#also sad yunmeng hours is on

[hxnguxng-jxn]

Hi ! I really what you're doing ! Can I request this ?

M! reader and wei ying were fighting cuz reader love danger very much and ect(reader is really strong) and Lan zhan was just standing there hoping they will stop until wei ying Say 'YOU ARE BETTER OFF DEAD' and reader was very sad wei ying didn't mean that After that reader Said he will be in a random village to Lan Zhan and then there were an attack in the random village Lan zhan and wei ying were worried when they got there most of the villagers were dead and covered with blanckets then they Saw a hand with reader's coat... Wei ying Regreted all the things that he Said to you and Lan Zhan keep telling himself why he didn't stop reader Wei ying wanted to revive you but some of the people stopped him After that they went back home ... SUPRISE reader IS not he Indeed in that village but he Saw a Homeless man shivering so he Gived his coat to him and went back home Wei ying and Lan zhan were in tears wei ying keep saying sorry and Lan zhan was just hugging and you don't know why ?

Pls write this 🥹🥹

Writer's Note(s): I think I'll have to change around something because Wei Ying isn't the type to yell out that he hates people he really loves. Look at Jiang Cheng strangling him, or what all the Jin's (those before his brother-in-law and nephew) did to him. And even Jin Ling stabbed him and he didn't hold it against him. (⁠＠⁠_⁠＠⁠;⁠) But it will still be dramatic, I'll make sure of it! I changed the ending location.

Also, remember my rules: I don't write abuse between partners. Telling your partner(s) that they should be dead is abuse.

Info on Reader: Reader is intended AMAB, and uses he/him. Reader is a cultivator but surname/lineage/powers are ambiguous. Reader is described as short-tempered and very dismissive, be warned.

Timeline: Can be anytime in story post-Book 1. Can be just eloped, can be mid-story, can be post-canon (although it makes more sense before the ending).

【 ⚠️ 】 Warning: Harsh words are exchanged between Reader and Wei Wuxian, both are at fault here. Blood, death, and war are shown. Resurrecting the Reader is also mentioned.

Fujoshis and Fem Aligned Readers DNI || Stay Safe!

The war between the family names of the martial world spreads like a disease across the land. If it wasn't the slaughtering if the Wen's years ago on the masses, it's the torture of anyone with promise of the dark arts by the leader at Yunmeng. For now, it's not so bad the closer you are to a central family like Jin, Lan, or Nie because of the prosperity and closeness to the three head honchos.

But war never changes and whatever is in human nature that dictates them to push others around, always rears its head eventually. Especially near small towns or cities on the outskirts of civilization where lawful officials are harder to come by, if their there at all.

The deaths in the town just two hours to the south of the inn you were staying at were piling up and the miniscule evidence of who it could be was making you antsy from when your group left to travel there.

Lan Zhan suspects political intrigue, but you wave that off as just a basic theory. Wei Ying hums in agreement with Lan Zhan, because of how the two dead officials in the morgue seemingly were rivals to people still alive. You shrug that off too, much to Lan Zhan's irritation.

Your party was that of your dear Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan, two people you trusted greatly and with your whole heart to be able to stand at your side. Wei Wuxian has always been praised for his strategic mind and his very successful plans, and you can definitely agree with that. Lan Zhan is always praised for his poise and steady hands, being very reliable on the field. You can't deny either of these.

Lan Zhan also agrees with how Wei Wuxian creates good plans, and so you both leave it to him to create a baseline blueprint before you come back with what he needs.

Taking off into town with your share of the lists, you head right for the districts that surround your area of gathering and quickly get all your shopping done. Sure, you maybe didn't haggle very well in your rush and you might have paid nearly all of the full price for everything, but it was worth it!

Worth it, how exactly? For you to go ahead and scout the area that Wei Ying was left to plan for. It wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead of time and scout out the area, yes?

Wrong. It had been a bad idea.

Getting to that area had lead to you tripping the traps of the town to the south, and the light it gave off could be seen for miles and miles in the darkness of the night. The late night sky, which caught the whole inns attention, became alive in alarm all around the two remaining cultivators. Of course, because of your elongated absence, your parnters began to worry.

Mostly, Wei Wuxian, who had already scouted the woods ahead of time in the daylight.

You sneaking back into the inn after the more paranoid people are swarming the garden to watch the light show is easy. Explaining what you did, with how your not exactly pleased with what you did yourself, was hard. Your adrenaline was running, and so was Wei Wuxian's.

Sleep deprivation, adrenaline, and indignation do not mix well.

"Why didn't you come back to the inn? We have a plan in mind and I could have told you the forest was trapped!" Wei Wuxian demands an answer.

You spit back at him, with venom. "It's a simple mistake, and we always have overlapping knowledge anyways! What would me going to the town be so bad?"

"Because it was trapped." He stresses. "I have a map of all the traps we were supposed to take down early in the morning, so we could double-check them."

Of course, Lan Zhan tries breaking this up and calming you both down. But the scene you both were making ended faster then his indecision could shake off...

"Fine then, if these traps are so difficult to handle and it'll need three cultivators all night... I'll prove it! I'll prove I could have done it tonight, myself." Your declaration is met with you picking up your satchel of supplies, the map of traps, and marching back out of the inn. "By morning, these traps will be gone!"

From the banister, Wei Wuxian calls to your back, "No, the traps aren't the problem, it's the fact all the traps are made like... flares..."

But you already left, ignoring both of your partners watching you from the banisters. They don't go after you because of your temper, and the knowledge that you often need time to yourself. For now, all the sleep deprived Wei Wuxian can do is hope you'll be back by morning. Lan Zhan decides on giving you three hours to calm down.

Three hours of rest, and they'll go looking for you.

Running through the forest and passing by multiple cut and defused wires and strings for the flares, Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan are quiet as the former leads them to the town ravaged by war. The traps were clear all the way up to the town...

Once they make it there, they see signs of a struggle and obvious signs of unrest from the town. Swordsman from the clan they were trying to abolish from the city were sprawled out, dead or dying across the ground and isles of towers around the town. Civilians were mostly unharmed, but it was obvious they had suffered greatly for years.

By the time that they could find any trace of you as a person, it was your outer robes given to an older man who carried his own sword. He looked winded, leaning across the wall, but he looked very much full of vigor.

Stopping quickly, Wei Wuxian helped the man sit on the ground as he asked the important question: "What happened here?"

The old man answers. "It was nearly the dead of night and the curfew had begun for the town, when the old families magic traps set off flares of light into the sky and blinding the town. They were always inconvenient things, the lot. A man came out of the woods not two hours ago and started killing the old family with no mercy. The man was like a savior to this old town..."

He looks at his old sword. "The man was obviously tired by the time he got here, and I could tell he was tired. Injured as well. My family gave him medicine before more guards came. I tried protecting him, but he threw his jacket on my back, and ran off into the city. I don't know where that young man is now..."

Wei Wuxian becomes quite anxious as the story continues and Lan Zhan has to keep his arm across his partner to keep him calm. After thanking the old man, they leave him be as they run into the center of town.

"What if he's not alive and we find his body amongst soldiers?" Wei Wuxian panics. "Why didn't he listen to me? I didn't call him anything, but I know how he feels about being corrected... Did I say anything rude Lan Zhan?"

"No. He is prideful,and hasty. But he is resourceful. We have to trust him." Lan Zhan answers back, believing in your skills fully.

"I trust him." Wei Wuxian worries. "I don't trust this place! He's all alone, somewhere!"

Lan Zhan could tell the tiredness, anxiety, and fear was running Wei Ying to anxious ramblings. "Wei Ying. Trust him."

"Of course, of course... Trust him... Trust him..." Wei Wuxian repeats to himself, before muttering to Lan Zhan. "But if he is dead..."

Lan Zhan can hear it coming, and the thought of your fierce corpse didn't settle his own nerves at all. "Wei Ying."

"I know... I know..."

Getting to the town center has Lan Zhan drawing Bichen on the remaining soldiers that were trying to break into their own stronghold. The main house of the old family was mostly wooden with faded red lacquer across the floors and columns. A family of old money obviously wasn't living much longer in the city, as Wei Ying can see the old and children running for the gates. They weren't who they were here for, and nobody in town was attacking anyone outside of armor anyways.

Playing his tune for resentment, he gives orders for armor to be torn and the old family to be pushed from the city. Nothing more, nothing less. This whole process takes about thirty minutes, and they the fierce corpses fall back to the ground once they came.

Cutting their way into the second floor through the paper screens with Bichen was tense and bitter, and seeing soldier and soldier dead on the ground wasn't giving them much more hope...

... Until, they could hear the sound of tearing and grunts. Running there, they come into the room where you had found the families medicine stockpile and began dressing your wounds.

They ran over as fast as possible, chests lightening from the sight of you alive and moving. Lan Zhan takes over cleaning and dressing your leftover wounds as Wei Wuxian nearly falls as he sits beside you.

Wei Wuxian, tired in his voice and body, in no less sincere: "I'm so sorry we had a fight, we should be in bed right now... Why did you want to prove yourself so bad? You know we believe in your skills."

You answer with a wince at the medicine. "I get antsy... when war is around the corner. I can't stand to think of this town going another day with the old family that lives here, and our commissioners are so close to storming the town. I don't like innocent lives potentially getting killed..."

"But you ran in alone, how can one man protect the innocents in this city as he's killing the old family?" Wei Wuxian asks, still with worry deep in his voice.

His worry wears you down, and you look almost sheepish and sad. "I... believed you both would follow me eventually. I know I'm rash. It was a dumb train of thought, I know, because you look absolutely exhausted, Wei Ying... But I do care for you. I'm sorry..."

It was Lan Zhan who spoke up next. "And we, you. Wei Ying couldn't stop worrying about you on the way up here."

You tease him in good nature. "Lan Zhan, you weren't worried about me?"

Lan Zhan hums in a negative, before he answers you. "I know you could do it. Everyone from the old family is either old or young. No between."

"Wait... So everyone in armor is basically old men and women?" You question, and something almost clicks in your mind. "... So that means our targets..."

"Escaped. Probably after the first flare." Lan Zhan answers.

"Fuck..." Both you and Wei Wuxian groan, but at least you rest upon each other's shoulders as Lan Zhan finishes your wounds. Lan Zhan sits on your remaining open side, and also leans on you too. A little rest, is in order.

#The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #Mo Dao Zu Shi #MDZS #Reader Insert #x Reader #Male Reader #WangXian #Lan Wangji #Lan Zhan #Wei Wuxian #Wei Ying #The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation x Reader #The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation x Male Reader #Mo Dao Zu Shi x Reader #Mo Dao Zu Shi x Male Reader #MDZS x Reader #MDZS x Male Reader #WangXian x Reader #WangXian x Male Reader #Lan Wangji x Reader #Lan Wangji x Male Reader #Lan Zhan x Reader #Lan Zhan x Male Reader #Wei Wuxian x Reader #Wei Wuxian x Male Reader #Wei Ying x Reader #Wei Ying x Male Reader #The Untamed #The Untamed x Reader #The Untamed x Male Reader

[jaimebluesq]

au where Jiang Yanli lives, but winds up suffering a similar fate to Madam Lan for her actions?

Oooooh, poor Yanli! Okay, so some fun facts (or not-so-fun facts)...

Jiang Cheng does not become quite as hardened as he is in canon - JYL was always his heart - but he does go his entire life wondering if there was something he could have done to prevent her fate, to convince JGS to let him take her back to Yunmeng with him.

Jin Ling - doesn't go to Yunmeng as often because he has his mother around and doesn't want to miss the occasions when he does get to see her. Sadly, this also means he doesn't develop as close a relationship with his Jiujiu as in canon.

Being JZXuan's widow and JL's mother, she still has a prominent place in the Jin hierarchy - and thus, rather than pursuing Qin Su's amorous advances, Jin Guangyao decides to approach JYL and try to support her where she is, to develop a relationship and hopefully to endear himself enough to offer to marry her - it would make his place in the hierarchy much more stable, and if she agrees and JGS doesn't, then it's time for some patricide. Whether JYL agrees has a lot to do with her state of mind while she's in there.

Lan Wangji becomes much less petty towards Jin Ling, as every time he sees the boy he is reminded of himself.

Jiang Yanli never gives up hope that one day Wei Wuxian will return, and when she's allowed visitations with Jin Ling, she spends her hours talking about WWX and JC and how they all lived in Yunmeng growing up.

Okay, now I feel sad >.<

Thank you for the ask!

[isawjamfirst]

“name one hero who was happy”

“you can’t”

#exactly achilles #if you recognize the quote then im with you #Twin Heroes of Yunmeng #i just thought the quote fits them #also sad yunmeng hours is on #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #sect leader jiang #yunmeng jiang #wei ying #wei wuxian #yiling laozu #yiling patriarch #stygian tiger seal #golden core #yunmeng brothers #i miss them #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #founder of diabolism #grandmaster of demonic cultiv #mo xiang tong xiu #mxtx #digital art #isawjamesfirst #fanart

[yuziyuanapologist]

you gave it all, i waited by the other side, my friend. (you’ll find it funny when you’re looking back someday)

Aquilo, I Gave It All

#theuntamededit #the untamed #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #jiang yanli #yunmeng siblings #twin heroes of yunmeng #i am. sad #sad and also....not v good at gifs #but oh well #its jiang cheng hours #mine #jc #wwx #jyl #gif*

[yiqiie]

wangxian fic rec list pt.2

you can find part one here!

as usual, this will be kept under a keep reading so it doesn’t clog up the dashboard. i actually reblogged my original post and added to it then accidentally deleted it but i have a crap ton more recommendations anyway! there’s a lot of angst in this list because apparently i love putting my heart through a meat grinder 

there are some heavy fics included this time, but i really wanted to include some that explored the issue of mental health and recovery, especially in these difficult times, so make sure you look out for the TW if those fics aren’t your cup of tea 

since tumblr’s new update prevents posts with links from appearing in the tags, i would really appreciate if people could reblog so anyone who needs a fic rec can see this! 

notion summary page: here (i only put my favourites in this tumblr list, so if you would like even more recommendations, please read the notion summary for basically all of my bookmarks on ao3) 

something to make your heart ache

tempo rubato by @spodumene 

angst, fluff, smut, multi-chaptered, modern au 

guys when i say this fic changed my life i really mean it i think i binged it all within a single night and luckily the last chapter came out the next day and i literally was beside myself with excitement; it is heartbreaking and so beautifully written, i keep going back to read it again and again it’s just THAT good 

complementarity by @besanii​

angst, fluff, multi-chaptered, cql au

i’ve always been a fan of beth’s works (if anyone wants to screech with me about her shattered mirror’s fic I AM HERE) but this was so much angst i literally felt my heart cave in on itself like it was actually painful holy shit she is such a compelling writer and this is one of my favourites even though it HURTS ME 

and here comes the summertime by ribena 

angst, fluff, multi-chaptered, modern au 

LWJ PLS USE YOUR WORDS FOR ONCE this is peak lwj being a dumbass guys i really can’t with this boy but this is such a cute fic of wangxian falling in love and you can really see how they genuinely go from being two people who have no chance of being anything to SOULMATES 

总有一天; a place to hide (can’t find one near) by yiqie 

angst, trauma, modern au, trigger warning: suicide 

this fic rec is gonna kick off some of our heavier recs for the list; yiqie is definitely one of my favourite ao3 writers and i am really excited for the next update of this fic, it deals with some really important mental health topics and it doesn’t shy away from the reality of how scary things can be. i’ve personally been thinking a lot more about mental health in general during my time in isolation and it’s gotten me to reflect more on my own wellbeing as well. this is beautifully written, and obviously it’s not going to encapsulate everyone’s personal experience but i think it’s a great step in recognising that mental health is real and something we should be looking out for

there’s no promised goodbye here by @yuisakii​

angst, fluff, trauma, modern au, trigger warning: mental health

i saw this fic on twt and i thought it was gonna be a short cute wholesome fic about wangxian being broken up but not really bc wwx is dumb BUT this turned out to be so much more and i’m so appreciative; it portrays not a perfect relationship but one that is under the works and one that will undoubtedly require much more work in the future but it’s reality and it’s true and i think that makes it beautiful, there are discussions of mental health and how that affects relationships and how people learn to put themselves back together again with love and support and i think that’s the best part of this fic 

take yourself home by ribena 

angst, fluff, trauma, multi-chaptered, modern au, trigger warning: suicidal ideation 

this was a surprising fic i didn’t expect it to be as heavy as it was but it was beautifully handled and it’s so important to me to see mental health depicted in different ways; everyone deals with their problems in a different way and someone is struggling could seem objectively like they’re doing okay and i think it’s great that there’s a fic that recognises that, this also gives a little spotlight on the things that people use to try and cope with their wellbeing, it could be the smallest thing but a lot of the time that’s all it takes 

some things go forward by everythingispoetry 

angst, fluff, trauma, multi-chaptered, modern au, trigger warning: medical recovery 

this is a little lighter but i think this is one of the most important; the journey to recovery from any medical condition isn’t something to be taken lightly and i think this fic deals with almost everything that it will encapsulate, it’s a beautiful story that deals with the ups and downs of medical recovery and how you really need to learn to forgive yourself for maybe not being able to do everything you previously wanted to, it’s a hopeful story which is also so important because there is always hope for you no matter what 

something to soothe your heart 

you’ve ruined my life (by not being mine) by @nothing-but-color  

fluff, light angst, smut, multi-chaptered, modern au

guys this fic is so beautiful omfg it’s so CUTE and i think it really nails some of the characterisation it really sets up their relationship so well and it delves into some other issues of wangxian’s parents being uh not great parents lmfao but it’s just cute and wholesome and wangxian discovering the joy of being in a relationship 

this river runs to you by sundiscus 

fluff, light angst, yearning, modern au 

DRAGONS AND MAGIC GUYS HOLY SHIT this was a fic i just sat down and binged in like probably an hour and it’s SO GOOD, the plot, the characterisation, the amount of thought and care that went into developing this was so good and it’s beautiful guys truly a wonderful fic 

heliotrope (eternal love) by avenqelic 

fluff, light angst, modern au 

flowers and their meanings need i say more???? this was so wholesome and wwx is such a dumbass but we love him for it and there’s so much yearning and pining in this it’s almost angst but it’s not bc there’s so much SOFT content in this we love it 

lay us down (we’re in love) by mme_anxious 

fluff, modern au 

guys this is just a short wholesome cute fic to soothe your heart from all the angst i’ve put in this list IT’S PERFECT domestic wangxian will always trump everything as much as i love putting my heart through the works and this is just pEAK wangxian content 

it’s you, it was always you by myung 

fluff, light angst, cql au

guys wwx is such a dumbass but he’s a bby and we love him and this was such cute wholesome barely there angst content AND THE PINING wangxian are so dumb but we love them for it this was just something to truly soothe my heart as the heading suggests so yes pls read this after all the angst 

with absolute splendour by @veliseraptor​

fluff, light angst, yunmeng bros, cql au 

THIS IS THE FIC I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WAITING FOR guys jc being an angry grape wanting to plan shijie’s and wwx’s wedding is genuinely the content i have always wanted and i’m always so sad that there’s like barely any of it but this fic captures it PERFECTLY and it’s the yunmeng reconciliation i have been praying for 

the dragon’s bride by jaws_3 

fluff, light angst, light smut, beauty and the beast au 

lwj bby you need to learn to use your words bc then THIS HAPPENS but guys this was such a cool take on beauty and the beast au and it’s pretty spectacular wangxian are DOMESTIC HUSBANDS before they are even husbands but the writing was breathtakingly good so yes pls read this 

anyway, here’s wuji by @kakikaeru 

fluff, light angst, post-cql, focus on lan jingyi 

okay this is more background wangxian BUT THIS FIC IS SO GOOD, the next one in the series (focussing on jin ling) is also spectacular so pls read them both, but guys LAN JINGYI BEST BOY and he’s in love omfg wangxian being overprotective adorable husbands looking after all their children is just what we LIVE for 

something to make you laugh 

i get religion real quick 'cause you're looking so divine by so_shyy

fluff, humour, modern au

guys wangxian being a chaotic mess but wwx being even more of a pining dumbass bc of hospital drugs is PERFECT i have probably read every single version of the cliche ‘husband waking up stoned after surgery’ but guys it’s so much wholesome content and amazing in every single way 

life, drama and action by akai__hana

fluff, social media, modern au 

whenever i have an angsty fic that makes my heart go eek i reach for this fic bc it’s a reminder that WANGXIAN IS HAPPILY MARRIED WITH A SUN THANK YOU and they are living their best lives as husbands in every life so this is just so cute short and wholesome we LIVE for this content 

besieged by @ariaste 

fluff, light smut, humour, post-cql 

another fic for reaffirmation that wangxian are being overprotective husbands and our bby a-yuan is not really a baby anymore and it’s just so DOMESTIC and such good content and we really love every single reminder that wangxian are just happy and together and they’re SOULMATES okay 

worth the entire universe and more by @xiellian​

fluff, humour, modern au

this was fcking hilarious guys i read it right after one of my angsts and it’s just SO WHOLESOME wwx you’re so dumb we love you so much but you’re truly dumb also lwj bby pls use your words this was such a cute concept and just a pinch of domestic wangxian i needed in my day 

a quest (for kisses) by @xiellian​

fluff, humour, post-cql 

ANOTHER DOMESTIC WANGXIAN FIC guys i can literally picture this happening bc wangxian are insufferable and are hellbent on letting the whole entire world know they are IN LOVE and that they ARE SOULMATES and we forgive them bc they ARE 

#mai's fic rec list! #the untamed #fytheuntamed #mdzsnet #chen qing ling #wangxian fics #wangxian #mo dao zu shi #pls reblog if you can! #the notion page honestly looks so much prettier lmfao

[merlinsbed]

was losing my mind today from a combination of sleep deprivation, anxiety, and five different ideas all competing at the exact same time for my attention so I picked one and spent a few hours writing it out.

basically, prince lan wangji falls in love with concubine wei wuxian in nightless city. a/b/o verse mostly because it was a very convenient excuse for wwx being wen ruohan's concubine. about 5.8k in length.

-

When he arrives in Qishan Lan Wangji can see why people consider the Imperial Palace to be intimidating. The sharp, cutting angles combined with the black and red color scheme, not to mention the sheer mass of the place. It's a city in its own right. Lan Wangji takes it all in with the same blank expression he keeps carefully in place anytime he's somewhere public. The personal guard his brother sent with him shifts nervously where they stand.

Second Prince Wen Chao is sent to greet him. He manages to make Lan Wangji's own royal title sound like an insult and the Gusu Lan guards bristle. Lan Wangji has to remind himself of exactly what's at stake if he offends a member of the Wen royal family and just barely manages an appropriate bow.

The guest quarters set aside for him aren't bad. They smell... not exactly bad and even if they did Lan Wangji is well disciplined enough to ignore it, but it's not exactly pleasant either. The source is an incense burner left out in the bedroom. Lan Wangji stares at it for a long moment, frowning. Then he dumps the old incense and brings out some of his own. Sandalwood, like his own natural scent. Within minutes the smell starts to permeate the room and some of the tension fades from Lan Wangji's shoulders. He doesn't want to be here, but the Wens had... not demanded it, but implied that they were prepared to if the King of Gusu denied their request. They wouldn't say outright that they're taking hostages, but it's the only reason they would suddenly demand that the heirs of the major provinces must be sent to Qishan. For their education, ostensibly. To learn about appropriate leadership or something. Really, it's just a show of power. It's the Wens showing that they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, including take the heirs of the provinces. 

Lan Wangji steps out onto the porch and takes in the courtyard of the guest quarters. He's sharing the compound with the other province heirs from Qinghe, Yunmeng, and Lanling. Guards from each province are scattered in front of their respective dwellings. Lan Wangji has been on his fair share of diplomatic visits, usually to assist his brother rather than represent him. Qishan is, by far, the most depressing. The palace of Cloud Recesses rests high in the mountains of Gusu and is surrounded by lush forests, flowing rivers, and mountain meadows. By comparison, Qishan is browns and greys painted across severe cliffsides. Even the palace gardens are far more barren than Lan Wangji is used to. He turns to go back inside when movement catches his eye.

A young man enters the courtyard of the guest quarters and pauses, hesitating just inside the threshold as he worries his bottom lip between his teeth. He's dressed in delicate reds and blacks, hair held away from his face by an ostentatious golden ornament. A light breeze carries his scent across the courtyard, something light and floral that tickles at Lan Wangji's memories. He thinks of loud, carefree laughter carrying through the library window accompanied by the flick of long dark hair over a shoulder clad in white guest robes during the lecture his uncle hosts every few years for children of noble families. He blinks and frowns. The young man- an omega, based on his scent- takes a halting step forward. Then he seems to release a great breath and frowns at the ground. His eyes keep darting towards the Yunmeng quarters where Prince Jiang Wanyin is staying. Interesting. Lan Wangji searches his memory, but the lecture feels like a lifetime ago. So much has happened in the five years since then.

Lan Wangji is so caught up in his thoughts it takes him a moment to realize that the omega is now staring at him. Their eyes meet and Lan Wangji sucks in a sharp breath. There's something distinctly sad about the omega's entire being. He's unhappy here, Lan Wangji thinks, but who isn't? The omega's chin tilts up slightly, scenting the air and his breath seems to catch in his throat. Then a Wen guard storms in and ushers him along. Lan Wangji stands on the porch of his new residence until long after the omega is gone from his sight.

-

It takes several days to find out the identity of the omega. Gossip is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, but his brother had also told him to do what he has to to survive here. This probably isn't quite what Lan Xichen had in mind, but who's to say Lan Wangji won't suffer greatly for not knowing the young omega's name.

He is called Wei Wuxian.

He was given to Emperor Wen Ruohan as a concubine for his harem four years ago.

"The Wens demanded tribute," the head of his personal guard reports. "the Jiangs refused to hand over their daughter, so they gave Wen Ruohan their ward."

Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji remembers him. Cloud Recesses has only very recently begun to desegregate alphas, betas, and omegas. Back then, Wei Wuxian had spent most of his time with his adopted older sister in the quarters for omegas, but that hadn't stopped Lan Wangji from catching sight of him. All too often that lotus blossom scent would drift to him on the wind, accompanied by Wei Wuxian's unrestrained laughter. It had grated on Lan Wangji at first. Until the day he'd gone to his rabbits and found the clearing already occupied. Wei Wuxian had sat in the grass, the skirts of his guest robes spread haphazardly around him, giggling as the rabbits cautiously approached him, sniffing at his fingers. Lan Wangji had stood for too long on the edge of the clearing, Wei Wuxian's intoxicating scent swirling around him, laughter dancing in his ears, and that sweet smile seared forever into his memory. It's a far cry from the sadness Wei Wuxian carries himself with now. No wonder Lan Wangji hadn't recognized him at first.

-

There's a feast commemorating something Lan Wangji doesn't care to remember two weeks after their arrival in Qishan. It's the first time he manages to get a glimpse of Wei Wuxian since that first day when he'd come to the guest quarters. Wen Ruohan's wife passed away eight years ago, so he often has his favorite concubine sit beside him at feasts. She's a sultry looking omega who flutters her eyelashes at the emperor and giggles flirtatiously all through the meal. Lan Wangji's eyes slide right past him and instead land on Wei Wuxian where he stands stiff backed and obedient just behind Wen Ruohan's shoulder, there to serve food and drinks for the emperor, apparently. All through the feast he diligently assures that the emperor's cup remains filled and that the best dishes are always within reach. He looks miserable. Lan Wangji wants to sweep him away from here, take him back to Gusu, back to the clearing with rabbits where Wei Wuxian had smiled so sweetly.

He doesn't realize he's staring until their eyes lock. After a moment, a ghost of a smile hesitantly touches Wei Wuxian's lips. Lan Wangji's heart pounds in his chest. Even the ghost of Wei Wuxian's beauty is enough to leave him breathless. For a moment, the rest of the room falls away. Then Wei Wuxian's eyes shift and the smile disappears. Lan Wangji follows his gaze to Jiang Wanyin. Wei Wuxian had never been officially adopted by the Jiang family, but Jiang Fengmian had raised him alongside his own children anyway, much to his wife's chagrin. Lan Wangji wonders what it's like for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin to see each other now.

The banquet drags on. Lan Wangji is used to a strict schedule of sleeping at nine and waking at five. He can tell by how exhausted he is that nine has come and gone, but Wen Ruohan does not permit anyone to leave a feast before he does. Nie Huaisang, sitting to Lan Wangji's left, reaches over and flicks him every time his eyes start to droop. It's annoying, but for the best. Lan Wangji does not want the embarrassment of falling asleep on the remnants of his meal at a feast in Qishan. The less the Wens have to attack him with the better. He'll have to thank Huaisang later for this. They're not friends, really, but close enough, thanks to forced proximity. As princes their older brothers were close friends and they remain so even after ascending to their respective thrones.

When Wen Ruohan finally leaves, Lan Wangji lets out the barest hint of a relieved sigh. He waits until a few minutes after the emperor has exited the room before getting up and leaving as well. Outside, he pauses and takes in a deep breath of cold, night air. It wakes him up a bit and that's how he becomes aware of the crying. Frowning, he follows it to a small alcove tucked out of the way and shaded by a tree in the process of losing its leaves. Wei Wuxian stands there, arms wrapped around himself, shoulders hitching with sobs he's desperately trying to quiet. A stick cracks under Lan Wangji's boot. Wei Wuxian's head whips up.

"Your highness," he says quickly, bowing, tears still trailing down his cheeks.

"Wei-gongzi, are you alright?" Lan Wangji asks. The head of his guard had mentioned that Wen Ruohan is possessive of his harem. He loves to show them off, but no one is allowed to touch. Last year he caught one of his concubines having an affair with a foreign dignitary from a small clan. Both had been executed. He should turn around and leave before someone sees them, but Wei Wuxian's eyes go wide.

"I didn't think you remembered me," Wei Wuxian says. His smile is watery and sad. "The few times we talked I just seemed to annoy you."

"That was a long time ago," Lan Wangji says. He wants to explain that it hadn't been because he couldn't stand Wei Wuxian, but because he didn't know what to do about the odd, uncomfortable feeling in his chest every time he caught Wei Wuxian's scent or saw the flick of his red ribbon or heard his laughter. Instead, he asks again, "Are you alright?"

Wei Wuxian wipes at his tears and his laugh is anything but joyous. "It's just- a lot," he says. "I thought it would be nice seeing Jiang Cheng again, but it just reminds me that I..." That he's stuck here. That he can't go home. Before he realizes what he's doing, Lan Wangji raises a hand. Wei Wuxian's breath hitches. Lan Wangji freezes. For a long moment his hand remains there, hovering in the space between them. Then Lan Wangji drops it to his side.

"You look like you need to go rest," Wei Wuxian says, dropping his eyes. It's so uncharacterists that Lan Wangji doesn't know what to do. The Wei Wuxian that wreaked havoc on Cloud Recesses was anything but demure and polite. Before he can figure it out, Wei Wuxian bows and whirls around, disappearing into the night.

-

They fall into it slowly. Lan Wangji tries not to. He is well aware of the consequences if Wen Ruohan catches wind of him anywhere near one of his concubines, but even back in Cloud Recesses he'd been unable to help but be drawn to Wei Wuxian. They go from sideways glances to little stolen snatches of conversation in unobserved corners to his guard pointedly turning a blind eye to Wei Wuxian climbing through his window as the sky darkens, looking more alive than Lan Wangji has seen him so far in Qishan. 

It's been six months since Lan Wangji and the other heirs arrived, but it hasn't been nearly as miserable as he anticipated. They're expected to attend lessons several days a week which mostly consists of reciting various sayings from past members of the Wen clan and listening to second Prince Wen Chao tell them how stupid and worthless they are. But at the end of the day now comes the possibility of Wei Wuxian crawling in through his window. It doesn't happen every night. Wei Wuxian is far from being Wen Ruohan's favorite concubine.

"He likes to look at me," Wei Wuxian had said one night, head pillowed on Lan Wangji's thigh as Lan Wangji absently plucked out melodies on his qin. "But he rarely actually takes me to bed."

Tonight, as the melody of a song Lan Wangji started writing five years ago fades into the darkening evening, Wei Wuxian crawls into his lap, arms wrapped loosely around Lan Wangji's neck, their noses almost touching. His sweet lotus blossom scent permeates the air, mixing with Lan Wangji's sandalwood. They twine together in a beautiful harmony. Lan Wangji doesn't know who moves first, but the touch of Wei Wuxian's lips to his own is everything he's been imagining and more. The layers of silk slide easily from his shoulders and Lan Wangji splays his hands against the bare skin of Wei Wuxian's back, swallowing his gasp in yet another kiss. From there, it seems only natural to carry Wei Wuxian to his bed, lay him down on the soft sheets, and crawl between his legs. Lan Wangji has read books, but none of them prepared him for what it's actually like.

He doesn't fall asleep with Wei Wuxian wrapped in his arms because someone would notice that Wei Wuxian is missing from his room in the morning. Instead, he wipes the evidence of their activities carefully from Wei Wuxian's skin, helps him dress, then watches him climb back out the window. Wei Wuxian pauses.

"You can call me Wei Ying," he says, almost shy. Lan Wangji swallows, mouth suddenly dry. Wei Wuxian- no, Wei Ying is giving him permission to call him by his birth name.

"You may do the same," Lan Wangji says. A warm smile spreads slow and beautiful across Wei Ying's face.

"Okay." He leans in through the window and kisses Lan Wangji on the cheek. "Goodnight, Lan Zhan." And then he's gone. Lan Wangji stands there for several long minutes before closing the window, smiling to himself.

-

His brother would be horrified if he knew about the affair. Not because premarital sex goes against their clan's rules. Lan Wangji happens to know his brother would be a hypocrite in that case. No, he would be horrified that Lan Wangji is behaving so recklessly. Every day he tells himself he'll stop and every evening he leaves the window unlocked for Wei Ying to sneak through. It's stupid. Wen Ruohan will kill them both if he finds out. Lan Wangji keeps doing it anyway.

The thing is, it's not just his life at stake if things go wrong. Lan Wangji knows that if Wen Ruohan were to discover the affair and send his men, his own Gusu Lan guards would fight every soldier in Qishan to protect him. There's no way they would survive that. And no doubt his actions would have consequences back home in Gusu as well. It's selfish and stupid and a million other things that Lan Wangji has been raised not to be.

And yet, when Wen Ruohan leaves Qishan right as Wei Ying is about to go into heat, Lan Wangji still sneaks through Nightless City to Wei Ying's room and stays there through the whole weekend. He leaves only because he is expected at Wen Chao's ridiculous indoctrination lessons the next day. Wei Ying pouts at him, his heat temporarily soothed.

"There's still two more days of my heat left," he complains. He flutters his eyelashes at Lan Wangji. "Er-gege, won't you stay and take care of your Wei Ying?" Lan Wangji looks at him, sprawled naked on his bed, hair splayed across the deep red fabric of the sheets. It sends a stab of want through Lan Wangji and it takes all his willpower not to strip back down himself and rejoin Wei Ying in bed. He reminds himself he would have to scrub Wei Ying's heat laden scent from his body all over again, lest someone smell it on him and report the incident to Wen Ruohan when he returns.

"I will return to you tonight," Lan Wangji promise. He shouldn't. But as he looks at Wei Ying's mollified expression he knows he will. He's already cutting it close staying until morning, but when he tried to leave the bed last night Wei Ying had whined and clung to him and he hadn't had the heart to leave him. This is one advantage at least to waking up early. There's still time for him to get back to his room before it gets too light out. He doesn't kiss Wei Ying goodbye because he knows he won't leave if he does.

Two days later, on the final night of Wei Ying's heat, they lie pressed together, sweaty and heaving. Wei Ying is sprawled across him, the two of them still tied together. Lan Wangji closes his eyes, his arms tightening around Wei Ying. He fights the urge to dip into the crook of Wei Ying's neck and sink his teeth into soft, smooth skin. He wants so badly to mark Wei Ying, to claim him as his own, but it would only get them both killed.

He feels Wei Ying's nose brush against the skin of his neck, lightly scenting him. It's followed by little kitten licks, then soft nips. Lan Wangji shivers. He thinks about the high collars of his robes. If it's a little towards his shoulder, no one would ever know. His hand comes up and tangles loosely in Wei Ying's hair, gently guiding his mouth to the right spot. Wei Ying stills.

"Lan Zhan?" His lips brush against Lan Wangji's skin as he says his name.

"You can, if you want to," Lan Wangji says. Wei Ying pulls back far enough to blink down at him, eyes wide. His skin is flushed pink with the fever of his heat and there's a haze to his eyes, but there's also wonder and perhaps a spark of hope.

"Lan Zhan," Wei Ying says again, so soft and fond. "Lan Zhan I can't." He sounds so pained. Lan Wangji hates it. Wei Ying should never sound like that. He strokes his fingers soothingly over Wei Ying's cheek.

"Yes you can," he says.

Wei Ying shakes his head, even as he leans in to Lan Wangji's touch. "You're not mine to claim," he whispers. "What if you meet someone else? Someone better?" Lan Wangji recoils from the very thought there could be anyone better than Wei Ying. Wei Ying is perfect and beautiful.

"For me, there is only you," Lan Wangji says. He guides Wei Ying's head back down to his shoulder. "There will only ever be you, Wei Ying." Wei Ying's breath shudders across his skin. Then he bites and Lan Wangji gasps.

Lan Wangji leaves Wei Ying's room late that night, the new claim bite hidden beneath his pristine robes.

-

A month later, a banquet is held to celebrate the end of the indoctrination. It's been a year since the heirs of the noble families were sent to Qishan to be educated. Lan Wangji should be happy that it's almost over. And part of him is. He can't keep the smile from his face when he goes to greet his brother in his own guest rooms. He's never gone so long before without seeing his older brother. If not for Wei Ying, his time in Qishan would have been so much more miserable.

"Wangji," Lan Xichen greets warmly. Lan Wangji isn't the sort that often seeks physical comfort from others (Wei Ying excepted, of course), but when Lan Xichen opens his arms in invitation Lan Wangji takes it. It feels good to be folded in his brother's embrace.

"I hope you've been well," Lan Xichen says when they pull apart and sit to share tea.

"I have sent letters," Lan Wangji points out. Not overly detailed letters, but he was always sure to let his brother know that though he missed home he was doing alright.

"Yes, but it isn't the same as seeing you with my own eyes, didi," Lan Xichen says. They chat and it's so nice and familiar that Lan Wangji can almost forget they're still in Qishan.

The banquet is much more bearable with his brother and the other rulers there. No one pays as much attention to one prince in a room full of kings. It's good because Wen Ruohan is having Wei Ying serve him again tonight. Lan Wangji steals more glances at him than he should, eyes lingering on the peak of Wei Ying's wrist when he holds his sleeve out of the way to pour Wen Ruohan more wine. His gaze keeps being drawn to Wei Ying's smooth, unblemished neck. Someday, he will figure out how to take Wei Ying away from here so that he can claim him the way Wei Ying has already claimed him. They will belong to each other.

That night, he isn't surprised when Wei Ying doesn't come to his room, not with so many guests about. He is surprised when his brother shows up at his door though.

"Xiongzhang," Lan Wangji says, surprised. Lan Xichen's smile is strained.

"Wangji, may I come in? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Not exactly reassuring, but Lan Wangji has never had reason to fear his brother, so he steps aside and shows him to a table where Lan Xichen sits in silence as Lan Wangji prepares tea. Lan Xichen takes a long, measured sip before he speaks.

"I had heard that when the Jiang family of Yunmeng was forced to give Wen Ruohan a concubine in tribute, they sent their ward, Wei Wuxian," his brother says. Lan Wangji doesn't wince, but it's a near thing. "I remember when he came for the lecture with the prince and princess of Yunmeng." Lan Xichen gives him a knowing look. "And I remember how taken you were with him." Lan Wangji can feel his ears burning. Sometimes he hates how well his brother knows him.

"That was a long time ago," he says, for lack of anything else. He can't lie very well in the first place, but he especially can't lie to his brother.

"I see some things haven't changed," Lan Xichen says, tone soft and regretful. "Wangji, I won't ask you to confirm what I suspect. I saw enough from how you two looked at each other all evening." Lan Xichen takes another sip of his tea. "Wen Ruohan has heavily hinted that extending your stay here would curry great favor with him. He's made the same offer to the other provinces. I was already hesitant to accept it, but considering tonight, it's only reaffirmed my decision that bringing you back to Gusu is the right thing to do." The spark of hope that ignited at the thought that he could have a bit more time in Qishan, more time to figure out how to make sure that when he leaves Wei Ying can leave with him, shatters.

"Xiongzhang," he says, unable to keep the pained pleading from his voice. Lan Xichen closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them again, Lan Wangji recognizes the firm resolve in them.

"Wangji, there's more at stake here than you realize," Lan Xichen says carefully. "I want you back home, safe." Lan Wangji stares at his brother for a long moment, trying to parse out his words. He doesn't ask for clarification, not here in Qishan surrounded by enemies. He knows his brother has been planning something with Qinghe and Lanling and Yunmeng for a while now, slowly and carefully so as not to draw Wen Ruohan's attention, but the details have been kept even from him. He trusts his brother though.

"Okay," Lan Wangji says, even as cracks form in his heart.

Three days later when they leave, he doesn't get the chance to say goodbye to Wei Ying.

It's probably a good thing.

Probably.

(Lan Zhan pointedly ignores the sorrowful looks Lan Xichen keeps giving him as they ride away from Qishan. He will be strong for his people, for his brother.)

-

War is what his brother and the other kings have been planning. War against the tyranny of the Wen Empire of Qishan. It's a year and a half of bloody, brutal battles. Lan Wangji acts as one of his brother's generals, leading their soldiers into battles against the Wens' forces. He thinks often of Wei Ying, too often probably. He's acutely aware of the claim bite on his neck and wonders if Wei Ying is thinking of him too.

When the final assault on Nightless City comes, Lan Wangji is resting back in Gusu. His forces had found themselves facing unexpected reinforcements in their last battle. They came out victorious, but only just. Casualties were numerous and those who survived suffered many injuries, including Lan Wangji himself. He's just starting to get back into his normal training regiment when news arrives that Nie Mingjue is leading the assault on Nightless City with the intent of wiping out every last member of Wen Ruohan's clan. Lan Wangji thinks of Wei Ying trapped in the palace, thinks of him getting caught in the crossfire.

He rides hard for Qishan. By the time Nightless City comes into view there's smoke rising into the sky and the air is filled with screams. He makes for a narrow valley where Wei Ying once told him of a secret passage intended for escape. He doesn't know where it is or how to open it, but it's this or try and ride through the chaos of the battle taking place in the city. He won't be much use to Wei Ying if he gets himself killed in crossfire.

As he crests the top of the valley, Lan Wangji looks down and sees two figures already making their way away from Nightless City, dressed in black and red. Lan Wangji recognizes Wei Ying immediately, would know him even if he were blind. The other figure is familiar to him as well, one of the only friends Wei Ying has managed to make in Nightless City. Wen Qionglin is the younger brother of one of Qishan's best doctors, Wen Qing, a soft spoken young man with a talent for archery. He carries a sword now, looking nervously around as he escorts Wei Ying away from the danger. Lan Wangji is just starting to relax when he catches movement from the corner of his eye across the narrow valley. His eyes find golden robed soldiers. If he were closer, Lan Wangji knows he would see the sparks-amidst-snow peony of the Jin clan. There are two archers, each with an arrow already knocked. Lan wangji doesn't think. He pulls his own bow from his back, fits an arrow to it, and takes down the first archer. Before the second one has time to react, he's dead as well. Lan Wangji looks down into the valley and sees Wei Ying looking back at him. Quickly, he leads his horse down and leaps from the saddle, ignoring the twinge of pain in his recently healed leg.

"Lan Zhan," Wei Ying breathes. He looks awful, pale and tired and shaking.

"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji says. He steps closer and that's when he realizes that Wei Ying is holding a child. A baby not yet a year old. His breath hitches. "Wei Ying..." Wei Ying's smile is exhausted, but just as soft and beautiful as Lan Wangji remembers.

"Lan Zhan, I knew you'd come for us," Wei Ying says and Lan Wangji knows that he isn't talking about Wen Qionglin, who watches them cautiously, grip tight on his sword. Wei Ying puts a hand on his friend's arm. "It's alright, Wen Ning. Lan Zhan will keep me safe." Wen Qionglin observes Lan Wangji for a long moment, then nods to himself. He turns and bows to Wei Ying.

"Then I'll leave you in his care, Wei-gongzi," Wen Qionglin says. Wei Ying frowns, receiving a smile in return. "I have to go back for my sister." Wei ying sighs.

"I know." Wei Ying briefly places his hand on Wen Qionglin's cheek. "Be careful."

"I'll do my best." Wen Qionglin bows to Lan Wangji, then turns back to the city. Wei Ying watches him go, expression filled with grief.

"I don't know what I would have done all these years without Wen Qing and Wen Ning," he says softly. "They looked out for me, almost treated me like their brother." Lan Wangji wrap an arm around him and finds his gaze transfixed on the child in Wei Ying's arms, blinking sleepily up at him with familiar eyes. He reminds himself that there's still a war being fought in Nightless City. There could be more Jin soldiers around or others that wouldn't think twice about killing Wei Ying and the child. Anything to ensure Wen Ruohan's entire family ends here.

"Let's go," Lan Wangji says and guides Wei Ying over to his horse.

-

As it turns out, the invading forces of the other provinces hadn't been the greatest danger to Wei Ying. That had been Wen Ruohan himself. When it became clear that the battle was not in his favor, Wen Ruohan gathered his concubines together. They thought they were being taken somewhere safe, somewhere they would be protected until the battle was over.

Then the guards lining the edges of the room drew their swords and Wei Ying knew they weren’t meant to walk out of that room. Wen Ruohan was possessive of his concubines. If he couldn’t have them, no one could. Wei Ying isn’t sure how he managed to escape. Chaos had erupted in screams and blood as Wen Ruohan sat imperiously in the center of the room and watched his personal guard kill without mercy. Somehow, the door to the inner sanctum of the palace was unlocked. Wei Ying suspects Wen Qionglin knew of Wen Ruohan’s plan. He had been nearby when Wei Ying stumbled out of the room, clutching his screaming child to his chest.

Wei Ying tells Lan Wangji all of this in Gusu, in the safety of Lan Wangji’s private residence, the Jingshi. He’s dressed in borrowed white and blue robes from Lan Wangji’s own wardrobe. They’re of a similar height, but Lan Wangji is broader, his robes slipping slightly down Wei Ying’s shoulder. Lan Wangji fixes it and Wei Ying hums an absent thank you, attention focused on the baby.

“What is his name?” Lan Wangji asks. He hasn’t had time to. He’s been focused on getting Wei Ying back to Gusu and keeping him and the child safe. Wei Ying looks up at him.

“A-Yuan,” he says. “Our son’s name is A-Yuan.” Lan Wangji’s breath leaves him in a shaky exhale. Their son. He had known. He’d known the moment he’d looked down at A-Yuan and seen the shape of his own eyes looking back at him. “Here.” Gently, Wei Ying shifts A-Yuan into Lan Wangji’s arms. Lan Wangji holds his son reverently.

“Our son,” he whispers. Then he frowns at Wei Ying. “How…” Wei Ying hears the question he’s not asking.

“I told you, Wen Ruohan liked to look at me, but otherwise he never paid me much attention,” Wei Ying says. “He heard I was in heat while he was gone and thought I still was when he came back. Wen Qing knew you were with me during my heat, so just to be safe she gave me an herbal tea that mimicked heat symptoms. When I realized I was pregnant, he just assumed it must be his.” Lan Wangji’s shoulder slump, just the slightest bit, in relief. If Wen Ruohan paid a little more attention, perhaps he might have realized that something was off.

“You’re safe now,” Lan Wangji says not for the first time. He’s been saying it the entire journey back to Gusu. “You and A-Yuan. I will make sure of it.” Wei Ying smiles, stepping closer to rest his head on Lan Wangji’s shoulder.

-

They marry in spring, trees and flowers blooming all across cloud recesses. Jiang Wanyin, newly ascended to the throne after his father’s death in the war, grumbles about it.

“Don’t take it to heart,” Wei Ying says cheerfully as he cleans paint from A-Yuan’s chubby little hands. He's taken an interest in painting lately that Wei Ying enthusiastically encourages. “I’m pretty sure if Jiang Cheng doesn’t have something to complain about he’ll die.”

“Would you prefer to marry at Lotus Pier?” Lan Wangji asks. He’s asked this before. Wei Ying laughs.

“Lan Zhan, the wedding is tomorrow,” he says. “We are not moving it to Lotus Pier. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m perfectly happy to get married in Cloud Recesses.” He checks A-Yuan’s hands for any lingering paint, then rises and comes to wrap his arms around Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji buries his nose in Wei Ying’s neck, nosing along the unblemished skin there. Now that Wei Ying is no longer trapped in Qishan, he could sink his teeth in and leave a claim bite there. Wei Ying goes still in his arms. Lan Wangji presses a kiss to the spot he wants to bite and lifts his head. He doesn’t blame Wei Ying for being hesitant to complete the bond. He spent nearly six year as a prisoner in Qishan. Lan Wangji will be patient and wait as long as needed. 

His uncle had been horrified when Lan Wangji had finally admitted to his year-long affair in Qishan with Wei Ying and the child he had fathered outside of marriage. The only thing that had saved them from his uncle’s wrath was the claim bite on Lan Wangji’s neck. It’s enough- barely- to legitimize both their relationship and their son, but Lan Qiren had made it clear that marriage better be in their future. 

Lan Xichen had been easier. After all, he already saw with his own eyes the connection Wei Ying and Lan Wangji share. He was delighted to be introduced to his nephew and took immediately to being an uncle.

Lan Wangji searches Wei Ying’s expression carefully. “You would tell me if you are unhappy?” he asks, far more tentative than he would like. Lan Wangji doesn’t normally do tentative. Wei Ying smiles, full of love. Lan Wangji feels a tug on his robes and looks down to see A-Yuan frowning up at them, arms extended in a silent request to be picked up. Lan Wangji doesn’t even hesitate to indulge him. Wei Ying leans in to press a kiss to the crown of their son’s head, then looks at lan Wangji, eyes sparkling with joy.

“Lan Zhan,” he says, “I have never been happier.”

#the untamed #mdzs #wangxian #my fic #behold my latest brain child #I might flesh this out more today

[robininthelabyrinth]

Howdy! Your writing rocks! If you don’t mind, could I ask you what you think would change if Jin Guangyao had given the regard he has for Lan Xichen to Jiang Cheng instead? Do you think there’d be huge changes or little ones? This isn’t a prompt, I think your meta is super cool. Obvs if you don’t wanna answer, there’s no pressure or anything.

So this is going to be more of an insight into the rambling way I develop stories than anything else, but basically these are my (very long) thoughts:

First step: the question is not “if”. The question is “how”. How does JGY come to have a regard for JC instead of LXC?

Let us posit that JGY meets (and becomes devoted to) LXC after he’s been thrown down from Koi Tower - rescuing him after the burning of the Cloud Recesses, which presumably happened while on his way to Qinghe or after he’s arrived (or, in the Untamed, when he’s working at Qinghe already). 

So, let’s take that as our starting point: JGY doesn’t go to Qinghe. 

He goes to Yunmeng instead, probably taking a boat to get there. Regardless of when he arrives, this doesn’t really go anywhere until after the Lotus Pier is burned, after everything that happens between WWX and JC happens, and now JC is raising an army and madly recruiting for the Jiang Sect. Meng Yao shows up with a smile and a “I’m from Yunping, just down the river, I want to help here” spiel, and he’s good - he’s efficient and smart and good with people, all the characteristics that made NMJ appreciate him, and JC needs good people so badly. Especially in the beginning, when he’s alone, with WWX missing.

But here’s the difference between NMJ and JC: JC needs people. He’s not a natural leader, having been dragged into trouble by WWX his whole life, and he’s brand new at being a sect leader; he doesn’t have established likes or dislikes, he has no idea what he’s doing. He’s going to rely on Meng Yao, he’s going to depend on Meng Yao - Meng Yao says jump and JC says “good idea, how high?” and he doesn’t even notice he’s doing it. Meng Yao is all but running the sect, and he doesn’t even have to try. No prostitutes’ tricks here, no smiles, no empty flattery - most of the subtle stuff goes straight over JC’s head, but a vaguely kind word every once in a while and JC will turn bright red and look pleased as punch for the next hour. That type of power is seductive.

And then WWX shows up.

As much as I love WWX, his dynamics with JC are not the best. WWX does whatever he wants and expects JC to follow, because he always has, and JC always does - how irritating that would be to Meng Yao, who up until this point has been put into the position of big brother for the first time in his life, and who now has to tip-toe around the ticking time bomb that is Yiling Patriarch!WWX to get what he wants. Plus, Meng Yao is good with people: he doesn’t need to know all the gossip about the Jiang family (though he does) to be able to figure out that, legitimate birth or not, JC has spent his entire life being treated like the sect leader’s dissatisfying bastard son - and oh, that hits Meng Yao in the one soft spot he has left, the spot that’s almost but not entirely narcissism, the one that LXC got into by being nice and kind and treating him like an equal, the one NHS, soft and dependent, got into by being sad and pathetic, and which JC, prickly and mean, gets in by virtue of being like Meng Yao.

He doesn’t do anything about that dislike, though; JC loves WWX, and the war effort needs him, so he’ll put up with him...for now. After a while, he goes to Langya - no need to have an accidentally-not-accidentally overheard conversation here! He just says “my father” and JC is like “I totally get it, go”. And when JC finds him killing that supervisor and Meng Yao says “he deserved it”, JC believes him, because JC is ride-or-die until you force him off the ride. He’s gullible and trusting, even though he thinks he’s cynical, and he’s about as susceptible to Meng Yao’s bullshit as LXC is (as we see in canon!)

So Meng Yao goes to be a spy and (because he doesn’t know LXC in this) he sends the info to JC, who sends the info to LXC (the courier), who gets it to NMJ, and all that stuff happens about the same way. Except NMJ has no reason to know that Meng Yao is a conniving bastard that uses friendly fire to settle debts, so when Meng Yao says “I had no choice but to kill them”, NMJ is upset but has no reason to doubt it. And now you have NMJ owing Meng Yao a favor, however grudgingly.

No sworn brothers, though, not with LXC to suggest it and without NMJ wanting to put Meng Yao on the right track, and JC is pretty sensitive about family stuff so best not to even suggest it. It’s fine, Meng Yao - now JGY - doesn’t need it. Just like he doesn’t need to do all that much to get JZX killed, just a suggestion here, a little trouble there, a bit of blackening of WWX’s name that’s really mostly his own fault for being so arrogant: it’s regrettable that he has to ruin Jiang Yanli’s marriage by getting JZX killed (sad, but necessary if he’s going to be sect leader), but she was never supposed to die. He even waited until she had a son and heir so that she wouldn’t be alone! He’s very nice, isn’t he? 

(And if WWX dying and Jiang Yanli dying means that JC is all his, with no one else in the world to interfere, well, that’s all the better, isn’t it? No one can take care of JC as well as he can.)

The Xue Yang situation is easy to resolve, too. NMJ has no “in” to Koi Tower, not without a relationship with JGY, and this pushes the two sects onto the brink of war - and that’d be no good at all, especially with JC grieving the way he is, all alone and desperate. Plus, JC has father issues, and that’s a little infectious; JGY is looking at JGS through the lens of JFM and it’s a lot less idealistic. So let’s say for all these reasons JGY moves up his plans and kills JGS earlier, and the second he takes over he vows that XY will be killed...except, alas, XY must have gotten wind and fled, because he’s gone. Awkward, huh? Definitely not JGY’s fault, though. Who are you going to believe is responsible for all that gross stuff, NMJ, the dead pervert or the guy who saved your life?

And then JGY is Sect Leader Jin and he and JC can raise little Jin Ling together, and maybe even Jin Rusong (although if he kills JGS early there’s a possibility that he wouldn’t need to shore up power in the Jin sect by marrying QS, or at least wouldn’t feel like he has to get her pregnant before the marriage, though of course there’s also no reason he wouldn’t do it anyway). Now what?

The Watchtowers, of course. Except in this world, NMJ is alive and well (no sworn brothers, no Song of Clarity here - except the legitimate one from LXC) and we know JGY knows how to put on the face NMJ most likes to see. So with JC in his pocket and NMJ fond of him, and LXC as nice and friendly as always, the sects live in wonderful harmony. In large part because JGY doesn’t need to murder quite so many of them. 

(and then over in Yi City, someone sacrifices their body to bring back the Yiling Patriarch because he’s their last hope to bring XXC back, either Song Lan or Xue Yang, and suddenly WWX is back - WWX who JC loves and hates in equal measure, WWX who’s a little too good at figuring out cause-and-effect - and JGY....JGY doesn’t like that. He doesn’t like that at all.)

#jiang cheng #meng yao #jin guangyao #mdzs #mdzs meta #my fic #my fics #I guess #not really a fic #more of an outline #because there was a boat #Anonymous

[franniebanana]

CQL Rewatch - Ep 16

This is actually really sad, because how badly do we want to see this kid actually shoot Wen Zhuliu? I mean, they even go into hearing Jiang Fengmian’s words echoing in his mind. It’s the perfect setup for some heroic act that just doesn’t happen. It’s weird how even though I know what happens, I’m like, maybe this time it won’t! I mean, it’s good all this happens, because I like what it does to the characters, but it’s still hard to watch. I think this part is probably the bloodiest part in the entire show. Don’t quote me, but it’s pretty bloody.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s also really sad that Jiang Fengmian has this heroic entrance only to be cut down seconds later. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of the good guys win, but that’s not how this story really works. The line between good and bad is thin and warped and blended together, and who we think is good doesn’t always come out on top. But again, if Lotus Pier hadn’t fallen, how would Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian have turned out? What would have happened to Jiang Yanli? I like how these events set into motion so much growth for these characters, and it’s not always positive growth either.

Ugh, I hate it. I hate it! Seeing all these men, women, children, who have been ruthlessly murdered by the Wen Clan—it’s just horrible. And from Wei Wuxian’s perspective, these people were his only family. This was the place that had taken him in when he was very young—it’s the only home he really remembers. And in a matter of hours, it was taken completely away from him. Obviously he’s angry—very angry—and upset. And whatever he feels, it’s only amplified in Jiang Cheng, who is already more emotional and quick-tempered. Not to mention, those are his actual parents, who he loves very much. Of course, his first reaction is to want revenge, which Wei Wuxian temporarily manages to talk him out of.

I like that we get Madam Yu’s perspective throughout this part. I like that she was the one who staunchly defended her home, and I like how she was the last man standing. As horrible as all this is, I get a warm feeling from seeing how she really does care about her family and her husband. I think it’s important that we get to see this before she dies, so that we can see that yes, there was some good in her. She loved her home, her clan, and her family enough that she would die for them. And I really like that she dies by her own hand on her own terms. She got to take that away from the Wens.

And we’re back to this again. It isn’t enough to have the Wen Clan to blame for what happened to his parents and Lotus Pier—no. Jiang Cheng seems to believe deep down that if Wei Wuxian hadn’t helped Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan, things would be different: his parents would still be alive and Lotus Pier would be fine. Of course, that’s not true. The Wens would not have ever stopped. They wanted to lord over all the clans, even the Yunmeng Jiangs. But Jiang Cheng needs to blame someone and who better than Wei Wuxian? And after this point, he holds this grudge forever. Everything else just compounds upon this event.

And Wei Wuxian again just takes it. He doesn’t argue that the Wens would have done it anyway, he doesn’t try to defend himself at all. He must know that when Jiang Cheng makes up his mind, that’s it—there’s no changing things. I’m guessing by the time the morning rolls around, Jiang Cheng has already decided to seek revenge immediately, against Wei Wuxian’s advice. Again, we have a contrast of someone who is very analytical (Wei Wuxian) and someone who’s very emotional (Jiang Cheng), and Jiang Cheng ends up paying for it. And that’s his decision, even though he tries to place that blame on Wei Wuxian.

While Jiang Cheng is feeling sorry for himself, Wei Wuxian is the first to mention Jiang Yanli, who is still waiting for them. Of course Jiang Cheng has just gone through someone extremely traumatic—I don’t expect him to be on top of things, but I appreciate how level-headed that Wei Wuxian is able to be, given that the experience was also traumatic for him. Again, more contrast between the two characters. And not only contrast between those two, but look back at what happened at the Cloud Recesses and how Lan Wangji dealt with his own loss. He did not give up and shut down, like we see Jiang Cheng doing. He understood that life must go on. Was he upset that his brother was missing? Of course he was! Was he horrified by what happened to his home? Fuck, yes! But he didn’t get the opportunity to wallow in self-pity and depression like Jiang Cheng is. He had no one to support him like Jiang Cheng does. Jiang Cheng has a ton of people around him right now, in comparison, yet he behaves as if he’s alone. He lashes out emotionally, he recklessly goes back to Lotus Pier, abandoning his sister, who’s sick and alone. I don’t really care what he ultimately does to save Wei Wuxian, because I think it was clear that he was ready to die anyway. The outcome would have been the same for him, so distracting the Wen guards wasn’t really the selfless act that CQL kind of makes it out to be, albeit under the veil of Jiang Cheng’s memory.

Ugh, breaks my heart. Also irritates me that Wei Wuxian has to be the one to tell Yanli what happened. Like, can’t Jiang Cheng do it? Grow a pair and tell your own damn sister what happened to your parents and your home? Sorry, but I’m endlessly frustrated by him, no matter how realistic that response is. If I were Yanli, I’d want to hear that from my brother. But Jiang Cheng has basically checked out at this point. And I can’t imagine what’s going through Jiang Yanli’s mind. Her parents are dead, her home has been destroyed, her brother is distraught, and then she falls ill. She’s the oldest, she’s the one who should know what to do (whether or not she has any authority to do it)—this must be so difficult to feel like she needs to be strong for her two younger brothers, but to be completely falling apart emotionally.

Look at the physical distance here. It’s quite interesting, really, and good cinematography to show that chasm between them. It’s not just a physical gap but an emotional one as well. You have Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli, who just want to get out of danger so that they can figure out what to do next. And then you have Jiang Cheng, who just wants revenge. Even if it wasn’t obvious already, this scene shows how far apart they are from each other. It’s actually really cool.

I just feel that the only thing that was holding them all together was Wei Wuxian. He is taking his promise to Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian very seriously. This is not a game to him—he will do anything to keep them safe. That is his only purpose right now. Prior to episode 15, I think Wei Wuxian brought up Lan Wangji at least once per episode, whether Lan Wangji was there or not. That name has not passed his lips even once. Jiang Cheng has said it a few times, I think because blame game, of course, but Wei Wuxian is not even thinking about Lan Wangji. His focus right now is to get Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli to safety. Imagine if it were only Jiang Cheng and Yanli right now—if you take Wei Wuxian out of the picture, how do you think they would behave? I mean, realistically, Jiang Cheng would already be dead, because no one would have stopped him from going back to Lotus Pier that night. So thank god Wei Wuxian is here, right?

Look at his vacant expression. Has he even heard Wei Wuxian’s instructions? Probably he has but he just ignores them. His sister has a fever, and he leaves her alone in the inn. He abandons them both. And for what? What does he hope to accomplish alone? His parents and the entirety of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect couldn’t take down the Wens, so how does he expect to? I understand where he’s coming from—I am protective of my family as well—but what he needed to do was step back and wait, and by not doing that, he ruined his own life.

Besides wangxian, I think my favorite relationship in this series is the one between Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian. There’s something so sweet and so beautiful and so loving about two people who aren’t quite family but aren’t not family either. There is so much unconditional love between them that no matter what either of them does, the other will continue to be there. It’s like the relationship that Wei Wuxian could have with Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Cheng does not love Wei Wuxian as much as Wei Wuxian loves him. For a long time, I think Wei Wuxian’s love for Jiang Cheng was unconditional, but he learns over time that it can’t be that way with Jiang Cheng. But his relationship with Yanli is so different. She treats him like family, treats him like a little brother, and she protects and defends him in front of those who would wish to harm him. It’s just very sweet and tragic, of course.

So, this is an important moment. For obvious reasons, of course, but also because Wei Wuxian could have killed Wen Ning, but didn’t. He immediately accuses him of participating in the massacre and goes on to say, “I shouldn’t have saved you.” And Wen Ning responds that he just got to Lotus Pier and was not a part of the massacre at all. And here’s the big part: Wei Wuxian backs off. He believes him and he lets him go. This is important because it shows that Wei Wuxian can see past the clan, past the outfit, past the bloodline. Someone who can’t do that is Jiang Cheng. This is just one of those moments that shows you what kind of person Wei Wuxian really is, and if you remember he made a big point of praising Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen for teaming up together and for not being affiliated with any clans. So here we can see how Wei Wuxian has a penchant for not conforming to the orthodoxy of any of the clans—of the very fact that you need to be in a clan at all. People are more than the clans they are a part of, people are more than their blood relatives. Everyone gets to prove their own worth, regardless of their social status. This isn’t a big deal to someone with modern sensibilities, but within this world, it’s a big deal that Wei Wuxian trusts Wen Ning to help him and Jiang Cheng here. And in the book, he allowed Wen Qing to help them, and he doesn’t even know her. Book!Wen Qing is more awesome in my opinion, and her entrance in the story is great, because you don’t know if you can trust her. You have to trust Wen Ning too, just like Wei Wuxian—you’re taking the risk as well, as the reader.

One more thought: you can see why they’d form such a strong bong—two people who should by all rights be enemies, but instead they choose to work together to stand up to what’s wrong. This is what Jin Zixuan and Lan Wangji were doing in the cave, what Wen Ning has already done when he helped Wei Wuxian out against the dog. This is a bond of brotherhood more than anything that the Twin Prides of Yunmeng ever had. It’s a really nice message, honestly. I often don’t appreciate Wen Ning, but they do have such a nice relationship that’s based on nothing but mutual trust and respect.

I find this oddly funny, because Wen Zhuliu is so resistant and doesn’t want to drink, but Wen Chao is so insistent that he ends up doing it. And of course that’s the thing that puts all of them out of commission for the next few days (I think), allowing Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian to get Jiang Cheng and his parents’ remains out of Lotus Pier. Such a simple decision, but if it had not been made this way, Wei Wuxian would have certainly been captured/killed by Wen Zhuliu.

The juxtaposition here is pretty extreme: the clean-clothed dancing ladies in the background, with the body of (I think) Madam Yu in the foreground, hanging there. It’s so disturbing to think about having this feast to celebrate a victory (massacre) with dead bodies hanging around you. Just very creepy and eerie.

I’m flying through these for good reason. Not a lot to say, just getting through plot, and I want to get back to my fave Lan Wangji. Biased? Why, yes, I am.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |

#wei wuxian #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #madam yu #jiang fengmian #wen ning #cql #the untamed #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #cql rewatch

[tolrais]

So I just had a thought about wei wuxians sleep schedule that made me a little sad.

So canonically his sleep schedule is 1-3 am to fall asleep, 9-11am to wake up, right? Obviously there's the ADHD WWX theory that could certainly be a contributing factor to that, and the Yunmeng Jiang don't have strict hours in the same way as the Lan sect.

But I just remembered that article about how animals became nocturnal to avoid contact with humans, and how there's merit to the argument that some humans also go a bit nocturnal to avoid other humans.

So, what if the reason for WWXs terrible sleep schedule is that those are the only hours (at least in his first life) where he can actually be himself? He doesn't have to be Da-shixiong, genius, troublemaker, bad influence on Jiang Cheng and yet still constantly held up as an example of the level Jiang Cheng should be striving to. He can just be...Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying.

Jiang Cheng constantly gets at him for never seeming to train, but if Jiang Cheng goes to bed at 11 or so, that's 2-4 hours a night where WWX can train without being compared to Jiang Cheng by Yu Furen.

It also reminds me of a line in a modern au fic, where JC and WWX were in the same class at university, and WWX had deliberately cultivated the image of 'the genius that didn't study and still got great grades', and then stayed up til 3am studying in secret, because it was easier for Jiang Cheng to be compared to an insufferable genius, than to someone who put in just as much work, and still come second. (And even if you don't agree that JC would think that, you can certainly see how WWX could think that JC would think that, if that makes sense.)

So I think there's a very strong argument that the real reason that WWX stays up so late, is because he can take those quiet small hours of the morning for himself, whether it's to train without the weight of comparison, or just so he can work on projects without being judged or having them belittled.

But there is a happy thought that further confirms this theory, both in the audio drama and the extras - WWX goes to bed with Lan Wangji, and asks him to stop talking to him to keep him awake, because he can't help but reply when his Lan Zhan speaks. So an older Wei Wuxian, happily married to his soul mate, no longer feels the need to spend those small hours awake and alone, because he doesn't have to hide or mask his true self anymore.

(Seriously though, if you can find that specific audio drama extra it's so worth a listen it's SO FLUFFY).

#mdzs meta #wei wuxian #mdzs #modao zushi #cql meta #i guess as well?

[marzaid]

Ok but AU where Madam Yu kills Wen Zhuliu and Wang LingJiao before they could signal for the rest of the Wen troops. This gives the Jiang more time to prepare for the oncoming war that must be waged. Madam Yu becomes the general and steps out in front of her army to lead them and Jiang FengMian comes back only after everyone has already begun preparing for battle. Of course, he aids his wife but Madam Yu is the one largely in control of it. Jiang FengMian dies in battle as they take down the Wen. Wei Wuxian still uses Demonic Cultivation but not because it’s his only option but because he’s been dabbling for a while and so he uses a combo of regular and demonic cultivation. Jin GuangYao still kills Wen Ruohan and the Wen are taken down. 

Jiang Cheng rises as sect leader in the aftermath with his mom at his side guiding him and fighting alongside him. She is even harsher on Wei Wuxian now with Jiang FengMian dead but Wei Wuxian for once in his life keeps his mouth shut and bears it. When the Jin try to round up those Wen who took no part in the war, Wei Wuxian requests from Jiang Cheng and Madam Yu that they do something about it. Madam Yu is strict, cold, and terrifying but she does not believe in hurting or killing innocent people. With the Jiang sect backing him, Wei Wuxian is able to take the remainder of the Wen to Yiling and them up there. He still adopts A Yuan and still uses demonic cultivation but with the Jiang sect standing behind him, there’s not much the rest of the cultivation world can do. Madam Yu might despise that brand of cultivation but she knows that it is what helped them win and is their secret weapon, so if it saves her children and her people she is willing to turn a blind eye for the moment. That is just as long as he keeps it away from her children and doesn’t use it on them which Wei Wuxian quickly agrees to. 

The Jin under Jin GuangShan turn on the Jiang because of this and they try to frame Wei Wuxian for a bunch of crimes and murders. Jiang Cheng stands by his brother and surprisingly so does the Lan Sect. It’s unexpected but welcomed especially because the Twin Jades of Lan are equal in power and strength and ability to the Twin Heroes of Jiang. Jiang Yanli doesn’t fight wars but uses her budding romance with Jin Zixuan to go undercover in the Jin Sect. People think that she’s just pretty and docile but they don’t realize that she’s her mother’s daughter. She is a proud Jiang and will do whatever she can for her family and her sect. Using a secret code, she sends messages to Madam Yu. To anyone else it would just look like she was telling her mother about her romance with Jin Zixuan or the gardens or daily events. But the reality was that those letters held many secrets that give the Jiang and Lan the upper hand in the fight. 

Jin GuangShan dies in battle and Jin Zixuan rises as Sect Leader. Immediately, he surrenders and backs down from the fight which angers some but many more are just relieved to finally have a breath from fighting. After the many months of really getting to know Jiang YanLi, he realized he loved her and understood her cause and that the war between sects really was doing more harm than good for their people. Jin Zixun and Jin GuangYao are still furious about this development. The former because he hates Wei Wuxian with a passion but the latter because that foils his original plan to frame Wei Wuxian and rise to power.  

Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan get married and the Yunmeng bros learn to shut their mouths because their sister is happy. It turns out that Jin Zixuan is actually not that bad when he isn’t trying to prove that he’s the best thing in the world. He loves his new wife and treats her well. Even going as far as to make a lotus pond for him with his own hands. Their romance is not a tragic one this time. They have a son, Jin Ling about a year into their marriage and Wei Wuxian this time around does not kill his brother-in-law on the way to the one-month party. When he goes, he brings the gift that he made that would keep Jin Ling safe from curses and such. He also brings A Yuan, who has dubbed himself Wei Yuan, after being adopted by the man. Ever the sweet boy, he is excited to have a little cousin and tells his family that the two of them are going to be like the Twin Heroes of Jiang. Madam Yu even has a soft spot for him. They do in fact grow up close and have a similar relationship to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. A few years later, Jin Ling will have a little sister who he adores above all else and she will become a cultivator too.

They grow into the big happy family that they all deserve. 

Through all of this Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian have sidestepped their budding romance to the point that it’s eventually Madam Yu who steps in. She sits down with Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen, and Jiang Cheng and the five of them discuss WangXian. Since the two clans had such a good alliance in their fight first against the Wen and then again with the Jin, it’s decided that someone from each clan should marry. Jiang YanLi married Jin Zixuan and smoothed over that sect relation due to her love, they don’t really have any options. It’s unorthodox but it’s decided that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji will be married. The two are happy that they’ll have the other but also sad because they think that the other doesn’t really love them. But they feel that they must do the duty for their sects. 

WangXian get married and A Yuan even takes part in the wedding. Part of the agreement for them getting married is that they split their time between Yiling and The Cloud Recesses. This works out well for a while. Yiling and the remainder of the Wen begin to prosper. People like Jin Zixun are furious about this and he leads a raid on the new town. Wei Wuxian rushes there to try to protect them since none of them except Wen Ning and Wen Qing have experience fighting and Wei Yuan is still a child. He ends up getting severely hurt and Wen Ning and Wen Qing take care of him the best that they can. Lan Wangji eventually gets there after dropping A Yuan with Lan Xichen for protection. When he gets to Wei Wuxian, he sees him beaten and in a coma from exhausting his spiritual power. Night and day he does not leave his side. He plays his guqin for hours on end. 

Wei Wuxian wakes up to A Yuan curled in his arms and a beautiful song being played by Lan Wangji in the background. He also in the background hears Jiang Cheng fighting with Wen Qing about the care his brother deserves. Jiang YanLi comes in with her famous soup husband and kids in tow. He aches and is exhausted but it’s in this moment that he realized he is truly blessed and he can’t help the stray tears that fall. Even Madam Yu glaring at him from the side of the room makes him happy. He lost his parents so early and fought so hard to prove himself but now everything’s come together. It’s after this that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji finally talk about how much they love each other. Wei Wuxian in halting, stumbling words and Lan Wangji in rushed, flowing prose. 

Evil rises and falls but the extended Wei-Lan-Jiang-Jin family is ready.

#Madam Yu #Jiang FengMian #Jiang Cheng #Wei Wuxian #Jiang Yanli #Lan Wangji #Jin Zixuan #WangXian #Lan Sizhui #Jin Ling #Wen Ning #Wen Qing #The Untamed #Mo Dao Zu Shi #i was just thinking about how much i want everyone to be happy #and then i thought about how boss Madam Yu is #and I said fuck it this should be a thing #if anyone wants to write a beautiful million chapter fic of this for me to read #that'd be rad #or will i have to do that myself? #cause like... #i have a bad rap with finishing fics

[ardenrabbit]

MDZS as Unspecified Coffee Shop™ Customers (You are a Barista)

(Disclaimer: Never be shy about ordering what you actually want! Baristas love their regulars and they will be happy to make whatever you want, and will feel no malice towards you as long as you're not a jerk! Drinks and mannerisms will be mocked here in good faith. Most customers are very nice and it is well understood that most people operate under the best intentions. Your barista does not hate you, I promise. This is also full of my own personal tastes.)

Wei Wuxian: The first time he walked in, you knocked over two finished drinks with your elbow. Iced six-shot espresso with a splash of soy. Cold bc Yunmeng weather is hot. Soy bc it's ultra common in China and dairy is gross. Pays with pocket change and is always embarrassed about it. You end up giving him your employee discount every time because he's stupid hot and makes everyone laugh.

Lan Wangji: The first time he walked in, you spilled a whole pitcher of hot milk on yourself. Detrimental to productivity bc you and your coworkers can't stop stealing glances at him. Small emperor's cloud tea, nothing in it. He'll take the tea bag out after two minutes so it doesn't oversteep because he's not an animal. Also gets two birthday cake pops. He tips well, more money than sense.

Jiang Cheng: Dark roast coffee, one sugar. Professional but sad; he makes himself like it. Sometimes he gets a caramel frappe "for his friend." Doesn't say hi and looks grumpy when he says "you too" after you tell him to have a nice day.

Jiang Yanli: Iced soy chai latte. "Barista's friend" because it's stupid quick and easy to make, and it's sweet and refreshing like her :) Also likes lemon cake. The only harm she does is that she makes your day by being too sweet and beautiful and then sets your expectations too high for the rest of the people who come in.

Lan Xichen: Coconut milk flat white—smooth, classy, and just a little sweet. Also fun to make. Sometimes gets a blueberry oatmeal and/or drinks for his friends and colleagues. Whenever he comes through the line, it's like your stress level gets reset at the bottom and you're calm and content for the next two hours.

Lan Qiren: does not visit your establishment.

Nie Huaisang: Fucking tiktok drinks. He may or may not know what he's doing. Comes through the drivethrough and orders extra food at the window because he forgot to ask for it at the order box.

Jin Zixuan: Dry cappuccino with cinnamon dulce syrup. Brusque and a little awkward but always tips well. Frequently also gets an iced soy chai latte and a lemon cake.

Mianmian: Iced London fog tea with sweet cream foam on top, because she has good taste. You exchange compliments with her daily.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning: Wen Qing gets a dirty chai (chai latte with a shot), then tells Wen Ning to say what he wants. He gets nervous and asks for just a water. She then orders the strawberry frappe he actually wants.

Wangxian: The first time they walked in together, you slipped and fractured your tailbone. Wwx hangs on lwj's arm the whole time, grinning like an idiot and telling him, yes, of course he eats enough on the regular. Lwj gets wwx the iced caramel macchiato, triple shot with extra drizzle he knows he actually wants, two sandwiches, a coffee cake, and a birthday cake pop (yes, all for wwx), and wwx pesters lwj into getting the matcha frappe he knows he actually wants. You cry in the bathroom for ten minutes and yearn for what they have.

The juniors: Frequently come in at 8 pm and get four different frappes (you cannot make them in the same blender at once). You love them despite this.

Lan Sizhui: Hot matcha latte with soy. (Matcha and soy are both good, I will fight) Comforting and down to earth c: The one soft-spoken one among his friends, the calming element. Also likes to get a birthday cake pop.

Lan Jingyi: Caramel crunch frappe, two shots of "EX-presso" (he knows the right way to say it, but he says it like this every time because it Harms Jin Ling) and extra EXTRA caramel drizzle. When you ask how much extra, he says, "Just fuck me up, man."

Jin Ling: Pink drink with light ice, + a pup cup for Fairy, even though WHIPPED CREAM IS NOT GOOD FOR DOGS, PLEASE STOP GETTING THESE. Every time he comes with his friends, he aggressively pays for all of them.

Ouyang Zizhen: Green iced tea with peach and lemonade, sweet like him :) Keeps asking if you have strawberry cake pops. You do not.

Nie Mingjue: Comes in on Mondays and Wednesdays for a black eye (dark roast coffee with two shots) and a chicken and bacon panini. When he comes in with Xichen, your Stress Decrease buff comes with a Confidence bonus.

Jin Guangyao: Just a latte. Classic, unassuming. Just slightly subconsciously unnerving because he customer-service-voices back to you, but a good exchange in general. He regularly buys a bunch of gift cards.

Mo Xuanyu: Walks in looking 80% asleep. Buys a can of Nitro from the display case. You have never seen anyone buy one before.

Xiao Xingchen: With all the best of intentions, asks you to surprise him with your favorite drink. He's being friendly and it's a good way to learn new drinks, but you're terrified that you'll pick something that this nice man won't like, and you don't know what he's willing to pay for. Again, with all of the best of intentions, does that stupid pay-it-forward thing in the drivethrough and pays for the person behind him. Starts a chain of confusing transactions with people paying for other cars.

A-Qing: Cotton candy frappe (vanilla bean with raspberry). Steals from the tip jar.

Song Lan: Tends to come through the drivethrough ten minutes before closing, but it's fine because he just gets a nitro cold brew, which is 0 effort to make.

Xue Yang: Takes eight minutes to pick five food items, all to put in the ovens, and reinvents the frappuccino with light ice, no frappe base (which provides the right consistency), heavy cream, and six different syrups and chocolate chips, layered with caramel sauce. Top with sprinkles and extra caramel drizzle. You hand him the medium he ordered and he says that he actually ordered a large, so you have to go back and remake the whole monstrosity large while letting him keep the medium, too. Also likes to ask for made up names of items on the "secret menu" (there is no Secret Menu, it's all stuff that customers made up online and the baristas have no idea what it is) and then says he doesn't know the recipe, just to make you agonize over what the fuck he's talking about. Is almost too cute for you to hate him, but your blood pressure skyrockets whenever you see his car pulling up. Once left one of those fake $100 bills that churches give out in the tip jar.

Yu Ziyuan: Orders a goddamn blonde pourover every morning during the rush when there's perfectly good blonde roast brewed already. (You have to grind, pour, and baby the coffee specifically by hand on its own little stand. Kind of fun when not in a rush, but unconscionable to order during peak hours.) Splash of cream, no sugar.

Jiang Fengmian: That regular who just gets a medium roast with cream and sugar. He's never mentioned his family.

Jin Guangshan: Americano with cream and three Splenda. You hope to god that he walks in talking on his stupid fucking bluetooth, just so he'll be too busy to talk to your underaged coworker. Pushes his mask down off his nose and mouth to talk to you at the counter.

Madam Jin: Comes through the drivethrough and orders a passion tango iced tea with lemonade, unsweet. Complains that it's too tart and has you remake it with raspberry syrup and 12 Splenda. Orders an egg and cheese protein box, but doesn't like the first one you pick because one of the hardboiled eggs is a little squashed or something. Asks impatiently for extra napkins. She does this every week.

Jin Zixun: (During the Pandemic, many stores have their dining areas closed, but customers can still come inside to order or pick up mobile orders. They are required to wear masks while inside the building.) This guy comes into the lobby JUST so he can wail that he's being oppressed when you ask him to put on a mask. Ends up angrily putting his t-shirt collar over his mouth and rejecting the disposable mask you offer him. Orders an iced shaken espresso (smells like dog food) with white mocha and exactly two bacon gouda sandwiches. Wrecks the bathroom. Says he's never coming back here. He does this every week.

Sect Leader Yao: Comes through the drivethrough during the afternoon rush. Orders six extra large green iced teas, no ice, no water, no sweetener. Clears you out of the concentrated tea you had prepped in the pitchers, so you must brew another whole pitcher for this guy, adding an ugly 5 minutes to the drivethrough wait time for the whole line. He knows this. He does this every week. He keeps asking when you'll have indoor seating open again.

Sect Leader Ouyang: Orders a small drink in a large cup and is confused and angry when it's not all the way full.

Wen Chao: Matcha lemonade. The devil's drink. What an elegant way to ruin both matcha and lemonade. Enjoy your spinach-colored lighter fluid. He reaches around the plexiglass barrier to grab straws from the barista side of the bar. When you ask him to put on a mask in the store, he snidely says, "But I have anxiety." You barely manage to keep your job by not cramming his broken body into the ice bin.

Wang Lingjiao: Strawberry refresher lemonade with all the kinds of berries, raspberry syrup, strawberry puree, blended, with whipped cream on the top and bottom of the cup. Shut up. Shut up shut up. Shut up. Shut up. It's not good. Ordering this is a conscious act of malice. Also gets a large ice water, takes a couple sips, and dumps it in the trash can.

Wen Ruohan: Extra hot latte, extra shot, whole milk, no foam. This drink is inexplicably imperious. Sometimes he tips and it makes you extremely nervous.

Uncle Four: When you ask what you can get for him, he jokes, "Well, do you sell margaritas?" and makes it physically impossible for you not to say, "I wish, sir." He's really nice and gets some sort of seasonal latte, like pistachio or chestnut praline. You would die for him.

Granny: Earl grey tea with a splash of cream. Everyone's favorite regular. Everyone calls her Granny. She brings you and your coworkers boxes of homemade shortbread cookies every couple of weeks. You and your team love her so much that you made her a birthday card. All of you regularly give her gifts like a flock of crows bringing found treasure to someone who feeds them. One of you knit her a scarf and she wears it every time she comes in. Yes, regulars like this exist.

OH and who could ever forget Su She: Gets a "medicine ball" (honey citrus mint tea). This is two kinds of hot tea with honey and steamed lemonade. It's popular for sore throats. In the age of the Pandemic, you feel deeply suspicious of anyone who feels the need to order a freaking "medicine ball." Also annoying to make. Anyone who makes you steam lemonade owes you ten dollars. You hate yourself for kind of liking this drink anyway.

#the untamed #mdzs #oh look it talks #coffee shop au essentially #love is stored in the cake pop #even though its like two fuckin dollars for one bite of cake #we all cope somehow and sometimes its thinking about this during a shift

[coquelicoq]

Thx 4 killing me with ur tags on that JC x WWX post. For me a big problem is that WWX is saying these things, like, magnanimously. He's perfectly certain that he's the one that sacrificed, so he's the one who can forgive debts. He thinks that terrible things happened to JC, but that's not the same as JC deliberately sacrificing something. :( I love WWX but he can genuinely be SO condescending T. T

oh you mean these tags? haha looks like somebody sure was sad in the middle of the night when she wrote those!!

i give up every time i try to write something about wwx and jc's conversation in the temple, because there's just so much going on and so much to say about it. and the emotions, anon! it's a lot. i have been turning this ask over in my mind since you sent it and i'm not sure i can do it justice, but i can't let this be another time i spend hours thinking about yunmeng bro tragedy with nothing to show for it. not when there's an ask at stake!! so let's do this.

the best thing about the temple scene imo is that we don't know until later that jc lost his core because he sacrificed himself in place of wwx, so the scene hits totally differently if you go back and rewatch it with that knowledge. i appreciate that bit of POV craft, because it allows us to sympathize with each of them in turn, and it makes it easier for us to separate from the protagonist enough to really delve into how his (well-intentioned and sympathetic) actions have affected others. jc's reaction in the temple makes sense when all we know is what wwx knows (it's basically the reaction that wwx was expecting, after all), and then it makes a different sort of sense with the benefit of that extra layer of understanding that wwx doesn't have. and of course the second time around, we can hear everything that jc is saying indirectly that wwx won't be able to pick up on, so that's a fun little hurtful treat for us.

the best thing about this ask is that it gets at two of the reasons this conversation fails: first, that jc is keeping a key piece of information from wwx, and second, that wwx's oxymoronically egotistical selflessness makes it very difficult for him to understand that jc has valid reasons to be upset about the act of sacrifice wwx performed on his behalf without his knowledge or approval. this is why wwx ends up saying the exact thing jc least needs to hear, and why they part ways both looking absolutely heartbroken even though i think that they actually want the same thing: to be brothers again. </3 </3 </3, anon.

to start with the first reason the conversation fails: wwx doesn't know that jc also did something selfless for him, and that in fact it was jc's selfless act that led to wwx's. i don't know that knowing about this would solve the problem, but wwx might be less condescending if he knew? he would have more context for why jc is so bitter about the core transfer and subsequent lying (though he'd still be missing other context, because that's not the only reason jc is bitter). 

one of the things jc is pretty mad about in this scene is that wwx is the one who gets to be noble and self-sacrificing all the time. oh, must be nice to just be able to abdicate your responsibilities for the sake of your conscience. must be nice to get to play hero. jc doesn't have the luxury. he has people depending on him. he can't abandon his sect (or his nephew), because wwx already did that, and jc is all they have left.

but something i didn't pick up on the first time around is how much his tone is just dripping with irony. because HE knows that actually yes he did do something noble! he did give something up! but wwx doesn't know that and jc's not gonna tell him, because...i'm not sure actually. anyone have any ideas? anyway. whatever his reason for keeping this secret, jc's inner turmoil ends up coming out as a kind of petty and ungrateful tirade, because he's very frustrated and hurt. and what's even more frustrating is that he must know that even though he is currently mocking wwx for hiding the core transfer from him because wwx is ~*~*~sooooo noble uwu~*~*~ what's actually true is that he's the one hiding his sacrifice from wwx, and wwx will never know about that aspect of jc and will keep thinking he's the only one who can be selfless.

another thing that jc is mad about is that wwx negated jc's own sacrifice. jc made a decision for himself for once, and sure, it wasn't like a lot of planning went into that decision or anything, but it was his and he made it based on his own priorities. and then wwx came along and just undid the whole thing! because he has always felt entitled to doing whatever he thinks is best for jc without thinking about what jc wants or how infantilizing that is for him.

ultimately wwx is the one who 1) gets to make sacrifices that aren't immediately negated and 2) gets to be recognized as a selfless hero eventually when the truth comes out. jc is stuck being the target of his superior, noble brother's charity, again, and wondering for the rest of his life why everybody he ever loved thought he was such a baby that he couldn't be trusted to make any decisions or do anything for himself. and if he expresses any anger about it, he's just an ungrateful asshole who doesn't appreciate everything wwx has done for him. it's possible that wwx would have been able to interpret jc's anger differently (though, again, not entirely correctly) if he knew about this, though unfortunately it's much more likely that he'd focus on the "jc is mad that i showed him up by being better at self-sacrifice" angle rather than the "jc is mad that i recklessly put myself in danger even though my safety was his biggest priority" angle or the "jc is mad because i don't really recognize him as an autonomous being capable of making his own decisions" angle.

i also think jc would have acted differently in the temple if he weren't keeping that secret. part of the reason he's so vitriolic is because wwx is acting like this whole thing was a one-way street when it very much was not, but jc can't say that without revealing something he doesn't want to reveal. it's also possible that jc is grappling with the cognitive dissonance of knowing that he himself is keeping a secret that is similar (though not equivalent) to the secret that wwx kept that he's so angry about. that's a source of discomfort that wouldn't exist if jc's sacrifice was also out in the open.

okay, on to the second reason that this conversation is doomed to fail, aka wwx thinks that he’s the one best qualified to make decisions, and that his decisions are always correct as long as he prioritizes the needs of others before his own.

i read an interesting twitter thread back in november that sort of recontextualized wwx's memory problems for me in a way i think is relevant to this. wwx's bad memory is a feature, not just a bug. he values doing good as a matter of course and doesn't think that it's important for him to remember his own acts of altruism; on the contrary, maybe it is actually more righteous if he doesn't remember them. and that SEEMS like a really good quality, and it for sure is in some ways! it means he gives freely and easily and doesn't resent people if they don't give back to him in equal measure. but it also means that he forgets things that have an impact on other people and are important to them, which is its own kind of self-centeredness. he maybe doesn't care as much as he should about how people feel about the things he's done for them.

this also ties in with a point @winepresswrath has been making (e.g., here) about how wwx's commitment to doing the right thing and taking care of everyone is both really beautiful AND really patronizing, because it comes at least partially from a place of thinking he is in fact better than everyone else (both at doing things and at knowing right from wrong). and like, he kind of is?? he's a genius, he's incredibly talented at uhhhh basically everything except maybe laundry i guess (and that's just because he won't APPLY himself), and he's the only person other than mianmian in the entire cultivation world who is willing to stand up and say, "okay, but have we considered that perhaps mass murdering civilians based solely on their family name is not super cool of us?" so like, i can definitely see where he's coming from with the superiority complex thing. i, too, think he's better than everyone else! like, no contest. but being right and highly competent doesn't mean that he can just bulldoze all over everything without negatively impacting his relationships with the people he cares about. in fact, feeling superior to everyone is always going to make it harder for him to make good, healthy choices in his relationships, because he's constantly discounting the opinions and feelings of the people he loves because he thinks he knows better than they do. he does it out of love for them, and with his highest priority being their safety and happiness, but still. it's not conducive to having, like, actually equal partnerships with people.

the whole situation in the temple is the perfect storm of all of wwx's simultaneously best/worst qualities. first off, like you said, it has not even occurred to him that jc could also have sacrificed something for him. this is partly because of his belief that he's more selfless and martyr-y than jc; partly because of his attachment to taking care of jc as his little brother and sect heir (and not the other way around); and partly because while he thinks he's better than everyone else, he ALSO simultaneously believes that he is not worthy of being anybody else's priority. all these years he's been positive that he's the only one of the two of them who knows the full story, which is dangerous because, as it turns out, that has not been true for even one single second. you don’t have all the facts, bro!

the second place he goes wrong is in assuming that because he likes to forget about the nice things he's done for people, and because he can see that it's upsetting jc to think about this whole situation, he decides - as a favor to jc! - that they should just forget about it. but it takes two to tango, wei wuxian. you can't just assume you know what's best for him. that's what got you into this whole clusterfuck in the first place! and maybe jc doesn't want to forget about it. maybe there's something deeper going on here!!

and okay the biggest way he fucks up in this conversation (which obviously goes all the way back to the core transfer itself) is by assuming that the core transfer was an unreservedly good thing for jc. from wwx's perspective, it was a no-brainer. obviously if there was anything that he could do to help his brother, his sister, or his sect, he was gonna do it. and when wwx is sitting there in the temple with jc, after coming back to life and seeing how jc has lived, become a formidable cultivator, rebuilt the sect, and raised their sister's kid, he's still thinking to himself that this was the best possible outcome. without wwx's core, jc would have died, or at the very least he wouldn't have been able to lead the sect. so the core transfer was in fact a good thing that he bestowed upon jc, a debt that jc owes him (i don't think he thinks of it that way, but he believes jc does) and this means that wwx is the one who can forgive the debt (or say "it wasn't a debt to begin with, because it was actually me who had a debt to the jiang sect and this was just how i paid it back") and decide that they should move past it.

but!!! he's overlooking several things. he never asked jc if he was down for a core transfer (an experimental procedure with a presumed 50% success rate that requires the donor to be in excruciating pain for an entire day, and even if it's successful and everybody lives, the donor loses all their superpowers and gives up their chance to become immortal). then he lied to jc about it for years, allowing jc to make all sorts of decisions (and draw all sorts of conclusions about whether or not wwx even cared about him at all) based on partial/inaccurate information. all along, wwx has thought that the knowledge that he had wwx's core would be crushing to jc because of his inferiority issues (and also guilt), so i think that's what wwx thinks is happening in the temple. and it is, but it's not the only thing! jc is also allowed to be mad about how: 

wwx violated his autonomy and performed medical procedures on him without his consent! 

jc is now looking back in hindsight and hating all his own choices, because they were actually not in keeping with his values but he had no way of knowing that at the time because wwx was lying to him! 

jc stabbed wwx, which he never would have done if he knew wwx was coreless! 

wwx let jc believe he left the sect because he loved the wens more than he loved jc! 

wwx never told him what wen qing had done for him!

there was actually a really good fucking reason wwx had to stop cultivating with the sword and start messing around with resentful energy but wwx let him believe that he was just doing it because he can't be tied down, man!!!! 

these were all wrongs that wwx committed against him, but wwx is maybe not capable of seeing it that way.

not to mention it's super insulting to be like "i thought your ego was too fragile to handle it and i didn't want to have to watch you cry like a baby" so, uh, there's that also. i bet wwx has been downplaying his accomplishments his whole life because he wanted jfm to pay attention to jc, and that's a very kind and understandable move for a child in an abusive household to make, so i'm not knocking it at all. but i also bet jc picked up on it, and it just fed into his own self-esteem problems even more to know that he sucked so much that his brother had to pretend to be dumber than he actually was just to help him out. and now that they are adults, it would be great if wwx could stop treating jc like a child that he has to protect from the knowledge of his own inferiority, because 1) jc is not a child and 2) jc can tell that's what he's doing and it's pretty offensive.

of course, wwx isn't picking up on any of this in the temple. as far as he's concerned, the temple conversation is just affirming all of his reasons for not telling jc: jc was too fragile for the truth, and this is just another thing jc is going to take as proof that wwx is better than him and feel shitty about. also, now jc probably feels like he owes him, and that's the last thing wwx has ever wanted. so i don't think wwx leaves the temple feeling like if he could go back in time he would do anything differently, he’s just really wishing wen ning had kept his mouth shut like wwx told him to.

but all jc really wants from wwx is for him to say sorry for the lying and to say that he didn't want to leave him. that the core transfer, however misguided it was, was an act of love. that he had to leave the sect and break his promise to stay by jc's side not because he stopped caring about him, but because it was a consequence of that act of love. that leaving the sect was in fact a sacrifice on wwx's part, because he did mean that promise and he wanted it as much as jc did. 

wwx can't see that that's what jc needs him to say, even though it's all true. the only thing he apologizes for is breaking his promise, because he sees that as a matter of honor that jc is laying at his feet, like how dare you break this vow? so he apologizes for going back on his word, but he doesn't say he's sorry for leaving jc behind or for lying to him. he doesn't see that that's what jc is really talking about - that it hurt him to be abandoned by his brother. he doesn't see that that's what jc actually wants him to address. (and i'm sure an apology for disregarding his autonomy all the time would be nice too.)

they're both talking around each other in that conversation. jc can't come right out and admit to all the things he's actually upset about because his molecules would explode if he showed that much tender emotional vulnerability in front of people. wwx doesn't have all the facts AND he's completely incapable of putting the ones he does have in the context of jc's feelings.

so when wwx says "all those things are from my previous life and we should both stop lingering on them", 

wwx thinks he's saying: let's try not to dwell on the whole core thing and all the sad family shit that brings up. the last thing i want is to cause you pain, so let's just pretend this never happened. the slate is clean, the ledger is balanced. we're good. 

but jc hears: we were brothers in my previous life, and i once promised we always would be. but that was a long time ago and a lot has happened since then. there's too much baggage now. we should just move on and go our separate ways. 

and then wwx wipes away one of jc's tears, and smiles at him, and rubs his shoulder. wwx thinks he's just relieved jc of a great burden; jc thinks he’s just been brother-divorced. again.

i don't know how they end up coming back together to be a family again, but i do believe that they both want to, and so in my heart of hearts i believe that they will somehow. either through a lot of soul-searching and individual growth, or through one of these very quality and much more believable mechanisms. i live in hope, anon. someday.

#sorry for...all the words... #you just unlocked something in me anon. i had a lot to say. #the untamed #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #they're brothers. they are BROTHERS #ugh why did it put the cut at the very top of the post? that's not where i put it!!!! #i do have some ideas for why jc doesn't want to tell wwx about his sacrifice but i'm interested to see what other people think #ALSO. lest anyone think that i don't love wwx with my entire heart and think that he's a whole ass angel: i do!!!!! #i love him to the ends of the earth and if he were a real person i would definitely idolize him more than would be healthy. #and i ALSO have an itemized list of all his flaws. these are both true. #anyway i could ramble in the tags forever but i've already spent hours on this so i need to go do something else #feel free to send me all your thoughts on the eventual yunmeng bro reconciliation because it's at least 20% of what i'm thinking about #on any given day #asks #anon #cuts #links #linked to

[winepresswrath]

16, 13 (for Jin Ling or Jiang Cheng!), 25 (for Lan Xichen or Jin Guangyao, or 3zun in general!) from the salty ask list!

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

1. Wen Qing lives! She was just in hiding in Dongying/trapped in Jiggy’s evil basement doing mad science/chilling in a remote mountain village (sour_idealist thank you for your service). I just hate that she’s dead. There’s no reason for her to be dead! A veiled woman shows up at the eleventh hour to spill Jiggy’s secrets, why wouldn’t that be Wen Qing?

2. Qin Su goes to Gusu summer camp with everyone else and

a) has some kind of relationship with Zixuan

b) sticks up for Wei Wuxian when someone is a dick about his birth, establishing her as Not A Snob

c) Maaaaybe meets Meng Yao? That might be going too far. But like, she’s around, we get to know her, we are going to be experiencing so much sadness about her fate.

d) which is different because she LIVES and she and Wen Qing are the ones who dish all the dirt on Jiggy

3. The pacing in the second life is just generally a little tighter.

4. I get the Yunmeng Bro octopus hug of clinging and hair petting of my dreams. Things don’t have to be perfect or even OK between them at the end but they get the hug.

25. How would you end XXX/Would you change the ending of XXX?

Ooooh, tricky! I really like the tragedy of 3zun as it is. Their fates are very awful but also pretty satisfying to me on a narrative level. The inherent eroticism of being locked in a coffin tearing each other to shreds while a third party plays sad flute music in the distance. For Xichen, especially, the precise cruelty of his fate is very compelling to me! He tried so hard to build that little sworn brother collective, and you get the sense that it was one of the very few things he actually wanted for himself. Not entirely selfishly, but I think being Er-ge for them was something he really cherished. I also think Xichen was in his own way almost as lonely as Wangji, and his attempt at reaching out and forging new bonds ended so badly he can’t even bear to be with the family he has left. It’s bad!

I guess if I was going to reshape Jiggy in the image of my personal tastes I’d have him be more committed to Qin Su and especially Rusong’s survival and safety because I’m a sucker for characters who do terrible things for causes and people outside of themselves, but I’m sure this change would actively ruin him for a lot of people who like him as he is.

[littleladygodiva]

I feel like if Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli had lived Jin Ling would have been raised with good sense. And since this is THE XuanLiQing enthusiast blog here are my XuanLiQing parenting hot takes:

Jin Zixuan is the pushover. He was raised to have whatever he wants without complaint so he does the same with Jin Ling not really thinking it’s a big deal. Yeah he just gave his son 50 gold coins without question. Should he have given him 60? 60 gold coins IS better than 50.

Things do not = Love and JYL and WQ have to help him unlearn this

Wen Qing is definitely the disciplinarian but she never makes decisions or takes action without talking to Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli first. This is a throuple built on communication dammit. 

Hearing about the way Jin Zixuan was raised she wants to instill hard work ethic into Jin Ling. He will clean his own room, wash his own clothes, and help prepare his own dinners. Complacency is not on the menu in this family.

“Did you clean your room” “......Yes.” “If you’re lying you will do 300 repetitions of the Wen Style sword formations” “..........” “...I need to go to my room real quick brb.”

Additionally, Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing teach him basic first aide, because if he’s anything like his Yunmeng Jiang uncles he’ll need it. 

Jiang Yanli is the gentle but firm presence. She basically raised Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying and she is the master of getting people to do things they should do via inadvertent manipulation. 

“It would make me so happy if I could see that A-Ling has improved his calligraphy. I know that if he applies himself he could do very well. I would be so proud.”

And that’s how Jin Ling ends up pouring hours into making sure he has the best hand writing possible. 

Jiang Yanli also has a powerful “I’m not mad, just disappointed.”

Jin Ling cannot for the life of him get around asking all 3 of them for permission when he wants to do something, because for all their flaws they’re not stupid (or at least JYL and WQ aren’t, JZX has his moments). They recognize they need to be on the same page. 

Jin Ling likes to be held by Wen Qing when he’s sad. She’s always soft and tender when he needs it and tells him stories of the Burial Mounds to distract him. And I dunno, there’s something so mushy and heart-melting about Wen Qing being the super mushy parent that can’t stand to see her child cry. 

Jin Zixuan, after learning that material thing in exchange for love is not something you can or should do for a child decides cut a whole day out of the week to spend only with Jin Ling. 

Sword fighting, flying kites, catching fish in the pond, going to the market. Anything he wants within reason (no, going on a night hunt is not reasonable, stop asking Jin Ling). 

The Jin Sect, absolutely flabbergasted: Spending more than the bare minimum of time with your own child? Scandalous!

#Jiang Yanli #Jin Zixuan #Wen Qing #JYL #JZX #WQ #XuanLi #YanQing #MDZS YanQing #XuanLiQing #XuanYanQing #Jin Ling #Jin Rulan #JRL #MDZS #MDZSHC #MDZSThoughts #The Untamed #CQL #Cheng Qing Ling #Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #Mo Dao Zu Shi #Lanling Jin

[macabow]

Bless her!

She talks a lot about CQL

She gets asked if everyone laughed during the shoot when XZ did his acting cute scenes but she explains that she feels it's quite a warm scene, after he comes back from the burial mound it's so clear WWX has changed and is no longer carefree, so that moment when he clings to Shijie and says he's three years old it's a way of trying to get back to that innocence but also impossible so it also makes it a sad scene so it was a scene that did not make her laugh

She looked after everyone like Shijie

She kept trying to get Xiao Zhan to eat (more than biscuits) because he was too skinny for his height and because he had so much action and filming to do she was worried about his health

Everyone was a bit scared/awkward (?) with WYB at first because he is slow to warm up to people so the convo would cool when he appeared. It takes someone like 'xianxian' to pull him into the crowd

All the guys started going on diets because of how slim WYB and XZ were and because for the show it does look better for the characters they are playing

She watched the animated version with some of the cast (not specified who)

There was a one take scene that WZC had to do after the golden core scene where JC sees memories of his past, because the director had very high standards they filmed this for hours JC was soaked with sweat and near the end of his tether. XZ and her watched the filming and seeing how hard it was in WZC they came out and she told him not to worry and that he could do it and that they would stay with him on set for as long as it took (omg these YunMeng three siblings 😭)

Once at a boat scene XZ and WZC started goading each other and it got a bit too much and she had to calm them down.

She got sick straight after filming CQL

She found it really hard to let go of CQL and every time she uses Xianxian ChengCheng she starts wishing she could go back to CQL so trying to change the way she calls everyone.

Everyone cried when CQL ended

#xuan lu #wang zhuocheng #wang yibo #xiao zhan #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #wei wuxian #lan zhan #cql #chen qing ling #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #macabow keep

[foularcadebanana]

The Lantern Ceremony

Day 5 Prompt for the Untamed Fall Fest 2020 is ‘Lantern’. This piece got a lot longer than I had expected (approx 3k).

Summary: Jin Ling invites his friends to Lotus Pier to attend the Lantern Ceremony, but his friends are unaware of the fact that Sect Leader Jiang, the Sandu Shengshou, is going to come with them.

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Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen stared at Jin Ling as he stood on the balls of his feet, hopping impatiently from side to side as he waited. They had seen Jin Ling when he got angry, they had seen him sad, he had broken down crying in front of them. They had even seen him happy and having fun with them, smiling, and laughing at the jokes they cracked or when they complimented him. They had seen his screaming rage and silent apologies, his embarrassment, and his shyness.

But they had never, ever seen him like this before, not even when he had become Sect Leader or when he had been given the responsibility of setting up a discussion conference in Jinlintai for all of the sects. Jin Ling seemed nervous, unsure, excited and bursting to the brim with joy all at once. His friends didn’t know what to make of the situation or how they should act, so they just stood and continued to stare at him.

Jin Ling had invited them all to visit Lotus Pier with him. He had told them that he had spent this season with his uncle, Sect Leader Jiang, in Lotus Pier every year since he had been born, and that he was planning on doing the same this year. Although he was responsible for an entire sect now, he was still young, and he was sure that he could persuade the elders to show him leniency. After all, it had only been a year since Jin Ling had received the title, and he had outdone himself, even if he did say so himself.

Jin Ling had been granted permission to stay with his uncle for a couple of weeks and he had enthusiastically invited Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen to join him. They had asked him if he had taken permission from Sect Leader Jiang, the great Sandu Shengshou, but Jin Ling had only snorted and begun to laugh in response.

“Yeah, right,” Jin Ling had said, “As if I need permission to call you into my home. Jiujiu would get mad if I did ask for his permission.”

All three of them had exchanged glances with each other before agreeing to go to Lotus Pier with Jin Ling. He had reassured them that they would love it there, telling them that there were amazing surprises waiting for them once they got there.

They had arrived in Lotus Pier barely a few hours ago, and they were standing near the entrance now, ready to leave for their destination as the sun slowly began to set on the horizon. Jin Ling had not told his friends where they were going, apparently wanting this to be the first of their surprises. So, they were all left waiting. On whom, they did not know yet, but considering Jin Ling’s behaviour, it had to be someone important. Someone who mattered a lot to Jin Ling.

“Jiujiu, where are you?!” Jin Ling’s scream echoed throughout the corridors of Lotus Pier. “The sun is almost about to set! We might get late. I don’t want to be too late!”

Ouyang Zizhen, Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi gaped at each other. They had thought that the person they had been waiting for had been a Jiang disciple or at least someone around their age, who they could have fun with or act freely around. They had not been expecting it to be the great Sandu Shengshou. How were they supposed to relax around him?

To the Lans and Ouyang Zizhen’s surprise, the exclamation made Sect Leader Jiang appear and they watched him hurry over with a tightly wrapped bag in his hand. “I’m coming, I’m coming. I’m right here,” he responded calmly, although his demeanour said otherwise. Jin Ling’s friends used the time it took for Sect Leader Jiang to reach them, to observe him.

The Sandu Shengshou did not seem to be wearing his royal robes, choosing instead to wear plain purple robes that neither the Lans nor Ouyang Zizhen had ever seen him wear. He seemed to have rushed through an important meeting to meet up with them. His hair was not tied up into a tight bun like it usually was, instead it stood straight behind his back with a quick top bun tied on his head. He was frowning slightly, which was his signature expression.

Despite Jin Ling’s several reassurances before the trip, and childhood stories of Sect Leader Jiang’s soft demeanour, none of Jin Ling’s friends believed him. Sect Leader Jiang had welcomed all three of them with a nod of his head and Jin Ling had been greeted with an eyeroll as he had explained what his friends were doing in Lotus Pier with him. Sect Leader Jiang had huffed out a breath and instructed a few of the maids and servants to set up three rooms. Apparently, Jin Ling’s room had already been cleaned and was ready for him to enter.

So Jin Ling had not been lying when he had said that Sect Leader Jiang had been expecting him. Still, the rest of the juniors were skeptical about having Sect Leader Jiang join them to go wherever Jin Ling was taking them.

Jin Ling had crossed his arms and was tapping his foot by the time Sect Leader Jiang reached them. “What took you so long?” Jin Ling demanded. “You promised me you’d be here on time.”

The rest of the juniors held their breaths as they saw the Sandu Shengshou bristling slightly, his frown deepening. They expected to see Zidian flare up and in action at any moment, instead, Sect Leader Jiang sighed heavily. “I’m sorry A-Ling. There were a lot of preparations to be made for the festival and the disciples wouldn’t let me leave. I had to give them with a set of detailed instructions before I could be allowed to leave. We can still make it on time.”

Lan Jingyi, Lan Sizhui and Ouyang Zizhen saw a hopeful look cross Sect Leader Jiang’s eyes before it flickered out as Jin Ling turned around with a huff of breath and stomped away. Sect Leader Jiang called out to Jin Ling and grabbed his arm. “A-Ling, here. Hold this.”

“What is this?” Jin Ling asked, turning sharply to meet Sect Leader Jiang’s eyes.

“Some warm food prepared for you and your friends. We do not know if we’ll get the chance to get some food during or after the ceremony.” Sect Leader Jiang explained.

The ceremony? What ceremony? Jin Ling’s friends watched as Jin Ling’s posture relaxed and his facial expressions softened. “Thanks, Jiujiu.” A small smile appeared on Jin Ling’s face as he held the bag of food and fell in step with Sect Leader Jiang as they walked.

“Where are we going, Jin Ling?” Lan Sizhui asked politely after they had been walking for a few minutes.

Jin Ling shared a secretive look with his uncle and faced Sizhui as he responded. “You’ll see.”

They walked for another half an hour before they reached the clearing. There was a huge crowd in the clearing. It seemed to Jin Ling’s friends as though the entirety of the Yunmeng Jiang sect had decided to gather there. Every single person there was holding a beautifully designed and delicate looking lantern. All three of the juniors immediately wanted one too, although none of them said it.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Sect Leader Jiang asked them. “Jin Ling, why don’t you and your friends go get yourselves some lanterns?”

Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen startled slightly at being addressed directly by the Sandu Shengshou, but they all bowed and nodded quickly. Their response elicited another eye roll from Sect Leader Jiang, although none of them could figure out why.

“What about you, Jiujiu? Aren’t you going to come get a lantern with us?” Jin Ling questioned, and it puzzled his friends how much Jin Ling wanted his uncle to accompany them. Surely he had invited them over because he had wanted to spend time more time with them and not his uncle.

“You can choose one for me,” Sect Leader Jiang said, making a shooing gesture with one of his hands. His attention seemed to be focused on a particular vendor. “Go ahead now, we want to be able to start the ceremony on time.”

“Alright, I’ll make you share a lantern with me then.” Jin Ling stated with a slight smirk at his uncle, then turned to his friends. “Come on, let’s go. Follow me.”

As the rest of the juniors followed Jin Ling, they looked around the clearing. Tiny stalls stood at the edges of the clearing and they contained all sorts of different things. Most of them were selling lanterns but there were also some food stalls. Lan Jingyi, Lan Sizhui and Ouyang Zizhen wondered which stall had caught Sect Leader Jiang’s attention.

They reached one of the lantern stalls and watched Jin Ling greet the stall owner by name and an easily familiarity.

“I was looking around for you and your uncle earlier, but I could not seem to find you anywhere. Some of us were wondering whether you were even going to make it here on time,” the stall owner spoke to Jin Ling conversationally.

“Ah, you know how it is. Jiujiu was running late because he was preparing for the upcoming festival,” Jin Ling responded as he checked out the lanterns around him. “Why don’t you three take a look around and tell me which lanterns you like the most? I’m not letting any of you pay!”

“Alright, Young Mistress,” Lan Jingyi muttered under his breath, making sure he was loud enough for Jin Ling to hear him. Ouyang Zizhen snorted and then turned to innocently look at one of the nearby lanterns. Lan Sizhui, who was standing right next to him, nudged him lightly, and Jin Ling simply glared at him.

Shut up,” Jin Ling said, before turning to the stall owner again. “Do you have any lanterns with designs of particular animals?”

“Yes, I do,” the stall owner replied, nodding her head, “Which animal do you wish to have on your lantern?”

Jin Ling chewed on his bottom lip and glanced at Ouyang Zizhen, Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi. He lowered his voice and said, “How about a dog?”

His friends looked at each other and smiled. Of course, Jin Ling would want a lantern with a dog as the design for it.

“Aren’t you supposed to be sharing your lantern with Sect Leader Jiang?” Ouyang Zizhen piped up all of a sudden.

Jin Ling shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, so?”

“So, shouldn’t you get a design that you both like instead of just getting the design of a dog?” Lan Jingyi added, confirming that Jin Ling’s friends were all thinking the same thing.

An amused expression flashed on Jin Ling’s face. “I was thinking of something we both liked, that’s why I asked for a dog,” he said. “Jiujiu loves them even more than I do.”

There was a stunned silence between the juniors as Jin Ling’s words sank into his friends’ brains. Sect Leader Jiang loved dogs more than Jin Ling did, and Jin Ling adored Fairy. The three juniors didn’t know anyone who loved dogs more than Jin Ling, and to imagine someone who did was difficult, let alone when that person happened to be the mighty Sandu Shengshou.

“Have you three chosen your lanterns? We have to go back to Jiujiu, or we’ll be late,” Jin Ling said, hurrying them along. They all chose their lanterns and Jin Ling paid the stall owner, thanking her before walking back to the middle of the clearing where Sect Leader Jiang was waiting for them.

“You’re right on time,” Sect Leader Jiang said. As Jin Ling’s friends looked around, they saw that everyone in the clearing had already lit their lanterns. Jin Ling’s attention, however, was on his uncle.

“What did you buy this time?” he asked. Sect Leader Jiang raised an eyebrow. “Show me, Jiujiu!”

“Fine.” Sect Leader Jiang gave in and pulled something out of his robes. It was a long purple ribbon made of silk. It had beautiful intricate designs on the sides.

“Wow,” Lan Jingyi said before he could stop himself.

“It’s beautiful,” Lan Sizhui agreed.

“Are you going to gift it to someone?” Ouyang Zizhen asked. A lady friend, maybe?

The three of them blinked, taking in the sight of Sect Leader Jiang smiling at their words. He did seem a bit surprised at Ouyang Zizhen’s question, looking over at Jin Ling as if expecting him to answer it.

“Jiujiu’s bought this ribbon for himself. He’ll need to wear it to look sharp for the festival he’s arranging. He’s got an entire collection of them, you know,” Jin Ling told his friends, and they noticed the way he proudly spoke about his uncle.

“Does this mean that you like it?” Sect Leader Jiang asked, elbowing Jin Ling.

Jin Ling nodded and took the ribbon into his own hands. “I love it, Jiujiu.”

“Well, you can keep it then,” Sect Leader Jiang said, and Jin Ling froze, his mouth dropping open.

“What? But Jiujiu—”

“You don’t have enough possessions from Yunmeng in your new room in Jinlintai. We can’t have that, can we? So, you’re keeping the ribbon.”

“Jiujiu,” Jin Ling said softly, and the rest of the juniors watched in awe as Jin Ling hugged his uncle. “Thank you.”

Sect Leader Jiang patted Jin Ling’s back awkwardly, chancing a quick glance at Jin Ling’s friends as a red flush made its way up his cheeks. “We should light up the lanterns now.”

Jin Ling pulled away; his face as red as Sect Leader Jiang’s as he nodded in agreement with him. Jin Ling lit up his lantern, as did his friends, before holding the lantern out to his uncle. They both held it in their hands as the countdown began.

“You have to make a wish before letting go of the lantern,” Jin Ling informed Lan Jingyi, Lan Sizhui and Ouyang Zizhen. “Have you decided on your wish yet?”

Jin Ling asked his uncle. His uncle frowned in response. “I’ll make a wish on your behalf then.”

“A-Ling—”

“I wish to be a great Sect Leader. One that the Jin Sect will be proud of. Jiujiu wishes to be the best uncle that he can be by visiting me at Koi Tower more often—” Jin Ling looks at Sect Leader Jiang meaningfully, “—and by inviting me to visit Lotus Pier more often.” Jin Ling fiddled with his fingers nervously and watched his uncle as he added quickly, “He also wishes to make amends with Wei Wuxian, his brother.”

“Jin Ling, you brat!” Sect Leader Jiang shouted, stepping threateningly towards Jin Ling. Jin Ling immediately let go of the lantern, and as the countdown reached zero the next second, so did Sect Leader Jiang. Their lantern flew up high, looking brighter than any star in the sky.

Ouyang Zizhen, Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui let go of their lanterns too, but instead of watching the lanterns float up into the air, they watched the Sandu Shengshou chasing down Jin Ling.

“I said come here and let me break your legs!” Sect Leader Jiang warned.

Jin Ling was laughing. “You should thank me, Jiujiu! I did you a favour. We both know you want to talk to Wei Wuxian again! Aaaah—!” Jin Ling let out a girlish cry as Sect Leader Jiang caught him.

“You brat! Who told you to interfere in my business, hmmm?” Sect Leader Jiang demanded. But the three juniors noticed that he had the slightest smile on his face.

“If you can interfere with my busines, then I can interfere with yours, too,” Jin Ling replied, thrusting his chin up at his uncle.

“That boy is really asking to be killed,” Lan Jingyi muttered, and even Lan Sizhui had to agree with him.

“He’s going to get us killed by his uncle too.” Ouyang Zizhen muttered. They were all walking towards the uncle-nephew duo.

“How dare you! When we go home, I will break both of your legs and your arms too!” Sect Leader Jiang exclaimed. That was when Jin Ling’s friends finally reached him.

“Sect Leader Jiang,” Lan Sizhui said, before their argument could escalate further. “Thank you for having us here, in your home. This ceremony is quite beautiful.” And it was. Hundreds of lanterns floating in the night sky were quite the sight.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Sect Leader Jiang said gruffly. He crossed his arms in the same way Jin Ling had earlier as he spoke, “You are all welcome to visit Lotus Pier whenever you wish. You’re Jin Ling’s friends so his home should be your home too.”

Sect Leader Jiang’s response had the three juniors looking at him in a new light. He was no longer Sect Leader Jiang or the great, mighty Sandu Shengshou. He was  just Jin Ling’s uncle now, and maybe someday, they could call him their uncle as well.

It was obvious now to all three of them why Jin Ling had called them to Lotus Pier. He had wanted them to experience and enjoy this season in Yunmeng, but it was his uncle whom he had wanted to spend time with.

Maybe spending time with Jin Ling’s uncle in Lotus Pier would not be as bad as they thought it would be.

“Hey Jiujiu,” Jin Ling said. They were all sitting in the clearing, on top of a dry cloth Jin Ling’s uncle had brought with him, and they were about to eat the warm food he had packed for them.

He was carefully unwrapping it all for them and looked up as he heard his name being called out. “I just wanted to ask you,” Jin Ling continued, “that if you broke both my arms and my legs, how would I be able go back to Koi Tower to run my sect?”

Lan Sizhui sighed. “He really is asking to be whipped by Zidian, isn’t he?”

Ouyang Zizhen and Lan Jingyi nodded their heads as Jin Ling and his uncle began arguing loudly again, their food laying forgotten on the dry cloth in front of them.

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