#the braided wwx is an au

[itsredpaint]

the rest of my old mdzs doodle dump i guess

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

MDZS Equineswap AU part 1: Bro we are horses. It’s okay to cry around me, we are best friends. Bro we are kissing.

[girl side of the swap]

[constellationdks]

Wei Wuxian inspired by one of the @stiltonbasket 's #wrh raises wwx au post

There's more:

It's utterly ridiculous how I have different art style in all 3 of them

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

Sep 10th

~*~

1. For the next fic finder: I've been trying to find a Modern AU WangXian fic where WWX gets kicked out of the Jiang household (i think because he got pregnant? unsure about that though), he runs off with LWJ, and does not see them for several years. A majority of the fic focuses on Jiang Cheng stalking WWX after they accidentally reunite because Lan Sizhui & Jin Ling start dating? A few pivotal scenes I can remember include jc taking Jin Ling and friends to a concert (which upsets LSZ's parents because he's been stalking wwx) and JC cornering WWX in a car and trying to kiss him. For the life of me, I can't find it anywhere.

FOUND! I think this is the deleted "Meant to be (but not the way I wanted)" by sekhmetpaws. It is partially available on the wayback machine

~*~

2. Hihi! By any chance do you know of a Wangxian fic where I think its the juniors who travel through a portal to the past (I distinctly remember the portal part), and they improve and change everything except future Guanyao finds about the portal and tries to use it, eventually past guanyao finds out the future Xichen is mourning and missing him so he travels through the portal to be with him? Thank you in advance ❤️❤️❤️❤️ @memeismemeismeme

FOUND? And They Lived Happily Ever After��� by Morgana_avalon (G, 51k, wangxian, JL/LSZ, Burial Mounds Settlement times, hurt/comfort, fix-it)

FOUND? Time Charm by Jenrose  (E, 141k, wangxian, later queerplatonic LWJ/WWX/WQ, LXC/JGY/2nd Madam Mo, time travel fix-it, post-canon, everyone lives au, genius inventor WWX, BAMF wangxian, first time, pregnancy, childbirth, asexual character, aftermath of time travel, telepathic bond, slice of life)

~*~

3. hi! this is for fic finder. i’m looking for 2 different fics with a similar premise. A) in one, there’s something wrong with wwx’s core and wen qing has to build a framework for a new one, and everyone (lan wangji, lan xichen, jiang fengmian, madam yu, jiang yanli, jiang cheng, etc.) take turns giving him spiritual energy for the new core while wwx lies unconscious on i think an operating room table. i think it’s a modern au.

B) in the second one i’m looking for, i think wwx has reincarnated and is reunited with lwj at the end, but there’s something wrong with his core. jiang cheng, who cultivated to immortality using wwx’s core, gives his core back to him because he was tired of being alive (or something like that, i’m not too sure). i don’t think there’s reconciliation between the two of them. thank you so much! @ieatkitcat

3A)

FOUND! please forgive my most passionate disruptions by pumpkinpaix (E, 65k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Modern: Still Have Powers, stripper!WWX, Graduate School, Internalized Homophobia)

3B)

FOUND!🔒Confusion by Vrishchika (Not rated, 4k, wangxian, time travel)

~*~

4. Hi! I am searching for two wangxian fics if you could help me out! Thanks!

A. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji along with juniors are kind of on a road trip...I don't remember if it was a case fic or not, but I think they encounter Madam Yu's ghost and she scolds Wei Wuxian until she finds out he gave his core to Jiang Cheng and then gives Wei Wuxian a new core. Completed fic.

B. Post Sunshot Campaign Wei Wuxian is prisoned in Qinghe Nie and Nie Huisang is trying to bring Wei Wuxian back to his cheerful self by braiding his hair and bringing him books but he is being threatened by Jin Guangyao to not talk. Jin Guangyao is also intercepting all letters. Jiang Yanli is alive. Incomplete last I read it.

Thanks again!!

4B)

FOUND? Always walked a very thin line by tucuxi (T, 22k, NHS & WWX, JYL & WWX, WangXian, Depression, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives, except JZn and JGS, Self-Worth Issues, Slow Burn, Oblivious WWX, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Has No Golden Core, Chronic Pain, Chronic Illness, Yin Iron, Baxia Saber, baxia as mental health barometer yikes, Pining, everyone is morally grey, life is not fair and that's kind of the whole point of mxtx books)

~*~

5. hiii! help! wwx has ptsd and goes to adpot a rabbit. lwj works in the rabbit rescue and at first thinks wwx won't take care of the rabbits but changes his mind. i think he saw wwx in the cameras woth the rabbits

FOUND? 🔒 silk linked together by theLoyalRoyalGuard (G, 6k, LWJ & MXY, Wangxian, Modern, Autistic LWJ, Cellist LWJ, LWJ, Runs A Rabbit Rescue, MXY Deserves Happiness, Fluff)

FOUND? 🔒Recovery by Unforth (G, 27k, WangXian, Modern AU, Rabbit Breeder LWJ, Veteran LWJ, Veteran WWX, PTSD, therapy animals, Therapy Rabbits, LWJ is an Asshole Sometimes, Doctor WQ, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Former Prisoner of War WWX, LXC is a Good Brother, Gray Asexual LWJ, Anxiety Disorder)

~*~

6. I read a completed Jiang Cheng time travel fix it that I think was multiple chapters. I don't remember much except at the end him and Wen Qing end up together and have a kid.

FOUND? Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 103k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, Fix-It)

~*~

7. Hi, I'm trying to find a fic where WWX and LWJ were in a relationship but then WWX had to leave after someone threatened him and killed the Wens in a fire. And then years later LWJ is on a night hunt with the juniors and encounters Mo Xuanyu who is actually WWX in disguise. LWJ recognizes WWX because he is playing Wangxian and then after they all go back to their hotel that was selected by NHS. Back at the hotel WWX and LWJ talk and then bang it out. And the next day LWJ and the juniors and WWX in a new disguise go back to Cloud Recesses.

~*~

8. Hi! I’m trying to find a fic I *thought* I had bookmarked but can’t find.

It’s a modern au where American Lan Zhan takes a holiday to someplace in Canada and meets bartender Wei Ying. There’s some reason why WY can’t/won’t return to the US, he’s illegally living in Canada.

They have a little romance, LZ goes back to the US, and later WY agrees to join him I think.

That’s pretty much all I remember. Ring any bells?? TYSM!

FOUND?🔒Stay with Me (Go Places) by LizzyPanic (T, 22k, WangXian, meet ugly, Anxious LWJ, brief discussion of panic attacks, marriage kink, Making Out, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Snowballing, Anal Fingering, Rimming, Body Worship, Coming In Pants, Mild Angst, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Vacation, somehow also a coffee shop au, wangxian go hiking, Tattooed WWX, Outdoor Sex, Phone Sex, Sexual Tension, Whirlwind Romance)

FOUND? Many happy returns. by orange_crushed (E, 25k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, Grief/Mourning, Loss of Parent(s), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Past Suicide of a Parent, References to Depression, Anxiety, Therapy, References to Anti-Depressant Medications, Escort Service, Loneliness, Everybody’s Abandonment Issues, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Moving In Together, Oral Sex, Penetrative Sex, Hopeful Ending, Recovery, References to Escorting/Sex Work but No Actual Escorting/Sex Work)

~*~

9. There is a fic , post canon wwx is mad lwj let him go. It starts with him waking up with mianmian in an inn. Well that's about it . I was so much into wangxian pairing. I dint read that fic then. Can someone find it @poongulali

~*~

10. Hii, I was wondering if you could help me with finding an ao3 fic: I think it takes place during the siege of burial mounds and wangji takes a sword meant for wuxian and he screams and the battle stops and the ground shakes and we read everything happening from xichen’s point of view and wangxian teleport and wuxian gives wangji his heart and they get revenge on the sects during a discussion conference

~*~

11. Hello to fic finder

So I'm looking for a fic where the entirety of gusu lan sect got sent back in time and now it's really overprotective of WWX I remember a scene where wwx lwj nws nmg and lxc are at the rabbit patch and wwx is introducing every rabbit because the rabbits resemble someone they know and he's holding a giant rabbit that resembles nmg @constancebloodstone

FOUND? Cluster of Clouds by Nika_Raven_Celeste (T, 21k, WangXian, LWJ & WWX, LQR & WWX, JC & WWX, WIP, Time Travel, The Lans from Post Canon Time Traveled to Cloud Recesses Study Era, ALL The Lans from Post Canon, The Lans ADORES WWX, Confused WWX, Soft LQR, Soft LWJ , LWJ CAN communicate, Not JC Friendly , not YZY Friendly, Genius WWX, Horny LWJ, but he still has some restraints, Oblivious WWX)

~*~

12. There was this fic where wei ying and lan zhan got pulled into a statue to a cursed room where they were forced to have sex? I think it was a pregxian fic but I can't remember for sure

I do know it was bottom wei ying though and that it's set at a museum in modern cultivation au

FOUND!🔒End Racism on the OTW - The Jade Chamber by raitala (E, 18k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, case fic, pining, angst w/ happy ending, hurt/comfort, getting together, trapped together, there’s only one bed, light bondage, masturbation, oral sex, emotional baggage, ghosts)

~*~

13. Hello! Thank you for helping with our requests. I'm looking for an AU where the Wen Remnants survive. Lan Zhan finds a hidden village that turns out to be where his mother came from. He brings Wei Ying and the remaining Wen there to keep them safe. I think they use bracelets to get in and out. @saharrashadow

FOUND! Arbitrary by devinokaze (T, 137k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Burial Mounds Ensemble as Family, but live somewhere else, hidden society, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, POV Multiple)

~*~

14. Hii this for a fic finder

There was a fic where wwx was imprisoned in the unclean realm, but he was isolated cause jgy threatened him so he didn't receive any letters/ information from the outside, i remember that huaisang kept visiting him tho.

FOUND? Always walked a very thin line by tucuxi (T, 22k, NHS & WWX, JYL & WWX, WangXian, Depression, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives, except JZn and JGS, Self-Worth Issues, Slow Burn, Oblivious WWX, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Has No Golden Core, Chronic Pain, Chronic Illness, Yin Iron, Baxia Saber, baxia as mental health barometer yikes, Pining, everyone is morally grey, life is not fair and that's kind of the whole point of mxtx books)

~*~

15. Hi! This is for fic finder. Its modern au where wwx and lxc is a writer and they fake dating because wwx fans is too wild (stalk him, broke to his apartement, etc) and his manager told him to do that. The endgame is wangxian. I think wwx write porn? Lwj and lxc life together and wwx move in because his fans knows where he lives. Wwx and lxc kissed but no more i think. I think nmj is their publisher? Thats all i can remember. Thanks! @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

FOUND! Badreads by arabii (M, 37k, WangXian, 3Zun, Modern AU, Writing & Publishing, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Bullying as a Flirting Technique, WWX in WWX's Body)

does lan zhan write scathing reviews of Wei yings writing and they get better as the fic goes on?

~*~

16. Hi, please could you help me

I remember I read a wangxian fic where they have sex surrounded by dead bodies they just killed. But I don't have them anymore on my bookmark.

Please help me asap 😭🙇🏻‍♀️🙏🏼thank you

~*~

17. Yall hi I'm going insane. There's this ff where WWX attempts against his own life and JC is the one to find him locked in the bathroom. He calls 911 and tells them his brother needs help. They get him to the hospital and JYL gets there and LWJ too and they keep an eye on him after so he takes his meds and all. Please someone help!

FOUND? 总有一天; a place to hide (can’t find one near) by yiqie (E, 76k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pianist, Getting Together, Mental Health Issues, Suicide Attempt, Suicidal Thoughts, Depression, Hospitals, Overdosing, Eventual Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Additional Warnings In Author’s Note)

~*~

18. For the next FF, musical prodigy WWX! I remember a scene in particular where LWJ or LXC was playing something (clarity? Mending?) with LQR in the room who was surprised when WWX joined in halfway through. We find out that WWX has been playing by ear his whole life because YZY refused to let him learn. @mreisse

FOUND! Dispersing Clouds by dreamingofcake (E, 283k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Abusive YZY, Canonical Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Eventual Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm (Background Character), Background Character Deaths, child deaths, Canon JC, Good Uncle LQR, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cultivation Sect Politics, Homophobia, Heteronormativity, Feelings Realization, WWX is Not Oblivious) sounds like what happens near the end of chapter 7 / I think number 18 on September 10ths fic finders sounds like the very popular Dispersing Clouds. The Lans are like "Cool trick bro" don't share the music. Wei Wuxian is like "Chill my peeps. I got you"😀

~*~

19. Hi! I’m looking for a fic I read a while ago about jingyi and sizhui and the beginning of their friendship. It was in jingyi’s pov and he started out not liking sizhui, because jingyi struggles with following the rules and focusing and is jealous of how perfect sizhui is, before they go on a mission together and jingyi learns about sizhui’s complicated family history and the issues he has to deal with and they bond over it. I don’t remember if it was complete or not

FOUND? Why Not Me? by Eleanor_Fenyx (G, 26k, LJY & LQR, LQR & LWJ, LJY & LSZ, LJY & LWJ, good uncle LQR, LJY pov, war orphan LJY, character study, LJY has ADHD, found family, rejection sensitivity dysphoria)

~*~

20. Hii! This is for FicFinder, hope it finds you well.

I'm looking for a fic where wwx is some kind of special creature (kind of spirit, I think). I don't remember much, but I do recall lwj (I think😢) meeting a special fox spirit.

This is super unclear, but I really hope you can find something.

Anyway, if you have recommendations of fics where wwx is a creature of some kind, that'd be awesome 🤩🤩 @untamedlover

FOUND? cloudy autumn heaps the sky by anatheme (T, 23k, WangXian, Fantasy, Universe Alteration, Secret Identity, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Timeline What Timeline, wwx is a little older here, wwx piling gifts on lwj and encouraging hoarding tendencies, Sharing a Bed, Literal Sleeping Together, Arranged Marriage)

FOUND? A Baby Dragon’s Guide To Seducing Your Huli Jing by sweetlolixo (M, 102k, wangxian, Fantasy, But still in the Cultivation World, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Younger LWJ, Older WWX, Fluff, Humor, Eventual mpreg, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Boy A-Yuan)

FOUND? 醉 | drunk; intoxication by sweetlolixo (E, 15k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mythical Creature WWX, everyone falls in love with weiying at first sight…, Besotted LWJ, Romance, Pregnant WWX, Fluff)

FOUND? 🔒💖 Hoards and treasures by apathyinreverie (T, 21k, WangXian, Siblings, Family, not particularly Jiang friendly, YZY Bashing, slightly darker Gusu Lans, LXC being the best brother, Some manipulation, But with the best of intentions, and not between wangxian, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Smitten LWJ, Fluff, perfect happiness, adorable WWX, Romance, Some worldbuilding, courting)

FOUND? To lurk, to lie in wait by trippednfell (M, 124k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Huli Jing, strangers to co-parents to lovers, Strangers to Lovers, Dragons, Kid Fic, teenage juniors, background NieLan, Angst with a Happy Ending, Case Fic, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Not Really Character Death, Fox Spirit WWX, Dragon LWJ, Blood and Injury, Additional Warnings In Author’s Note)

FOUND? 🔒 Turnabout by apathyinreverie (T, 7k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX; LSZ & LWJ, WIP, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Tiger cub A-Yuan, Mischievous WWX, Smitten LWJ, Possessive LWJ, Oblivious WWX, Domestic WangXian, LXC does his best, LQR wishes his nephews had better taste in men, Fluff, Romance, Mpreg mentioned, courting, creature shifts)

FOUND? 🔒💖 Tricks and treats by apathyinreverie (M, 12k, wangxian, dragon LWJ, phoenix LSZ, fox WWX, family, injury, fluff, romance, possessive LWJ, WIP)

FOUND? So You Accidentally Kidnapped A Qilin by Mikkeneko (T, 83k, WangXian, Juuni Kokki | Twelve Kingdoms Fusion, mdm yu’s a+ parenting, Identity Issues, Cultivator Politics, Yin Iron Poisoning, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, WWX Needs a Hug, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication, Getting Together, Temporary Character Death, Happy Ending, Pacifist WWX, MXTX Big Bang 2021)

~*~

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

One of my favorite AUs to think of is one in which NHS and LWJ are childhood friends.

Of course, LWJ wouldn't be caught dead calling NHS his "bestie" (the way NHS does) but it's undeniable they are close.

Think about it: LXC and NMJ seem to have been close even before the Sunshot Campaign and the sworn brotherhood. Who's to say LXC didn't drag a grumpy and half unwilling little brother to Qinghe for some socializing?

"It's good for the sect" and so LXC and NMJ go off to live their best lives somewhere and leave LWJ and NHS in a room to become friends.

But LWJ clearly Does Not Want To Be Here and NHS has no problem painting and talking about whatever the fresh gossip to fill in the silence.

Except. The gossip is actually quite interesting? Because it's not only drama, but it's with tidbits of commentary and news and information and LWJ becomes unwittingly invested in the story even though all he does is listen.

But at some point NHS stops because "ah, you really don't seem to pay any attention to me at all, so..."

"No. Continue. What happened with the trade merchants after that?"

And NHS is so happy he has a listening ear.

Then he suggests he braid LWJ's hair while his paintings dry so he has something to do meanwhile

LXC and NMJ find their little brothers talking over tea and it's the most adorable thing ever.

Fast forward a few years, NHS sees LWJ interacting with WWX and goes "Wangji-xiong." in a certain tone that LWJ knows is no-bullshit, "You should tell Wei-xiong how you feel. What if you lose your chance?"

"There is nothing to tell."

"Wei-xiong is attractive and intelligent and skilled, he won't wait around forever, you know?"

What LWJ does know is that NHS is definitely trying to rile him up on purpose.

And it's working.

"I mean, you've seen how everyone looks at him, right? One of them is bound to sweep him off his feet one of these days..."

"What exactly do you know?"

"I know a lot of things."

"Yet none of those things are shufu's lessons."

"Those aren't interesting. But anyway, take this as a piece of advice: you're not the only one that wants Wei-xiong."

NHS conveniently leaves out that " Wei-xiong only wants you."

LWJ can figure that one out on his own.

[loosingmoreletters]

inspired by that one post about WWX actually being more into torturing demonic cultivators than JC. anyway, WWX is resurrected early AU.

The man held his bleeding side with one hand while the other grasped a hurriedly drawn talisman. His bots squelched when they stepped into freshly-spilled blood. The scent of war lingered, the corpses lined the pitiful shack like puppets.

“Don’t come any closer!” the man shouted. “If you do, I’ll summon hell itself upon you! Worse than Wei Wuxian ever could’ve done.”

His attacker stopped, the silver bell at his belt chiming softly. He raised a brow before leaning closer still. “And what hell do you think you’re capable of bringing forth? You’ve dealt enough hurt.”

“Fucking Jiang!” the man shouted and activated the talisman. “Damn your sect leader! Did he send you after me? Will you drag me in front of his Lotus throne!?”

The resentment rose and pooled around their ankles like an abyss waiting to drag them down to drown. Anger poured from the assembled corpses, a steady waterfall of overwhelming grief and rage, screaming for another’s suffering.

The Jiang cultivator only shook his head with a soft laugh. “This is really beneath his notice.”

He set aside his sword and watched the resentment snarl, bloodied teeth glinting in the flickering moonlight.

A sigh broke through the noise. “This is really beyond my notice too,” the Jiang cultivator said and clapped, just once, freezing the resentment in place. He took a look around the shack, categorizing most of his findings with boredom. Only the corpses he regarded with sympathy.

“It’s my nephew’s birthday in two days,” the Jiang cultivator pointed out as though the other man should’ve known. “I have to be in Lanling by then, and your actions not only hurt these people, they’re also keeping me from my nephew.”

The man tried to take another step back, but only found himself stumbling into the mud. “You—you! How dare you act on the behalf on the Jiang when resorting to wicked tricks?”

The Jiang cultivator only scoffed. “You think you can do worse than Wei Wuxian and think of this as a wicked trick? Jiang Cheng was right, this mess needs cleaning up.”

The man opened his mouth again, perhaps to protest or shout another accusation of Jiang hypocrisy, dressing a disciple in embellished senior disciple robes when he commended the anger of the dead so easily, but his voice died in his throat as a hand curled around his throat.

He turned his head, slowly, and found himself staring into the face of a beautiful woman, her hair done up in bridal braids as blood dripped from her throat.

“Let’s show him what hell Wei Wuxian can summon,” the Jiang cultivator said and turned around, leaving his bride in red to bring forth the revenge of the dead.

[kat-anni]

WIP Title Game

Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it!

Thanks to @theliteraryluggage for the tag! <3

2023_Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real [can't actually talk about this one but I can tell you why]

Book hit fic (Still sinking in the pool of your mistakes)

Our Scars remind us that the past is real → Ask

Way down we go

Yanli+WWX travel to the future

Non Untamed/MDZS Fanworks (considered UFOs):

Avatar - Kataang1 [??? dated 2009...]

Avatar - After War 1

Avatar - After War 2 [yes these are v different]

Avatar - The Western Airtemple

BBC Merlin - Meeting you again

DCMK - Curiosity killed the cat AU → Ask

DCMK - Shinran Fanfic

DCMK - Vergiss mein nicht (Forget me not)

HP - A kiss from a Dementor

LOTR - Age and Experience

LOTR - The Braid Incident

PJO - The Beginnings of Amelia Fairbanks → Ask

PJO - Dark Percy Fic → Ask 1 | Ask 2

PJO - Percabeth - Cinema Desaster

PJO - First Kiss BotL

PJO - On Destruction

PJO - Amelia - Torture excerpt

RPG Naruto - I thought you were-

RPG Fairy Tail - Fairy's End → Ask

Originals (also UFO):

Alvari Forsetii

Sidhe Witches

Yeah that's it! Holy shit I did not think it would be this many...I've actually completely forgotten about most of these 😂

I'm tagging... @sweetlittlevampire @twenty-orange-balloons @elven-child @keircatenation @veilfireshadows @the-sage-of-dissolution @arkodian @ellierenae @lady-byleth in no particular order and without any obligation whatsoever! I'm not even sure how actively y'all write. Also, if you're a writer and see this, also feel free!!! <3 tag me in yours and I will send you an ask, as is part of the ask-game etiquette :3 (also you can always just shoot me an ask just for being curious about one of these of course!!! <3)

Have fun and have a fantastic day ❤️

[and ignore what a mess I am having ....26 WIPs]

Edit: Added the asks I already got so you can look at the snippets :)

[starrywangxian]

just watched tangled and thinking hmm wangxian au with

lwj as rapzunel

wwx as eugene

lil' apple as max

wen ning as pascal

qingheng-jun as mother gothel

su she and jin guangyao as the stabbington brothers

the cloud recesses lot (jin zixuan, nie huaisang etc.) can be the thugs (like nhs as the big nose thug and stuff)

jiang cheng as captain of the guard

the junior quartet as the girls who braid rapzunel's hair

please i need this, i know it's probably been done before but i need this T_T

[zombubble]

Hiya! Ascension au sounds veryyyyy interesting……..can I ask what wwx’s design as a god looks like? (For possible fanart purposes………..)

alskdjf omg alright okay yeah!

So Wei Wuxian's godly design is very much a sort of fusion of his Yiling Laozu looks (primarily black with red and grey/silver) and some elements of TGCF's general godly character design (mostly the manhua and the in-book art. I love the donghua's character design but they're very much made for simplicity and I think the gods are ostentatious enough to want a bit More to their looks, usually.) with just a splash of Jiang aesthetics because he's got a fondness for lotus.

WHICH IS TO SAY.

I imagine his robes are a deep black with silver embroidery on the outside. His inner robes are, of course, red, and the inner robe sleeves are narrow and long enough to tuck into his bracers. The black outer robes, with as many layers as you like, are long, but the sleeves are typically only half-sleeves because at the start of the story his main thing is archery. (Similar to donghua Pei Ming's sleeves). (He has a black mulberry bow with silver inlay, red leather around the handle, and a string made partially out of his own hair aslkdjf. Quiver is a black and silver back quiver of some sort and the arrows are fletched with black, with red and silver strings. They're very fancy and come back to him, so he made them look good (literally made them, he spent two years making this spiritual weapon).)

Black trousers and boots, and silver armor with smoke designs on his chest, bracers, and pauldrons (shoulder covers). The armor's not overly elaborate or bulky, and fits his form well.

Wide belt. Silver and/or red accents, black if there's leather.

He has. Dark red eyes, because gods and funky eye colors are my jam, and they glow red when he's really using big power. He also has long hair he wears half-up (A topknot like cql!Wei Ying, but better and also longer, maybe a little wavy. I'm fond of his having bangs, too, so it's not ALL pulled back), and on his head is a silver lotus crown on fire. Very tall flames. Pointy at the top.

Because I like being extra and therefore he does, too, he's taken a few aesthetic tips from Hua Cheng and participates in a bit of hair-braiding up top, nail-painting, and some makeup around the eyes, and he's got some sort of dangly silver earrings I think.

When he's really going for dramatics, he has a whole-ass black cloak on that swishes Very Nicely.

All of this sounds very specific, but it's really more about the Vibes. He has multiple outfits, so if you do end up creating something and have a Different Idea, then by all means roll with it! The Palace of Yiling's colors are black, red, and silver primarily (as he's still the Yiling Laozu) and he does keep his goth kid tendencies, even in the Celestial Court.

His magic is red and gold uwu until he re-learns how to manage using guidao when his body is literally made of divinity, in which case it's red and black when he's using that.

alsdkflsdkjf

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to talk about god!Xian uwu.

I love him so much and he's been cooking for so long in my brain. Of course he wears simpler clothing than this in the mortal realm, but his Godly Look is definitely something I've had a lot of fun coming up with.

[stiltonbasket]

bakery au wwx is really good at doing "girly" hair? He helped Yanli with her hair when they were kids, and he likes wearing his hair in braids and stuff too. It's also super-handy for the bakery baos, so they can look cute and not have their hair in the food.

A-Yuan and Xiao-Yu have cute braid crowns to keep their hair up! Meanwhile, A-Lan likes to wear a ballet bun, since she takes dance classes every afternoon after school.

[truly-morgan]

[JC's daddy meets JFM]

AllCheng (RuoCheng focused) | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 10-04-2021

[#allcheng (slightly ruocheng focused)- modern] 

Of course, jfm couldn't leave it at that and he/ needed/ to know. So he may or may not have learned what his son had been up to all this time and that he had never told him after snooping around (even wwx seemed to know some of it?!). 

To say he didn't like the idea was an understatement. He hated it. How could his son not only be with an older man, but /five/ of them at the same time, one of which was an old business rival of his! 

He tried contacting jc, but he was either too busy to talk (which now he knew /why/) or wouldn't pick up, so he decided to go to his apartment without notice. The semester had restarted, he shouldn’t be travelling around too much now, was he? 

He had to ask wwx for the address, coming rather late in the morning to make sure his son would be awake, having no clue if the young man was working on the weekends. He was surprised by how big and expensive the place seemed to be, wondering how he could afford it (although he had his own suspicion). 

He still went for it, only to not have his son open the door for him. Oh no, far from that, he wished it had been anyone else. 

Wrh was standing in the doorway, only wearing pyjama bottoms, looking as if he had woken up only moments ago. There was a silence when they suddenly got face to face, only for wrh to smirk a bit. “How can I help you, jfm?”. Jfm doesn’t really have the time to argue anything when a voice comes from deeper in the apartment, footsteps coming closer to them. “A-han is it lxh? I thought he said he would pass only tomorrow to help me with my homework”. 

Then an even bigger and more awkward silence fell on everyone when he finally saw his father, suddenly feeling that the only thing he was wearing was wrh shirt (which thankfully was too big and hide him rather well even though he was wearing underwear). He asked what he was doing here, trying not to sound too bad, seriously surprised because he did /not/ remember ever giving him his address (not that jfm ever asked about it in the first place). 

“Can’t I visit my own son to make sure everything is alright?” he receives, clearly eyeing wrh, which jc doesn’t know /how/ to explain his presence, even less with all the scratch marks on his back (he really did that?) and the hickeys he had been allowed to place on his chest. He was probably no better, wrh just loving leaving tonnes of marks on the inside of his tights, knowing there were probably still some leftover marks from the restraint he had the night before. 

It would be hard the deny what he had done. 

He wanted to just say he had things to do, but jfm kind of forced his way in, telling him he /knew/ what he was up to. This only made jc nervous, thankfully wrh was here to keep him relaxed, moving them back to the kitchen so they could sit down. Clearly, jfm was not going to let it go and it was probably better if jc could just sit down and not worry. 

It was hard to do when pictures were slapped on the table, showing him with his different lovers, either too affectionate or straight-up kissing in some. He was so screwed, jfm knew and now he was so disappointed He was taken out of his panic by a hand gently going through his hair, still wavy from the tight braid he had the day before. It helped him relax, going back to what he had settled for in the past months. 

So what if jfm was disappointed? It had always been like this and now he was living /for himself/. 

The following request for him to stop all this and stop acting in such ways wasn’t really that surprising. He was pretty sure jfm was probably even restraining himself not to say he was acting like a whore (he knew some people would think like this, but he didn’t care, he loved all of them the same anyway). 

“And why should I listen to you? I thought you had made it clear enough that you didn’t care much about me anymore, I don’t see why I should care about your demands”. He tried sounding confident in his words, yet his hands were shaking under the table, so unused to talking back like this and outright /refusing/ anything his father was telling him. 

The effect was good, as jfm looked rather stunned by his words, only once had jc really gone against him and it was when they argued after the young man changed his study course entirely without telling them. 

“/you/ decided I wasn’t worth putting any attention and love into, I simply found people who saw my worth and decided to do what you never did: love and appreciate me without intendable expectation,” jc said, starting to feel much more confident now that jfm wasn’t immediately adding anything (and that wrh was sitting close to him). 

“/I/ decided I would live for myself and found what seemed good for me, /I/ decided to be the Jiang Cheng /I/ was, not the one you wanted me to be, which was basically setting myself up for pain and disappointment”. 

His shaking as slowly went from nervous to angry, years of repressed anger and frustration finally coming to the surface. He felt like it was now that he needed to say what he needed or he would never find the same courage to do so. 

“/you/ decided to never be there for me. Had an archery competition? Of course, couldn’t come, too busy with work, but wwx teacher was doing an art gallery for his class? Of course, you were there. Got badly sick at school one time and again you couldn’t come when you knew damn well mother was away and couldn’t either. But the time jyl was slightly sick you would come and get her, same for wwx. I never decided to push you away, you just never tried to keep me close to you as I was slowly crumbling down.” 

Jfm didn’t miss the trilled and proud look wrh had throughout jc monologue, the young man kept on finding things jfm had done to fail at being a good father. He was so proud because jc was being honest and bold about what he thought, something he had slowly pushed him towards. Talking like this had clearly been something jc wouldn’t have been able to do when he first started helping the young man. 

“I was not enough for you so I found people for whom I was more than enough, and you have /no idea/ just how much better I am doing now, having people recognise what I do and who are able to give me some praise”. 

“So all you are looking for is praises?”. 

Jc frowned at this, only to turn towards wrh when he heard him give a dry laugh “As always, you do not listen when you are being told something” he simply commented. 

Then jfm proceed to try and say if it was praise, he wanted, he had praised him before. To which jc didn’t even let him finish with a “Don’t you dare. When was the last time in the past ten years you ever praised me because you were genuinely proud of what I did and not to make wwx shine even more in comparison to me”. 

The silence and thinking were enough of an answer, making him both angry and wanting to cry. He already knew his father had given up on ever having anything good from jc for what /he wanted/ from him (because of course, jc doing good in anything else was just a waste of time). 

“How pathetic, you cannot find anything in the past years yet I can find tone in the past days?” wrh asked, clearly loving how he was getting under jfm skin with how much he seemed to know more about jc than he did (and he was his father!). “a-cheng did really great in his latest culinary test, managed to create an interesting menu for a class which was in the top five for his class, kept on working hard in his study while working at the same time” he continued a little bit more, saying all things jc had done greatly lately, many being academic because it's as most likely what jfm valued the most. 

“and you cannot even find one in ten years” he simply finished. 

There was a silence between all of them. After some time, jc simply pushed back to photos of his father. “I found people that I love and love me back, I won’t give it all up because someone who doesn’t even spare me a glance other than if it can possibly stain his reputation is asking me to” simply stated. 

He stopped him when he was about to talk again, cutting him yet another time like he would have never dared in the past. “You should go, clearly you are not open to understanding me and I am /not/ open to changing what I am doing now”. 

There was more silence, before jfm took back his papers, stood up and left. This somehow made jc both relieved that he wouldn’t argue more against the small good he had found (the first in years!) but also disappointed that he didn’t even want to put some effort into understanding his own son. 

Only when he heard the door shut that he finally stood up on shaky legs, wrh sliding his chair back a bit so he could straddle him, his arms hooking around the older man quickly, hiding in the crook of his neck, only then allowing himself to feel upset. 

This had been a bit too much for him, too much anger, disappointment and hurt at the same time. All because jfm refused yet again to see who jc was and not impose who he wanted him to be. “It’s alright a-cheng” he heard gently whispered, arms keeping him close, a hand gently rubbing his back. “You did nothing wrong, you even did very well in finally saying what was bothering you, it is not your fault he decided not to listen, we are all here for you if you need it”. He kept on gently reassuring him, whispering sweet nothing by time just so he would calm down. 

Yes, jc had made the right choice. He was truly better off with them, he wouldn’t need to change who he was for them to be happy about him. “How did it feel?” he heard after some time, still holding tightly to wrh. 

“good” he replied after a moment. 

It truly felt good to finally let it all out.

Original

[kiriel123]

Fic recs for MDZS/The Untamed

a kick-start to falling in love by wereworm

Modern AU cultivator lwj transmigrates into the street in front of modern wwx. Wwx can’t just leave the lost LARPer to die, so he brings him home. So cute!

wanting was enough by starmins

Modern College AU wwx kisses lwj in a dark alley while drunk, but lwj thinks he doesn’t remember. They’re both waiting on each other. Three weeks later they stop waiting. It’s so beautiful!

One for Heaven and Earth by cerbykerby

Alternate canon lwj has a heavenly robe, a gift from his mother. Over the years it changes to reflect lwj’s love. This was so good!

sweet music playing by daltoneering 

Modern AU lwj plays piano, loses his mother, falls in love, and finds himself. This converted me into believing lwj should always have a braid and wwx should always be the one to braid his hair

back to the blue skies by typefortydeductions

Modern AU wwx and lwj are married and take their son for a beach vacation. Soft domesticity! They’re such a family!!! My heart <333

Cast Aside the Unfaithful by iamtheenemy (Steph)

Post canon they team up for a case and wwx suggests they pretend to be married to ferret out information. Lwj takes full advantage. As he should.

I can tell that we are gonna be friends by PorcupineGirl  

Modern College AU wwx and lwj are paired for a project. They knew each other briefly as kids and remember their childhood friendship very differently. So funny and cute

The Twin Jade Problem by bonyenne

Modern College AU wwx thinks lwj is a triplet. Lwj thinks wwx is in love with his brother. Lxc really does not know how this happened. This was screamingly funny, the reveal scene had me in /stitches/

a garden, a tenderness by butterflylungs

Modern AU wwx hooks up with a stranger at a club and the next day meets that stranger again…as his boss. Work has never been so tense :DD

[sunriseverse]

i also think xy is bipolar… specifically i see him with bipolar cptsd AND bpd… probably some more stuff he’s just racking up w mental illness tbh. i also lean toward more cptsd than ptsd bc even tho his finger was like the main trauma he was also like 7 living alone on the streets i know some other shit happened to him… (this is also like. ok i’m starting to make stuff up but i know i know that wasn’t the only thing i KNOW there was other stuff deep in my soul i know he was mistreated by rich ppl for years and years and years. i know………. we saw what happened w a-qing right before she met xxc)

another bipolar!xy Enthusiast……….come sit around my fire and let me braid you a friendship bracelet, for you are the hero i have been searching for for decades. (i jest, i jest, but it’s hilarious to me that i see so many hcs for whatever is going on with wwx and then basically nothing for My Good Time Boy X.ue Y.ang, Who Hath Suffered Verily.) absolutely agree with the cptsd and borderline also which like i Know puts me at risk of sounding like i am Projecting All My Issues Onto A Fictional Man but i have fucking evidence, okay, i have proof, i have arguments. i didn’t sit through years of mental health professionals outlining exactly What is Wrong With Me and read the dsmv entries for everything i have going on to just Not Recognise what is in front of my Literal Eyes.

(and Yes i Know technically that strays Very far into the realm of hc and all the way into supposition but like. this man was a homeless orphan on the streets it’s less “baseless supposition” and more “entirely reasonable extrapolation”. you are doing Fine and i support you in this and also if you ever want to tell me more i have both ears pricked and i am watching with intent eyes.)

also i sometimes laugh at the concept of a modern au where xxc (gently and lovingly and with many promises of sweets) bullies his incredibly traumatised and skittish boyfriend into therapy and the therapist doing his intake takes one look at the forms he’s filled out and goes. this is way above my paygrade can i refer you to a psychiatrist.

[sortablue]

Do you have any modern AU headcanons for Lan Wangji/WWX?

(Stay warm!!)

Love love love education major wangxian. also obsessed w/ chemistry major wwx.

Bc I am an education major myself (english, if you care), my true loves are, like.

Elementary ed major wwx (think miss honey) with a double major in a stem field of his choice is my favvvorite in a universe in which lwj is a music ed and composition double major.

HOWEVER i have seen many iterations of college au and have loved all of them

I am also quite fond of aus in which wangxian both maintain their long hair and have fun braiding each others’.

A couple of my favorite modern au wangxian fics are the one where wwx is A-Yuan’s art teacher who has a like, successful art business in the side and LWJ is this businessman who is late to pick up his kid a couple times or smthn, and one where lwj runs a martial arts gym or smthn and wwx has a panic attack on his street bc of a dog (and the rest is history) AND one where WWX is an art major being harassed by Wen Chao. They are all very good and probably in my bookmarks on ao3 idk

[guqin-and-flute]

3zun Niebraid concept: JGY who knows exactly what each minor detail in these braids means bc he was part of the sect and memorized everything bc he's just like. that. but never thought he'd ever be allowed any further than wearing the standard disciple braids. Vs LXC who doesn't know that much about them but has been doing NMJs braids since they were young and occasionally got his own hair braided which was nice. And Apparently that was considered flirting which he learns from JGYs reaction

[I LOVE THIS. DAMN this was supposed to be a short oneshot (hahahaaa, when has that ever happened) about just Nie braids, but it turned into...this. It fits perfectly into 3zun Raise Jingyi AU though there’s nothing that specifically hinders you from reading it as unaligned from that. Set before the NieYao Schism, sometime within the 6 months WWX was at Lan Summer School, perhaps a month or two after 3zun have gotten together (which I will also eventually have sometime).

EDIT: I FORGOT TO PUT THIS IN THE FIRST TIME--Heavily influenced by the fic Triple Crown by scarlet_gryphon which I read, like, directly before this. Go read it, it’s so sweet!]

[3zun Raise Jingyi Au Tag] [Ao3 Series] [Ao3 Link]

Xichen had by no means ever considered himself the most rigid or pedantic Lan, but he would certainly never have described himself as salacious. And yet, the sudden rigidity in A-Yao’s smile and the way his eyes darted about the empty corridor makes it seem that the playful tug that he had just given the man’s braid was akin to goosing him in full view of the Nie Council of Elders. His ears were now a lovely pink at the tips--but this was now secondary to what on earth Xichen had just done to his and Mingjue’s new partner. 

Instantly, he drew back his hand, tucking it behind him at the small of his back in contrition. “A-Yao? What’s wrong?”

With nothing but the stymied duck of his chin, A-Yao conveyed the depth of his embarrassment, both at whatever Xichen had done and his own reaction. “Nothing at all, Lan-zongzhu.”

“Now, I don’t believe that. Was I too--did I hurt you?” He chanced to flick his finger illustratively toward his hairstyle before firmly confining it behind himself again. 

“Of course not.” He was smiling, if slightly stiffly, eyes flicking up and down the corridor once more. Checking for people.

“I’ve embarrassed you,” Xichen murmured in dismay, careful to keep his tone from carrying. “I apologize.”

“No, you--” He broke himself off with a sigh and with one more glance around, then led him with the tilt of his chin out a door set into an adjacent wall to the courtyard beyond. “Here.” 

It was a beautiful little garden Xichen had often seen in passing, but never had the occasion to visit. Most of it was shaded by the high walls at this time of day, with a slice of slowly disappearing sunlight that left it cool and verdant, mid-summer flowers rich and bright dotting about. Vines crawled up behind the stone bench set in the corner. Behind him, A-Yao closed and latched the door, then he turned, paused, then shyly reached out and took Xichen’s hand in his. With it, he led them both to sit on that bench, carved into the blunt cornered, slightly geometric patterns, that familiar the Qinghe style. This closeness eased the uncertain knot under his breastbone, the held breath that he had somehow offended or endangered A-Yao by this playful slip. This lush little courtyard had no windows leading onto it and only the one door, so the danger of being seen by anyone who wasn’t leaping about on the rooftops was negligible. 

“And so what have I done, A-Yao, that’s made you blush like this,” Xichen asked quietly once they had settled next to each other, lifting his hand to trace the shell of his still pink ear. “I really do apologize,” he added, a little woefully. “Please let me know if I ever go too far.” 

His touch spread the pink a little farther, onto the tops of his delightful cheekbones and that absurd and giddy joy that he got so often now-a-days whenever he saw A-Yao or watched him with Mingjue or caught a secret expression or--

Firmly he quashed his love-stricken brain and prepared to listen. This thing between them, the two of them, the three of them was still relatively new, mere months old and shaky--not unsteady, but instead like learning new footwork and Xichen would hate to jeopardize any of it.

A-Yao shook his head, smile less plastic and more apologetic. “It wasn’t truly too far, ge, I just...I simply used to a little more, ah, discretion. I suppose I would call it.”

Discretion. Yes, discretion was important, it was what they had promised each other in this, together. 

But certainly...in an unpeopled corridor, the innocent tease was not something that would overtly make anyone think they were anything more than agemates being playful? Well. He had never been very close to any of his Lan agemates and then, the Lan were quite strict about personal space. Perhaps he had somehow misread the more jovial, jostling air of the Nie? Certainly they punched arms, headlocked each other on the practice ground, laid hands on shoulders. Mingjue had never shied away from arms length, with him or any of his similar aged disciples. Xichen tilted his head, eyebrows furrowing slightly. “I should avoid touching you in public, then,” he clarified.

“I wouldn’t say so--no more or less than you might Huaisang or Mingjue-ge, I would think. Just...” he gestured in what was obviously supposed to be an eloquent and encompassing circle about his own head. 

Ah. Ah? His hair, yes? “Just not your hair,” he supplied, helpfully.

A-Yao flickered his eyes over Xichen’s politely inquiring face and they narrowed infinitesimally, calculating something. “Well, yes; at least, certainly the braids,” he replied, almost carefully, as if leading Xichen somewhere.

Xichen was happy to follow him down any path of logic, but this one seemed somewhat...undefined to him. He had braided Mingjue’s hair uncountable times in their youth, after swimming or bathing after training or, later, sex. There had even been several times Mingjue had returned the favor and done his hair in an elaborate series of sweeping, looping, coiled braids that pleased Xichen’s eye to see paired with the stark white of his headband. Of course he understood that playing with each other’s hair wasn’t something you would just go up to any stranger and initiate, but Mingjue had never given him reason to think that it was somehow off limits. 

The first time that they had met, when Mingjue’s parents had come to talk with Uncle and himself, they had wandered alone through the bamboo forest in the Cloud Recesses, talking and climbing rocks. They were both around 10 or 11 and Xichen had been fascinated by the intricate weavings on the older boy’s head. Sometime in the afternoon, after Mingjue had proven all day to be intelligent, easy going, and hard to offend, Xichen had mustered up the courage to chance impertinence to ask; “Can I touch them?” 

Mingjue had blinked back up at him from where he crouched by the burbling stream they had found. “Touch what?”

“Your braids, I--they just look.... I’m sorry, I suppose that’s quite rude.” He made to bow in apology, but Mingjue had just scrambled to his feet and drawn closer, eyes bright as he grinned. 

“Yeah, go ahead, it’s fine.” 

He had been half a head shorter than Xichen at the time, who had started to shoot up like bamboo at an alarming rate earlier that spring, even though Mingjue was a year and some older. It had given him a fine view of the braids’ detail without Mingjue even having to bow his head to let him tentatively stroke along the little beads each segment made. They had been warm from the sun and smooth, like the flank of some tiny, well groomed animal. “They’re very regal,” he had assured the other clan’s heir when he had studied his fill, earning himself another flash of teeth in his tanned face. 

“Thank you.”

But just because Mingjue had been unbothered didn’t mean that A-Yao would be. He hadn’t even grown up Nie and he certainly wasn’t going to demand rigorous explanations to any boundaries A-Yao might try to set down. What surer way to scare the man off? He had seen exactly how difficult it was to make him do anything but grin and bear whatever he thought that he should have to endure stoically in any situation. Getting him to reveal them any sort of 'want’--in bed or socially--was already a nightmare. “Ah, I see, now.”

“You do,” A-Yao nodded, tone seeking firmness in question.

“Well, if you say I shouldn’t, then I shouldn’t.” Xichen aimed for serene but was afraid he simply managed benignly baffled. “What more is there to understand? I never want to make you uncomfortable, A-Yao, that much I hope is clear.”

Seeming momentarily speechless, A-Yao searched his face with a growing, puzzled frown. “I apologize sincerely if this comes across as anything close to patronizing, ge, but...you do know what touching another’s braids means, correct?”

His tone was borderline apologetic, and so nowhere near patronizing. Xichen, however, was now solidifying his suspicion that there was something of cultural significance that he had just blundered right through, like a certain Jiang disciple currently causing his Uncle ulcers back in Gusu. It was an unpleasant feeling, as being savvy and diplomatic were not just things he prided himself on, but necessary for his position as Clan Leader. Being caught out being tactless was....uncomfortable. “I’m beginning to believe that I do not.”

Strangely, this seemed to set A-Yao more at ease, that careful way he had been holding his shoulders relaxing, even as his eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. “Oh. I see. Ah,” his gaze flitted about on his face, absorbing his obvious disquiet. “It’s just that, among the Nie, their braids are more than simply just decoration--they can denote status, official rank, life stage, and--” he paused only momentarily, eyes drinking in his reaction. “Availability. Touching another’s braids is an intimate gesture.”

Staring almost fixedly into the middle distance, invisible beyond A-Yao’s face as he absorbed this, Xichen noted with chagrin that this last sounded very like the strictures surrounding the Lan headbands. Very like. Had he been repeatedly stomping all over such a sacred border since he was 10? “Ah,” he stated, voice carefully controlled and neutral. And said no more.

“...Ge?” A-Yao sounded as if his silence was making him wary. 

“I was not aware,” he managed, somewhat distantly as he frantically searched his memory for times he might have done something similar to Mingjue in view of any Nie. Or, good gods, to Huaisang. He hoped he would have noticed what an uncomfortable reaction that would have surely gained him. Should he think to apologize to the boy if it ever happened or would that make it more uncomfortable? Mortification was spreading hot up his neck to his ears, though his face remained impassive. He hoped.

Probably not, for A-Yao was beginning to look dismayed, “I never meant to embarrass you, I’m sorry--”

“No, no, I definitely would prefer to know such things.” Mingjue, he added forcefully, silently.

"Has Mingjue-ge never told you?”

“He...has not, no.”

“Well, I doubt he would have just let you send such a message publicly, here, being as discrete as you have both been, so I wouldn’t let it trouble you.” He was clearly trying to soothe him, his hand petting over the backs of Xichen’s own. “And I’m not upset, gege. It was a misstep, you didn’t know.”

“Just...how intimate a gesture is it?” Had he inadvertently propositioned Mingjue on their very first meeting? Proposed? What had his partner thought of him at the time? Exasperation was now making its way through the dismay and horror, slightly prickly. Just what sort of fool have you allowed me to make of myself, my love? 

“Parents and siblings are allowed, and vice versa, though touching your parents braids past a certain age is frowned upon. Among adolescent agemates of no relation? Flirting. Like...a kiss on the cheek or a solid declaration of interest. It’s a little more lax among people of your same sex if you are particularly close friends, but it’s still not something that you do in public. It’s considered a little lewd.”

Lewd. The flush had reached his ears, he was certain, for they burned. No wonder A-Yao had nearly jumped out of his skin when he just reached out and tugged his braid in greeting. It was like goosing him in front of the Nie Council of Elders. “Ah,” he replied faintly. “I’m...terribly sorry for having startled you like that. With that. I never--”

“It probably wouldn’t be taken so seriously,” A-Yao hastened to assure him, clearly desperately sorry for his obvious humiliation. “You’re not Nie, after all. They might just assume that you’re....”

“An idiot?” Xichen supplied, somewhat dryly, as A-Yao trailed off and shut his mouth.

“No,” he returned to his sentence doggedly. “Unaware.”

“Oh,” Xichen breathed. “I was certainly unaware.”

After a few moments of silence, A-Yao noted, “You’re angry,” with something like trepidation, round eyes searching him, face cautious.

“I’m...not.” And he wasn’t. Not really. Not truly. Shocked. Embarrassed. Mm, annoyed at potentially have been making a rude, lewd, lecherous fool of himself for years, Mingjue. 

And now, come to think of it, the harder he thought and the more connections he had made, he recalled that Mingjue had only braided Xichen’s hair when they were spending the night together. Unlikely to be interrupted until he would take another bath and have had them undone. And just what exactly had that particular configuration meant, performed to an unseeing, uncomprehending audience?

Oh, he was certainly going to find out.

“I think, perhaps, a conversation is in order.”

A-Yao was trailing him with something like dread in the tread of his step, back straight as Xichen stalked--walked, he walked--through the paths of Unclean Realm to their joint partner’s office. He knocked, 2 smart and crisp raps with the back of his knuckle. Beside him, A-Yao winced slightly, so he shot him a reassuring smile, which seemed to do nothing of the sort. “Enter,” Mingjue’s distracted voice came from within.

Xichen did so, keeping his movements smooth and measured, now, since seeing A-Yao’s distress. Truly, he wasn’t looking for a fight, he simply wanted an explanation. “Good afternoon, Mingjue-xiong.”

Mingjue squinted up from his papers at him, brows beetled, face suspicious. “What, what happened?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re being...strange.” He cast a questioning look behind him at A-Yao, but Xichen couldn’t see his reaction without turning and he didn’t want to put A-Yao on the spot.

“Not strange. I’ve simply learned something.” As he spoke, he found himself studying Mingjue’s braids, the twisted coil, raising and grounding the large circular guan he habitually wore. The two trailing, adorned with metal circles, behind his ears. And what did this style mean? Clan Leader Nie, most likely. He tried, briefly, to recall if the previous Clan Leader Nie, Mingjue’s father, had worn an identical or similar style and found that it wasn’t something that he had every paid much attention to, while he had known him. “Is there a reason you’ve never informed me of the significance of the Nie braids?”

At this, Mingjue blinked, much like he had that first day that Xichen had asked to touch them, then sat back away from his desk, legs unfurling out from under his proper posture to cross under him, as his arms were doing across his broad chest. “Nie braids?” He shot another searching look at A-Yao, not angry or accusing, but one of confusion. “In what capacity?”

This time, Xichen also looked at A-Yao, but put his hand settlingly on his shoulder, as the man was beginning to look somewhat hunted. “In the capacity of intimacy,” Xichen said, trying to keep the emphasis he felt from stressing the word, and therefore his partners. 

“Intimacy,” Mingjue grunted, unhelpfully, rubbing at his chin. 

“I wasn’t trying to accuse you of anything,” A-Yao insisted, a strained smile in place on his face, now. “Either of you. I simply thought that you had known, Lan-zongzhu.”

“Oh, I’ve told you, please don’t, A-Yao, none of that here with us,” Xichen sighed, waving the title away as if it were an annoying gnat. “No one’s in trouble.” Yet, remained unspoken as he pointedly did not raise a reproachful eyebrow at Mingjue, who was staring into space, thoughtfully. “The braids.” He repeated. Helpfully. Steering.

Mingjue finally met his eyes. Then shrugged. “I thought you knew.”

Pardon him, but Xichen found that a little galling, so he let his exasperation seep into his voice, just a bit, when he replied, “How on earth could I have known, Mingjue? Who else would have told me of this particularity?” It's not as if the Nie had an exhaustive list of their rules displayed anywhere.

“Hmm.” Without responding further, Mingjue closed his eyes and rubbed his face. Clearly, he was tired, having been cooped up here all day, reading correspondence and doing paperwork, all of which he found difficult and hated. Xichen softened.

“So it wasn’t something you were keeping from me for some reason.”

The look he received when Mingjue took away his hands again was crinkled disbelief and slight affront. “Why the hell would I do that?”

With a sigh, Xichen finally drew closer, allowing himself to settle onto one of the cushions in front of his desk with something a little looser than grace, setting his elbow down and leaning on it in studied ease. “It’s what I had wondered. I don’t know. Making a fool of me for some sort of,” he circled his other hand, searching for the word. “Secret kink seemed...unlikely.”

With a snort, Mingjue folded his arms up again and shook his head. “No. It’s just...not something I really thought about. Not something you had to worry about. I don’t know. Why, did something happen with it?” He then looked up at A-Yao and the tired set to his eyebrows relaxed as Xichen had against them. “Come sit, you look scared stiff. I suppose this is our first...whatever this is.”

“Complication? It’s certainly not an argument,” Xichen murmured, reaching a hand out for A-Yao, who was slowly starting forward, eyes still darting between the two of them.

“Sure.” Mingjue vented a short, mirthless chuckle. “Complication. Here, here,” he reached out his own hand and A-Yao carefully took it, his other hand in Xichen’s as he slowly knelt on the cushion Xichen leaned over to place for him on the short edge of the desk they were nearest to. “You look like you’re going to bolt or something. What?”

“I didn’t mean to cause a problem,” A-Yao replied, lowly, face unbearably serious, chin tucked slightly.

He was doing that subtle, shrinking, ‘don’t look at me, don’t hurt me’ thing that broke Xichen. So he drew A-Yao’s hand up to his mouth and kissed his knuckles with a smile. It drew A-Yao’s attention to him, so he beamed as much love and assurance through his eyes as he could. His knuckles were smooth under Xichen’s lips. “You didn’t cause a problem. Indeed, you fixed it. How would it have looked if Lan-zongzhu was going around brazenly flirting with his ally’s vice general? Or his fellow zongzhu? Or, gods forbid--” he shot a raised eyebrow at last at Mingjue. “His fellow zongzhu’s didi?” 

And at last, Mingjue did screw up his face in a grimace, perhaps of mild regret, though he offered no further enlightenment. His thumb rubbed absently on the back of A-Yao’s hand. Xichen reached out and took Mingjue’s free hand, lifting it to his lips as well, so both of them were there, side by side--one slightly broader, rougher, hotter, and the other slim but no less strong, and cool, each occupying opposite corners of his mouth. “And so tell me, gege,” he added, playfully now as he set them both down in front of him, squeezing possessively. “What exactly those styles you did me up in meant?” Hopefully further teasing would make A-Yao more at ease that one or the other of them weren’t about to suddenly explode at him.

“Hm?”

“Back on those long nights alone.”

A-Yao’s eyebrows raised in his periphery, pale, curious face turning to Mingjue like a flower. Good. 

“Ah,” Mingjue said, then jutted his jaw to the side, as if mulling something over. Then, he quirked a small, private smile and shrugged, as if discarding embarrassment. “Consort’s braids.”

Good gods, could love kick one in the head like a horse? Xichen felt dazed. “Oh.” His fingers tightened, on both sides as he desperately tried to recall the scaffolding of loops and dips, the hidden declaration of love that these had meant before he had ever thought to look for them. Sadly, all he could bring to mind was that they had taken a while and had left his hair delightfully wiggly when they were, ah, jostled during sex. “Oh,” he breathed again, strangely at a loss for words.

Mingjue was watching whatever play across his face with interest. “Do you remember them?”

“Sadly, I do not.”

“Hmm.” Mingjue eyed A-Yao with deliberation. “I’ll show you. Come here,” he said this last to A-Yao alone, releasing both their hands and scooting back onto his knees, his desk cushion now empty in front of him. He slapped it with his palm.

A-Yao did not move, instead holding up slighly warding hands, a gracious smile on his face. “Ge, I think you’d better show him on his own head, don’t you?” A-Yao tried to politely demur, but, love of his life--at least one of them--Mingjue would not let him.

“No, I want to do it on yours.” 

In the silence following this statement, Xichen covertly watched A-Yao’s face. Would he...? Oh yes. Oh yes, he had understood that. His eyes were wide, his lips parted slightly in rare shock. That sweet pink blush was back, warming his ears, his cheeks. Mingjue was never as covert as he was overt and this hadn’t been anywhere near the most blatant admission of either of their intentions with their lovely, intelligent, courteous, graceful, diligent, hardworking partner. But it seemed to be one that he believed, immediately. Finally. “What a lovely idea,” Xichen purred in encouragement, making A-Yao look to him again, rather helplessly, now, he thought.

Slowly, A-Yao stood from his seat, as if a little dazed, and sat quietly where he was bade, curling up his knees to his chest and circling his arms around them. Mingjue rose up on his own knees behind him and began to industriously, yet not ungently, undo the hairstyle that was already there. With each tug, A-Yao rocked minutely, his chin rested in the circle of his arms. Xichen came around to watch over Mingjue’s shoulder with genuine interest as his fingers quickly flicked apart the thin braids, then combed through the dark fall spread across A-Yao’s back, freed from his modest silver guan. Curiously, his own hand came out and stroked down the hair, marveling in the little rivulets of waves coursing through the rest of the straight cascade, tiny delights of sensation. He felt A-Yao shiver, just slightly, under their combined touch in his hair. 

Though he wanted to see the what and how of this particular style--and oh, did he ever want to--A-Yao’s clear uncertainty took precedence here, and so he kindly chivvied A-Yao’s knees down and laid himself down to settle his head own head across his partner’s lap. From this angle, he could see A-Yao’s sweet, clean features above him like the moon in the sky, and beyond him, Mingjue’s strong, beloved face, intent in concentration. The moon and the sun, if he allowed himself to be poetic. And he would. The lights of his life, Mingjue vigorous and vital, strong and golden. A-Yao subtle and mysterious, deep and sweet. Fallen in love with them in different times, in different ways, but each an illuminating, reassuring presence in his life. 

Reaching up, he smoothed his palm onto A-Yao’s cheek, trying to stimulate something of a smile there, and was rewarded by the quirk of his lip, a dimple pressing in underneath the base of his thumb. He smiled in return. “Good?” he mouthed, soundlessly.

A-Yao nodded almost insignificantly against his hand, clearly trying not to jerk his hair from Mingjue’s grip. They allowed silence, then, between them, Mingjue braiding, A-Yao swaying easily when his hair tugged him this way or that, Xichen drinking in their presence below them. Then, A-Yao lifted his own hands and laid them on Xichen’s guan, questioning. He beamed up at him.

It slid from his hair with relative ease once the pin was released--he was glad that he had chosen one of his his smaller, more curved headpieces today instead of the one with spikey, draconic crags. He wouldn’t have been able to comfortably lie on A-Yao’s lap with its point digging into his scalp. To assist, he tensed his core and lifted himself up, slightly, sweeping the length of his hair up with his hands so it no longer lay partially under him, but billowed across A-Yao’s whole lap, then rested his head now on only his closer leg, so he had more room to work. His lover’s hands hovered, uncertain, over this fall of hair. “Ge, it will be...difficult to avoid touching your headband in this.”

Ah, so uncertain of the coil that threaded through it, like an underground river, sometimes surfacing in a surge of bright white. “Then do not avoid it.”

Looking partially stricken, partially amazed, A-Yao peered back down at his face. “But that’s--”

“Yes?” Xichen answered tranquilly, smiling up at him.

“I know what it means,” A-Yao pointed out, voice, if anything, sounding slightly admonishing, almost peevish, as if he expected Xichen of trying to catch him out unawares like Mingjue had inadvertently done to him all these years. “To the Lan, I mean. I’ve researched all the Clans.”

And so Xichen stopped teasing, stopped the slide into mischief. He let his face soften, his brow loosen, his eyes warm. Taking A-Yao’s hand, he brought it up to kiss its fingertips, then rest it against his chest, over his heart, beating along solidly beneath their pressed palms. With his other, he stroked A-Yao’s lovely face; his lovely, uncertain, disbelieving face. How many times must I tell you? How many times must we prove that we mean what we say? How many more months can I make love to you and tell you and tell you that, in a better world, in a kinder world, without fear and shame and duty....

“I know. I know you know. And I am saying, A-Yao; you need not avoid it.” These last words were quiet and low, thrumming in his chest along with his heart. 

A proposal, in as many words as he knew how. As Mingjue’s had been.

Above him, A-Yao stopped breathing.

It made an ache, low in his chest, right at the joining of his ribs, to know that, eventually, his and Mingjue’s duty would rise up to bite their heels, restrain their limbs, fit them into a specific mold. It had been discussed, it was known, by all of them, this finality. The understanding was that, while this lasted, this would be as real and true as they could make it--but none of them were deluded. When the time came, when their duties as men and Clan Leaders called, none of them would begrudge another what was necessary. Their hearts, free of their bodies, would have chosen follow one another.

But they were not free. From their bodies or otherwise.

There was an end to this. There was a day coming, and who knew how distant with all of them already being of an age to be married, when they would have to leave each other’s arms and beds for the last time. It was the understanding that had rested between him and Mingjue for years, laying in the bed they sometimes shared along with them. And now it crowded in here with the three of them. But the courting was real, the intention and the wanting and the sharing was real.

His offer. Was real. 

As real as he could make it.

The ache had traveled up into the base of his throat, and he repressed it, holding it back from his eyes as he smiled up at A-Yao as soft as he knew how. Mingjue already knew, had already known--clearly. Now, A-Yao only had to accept.

Slowly, as if wondering, A-Yao’s hand lowered to rest just off from the crown of Xichen’s head. Still not touching the headband. Above him, Xichen caught that Mingjue’s hands had stilled, his eyes on them. Reaching up, Xichen dug his fingers back through his own hair and unraveled the same knot that he did up every morning and took down every night. The headband slid out easily from his hair with a tug.  A-Yao watched him avidly, dark eyes almost hungry. Xichen would feed that hunger while he still could, hold him while he was still able. Gaze locked on him, Xichen reached up and looped his headband around A-Yao’s wrist, once, twice, thrice, then secured it loosely, ends trailing down like ribbons. “There,” he said, quietly. He was going to continue with something oblique and coy, about it being out of the way, now, or that he needn’t worry about it, but it stuck in his throat like a lump, and he fell silent.

A-Yao’s hands came down, then, gently, lightly, to hold his face, expression unbearably tender. Xichen blinked, then blinked again as his eyes heated, then filled, most embarrassingly. He prided himself on control, this wasn’t....

A-Yao kissed him. He leaned down and kissed and kissed his mouth, deep and slow and thorough, and then, at some private thought, slightly sharp and frantic. Dazed, Xichen let him, kissed back as best he could, raising his hand to bury in his hair--his braids, the beginnings of the loops and ridges there already from Mingjue’s sure fingers. 

‘Yes.’

Unmistakably.

Then, with a shudder, A-Yao tore himself away, back, and up, and reached up to pull Mingjue down from behind him, the kiss he bestowed on him now bordering on desperate, but not with lust. Something else, more undefinable. Mingjue’s hands bracketed A-Yao’s chest, holding him steady, close and returned just as good as he got.

When they broke apart, rogue, unauthorized tears still prickled at the corners of Xichen’s eyes, and it seemed in A-Yao’s eyes too, but he closed them too quickly for Xichen to be completely sure. Neither of them mentioned it. Mingjue, however, gave a rather conspicuous, watery sniff, cleared his throat, and went back to braiding. It made Xichen smile, despite it all. Quietly, A-Yao set about braiding through Xichen’s hair as well, careful and kind to his scalp.

In the end, the consorts braids were indeed familiar. Looping, unisex, strong, they split in 3 back from the forehead, somehow woven into and not simply out of the hair there, cascading in complicated chains down. A-Yao looked gorgeous in them. Xichen wished he could wear them always.

“There would be a small ring, here and here, woven in,” Mingjue laid fingertips at each of A-Yao’s temples, just above his ears, voice contemplative and low. “But I don’t have them. And a guan at the back or a pin, depending on sex and preference.” 

A-Yao raised his hand from Xichen’s hair--the hand bound with Xichen’s headband--and felt tentatively over the beautiful twists there. When Mingjue produced a polished bronze mirror from his desk drawer, he studied it for a long time, face unreadable. Then, he smiled, softly. “I can envision it.”

That smile did much to soothe the ache in Xichen’s chest. Sitting up and twisting to snuggle in next to A-Yao instead of on him, he reached out to tilt the mirror toward himself, lowering his chin to see better. Two braids, drawing back from where his hair peaked on either side of his forehead drew back to coil at the back, where a guan would hold it in place. Odd to see on his own head, but he liked it. “And this?” he questioned with his own smile.

“Mm,” Mingjue hummed in recognition before A-Yao said anything. “Married man.”

Again, that love more like a battering ram than any gentle ocean swell. A yes. A yes, an emphatic yes. 

He smiled, perhaps a little crookedly, over at A-Yao, who was watching him keenly with his bright eyes. Leaning over, he kissed one of his eyebrows. “But this isn’t quite right,” A-Yao said, suddenly, eyes fastened on Xichen’s hair as he drew back and Mingjue hummed again, in agreement, this time.

“Ah yes, second Consort, then?” Xichen suggested, lightly. “First concubine?”

A-Yao snorted rather indelicately and Mingjue said, “I think not.”

Warm. Everywhere. “I think I’ll keep this one anyhow,” Xichen answered. “If just for tonight.”  After all, A-Yao had been the one to do it. Their A-Yao. 

While they all had each other.

[bloomeng]

Mdzs: Naruto Au

This is probably the second most nerdy thing I’ve ever drawn but I had so much fun with it-

Also I spent a lot of considering this as I drew sooooo:

The Jiangs- byakugan

Wwx- originally a normal leaf shinobi before becoming apart of the Anbu

The Wens- sand village

Wen Ning- reanimated corpse bc ofc he is

Wen Qing: medical nin

The Nies: stone village

Nhs- bc he and nmj are half brothers his mother was an uchiha but no one knew that bc his sharingan didn’t awaken till his brothers death and even then he rarely uses it so no one is aware of it (really my friend and I just thought it would be super funny to give him the most op power and bc nhs is himself he literally wouldn’t use it besides like cheating on tests)

another dumb hc we devised was that the reason mo in this universe wears makeup is bc he saw wen ning’s makeup and assumed that wwx’s followers all wore makeup….. when in reality wen ning’s makeup is just something cultural to the sand village

Designs details:

- the jiangs all have their little bells from their og designs

- yanli was most inspired by ino and tenten

-i let jc keep his whip so he’d probably be a lightening type ninja

-wwx’s anbu mask is a rabbit bc obviously but i made the markings look like crescents moons to make reference to the way rabbits and the moon are linked in Chinese folklore

-wen ning’s kimono is folded left over right to represent that he’s dead and i considered dressing in white to further push the dead theme but in naruto canon they dress in black for the modern funerals so i opted to keep wen ning’s og color scheme

-wen ning’s make up is inspired by kankuro’s and i took inspiration from temari for wen qing

-in general it seems kishimoto gives ppl of the sand village more cultural elements to their designs so i leaned into that when designing the wen siblings

-nmj’s headband is inspired by jiraiya’s and originally i wanted to dress him in full armor resembling madara’s but what can i say i’m lazy… ig think of this outfit as his casual wear

-i also kept a solitary braid in nmj’s hair bc i enjoy the idea that braids are significant to the nie’s

-for nhs i took heavy inspiration from sai….nhs wears a single armor plate bc his elder brother insists he has to wear some form of armor so he compromises and uses it as a crop top

-i included a modest outfit as well which he likely wears around his brother or for more formal events

-i gave nhs piercings in both his ears and face and lemme tell u the hunting i had to do to make sure pain wasn’t the only character with face piercings… i wanted to give him a bridge piercing but i wanted to also stay canon, however i now can confirm konan has a lip piercing soooooooo