#(and it is lan wangji and there can never be too many posts about him!)

[veliseraptor]

>>> because Jiang Cheng never wants to force people to choose him, even 'for their own good' - this is actually one of the sharpest divergences I think between Wei Wuxian's approach to problems and Jiang Cheng's approach to problems, but that's another post.

I don’t suppose you’d be willing to make that other post? (Hopeful)

you know what, I feel like sticking my hand in a bear's mouth today, so sure.

one of the things that Wei Wuxian does kind of a lot, and most notably in the instance of his golden core (but also other places) is make decisions about what is best for other people. Wei Wuxian has the thing that many smart people do, where he has very definite ideas about what is the correct decision in given situations, and a belief in his capability to make the correct decision, and will make the choice to make that decision above somebody's head if he thinks they're not going to make the same choice as he would for reasons he thinks are bad. in the situation with Jiang Cheng, his reasoning (valid or not, and I'm not interested in adjuticating that) goes basically "Jiang Cheng can't die > if Jiang Cheng doesn't get his golden core back, he will die > I can give him my golden core > if I told him I was doing that, he wouldn't accept it > so I won't tell him about it and will give him my golden core and go from there.

I think you see it with the way he interacts with Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, too - in his view Jin Zixuan is clearly undeserving and not good enough for Jiang Yanli, and could never make her happy, and therefore, regardless of the effect on Jiang Yanli, he acts according to that conviction. And also with what he chooses in novelverse specifically (with Lan Wangji) to tell/not tell Lan Xichen about Jin Guangyao, out of a conviction of what is best for Lan Xichen. Wei Wuxian is decisive and strong-willed and very confident in his skills of all kinds, and part of what comes with that self-confidence is the assurance that sometimes he knows better than the people around him, and maybe they don't realize that yet, but they will eventually, or else they just never need to know about the choice he made for them.

and then there's Jiang Cheng, who is...he's not conflict-avoidant, obviously, but what he won't do is interfere with somebody else's decision, or argue with them about it (past a certain point; the amount he argues with Wei Wuxian over his "defection" is, I think, unusual). when Jiang Yanli decides to marry Jin Zixuan, he accepts her leaving in a way Wei Wuxian struggles to do; when Wei Wuxian tells him to cut him off Jiang Cheng does it, as clearly as he doesn't really want to. when it's made clear to him that someone else, particularly someone he loves, has made a decision, even if he perceives it as harmful, even if he doesn't like it, he'll step back and let it go. obviously this has reams to do with his parents' relationship and the number it did on him watching their dynamic (and experiencing its consequences) - Jiang Cheng has internalized the message of "if you try to make decisions that other people don't like, even out of love, they will just end up hating you anyway."

(Wei Wuxian, I would argue, has the message of "regardless of whether people like your decisions or not, they might hate you anyway" which probably informs his thought process.)

I'm not saying this in a "Jiang Cheng respects peoples' agency, Wei Wuxian doesn't" sort of way (though I think that's kind of true, it's just not as 'this one good, this one bad' as that sounds), just in the sense of...if Wei Wuxian errs on the side of "I know best and can make decisions even if others don't like them" (to his detriment), Jiang Cheng errs on the side of "I have control over very specific things and will not overreach past those lines, even if it runs contrary to what I think is best."

#conversating #anonymous #i'm not sure this makes sense AT ALL but hey i tried #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #the sad queer cultivators show #thought about making this nonrebloggable but like i said. bear's mouth #maybe no one will notice me! #aggressively headcanons

[evilhasnever]

xiyao Pacific Rim au?

Hell yes. I have been thinking about this for about 3 years, but never wrote any of it. I just opened a doc and jotted down this snippet for you! Hopefully someday I can turn this into a whole fic.

I give you 500 words of stranded/traumatized Jaeger pilot Lan Xichen in post-apocalyptic Yunping:

~*~

“Meng Yao… what are you doing?"

“The Kaiju won’t wait for us to run,” Meng Yao replies without taking his eyes off his work, “according to my scanner it is only 160 minutes out, unless it changes course.” The scanner in question looks like it was salvaged from parts, but it is beeping in a very believable, alarming manner.  “We cannot evacuate the town in time, and we are unlikely to save ourselves even if we start running very, very fast. We must fight back.” He dives back elbows-deep in the cockpit with feverish focus, ripping and soldering cords like he knows what each of them does. Lan Xichen is once again overtaken by awe and instinctual faith in this small, brilliant human being.

When Lan Xichen had washed ashore near the refugee encampment, banged up and near-catatonic from the loss of his brother, he had never imagined someone with Jaeger training would be hiding in these backwater ruins. His savior was one Meng Yao of Yunping, a wiry young man in ripped overalls, with too many tools hanging off his belt and too-hard eyes in a gentle round face. As it turned out, his clever mind could rival Lan Xichen’s own AI navigator - he’d taken only a few days to assess the damage to his Jaeger and write up a repair plan.

Twin Jade was stretched out on the beach, looking like a sleeping giant half-covered in brine. She was not in a bad state overall, save for the smashed cockpit - but she was down one co-pilot, so Lan Xichen had given up on resurrecting her altogether. Meng Yao had not.

While Lan Xichen consumed himself with worries over Wangji’s fate and his lack of communications, his savior worked day and night to get both pilot and Jaeger back to some semblance of functionality. (Lan Xichen paused to chuckle over the mental comparison of hot soup for himself and scrapyard parts for Twin Jade, both sourced by Meng Yao with unfailing efficiency).

“The repairs are only temporary," Meng Yao's voice brings him back to the present emergency. "But I can essentially jumpstart her for long enough to keep it running in emergency mode for a couple of hours. I’ll need you to do most of the fighting while I keep an eye on the systems.” 

“You want to pilot with me?” Lan Xichen’s eyes widen.

“Well, you can’t pilot by yourself, can you?” Meng Yao chuckled nervously, without looking back from the console. “And even if you could, your leg is broken.” 

“Drifting can be very dangerous if you have never…”

“I have trained before,” Meng Yao interrupts him. “I can pilot, Lan Xichen. I can,” he swears, pushing his bangs out of his eyes frantically. “I know I am asking a lot, but–”

“I trust you,” Lan Xichen says unthinkingly, reaching out to wipe a smear of grease from his cheek. “I only… wish to apologize for what you may see in the drift.”

Meng Yao only laughs, shaking his head. His eyes are avoidant. “Likewise.”

Neither of them paused to doubt whether they'd be compatible. That much was a given.

Lan Xichen enters the repaired cockpit, leaning all of his weight on Meng Yao. He plugs in with slightly-shaking hands.

It is terrifying to let Meng Yao see all of what you are. But he is scared, too. He is, you realize, more afraid than you are. As if his secrets could be any worse than the monstrosity inside yourself. You smile at him with all the warmth you can muster, smiling past the fears in your head. You suddenly want to see him more than anything.

#pacific rim AU #xiyao #xiyao in yunping #lan xichen #jin guangyao #meng yao #in which I make meng yao the specialest boy ever as usual #of course wangji is fine btw #it is canon #shiome fic #xiyao drabbles

[jiangchengneedstherapy]

So, looks like I've been blocked for saying Jiang Cheng's people were scared of him to ask him for help on the post about his 'good leadership' skill in Canon Jiang Cheng tag, I'm sorry I assumed that was up for discussion and I really was genuinely meaning for a discussion, and also @labyrynth I did get your notification of asking for source. The two main sources are "Arrogance (5)" and "Longing (3)" In Arrogance, we get Jiang Cheng's thought process highlighting that yes, he's captured people before even if zidian told him they were not body snatchers, the main crime he was capturing them under. A moment ago, Jiang Cheng was certain that this person was Wei WuXian, and all of the blood in his body started to boil. Yet, now, Zidian was clearly telling him that he wasn't. Zidian definitely wouldn't deceive him or make a mistake, so he quickly calmed himself and thought, this doesn't mean anything. I should first find an excuse to take him back and use every possible method to get information out of him. It's impossible for him to not confess anything or give himself away. I've done things like this in the past anyways. After thinking it through, he made a gesture. The disciples understood his intention and came over.

The disciples are long used to it, that's further highlighted in "Malice (1)"

The owner was getting ready to close the shop for the night. Suddenly, seeing that a fancy-clothed, dark-faced young man kicked open the door and walked inside with someone in his hand, appearing as if he was going to disembowel the victim right here, the owner was so frightened that he couldn't speak. A disciple went up and whispered a few things in his ear. With some silver pushedinto his hands, he quickly fled to the back of the hall and never came out again. Without any further instructions, the Jiang Sect's disciples instantly spread out from the inside to the outside, making it so that nothing could enter or escape the place.

Of course the rumors will spread, the people are scared but no one interferes, how can they? The disciples are even used to giving money and making sure no one else can enter/no one can escape, even when they know zidian confirmed that he's not possessed. And then in "Longing" The owner, "That I'm not so sure about. Anyways, the temple's quite popular. In Yunping City, no matter what someone runs into, we'd all go there and pray for the Guanyin's protection. I sometimes go there and light a few sticks of incense too."

Wei WuXian asked, "Then why don't you go find the cultivational sect that's in charge of this region?" He only remembered after he asked. Wasn't the cultivational sect in charge of this region precisely the YunmengJiang Sect.

Yet, the owner curled her lips, "Go find them? How dare we?"

Wei WuXian, "Oh? Why not?"

The owner, "Young Masters, you're not from Yunping City so you don't know. The Jiang Sect is responsible for all of us along the Yunmeng area. The Sect Leader's got quite a bad temper. It's almost frightening. His subordinate's said so a long time ago. Only one sect is in charge of such a large area. Each day, there are almost a hundred cases of small ghosts or other creatures pulling pranks on the living and all that. If every single small thing had to be dealt with immediately, would there be enough time and energy? Those that don't kill anyone aren't malign spirits, and we're not supposed to disturb them with trivial matters that aren't malign spirits." She complained, "What is this supposed to mean? Wouldn't it be too late if we waited until somebody's died to find them?!"

In truth, to refuse to act unless it was a malign spirit was a silently agreed rule that all of the larger sects followed. Although 'to be wherever the chaos is' was praised by many, the only person who really followed this was Lan WangJi, the one beside him right now.

The owner continued, "On top of that, Lotus Pier is truly a scary place. How would anyone dare go there again?"

Wei WuXian moved his gaze from Lan WangJi's calm face with a short pause of surprise, "Lotus Pier is scary? How could Lotus Pier be scary? You've been there?"

The owner, "I haven't been there myself, but I know someone who went because his house was being badly haunted. But it was all bad luck. That Sect Leader Jiang was cracking a glowing whip right on the training field. The victim's flesh and blood flew as high as his screams! A servant secretly informed him that the sect leader caught the wrong person again, that he hadn't been in a great mood, and that he definitely shouldn't be irritated in any way. He was so scared that he dropped off the gifts he brought and fled at once.

He never dared visit again."

Here Jiang Cheng is highlighted as no different than other sects who don't help until someones dead, its common in their society to have little care for the locals but add his torturing habits on top, who would risk asking for help when they could be the next ‘wwx come back from the dead'? So what if zidian confirms they’re not? Sect Leader Jiang will do as he pleases.

I’ve seen this get dismissed as rumors a lot, but its not just rumors, if his thought process confirms it, if his disciples are long used to taking action around it, when his people walked in on it happening, and when they're long used to praying in the Guanyin temple for help than to approach him afraid of his temper.

#mdzs #canon jiang cheng #points #jiang cheng

[mojoflower]

MDZS Prosopagnosia (face blindness) AU

I want an AU of MDZS except Wei Wuxian is face blind. I just feel like that would change so much, adding both comedy and terror to the story overall.

Innocent Youth

Jiang Cheng unwittingly cultivated his shouty persona from a very young age, because he subconsciously realized that his shixiong was more comfortable with him when he stood out from the crowd in this way. Similarly, in the post-resurrection days, jc always lets Zidian spark purple in a very obvious and prolonged way, so wwx doesn't have to linger uncomfortably in an awkward is-he-or-isn't-he-my-brother zone.

Jiang Yanli slowed herself down as a child, becoming very calm and quiet and slow-moving, because that's when her shidi is the most relaxed. She quickly learned the look on his face, when he's trying to figure out who someone is without giving away his weakness... when he's desperately waiting for someone else to use a name, to give him a toe-hold. She always greets everyone by name: just for wwx. She also often announces herself in the third person: others might find it weird, but her didi is always so grateful.

Wwx actually needs to use Jiang Fengmian's unfortunate teeth as a marker to differentiate him from his son, once Jiang Cheng reached his adult height. (The frog on Sandu's hilt really helps, too.)

A lot of the shidis in the Jiang Sect know about wwx's special issues, and totally riff on him by switching their swords and hair ornaments just to fuck with him.  They can't switch their fighting styles, though, so the Jiang quickly become a sect where instant spar-offs happen often and are no big deal.

All the people who love wwx have adjusted for this in many ways, realizing that they either need to verbally identify themselves or adapt distinctive clothing/mannerisms/scents/body language.

Wwx wears clothes that don't match any sect because sect uniforms make everyone so homogeneous that he can't even discern gender, much less individual people. (Uniforms actually give him mental heebie jeebies, because they make his life so hard and uncertain.)

Cloud Recesses Student Arc

Wwx has to ask before he fights whether it's going to be friendly or to the death, since he doesn't always know if the person he's fighting is a friend or foe. Wwx defaults to treating all fights as friendly fights (which is why he never even unsheathed his sword when lwj attacked him that first night in Cloud Recesses) because he can't stand the thought of hurting a friend, or just someone innocent.

Lan Wangji is very still. Very still, very quiet, very tall and always wears white and smells of sandalwood. He is easy to recognize.  ... Except when he could be Lan Xichen. If there's a smile, or any color, then he's Lan Xichen.  (This means that wwx immediately knows who kissed him on Phoenix Mountain, because he doesn't use his sight to identify, well, anyone.)

Nie Huaisang becomes a friend because of his choppy, erratic, fast-paced motions, both when he is speaking and moving. Also, he's unusually short so that helps.

He is secretly fond of Lan Qiren because that dreadful and unflattering beard is such a great identifier. He loves Nie Mingjue because he's literally and distinctly larger than everyone else. Later, he will become immediate friends with Sisi, because dramatic facial scarring is the best cue there is for someone like him. (Is anyone fat? He likes fat people. He likes tattooed people. He'd have loved Mo Xuanyu with his Hanging-Ghost-painted face, because, wow, that's so obvious. Xue Yang's missing pinky finger is  so helpful.)

Wei Wuxian knows everyone's swords VERY WELL because he can recognize them and use them to identify which asshole in gold with a peony on his chest (for example) this dude might be. This is what he calls "my poor memory". But it actually means that Jin Zixuan looks exactly like Jin Zixun to him, if not for Suihua.

Burial Mound Days

He's got a string of orphans, and calls them all A-Yuan. No, seriously. Word has got out, and all the homeless babies know they can move into the Burial Mounds and get doted on by EVERYONE because no one there is about to correct the Yiling Patriarch.

Dead Wen Ning is easy to pick out because of his stiff gait, awkward stance and distinctive pallor with the black veins. This makes him an automatic wwx favorite. (The stuttering helped, even back when he was alive.) Wen Qing is tiny, and also, no one else is wearing Wen robes, so she becomes a good friend, too.

He actually really likes all fierce corpses, because the way they move is so distinctive that he always knows what he's dealing with.

Can you imagine how fucking terrifying the world must be when you know that all Wen Zhuliu needs to do is put on a different robe and then he can walk right up to you and wreck your core? Same goes for wrh, jgs, jgy, wc, you name it. Talk about hypervigilance.

Think of all the talismans he's invented to keep himself and the Wen Remnants safe because he knows he can't tell friend from foe and has to count on magic to do it.

Post-Resurrection

Lwj picked up on Jiang Yanli’s habit announcing herself by name instead of using “I”, and consequently uses third person for himself, too. The Junior Ducklings do it, too, although they don't understand why, at first. 

Wwx cannot, for the life of him, tell lsz and ljy apart if they just stand quietly next to each other.  Ljy will never think this is not hilarious.  Especially because wwx will offer them chicken to see which one accepts it.  (It’s foolproof.)

He is utterly and completely unable to tell the Twin Jades apart unless they're speaking. Lan Wangji has learned to announce himself simply to protect his brother from being leaped upon and kissed at random intervals. The whole sandalwood thing? Lwj marinates himself in it to give wwx a clue about who he is before he's within liplocking distance.

#MDZS #the untamed #wangxian #MDZS au #wei wuxian #prosopagnosia #face blind wei wuxian #face blindness #yiling patriarch #mojo muses #if anyone is inspired to write this #be sure to tag me! #face blindness is a shitty thing to live with #but it sure can be funny sometimes #and there's that element of horror too

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

WIP Wednesday

As promised, Ghost!WWX this week since it tied for second in the poll! I was going to go back and link the other posts individually but here's the tag for it, I'm pretty sure the three bits in there are all I've posted for it. In case you forgot and/or you don't want to read through the other snippets, WWX is a ghost haunting Cloud Recesses (specifically LWJ) about a year post-cql-canon (so he's been wandering alone) and once they all realize what's going on LWJ is handles it soooooo well. This new bit directly follows the previous snippet from Ch. 2, enjoy! (Next week's post will be the third place winner in the poll, something from 'Technically A Cutsleeve?' 😌)

--//--

“Jingyi, please escort the rest of the disciples inside. Reports on the hunt are due in the morning.”

“Yes Hanguang-Jun,” Lan Jingyi hurries to agree, the junior disciples behind him and Sizhui bowing the same before they troop past him and up the stairs. They’re too well-disciplined to whisper or look back at their seniors over their shoulders, but Lan Wangji is fairly sure that the whispers about his son will begin again soon, if only amongst those who remember the first time they’d made their rounds through the Sect.

“Hanguang-Jun,” Sizhui says, stricken. “It really is Wei-qianbei –”

“I know,” Lan Wangji says, because his son has never once been a liar. No matter how much his entire being wants to scream that he’s wrong, that it’s a mistake, that it’s impossible for Sizhui alone to see Wei Ying standing beside him, he knows that his son does not lie.

Which means that Wei Ying’s spirit is here, and his body is not.

Which means that if he is not already dead, then he is likely in grave danger.

“What is he saying?” he asks, and his naturally level voice is the only reason he can ask it without breaking.

“He’s..he’s been here for a few days —” Lan Wangji swallows hard around a knot in his throat “— and that he’s definitely a spirit, but he doesn’t know how. He also says that the wards around Cloud Recesses only allow him to cross sporadically, he’s experimented very briefly with it this morning. And — Wei-qianbei, slow down please –”

Lan Wangji allows himself two slow breaths to make his very temporary peace with the agony coursing through him. His composure will not last forever, but it must last at least a few more minutes.

“We will discuss it further at home. Sizhui, will you go with Wei Ying first to the library and retrieve anything that will be useful?”

“..Hanguang-Jun?”

“You know the library well, as does Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji manages, though he doesn’t have many words left before his composure slips too far. Already he can tell Sizhui can see that he’s unwell, but his son is too good, too filial to acknowledge it out loud. “I will meet you in the Jingshi in a shichen, I have business to attend to before we may begin researching what has happened.”

Sizhui looks at him far too keenly for a moment before his attention abruptly shifts to Lan Wangji’s left again and he grimaces. “Wei-qianbei, we don’t know for sure that you’re –“

“There are many ways to separate the spirit from the body,” Lan Wangji hurries to cut in despite how rude and uncharacteristic it is of him, because if Sizhui says the words ‘Wei-qianbei’ and ‘dead’ in the same sentence he doesn’t know what he may do. “I will see you in a shichen.”

Without another word, Lan Wangji turns and sweeps back up the path into Cloud Recesses on numb legs, muscle memory the only thing keeping him upright and able to walk through his home as if nothing is wrong. He dimly registers the sound of Sizhui talking quietly to Wei Ying, under his breath so as to not be spotted talking to what looks like empty air, and he’s relieved when they split off from the same path as him to head for the library pavilion, leaving him free to return to the Jingshi in silence.

He makes it three steps beyond the threshold before he collapses into a graceless heap on the floor.

#the untamed fanfic #WIP Wednesday #Wangxian #Lan Wangji #Lan Sizhui #Wei Wuxian #<- he's there too LWJ just can't see or hear him lol #A Kind Heart To Haunt

[writing-in-sin]

Pattern in my OTPs: Sadistic! Top x Fearless! Bottom

Dont mind me, just self-indulging about my OTPs

Anyways!

Recently, I've noticed that I have a certain type when in comes to my OTPs which is a sadistic top paired with a fearless bottom. Granted, not all of my OTPs are of this type but I dont think its an exaggeration when I say that at least 90% of them are like this

GinHiji

Out of all of my OTPs, I'd say GinHiji pretty much embodies my favourite type of OTPs. Gintoki is canonically a Sadist and in fact, is known to be a Do-S alongside Sougo. Contrasting him is the fearless yet tsundere Hijikata. Another reason why I like them is the manzai combi they have. Hijikata is forever exasperated by Gintoki and cant help but be the tsukkomi to Gintoki's boke 🤣

BakuDeku

These 2 have a very complicated relationship but thankfully have improved a lot especially in recent years. Bakugou can be quite sadistic but considering what's happened between them and him canonically wants to do better, I think it'll take awhile for Bakugou to let out that sadistic side of him around Deku

With Deku though, he doesnt mind and I think we all can agree that Deku is a disastrous combination of fearless and reckless 😅

6927

One of my 1st OTPs since high school. Now, I dont think i need to tell anyone who's ever read or watched KHR that Mukuro is hands down quite terrifying and considering his introduction, has a sadistic streak a mile wide

For Tsuna, yeah....while its true that he tend to be more afraid than not but as time went on, it became more apparent that he's grown to be couragous and fearless when it comes to his Famiglia

KamuShin

granted, this is more of a crackship since Kamui and Shinpachi barely interacted but I like how their personalities mesh together. Kamui is another canonically sadistic chara in Gintama, anyone who's ever seen him fight in the Yoshiwara or Silver Soul arc can attest to that. Not to mentioned all of the shenanigans and mayhem he likes to cause with a deranged grin

Shinpachi is noted to be fearless in his own right, capable of accomplishing feats that other normal humans would feel impossible to even try. cant forget that he's also the one who made Utsuro pause before the timeskip

plus, they're also a manzai combi! a Do-S Yato boke with a glasses tsukkomi XD

ParaEmu

initially, i like them as a switch couple but recent years make me lean more of them as a fixed pair with Parad as a top. starting out as a villain, Parad was noted to be quite sadistic especially when he possessed Emu. He's since mellowed out but since we dont see much of how the charas are post-canon, its hard to say if he retained his more sadistic nature. i tend to hc that he does but only lets it out when needed

if anyone knows Emu's not so pleasant childhood and how he's risen to overcome many obstacles in life, then i think we can agree that he's become one of the most fearless charas in Ex-Aid

DeathPuss

okay, this one is pretty much on the nose. sadistic grim reaper hunting down everyone's favourite fearless hero anyone?

WangXian

Wei Wuxian is one of the most fearless charas I've ever had the pleasure to know about. the way he holds onto his morals and convictions even as the whole world turned against him is nothing short of inspiring. born with a smile and a noble heart that's matched by his beloved husband Lan Wangji

while he's not sadistic in the usual sense, Lan Wangji in the novel is known to mercilessly tease his husband especially in :ehem: bed. not to mentioned that when he deems it necessary, this man never hesitates to swiftly cut people down with just a few words right at jugular too

DazuShi

a suicidal former Port Mafia who's known to torture people paired with his steadily fearless were-tiger. i love their dynamic

MiSawa

Miyuki Kazuya is canonically known as twisted by both allies and opponents alike even feared to the point of petrifying the target of his ire with just a glare.

Sawamura Eijun? the fearless sunshine boy who overcome odds that would and have retired many players from the game. the Yips arc was remarkable in showing Eijun's strength and determination

KaiShin

the trickster who can easily manipulate law enforcements and enemies alike. its more noted in the early chapters of the manga, but Kaito was more callous. while thats no longer the case, Kaito is still quite unhinged

Shinichi? well, with all the reckless stunts he's pulled over the past 20+ years, i think fearless is an understatement for this detective

LawLu

the recent addition to my OTP list. LawLu is the one that made me realise that I tend to favour sadistic tops when I was trying to articulate Law's preference in my HC

thats when I realised that Law has a sadistic streak in canon. while its not explored all that much since he's an ally of the Straw Hats, we see hints of it. combined with the fact that he's a nerd, big on plans and control, he's a terrifying force. this is the same guy who cut opened 100 pirate hearts and sent them to the Marines

Luffy? he's fearless as they come. overcoming many hardships and coming out stronger. who fights for freedom and nakama even if it means facing death. hell, its canon that he's not afraid to face death for what he believes in

_____

With that said, I love my OTPs 🤩😍

.....Also, should I be worried that I'm a little too fond of sadistic tops for my OTPs? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

#gintama #ginhiji #bakudeku #boku no academia #6927 #katekyo hitman reborn #kamushin #paraemu #wangxian #khr #katsudeku #deathpuss #puss in boots movie #bsd #bungou stray dogs #dazushi #daiya no ace #misawa #miyusawa #detective conan #dcmk #kaishin #magic kaito #one piece #lawlu #meitantei conan #mdzs #mo dao zu shi

[parlerenfleurs]

I've been thinking lately about the incense burner extras, and I cannot sleep so I might as well type out my thoughts.

The first time I read them I wasn't enthused. While I can read fucked up smut for its own sake, here, it was a bit too hard-core for my taste in relation to a couple that love each other (AND I do Not like the blood. Boy I sure Don't like the blood. Why did there need to be blood?). BUT, while as smut goes it's not what I'll go read when I'm in the mood, I have since then read several posts and meta, and also other translations that put it in a different light for me.

And while I'm sure I'll probably just regurgitate what more perceptive people have said before me, I did have a fond revelation about them, which make them especially moving (yes, moving) to me.

I'm not gonna address Wei WuXian's farmer fantasy, as this is not what this is about (and besides, @ninjakk might make a post about it someday, so I'm eagerly waiting!) - here, right now, we are talking about the sex Õ3Õ.

There is a lot to be said about how erotica is a mirror of a culture and its current taboo/repressions, and about the fact that this is written in Chinese by a Chinese person in current Chinese culture, and that kinks and sexual fantasies do not reflect one's morals, but many people have talked about it and I have no authority nor personnal knowledge on the matter, so let's accept that there extras can be a bit jarring to some of our sensibilities and move on (just like I did the first time I read them and was put off but decided to go on enjoying the rest of the story regardless).

I'm rambling so damn much but my point is this. These extras are a gift from MXTX to her characters, a gift most of us can only dream about but never achieve: a gift of a second chance.

A gift of being able to go back in time and catch that missed opportunity, fix this messed up situation, come back with one's current skills and knowledge and do better. I'm especially talking about the second dream, here, where Wei WuXian, as an adult, meets the young teenage Lan WangJi and riles him up to Mengpo's hall and back, because, crucially, Wei WuXian never did make Lan WangJi lose his control when they were young, (at least not on purpose, and I'm coming back to the Kiss TM later), and it wasn't for a lack of trying, but since he wasn't aware of his own attraction, even less Lan WangJi's toward him, how could he have gone all out then? So he didn't, and Lan WangJi kept his control, and they didn't go at it like rabbits on the back mountains of the Cloud Recesses. Much to Wei WuXian's chagrin when they have sex for the second time, and he laments not having done this from the beginning, and having lost so much time.

So they get this chance, for Wei WuXian to undo Lan WangJi's restraint, for young Lan WangJi to finally let go like he so badly wanted to. For both to retroactively not miss the opportunity (yeah they do this in a freaky way because they are freaks /affectionate *cough* Bichen *cough*).

I think this has been said a lot so I won't expand too much on this next part, but. Lan WangJi is a freak. He's a jealous, possessive, dominant lover, who nevertheless never lets these traits impose on the object of his affections (and make no mistakes, his love is also pure, selfless, and beautiful - but he has kinks, don't we all, and he's human, as we all are). So, compounding with how his father treated his mother, these things that Lan WangJi feels, and thinks, and wants, and fantasizes about, bring him a lot of shame, and probably some self-loathing. Absolutely self-loathing when he gives into his worst impulses and forcefully kisses Wei WuXian on Phoenix mountain, but I'm pretty sure with time he comes to accept himself enough to not hate this part of him. He's still ashamed, though. And afraid of hurting Wei WuXian. BUT fortunately, Wei WuXian is exactly the freak for him. The man also has kinks and they match beautifully with Lan WangJi's, and when he sees Lan WangJi's darkest fantasies.... it turns him on, he cheers him on. Even before seeing them he's spot on with his dirty talk, telling Lan WangJi he should have just dragged him somewhere and have his way with him back then (they both would have enjoyed it, albeit with a lot of confusion on Wei WuXian's part).*

There goes Lan WangJi's shame. He cannot be more deeply and entirely accepted and celebrated and loved as he is now.

These are the incense burner's gifts.

*it occurs to me that the little freak must be quite happy to be reborn in a slimer/shorter build, so that Lan WangJi can manhandle him even more easily.

#mdzs #wangxian #incense burner extras #am very tired+sleepy now this might be incoherent I don't know #sleep now.

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

hi

I'll start this by saying you can ignore this ask if it's too annoying bc valid

but I just saw some absolutely bullshit takes when I was scrolling through mdzs posts

some people claimed that:

- jin guangyao and wei wuxian are the same and both killed for revenge so if wwx isn't evil then jgy can't be either (I- excuse me??)

- jgy did so much good for people and wwx just........ saved some wens (lmaoo???)

- jgy killed nmj out of self defense (ok so why did he keep coming back and acting nice playing/poisoning him for probably weeks if not months then????????)

- (this one is just crazy) wang lingjiao was just some poor commoner woman who couldn't fight back so wwx is awful for what he did to her

....

I'm sorry am I the crazy one here because these takes sound straight up INSANE to me like did the people who wrote it read the same novel I did??

"wwx stans are so hypocritical how can they say my baby's evil while they stan this cruel murderer who doesn't let his corpses reincarnate :((((" bitch????

I'm fairly new to the fandom and I can be wrong so can you tell me if I'm missing something (I doubt that i do tbh) but you seem very sensible and I just needed to get it off my chest

I'm not even saying people can't enjoy characters that are evil/morally gray bc some of my faves from other works are just that... but if you have to pretend these characters are some saints who didn't deserve what they got and drag down the main character just because you're salty then I don't think you like your "fave" all that much tbh

I hope you don't mind me ranting in your askbox, if you read my message then thank you for your time! Have a nice day! (I hope I didn't ruin it too much haha)

Hello anon! No I don't mind at all for this, rant away if you need to as I make my inbox open for it.

As to the idea that Wei Wuxian are similar, in terms of their status they had been born to, yes. But that's about as much of their similarity as they get. Just as how Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji are literary mirrors due to similarities in circumstance, but not mind or ideals. Yes, Wei Wuxian did kill in revenge, but he never denies this. He fully admits to this unlike Jin Guangyao, who continues to say he had no choice but to kill those that wronged him. The difference there is that, Wei Wuxian had been tortured, his guardians killed cruelly, his own sect almost was decimated by the ones he killed. Where as with Jin Guangyao, he killed many that endangered his political position or, verbally insulted him in some way. Between the two one's actions of revenge was foremost for the ones that had been wronged. For Jin Guangyao it was concerning his own ego.

Jin Guangyao never did anything for the common people. We are told several times in story that Lan Wangji, and the Lans are the outliers for this sort of thing. The watchtowers are nothing more than a repainting of the Wen's Advisory Offices and keep in mind, it was still under the approval of Jin Guangshan that they even were created. From a Jin Guangyao who wanted to please his father foremost. He also burned down a brothel of prostitute women, where in that, shows he cares for commoners of his own background?

A scum of a person, can be human and sympathetic, but it does not change that they themselves are in the end selfish, cruel and manipulative. That's what makes them terrifying, they use that sympathy to cause more hurt. Wei Wuxian never holds others hate of what he had done as unfair, just that he would not take rebuttal for what he never did and stands by what he did. Jin Guangyao never takes any sort of responsibility towards the ones he drags into his schemes and continues to say he needed to with no sympathy for the ones who had been innocent, saying that he should be the one pitied and forgiven.

You can like and enjoy an evil, just don't paint it as a saint when that is what the very work is against and criticizing. We are told that Wei Wuxian is meant as an ideal of morality, who this is still argued about and he is labeled "morally grey" and "just as wrong as the others" is just wrong from a literary and plot point of the book.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wei wuixan #is our moral ideal and compass #no matter how bad you feel for yhe antagonists #they are still shown to be awful despite the circumstances #they had an excuse once but once they hurt innocents that's irrelevant #and Jin Guangyao would never be different as he would always be resentful since his mother still raised him #and even her memory didn't stop him from being a scum man #jin guangyao stans block me (｡･ω･｡) #i hate jin guangyao

[ninjakk]

JC attempts to rationalise away WWXs sexuality

For some strange reason, some people seem to take JC's comment below as gospel. Assuming that because he said this, WWX couldn't possibly have had feelings for LWJ in his first life - which of course, is ludicrous.

Just as WWX uses self deception as a coping mechanism, JC uses denial to try and rationalise things that make him uncomfortable or he does not wish to acknowledge. So, when he states the below, he is still in complete denial that WWX might have had feelings for LWJ.

Chapter 88

He’d never thought that Wei WuXian would have ambiguous ties with a man, for after all, when they grew up together, Wei WuXian had never expressed any such interest.

JC is lying to himself, because he still can't face the fact that WWX, someone he grew up with, might be anything other than straight or have feelings for a man. But deep down, he knows that this is simply not true. As I have already covered in a previous post, JC had suspicions about WWX's feelings towards LWJ since the very beginning. So, just to disprove his little rant above, lets take a look at all of the times WWX expressed he did indeed have 'such interests' in a man - right in front of JC. Obviously there are many other times WWX flirts or thinks about LWJ, but these are just the ones that were noticeable to JC.

So mentioning how pretty/handsome LWJ is three times in one conversation isn't showing any signs of interest, eh JC?

Chapter 13

Wei WuXian made the sound of an oh and asked, “Is he a lad who looks quite pretty?” Jiang Cheng sneered, “Is there anyone who looks ugly in the GusuLan Sect? His sect doesn’t even accept disciples with unclean features. If you can, find me one who has an average face.” Wei WuXian emphasized, “Very pretty.” He pointed at his head, “White from top to bottom, wearing a forehead ribbon, and carrying a silver sword on his back. He looked rather handsome, but with his straight face, he looked like he was mourning.”

.

Or the other times when JC was listening...

Chapter 17

Wei WuXian smugly tossed the loquat in his hand, and suddenly pointed at him, “Sisters, do you think that he looks handsome?” Lan WangJi didn’t expect Wei WuXian to suddenly talk about him at all.

...

Chapter 125

“Shijie, do you know Lan WangJi?” Jiang YanLi, “I do. He’s that Second Young Master Lan whom everyone describes as handsome and talented, isn’t he? Is he really that handsome?” Wei WuXian, “He is!”

...

Chapter 69

Jiang Cheng glanced at the colorful sea of handkerchiefs waving on the watching towers before turning to Wei WuXian, “Why are you throwing out flowers along with the girls?” Wei WuXian, “I think he looks nice. Can’t I throw a few as well?”

Not to mention throwing flowers at him, 'just like the girls'. Or the other gifts JC must have noticed WWX trying to give LWJ, like the loquat and the rabbits.

Or what about all the times JC caught WWX gravitating towards LWJ and chasing after him, even if he was being ignored...

Chapter 14

Everyone knew that their shouts were a bit too loud, and the noise had probably led him over, so they all shut their mouths. Yet, Wei WuXian jumped down and gravitated toward him, “WangJi-xiong!” Lan WangJi turned around and immediately walked away. Wei WuXian cheerfully went after him and yelled, “WangJi-xiong, wait for me!

...

Chapter 45

To Wei WuXian, the boy felt a bit familiar. After he thought for a while, he finally remembered and greeted the boy with enthusiasm, “Hey! WangJi-xiong, it’s you!”

...

Chapter 51

Within these past few days, there were many times when Wei WuXian wanted to approach him and catch up on what had been happening. However, Lan WangJi turned away whenever he saw him and Jiang Cheng had also beat it into him not to mess around. Now that they were closer, he couldn’t help but pay more attention.

...

Chapter 71

Wei WuXian, “How did you know that it was me who called him over first?” Jiang Cheng, “Do you even have to ask? Which time has it not been you? You’re a strange one as well. Clearly every time you part with him on bad terms, so why do you keep on trying to get him annoyed?”

.

Remember all the times WWX was trying to get LWJs attention however he could...

Chapter 16

He spoke, “Lan Zhan, I didn’t splash water on you on purpose. Water ghouls are really clever. If I said it out loud, they would’ve heard it and got away. Hey, don’t ignore me. Why don’t you look at me, Second Young Master Lan?"

...

Chapter 45

As Lan WangJi walked toward the entrance of the GusuLan Sect, Wei WuXian sneaked over before he could. Lan WangJi shifted to the one side, and he shifted to the side as well; Lan WangJi moved to the other side, and he moved to the other side as well. In short, he simply refused to let Lan WangJi pass.

...

Chapter 69

Wei WuXian turned to the Two Jades of Lan, who were drawing their bows on their horses, “Lan Zhan, want to help me?” Lan WangJi glanced at him. He didn’t reply. JiangCheng asked, “What are you up to this time?” Lan WangJi, “What?” Wei WuXian, “Can I borrow your forehead ribbon?”

.

Or maybe the time JC caught WWX thinking about LWJ, even after nearly a year of not seeing him?

Chapter 125

Wei WuXian grabbed another piece, “Nothing! Don’t misunderstand. I’m not gonna do anything. I just thought of someone.” Jiang Cheng, “Who?” Wei WuXian, “Lan Zhan.”

...

Chapter 125

Wei WuXian put his right hand above his brows, taking in the scenery. Amid the laughter, he let out a sigh. The others asked, “What’s wrong, Da-Shixiong?” “You’re sighing even when girls are chasing after you?” Wei WuXian swung the paddle onto his shoulder, grinning, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking that I invited Lan Zhan in all sincerity to come visit Yunmeng, yet he still dared to decline the offer.”

.

Or how about the fact WWX invited LWJ to come and visit? I don't see NHS getting an invite...

Chapter 125

Wei WuXian spat out a seed, “It’s fun to think of him. You don’t even know—he’s just too amusing. I told him, ‘Your sect’s food is disgusting. I’d rather eat stir-fried watermelon peel than eat your food. If you have time, come have fun with us at Lotus Pier…'”

.

Or maybe the time WWX suggested JYL names her unborn child after the man he is so obviously pining for...

Chapter 75

“Sure. The next generation of the LanlingJin Sect is named Ru. How about Jin RuLan?” Jiang YanLi, “That’s great!” Jiang Cheng, “No. It sounds like Jin RuLan, Lan being the Lan from the Lan Sect. Why should a descendant of the LanlingJin Sect and the YunmengJiang Sect be like someone of the Lan Sect?” Wei WuXian, “It’s not like there’s anything wrong with the Lan Sect, is there? The Lan flower is the gentleman of flowers; the Lan Sect is the gentlemen of people. A good name.”

WWX never acted like this with anyone else. Not even with any of the girls he's supposedly charmed. The only person he's ever acted like this with is LWJ. As I've explored in a previous post, seeing the way WWX acts around LWJ makes JC feel uncomfortable. Hearing the way WWX talks in a coquettish tone with LWJ, as opposed to his usual more boisterous tone with others, makes JC feel strange and he detests it.

No one could really blame WWX for holding back as much as he could around JC when it came to LWJ, especially with JCs growing homophobia and the environment he grew up in. In fact, it's probably one of the reasons why WWXs feelings are on a subconscious level, because Lotus Pier would not have been a pleasant place to live if JC suspected anything. But even with that in mind, WWX still inadvertently showed JC signs he was interested in LWJ from the minute they met.

We can only imagine what WWX would have been like if he'd actually accepted his feelings and felt safe enough to express them in front of JC and others when he was younger!

So from the above, we can clearly see JC not only had a suspicion WWX had feelings for LWJ - but he also got to see a number of signs to suggest as such, first hand as well.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs novel #wei wuxian #lan wangji #jiang cheng's canon homophobia #jiang cheng is blowing smoke out of his arse #jc is in denial #liar liar pants on fire #mdzs meta #where is nhs invite huh?

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 33 part two

(Masterpost) (Pinboard)

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Side Note: As you know, I mostly except for sex scenes try not to compare CQL to its parent work, MDZS, because I think different works should get to be their own things. But I do love the book and all its many adaptations, and in case you want to dive into all of that, I’ve put together a roundup of everything I’m aware of (Novel, Donghua, Manhua, etc.) that’s available in English, and where to find them. That post is over here.  

Morning in Cloud Recesses

It’s morning, and by the time Wei Wuxian gets out of bed, Lan Wangji has already stretched, made breakfast, folded the laundry, and gone to play his guqin by the waterfall.

Wei Wuxian steps outside and takes a deep breath, happy to be staying in a place that doesn’t smell like lava or corpses.

He wanders through the oddly empty cloud recesses, hallucinating about happier times. These are not normal flashbacks; he is in the frame, watching, while things happen in the past.  

Eh, that’s ok, he’s been through a lot. Hallucinations aren’t uncommon with PTSD.

At each memory, he smiles warmly, until the present day catches up and his mood crashes back down.

This repeats until he reaches the library, where he remembers (in a normal desaturated flashback) showing porn to Lan Wangji and how mad he got. A bit of a smile stays with him after that.

(more after the cut!)

Bunny Kisses

Then he finds the rabbits, two of whom cheer him up by smooching, like he wishes he and Lan Wangji would do.

As a stand-in for a human kissing scene, this is cute, as long as we anthropomorphize them so that their sniffing of each others faces counts as kissing. It’s definitely better than watching those birds from The Long Ballad.

(I adore The Long Ballad and have watched it three times so far, and that is three times more than I ever needed to see a bird’s tongue)

Return of the Bathing Beauty Trope

Then Wei Wuxian finds Lan Wangji in the cold spring. Let’s compare this encounter to the previous time they met each other here, so many years ago.

Then: Baby Wei Wuxian sees Lan Wangji and *sprints* down the stairs to be near him, even though they don’t really get along yet. 

He’s completely delighted to see him, not at all deterred by the unfriendly reception.

Now: Grown up Wei Wuxian reacts with with a fond smile, similar to the way he’s reacted to all the memories he’s been replaying. 

The smile fades, and he approaches with absolutely none of the exuberance of his youth.

He just has...no joy. Not in living, not in being around Lan Wangji. But he’s sought him out as unerringly as he did in his youth, all the same.

Then: Baby Lan Wangji realizes Wei Wuxian is approaching, takes a millisecond to consider the situation, and immediately goes to put clothes on. He’s fully covered by the time Wei Wuxian reaches the shore.

Now: Grown-up Lan Wangji sees Wei Wuxian, and just...sits there...while Wei Wuxian looks at him. He’s got his hair pulled over his shoulder so his back is on display, too.

Lan Wangji is never going to tell Wei Wuxian about his scars, but I think he wants him to see, to understand that Things Have Happened in his own life while Wei Wuxian was gone. Talking isn’t really his thing, so he’s showing him instead.  

(These unobtrusive scars, incidentally, are what happens when a character is extremely scarred but is being portrayed by a half-naked Wang Yibo. The producers aren’t going to give up a thirst opportunity for the sake of medical verisimilitude.)

I think he’s also deliberately letting Wei Wuxian see how beautiful he looks without his many layers of robes on. He sits still, being looked at, for 30 seconds of screen time, and then he turns around to show off his tiddies.

Unfortunately that’s when Wei Wuxian notices the burn on his chest, which wasn’t what Lan Wangji was going for, so he--slowly--gets out and puts his clothes on.

This burn scar is never discussed in the show, although the book explains it. I think if you haven’t read the book you can still guess that Lan Wangji did it to himself out of grief. This is a literal mark of Lan Wangji’s devotion--one he’s not ready for Wei Wuxian to understand just yet.

Continuing the comparison: in the past, it was Wei Wuxian trying to get close to Lan Wangji, as Lan Wangji resisted.

In the present, Wei Wuxian doesn’t need to push; Lan Wangji comes to him. Lan Wangji has, in the course of 12 hours, invited Wei Wuxian so far into his life and has shown Wei Wuxian so much of himself that he might as well have embroidered "down to fuck" on the front of his robes. 

Before this, Wei Wuxian had never seen his house, not seen his hair without several chunks of silver in it, not heard him play guqin other than for medical purposes, and definitely hadn't been given a generous eyeful of his elegant torso and swanlike neck.

Seeing Lan Wangji’s various scars, Wei Wuxian starts to get out of his own head a bit, and begins to think about the person Lan Wangji has become in his absence.  He demands--not via his usual whining, but with quiet authority--to know what happened.

This gets him absolutely nowhere, because Lan Wangji is the stubbornest person on Earth. He let Wei Wuxian look, and that’s all the communicating he plans to do on this subject. 

He knows perfectly well that he has an interfering older brother who will eventually explain everything for him.  

Failmaster Qiren

The tension is broken by the arrival of some juniors, who say that Lan Qiren tried to communicate with the sword spirit, and it kicked his ass. This happens to him more often than it should.

There are a lot of funny moments in The Untamed, many of them deliberate, but some caused by the challenges of a big production with complicated continuity. For me, nothing will ever be funnier than the fact that, on his way to save his uncle from the homicidal sword spirit, Lan Wangji stopped to do his hair.

Outside the sword room, Wei Wuxian demonstrates one of his core skills: busting through barriers in the Cloud Recesses.

None of the juniors can get past this door that he’s easily blasting open, but they all still believe that this dude with Lan Wangji is second-rate cultivator Mo Xuanyu.

Flute Recital

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian start playing "Rest" to the sword, but then Wei Wuxian realizes that Lan Qiren is going to recognize him if he plays the flute well...while not wearing a mask...or something? This is one of those moments where it would make a lot more sense if Mo Xuanyu did not look like Wei Wuxian, but we would all be sad if either version of Wei Wuxian did not look like Xiao Zhan, so let’s roll with it.

To hide his real abilities, and because he is a compulsive troll, Wei Wuxian launches into an extra-shitty rendition of WangXian, which is apparently bad enough to knock Lan Qiren out again.

Lan Wangji takes a moment to wonder why he had to be born a clownosexual, exclusively attracted to clowns. One clown in particular.

Now the mystery-solving part of the story gets rolling. Wei Wuxian picks up the sword, which is smoking with resentment, to get a read on it.  It screams at him like the Xuanwu sword did, back in the good old days.

Wei Wuxian shudders and gasps sexily, and then falls into Lan Wangji's waiting arms.

Lan Wangji suddenly feels totally fine about his clownosexuality.

Party in the Jingshi

Later, at the Jingshi, Wei Wuxian expertly twirls his flute just like that one Yiling Laozu guy was known for doing while Lan Wangji and several disciples tend to Lan Qiren.

Lan Wangji has put Lan Qiren in his own bed, the same bed Wei Wuxian was sleeping in 12 hours ago. I'd say Lan Wangji has the busiest bed in the Cloud Recesses, except that we all know that honor belongs to Lan Xichen.

The disciples gossip about the resentful energy, and one of them wonders aloud if the Yiling Laozu has taken over a new host body. That earns him a nearly lethal dose of stink-eye from Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji finishes checking his uncle’s pulse and puts his hand down but does not tuck him in, because his uncle is not named Wei Wuxian.

We get our first clue that Lan Wangji is actually Lan Sizhui's dad when he vaguely dismisses the whole group of disciples, but sends Lan Sizhui, specifically, to bed.

Hot-grumpy-dad Lan Wangji is my favorite. We don’t see him in this mood a lot at this age, particularly not when he’s busy making googly eyes at Wei Wuxian. But his worry for Lan Qiren seems to have brought back a slice of his angsty, angry younger self. *sizzle noise*

Lan Sizhui tries to argue about bedtime and gets shut down, so he verbally acquiesces to what his dad told him to do. Then he fucks off and does what he wants to do instead. It’s nice to see that Lan Wangji has raised a normal teenager.  

Sizhui goes outside and chats with his other dad for a while. He doesn't know yet that this is his other dad, of course, just that his father has a new, cool boyfriend who can probably score much better weed than that crap Jingyi's always bragging about.  

Wei Wuxian is a kind, serious authority figure in his conversations with Lan Sizhui; not silly or teasing as he is with Lan Jingyi.  He tells Sizhui him not to blame himself for what happened at the Mo manor, and compliments his learning and thought processes.

I Trust You

In the morning, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji talk on the porch. Lan Qiren taking the only bed means they probably didn't have the fun night Lan Wangji had been hoping for. Also, while they are getting along well, Wei Wuxian isn't comfortable with him yet; he asks if Lan Wangji suspects him, when they talk about the haunted sword.

Lan Wangji takes the opportunity to tell him, emphatically, “Of course, I believe you.” This is the same “trust/believe” ( 信 ) that was hanging between them the previous evening, and Lan Wangji is taking steps to rectify the problem.

Fortunately, Wei Wuxian is helplessly in love with Lan Wangji, and has a very forgiving nature, so they will get comfortable with each other very quickly. They work out that Xue Yang must have recreated the Yin tiger seal using his own piece of Yin Metal.

Guest Lecturer

Next, Lan Wangji gathers a roomful of disciples together to listen to Yiling Laozu’s lecture on the topic of resentful energy and this demonic sword. (Lan Qiren wakes up, feels a disturbance in the force, faints again).

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian also flirt in front of the whole class.  Features of this flirtation include Wei Wuxian doing this...thing with his flute and his mouth while he leans on Lan Wangji.

This one time, at band camp...

Theoretically, this move of Lan Wangji’s, where he steps away while Wei Wuxian is leaning on him, could be read as “doesn’t like to be touched.” Except grown-up Lan Wangji is happy to touch Wei Wuxian, and everyone’s faces say that this is Lan Wangji indulging in a moment of playfulness.

Lan Jingyi is slightly horrified, but Lan Sizhui is practically ecstatic about this development. He and Wei Wuxian have a little nonverbal conversation in which Lan Sizhui gives him the opposite of a shovel talk.

Lan Sizhui is the president of the Let's Get Hanguang-Jun Laid club. Jingyi will join up soon.

On The Road Again

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian leave Gusu on a pair of horses that are never seen again; why does Wei Wuxian ride a donkey if they've got horses? *shrug.*

They go into Qinghe and walk through the market; Wei Wuxian lighthearted and interested in his surroundings in a way he hasn't been since he was young. Lan Wangji seems comfortable in the crowd; a contrast to his early travels.

A vendor is selling Yiling Laozu merch. Wei Wuxian is offended by their ugliness, explaining that the Yiling Patriarch was one of the most beautiful men in the world, with many successful sponsorship deals.

Just then Jin Ling shows up, because the cultivation world is like 3 city blocks wide and everyone lives on the same block. He attacks the vendor for daring to mention Wei Wuxian in public.  

This is my father’s font! I won’t put it down!

The stunt here involves the vendor getting yanked on a wire into a produce table, without knocking it over. One radish falls on the ground but the table doesn’t break into splinters and the air is not filled with flying veggies.  

If you are accustomed to American TV and movies, seeing someone hit a produce table or cart without destroying a massive quantity of produce is positively surreal.

Wei Wuxian realizes that Jin Ling’s personality is an unfortunate combination of Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng. He decides that he should try to instill some of Jiang Yanli’s virtues in him. He puts his mask on and starts a conversation with Jin Ling.

Enter Fairy, the fluffy adorable dog, who is an exemplar of Wei Wuxian's deep fear of dogs. Fairy is also is a catalyst for a sudden onset of broad comedic acting in our leading man. Wei Wuxian screams and runs away as Fairy slooowly chases him.

#the untamed #the untamed gifs #the untamed meta #restless rewatch the untamed #wangxian #canary3d-original #clownosexuality #the busiest bed in the cloud recesses #parallels #return of the bathing beauty trope

[nutcasewithaknife]

Saw yet another post that reduced Lan Wangji's entire character to Wei Wuxian’s existence, so I'm screaming here again. So many people talk about him like he doesn't give a damn about what's right outside of WWX caring about it. Like he cares about fairness and justice only because Wei Ying does, so he must too, because otherwise Wei Ying would be upset. It's literally the opposite! Lwj may have been horny at first sight for wwx, but he fell in love only when he saw the side of him that wanted to fight for justice and righteousness, to protect those who needed it. Look at Lan Wangji's face when they're releasing the lanterns at Gusu, and Wei Wuxian makes his resolution. Look at him and tell me its not the face of a someone falling in love.

Why does he go around helping those in need after Wei Wuxian is gone? 'because Wei Ying would have wanted it' is not the answer, at least not a complete one. Maybe he would never be able to face Wei Ying if he didn't try to fight for what's right. But its also the fact that he failed to do it before, he failed and it ended with Wei Ying jumping off a cliff. He is a man who fought a war on the side of righteousness only to realise way too late that it was rotten from the inside. Losing wwx is a huge blow not just because the man he loved is dead, but because wwx put everything at stake, including his life, trying to uphold the pact they made to be truly righteous at any cost, while lwj could barely do anything for it.

Lan Wangji was always so strict about the rules not because he doesn't know any better or because he was a teacher's pet or whatever. It's because he believes they're necessary for justice and righteousness! His entire arc is about his experiences forcing him to reexamine the rules that have dictated his life and the world he has lived in, and see if they are truly for good. It's him realizing those rules are not as black and white as he'd thought, coming to terms with the complexities of what is right and wrong. It's him realising how unfair and broken his world can be despite or even because of these rules, and deciding he will not be able to live with himself without doing something, however little, about it. How can you just ignore all of that!!!

#lan wangji #wei wuxian #the untamed #cql #meta #lwj #wwx #mdzs lwj is a whole different beast i think so i won't say anything this way or that about him #but #Every time anyone makes lwj all about wwx #i hope they know that wwx would be the first one to materialise and bonk them on the head for it.

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

Como dientes en el alma

Song that inspired the title, idea is from this and the one post I made about wanting to write a prompt based off "you drew stars/around my scars/and now i'm bleeding"

This is so sweet and emotional, it made me miss writing angst and killing blorbos.

Have fun and don't get used to it <3

Lan Wangji passes by that place every morning when he takes A-Yuan to school. It's still the same as always, the same as back then, a little shop facing the main street, high windows with tattoo displays on them and a light up sign that hasn't flashed in over a decade.

"You don't look like the tattoo type." He laughs, and it lights up his whole face, his handsome features softening. His lip piercing glistens under the white neon lights, and for a moment, Lan Wangji forgets he's nervous at all. "Is there any occasion you're doing this for?"

"For... my mother, she's... gone."

There have been many rumors. Some said he ran away, others said he killed himself, or was disposed of. Most people shook their head and moved on with their lives.

Sometimes, Lan Wangji wishes he did too. Wishes he could.

It's been so long.

"Have you thought where you'd like it done?"

"It must be somewhere hidden. My workplace is...strict. As is my family."

He laughs again, and Lan Wangji finds himself yearning for the sound, wanting to remember it forever, melodious, sincere. Light shines on his face, his stormy eyes glistening with mirth, and Lan Wangji irrationally wonders what it would be like to hear that laughter forever.

"How about your arm? There's plenty of space there, I see." a wink, and Lan Wangji's ears flare red.

"Alright."

"I'll do my best so it doesn't hurt too much, but you'll hate me when I'll start to color it in, so heads up for that."

"It is fine, I am used to pain."

He smiles, but this time it's in sympathetic understanding, hiding something dark and painful beneath, "I am too. Doesn't mean you have to like it."

The tattoo is still there, beautiful etched into his skin. It hurt, but not nearly as much as everything else in his life - before that, and after - did. He still catches himself admiring it in the shower, or as he's getting ready in the mirror.

"Do you want to talk about your mother? It'll help distract you, you seem tense."

Lan Wangji was tense, but not because of the procedure, the other's touch electrifying, the closeness, intoxicating. But, indeed, this was about Lan Wangji's mother. And he never really got to talk to anyone about her.

It's comforting, to know there are still pieces of him into the world, scattered in the crowd, carrying his mastery, his touch, his soul, his creativity.

His love.

"My mom died too. Both my parents did. And I... I don't really remember them anymore. I was 3 or 4 years old when it happened, and then I lived on the streets for a while before uncle Jiang found me and took me in. I always wanted to find a way to make sure I wouldn't ever forget important things again and... well, you can never forget to look at your skin, right?"

It was impossible for Lan Wangji not to fall in love with him. Anyone would have. Such a kind, considerate, playful person, so beautiful, so artistic with everything he did - it was as if, with every move of his tools, Wei Wuxian didn't just leave his mark on Lan Wangji's body, but on his soul too.

"I...this is really unprofessional of me and I really shouldn't be doing this, but... frankly, I like you." The blush decorates Wei Wuxian's face so beautifully and Lan Wangji feels his own cheeks burn, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He smiles, shy, but with a glint in his eyes "And I think you like me too, because you've been here almost every day, and the 'I'm worried about healing' excuse is getting old."

Busted - but Lan Wangji knew it wasn't that good of an excuse anyway. However, he's done with excuses - and he pulls Wei Wuxian into a kiss instead, fully accountable and open about his intention.

And so incredibly happy.

Lan Wangji has three tattoos. The gentian flower, in memory of his mother, on his right arm, a pair of bunnies, a tribute to the love he and Wei Wuxian shared and...

Lan Wangji traces his fingers over the crudely drawn brand on Wei Wuxian's chest.

"This isn't yours." He says, and kisses over it, softly, as if the skin had yet to heal.

"No, it isn't... It was a... punishment. I pissed off the wrong people and I paid for it."

"Why didn't you remove it?"

"There are some things you can't erase, Lan Zhan, regardless of whether they show on your skin or not."

Lan Wangji remembered the symbol precisely - the lines, the contours of it, the sun it supposedly represents - and had it done too. Wanted to do it himself at first, drunk and mad with grief, but ultimately decided against it. Wei Wuxian wouldn't want him to die the same way he almost did.

"How about we get matching tattoos?" He asked one morning as he hopped onto the kitchen counter, coffee in hand, all but inviting Lan Zhan to kiss him.

He did, hungry and wanting as always, but Wei Ying seemed insistent on having a conversation right then, pushing Lan Zhan away enough so he could catch his breath. "I'm being serious, Lan Zhan, come on."

"So am I." And he kissed down the column of Wei Ying's neck as if to prove a point, hands sliding over the painted skin of his thighs.

"Lan Zhan, you're - ahh...- you're not listening to me!"

"I am. You sound pretty."

"That's not - mmh! - you know what, we should just get bunnies, since we're fucking like rabbits anyway!"

Sometimes, Lan Zhan can almost feel it, the gentle touch of Wei Ying's hand, the pinching of the needle, the warmth of being so close to the love of his life and distracting him with kisses when he shouldn't.

"Lan Zhan. Stay still, I mean it. I could really hurt you, and that would break my heart and my license!"

"You should not look so beautiful then."

Wei Ying lifted the tattoo gun off his skin and sighed, loudly. "Mister Lan, I may have to ask someone else to finish your tattoo, because you'll kill me with those words of yours."

Lan Zhan took advantage of the break to get into kissing his lover properly, smiling to himself as they parted and Wei Ying appeared entirely lovestruck, lips kiss-bruised.

"Okay, I'll behave. I don't want anyone but you."

It's been a long time since Lan Wangji has felt anything but hollow. He's been unable - and unwilling - to love anybody else other than his Wei Ying, and he's long resigned to a life of loneliness because of this conviction.

But he does dream, still, of a day when he passes by the old tattoo shop and the neon sign is lit up, the door opened wide, and Wei Wuxian rushing out to greet him, latch his arms around him and give him a sweet, smiling kiss.

Every morning as he passes by the place, his heart stutters with the tiniest surge of excitement.

Maybe there will be someone there today. Maybe, somehow, Wei Wuxian has returned, and he's still pursuing his dream and he still love Lan Wangji.

But the building stays stubbornly empty no matter how hard Lan Wangji hopes it not be so.

---

But one day, 13 years later, the neon sign is lit up and the door is opened. Lan Wangji nearly stumbles out of skin at the sight of the decrepit shop suddenly teeming with life and the distant sound of buzzing needles.

He rushes in, shaking with so much emotion he feels his knees might just give out.

Wei Ying!

The young man at the register glances at him curiously. The name badge on his shirt reads "Mo Xuanyu", and, as if awoken from a dream, Lan Wangji blinks once, twice, and realizes he doesn't recognize anything or anyone in the old establishment.

"Can I help you?" Mo Xuanyu asks, though Lan Wangji feels too shattered to do anything but shake his head.

How could he be so stupid? Of course he won't find Wei Wuxian here. There are other tattoo artists and the building couldn't have stayed abandoned forever.

The world has long moved on.

And Wei Wuxian is...

A voice calls from somewhere deep in the store, and the closer it gets, the more tears gather in Lan Wangji's eyes.

"Xuanyu, did the 10 am appointment arrive yet? I want to go get some co..."

Wei Wuxian stands frozen in the middle of the shop's reception, eyes wide as if unable to comprehend what he's seeing.

The stranger - no, not a stranger, not at all - smiles at him, honeyed and tearful, and Wei Wuxian's body moves before he realizes.

When he's finally in Lan Wangji's arms, and Lan Wangji is in his...

"Is this real, Lan Zhan? Tell me it is, tell me you're really here."

"I am here, Wei Ying. I've always been."

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #writing attempts

[aranarumei]

hi kiri I intend to make you type so many words. for our ask game I’m starting with xicheng because I have my share of opinions

ask me about a ship and I'll give my opinions + classify them as does / doesn't make sense, does / doesn't compel me oh boy. my askbox has never been this full you guys…! really fun all of you tho. some I’ve got thoughts on some I haven’t really considered etc. and very impressively: no dupes!

also. words have been written. to the point that I’m putting this under a readmore lmao. up top apology for the incoherence i do just ramble

sooo xicheng. until recently I did not know the ao3 stats for this ship were. that big? don't feel like dangling the classification like bait so I'll start by saying: doesn’t make sense, doesn't compel me. now I will take way too many words to explain exactly why I feel that way!

as a person I am first and foremost a jiang cheng x happiness shipper. kind of. I never want it to be easy for him. because I’m kind of a bastard. so I've actually read a bit of fic with jc in a few different ships, some of which have been xicheng. and there's like, a few of those fics that have portrayed as aspect of jiang cheng like... so sensitively and in a way that made me Feel Things. so I'll always love them for that. my issue is that I just feel like... in the case of these, lan xichen could often be anyone for me. i read mdzs like... pre-untamed, and lan xichen's like... idk. I liked his role in the story but he didn't super compel me? so some of my issues with xicheng stem from the fact that I've simply never thought about lan xichen that much, and I'm not really invested in exploring his character. I think they could have some compelling things because they have a variety of things on their ends that don't get fully resolved, by pure virtue of 1) existing in mdzs 2) being side characters. also if jiang cheng's visiting gusu lan it puts him in proximity of wei wuxian which does promise for interesting interactions. what sours me on xicheng is... like I've said, I think some fics can make it work enough for me. but I feel like a large motivator of the fic is just... "oh look, wei wuxian's got a brother, and so does lan wangji! let's ship them!" even though they're totally different people? and as a consequence these two tend to get sanded down into often reductive portrayals. lot of pair the spares energy.

also kind of on the subject... I think I just don't really like.... ships with jiang cheng? in general? well my tolerance actually varies but I think especially when they take place post-canon (which the xicheng I've read often does) it doesn't sit right with me. I think it’s because jiang cheng’s not in… dire straits post-canon, but he’s not really happy. like he got told about the golden core thing but he’s unable to say the thing back about why he ran off like that in the first place. and I don’t like post-canon ships where it’s like. oh… jiang cheng, you poor thing. you shall be fixed by love. so I think I’m softer on ships that deal with things that happen before everything goes to shit for this reason. like I’ve not watched a lot of the show, but him and wen qing could be fun especially since that makes the golden core thing way more fucked up. with sangcheng they were like. friends in canon and stuff and then it seems they’ve gotten more distant. with zhancheng I mean like. there’s that tension and those years where wei wuxian wasn’t around and they were carrying their separate griefs. but with xicheng I feel like they don’t have anything super interesting in canon, which makes their outsized popularity a bit startling to me.

this is like. deeply personal and is kind of petty but. as someone who has wandered into the jiang cheng tags a couple times. man. people really hate that guy. and also hate people who like him. at least the couple times I looked there was just a lot of stuff arguing about like. oh jiang cheng sucks actually he’s the worst and all his fans are delusional for liking him and they’re ignoring his Crimes. he’s a uniquely selfish character who is unable to express or feel love. I’m not saying this is everyone, it’s just… the vibe I got from quite a few posts. this was also years ago. maybe things are calmer. I’m definitely biased because jiang cheng has always been my favorite character, so of course I love him. but this isn’t a defense post of him. either you like him or you don’t. just don’t bother me. anyways, the thing about “love” has always stuck with me, because I think that jiang cheng so obviously expresses love. like… the entire way he feels about wei wuxian! that’s his brother! idk. if you can’t see that you’ve lost me. now do I think jiang cheng communicates any of his feelings well ever No.

but about the love thing. when I read romantic fics involving jiang cheng post-canon, intentionally or not, a lot of what I read had this angle of almost like… look how capable of love jiang cheng is. and I’m like. well jiang cheng already loves people. it may not have gone perfectly or been so beautiful but that doesn’t make it non-existent. if he loves selfishly or awkwardly or without communicating it, it doesn’t mean that the love doesn’t exist. I think I’m stumbling into incoherence here… but my favorite headcanon for jiang cheng is probably one where he’s aromantic and asexual, because to me it affirms this feeling of like. romantic love is not some kind of absolution. and the “love” that he feels isn’t any lesser than whatever romance is going around. many different ways to be aroace ofc but this is how I see it for him. a lot of this is probably also influenced by the fact that I’m writing a fic with aroace jiang cheng at this present moment haha. as you might imagine, having this headcanon means that I tend to be neutral on most jiang cheng ships! I think to really grab me you’d have to make it interesting on the other end, so the character’s not just a sounding board for jiang cheng’s issues and vice versa, which sort of sums up my problems with xicheng. even the xicheng fics I read and liked were like… great, I’m glad you’re treating these two like real characters and not wangxian to the left. however a lot of this fic is just like. wow jiang cheng / lan xichen you’ve had it hard. Here’s a character who will comfort you and support you. and that’s nice in a way, but not compelling as a ship, yknow? so that’s the sum up of my thoughts. I’m on the scale of neutral-dislike, but if there’s a particularly good portrayal of jiang cheng I’d probably read it.

#sunluvclub #ask #ask game #kiri.txt #in this essay I will

[moondal514]

Just Leave a Comment Fest 2023

I was too disorganized to post daily totals but my final overall comment total for the @justleaveacommentfest was: 56

Which, considering how busy my week was, isn’t half bad

Thought I’d make a fic rec list of a few of the fics I read (reread in some cases), loved, and commented on that were on theme for each day of the fest

Day 1: old/new fics

Fandom: All For the Game

Don't Speak Against the Sun by zeffyamethyst

adversus solem ne loquitor.

Sometimes it's not about winning, but how you play. Other times it's about doing whatever it takes to come out on top. Like, literally on top because Sarah enjoys holding Tish down.

The iconic 1st ever aftg fic that inspired Nora to create Laila and Alvarez

Fandom: All For the Game

The Love We Unravel by fullyvisible/ @fullyvisible

Jeremy deserves a comfortable, safe life; Jean knows he can't give it to him - and neither can Kevin. But they don't consider whether Jeremy thinks they're a risk worth taking.

Excellent KereJean angst

Day 2: <2k words

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi

dam wei ying your bobbies by Yuisaki

"Are you even seeing my nipples?"

Lan Zhan's hand is still pressed to Wei Ying's chest. The nipple in question is poking at the center of his palm. Possibly where his lifeline is, which is an unspeakably cruel piece of irony and the fact that kindness is dead in the world. "I see them," says Lan Zhan instead.

At the banquet after the Grand Prix, Lan Zhan measures the circumference of Wei Ying's chest, among other things.

Will never be able to look at donghua!yiling laozhu ever again without thinking of this fic and cackling

Fandom: Six of Crows

honey to taste by alltheworldsinmyhead/ @alltheworldsinmyhead

"She reaches up and rests her hand lightly on the nape of his neck, pulling him towards her.

“Let’s not go anywhere today,” she says. “Write me down in your calendar, Dirtyhands. I’m yours for the weekend.”

Some gorgeously written post-canon Kanej

Day 3: au’s

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi

notes on a rivalry by HeylookGiraffes/ @heylookgiraffes

“Ooo,” he says, turning the stand towards him. “‘Card-bored for cardboard ensemble,’ that’s original. Might as well write a dedication with that title.”

“You’re not even in music,” Jiang Cheng hisses under the background of voices arguing.

Nie Huisang raises an eyebrow and pulls out a French horn. In the front of the room, Wei Wuxian’s voice rises.

“I’ve never seen you use that,” says Jiang Cheng.

“I’m a man of many mysteries.”

Wen Qing turns around. Her rubberband and cereal box guitar creaks ominously in her hands. At her glare, the two of them fall silent just in time to hear Lan Wangji say, cool as a cucumber:

“It is no wonder that Wei Ying never writes for real instruments, since he can barely write for ones of his own creation.”

Nie Huisang looks like Christmas has come early. “This is even better than I imagined.”

Literally the exact modern composers au I was dying to read after I finished the MDZS novels

Fandom: All For The Game

Into The Deep by Fortheloveofexy/ @fortheloveofexy

Neil Josten stares at the large building in front of him, his mouth twisted into a small frown.

Yesterday, Browning had handed him a manila folder containing his new name, his new life. Included in that file had been a note, the same slightly crumpled note he’s holding in his hand now, with the name of his new employer.

Foxhole Aquarium. Ask for David Wymack

Absolutely iconic mer au

Day 4: rarepair/platonic

Fandom: BBC Merlin

The Shoemaker by fleete

Historical magical AU. In turn-of-the-century Glastonbury, Freya Lake is the headmistress of an orphanage for magical children. And despite all the seers’ dire warnings, Freya is happy; her infatuation with the shoemaker’s apprentice—who may or may not be a girl underneath his shirt and trousers—is slowly coming to a head. But then a woman claiming to be Morgan Le Fay shows up on the orphanage steps, demanding to see Emrys, and Freya is forced to rearrange her priorities.

Fun fact: this fic was one of the 1st portrayals of an genderqueer character I ever read and so rereading it years later made me quite unexpectedly emotional and I’m glad I got to fix my crime of having not left a comment on it before

Fandom: Good Omens

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot by xylodemon/ @xylodemon

In which Crowley starts over. Again, and again, and again

Hilarious and fantastic read

Day 5: try something new

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi

work song (crawl home) by animediac/ @jaywalkers

Jiang Cheng looks at Nie Huaisang curled up on his bunk, covered by a spare set of Yunmeng Jiang robes, and something inside him remembers the stories of soldiers coming home to their lovers.

Chengsang is a ship that never would’ve occurred to me on my own (prob cuz I haven’t watched cql) but if anyone could convert me to it, it would be Róisín and this fic is of course gorgeously written

Fandom: Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

The Pleasure Principle by fluorescentgrey/ @yeats-infection

"You weren't exactly starting from square one on the road to madness."

So I have watched exactly one Black Mirror episode (and it wasn’t this one lol) but Gen is such a talented writer that I would prob love reading even her grocery lists so it’s no surprise I love this fic despite my unfamiliarity with its canon

*

Loved this fest, will continue to comment on fics as I have been doing. Much love to fic writers out there, thank you for sharing all your work and talent <3

#fic rec list #fic rec #aftg #mdzs #good omens #bbc merlin #black mirror #just leave a comment fest #soc

[layzeal]

Thank you for your reply on LWJ's character! I have still doubts honestly, because you interpreted the Incense Burner extra as a dream from the real teen!lwj while I also suspected it was a dream he had later on (maybe he had a mix of different ambiguous dreams) but it was greatly influenced by wwx himself during the sex scene on the wood and then his no-more--repressed feelings influenced his subconscius and he basically filled a fantasy prompt. But I saw many have different opinions, I based my idea because according to MXTX lwj have read 🔞 books only after mxy!wwx's return and then I have the "oh" moment when I remembered the gay book porn on the dream.

But again, many people have different opinions on that, I don't want to say my opinion is the most correct!

Incense Dream apart, I understand what you said about LWJ's conflicted repressed feelings and this is why I love him and think to him as a fascinating character. But to me none of this conflict/fear/discomfort can translate as sadism because sadists actually have true joy on inflicting pain and no feelings of guilty and I have never seen this enjoyment from lwj, not even when he's a bit aggressive in bed and he's free from restrain, so I still think such word doesn't really belong to LWJ in his essence and this is a bit "too much" exploration of his dark side (?).

Actually LWJ is very limpid to me. I'm not saying he can't do mistakes, he's totally aware he did bad at the blindfold kiss. Maybe he's more possessive than an actual sadist, because he kissed wwx after wwx threw him a flower during the parade at the Jins hunting, among other girls who did the same at the cultivators as a sign of admiration and desire for courtship (it's a common tradition 🤩) and this of course unleashed a mix of explosive feelings on lwj. He reacted on his impulse and possessive desires, later regretted it. But the true beauty of lwj to me is that he has the potential of being a possessive husband (the whole hide wwx in gusu like his mother, deny him his freedom etc) but he always choose the opposite road, even though it was the hardest for his heart. This is why the "lwj actually is a sadist" doesn't sit well on how I see him. And even being finally free of the restrain, no feeling shame of his desires, it doesn't translate to me as sadism (we also have to put in context what the roleplay is, because actually I interpreted the incense dream in this way!) but the natural consequence of a guy with sharp corners who always feel too much, pining too much, crave too much, and he didn’t know how to do with these emotions because he also felt a bit alienated.

This post is going to be long sorry! I hope it doesn't bother you.

no worries!! lemme just put another read more here LMAO

i think this might just be a difference in interpretation of the wording, then? because by all means, lan wangji fits very well into the terminology of "sadist" in the sexual, bdsm context, he's not a true sadist! but this would mean getting into a whole other conversation about kink analysis and sex ed that i don't really have the energy right now kdjkdjhvjfh but be assured, it's not about lan wangji enjoying hurting people, it's just about him enjoying seeing wwx whine and cry and "fight back" (and then have some very sweet loving aftercare right after)

(funnily enough, even on your first ask, while i was still on the "HUH???" stage, i was reminded on this little section from the incense burner extra, and then thinking about it i was like "wait that person must have meant that other type of sadist")

and yep, on that whole "when did lwj begin 'doing research' by himself", i do tend to put it in his teenage years because of what MXTX said about the Lan library... *ahem* being a big library, but ngl i am also heavily influenced by that one audio drama extra where LQR says that LXC saw him studying a buddhist scripture very attentively and when LQR asks him about it he gets all flusteres, has a flashback to the libraru scene and then tells LQR "he doesn't fully understand the material yet" SKJDFHJKSDHFKJDSHK good teenji i love you. mxtx was so vague about it, and when reading the interview i still can't see it as "he only read it after wwx returned", only that he didnt do it suring those 13 years, which makes sense! my poor guy was grieving too much to get horny about gay sex with wei ying 😭 but considering how he did already know how to do it after guanyin temple, and up until that point LWJ still believed WWX had rejected him, i can only see him doing any actual research before wei wuxian died KDSFJHKDSKDJFHKJ

on everything you said about "But "the true beauty of lwj to me is that he has the potential of being a possessive husband (the whole hide wwx in gusu like his mother, deny him his freedom etc) but he always choose the opposite road, even though it was the hardest for his heart." i aboslutely agree with, and it's also one of my favorite things about lan wangji!!! he's so aware of his desires and what he should and shouldn't do, that when he does slip, he becomes SO frustrated with himself, he can only punch a tree and yell at wwx to get away from him, though it is that last part about how his sexual desires don't translate into sadism. it does, he is by definition a sadist!! just like wei wuxian is also by definition a masochist!! but ONLY in these sexual scenarios they create for themselves, and not in the actual, violent sense of the word that he finds actual joy in hurting people. context matters!!

#thanks for the disscussion btw!! it's very fun!! #modao #lace speaks #usfw

[rosethornewrites]

T & G reading since 3/18

I was going to wait a few more days to post but it’s getting too long.

Finished

Teen:

Everything Is Solved With Soup (And Poison), by Love_Psycho (reread)

Waking up from a nightmare – that may or may not just be a nightmare – Jiang Yanli decides she needs to stop that nightmare from becoming reality.

What Is Holding Is Also Being Held, by curiositea

“Congratulations,” Song Lan says with a grin that can only be described as ‘shit-eating’. “You’re haunted.”

“What.” Lan Zhan and Wei Ying say simultaneously, one sounding significantly less excited than the other. Honestly Lan Zhan, Wei Ying thinks, how can you not be ecstatic?!

—

Or, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are haunted by the powerful and lasting echoes of their past lives and maybe, just maybe, it’s fate.

(Halloween/Wei Ying’s birthday prompt from the fantastic @/wwxwashere on twitter: wangxian are haunted.)

The Best Soup in the World, by Nyatci (reread)

Lan Wangji wakes to his husband missing from their bed. He happens to find him in the kitchens, peeling lotus roots.

Possible Works 3 - What If Number 4, by Hauntcats

Things go differently at the Yiling Supervisory office when Wen Chao shows up early.

Possible Works 4 - Tunnel Vision, by Hauntcats

A night hunt turns interesting.

Stop, In the Name of Love, by weenakohi2 (🔒)

Artist/art teacher in training/volunteer crossing guard-Wei Ying saves A-Yuan from a road accident and gets hurt in the process. Lan Zhan and A-Yuan insist on taking him out as thanks. One things leads to another leads to domestic bliss.

General:

The Greed is the Unraveling, by nirejseki (4 chapters)

“Don’t cough blood on me,” Lan Qiren said, voice as prim and proper as it had ever been.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Wen Ruohan replied, teeth clenched and brow furrowed as he fought off the pain. Blood leaked out from the corner of his mouth despite his words. “I suppose the stain of red on white is terribly hard to get out.”

His tone was bitter, angry, and he was probably making some sort of very clever metaphorical point, given the Lan sect’s white robes and Wen sect’s emblem of red and white.

But -

(Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian said. Do you think we made it - worse?)

(no one else can) take me there, by azurewaxwing

In his recent article in Contemporary Theories of Cultivation, Lan (2019) sets out to study the correlation between instrument choice and outcomes in the liberation of spirits. While his main thesis appears sound, his decision to limit the study to the qin, dizi, xiao and pipa undermines his conclusions.

This decision falls prey to the fallacy that tradition cannot be questioned. It ignores, too, the fact that many practising cultivators will encounter spirits that will have no exposure to such “expectations.” In a small study comparing the use of a dizi with a theremin—undoubtedly a non-traditional choice—the theremin produced optimal outcomes in liberating spirits where: time since death was less than 6 months; spirit was younger than 25 and older than 17 at time of death; or spirit motivation included aspects of revenge. The conclusions reached in Lan (2019), while providing a foundation for future study, are therefore as yet incomplete.

Mo Xuanyu

Cultivation Studies, Center for East Asian Studies, Stanford University

Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and musical cultivation: a love story, told through academic articles, emails, texts, and videos.

just like glass, by sunflowersfield (🔒, 2 chapters)

Lan Zhan is grateful. Gratitude is a feeling that he can appreciate because it is not like the inky black guilt that runs hot through his veins. It is not like the dizzying paranoia that burns bright behind his eyes. His gratitude for Wei Ying glows like a flickering candle, and he hopes he can keep it alive.

Butterfly, by dragongirlG (🔒)

Lan Sizhui’s eyes widen. “Is it your birthday?” he asks, panic creeping into his tone. It occurs to him that he’s never asked about birthdays—Ning-shushu’s, his parents’, his sister’s—

“A-Yuan,” says Ning-shushu, his voice softer than normal, “it’s yours.”

Lan Sizhui blinks, stunned. “What?”

Lan Sizhui receives some unexpected gifts when he makes a visit to Wen Ning.

A reflection on family history, familial bonds, and identity written for Lan Sizhui's birthday.

Warmth in Winter, by rhysiana

Lan Wangji watches Wei Wuxian spend his first winter in Cloud Recesses.

(a song) greeting the dawn, by LadyKG (🔒, 2 chapters)

With a laugh he threw himself back over the seal painted on the floor, a hysterical bubble in his chest popping as he dug his hands into his hair. Of all the times to be sent back to. Of all the places he could have ended up. Why did it have to be now?

Unfinished

Teen:

Inchoate, by Marinelifeclub

“Where would you even go once you left? Wait a few more years before leaving." persuaded Jiang Fengmian,

“Will I live to see that long?” Wei Wuxian whispered under his breath.

Jiang Fengmian felt cold at those words. He always thought his children would be the ones to heal the scars left by their mother on Wei Wuxian, but just the concise way he spoke about them, he knows that wasn’t true. Now his best friend’s son sat in front of him, confessing to not thinking he will live to see himself become a man. Cangse and Changze must be furious in their graves as the sweet smiling son they raised endured pain because of a jealous woman and a cowardly man. Sighing, he did the only thing he could to make things right and accepted the boy’s wishes.

At age 14, Wei Wuxian left Lotus Pier and never looked back.

Wei Wuxian leaves Lotus Pier and while things change something’s are just set in fate.

Rabbit Charm, by aoeros (🔒)

“You gotta promise me that when you’re back home and settled in, I’ll be the first you come to see. Because I’m going to miss you more than anyone else will, Lán Zhàn. Except your brother, of course.”

“Of course. I promise to come find you first after I’ve settled back in.”

“Great! Then I promise to call you whenever I can. And, I will definitely not forget you.”

until only the mountain remains, by idleorbitals

Sizhui had asked why he wore it, and Lan Wangji had said something about restraint that sounded mysterious and grand, and Wei Wuxian had said it’s a no-fun ribbon. Once you put it on, you have to promise not to have any fun, and Lan Wangji had said Wei Ying, in that voice he had.

Can I have one? Sizhui had asked, and Lan Wangji had looked strange and fond, and Wei Wuxian had said, does no one listen to me around here?

- - -

The one where the Burial Mounds timeline gets expanded and Sizhui grows up a Wen.

Echoes, by LadyCrowned

Wei Wuxian heartbreak was so deep that broke time itself. Now, back in his youth, maybe this time around he can set the things right... But, how to change anything without knowing you have the chance to do it?

Your soul remembers what matters the most, even if your memory can't.

Something Warm and Safe, by Winxhelina

"Rich-gege!" A-Yuan exclaims happily.

"You can't call him that," Wei Wuxian admonishes gently. He puts an arm around Lan Wangji just as his knees give out, "Hey! I'm holding a child, you can't pass out on me like that. Oh. Oh, your back is covered in blood. Is that - is that your blood, Lan Zhan?!"

"Mn."

"Oh. Oh, you're bleeding a lot! Hold on! I'm putting A-Yuan down. A-Yuan, walk on your own for a bit. Can you also hold the basket for me? You're so mature and responsible! Okay, Lan Zhan, stay with me. I've got you."

"Is Rich-gege hurt?"

Lan Wangji doesn't hear the rest of that conversation.

In which Granny Wen manages to convince Wei Wuxian to take A-Yuan and hide away from the world. Lan Wangji manages to find them.

Shed Their Blood And Sealed Your Fate, by Eternal Scribe (Shadowcat)

The end scene at Guanyin Temple goes a bit differently...

General:

Pulled Against the Grain, by youleeyeah

“We found him walking injured just outside the Jingshi. He said-” Sizhui paused for a moment and then lowered his voice before continuing, “he said it was Young Master Jin who did this.” The boy couldn't look into Lan Wangji’s eyes as he spoke and turned his head to the side.

“You know,” Wei Wuxian started again after the pain subsided a tiny amount, “if I had my old body, I could've had intestines falling out of my gut and I’d still be able to fight for a few more hours.”

Lan Wangji furrowed his brows.

He has heard this before.

-----

Wei Wuxian wakes up in Gusu with a fresh stab wound he claimed was caused by Jin Ling. Lan Wangji is confused because the last time that happened was three years ago. Something is wrong with Wei Wuxian.

he, who died, is ignorant, by Maxciel_99

Jiang Cheng is thirteen when his eyes lose the shine that has always mirrored Wei Wuxian’s wild spirit. And then no longer is he a shadow of anyone but merely a shell of himself.

Here is a man who is served the world, for once, but he has turned a boy who finally stops wishing and wanting all at once.

_

Or basically, JC time travels but it's not your typical time travel fix-it.

By the River I Sat Down and Wept, by naolbedo

Wei Wuxian, while in the burial mounds, kept a small paper scroll. It is in this scroll that he filled his happiest memories.

When he eventually passes away and Lan Wangji arrives at the burial mounds, he finds only A-Yuan, clutching onto a qiankun pouch close to his heart as though he was holding on to the flickering warmth that once graced the burial mounds.

When the Hills Are All Flat, and the Rivers Run Dry, by stiltonbasket

Wei Wuxian feels her blood run cold.

Yu-ayi’s right. He really is going to choose me, she thinks. Oh, no. Oh, good Heavens, no!

She nearly bursts into tears on the spot; but just as her eyelids begin to sting, she remembers what her aunt said only two minutes earlier and breathes a sigh of relief.

The moment Huangshang lays eyes on you, he will know what choice to make.

In that moment, Wei Wuxian realizes that she can only be certain of evading the Empress’s throne if she ensures that the emperor never lays eyes on her at all.

Or: in the second year of his reign, Emperor Lan Wangji yields to the wishes of his ministers and holds a bride selection to find his future empress.

#the untamed #mo dao zu shi #cql #chen qing ling #mdzs #untamed fanfiction