#zhanchengxian

[sandumilfshou]

always thinking about lwj and jc who still hate each other but also realise theyre the only people who will actually mourn wwx so they end up having sex about it and it slowly turns into some kind of less hateful situationship over time that neither of them will actually look at or acknowledge

the first time they end up properly dual cultivating is an accident, thus far they have not been willing to be that vulnerable or connected to each other

and they both realise at the same time what the familiar, beloved warmth is emanating from jc's dantian

horrified and grateful and despairing, they realise the truth of what happened to wwx, while also sobbing bc it feels like he is back with them again, keeping his shidi safe from within, protecting jc even when he's gone

#zhancheng #chengzhan #wangchengxian #zhanchengxian #yunmeng shuangjue #twin prides of yunmeng #wangxian #chengxian #xiancheng #i dont count nhs as mourning in this bc tbh he is probably so fucked up over nmj and focused on his revenge it takes a back seat

[least-carpet]

'replacing jc in someone's affection' I am crying! wwx doesn't do it once but twice! It's fascinating! Also, this makes me understand why some people, reading the novel, come to the conclusion that wwx doesn't care anymore about jc. Yeah, it's a valid interpretation!

Listen, I just rotated, and rotated, and rotated this scenario (—because, like, both child and adult Wei Wuxian are sincerely in need of support and affection, but I think receiving it as a child while it was withheld from someone he loved, what might have seemed like taking it away from someone who also needed it, also contributed to his boundary problems and self-sacrificial tendencies and eventual resentment—like he needs it but it hurts someone he loves deeply when he gets it but he still needs it, how can he reconcile these conflicting truths?? OK I will stop now—) and, uh, have a tiny little sketch of that zhanchengxian fic concept below, with which I will exorcise my sad past chengxian/past zhancheng/current wangxian thoughts.

It was going to be a perfect triple triple drabble but I needed 80 more words in the centre section to describe Jiang Cheng's tears. You know how it is.

Pursued by Lesser Ghosts

At first he was busy and grateful for it.

Then, Jin Ling settled, elders cowed, sect in order, Jiang Cheng was forced to returned to Lotus Pier. Empty, now.

His sect ran as it always did. He slept poorly. He dreamed often. He walked up and down the pier at night, pursued by lesser ghosts, echoes of people who were alive, just gone. His own life closed around him as tight as any noose, one long merciless sequence of work, sleep, work.

He had a minor qi deviation.

“Go back to dual cultivation,” said the doctor.

“That’s no longer possible,” he said.

The doctor looked up. When Jiang Cheng didn’t say anything else, she said, “Well. Come here for acupuncture once a week. Consider visiting Jin Ling.”

Relax, she didn’t bother to say.

Jiang Ping, his one surviving cousin, took tea with him, and said: “I know things have been stressful. Perhaps you would consider marriage now?”

“I didn’t think marriage was relaxing,” said Jiang Cheng, drily.

“It can be. After everything, well… it’s nice to have someone there.” Jiang Ping looked up, thinking. “Having someone there and working a lot. I don’t think it’s possible for Sect Leader to work harder, so you’ll have to try the other thing.”

Jiang Cheng let out a snort despite himself. Jiang Ping grinned at him.

He could get married, he supposed. What was there to prevent him?

He didn’t call for a matchmaker. He worked harder, kept himself so busy he could hardly think, but at night, laying in his bed, he ached with loneliness before sleep. And in sleep, he saw them, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian both, invariably walking away from him, hand in hand.

Sometimes he was silent; sometimes he called to them. It didn’t matter. They never turned around.

-

In Wei Wuxian’s dream, it was high summer, air as thick as syrup, and he was lying under the trees along the riverbank with his head in Jiang Cheng’s lap.

Above him, Jiang Cheng was eating tanghulu. Playfully, Wei Wuxian opened his mouth like a baby bird, and Jiang Cheng, rolling his eyes, took a piece of fruit and fed it to him, red and almost glowing. His index finger brushed against Wei Wuxian’s mouth.

Sometimes, he dreamed and he didn’t know whether it was just a dream or a fragment of a memory. He thought this might have happened—he faintly remembered begging Jiang Cheng to let him rest his head in his lap, across his narrow, muscled thighs.

Suddenly it was night, and Jiang Cheng was gone.

“Jiang Cheng?” called Wei Wuxian, and found his voice was a child’s voice, high-pitched and nervous. “Jiang Cheng?”

He rushed through Lotus Pier, now dark and empty, towards Jiang Cheng’s room. Then, in the way of dreams, Jiang Cheng was in front of him, a child again, too, face swollen with tears as he wept alone on the pier.

Wei Wuxian froze, panicked.

Someone picked him up; Uncle Jiang had appeared. But instead of saying anything, he turned and walked away. “Uncle Jiang,” Wei Wuxian whispered, but Jiang Fengmian didn’t respond.

All Wei Wuxian could do was look over Uncle Jiang’s shoulder at Jiang Cheng, at his crumpled, sobbing face. You don’t understand, he thought, suddenly, I love you but I need this, I need it, I need it.

That face changed again, blurred into Jiang Cheng's adult face, still weeping as he knelt on the pier. And then the strong arms around him weren’t Uncle Jiang’s but Lan Zhan’s, holding him tight in a bridal carry, taking him away as he squirmed to look back, to not look away from Jiang Cheng’s face, they had been so happy only a moment ago—

Wei Wuxian woke late, his face wet. Went to look for a handkerchief. Opened a drawer he hadn’t looked in before to find: two purple hair ribbons. An open jar of salve, carved with the insignia of a well-known Yunmeng herbalist. And a lavender handkerchief, embroidered with a little frog. Wei Wuxian traced it gently with his thumb.

-

The day was a little crisp, but bright and beautiful. Lan Wangji had risen at the appointed time, eaten breakfast serenely with the sect, and taught some advanced guqin lessons. Lan Sizhui was coming along beautifully, playing more delicate and precise every day, a delight to teach.

Everything was just as it should be in the Cloud Recesses, but Lan Wangji was still somehow uneasy.

He had gained everything he had dreamed of as a teenager, in one bewildering fell swoop. His life had been overturned, but for the better, the man he had wanted for so long delivered to him on a silver platter. He was unbelievably lucky.

Of course, he grieved what had happened to his brother. Lan Xichen deserved only good things. It was bitter to find out someone you had loved so deeply had deceived you—had failed you—had abandoned you.

But with the exception of that dark spot, the suffering and absence of his brother, his life was everything he had ever asked for, wasn’t it? A pristine life, on the surface.

If there was a dark shadow underneath, the ripple of something passing through a lake on a sunny day—something slipping out of an incautious hand, lost to the water—that too was life, wasn’t it?

He had never been so happy in his life. He had never before been so happy in his life, as he had once imagined it.

He averted his eyes from that shadow.

Until, one day, he returned home, and found Wei Ying, sitting at the room’s low table, holding a handkerchief in one hand. Remnants of a different life that had collected in his home. No—that he had kept. Gripped tightly.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying said, brightly, face stretched in a brittle smile. “What’s this?”

#jiang cheng #wei wuxian #lan wangji #zhanchengxian #chengxian #zhancheng #wangxian #asks #my fanfic #mdzs + #least-carpet thoughts #ONCE AGAIN HERE'S HOW ZHANCHENGXIAN CAN STILL WIN #and by “win” I mean “suffer”

[baxiabells]

idk if ot3's count but if they do:

jiang cheng x lan wangji x wei wuxian

i love a good polyship<3 i do actually like these three a lot tbh!! theyre fun! ive written/drawn a few comic pages about them even. if that says anything

#mdzs #zhanchengxian #zhancheng #chengxian #wangxian #lan wangji #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #lan zhan #wei ying #jiang wanyin #wish i didnt make this my tagging system a little but its ok.

[wangxianficrecs]

Hello, since you have the option of boosting fandom events, I thought that I could ask you whether you know of any writing events that I could sign up for. Maybe there is something coming up in the future that I can keep track of and sign up when it opens? I was following a fandom tracker but they haven’t updated in a year and I don’t follow any other accounts aside from yours. Thank you for your help!

Hi!

I took a look at MDZS Events over on BlueSky and also at @mdzs-fandom-events (who have a very neat up-to-date calender) to see what's currently happening and here are some upcoming events/sign-ups:

Qin Su Week 2024: April 29 - May 5 (no sign-ups needed)

ZhanChengXian Interest Check: March 11 - April 1

MXTX Chinese Diaspora Event May 2024 Sign-Ups: March 17 - April 9

MXTX Monsterfucker Week: March 24 - March 30 (no sign-ups needed)

Sweet & Spicy Wen Ning Day: April 1 - April 11 (no sign-ups needed)

MDZS Reverse Big Bang Writer's Sign-Ups: March 17 - March 24.

The MXTX Food Zine also still accepts submissions. Reach out to @mxtxfoodzine for more information!

MDZS Gotcha for Gaza: March 24 - March 30

If anyone else is aware of any events that are currently happening/which have their sign-ups open soon, make sure to comment! I hope you'll find something that interests you, dear nonny.

~Mod Kay

#ask #answer #fandom event #signal boost #mdzs #mxtx #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #the grandmaster of demonic cultivation #wangxian #qin su week 2024 #qin su #zhanchengxian event #zhanchengxian #mxtx diaspora may #mxtx monsterfucker week #sweet & spicy wen ning day #March 2024

[faewaren]

Handy infographics for wangxian feat. whoever you want to put in there. Rubbing my polyamorous hands all over them.

I THINK this must be the three most common ones. Who else do people put in there?

I am not a photoshop professional. This is obvious. However I must spread my agendas.

#wangxian #zhanchengxian #wangningxian #wangsangxian #wangchengxian #the untamed #i. truly do not know the tag for huiasang in there. #wangsangxian sounds like it would make SENSE but i do not kNOW. #anyway. polycule times forever and ever. #re: jiang cheng i really enjoy both interpretations of him and wwx as brothers or as two guys who are so weird about each other. #there are many possible headcanons and they can contradict and you can explore them in different ways. #many good possibilities.

[runespoor7]

drunken pre-zhanchengxian

LWJ about JC: I was deeply unsurprised that Sect Leader Jiang (derogatory) betrayed 💖Wei Ying💖 as Jiang Wanyin had already proven himself to be one who would dump their partner when the partnership became inconvenient to them

WWX, who thinks this is hilarious: JC, I can't believe you would!

LWJ: which I have known since we found Wei Ying after looking for him as a team for months, and he dumped me

JC, taking a break from rolling his eyes so far back he's seeing stars: back up, I dumped who

#zhanchengxian #lwj getting his little heart broken by high-maintenance ymj boys 😔 #lwj's opinions of jc's wiles 😔

[zcxevents]

💘 ZhanChengXian Valentine's Event 💘

(click for better quality)

Announcing the ZhanChengXian Valentine's Event!! A three day prompt event (we can't call it a weekend, alas) for you to fill up with ZhanChengXian goodness! Romantic, sexual, queerplatonic interpretations are all welcome!

💘 The event will run from 14th February - 16th February.

💘 Any type of fanworks are welcome (fic, art, edits, gifsets, etc.). We just ask that they're creations you have not posted before.

💘 You don't need to incorporate Valentine's Day itself into your creation.

💘 Fanworks must include all three characters (Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian). They don't all need to be physically present - for example, you can have Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng thinking about Wei Wuxian while he's dead. We don't want to leave anyone out, so we ask that ZCX all have, to some degree, equal weight in the relationship.

💘 We do not allow any kind of ship bashing, particularly of any combo of ZCX.

You can add your creations to our Ao3 collection. (Early and late entries are fine; we'll reveal the collection on the 14th.) We will also be tracking the tags #zhanchengxianvalentines and #zcxvalentines but you're also welcome to tag us (@zcxevents) to make sure we see it, and submit your creations to the blog.

Prompt List and Schedule:

Day 1 (Wednesday 14th Feb):

Lan Wangji | "Everyday means everyday." | Forehead Ribbon

Day 2 (Thursday 15th Feb):

Jiang Cheng | Cupid AU | Inappropriate Use of...

Day 3 (Friday 16th Feb):

Wei Wuxian | Archery Contest | Truth Serum/Love Potion

#lan wangji #lan zhan #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #wei wuxian #wei ying #zhanchengxian #zcx #mdzs events #cql #mdzs #prompt list and schedule text under the cut #zhanchengxianvalentines #zcxvalentines

[mikkeneko]

wwx/jc/lwj for the meme :3

Aha! A perfect follow-on to the last ask!

Ship It

What made you ship it? -I always liked yunmeng bros and I always shipped WangXian; connecting the rest of the dots was mostly a matter of slowly coming around on ChengXian. Reading various metas about how insane and codependent ChengXian are about each other, and the ways that Lan Wangji kind of took over Jiang Cheng's role in Wei Wuxian's life. The bond between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian snapped under the pressure of The Everything, and the other end of the tether was caught by Lan Wangji. That's a pretty miserable end to such a deep and loving relationship, but it doesn't have to be, because Wei Wuxian has two hands.

What are your favorite things about the ship? -That if played right, it could actually make all three of them very happy, in ways that none of the other configurations could. Fuck it, happy ending, Jiang Cheng doesn't have to be alone, fuck it, Lan Wangji doesn't have to lose his chance to make a positive influence on cultivation society, fuck it, Wei Wuxian gets everything he wants, Lan Wangji and Lotus Pier and a place in the world he can be welcomed home. Multiple places.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? -I don't know if Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng would actually be interested in a sexual relationship with one another, if Wei Wuxian is around? But I also think that's fine. Poly relationships do be like that sometimes; not all members of the relationship have to be sexually intimate.

Don’t/Ship It Ask Game

#mikke memes #zhanchengxian

[add1ctedt0you]

hi! zhanchengxian for the ask game?

Ship It

What made you ship it?

Awful people should stick together <3. No, seriously lol, initially I didn't ship them, but I read one fic that made me consider them as a thing ( pillow talk by sugar_shoal). And I figured out that I enjoy their dynamic!

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Putting in a room people who have caused each other great harm and watch what will happen is my jam tbh. I like how all of them have to struggle to be together! We have jc's insecurities and grief, wwx's aversion to open vulnerability and his resentment, lwj's stubbornness and pettiness... So juicy!

Like, how do they get there? How do they reach a point of balance? How do you reconcile wwx's deflecting mannerisms, jc's snapping attitude and lwj's selective mutism? imo wangxian works so well (novel canon) because there isn't history, there aren't dead bodies or broken promises or broken comradeship. But, with jc in the mixer, we have it all! They can get on each other nerves (lwj, jc), bring the worst out of each other (jc, wwx) and enable each other worst traits (lwj, wwx). We can have interesting dynamics! They can heal each other wounds or they can cut deeper each other even more... It's so interesting!

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Mmmm. Idk even know what is unpopular here lol, but, I do think that if zhancheng happens during wwx's death, canon is different! While I emphasize with the desire of skipping the hassle of changing canon, and like, people can be into whatever, imo, to have the characters ring true to me, things have to be different!

If lwj has an affair with jc, I don't think he won't fall in love/be softer with him! If they have occasional hook up, fine, but a whole ass (sexual) relationship? He's going to catch some feelings! My interpretation of lwj's character is that, despite his cold demeanor, he's soft and squishy inside! He's prone to love! He's going to understand and emphasize with jc! Cql!lwj is already doing an half attempt at encouraging a yunmeng bros reconciliation, but a lwj who has been ball deep inside jc? Who knows that jc is cruel and snapping, but who knows that jc is much more too? Canon changes imo. (again, I fully understand people who don't want to touch canon)

(I am not talking about jc because it's obvious that he's having feelings for lwj. He's also very mad at all of them!)

(and, if they have a relationship but jc -feeling too much exposed, not used anymore at someone really watching him, doting on him- lashes out and breaks their 'arrangement'... Then yeah, lwj could be even worse than in canon imo lol)

Also, mmm, while zhancheng is mostly about wwx (and it should be like that!), lwj was very much dumped back then during the war. jc was his first real friend! They understood each other! They were a team! They were on the same page! And jc dumped him :-/

#This answer is very much only about zhancheng but if I'll start talking about chengxian I'll never shut up lmao #Anyway. I like lwj just fine but I am happy that I am not obsessed with him because otherwise I'll be tearing my hair every day lol #Sorry that's so late! I was busy these days! #I hope the answer is coherent enough! #least-carpet #zhanchengxian #ask game

[sandumilfshou]

ive said this before but ill say it again. jiang cheng and lan wangji having hate sex to the vibes of "i hate you but youre the only other person who mourns him" during the years that wei wuxian is dead only for them to accidentally dual cultivate and come to the realisation that jiang cheng has wei wuxian's core, and it hurts because they finally realise why everything happened, how much wei wuxian lied to them, but it also feels like he's still there with them

#zhanchengxian #wangchengxian #zhancheng #chengzhan #chengxian #xiancheng #SO MANY TAGS #not putting this in the wangxian tag tho #this is for the chengxian and zhancheng girlies (gender neutral) only

[least-carpet]

Elle! for the fandom trash questions ask game, 10 &16?

Hello!! Thanks for the ask :)

10. What is the worst thing you want to become canon (character death, trash ship, etc.)?

I don't think any of my ideas are like... worse than what happens in canon in MDZS. Ms. MXTX has me beat by a mile. I'm simply not on her level.

In terms of Fandom Controversy, though, probably the Great Post-Canon Wangxian Rough Patch, where Wei Wuxian's trauma catches up with him and he self-sabotages in the standard way (avoidance, lying, alcoholism, etc.). You think Jiang Cheng could have done better dealing with Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji? Great! Here's your shot.

I'm very soft-hearted, so they probably work it out, but, like, in my heart, it's extremely messy and the gossip is brutal (which is nothing for the canon with the nonconsensual magic surgery and necromancy).

Alternately, Wen Ning and Song Lan get to die and rejoin the reincarnation cycle? I don't know if that counts as bad since they're already dead?

Truthfully most of my desires involve Jiang Cheng figuring out how to be happy.

16. What is your favourite ridiculous AU?

I'm blanking on this, so let's say the universe a half-step to the left where Lan Wangji has had a hate-boner for Jiang Cheng the entire time, fuelling their mutual dislike. He's never forgiven him for the one sex dream where Wei Wuxian did not appear. (He's reconciled to his matched set Yunmeng Shuangjie dreams, since he can accept anything if Wei Wuxian is there.) Jiang Cheng has no idea about this.

Ask me fandom trash questions!

#asks #fandom trash ask game #wei wuxian #lan wangji #jiang cheng #wen ning #song lan #wangxian #zhancheng #zhanchengxian #mdzs + #least-carpet thoughts #ask game

[wei-meddling-wuxian]

Wei Wuxian:  it’s called 3 in 1 shower gel because u get a couple of ur homies and all 3 of u get in the 1 shower together.

#mdzs #mdzs incorrect quotes #void speaks #chengxian #wei wuxian #zhanchengxian

[artwilwarin]

Two Lotuses and a Gentian, in Bloom

Illustration for The Indian Ghost’s @theindianghost story for Chengxian Minibang! @cxminibang

#jiang cheng #wei wuxian #lan wangji #mdzs #mdzs fanart #mxtx mdzs #chengxian #zhancheng #zhanchengxian

[pleasegivejinlingabreak]

Isn't there? 😔

#jiang cheng #mdzs #wei wuxian #chengxian #xiancheng #lan wangji #zhanchengxian #zhancheng

[runespoor7]

obviously LWJ wanted to hatefuck JC to tears during WWX's death, to take out all of his anger on JC

and of course a lot of that anger was because WWX was dead - because JC killed him; WWX was dead and JC was alive; LWJ couldn't see WWX anymore but JC was around

you ever think how a lot of that anger might be because it was easier to picture JC than WWX due to how often JC might be haughty and hot in LWJ's line of sight

#zhancheng #zhanchengxian #lwj glaring at his ceiling as he wakes up with Yet Another Hateboner About SLJ