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silverflame2724 · 2 years

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Consequences of Success prompt

After reaching the Burial Mounds Wei Wuxian immediately sets about restoring Wen Ning and goes for a power over subtlety approach bringing out the seal at full power to heal him. As a consequence Wen Ning is not a Fierce Corpse but fully human and alive.

The news gets out that Wei Wuxian can ressurect people, as in properly ressurect people, mind, soul and body.

Try as they might the sects can't stop people from venturing into Yiling to hire Wei Wuxian to ressurect their loved ones, which he does because he has refugees to feed.

It all comes to a head when WWX shows up at JLs 100th day celebration with the fully restored JFM and YZY in tow...

So, uhh, I'm pretty sure JFM and YZY's bodies were burned into ash and desecrating the ancestral home to retrieve their ashes is crossing more than a few lines, but this is fanfic so I'm going to say that we follow the donghua's view where their bodies were never found - I'm going to say that their bodies were just tossed into the lake. (I know it said in the donghua that they were burned to ash, but it was never animated so I'm denying that it ever happened lol.)

_________________________________

Wei Wuxian was well aware that the Seal was sentient and with the war and all the resentful energy it absorbed, it was pretty close to achieving full consciousness. In other words, the Seal is too powerful and Wei Wuxian was going to use that because Wen Ning deserved so much better than the fate the Jins heaped upon him. But how to go about doing this.............

Hmm. From Wei Wuxian’s experiments, - *cough* the three months of torture in the Burial Mounds *cough* - resentful energy is a living energy. It isn't like spiritual energy, it contains emotions, regrets, desires. And sometimes, it wanted to live.

Wei Wuxian had a theory, that by using the resentment’s will to live from the Seal, he’d be able to bring Wen Ning back, not just as a sentient corpse - like he originally planned - but as a living, breathing human. However, Wei Wuxian knew the consequences of such a success, should it be found out. The cultivation world would be overcome by their greed for the power he held, for the power the Seal held.

But Wei Wuxian was willing to accept such a consequence. Why should he hide his power from the sects? They’d always be greedy for control over him and the Seal. So, by showing the true extent of his abilities, it would be easier to prove to people that he was more powerful than they thought he was and that he wasn’t a pushover.

Mind made up, he got to working on his theory.

(Though, this sort of brought up something else, golden cores were considered sentient as well. Could he use the Seal to grow a core? Something to think of later.)

...............................

It took a year for it to work.

The Wens all celebrated the revival of a rather confused Wen Ning. Wen Qing had no words and merely thanked him for this. .....And then she mercilessly dragged him from his cave and forced him to eat a proper meal.

Wen Ning had been utterly baffled because he remembered dying but nothing after that. It was truly fun for Wei Wuxian to poke fun at him and tease him. That is, until Wen Qing - that mother hen - brandished her needles. Wei Wuxian reluctantly pulled back.

Threat successfully dealt, she then sent both him and Wen Ning to get some seeds to plant in their somewhat functional field. Throughout the year Wei Wuxian spent experimenting in reviving Wen Ning, his primary test subjects were, namely, his hated vegetable, the radishes. Using the Seal to forcefully grow plants was an excellent way of testing how resentful energy brought things back to life. And it did succeed at first. That is, until Wei Wuxian realized that the radishes that grew were merely sucking life from other sources - like insects and rodents - in order to grow. Wei Wuxian couldn’t have that happening.

He tried many different things until he found that suppressing the other emotions the resentful energy felt while highlighting their will to live made incorporating resentful energy into the wilted radishes, successfully bringing them back to life. Of course, they became stained with resentful energy and turned black but who cares, it worked!

When Wei Wuxian used the Seal to revive Wen Ning, he did consider Wen Ning being irreversibly stained by the resentful energy. However, as Wen Ning was a human and radishes were, well, radishes, Wei Wuxian surmised that Wen Ning had a strong enough will to over come whatever taint was brought upon by the resentful energy.

And he was right, sort of.

Wen Ning’s personality did not change. He was the same. However, it seemed like being dead unblocked some mental limiters that humans normally possessed.

In other words, Wen Ning was super strong!

Which was great! He could definitely help with all the heavy lifting that Wen Qing had strictly forbidden Wei Wuxian to do because of some side effect from the transfer.

Now then, all Wei Wuxian had to do left was strengthen the wards enough to bar all entrance unless he allowed them to come through.

.....................................

Logistically speaking, Wei Wuxian didn’t think anyone even remembered what Wen Ning looked like or even who he was. Evidently, however, people did. And word spread of how Wei Wuxian revived Wen Ning from the dead, not as a corpse but as a human!!!

Wei Wuxian wilted. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to bring Wen Ning to the markets to help him advertise and sell their radishes.......

Ahhh, can’t one week go by without anything happening???

............................

There were some upsides to this revelation though. The Jin spies who frequently came to try and bribe him to their side (and kill if they failed) thought twice before attempting anything with him. And......

“Yiling Laozu, please, I beg of you!!” A woman cried, holding the limp body of what Wei Wuxian assumed to be her son. “I’ll give you these three bags of rice. Please, revive my son!”

Wei Wuxian wanted to refuse. Going against the natural flow of life and death was taxing on him. But he had the fifty Wen to think about. He had A’ Yuan to think about. Poor, poor A’ Yuan who didn’t deserve any of the hate people spat towards the Wen name.

Wei Wuxian sighed and accepted.

From then on, the Wens and Wei Wuxian lived bountiful, rich lives, supplied by the people of Yiling and any passersby that came with a request to revive their loved ones. (Wei Wuxian of course refused those that wanted to revive suspicious, dangerous characters. He had standards and accepting the request of a demonic cult leader was crossing a line!)

The cultivation sects, of course, tried to prevent people from doing this because this was blasphemy! The utter disregard for the natural cycle of life and death was a disgrace! How could they get Wei Wuxian to their side as soon as possible? With him, they wouldn’t need to worry about death.

The sects’ greed became so palpable that even the common folk saw this and gossiped about how quickly the tides had turned. The sects slandered Wei Wuxian one breath and in another, desired his power. How hypocritical were they?

Wei Wuxian cared not. He was preoccupied keeping his people, his family alive. The sects can go and fuck themselves for all he cared.

..........................

Lan Zhan came to him one day, eyes red and hands shaking. Concerned, Wei Wuxian allowed him inside and asked what was wrong.

“I know I shouldn’t have.” Lan Zhan said harshly. “But--”

He brought out his qiankun pouch and out came the body of a woman with features similar to Lan Zhan’s. It was hard to tell considering the amount of decay on the body, but the remnants of spiritual energy were of a similar signature to Lan Zhan’s.

Wei Wuxian sucked in a sharp breath. “This is....”

“My mother.” Lan Zhan bowed slightly. “Wei Ying, please, my mother......” He brought out some money and toys (obviously for A’ Yuan) as well as some non-perishable provisions.

“D-Don’t bow! Don’t bow. I’ll do it already.” Wei Wuxian lifted the other up till he was standing straight. Wei Wuxian normally would have put off the resurrection till later considering the strain it takes, but he had already gotten a hang of it and strangely, he hadn’t been hurting anymore?

(Wen Qing had checked him, gave him a strange look and then said she was going to research something, leaving him utterly baffled.)

He took up the Seal and went to work. Lan Zhan held his breath the entire time and secretly marveled how quickly his mother’s body was being restored. Soon, very soon, he’ll see his mother again.

After the rather tearful reunion Wei Wuxian witnessed between Lan Zhan and his mother, Lan Zhan had requested for his mother to stay with him. There was something tense in both Lans’ shoulders when Wei Wuxian asked why so he decided not to push.

Lan Zhan soon returned to Gusu but not without promising to visit.

.....................

Next to arrive was Jin Guangyao. He too asked for his mother to be revived and provided vital information in exchange.

Wei Wuxian was shocked upon the revelation that an ambush would await him when he would travel to Jin Ling’s 100th day celebration. And that Jin Zixuan would be placed there and expected to be injured so people can rally up the sects to go and capture him.

Wei Wuxian did not know what to think of this revelation. But he nevertheless revived Jin Guangyao’s mother who slapped him when she was coherent. She had apparently been watching everything Jin Guangyao had done under Jin Guangshan’s commands. (Wei Wuxian made a mental note of how she remembered everything in her time as a spirit.)

Jin Guangyao looked lost before his mother and him had a heart to heart - which Wei Wuxian slipped outside for.

Jin Guangyao exited with red eyes and said to call him Meng Yao and that he no longer associated with the Jins. Wei Wuxian was surprised but not really. It was really none of his business since the two of them left soon after.

.....................

So Wei Wuxian had an idea.

And when it came to Wei Wuxian and spontaneous ideas, it never usually ended well. That is what Wen Qing told him when he told her about it. Wei Wuxian pouted and whined until Wen Qing got fed up and unceremoniously shoved a bowl of bitter smelling medicinal soup into his mouth.

He was forced to swallow until it was all gone and only then was he given sweets to wash out the taste. He hated the medicinal soup but knew he had to drink it if he was to allow his meridians to accept the energy coming from his new core without destroying them.

After all, that energy was yin energy. And his meridians were more accustomed to yang energy. So he had to drink that bitter soup.

Ugh.

.........................

Jiang Yanli was excited. She’d finally see A’ Xian again! It had been so many years since she’d since him and she had worried constantly about him. She sent many letters after him, inquiring his health but....they never seemed to go through since she never got a reply back. Weird.

But never mind that. A’ Xian was coming today and Jiang Yanli had a plan to bring him back to Lotus Pier via smuggling him back there and disguising him as a new disciple. Then the three of them, her, A’ Cheng, and A’ Xian, will finally be together again.

She waited patiently, cradling her son in arms, as she peaked over, hoping to catch a glance.

A loud commotion came from the entrance and while Jiang Yanli heard A’ Xian’s voice, it was overshadowed by.....by.....

.........her parents!

____________________________________

As much as I enjoyed this prompt, I have very very complicated feelings for Yu Ziyuan since she whipped Wei Wuxian (and I am an absolute simp for him) but it has been done. Hopefully there’s not too many grammar errors lol.

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vrishchikawrites · 3 years

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I posted 2,269 times in 2021

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#though i should make it clear that i was commenting on the reader perception and not the novel ending or lxc's character

My Top Posts in 2021

god i wanna die every time i see popular posts with the misconception about hwo "wwx never does any work he just plays and lazes around while jc cleans up his messes" like please pls learn some reading comprehension, just bc jc says something doesn't mean it's true 😭

Ugh, this is the worst take and it is so fucking common. They even did it to Sherlock Holmes, I mean officially. He was never an uncontrolled and antisocial genius. Similarly, WWX was never a reckless and careless genius. People are just taking the thoughts of a character who has always been jealous and insecure as fact. If JC thinks WWX is reckless and intractable, he must be.

Their impression must come from statements like these -

"Him? He wakes up at nine in the morning and sleeps at one in the night. When he wakes up, he doesn't practice his sword or meditate; he goes boating, swims around, picks lotus seed pods, and hunts for pheasants."

WWX, of course, refutes this very easily but people remember JC's verbose complaints instead of WWX's very succinct reminder-

"No matter how many pheasants I hunt, I'm still number one."

(Exiled Rebels Translation - Chapter 13)

Cultivation is, well, cultivation? A skill that is cultivated through hard work, meditation, and dedication? If WWX is really as lazy as they say, how is his cultivation so much superior to JC? Didn't he start working on his cultivation later than JC? Did those skills come magically out of nowhere? To be that good and for JC's own father to declare him the leading disciple, he had to have worked hard.

JC never cleans up his messes either. Most of the time, he's going along with WWX on his fun rides and letting WWX take the punishment for it.

Seriously, such bad takes.

264 notes • Posted 2021-07-31 18:25:38 GMT

hello, are you still taking the short prompts? may i request for one where married wangxian met their younger counterparts during the study in Cloud Recesses? Maybe wangxian tease their younger selves and how their younger version and other disciples react to their arrival and to the teasing? Thank you!

"He looks almost... protective." Nie Huaisang observes to Jiang Wanyin and Wangji has to agree. His older self does seem to have an air of protectiveness about him.

He feels his fingers twitch when Wei Ying leans forward to study his future self, absolutely brazen and with no regard for personal space. The man who has accompanied his future self has the same air of mischief as Wei Ying does and seems entirely too amused.

Wei Ying is grinning, his expression inquisitive as he reaches forward and, much to his dismay, pokes the strange man's cheek.

The man laughs and his older self doesn't seem distrubed. Jiang Wanyin makes a noise of disgust but Wangji doesn't look at him. He wants to reach forward and snatch Wei Ying away.

"Wei Wuxian!" The Jiang heir snarls.

Both Wei Ying and the stranger look up at them. Something in the stranger's expression shifts, becoming a little more distant.

His future self glares.

Glares. At Jiang Wanyin.

Wangji knows himself and for him to openly express any sort of disdain for anyone is... quite telling. The expression is subtle enough that it escapes everyone notice. The stranger just huffs in amusement and nudges the older Lan Wangji with a smile.

That smile is familiar.

"What, Jiang Cheng? He doesn't mind! Tell him, Mo-quanbei!"

Mo-quanbei looks at Wei Ying with an expression of gentle reminiscence but there's something almost like... regret underneath it all. "No no, I don't mind at all!" He assures with a grin that's, again, strangely similar to Wei Ying's.

Jiang Wanyin stalks forward, his face lined with fury, "Just because people tolerate your-"

Lan Wangji smoothly steps before Wei Ying, blocking Jiang Wanyin's path.

"Aiya, Lan Zhan!" Senior Mo protests and Wei Ying seems baffled, peering around Lan Wangji to meet Wangji's gaze in question.

He has no explanation for his older self's behavior.

Jiang Wanyin seems torn. This Lan Wangji is their senior and obviously a very accomplished cultivator. His companion seems equally accomplished, though his air is certainly not as grave or weighty. He seems almost like Wei Ying in his playfulness and manner of speaking.

And they both seem to have some sort of bond with Wei Ying.

Wangji can't help but step forward, drawing everyone's attention towards him, "It is best for us to remain separate." He says, "Knowing too much of the future may cause unforeseen problems."

"Unlikely." Lan Wangji says, gently steadying Wei Ying as the boy attempts to peer past him. There's a slight spark of amusement in his gaze as he brushes Wei Ying's shoulder and fixes his hair.

Wangji struggles to contain his shock and fury. Who gave him the right to touch Wei Ying so brazenly? Like Wei Ying was his to-

"It is likely that the timeline has already split due to our presence here." Mo-quanbei says, shooting an amused look at Lan Wangji. His older self doesn't react, keeping his eyes on Wei Ying as the boy stares back at him in shock. "Whatever you learn will only help you."

"There are some things I would like to prevent."

"Lan Zhan!"

"Must protect Wei Ying."

And just like that, Wangji's entire perspective of things changes. He meets Wei Ying's gaze, who only looks at him once before turning away.

"What do you mean, protect him?" Jiang Wanyin demands but Wangji is already putting some pieces together. He sees how Lan Wangji keeps tracking Wei Ying's movements. How he stands between the boy and everyone else at all times.

Something happened to Wei Ying in the future.

He can't help but take a few steps forward, "We will protect him." I will protect him, he means to say.

His older self looks at him directly for the first time and there's an odd gentleness to him. His expression is ice cold but he seems more settled, content. "You will fail. At first."

Wangji feels his heart still for a small moment before it starts racing, "Fail?"

"Aiya, Lan Zhan, be gentle." Mo-quanbei says softly before moving around his future self. His smile towards Wangji is softest, most loving expression he has ever faced, "Don't worry too much, little Lan Zhan," Wangji is a bit too mesmerized to protest but Wei Ying does so on his behalf, "Just be who you are deep inside and everything will work out."

He doesn't know what kind of expression he wears because Mo-quanbei sighs and turns around to look at his older self, silently communicating.

Wei Ying is looking at him, his gaze sharp and contemplative. His eyes flicker towards his older self and he leans forward, expression curious once again, "Are we friends?"

Lan Wangji glances at Wangji before turning to Wei Ying, "He isn't worthy of your friendship yet, Wei Ying."

"Lan Zhan!" Mo-quanbei protests and his older self doesn't waver.

"But in time, he earns his place in your life and is your most trusted companion."

Mo-quanbei huffs, "If you're going to be mean to my Lan Zhan, I'm going to be mean to your Wei Ying."

Wangji feels rattled and meets Wei Ying's wide eyes helplessly. "You need to stop needling him." Mo-quanbei says, waving a finger at Wei Ying. "Be gentle, stop teasing him so harshly."

"But Wei-xiong teases everyone." Nie Huaisang says, "That's just his way of showing affection!

Wei Ying, oddly enough, straightens and focuses completely on Mo-quanbei. "He hasn't had anyone like you in his life. Sometimes you need to change your way of acquiring friendships, Wei Ying."

"Why does it matter?" Jiang Wanyin protests, "Lan Wangji hates him! Wei Wuxian should stop bothering him."

"No."

Wangji looks at his older self, surprised to hear an echo of his denial.

"Never hated Wei Ying." He says and his heart aches when Wei Ying looks at him in surprise.

His older self nods, "Never." He places a hand on Wei Ying's back and starts guiding him away, "We must talk."

Wangji makes to follow them but Mo-quanbei smiles and guides him away, "We are with me, little Lan Zhan!" He says cheerfully.

The story that follows makes his heart race and gut twist in fear.

"Wei Ying," He breathes when Mo-quanbei reveals who he really is, "You-"

"Aiya, don't worry too much. Just work together and I am confident you'll succeed!" Wei Ying pats his cheek and Wangji remains utterly still, soaking in the warmth of the man's hand.

Wei Ying expression is so full of love, Wangji can't help but lean into the palm a little, "Are we... friends?"

Wei Ying laughs, "Ah, Lan Zhan," He reaches up and tugs meaningfully at his forehead ribbon, "We are much more than that."

He swallows, struggling to deal with the flood of elation and nervousness sweeping through him.

When they rejoin the others, he can't help but seek his Wei Ying out. Silver eyes meet his gaze for a moment before flicking away.

There's an enchanting little blush riding high on Wei Ying's cheeks.

'Much more than that,' He thinks, feeling an odd flutter of hope in his chest, 'Wei Ying.'

(this turned out to be a little softer and less teasing. I always imagined that WWX and LWJ will be very kind to their younger selves, knowing what kind of trauma they're about to face.)

269 notes • Posted 2021-07-03 14:17:34 GMT

You know what would be interesting?

JC never lost his golden Core.

And Wei Wuxian did not lose his.

But he still gets dropped into the Burial Mounds. And like I dunno how, but he comes out of there having mastered the new form of cultivation.

Jiang Cheng acts like a dick that's par for cannon. And this Wei Wuxian who has survived the burial Mounds with his golden core intact has no time for his drama.

He definitely confesses to Lan Wangji o ce he is out of the burial mounds.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in the Sunshot campain would be brilliant. Cultivating and * *wink wink nudge nudge* * dual cultivating.

JC is seething with jelousy. He has everything. The gentry name, the money and sect leadership but the whole world is only speaking about Wei Wuxian and his like awesome cultivation. Both the sword style and with his flute.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning- Wen Ning convinces his sister to join the war. Wen Ning wants to be on Wei Wuxian's side.

What would JC throw a tantrum over if he doesn't have anything to throw a tantrum over??

Like for example he blames Wei Wuxian for Lotus Pier burning. Obviously it's not his mistake. But one day he is yelling at Wei Wuxian about it and sect leader someone maybe XiChen, maybe Sect leader Nie. Whoever. Comes and like defends Wei Wuxian.

What would he do then faced with the facts? Cling all the more to his warped world view? Or apologize?

It will be interesting to see.

You don't have to take this prompt if it's too messy or whatever. I love you and your writing.

Also, thank you for choosing to write my previous prompt.

XOXO.

(this is a little similar to trapped and patient but also quite different. Hope you like it! The format is a bit different because this is a lot of time to cover in a short prompt)

When he stumbles out of the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian is stunned. He can't believe he made it, that he was able to survive it, without his sword.

Wei Wuxian walks forward shakily, one unsteady step at a time, putting distance between him and that wretched place.

He feels weak, drained, devastated in small ways.

But he is free.

---

Yiling offers shelter in unexpected ways. He's able to hide in a temple to recover. His condition is wretched enough that he's mistaken for a beggar. A few people take pity on him and offer fruits and buns.

It takes him a week.

That's all it takes for him to recover.

Wei Wuxian washes all traces of Burial Mounds off him, soaks in icy river water for hours on end until he feels purified and reforged.

Now, he's ready for revenge.

---

Wei Wuxian has only tried his cultivation method on the dead. He has used it to repel the fierce corpses, fierce ghosts, and spirits soaked in resentment.

When he tests the method on the Wens, it proves to be even more effective. They scramble like mindless beasts, driven by fear and confusion. The sounds of his Dizi pierce the air and induce madness.

He watches from a distance, indifferent as the Wens turn on each other, swinging their swords, shouting at phantoms, all sense and intellect gone.

He turns away.

---

Jiang Cheng's arms wrap around him and the fog around his mind starts to slowly recede. He stands stiffly, blinking a little before looking beyond his martial brother.

Lan Zhan is there, staring at him with wide eyes. There's so much open concern on his usually stoic face that Wei Wuxian wants to turn away.

"Wei Ying,"

It is only then, under the power of that golden gaze, that his fugue state dissipates. He sees Lan Zhan step forward, almost reaching out only to pull back at the last moment.

Jiang Cheng pushes him away and punches his shoulder, "Where have you been? How dare you abandon us and just frolic off somewhere?"

Wei Wuxian swalllows with difficulty and answers their questions with his habitual dismissive charm.

But that honest expression of open concern on Lan Zhan's beautiful face doesn't leave.

He meets those golden eyes and feels something shift within him.

Shaking his head, he dismisses the feeling. There's no time for sentimental reunions. He turns his attention towards Wen Chao, unsheathes his sword, and kills him in one clean strike.

There. Done.

---

The war is already in full swing by the time he joins it. His martial brother and Lan Zhan are quick to take him to Qinghe, not even letting him ride his own sword.

"Wei-gongzi, I'm happy to see you safe," Lan Xichen greets, running a discreet eye over him. The older Lan brother's concern is well hidden but Wei Wuxian senses it nevertheless.

The man looks like he's just about ready to banish him to the healing halls.

He opens his mouth to reassure Lan Xichen but Nie Mingjue intervenes, slapping his back solidly, "I hear you're responsible for the devastation at Yiling. Good work!"

Wei Wuxian smiles brightly, hoping to banish that increasingly familiar look from Lan Zhan's face. "Thank you, Nie-zongzhu." He smiles up at the man, "I can give you a full report of what happened if you wish it."

The Chifeng-zun's expression shifts into one of approval and he nods, "I do wish it."

"I would like to know as well, if you don't mind," Lan Xichen says and Nie Mingjue nods before he glances at Lan Zhan.

He chuckles, "Lan er-gonzi can join us as well."

---

Wei Wuxian doesn't realize he's been spending more time with the Lan brothers and Nie Mingjue until Jiang Cheng angrily points it out.

"You're too good for us, are you?" He demands, "Abandoning us in favor of your new friends! Even in the battlefield, you and Lan Wangji are inseparable! Have some shame! How dare you abandon your responsibilities and mess around with that man?"

"a-Cheng," Shijie reprimands gently but her voice is weak.

"Aiya, Jiang Cheng, who keeps track of such things amidst a war? They're all our allies. It's not like I have abandoned everyone." He still trains with the Jiang disciples and leads them in battle after all.

"Wei Wuxian!"

"Jiang Cheng," His voice makes his irritation clear, "Is this really the right time to worry about such trivial matters? Who cares about appearances during war? Are were not all one when on the battlefield?" He asks, narrowing his eyes on the furious Jiang, "We don't know whether we'll live or die when we ride out and you're concerned about who fights alongside me? Just who are you speaking of?"

"Who I am speaking of?" Jiang Cheng snaps in return, "Your obsession with that man is unseemly and reflects poorly on the sect! You know it and yet you carry on shamelessly-"

"My obsession?" He demands, "Just what are you trying to imply, Jiang Cheng? You're going to be a brat just because Lan Zhan happens to be the only one able to keep up with me?" It is no secret that his three month stint sharpened his cultivation in ways people find hard to fathom. He didn’t just develop a new cultivation method, he grew. Surviving the Burial Mounds is a feet beyond the skill and endurance of most cultivators.

Wei Wuxian has earned his already formidable reputation.

Jiang Cheng reels back at the reminder, his face twisting with rage.

Never let it be said that Wei Wuxian takes things lying down. He has spent a lifetime appeasing Jiang Cheng and dealing with his insecurities.

He no longer has the patience.

---

He reaches out instinctively, pulling Lan Zhan out of a blade's path, spinning around to block the strike with his bare arm.

His thick leather brace manages to minimize the damage and he doesn't lose his arm but it is a near thing.

With a hiss, he crowds against Lan Zhan and brings Suibian down in a sharp slash, cutting the Wen before him from left shoulder to right hip.

"Reckless." Lan Zhan says later as he carefully stitches the cut.

"I couldn't let you get hurt." Wei Wuxian says softly, peering down at the kneeling figure before him. He has seen Lan Zhan in various states of indignity, covered in blood, robes soaked in the disgusting sludge of a war-torn field.

Nothing diminishes his beauty.

Wei Wuxian's heart races, his head spinning as he smells the scent of sandalwood. He swallows as Lan Zhan shifts closer, carefully snipping the excess thread and studying his neat stitches.

This close, he feels overwhelmed and realization dawns.

"I love you," He breathes, stunned.

He loves Lan Zhan. The knowledge strikes him now, suddenly, without warning. "How did I not know?" Wei Wuxian feels strangely dazed. How could he not know? It is so obvious to him, his constant need for Lan Zhan's attention, "I hate it when you ignore me." The feeling of those snapping golden eyes on him when he finally manages to gain Lan Zhan's attention, "It's thrilling when you don't."

He has never met anyone more beautiful, "I find you better looking than any maiden." Lan Zhan's proximity now makes him feel-, "Breathless," He says, "When I'm close to you I feel- how did I miss-"

Lan Zhan grip is like vice around his wrist.

Wei Wuxian stops, going pale as he realizes how brazenly he had just confessed love to a man. If Jiang Cheng were here, he'd definitely gut him with Sandu, "Lan Zhan, I-"

Lan Zhan surges forward, eyes blazing and expression dark.

Warm lips slide over his and his mind goes silent.

He doesn't think a single thought that night.

---

War doesn't wait for anyone and Wei Wuxian doesn't say anything in protest when Lan Zhan pulls away from him. He watches with heavy eyes as Lan Zhan shrugs on his discarded outer robes and glances at him.

"Is your body alright?" He asks and Wei Wuxian feels a blush crawl up his neck.

“No! Of course it isn’t,“ He complains even though his body is buzzing with lingering pleasure. He pouts up at Lan Zhan, who studies him with careful golden eyes, “Really, going on and on, taking your pleasure without any care for my virgin body.“ Lan Zhan’s ears are delightfully red, “Who knew er-gege could be so bold?“

“Wei Ying,“ Lan Zhan’s expression is flat but his voice carries a hint of a waver. Wei Wuxian just grins in response, “Be serious.“

In all honesty, his body is already back to its regular state of being. His Golden Core is still spinning furiously and the lingering energy from Dual Cultivation has healed any aches and pains he might have.

“Fine,“ He says in a petulant tune, inwardly delighted that Lan Zhan is now his, “But er-gege must kiss me to make me feel better.”

Lan Zhan doesn’t hesitate, leaning over him and gently tipping his chin up for the demanded kiss.

Wei Wuxian sighs, sinking into it as a curtain of silken black hair forms a private cocoon around him.

---

The war ends but Wei Wuxian’s problems don’t end with it. Three issues stand before him; helping the Wen remnants, helping rebuild YunmengJiang, and figuring out how to marry Lan Zhan.

One obstacle stands in the way of two of these three goals. Jiang Cheng absolutely refuses to lift a finger to help the Wen remnants, even though Wen Qing’s assistance helped them win the war. Jin Guangyao may have killed Wen Ruohan but Wen Qing prevented thousands of casualties.

Wen Ning was also responsible for rescuing Jiang Cheng from the Wen capture before he lost his Golden Core. It was fortunate that Wen Zhuliu had been called to visit Wen Ruohan and Wen Chao had to wait to enact that punishment.

Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian managed to steal Jiang Cheng away just hours before Wen Zhuliu returned.

And yet, Jiang Cheng chooses to side with the Jins on the matter instead of listening to Lan Xichen or Nie Mingjue. Wei Wuxian knows it is partly because their sister is marrying into the Jin clan and they can’t afford to make things difficult for her, but still.

Jin Zixuan will obviously protect shijie. There’s no need to be so cautious, especially if three out of four sects oppose imposing any sort of punishment on innocent people.

On a personal front, Jiang Cheng’s disapproval of his relationship with Lan Zhan is blatant.

Jiang Cheng can’t really stop Wei Wuxian from marrying whoever he wishes. He doens’t need the sect leader’s permission as he’s not really the member of the family. But his shidi is making things difficult with his sneering disapproval and contemptuous comments in public.

He has already alienated Lan Xichen completely by calling Lan Zhan’s honor in question (boy did he earn the punch Wei Wuxian had leveled at him - sect leader or no). Nie Mingjue will never side with some upstart over Lan Xichen.

Lan Zhan himself doesn’t care. He has never liked Jiang Cheng and he never will. He only retaliates when Jiang Cheng tries to attack Wei Wuxian.

His protective er-gege as no tolerance for anyone trying to harm him.

Which is what, ultimately, breaks Wei Wuxian’s ties with YunmengJiang.

The confrontation is embarrassingly public. He doesn’t mind Lan Xichen or Nie Mingjue being present but feels upset about Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao being there as well.

“Twin Prides of Yungmeng, isn’t that what you promised me?“ Jiang Cheng demands, “Where will your pride be if you break all of your promises and get into...” He waves his hand at Lan Zhan in disgust, “Is this how you intend to repay us? My father raised you to be the Head Disciple of the Jiang Sect and you would rather be some sort of deviant?“

“Jiang Cheng-“

“And you would side with the Wen dogs too! Was this always your intention? Did you always want to bring down my sect and support its enemies?”

“The Wen remnants have helped us. They’re not our enemies.“

“They’re not our enemies now,“ Jin Guanyao interjects calmly, his voice soothing and patient, “But surely you see that it may not remain so? We cannot risk another war.”

“They’re barely a few hundred people and we have already taken most of their resources. They’ll live as poor peasants. How can they be a threat to us?“ Wei Wuxian asks.

“You’re indeed naïve, Wei-gongzi,“ Jin Guangshan says in a gentle, placating tone, “Perhaps your fondness for Wen-guniang is making you turn a blind eye. Beautiful women have a tendency to do that.“ He chuckles indulgently.

The sly implication in his tone isn’t lost on anyone. Lan Zhan’s expression turns frosty and Wei Wuxian feels a surge of fury strong enough to make his blood boil. There are so many things wrong with that statement that Wei Wuxian, for once, is rendered speechless.

“You question the honor of Wei Wuxian of all people?“ Nie Mingjue demands, taking a step forward, “I have stayed silent because Jiang Sect business isn’t my business but I will not have you slander and belittle a proven warrior in my presence!“

“Indeed,“ Lan Xichen says calmly but there’s no mistaking the sharp look in his eyes. Lan Xichen rarely reacts to provocations or interferes in sect matters that don’t concern him. But he’s not going to let anyone upset his younger brother carelessly, “The matter of the Wens is easy to resolve. Let us give them a small piece of land, let them set up a village, and forbid cultivation among them.“

“Er-ge,“ Jin Guangyao begins but Lan Zhan is out of patience.

He steps back and bows to all assembled before placing a hand on Wei Wuxian’s back, “Wei Ying will choose his own path. Wens will remain free. Wei Ying and I will marry.“ He meets Jiang Cheng’s furious gaze, “Jiang-zongzhu must decide whether his brother’s happiness matters to him.“

Wei Wuxian winces.

“My brother’s happiness?“ Jiang Cheng demands, “All everyone has ever cared about is his happiness! What about me? What about our Sect? A sect he nearly destroyed because of his loyalty towards you.“ Jiang Cheng looks at him, “Did you forget my mother? My father? How do you intend to repay the enormous debt you carry, Wei Wuxian?“

Wei Wuxian stares back at him, “What is my repayment, Jiang Cheng?” He asks softly, “What will it take for you to consider that debt repaid?” It has been over five years since the fall of Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian has bled and slogged through war to restore that place to its former glory. He has kept Jiang Cheng safe, helped renegotiate shijie’s marriage, and used his name to draw skilled cultivators to YungmengJiang.

What more can he give?

“Loyalty.“ He stills, “You devote your life to YungmengJiang and nothing else.“

Lan Xichen makes a faint, alarmed noise while Nie Mingjue huffs in disapproval.

Wei Wuxian takes a deep breath, feeling Lan Zhan’s fingers flex on his back. He levels a flat look at Jiang Cheng and thinks on the matter of debts. He thinks about Madam Yu’s refusal to bend, of Jiang-zongzhu’s passivity and lack of planning. He thinks about the Wen’s unprovoked attack on Cloud Recesses and the inevitability of war.

He thinks of his Lan Zhan and shijie’s Jin Zixuan, without swords and facing an armed group of Wens under Wen Chao’s orders.

He thinks of love. Of what it means to be truly, unconditionally loved.

No sorrys and no thank yous. No debt owed for simply being a part of someone’s life.

He thinks of acceptance that comes with an older brother’s amused smile. He thinks of an uncle’s gruff admonishment to behave followed by a stiff reminder to eat, you’re skin and bones already.

He takes a deep breath and decides.

“No.“

299 notes • Posted 2021-07-08 12:12:39 GMT

(what can i say? I felt inspired by this beautiful scene. Surprise?)

Father

“He’s a lot like his mother,” Lan Xichen looks up to see his uncle come to stand beside them. He glances at the man between them to see a familiar smile on an unfamiliar face.

It is a marvel - just how much Wei Wuxian resembles his parents in action and personality.

It was an accident that led them to this situation. The juniors stumbled across an unknown array and accidentally activated it. It was only Wei Wuxian’s quick reaction that ensured they were out of harm’s way quickly. Xichen had been present and had seen the array’s energy brush against his brother-in-law even though he managed to avoid most of it.

The result of the accident? Two long-dead people, revived.

“Coming from you, that can’t be a compliment.” Wei Changze has a quiet tone of voice, much different from Wei Wuxian’s. But he speaks in a similar cadence - musical and attention-grabbing. His smile is amused and affectionate as he gazes at his wife and adult son.

Xichen hides his own smile when his uncle purses his lips and clears his throat, “Do not assume,” Lan Qiren says stiffly, “He is my family now. I bear him no ill-will.”

Wei Changze’s eyes are softer than his son’s but no less intelligent. He glances at Lan Qiren, his lips curving gently, “Won you over, has he?”

Lan Qiren has no reply for him.

“He resembles you a great deal too,” Lan Xichen says. Not in physical appearance because Wei Wuxian’s current body is somewhat different. But there’s an echo of Wei Changze in his gestures and posture.

How very interesting.

“In character, certainly.” Xichen stiffens and Wei Changze’s amiable expression cools a little. Fixing a polite smile, Lan Xichen greets Jiang Wanyin with a nod while Wei Changze bows in exactly the proper manner.

Lan Xichen has come to know his brother-in-law well enough to know that bow, as elegant and proper as it is, is nowhere near respectful.

Jiang Wanyin is scarcely less aware and his eyes narrow with irritation and distaste. “He’s just like you - willing to abandon his responsibilities in favor of-” He gestures towards Cangse Sanren pointedly before his eyes travel to Wangji, who has been watching his husband and mother-in-law with an expression of absolute contentment.

Nothing makes Wangji happier than seeing his Wei Ying happy.

“Forgetting all of his debts and duties to live as he pleases, while others suffer the consequences. As always.”

Wei Changze elegantly crosses his arms behind his back and studies Jiang Wanyin with a father’s gaze; gentle, assessing, and knowing. “Jiang-zongzhu is his mother’s son, I see.”

Jiang Wanyin stiffens immediately, “What do you mean?”

Wei Changze studies him for a moment longer before looking back at his family, “Death is a strange thing, especially for a parent. We don’t know what happens to the people we leave behind but-” His gaze is oddly sharp, “But when our children are at their most desperate, something in them reaches out. I have had glimpses of him all these years, Jiang-zongzhu.”

Jiang Wanyin is still, his expression frozen but eyes wary.

“You’re not a father. I pray you never feel what I felt when your mother tore the skin off his back with her whip. Not for treachery or theft, but for breaking his own arm.”

Xichen barely stops his gasp and his uncle is no better, glancing at them sharply, his eyes slightly wide.

“I pray you never see your child make excuse after excuse for the mischief of others; encouraged by their shidi to take the blame. I pray you never know what it is like to see a man you consider your brother ignore it all.” Wei Changze’s voice is shockingly mild and soft but the words are sharper than a cultivator’s blade.

“I saw you mock him for his fear of dogs and remembered seeing a small, fragile little boy - my boy - being attacked by starved animals on the street. I saw you steal the best meats from his bowl, unknowing or unwilling to remember that my son survived on discarded waste for years.”

Wei Changze looks at Jiang Wanyin with a steady, patient gaze and the Jiang-zongzhu doesn’t have the face to meet it.

“I saw you strangle him and blame him for your parents’ death. I saw him tear out his Golden Core and give it to you out of love and nothing less. You turned that into a debt.” Jiang Wanyin locked his jaw, “I saw you and my son come to an accord. I saw you not saying a word in his defense. I saw you gut my child in a staged fight. I saw you declare him the enemy when explaining the situation would’ve been far easier. I saw everything that came after. But you know something, Jiang-zongzhu?”

Jiang Wanyin looks ahead, his expression stiff.

“I haven’t seen my son once since he has been in Cloud Recesses with his husband.”

Xichen feels something clench in his chest.

“All the years he spent at the Lotus Pier, he called to me. He called to his mother. He didn’t utter a word. Like his mother had taught him, he forgot all offenses against him. He focused on grasping every bit of happiness that came his way. He moved on but his soul still asked for protection.”

“So what? It’s our fault? You blame us?” Jiang Wanyin demands, “Were we supposed to coddle him like some spoiled child?”

“Do Lans coddle anyone?” Wei Changze asks sardonically and that silences Jiang-zongzhu.

“Baba,”

They glance over to see Wei Wuxian studying them with pursed lips. Cangse Sanren is by her son, her expression unreadable.

Wangji is pale.

‘Ah,’ Lan Xichen thinks sadly, ‘Wei Wuxian hasn’t shared some of this with Wangji.’

“Aiya,” Cangse Sanren sighs, “Your baba is always so protective, a-Ying. Your poor mother’s heart can’t take it!”

Immediately, the air changes, and Wei Changze looks to the sky, his face slightly flushed. Wei Wuxian is grinning and Wangji is looking away, his ears tinged red.

Xichen bites back a smile.

‘Like mother, like son, it seems.’

Jiang-zongzhu scoffs and spins around, unwilling to face more censure. Wei Changze doesn’t say anything but there’s something dark and grim in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, Xichen feels a pang of guilt as well. Wangji had spoken to him, cautioned him but Xichen hadn’t thought to dig deeper. If only...

“I am sorry.”

They all turn to Wei Wuxian, who is looking at his father with a pained smile, “I… I didn’t know I was reaching out to you and disrupting your peace,” he looks genuinely remorseful and Xichen’s heart aches for him. Wei Wuxian has never shared his burdens willingly. It is rare for him to do so, even now with Wangji by his side.

“Don’t be silly, baobao,” the childish address makes Wei Wuxian chuckle a bit. Cangse Sanren reaches forward to tuck his bangs away gently, her palm resting on her son’s cheek. Her expression is almost painfully soft, filled to brim with tenderness and affection. “We brought you into this world. It is our duty and right to bear your pain and your joy.”

“You said you haven’t seen him since he joined us here,” Wangji speaks up unexpectedly, looking at Wei Changze with his direct, unflinching eyes.

The Weis exchange glances before Wei Changze chuckles, “I imagine if he needs comfort or protection, he seeks you, Lan Wangji.”

“Not once?” Wangji asks, uncharacteristically so. Something about Wangji’s expression is off. Wei Wuxian certainly notices it before he calls his husband’s name softly, placing a hand on Wangji’s arm in concern.

Wei Changze, it seems, understands, “It is difficult to love him, isn’t it?”

Wei Wuxian stiffens but his father’s expression is gentle, “It is always difficult to love someone so insistent on letting all hurts go. You want to take on the world on their behalf but they don’t want you to. My wife is like that. Your husband gets it from her.” Cangse Sanren huffs but doesn’t disagree. “So forgiving that you start to wonder - is it true forgiveness or are they hiding their pain from us?”

“Are you bonding over my faults?” Wei Wuxian demands, his expression irritated but eyes amused.

“You’re without fault,” Wangji says calmly and Xichen feels a rush of amusement once again at Wei Wuxian’s blush.

“Lan Zhan! Not in front of my parents!” Wei Wuxian protests as his mother laughs delightedly, leaning against her husband with a pleased twinkle in her eye.

The conversation ends there and they enjoy a merry dinner soon after. They’re all due to leave for Cloud Recesses soon, the intersect competition they had attended in Yunmeng is over and most sects have departed already.

There’s no question of the Weis staying at Yunmeng. Xichen is certain there’s a place for them in Cloud Recesses.

Later that night, when he spots Wangji walking along the inn’s garden path with Wei Changze, Xichen lingers to observe. They seem to be conversing seriously but the air around them is relaxed. Wangji looks content, as he almost always does these days.

Wei Changze’s expression when he looks at Wangji is full of warmth and approval.

Xichen smiles.

His brother has done well for himself.

385 notes • Posted 2021-08-06 17:46:19 GMT

Post-post-post cannon Wangxian being completely in love in the cloud recessess as teenagers who time travelled back to their own 16-17 year old bodies on accident.

In love. Wangxian are in love. In love. Just smooph and fluff.

Like they're effortlessly in love. (No matter how much Jiang Cheng yells and ties to control Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian casually refuses to hear any of it, as he'd been ignoring Jiang Cheng's homophobia and hate forever by the time they both came back by accident. )

Also wwx doesn't hide his genius and every one around him is like senpai *heart eyes* (honestly he's almost forgotten how to hide his effortless genius.)

(Just FYI, don't have to include this: this Wei Wuxian has long since come to terms with all his war and Sunshot and Shiji related trauma— just FYI.)

I just want to read as much of the smooph, smushy fluff and love you can stomach writing please.

Extra points if you can show them both just effortlessly and absentmindedly flirting.

(You don't have to incude this, but: They just take like a weekend off and go raze the main Wen family to the ground casually— back late with Starbucks— "We were night hunting. What do you mean the Wen family died? So sad. We feel so bad. Don't we feel bad?" " Mm. Feel bad.")

Thank you so much for existing in this fandom. I love your fics. I love you. 💖

Xichen is proud of his brother but he can't deny that he is sometimes concerned for him as well. Wangji is a dedicated and accomplished disciple but he is isolated from his peers. Xichen has friends and confidants but Wangji is simply content to be by himself.

That is concerning, even for a Lan.

He had hopes that incoming disciples would manage to shake him up a little but that hope didn't last long. Year after year, Wangji continued to remain aloof, not expressing any interest in the disciples.

But something has changed this year. Xichen didn't even know what was going on until a few weeks into the introduction of the guest disciples.

He spots them by chance. Young Master Wei is cheerfully waving at a vendor, his smile wide and bright, ensnaring the old woman's entire attention.

Wangji is right by him, Bichen in one hand but the other…

The other is placed on the small of Wei-gongzi's back.

Xichen watches as they move on from the vendor. He sees how Wangji seems to shield Wei-gongzi from the crowd, angling his body slightly to ensure his companion can walk freely.

It is a gesture of protectiveness. It is a gesture of possession.

Xichen studies their body language carefully. Wangji seems content to follow Wei-gongzi around, his expression closed but gentle. There are no frosty glares or pursed lips. His brother, for once, looks entirely relaxed. Everything about him is loose and easy underneath all of his Lan elegance. His shoulders slope gently, his spine isn't as rigid, and his walk is steady.

The First Jade has never seen his brother look so settled.

Wei Wuxian seems happy too, his smile incandescent and lovely. Almost as tall as Wangji, the boy is the very antithesis of his brother. While Wangji is sedate and content, Wei Wuxian is nearly bursting with energy and joy. His silver eyes sparkle in the sunlight and his long hair sways with every movement of his body.

Xichen's heart softens at the glimpse of such open beauty. There's certainly something alluring about Young Master Wei. He seems to suffuse his surroundings with happiness.

There's something in the air around them.

Despite his lively mind wandering from one stall to another, Wei-gongzi always finds his way back to Wangji, looking at him with a hopeful smile and a cheerful comment.

His brother's expression is unfamiliar to him. Wangji looks like his entire world is smiling up at him.

'Is this love?' He wonders to himself as he watches his brother gently pull Wei-gongzi out of a running child's way. He doesn't miss how the touch lingers, fingers curling slightly around the slender wrist before pulling away.

There are many eyes following Wangji and his friend, and all of them have indulgent expressions. The people of Caiyi town have seen Wangji since he was a child. They know him and his nature well enough.

Xichen suspects they're just as happy to see Wangji roaming the markets leisurely as a pretty butterfly flutters around him.

"Is that Lan Wangji?" Nei Mingjue observes, stepping up beside him.

Xichen nods, "And his friend, Wei Wuxian."

"Hm," his friend says, "I've been hearing that name a lot recently. They say the only reason Jin Zuxian beat him in the rankings is because of his looks."

Xichen chuckles at Mingjue's tone, "Ah, Da-ge, you must hate that."

His friend rolls his eyes, taking a sip of his tea. "How do looks matter when you're facing down Fierce Corpses?"

"From what shufu says, Young Master Wei is Wangji's equal in many ways." Shufu had been wary at first, wondering what sort of chaos the son of Cangse Sanren would bring to Cloud Recesses. So far, Wei Wuxian has proven to be a mischievous but brilliant student. "He challenges shufu in class. They end up having loud, angry debates," Xichen chuckles because he knows his uncle, despite all appearances, loves being stimulated, "He mentions the boy often." There's a comment about Wei Wuxian almost every time he has tea with his uncle.

He looks at the two younger master's thoughtfully, "I didn't expect this."

"Are they courting?" Nei Mingjue asks bluntly, "Because your little brother is acting like a husband already."

Xichen stills and looks at the pair again. That is what's off about their body language. They move around each other confidently, not like a young couple in fresh blooms of love.

There are no tentative glances, awkward touches, and hyperawareness. Wangji touches Wei Wuxian like it is his right. Like he is confident that his touch is welcome and desired.

For a moment, he feels a pang of worry. Xichen looks at Wei Wuxian, studying him carefully to see if there's any sign of strain or distress.

He finds nothing. Wei-gongzi responds to every gesture of affection like a flower blooming under the Sun.

"Ah." He realizes, "You think…?"

"Strong bonds form quickly between cultivators with matching potential." Nei Mingjue observes, "It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. Your brother looks a little too enamored for this to be a teenage fancy."

Well, isn't this an interesting development?

---

"Your hair looks nice," Nie Huaisang says, hiding a smile behind his fan. Wei-xiong always looks good but there's something particularly radiant about him now. He seems to stand a bit taller, carry himself with a bit more confidence. His gestures seem stronger, somehow carrying more authority than before.

But the hair intrigues him. There's a glittering silver hairpiece in it and the strands of ebony are tied up in a neat style.

Neater than Wei-xiong's usual style. While Huaisang is certain Wei-xiong is perfectly capable of making himself as elegant as the Jades of Lan, he usually doesn't bother.

This was done by someone else's careful, loving, hand.

Jiang Yanli isn't at Cloud Recesses and Jiang Cheng would rather burn his own hands than show even an ounce of love towards his shixiong - something pricks when he thinks about that.

So there's someone else, someone willing to comb Wei-xiong's hair until every strand is glossy and straight, before tying it up with a silver and jade pin that looks expensive.

Wei-xiong is courting- no, he corrects himself, watching his friend wave enthusiastically at Lan Wangji, 'Wei-xiong is being courted.'

Wangji-xiong bows to his brother and walks towards Wei-xiong, his gaze softer than usual. His friend is smiling widely and immediately dissolves into excited chatter. Wangji-xiong doesn't seem bothered, just nodding occasionally and watching with indulgent patience.

There's something entirely lovely about the way Wangji-xiong's eyes remain fixed on Wei Wuxian's face. It is like nothing else is more important to him than Wei-xiong's smile and cheerful voice.

Standing together in the courtyard, both clad in white and glowing under the warm light of the morning sun, they look stunning. Huaisang's romantic heart sighs at the sight.

"What is he doing?" Jiang Wanyin hisses and Huaisang looks at him, startled by his icy tone, "I can't believe he's making a nuisance of himself again!"

"Jiang-gongzi-"

"Wei Wuxian! What are you doing, messing around?"

The loud voice catches almost everyone's attention. Wei-xiong looks over his shoulder and Wangji-xiong's expression turns frosty, all warmth draining from it immediately.

"Aiya, Jiang Cheng," Wei-xiong grins but it doesn't have that sheepish, placating quality that Huaisang had seen before, on those rare occasions he visited Lotus Pier with his da-ge. This grin was full of confidence and almost... dismissal. "Why are you angry now?"

Was that tone... mocking?

Huaisang's lips twitch as Jiang-gongzi swells further with rage, "Wei Wuxian! How can you be so shameless? Imposing yourself on Lan Wangji, always trying to distract him. Think of our sect's reputation for once!"

"Do not speak for me." Wangji-xiong's voice is icy and it cuts Jiang-gongzi's rant short immediately, "Wei Ying is free to seek me out whenever he wishes. No one may stop him."

And that seems to be that. Wei-xiong laughs and Wangji-xiong guides him away gently like he's someone delicate and not the strongest cultivator of their generation.

But, Huaisang muses, even strong people deserve gentleness.

---

"Da-shixiong! Show us that one again," A Jiang disciple demands and Wangji looks up from his work. He has clear sight of the training ground from where he's sitting. Wei Ying is standing in the middle, surrounded by a few Jiang and Lan disciples.

They're all looking at him in adoration.

Wangji feels a flood of amusement and sets his work aside, content to take a small break. It is always a treat to see his husband in his element; teaching people and nurturing young minds. They may be back in their teenage bodies, but their soul is much older.

Wei Ying, with his natural ability to charm juniors and his hard-earned wisdom, is the perfect teacher.

"It is amusing to see you so smitten," Wangji looks up to see his brother smiling at him, "Wei-gongzi must be very special, yes?"

His brother probably aims to fluster him, he is so fond of teasing Wangji. But Wangji had been Wei Ying's husband for more than a decade before an accident sent them back in time. He is no longer flustered or overwhelmed by his feelings. "Very special," He agrees, unable to help glancing back at his beloved, "Very lovely."

Xichen chuckles, "He is indeed lovely." His expression turns sly, "Do I need to speak with Uncle? Betrothal negotiations may be complicated in this case."

Wangji remains unphased, "You may," He says calmly, much to his brother's surprise, "Wei Ying will marry into the Lans. Give no concession to the Jiangs. He is just their Head Disciple, not the part of the family."

"Wangji," His brother breathes, "You're that invested?"

"Un. Will marry Wei Ying. Give him a better life. A life of dignity, freedom, and respect. Free of unnecessary debt that no one should foist on a child."

That is enough for Xichen to understand. His gaze turns solemn and he looks at Wei Ying carefully, "If that is what you wish, brother, you will have it."

---

Wangji feels his heart still when he steps into the library pavilion. He gazes at the scene before him, feeling the stiff formality of his expression melt away.

Wei Ying is beautiful, sitting there and reading peacefully. The evening sunlight envelopes him, giving him an ethereal glow. He traces his husband's features, feeling something akin to desperate love. It has been so since he saw this face and this body. Mo Xuanyu didn't lack beauty and Wei Ying's radiant personality had only added to it.

But this is Wei Ying's true body.

Helplessly drawn, he steps forward. "Xingan."

Wei Ying looks up, startled to hear such an endearment aloud. Immediately, his face is aglow with a pretty blush even as he laughs teasingly, "Lan Zhan! Don't be so bold!"

He walks towards Wei Ying and settles down by him, closer than truly appropriate but this is his husband. "Research?"

Wei Ying smiles, drawing Wangji's attention to his lips. There's no one in the library so Wangji permits himself the touch, reaching forward to gently caress them, "Such beauty." He whispers.

Wei Ying blushes again, "Er-gege," He protests, "Have mercy on my heart."

His fingers slide under Wei Ying's jaw, drawing him in gently. His husband is sweet and compliant as Wangji kisses him, an innocent brush of lips and nothing more. "My Wei Ying." His voice is low, heated in ways Wei Ying recognizes. He watches as those enchanting silver eyes brighten with passion.

His Wei Ying buries his warm face in his neck with a moan of protest, "Mercy, husband. You're so cruel to tease me like this when you can't take me to bed."

It is indeed a challenge to not have their 'everyday' but Wangji can be patient. Xiongzhang is already working on it.

For now, he is content.

They sit like that for a long time, Wei Ying leaning against him, trusting and calm. No one disturbs them and Xichen only stops by once, smiling knowingly in their direction and pointedly ignoring Wangji's restraining hand around Wei Ying's waist, stopping him from pulling away.

They spend the rest of the evening exchanging soft murmurs and softer kisses.

Nothing will stand in their way this time.

411 notes • Posted 2021-07-12 08:41:28 GMT

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beautifulterriblequeen · 3 years

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Trickster: an Ethari theory

I've had yea many Ethari headcanons, and I hope I live to have yea many more. Most of them are probably wrong, or incomplete at best. But boy are they fun.

I love to wonder what Ethari will really be like in canon when we get to know him for more than 3 minutes, but whoever he really is on his own, he will have an effect on Runaan , Rayla, and everyone who loves him, because they love him.

The first headcanon I can remember having for "Tinker" was that he could be like Leonardo da Vinci: a genius, creative, surrounded by beautiful ideas given shape by his hands, but also capable of creating deadly weapons, enchantments, and devices with equal beauty, and perhaps not really seeing where the line between them was. It was fun, but Ethari has ended up far softer than my headcanon, and I love and support him in his softness!

After a nice string of Ethari headcanons, this year I've started poking at the Trickster archetype and seeing if it applies to him. And I think it absolutely does!

Tricksters often seem like Chaos. But they're not. They're just Difference. "Chaos" is subjective. Like the "divergent" in "neurodivergent." Who says? Divergent from what, exactly? Perspective matters, and Tricksters have a very broad take on things which allows them to think outside any box people might try to invite them into.

My enjoyment of Loki has brought all kinds of ideas to my dash with the arrival of the Loki show. I've got a copy of the Edda, and I highlighted the hell out of it a couple of years ago as I searched for the roots of Loki's origin story. (It's truly fascinating reading and the symbolic language hidden inside their poetry is dazzlingly amazing and I'm super using it sometime just so you know)

Loki is a Trickster, and he's far from alone in myth and legend. Anansi, Coyote, and Sun Wukong are some you may have heard of. Aaravos is another, of course. Tricksters can be called upon to lend aid and wisdom when the rules don't have an answer for some extraordinary circumstance which the Trickster's people find themselves in. But that's not because they are truly outside the rule of order. They are actually a part of it. They are the catch-all for when the everyday ordinary rules fail people, and something "unthinkable"--in the literal sense--might just hold the answer.

This post crossed my dash today, and something finally clicked in my head, and all of this coalesced from what felt like separate places. But they're not separate, not anymore! Serotonin, baby. It's basically upped my headcanon to a full-blown theory.

What caught my eye was an answer to why Ethari's clothing is so determinedly asymmetrical, compared to Runaan's specifically, but Moonshadows in general. It's because of this:

Long protective sleeves below patterns on shoulders. A high collar paired with a bright and noticeable swoop around the neck. Fine detailing and graceful taste. Asymmetrical tunic point on the left, below broad strappy leather. Knee high boots with stylish protective gaiters.

And let's not forget the curling horns! In some comics, Loki has a broken horn. So does Ethari.

Yes, there is a lot of similarity here, but I'm not focused so much on the visuals as the reason they were chosen. Feel free to consider other aspects of Ethari's personality and how they might be similar to certain parts of Loki's. I did! But I wouldn't be me if I didn't go deeper than that.

My favorite book in the universe (so far) is Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, and one of the many reasons why is because of her pantheon. It holds five gods, represented by a hand: Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, and Bastard. The first four all have their roles and places. The Bastard--the thumb--inherits everything else. He is the god of all things that do not belong to any other gods, and that includes self-sacrificing vengeance and queerness. He is a Trickster, and his influence on Cazaril's life is far deeper than at first glance. Chaos has its place. It belongs, and so do the Tricksters who engender it. God, I love this book. Please read it if you haven't. Bujold's work is amazing.

If you've seen or read any version of MDZS/Untamed, you know that Wei WuXian is a trickster. Competent and badass in battle, but playful and teasing to the point where sometimes even he isn't sure what he truly wants, he can bring a massive amount of power and focus when he wants to. It's always a matter of "but is it important to me?"

I love WWX so much. The Trickster vibe is very apparent in his character, and in a way you just don't get in Western media. We see him on his own, and we see him with family and loved ones. And he's always feeling something so intensely! He's driven by his emotions, for good or ill. He vibes with chaos, and he will create it if it doesn't exist yet. But he will also create family from nothing, and that's something you don't see enough of! WWX is a Trickster with an emotional preference for joy.

In TDP, Ethari doesn't have a lot of lore yet. It's being Moonshadowed because spoilers for future seasons, and I respect that. The longer the wait for S4, the more ideas I will just amuse myself with in the meantime--and yeah, this is one of them, so what? :))) But we do know a little about him.

He loves music. He loves to read. He leaves his mark on things in swirly form. He works very hard, even through headaches, because what he's doing is that important to him, even though he would much rather be making jewelry. He loves taking the time to polish rough stones into brilliant jewels, and he adores big pretty flowers and had them at his wedding.

Ethari has a temper, but he also loves puns. The weapons he crafts are exquisite: "light, elegant, strong, and clever." And he knew darn well that Runaan was trying to flirt with him, but why return a sentiment he may or may not feel yet when he can play with the overly earnest assassin just a little bit first?

Okay, just... A "simple craftsman" deciding that it's going to be fun to toy for a bit with a broody assassin's feelings? Would you risk that? Ethari got balls the size of the moon, and a brain to match. When he has to make weaponry, he does not half-ass it. Ethari's stabby creations nearly have a life of their own. His creations are literally called "trick weapons." This elf is a lot, okay. And it's possible that he doesn't even know how "a lot" he is. Yet.

We're meeting Ethari after he's found something that is, in fact, genuinely important to him: Runaan, and Rayla, and Laindrin too. Ethari has found a relatively stable place to settle and find a role to adopt. I say adopt, though, because making weaponry for his loved ones is not what he grew up wanting to do. It's what he had to do to keep them safe, once he found a place to bestow his heart.

But in the show, Ethari has lost his family, one by one. First Lain and Tiadrin, ghosted. Then Runaan, supposedly fallen on his mission. Then Rayla, ghosted for abandoning Runaan. He and Rayla have reconnected now, but the rest of his family is still out of his reach. If Rayla has indeed told him, by S4, what she learned at the Moonhenge in TTM, then Ethari may parallel Rayla's journey to seek answers. But even if he doesn't know yet, and gets pulled into some other story arc first, we will be seeing Ethari without his family.

Remember the ATLA episode "Zuko Alone"? Consider: "Ethari Alone."

Ethari has chosen, for love, to fit himself into a box that wasn't of his own making. And now that box has broken. His family doesn't need him to be their craftsman anymore. Perhaps others will need him to be other things to them. Or perhaps he will know that his family does need him, but to be far more than just a maker of pretty swords. A rescuer, perhaps. A healer, a guide? An avenger?

A trickster. Capable of taking many shapes, because he understands them all. Ethari works with form and function. If he needs to transform himself, he will.

That's what Tricksters do. It's delightfully queer and delightfully neurodivergent. Ancient peoples accepted and revered the different among them and actively sought their help with things they themselves struggled with.

Tricksters are Difference. Sometimes that manifests as chaos, sometimes as genius. But if you do not love and appreciate your chaos, it will absolutely turn on you. Wei Wuxian did. Loki certainly has, many times. Perhaps Aaravos is doing so as well.

I cannot wait to see what Ethari does with his difference. I have something very specific that I hope he goes and breaks.

All this from a picture of Tom Hiddleston in his Avengers 1 Loki costume? Yeah. Because Ethari was designed to wear asymmetrical clothing, in a Moonshadow culture that prides itself on balance. Sure, there are some other Moonshadows who wear this or that asymmetrical item, and I do love to see it. But Ethari has the most asymmetrical lines of them all. The meta glee I feel knowing that Moonshadow elves are designed to hold many layers of meaning in their appearances--that the writers, creators, and character designers just flexed with them--is truly a delight.

Ethari is asymmetrical. The full and practical application of that is a glass casket, and I hope it becomes a gift that keeps on giving, because boy do I want to keep receiving it. But right now, I'm genuinely seeing evidence of the Trickster archetype in him. And I really hope it gets to come out and play.

#tdp #tdp theory #ethari #trickster #tdp speculation #yes this means a whole new category for ruthari opposites #order and chaos #ethari and order are both on runaan's list of likes #but ethari is higher so #loki #wwx #wei wuxian

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franniebanana · 3 years

Text

CQL Rewatch - Episode 9

Let me preface this by saying we’re entering a period of episodes that I’m not that fond of. There’s nothing wrong with them really, but it’s just padding and a little bit of set-up for later arcs, but I personally think the set-up is unnecessary.

Anyhow, straight into it! I shouldn’t say “straight” when wangxian is on screen. I struggled to get a good shot, but the dichotomy between Nie Huaisang and wangxian here is hilarious to me. He’s such a good comedy act, flailing and being totally useless, other than being another warm body, but at the same time, he’s the only one really acting like a teenager here. Lan Wangji is always so cold and serious, while Wei Wuxian is a goof until he needs to be serious, but both of them are also extremely talented. We know Nie Huaisang isn’t an idiot, but I don’t get the impression he’s a great cultivator either.

I literally watched this scene this morning and totally missed this part. Lan Wangji stops Wei Wuxian from killing or attacking the puppets further, as he’s about to use his sword to defend them all. It’s a great little moment, actually, because it shows how Wei Wuxian is willing to do anything, but he’s not willing to murder innocent people if they can be saved. We already know, with all the Lan principles, that Wangji would not kill needlessly, but we don’t necessarily know that about Wei Wuxian. But he has morals, he has his own principles, and he’s not going to cast those aside for nothing.

Now, you could say he won’t do it now in the story, but what about later? What about Wen Chao? I’d say that’s totally different. That was revenge. And one of the things I like about this story is that it doesn’t shy away from revenge (something that a lot of Western media kind of disdains—we seem to be afraid to in any way make revenge out to be something good).

I can’t believe I managed to capture the exact moment that Lan Wangji used the Silencing spell on Nie Huaisang. I’m honestly really impressed with myself. Of course, it was totally by accident. I was initially going to just talk about how funny Nie Huaisang is again, because I love his flailing and physical comedy, and his expressions are fantastic. But can I talk about this glare that Yibo has right now? Haha, I love it. Again, if looks could kill. If I were Wei Wuxian here, I’d feel pretty satisfied for being the one not silenced at this moment. Honestly, it shows such a progression in their relationship: they’re really working as a team, no longer at odds with each other. It’s really apparent that they have become a team: it’s Nie Huaisang and WangXian—not Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. There are also more moments where it feels like Wei Wuxian is really looking for Lan Wangji—like, it feels as if he’s more interested in the relationship than Lan Wangji. I don’t think it’s true at all, but that’s kind of what we’re shown. The thing is that Lan Wangji is so much more aloof and cold towards Wei Wuxian—very tsundere, I suppose. But of course, we know Lan Wangji is very conscious of Wei Wuxian.

I’m not going to pick on her specifically here, because overall, the fake instrument-playing is pretty hysterical. I do think she’s the worst at it, though, probably because she only does this in one scene or something. Wang Yibo has a double for a lot of the scenes where he’s playing the guqin, but what little we see is fine. Xiao Zhan is also okay—we know he isn’t really playing, but he does an okay job pretending to play. Like, his lip is on the flute. It kind of looks like Wen Qing doesn’t even have her lips on the flute—like she’s trying not to wreck her makeup. Anyway, I’m not going to harp (see what I did there?) on it—none of them are musicians.

Reminder to gif this part.

Any time Wei Wuxian comes to Lan Wangji’s defense is a good time, and coupled with a smile like this—my heart is melting, excuse me. I love these moments, because for just a few seconds, it feels like no one else is there—it’s just the two of them having a moment together. And Wei Wuxian is once again here proving how he’s loyal to Lan Wangji, how his friendship is worth something, and it’s not just skin-deep. I think Lan Wangji is touched here: the way his averts his gaze, as if he likes what Wei Wuxian is saying, but he still feels uncomfortable. Outside of his family, this is probably the closest relationship that Lan Wangji has ever had.

Wei Wuxian has a lot of cool magic, and it’s a shame we don’t get to see more of it. I like the idea that his talismans are more clever, if that makes sense. They aren’t just explosions or hitting people with waves of force to knock them around. He’s got golden nets, and talismans that can bind/bond people to each other, ones that can cause you to be pinned to the ground. It’s just very fun, and we don’t get to see a lot of that sort of magic in this world. Actually Lan Wangji has the Silencing spell, plus the body binding spell that he uses in the book, but that is, unfortunately, not in this series. And the first time you see it in the book is when he binds Wei Wuxian’s body so that he has to sleep right on top of Lan Wangji—great stuff.

WWX: So they are making use of my wisdom? LOL

Wei Wuxian stops to make a joke, saying he is most disturbed by the hallucinations because he has so many thoughts in his head—basically too smart for his own good here—and at the same time, poking fun at Lan Wangji, because he isn’t bothered by the hallucinations (ie. he doesn’t have many thoughts in his head). Okay, first of all, we know Wei Wuxian respects Lan Wangji a lot, so he is definitely joking, and it’s all in good fun. Lan Wangji rolls his eyes a bit, and he’s not bothered. He did, after all, tell Wei Wuxian to put the net over the other three so that he and Wei Wuxian could take care of the dire owl alone. He also respects Wei Wuxian and values him as a fellow cultivator and teammate. Second of all, again, Wei Wuxian is not an idiot! He’s smart! He’s clever! He’s not dumb! I don’t know who still needs to hear this, but I’m saying it again. I know it’s easy to put him into the typical BL “female” role: he’s smaller, he’s a bottom, blah blah blah. I honestly don’t like that at all. Every ship doesn’t have to be two opposites. It doesn’t have to be m/f, top/bottom, big/small, dark/light, smart/dumb, strong/weak. I’m aware of how the book is written and I’m aware of BL tropes in general, but I see two equals here. I like how they picked Wang Yibo, a shorter and younger man than Xiao Zhan, to play Lan Wangji. I like that they took out the fact that he has inhumanly strong arms. I like the different dynamic that it displays from the book characters. That isn’t to say that I don’t like the book—I love the book. The book is my favorite adaptation, both in terms of storytelling and in terms of plot. But that doesn’t mean that it’s perfect for me.

Anyway, enough ranting for now.

I love this shot. And I love how in sync they are in this fight—it’s like a dance. When I’ve heard about fight choreography in the past, I never associated it with the word “dance,” until I saw this series. I don’t know if it’s the costumes or the setting or the actors or what, but their motions are so fluid, so dance-like—it’s actually quite beautiful.

Oh, my god, look at that grin! I fucking love it!! Also, serious moment turns into a chance to tease Lan Wangji. I will accept it.

My sentimental heart loves how scared Wei Wuxian is for Lan Wangji here. All that time wearing the One Ring—I mean, holding the Yin Iron, is really wearing him down. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself). But jokes aside, I love how Wei Wuxian is right there, instructing him on how to handle what’s going on and to not lose control, while the others are just kind of clueless as to what is happening or how to help. And even after Lan Wangji snaps out of it and says they have to go to the Chang Clan, Wei Wuxian’s expression still is one of great concern, and I doubt it’s out of fear for what the waiter has just told him. I think he’s just really worried about Lan Wangji. This is the first time that Lan Wangji has even been like this, even in the face of great danger, and Wei Wuxian is shaken by it.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |

#cql #the untamed #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #nie huaisang #wen qing #wang yibo #xiao zhan #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #sorry this was short #but like I said I'm not really into a lot of these eps until indoctrination starts #also I wanted to make a comment about how the last bit was like scooby doo bc all of them solving myseries #cql rewatch

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ibijau · 4 years

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xisang 13, bc i need to see it happen sjhdjshdhhdb

warning for drug use. And for probably somewhat inacurate depictions of getting high? I try to research a bit but welp

The dried leaves had a rather unusual shape, and a distinctive smell that made Nie Huaisang wrinkle his nose when he took a sniff.

“They’re medicinal,” Lan Xichen explained as he prepared a pipe. “Wei Wuxian found them on a trip and thought they might be helpful. Do you want to try?”

“What is it supposed to cure?” Nie Huaisang asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

It wasn’t that he suspected Lan Xichen of keeping poison around the Hanshi in case some unwanted visitor came to trouble his seclusion, giving him a chance to settle scores, but… Nie Huaisang hadn’t survived this long by being overly trusting.

“It helps you relax,” Lan Xichen said with affected nonchalance. “You look like you could use it.”

Nie Huaisang hesitated and watched as Lan Xichen calmly lit his pipe and sat with it on his sofa. The smell was stronger now that the leaves were burning, heady and nearly unpleasant. Nie Huaisang knew he ought to have gone away and returned at a later time, when Lan Xichen was in a more cooperative mood. Who knew when he’d have such a chance again though, with how protective Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji had become.

“I suppose I’ve had a little more stress to deal with than usual,” Nie Huaisang conceded, still eyeing the pipe suspiciously. “You’ve heard the news, perhaps?”

Lan Xichen pulled on the pipe, then nodded slowly, exhaling smoke.

“Chief Cultivator Nie Huaisang. What a fate for the boy who used to pretend he’d gone blind whenever he had to study politics.” Lan Xichen chuckled. “What a punishment you’ve created for yourself, Huaisang.”

It felt odd to hear Lan Xichen’s laugh again, especially on such a subject. Nie Huaisang had to fight an impulse to grab some of those leaves and take them to a healer from his own sect to see what they really were. It was unlikely that Wei Wuxian would have willingly given Lan Xichen anything that might harm him, but to see him so relaxed felt wrong.

Even as a youth, Lan Xichen would never have leaned so casually against the armrest of a sofa, nor allowed himself to look at others with such open judgement, no matter their fault against him. It made Nie Huaisang uncomfortable to see him like that.

“Er-ge, I assure you…”

“Don’t call me that,” Lan Xichen lightly scolded, inhaling more smoke. “I have killed both of my sworn brothers now, I’m no one’s brother but Wangji’s… and only as long as I tolerate Wei Wuxian, I suspect.”

“Now you’re being unfair,” Nie Huaisang protested. “Your brother cares for you, regardless of how you feel about his husband. Anyone who knows Wangji knows how much he loves you, and…”

“Would he kill for me, I wonder?” Lan Xichen said, laughing again. “Ah, Huaisang, you’ve really raised the bar of expectations toward younger brothers. Now I’ll be cross if I get murdered and the killer isn’t brought down in a dramatic reveal that cost him his life. Or her life? I could get murdered by a woman. They’re capable of it too, after all. I think I’d prefer to be killed by a woman. Usually, they have good reasons for it. What would you prefer, Huaisang?”

“I’d prefer if you stopped smoking this,” Nie Huaisang hissed, annoyed and worried at once. “I don’t think it’s good for you.”

Lan Xichen laughed once more, lounging on his sofa and looking at Nie Huaisang from under heavy lids. He looked miles away from the warm but severely restrained man Nie Huaisang was used to. It wasn’t a bad look, though it definitely was a worrying one.

“It just relaxes me,” Lan Xichen insisted. “You should try it. When is the last time you’ve relaxed, Huaisang?”

“A while,” Nie Huaisang admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was starting to feel a little difficult to think clearly. He wondered, too late, if the leaves’ effect could be felt through their smoke alone. If so, he was in trouble already and needed to leave. The matter he had come to discuss wasn’t so urgent that he should have risked his health, perhaps even his life, over it.

If he had been wise, Nie Huaisang would have left.

He couldn’t quite bring himself to it though, his eyes drawn again and again to Lan Xichen, relaxed and seemingly content.

“Smoke with me,” Lan Xichen lazily insisted. “It’ll be fun, you’ll like it. You need to have fun sometimes, Huaisang.”

It would be unwise to agree. Dangerous even.

But it had been over two years since the death of Jin Guangyao, and in that span of time, Lan Xichen had never once expressed any interest in seeing Nie Huaisang, nor answered his letters. A better man than Nie Huaisang would have known that it was only the burning leaves making Lan Xichen say this, and would have left quickly.

Nie Huaisang had no interest in being a good man though, and he wasn’t above taking advantage of a moment of weakness to spend time again with one of the few people he’d ever counted as a friend.

Nie Huaisang went to sit on the sofa, next to Lan Xichen’s feet, and opened his hand to ask for the pipe. Lan Xichen smiled as he gave it to him.

The first pull on the pipe was a little too strong and made him cough, which in turn made Lan Xichen laugh, as if he’d never beheld anything funnier. Combined with the somewhat unpleasant earthy aftertaste it left on his tongue, Nie Huaisang thought of giving up.

“Give it a little time,” Lan Xichen advised, casually dropping his feet on Nie Huaisang’s lap. “It can take a moment to feel the effect, and then you’ll relax.”

Nie Huaisang stared down at the feet resting on his thighs. It suddenly felt a little harder to breathe, and he wasn’t sure he could blame it only on the pipe.

“Does your uncle know about this… medicine?” Nie Huaisang asked.

“I’m a grown man, I don’t need my uncle’s approval,” Lan Xichen retorted, melting a little more against the sofa, looking rather like a capricious child. “Try again, and then pass it back to me.”

Nie Huaisang obeyed.

It would have been hard to say whether he was relaxing or not, but after a few moments had passed, Nie Huaisang found it a little harder to think clearly. The only thing he could focus on was Lan Xichen, the way his slender fingers held that piper, how his lips parted to blow away smoke, his eyes slightly red but sparkling with life in a way they hadn’t in so long.

Nie Huaisang had missed him, he realised.

He hadn’t necessarily missed the man Lan Xichen had tried to become, impartial to a fault, distant like the moon, a perfect little Lan. But he had missed who Lan Xichen used to be, before everything went wrong. The teenager who was the only other person to make Nie Mingjue smile, who teased with such subtlety that most people missed it, who poked fun at Nie Huaisang’s laziness but never tried to make him be more than he was. The war had ruined that by forcing him to rise to power too soon, and then Jin Guangyao and Nie Huaisang had trampled what little had remained of that lively young man until only the shell of him remained.

There wasn’t much that Nie Huaisang bothered to regret, but allowing his brother to die, allowing his friends to lose themselves…

If he had tried harder, if he had tried at all…

If he had done this, if he hadn’t done that, if…

A thousand ‘if’ taunted him that he usually tried to ignore, but he couldn’t draw his mind away from them, not when every thought felt heavy and complicated.

Trapped among the memories of failures, Nie Huaisang barely registered movement on the sofa until he felt himself pulled down, his head resting on Lan Xichen’s chest.

The distant notion that this was a scandalous position, that Lan Xichen would hate him for this when he returned to his senses, only worsened Nie Huaisang’s growing anxiety. His heart was beating too fast, too hard, enough almost to make him dizzy. It was nothing at all like the relaxation Lan Xichen had promised, and Nie Huaisang’s panic increased as he wondered if he was being poisoned. If Lan Xichen had taken the antidote beforehand, if he had made himself immune to the toxin, if…

“Am I going to die?” Nie Huaisang asked in a trembling voice that hardly sounded like his own.

Lan Xichen hummed. With the hand that wasn’t holding his pipe, he started running his fingers through Nie Huaisang’s hair.

It felt nice, and more intimate than anything had a right to be.

It wouldn’t be so bad to die like this, held close and touched almost tenderly.

“You’ll never die,” Lan Xichen replied with an aborted yawn. “I won’t allow it.”

“Then what, immortality?” Nie Huaisang scoffed.

“Hm. Yes, doesn’t that sound nice?” Lan Xichen chuckled, sounding absolutely delighted by the idea. “You, me, and all the time in the world to do as we please.”

It did seem like a wonderful plan. Nie Huaisang felt his earlier panic recede somewhat. It was so comfortable to be like this, warm and cozy and close. He remembered being like this sometimes with his brother when he was little, after a nightmare or just when the mood struck him. It had been so long since he’d allowed himself to be this close to anyone, and right then it seemed like such a silly decision. People were nice to be close to. Lan Xichen in particular was very nice to be close to. It was only a shame that…

“We can’t be immortals together,” Nie Huaisang sighed, forlorn and whiny.

“Why not?” Lan Xichen asked, offering the pipe to him, holding it for him as he took in some more of the smoke.

“You hate me now,” Nie Huaisang reminded him, exhaling the smoke and watching the patterns it formed in the air. “I think you’re trying to kill me with those leaves.”

Under him, he felt Lan Xichen’s laughter, almost powerful enough to dislodge him.

“I haven’t killed you that time you made me redo your accounting five times in as many weeks,” Lan Xichen pointed out. “And that was so annoying I really considered it. So don’t worry, if I didn’t do anything then, I’ll never hurt you.”

“Hm. I remember that,” Nie Huaisang mumbled. “You did look like you wanted to kill me. I almost felt sorry.”

“Only almost?”

“Hm. You’re very handsome when you’re angry. I was too busy trying to not get horny to really be sorry.”

The hand in Nie Huaisang’s hair stilled for an instant, before resuming its repetitive movement. Nie Huaisang briefly wondered if that had been a wise thing to say, but since Lan Xichen didn’t explode with anger or disgust, it couldn’t have been so bad.

“Think I’m sleepy,” Nie Huaisang muttered, nuzzling against Lan Xichen, chasing the warmth of his body through the layers he wore.

“Then sleep, A-Sang. You do look so tired.”

“I am. Will you sleep too?”

“Hm. I might,” Lan Xichen yawned, stretching to put his pipe down on a nearby low table. “If I sleep, will you still be there when I wake up this time? Or is this just another dream?”

“Too good to be a dream,” Nie Huaisang mumbled, closing his eyes. “In my dreams, you never want me to stay.”

“And in mine, you always leave,” Lan Xichen retorted with another yawn, before dropping a kiss on Nie Huaisang’s hair. “So try to be there when I wake up this time.”

#xisang #nie huaisang #lan xichen #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #jau writes #this one kinda got away from me because i was just happy to manage to write again oops #not sure if it's any good but I had fun writing it and that's what matters #Anonymous

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boxoftheskyking · 4 years

Text

Something Good, Part Eighteen

Today has been a Bad Day, so here have some feelings.

In which a decision is made

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen

Lan Wangji wakes him up before five.

“Nooo, Lan Zhan, have pity,” Wei Wuxian whines, covering his face with the pillow.

Lan Wangji pauses in dressing and sits next to him, removing the pillow. “Would you like Wen Qing to take the children again today?”

“Ugh, no, that defeats the whole point.”

Lan Wangji yanks the covers off of Wei Wuxian, who yelps.

“But Lan Zhan, growing children need their sleep. Let them sleep. It’s better for their temperament. Surely waking up so early every day is the reason your uncle is the way he is. Come on, kiss me some more before we get up.”

Lan Wangji thinks for a second, then leans in. Wei Wuxian makes sure the kiss isn’t the quick peck he intended, wrapping as many limbs as possible around him.

“My uncle was right about you,” Lan Wangji murmurs into his ear. Wei Wuxian shoves him off.

“Ew! What?”

“You are a problem.” Satisfied, and looking far too smug, Lan Wangji continues dressing.

Wei Wuxian sighs and finds his clothes on the ground. Pulling up his trousers, he feels something in his pocket.

“Ooh, my bun!” It’s cold, but still tasty, so he munches as he gets himself together. He’s got half the bun shoved in his mouth and is tying up his hair with both hands when he notices Lan Wangji watching him. “What?” he tries to say, but it mostly comes out “Mmpf?”

Lan Wangji says nothing, just wrinkles his nose.

Wei Wuxian swallows a giant mouthful. “Too good for pocket buns, are you, Lan Zhan?”

Lan Wangji does not dignify that with a response.

“It’s too late.” Wei Wuxian cackles around the next bite. “You already love me.”

“Yes.” He doesn’t sound particularly happy about it.

Life is almost back to normal in the Cloud Recesses—no one else seems to have noticed the massive shift in the universe that has taken place. Wei Wuxian would like to stay and watch Lan Wangji teach, but he’s hardly been helpful for the past few days so he helps with repairs and deep cleaning the guest quarters.

It’s not a punishment. It’s honest work. It’s annoying, just because he knows Wen Chao is responsible, but helping Wang Xiaolu scrub the floors and rigging a way to air out the soiled mattress makes him happy. These are his friends, and helping them could never be shameful. Sure, maybe he used to create clever spells and melodies to control bodies, call down thunder, but this is still creative. There are new ways to clean, domestic tasks that could be faster, more efficient, more fun. In fact, if he’s no longer a prisoner, then perhaps he can create some useful talismans. He could teach the other servants.

“Uh, Wei Ying,” one of the younger servants says, teetering under the weight of the mattress.

“Sorry, Chen Shu! I was just thinking.” He puts the idea to the back of his mind and turns back to work.

Lan Wangji and Wen Qing join the disciples for dinner, which is cause for much delight from the children. It’s incredibly difficult for Wei Wuxian. Wen Qing keeps giving him significant eyebrow raises and half-smiles, and he can’t knock her soup into her lap because he must set an example for the children. Lan Wangji is listening to Lan Sizhui tell him a very repetitive story about a frog he saw, and the combination of his patient attention and his broth-wet lips, red and ready and unbelievably distracting, is tying Wei Wuxian in knots.

Wen Qing pokes his arm with her spoon. Get ahold of yourself, she mouths at him.

He means to mouth back Fuck you, but Ouyang Zizhen has a question for him about how long silkworms live, so he has to settle for a glare.

Perhaps Lan Wangji’s glare will rub off on him.

After the children are put to bed, he and Lan Wangji walk down to the Cold Spring.

“I will not marry Wen Qing,” Lan Wangji says, like it’s nothing, like he’s commenting on the weather, and Wei Wuxian runs into a tree branch.

“What?”

“Obviously, I cannot marry her.”

“Are you insane?”

Lan Wangji looks confused. “I love you. I cannot marry someone else knowing that you are the one I love.”

“Lan Zhan, what does love have to do with anything? You didn’t love her before and you were still ready to marry her! What’s changed?”

“It is dishonest. Before, I loved you but never thought it could happen—”

“It still can’t happen! Lan Zhan, my dear, I adore you, but you can’t marry me.”

Lan Wangji gets that look that says he’s digging in his heels.

“I don’t need to marry you. But it would be dishonorable to marry Wen Qing.”

Wei Wuxian groans in frustration. “You can’t betray her! Lan Zhan, there is about to be a war. This is bigger than us three fools, and if you don’t marry Wen Qing then she’ll have no protection. She’ll have no option but to go back to Qishan or go rogue, and any alliance between the Wen sect and Lan sect will be compromised. Not to mention Wen Ning. Look, this marriage might not protect everyone from Wen Ruohan, but if you go back on your word then you are asking for Cloud Recesses to be the first attack. Please, I know what it’s like to watch my home burn. Do not underestimate them.”

Lan Wangji stays quiet for a long time, looking out over the water. “I cannot be her husband,” he says, finally.

Wei Wuxian leans against his side. “You don’t need to be her husband. You just need to, you know, be her husband.”

Lan Wangji gives him an exasperated look out of the corner of his eye.

“You know what I mean. Look, just marry her, and then we’ll cross whatever bridge comes next. And if you need an heir, a blood heir for whatever reason, then we’ll figure it out. The three of us.”

“Do you love her?” Lan Wangji asks, not looking at him.

“Of course I do. She’s the dearest friend I’ve ever had.”

“I mean—”

“I know what you mean. I’m thinking.” He plucks a leaf and spins it between his fingers. “Maybe, in a world where I never met you. Where none of this had happened. And where Jiang Cheng wasn’t smitten with her, of course. Maybe in that world I’d love her the way I love you. But in this world—we’re too similar. And we know each other far too well. What’s romance without a bit of mystery, eh?”

“Please do not tease me.”

Wei Wuxian tucks his arm around Lan Wangji’s waist. “I’m sorry, Lan Zhan. I’m just trying to be honest. My life is better for knowing her, and yours will be too. I am loyal to her. Devoted. I will not stand by and watch her hurt.”

“Neither will I.”

“Well, that’s that then. And who knows what will happen. The three of us together, Lan Zhan? The cultivation world won’t know what hit it.”

Lan Wangji leans farther into him, just a bit closer than is proper, and it feels like acceptance. “Are you saying burn it all down?”

“What would you do if I did?”

“Hmm.” The water rushes, the wind picks up the ends of Lan Wangji’s hair, brushing it against Wei Wuxian’s cheek. “I would agree.”

“Really?”

“The world that took so much from you, that hurt you, hurt Jiang Wanyin. That forces women into marriages to stay alive. Wen Qing, my mother. Jiang Yanli. The world that turns honest people into puppets, pulled apart by wicked men with power for their amusement, for their pride. That world doesn’t deserve to stand.”

“So.”

“Burn it all down.”

Wei Wuxian smiles. “It’s going to burn anyway. Whatever we do, the fire has started, it’s just waiting to spread.”

“So we let it?”

“We can’t stop it. No, our job is harder than that. We have to build what comes next.”

“Is that pride, Wei Ying?”

Wei Wuxian laughs. Yes, says the voice. “You know, I was about to ask the same thing. Maybe. Probably. But you know what?”

“Hmm.”

“Someone’s got to do it, so it might as well be us. And if we go wrong, the little ones will burn us down when it’s their time.”

“Yes, the little ones.”

Wei Wuxian grins, letting the leaf go. “Plant them in the ground. Let ‘em grow.”

“Hmm.”

“You like that. I can see you smiling.”

“I do like that.”

The sun goes down, the reds and oranges dancing off the water like the reflection of flames.

Part Nineteen

#assorted writings #something good #the untamed #cql #mo dao zu shi #look im american things is rough

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attilarrific · 4 years

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Leverage AU question - What's everyone's interview style? One of my fave things about Leverage is seeing how differently each member of the crew interviews their potential clients (what they ask about, how much empathy they show, whether they offer physical touch, stuff like that).

Jiang Cheng gets super angry about whoever fucked the client over---lots of yelling and threatening to break people’s legs and assurances that the asshole is going to get what’s coming to them. Depending on the client, this is often very reassuring: people want revenge.

Wei Wuxian jokes around and teases and makes them laugh and generally acts like an idiot to make them feel more relaxed with him and less sad (he hates it when they cry). He’s got no problem slinging a comforting arm around someone’s shoulders or poking them until they shove him away. People have fun with him, even when their lives have been such a mess lately that having fun is hard.

Jiang Yanli is the sweetest and probably the best at interviews---she’s so kind and sweet and empathetic. She puts her hand on their shoulders gently and makes sure they eat something and drink some water and is so completely sympathetic to anything they say that they never feel uncomfortable telling her things. Everyone loves her.

Wen Qing is straightforward and down-to-earth---she brings a notebook and asks all the right diagnostic questions and is very serious about it. She’s not particularly friendly, but people believe she can do what she says.

Wen Ning stares at clients with his huge, surprised eyes and says, “Oh!” and “Oh, no!” a lot. This seems like it shouldn’t work, but he’s so open and such a good listener that people tell him a lot of things they hadn’t actually planned on. He is a boon to any interview and can complement anyone’s style.

That being said, Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng are an amazing tag team. Jiang Cheng makes them feel certain that this group of people is actually dangerous enough to take on powerful people, but Jiang Yanli makes them feel safe. Same goes for Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing: they like Wei Wuxian, but his silliness means they get worried about results! Wen Qing is the perfect antidote to that, because she’s very competent and also very good at managing Wei Wuxian.

#this au does not have a tag yet BUT #theleakypen #attila replies to things

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mystictickles · 5 years

Text

MDZS Tickle Headcanons!!

I want to write more MDZS fics but... I can't think of anything...TT

But just so I can still write at least something, I've decided to just throw out some headcanons! And maybe I'll be so luckily as to get ideas from them, so let's gooo!

Wei WuXian

• This man definitely is very experienced in tickle fights and as a teen he never missed any opportunity to start one.

• Now that he's matured, he does it less often. However if he's provoked, he won't hesitate to put his skills to use!

• Both Lan SiZhui and Lan JingYi have been victims of Tickle Monster Xian. Just thinking back about how they suffered still gives them goosebumps.

• In the past, tickle fights between him and Jiang Cheng were a normal everyday thing. Wei WuXian was the little shit who started them, Jiang Cheng was competitive and determined to make the other cry and win the fight.

• In the end, it always ended up with Jiang Cheng being the one who got tickled to tears. The worst thing is, most of the time he didn't even get to tickle Wei WuXian. It was completely one sided.

• Only a few times did he manage to overpower Wei WuXian, and when he did, he got him good.

• It's not that Wei WuXian always won because he wasn't ticklish. He was, very, but he was just good at defending himself and outsmarting the other. When he let down his guard and Jiang Cheng managed to get the upper hand, Wei WuXian would scream.

• When he's tickled, he's extremely squirmy and if you're not careful, you'll receive a kick or a punch in the face. He also doesn't just laugh. He screams and begs, and if you tickle him long enough, he'll cry.

• Only if Lan WangJi is the one doing it, he's a lot calmer. Most likely because even when tickling, Lan WangJi is gentle. On top of that, he trusts Lan Wangji more than anyone.

• Though, it's not that Lan WangJi isn't capable of tickling Wei WuXian to tears. In fact, he could make him cry within seconds. He just doesn't want to, unless it's a punishment.

• Tickle fights between Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian are so soft and cute, you could hardly call them tickle fights. Wei WuXian absolutely loves poking Lan WangJi's sensitive spots to get a reaction.

• Lan WangJi may have grown stronger against Wei WuXian's teasing, but tickling is one thing he can get him with. A few pokes to his stomach and Lan WangJi makes the cutest noises!

• When the tables are turned, Lan WangJi loves placing soft, tickly kisses all over Wei WuXian's face, neck, and all other places that are sensitive. It's not enough to make him go crazy, but it still tickles, so Wei WuXian just ends up giggling a lot. Lan WangJi thinks it's adorable, and will never stop doing it.

Lan WangJi

• Lan WangJi isn't necessarily fond of tickling itself, but if it's with his Wei Ying, he doesn't mind it.

• He had never been tickled or tickled someone else before Wei WuXian brought it up, but he had always been curious. So when Wei WuXian suddenly poked his side out of heckin nowhere to get his attention, he was beyond confused and surprised by the sudden weird feeling.

• Even though he doesn't look it, he has a playful side. Whenever they're making out, he loves softly brushing his fingers against his sides, or if he gets the chance, wiggle a finger under his arm to make him giggle. He'll say that it was on accident, but Wei WuXian, and we as well, know that that was not at all the case <3

• When he's sober, being tickled too much makes him feel a bit uneasy. But when he's drunk, he would even go as far as to ask Wei WuXian to tickle him.

• He'd lay down on his back and tug on Wei WuXian's sleeve to get his attention. Then he'd put his arms above his head and just stare at his husband.

• The first time he did this, Wei WuXian was speechless. Again. Because drunk Lan Er-GeGe is always full of surprises.

• "...Lan Zhan? What are you doing now?"

• (Okay. There's my idea. I am saying no more about this, this is getting a fic >:3c)

• Wei WuXian doesn't know how he does it, but even when tickled, Lan WangJi looks beautiful. It's not even because of the fact that Wei WuXian would never think of his husband as not-beautiful, he just is.

• The way he scrunches up his nose, how his hair flows when he throws his head back, when he squeezes his eyes shut when trying to endure it, it's all beautiful.

• Lan WangJi isn't really the the type to tickle others. He only really does it to Wei WuXian. And even then it's because Wei WuXian started it in the first place, most of the time.

Jiang Cheng

• Ticklish bb, and he hates it.

• In general, he doesn't like tickling that much at all. The only times he actually enjoyed it when he was younger, was when his sister would tickle him to show affection, or when he got to destroy Wei WuXian with merciless tickles.

• When he tickled people, he never held back. He'd immediately go for people's worst spots and go all out. He didn't have the patience to torture people slowly

• However, it's the slow kind of tickling that got him the most when he was on the receiving end. Because he's so impatient, the feeling of his tickler tickling him so softly that he couldn't laugh but also couldn't stay silent, absolutely drived him crazy.

• Endless swearing... A fun game: count the amount of times he says "fuck" while tickling him LOL.

• In all honesty, right now, this man has other things on his mind. I think the idea of tickling someone wouldn't even cross his mind, probably not even with Jin Ling. Just threatening to break his legs is enough to scare the poor boy.

• However, if he does ever happen to tickle someone, it'd be Jin Ling. Jiang Cheng is harsh, but he loves his nephew. As difficult as it is for him, I'm sure he'd love to become closer with his sister's son.

#MDZS #Mo Dao Zu Shi #Wei WuXian #Lan WangJi #Jiang Cheng #tickling #sorry jiang cheng's is so short orz #i really don't see adult jiang cheng being involved with tickling in any way personally!#i hope you'll like my headcanons thoughhh #i'll also be writing down headcanons for lan sizhui lan jingyi and jin ling of course!#and other characters too maybee

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meny-sempai · 6 years

Text

MO DAO ZU SHI IS A MASTERPIECE – part 04

Hey guys!

First of all:

How is it possible that there are only 19 votes for this? Jeez…

This week’s newsflash!

Quote from the novel:

“Every day when Wei Wuxian was free, he played with the toddler Wen Yuan, son of Wen Qing’s cousin. He either let him hang on trees or buried him in the ground, fooling him that he’d grow faster if he was watered and bathed in sunlight… Turning around, though, he realized that Wen Yuan was gone. He almost turned pale, searching for the toddler all along the streets. Suddenly, he heard the wails of a child, and he immediately rushed over…

…

Wei WuXian, “Do you want one?”

Wen Yuan thought that he was going to buy one for him. He spoke embarrassedly, “Yeah.”

Yet, Wei WuXian walked in the opposite direction, “Haha, let’s go.”” (ch74)

Wei Wuxian, my son, you are so adorably horrible at parenting. Do keep it up. AND. If you think I’m not gonna use this in my favour, you’re wrong:

“Wei WuXian laughed madly, “Hahahahaha! Lan Zhan, congratulations! He’s taken a liking to you! He hugs the leg of whoever he likes, and he never lets go.”” (ch74)

“Jiang Cheng didn’t know when, but a child about one or two years old crept over and hugged his leg. Raising his chubby chin, he looked up at him with his dark, round eyes.” (ch73)

My boy JC = instant like. The children know.

Aaand that’s a wrap, see you guys next time!

… You wish. Let’s get started!

Before I begin I’ll just repeat this for the new readers:

I’m not a native English speaker so please bear with the mistakes I’m bound to make. I did read the novel, but only as far as the Exiled Rebels Scanlations translated it (thank you Rebels, you’re gods). I know a lot of spoilers, but I can’t say I know the whole story – If I start theorising be aware that I’m just theorising, I’m not actually telling the plot, but, just to be sure: SPOILERS ahead, I will use the facts I know for my analysis.

In this short series I’ll talk about the episodes, but I’ll also have long monologs about a certain topic.

EPISODE 07 – or, man I hate the Wens but I LOVE that theme music of theirs

… Has anyone ever told you the story about the boy who cried wolf?

And half of the fandom just died in the most satisfying death. I love how he just took a glance at the tables and was like: Nope, I’m not having any of this shit. And I’ll be theatrical and dramatic about it for all to see.

Remember what I said in one of my posts about the clans - how they don’t seem to be willing to play as a team and mostly watch their own? I think there’s a lot of truth in this and I suppose this is one of the reasons why the Wens grew so much in power. Nie sect obviously has a grudge against the Wens and wants to act on it. Now that Nie Mingjue is old enough he could do it. In theory. But without the assistance of other sects it would be suicidal. Was that why the Wens left Nie Mingjue and his brother alive after they killed their father? Did they know the other sects wouldn’t be willing to lift their fingers for the Nie? We can assume they didn’t react to the murder of Nie Mingjue’s father, so why would they help the Nie in revenge?

From my POV and understanding this advice of Lan Qiren should be pissing the hell out of Nie Mingjue. He is telling him to suck it up. Yes, for the sake of his clan, but also, because any kind of mess like this is endangering the other sects. Other sects chose to keep to themselves, so the advice is also: You do this, man - you’re alone.

On the other hand, this sentence can be also seen as how Lan Qiren himself feels. We saw him being enraged by the Wen clan because they let the Waterbound Abyss in their territory. But he can’t voice out his dissatisfaction, because he himself is sucking it up for his sect. If we see it that way, he’s basically saying: Even if we both riot it would be a suicide (Because, you see that yellow prick behind you? He’s not gonna help us and he’s the richest of us all. Jiangs are playing friends with them, they want to be family. We can’t count on any other help.)

And Lan Qiren is right. Nothing happened after Cloud Recesses was vandalized.

I don’t think the four big sects trust each other very much. The Wen sect actually brought them all together with all the shit they did. But teaming up happened mostly because the young ones took over.

I don’t even think they like each other. Which is kinda expected – they are all very different - their origin, mentality, temper, code, cultivation method. It’s actually funny how the Gusu Lan and the Nie are showing the first signs of teaming up since they are completely different in everything.

Instant confirmation to both Nie Mingjue and Lan Qiren. If you are understanding the scene like I described it, this guy laughing after what Lan Qiren said gets a whole new meaning. UGH. I don’t know why, but I really like the sound of his voice. Ugh…

And now we get the Jiang’s POV. The leader of the Jiang doesn’t care about the sitting arrangements (about the current situation of the sects). For him, the way things are, everything is already settled and can’t be changed in the present situation. What he cares about is THE FUTURE. Who will come after Wen Ruohan? Considering we know how deeply Jiangs value their family we can assume Jiang Fengmian is only thinking of how all of this will affect his children. Especially the future leader of Jiang.

What if? Jiang Fengmian always talks about the clan’s moto, he cherishes the “attempt the impossible”. But he himself is a very mild mannered man who doesn’t seem to have accomplished anything “amazing” in his years. And the way he acts could be seen as “weak” – he “accepts” the Wen sect, he “accepts” the wife’s anger, he “accepts” the marriage, he “accepts” the betrayal of his servant and friend. He is actually… very similar to Jiang Cheng.

What if the reason he’s being so strict and emotionless towards his son is because, in his way, he’s trying to make his son a better man than himself. Attempt the impossible/be like Wei Wuxian – don’t be like me. The future is bleak, and as a leader, you, my son, my heir, you can’t be like me.

Once again, MDZS makes a fabulous scene out of nothing.

Not at all.

My god, I love the dialog in this. Also, remember what I rambled about Wen Xu? Could this also be a hint? Did the sect leaders maybe hope to see him there? Instead, they got an untalented punk – worse than his father.

I’m sorry, for some reason I always laugh like an idiot during this exchange. I don’t know what it is that makes this scene so hilarious to me. Please, someone explain it to me.

He’s so precious!

Ah… JC, we meet again. I’ll talk about this moment down below. Just, remember it.

*squealing from love and insufferable pain*

JC: “Let’s split into two groups, then gather at the exit later.”

WWX: “Hey, where the hell are you leading me to?” (smiling)

JC: “Stop complaining! Just follow me.” BAM

WWX: “How about we go back the way we came? Rest assured. I definitely won’t tell anyone.” (teasing)

JC: “Just shut up, will you!” BAM

WWX: “Ahahahaha! Jiang Cheng.”

JC: “What now?”

WWX: “Look.”

I laughed my ass off the first two times I watched this. The third time… I noticed something.

Jiang Cheng takes the lead the moment the archery tournament starts, as an heir should. He gives out orders and goes into “follow me” mode. He has a path in mind, this strange and hard path looks right to him. He has a gut feeling he’s right in his decisions and he follows his gut. Wei Wuxian questions the plan like any of us would if someone started to drag us through “tight spots” for no reason. He questions him but he follows him nevertheless. I don’t think he even questions him for real, I think he’s just having fun watching his brother plays leader. And that’s one of the problems. Jiang Cheng is not playing. He’s trying to prove himself. This is his chance. So, when Wei Wuxian pokes fun at him he snaps like he usually does, but this time there is also an injury. Their conversation and Wei Wuxian’s comments hurt. Hence the head bumps. You can clearly see the change in Jiang Cheng’s expression after the first bump. He’s not so decisive anymore. He actually looks sad as if he’s starting to question his decisions too. But he can’t back down now so he just keeps going. And the smart-ass Wei Wuxian knows his brother too well. From his next comment we can see that he figured out what is bothering Jiang Cheng and as any decent sibling he pokes at it. Of course, Wei Wuxian doesn’t mean any harm, he’s just playing like the brothers always do. JC says some harsh things to Wei Wuxian too, it’s all part of being siblings. Sure, Wei Wuxian makes comments, but he still follows. He’s not even truly questioning anything, he’s annoying, but he completely trusts JC’s lead. He never thought of leaving his side, not even during “tight spots”.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t get hurt because of what Wei Wuxian says, he knows Wei Wuxian is probably the only one who doesn’t and won’t ever mean any of it. And that’s the biggest problem. Jiang Cheng believes in Wei Wuxian, he believes in WWX’s love for him, he trusts Wei Wuxian, but he doesn’t trust others. When someone says similar things that Wei Wuxian would jokingly say to him, Jiang Cheng can’t ignore it. Why? Because the same things have been said to him by the people who should love you the most. When your mother is always attacking your brother and saying you’re a fool to love him, when she is constantly dissatisfied with you and even says things like:

“You really are an idiot. I’ve told you long ago that you’ll never in your whole life be able to surpass the one sitting beside you. Not over cultivation, not over night-hunting, even over shooting kites, you can’t surpass him! … Your mom tells you countless times not to fool around with him, yet you’re still defending him. Just how did I give birth to a son like you?!” (ch51)

When your father never acknowledges you, when your parents are fighting because you’re not good enough, how do you feel? Wouldn’t any kind of comment affect you? Wouldn’t hearing that you’re worse at archery than some guy who missed the whole target hurt you? (But, they’re fighting because of Wei Wuxian and his mom, not because of JC.) Sure. But, would that be such a big problem if Jiang Cheng was as good as Wei Wuxian? If he was as good, wouldn’t that make his mother as good as the other woman? Wouldn’t that make his father love them equally? Besides, what child doesn’t think it’s his fault their parents “don’t love each other”?

“Jiang Cheng told him from inside, “Go sleep somewhere else! This is my room! You’re even gonna steal my room?!”

At that time, Wei WuXian didn’t know what Jiang Cheng was mad about at all. After a pause, he replied, “I didn’t steal anything. It’s Uncle Jiang who told me to sleep with you.”

Hearing that he was still bringing up his father, almost as if he was purposely showing off, Jiang Cheng’s eyes reddened as he yelled, “Go away! If I see you again, I’ll call a bunch of dogs to bite you!””(ch71)

This scene ripped my heart to shreds. Poor WWX, so confused and scared. Poor JC. Yes, this, THIS is jealousy. A full blown toxic jealousy attack, but there is also a lot to be read between the lines. Why is he exploding like this out of the blue? He was ready to forgive the fact that they’ve taken his only friends away from him. He was ready to share the room with the person for whom he had to give up his dogs. So why? He’s a child and he’s jealous, but is that really it? You know, seeing your father hugging someone should not be a trigger. It’s not normal to compare yourself just because of that. There has to be more, more unspoken reasons why someone would instantly compare oneself with someone. JC is someone who puts up with a lot of shit without saying anything – such people tend to explode for “no reason”. Realizing he’s been hugged only five times is the last straw.

When a very young child is unsure of whether his father loves him – you, as a parent, are doing something wrong. When a child is so afraid that his mistakes will make his father not like him even more – you have a very insecure child. An insecure child/person has a very low opinion of himself.

“Looking at Wei WuXian’s legs, Jiang Cheng’s face was full of nervousness. If any other disciple or servant learned about this and told Jiang FengMian, after Jiang FengMian knew how he threw Wei WuXian’s sheets out and made him hurt his leg, Jiang FengMian would definitely dislike him even more. This was also why he only dared chase after them alone and didn’t get anyone else.

Seeing how worried he seemed, Wei WuXian took the initiative, “Relax. I won’t tell Uncle Jiang. I only hurt myself because I suddenly wanted to climb a tree last night.”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng sighed in relief. He swore, “You can relax as well. Anytime I see a dog, I’ll chase it away for you!”” (ch71)

I do believe this was the beginning of the ultimate trust. Also, after his jealousy attack, JC immediately realized what he did and felt bad. Yes, he was afraid of his father, but I do not believe for a second that that has any significance in his love for Wei Wuxian.

“Jiang YanLi put Wei Wuxian onto her back and began to walk back, wobbling in her steps as she spoke, “A-Ying, no matter what A-Cheng said to you, don’t bother about him. He doesn’t have a good temper, so he’s always home playing with himself. Those puppies were his favorites. Dad sent them away, and so he’s feeling upset. He’s actually really happy that somebody’s here to be with him. You ran out here and didn’t go back for a long time. I came to find you only because he’s worried that something happened to you and went to wake me up.””(ch71)

I love A Li, I’ll talk about her more later. She’s a great sister, but she does sometimes unintentionally do things that are unfair to Jiang Cheng (don’t attack me, wait for the next post for the elaboration). In this particular scene she was amazing. She didn’t get mad at JC (out of all the people he trusted her to bring back Wei Wuxian and don’t tell father about his mistake – that’s love). She carried them both (which is a nice contrast to Jiang Fengmian who carried only Wei Wuxian in the scene before). She tended to JC’s wounds from falling into the pit and encouraged him to say sorry. She. Was. Great.

But, let’s address one more thing. What does she mean by JC not having a good temper? What kind of a bad temper can a child have to not be able to have friends? Older JC is stiff and grumpy, but he does have friends in his sect and other people want to be his friends (Nie Huaisang for example).When you doubt your own worth, you can’t trust people to like you. Being around people can be hard. Being around dogs that have unconditional love for you can be very easy. It’s pleasant. I think Princess, Jasmine, and Love were healing his soul (like dogs often do) and taking them away was way more tragic from JC’s POV than it seems. No wonder he was wailing.

It’s funny how Wei Wuxian is afraid of dogs, but has so much unconditional love in him for his family.

I’ll talk about Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng more – the juicy episodes are coming. I’ll just say this: I really admire both of them. It would have been so damn easy for those two to hate each other’s guts, but they just don’t. And, yes, I don’t know the whole story, but right now, I believe JC never truly hated WWX, not even after everything.

Anyway.

Back to the scene from the donghua.

So, JC bumps his head and we laugh because it’s funny. If you are overthinking, like I am whenever JC appears on the screen, then you might see the head bumps as a metaphor for the comments JC has to live with. There’s one more way we can take this scene. Let’s say this is some form of foreshadowing. JC becomes the leader. Through thick and thin he leads and WWX follows him. JC’s decisions are not always the best, but the one who gets hurt by those decisions is him. Let’s go further and say the first bump is Shijie’s death.

Wei Wuxian: “How about we go back the way we came?”

I don’t know how it happens, but JC most certainly refuses to go back to how things were, he can’t go back. Even if you see honest hurt on his face, he continues and his leadership and decisions hurt him again. The death of Wei Wuxian. Even after this, JC continues on and in the end he reaches his destination. He was right all along, the path did lead to their goal (feral ghosts in this particular scene), but when he’s finally reached his goal he doesn’t see it. Not until Wei Wuxian points it out. When JC lost all of his family (Wei Wuxian in particular) he lost his focus. The goal became invisible because it had no worth anymore.

The two heroes of Yunmeng Jiang – Jiang Cheng needs Wei Wuxian in order to be himself and show his best.

I can’t wait for more chapters of the novel to analyse all of this and have a full picture of their relationship.

I know, ladies… Aahh… I know.

Well, you are extremely striking, Wei Wuxian, I’ll give you that. You’re so damn pretty here, my son.

One starts, the other one finishes. Both in their own ways. I just remembered this quote from the novel while re-watching:

“The two knew how to continue each other’s words ever since they were young. Now, one sentence after another, the argument flowed seamlessly…” (ch62)

I TOLD YOU NOT TO CRY WOLF! LOOK WHAT YOU DID! Calm down, Lan Zhan, breathe, my child brea-

HOLY FUCK! Down, Lan Zhan, stay down, remember the code! Remember, you’re a good boy, the best bo-

OK. OK, yeah, let it out. That’s healthy. Just… yeah. O.O (You better not piss off this dude. Fear the quiet ones, FEAR THEM.)

How can you be so smart, yet so stupid? XD Seriously, did you or did you not copy the damn rules for a month??? But, yeah, poor Lan Zhan, and poor Wei Wuxian – he is honestly confused. He wasn’t given a moment to properly apologize and he clearly wanted to. These two… they’ll be the death of me. Btw, the whole ribbon thing is so interesting, such a nice detail to the world building. But! I do admit that you most likely wouldn’t know about it if you follow only the animation. They should have made it more obvious. Unless. They did it like this on purpose, only to reveal it in the next season, which is also cool.

He feels so bad. TT_TT Don’t make that face at him, Lan Zhan, he’s a gentle soul. He doesn’t look like it, but he is.

Exactly. We won. Love is strong in JC. And look at those dorks. Precious. These moments are truly the blessing that we got from the animation. For me at least, it made me care about those guys even though I can’t remember their names. Those two nameless purple boys were the ones who made me drop my first tear in ep 11. These small things are so important. This is how you write a scene.

Envious much? I get you, though.

EPISODE 08 – or, where have all these bitches come from???

Diminutive - used to express the fact that something is small, often either to show affection or to suggest that something or someone is not important: Adding diminutive suffixes is often a disparaging tactic. MDZS has this fascinating ability to tell and show without actually spending too much time to tell and show.

Once again, such an imaginative way to progress the scenes.

“The cultivation clans kept silent in indignation (after the fall of many clans), only to share their resentments secretly. In the same year Wen Ruohan commanded his eldest son, Wen Xu, to aggressively intrude and burn down the Cloud Recesses.”

Ah, Wen Xu, I had so much faith in you. But, at least you didn’t burn everything and killed everyone like Wen Chao did. And defying your father/leader is a no-no. Eh, dunno, I wish we had more on him.

Don’t touch my baby! *animalistic growling*

That was really… cruel. But, I already talked about it. I want to say another thing here. I think the main reason why Wei Wuxian immediately jumped to the chance to go with Jiang Cheng is because Jiang Cheng will be safer with him than alone (I think Jiang Fengmian knows this too). Wei Wuxian is very protective of his shidi, he always saves him from (physical) danger. Man, I really love the Jiang siblings.

This is a nice parallel to that one moment when Wei Wuxain absorbed resentful energy in the earlier episode. The core melting must hurt as hell. Since I know almost all of the Jiang family lost their cores in similar fashion I get so pissed whenever I see The core melting hand (I don’t care for his name, he doesn’t deserve to have a name, I actually hate him more than any other Wen. He knows what he’s doing is wrong, he knows his lords are evil and he does nothing and his excuse is some favor. I totally get why Wei Wuxain was so furious with him.)

SCREENSHOT!

Don’t do something that will kill you.

Also, I like how the moment Wen Chao said “Who else dares to defy my orders?” Wei Wuxian immediately showed up in the frame. It’s such a nice touch to his personality and it’s a nice “invisible way” of foreshadowing.

He’s such a good child… *ugly sobbing*

The world doesn’t deserve Wei Wuxian. The world punishes people like Wei Wuxian and everyone knows this fact. The world is just not ready for someone as good and righteous. It probably never will be and that’s sad. But being “good and righteous” is complicated and debatable. The world will never agree on “good and righteous”, the agreement can never be pure and open-minded – someone like Wei Wuxian will never be accepted in the real society. We can all say we admire him and we truly do, but we also call him a fool.

He is so creepy. I love the VA for this guy. The way he laughs and yells Yahoo adds to the craziness.

All of them are so cute here. Lan Zhan too, with his childish jealousy. They just look like kids playing around. Also, Nie Huaisang, I can’t wait to see more of your shady ass in the future.

… I just think this shot is beautiful.

Jin Zixuan: Did you just touch my shoulder with your filthy finger?

Me: Fret not, babe, I’ll have Wei Wuxian make him eat that finger.

Lan Zhan and Jin Zixuan started it, Wei Wuxian brings a whole new level to “Fuck you”. I mentioned this before, I’ll say it again: I really like how our MC fights first with his smarts and even when he’s physical you can see that he’s using wits and tricks to win. That’s not usually the case with MCs. In this particular case, because he used his wit to disgrace Wen Chao and the Wen sect, he got remembered and became the main target to Wens’ revenge. JC must be eating himself up over this. He tried so hard, yet at the end he let his brother do something that will kill him. Honestly, though, I would have done the same as Wei Wuxian… and then I’d be feeling guilty for the rest of my life… just like him.

… Um… Wei Wuxian sweety, your Yiling Patriarch is showing.

“Attempt the impossible” sequence is a go. Also, this is such a cool shot.

Can’t you see a giant killer turtle behind you??? Good to know what your priorities are. You dumb bitch. Also, that scream… That was a really good scream of Wei Wuxian. Well… not good. You know what I mean.

And that’s all for today. I always say to myself I’ll make it shorter next time and I always fail to do so. Well, hope you enjoy my rambling. See you!

#mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #wei wuxian #lan wangji #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #jin zixuan #wen chao #nie huaisang #donghua #animation #character analysis #analysis

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