#this doesn't fit with cql

[person-behind-books]

sometimes i think about how zhancheng’s relationship is (almost) double the lenght of wangxian.

wangxian is like... they met in CR and lwj fell in love & wwx became kinda obsessed/found a friend (time: about maybe 6 months)

and then only had occasional meetings over the next years before the war fully breaks out when they are maybe 17. upon which they alienate each other through continued miscommunication and omissions. after the war lwj spends a year at CR and wwx at LP until wwx frees the wens and spends another year, with one (1) a visit from lwj, at the burial mounds until he dies at maybe 22. when he and lwj knew each other for less than four years (i’m excluding the time they spend apart)

13 years after that he spends months with lwj, getting to know him, falling in love, etc. until they get married at the end of the story.

meanwhile zhancheng is like... they also met in CR but didn’t have much of an impact on each others’ lifes other that lwj was the guy wwx was obsessed about. but then they spend those three months with eachother. jc who just lost his sect, wwx and won’t let himself fall apart. and lwj who is looking for the guy he loves while they’re in a war and his home was burned and his father is dead. and they do this together.

then during the war i think they kinda drift apart bc wwx was found and wwx was what pulled them together in the first place and now he is pushing lwj away.

then jyl is dead. wwx dies. lwj vanishes with wwx. and wwx is dead. jc is alone and rebuilding a sect and partly raising a baby and hates. lwj meanwhile mourns his love and heals and raises lsz and hates.

three years after that they meet again and at maybe 25 is when their story really starts.

they hate each other. lwj is the one who protected wwx when jc couldn’t - because of his feelings, because of his sect, because of jyl. jc is the one who didn’t protect wwx - was the one rumored to have killed him.

they push each other. tear each other apart. ruin each other and there is no other person who knows either of them as good as each other. not jl who understands jc’s brashness and cruel words, and soft hands when he had a nightmare or feels inferior to his parent’s legacy but has things that are out of grasp for a child. not lxc who almost knows lwj as good as he knows himself but doesn’t understand him sometimes. not nhs who grew up with both of them but pulls always further into himself after his brother’s death and while there, his presence is always superficially and never meaningful. not the few civilian elders who survived the burning and knew jc as a child. not lsz who adores his father.

and even if their relationship stays one of hate forever i fell like spending ten (thirteen) years hating someone brings a whole new kind of intimacy and depth.

#zhancheng #wangcheng #jiang cheng #lan wangji #lan zhan #mentioned wangxian #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #this doesn't fit with cql #meta

[mushroomwriter]

Olivia Rodrigo, Favorite Crime

We have saved each other once. We are even now.

#theuntamededit #theuntameddaily #cdramaedit #cqledit #Jiang Cheng #Wen Qing #ChengQing #The Untamed #cql p #myedit #this song doesn't really fit them overall #but these two lines inspired me

[svibian]

favourite xiao zhan looks [1/?]

#xiao zhan #the untamed cast #mxtxnet #cdramasource #nyx4 #cql cast #* #f:xz #xiao zhan: 2019 #*xiao zhan #ok now that all the tags are organized #outfit rant! #please ignore this because this is just me talking about why i like these pics #first of all HAIR???? it looks so good so fluffly AND THE BERET??? yes please and thank you #the pants are ok i mean they're just very simple BUT BUT BUT #the star of the show!! the vest!! #i guess it's a vest because it doesn't have sleeves BUT it's so cool i really like it #also the way this outfit just fits so well i wanna kiss the stylist #and then kiss xiao zhan ofc

[llycaons]

fans believing wwx when he acts like he's invincible is the reason we got people saying stuff like this but the story makes it abundantly clear that wwx, while extraordinarily intelligent and powerful, is still capable of tremendous heartache and loss, and he's suffered greatly in many ways that he doesn't allow the public or even his loved ones to see. it's almost the same kind of misdirection that had him characterized in-universe as a villain. BUT in the words of lwj that one time. we are all human <3

#yes he's passionate and angry and full of righteous fervor #but he's also hurt on his own behalf. a lot! and we see that! #sideways I feel like this is the mindset that gets people thinking that jc rly believed he wasnt killing wwx #but man I don't think jc is quite that stupid OR that eager to see wwx alive #given that you know. he tried to kill him in a fit of rage and then hunted down dcers for the next 16 years #to kill them. like anyone who truly has that reading and doesn't come to the conclusion that jc is an idiot #and his perspective is not worth getting emotional over. idk have fun but I can't see it #I mean it's another sort of dehumanization so it's not entirely ooc. I just don't get getting emotional pver it #but all fans interpret things how they wish etc. #cql txp

[journey-to-tiger-mountain]

The stars, the moon,

they have all been blown out

You left me in the dark

#xiyao #cql #modao zushi #lan xichen #jin guangyao #our original stuff #is it an OTP if every epic love song doesn't fit? No. #I made this instead of arguing my thesis #mdzs

[rainbowsky]

GG and the Duomo di Milano

Duomo 2019 (left), 2023 (right) and 2024 (top).

He has posted a photo of it whenever he goes to Milan, since his first trip there in 2019. Here's my CPN on that.

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

Of course, as an artist and a photographer it makes sense that GG is interested in this beautiful building. Gorgeous intricate architecture that is covered in lifelike statues, no doubt it is very satisfying to photograph. It's truly one of the most stunning cathedrals in the world. But we're turtles, so we're always going to look at things from a slightly different angle.

This CPN first came up back in 2019, the first time he went to Milan. GG said in an interview that he was excited to see the cathedral, and he posted a picture of it on his Weibo account. Turtles at the time speculated that GG was inspired by the photos that were all over the news in 2016, when same sex marriage was legalized there.

It was the location of massive LGBTQ rallies when same sex marriage was being debated and put to a vote, and was the site of equally massive celebrations when that vote won.

Some people are skeptical of this connection because they feel that the time gap of a couple years is too large for it to be relevant, but to me those people can't possibly understand how significant the same sex marriage fight is to queer people who wish to marry (and who wish to have their human rights recognized in general).

Especially around that time in history, when the fight was at its most active globally. There was a period of a few years where the issue was constantly in the news, as more and more countries were gradually recognizing legal rights for same sex couples. Images of those protests and celebrations were inspiring and exciting for queer people all over the world, and those who cared a lot about the issue followed that news pretty closely.

This is an issue of significance to queer people everywhere, even those who don't want to marry. It represents a shift toward acceptance and toward broader legal recognition of equal human rights for queer people.

Same sex marriage is a huge hurdle toward equality for anyone whose rights are at stake, because most of the opposition to human rights for queer people tends to come from religious groups and conservatives with narrow notions of 'family values'. When societies acknowledge - even on paper - that queer families are legitimate, the biggest barrier has been crossed.

Based on a lot of things I've seen from GG over the years I believe he's very deeply invested in Pride and gay rights. He's not at liberty to be as open about it as he'd like to be, but I believe he shows what he can. I have talked about that in more detail in this post.

I also believe that marriage is something that both GG and DD care a lot about. They are each others anchors in life, and even when they don't get to spend a lot of time together, they are home to each other. DD has also talked about wanting a son, and GG has also shown interest in children and family and often talks about a simple life.

They just ooze domesticity on many levels, and I think that even if it doesn't fit within their lives right now, they probably talk about and think about building a family together one day. And given the culture in China their parents likely want that for them as well.

I talked about the possibility they might already be married in this post. I talked about the possibility of them wanting kids in this post about DD saying he wanted a son, and later in this one from an OOL interview where GG mentioned envying Gu Wei's life.

Both GG and DD strike me as being connected to queer culture, just given some of their jokes, attitudes, etc. and some of the people they're associated with. Even their experience with filming CQL (which I talked about in this post). They're also both from the younger generation in China, which is much more progressive and informed on these issues.

All of this leads me to believe that it's not an accident that this landmark has captured GG's imagination.

The Duomo is also a very popular wedding/romantic photo destination, and where couples often propose.

I think that it's romantic that GG posted the moon over the cathedral this time. There are a lot of fake rumors and CPN around GG and DD and the moon, and turtles believe that they often send pictures of the moon to each other. They've both posted photos of the moon on social media in the past.

There have been a lot of posts about their connection with the moon over the years. A few of my favorites are Pie's post from Mid-Autumn Festival, Pie's post about Midsummer Moon (among other things) and of course the LRLG rumor that talks about DD taking pictures of the moon for GG.

Given what this landmark might mean to GG, it makes this photo even more special.

Or he could just enjoy photographing a pretty building. We'll likely never know for sure.

#bjyx #yizhan #gg milan fashion week 2024 #photographer gg #the mysteries of yizhan #lgbtpride

[accio-victuuri]

bits shared by rufeng about xiao zhan @ yuguyao shoot when she visited + stories from friends:

1. He started holding a small black fan in April and blowing it all the time.

2. When filming Shiying’s torture scene, he went to the director’s house to watch and ask if the movements will look like dancing (because no post-production effects have been added yet)

3. 520 : invited the crew to eat Deluxe ice cream. When the filming is completed, the whole group will be given a Tasogare Sakura coffee gift box, and also invited the crew to drink bubble tea.

4. He specifically asked the crew to help him find a reliable fitness center. Personal trainers don’t dare to go to the gym to exercise, so they do it secretly. Find a place to exercise;

5. The director and producer called Zanzan Zhan Ge and the co-stars call him big brother ( da-ge )

6. When filming, the character needs to be "held up" and there are quite a lot of little expressions and movements while holding a small fan in the gap. For example, when stretching, he will raise his arms to the left and right , swinging like seaweed, it still has the shadow of the time when he filmed Aling.

7. Director Zheng of Ah Ling went to visit the set. During the chat, he jokingly asked him who was more fierce, Director Zheng or Director Jiang (Yu Gu Yao). Zan Zan said that Director Zheng was fiercer.

8. When rehearsing, he still said "Mou Ti Yi" to the director in Cantonese, and he would move his lips in a mumbling manner. He would still make a few onomatopoeias while speaking the lines and then sing along.

9. When drinking water, he still took a big sip with a puffy face and swallowed it slowly.

10. After teaching Zhu Yan the wind control technique, Shi Ying walked up the steps with an umbrella. The drone flew over very close to his head. He relied on the umbrella to block him and couldn't take a picture of him. He also made a "woo~" sound in his mouth to cheer.

11. You can smell his fragrance at a close distance~not strong, it's a sweet fragrance, and it doesn't smell like perfume, but more like a little physical powder (could it be the fragrance of makeup powder?). The skin is very good! The eyelashes are not as long as I imagined.

12. He got a bamboo pole prop and started playing with it, just like when he was playing with his brother (yibo) in the A-Ling era, imitating the movements of a Japanese samurai swinging a sword.

13. When Director Zheng of The Untamed visited the set and chatted, he jokingly asked XZ if he thought the show would be popular when he was filming The Untamed. XZ replied with an embarrassed smile: Whether it would be popular or not is a mystery.

14. Director Jiang admired XZ very much and said that he was definitely not a top-tier star (meaning that many people have a prejudice that the term top-tier star means that it is an idol with only traffic). He praised him for being serious and having his own ideas, and for taking the initiative to discuss with the director. Later, when XZ was chatting with the producer, he asked the director if he had any suggestions for my performance, and if so, he must tell me more. The producer then relayed the director's evaluation of XZ, and XZ said, "Please tell the director for me, I can do better."

15. When Hun Dun forced Zhu Yan to jump into a hole, Shi Ying needed to smile evilly, and XZ exaggeratedly shook his shoulders and laughed “hiahia” when walking around.

16. It is said that 11 trackers were found under XZ’s car (not during the YGY period). During the YGY period, he was followed by SS in the middle of the night, and the police were called to arrest them. There was another time when seven proxy photographers were caught at once.

source

to those who is not familiar with rufeng, she works in the industry and was part of CQL crew. feel free to not believe the bits shared.

#xiao zhan #bjyx #yizhan #accio victuuri translation #yuguyao #omg the trackers on his car that’s so freakin scary my god

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Well its iirc said that the reason JGY is managing the whole crowd as JGS' right hand is because Zixuan's off on business, so maybe JGS purposefully did not send for his honorable hot head of a son in love with Yanli who may have derailed the meeting in a way not beneficial to JGS. Or MXTX just didn't want him there.

Ooh, this is interesting, and it gives me an excuse to go on about how JGY is presented when we see him serving his father at events.

At the Nightless City victory banquet, JGY's role seems to signify a decent amount of status. He's working the event, but JGS is there making announcements and greeting guests right alongside him and he has his own seat with the rest of the gentry, in a prime location right between his half-brother and his eldest sworn brother.

Fast-forward to the Phoenix Mountain Hunt the following month, and things have changed. JGY is master of ceremonies, explaining the rules of the competition during the hunt and commending everyone's performances at the banquet. He makes announcements at his father's behest and stands up on the dais near the throne, which seems like it's a privileged role, except that this time, he doesn't get to sit down.

He alone greets guests as they enter, he alone circulates in an attempt to deescalate the various conflicts his cousin instigates, he alone is responsible for finding more monsters to hunt when people throw a hissy fit about WWX catching too many. His half-brother, meanwhile, participates in the contests, goes on an awkward not-a-date with his crush, and spends the entire banquet (with all its drama) seated in silence. JGY's seeming authority prevents him from participating in the festivities the way that his supposed peers do. Yeah, he's by the throne, but he's standing--not unlike the servants.

Now, to be clear, he does have a place set for him! When he stomps over to try and make Jin Zixun stop bullying the Twin Jades into doing shots, he rises from the place across the hall from Jin Zixuan that's unoccupied in the second image.

So JGY's certainly afforded more status than a servant, but he's not being treated like a family member, either. No other Jin family members or disciples rush up with a bowed head alongside one of the maids to offer JGS a new cup of wine after JGS flips a table in anger at WWX's disruption.

And it's certainly not Zixun (who instigated the disruption and embarrassingly lost the ensuing power struggle) or Zixuan (who is still trying to marry the disruption's elder sister even after she publicly turned him down) who are getting wine thrown on them for their trouble!

All this is to say, I'm surprised to hear that the novel explains JGY's role as something done out of necessity due to Zixuan's absence, because my takeaway from CQL is that these responsibilities are a deliberate attempt to set JGY apart from Zixuan as different and lesser. Zixuan's right there and he does nothing, either in fulfillment of an assigned duty or of his own volition. I can't imagine him overseeing an all-sect meeting, even on something that didn't tangentially involve his personal life.

#jin guangyao #trying to be better about tagging characters in posts that took a modicum of effort so the tags are uhh. Not Awful.

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. hi!! for the next itmf, it was always spoken in the novel, and sometimes in fics how jfm favoured wwx over his children. despite the fact that as readers we definitely see the contrary, are there fics where this is true? where jfm actually prefers wwx's company over his children, or even just jc?? no wwx bashing pls, i just found out it exists and i hated every word of that fic. thank you!! <3

~*~

2. Itmf fics where wangxian are on a battlefield fighting in a war. I love the angst of being in love in a place with little hope. @gentil-minou

The Vermillion Ribbon by Unforth (E, 233k, wangxian, Wen WWX, politics, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, hurt WWX, hurt LWJ, whump, serious injury, off-screen torture, hurt/comfort, angst, marriage of convenience, abusive father figures, panic attacks, trauma, ptsd, dissociation, pining, suicidal thoughts, miscommunication, touch starved LWJ, light dom/sub, feels, family feels, brotherly feels, LQR is a dick, abusive lan sect, emotional hurt/comfort, healing, recovery, Happy Ending)

~*~

3. Hi! I think this is an ask for the itmf but I’m not sure actually :/ anyways I’ve had exams for about the last two months so I couldn’t read any new fics and now that I’m finally free I don’t know where to start! Can you rec the best (completed, wangxian) fics you’ve read in the last months? Thanks luv :D

The Scarlet Lotus by rainbowninja167 (M, 137k, WangXian, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Identity, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical war crimes, Yunmeng Bros, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication)

Going on charmingly by scribbet (T, 21k, WangXian, Teenage LWJ, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, WWX is BSSR's Disciple, Genius WWX, Petty LWJ, Meddling LXC, Canon Divergence, JFM Doesn't Adopt WWX, Technically pre-relationship, but in the typical Wangxian way of them being in deep but just not acknowledging it yet, POV LWJ)

~*~

4. (This is my first time asking, so pwease pardon mistakes ʕ⁠´⁠•⁠ ⁠ᴥ⁠•⁠`⁠ʔ)

I'm in a mood for a fic where the drama version of Wangxian(or either one of them) meet the cql version! Thanks in advance ❤️ @dizzydandelionsandhyperhydrillas

The Young, the Horny, the Jaded and the Jade: Partners in Time by Admiranda (M, 55k, WIP, WangXian, Established couple, Crossover, road trip with your older selves, teasing your younger selves about their obvious crushes, yin iron does yin iron things, mdzs/cql crossover, adult wangxian, Teenage Wangxian) i don't know quite if it fits (asker said drama version meet cql (did they mean audio drama?)), but a potential for #4: post-canon novel wangxian meet teenage cql wangxian (WIP, very cute)

#9 of this post might have some recs you would like

~*~

5. Hi, for the next in-the-mood-for, can I request fake!dating of the "I will be your intentionally annoying fake date to your family function / work do/ ex's wedding/etc" flavour. Many thank!

❤️ save a sword, ride a socialist by sysrae (E, 33k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, College/University, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Single Parent WWX, Homophobia, LQR’s A+ Parenting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Idiots to lovers)

Their Side of the Bargain by airinshaw (E, 21k, WangXian, Modern AU, Fake/Pretend Relationship, There Was Only One Bed, Getting Together, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Roommates, Minor ChengSang)

we don't need to talk about it by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 48k, WangXian, Modern AU, Fake Dating, the slimmest of premises, there was only one bedroom, There Was Only One Bed, kissing to prove you're dating, being idiots to prove you're dating, Pining while fucking, background NieLan)

The Mistletoe Virgin by Vamillepudding (G, 12k, WangXian, Modern AU, Romantic Comedy, Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Deaf LWH, Christmas)

Veritas by trickybonmot (E, 19k, WangXian, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Modern: No Powers, Humor, Mutual Pining, There Was Only One Bed, Jins Being Jins, Wine Bro JZX, Good Sibling JC, light consensual non-consent, Surprise Fix-it Fic, Weddings, Wine, Hijinks & Shenanigans)

Gremlin Twitter Boyfriend (Twitter thread) by nyanxian Podfic + transcript (T, 5-6H - 38k, wangxian, modern, Social Media, Failboats In Love, Twitter Fic, Pining, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Matchmaking, Podfic, Multiple Voices, Sound Effects, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming, Warning: Jokes about Suicide)

~*~

6. has anyone found a fic where wwx tells jc to put him down if he becomes an actual threat to their family, and after it seems like jyl died, jc does mercy kill wwx as agreed?

~*~

7. ITMF request! I have a hankering for fic where the Jiang siblings turn against LWJ b/c they think he's broken WWX's heart. Would love it to be CR arc era, but modern AU is okay too. I really just want JYL to go off on LWJ, either freezing him out or giving him a piece of her mind. No Jiang bashing, tho'. @kimboo-york

the earthquake in the room by phnelt (E, 39k, WangXian, College/University, Modern: No Powers, Canada, Getting Together, Mentions of lwj/others, inter-faculty romance, strangers to lovers to frenemies to lovers, mostly book characterisation) Modern AU, JYL engages in a cold war with LXC because LWJ doesn't know how to communicate his feelings to WWX and keeps hurting him

could you find a way to let me down slowly, if you're leaving baby let me down slowly by ravenditefairylights (M, 36k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Reveal, Implied/Referenced Sex, Miscommunication, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, Hurt WWX, Mutual Pining, Unreliable Narrator, Self-Esteem Issues, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Protective Siblings, Trauma, Slightly dubious consent, courtesy of drunk sex, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Phoenix Mountain, Chronic Pain, Getting Together, Fix-It of Sorts, One Braincell Trio, PTSD) has both Jiang siblings angry with LWJ after he and WWX sleep together while drunk, only for LWJ to run out the next morning

~*~

8. Hi! Is there any fic where wwx and lwj really had their own garden? left the cultivation world (or maybe not) but they have a simple life

call me home and I'll build you a throne by ana_cp (E, 51k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Post-CQL, Canon Compliant, Getting Together, Developing Relationship, Gūsū Lán Juniors Dynamics, Touch-Starved Non-Sexual Intimacy, ... and then Sexual Intimacy, Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Farmer WWX, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Mutual Pining, Communication, Quietly Falling Into a Married Life, Light Angst, (because they don't think they deserve each other), Wholesome, POV LWJ, POV WWX, LWJ in braids agenda, Sharing a Bed, WWX's Birthday, Semi-Public Sex, Inventor WWX, Jealous WWX)

~*~

9. Hey for the next itmf post can you rec some post canon protective LWJ

Nice work if you can get it by deliciousblizzardshark (M, 11k, WangXian, Protective LWJ, Genius WWX, Post-Canon, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Soft WangXian, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, a very very small amount of smut, also a possessed squirrel, [Podfic] Nice work if you can get it by deliciousblizzardshark)

~*~

10. itmf nmj refusing to swear brotherhood to jgy? could still do that with lxc and/or someone else! i would love to see the ramifications of that 💙

~*~

11. In the mood for… I want to know if you all can share stories were A-Yuan is at Koi Tower when he's a child. Specially with Wei Wuxian. Fix its, time travel, second chance, anything where A-Yuan and Wangxian are happy at the end. Specially if the Wens are all alive and also having a chance for happiness!! Thank you!! Be well, Monica @monicaop21

To Mourn the Young Man by Iamnotawriter (T, 56k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, BAMF WWX, Most people live, but not the bad guys, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal)

changing the path by aurora_chiroptera (G, 2k, LSZ & WWX, WWX & JC, Canon Divergence, POV WWX, wn jzx and jl all appear briefly as well!)

~*~

12. any fics like three changes by orange crushed? something where they’re good friends before they get together? and/or ones that are kind of like a romantic comedies? @willesnelson

undone (the spreadsheet song) series by spookykingdomstarlight (E, 282k, wangxian, modern, Artists, Communication failure, Mutual Pining, mutual obliviousness, Demisexual WWX, Eventual Smut, Gossip, Getting Together, Mentions of Past Lan Wangji/OMCs, Crack Treated Seriously, Friends to Friends With Benefits to Lovers, LWJ's horniness for WWX accidentally turns him into a sex god with everyone except WWX (sorry WWX), POV WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending)

only bought this dress so you could take it off by mirrorofprinces (E, 13k, WangXian, Modern AU, Roommates/Housemates, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Crossdressing, well wwx wears slutty fashionnova outfits a lot, and lwj thinks about it a normal amount, Brief Misunderstandings, mentions of lwj/others, Bisexual WWX, Idiots in Love, Getting Together, let wwx be tan, let wwx have wavy hair, background NieLan, background sangcheng if you squint)

living in my memory/living in my mouth by tardigradeschool (T, 32k, WangXian, Modern AU, Reincarnation, Canon Divergence, College/University, Modern with Magic, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Sharing a Bed, Nightmares, Light Angst, Epistolary, (sort of), POV Alternating, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers)

r/relationships by vespertineflora (T, 8k, WangXian, Modern AU, Social Media, Viral Reddit Post, Pining, Crushes, Friends to Lovers, Awkward Flirting, Romantic Gestures, Romantic Comedy, Love Confessions, Kissing, Happy Ending, r/relationships [podfic] by someplacelikebolivia)

🧡 Baby, You're the End of June by panicking (T, 24k, WangXian, Recreational Soccer, Modern AU, Single parent WWX, Fluff, Slow Burn, Mutual pining)

Lans Never Kiss and Tell by FeelsForBreakfast (E, 30k, WangXian, Modern AU, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Humor, lwj FUCKS, Mutual Pining, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, modern diaspora au)

our own kind of magic. by scarletwanlian (T, 18k, WangXian, Modern AU, 5+1 Things, Fluff, Humor, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, Magic, Magical Realism, College/University, Slice of Life!, Witch!WWX, Banter)

live from new york by varnes (E, 87k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, This is a SNL AU, however the juniors are featured and there are lots of shenanigans!, slow burn, friends to lovers, pining, getting together, happy ending)

~*~

13. ITMF: I know I had a fic in my bookmarks that involved the Cold Spring Cave refusing to let Wei Wuxian leave if he and Lan Wangji didn’t consummate the handfasting. I can’t find it, though, so I’m looking for fics like that with a fuck or die sort of feel. Found it lol, but would love other suggestions (In the Cold Dark by mondengel) @rosethornewrites

~*~

14. Hello there! I've read a lot of fics where WangJi gets cursed with a truth spell or similar and he has to, like, speak his mind and can't shut up. But!!! I haven't read any with a cursed Wei WuXian! And I think it would be hilarious! He tends to minimize his worries and his pains and always jokes around everything, but what would happen if he had to be SINCERE?! Do you have fics like this to recommend??? @randomsuggestedname

i'm a drop in your ocean by starknjarvis (T, 11k, WangXian, truth curse, Post-Canon, so much dialogue, drama characterizations, Get Together, Truth Spells, Love Confessions) and Silence Like a Cancer Grows by julomaiboulomai (M, 12k, Yunmeng Siblings, LXC & WWX, truth curse, Suicidal Thoughts, Canon Divergence, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Dissociation, WWX Needs a Hug, Golden Core Reveal, LXC did not sign up for this, Hopeful Ending) both have WWX cursed to tell the truth.

~*~

15. Hi! I recently read an MDZS/Harry Potter Crossover where WWX & LWJ went to Hogwarts to help with something and now I just crave more MDZS crossovers where MDZS characters interact with other stories and are BAMFs, do any of you have any recommendations? (PS, It doesn't have to be Harry Potter, it can be any other story, I've read an MLB one I liked as well, so.) @i-like-snakes-and-spiders

Darkness shrouded in light by MomImBusy (T, 68k, wangxian, erasermic, crossover, BNHA, Canon Divergence, Mineta Minoru Doesn't Exist, WWX is a Little Shit, WWX is here to fuck some shit up, mentions of abuse, Courtesy of the entire mdzs cast, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Parental Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Angst,bBAMF WWX, Necromancy in a quirk world, WIP)

Diplomatic Incidents by Ariaste (M, 35k, WangXian, IB/DP, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Getting Together, Linguistics, Translation Spells, canon-typical borderline alcoholism, Fluff, a touch of angst for spice, being in love but not admitting you want to sleep together, Versus, sleeping together but not admitting you're in love, Post-Canon, post-canon for MDZS anyway, during-canon for DAI)

Come by it Honestly by ladyshadowdrake (M, 25k, Geraskier, WangXian, The Witcher Crossover, Crossover, Adventure)

Wei Wuxian Makes a Wish series by natcat5 (M, 119k, wangxian, major character death, underage, madoka magica au, modern w/ magic, time travel, high school au, body horror, self-harm, angst w/ bittersweet ending, time loop, mental instability, suicidal thoughts)

The Hanging Tree series by chatonnerie (T, 41k, wangxian, hunger games au, minor character death, violence, blood, limb loss, sickness, recovery, torture)

Wei Wuxian is the Actual Bogeyman (no, really) by chatonnerie (T, 57k, WangXian, Rise of the Guardians AU, Crack, not gonna lie, i mean they literally call wwx the bogeyman my poor brain could not resist, TW:Death, I mean, Jack Frost cannonically dies)

Castle in the Wastes by ailuridae (abigailnicole) (T, 41k, wangxian, Howl’s Moving Castle fusion, personified Chenqing, canon typical violence)

The Altogether Ooky WangXian Family by FluffyHippogriff (T, 57k, WIP, WangXian, 3Zun, Modern AU, Addams Family AU, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, mostly because death can be overcome with the help of a little necromancy, Kid Fic, Comedy)

Grandmaster of the Magical Arts series by HollowNightmare (T, 305k, WangXian, Hogwarts, Harry Potter Setting, Chinese Hogwarts?, Slice of Life, Developing Friendships, POV Alternating, lwj is an anxious bean, Light Angst, Hurt/Comfort)

~*~

16. Hello! I wanted to ask if you know any WWX appreciative/wwx protection squad type of fics? I've check the wwx centric tag, everyone loves wwx tag and even the wwx protection squad tag itself but I'm having a hard time finding fics where other characters are protective over wwx (preferably at least 2 people

the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorne (E, 88k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, Self-Esteem Issues, Fix-It, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, PTSD, Handfasting, Panic Attacks, Getting Together, First Time, Aftercare, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Scars, Chronic Pain, Golden Core Reveal, First Time, Switching, sex-related injury, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, LSZ is a Wèi, Good Sibling JC, Dissociation, Burial Mounds Settlement Days)

🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 53k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

~*~

17. Hi! I just read the amazing fic "Say my name and his in the same breath" that was linked over on WangxianFicRecs, and it reminded me of one of my favorite things to read, which is LWJ harming WWX — intentionally or unintentionally — and being very, very guilty about it. Do you have suggestions for fics with that element? Thanks!

💙 Wish I could forget the taste of your skin and the feel of your hands pinning me down by KizuKatana (E, 63k, wangxian, WQ & WWX & WN, modern w/ cultivation, getting back together, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, case fic, pining)

🧡 Life as a House by Terri Botta (Isilwath) (T, 55k, WangXian, Modern AU, Post-Divorce, Father-Son Relationship, Reconciliation, Therapy, Angst with a happy ending)

Honesty is the Best Policy (Except if You’re an Asshole) by piecrust (E, 22k, WangXian, Porn with Feelings, College/University)

~*~

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

#wangxian #wangxianficfinder #mdzs #the untamed #long post #i'm in the mood for a fic #wangxian fic recs #wangxian fic search

[sunshine304]

New Fanbinding! Two fics by KouriArashi

Now that the gift copies for @gingersnapwolves have arrived (and how quick the post was this time, I'm in awe!), I can post about my latest fanbinding project.

I had decided on binding both fics about, uhm, two years ago? XD I love all of Kouri's CQL fics; she's actually the reason I started watching the show in the first place, so it was a no-brainer to bind some of her fics!

I think I did the typset for "The Way It Wasn't" in 2021 but I had a specific design idea for the case in mind and didn't feel confident to tackle that just yet, so the printed version sat around for... a while. Sometime after that, I did the typeset for "Picking Up the Pieces", which took longer because of the photo edits.

I finally got around to actually making the books in May and I'm very pleased with the results, though there were a lot of stumbling blocks in both projects and I'm actually surprised that the finished books look good. XD I was sure I'd case in the block upside down after all the other mishaps, but at least I didn't do that. XD (I might have checked each book like five times, though... just in case. XD)

More pictures and info about the process behind the cut.

The books are supposed to be the first in a series of 5, each focussing on one of the great sects, and so I decided to use the same basic design ideas: colour-coded for the sect, the cut-out on the front, the little graphic on the back, same brand of Parisian marbled paper, frontispiece depicting the location, sect logo as title page, same design for titling on the spine.

For some reason, my camera refuses to really catch the foil colour from "Picking Up the Pieces" on the titling - it's a light pink/ rosé coloured foil.

The planned design for that book really caused me quite some grief, because it turned out that the foil I'd wanted to use (a light lilac one) did not work on this kind of book cloth. It's only for using a laminator / hot iron and so also doesn't work on paper with a foil pen.

I changed the colours for that books so often, going to a coated lilac cloth (where the foil works because it's coated...) but that didn't look good with the light coloured paper I used with the logo (no contrast), so I went back to this cloth and went looking for another foil. I tried rosegold which was okay, but then I lucked out and got the light pink one at a local shop.

For "The Way It Wasn't", I used a lot of official art:

For "Picking Up th Pieces", I used a mix of (edited) official art and photo edits I made myself. The "problem" of this fic is that Lan Wangji starts living at Lotus Pier, wearing Jiang colours most of the time and no forehead ribbon.

Also, Jiang Yanli is now sect leader and needed some fancy clothes. Luckily, Xuan Lu has acted in a lot of dramas recently where she wore some more dramatic robes that would fit a sect leader. I had to do colour edits of the robes at times and at one point had to photoshop Lan Wangji into a picture with her. My old Photoshop did not like all of this but I managed in the end. XD

I'm pleased with the results and might make a post with the photo edits at one point.

I also asked Kouri about her fancast for the OC Yu Zhiyi; that was a while ago. I wanted to include a picture of the character but didn't want to choose someone at random if Kouri already had someone in mind. Of course, I never mentioned that this was for the book; it was supposed to be a surprise after all! ;D

I'm really pleased with how the books turned out, especially considering all the stuff that went wrong in making the cases... XD I guess I can say I learned some things? XD

It's always fun if you mess up something on one case and think, "Ah well, this will be my copy then, I guess!" and then you mess up even worse on the other case! XD So Kouri got the book with more air bubbles in the logo because on the other case, the title was crooked. Argh!

I added some ornaments to distract a bit from that. It's also important to know that I'm a bit OCD about titles and stuff being crooked, I just hate it. This was a very sad moment for me.

But that's always the danger when fumbling around with that flimsy foil and the print-out. I'll live! :D

Materials used:

Printed on Clairefontaine Papago 80g (TWIW) and Clairefontaine DCP 100g (PUTP)

Case + endpapers "The Way It Wasn't":

- booklinen Brillianta - French marbled paper 120g - craft paper - hot foil (on brand)

Case + endpapers "Picking Up the Pieces":

- booklinen Imperial - French marbled paper 120g - Rössler letter paper 100g - hot foil (cheap stuff)

#fanbinding #bookbinding #my fanbinding #the untamed #mdzs #wangxian #mo dao zu shi #chen qing ling #arts and crafts #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #yunmeng siblings #wei wuxian #lan wangji #books #my posts

[tidesreach]

i think the issue with cql/mdzs fandom (specifically jiang cheng antis) is that it seems to have a very rigid view on a) what being a good person looks like and b) what trauma looks like, or significantly, what it should look like, and c) the meeting point of the two: what being a good person with trauma should look like. e.g. the way wei wuxian is held up as this sort of shining example of how to be traumatised the right way. so much of this fandom consistently frames wei wuxian as Good Traumatised rather than what he actually is, which is quite simply a person with various trauma responses and trauma-learnt behaviours that he did not choose and that have no actual bearing on his goodness. whereas jiang cheng is condemned as Bad Traumatised when actually he is just a person with different trauma responses and trauma-learnt behaviours that he also did not choose and that also have no actual bearing on his goodness. people categorising the way wei wuxian responds to his trauma as Good and the way jiang cheng responds to it as Bad (or even Evil) is a mindset that is deeply rooted in stigma whether you realise it or not.

like, i don't interact with jc antis if i can help it. which, yeah, is because i have no interest in reading endless hate posts. but i also steer clear predominantly because as someone with a heavily stigmatised mental illness a lot of the discussion around jiang cheng and the notion that trauma making you angry and hateful = Bad reads as "i support people with mental illness but only the people with symptoms that i personally find palatable" which is very reminiscent of frankly dehumanising real life debates around whether people who display certain symptoms (people like me) are worthy of help (or whether they even can be helped or whether they are just inherently terrible people etc.). and that is a horrible and damaging thing to read about yourself.

essentially, it all boils down to the wholly problematic idea that there are right and wrong ways to be traumatised—as if (in the absense of therapy and/or medication) you have any choice or control over your own symptoms/trauma responses—and that anything that doesn't fit into the "trauma made me kinder" mold is the wrong way to be traumatised. which is exactly what stigma is and why a lot of people have to fight so hard to get a modicum of help. so much of the language used around jiang cheng's trauma and his emotional responses to that trauma is rooted in real life stigmatising rhetoric that denies people the help they need and deserve because they're not the right type of mentally ill. this mindset that wei wuxian did trauma right and jiang cheng did trauma wrong is based on a made up concept designed to demonise certain mental illnesses.

it's like, there are so many takes which go something like, "well, wei wuxian has trauma too and he didn't do x, y, z." and sure, you're right, he didn't do x, y, z, but he did do a, b, c, if you see what i'm getting at. and arguing that a, b, c, are better responses than x, y, z shows a lack of understanding of the complexity of trauma and the way it can be informed by self-perception or perception other people have of you, i.e. it can become a bit (or a lot) of a self-fulfilling prophecy. because if anything the idea that trauma made wwx kinder oversimplifies the damaging effects it actually had on him. because it also made him reckless and (re)vengeful. it also gave him a messy saviour complex that repeatedly leads to ruin (like, man, when jiang cheng says to wei wuxian in anger, "wei wuxian, do you have a saviour complex?" he reads him very well. he knows him very well. in the same way wei wuxian knows that jiang cheng holds on to too much anger). wei wuxian's trauma is just as messy as jiang cheng's but it manifests in very different ways. different ways, not the right ways. wei wuxian's trauma responses hurt people too and you can acknowledge that. it doesn't make him Bad.

what seems to cause real issue though, is the differences in the way they respond to trauma. what causes real issue is that those differences are indisputably to do with certain symptoms jiang cheng displays being the more stigmatised ones. it's his anger and hatred and volatility. it's his very extreme fear of abandonment and equally extreme efforts to avoid it by furiously protecting what he has left because he cannot bear to lose anything or anyone else. it's his dichotomous thinking that can make him irrational. but those are not evil or wrong trauma responses. they're just trauma responses and they are actually fairly common trauma responses at that. certainly more common than "trauma made me kinder". i don't know who needs to hear this but a person's involuntary emotional responses to trauma are not an indication of whether they are a good person or not. you can struggle with anger and hatred and symptoms considered "less palatable" and still be a good person. trauma does not give "bad" symptoms to bad people and "good" symptoms to good people because there is no such thing as a morally good or a morally bad symptom.

people need to stop letting stigma inform their (mis)understandings of mental health and trauma and try to remember that there are real life people who suffer from the symptoms they are stigmatising and who face barriers every single day because of that stigma.

#i could say more but this is long enough #jc #jiang cheng #a nice day for a long personal jc post ig

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

hi there!

sorry if you’ve already answered this, but what’s your opinion on jiang yanli? (e.g is she good as a character, is the way fanon portrays her good or bad, was wwx right to care for her as he did, was she as bad as the rest of the jiang family w her treatment of him, etc)

just in general, i mean? also, hope you’re having a good day!

Good morning anon!

I will use this as my overall thoughts on Jiang Yanli, thank you for asking as well. (｡･ω･｡)

Personally I enjoy her, she reminds me of my mother and so I like that softer girl that is very loving and quietly determined in the way she shows her care for others. I think fandom expects her to be more assertive than she is. People aren't always like that, nor do I expect characters in media, as women, to always be that either. Especially in a lore world that is not kind to those that don't fit the character preconceived notions of what a person is socially.

Of course Wei Wuxian was in the right to care for her as much as she did for him. I don't understand what more fandom would have wanted her to do, if we logically apply the world's society they were in. She was a non-cultivator woman, who was not taught the way of battle, she was made to be domestic and sidelined as a girl and thus, not important for the world of patriarchal sect decisions. By fandom she is condemned for being passive and having been raised to be such with the usual arguments being, she should have known to be more and do more for yet another man in her life.

This is a two way issue however, as Wei Wuxian did not want her to be anything more than the soft comfort they were for each other. He didn't want or expect her to be MORE than being Jiang Yanli, he didn't need her to be more or expect her to be. They saw each other as for what they were, and were content with that. It is not for someone as a sibling, to always be the one to fix or be able to protect a sibling. They did what they could as much as they could and were able to without insisting to rule over the other for their own good. She let Wei Wuxian choose the paths he wanted as he did with her.

Not many relationships in the book allow that, nor does fandom when it superimposes the deep siblingship Wei Wuxian has for her, on to Jiang Cheng. She was his stone within Yunmeng Jiang, she was the one he listened to and spoke to about his concerns. It is her lessons he takes to heart and why he stayed. What treatment was it that she ever showed cruelty to him? Because she married? Familial relationships aren't supposed to be codependent despite what CQL did, she was never insistent on them as siblings needing to stay together forever to the point of detriment to Wei Wuxian. She never put more burden upon him as the other Jiangs did.

Fandom seems to expect all support to be loud and huge. Jiang Yanli is not that, but it doesn't make it any less as she was the only other one aside from Lan Wangji that wanted to protect Wei Wuxian without caging him or insisting that he had to follow their way. What he wanted was comfort, not to be told what to think. I don't see how that is such an awful thing for Jiang Yanli to give. All the riches in the world wouldn't have helped Wei Wuxian in comparison to the way they just were content in the others life.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #jiang yanli #wei wuxian #wei wuxian thought the world of her #despite the hate that fandom seems to have for her #she was enough for him and that's enough for me

[admirableadmiranda]

I tried to look through your Tumblr to see if you'd answer this but couldn't find it. I wanted to inquire if BFF WWX & NHS are purely fanon? I know they are friendly during the study arc but was it, 'write to me, we can't lose touch' friendly or 'we see each other every day' classmates friendly.

Either way, I do think they would have been friends if the war didn't happen but I think it would have been secret. Mostly because I think Madam Yu and JC wouldn't like him being chummy with his betters.

Also, did he actually manipulate MXY into sacrificing himself or was MXY just tired and saw it as a way out and a middle finger to his tormenters?

Thanks for your thoughts. I hope you are doing well 😊💞

Hi. Thanks for your patience once again.

Sadly, it was the latter. They were buddies for the extent of the study group and after that in the book, they are never mentioned to communicate again till Wei Wuxian returns from the dead, and even then it's pretty clear that it was a more distant relationship. Wei Wuxian knew him well when they were teenagers, but any actual relationship is all in the past. (Much of this likely comes from CQL where they are actual friends and connect several times in scenes that simply do not exist in the book and people then adding it into their novel based stuff)

It is possible that they could have been friends in a non-war world, depending on how much effort Nie Huaisang was able to put into it. As you say, Madam Yu and Jiang Cheng probably would have not been all that open to the idea, no matter what sort of connection it is, as Jiang Cheng easily gets jealous of anyone who can pull Wei Wuxian's attention from Lotus Pier and Madam Yu is Madam Yu. But Wei Wuxian does require some input from the other side too. As funny as it may be to joke about him doing all the work to make friends, the truth of things is that he needs reciprocation to keep making those overtures. Even he and Lan Wangji struggle till he starts getting something back. If Nie Huaisang isn't putting forth his own effort, it will still fizzle and die.

So I don't really go in for sad boy Mo Xuanyu theory at all, I think that most of Nie Huaisang's influence in this situation would have been when and who. But what we get out of the mess of scribbled notes and the fact that he memorized this ritual back in Jinlintai before he was sent home is that he was a young man who was deeply embittered by the situation he was in and chose to strike back at his abusers even worse. He may have been sweet, but the fact that he memorized a sacrifice and revenge spell points to him having a dark streak even then.

Nie Huaisang's mastery and manipulations are in part finding those who are angry enough or good enough to do the work for him. He takes a very off hand approach to Jin Guangyao's downfall up until the end, letting others who he may not be able to handle or anticipate (Sisi, Bicao, Wei Wuxian himself as well as Lan Wangji taking a much more active approach in the matter) spin his web tighter till Jin Guangyao is already trapped and doomed. While no doubt Mo Xuanyu sacrificing himself to bring Wei Wuxian back into the game is a part of his plan, the amount of personal manipulation needed to bring someone who wouldn't already have had those wishes around to his point of view is a lot more than he's put into anyone else involved. It just doesn't fit with my understanding of the characters and schemes that he would do that. After all, their timing was in sync. That suggests a mutual plan to me.

#mdzs #nie huaisang #wei wuxian #mo xuanyu #asks

[resonancewitness]

an old fake rumour (2018)

Also in one of the yizhan fan groups on FB today a screenshot of old fake rumour is circulating, I will preserve here what I understood (it was a Chinese-to-Spanish translation).

It is an evening during the filming of CQL. GG, DD and Marius W are in the same room. GG is complaining that "it is been a whole day", tries to engage DD in a conversation, and DD, for some reason or other, says he doesn't want to talk. GG complains that he had been standing for a long time and now his feet and legs hurt a lot, DD says "it's because you are not stable when you stand", GG says "support me/ hold me up, then, next time, and I won't be that tired and hurting", and that if DD doesn't talk, he (GG) would leave. DD leaves instead and comes back with a bottle filled with hot water, and warms his hand against it before touching GG's foot. Possibly rolls the hot bottle against his feet through a towel. GG continues to complain that extra heat on this hot day will kill him. DD advises him not to move, so he wouldn't accidentally touch the hot bottle. DD says "going to refill the hot water", GG says "no need". GG asks Marius W to look what DD is doing, and he looks and says "he is dancing". GG smiles very softly.

~ what I like about this rumour (what fits into my imagination) is DD having an arsenal of helpful tricks from his time of gruelling dancing training.

albeit it would be a fitting resolution for such scene in a story, if GG just fell fast asleep in the midst of such ministrations :) who knows, could have happened some other times. It is all total cpn, fake and fanfiction anyway.

#yizhan #old rumour #fanfiction #cpn

[llycaons]

I'm sure there's been a good thorough analysis on why fans want to excuse every single thing jc has ever done wrong and paint him as a tragic noble misunderstood hero despite the ample (perhaps even overwhelming) evidence in every single version of canon to contradict that reading, but I have to go to bed now

#can it really be just down to jc nearly fitting into an immensely popular 'asshole with a heart of gold'/'tsundere' sort of trope #bc I can see the character they WANT him to be and it's really fun #grouchy but harmless. sarcastic and funny. respectful but a little rough around the edges #very fond but unable to communicate it. loyal and brave and suffering in silence. neglected by evil father #it's just...not him! it's not! that's not the character! #and that doesn't describe any of his relationships completely! #eh maybe jyl. probably was civil to jzx too #cql txp

[xiyao-feels]

One interesting difference between CQL and MDZS is in the Lan internal power structure, specifically when it comes to LXC's place in it. Contrasting their respective Gusu lectures arcs makes it especially clear.

In CQL, even though LXC is already clan leader (!), he's treated by basically everyone as subordinate to LQR, and their body language very much reflects that. It's not just in LQR's classroom, where LQR is at least the teacher (though it is very much also in LQR's classroom); it's basically every time they interact. And it's not just internal; LQR is still the one to go to the cultivation conference in Qinghe, even though in CQL, again LXC is already sect leader, and JFM actually calls him Lan-gongzi as well as Lan-zongzhu.

MDZS is very different. Though LXC isn't clan leader, he operates much more independently; he doesn't even have any scenes with LQR in this arc, he's certainly not hanging around in LQR's classroom. Instead we first meet him when he's rounding up LWJ to help him handle the issue in Caiyi Town, an operation he seems to be running without supervision. And while LQR is still the one to go to the discussion conference, it's a different situation since LXC isn't sect leader yet. Interestingly CQL has LQR present at the holy shit WWX ran off with the Wen conference, while he's not at all present there in MDZS.

I think a lot of this is just downstream of the changes CQL makes to LWJ's arc, centering it on a moral defiance and a friendship with (and obvious desire to help) WWX in the past timeline. In CQL, we see LWJ defying LQR with his interest in WWX; in MDZS...man I'm really not a wang//xian expert but I think the closest we get to anything like that before the final confrontation at Nightless City is LXC heading over to Jiangling to stop LWJ from fighting WWX all the time, lol (ch 48). But LXC's place in the narrative doesn't work if he opposes WWX in the way LQR does, and it would change his character drastically to make him do so. Giving LQR the role fits much more nicely with his existing character and place in the narrative—but it does mean changing the internal Lan power dynamics, and putting them more front and centre for the viewer.

#MDZS LXC is definitely not the only person with power in his clan #the seniors and LQR are also powerful and LXC doesn't operate as dictator #but he does seem to have clear authority as sect leader from the very beginning (of being sect leader) #in a way CQL LXC does not