy playing 4d chess with himself) realizing at some point on the trip to the seven star palace that they both remember because wu xie decides to test their shared knocking code language on a whim. and then xiaoge looks at him. and they both have A Moment that they can't express because they're not supposed to know each other

another scene where they're both bastards who decide to troll pangzi when they meet with him, partly to test whether or not he remembers too (he does), which leads to pangzi sussing them out eventually and yelling at them, then hugging them

i don't really have much of anything else mostly because they do eventually go back to their own time, because i don't really see the point in rewriting canon, i'll think about it someday. maybe

the sleep fic is kind of the sister fic to the sleep xiaoge pov one and it's pretty unoriginal because it's been done 50 times already i am deeply unoriginal unfortunately , it's the "wu xie has insomnia after ten years later" fic. my personal take on it is wu xie, after book 8, went from mild to severe depression, and then spent the next five years after that in go go go mode where he essentially forced himself to shutdown as far as his own basic emotional needs went. and like a lot of people who suddenly stop after not allowing themselves to for a long time, things start coming out of the woodwork. so once xiaoge's back and he's finished tidying up in hangzhou, the iron triangle move to yucun, and suddenly wu xie can't sleep. he never had insomnia that severe before (and if he did he'd just take sleeping pills and be done with it), but now he either can't sleep, or when he does he has nightmares

xiaoge eventually notices wu xie doesn't look well (among all the other things he's noticed) and is increasingly tired, so he tries to help in his own ways. eventually they get together. i wish it was more thought out than that 😭

[mejomonster]

(7) okay i love wu xie immediately noticing that xiaoge is gone and going back to look for him. Its such a nice contrast to when they were separated in tlt1 and he didnt notice until even a minute or two after theyd gone to the top, he inquired about it, and everyone said not to worry about it. Like now instead of just being like "yeah he can take care of himself" hes WORRIED and going to look for him!!!

wu xie’s growth/change ALREADY is just. so apparent. which is part of why i absolutely love this sequence of scenes.

wu xie clearly has realized in the lapsed time between seeing xiaoge that: xiaoge CAN take care of himself but shouldn’t have to, that people put pressure on xiaoge that’s unrealistic and unfair, that xiaoge might actually die one day and ppl treating him like a ‘god’ doesn’t help him, that wu xie doesn’t want to worry if he’s alive or dead ever again, that wu xie CARES if he is, that wu xie doesn’t think xiaoge should go through that kind of suffering and danger and fear alone and wu xie is willing to go through it too just so xiaoge won’t bear it alone, that wu xie is ok dying if it means xiaoge doesn’t have to suffer or be left alone. 

like this wu xie has shown a lot of growth since the last time this happened, and also just how much he already cares. 1 just about innocents in real danger - and he very much considers immortals innocents too, even if other people are afraid and consider them monsters even. and 2 - that xiaoge even as a professional/god is WORTH worrying about and dying to protect, something i dont think anyone else has ever viewed xiaoge like. 

it absolutely tore my heart out. when i realized wu xie was going to lose him again. not know if he was dead again. not have any way to find him again. 

when wu xie ran into the sea, ready to DROWN just to try and make sure he didn’t lose xiaoge, try to help in vain. how pangzi was so sympathetic and just trying to calm wu xie down and keep him alive, knowing wu xie is too panicked to realize its impractical and impossible to help. wu xie CANT help xiaoge - he’ll literally die, he’s literally too weak. and wu xie was also too weak to stop xiaoge from doing this alone, and not quick enough to plan any alternative. and pangzi knows this, and tries to keep wu xie alive through it until he can accept it. 

wu xie running into the sea, so fucking worried, and then pangzi has to try and get sense into him - but he says what EVERYONE says about xiaoge ‘oh he’ll be fine, he’s like a god’ and wu xie HATES it because that’s part of why he’s so terrified. because wu xie sees xiaoge as a PERSON and a person who can DIE and be in PAIN and no one else seems to be caring about it! even xiaoge won’t seem to prioritize it, seeing how xiaoge just did that and sacrified himself. and wu xie just feels so lost and unable to do anything meaningfully helpful. 

and then wu xie tries to go again, and again, into the water. because he cannot fathom a world where he has to lose xiaoge again. where he’s expected to stop caring about him, even for a while - where he’s supposed to ‘just somehow assume xiaoge’s fine like everyone else does.’ because wu xie IS scared xiaoge can die, is scared he can lose xiaoge, and those very real possibilities are absolutely devouring him.

the entire sequence i was. aaaaaaahhhh

[hils79]

Title: Juxtaposition - Chapter 15

Fandoms:  盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers’ Chronicles - Xu Lei, 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV)

Relationships: Wang Pangzi/Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling

Summary:  Wu Xie doesn’t think life can get much better than this. He gets to use his architecture degree to design buildings for a living and he gets to work with the love of his life who helps make his designs a reality. He’s certainly not going to let something small like an attempted mugging disrupt his world. The mysterious man who saved him, on the other hand…

Pangzi tugs Wu Xie closer, wrapping his other arm around him without even breaking the pace of his current story. It does help, a little. Just being close to Pangzi, feeling his warmth and smelling the scent of his cologne always makes him feel better.

“And then I told him to—”

He’s cut off by the sound of footsteps and they all turn to see Zhang Rishan, Liu Sang and Wang Can enter their small private waiting room. Liu Sang’s eyes are red, and Wu Xie does him the courtesy of pretending not to notice. He’s shed his own amount of tears over the past couple of weeks, leaving him feeling wrung out and numb. He doesn’t think he could cry now even if he wanted to.

“The plane should be ready for boarding in a few minutes,” Zhang Rishan says. His voice is kind and gentle which Wu Xie hates. He doesn’t want sympathy, he wants someone to help Xiaoge so that they never have to go through anything like this ever again.

He’s not ready. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be ready. He wants to grab hold of Xiaoge and never let him go.

“Wu Xie.” Xiaoge places a gentle hand on his arm, his voice soft. “It’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t!” Fuck there are tears burning in his eyes again. So much for being done crying.

Xiaoge’s hand on his arm moves to cup his face and he feels Pangzi’s arm slowly rubbing up and down his back. Even after everything they’re both still trying to comfort him. This would be so much easier if they were angry with him or blamed him in some way. It’s the kindness and love that hurts because he knows he doesn’t deserve it.

Xiaoge’s lips curl up into a smile that still doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “It’s only ten months, not ten years.”

Read the rest on AO3

[puppy-phum]

for the meme: pingxie? (yes i just want to hear about your love for them :D)

this bingo card honestly doesn't have any of the options that would describe my love for pingxie. and bc of it being so, i am going to talk about them. a lot. but i guess that is what you asked for :'D

tbh am not always sure i can contain the feelings i have for these two. i've had intense shipping phases before but pingxie manages to overcome even most of those as a ship? maybe it's the yearning. maybe it's the inevitable tragedy of them. maybe it's the idiocy they show while being oblivious of each other's feelings. maybe it's the fact that they're not canon but they're still Canon. npss might dig pits faster than we can fill but he's always been very sure about pingxie lol

but they just. they. they are Amazing. in all of their stages they are amazing bc there obviously are different stages to their relationship. they go as:

'having my first boy crush and being a mess/oblivious about it' wu xie + 'why do i keep saving this idiotic boy again?' xiaoge where both of them are intrigued and dance this dance that makes me want to tear my hair out

pingxie both going 'i would die for you' 'not if i die for you first' (and pangzi shaking his head tiredly, give this man a break)

mafia widow wu xie and zhang qiling the immortal warrior, guardian of the bronze gate, larger than life itself - which only brings me pain and suffering but which i would still die for bc they're funky like that, you end up thanking them for your pain :D

'i will never lose you again, it's my turn to protect you, please stay home with me' househusband wu xie + 'i never thought i'd see you again, you have changed but i love all these sides of you, i will cherish all the time that we have' xiaoge who both trust the other so much it makes my eyes sweat

watching them in all of these stages is a joy. i love watching them be in love with each other. i love to see the development of their relationship where we go from wu xie's outright suspicion to him being willing to both die and kill for xiaoge and xiaoge learning the art of living again just bc this one man looked at him differently and thought he was worth fighting for. there's so much growth and change and even bad type of change and still, they accept each other just the way they are.

also, one addition bc am trying to keep this a bit shorter than an essay but want to talk about how much i love digging into them and just finding these tiny details that speak for my soul:

lately i've been toying with this thought of pingxie and their different approaches to their names. they are often opposites of each other and i guess the fandom in general loves the symbolism of wu xie being white and xiaoge being black (and then managing to throw this upside down in some ways bc that's also so them, breaking out of the box) and when it comes to names, it's the same.

wu xie's name is a wish and an omen. his family chose it for him like that and it carries a lot of hope in it. we know his uncles even put this against him at times. but when zhang qiling says wu xie's name, it's something more. it's everything xiaoge has ever felt for wu xie. it contains so much it's about to burst. it's more than just two syllables. it's xiaoge's heart and soul and everything in his world. wu xie's name in this sense, is full. but, it's less too. it doesn't hold any burden to it. with xiaoge, wu xie is simply wu xie. there are no expectations or his family's wishes to follow. it's kind of... freeing i'd say.

zhang qiling again lacks a name. he doesn't remember who he was called back when he was born (if he was called anything at all? most likely not) and all he has left is this title that has been passed down from person to person. it's not a name, it's a chain. it's a burden. a fate, a destiny bigger than himself. a death sentence. a killer. a monster. a shadow and then nothing at all.

xiaoge doesn't really like calling himself zhang qiling (even if he does) and it's obvious to wu xie very soon too. others might call xiaoge zql but not wu xie (not often at least). instead, wu xie takes this most common nickname, 'xiaoge', and does with it the same thing as xiaoge has done with wu xie's name. he makes that impersonate nickname feel full. he fills that name with meaning. he gives xiaoge a name to connect to (and well, men youping is another one but wu xie doesn't say that to xiaoge's face right? so it doesn't really count). he gives xiaoge a name wu xie can connect him to and it works so well that he despises that nickname for a decade, tough luck. but it is what it is.

so, in wu xie's mouth, xiaoge's 'empty' nickname becomes full. and in xiaoge's mouth, wu xie's very meaningful name becomes even more meaningful but in a different way. it doesn't hold the wishes of his family but only xiaoge's heart. is it easier to carry like that? maybe it is, maybe not. at times. for them, it's always 'at times'.

(also, just like pingxie themselves sometimes do, i too wonder should those two even exist together. it would be easier for them to live if they weren't so in love, if they didn't fight so hard. everything would be so much simpler. but would it make them happier? i cannot answer that. i am just happy they persist. i am happy i can make them persist.)

thanks if you read this far :'D i hope any of this made any sense? another option would've been just me going I LOVE THEM and leaving it to that bc i have no words. i tried to humor you. hope you enjoyed ♥

[redxblueihateloveyou]

Hiiii!!! 💫💕🌸🥳

Can I bother with a question... I was (re)watching that zhang qiling edit (not today) - 'cause it's so cool, btw- and I wondered if Reboot Xiaoge’s your favourite one...? And if you're up to answering, what do you think about the other adaptations? Especially (our small bean) xiao yuliang's interpretation of xiaoge?

🤗🌺💐🐰💕

Hey, my precious patootie hehe ILY it always makes me very happy knowing that you rewatch my vids <3

lol dang it, I was kinda hoping to avoid this question, just because I feel like I'd find it hella hard to explain some things, but I'll try my best and hopefully it'll make some sense xD

I'll start from afar bc I wanna try to explain my reasonings, since I don't want to go without arguments into such highly debated question lolz. I talked about this a bit in my previous asks somewhere, but not broadly as to why that one guy hit all the right spots.

So throughout the books Wu Xie always does this wonderful thing, where he very tangibly describes the feeling he gets when Xiaoge is near, I mean like the aura around him. And he always somehow does it so colorful, that this mix of safety, assurance, calmness, composure and some things I can't quite put into one noun, that he brings to him, I think everyone who've read the books can recognize as this almost magical "Xiaoge feeling". It's not just the way he acts in some dangerous situations or smth like that. It's just everything. You either have it or you don't. And here goes my first argument... to me none of them, except for Huang Junjie and Yuliang have it.

I mean it's not even the obvious stuff, it's like the way they move during the action scenes, the way they even stand and hold themselves, the way they touch Wu Xie, the tone of their voices (both of which are like soothing as fuck), little things you'd think wouldn't matter, but when you watch it and all the puzzle pieces are together, you're like... fuck yeah, thats him.

Also not really that weighty of a point, but to me there's always a joy to see that the actor who plays the character not only gets what's he's playing, but also loves it, bc it's always seen on screen. Usually when some asked about the character they play and what they have in common for example they answer with obvious things like if some character is introverted they're like "well I also don't talk very much" or smth like that, you know what I mean. When I was watching interviews of Yuliang and Huang Junjie I was just smiling so much, bc they've said such things that made me go "yeah, Qiling is safe in their hands".

In Reboot case working in such close proximity with the author definitely also played a huge role here. Bc it kinda gets complicated in some aspects since the books are written from Wu Xie's point of view and you can't only base your picture on his perspective, just bc it's coming from a person who after being basically told "you're my whole world" goes "I'm just a person he randomly passes by in his long life" in his thoughts. Not only he's utterly clueless and dumb when it comes to all this, that he wouldn't notice the way Qiling looks at him and other things, its also not that kind of book, that would go "I suddenly caught poker face looking at me like I'm his whole existence" (and I honestly don't want it to be that book lmao). So you have to take into the account here stuff like what author says to get the whole picture, bc if you look at that from the point of Qiling's view for example, this shit takes a whole wild turn. So I really loved that in UN and Reboot ways of showing Qiling's feelings were well thought out and fit the timeline.

Bc it also works both ways, when it comes to other adaptations. Like Qiling is very and I mean ETREMELY hard to win over. We all know that it was a very long process of gaining his trust and even longer for him to fall for Wu Xie to the point of him being his everything. So what I want in those interpretations is for them to get at which point of their relationships what Xiaoge's behavior makes sense. I do not need any fanservice if it ruins the character, I'll just hate it. The thing that their feelings didn't come out of nowhere is what I LOVE about this ship, bc I'm not the kind of person who believes in "we love for nothing" thing and love at first sight thing (only "got hots for each other" at first sight), bc thats bull. Wu Xie became his everything after a long LONG process of getting to know each other. At the beginning tho he was the same stranger to him as everyone else. So what Reboot Qiling feels for Wu Xie is not what UN's Qiling feels for Wu Xie yet and what UN's Qiling feels for Wu Xie is not what Lost Tomb's Qiling feels for Wu Xie (which at that point was nothing). And I feel like not everyone gets the fact that you can totally wreck the character if you make him behave not the way he behaved in that particular time. Like for example, if someone would make a MDZS adaptation where at the very beginning of their relationships LZ treats WWX the way he treated him after the reincarnation just because "who cares, it's still LZ", that would be dumb af, see what I mean. So Xiaoge having a weakness for Wu Xie in part one is automatically not a Xiaoge to me, bc a huge part of his character and the thing NPSS speaks a lot about is just how IMPOSSIBLE it is for someone to catch his attention and how long it took Wu Xie to get there. So let's just say to me UN and Reboot Qilings for the first time didn't feel like some mashup or character summary/parody, they were Qilings the way they are supposed to be in that part of the story, bc it was the only times someone actually bothered to coordinate it.

Now as to why I prefer one to another. Xiaoge has this thing... the way he holds himself with other people, that is sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally suppressing.

Like everyone knows that if you're a passerby, Qiling genuinely doesn't fucking care and would in fact be pretty harsh about it in terms of treating people like they do not deserve their attention. He won't be like "please, don't bother me", he simply ignored them like an empty space. He is also like that with acquaintances who in his opinion do not deserve his respect like that girl who went hysterical, bc she was upset that he was the only one who wasn't drooling on her like all other men on the crew, Chen Wenjin, Wu Xie's uncles and etc. He's not openly disrespectful unless they trigger him in some way (usually by trying to act superior or later on for not treating Wu Xie right), but if they do, he will in fact remind them their place in sometimes a very rude way, at times humiliating them in front of ppl bc he looks younger than them and talking starts.

He's always doing things on his own terms and hates being told what to do. Like he legit scared Chen Wenjin just with a look and the tone of his voice when he said "let go", when she tried to command him on the mission and grabbed him trying to lecture him about what he should or shouldn't do. That's why Wu Erbai didn't even try anything like this and let him do whatever he needed to do and equally lead the mission in Reboot. And why the scene where Wu Xie 'commands' "Xiaoge, come back" and he immediately listens holds another special place in my heart. Bc he NEVER and I mean NEVER allows such things to ANYONE.

So here I came to a point of why despite loving them both dearly, my favorite Xiaoge is Huang Junjie.

I have this dissonance with Yuliang's version when to me in many scenes it felt like he and Wu Xie are the same age. Like if he was Xiaoge, but in his 20s. In his interactions with Chen Wenjin the dynamics was turned upside down, with him being okay with her telling him what to do and just in general the way she behaved with him. Same as like I didn't always quite believe him to be on par with older generation or even Pangzi, it just felt like he was truly younger than them. Some scenes that I do find extremely cute just don't fit book Xiaoge at all, I'm talking about some moments like his face when Wu Xie gave him food, or him pouting and many things he's done, when you were going "uwu he's a baby". He just never gives me this feeling in the books ever, not just bc he's 100 years old, but sad fact here.. bc he's simply unable to behave that way. Like in the books you'll desperately want to shower him with love, but he's just... I can't quite explain, it's very sad.

I guess it's just you know these characters, who are like hundreds years old, but look like they're 18? I think you have to be very careful with how you write those, so you could deliver that. And in UN because of some changed dynamics and scenes I straight up forgot about it, until Wu Xie threw some joke like "he's an old man" in front of a restaurant.

In Reboot Xiaoge could make Wu Erbai stutter with one move, put Yuliang's version in the same scene, I just don't think it would've worked. Like I'm trying to imagine him telling UN's Wu Erbai what to do and having troubles already haha. Same as I don't think he's capable to be genuinely mad at Wu Xie, and HJJ nailed it esp in one of my fav when Wu Xie was laughing at Pangzi's joke about him catching cold. The look he gave him and how ZYL just retreated was priceless xD. And boy could Qiling get angry with him in the books!

Otherwise I didn't have any drastic fall outs there, like with Joseph's Wu Xie and Ah Ning's death, because that was just too much of a difference, but there were still moments where it was once again this the same scene completely different emotion thing. He was more tolerable to ppl in general here, more pliable. And 50% of the time he gave me the cute lost kitten type, which I just cannot connect with the feeling he gave me in the books. His personality is a cat type 100%, but like seriously "cute baby" is the last word combination I would ever apply to book Xiaoge, but with Yuliang's version it's easily applied. So small bean he is indeed. With Joseph and in UN it works incredibly perfect to me, but the way he is in UN is at times too gentle. And there are lots of scenes where Joseph himself looked at him in a way "you're too cute, let me pinch your cheeks" kind of way, or the way he like sat down next to him on the coast, he was a bit babying him at times. I can't imagine book pingxie doing that. It's just a whole different vibe, the way he takes care of him, the way he lets him take care of him... it's...uuuuuuuuu another vibe (see, I'm so good at explaining lmao).

It's also kinda funny to me, bc HJJ who's the smallest and who irl truly a kitten never once gave me that feeling on screen for some reason. The one babied and loved by every crew and old ppl, who was cutely hiding behind ZYL's back on set, who won't sue an ex who almost ruined his career bc of how stupid she is, bc he "didn't want to hurt her", who according to staff can't even step on a fly, whom CMH was petting for several minutes after he had to hit him with a prop brick bc he didn't wanna do it lmao. I was just like.. ok, this is hilarious, bc I in fact didn't expect him to be a small bean, so watching all the bts made me go LOOOOL. Probably ZYL acting like a 3 year old helped him transform and the age difference problem got lost lmao

As for other adaptations. You know I can't watch seriously "Lost Tomb", I think some ppl probably have some nostalgic feeling about it, but I'm sorry, to me it's fucking hilarious. Like I've already said it looks like some type of twilight parody thing or smth. Soft damselle Wu Xie esp killed me, bc 1st when he ever was that, 2nd in the first book he's salty af, I don't even know this dude in this interpretation, I was like who's this. YangYang I know him from other things, I really don't think it's his role. I know the script and everything is bad. I know the costume and hair are horrendously funny, but it's just I was watching him in those action scenes and was like no... just I'm sorry but I'm not feeling it. I simply just don't know what to say about the whole thing seriously, bc I don't even know where to start. 10 episodes of some salad finished with one mutilated scene from book 6 for no reason the fact that characters are weird themselves also I can't quite tell, did they really just meet or they imply smth else lmao.. I'm sorry, but I do not get it.

I've given LT2 another try after finishing all the books and I've dropped it half way through, Cheng Yi wasn't even close to how I pictured Xiaoge in any aspect. He in fact didn't do anything OOC or off the book or anything, I just was like "not my Qiling". Happens sometimes.

Explore with the note you already know how I feel about this lol let's just forget.

P.S. To be fair here also maybe we should take into account the fact that some got luckier than other with "at which point" Xiaoge they're playing. Like for example, "Wrath of the Sea" and "Qingling Tree" books which is LT2 is not exactly you can say much about Qiling there, he trolls them there in the beginning (in a brilliant way that was totally lost in the adaptation) and he is there in "Wrath of Sea", but it's not the part that can make his character shine in any way, there's not much things happening there that would make you fall for him or get to know him; Yuliang grabbed the fattest piece bc it's middle several books, when they're always together and his character shines the most in terms of clues about past, opening up to Wu Xie and Pangzi, and there are many many events where you can get the picture of what kind of man he is; Huang Junjie grabbed my fav piece of utter devotion, where he's already fully and wholeheartedly belongs to Wu Xie, that I'm just weak for. So like... there's also that I guess xD.