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viterbofangirllovestheuntamed · 2 years

Note

JC gets sick/injured/incapacitated for a week, the feral ones go (extra) wild with worry, now yungmeng jiang disciples aren't the only ones bothering baoshan sanren to get JC to immortality, no one wants to deal with yungmeng jiang without their sect leader's control, and the immortal is only used to chaos on the singular cangse sanren level, not the wwx squared x ever multiplying feral goblin level

Baoshan Sanren had gone through a lot to reach immortality. And it wasn't like her life had been completely idyllic since then. The tragedies that haunted her students upon their departure from her mountain was chief among her griefs.

But there were griefs, and there were GRIEFS, and Baoshan Sanren had recently become acquainted with the latter quite intimately. Ever since the misbegotten disciples of Yunmeng Jiang had gotten it into their collective skulls that their sect leader should be granted immortality, Baoshan Sanren had not known peace. The constant pestering. The combination of bribery and attempted blackmail. And the less said about the... incident... with the goose yao, the better.

Anyway, the point was she had come to the conclusion that the most irritating and annoying nuisances in the Jianghu would invariably be clad in purple.

But that was before she met Sect Leader Yao.

"Oh, Venerated Immortal, we beseech you to hear our plea!"

"Hear our plea, O Venerated Immortal," a chorus of voices droned in echo.

Baoshan Sanren massaged her temples, wishing that a tempest would suddenly strike up and blow everyone off of her fucking mountain. After a blissful two weeks of peace she'd thought the Jiang disciples had finally given up. But now, representatives from half of the cultivation clans had paid her a visit.

How the fuck was she even getting so many visitors, now?! Those little Jiang gremlins, she could almost understand. Their clan specialized in the impossible, and she knew that a determined Jiang was all but unstoppable, but that did not explain the massed group of chucklefucks currently at her doorstep.

And at least the Jiang got to the point. She'd been listening to this Yao asshole heaping mindless praise and petitions for an hour without actually getting to what they were there to ask for.

Pushed past the brink of what any immortal could be expected to endure, she donned her weimao and grabbed her sword, swearing to herself that she would kick a whole bunch of asses if this turned out to be a waste of her time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sect Leader Jiang was missing.

Normally, Lan Wangji would be privately celebrating the situation. Wei Ying's inexplicable fondness for his shidi notwithstanding, Jiang Wanyin was now at the very bottom of Wangji's list of tolerable people now that Su She was dead.

True, Wei Ying was worried, and that was unacceptable. His soulmate had long since joined the Jiang sect's search throughout Yunmeng and beyond. But despite the size and importance of Yunmeng Jiang, the cultivation world could not come to a halt just because one sect leader was missing. There were trade agreements to finalize, conferences to attend, and night hunts to engage in.

And ultimately, those reasons were why he was here today. At Baoshan Sanren's mountain. As Chief Cultivator. At the behest of a number of people who had persecuted Wei Ying in the past.

Because, for the last fortnight, the tasks that Jiang Wanyin would have handled personally had instead been handled by his deputies. His angry, worried, desperate deputies, who had long internalized Jiang Wanyin's simultaneous bitterness at and insistence on Yunmeng Jiang's independent isolation.

The Jiang head disciple, Hu Fai, had glowered quietly during the cultivation conference, except when responding allusions to Jiang Wanyin's absence with blistering and unrestrained commentary that would have made his sect leader both proud and horrified. Jiang disciples scoured the countryside, searching for their leader without concern for territorial borders. And reports said that Jiang Fu had made Anping Rong's chief negotiator actually cry during their trade negotiations.

Faced with the evidence of what Yunmeng Jiang was like without the stern and disciplined presence of Jiang Wanyin, the minor sects were panicking. Sect Leader Jin was too busy helping search for his Jiujiu to be bothered, and that asshole Nie Huaisang was gleefully watching the whole debacle from the sidelines like it was a mummer's parade.

Certainly, the political situation was concerning. Yunmeng Jiang under Jiang Fengmian had been expansive but laid back. Their general lack of discipline had been offset by the influence of their easygoing and indulgent sect leader. However, after the massacre of Lotus Pier and subsequent Sunshot Campaign, Jiang Wanyin had molded the remaining disciples and assorted joining rogue cultivators into a vicious and effective fighting force. The influence of the latter's introduction to the great sect could not be understated. Jiang Fengmian had had a friendly, egalitarian attitude, but because of the influence of the clan elders and his aristocratic wife, the line between high birth and low had been distinct within the sect. But Jiang Wanyin, desperate for numbers and hands after the near eradication of his bloodline, had allowed all but the most despicable of character entry into Yunmeng Jiang, and had bestowed his surname upon anyone who'd earned their desire for it. This chaotic and heterogeneous collection of disciples had bestowed a rather... feral... energy upon the sect, who sometimes only seemed united by their dedication to their bestowed sect and their fanatical devotion to their sect leader. Combined with Jiang Wanyin's rigorous martial training and the clan's motto advocating pursuit of the impossible, the whole situation was rapidly becoming explosive.

And for some reason, this had resulted in the amassed sect leaders coming to the conclusion that the current problem would be solved if Jiang Wanyin was granted immortality and not, under any circumstances, be allowed to ever resign from the position of sect leader.

To actually petition for such an offense was beyond Lan Wangji's ability to stomach. However, his presence had been demanded by the sect leaders for propriety's sake, and anyway, they needed someone of his skill level, talent, and power to find the Immortal Mountain for them.

Lan Wangji was sure that even the densest of observers could detect his pained expression.

#baoshan sanren #jiang cheng #lan wangji #jiang sect #sect leader yao #FERAL GOBLIN RANGERS #A SEA OF VIOLET WEI WUXIANS WHO THINK JIANG CHENG IS THE BEES KNEES #3AM IN A DENNY'S PARKING LOT #MOD'S STUFF #ASK THE MOD #asks #prompts #meta post

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pharahsgf · 2 years

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What do you think Jc actually told Jyl about Wwx's situation in the burial mounds? It was obviously downplayed but it seems from the meeting and the way she reacted to jzx:s death that she knew Wwx wasnt like, amassing an army. I feel like she probably thought he was just living like a peasant now—not toooo bad off and the hatred of him stemming from misunderstandings from the sunshot campaign. Just that he was minding his own business so the sects would just leave him alone. Maybe that's why she invited him to jl's celebration, she genuinely underestimated the gravity of the situation

jiang cheng was already lying to the cultivation world at large by claiming wei wuxian declared himself an enemy of sects and allowing the misconceptions abt wei wuxian's evil army to circulate w/o comment, so i can't imagine he'd keep her up to date abt wei wuxian's new life. tbh the fact that jiang "here's six bags of food for your two-day trip" yanli showed up at the burial mounds w a fancy dress and three bowls' worth of soup suggests to me that she had no idea wei wuxian was living in poverty, or lacked resources, of may have needed her help - she probably thought he was doing fine and had just separated himself from the sects, without being in active danger from retaliation on their part. it explains how passive she was despite her anxiety surrounding wei wuxian's departure, and why she thought it natural that he would get to meet her son.

like. i love jiang yanli but she's a sheltered rich lady lol i doubt she'd be correct in her presumptions abt how wei wuxian would fare with the sects against him, esp with jiang cheng intent on keeping her out of the whole mess. i'll also point out that she dropped everything (newborn included) and rushed into battle to help wei wuxian the moment his troubles became undeniable... which is probably exactly why jiang cheng kept her in the dark lmaoooo

#replies #anonymous

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liverbiver9 · 2 years

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no ok but if you think about it the changes done to the plot in The Untamed made it follow the hero’s journey/monomyth more closely than the novel ever does. like all the yin iron and lan yi stuff makes it more of Act I: Departure than in the novel (with a Call to Adventure and Supernatural Aid AND Crossing the Threshold). For Act II: Initiation, the focus on indoctrination makes the Road of Trials. Wen Qing and the golden core removal can be seen as either the Meeting With the Goddess or Woman as the Temptress. the burial mounds are obviously the Abyss, and the creation of chenqing is Apotheosis with the stygian tiger seal being the Ultimate Boon. For the final Act III: Return it gets a little sticky. wwx dying is the Refusal of the Return, and his resurrection is Magic Flight. lwj bringing him to cloud recesses is the Rescue from Without and The Crossing of the Return Threshold because he essentially forces wwx to join the mystery and therefore return to the cultivation world (the normal world). Master of the Two Worlds is second siege of the burial mounds where wwx uses both his new golden core and demonic cultivation, and Freedom to Live is him walking away with lil apple (before the homoerotic bromance montage)

#mdzs #rant #am i a nerd?#yes #im an english major this should not come as a surprise to anyone #like it makes sense why they changed the show's plot #i hate it but i get it

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rosethornewrites · 2 years

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Sunday-Wednesday NR, E, & M reading

One of these is a Slayers fic, unfinished Mature rated.

Finished

Not Rated:

What change can a question make?, Sherry_T (6 chapters)

" Wei-xiong you really love your sword and you are so strong, I can't believe it that you of all people abandon it , did something happen to your core " he asked sheepishly

Blood drained from Wei Wuxian's face while the other sect leaders

frowned ;thinking , it's Jiang Cheng who confronted him

" Wei Wuxian tell me what happened? " He almost screamed with anger , how dare his brother hide something like that from him

AKA

What happens when a scheming Nie Huaisang asked Wei Wuxian about his lack of sword infront of all sect leaders present in the meeting

with the gales of november, remembered, by shiapet

Wei Wuxian looked like he was on the verge of passing out, swaying like a fisherman whose boat had gotten caught in a summer storm and only just made it back to the dock. Lan Wangji had an arm around his waist, steading him. Jiang Cheng’s lip curled into a grimace. Wei Wuxian hadn’t changed in the 13 years he’d been away. He had never been able to refer to his brother’s disappearance as anything but that, a temporary leave of absence.

Like that refusal to accept reality would make the holes his departure had left any easier to bear.

Wei Wuxian is fully conscious when the truth about Jiang Cheng's golden core is revealed, and it changes everything.

WWX inherits the Jin sect, by nirejseki

Prompt: How about WWX in MXY's body somehow being put in charge of the Jin? He IS technically last blood son of JGS standing?

Nothing to fear…?, by G_Everything

Lan Zhan drags his husband Wei Wuxian along on an end of the year class trip with his disciples at an amusement park. Shenanigans and good times ensue.

Explicit:

a latent power I'm known to hide, by ilip13

"Stop."

Lan Wangji stops. His hands above his head are trembling. There’s a pulsing behind his eyes, an ache. He wants relief. He wants to shed off all his layers.

Lan Wangji's husband helps him relax after a long day.

As Fate Would Have It, by Seirilypsis

The fox chokes up several mouthfuls of water and blinks blearily up at Lan Zhan.

“Oh, wow--okay. If this is what I get to see everyday in heaven, I can totally be okay with this--” a cheerful voice says to him despite his condition.

-----

Lan Zhan finds an injured fox in his cold spring. And it is exactly what he bargained for.

Yeah I Know How You Like It, by phnelt

Lan Wangji leaned forward to lick the sweat off of Wei Wuxian’s neck. “I am fucking you,” he said as Wei Wuxian started to whine.

He took his hand away, blinking his way back into the jingshi. Lan Wangji was laying there as unruffled as ever.

“You really like the begging, huh?” Wei Wuxian said weakly.

Lan Wangji’s smile was so warm, his eyes so soft. He said, “Wei Ying’s voice is pleasing to me.”

---

Wei Wuxian can read Lan Wangji's mind. He's surprised by what he finds there.

Mature:

Carousel, by nirejseki

"...Sect Leader Nie put out a notice," Meng Yao said, though his voice was a little funny. "Looking for, uh, volunteers."

"Volunteers for what?"

Meng Yao muttered something mostly incomprehensible. His face was bright red.

"I'm sorry," Nie Huaisang said, blinking rapidly. "Did you say my brother put out a notice - the sort of notices that get sent around the entire cultivation world, with each sect getting one - ask for volunteers to help him in dual cultivation?"

Unfinished

Not Rated:

The Untamed: To Walk in One's Shoes, by YenGirl

It turns out that that old adage of 'To walk a mile in someone's shoes' proves to be the most effective way for three siblings to understand one another. Too bad there's a wedding involved.

The Oubliette, by Ruixx

Wei Wuxian never thought being a spouse could be a valid career path. Now married to to the mysterious, quiet Second Jade of Lan he has to learn to navigate through the notoriously strict Gusu Lan clan and make himself home. Unfortunately war looms on the horizon and his enigma of a husband doesn’t seem to have much of a plan other than screwing him senseless. He’s not complaining, really.

Explicit:

The Communication Effect, by draechaeli

If only there was more communication, or the right kind then everything would be all right. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi might be bad when it comes to talking to each other about the important things, but they are still leagues better then the older generation that use communication like swords: concealing, revealing, and striking as they please for their own gain. From apologies, to misunderstandings, to sieges, to rumours and gossip, to cold wars, to lies, to civil wars, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi navigate the world together once their brothers make sure they’re engaged before the classes at Cloud Recesses are finished.

This fic is finished at 186k in 37 chapters + 3 extras

Safely hidden in Gusu, by Aleaneah

Lan Wangji had just finished his three years of seclusion.

However, that doesn't mean he had finished his mourning and grieving.

How could it be otherwise, when his heart is dead ?

Then...

One day, a friend(?) come to him, scheming behind his fan.

And his world regain a little of its colors.

blur the gracious moon, by FullmetalChords

He’d once thought that Lan Wangji was his zhiji, someone who fully and completely understood the depths of his heart, who could love every crack and dent in it…

And look where that mistake had left Wei Wuxian. Bound, drained, and abandoned in a part of Jinlintai that has never seen the sun.

—

Wei Wuxian is taken prisoner after liberating the Wen labor camp. Brought to the Cloud Recesses to serve his penance, is it possible for him to find his way back to the light?

(“Come back to Gusu with me,” but messier.)

Contains trans!WWX and eventual mpreg.

Discarded, by teawater

Children in Cloud Recesses are succubming to a dark curse. There's one person who may be able to help.

Heart of the Beast, by WaitForTheSnitch

“Wei Ying?” Nie Mingjue prompted him gently. “Where are your parents?”

“They went on a night hunt,” Wei Ying said, a bit evasively.

“Your parents are cultivators?” Da-ge asked in surprise. “Did they leave you here while they hunted? When did they go on their night hunt?”

“Four summers ago,” Wei Ying said a bit uncomfortable.

“Four summers ago,” Nie Mingjue repeated. “What are your parents’ names?”

“My mama is Cangse Sanren and my baba is Wei Changze,” Wei Ying told him, and recognition registered in Nie Mingjue’s eyes.

“Wei Ying,” Nie Mingjue said, sounding a bit regretful, “Your parents aren’t coming back.”

Or, Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang run into Wei Ying while in Yiling and decide to bring him home. And it changes everything.

Mature:

travelers through the empty gate, by stiltonbasket

Ten years after eliminating the Jiang and Nie clans, Emperor Wen Ruohan is dethroned by a young demonic cultivator from the outlands of Yiling, who surpasses him in both talent and cruelty. Where Wen Ruohan burned his enemies, Emperor Yiling raises his from the dead, and sends them through the imperial city to hunt down every last remnant of the Wen clan that tries to evade his clutches.

The last thing Lan Wangji wants to do with the Yiling huangdi is marry him.

Unfortunately, his family's fall from grace leaves him with no other choice.

Keep Holding On, by abCEE

As they reached an inn and Wei Wuxian got them a room with three beds, the world seemed to have frozen for Jiang Yanli when her brother suddenly fainted and Jiang Wanyin was just fast enough to catch him before his body could hit the floor.

"A-Xian!"

"Wei Wuxian!"

In which after the Lotus Pier Massacre: Wei Wuxian was greatly injured by Zidian, Jiang Yanli left the inn to buy the medicines and food, and Jiang Wanyin distracted the Wens.

(With a bonus of Wei Wuxian knowing the title of the song and more things ensued inside the Xuanwu Cave that may or may have not involved Lan Wangji's forehead ribbon)

Canon diverged from there.

The Late Protector, by Mademoiselle_A

"Well, hello, Protector," Jiang Cheng spat before turning the ring on his finger into a huge, deadly whip.

The two boys near Wei Wuxian gave him a surprised look, but Wei Wuxian ignored them, unable to look away from his brother.

His Support Bond Mark, on his right inner forearm, suddenly began to burn, as if reacting to the presence of the newcomer. Wei Wuxian reflexively covered his Mark with his left hand, and Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes when he saw him do so.

The sect leader stretched out his whip with both hands, and the purple lightning coming out of the weapon dimly illuminated the cold hatred on his face:

"You should have stayed dead."

_________

Jiang Cheng is a male Omega and he has a very long list of things he is bitter about in life.

-Being a male Omega- is not on that list.

Birth Rite, by tsutsuji (2nd in a series)

In the sequel to Poison, Zelgadis sets off with Xelloss as his "guardian" on a new quest for ancient magic, and soon discovers something surprising about his own hidden powers. As their journey continues, Zel's quest for the Lost City of Skye uncovers ancient secrets and a conspiracy that could threaten the world - or at least, really mess up his relationship with Xelloss.

The Proposal, by TheWinterSoldier2002

The Proposal | A WangXian AU

Wei WuXian works as an executive assistant for his demon of a boss Lan Wangji.

Despite Gusu Editing Corporate being owned by the Twin Jades of Gusu, Wei WuXian had the unfortunate opportunity to work for the brother that was known as the Cold Jade, who was in charge of the branch located in England, while his brother handles the main branch in Beijing.

When Lan Wangji’s immigration visa gets denied (and he's too stubborn and proud to ask his family for help), Wei WuXian finds himself in elaborate and very illegal scheme.

Now he’s on a plane to his hometown.

To attend his beloved sisters wedding.

With a fake fiancé.

Break my heart myself, by Sesugi

Lan wangji would not be like his father he had thought. No. Never.

So he let Wei Ying go.

He watched with his heart clenching painfully as Wei Ying, his Wei Ying, walked away. Farther and farther away. Till he and Little Apple became all but tiny smudges of black on the rolling green landscape, before disappearing completely.

"WEI-GONGZI WAS FOUND STABBED WITH A ROPE AROUND HIS NECK HANGING FROM A TREE"

The Jingshi's colours swirled in his vision as Lan Wangji's vision went black, he thought he heard his name being called by a frantic voice. But it hardly mattered.

Nothing mattered now. Nothing at all.

When I'm Gone, by qiankun_pouch

"Protect them," he whispers hoarsely.

Wei Wuxian looks at Wen Qing next, his voice wavering as he remorses, "Qing-jie… You weren't supposed to see this."

She sobs. Please, no, Wei Wuxian. Please don't do this.

"Thank you. For everything," he continues.

There's a smile on his face, small and sad, and he speaks his final words.

"And I'm sorry."

Or, the one where Lan Wangji never goes to the Burial Mounds, and after some disturbing events, Wei Wuxian dies (TW: suicide). Everyone learns the truth and has to deal with the consequences.

(Story diverges after Wei Wuxian learns that there is trouble at the Burial Mounds.)

The fault in my core, by luckymoonly

Blood was seeping out of Wei Wuxian’s wound steadily as Wen Qing was finally about to try to extract his golden core without killing him.

Until she saw it. It wasn’t only the pain medication that was altering his core after all.

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

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wangxianficfinder · 2 years

Text

I’m in the Mood for a Fic Where…

To sweeten the weekend ahead let's have some fic suggestions! ~Mod L

~*~

1. I have a request for an “I’m in the mood for a fic” thing. Do you know any fics where lqr knew wwx before lwj? Like lqr and wwx are either best friends or lqr acts like he hates wwx's existence but actually enjoys his company and would rather die before he admits it.

Cartwheels In Cloud Recesses by ShanaStoryteller (not rated, 24k, wangxian, series in progress)

CSI: Gusu Edition series by Stratisphyre (M, 39k, wangxian, modern w/ magic) specifically the 2nd part of the series

~*~

2. Hey! How are you? **I'm great, thank you very much, having a week off from work ^^ ~Mod L** For you next “I’m in the mood for a fic” thing do you know any fics where instead of wwx feeling like lwj is too good for him it's lwj who feels like wwx can never like someone like him! Lwj doesn't have self esteem issues Ir smth he is just so in love with wwx that he believes no one is good enough to be with him not even himself.

~*~

3. Hey! Thank you for all the hard work you put into this blog! I have a request for an “I’m in the mood for a fic” thing. Do you know any fics where wwx is so overwhelmed when he finds out that lwj loves him that he runs away from him and lwj chases him?

Content Warning: Romance by Ariaste (M, 6k, wangxian, praise kink, post-canon) not quite what asked but super blushy wwx

~*~

4. Hey! I have another request for an “I’m in the mood for a fic” thing. Do you know any fics where jc doesn't like lwj cause he feels like lwj stole his brother from him? Like he resents lwj and whenever wwx visits lotus pier, he tries to subtlety delay his departure for as long as he can?

💖Teen Project to Change the World animeloverhomura (Not rated, 566k, wangxian, watching the series, fix-it of sorts, bamf!wwx, WIP) JC is angry with LWJ for taking WWX from LP and him, throughout all the story.

~*~

5. Hey! I have a couple requests for your “I’m in the mood for a fic” thing.

Do you know any fics where a) jin ling appreciates wwx's existence in his life so he tries to find excuses to go see wwx more often? b) lxc and wwx form a close bond after wangxian get together and lxc also starts becoming more protective over wwx when someone insults him.

5A)

Rotten Work by ShanaStoryteller (Not rated, 63k, wangxian, JL & WWX, post-canon)

before you stumble by ribena, unfortunately not available in AO3

5B)

Silenced by Tasharene (M, 62k, wangxian, angst w/ happy ending, non-con, whump, mind the tags!)

❤️The Beast of Gusu by Netrixie (M, 212k, wangxian, Mojo's post)

~*~

6. Thank you so much for your amazing blog! Love it! Could you share some rec for funny/humor filled wangxian fic?

只羡鸳鸯不羡仙 by RoseThorne (T, 1k, wangxian, animal transformations, fluff & cracK)

Wangxian Tax Universe series by adrian_kres & RoseThorne (T, 6k, wangxian, getting together)

The Forehead Ribbon Proposal series by Clarissa_23 (T, 16k, wangxian, marriage proposal, misunderstandings)

meddling older brother by apollojupiter (G, 3k, wangxian, meddling, petty LWJ)

In Exchange by FlautistsandPeonies (M, 8k, wangxian, major character death (WWX), The Power of Yiling Laozu Sexy)

💖Sprout by EHyde (G, JL & LJY & LSZ, crack treated seriously, plant horror)

💖Important Distinctions by nagi_blue (T, 5k, bg relationships, fluff & crack)

The Best Time Was Sixteen Years Ago, The Second Best Time Is.. Not Now But It'll Work by Sweet_William (G, 1k, JC&WWX, wangxian, family feels)

Spicy Desires by Prince_kun (E, 5k, wangxian, post-canon, food porn, foreplay)

Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji being bros series by JiangChengLotus (T, 99k, wangxian, JC&LWJ, JC/LXC, chaos)

Chief Cultivator Yao by nirejseki (Not rated, 3k, sect politics, crack)

Meng Yao vs. the Board of the Homeowner’s Association by Ariaste (M, 114k, xiyao, wangxian)

❤️save a sword, ride a socialist by sysrae (E, 33k, wangxian, and also lan wangji & jin zixuan, Mojo's post)

❤️in the arms of the angel by ScarlettStorm (E, 37k, wangxian, modern w/ magic)

Grandmaster of Demonic Party Games by Trickster_Angel (M, 50k, wangxian, modern, humor, horror, paranormal)

Grandmaster of Meme-onic Cultivation by Hades_the_Blingking (T, 63k, wangxian, chat fic, crack, memes)

The Sweetest Morsel to the Mouth That Ever Was Cooked in Hell by Silvarbelle (E, 14k, wangxian, sweet sweet revenge) which was inspired by this twitter thread by pakhnokh

and its tumblr version of it by pakhnokh

and chibi art by Akiyama204

💖Wangxian's Time-Travelling Shenanigans series by pupeez4eva (M, 18k, wangxian, love confessions, shameless PDA)

❤️live from new york series by varnes (E, 105k, wangxian, SNL au, Mojo's post)

An Accurate (Anachronic) Jianghu Christmas Carol by Mikkeneko (T, 7k, background wangxian, crack)

Grisly Ghouls From Every Tomb by JustAWanderingBabbit (ch 3 of the drabble collection, Important note: the author really, really wants somebody to do a cosplay or animated enactment of this)

The Great Chinese Cook-Off by aubreyli & cafecliche & etymologyplayground & mme_anxious (G, 20k, wangxian, WIP)

~*~

7. hi, hi!! first, ur blog is so helpful and life saver !! so I don't how to use it really, and I alr sent an ask(?/question whatever request?) before but I don't how if it alr out **Your last ask can be found here ^^ ~Mod L**, but can u find me a fic of abo? long or not it will do, abo or just mpreg !!! thank u very much, have a nice day, sorry for trouble^!! @vdjjixian

Many Lan babies series by luckymoonly (M, 388k, wangxian, so many babies one way or other)

It's only ever you, my love by Lanwangjisnights (M, 5k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, ABO, non-traditional)

The Wei Family series by Setari (T, 65k, wangxian, mpreg, canon rewrite)

~*~

8. hi! for ‘in the mood for’ can i get some fics with lwj getting his ass eaten? he deserves it

💖Reciprocate by la_dissonance (E, 19k, wangxian, established relationship, anxiety, rimming, switching, bottom lwj)

From the Bottom to the Top by Best Bepsy (BepsyGray) (E, 3k, wangxian, post-canon, rimming, bottom lwj)

Play for me. by PaperNights (E, <1k, wangxian, creampie, anal sex)

~*~

9. Hi, I'm looking for fics sorta similar to Heaven Has No Rage by flipfloppandas and the thing with feathers by RoseThorne. Where something happens to Wei Wuxian and Madam Yu learns to care for him?

An Almost Lan by shinigami2174 (M, 31k, wangxian, LQR/YZY, slow burn, angst w/ happy ending, good parent YZY&LQR, bad parent JFM, WIP)

Subplot of The Same Moon Shines series starting from And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami (M, 139k, wangxian, qingxicheng, Mojo's post)

~*~

10. For the next mood for, I'm in the mood for something similar to Stratisphyre's "they call it gumption," or if possible, anything that gives Wen Zhuliu a better fate than working for the Wens. I would appreciate any fics that you suggest. Thank you!

A Master Worth Following by madwriter223 (E, 18k, NHS/WZL, canon divergence, golden core melting)

💖Love made visible by Moominmammashandbag (M, 30k, wangxian, JYL/ZZL, hurt/comfort, major character injury, angst w/ happy ending, mind the tags)

~*~

11. So I recently read Hyperprosexia and really enjoyed it so I was wondering if there were any other good Sentinel and Guide fics out there? Maybe someone could also rec a fic that would be good for someone who's just getting into that type of thing?

The Abyss Also Gazes by Dei_Starr (DeiStarr) (M, 15k, wangxian, time travel, major character death, mind all the tags!, wip)

~*~

12. heyyya mojo & mod L!! do you know any fics where jc misunderstands and gets angry because he thinks the lan clan is trying to make wwx the perfect lan spouse etc and stands up for him? jc & wy reconciliation is preferred 💗

the only way out by cafecliche (T, 12k, wangxian, JC&WWX, JC&LWJ, post-canon)

~*~

13. Hi! Lately I've been getting more and more into tea and the Gong Fu Cha way of brewing and serving tea. Perhaps it's a bit of a stretch, but I'm really in the mood for a fic with some tea drinking/serving moments as an important part of the story. @ifyourelostjustlookforme

💖Revenge is a Side Dish Best Served With Tea by merakily (G, 7k, wangxian, petty lwj, fluff & humor)

💖As You Like It by cosmicmilktea (T, 8k, wangxian, food as a metaphor for love, tea)

~*~

14. Hi! For your next in the mood forpost, I was wondering if you knew of any fics where lwj gives wwx his forehead ribbon early on in canon, in particular, before he falls into the burial mounds? Thanks so much for all you do!!!

Bound by Ribbon and Fate series by Leahelisabeth (fortheloveofcamelot) (T, 22k, wangxian, love confessions, gusu lan forehead ribbon, canon divergence)

Magical Marriage Ribbons series by starandrea (M, 729k, wangxian, ongoing, animal transformations, weddings)

~*~

15. Hello! I was wondering if you had any recommendations for a story about Wei Wuxian disguising/acting as Mo Xuanyu (like a deep cover kind of thing)? Sort of in a similar vein to "By any other name" and "Concubine Mo Chronicles" where the main point is that no one knows he is wwx that shouldnt. (I hope this makes sense) 😊 @ruinatlantis

Shifting Suspicion by scifigeek14 (T, 3k, wangxian, making out, getting together)

A Prince Amongst Peonies by sweethoneypetal (E, 14k, wangxian, drama, slow burn, intrigue, politics, Imperial China (era not specified); traveler Wei Ying is conscripted by courtier Nie Huaisang to impersonate the deceased Third Prince Mo Xuanyu, WIP)

~*~

16. Hi! I was wondering if there were any fics out there where Lan Qiren gets drunk in the typical Lan way? Hopefully hilarity ensues but if he's just even MORE grumpy that's okay too. Thanks! @goodwife-two-shoes

a constant satellite of your blazing sun (i obey your law of gravity) by Ariaste (M, 26k, wangxian, LXC/JGY, slice of life, marijuana, 8th in series)

Spilled Pearls by nirejseki (T, 88k, LQR/WRH, sect leader nie / WRH, slow burn, angst w/ happy ending)

~*~

17. Hello hello, A very late ♡ Happy Valentines ♡ !! Hope all of you had a wonderful February. I wanted to ask a) Independent Wwx where he doesn't go to Gusu with Lwj ever and instead has his own thing to do. b) A fic where Lwj's pride is shattered ig, because he always acts like he's so noble.

17A)

💖returning to the old homestead by cosmicfuss (M, 30k, wangxian, WWX/others, canon divergence, post-canon, self-discovery)

Beyond the Blue Sky by Lyna_Mei (E, 39k, wangxian, WWX/others, post-canon, angst, self-esteem issues, WIP)

💖blossoms at the roadside by bleuett (T, 13k, wangxian, different first meetings, getting together, gardens & gardening)

focal, filler, and line by bosbie (T, 26k, wangxian, canon divergence, flower shop, falling in love, slice of life)

17B)

Like Bunnies by MissCellophane (E, 4k, wangxian, modern, topping from the bottom, LWJ gets stuck in a bunny hutch)

All that is solid melts into air by huxiyi (T, 18k, wangxian, breaking up & making up, angst w/ happy ending, commoner uprising brings down the Great Sects, art by @yin_yoru in ch4)

~*~

18. Hello (≧∀≦)ゞ I was wondering if there were a) any single parent Wwx with multiple kids fic like he's a full time parent thing , and also b) Fics where ppl are envious of Wwx's power, beauty, wit, etc. I want a fic where ppl are just jealous of how fabulous wwx is.Thank you !! @junkiehoe

18A)

Seen and not heard by eatmyass (E, 51k, wangxian, no war au, strangers to lovers)

18B)

💖Teen Project to Change the World animeloverhomura (Not rated, 566k, wangxian, watching the series, fix-it of sorts, bamf!wwx, WIP)

~*~

19. Hello! I just read Wearing Down Every Bone from another request you posted, and it's got me in the mood for more Groundhog Day-style fics. Could you please ask your many minions to suggest all the time-loop fics they can find? Thank you! @ladysalieri

💖the cycle of regret by KouriArashi (T, 14k, wangxian, time loop, fix-it, angst w/ happy ending)

see you yesterday by glyphic (M, 138k, wangxian, WIP)

💖Let’s try this again by ilip13 (G, 22k, wangxian, post-canon, getting together)

~*~

20. Hi! Thank you so much for all the work you put into this blog! For the next 'I'm in the Mood for a Fic...' do you know of any fic where the drink that WWX drinks on behalf of LWJ is spiked with something?

💖After Truth Lies the Honest Path by Vrishchika (M, 10k, wangxian, canon divergence, truth serum, WIP)

At the bottom of the bottle, you're the poison in the wine by KatAnni (T, 11k, wangxian, fix-it of sorts, angst, poisoning)

💖every breath that comes before by tardigradeschool (T, 10k, wangxian, poison, golden core reveal, angst w/ happy ending)

Blackouts by GravityWinsAgain (M, 11k, wangxian, Mojo's post)

~*~

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

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

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ouyangzizhensdad · 4 years

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On the importance of MianMian: musings on the differences between the novel and CQL (PART 2/2)

If you haven’t already, please read through part one first, otherwise this will probably not be very cohesive or comprehensible. There is also some bonus meta because I keep having thoughts about MianMian.

In part one, I contrasted MianMian’s first appearance in the novel and the web series in order to show how MianMian’s characterisation and position within her society were established quite differently in both works. In this post, I will explore the domino effect of those adaptation choices, as well as consider how the two subsequent appearances of MianMian in the novel got translated into a visual format in CQL. Through this exercise, my goal is not only to illuminate the depth and significance of this minor character in the novel, but also to argue that the way her scenes were adapted in CQL ultimately reduced the impact of the character and excised many of the nuances put into her portrayal despite increasing her presence in the work.

(although kudos to CQL for casting Ann Wang because I do not get tired of looking at her face: look at that smile 😳)

The Servant’s Daughter Valued Jin Cultivator Standing up to a Room of Powerful Cultivators

In the novel, we meet MianMian for a second time after the Sunshot campaign has ended. Cultivators from the main sects and allied sects (including some who used to be loyal to the Wens!) are discussing at Jinlintai Wei Wuxian’s actions after he protected the Wens and set up residence on Mass Grave Hill. By that time, it appears her position in her sect, and even her sect’s position, has grown. We can speculate as to why (my personal take is that MianMian proved herself during the war and that her sect is one of the sect who pledged loyalty to the Jin and gained influence as a result). What is important is that she goes from someone who is so inconsequential she might have not even have been a disciple yet when we met her to someone who stands next to a sect leader (who we can safely assume in this context to be her sect leader). A lot is hinted about her character and what she experienced since we last saw her through that small and innocuous detail.

Suddenly, a careful voice interjected, “It’s not killing indiscriminately, is it?”

Lan Wangji seemed to have entered a realm of zen that blocked all of his senses. Hearing this, however, he moved, looking over. The one who spoke was a young woman with a fair face, standing beside one of the sect leaders.

I will not repeat here the entirety of her speech, which highlights the hypocrisy and the bad faith of the sects, and particularly the Jin sect’s unwillingness to shoulder any blame for their deplorable treatment of the Wens. Instead, I find important to highlight how the other cultivators present react to MianMian based on her positionality.

First, MianMian’s opinions are undercut by the people present due to the fact that she is a woman. Her motivations for speaking out are reduced to the irrational ramblings of a maiden in love.

“You can stop arguing,” someone sneered suddenly. “We don’t want to hear the comments of someone who has other motives.”

The woman’s face flushed.

“Explain things,” she said, raising her voice. “What do you mean, that I have other motives?”

“There’s no need for me to say anything. You know deep down and we know too. You fell for him back in the cave of the Xuanwu just because he flirted with you? You’re still arguing for him, calling white black no matter how irrational it is. Ha, women will always be women.”

The incident of Wei Wuxian saving a damsel in distress in the cave of the Xuanwu was indeed once a topic of conversation. Thus, many people realized immediately that this young woman was ‘MianMian’.

At once, somebody murmured, “So that’s why. Explains how she’s so desperate as to speak up for Wei Wuxian…”

“Irrational?” she fumed. “Calling white black? I’m just being considerate as it stands. What does it have to do with the fact that I’m a woman? You can’t be rational with me so you’re attacking me with other things?”

Then, when members of her own sect disparage her for speaking up, they suggest that her place in the discussion, in this palace of gilded power and privilege, is ultimately illegitimate or at the very least incredibly easy to render illegitimate.

“Stop wasting your time on her. That this kind of person actually belongs to our sect, that she was even able to find her way into the Golden Pavilion; I feel ashamed standing alongside her.

Many of those who spoke against her were from the same sect.

In this situation, not even her fellow sect members are willing to come to her defense or to give her the benefit of the doubt; she is to be shamed and separated from them, lest her actions reflect badly on their own standing.

MianMian’s choice to leave her sect behind is meaningful because she is not privileged. She does not have anyone powerful in her corner to back her up. She does not have many options; people act like she should be glad to even have made it this far, and we can infer that she only achieved her current position due to her skills and hard work. It is also meaningful because she is making that choice while knowing that she’s giving up on the privileges of the social position that she has worked to achieve. The fact that she is giving up on something big is highlighted by the reactions of many cultivators after her departure, who think she will come crawling back to find once more the security and privilege of the position she left behind.

Saying nothing, MianMian turned around and left. A while later, someone laughed. “If you’re taking it off, then don’t put it on again, if you’re so capable!”

“Who does she think she is… leaving as she pleases? Who cares? What is she trying to prove?”

Soon, some began to agree, “Women will always be women. They quit just after you say a few harsh words. She’ll definitely come back on her own, a couple of days later.”

“There’s no doubt. After all, she finally managed to turn from the daughter of a servant to a disciple, haha…”

Beyond what it means for her characterisation and the themes explored in the novel, this moment is significant because there are clear parallels between how she is treated in that moment and how WWX is talked about for protecting the Wen remnants and, later, for ‘deserting’ the Jiang sect. In fact, just before MianMian speaks out, sect leaders call WWX a “servant” and the “son of a servant” when underlying the ‘nerve’ of his ‘arrogance’ toward the sects with his actions.

One of the sect leaders added, “To be honest, I’ve wanted to say this since a long time ago. Although Wei Wuxian did a few things during the Sunshot Campaign, there are many guest cultivators who did more than him. I’ve never seen anyone as full of themselves as him. Excuse my bluntness, but he’s the son of a servant. How could the son of a servant be so arrogant?”

These passages are also reminiscent of the way WWX is discussed by cultivators celebrating his death in the prologue:

“That’s right, good riddance! If the YunmengJiang sect had not adopted him, educated him—this Wei Ying would have been a mediocre scoundrel all his life, nothing but riffraff…… what else could he be! The former head of the Jiang clan treated him as his own son, but what a son! [...]”

“I can’t believe Jiang Cheng really let this arrogant manservant live for so long. If it were me, when this Wei first defected, I wouldn’t have just stabbed him; I’d have cleaned house straight away. Then he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to commit all those deranged acts later. When it comes to these sorts of people, how can you even take sentiments like ‘same clan’, ‘same sect’, or ‘childhood loyalty’ into consideration?”

Due to the circumstances of their birth, even people who manage to achieve a higher position in society hold a tenuous grasp on the power and respect they have gained: their legitimacy is fraught. And even if they play the game right, the lines of legitimate belonging are always ready to be renegotiated by those in power. Despite the “few things” he did during the Sunshot Campaign that aligned with the interest of the sects, and despite being raised among the gentry in the Jiang sect and being perceived as a gongzi, WWX remains in the imaginary of the cultivators who see themselves as the legitimate holders of power as someone who needs to “remember his place”, someone who should be grateful and loyal as he has been “allowed” to raise in influence and be treated well in society despite being the son of a servant. And so when he stands against the interests of the sects, he’s not just betraying them: he betraying the social order which gives them legitimacy. This is directly tied to MianMian’s treatment in this scene. In the novel, MianMian is not only shamed and dismissed because she speaks out against the sects: it is also, if not primarily, because she did not, in the process, “remember her place”.

The scene as it is presented in the novel thus goes out of its way to set up a clear parallel between WWX and MianMian, not only in regards to their righteousness, but also in regards to how they are perceived and treated for being the children of servants. It also takes pain to underline the unfair treatment of women in that society. Moreover, if we’re only considering MianMian’s characterisation, it says a lot to see her have reached this level of importance in her sect despite her circumstances and then for her to let it all go.

In CQL? You’ve probably guessed it; all of these nuances are evacuated from the text. On top of the fact that MianMian continues to be established as a valued member of the Jin sect, the scene is cut short and a lot of the censure sent her way is excised. There are no mentions of her ‘having made her way’ into the room of powerful people who are allowed have an opinion on the state of the world. No mentions of her low social background and no mocking that she will crawl back to her sect after realising she can’t make it into the world without their influence and support. No dismissal of her based on the fact that she is a woman, or suggestions that she is standing up for the YLLZ only because she is enamoured with him. The scene is turned into a pale shadow of its original.

Instead of these elements, we do get a gasp from JZX (which becomes a dangling plot thread because he does not stand up for her nor does he reach out for her even though she’s supposed to be his good friend, nor do we see him being conflicted about being unable to beyond his gasp) and MianMian telling JGS that she is leaving his sect, which I’ll admit is pretty baller. But it does not even come close to having the significance and thematic implications of the scene as presented in the novel. CQL!MianMian stands up against the organized smear campaign against WWX and the sects’ unwillingness to accept their faults, and is only disregarded for having spoken against them: not because of who she was while she was raising doubts about their evaluation of the right and wrong. And that is significant, because it undercuts the discussions the novel explores through so many other characters about the impacts of being considered inferior by others.

The Travelling Rogue Cultivator who Stayed Home

Finally, in the novel, we meet MianMian once more when her daughter, Xiao MianMian, stumbles upon something she should not have seen while accompanying her parents on a night-hunt. The reason their paths cross is that, just like Wangxian, MianMian feels compelled to pursue night-hunts other cultivators disregard for their lack of glory in order to help the common people. This is her life mission as a travelling rogue cultivator: differently put, she goes where the chaos is. This set-up serves to highlight that MianMian and Wangxian are like-minded and share the same definition of what it means to be ‘Righteous’.

He asked, “Did you come here to night-hunt as well?”

Luo Qingyang nodded, “Yes. I heard spirits are haunting a nameless graveyard on this mountain, disturbing the lives of the people here, so I came to see if there’s any way I could help. Have you two cleaned it up already?”

The night-hunt also serves to reintroduce the theme of deception and rumours, and the ways in which MianMian is a character who is not swayed by public opinions but knows how easily others may be.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji exchanged a glance. “This was a lie too. No lives were lost. We looked it up. Only a few villagers who robbed the graves were bedridden for a while after being scared by the ghosts, and another broke his own leg when running away. Apart from these, there were no casualties. All those lives were made up for dramatic purposes.”

“So this was what happened?” interjected Luo Qingyang’s husband. “That’s absolutely shameless!”

“Oh, these people…” sighed Luo Qingyang. She seemed as if she remembered something, shaking her head, “They’re the same everywhere.”

This is because in the novel MianMian is tied to many themes, and always in a positive manner. Like WWX, she represents the good that is stifled by an unjust social order. She also represents the people who choose to defy and deviate from this social order to pursue a righteous life rather than trying to find vindication and power within that very social order (ie JGY or XY). Like the juniors, MianMian is a character that represents hope for the cultivation world, the potential for small but significant change. Like WWX and LWJ, she represents integrity in the face of the corrupting influences of power and politics, as well as the desire to protect the common people. Like Cangse Sanren, she represents the courage to make her own path in the world, and to marry for love with no considerations for social status or conventions, and the decision to becoming a travelling rogue cultivator.

On top of all these great things this scene accomplish, it is also just incredibly cute. After their talk, their parting is described like such: “Soon, the group had gone down the mountain, and Wei Wuxian could only say goodbye to them with some regret, continuing on another path alongside Lan Wangji.” Honestly, my ‘WWX and LWJ become Xiao MianMian’s shushus’ agenda is alive and well and I will not accept anything else.

In CQL, however, the reunion happens by pure coincidence. The scene is in actuality a mash-up between the reunion we have in the novel and another scene that takes place earlier, in which fugitives WWX and LWJ enter the home of strangers as they are looking for some water (and end up frolicking in hay).

Simply by changing the circumstances and the setting of the reunion, something is lost of the thematic connection between WWX/Wangxian and MianMian, even though viewers still get told that MianMian is someone who night-hunts. Without entering into the specific debate of whether show don’t tell is the only acceptable storytelling strategy, I think it’s fair to say that it is more effective to run into MianMian as she is night hunting based on the same rumours of hauntings as Wangxian instead of seeing her get home, pull a sword willy-nilly after hearing something suspicious in her backyard and finally getting told that she was out night hunting.

Moreover, having to recreate most of the beats of MianMian’s last appearance into this new context seems to have been quite confusing to the CQL production team, and seems to have breed, as a result, a lack of internal coherence to the scene (cut between the end of ep 43 and the beginning of ep 44), regardless of any of its other pitfalls as an adaptation.

In the CQL version, when we meet the family on their way back to their home, Xiao MianMian had been running around and her father chastises her by telling her something along the lines of “Don’t run around, what if you had gotten caught by the YLLZ?”, thereby suggesting that MianMian’s husband believes what is said about WWX. To this, Xiao MianMian replies But Mom Says he’s a Good Guy Though. Obviously, the intent of the writers was to show that MianMian had never bought into the rumours about WWX. However, this exchange makes seemingly no sense if one thinks about it for longer than a second. It suggests that MianMian had never talked about this topic with her husband or that he had never heard her talk about the YLLZ with their daughter. Considering how dangerous the YLLZ is said to be, and that they were night-hunting while he was a fugitive, I don’t see how that would have not come up even if for some unlikely reason she had until then only talked about the YLLZ with her daughter. Of course, one could suggest that MianMian’s husband says this to tease their daughter, fully aware that the YLLZ’s reputation of swallowing children is a tall tale, but the tone is not quite right? And it does not jive with the fact that MianMian is not on board with defaming people: I don’t think she’d be okay with her husband knowingly using the myth of the YLLZ to scare their kid into obedience because it’s convenient to do so? A miss.

To make matters worse, when WWX later asks MianMian is she’s back from night-hunting, Xiao MianMian says that they are back from searching for the YLLZ. First, there is a clear lack of coherence with the previous exchange between Xiao MianMian and her father. And again, it’s hard to get to the meaning of that exchange: is it implying that MianMian was looking for WWX to offer him her help? She certainly doesn’t once she does meet him, so that appears unlikely or at least it’s a plothole/dangling plot thread. But why be looking for him, if she knows he’s not the monster the rumours make him out to be? Clearly, the writers wanted to tell the viewers that MianMian is a rogue cultivator, and figured that having her back from a night-hunt would be enough: but why this line by Xiao MianMian about searching for the YLLZ? Is it just the fancy of a kid, who makes up her own stories while her parents pursue other cases (especially since MianMian says she was looking for puppets)? But then Xiao MianMian does say that ‘we’ were searching for him...

I can’t figure it out. I find it even weirder that, when WWX asks Xiao MianMian whether she is scared of the scary YLLZ (although she’s literally just said moments before that she was not scared of him in her exchange with her father that WWX certainly heard), Xiao MianMian starts replying that she is not scared and MianMian cuts her, apologizing to WWX that he daughter is too young and naive. What is she apologizing for? How is her daughter naive for not being scared of the YLLZ? Or is she apologizing for her daughter suggesting they were searching for the YLLZ? If so, why cut her now and not when she suggested that they were searching for him?

What’s happening in this scene?!

Also, even an attempt to keep lines as close to what they were in the novel ends up backfiring with the new context. In the novel, out night-hunting, MianMian asks “ 什么人” when she sees WWX come out from the direction of a graveyard (she has not seen LWJ yet). Knowing that she might suspect him of being a corpse or a spirit considering that it is night and that he is leaving a graveyard said to be haunted, WWX responds “不管是什么人，总归是人，不是别的东西 “ (No matter who I am, I’m a person after all, and not something else). In CQL, when MianMian hears a sound in her backyard, she asks “ 什么人” and, after LWJ comes out and is recognized by MianMian, WWX still responds (??) with a similar yet slightly different sentence: “ 不管是谁，反正是个人，不是东西 “ (No matter who I am, anyway I am a person, not a thing). This exchange in the context of the scene in CQL baffles me because: why would there be then an expectation that they would not be a person in this situation? Why would he say that after MianMian has seen and recognized LWJ, thus knowing full well that it is a person and not a spirit or a corpse? As well, why change “ 别的东西 “ (something else/different thing) for “ 东西 “ (thing) since MianMian’s question does not imply by itself that she thinks they are not people since she asks "什么人” (literally: what person?), making WWX’s statement that he is “not a thing” completely come out of nowhere? And it’s so much more perplexing than his original statement that he is not “something else” from a human.

I’m spending time on these two lines because I find them to be a sort of microcosm of some of the questionable adaptation choices made in CQL: at times the web series chooses to keep things from the novel even after changing the context in which these elements unfold without understanding how these no longer work within their new context. Yet, at the same time, it feels comfortable making what appear on the surface to be minute changes without thinking through the implications of them, and thus changing the point of these elements through these minute modifications.

Aside from these elements which prevent this moment in CQL to give us a scene that is internally coherent, let’s further interrogate some of the adaptational changes made between the novel and the web series, and their impact on the themes and characterisation.

One change that conflicts with the characterisation and the thematic discussion regards WWX inquiring about MianMian’s husband. Unlike in the novel, where WWX engages him in a little bit of chitchat and then feels forced by conventions to ask to which sect he belongs, CQL makes it seem as if it is an information WWX wants to ask because it’s literally the first thing he says to him, not even after a salutation or a “well met” (I will be magnanimous and believe that that choice to do so was for the sake of brevity and not because the preceding dialogue had not been written in the novel and the CQL writers couldn’t be bothered to come up with something). This, however, makes it look like WWX puts a lot of importance in knowing someone’s allegiance to a sect, which is the exact opposite of how he feels about it.

She pulled the man up, “This is my husband.”

Noticing that they held no malicious intent, the man softened visibly. After some chatter, Wei Wuxian asked out of convenience, “Which sect do you belong to and which kind of cultivation do you practice?”

The man answered frankly, “None of them.”

Luo Qingyang gazed at her husband, smiling, “My husband isn’t of the cultivating world. He used to be a merchant. But, he’s willing to go night-hunting with me…”

It was both rare and admirable that an ordinary person, and a man at that, would be willing to give up his originally stable life and dare travel the world with his wife, unafraid of danger and wander. Wei Wuxian could not help feeling respect for him.

Of course, without WWX’s thought process provided to us in the narration, the implications of MianMian’s husband being originally a merchant are a little bit lost in CQL, even if CQL!MianMian provides that piece of information. Of course, CQL could have chosen to include WWX’s musings, since it does include in this very scene some voice-over thoughts earlier. It is a shame though, that it does not, since MianMian and her husband are clear parallels for WWX’s parents in that regard: his father also left a stable life to travel the world with his wife.

Although, to be fair, CQL!MianMian is no longer a rogue cultivator who travels the world, so it is not like her husband made the decision to travel the world with her. Indeed, by frankensteining the two scenes from the novel, MianMian is by default no longer a rogue cultivator who travels the world: she is a rogue cultivator, sure, in that she does not belong to a sect, but she is a rogue cultivator with a home she clearly needs to inhabit during the day, what with the fact that they raise animals (we see little chicks in the background and there are piles of hay), and who night-hunts close enough to her home to be able to come back home in the morning. Moreover, without the context of meeting MianMian at the same glory-less night-hunt as Wangxian, it is harder to express the idea that MianMian is someone who chooses, like them, to do so for the common good and not for any prestige or rewards. MianMian is no longer another cultivator who goes ‘where the chaos is’ and, in terms of positive female representation, it is truly a shame. After all, the novel frames this as a positive and admirable trait which we see in our two main (male) protagonists: to have a woman follow, independently, the same path as them is meaningful.

Finally, instead of the scene closing with a regretful parting that hints at the sense of kinship between MianMian’s family and Wangxian, we get a truly (imo) patronizing ending. In CQL, their conversation is disrupted by threatening sounds. LWJ then instructs MianMian to stay in her home and protect Xiao MianMian while LWJ and WWX take care of things. So feminism..... such empowerment... To be honest, if CQL meant to change things and put MianMian in scenes where she wasn’t originally, why not have her go with Wangxian? Why not have her be there for the Mass Grave Hill Siege? Why not have her leave her daughter with her husband and let her be a badass? Instead, they conveniently check her out of the action after putting her directly in the middle of it. Instead of having MianMian be away from the sects and doing her own rogue cultivator thing as the events of the novels unfolded in WWX’s second life, explaining her absence, CQL reintroduces her just before an important moment but chooses to send her away once more, to stay home and protect her daughter, probably because they did not want to take the time and energy to figure out how and where she would fit into these scenes in which she had not be written in the novel. This is the kind of adaptational choice that makes me question why people consider CQL a more progressive work of fiction with regards to its treatment of female characters.

Final Musings: sometimes, less is more

Does an increase to the number of appearances of a character shape their impact on the audience? Or, conversely, does it dilute their meaning within and their impact on the text? There is not a simple answer to that question. Certainly, repetition is in itself a literary device, and many readers need salient and blunt reminders to get a message across, the likes of: the important characters are the ones you see the most often. Likewise, having a character feature more often in a work can provide the necessary breathing space to explore more and in more depth their psychology, motivations, past, actions, etc. However, the simple act of increasing the presence of a character does not inherently increase their impact on a work of fiction nor does it increase the nuances and depths of that character.

It is possible to adhere to a cynical or optimistic perspective regarding CQL’s decision to feature MDZS’ female characters more prominently. It is not hard to divine why the decision could have been made solely for the financial incentive of “pandering” to a female audience who dares to want to see themselves on screen. Conversely, one can imagine a production team animated by good intentions, who simply want to give more limelight to these female characters. Whether purely motivated by a profit-based logic or solely well-intentioned, or at a vector of both motives, it is clear that the CQL production did not increase the screen presence of MDZS’s female characters out of a desire to tell a stronger, more effective version of the original story they were working with. And that is why the urge to quantify good representation will always end up failing us in my opinion.

While it can be productive to consider trends, it does not give us a better media landscape or better individual works of fiction; it does not necessarily give us more impactful or better written female characters. This type of analysis urges us to see female characters as female first, without truly attempting to understand their purpose and treatment within the story. While MDZS has fewer female characters, these characters showcase different personalities and occupy different positions within the social world of the novel; they have arcs and thematic resonance and they cannot be simply replaced by a “sexy lamp” without disrupting the plot completely. They are also often given a surprising amount of depth, if readers are willing to pay attention to all that is found in the text and in the subtext.

For such a long novel, MDZS is able to remonstrate a certain amount of restraint wrt its storytelling. The timespan it wants to cover is expansive, its cast of characters not insignificant, and the story it aims to tell is ambitious. It is easy to imagine a meandering version of MDZS where many more characters are present, including many more female characters, or where the existing female characters get an extended presence within the narrative. But would those female characters have been more impactful? Would the story told have been a better one? The way the CQL production team chose to adapt MianMian hints that this is not a done conclusion.

(+ bonus MianMian meta)

#mdzs meta #mdzs #mianmian #luo qingyang #cql vs mdzs #mo dao zu shi #modaozushi #IT'S FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!#this is my manifesto

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crossdressingdeath · 3 years

Note

I’ve realised that WN and WWX’s relationship can be compared and contrasted to WWX’s relationship to JC, and the outcomes are obviously vastly different. But outwardly, there are some similarities in the general foundations of those relationships, but WN and WWX’s is obviously the healthy one that you’d hope to have. When you look at them - from an outsiders perspective, WWX and WN seem to have that master/subordinate relationship that JC and WWX have. Obviously that’s not really the case 1/5

and WWX doesn’t treat him that way, although while WN clearly cares for WWX a lot and they have a strong friendship, I think his general personality type does make him kind of come off that way and seem submissive. Despite this, WWX never takes advantage of this. He never treats WN like some thing or a pet like the rest of the cultivation world seem to view WN - and, in contrast, the way the Jiangs and JC (with the exception of JYL) seemed to see WWX as lesser. But the big stand out for 2/5

was WN’s departure at the end of the novel. We see WN constantly around WWX for a large portion of the future scenes in the novel. He doesn’t really have a purpose for himself, he’s just kind of going along with whatever WWX does. Then, once everything has been sorted out, WN decides that it’s time for him to leave and pursue his own path. This can be compared to WWX leaving the Jiang sect, despite other people maybe expecting that he had an obligation to stay. And look at how differently 3/5

they handled this. While JC raged, blamed WWX for YEARS, acted in a sense of entitlement that his ‘subordinate’ shouldn’t have left him, WWX was fully accepting of WN’s decision. More than that - “it was what he hoped this whole time. Each to their own path”. WWX understands WN’s decision. He doesn’t want him to just hang around forever as his ghost general, he wants WN to be able to live for himself. And WWX is sad about this, we know this because the novel tells us that, but he 4/5

at no point tries to dissuade WN from leaving, or make him think it’s the wrong decision. And despite WN leaving, we as readers know that he and WWX will see each other again in the future. It’s so vastly different to WWX’s relationship with JC, where JC just needs to possess him and keep him around, and it’s the reason why WN and WWX will always be more family to each other. 5/5

Yeah! WN prefers to stand back and follow WWX’s orders a lot of the time because he doesn’t like being in command, but WWX would never take advantage of that or expect WN to follow an order he was opposed to, because... y’know, they’re equals. Even though WWX has more reason to believe that he has the right to boss WN around if you think about it (WN owes his life and sanity to WWX, plus he couldn’t actually stop him given the whole undead thing) than JC does! But WWX genuinely cares about WN, so he does his best to keep him from being put in unpleasant situations and is delighted to see him finding his own path. Basically, to JC WWX is a tool to be used and discarded; to WWX WN is a dear friend and brother whose aid is invaluable but not to be put above WN’s own comfort if it can be avoided.

#mdzs #cql #wen ning #wei wuxian #grapehate #anon #asks

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satan-chillin · 3 years

Text

Hereafter (1/7)

Wei Wuxian is sent off of Cloud Recesses, bade by his fathers to "have fun and make friends" which, now that he thinks about it, sounds like a gross oversimplification of what the next six months away from home will entail.

If he happens to form unlikely connections, start a matchmaking, and gets unwittingly involved in the presently strained political state of the cultivation world, those are just par for the course.

Chasing after one of the famed Twin Jades of Lan, however, is an added bonus.

(Or, WWX was sent to Gusu by his fathers Wen Kexing & Zhou Zishu)

Part 2 of Spirited Away Series. Part 1 here.

Also available in Ao3

❆❆❆

Emperor's Smile was a good wine as advertised, and Wei Wuxian lamented that he was pouring it to accompany his sullen mood.

The departure of his shixiong brought an inexplicable feeling of gloom. He had never been this far from home—oh, there had been trips to Mirror Lake Sect and Longyuan Valley once or twice a year but always with the company of either the senior or junior disciples or sometimes his fathers—and never alone like this, in almost what seemed to be the other end of the map and a place where it might as well be a different world.

He thought of the half-finished letters he would be sending back with his shixiong. The long-overdue one was for his shijie Xiaolian who in their last correspondence told him that she was expecting; it was only natural that he would suggest she took a character from his birth name. The shortest missive was for the juniors left at the Four Seasons Manor who had him promise that he would tell them of the cultivation world; their minder, Shu Feng, would read his letter to the juniors—who were yet to learn how to read on their own—as if their usual bedtime stories.

The longest letters were for a-die and baba, separated only because he doubted he could fit in his sentiments for them in a single letter. He kept their reminders at heart despite his initial complaints of their nagging; from his baba, most of all, who had hardly let him out of his sight and had prepared his favorite meals during supper in the last few weeks leading to his departure. Even his a-die had doubled his training regimen a month prior, a lot stricter and meticulous in gauging his progress, though Wei Wuxian had suspected that it had been his way to ascertain his readiness—and to spend more time with him.

Simply put, he missed his home and family already, right off his first evening in the Cloud Recesses. And to think that he had long been waiting for this moment to come, brimming with excitement for years at the prospect of delving into a world that seemingly came from a myth. He had been a child filled with wonder when told that he was originally a part of it too, that once he was of the right age he would return where his birth parents had lived.

And so far, he was... reserving his judgment in that front, so to speak.

Wei Wuxian let out a sigh. He was aware of being uncharacteristically despondent under such a pleasant evening of bright moon and a delectable wine at hand. The right company wouldn’t be so bad, and if his shixiong was amenable they might as well spend the night before his leave.

“Trespassing is forbidden in Cloud Recesses.”

It was the colors Wei Wuxian first registered: the shade of white that was almost reminiscent of his baba’s snowy hair; the soft hue of blue that was barely distinct in the dark but not so much under the moonlight, the color of his favorite robes as a boy because it was the first that he had worn at home; the long dark hair billowing in the breeze in sharp contrast with the white ribbon; the golden eyes that hinted a brewing righteous anger the longer Wei Wuxian stared without any response.

He blinked slowly, almost afraid of the night carrying away the illusion, and threw caution in the wind as the words tumbled out of his mouth.

“Not even to catch a glimpse of you?”

Not a mirage, he decided, not with the deepening frown he got in response. Wei Wuxian smiled invitingly, raising a toast to the direction of the Lan Disciple.

“Alcohol is prohibited.”

He savored the lingering tang, not moving from his spot at the roof as the disciple approached in warning. Wei Wuxian took out an empty cup and poured one for this chosen company. He received a reproachful stare for his trouble, and he gambled with a pout that he knew only his fathers could resist. “Not even to share it with me?” He was, quite expectedly, met with silence that had him shaking his head ruefully. “I toast to the moon on high. That’s two of us; my shadow makes it three.”

Wei Wuxian was of the belief that it must be the first time that someone had an objection to the emphasis of their ethereal grandeur, though it could be because he fell short on words to properly describe this young master’s beauty. Not that he was given the chance to convey his intentions.

He sidestepped from the obvious assault to his precious alcohol, deftly keeping it away from the flash of silver. Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue reprovingly. “Young master, if the selection is not to your liking, this one will get another and share it with you.” Unable to resist, he asked, "Will you await my swift return?"

“Leave and do not come back,” came the clipped reply that betrayed none of his growing irritation.

“Aiya, there appears to be a misunderstanding.” Wei Wuxian showed the jade token and mustered a bow as formal as his occupied hands allowed. “This one is called Wei Ying, courtesy name Wei Wuxian, who came to Cloud Recesses to study under the Lan Sect’s prodigious tutelage.”

Prodigious was in the vein of how his parents had described the Lan Sect in general. His fathers had been the one to personally explain his situation to the Lan Masters, after all, something which Wei Wuxian had sulked and grumbled over during last year’s spring when he had not been allowed to come with them. A respectable sect rooted in tradition, a-die had said; ascetic and a stickler for discipline, had come from baba, if that isn’t obvious yet with their 3,000 rules.

A bunch of hard-asses, they meant to say. It was as if they had known Wei Wuxian would have gripes with the somewhat stifling ways of the Lan Sect and had softened the blow and at the same time had given him a warning. It helped, he supposed, and while he was usually called tactless, let it not be said that he did not have his moments. He wasn’t a child and student of Wen Kexing for nothing.

At the display of abrupt politeness, the Lan Disciple seemed to ease a little, keeping a respectful distance and returning the gesture with an acknowledging nod—still miffed, however—before stating, “Venturing out at night and bribing an officer are prohibited.”

Wei Wuxian sighed. Calling this disciple a hard-ass would sound unseemly, especially when he deemed his comeliness warranted poetics. He took it back; it was all an illusion, and this display of ridiculous uptightness was the disappointing reality.

“This one asks to be forgiven for not knowing the rules. He is but an outsider who is unlearned of the ways of the Lan.” Wei Wuxian inclined his head, cognizant of how it highlighted his profile and the imploring gaze under thick lashes. “Perhaps if the young master is willing to teach this one...”

Later, he would vehemently claim that he meant no offense (truly!) with his words, but he couldn’t determine whether something slipped in his tone or it was a complete misinterpretation on the Lan Disciple’s end that earned him, and his jar, another strike which was honestly uncalled for.

Wei Wuxian dodged a well-aimed swipe at the wine as if it personally offended the Lan Disciple (it probably did) and kept to his own left side once he figured out the disciple’s dominant hand. He was light on his feet, his footwork firm and steady on top of uneven ground, and it was a mark of a good foundation that he supposed he should have expected from a disciple of a major sect.

The fluidity of his steps and the grace of his swings were an admittedly admirable display of internal balance, and Wei Wuxian had to discern any chink he could press. He twisted, chest against the elbow of the disciple’s right arm that held his sword, a masterful creation that suited its owner. Wei Wuxian leaned, his finger following the curve of the clothed forearm and to the peek of a wrist where a single touch told him of harmonious meridians that resonated with a powerful golden core. Impressive.

He drifted to the hilt of the blade. “Nice sword.” He winked.

“You—”

The Lan disciple pivoted, and Wei Wuxian crouched low from the hit that definitely wasn’t just to incapacitate. He leapt backward, a little captivated at the positively incensed look present that replaced the previously stoic expression. He had a suspicion that this one wasn’t often riled up, and wasn’t that such a regret when he looked nice when impassioned?

Still, Wei Wuxian had to pull back almost reluctantly. It wouldn’t do to antagonize someone way before he could even establish acquaintance with his peers. The last thing he wanted to reach his fathers’ and shixiong’s ears was him causing trouble less than a day since he stepped on the grounds of Cloud Recesses.

“I propose a deal with the young master,” he said, “A duel. If you win, then this one will submit to his punishment.” He smirked. “Any kind of punishment that the young master thinks befit this transgressor.

“And if I win, then the young master will consider the matter settled and this one will leave for the night… with the promise from the young master to share a jar of good wine with me next time, of course.”

Golden eyes narrowed. “Fighting without permission is prohibited.”

“What exactly is not prohibited here?” he asked dryly. “Alright, no duel. Hmm.” His eyes landed at the silk band tied at the young master’s forehead. “Keep me from taking that, then.”

Whatever protest or recitation of another rule broken that was about to escape the Lan Disciple was promptly cut off the second Wei Wuxian darted forward, as quick as a snap of fingers. To the disciple’s credit, his stance barely faltered, already on the defense.

Unfortunately for him, Wei Wuxian grew up playing this game with his senior brothers and sisters, and his favorite distraction for his junior siblings. He could picture himself in the Lan Disciple’s perspective, watching him in slow motion as he snatched the silk ribbon with a wicked, triumphant smile.

A top quality of silk with a pattern of clouds, and it glided against his palm like a touch of feather and carried a faint scent of sandalwood and incense. Wei Wuxian glanced at the frozen young master whose face remained blank as if still processing the quick succession of events, and, in a stroke of inspiration, brought the forehead ribbon to his lips.

“Wei Wuxian will treasure his reward,” he announced earnestly—and immediately retreated in a manner that he hoped was graceful enough for a hasty exit before the young master could recover from his state. “Until next time!”

❆❆❆

Come midnight, his letters were finished, and the ones addressed to his fathers were marked with the recollection of the night’s encounter. A part of him dearly wished he could hear his baba’s chuckle and his a-die’s snort of amusement. No matter. He had half a year to gather anecdotes for them, and as far as he was concerned, it wouldn’t be the last time he would see of... of…

Huh.

Wei Wuxian frowned, thought hard, and scratched the back of his head.

Wait. What was his name again?

❆❆❆

“Four Seasons Sect, take your bow.”

There were not so subtle whispers and murmurs that ensued the declaration, though most that Wei Wuxian could hear was confusion as to who and which sect it was. He stood straighter, making sure his posture exuded his pride for representing the name of his sect, his home. He fell into step next to his shixiong who spoke in a clear and equable voice.

“On behalf of Four Seasons Sect, Zhang Chengling pays respect to Master Lan. I present our disciple who is sent to learn under your guidance, and may he serve as a bridge between the jianghu and the cultivation world.”

“Wei Ying, courtesy name Wei Wuxian of Four Seasons Sect greets Teacher,” Wei Wuxian said, raising his voice amidst the growing incertitude that followed his and his senior’s words as they bowed in perfect synchrony.

“Your mother Cangse Sanren and father Wei Changze are lauded rogue cultivators,” Lan Qiren said, effectively silencing the incredulous mutterings at the distance and doubts at jianghu producing cultivators. “It is good to find their son hale after several years.”

“This one is fortunate to be taken under the care of Four Seasons Sect, to grow and be a part of them. At their behest, we present gifts to symbolize our aspirations for a fortuitous relationship between Gusu Lan Sect and the Four Seasons Sect.

“A sapling of rowan as a symbol of connection, to provide protection against malevolent beings, and to guide home those who are lost. Blackthorn for discipline and control that are the known cores of Lan Sect’s teaching, and also to symbolize overcoming obstacles and hope in the middle of devastation. The last sapling is from a tree that bears a multitude of blooms in varying colors and is native to the Four Seasons Sect where flowers bloom all year round, hence the name after our sect. These are dear treasures from the home I know, hoping for them to grow on the soil that my birth parents lived on.”

The tall man standing beside Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen—the Lan Sect heir, if Wei Wuxian was correct—smiled serenely. “The Lan Sect is grateful for the gifts, and we look forward to them growing in a year’s time. We’ve had the pleasure to meet Master Zhou and Zhen, and it shows in their disciples their virtue and great esteem as sect leaders.”

The mention of his baba’s birth name of Zhen Yan instead of Wen Kexing startled him, though he was certain that there was a valid reason for it. Chengling sent him a small smile that told him he did well, and a knowing look that promised an explanation later.

The welcoming atmosphere was suddenly heckled by a commotion from men in red and black barging in unannounced, the man in the lead sneering how easy it was to get into Cloud Recesses. Lan Xichen addressed him as a Wen, and from what Wei Wuxian gathered, the presence of the Wen Sect was uncommon, not to mention unwanted.

Coming from a sect that outright insulted Cloud Recesses’ lectures, the Wens were keen to send two of their disciples, related to the main branch, no less. Wei Wuxian was unable to contain his snort at the dramatics of it all.

“And who’s this scoundrel?”

Wei Wuxian turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “Scoundrel is too big a title for me,” he quipped, a rakish grin forming when he crossed his arms. “Four Seasons Sect, Wei Wuxian.”

“This boy dares to interrupt me.” The Wen gave him a scrutinizing glare before letting out a sharp bark of a derisive laugh. “I wasn’t aware that Gusu Lan accepts runts from no-name sects.”

“After all that boast of Wen education, I wasn’t aware that disrespect is what they teach you, but here we are.”

“Fine. I’ll teach you how Qishan Wen deals with those who don’t listen well.”

“Master Wen,” called Chengling placatingly. “This is a simple disagreement. There’s no need to be aggressive.”

The attempt to pacify the situation merely grated at the idiot. “And why should I listen to vermins who don’t know their place?!” Seething, the witless Wen jerked and his armed retinue immediately surrounded them, blades drawn and pointing not only at Chengling and Wei Wuxian but also towards others who had been watching the exchange warily. Chengling moved in front of Wei Wuxian, his hand on the hilt of his own sword and keeping him partly hidden for his hand to clutch his fan on the ready.

After a tense minute that felt as if it lasted an hour, soothing notes that he recognized from a xiao resounded, deceptively lulling if not for its effect of disarming the parties involved, the Wen Sect’s weapons clattering down in warning.

“Today is Cloud Recesses’ ceremonial day for taking new students,” Lan Xichen said, his volume never rising but firm. “We ask that Second Young Master Wen conduct himself.”

A woman who called herself Wen Qing stepped in a flourish, ultimately keeping the brittle moment of stillness with her tact. “This is my and my brother Wen Ning’s first time in the Cloud Recesses, and we know not of some of the rules. We hope Teacher Lan and Young Master Lan are forgiving.”

She bowed apologetically to Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen, and even at Chengling. Wei Wuxian, begrudgingly impressed, was under the impression that within the Wen Sect it was either you had modesty in spades or did not understand it at all.

The rest of the Wen retreated, though not without the Wen moron committing Wei Wuxian’s face to memory. Not that he cared a lick after that outright disrespect to his senior—he was willing to give that sneering face a healthy dose of beating next time if necessary.

He was struck with an insight related earlier when his father’s name was brought up. The name of Wen Kexing was never given, and after the distasteful encounter with the Wen Sect, he had a suspicion as to why.

Gripping his shixiong’s arm reassuringly when asked if he was alright, Wei Wuxian cast an assessing sweep across the room, restlessness blanketing pretty much everyone else from the sects present. These were inner disciples of their respective sects, so it was safe to assume that they were no stranger to this kind of behavior from the Wens.

Lan, Nie, Jiang, Jin, and Wen were prominent names in cultivation, and out of all the five, the last was the most dominant in terms of manpower and territory. Knowing how terrifyingly efficient his a-die was when it came to gathering information, Wei Wuxian had an adequate background when it came to the major sects, though he wished he had listened more if only to come up with a better approach from here on out.

He was starting to think that the advice of ‘have fun and make friends’ from his parents was a jest in poor taste. Sighing, his eyes landed on the familiar-looking disciple quietly observing him before his attention snapped elsewhere.

Lips unconsciously twitching into a smile, Wei Wuxian wondered if he was imagining the light pink dusting those pale ears.

#fanfic #fanfiction #shl fic #shan he ling #cql #cheng qing ling #mdzs #untamed fic #crossover #wwx gets adopted by wenzhou #wenzhou #wen kexing #word of honor #zhou zishu #the untamed #wei wuxian #lan wangji #zhang chengling

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wujificrec · 4 years

Text

Genre Highlight: LWJ’s POV

Cursed by Feynite

PG | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 2.8k | Notes: angst, family, grief/mourning, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, fluff

Summary:

The Lan Clan is cursed with Love at First Sight.

Ashes of Winter by joannjoann

PG | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 1.6k | Notes: Love at first sight, pining Wangji, angst, cursed, 13 years

Summary:

Usually, the calmest and most silent ones keep the strongest feelings. Lan WangJi in particular, feels more strongly than anyone could ever compare.

A glance into what Lan WangJi's went through shortly after Wei WuXian's death. He lost one life but found another.

you are the you who has dyed my lifetime red by Quixiote

PG | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 4.7k | Notes:flower symbolism, pining, angst, fluff, love confession, 13 years

Summary: Lan Wangji was born with a gift.

Red Thread by Aki_no_hikari

PG | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 1.7k | Notes: Soulmates AU, different first meeting, red string of fate, fluff, pre-canon

Summary: There were many reasons why a cultivator might never join their fated person, although that did not stop many from embarking in years-long searches for the person that was their other half, the one that would understand them and accept them, flaws and all. Others stumbled upon their fated person… sometimes quite literally. Lan Wangji happened to be one of the later.

The Adventures of Lan WangJi - Erotic Art by kitkat2010

NC-17 | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 2k | Notes: 13 years, Lan Zhan masturbating

Summary: A few years after Wei Wuxian's death, Lan WangJi goes to buy Emperor's Smile and erotic art books.

Return to Gusu with Me by EstelweNadia

G | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | Multi-Chapter: 5.5k | Notes: Fix-it (kinda), angst, friendship, friends to lovers, slow burn, what-if, canon-divergent

Summary:

MDZS from Lan Wangji's POV. (ep 15 and ch 69 onwards) He would do whatever it takes, even if it meant laying his soul bare, for Wei Ying to come back with him. Chapter 1: Episode 15 - Beautiful Tranquillity Chapter 2: Episode 15 part 2- Honest Confession Chapter 3: Chapter 69 - Departure Part 1

just one minute more by dandelion_san

G | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 1k | Notes: Post-canon, fluff, sappy, cuddling & snuggling

Summary: In the hours while Wei Wuxian is still asleep, Lan Wangji struggles to get out of bed.

Sometimes when it's cold by taotrooper

PG | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 1.1k | Notes: 13 years, post-WWX death, hurt/comfort, fluff, angst, cuddling & snuggling, scars

Summary: The scars on Lan Wangji's back still hurt during the winter.

growing pains by luchiden

G | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 3k | Notes: Kid fic, 13 years, Lan Sizhui, post-WWZ death, angst, mourning/grief

Summary: For Lan Wangji the world begins and ends with Wei Wuxian.

i went looking for love (and found you, you, you) by GeneralPo

NC-17 | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 6.5k | Notes: Alternating POV, non-linear narrative, post-canon, smut, angst

Summary:

In defiance of every celebrated scripture of common sense upheld since the establishment of the orthodox sects, Wei Wuxian returns to the world of the living, thirteen years gone and somehow no less brilliant than before. ------- Before they are truly beautiful, they break; together, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian pick up the pieces of a conversation left behind thirteen years ago, reconnecting them to the feelings they share today.

等一不归人 by FateTrash

G | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 722 words | Notes: pining, character study, 13 years, post-WWX death

Summary: Thirteen years. He's been a fool for thirteen years.

a bout of teenage rebellion a few years behind schedule by bosbie

G | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 1.9k | Notes: pining, fluff, introspection on LWJ’s part

Summary:

Lan WangJi sneaks away from a night-hunt (and his brother) and arrives at YiLing to finally make peace with this ill-fated love. That does not happen. Wei WuXian shines too brightly for him to let go.

won't by then_came_thee

G | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 921 words | Notes: Wangji introspection, 13 years, post-WWX death, mourning/grief, pining

Summary:

yearning by wolframvonbielefeld (maknaeline)

PG | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-shot: 7.5k | Notes: Wangji character study, 13 years, post-WWX death, Lan Sizhui, angst, hurt/comfort, suicidal thoughts, depression, happy ending

Summary:

Thirteen years I have spent without you, Wei Ying, but my yearning has been fruitful.

Your - our son has grown up well.

Family by Quiet_crash

G | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | Multi-chapter: 47.1k | Notes: (unfinished), time travel, fix-it fic,

Summary:

The truth of the matter was that when it came to taking care of people and their problems, both he and Wei Ying were of one mind. However, whereas Lan Wangji was taught to care for himself as much as other people, Wei Ying, from early age, was taught that him having needs was burdensome. He disregarded his own pain with frightening ease and offered up evey part of himself for others to use with no reservation.

Thus, Lan Wangji made sure that his husband's needs were never overlooked, his hurts never unadressed.

So it was that when they purified an ancient temple and its goddess benevolently offered them each a wish in return, Wei Ying asked for his family: for Jiang Cheng to never have lost his parents and his core, for Jiang Yanli to never have lost her husband and her own life because of him; Lan Zhan asked for Wei Ying.

The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks

NC-17 | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | Multi-Chapter: 67.8k | Notes: Canon-divergent, LWJ POV, angst, depression, hurt/comfort, slow burn, happy ending, smut, sharing a bed

Summary:

With Lan SiZhui almost grown, Lan WangJi began to question if there was much else to live for. Then an old wish came true, but at what cost? Or, a retelling of the events of the novel from the perspective of Lan WangJi.

I Dreamed Of You At Nighttime. by cherryburlesque

M | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-Shot: 7.3k | Notes: Canon-divergent, Yiling Patriach, Sunshot campaign, angst, happy ending, character study, getting together

Summary:

A confrontation after a tense war meeting, and kisses stolen on a bridge in the dark.

Lan Wangji had long since accepted the fact that he had no sense when it came to Wei Wuxian. His vision always narrowed down to one singular point, and everything else was secondary, including the rules of his own clan.

He’d come to terms with that knowledge months ago, when he broke the rules Lan by being outside the Cloud Recesses at night, playing Inquiry for the upteenth time in the hope of an answer.

The long road home by dea_liberty

M | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-Shot: 9.1k | Notes: Post-canon, family, happy ending, feelings, marriage, angst, 13 years

Summary:

Lan Wangji doesn’t watch as Wei Ying walks away with half his soul, while Lan Wangji walks away with a paper man, infused with a little bit of Wei Ying’s spiritual energy, tucked in flat against his chest like it can replace half of his heart.

In the aftermath of everything, they weave their way through the past and the present, and towards the future they'll make together.

Finally, Lan Wangji finds his way home.

breathing gym by victortor

G | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-Shot: 2.9k | Notes: Canon-compliant, LWJ POV, panic-attacks

Summary:

Lan Wangji, in a pause.

Or,

At the rendezvous point, after capturing the perpetrator responsible for the rumors of Xinglu Ridge, Lan Wangji waits for Wei Wuxian to return.

After the Drought by Aki_no_hikari

G | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-Shot: 4.1k | Notes: Canon-divergent, Yiling Wei Sect, family, fluff, angst, happy ending, LWJ POV

Summary:

Point of divergence: chapter75, lwj stays to eat that night… and seeing that they need him, he stays the next day and the next...

Driven by feelings and morals, Lan Wangji leaves the Cloud Recesses and his family behind. Fourteen years of hardship later, he comes back as a father and leader.

asymptotic by chinxe

PG | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | Multi-Chapter: 26.7k | Notes: Canon-divergent, angst, happy ending, slow burn, misunderstandings, pining, LWJ POV

Summary:

The members of the Lan Clan have never been particularly well-known for their good judgement when it comes to matters of the heart.

Which is why it should come as a surprise to no one when Lan Wangji falls in love with an actual ghost.

Looking at You Always, All Ways by Keysmashed

PG | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | Multi-Chapter: 29.1k | Notes: Canon-divergent, time travel, fix-it fic, fluff, angst, happy ending, LWJ POV

Summary:

Lan Wangji thought it was just a dream but the pain of being pierced in the chest by his own sword, by his own self whose appearance was taller and older was too real. The ground under his feet disappeared and he fell, and fell, and continued falling until a voice he thought he would never hear again broke his fall and suddenly, he was no longer falling. It was the voice he had so dearly missed.

Wei Ying's voice.

----A Time Travel Fix-It where Lan Wangji goes back in time to his first fateful encounter with Wei Wuxian for a chance to rewrite history.

Why Didn't You Say? by preciousbunnynoiz

PG | Lan Zhan/Wei Ying | One-Shot: 2.5k | Notes: Canon-divergent, fluff, angst, happy ending, love confessions, inquiry, 13 years, Lan Sizhui

Summary:

“Father? One of the other boys said that using the guqin you could...speak to the dead.”

Ah.

Lan WangJi had wondered when this would happen.

A-Yuan asks Lan WangJi to help him speak to someone who he barely remembers and that triggers a reunion and also confessions and confusions.

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butterflydm · 5 years

Text

The Untamed Rewatch (ep 3)

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aka they are all babies and I can't protect them

What stood out on rewatch (contains spoilers for entire drama);

We get several introductions in this episode. The first is to Mian Mian. I love Mian Mian both for herself and as a parallel for Lan Wangji. For now, I will talk about how their introductory scenes parallel but it happens with them a lot, so this will not be the last time.

Both Mian Mian and Lan Wangji are trying to abide by the rules of their sect and do what their sect would want them to do. Wei Wuxian would like to talk them into making an exception, please. In both cases, Mian Mian and Lan Wangji do consider his arguments and accept his case (Mian Mian in the same conversation and Lan Wangji going up to talk to his brother after the path introduction). Mian Mian and Lan Zhan are both generally rule-abiding but also reasonable.

Jin Zixuan doesn't actually speak much in his scenes. On the heels of the Mian Mian scene, he is coming across as a second parallel for LWJ but a different side of LWJ. He does still come across as arrogant but in my rewatch, I'm wondering how much of that is genuine vs him just not speaking up when other people assert how they believe he's feeling. Which is something LWJ certainly also does.

Also, WWX's blatant disrespect of Jin Zixuan both as a person and for his position really stood out to me in rewatch. He's very deliberate about it, both in words and actions.

I also wonder if JZX might have been deliberately wanting to talk to Jiang Yanli before she left, but he wasn't able to come up with words before his attendant 'helpfully' arrived to tell him he went to the wrong room. Same attendant does a lot of talking for JZX in the earlier confrontation too.

Then WWX arrives and takes over the situation again.

Much like LWJ, JZX seems to have a difficult time expressing himself in words, and he has no idea how to handle WWX's entire personality.

Also: is it possible that, like his mother does later, JZX wonders here if there's potential romance vibes between WWX and JYL, since WWX kind of dominates the conversation? I'm going to keep an eye on JZX's future reactions to WWX and see what I see.

Okay, so they start to set-up the additional drama-only scenes early, from what I've read, in the original novel, the Emperor's Smile scene is Wei Ying and Lan Zhan's first meeting.

So, what purpose does this brief intro scene serve and why add it? I think part of the reason is narrative cohesion — they aren't going to flip and and forth between the past and the present so they need to set out a clear storyline. And it creates that parallel between Mian Mian and Lan Wangji. Plus, it begins the set-up of the corrupted metal storyline. We get to see the beginnings of the interactions between WWX and LWJ but it's a very different vibe than their later solo talk, because they're in public. LWJ reacts to WWX a few notable times in the conversation — he hears WWX say the body is cursed, not dead, and that's what makes him turn around. He also hesitates on the path once he's out of sight, making the decision to go talk to his brother.

The campfire scene with Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng has two particularly interesting moments — we do have Jiang Yanli mentioning that WWX won't keep messing around once things are serious, and we have Jiang Cheng saying WWX might be spending time with either a 'Mian Mian' or a 'Yuan Dao' which… is pretty heavy subtext that both that WWX is bisexual and that his siblings know about it which, for the purposes of the drama specifically, would inform how I might read the scenes where Jiang Yanli or Jiang Cheng react to WWX and LWJ's interactions. So, I'm going to take that interpretation into account in the future. That is also, as I understand it, a departure from WWX's characterization in the novel during this time period, but given that they couldn't do a 'queer realization' on-screen due to censorship concerns, this seems like a really clever side-step.

Then we have WWX breaking into the Cloud Recesses and the rooftop fight and it is… so gorgeous. It's a dynamic and beautiful scene that is filled with little character moments and interactions that will matter down the road.

Lan Zhan. Omg bb. Not every problem needs to be solved with your sword. The image of LWJ putting his sword in front of WWX is going to be very common, so it's fun that the first time is a threat and not protection.

WWX trying to bullshit/charm/bribe LWJ to let him in. I love it.

WWX tries so hard to save his alcohol.

The boys each learn that they've met their match, talent-wise. The implications we get at various points are that there isn't a lot of real competition for either of them, until they meet each other.

It's just… it's just really good. Poor LWJ has never felt so simultaneously annoyed and turned on by someone before, I’m pretty sure. Who can blame him tbh?

Also, so: rooftops. They have their ‘first’ fight on a rooftop and their ‘last’ fight on one as well. I’m gonna think about that for a little while.

Oh, man, the punishment assigning scene is also priceless. Lan Xichen finds WWX both charming and intelligent and is intrigued by how much WWX affects his brother's normally calm attitude. Lan Qiren can tell WWX is smart but you know he's thinking "but at what cost?". The moment when WWX clunks his sword down against Lan Qiren's desk and is glared at is hilarious.

You can just really see how different the expectations are for WWX in Yunmeng than the expectations are in Gusu. WWX is good and smart and kind, even this young, and from his perspective, the Gusu rules are so rigid and arbitrary. But for people who thrive on structure, having rules can be helpful. It depends. The rules will definitely come up again.

Then we met Wen Qing!

I mean, Wen Rouhan is also introduced but w/e, Wen Qing is the important one here and we all know it. So, this will come up later and in more detail, but my reading of Wen Qing and WWX's interactions as a whole is that they remind each other of their respective big sister/little brother sibling relationships, so that's the lens I look at them from most of the time. If I recall correctly, they each get at least one scene where they look at the other one and explicitly flashback to thinking about their sibling.

Here, we establish that Wen Qing is under WRH's thumb and is not thrilled about it, but is made to feel grateful (she’s also not thrilled about that), and even when I was watching the first time, I didn't think she would end up permanently on WRH's side.

The scene with Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji is a good follow-up to the punishment scene earlier -- LXC has noticed that LWJ has a strong reaction to being around WWX and encourages LWJ to explore that potential friendship. I love how genuinely concerned LXC is that his brother might be lonely and overworked.

Our last introduction this episode is to Xue Yang. Here, he’s mostly interesting to me for how his lack of fear contrasts against Wen Qing's concealed terror in her scene with WRH. Xue Yang has no positive connections, nothing he needs to protect or shelter. He doesn’t have anything to lose, so he can play hardball against WRH without any concern. Wen Qing has her brother and her village, both of which are essentially being held hostage against her good behavior.

Xue Yang also mentions here his lack of ambition for power, which contrasts him against WRH but is one of the ways he is a parallel to WWX. Xue Yang was happy enough living in a city of corpses with no real luxuries. WWX is perfectly happy being a lotus farmer or rogue cultivator. Neither of them need the trappings of wealth and power, because both, perhaps, are so aware from their childhood of how easily that can disappear?

It's something about WWX that most of the Sect leaders have a hard time believing, that WWX doesn't want to be wealthy and powerful for its own sake. WWX uses his power but doesn't hoard it just for the sake of having it. He was never interested in challenging Jiang Cheng for the position of heir or to displace him as Jiang sect leader.

Which isn't to say that Xue Yang and WWX aren't competitive — they enjoy flexing their power and enjoy being 'the best' but there's no power-based endgame they care about. They aren't interested in ruling the world.

What people value and how that affects their choices is definitely a big theme in the series as a whole -- do you value your family name? Your reputation? Wealth and power? Helping people? Staying true to your own convictions? And whatever you pick affects whether or not you can keep the other things. WWX didn’t give a fig about his reputation and so he ended up with a very negative reputation that impacted both his relationships and what he was able to accomplish in the world of cultivation politics. Reputation is social currency, and WWX ended up losing all of his.

But that’s a while ahead.

Next time: more introductions!

Previous Episode | Index | Next Episode

#mdzs meta #the untamed #wangxian #the untamed | chen qing ling #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wei wuxian | wei ying #lan wangji | lan zhan #long post #cql rewatch

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noirbriar · 5 years

Text

MDZS AU Headcanon dump: Stay (8)

(Part 1 here) (Part 2 here) (Part 3 here) (Part 4 here) (Part 5 here) (Part 6 here) (Part 7 here)

“Ze Wu Jun.What are you talking about-”

“Wei Wuxian, this I’m afraid would be a family matter.I would like to ask you to kindly leave.” LQR is not having any of it and JC knows his brother, quickly holds him back, eyes urging him to stand down. LWJ knelt before his elders.

“Wei Ying...Its fine.” This was coming anyway.

WWX being WWX he breaks away from JC, telling him to close the doors behind him. JC breathes heavily and rolls his eyes, he chooses to not deal with WWX’s whims now for his own sake and does as asked.

Amongst the crowd of white robed cultivators, the Grandmaster’s inky garbs stands out in stark contrast. Before he makes his way and kneels together with LWJ.

(Its almost a bastardised ceremony of acceptance but thats getting ahead of themselves.)

”Since I’m Lan Zhan’s partner, and I’m the reason why he is to be punished then all the more I must stay no?”

”YOU-”

”Uncle, calm down please.”

”THIS-!” Some younger disciples quickly tries to calm LQR down, who is on the verge of choking on his own blood ( “Cangse Sanren you and yours-!” ) LXC taking this moment to proceed.

”Wangji.”

”...”

“Your punishment has been decided.You have a choice.”

“Seclusion within the caves in the depths of Cloud Recesses.In solitary isolation for 3 years.”

“Or we will strip part of your cultivation and be banished from the Lan Sect.”

Neither were ideal options. GusuLan has never killed unless in the worst scenarios.Like during the Sunshot Campaign.As a peace seeking clan, they seek enlightenment, and reform the mind, the body, the soul.But the caves...they are Spirit caves where they hone their cultivation. However, when one stay in the labyrinth long enough, they forget worldly desires. Their attachments.Their feelings. Themselves. As the immortals do. He knows what the caves can do...Afterall, it was where he spent as a child after his mother’s death. It is why he can barely remember her now, if not for his brother and back then he was too young to decide against the elders who no longer remained once his brother has taken leadership.

LWJ knows that they know.

They have given him an ultimatum. Have your way and lose your home, your status.Or come home, and re-cultivate yourself as a Lan. If 3 years your heart remains, they will not anything either after that.They can’t.

LWJ is ready to choose when WWX stops him. LWJ has given up much in staying beside him, he won’t let him sacrifice more for his sake. They are LWJ’s only family and WWX knows how important that is.

But you are important too.

“3 years Lan Zhan.Besides I have to deal with the Burial Mounds and the Stygian Tiger Seal during this time.By the time you are out, my obligations would also be finished.It’s not as if we’ll be apart 13 years right?” (hahahahhahahaha please dont hurt me)

“The process is dangerous, all the more I need to s-”

“Lan Zhan,trust me.”

Just as I trust you.

The following days, preparations were made. The Wens will be under surveillance, moving down into Yiling now they no longer need to stay in the mountains. WWX will move to Lotus Pier so the 3 sects can work with him better ( read: control ). LWJ will follow the Lans back to Gusu with a-Yuan. They told him he was going to board with a respected sect, he can learn and become like his Zhan gege. He will change his surname from Wen to Lan only because of his unique status as a ward of the Lan clan.LXC makes a promise to let them reunite on Lunar New Year.The only kindness he can give to the Wens.

WWX and LWJ were kept busy themselves, both with their new obligations, and the only time that have alone were the nights after.( “Lan Zhan, how long do you plan to not tell me?””?””About you and Wen Qing plotting behind my back.Feeding me all those horrible, disgusting medicine and meditation with you?””....You knew?””Its my body.I told you I know what is going on with it when I started demonic cultivation.So?So?Was it long?””...””Ahhh look at you Lan Zhan.Do I have to feed you wine to get the truth out of you again?””What?””Ah.Nothing.Nothing.Ahhhh-Lan er gege Wha-Noooo! Forgive Xian Xian!I’m sorry!””Asking for it.””But honestly Lan Zhan now that I can start cultivating again...should we try double cultivating?As cultivation partners?””Shameless.””Ahhh I knew you would say that-Wait.Lan Er gege what are you doing?Why are you peeling my robes-!””Double cultivation.””I DIDN’T SAY NOW!AH!” )

The morning before the departure from the Burial Mounds, they had a ceremony for a-Yuan at their home for the last time, where he thanks his family and his grandmother for their care before he leaves for another.WWX laughs to himself, watching the tiny child struggling in the stiff new robes.Almost bittersweet as he thinks about the child’s fate and purpose. At the end, a-Yuan instead, waddles over and pulls WWX and LWJ to the seats, face in a huffy determination only a way a child could have.

”A-Yuan wants to thank Xian gege and Zhan gege too.”

A tea, and a bow.

”Thank you for your care and love for a-Yuan.”

If WWX has cried, nobody makes mention of it.Even as he held the tiny boy, the innocence he had chosen to protect against the world.

It was worth it.

As the Sects leave Yiling, WWX following the Jiangs back to Lotus Pier and LWJ to Gusu, the pair stood beside each other, steps heavy in their wake.Finally, as they could not let the couple delay their plans further, a cough here and a nudge there.Its goddamn time.

WWX makes the first step, throwing his arms around LWJ. Poise and image be damned.Let them look.They were already talking at Koi Tower anyway.LWJ thinks as he returns the embrace, hoping to remember this man before the long years they have to spend apart.He feels WWX’s warmth, his breath at his neck before the demonic cultivator leans nearer to his ear, whispering words that he never dreamed he would hear.

“This time, I’ll come find you. I’ll come to Gusu.”

And WWX reaches up, tugs his forehead ribbon off,wrapping it around his wrist, giving LWJ a smirk before sauntering off to a stoned JC and a smug Wen family.

(Somewhere behind, LXC is smiling widely before scrambling to assist LQR who is resembling one experiencing a qi deviation.JC has a jaw on the ground, thoughts escaping him.The Wens are glad and relieved, because goddman it finally.If you had to live with the 2 you would be too.)

“I’ll be taking this Hanguang Jun! You can have it back in 3 years!”

“Mn.”

As they share one last parting glance, they turn away with much difficulty, parting after a long while.

LWJ has waited this long.He can endure this.

Just 3 years.

-----

On the way to Lotus Pier-

“Why...do I feel like I’m missing something here.”

“Ahhh a single dog won’t get it.”

“I dare you say it again you ass.”

“Single dog.”

“Hahaha.Let’s go Jiang Cheng.I’m a guest of Lotus Pier now, aren’t I? Have your disciples carry my things properly now. And I want to drink Shijie’s soup.”

“You and your shamelessness.Which part of guest do you not understand?!”

(Part 9 here)

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #headcanonAU #StayAU #if lan wangji stayed #lan wangji #wei wuxian #lan qiren #lan xichen #jiang cheng #we get yunmengjiang duo here #and jiang siblings with wwx and jin ling being family #ooc af don't say i didnt warn you #hah.3years.#hahaha #what can happen in 3 years?

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