#little ghost Wen Ning

[benevolenterrancy]

bros don't let bros walk around with their chest torn open

[cephalopodish]

what would make Wen Ning blush?

[badendjunction]

Wen Ning is my little meow meow.

He's done nothing wrong ever and I will stand by that until I too become a fierce corpse.

[trans-xianxian]

not enough characterizations of wen ning where he's just kind of a weird dude. I think he's always been strange and unusual but once you become undead that's kind of your excuse to lean all the way into it esp if the yiling laozu is your bestie. no more bland and boring wen ning he is strange and off putting and incredibly polite

[spriteofmushrooms]

Pls… pls elaborate 👁️👁️ so I can change my answer (in spirit) from crying a few days ago to crying right now!

Jiang Wanyin lies broken on the ground. Jin Ling, screaming, swings Suihua at the monstrous yao he'd just been pushed away from, the one that killed his jiujiu. Lan Jingyi should help, should move, but--anything that could kill Jiang Wanyin--

A clarity bell chimes as Lan Sizhui begins to play his guqin. The moment breaks, and Lan Jingyi leaps to flank the yao.

The battle is blue-lit by their signal flare and the full moon. Starbright sword flares sweep across the forest. Flashes of Jin Ling's qi, the golden brown of wutong leaves in autumn, bury themselves in the yao with every qi-laced arrow.

But it's only once Wen Ning holds the yao still that Wei Wuxian, responding to their flare via Hanguang-jun, eviscerates it with his trapped ghosts.

Hanguang-jun who is staring where Jiang Wanyin lies, his white robes bathed in red.

"Ah, stay back, a-Ling," a man's mirthful voice says. "Your jiujiu would be upset if I caught you, too."

Jin Ling starts "who the fuck" but is interrupted by Hanguang-jun's "Wei Ying."

Lan Jingyi turns to see Jin Ling's silhouette limned in red; Jiang Wanyin's body transformed by red; and a transparent youth in YunmengJiang-style robes sitting astride Jiang Wanyin, as bright and red as the setting sun, surrounded by a rainbow whirlwind of qi.

"Lan Zhan," the boy says laconically as a nearby tree cracks and falls. "Don't be boring for once, alright?"

As Lan Jingyi watches, the boy rests one hand on Jiang Wanyin's upper dantian and plunges the other into the swirling qi around them until all transforms to red. Another snap breaks the night, and Lan Jingyi realizes.

The little qi lights are from plants, bugs, and lesser spirits; the youth is draining the forest. An ash-black circle spreads from Jiang Wanyin.

Whose chest is moving.

"Jiang Cheng, wake up, ah? You're going to be late if you stay in bed all day." With the stolen vitality pulsing through him, the youth's features are clearer. He's handsome, his face much sweeter than Jiang Wanyin's sharp beauty. Mischief curls at the edges of his smile.

From Lan Jingyi's side, Wei Wuxian says coldly, "How often have you done this to him? Forcing foreign qi into his system will inevitably cause backlash."

The youth's smile sharpens. "Do you care, Wei-wanbei?" Without moving his hand, his thumb caresses Jiang Wanyin's cheek. "Besides, if I make it mine before I give it to him, is it really so different from spending years coalescing it into a golden core? His body knows me well."

"Gusu can integrate this part of your soul with the rest of you," Hanguang-jun says.

The youth laughs, and Wei Wuxian says "don't bother, Lan Zhan."

Ignoring his cultivation partner's advice, Hanguang-jun continues, "You will never rest until all pieces of your soul are joined. Let go of Jiang Wanyin, and come to me."

Jin Ling shifts. "You're healing jiujiu, right?"

"I am," the youth says, turning away from Hanguang-jun.

Jin Ling moves between Jiang Wanyin and Hanguang-jun, Suihua bare in his hand. "Let him do what he wants."

"How many times must Wei Ying destroy himself to fulfill a life debt to the dead?" Hanguang-jun demands, hand on Bichen.

Lan Sizhui finally speaks. "Hanguang-jun, Jin Ling, shouldn't we wait until we know more? None of us have the expertise to weigh in on Wei-xiao-gongzi's situation, do we? Applying theory without evidence could be harmful, too, Hanguang-jun." Then the traitor turns to Lan Jingyi. "If Zidian hasn't expelled Wei-xiao-gongzi, doesn't that mean Jiang-zongzhu is not possessed?"

"Yes," Lan Jingyi tries, then clears his throat. "Yes, Zidian wouldn't let its master be possessed. This must be something else."

A small voice interrupts the argument. "Wei... Wuxian?"

"Can't you call me shixiong just once, Jiang Cheng?"

"Started training first," Jiang Wanyin whispers.

"How would you know when my parents started training me? Especially since I'm older, and my mother is from a different tradition. Perhaps Baoshan Sanren starts her disciples at their hundred day celebration, hmm?"

"Stupid," Jiang Wanyin says. Then, "You're dead. Saw it."

"That was just my idiot body," the youth says with a smirk.

"Fuck you," Wei Wuxian spits.

At the noise, Jiang Wanyin's eyes flick to them. "A-Ling?"

"I'm fine, jiujiu!"

"Everyone's here because it's so rare to you lazing around," the youth says. "Do you think I could sell tickets? See Jiang Cheng take a break, only fifty tael!"

"Jiang-shixiong," Jiang Wanyin says, eyes back on the youth, taking huge rasping breaths between phrases. "Sounds better. Sixty tael, maybe."

"If he doesn't recognize you, then you don't know what this will do to him long-term," Wei Wuxian says.

"Oh, I do. I just wipe his memory every time. It keeps Jiang Cheng from digging me out of him, you know?"

"What."

The youth smiles beatifically down at Jiang Wanyin. "Did you think you got away with all of your not-quite-suicide, shidi? Did you think there wasn't a cost to being careless with yourself? Poor Pan Fu,¹ did his hero really not know what he gave his life to?"

"No!" Jiang Wanyin's fingers twitched, but even now his arm was more gore than whole. "Stop, stop. Shixiong, stop. Pan Fu, Pan Fu..."

"Still sad about that brat even now? Why am I not surprised. He wasn't even that strong of a cultivator; he just reminded you of me. Let go already."

"I raised him," Jiang Wanyin cries. "Don't, please, please."

Merciless, the youth bent down until their faces are centimeters apart. "What can you do to stop me? What have you ever been able to do against me, shidi?"

"Let me die, let me die, let me die, please let me die."

For a moment, the youth only gazes at Jiang Wanyin. "No," he says, and pours more of the forest into his shidi.

¹ Pan Fu is from this ficlet. No, Wei Wuxian wasn't jealous, why would he be? Pan Fu was simply to hand when Jiang Cheng threw himself into danger.

(To protect Pan Fu. But why should that matter? Jiang-zongzhu can't die for one of his hundreds of disciples. What would they do without him, hmm?)

[wasted-women]

ROUND 1A, MATCH 1 OUT OF 8!

Causes of Death & Propaganda Under the Cut:

Jiang Yanli

Cause of Death: Stabbed; Self-sacrifice to save her brother.

Propaganda:

she's your pfp that's got to count for something

I love JYL don't get me wrong! But also. She is solely written as a part of the male characters and does not get much in her own right. She is Wei Wuxian's older sect sister, or Jiang Cheng's sister, or Jin Zixuan's fiance/wife, or Jin Ling's mother he never got to know. Even what characterization people give her (like liking soup/cooking or standing up for her family despite being gentle) are things that have to do with her brothers. I wish we got more of her in her own right.

AND ALSO. ALSO??? HER DEATH MAKES. NO SENSE. Okay first of all - she was in Lanling grieving for her very recently dead husband & taking care of her newborn baby. Who would let that woman out of Lanling????? WHY???? How did she get out of there SO FAST????? She doesn't have a sword/isn't a cultivator (at least in MDZS) so she couldn't have flown. And then after she got there WHO LET HER JUST OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLEFIELD???? WHY DID SHE GO THERE???? Even if there was a short part of her saying "I need to talk to Wei Wuxian about how he killed my husband and I'm going to get there no matter what" would've clarified things a little bc it's like okay she needs to go there even if we don't know how. Where are my answers MXTX, where are my answers????

Qin Su

Cause of Death: Suicide; Stabbed herself with a knife. (NOTE: In some versions of the story, she was being controlled and thus forced to kill herself.

Propaganda:

I'm fairly certain this character was only created as set dressing for the main villain's tragedy. We get zero insight into her inner life, zero hints that any such inner life might even exist, and after she dies basically no other named character other than the aforementioned villain is shown to be majorly affected by her death, even those who logically should have meaningful relationships with her.

Compared to the other two main female characters in this series (who are also fridged) Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing, Qin Su is probably the least aggravating because she's barely in the show and has very little character that we see. But I still think it's worth noting. I really wish that she could've survived and been there in Guanyin Temple IT COULD'VE BEEN COOL OKAY.

Wen Qing

Cause of Death: Executed; Burned to ashes.

Propaganda:

The fact that Wen Qing is the character that originally said the thing about "I'm sorry" and "Thank you", which is repeated multiple times in the post-resurrection parts of the series, but is so rarely mentioned by name is so aggravating! She's such an important part of the plot that did SO MANY THINGS but just basically disappears after her death!!! The only time I really remember her being mentioned is when her brother, Wen Ning, mentions her integral role in the golden core reveal. Jiang Yanli's ghost haunts the series after her death, but Wen Qing's really doesn't, and that's so fucked up to me. She even dies during the same time that Wen Ning does, but then it's revealed he survived (well, "survived", he is a zombie, but he was that beforehand too) SO WHY COULDN'T SHE HAVE SURVIVED TOO????

[whetstonefires]

A LA MEME. MDZS, Really nice guy who hates only you, hate at first sight?

It was totally inappropriate for a corpse to be popular.

But there it was: the Ghost General was more well-liked every day. He seemed to spend all his time wandering around rescuing maidens from monsters and lifting wagons off of old men. In a few years he'd be a hero of the people.

Even the cultivation world didn't expect harm from him anymore. Most of Jin Ling's peers addressed the corpse as qianbei; Jin Ling didn't, but he seemed to get on with him well enough.

Jiang Cheng hadn't actually said out loud, when he saw Wen Qionglin parting ways with Sect Leader Jin with an exchange of polite salutes, he killed your father, but he'd looked it. Jin Ling, fluent in Jiang Cheng's expressions, sighed.

"It was an accident," he said. "And he's apologized. And, you know, uncle, he was held prisoner by Jin Sect almost my entire life, you can't say he hasn't paid for it. And..."

And they had killed his whole family. And his older sister.

Jiang Cheng looked away. "Huh."

When Jiang Cheng had made his first, clumsy attempt at mending a little of the gruesome breach between himself and Wei Wuxian, the Ghost General had been there, glaring daggers at him from behind the Yiling Laozu.

It had been more disconcerting than it should have been, and Jiang Cheng had stumbled, interrupted himself, and fallen silent enough times that eventually Wei Wuxian had taken pity on him, reached out, patted him on the arm one time, said, "Good talk, Jiang Cheng," and extricated them both from the situation.

Freed from the burden of conversation, he'd returned Wen Qionglin's glare, and lost. Corpses didn't need to blink.

He didn't want the bastard to like him. Which was just as well since it was out of the question. Jiang Cheng had never for a second in his life liked Wen Qionglin; from the first time he'd laid eyes on him when they were youths he'd interpreted him as a pathetic, burdensome coward, and despised him for it.

Owing the man his life had made it worse--he hadn't even wanted to be saved, and it was Wei Wuxian's stupid horrible charm and habit of interfering where he wasn't wanted that had done it, and like hell had he owed anything, when that person's family had murdered his. (I owe him nothing, he'd told himself once, because Wen Qionglin had been the reason he lost Wei Wuxian.)

Another time, he found himself in both their company and drew apart, letting the Yiling Patriarch and the Ghost General play at being mentors to the youth. Neither of you lived to see twenty-five, he wanted to shout. What do you think you have to teach them?

Even Jin Ling...it made him furious. Furious to glance over and see a corpse's stiff face conveying softness.

Furious to look past the crowd and see Lan Wangji's eyes falling on Wen Qionglin with an unmistakable resentment. And to know that it wasn't the stiff propriety of the Lan Wangji of their youths, objecting to the heresy of that fierce corpse's existence; that it was the look of a petty, jealous man resenting the way Wei Wuxian knocked his shoulder together with the Ghost General's and laughed.

"Where do you get off hating Wen Ning?" he asked the next time he found himself alone with Lan Wangji. It was a stupid thing to ask, but if he let himself think about how they were threshing through the underbrush looking for Wei Wuxian, about the last time they had looked for Wei Wuxian together...

Lan Wangji ignored him.

Jiang Cheng snorted. "Okay. So maybe you don't hate him. But he likes you! He's so deferential it makes me want to puke."

Lan Wangji favored him with the merest hint of a sneer, just enough to show he was listening to Jiang Cheng talk.

"You're disgusting," said Jiang Cheng. "Do you really think he shouldn't have anyone but you in his life? That he's your property?"

Lan Wangji's stride broke. It was a triumph, in a way--Jiang Cheng had never thrown him so badly in all the years they'd known each other.

"Each man judges others by his own heart," said Lan Wangji, thick with contempt, and then he was walking ahead with pointed rapidity, determined to separate from Jiang Cheng, until staying together would have meant chasing after him, and Jiang Cheng turned and went the other way, muttering blackly.

In the end, fittingly, neither of them caught up in time to be of use. Wen Ning, with his homing sense for Wei Wuxian, had shown up out of who the fuck knew where and bailed him out.

Jiang Cheng stumbled upon the haunted spring just in time to see a sodden, bedraggled Wei Wuxian launch himself away from his pet Wen's supportive arm and fling himself against the upright form of Hanguang-jun, which bent around him with a reverent murmur.

Jiang Cheng was already turning away in disgust to head back home, hating that he'd let himself be dragged into this, when he heard Lan Wangji say with careful, solemn deliberation: "Thank you, Wen Qionglin. For taking care of him."

Jiang Cheng glanced back against his will to see the Ghost General saluting deeply, wide-eyed, infinitely humble, his murmur that it was nothing special, Hanguang-jun, nearly drowned out by Wei Wuxian's delighted shouting about how good his Lan Zhan was and how much Wen Ning deserved to be appreciated.

Jiang Cheng walked away.

Wen Qionglin wasn't rude to him. Not in any way you could point at. And he knew full well he'd be making an ass of himself if he tried to pick a verbal fight.

After all, they had killed Wen Qionglin's older sister.

The whole cultivation world had done it, but only Jiang Cheng had done it after Wen Qionglin saved his life. He'd told himself he owed no debt for that, and perhaps he hadn't, but the fact remained: of the two of them, one had been brave and virtuous and earned the loyalty of Wei Wuxian.

And one of them had been pathetic, a coward, a burden.

Jiang Cheng could never look at the man without seeing the look in his dead eyes across the length of Suibian.

Jiang Cheng had never been good at lying to himself, especially if the lie was meant to be comforting. He always tried it anyway. Comforting lies used to sound so true, in Wei Wuxian's mouth; he should never have gotten into the habit of relying on that. To letting that person think Jiang Cheng was someone who needed to be swaddled in falsehoods to give him the strength to bear up under his own duties.

Wen Qionglin was a kind, gentle, courageous dead body, shy and courteous and increasingly appreciated for his virtues, in this strange new world created in the wake of Jin Guanyao's disgrace. And whenever his eyes fell on Jiang Cheng they were cold, hard, flat, contemptuous.

Every time he looked at him Jiang Cheng could nearly hear him thinking, like a cold wind against the back of his neck: I should have left you in that heap of corpses with the rest of your family.

What are you worth, Jiang Wanyin, that so many should be spent in saving you? That Wei Wuxian would drag us all into the shadow of death to make you whole, only for you to turn your face aside when it was me lying there, and let him die for us without lifting a finger?

Selfish, whining coward. If only I had left you there to die.

If only, Jiang Cheng imagined spitting back, anger hot and bracing in his throat. If only! I never asked for any of it! How dare you expect me to repay you!

But Wen Qionglin never spoke any of the words out loud. He only looked, cold dead flat black eyes. A frozen river. Sometimes Jiang Cheng thought that if he lashed out hard enough he would break a hole in the ice, and be devoured whole.

[nico-is-typing]

"Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation", a guide

Notes:

The chapter summaries were written by the author and translated by the staff at the Mo Dao Zu Shi Wiki. This "guide" serves as a simplified overview.

To make it easier to access the information, this is divided into novel volumes. Aside from the list of chapters, and respective summaries, at the end you can find ALL FLASHBACKS (for people who, like myself, dislike flashbacks and need a previous warning).

Volume 1

Prologue

Wei Wuxian has died!

1. Reincarnation

Wei Wuxian is reincarnated into someone else's body.

2. The Intractable

Part 1: Wei Wuxian makes a scene in front of Gusu Lan disciples. Part 2: Evil spirit comes Part 3: Battle corpses

3. The Prideful

Part 1: I have a little donkey that I never ride Part 2: Wangji's long-awaited arrival Part 3: After washing my face, found out I was actually pretty handsome Part 4: Soul-eating woman Part 5: I am taking this person back to the Lan Clan

4. The Elegant Flirt

Part 1: Overbearing Hanguang-jun's crazy little escaping wife??? Part 2: Inviting death by crawling into his bed Part 3: First meeting as schoolmates Part 4: I hate you Part 5: Inviting death by provoking him Part 6: Teasing this Goody-two-shoes Part 7: Water spirit, loquat, muahh! Part 8: Rabbit, taking a beating, bye-bye!

5. The Sunny Pair

Part 1: Leaving the mountain to elope!!! Part 2: The husband duo leaves the mountain Part 3: Caressing your hand, huzzah! Let's go to a darker place together...╭(′▽`)╭(= =)╯ Part 4: Man-Eating Ridge

6. The Malevolent

Part 1: Rotten luck Part 2: Coming out alive Part 3: Nonchalantly shedding fake identity + princess carry Part 4: Unveiling the secret of the Man-Eating Ridge of Qinghe Part 5: Aaaahhhhh! What else is buried in the walls?!

7. The Morning Dew

Part 1: Come~~ be happy~~ let's drink wine~~ Part 2: "Sir, what's your last name?" "It's... Lan" Part 3: The extermination of the Chang clan, gravedigger, summoning Wen Ning again Part 4: Lan Zhan... is drunk......... Part 5: "You were so wild last night, Hanguang-jun"

Volume 2

8. The Stalk of Grass

Part 1: Foggy ghost city Part 2: Paper effigies Part 3: Paper effigy shop and sticky rice porridge Part 4: Who's outside the door? Bamboo pole clacks Part 5: Who are you, and who are you? Who the f**k are you guys really? Part 6: Secrets start unveiling Part 7: Yi City's story Part 8: Frost Blood Parts 9: Trash Yang incites the wrath of heaven and people Part 10: The husband duo decapitates Trash Yang, Xing-Lan-Qing gets sorted out, Yi City Arc complete

9. The Allure

Part 1: Wangji drunkenly hits Wen Ning, Xiao-Wanjun binds Wei Ying at night Part 2: Special program: "Drunk" by Lan Wangji, "Interrogation" by Wei Wuxian, "Kiss" joint performance Part 3: Take off my headband, you become mine!!!

10. The Beguiling Boy

Part 1: Headless man Part 2: Secret room, head Part 3: The Venerated Triad Part 4: A mutual fan-turned-anti story Part 5: A mutual fan-turned-anti story, complete

Volume 3

11. Supreme Courage

Part 1: Previous life Part 2: The beast at the end of the deep cavern Part 3: Wicked beast and biting Wan-jun, piggyback leads to heart aflutter Part 4: Tease. Flirt. Escape. Bite. Yell. Wail~ Part 5: Kill after finishing teasing, tease after finishing killing.

12. Sandu: The Three Poisons

Part 1: A storm is brewing Part 2: All hell breaks loose. A great slap Part 3: Upheaval at home Part 4: Wen Ning Part 5: Dead end

13. Ill Winds

Part 1: Rise of the evil and charming wickification Part 2: Continuing that rise of evil and charming wickification

14. Soft

Part 1: Inseparably in love Part 2: Sinister melody Part 3: Set out Part 4: Pouncing into a grass pile is a type of romance Part 5: Dig graves and eat melon Part 6: Crusade against

15. Peony for the Soon Departed

Part 1: Everyone, I like flashbacks Part 2: Shadow Part 3: Tossing flower from the balcony

Volume 4

16. The Unruly

Part 1: Crashing a feast Part 2: Defect

17. Distance

Part 1: Two people taking care of a little one together Part 2: Goodbye my love

18. Night Flight

Part 1: Wei Wuxian, lifelong anti-fan of Jin Zixuan, says "I won't troll Jin Zixuan for a year" Part 2: Wickification maxed Part 3: Die with her, everyone!

19. Core of the Truehearted

Part 1: Flashback ends, back to the present Part 2: Unmask Part 3: The crowd of corpses at Burial Mounds Part 4: Battle against the fierce corpses Part 5: A-Yuan, A-Yuan Part 6: Blinding the children by showing off Part 7: Spilling secret Part 8: Don't you know? Once you have a boyfriend, you must take him to see where you grew up Part 9: Pay respect towards heaven, saving mutual salute between couples for later Part 10: The truth behind the golden core Part 11: Jiang Cheng is shook

20. Day and Night

Part 1: Stealing lotus pods Part 2: One inn, one room Part 3: One is handsome, one is charming, therefore they should do something Part 4: Drunken Ji Part 5: Stealing jujube and chicken Part 6: Love bathing Part 7: Overthink Part 8: Now Wei Wuxian can't leave Lan Wangji

Volume 5

21. Hensheng: To Hate Life

Part 1: Time to beat Yao-meimei Part 2: Discipline whip scars Part 3: Confession Part 4: Rescue failed Part 5: I'm sorry. I broke my word. Part 6: But, those are all things in the past Part 7: It is all you guys' fault Part 8: Boss's dignity Part 9: All gathered in one hall

22. Hidden Edge

Part 1: Everyone fights older Nie together Part 2: Nie Mingjue f**k you #%@&#*&@ Part 3: Seal the coffin Part 4: Everyone has their own path

23. Wangxian: Forgetting Envy

Part 1: Every day is every day Part 2: Sweet Part 3: The ballad of Wangxian was as long as the journey here, now the song has ended but the couple are together at last

Extras

Family Banquet

Part 1: Honeymoon, going back to check up on Hubby's family (○｀3′○） Part 2: Honeymoon, day-to-day accounts Part 3: Daily lives of the lovey-dovey husband duo

The Incense Burner

Part 1: Let's gather around and watch Er-gege's () dream Part 2: Yiling Patriarch Xian vs Young Wangji, KO

Villainous Friends

The daily lives of the evil duo, committing crimes and wiping evidence

Gate Crasher

Part 1: A small night-hunt after Wangxian goes into seclusion Part 2: Catching creatures with Sizhui Part 3: You're a virgin? :P

The Iron Hook

Part 1: Patriarch's night-hunt course Part 2: Second night-hunt notes

Lotus Seeds

Summertime of youth

Yunmeng

A dream among clouds, a dream come true

From Dawn till Dusk

Cuddling and grading papers

Flashbacks

Vol. 1

From "The Elegant Flirt, Part 3" to "The Elegant Flirt, Part 8"

Flashback to the beginning of the Cloud Recesses' Arc. Includes: Wei Wuxian and Lan Wanji's first meeting at around fifteen years old.

Between "The Morning Dew, Part 2" and "The Morning Dew, Part 3"

Lan Wangji (re)tells the story of Xiao Xingchen and the massacre of the Yueyang Chang Clan.

Vol. 2

From "The Stalk of Grass, Part 6" to "The Stalk of Grass, Part 9"

Past memories, from performing Empathy on A-Qing (ghost) Includes: The expanded story of Xiao Xingchen, A-Qing, Xue Yang, and Song Lan; What is really happening in Yi City.

In "The Allure, Part 3"

Minor flashback to the archery contest, at the Qishan Wen Clan's Discussion Conference. Includes: One of the first forehead-ribbon incidents

From "The Beguiling Boy, Part 3" to "The Beguiling Boy, Part 5"

Past memories, from Nie Mingjue (non-consensual Empathy) Includes: Meng Yao's back story; A look into sworn-brotherhood; What really happened to Nie Mingjue?

Vol. 3

From "Supreme Courage, Part 1" to "III Winds, Part 2"

Flashback to Wei Wuxian's first life. Includes: Nightless City Arc (Wen Clan of Qishan); Burial Mounds, the first appearance; The demise of Wen Chao; Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji realizing Wei WuxIan has changed.

From "Peony for the Soon Departed, Part 1" to "Peony for the Soon Departed, Part 3"

Flashback to Wei Wuxian's first life. Includes: Archery competition, the full story; A sneaky kiss; Jin Zixun being the worst.

Vol. 4

From "The Unruly, Part 1" to "The Unruly, Part 3"

Flashback to the "The Downfall of Wei Wuxian". Includes: Crashing the Jin banquet; Qiongqi Path (freeing the remnants of Qishan Wen Clan); Turning the Burial Mounds into a home; Cultivation World leaders start scheming; Jiang Cheng wants to fight.

From "Distance, Part 1" to "Distance, Part 2"

Flashback to the "The Downfall of Wei Wuxian" continues. Includes: Lan Wangi visiting the Burial Mounds; Accidentally adopting a child together; "Rich-gege"; Jiang Yanli is a bride now.

From "Night Flight, Part 1" to "Night Flight, Part 3"

Flashback to the "The Downfall of Wei Wuxian" continues. Includes: Wei Wuxian tries to be a good uncle; Ambush at Qiongqi Path; R.I.P Jin Zixuan and good-riddance Jin Zixun; The Wen siblings surrender; Wei Wuxian says goodbye to his remaining sanity (Yanli deserved better); Bloodbath of Nightless City ensues.

There's no actual flashbacks in Vol. 5. Still, some of the Extras take place in the past.

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. Got any bestfriendz wen Ning and wwx? Like really bestfriendz not just in name

So Call Me a Pessimist, but I Don't Believe in It by Anonymous (Not Rated, 127k, WIP, WangXian, Food Issues, Family Feels, WWX is a music teacher, WN and WWX are Best Friends from the future, They use memes to talk covertly, Transmigrator WWX, transmigration au, Slow Burn) WY and WN are TRUE BESTIES

Selling Flowers by AmyNChan (G, 14k, WWX & WN, WangXian, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Florist AU, Modern AU, Acearo Character) I'm very proud of this ok? XD

~*~

2. What are your favorite currently ongoing MDZS fics? I usually wait until a fic is finished to read it, but I took a chance on “Truth Will Out” and am having fun following it from week to week. What other canon-era or modern cultivation fics are currently ongoing that you enjoy? Preferably WangXian or ChengXian! (´｡• ω •｡`) ♡

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 644k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement)

Stop and Stay by Fantazy_Eyeland7 (M, 80k, WIP, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, LXC/JGY, SL/XXC, modern, blood & violence, hurt WWX, kidnapping, torture, pining LWJ, FBI agent NMJ, protective LWJ, emotional manipulation, toxic JGY, not JGY friendly, bad parent YZY, learning communication, adopting children, protective JYL, protective JC, protective NMJ, past child abuse, blind character, hurt/comfort, angst, child abandonment, genius WWX, obsessive XY, eventual smut, bad parent JFM, junior quartet dynamics as babies, implied/referenced suicide, slow burn, evetual good uncle LQR)

golden when the day met the night by glitteringmoonlight (Not Rated, 91k, WIP, WangXian, Canon, Slow-ish burn, Sugar Daddy LWJ, Light Angst, Fluff, Developing Relationship, warprize au with a twist, Eventual Smut)

The Twin Blades of Yunmeng by GhostySword & ofmindelans (T, 82k, JC & WWX, wangxian, JC/NHS, canon divergence, JC & WWX, reconciliation, BAMF JC, protective LWJ, golden core reveal, angst w/ happy ending, slow burn, sect leader QS, WIP)

see you yesterday by glyphic (M, 138k, WIP, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Ghost Hunters, Time Loop, Case Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Memory Loss, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn)

~*~

3. Hello hello hello!

For the next itmf I’d like some wangxian in the cloud recesses study arc getting together (and staying together). Just some awkward first crush kind of flirting and that kind of thing

Thanks!!!!!

A Guide on How to (not) Have a Secret Relationship by Grapesey (YumGrapeJuice) (T, 6k, wangxian, cloud recessese study arc, established relationship, secret relationship, fluff, boys kissing, WWX is a little shit, LWJ is so whipped, JC is so done) link in #7

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4. I'd like to request an ITMF! It's for any fics where Madam Yu gets her comeuppance. I'd previously made this request, but due to unfortunate timing, it coincided with the sudden trend in jiang bashing fics. It's not the same thing. I'd like to read something where yzy get put in her place for her behaviour towards wwx, whether that is lwj, jly, etc or even wwx becoming so successful she is kicking herself (e.g. To have and to hold by moominmamashandbag). Thank you and I love you 😘 @theladypeartree

this body yet survives by RoseThorne (T, 45k, WIP, WangXian, No War AU, Recovery, Trauma, Dissociation, Courting Rituals, Near Death Experiences, Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Panic Attacks, Protective Siblings, Triggers, Protective LWJ, Protective LQR, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Bad Parent YZY, POV Third Person, POV LWJ, Depression, Good Sibling JC, Good Sibling JYL) madam yu getting her comeuppance - there's a few fics where wwx is nearly killed due to her abuse that gets publicly witnessed prompting the Lan to offer him sanctuary. One I believe is called "this body yet survives" by rosethorne on ao3.

🧡 Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, POV LWJ, Fix-It, Pre-Canon, at least to start, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, But Not In The Usual Way, fear of character death, Everybody Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Light Angst, good teacher LQR, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, brief discussion of past minor character suicide, Kitten, Not YZY Friendly) Another one on ao3, I forget the name, but the summary says something like "lz meets a dying boy in cloud recesses", but wwx lives in the fic.

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5. ITMF wangxian military au? @whateverweilanlovechild

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6. In the mood for some fics where jc got a brother complex. I mean, jc absolutely loves wwx or he's like ' shutup! My bro is the best! ' or ' he's amazing!!! ' or ' LWJ!! STAY 10 KILOMETRES AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!! '

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7. Hello!!!

For ITMF: any fic's where wangxian are in a relationship but nobody knows? Preferably canon setting, but others are also cool. Bonus points if they aren't even trying to hide it actually.

Thank you for the fantastic service ☺️ @eldritch-bisexual​

Until The End by abCEE (M, 365k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, war changes people, resulting to OOC, no pinning, Established Relationship, Mpreg, Good Uncle LQR, a little grey LWJ, a bit of JC bashing from LWJ, BAMF JYL, 16 years of yearning, mainly CQL verse but has scenes from the novel as well, LSZ is WangXian’s Child, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Canon Rewrite, Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts)

romantic relationships are prohibited in Cloud Recesses by 12262325 (E, 26k, WangXian, CSSR/WCZ, High School, Established Relationship, minimal plot, Fluff, Eventual Smut)

A Guide on How to (not) Have a Secret Relationship by Grapesey (YumGrapeJuice) (T, 6k, wangxian, cloud recessese study arc, established relationship, secret relationship, fluff, boys kissing, WWX is a little shit, LWJ is so whipped, JC is so done)

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8. That new merch artwork by gearous with the fan dancing wwx design has me going 👀👀👀👀 I'm wondering if anyone has any recs where wwx is a dancer or performs in front of lwj?

The Darkness Before Dawn by PsycheStellata707 (M, 113k, WIP, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX, Time Travel, Attempt at Humor, PTSD, Oblivious WWX, WWX-centric, Blind WWX, Sentient Burial Mounds, Self-Indulgent, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Oblivious Pining, Not Canon Compliant)

Wangxian Strictly AU Series by Selenay (E, 135k, WangXian, Modern: No Powers, Dance, Strictly Come Dancing Fusion, Ballroom Dancing, Dancer!WWX, Violinist LWJ, Pining While Dancing, Oblivious WWX, Gratuitous Costume Descriptions, Gratuitous dancing descriptions, Slow Burn, Ballroom dancing, Established Relationship, Romantic Fluff, [Podfic] Falling to the Rhythm by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona))

Unstrictly Ballroom by Ariaste (T, 47k, WangXian, SongXiao, Modern AU, Everyone's alive, the gang defeats systemic heteronormativity, Stripper AU, competitive ballroom dance AU, really stupid misunderstandings, Yearning, Mutual Pining, the wrist grab, lwj makes a friend (who isn't wwx!), modern au but it's still set in Fantasy China (Gusu/Yiling/Lanling) rather than Real China, LWJ's pov, Erotic Handholding)

notes on a scene by wishingswell (M, 27k, WangXian, Modern AU, Ballet, Fluff)

space, skin, muscle, bone by tombenough_and_continent (T, 23k, WangXian, Modern AU, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, Non-Linear Narrative, Dance, gratuitous use of ballet terminology)

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9. Hi, ITMF fic where wei wuxian isnt part of any sect/isnt a cultivator and he and wanji meet up when they are both adults? @chellsky​

Become Tomorrow by ShanaStoryteller (Not rated, 39k, wangxian, alternate universe, cloud recesses study arc, WWX is BSSR’s disciple)

💖 Xiao-Ying of the Third Refugee Village by abCEE (T, 31k, wangxian, WWX banished from Jiang sect, not Jiang friendly, found family, mpreg, fluff, flirting) 

醉 | drunk; intoxication by sweetlolixo (E, 15k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mythical Creature WWX, Besotted LWJ, Romance, Pregnant WWX, Fluff)

Flowers Blooming by Ilona22 (M, 35k, WangXian, Adoption, Prostitution, Family Fluff, Family Drama, Growing Up)

Inkstone by PorcelainBlue (T, 7k, wangxian, canon divergence, WWX was not found by Yunmeng Jiang au, artist WWX)

and his wanting grows teeth by yukla (T, 25k, wangxian, canon setting au, traveling cultivator LWJ, WWX adopted by village chief, angst w/ happy ending, pining, typical Jiang family dynamics)

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10. Hello, this blog has helped me before, so I hope it can happen again! I'm in the mood for fics featuring Wangxian with sub!LWJ and also bondage. Canon or AU doesn't matter. Please?

Remember to check all tags before reading ^^

red strings and eager hands by isabilightwood (E, 9k, wangxian, canon divergence, PWP, angst w happy ending, rope bondage, humiliation kink, dub con bondage, dom WWX, sub LWJ, bottom LWJ, praise kink, LWJ has a YLLZ kink, face-fucking, coming untouched, aftercare, love confessions, getting together)

Bend by ana_cp (E, 60k, WangXian, Modern AU, Bottom LWJ, Dom/sub, Dominant WWX, Submissive LWJ, Friends With Benefits, Pining while fucking, Co-workers, Praise Kink, Mutual Pining, Touch-Starved  LWJ, Semi-Public Sex, Exhibitionism, Nipple Play, Mutual Masturbation, Overstimulation) and its sequel Shiver

花束 | bouquet by ScarlettStorm  (E, 7k, WangXian, PWP, Rope Bondage, Flower Arrangement, tender kink, A Nice Afternoon ™, Established Relationship, Post-Canon, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Dom WWX, Sub LWJ)

In Your Armsby AnEmotionalMess (E, 1k, wangxian, light bdsm, bondage, sub!lwj, bottom!lwj, little spoon lwj)

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11. Older Wei Wuxian/Younger Lan Wangji but they keep the same bedroom dynamics as canon. It doesn't have to have smut but I like canon relationship dynamics. Pls and thank you. @myblurryreality

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12. Hiiiiiiii I’m in the mood for some childish, playful lwj. Wangxian please. Like wwx being the only one able to see lwj being silly or playing around or making jokes, dropping his serious attitude.Thanks!

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13. Itmf: saw this on reddit and thought I'd try it. Try to sell us on a fic/rec it by posting a brief excerpt from it! (Just keep the excerpt family friendly, regardless of the fic rating). And don't forget to include the name of the fic! :D

Remember to check the tags on the work before reading ^^

Mad about the Boy by TriviasFolly "For a moment Lan Zhan wanted. He wanted the right to kiss Wei Ying wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. The right to do it without fear, without hesitation. To hold his hand, to see him go grey. The roar of a lawnmower coming to life grounded him to reality. He neatly shoved those feelings back into their box. That future could never happen for people like him"

Ominous by 3neetee ““You promised me a game,” they said. “Can you guess which one is your son?”

Enraged, Lan-furen declines to choose and cheats her way.

“Both.” She said with all her might, “Both are mine.” She can’t just look at the other baby and call it a monster; for it bears her child’s face. Lan-furen is already full of maternal love for both.

And with her choice, she expected to be punished. But instead of being angry, the fae leaves with a click of their tongue.”

Alter by DarkStunning. "The water and the wind mix and Wuxian looks at Jiang Cheng, "Now!" He screams and they both release their full powers.

The whirlpool rises, urged on by the wind and a small funnel of water quickly grows in size until a large typhoon has developed in its place in minutes.

The roar of power overshadows the screams of the Wens as they scramble about the ships. Cultivators trying desperately to remove the anchors and run, but eventually deciding to jump on their swords to escape. However, the typhoon is huge in both width and height. The funnel of rain and wind stretches heavenward and the conditions are so rough it makes flying or escaping impossible.

Wuxian watches without empathy as the monster storm makes its crawl towards the first ship. There’s a moment of stillness just before it makes contact, but then it's as if the power of the winds just suck the ship in and obliterate it into pieces.

It was harrowing watching something so large just be ripped to shreds within a matter of seconds. Wood, sails, people go flying and as it continues on, leaving behind only scraps."

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14. Itmf: rec me ur fav fic you've read, and tell us why! :D

space, skin, muscle, bone by tombenough_and_continent (T, 23k, WangXian, Modern AU, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, Non-Linear Narrative, Dance, gratuitous use of ballet terminology) again, because it's beautiful and then i watched the swan lake (matthew bourne's 2012) and it was just heart wrenching (link in #8)

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15. Sent this in awhile back and got some cool responses, so thought I'd try again. Itmf: rec us a fic that you read, that you would have never normally read, but ended up loving. (Maybe the summary made it seem darker than it was, or it had a trope or rarepair or something outside your norm etc.)

Kingfisher Feathers by anonymous (E, 144k, WIP, WangXian, Royalty AU, Emperor LWJ, Concubine WWX, A/B/O, Mpreg, Mutual Pining, Angst with a happy ending) not an abo fan at all, but I like this one

Wei Wuxian Makes a Wish series by natcat5 (M, 119k, wangxian, major character death, underage, madoka magica au, modern w/ magic, time travel, high school au, body horror, self-harm, angst w/ bittersweet ending, time loop, mental instability, suicidal thoughts) I just finished this fic and was intrigued by the summary but didn't know anything about the anime it's based on so I was a bit meh about. Read it yesterday and cried so much over it, instantly became a fave.

Pocket Too Deep for Play by bigamma (E, 57k, Female WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Vibrators, Easter Eggs, Sex Toys, Autistic LWJ, Female WWX, Female LWJ, WWX Has ADHD, Lacrosse, Christian Themes, Sports Medicine, YZY's A+ Parenting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Christian Holidays, Easter Egg Hunt, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Bible Quotes (Abrahamic Religions), Cunnilingus) I usually skip F/F but decided to give this one a chance because of the summary and I absolutely loved it. Wangxian is adorable, yanli is the best, and lqr has such a good scene almost at the end! Author just uploaded the last chapter so you can binge read and leave some love in the comments!

[podfic] Let the Streetlights Guide You Home by jellyfishfireI (M, 3.5-4H, modern, car racing au, references to drug use & underage driving, UST, the fic by tellthemstories) I describe this as the "illegal streetcar racing AU you never knew you needed". I was introduced to this story by Jellyfisfire's JAW-DROPPINGLY INCREDIBLE podfic and I was instantly and irrevocably *hooked*. The story is insanely well written with emotions that will punch you in the gut and an incredible reinterpretation of canon into the illegal street racing world. Add to that Jelly's voice which pulls out every one of those emotions and the bass thumping and tires squealing and I was HOOKED

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16. Not quite sure if this works for this blog? Itmf a Fandom that u think fans of the untamed/mdzs would also like? Maybe it has similar themes or cinematography? Shares the same actor for a main character? You found out about it because of the untamed Fandom? Etc. Explain ur reasoning :)

mreisse: Word of Honor is a logical one? Someone said "Guardian crawled so that Untamed could walk and Word of Honor could run." It's on Netflix so easily accessible for us westerners. I found a fan translation of the book by priest but no official release in English, so not sure how book fans will take it. It's more martial arts than monster fighting but the costumes and dialogue are to DIE FOR. Although I'm pretty sure everyone around these parts already know, I figured...

flamingwell: Guardian!! Listen, I thought LWJ was the essence of gay pining until I met Shen Wei. That man is the concentrated pure essence of gay pining so strong it threatens the fabric of the universe. Beyond that, want straight-laced gay 4 disaster bisexual smarty? Want canonically gay book turned into a show that, while it passes censorship, *everyone* is committed to showing the relationship for what it is? Want found family? Humor? Loads of hurt/comfort? Mutual protectiveness? Battle couple? Some of the best acting around (okay, only from the mains, but DAMN do they carry it on their backs)? Keeping secrets from loved ones? Self-sacrificial tendencies? COME ON DOWN TO GUARDIAN!

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17. Itmf: fics that did something in a cool way. Maybe a clever plot device, an unexpected twist, a deviation from fanon that worked well, an unexpected deviation from a route the majority of fics in the Fandom do take, etc

💖 symmetry by bleuett (M, 44k, WangXian, Space, Science Fiction, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Holding Hands, Blow Jobs, Hand Feeding, Cultivation in Space, Yearning, Reunions, Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Canon-Typical  Violence, Minor Injuries, Grief/Mourning, Unconventional Time Travel,  Burial Mounds)

The Scarlet Lotus by rainbowninja167 (M, 137k, WIP, WangXian, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Identity, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical war crimes, Yunmeng Bros, the mortifying ordeal of getting seduced by your own husband, nonlinear chronology we die like cql, just kidding nobody dies in this fic, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication) This fic played with identity shenanigans and made such a silly premise so believable!

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[wangxianficrecs]

Reclamation by CordialCoroner (CordialCrow)

Reclamation

by CordialCoroner (CordialCrow) (@cordialcrowe)

M, 6k, Wen Qing

Summary: After her death at the hands of the Jin, Wen Qing's spirit lingers. Kay's comments: As you can tell, I'm currently hungering for Wen Qing deserves a little revenge, as a treat. Wen Qing should have been allowed to go a little apeshit. In this story she gets to do so and I absolutely loved it. After her death, she lingers as a ghost in Lanling and learns of Wen Ning still being alive (and being experimented on) and the upcoming Siege on the Burial Mounds. She tries his best to stop it, but unfortunately, she's just a small little spirit. It's only when the Burial Mounds get involved that she gets the power-up she needs to take revenge. Excerpt: But it is not enough. Wen Qing can see it in their faces as they call for more blood. No one speaks on her brother’s behalf, but Wen Qing does not expect them to. Not even Jiang Wanyin, who’d had Wei Wuxian at his side for years, utters a single word in his defense. Instead, he is one of the ones most adamant about bringing about his downfall. “Yunmeng-Jiang is more than happy to lead the siege against the Burial Mounds,” Jiang Wanyin declares. Wen Qing swarms around him unnoticed, wishing she had hands so that she could wring his neck. Ingrate! Have you forgotten your debts? Of your visit to the Burial Mounds? You know there is no army, only the elderly and a toddler. Wen Qing surges around him, filled with anger yet unable to interact with its source in the slightest. And to think, my brother was willing to lay down his life for you, to give up his core. Jiang Wanyin is undeserving of such a gift. Wen Qing regretted that she allowed herself to be convinced into giving it to him. I should rip that core right out of your chest and make you mundane once more. Wen Qing thinks bitterly. Leave your lower dantian empty and hollow, just like your heart.

pov wen qing, canon divergence, revenge, ghost wen qing, angst, hurt no comfort, post-sunshot campaign, post-first siege of the burial mounds, burial mounds ensemble as a family, anger, grief/mourning, not jiang cheng friendly, first siege of the burial mounds

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

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Okay, I have officially gotten to the post-timeskip era of the show in my rewatch, so time for some overarching thoughts!

Basically, I owe my past self an apology, because a lot of things I'd assumed I missed the first time around due to being overwhelmed with information/ relying on Netflix's iffy subs/ not paying close attention... are simply not present in CQL canon and/or aren't explained.

Sunshot, for example. I came away from the show thinking Sunshot had only lasted for a few months, and up till now had felt very silly because it's a massive multi-year war, right? NOT IN THE SHOW IT ISN'T. Sunshot begins in earnest in response to Lotus Pier's destruction; it is introduced alongside the core transfer, which occurs 1-2 weeks after Lotus Pier's destruction. When WWX returns from the Burial Mounts three months + 1 week later, he hangs out with everyone in the Unclean Realm for around a month before they make a final push against Nightless City. No other military action is shown during this time. Based on all the timestamps given, the active combat portion of this war took place over a period of less than 6 months.

(the following is said with the full understanding that I might sound like an insufferable CinemaSins video)

The consolidation of the Massacre at Nightless City and the First Siege of the Burial Mounds to one terrible, horrible, no-good very bad couple of days also diminishes it. All the Wen remnants--every single one of them!! nobody is left there when WWX wakes up!--just decide to let themselves be executed on the off-chance that WWX will be left alone with his sought-after cursed object and get to happily rejoin society after accidentally killing his brother-in-law. Why on earth would they all agree to that, especially without consulting WWX first? WQ and WN alone, sure, but ALL of them? Even A-Yuan's caregivers? WQ herself says that the jianghu gentry already decided WWX is guilty no matter what proof WWX offers! How will this solve anything!

(On the topic of the Burial Mounds: I assume that the reason the Burial Mounds are inhabitable and people are freely able to come and go without getting obliterated by ghosts is that WWX tamed the place during his time there earlier. Otherwise, it isn't "WWX spent 3 months cultivating resentment to survive until he was powerful enough to escape thanks to his hard-fought refinement of the Yin Tiger Tally" and more "WWX spent 3 months doing evil ghost science in a desolate yet fully habitable haunted forest just because.")

I also didn't get what the big deal was about WWX, because he... didn't really do anything? And again, I figured I must've just missed something, but no! He does atrocities at Yiling as he pursues Wen Chao and then he just sits there dodging concerned questions from loved ones and punching JZX over soup until the last minutes of the final battle, during which he summons some evil clouds that make people fall down. That's it. And then everyone, himself included, acts like he's the strongest and scariest dude ever. Part of the problem is that they only have like 50 extras in any of the battle scenes so there's no sense of scale, but even if there WERE hordes of CGI dudes... that is one battle, one time. Declaring himself an instrumental part of Sunshot is an overstatement, and it also raises the question of why he didn't use Chenqing or the Yin Tiger Tally sooner. He does nothing but use Chenqing as a baton until things get truly dire. I'd be suspicious of him too, if I'm honest!

And Wen Ning! Wen Ning, the oh-so-scary Ghost General, kills like a dozen guys one time and people think he's a terrifying death machine. This could have been chalked up to overblown rumors--oh, WN is just a little guy! he is just sitting there with his turnips! it's so messed up that people think WWX's trusty soft-spoken friend is a mindless tool for violence! UNTIL QIONGQI PASS 2.0, where WWX uses him as PRECISELY THAT. Why is WN coming with him to Jinlintai anyway, if not as a weapon? He certainly wasn't invited as a guest! Does he really think JGS is going to let the not-zombie who killed his employees come to his grandson's party when JC isn't even willing to let WN attend the surprise soup picnic?

Speaking of Qiongqi Pass 2.0, I do not understand why, if the whole thing was a nefarious scheme orchestrated by JGY to kill his brother and cause turmoil, WWX and WN were allowed to return to the Burial Mounds. SMS has the ability to control WN, and WWX can't fly on a sword. Just use WN to subdue WWX, capture them both, take the Yin Tiger Tally from WWX, and gain your father's esteem for obtaining the cursed object he wants and bringing his favorite son's murderers to justice! Come ON, JGY! If you're going to be extra evil, at least be clever about it! You aren't even at your breaking point yet!

I think the adaptation changes--the Yin Iron stuff, the not-zombies, XY working with WRH, the fairy statue backstory with WN's soul being easily detachable--actually do work in the front half of the show, where it's not following the text as closely. These things go together decently on their own! But from Sunshot onward, the new lore and changed characterizations that can't be fully discarded clashes with novel canon plot points that are too major to skip. It's a weird reversal of what happened with the first FMA anime, where the first half more or less follows the manga with some core changes baked in, and the second half deviates based off those changes since it outpaced the manga and didn't want to spoil it, resulting in two high-quality but fully distinct canons. Here, with the story unfolding chronologically, we have a first half that deviates with a lot of new content, and a second half that has a text to follow, resulting in ????

I'm still having fun, but I knowwww thinking about literally anything is gonna be such a mess from here on out. It's a testament to how much I like the actors' work and the expanded time with the supporting characters (and how much I do NOT vibe with Book Wangxian lol) that this is still my preferred canon.

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

WWX in a modern AU but he lives in this haunted part of the town, gets regularly haunted himself and is quite sure he shares the house with several ghosts and monsters - but hey, rent is cheap, the place is pretty nice if you overlook the occasional blood on the walls and random door slamming, and Little Apple has a nice pasture all to himself.

WWX invites some friends over for a movie night one day and they don't know if they're more freaked out by the paranormal or how casual WWX is about it.

Cabinet doors in the kitchen start opening and closing? WWX sighs and rolls his eyes. "Can you tone it down, please? We have guests over."

And they stop.

The sound of heavy footsteps and shadows running around? "No running in the hallways guys! You're being noisy and we can't hear the movie!"

The footsteps become lighter.

Someone goes to use the bathroom and they scream about there being a corpse in the bathtub? "Oh that's just Wen Ning, he likes long baths."

[thisisallthehattersfault]

Behind him, there is movement. The sharp, sudden clang of metal against metal. Lan Wangji glances briefly over his shoulder.

Perhaps predictably, Su She has decided to try and strike at his exposed back, like the dishonorable coward he is. A fool, as well, for having apparently forgotten the presence of the Ghost General despite insulting the man only a moment ago. The tip of Su She’s blade is trembling against one of Wen Ning’s chain-wrapped forearms, the trailing length of those chains pooling at his feet where they writhe like twisting like snakes, rearing to strike. Lan Wangji’s next breath brings with it the tang of resentful energy. He has already turned his attention back to the scroll.

There is more movement, though Lan Wangji doesn’t pay enough attention to discern what exactly may be happening. Wen Ning’s presence stays at his back, cool and steady as a fortress wall. “You!” Su She’s voice reaches an irritating pitch. “How dare you, you think even you have the right to look down on me?!” He makes a noise not unlike a wild boar before it charges. “You aren’t even human! I thought Lan Wangji was the most arrogant man I’d ever met, but you clearly outclass him there. You’re nothing but the Yiling Patriarch’s dog! Undead servant mutt!”

That, at last, gets Lan Wangji to pay more than a sparse fraction of attention. He has to peer around Wen Ning, who is still standing between them, a marble pillar separating Lan Wangji from Su Minshan. And, it would seem, the embarrassing clump of Moling Su and Lanling Jin cultivators slowly filling the cavern. “Dog?” Lan Wangji repeats, softly. Wen Ning does not visibly shift, but the black veins in his neck pulse, just once, ever so faintly. Resentment in the air smells like tar, sharp and thick.

Su She’s disciples pick up his call, loudly proclaiming the contemptible nature of the Ghost General, the Yiling Patriarch’s filthy, flea-ridden Wen-dog bitch, unfit to be even called a servant by way of his inhuman nature. Lan Wangji listens to very little of it. His eyes are on the part of Wen Ning’s face he can see from this angle, smooth and jade-pale as a porcelain mask, almost colorless in the low light if not for the yawning blackness of his eyes.

“You think he’s your dog, too?” Su She’s voice reaches a new and grating pitch, all inflated self-importance. “Hanguang-Jun, your arrogance knows no bounds! He’ll bite you the second his master has no use for you anymore. You’re not special, you’ve only fallen for the Yiling Patriarch’s tricks!”

Lan Wangji gives that statement exactly as much consideration as it deserves. Before Su She has even finished speaking, Lan Wangji is calling, softly, “Wen Ning?"

Wen Ning cocks his head to the side, bird-like, considering the embarrassment in front of him for a moment. Then he turns his face to Lan Wangji, looking at him with his big, dark eyes.

He answers: “Woof.”

Lan Wangji flicks a glance briefly at the advancing gaggle of cultivators. He and Wen Ning really are well and truly surrounded now. Then he turns back to the scroll, and once again lowers his charcoal to paper.

“Sick ‘em, boy,” he says. He does not raise his head again until the screaming has stopped.

[loosingmoreletters]

I saw prompts so I just gotta put in this funny concept that’s been vibing in my head where my dear meow meow Jiang Cheng gaslights himself into believing Wei Wuxian is completely innocent and that everyone else was the problem and now he and Lan Zhan are the members of “Wei Ying did nothing wrong ever” club and making it everyone else’s problem

Oooh, okay let’s see trying to make this work without making JC horribly OOC was a challenge, hope this works!

It is difficult to remain impartial when faced with Jin Guangshan’s wealth. Oh, the man grieved the loss of his son and daughter-in-law.

He grieved it.

Extensively, with women and alcohol and lavish parties celebrating the defeat of the Yiling Patriarch by the Chief Cultivator.

All while Jiang Cheng lost a sister, a friend and—well, he’d lost Wei Wuxian long before his death, but he’d lost him finally now, hadn’t he?

Stupidly, Jiang Cheng had expected that in a couple years perhaps, Wei Wuxian would be free to leave Yiling and the Wen to their own devices, that there’d be a solution, that he’d get his brother back, but now he knew better—

“And?” he heard Jin Guangyao speak.

For a moment, Jiang Cheng considered making himself known. He hadn’t exactly meant to cross half of Koi Tower in his effort to get away from everything, but he’d done it anyway.

“Same as last week,” another voice replies. “The guy won’t fucking move no matter what I do. You have to hand it to the Founder, the Ghost General marched to his tune.”

What.

No! Wen Ning was gone, his ashes scattered, all the reason Wei Wuxian had even gone on a rampage.

“Father is expecting results,” Jin Guangyao said.

Someone clicked with their tongue. “Well, then maybe he shouldn’t have let Wei Wuxian blow himself up. Would have worked out much better if he’d actually allowed the guy to come to the little brat’s celebration, huh?”

But Wei Wuxian had been invited, he’d been supposed to come, only he had to bring Wen Ning and—and—

Lanling Jin was doing exceptional well for a sect who’d just lost its heir. They still had more than enough heir to spare. And hadn’t mother always needled a-Jie to be meaner to survive this snake pit? Arranging her new betrothal had been a nightmare, Jin Guangshan so keen to take all he could and why wouldn’t he keep taking when everyone let him?

Everyone but Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Cheng needed to get Jin Ling out of here. With Jin Guangyao soon marrying, there was no insurance they’d keep the heir they currently had, that a-Ling would be safe here.

And then—then Jiang Cheng needed to figure out what actually happened, why Wen Ning wasn’t ash, why Wei Wuxian had been pushed into a corner. His sister had died trying to save him and what had Jiang Cheng done? Let them both die.

But first he needed to get away from here and figure out the truth. If it was as hinted at, then Jiang Cheng would put his brother’s tablet in the family shrine, would bring him home and burn everyone involved in harming Wei Wuxian—

Jiang Cheng paused, halfway out of the courtyard.

He hadn’t thought back to that night since it occurred, unwilling to remember but…

What exactly had Lan Wangji been doing again? Because it wasn’t fighting Wei Wuxian, not really and, well, the man was still in seclusion.

Maybe, just maybe, Jiang Cheng should ask him just what his goals had been that night.

[TLDR: Jiang Cheng overhears one conversation out of context and jumps to conclusions because life is easier if his sister didn't die for someone actually doing all he's accused off. MDZS but the CQL plot is Jiang Cheng's new headcanon.]

[tanoraqui]

☔ for the ask game? (idea you're not sure you'll write, if the emoji doesn't come through)

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I kind of dropped out of the MDZS fandom like a rock after finishing my novel-length longfic, and the fic I most regret leaving unwritten is a bullet-point au in which Jiang Fengmian just cannot find his friends' lost son, he gives up, so Wei Wuxian grows up entirely on the streets, scrounging his way to enough cultivation education to invent demonic cultivation (because that's still the kind of person he is), and JFM assuages his conscience a little by inviting a different random clever basically-an-urchin - Meng Yao - into Jiang Sect.

Highlights include:

Meng Yao: wow the obvious fault lines in this family make everyone so easy to manipulate- wait, am I being offered real affection and trust? That's...fine.

Meng Yao trying desperately to hide his background, but he goes to visit his mother when she's ill. Jiang Cheng follows him, because Meng Yao is his best (only) friend, and Jiang Yanli follows Jiang Cheng to make sure he doesn't get in trouble, and then (JYL steps on JC's foot to stop him from saying the first thing that comes to mind) they both react with compassion and sympathy rather than scorn to Meng Shi and her profession. Meng Yao experiences several more Real Emotions.

Teen rogue cultivator Wei Wuxian just kinda. invites himself. to Lan Summer School, on the strength of Cangse Sanren's name. JFM is delighted when he hears, encourages JC to befriend him (Meng Yao: [jealous cat hisses]) and would have invited him home at the end of the summer...if WWX didn't get himself expelled halfway through for punching Jin Zixuan's smug face.

He also crashes Terrible Wen Summer Camp. Gets stuck in a cave with Lan Wangji, etc.

Wei Wuxian has kinda been a Batman-esque vigilante in Yiling (moody, dramatic, clad in black, fights ghosts and also bad guys). When the Wens move in, he shifts to being a more actively anti-authoritarian Batman-esque vigilante. Wen Qing is annoyed. Wen Ning is enamored.

The Wens attack Lotus Pier, because they were always going to attack Lotus Pier next. Jiang Cheng does get his golden core torn out. Wen Ning rescues him, because Wen Ning is always a hero even if Wei Wuxian isn't immediately present. Meng Yao decides it's time to do what he does best...so he promised Jiang Cheng that he'll be back, then goes to the Nightless City and says, "oh golly gee, I, second disciple of Jiang Sect, am so defeated and humbled by the mighty Wen! Can I please join, oh magnificent masters?"

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian has rescued Lan Xichen (this is gonna get him so many bonus points with his sexy law-abiding nemesis LWJ) , and then gotten himself thrown into the Burial Mounds for snarking at Wen Chao...which is a lot like throwing Brer Rabbit into the briar patch

Sunshot Campaign! With no golden core, JC can't really rebuild Jiang Sect, but he gets reliable intel from a man on the inside and he humbles himself enough to ask Wei Wuxian for tutelage in talismans, and of course you'd literally need to tie him up to keep him from going out and kicking ass.

Wei Wuxian is peak Yiling Patriarch because it's the right thing to do. (LWJ: Come back to Gusu with me (so I can aggressive cleanse your spirit, then maybe dick you down so hard that neither of us can movie for a week))

AFTER THE WAR: Jin Guangshan dramatically recognizes war hero/Wen Ruohan-slayer Meng Yao as Jin Guangyao, his son and new sect member... and Meng Yao, having grown up with the absolute Ride Or Die nature of Jiang Sect, and with more intimate knowledge (via JYL's engagement and YZY's friendship with Madame Jin) of how much JGS sucks, says, "Thanks but no thanks, I will be staying with my sworn brother and sect leader Jiang Wanyin to rebuild Jiang Sect."

It's just about his ambitions, okay! He'll FUNCTIONALLY be Sect Leader; Jiang Cheng literally doesn't have a golden core! (Though he's still absolutely first-rate in swordwork and his talismans are fucking superb. The thing about Jiang Cheng is that he will rise to the occasion, always.) Also, that 'sworn brother' thing was not agreed upon in advance; Meng Yao totally publicly backed him into that corner - in which he didn't mind being. Jiang Cheng is pretty damn sure he's getting the better of this deal, and he's kinda right.

Between JC's prestigious name and insane levels of personal dedication, MY's people skills and equally insane (but slightly more calculated) levels of personal dedication, and JYL securing a very favorable loan from Madame Jin, they hella get Jiang Sect back on its feet.

Meanwhile, WWX has again refused to go with LWJ to learn "proper" cultivation or anything else...and JGS is seeking power, and abusing Wen prisoners of war...

Wen Qing comes to Lotus Pier, finds Meng Yao, and says, "Please help save my brother. We helped save yours. You owe us this much." Meng Yao, being Meng Yao, thinks, I do rather owe here, but this is politically delicate... Who can I foist this off on whom I don't mind seeing torn apart by every righteous sect... and forwards her to Wei Wuxian.

Who does his righteous Wei Wuxian thing

There's a big dramatic meeting of sect leaders & etc about this, in which JGS beats his war drums, etc. etc. Meng Yao feels slightly bad but not, like, that bad. Wei Wuxian tried to steal his brother when they were teenagers, and again while MY was away during the Sunshot Campaign, so he probably deserves to die.

Afterwards, JYL with her unerring Older Sister senses pulls MY (and JC) aside and hisses, "A-Yao, what did you do?"

Do they end up saving the day? Is Wei Wuxian just destined to doom himself with his particular combination of pride, self-neglect, and blithe refusal to play by everyone else's rules? I never actually decided!

[difeisheng]

Having a corpse laid out on your dining table has got to be against the laws of (most) human decency, food safety, and Wei Ying's landlord, but his apartment is too cramped to put the body of a six foot tall man anywhere else so the table it is. Unless he wants to try necromancy in his bed (too creepy), on the sofa (please don't), or the floor (Wen Ning doesn't deserve that). The table is good, actually. Close enough to the kitchen that cleaning supplies are nearby, and the raised surface means when Wei Ying bends down to work he won't worsen his probably already fucked up back from sitting in chairs like a pretzel.

Hmm. Speaking of pretzels. Wei Ying grabs another handful from the bag resting by Wen Ning's waist and crams them into his mouth. "Are you gonna be happy to eat again, Wen Ning?" he says through his food. "I feel bad every time I come back from grocery shopping, you probably miss your snacks."

There's a jumbo-sized children's drawing board propped up on a chair in the corner, one that uses a stylus and little magnetic particles. The stylus moves from its holder and begins to scrawl across the board seemingly on its own, forming shaky words.

Am I going to be able to eat?

They'd tried a variety of methods to get Wen Ning to communicate, back when Wei Ying moved in last year and found he wasn't the apartment's only occupant. Typing or writing with pencil and paper required too much finesse for a ghost. Whiteboards were out since markers rarely were unreliable, and chalkboards activated both Wen Ning and Wei Ying's sensory issues. The drawing board from Toys R Us has been the best solution. Wen Ning has other ways of getting Wei Ying's attention, if he has to, but those usually tire him out faster.

"If food doesn't work out for you when you wake up, I'll make sure it does," Wei Ying promises. His first priority is making Wen Ning's body capable of sustaining consciousness, speech, and motor coordination. The necromancy method Wei Ying has chosen bypasses the need for functions like breathing or having a heartbeat, though having those traits will probably help Wen Ning adjust. There's a whole list of improvements Wei Ying has, somewhere in his notebook pile.

He is entirely making this up as he goes, though, so who knows. Maybe when Wen Ning's spirit is set back in his own body he'll be completely good to go in every capacity. Wen Ning's corpse was in fairly good condition when Wei Ying brought him to his apartment, despite the fact he'd accidentally chosen a very rainy and muddy night to go rob someone's grave (with their knowledge and consent!) and he'd cracked Wen Ning's wrist off the doorframe trying to clumsily haul him in at three in the morning.

Okay, Wen Ning writes. On top of the bookshelf, the haphazardly placed radio clicks on, jumping through stations and songs to string together the words ~~thank~you~again~~ before shutting off.

The first time Wen Ning hijacked Wei Ying's music like that, he nearly scared him to death. Now that they have a better talking system he doesn't do it so often, only when he wants to place emphasis on his words.

"Aiyah, it's really not a problem for me," Wei Ying waves it away. Thank-yous have always made him feel weird. "Okay, bringing you back to life is a problem, but that just means I get to work out how to do it! Besides, you can't stay tethered to this apartment forever. I've had to rid haunted houses of some very nasty old resentful spirits when they were stuck there too long. But you're the nicest, most well-behaved ghost I've ever seen," he proclaims, giving Wen Ning's head a little pat. "And soon you won't have to be one anymore."

The decomposition and other damage on Wen Ning was minimal. It's only taken about a month of talisman application to reverse, and today, finally, his body is back to the state it was just after his death. There's just the hole left to deal with.

Wei Ying rolls his sleeves up to his elbows, yanks his hair away from his face with the frayed hairtie on his wrist. "Okay, it's time for me to sew you up," he tells Wen Ning. "I've had to suture wounds before, but it's been a while. I'll try my best!"

I'm sure you'll be fine. The shy reassurance from Wen Ning, when it's his own corpse Wei Ying is working on, makes him smile.

Wen Ning has been covered with a sheet up to his neck, while his body was restored. The clothes he'd been buried in were grimy and reeked of mold and earth, and Wei Ying needed to assess the quality of the body, so he'd had to strip and clean Wen Ning before throwing the bedsheets over him. Now Wei Ying carefully folds the fabric back to expose Wen Ning's torso, stopping just above his hips. The yellow talismans laid on his trunk and limbs have worked their spells well. If not for his unmoving chest and the pale pallor to his skin, Wen Ning could almost be sleeping.

Well, except for the gaping wound ripped through his abdomen. Wei Ying hasn't directly asked Wen Ning how that fatal injury was caused, as it's quite rude to do so, but based on the information Wen Ning has offered he's pieced together enough of the story. Family gang warfare and a surprise attack meant to send a message. The man had committed no crime other than being born with the wrong surname, and paid for it in this same apartment Wei Ying now resides in. There's a reason why the hallway carpet is obviously newer than the rest of the place.

At least Wei Ying now has a shot at changing Wen Ning's fate. "Here we go," he mutters, preparing needle and thread.

Suturing Wen Ning up requires a decent amount of Wei Ying's concentration. Though since he literally has to brace his forearms on Wen Ning's side and stare in the general direction of his abs, it's impossible not to notice how muscular and toned Wen Ning is. Really, it's unfair. His face is delicately beautiful, even in death with eyes closed, but Wei Ying had been in for another surprise when he'd divested Wen Ning's corpse of his burial shirt.

As an unavoidable part of the cleaning process, Wei Ying has also seen... other parts of Wen Ning. Which also look very nice. But he needs to focus and goddamn, not the time. Instead he thinks about who could have killed Wen Ning, and how brutally, for someone as sweet and built like him to have been stabbed and bled out like a pig. It makes Wei Ying shudder.

The old wound, at least, isn't too difficult to patch back together. Wei Ying doesn't tear anything, and the stitches end up relatively even. Wen Ning stays silent to let him work, although he does turn the radio on to something quiet in the background. Neither of them like long bouts of silence, they've found. It's easier to have something to fill in the empty space.

Once he's tied the thread and snipped off the extra, Wei Ying grabs a calligraphy brush and a mason jar from the fridge (the one that has a 'BLOOD NOT JUICE!!!' label taped to the lid) and scribbles out one last talisman to place on Wen Ning's torso. Dead bodies can't really mend themselves, so the talisman will heal him the rest of the way.

"You'll have a scar," Wei Ying informs Wen Ning, "but I can promise that your guts won't fall out now or anything."

Finding all the right characters and modifications to use for the talismans had been the most time-consuming part of Wei Ying's job. Fortunately, having a day job eradicating tough spirits and monsters gives him enough status to poke around rare and forbidden book collections, and Wei Ying's been inventing his own spells for years. The blood is outsourced from the Nie clan. They've returned to their butcher origins as a front for their cultivation, now that the Jianghu of old is a fantasy to the modern era, and animal blood works just as well as human for talismans. Some people are just dramatic.

The Nie are also among the least likely to ask questions, including whether or not Wei Ying is using demonic cultivation. That's a bonus.

"Now we wait, just a little longer," Wei Ying says. He gets up and stretches, feels his spine crack in about four different places. Ugh. Maybe he can make some healing talismans for himself. "It'll take about two days or so for your body to fix yourself up, and then we'll be at the big day." There's nothing else left to do, so he starts cleaning up the mess around the table. Wei Ying has always been a whirlwind when he works.

A dull wooden knock rings out from the table by Wei Ying's hand, as he's reaching for the pretzel bag. He looks up and watches Wen Ning erase the drawing board, followed by a new question.

Why are you doing this for me?

Wei Ying swallows. "Aha." He grabs the pretzels along with the blood, brushes, and extra talisman paper, and makes an escape into the kitchen.

He tries not to think about the reasoning behind his project, when it's easy to sink into the plans and details of it instead and ignore everything else. The answers that present themselves are never pleasant ones; at Wen Ning's words, the first voice to immediately enter Wei Ying's head is harsh and exasperated. You're using him just to see if you're smart enough to bring him back, Jiang Cheng snaps. What if you hurt him? What if it goes wrong and he becomes dangerous? Who's there to protect you?

Not you, Wei Ying thinks. Not anymore.

Another face takes Jiang Cheng's place. Are you lonely, A-Xian? Jiang Yanli murmurs. Is that why you're doing this, because you think neither Wen Ning or you have anyone?

Maybe.

I don't. I don't even have you, and that's on me, Wei Ying says to her. The voice in his head morphs into Yu Ziyuan, ever critical, ever biting.

Disappointment, Wei Ying.

He's staring into space in the middle of his kitchen. Wei Ying shakes his head out and dumps the things he's holding into the counter. I can do this, he tells himself firmly. And I'm not a disappointment. I won't be one to Wen Ning, at least.

There's another tap, this time on the cupboard near Wei Ying's head. Wen Ning won't give up on an answer, it seems.

"I already told you why," Wei Ying sighs. "I like you, and it's painful for spirits stuck haunting until they turn resentful. I don't want you to go through that. And it's a waste of eternity for you to be a ghost stuck in an apartment." He shoves the blood back into the fridge door, where there are about six other identical jars. "I mean, the ghosts in the old manors and castles get a killer aesthetic and local legends told about them. What's good about being forced to watch me eat ramen from the pot in the middle of the night, or binge Lord of the Rings for the hundredth time?"

The drawing board is in the other room. Wen Ning fiddles with the radio. ~~You're~here.~That's~a~good~thing~~, he says simply, in six people's voices.

"Soon you'll be here too, and that's better," Wei Ying says quickly. Wen Ning is so honest sometimes, in a way that makes Wei Ying want to hide.

~~I~hope~so~~.

"It is! I can't wait for you to be around.", Wei Ying winces internally at his tone. Jiang Yanli was always able to call him out on his emotional bullshit when he used it with her. "Maybe we can watch Lord of the Rings together? I'll make caramel popcorn."

~~That~sounds~nice~~. Wei Ying smiles, a little too widely.

Yeah, okay. He's lonely.

Hello there! So this was part of a WIP I started last year but, predictably, did not see through. I was going through some of my fic drafts and decided I'd release it here, as I liked the concept a lot but sincerely doubt I'll have the mind to pick it up again. Thanks for reading if you got to the end.